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| Manila, Philippines |  Review on February 5, 2013: |
wjethel
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
I, the petitoner, accompanied my Fiancee to the Interview at the US Embassy in Manila. We arrived at the Embassy at 7:00am for the 7:30am appointment time.
Stage 1:
The line for Immigrant Visas/Fiance Visas was relatively short at this time. We waited for only about 20-30 minutes. They took our documents: DS-156, DS-157, DS-156, DS-157K. Note: Interestingly, they did not take DS-230. We then went through the security screening area. No electronic devices were allowed (including cell phones, cameras, digital watches, etc., so better to just leave these items at home or at the Hotel).
Stage 2:
We then proceeded to the first window (relatively short wait of about 10-15 minutes). They took our appointment letter and we received our applicant number: #6214 was our lucky number. We proceeded to the waiting area for Immigrant visas/Fiance visas and waited for our number to come up on the screen. The numbers came up randomly with no apparent order. This was the longest waiting period for us, nearly 2 hours. Fortunately, this waiting area was covered from the sun and it was not very hot outside. There were vendors in the waiting area who provided food and drinks for those who were so inclined. Finally, our number group (#6207-6216) was called and we were brought inside the main building. We waited for an additional 15 minutes once we arrived inside.
Stage 3:
The first window was for finger-printing: Left four fingers, then right four fingers, then two thumbs together. After finger-printing was complete we sat down again and waited for our lucky number to come up on the screen again, about 15 minutes.
Stage 4:
The next window was for the Philippine Consulate interview. They took the beneficiary documents: Birth Certificate, NBI clearance, Cenomar, Marriage Certificate with annotation, etc. and petitioner documents: I-134, Individual Tax Return documents (they took only 2011 eventhough we offered 2009-2011), employment letter, and paycheck stubs. They only asked a few questons: if we had been married before, how did we meet, how many children did I have, the ages of my Fiancee's children.
Stage 5:
We then waited for the next interview with the US consulate, about 15 minutes. During this interview the consular asked if my Fiancee had traveled outside the Philippines before, if she had ever applied for a Visa to the USA before, how many times did I visit my Fiancee in the Philippines. They did not ask for any additional documents or any further evidence of relationship. They did not even take the second Fiance Letter of Intent.
Stage 6:
The last waiting period was for the instructions regarding Visa processing and delivery. They told us everything was fine with our application and we could pick up the Visa at our designated 2Go courier. We left right away and went out for celebration lunch! 
(updated on February 6, 2013)
(updated on February 7, 2013)
(updated on February 8, 2013)
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #11421