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Portugal US Consulate Reviews
Average Rating: 4.4
/ 5
31 Review(s)
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| France |  Review #15268 on September 24, 2014: |
smaring
Rating: 
· 1 person found this review helpful
Click here if you found this review helpful | Review Topic: K1 Visa
Ana and her daughter, Maria, got an early morning flight on Ryanair, from Lisbon, for 30€ a ticket. Damn good thing they checked in online and printed the boarding passes, otherwise it is 70€ to do it at the airport. As expected, it was a crappy airline, but serviced the purpose. They arrived at BVA, north of Paris, and handed the bus driver the 17€ tickets to Porte Maillot in Paris. The bus left 10 mins later and they were at Pershing Parking about 45 mins later. To their surprise, the La Poste on Av de la Grande Armee was permanently closed. The La Poste behind the Disney store on des Champs Elysees was open, but did not have a Chronopost envelope more than 0.5kg. So, they continued on to the La Poste behind the embassy. They picked up the 2kg European Chronopost envelope for 58€ (eeek! :O). The people there knew EXACTLY what was needed, and one of them even spoke Portuguese. They arrived to the entrance about 20 mins before the 1:00pm appointment. The guys outside in the tent checked the passports against a list of people expected for interviews that day and then directed them to the security checkpoint inside the building. The men inside checked the bags, they walked through a scanner, and their cell phones were held in exchange for an identifying lanyard for later retrieval upon exiting the building. There were a couple men that spoke Portuguese at the security station as well. At the first window, a lady checked the passports and the package 4 appointment letter and then handed them a number, A105. Apparently the numbers start at A100, implying they were the 5th ones in the building for interviews that day, which seemed apparent from the people waiting. So, getting there 30 mins early might be a good idea. About 10 mins later another lady called them to a window. She also spoke Portuguese. She asked Ana if she paid the fees online, but Ana said "no". The lady said "oh, but that is the ONLY way to pay it now", and explained how I had emailed inquiring about how and where to pay and was told that a cash payment at the embassy was OK. The lady said "oh ... you are the ones that emailed ... and you don't have your medical report". I emailed about that too. She said not to worry, and immediately directed them to another window to pay the fees in cash and come right back to the same window. She got the impression they were making an exception for us regarding a cash payment because of the confusion regarding the recent changes, the website misdirection, and what package 4 stated regarding it. She then asked for all the items we were supposed to have. She also asked for something that was NOT stated as a requirement. The sponsor form for the K-1 is the I-134. It DOES NOT call for last year's 1040 tax return of the sponsor. The longer sponsor form, the I-864, DOES ask for it, but that is for other processes. Luckily I sent my tax return because they DID ask for it! That was a HUGE WOW. After providing everything, the lady asked if they needed a Portuguese translation for the interview. Ana declined, and the lady asked them to have a seat and somebody would call them for the interview. 10 mins later, they were called to another window. That lady asked things like:
When and where did you meet? When did you get engaged? Who are the people in one of the pictures? She then asked Maria if she had met or talked to me. She asked if she knew what I did for work. Maria said "not really, but I know where he works", which she did ... and that was about it. The lady said everything looked fine, "welcome to the United States". and that as soon as they get the medical report in the mail they will send back the visas and the sealed package for customs in the Chronopost in 10 working days. It was about 2:30pm when they walked out of the embassy. The "taxi stand" sign had been taken down from Concorde Plaza, for renovations happening to a hotel, and it took about 10 mins to flag down an available taxi. It took about an hour to get to Orly airport and cost around 40€. There was plenty of time to catch the 5:15pm Transavia flight back to Lisbon at 45€ each. That airline was much better than Ryanair.
| | | France | Review #14862 on July 19, 2014: |
sandraperry
Rating: 
· 1 person found this review helpful
Click here if you found this review helpful | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
Well, since 2012 all Immigrant Visas aren't dealt on the USA Embassy in Portugal, you have to make extra arrangements to go to Paris, France.  (And extra charge on all this also expensive process).
But It ended up being a nice stay as I had my father as might trip companion and this was his first long flight and first time in Paris. I got to show him lot of places, and remember last time I had been in Paris with my Husband.
So I was very nervous, I barely slept the night before the flight to Paris, and the night before the interview was struggle with insomnia.(I stayed 2 days in Paris)
To get to the Embassy I advise line 12 of the Metro, and get out on the Concorde, as the embassy is right on the corner of the subway station, though we decided to walk to the Embassy.
But then it came the 17th, We decided to make a picnic on the gardens in front of the Embassy. When we arrived there were a lot of people already on the tent before the security, and was only 11 am. I looked at my father and started to get nervous. So early and so many people! I ended up figuring out that those were for earlier/different appointments. As we finished eating (I barely ate, just a couple cookies and drink water, Paris was super hot, like 39ºC in the shadow) we decided to go see if we could go in, it was around midday, and the guards said no only around 12:45.
