Casablanca Consulate Review - K1 Interview

[Possiblymaybe 371]

I seem to be unable to add my Consulate Review in the appropriate place so I am putting it here for the benefit of those that have interviews in Casablanca soon.

My fiance had his interview in Casablanca today, June 20th. The appointment was set for 3:00PM. He approached the embassy at 2:30, and was told to return at the specified interview time. At 3:00PM he returned and was asked to join a long line of people waiting outside.

Embassy staff came out and asked for all people that had interviews scheduled. My fiance was the only one at the time. He thinks the other people that were in line were there to pick up visas. He was given a security pat down right there in the street before being led inside. Once inside he was asked for his name, and was given a security screening similar to what is done at the airport. He did not bring his cell phone with him, and was asked to remove his belt and electronic watch before passing through the metal detector. He was not allowed to bring the watch inside, so they gave him a ticket for it so he could collect it on his way out.

Once he was cleared through security, he was allowed to enter through a very heavy door and into the waiting area. He sat until his name was called. At the first window he handed over his passport and paid 2130 dirhams (which was slightly more than he expected). The receipt for payment was placed in his passport and handed over to the staff at the next window. He sat again until he was called to the next window by a Moroccan man. This man was very friendly and my fiance was asked for:

• Interview letter from Consulate (which was looked at and quickly returned)
• DS 156 (2 copies with passport photos attached)
• DS 156K
• DS 157
• DS 230 (Part 1 only)
• I-134 Affidavit of Support and supporting documents (my supporting documents were 2012 tax transcripts, 2012 W2, letter from my employer, letter from my bank)
• Updated letter of intent to marry from me
• All four civil documents with English translations

After the documents were handed over and checked for completeness, my fiance was asked to sit and wait to be called for the interview. As he sat he noticed that the Moroccan man handed his paperwork and our file over to the CO, a young, American woman. My fiance could see her looking through the paperwork for approximately 20 minutes. This was our complete I-129F package with RFE response. She then motioned for him to approach the window.

When he approached the window he had his fingerprints taken, handed over 2 passport photos, filled out my name and signed the bottom of form DS 156K, was asked to pick up the phone, and asked to raise his right hand and swear that all of the information was true and correct. From the beginning of the interview, the CO was kind, very friendly, and treated my fiance with respect. As she was asking questions, and my fiance was answering, he explains that it was like a friendly conversation. When asked a question, my fiance just kept talking and explaining until she asked him another one. The questions asked were:

• How and when did you meet
• Names and ages of my children
• How many times have I visited and for how many days was each trip
• When and where will we marry
• What do I do for work

It sounds strange when I type the questions because mostly the answer of one question would naturally lead into the next question. Throughout the interview the CO would add comments or ask followup questions and was taking notes. The interview lasted about 5 minutes.

The CO said that his visa is approved and to please come back on Tuesday to pick it up. This is what I find to be the funny part. My fiance says that the CO was saying all of this pretty fast and he stopped her to ask for clarification on which date next Tuesday was. When she asked him why, he said that I wanted him to come on the 28th so he could be here for my birthday <3 She handed him some photos from the original I129F petition and a small piece of paper to bring back to collect his passport and visa on Tuesday. He collected his watch and left the consulate. The whole experience was less than an hour.

Overall, my fiance found this to be a great experience. He wanted me to write a detailed account of it so others will not be scared when going to interview. We have heard so many horror stories about the Casablanca consulate, that it was hard to believe his interview was so quick and easy. I think this might be that people that pass through without issues are less inclined to write a review than those that had a more difficult time. Therefore, we are left with a lot of negative reviews and few positive ones.

My fiance was treated kindly and with respect from the staff at the consulate. He brought along a lot of evidence of our relationship (chats, emails, letters, photos, etc), but was not asked for any of it. There was only one negative for him, and that is that since he got his electronic watch back, it hasn't worked properly.

My fiance's tips:

• Do not bring an electronic watch.
• Do not bring any electronic media, such as a video recording because you would not be allowed to bring it inside (he didn't anyway)
• Do not arrive early as you are not allowed to enter the consulate until your appointment time
• If you do not know the answer to one of the questions on the DS forms, write "unknown"
• Leave your phone at home. You can't take it into the consulate and there is a street phone nearby to call your fiance before and after your interview (He called at 1:00PM when he arrived in Casablanca. Then at 2:00PM near the Consulate after having coffee at the cafe. Then at 2:30 after he tried to enter early. And again just before 4:00PM to tell me the wonderful news!)

