MTA

You just have to turn them off. Actually I was surprised because the Kigali embassy makes you leave them at the gate, but they let us keep them on us in Nairobi.

Family...how long after interview does it take Nairobi to issue the visa and are they only using DHL? The DHL in my husbands village has moved 2 hours away so we were looking at options. Thank you!

The paper we got says that it takes a week to get the passport back with the visa, but I have heard that it can take as few as 2-3 days. I hope that's true because we're just waiting now! They only use DHL. The locations they list are:

DHL House, Nyayo Stadium Roundabout

International House Mama Ngina Street

Yaya Centre Airwings Kodhek Road

Sarit Centre Westlands

Village Market Limuru Road

Ukumbusho House Treasury Square (Mombasa)

Vera Cruz Complex Lamu Road (Malindi)

West End Mall Kenyatta Avenue (Nakuru)

No problem. We're all in this together!

Thank you so much another question.....are there any cheap hostels around the area? Did she stay close or further away from IOM, and do you know how far the Embassy is from IOM?

It's the 138 plus the cost of whatever shots you need.

We're staying outside of the city center, so we're paying more for taxis and we have to leave very early to get through the traffic, but it's safe and affordable where we are staying. IOM is in the same general area of the US embassy. In fact, there are several embassies in the area. Hotels around there are expensive, though. You have to decide what you want to trade off. We are suffering through traffic into/out of town, but it is safe and quiet. I hear that hotels in the city center are very cheap, but I didn't want to have to worry about security. It just depends on how much you are willing to pay compared to how close you want to be to the embassy. Of course, you could split your time between different places and stay close by on the days that you have appointments and stay in a cheaper place on the other days. It just takes more planning.

Thank you so much another question.....are there any cheap hostels around the area? Did she stay close or further away from IOM, and do you know how far the Embassy is from IOM?

It's the 138 plus the cost of whatever shots you need.

We're staying outside of the city center, so we're paying more for taxis and we have to leave very early to get through the traffic, but it's safe and affordable where we are staying. IOM is in the same general area of the US embassy. In fact, there are several embassies in the area. Hotels around there are expensive, though. You have to decide what you want to trade off. We are suffering through traffic into/out of town, but it is safe and quiet. I hear that hotels in the city center are very cheap, but I didn't want to have to worry about security. It just depends on how much you are willing to pay compared to how close you want to be to the embassy. Of course, you could split your time between different places and stay close by on the days that you have appointments and stay in a cheaper place on the other days. It just takes more planning.

Is yellow fever one of the required shots? I thought there were only 3 plus chicken pox but if you had them its waved.

I don't think it's required for US immigration, but I mentioned it because it's one that she got recently and I was surprised by the cost difference from when I got mine in the US. Vaccines seem to be cheaper in developing countries. She got the yellow fever shot because it's required for entering Rwanda, so she would need it if we ever want to return. They don't usually check for it, but better safe than sorry!

She got the following shots at IOM:

Varicella $54

Influenza $28

MMR $26

DT $32

Unfortunately they don't have any of them in Rwanda, so we had to pay for all of them at IOM!

Day two went much more quickly because all of the paperwork and orientation is finished on day one. The worst part is being poked at during the physical exam and then getting shots. But once this part is over you get some time to relax until the interview date!

Ok I will wait for your response. I was trying to explain to my hubby what it might look like and to see if he can avoid paying all that money at IOM and just get them in his village for a cheaper cost.

Yes, definitely try to get as many as you can beforehand because it's probably going to be much cheaper. I think my fiance's yellow fever shot was only a few dollars in Rwanda.

What vaccines will your fiance need? And if you already have vaccinations what proof will IOM accept, is it a special card or something from your own personal physician?

My fiance has the sheet right now with the list of vacs, but I'll let you know when I see it.

My fiance brought her yellow WHO card and an official letter from her government's vaccination records office with a list of vacs she's received.

We just finished day one at IOM. We arrived at 7:30 am to beat the morning traffic. It seems like things will go rather smoothly as long as you have these items out and ready:

1) passport

2) the scheduling sheet that they sent you by email

3) 2"x2" photos (at least two of them, and make sure they are the correct size)

4) vaccination records (so that you don't have to pay for any that you already have)

5) a letter from the consular indicating your case number - my fiance got hung up on this one because we didn't have an actual letter, but an email printed out and it was mixed in with everything that we plan to provide at the embassy on the interview date (I had her bring everything to the medical exams just in case). A series of frustrating phone calls ensued as I tried to explain to her what the paper looked like so that she could show it to them. I should have just made a second copy and put it together with all of the other items above.

When she finished everything, they gave her a payment coupon for the amount that we needed to pay for the medical exam and vaccinations. You have the option to pay in either USD or Kenyan Shillings. The slip is for Commercial Bank of Africa. We just walked 5 minutes down the road to the Village Market to make the deposit. The bank gave us a stamped receipt that she will bring with her on day two.

This process is very stressful for the fiance, so having all of the papers in order and making sure that they know what all of them are (label everything!) I think helps them to feel more confident and at ease.

I'll try to keep everyone updated as we continue the process.

Sorry for resurrecting an old thread! How did this work out? Did you have the interview in Dar?

The reason I ask is because we live in Rwanda so I'm assuming that our k1 will automatically be processed in Nairobi. However, we would prefer to go to Dar for the interview. Should we include a letter with our I-129F explaining our reasons and hope that they forward everything there?

Gowon, thanks for the info. My fiance thinks we should get creative with her parents' DOBs but I don't want to make something up and have USCIS somehow find out. Should we leave it blank on the form and explain why on a separate page?

Does anyone have more info on the Police Certificate? What is it, exactly? If I know what it is, I might be able to figure out where to go to get it.

On a personal note I think its outstanding that you're doing this from Rwanda. Some VJers won't even visit Nigeria out of some alleged fear and chose to go and meet in another country.

I don't know what you mean? Rwanda is a safe country. I've lived here over two years. But I've heard that the Rwandan government doesn't like Rwandans leaving the country (they tend not to come back). Has anyone gone through the visa process from Rwanda who can share their experience?

Hello everyone! I'm glad I stumbled on VJ because there is so much useful information here. I've been scouring its pages for the last few months and decided to take the dive and petition for a k1 for my fiancee. I have a few questions before I submit the paperwork, though.

First, some background information. My fiancee and I live in Rwanda. We have been together since August last year. I have been collecting evidence of our ongoing relationship since then - mostly photos of us together, screenshots of messages on my phone, and copies of my passport showing stamps and visas for Rwanda. It's difficult to get much else since I can't really get phone records (phone service is pay-as-you-go cards bought on the street) and a lot of places don't give receipts for things. Is there anything else I should try to collect as evidence of our relationship?

On the G-325A form, it asks for the DOBs of the applicant's/beneficiary's parents. My fiancee is an orphan from the Rwandan genocide. She doesn't know her parents' DOBs and I'm not sure how difficult it might be to find records of them. What should we put down if we are unable to find this information? Also, under current residence for her parents we put "DECEASED". Is that acceptable, or should we write "N/A"?

The I-129F and the G-325A ask for the street address of the beneficiary. There are very few street addresses in Rwanda, and if there are, nobody actually knows or uses them. For my fiancee's current address we put down the part of town where she lives. Will that be acceptable? (It's like these forms were created by someone who has never been outside the US and assumes that life is the same everywhere in the world!)

And last, I read something somewhere (don't remember where) about needing a Police Certificate for my fiancee for all places where she has lived since the age of 16. I don't know if this is needed or not. Can anyone shed some light on this?

I appreciate any and all help. Thanks!