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| Manila, Philippines |  Review on February 3, 2014: |
RedPepper
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
Step 1. Biometrics with American Consul (5 minutes waiting on queue (waiting for my number to flash on screen), 2 minutes runtime)
1) Your name and date of birth
2) Petitioners name and date of birth, relationship with petitioner?
Step 2. First interviewer (Filipino Consul) (2 hours waiting on queue (waiting for my number to flash on screen), around 5 minutes runtime)
1) What is your name, and date of birth
2) Who is your petitioner? Date of birth? Relationship with petitioner? When, where, how did you meet?
3) Where does he live? Address in the US? Is that where you will stay?
4) Have you traveled abroad, what country? for how long?
5) have you traveled to the US before? Applied for a tourist visa/any visa before?
6) Do you have a joint sponsor? Name? Relationship with the joint sponsor?
Step 3. Second Interview (American Consul) (10 minutes waiting on queue (waiting for my number to flash on screen), around 5 minutes run time)
1) Ask the same questions as above except for the following...
2) have you been communicating with your spouse? how do you comm with him? when was the last communication? Do you have proof (call and chat logs)?
3) Does he send money, or do you share any financial resources? Please show me evidence. (showed orig western union remittance slips at window, seeing it was enough, he said he did not need me to hand it over for checking)
Step 4. Releasing Officer. (20 minutes waiting in line (our names were announced and we were asked to wait in line at window 69), i was 5th in line, around 2 minutes run time)
(Asked basic profile info just to make sure its you, then will give you instructions on what to do next)
Before i realized, i was done! Easy breezy! i was trembling when the first consul, filipino, told me some of my papers went missing. it wrecked my calm composure, but I regained it after I was told it wasn't bad as long as I send in the orig papers that were missing (and it wasn't our fault it was missing--because NVC confirmed they received it and sent it to the US Embassy. To learn that my AOS was not there was a shock. Good thing I had a photocopy with me. It saved my ####--but it would have done the trick if only i had original documents with me.)
OVERALL:
The Filipino interviewer projected a "snobbish" first impression, but as the interviewer went on, she was still formal but smiling, casual friendly. I had trouble telling what year I was 17 (that was when I met my husband) She asked How I met him--on a camping trip they organized. I was 17 he was 25. Then the WHEN I met him--I couldn't answer. I said, I was 17 then now I am 36...then I started counting with my fingers! I said "1993...1994...???" Then the consul answered for me "1995" Then memories came rushing in, I laughed, she laughed! Then I said "sorry, I am real bad with numbers." It was hilarious.
It was the missing AOS that sent me trembling and nervous from the calm and composed I was when I first got to the interview window--geez! I asked her if I was in trouble because of that, she said no. (If she said yes, I would have started ranting. How could NVC lose my documents!) But she said no, so I kept my calm.
The American Interviewer was friendlier, when I said I met my husband on a camping trip to Mt Pulag in 1995, he said he was going there too (and seemed excited about it!) Small talk...small friendly talk) then my interview was done. I had missing papers on my AOS--when I asked if I was in trouble (for the second time, he said no). All I had to do was send in the original copies they asked me to send on my 221g then I should be good to go.) Approved! I am an IR1--married for 5 years with a US citizen, so...it was an advantage.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #13785