Edited June 21, 2013 by jenafid

[sutherland 0]

Congrats to you

[Charlie30 0]

Wow! Thanks a lot for this detailed review. It has answered a lot of my questions. I am happy that your fiance's experience was positive. I was also treated wih respect when I went to get my exchange visa about 2 years ago. Here I am again, I will be there soon inchalah. Wish me good luck.

It was kind of you to take time to write this review.

Thank you

[Tayri n Tudert 11]

One of the best recent reviews of Casablanca consulate, thank you very much! And congratulations again

[R and F 34]

Congrats and thanks for the post, really helps others.

[HettyandSaid 18]

congrats! and thank you so much for the review! I am hoping when the time comes, my hubbys interview will go just as smooth!

[destiny64 222]

The consulate in Morocco has changed a lot in the past two years. There has been a change in consulars and its been for the best. One past consular was very

abrasive and demeaning ( thank god she's gone now). I know there's a lot of us from the past that dealt with her and can vouch for her horrible treatment to our fiance/spouse .

My husband's experience recently was very good not only because he was approved but he even said it was a totally different atmosphere than when he dealt with them two years ago. Very respectful and courteous.

[Happytobe 164]

congrats!!!! Thank you for sharing the experience! I hope that we here more good reviews coming out of there soon, My husband should be having his interview in the next few months...if we ever get out of NVC! LOL

[Possiblymaybe 371]

Hey, thank you all for the congratulations and the kind words! I think this site is awesome because so many people are going through, or have gone through, the same thing.

sutherlnd, Charlie30, and Tayri n Tudert - I just noticed all of you have very similar timelines. If you're not already talking in private message or something, maybe now is a good time to start I connected with someone with a similar timeline as myself right after NOA2 and it has really helped to go through the process with someone else! Not only to make sure you haven't forgotten a form or missed something along the way, it has been fantastic to share all of the anxiety and joy too. Made a big difference for me!

destiny64 - Thank you for adding the historical insight. You guys had a long journey. It sounded like it was pretty bad, but I haven't seen a whole lot of that recently. I was glad to hear that your husband was approved!

I would encourage everyone to write a review when it is their time. Good or bad, just write it out. It really does help others get an idea of what to expect.

Good luck to you all!

[Hanan6415 1]

Thank you!! Awesome review. I agree with you, everyone needs to write a review regardless of the outcome. Any knowledge will help the next person. It appears the Consulate office has a good attitude and are treating people with respect. My fiance said the blonde woman was very friendly to him.

Congratulations and god bless you!

[fla1970 0]

Thank you for posting this positive feedback.

[Sami0101010001 8]

Congrats and thank you for the info.

[Mourad81 20]

Congratulations!

[Lola2014 2]

jenafid -

My fiancé lives in Rabat, Morocco and the NVC has forwarded our case on to the US Consulate in Casablanca (that was over a month ago) so we are just waiting for him to receive his a letter in the mail from them. He's positive, happy, easy going.... I'm feeling anxious, worried, and nervous. We meet all requirements. We've done everything perfectly. My concerns are driven from the fact that we met 1/10/13 through an online dating site... We've Skyped EVERYDAY though. But our relationship did move very quickly. The next concern, We have met in person during a trip I took to Rabat, Morocco however I arrived at noon on June 21st and departed very early morning June 29th... So we lived together for a whole 8 days.

Met on dating site

Moved quickly

And having only spent 8 days together physically....

What are your thoughts?? Anyone else have a similar experience?? Are the odds against us??

Thanks Paula

[Possiblymaybe 371]

Paula, the first thing I would do would be to email the embassy and ask if you can receive the next set of instructions. They will email your fiance the interview appointment letter along with the forms he needs to fill out and the instructions to get the medical done.

I am by no means an expert on the Casablanca embassy, but I think that as far as your relationship is concerned, it's a little too late to be worrying about the timeframe. Your relationship is what it is and nothing can change that. From what I have read on this site, some with similar cases to yours have been passed through without issues, and others with stronger cases have been denied. Many that have been denied have married, reapplied, and then received the visa. The important thing is that your fiance really knows you and understands your life and can portray that confidently to the consulate. The best thing is for him to remain positive, happy, and easy going! I know it is a very stressful time for you, but try to find a way to put the doubts out of your head. You're really not going to have an answer until he attends the interview. Prepare the best that the two of you can, and I wish you good luck. My husband (then fiance) read every single embassy review on this site and found that his interview was very relaxed and not a big deal at all.