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Guatemala US Consulate Reviews
Average Rating: 3.9
/ 5
68 Review(s)
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| Guatemala |  Review #11644 on March 18, 2013: |
devever1508
Rating: 
Click here if you found this review helpful | Review Topic: K1 Visa
My fiance arrived at the embassy about twenty minutes before her interview, and they asked her if she had a copy of her passport, which she didnt, because it wasnt on the instructions left us, so she went and made them quickly, and they let her right in without even waiting in the long line for the tourist visas. she got in and they took her paperwork and then she sat down for a little while. they then took her digital fingerprints, and then she sat down for a while longer. she then was called up to the window with an american and he asked her if she spoke english, which she does, and he then proceeded to ask her all sorts of questions regarding me, my family, my divorce, my job, her family, wedding date plans, engagement, etc...altogether there were quite a few questions asked. she said she was pretty nervous but answered everything, and then when they were done the man said to her congratulations your visa has been approved. she left and we are now just waiting for her visa in the mail so she can fly here to be with me and be together. all in all she said it was a good experience. she didnt feel mistreated or anything and the staff was very professional, not overly nice....but they werent mean either.
| | | Review #10664 on October 18, 2012: |
CharityA
Rating:
· 2 people found this review helpful
Click here if you found this review helpful | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
My husband's CR1 visa interview was Monday, October 15th. We stayed in the Barcelo hotel, not too far away. He had been in Guatemala for a year and half at this point and we were hoping for good news, but we had been told he had a deportation order by members of his family so we were thinking we might have to have I212 waiver. Our lawyer had filed a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) to see if he actually had the deportation order and according to it there was nothing under his name, but they didn't search all of the databases that the Embassy has. So we went in expecting the worst, that they would find a deportation order.
Our interview was at 8 am. I had been told I was not allowed to go to the interview with my husband unless they had specifically asked me to come. The people at the embassy will always tell you that when you call. It is NOT true. An officer who works at the American Embassy in Guatemala was at the Barcelo when we were and we met him the night before the interview and he told us that as long as the US citizen has their US passport that they are allowed to enter with their spouse. I had been expecting not to be able to go in and since cell phones are not allowed inside the embassy I was going to be in for a long day of waiting.
So the next morning we both get up around 6 and arrived at the embassy around 7:20. It is very confusing with people all over the place and people following you around asking to look at your papers and telling you that you have the wrong size pictures, IGNORE THEM. They are just trying to make money off of you. So we went and got in the immigrant visas line and there were already quiet a few people in front of us. The guy came out and started handing out numbers. We ended up getting number 17 and then had to get in to the other line to be let in to the embassy. The man let both of us in and then we went through security, which should be extremely easy if you didn't have your cell phone. The only thing my husband had to do was remove his keys and change from his pocket and we were good to go.
There is a small room with benches where the security is and people waiting on non-immigrant visas were sitting there but the man told us that since we had an immigrant visa interview we could go on through. So we entered the embassy and every seat in the room is full and people are standing up along the walls, so it's all very confusing. We stood up against the wall and waited because the windows the man outside told us we would be called to weren't open yet. Around 8 am the windows opened and they began calling people starting with the number 1. It took about an hour and a half before we were finally called.
The key to this is to be ORGANIZED. We saw many people in front of us turned away simply for not being organized. At this window (I think we were called to window 7) they just look over the paperwork to make sure everything is there and that they don't need anything else. We had copies and originals of everything we had sent with us just in case. The lady was very nice to us and when she realized that I didn't speak Spanish she talked to us in English. She had an accent, but her English was very good. She asked us for the results of my husbands medical exam and his passport and the letter that stated what time our interview was. She then went and got our file. Everyone in front of us had had only a few papers in their file, she brought ours back and it was 4 inches thick!!!
She asked us a few simple questions like how old we were and if we had any children or if we had been married before each other. Then she gave back the letter and two passport photos and some other documents that she said they no longer needed and told us to go wait to be called to window 11 for him to be fingerprinted. So we went and found a seat and waited about 10 minutes before he was called to get his finger prints done. Then he returned to the seat and we had to wait to be called to the actual interview at windows 8 or 9.
We watched the people ahead of us and most of them turned away not looking to happy so I was getting extremely stressed out. Finally we were called up to window 9, with a male interviewer. The other interviewer was a female. He asked if we spoke Spanish. My husband said yes and I said no. The interviewer was definitely American. So he asked if we would like the interview in English or Spanish and we chose English of course. So we were sworn in and he looked over the file for a second. He asked for my passport to make sure who I was. He then asked what my husbands birthday was and what date he had left the US. We watched him count on his fingers before he asked us if my husband had left less than 6 months after he turned 18 (or else he would have had to get the I601 waiver). We told him yes. We answered and then he looked at the marriage certificate and asked why we were married in Gatlinburg, Tennessee instead of in Georgia and we explained that we wanted a small wedding in a wedding chapel there and that we spent our honeymoon there afterwards.
