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| Peru |  Review on November 12, 2007: |
amiquechu
Rating:  | Review Topic: General Review
I was so relaxed at the interview and it went soooo smoothly! I've got visajourney to thank for making it so easy and stress-free.
So here's how it went...
We got there at about 8:15 or so for a 9:00 interview time (October 26, 2007). When we arrived there was a line out the door. It took a little while to get in, but I believe we were seated by around 8:45 or so. I thought the consulate looked bigger from the outside, but it actually seemed somewhat small on the inside. We went in the door, went through security, then walked past an outdoor section before we went in the building where we waited. The DHL "office" was a little kiosk-type place located on the way in to the waiting area. So on to the waiting area...there are two waiting sections. The first section included the first 10 or so windows and was at the front of the building, and the section where the K-1 and K-3 people go is at the back (windows 11-15). There are 14 windows and the 15th is the last window, but it's enclosed in a little room. We spent a lot of time sitting and waiting to be called up. We were called up to windows 13 and 14 somewhat soon to give two different women all of our paperwork. They took:
1. Erika's passport,
2. the receipt showing we had paid the $100,
3. three passport-style photos,
4. DS-156,
5. DS-230,
6. partida de nacimiento,
7. acta de matrimonio,
8. certificado de policia,
9. antecedentes penales,
10. antecedentes judiciales,
11. I-134 with letter of employment, mortgage statement, tax returns and investment account statements,
12. medical exam
They asked Erika a couple of questions in Spanish (about our relationship) and she answered them truthfully.
After we were called up to windows 13 and 14, we waited forever (until around 12:00 if I remember correctly) to be called into room 15 to do the actual interview. Erika was really nervous but I knew, based on the previous reviews from people who did their interviews in Lima, that there was nothing to worry about. As long as the relationship is valid, and especially if you're there with your spouse, you have absolutely nothing to worry about as long as all your paperwork is in order. I actually caught a few Z's while we were waiting. FYI, try to get the very last bench or a seat against the wall or you may end up leaving the embassy with a stiff back. The "interview" in room/window 15 didn't take very long at all. It was a nice guy from New Jersey who just asked us a few questions. He spoke to me in English and Erika in Spanish (same with the women from windows 13 and 14). He just asked questions about our relationship, asked to see her rings, etc. Very easy and painless. He told us the visa was approved and I just nodded and told him "thank you". Erika told me later on that she felt like a weight was lifted off her shoulders when he said that  Anyway, he told us to take our receipt to the DHL kiosk and pay the $5 or whatever it was. I asked if we could come back and pick up the visa later that day but he told us that was against their policy. I was a little nervous because I had heard DHL had the visa delivered in the mail within two days. I made travel plans accordingly. Our interview was on a Friday, so I booked our flights for Tuesday night. So I was slightly worried that I would potentially have to pay outrageous fees to change the flights. But we went to pick up the visa around noon on Tuesday the 30th and the visas were there! We were on the plane shortly afterwards.
If you have any questions, send me an email. I would be happy to answer what I can.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #2177