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| Laos |  Review on July 4, 2017: |
alohasabaidee
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
Prior to the interview I had contacted the consulate to clarify some things and to make sure I (the petitioner) could attend the interview and wait in the waiting area. They informed me that it was ok for me to attend along with my wife.
We arrived about 30 minutes early for my wife's interview. There is no parking available for visitors so we had to park across the street on the side of the road. After verifying my wife's interview letter and looking at our passports, they allowed us to enter. We gave our phones to keep at the security booth and then went inside to the interview waiting area.
We had to wait for about 10 minutes initially, then a Lao staff member called over the intercom for my wife to come up to one of the windows. She gave them all of the documents, except for her birth certificate. They also requested to see her National ID card, which was unexpected because it wasn't listed on the specific checklist PDF for the Laos US embassy, but luckily my wife always has it in her purse.
We then had to wait for another 30 minutes before a different Lao staff member called her to a different window to collect her birth certificate and also to collect her fingerprints. We then waited for only 10 minutes before she was called to yet again a different window. This was the interview by an American staff member. There was a Lao staff member there for translation, but they conducted the interview in English. She was asked only three (3) questions in English:
1. Who is the petitioner?
2. How and when did you meet?
3. When did you get married?
After answering the questions the American and Lao staff members discussed for a few seconds and looked at the documents, then announced that her visa was approved! She was given a receipt to come pick up her passport and visa one week later and they returned all of the documents to us except the original I-864 documents that were submitted to the NVC.
There was only one group of people in the consulate at the same time as us. There were 3 children, I think 2 brothers and a sister and some lady that wasn't their mother with them. I'm not sure what visa they were getting, but they were still waiting when we left the consulate.
There was some confusion after we had left, because we realized they'd kept our original marriage certificate. I called them back later in the day and they said they'll keep it and we can pick it up along with the visa and passport next week.
All in all, a pleasant and wonderful end to the nearly one year of waiting. The security at the consulate were extremely friendly and helpful too.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #22062