So he looked over stuff on his computer and through our file for a little longer and then turned back to us. He started to say something but then he stopped and looked at the lady next to him and I was freaking out thinking that something was wrong. Then he looks at us and asks if we felt that? I was confused and said no. Then a minute later the whole building starts shaking. There was an earthquake in the middle of the interview! So we stood there shaking for a few minutes before it finally stopped. We joked around about the earthquake for a few minutes and then he continued on with the interview.
He asked how long I had been here with my husband? I told him eight months total but that I had been coming back and forth because my visa only lasts for three months at a time. Then he said to us, "I think you spoke with one of our officers at the Barcelo last night? He told me I might be interviewing you guys." I was shocked the other guy had even mentioned us, but I think he gave us a good word. Then he asked my husband if he knew exactly when he came in to the US and he said no because he had been to young to remember. The guy looked in his file and said that it said September 7th, 1998 but that he thought someone in his family had told immigration that at some point so he was sure if it was correct or not. Then the funniest thing happened when the interviewer told my husband that he even spoke English with a Southern accent! We were cracking up over that.
So then he asked my husband if he had ever had any trouble with the police or immigration. My husband told him he had never had any trouble with the police but that he had been told my his family members that he had a deportation order from when he was brought there and got caught. The guy shook his and head and said no that he didn't see anything in his file stating that he had a deportation order and then told us that minors couldn't get deportation orders anyways! How did all of the lawyers we spoke to not know this? He then read us everything it said about him in his file just to show us that there was nothing. At this point my husband was so relieved he started tearing up a little. I didn't want him to get too relieved though in cause they still denied us for some reason.
The man closed Miker's file and put it to the side and said to us, "Well everything appears to be in order." We didn't know exactly what that meant, if he was accepted or what because they never asked us for a single piece of evidence. We had pictures, letters from family and friends, bank statements, etc. and he asked for NONE. He then reached up and looked through some papers that were in a shelf on the wall before he turned to the lady beside him and his microphone cut out a little bit but we heard him say "Do you have anymore of those approval slips?" At this point we are both freaking out on the inside, but trying to remain calm and not look like idiots. He then hands us a sheet of paper with information on how to decide where Cargo Expreso would send the visa and I asked him if he knew about how long it would take to receive his passport with the visa in it? He told us about a week but we received it two days later.
Overall the experience for us was GREAT. They seemed to be really nice to everyone who was organized and prepared, because that just makes their job that much easier. Be confident and don't LIE about anything. Overall though, most of the people there are very nice.
| | | Guatemala | Review #10076 on July 25, 2012: |
dmbz
Rating:
· 1 person found this review helpful
Click here if you found this review helpful | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
My interview time was 9 am, so I arrived at 8:30 am. I didn't know they give out numbers for people interviewing for immigrant visas, thus I was left with the last number. My advise is to arrive at 8 am the latest if your interview is at 9 am.
After I got the number I went through security, then I was called to turn in my medical records, and then to get fingerprinted.
After that I had to wait for 2.5 hours for my interview.
The interview lasted 5 minutes. I was asked where I met my husband, when we started dating, how long I had lived in the U.S. and to explain my husbands' job.
The interviewer was friendly. She told me everything looked in order and that she was going to issue my visa.
I was given a piece of paper with instructions.
I have to say that the new system they have for passport pick up is very confusing.
Overall a very good experience.
| | | Guatemala | Review #9914 on June 29, 2012: |
sukijunia
Rating:
Click here if you found this review helpful | Review Topic: K1 Visa
Well here it goes! We made it to the Embassy bright and early, about 6:30am. We received the number 4 a little after 8am. Once inside we had to wait for our number to be called. As soon as that happened the lady taking in our documents organizes our documents and enters data on the computer. She took in the payment receipt for the visa fee ($240), followed by the beneficiary´s birth certificate, police reports, passport, D156, D157 and the Supplement form. I believe that´s all. She didn´t bother to look at the ongoing relationship evidence nor the Affidavit of Support (tax transcripts, employment letter, stubs), I asked her and she said to wait for the Consul to interview my fiance. It took about 30 minutes for the Consul to call my fiance. He asked him how we met, when we met, what I did for a living, where was he going to live at and if my parents were okay with the arrangement, also when we were going to get married. He then took a quick view at our letters we sent each other, and took all the Affidavit of Support documents. I stayed behind (seated) for the drama effect... but as soon as I thought it was feeling fishy, I walked up next to him... :D The interviewer asked who I was, I let him know and he welcomed me. He didn´t ask me anything else and were approved after a minute. It was quite an exhilarating moment, couldnt wait for us to get out of the Embassy... lol I met a fellow VJ member and said hello!! It was a smooth process and everything falls into place. The best advice is just to have everything in order, be confident and you will do just fine. 
| | | Guatemala | Review #9797 on June 7, 2012: |
Chelartie
Rating:
Click here if you found this review helpful | Review Topic: General Review
Long lines, be ready to get there early to make your appointment. Relatively easy once inside the building, they will call you. I was asked a couple of questions, they asked me about people in my photos, etc. Not bad, definitely not worth freaking out about, just get there on time, wait and answer what you are asked.
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