K-1 in Santo Domingo - question about scheduling interview

[InsanelyOne 8]

I'm hoping someone here has been through the process in the DR. I just got off the phone with someone from Visa Travel Docs and this is how she explained it to me.

My fiancé must do this:

1. Schedule the appointment at the VAC for biometric/fingerprint data collection. At the VAC, they will provide the info needed to schedule the medical exam. (Why can't we get that ahead of time?)

2. Schedule the medical.

3. Schedule the interview.

I don't know why we can't schedule the medical exam until after the VAC appointment. Does this make sense? It's a 3+ hour bus ride each way to Santo Domingo. This is going to be a huge pain in the ###. I seem to recall reading some reviews of the DR embassy/consulate where the person indicated that they scheduled the VAC appt the day before the interview. How did they get the medical exam done in time?

Any input is helpful.

[tonyb919 107]

I'm hoping someone here has been through the process in the DR. I just got off the phone with someone from Visa Travel Docs and this is how she explained it to me.

My fiancé must do this:

1. Schedule the appointment at the VAC for biometric/fingerprint data collection. At the VAC, they will provide the info needed to schedule the medical exam. (Why can't we get that ahead of time?)

2. Schedule the medical.

3. Schedule the interview.

I don't know why we can't schedule the medical exam until after the VAC appointment. Does this make sense? It's a 3+ hour bus ride each way to Santo Domingo. This is going to be a huge pain in the ###. I seem to recall reading some reviews of the DR embassy/consulate where the person indicated that they scheduled the VAC appt the day before the interview. How did they get the medical exam done in time?

Any input is helpful.

You should update your timeline to get better answers.

Has your petition been sent to the NVC already?

You are missing a few steps before you even get to the scheduling fingerprinting or medicals.

There will with no doubt be a minimum of two visits to the capital.

[InsanelyOne 8]

Timeline updated. Things moved very quickly at first but then slowed to a crawl. It was almost two months from the time the NVC sent the petition to the Embassy until we got any contact from the Embassy.

We are now scrambling to get things going because the petition expires in a month.

We are ready to schedule the VAC appt / medical / interview but my concern is with the timing.

The Visa Travel Docs people tell me that we won't get any info on the medical until my fiancé has the VAC appt. I was hoping we could schedule the medical before the VAC appt.

[tonyb919 107]

From my experience and many other in the DR Forum members will agree USTRAVEL DOCS in DR are a bunch of idiots who never have any accurate information to give. You can call them back right now and get a totally different answer from a different person.

You have to pay the fees on ustravel docs that will then allow you to schedule your VAC and your Interview on UStravel docs. Once you schedule it you will print that document this also serves as your authorization for your medical.

There is no appointment necessary for the medical it is a first come first served.

My wife however arrived at 530 am and told me there was about 10 people there already waiting to be seen.

BTW your Country Flag is showing Trinidad and i think is the reason your posting dont also appear in the DR forum as they are being routed to the Trinidad Forum

[InsanelyOne 8]

Thanks for the info tonyb919. I didn't realize the medical was first come, first served. That's great to know.

The country info is correct. Our case is somewhat unusual in that my fiancé is from Trinidad yet we reside together in the Dominican Republic. Since we are a same-sex couple, we struggled with finding a country we could live together legally while we waited for the laws to change so we could return to the US. (It's been over 10 years now.)

[tonyb919 107]

Thanks for the info tonyb919. I didn't realize the medical was first come, first served. That's great to know.

The country info is correct. Our case is somewhat unusual in that my fiancé is from Trinidad yet we reside together in the Dominican Republic. Since we are a same-sex couple, we struggled with finding a country we could live together legally while we waited for the laws to change so we could return to the US. (It's been over 10 years now.)

WOW, you been hanging tough through this process!

Congratulations, God bless ya'll

I know there are other same sex couples within the DR forum that may be able to advise you better on the whole process and their experiences.