TKP

Congrats!!! would love to hear more details as we are going through dublin too!

Well ask away I'll see how i can help.

Arrived at about 11, went to get a coffee nearby, kept an eye on the gate though. At 12.20 started to queue and we we let in at 12.30, through security. You should only bring the following with you

- Yourself

- Your documents

Leave phone/keys/drinks/makeup/food etc elsewhere. Keys/phone can be left at the front desk, but the less hassle the better in my eyes.

Once you're in you go get a ticket and sit and wait. We were called at 1pm. We were the first.

We went forward and were asked about our co-sponsor, the lady was nice enough, talked through where we were married and the official documents such as wedding cert and birth cert (this was all already with the NVC) She routed through all the stuff which had come from the NVC, asking me about it, "Is this the co sponsor tax returns?" or "Who is (insert co sponsor's wife's name)?" She also asked me to give her the envelope with the 8 euro of stamps. At the end she asked for the copies I had of the I-864 - i could see clearly that she had the copy which had been sent to the NVC in her hand, but she asked for the copy i had brought with me also...She asked for my medical results.

We sat back down and waited for the interview, we were called at 2.05.

The lady was very nice, asked us

- How did you meet?

- When did you get engaged?

(never asked for any documented evidence / proof of relationship despite us having emails/phone records 50+ photographs/invoices from wedding/bank details dual account/letters of support (5)

She then congratulated us as we'd had a recent wedding anniversary and advised we'd been approved and the visa would be with us in 2 weeks.

TIPS:

Bring copies of EVERYTHING you had sent to the NVC document wise. Their letter to us said they had EVERYTHING already there, yet they requested the same documents again, so i'm glad we brought them.

Get their early and be the first people through, in and out in 2 hours! Ideal!

I noticed no one replied but your timeline says approved. I take it that it all went well?

In at 1.00 PM, out at 2.15 PM with approval!

Anyone!?!?

Oh, and two Passport photographs of me!

Anyone!?!?

Oh, and two Passport photographs of me!

So, interview tomorrow. Here is what we are bringing. If i'm forgetting something please please please let me know!

- Appointment letter

- Emails back and forth from us before we got married

- Flight details of flights across the Atlantic (3 or 4)

- Letters we had sent eachother

- Letters from my new niece and nephew to me

- Joint bank statements (Irish)

- Pay checks for both of us (Irish)

- 50+ Photographs

- I-864 Joint sponsor copy

- Joint sponsor BC

- Joint sponsor Passport pic

- Joint sponsor tax for last three years

- Joint sponsor earnings/bank details

- I-130 copy

- G-325A x2 (Blank just incase needs filled out again)

- Marriage cert photocopy

- Birth Certs photocopies

- Police certs photocopies

- Invoices for wedding charges / photographer / hire

- NOA's / Fee receipts

- 2x letters from former employees of my wife in america saying she had a job there when she returned

- Letter from wife's parents agreeing to rent their basement to us

- 5x character references from people we know in the states

- Medical Xray

- 12x14 Brown envelope with 8E worth of stamps...

Anything else?

Thank you all for the help so far!

oh sorry just noticed you are cr1 so the vaccination sheet is not needed since you dont have to file AOS

( vaccination transcripts are needed for K visas when filling AOS )

sorry about the missinfo

thank the lord for that....

OKay, so I am all set. The Xray contains everything. just waiting now....anyone got any other advice for Tuesday? My wife and I are going to the interview together (She has been living here for over a year). Will they want to interview her too, or will they only ask me questions?

Thank you everyone!

does the envelope got a stamp on it that says " DO NOT OPEN "

if so i would call the dr again and ask for a copy of the vaccination sheet

Yes, i can't open it. Why do I need a vaccination sheet?

some countries gets the medical send dirrectly to the embassy

does your envelope say DO NOT OPEN ?

did they give you a copy of the vaccination sheet ?

if not you need the copy of the vaccination sheet ,

All I got was a large sealed envelope (with the Xray in it) - I called the doctor and he said he put all the documentation that is needed in there and that there is nothing more required. I don't have anything seperate.

It's a very good thing you asked

Just called the Doctor's office, they said that they put all the documentation in the big Xray file and there is nothing more to collect?! I guess they don't put them in seperate ones here!

Uh.. yeah, u shoulda got a sealed envelope that said US Consulate on it as well.... very strange..

#######!!!!

Okay, i think i need to drive down tomorrow!!!!

Thank you!

Anyone???

I have my interview on the 16th, so not long to go!

I just had a sudden thought that the documents I picked up from after the medical are not enough.

The closest place which does a medical from me was a 3 hour drive, so I drove down for the medical and had to take a day off work. When the results came through they said I had to come down and get them, however I wasn't able to take another day off work, so we arranged for them to be left at the local hospital, where I could pick them up on a Saturday.

I drove down and was handed a large brown xray, I said thanks and left.

Was this all I was due to pick up? Or was there another set of documents in a seperate file? Help please, I need to drive down again before tuesday if i was supposed to get more! The xray doesn't feel like it has a lot of documentation it in!

