help with interview!! What Language?!? & Int ?s...

[gol_e_ehsan 0]

Hello Everyone!!!!!

my fiance and I are anxiously awaiting our interview date next month and want to make sure that we are ready.

I have a question about his language....

He is Iranian, so he speaks and is obviously more comfortable speaking Farsi. He is learning English and is able to speak English well with me, but he feels like he would be too nervous to speak English at the interview.

we dont have any problems communicating with each other since I also can speak Farsi, but I want to see if anyone knows if he is allowed to speak farsi at his interview and if it could possible effect his visa negatively....

Also.....What questions (from your experiences) have they asked you at the interview?? Are they more about you and your fiance's relationship, or what you want to do in the US/$/etc.

Thank you sooo much, we are trying to do everything that we can to be prepared!!

[KGH 0]

In Ankara I heard that they have Farsi speaking CO but is not for every one.

I had my own interview there 15 years ago(Family petition) my dad spoke english with the CO but at the end CO started asking questions in Farsi from me that I was very suprise, becasue I was talking farsi with my dad and he didn't say any thing during the interview until the end of it, so even if they ask you question english, still they might now Farsi.

in another word, be prepare for both, Farsi and english

Here is an experience of an iranian at Ankara, I can't find the original post, but I had it saved it, thanks to" R & S ".

"Here’s how it went for us the day of interview:

We arrived at the embassy about 5 minutes before our appointment time. There were about 20 people waiting outside the main gate. We checked-in with the guard at the door and he took her passport. Waited outside the gate for 10 minutes before her name was called, along with 5 other people. I told the guard I’m accompanying her, showed my US passport and he let me in as well. We waited inside the gate for a few minutes until it was our turn to go through security office. Once we passed security, we went out the back door and waited outside in line to enter the main building. 15 minutes later, we were in.

There was a lady there that asked for the documents listed on the Pkg 4 : Original birth certificate, passport, lab results, Fortis Bank receipt, and evidence of relationship. She asked if we want the interview in English for Farsi. We choose Farsi. She then gave us a number and a pamphlet to read and asked us to sit and wait in main room with everyone else. There were about 75 people in the room. There are 7 walkup windows where interviews get conducted over the counter. We were on the far side of the room, but could still hear some of the interview questions and people’s responses. There were only a handful of Iranians there. Overall the atmosphere was calm and peaceful, there was a TV but no sound. In the corner of the room, a UPS representative had a desk and was processing papers. We waited about an hour before our number was called. She went up to the counter and I stayed waiting.

The interviewer was not Iranian but could speak it well. The questions asked were mostly what we had anticipated, pretty much in line with questions that other members have posted here on VJ site. One of the interesting ones was a follow up question to : What do I do in my free time? What are my hobbies? She answered that I like playing and watching basketball and like going to the movies. He then asked: who was my favorite basketball player. My fiancé is not into sports, so we had not prepared to answer that. So she just made up an answer(Jordan). But the rest were pretty simple. From what I can remember they were :

Regarding us: How long have you known each other, How did you meet? How many times have you seen each other since? How long were you together in those meeting and what did you do together? (show pictures). When did you become engaged? Where? Did you have a ceremony? How do you communicate with each other (phone/email), how often? (provide proof). What do you guys talk about? Regarding me: Where do I live (city and state), what do I do for a living? What company do I work for? What is my job title? Where did I go to school? Directed at her: Have you meet his family, have they met yours? What do you like most about him? Where will you live when you go to US? What will you do when you get to US(work/study)?

The interview took about 5 minutes. The questions were not in order, the interviewer jumped back and forth in different subjects and tried to test her. I had given her my passport and she made sure the interviewer knew I was with her there in support.

At the end he told her she was approved! We then went to sign up with the UPS desk to have her passport be delivered to the hotel. They told us to wait 2 to 5 days. Our interview was on a Thursday, they delivered the passport on the following Tuesday. They apparently don’t process paperwork on Fridays or Saturdays. You may have noticed that they don’t book appointments on these two days either, even though Sunday is the only official week holiday in Turkey.

