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| Manila, Philippines |  Review on September 2, 2016: |
jraymond45
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
The overall process took about 3 to 4 hours. I attended the interview with my fiance. Our appointment was for 6:45am, and even though we arrived a bit early, we stood in line and didn't enter the embassy until after 7:30am. There were many K1 and CR-1 applicants there that day.
Upon entering the embassy, we passed through security and were escorted to the first of five stations. Interestingly, security didn't require me to show my US passport, but considering I'm a tall, white, nerdy-looking guy, they probably figured I wasn't too much of a threat. 
Everything went smoothly, with only basic questions being asked. My fiance and I were well-prepared and had all of our supporting paperwork in hand. As we had registered his mailing address online prior to the interview, we were able to skip the fifth station. All in all, it was a pleasant experience and we didn't encounter any animosity or harassment. As I was in attendance, as petitioner, I think the consular officer probably went easy on my fiance (the officer could tell that he was very nervous and had some troubles understanding the questions, so the officer was patient and smiled the entire time).
My advice is, it's worth being there in person with your beneficiary, regardless if they are a K1 or spousal visa (this is a major life event... it's worth the airfare). It will make the process go much more smoothly, as I did notice a lot of attendants there alone, and they were being questioned more intensely.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #20310