Thank you in Advance!

TKP

Phew! I downloaded mine from the interweb, so we should be alright! Yes all the originals are the real deal, and we don't have any copies...We're getting there, i'm almost at ease!

I was worried also, as my wife hasn't filed her tax returns from 2009 yet....She never earned anything in the states in 2009, as she was living in Ireland, but apparently you still have to file a return...but there is a statement on the IRS website which says:

If you reside overseas, or are in the military on duty outside the U.S., you are allowed an automatic 2-month extension to file your return until June 15. However, any tax due must be paid by the original return due date (April 15) to avoid interest charges.

If you are unable to file your return by the due date, you can request an additional extension to October 15 by filing Form 4868 before the return due date. However, any payments made after June 15 would be subject to both interest charges and failure to pay penalties.

As our interview is on the 16th february we don't have to have the taxes filed...which is a relief, as we'd never have them in for that date now! We can wait and see if we get the green light, then proceed with filing for her!

I am doing a cr-1, but my wife will be with me at the interview, as she lives with me here now...Will they interview her too, or will she just sit beside me?

Check and doublecheck all your forms & letters. Dublin is CRAZY MAD about making sure that no forms are expired and all letters from official places are certified, etc. If you have birth, marriage or divorce certificates, court records, or whatever, make sure they are certified by the places issuing them.

We just got a call from the Embassy yesterday that our G325a forms were expired by 4 days. It's the same exact form as the new one that expires in 2011, but they made us re-submit G325a forms. The ones we filed expired May 31, 2009, and our I-130 was filed using those forms 4 days later.

Hey, I don't get what you mean, forms expired? At the moment I don't have any forms, only copies. The NVC have all our documentation including Original Birth Certs and Marriage license. All I have to bring with me to the interview is proof of relationship, copies of my birth cert and marriage license and copies of our joint sponsors I-864 and financial documents...which forms do I need to check to see if they are expired? I never had any of the birth certs marriage certs certified either. Now you have me worried!

Guys.

18 days till my interview in Dublin......

Advice, words of wisdom, anything to help would be much appreciated...

Sorry to hear about that denial! I was worried for a time during my K1 that I might get denied luckily I didn't I can only imagine how much extra stress that would add.

I thought I'd check back in on this thread again. Well after our (at that point in time) u-turn on moving back to Ireland. Now it's just me (we got divorced a few months ago) I'm thinking maybe it's time I went back? Well I'm thinking now that I'm single again what reason is there for me to remain here? I've thought about this on and off for about 9 months and this past week it's really sinking in that, well why am I still here! I've a decent job here, bought a nice wee car and live in a nice area which is all nice but I've no friends/family over this way at all and not really much if anything in common with the locals whom are nice of course.

I'm taking a trip back home next month to visit but also test out the waters over there to see what's there in reality on the ground try and help me make up my mind if I really do want to move back or not. I've checked jobs with my experience and certifications from the US at this point in time plus work history back home (which has been all but ignored in the US lol) work shouldn't be impossible to find I'd just need to buy a car and start from scratch again.

Well if I do go back I'm thinking around late October, part of the reason is I've pets I'd like to bring and it'll give me plenty of time to get rid of stuff, pay things off and of course sell the car. This is of course still all "if's" but I'm finding more reasons now to go than I've ever had to remain here.

Aidan.

Couple of things:

- the grass is always greener. Don't don the rose tinted specs to often when looking at Ireland. Yes your family may be here, but there are so many pitfalls and negatives grouped with having that to hold onto. If you can't live without them I completely understand, however if it's just to be near them so you've company, be careful.

- Ireland is no place to be moving into and starting from scratch. Not sure how long you've been away, but the country is in ruins. NO JOBS. You won't find one, at least one that pays. Coffee shops / call centres / Tesco - home of the 1st class honours etc these days. Yes it's as bad as you hear, there are no jobs. Once you get a job you'll struggle to find somewhere to live which isn't so expensive it's draining all your income, and the cost of living....my goodness it's to be seen to be believed.

For you, coming from the states, the last point will be multiplied immensely, as you're used to cheap living.

My advice, stick it out. Start again there, in a new place. America is so very huge that you can move and start afresh. You miss home. move to WA state and enjoy the rain, that'll do right? But wait till you see yourself dealing with an Irish winter again, you'll regret it. Dark at 4pm, light at 9.00 (Just)

I am trying so very hard to leave this country. It was built on a false economy and the Irish people don't suit money (or debt) it's a horrible place to live.

Looks like you have all the instructions you need. Fingerprints are done inside the Consulate.

Thank you - i know they are done inside, what i am wondering is will i have to have money with me to pay for that process?

If your co-sponsor makes comfortably over the poverty line, you don't need to show anything, and the P60 won't matter anyway as the Irish income will stop once you move to the USA. That being said, if you can do it without a major headache/ loss, having some money in a USC or joint US based account would probably look good and re-assure them, also in terms of proving you guys want to move to the USA asap. I showed both our Irish and US bank account, but that was because we didn't have a co-sponsor and did it all on assets.