Our stay in Turkey was great. The people are friendly but you have to be on guard not to get scammed. It was our first time in Ankara. We weren’t optimistic about getting the visa, so we had planned to leave after the interview for another city. If you do the same, make a color copy of your fiance passport for getting through the airport, in the event she gets the visa (in which case they’ll hold her passport).

Here are my recommendations for planning your trip to Ankara:

For getting there, book your fiancés flight to Istanbul, not Ankara. There are more flights into Istanbul compared to Ankara. This is helpful on her return flight if you need to change your travel plans due to not knowing exactly when her passport will be released, if getting the visa. Plan to meet her in Istanbul and take a domestic flight to Ankara together. Flights out of IKA are all early in the morning, but there is no flight from Europe that arrives at IST early in the morning. So what I did was, I arrived there from my flight late at night, slept on the airport benches until the morning, then met her in the airport when she arrived from Iran.

For hotel, the Dedeman hotel is fine. Almost all Iranians stay in this hotel. Even some of the people working there speak farsi. It’s within walking distance of the embassy and city center. Depending on your travel plans, I would suggest you make two separate reservations: one for the nights before the interview and another under your fiancés name for staying one business day (not counting Friday or Saturday) after the interview day. This way if you get the visa, you have a reservation with the hotel at a discounted rate. If after interview you don’t need to stay in Ankara, you can cancel your reservation. Just make sure on the second reservation you have the option to cancel it without penalty upto the afternoon of interview day. I used Kayak.com to find deals on hotels.

For getting the medical done, book your appointment two business days before your interview date. Their website suggests 3 days, to allow them 2 days to get the results back to you, but actually their site lets you book 2 days in advance and they guarantee to get the result back to you the next business day. This saves you money and time by not being in Ankara anymore than you have to. We did the medical the day we arrived in Ankara. I had reserved the latest available time for her appointment so to give us enough time to get from airport to hotel and to the medical office.

From Ankara airport, you can take a taxi or the bus. For hotels near the embassy, a taxi will cost you about 70 TL, depending on traffic. If time is not a concern, take the Havas bus to Asti (pronounced Ashti) terminal . It’s the last stop on the route and the bus only stops once before that. It takes about 45 minutes and the fair is 10 TL. From there, take a taxi to the hotel, which should cost about 15 TL.

The medical practice (Duzen Lab) has a few offices in that area. Make sure you go to the one on the main street (Ataturk). It’s about a 20 minute walk from the hotel. Check in on the first floor and they will direct you from there. The staff and doctors are friendly but some of them don’t speak very good English. Lucky for us, there was always an Iranian person there who could speak Turkish and translate for us. As far as the vaccines they require, it’s a mystery. There are no guidelines. Even if you have taken all the normal vaccines, they’ll tell you the embassy requires something you haven’t had before. It’s a money making procedure for them. When we booked our appointment, I emailed their office to ask what vaccines are required, but they never responded to that question. I even called them, but still got the run around. In total, we ended up paying over $250 for the medical.

Getting the Fortis bank receipt is very easy. There’s a branch within walking distance from the hotel. We just walked in, took a number and when it was our turn, the tellers knew exactly why we were there.

For going back to airport, the Havas bus from Asti terminal leaves every half hour. Asti terminal is very big and crowded. There is an information booth in the middle of it all and they do speak English. From where the taxi drops you off you need to go down 3 stories to window 19 to take the bus. It takes about an hour to get to airport, because there is a security check before entering airport area. A guard walks in and takes IDs from all passengers and goes out to his booth to review. He returns after 5 minutes. I was told if you arrive with taxi they don’t usually stop you to check for ID.

There’s not much to do in Ankara. The Ataturk museum is worth seeing. Plan to spend about 2 hours there. In Turkey, you can get away with not knowing how to speak their language, but I had learned a few words and phrases from different sites. I found out that not only was it helpful, but also welcomed by the people there. I shared my experience with you to reduce some the anxiety of the trip and help you plan your trip more efficiently. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I hope this has been helpful and I hope you are successful in your trip.

"

[JSVP08 3]

Hello Everyone!!!!!

my fiance and I are anxiously awaiting our interview date next month and want to make sure that we are ready.

I have a question about his language....

