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| Costa Rica |  Review on November 21, 2018: |
Oklahoma1234
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
I attended the interview with my Nicaraguan fiance on 11/19/18. We arrived 30 mins early and had to wait outside for 15 mins. It's important that you read the appointment instructions and do not bring bags, purses, cell phones, etc. They will not allow inside the embassy. A lady in front of us brought a purse and the officer told her there were lockers for rent around the block.
Once we entered they opened the sealed medical package to check and then closed again (had no problems with this). They also kept the CD with rays at the front with security. We received it when we left the embassy at the end.
We entered the room and waited less than 5 minutes. The first person we spoke to was Tica. She was bilingual and spoke to me in English and my fiance in Spanish. She had a checklist for docs and collected everything. We brought the original civil docs (with translations) and she asked if we had made copies. We hadn't (not a big deal) so she made copies and returned the originals of the Nicaraguan docs (birth cert, police record & single status cert) to us. She kept the police record and single status cert from CR. My fiance signed a statement regarding the documents and we sat down again.
We waited around 1.5 hours until the consular officer review the application. There was a couple in front of us that held up the line due to issues regarding a name change. The consular officer called us to the window and was also bilingual. She was American and directed most of the questions to me (petitioner) in English and asked a couple of questions in Spanish to my fiance. Everything went very smoothly and after 8-12 mins she advised the visa was approved and we were receive in a few days. She advised the k-1 visa has a different process and doesn't take a long as the others to process. I also asked a question regarding my fiance flying back to the US with me. She confirmed with local employees that I should be able to enter the "visa line" with him when we enter the country.
Some questions we were asked:
1. How was the co-sponsor related to the petitioner?
2. How many times have I visited my fiance?
3. How many children does my fiance has? Are they traveling with him to the US?
4. How long has my fiance been in Costa Rica? (he's from Nicaragua)
5. Where will we be living in the US?
It's good to know the room you are waiting in is not very private. As you are called to the window, the person on the other side is communicating through a microphone and speaker so the entire room is going to hear your conversation. Things I learned from others as their interviews were conducted:
1. If you have been charged for a crime, make sure you have ALL of the documents needed includes the plea, max charge, etc. The officer didn't deny the visa but requested more info so it was not approved the same day.
2. Make sure the civil docs (single status cert & birth cert) are from the Civil Registry NOT THE ALCALDIA. They were request this and the visa will not be approved that day.
3. If you're petitioner/sponsor is on public assistance or has kids on public assistance and are above the poverty line it's still a good idea to have another co-sponsor. This is determined at the consular officer's discretion. The officer let them know if wasn't a big deal once they had the additional I-134 they can email the documentation to the embassy and then they can approve it.
Ex: I was abroad for half of last year and didn't meet the requirement. I gave the officer the I-134 form I completed but they asked if I had another co-sponsor. Luckily, I was prepared with my mother's paperwork.
Things I was surprised about:
1. My fiance entered CR on a tourist visa waiting on his interview and has been there for 5 months. They did not question or ask about his current status in the country. Although we were prepared with additional documentation.
2. The police record, single status cert, and birth certificates were returned to us. We got to keep the originals.
3. A beneficiary in front of us had a worn down passport and the officer advised he would need to get a new passport in CR before they could put the visa in the passport.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #25084