We ended up going for a walk in the gardens, and came back around 12:30, my Father only speaks Portuguese so all the time i was translating what others were saying to him, so one of the guards new we were Portuguese, due that fact (i believe) he called us and said we could go in, the minute we arrived on the second time. It wasn't the time he told us we would go in, and he started talking to my father in Portuguese, while i was speaking french to the other guard.
Then we get to the security check, where we were "robbed" of our backpacks. They literally took everything from my fathers, food and such. But again, there was a Portuguese guard and when he looked at my passport he went "E vivó Porto carago!" a very Portuguese expression e was very welcoming and chatty and he was the one with my backpack. and he allowed me to take some cookies inside and water. He had this awesome mustache too.
No food, no electronics (telephone and such) no nothing.
Inside i got my A ticket and it was time to wait, the waiting room is surrounded by 20 windows, where the representatives are.
nº 20 is for payments.
And the room was always full of people waiting patiently for their time. A lot of B tickets.
From the A ticket later I would find out that there were 5 people there that day. And another Portuguese lady, from her accent she was from Azores (Portuguese islands), apparently her interview had been the week before, but was demanded to come back that day, due to computer problems. i got even more nervous: "oh noes! what if the problem continues?!"
I was the first one to be called, this went in 3 processes:
1st window - The lady asked for my letter and my ticket, then she informed me that my husband had payed the fee there for i could go sit down and wait for someone to call for me. the others after me we send to the nº 20 window and had money with them, so i assume that was the Treasury/payment place.
My father pointed out that during this process another lady was behind taking notice of everything i was saying. Later i found out why.
2nd window - The lady that was there, was the one that had been "spying" on the 1st window. I started speaking with her in french, then proceeded in English and for my surprise out of the bloom she said to me in Portuguese: I noticed you are a polyglot but we may continue in Portuguese.
So because I am Portuguese the Embassy provides you with a Portuguese speaker employee to help you before the interview. She was very nice and very help full, she even gave me some extra explanations, because i was making her lots of questions. She had the all file with her and was collecting all the things needed/lacking on the file. One remark: i had to be the one telling her i had a paper from the AOS I was checked listed to bring into the embassy, she was surprised. she said they had no knowledge of it. But i have it right here, handed her the checklist and the I864a of my mother-in-law. And she was like, well the truth is because you joint sponsor had enough money, we did not add the rest of the household to your husband's.
Basically she was doing the CO job, she was getting this sheet filled with certain indications, like family relations between sponsors, main sponsors jobs, etc.
Then she got the envelope and the letter from the doctor and told me to wait.
last and most important:
3rd window - the Consular Office. She was all business with me, first thing was right hand up and swear to tell the truth the all truth and nothing but the truth. And the questions begun immediately (maybe i was unlucky because i was the first and she had more time with me, or was just her doing her job) see questions asked at the end:
Basically she asked many questions, one after the other, barely giving me time to think or to complete my answer. And she made me feel real bad when I told her that I was older than my husband, that was the only time she stopped looked at me and literally was making the math to see if when i had met my husband he was 21. That was when i started to feel really bad and as if I was being interrogated because i was a pedophile or something.
Then she made really bad faces with my answers: for example I told her i got married in the US because when we were planning to get marry we contacted the Lisbon us embassy and they told us that we should get married in Gibraltar because it would be a easier process and when she asked me why i have been for a year without seeing my husband I told her because the Paris embassy told me that me travelling to the us during Christmas could be consider as an intention to illegally immigrate because i had the IV process going on...
Technically I was feeling like i was not going to get to be approved when in the middle of a question that i was answering, she was actually looking at pictures of us in Paris, she stopped, did not let me finish, closed the file looked at me smiled and said congratulations you are approved and said something else.
I was in shock: I only heard Approved and blah blah blah. And she left.
I completely felt in discredit.
But yesterday, i finally reacted like i was supposed to, i went to CEAC during my job and it showed the Visa had been Issued. I cried like a baby.
Booked a flight, and finally this is over.
Over all it wasn't that bad, but the interview was really traumatizing for me, that is the main reason why I'll give it a 3.
Questions asked:
- How did you met?
- How do you meet someone through friends?
- Have you met in person?
- How did your husband get to live with you in Portugal?
- How old are you both?
- Was he 21 when you met?
- Have you visit the us?
- Who's the joint sponsor?
- What's is his job?
- Where did you married?
- Why you married in the US?
- Is this your first marriage?
- Where did you bought the wedding rings?
- Did you parents went to the wedding?
- when was the last time you've been together?
