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| Dominican Republic |  Review on September 8, 2014: |
DRbound
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
So i figured i would write this while it is still fresh in my memory.
Our cita was at 6:45am and we arrived around 6:15. I did not see any buscones outside but my fiancée did, regardless there were not many or they were hiding from the security outside the embassy.
My Spanish is not very good, my fiancée and i speak in Spanglish so it was good that she went to the front of the line to speak with a person holding a radio and directing people through the entry gate and into the security scan zone. Within 5 minutes after being dropped off by a taxi (we stayed at her house the night before in Santo Domingo Este) we were going through security.
To expedite this process a little you can avoid bringing purses and jewelry - anything metal with make them have to scan you twice. After getting through security (it is just a small building separate from the main part of the embassy where the interviews are held) we were directed to sit on the benches outside under the awning and wait to be called in in large groups - based on appointment time.
We sat outside for about 10 minutes; at that point we were directed into the main part of the embassy where we could see the long line of interview windows, in front of which were rows of 10-15 chairs stretching the entire length of the building. We were given a small piece of paper with number 145 on it and were told to take a seat anywhere until our number was called.
At first, the numbers were somewhere around 50-75, and they were being called in order. There are monitors every 30 or 40 feet so i could see our number as soon as it was displayed. They also had a prerecorded voice reading off the numbers and to which window but it was very low in volume and hard to hear. We went by the screens and within about 30-45 minutes we were at window number 7. He asked us which language we preferred to interview in, at which point i said English for me and my fiancée said Spanish for her. He looked at us like "how do you guys have a relationship if you don’t speak the same language?" The thing is, i can understand and speak Spanish "ok" but i did not feel comfortable enough to do the interview in Spanish. Luckily, this was not a Spanish comprehension exam, and what they were looking for was a genuine relationship.
After speaking with him he gave us an invoice to go pay $80 at the window titled "cashier" this window is located near the entrance to the embassy where we were given our number. I paid in USD, and was given two receipts, which i then had to bring back to window 7 without being called again.
we then waiting for what felt like forever, at that point is was maybe 8:00 and it was another 2 hours before we were called up again. They were having a problem with the monitors, and for some reason our number never came up. An embassy employee was intermittently walking down past the rows of chairs calling out numbers of those who hadn't made it up to the window for whatever reason. Here we were focusing on the screen, each time a new number called, my heart would skip a beat, especially if it began with "ciento..." the employee called out or number and advised us to go to window 2, where my fiancée was asked to give her fingerprints on the little machine they have at every window.
By this time it was past 11:00, probably more like 11:30, and we made our way back to our seats but in a different area this time. We sat waiting for about 20 minutes, freezing our butts off (and i am from Maine by the way!). Bring a sweatshirt or something or plan to have permanent goose bumps from the near freezing temps inside that building. Sure it is nice at first but it eventually became bothersome!
Our number was finally called, and my fiancée was the one to hear it, i must have been zoning out because i didn't hear it. This time it came up on the screens and we were to go to window 26!
Our interviewer was a clean cut white man, who spoke excellent Spanish and of course English for me! I understood on of the questions he eventually asked my fiancée in Spanish, so i probably could have gotten away with it. Instead, he agreed to do a bi-lingual interview, and began asking the following questions:
To her:
si ustedes se ven en skype, donde vive el , en casa o apartamento?
Con quien vive el? Reafirmo, vive solo?
Como es su apartamento?
Puede decirme si tiene algo especial que llame su atencion el apartamento?
Cuales son los hobbys de su fiancé?
To me:
How did you meet her?
Where did you meet her?
You met on a dating site, what stood out to you about her?
After the first contact was made, how did the relationship progress from there?
When was the first time you visited the Dominican Republic?
How many times have you been to the Dominican Republic in total?
Our expandable folder was packed with everything that we might have needed to show him, but he did not ask for ANY of it. At least we were ready! The interview lasted about 10 minutes, we both smiled a lot and I think that helped!
This community has been the greatest source of support, thank you for all who halve helped to pass the time. We know the journey is not over but the hardest part is!
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #15158