You're up early!

Thank you for your help - I will bring the info on the bank account in the US, which does have some money in it. Our co-sponsor meets the requirements, so we should be fine. I guess i'm just worried because if they look at our case they will see that we don't have jobs lined up overthere (as we don't know if we can move yet) and while we have a place to live with my in laws we may really struggle for a while. Do you think they'd reject for the likes of this, despite having a co sponsor who meets the requirements. Surely that's the whole ppoint of a co sponsor!!

Thank you again!

I had to pay a visa fee of 400 dollars the day of the interview, but you may already have paid that at NVC stage.

I didn;t send anything back, but I did bring the letter with the interview appointment with me, the security at the front gate wanted to see it.

Thanks Penguin. I'll just be sure to bring that then! I have one more question. As we are both living and working here, we have had to get a co-sponsor in the states, to meet the financial requirements. I have asked them to supply me with a new, up to date, set of files such as bank account details tax returns etc, as the original ones were sent nearly a year ago. What do I need to bring in terms of Financial documentation? Will they want to see my bank balance? I know I could bring the following, let me know if it's needed:

- Bank statement

- P60

- Pay stubbs

- Tax book for car

Anything else? We have an account in america, but to be honest there is very little money in it, as we have no use for it yet. Would I be wise to move some into that account before the interview, and show that statement?

THANK YOU!!!

I did an IR-1 through Dublin, by embassy/ interview review is on here, but that was in July 2008.

Ah cool. I am just nervous as our case is so very different to every other cr-1 as we filed through the NVC, not DCF, but we both live and work here in Ireland.

I got my interview notice, but they didn't ask me to send anything back to the embassy. Did you send something back, confirming etc? Also, fingerprints. What happens there. I have no request for a fee for the interview, but don't want to overlook anything, as I have read that most people have to pay something for the fingerprints.

Thanks

I can't seem to find any topics on the CR-1 in Dublin. All the interview reviews and help questions are K-1 through there. Has anyone any knowledge of the CR-1 interview procedure in Ireland?

Interview in a few weeks!!!!

The answers vary somewhat by Consulate. Doesn't your interview letter tell you what you are to do?

All the interview letter says is the time and date - it also states i need to get a medical. I have booked the medical. It doesn't say anything about a fee (for fingerprints) or mention sending in any other forms. It does have a C beside the first letter, so that;s why i'm querying...I thought everyone needed to get fingerprinst taken. no?

Document Name Document Status

CORRESPONDENCE INSTRUCTIONS C

IMMIGRANT VISA APPLICATION Y

DS-230-II F

PASSPORT Y

BIRTH CERTIFICATE O

ADOPTION F

MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE O

MARRIAGE TERMINATION F

COURT RECORDS F

FINANCIAL EVIDENCE Y

CUSTODY PAPERS F

MILITARY RECORDS F

GREAT BRITAIN/NORTHERN IRELAND POLICE CERTIFICATE O

IRELAND POLICE CERTIFICATE O

FEE PAYMENT $

PHOTOGRAPH Y

PETITIONER MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE F

PETITIONER BIRTH CERTIFICATE F

A = Applicant must acquire this document and present it at the time of the interview.

C = Direct inquiries to your consulate / embassy

F = This form is not necessary for this application.

O = The original document has been received and accepted as meeting post

requirements.

P = The police certificate must be requested by the applicant. If you have already

applied for this document, no further action is required. The issuing police authority will

send the police record directly to the appropriate US Embassy to have on hand at the time

of the interview.

T = An acceptable document has been received, but a translation is required as the

submitted document is not in English or the official language of the processing post. The

applicant must present a certified translation at the time of the interview.

U = The applicant has informed the NVC that the required document is unavailable.

X = The required document is unobtainable for this country per the Foreign Affairs

Manual.

Y = The required document has been received and accepted.

I = The required form is incomplete. Please ensure that a complete form is presented at

the interview.

S = Scanned document received. The original document must be presented at the time

of the interview.

$ = Payment received.

Hey, on the dublin review part of this site it says under "What forms should be send back to the Consulate?"

DS-230 Part 1

Checklist

Notice of Readiness

I am filing CR-1. Should I have done anything, sent anything?

Obviously the DS-230 part I is already gone through the NVC, other two don't apply to me do they?

I am booking my medical today, it just seems strange to show up on the 16/02/2010 with the scheduled letter and never to have contacted Dublin before...Is this right? Should I email and confirm or anything?

Thank you!

Anyone? Surely someone has gone through the CR-1 process on here?

Hey, on the dublin review part of this site it says under "What forms should be send back to the Consulate?"

DS-230 Part 1

Checklist

Notice of Readiness

I am filing CR-1. Should I have done anything, sent anything?

Obviously the DS-230 part I is already gone through the NVC, other two don't apply to me do they?

I am booking my medical today, it just seems strange to show up on the 16/02/2010 with the scheduled letter and never to have contacted Dublin before...Is this right? Should I email and confirm or anything?

Thank you!