- Why haven't you seen your husband for a year?
| | | Portugal | Review #13808 on February 6, 2014: |
smaring
Rating:
Click here if you found this review helpful | Review Topic: K1 Visa
As confirmed from the consulate in Lisbon, as of the end of May 2012, all immigrant visas, INCLUDING the non-immigrant K-1 visas, are processed at the embassy in Paris, almost 1000 miles away.
All future reviews of the Portugal embassy, regarding the K-1 visa, should be reviews of the French embassy instead.
| | | Portugal | Review #12054 on June 4, 2013: |
stankas
Rating:
Click here if you found this review helpful | Review Topic: K1 Visa
Everyone was very professional, I arrived earlier, passed the inspection (metal detectors) proceeded to the interviews room, called to the window where all documents were shown. I was missing an affid avid hopping it wasn't necessary (wrong move). I was told I could submit it later through fax but they would only decide once the original was in their hands. I was told I could proceed to pay and that I would be interviewed anyway. I proceed to pay ans sat for about an hour until I was called to the consul window. She was very nice, asked me if I could sustain the conversation in english and started asking me questions about how we met and if I had been there. I told her that I had been with my future wife for 4 times and once with my children to spend Christmas and New Year's Eve and had photos of everything. She asked for the photos, asked some questions about the photos and told me that I would only have to submit the additional info. I paid to leave the passport so that the visa could be posted on it and left with a stone in my heart because we had no sponsor yet and her income wasn't enough.
I thought about every possibility and was denied by a branch of my family living in the US (Wow!) later we managed to find a friend and colleague who accepted being a sponsor and sent the needed papers. By negligence my future wife sent those by regular mail which took more than 15 days to arrive. After that I got a call from the embassy telling me those papers were not enough but if our friend added the information from her husband it would be ok. Again I called asking for that and this time the papers arrived faster. After almost one month from the interview I got the passport with the visa on it. The embassy staff was incredibly helpful and patient to cope with my everyday calls.
| | | Warsaw, Poland | Review #11171 on December 30, 2012: |
Ron-Tanya
Rating:
Click here if you found this review helpful | Review Topic: K1 Visa
Since things have changed in Warsaw and we were the first on the new procedures. Things went not as smooth as hoped but still not to worry. I arrived 4 days before I wanted an interview so we would have little cushion. Had a hard time finding the correct post office and bank but when I did I was unaware of what info I needed and they had closed (1700) for the day. Came back next morning and paid the fees (I needed her full name and birthday with number of passport and when it was issued and expire) The man in the bank hand wrote a number on my receipt and this is the # that is needed the next day when you call the embassy to get an appointment. Oh by the way Tanya is from Belarus more problems with a Schengen.
OK, so a 1201 I called the embassy and gave them the info and requested an appointment the lady was very nice on the phone and confirmed my payment. She then gave us an appointment and sent me an email. You will need a computer and print out the email at any internet cafe. The print out must have the bar code on it or you will NOT be allowed in the embassy. The use a bar code reader to enter and will not except any other way. I asked the lady who made our appointment to stay on the line until I received her email and she did. The first two emails did not arrive and she was very nice and waited for me to give her a third email address and waited until I received it. I must say she was very nice and that part made me happy.
On the interview day we arrived at 0730 and were promptly let in, our letter and bar code was checked and we were directed to a window and gave all out paper work to them. We were told to have a seat and wait. We watched everyone go before us and were waited on next to last almost 3 hours.
We went to the window when called and Tanya introduced me the man told me to go to another room and wait. I had not heard of this before but did as was directed. We had all our paper work and about 85 pictures and over 150 Skype call and maybe 150 emails. All required paper work. Tanya was asked the same question over and over again in different ways, "which marriage agency did you use and how much was paid"?? No other questions were asked and Tanya tried more and a few times to show him our paper work and pictures. He refused and did not want to see anything just answer the question.
We did not use an agency we met online at a social media site which was free of charge. We used a lawyer and he marked that we used an agency on our paper work because we did not remember the web-site. This mistake cost us both a lot of nerves in the half hour she got grilled.
So after all the work we did getting all the pic's Skype and email together he wanted to see nothing not even the financial paper work we got approved and next day had to go over the river to the industrial side of Warsaw and get the Visa. You will be told the Visa will be ready for pick up at 1330 I recommend that you take a taxi and arrive at 1400 have the taxi wait and go in to the front desk show a copy of the passport and your out with Visa in 2 minutes.
Had our lawyer not made the mistake he did we would have had no problems with the embassy. The problems were trying to get the Schengen and paying the fee's at the proper post office.
We lived thru it and got married in Florida on the beach 18 December 2012
Good luck to all on you journey.
Ron and Tanya
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