He is Iranian, so he speaks and is obviously more comfortable speaking Farsi. He is learning English and is able to speak English well with me, but he feels like he would be too nervous to speak English at the interview.

we dont have any problems communicating with each other since I also can speak Farsi, but I want to see if anyone knows if he is allowed to speak farsi at his interview and if it could possible effect his visa negatively....

Also.....What questions (from your experiences) have they asked you at the interview?? Are they more about you and your fiance's relationship, or what you want to do in the US/$/etc.

Thank you sooo much, we are trying to do everything that we can to be prepared!!

in my interview experience in USE AD, UAE where i was the only asian there and the rest were all arabs from different states of UAE and am sure some were Iranians- the CO interviews them in another language (am sitting 3 steps away-can definitely hear them)..maybe arabic/farsi..not sure coz i dont know which is which....just one thing for sure its NOT english ...so i would say, yes, they do interview in other languages where the applicant maybe most understood. Common language is more important between couples but not necessarily english and not particular during interview.. questions were simple and easy:

how long have u known your fiance?

how did you meet?

how do you communicate?

Was he married before?

When was he divorced?

Where does he work?

Where does he live?

hope it helps and best of luck!

[Elham 1]

As the others already said, they know Farsi, there is no need to be worried about language at all... every thing will go great

Good Luck!

[M_n_M 1]

We had our interview in Abu Dhabi, and there were at least 2 farsi speaking interviewers there. You're likely to also have a farsi speaking interviewer in Ankara because of the large number of iranians that go to that consulate. Are you going to be there with your fiance? That might help too, both in order to show a true relationship and just in case he is in need of any translation.

And most importantly GOOD LUCK!!!! Update us after the interview, let us know how everything went, the details, etc. You guys are both in my prayers for sure!!!

~M

[M_n_M 1]

KGH, about the vaccinations, there is a place in Tehran, near maydoon pastoor, that does vaccinations specifically for those going for immigration/greencard/fiance visas, when you go there you just let them know that you're going for a medical in turkey in order to go to the US and they will tell you exactly what you need... its A LOT cheaper than getting them all done in Turkey or Dubai, or anywhere. (I think we paid the equivalent of 15 bucks). They provide you with an international vaccination record, which does not need to be translated and is valid throughout the world. The only vaccination I believe they don't provide is the Chicken pox one, which will have to be done wherever it is you're having your medical done. Hope this helps anyone looking to get all this done.

[gol_e_ehsan 0]

Thank you sooo much for all of your responses!! I will most definitely be there with him for support. During the interview, are all of the questions directed at him, am I just there for support or will they ask me any questions??

Also, I dont know if the guidelines for the Ankara embassy have changed recently, but they had us sent his original birth certificate to them with the last packet of paperwork. They also have a copy of it as well as the original english translation of it. I was just wondering, after the interview they will give us back his original birth certificate right?? Seeing as it is a vital document that he will probably need when he is in the united states. Does anyone know if they will give us back his original english translation either?

[thepizzadude 26]

Thank you sooo much for all of your responses!! I will most definitely be there with him for support. During the interview, are all of the questions directed at him, am I just there for support or will they ask me any questions??

Also, I dont know if the guidelines for the Ankara embassy have changed recently, but they had us sent his original birth certificate to them with the last packet of paperwork. They also have a copy of it as well as the original english translation of it. I was just wondering, after the interview they will give us back his original birth certificate right?? Seeing as it is a vital document that he will probably need when he is in the united states. Does anyone know if they will give us back his original english translation either?

They had you send them the ORIGINAL or a certified true copy of the original?

[M_n_M 1]

We were supposed to send my husband's original birth certificate too, but we just sent a note with a notarized copy of it plus it's translation stating that we'd bring the original to the interview because my husband needed the shenasnameh for identification purposes in iran. But we did send in our original marriage certificate. They return ALL originals on the day of the interview, so don't worry, you'll get the birth certificate back, but you most likely WONT get the translation back. (It's good to get 2 translations, but you can always do that after you get his shenasnameh back)...I know each embassy has different rules when it comes to us going in with our spouses. In Abu Dhabi I was there with him the whole time and they asked both of us questions while we were standing with each other (you can see my review of my interview and it'll give you an idea of the kinds of questions they asked)... I don't know if the same goes for Turkey, but I'd assume so.

Good luck!

~M