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| Manila, Philippines |  Review on May 9, 2019: |
Eli❤Mica
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
Our interview was scheduled yesterday at 7:15 am. Stayed at a hotel nearby just to avoid any delays due to traffic. We left the hotel at 6:15 and got to the embassy at 6:20 am.
First queue (USEM gate): 6:20 am
They ask for your DS-160 confirmation page and passport. They put the passport in a ziplock and they place a sticker with barcode on the confirmation page in alphanumeric format (one letter with 4 numbers). Ours was A**49. After this, you are allowed to enter.
*You have to go through routine security check so don't bring any electronic device. They have a separate entrance for US citizens and applicants.
Second queue (WAITING AREA): 6:35 am
You are asked to line up (seated). They allow entries based on the time of appointment. So there's no point in coming in way too early. Waited for 10 mins, then at 6:45 am, 30 mins before our interview, they let us in.
*Another security check upon entry
Third queue (PRE-SCREENING): 6:50 am
They ask for your DS-160 confirmation to check the first letter of the sticker with barcode. Ours was A, so I had to go to Section A on the left. You will be seated for the most part but you'll be asked to stand up when it's almost your turn.
At this point, you have to prepare your DS-160 confirmation, PSA Birth Cert, CENOMAR, NBI and SLEC medical sealed envelope and insert them in your passport (don't remove from ziplock).
Waited in line for 30 mins. Pre-screening took less than 10 mins. You'll be screened by Filipinos. Aside from the docs above, they also asked for the appointment confirmation and MRV fee receipt.
Questions:
My name and DOB, K2's name, age and DOB, Fiance's name and DOB, Fiance's address in the US. Previous countries I visited and for how long. She took all the docs and put it in a folder, gave me back the DS 160 confirmation, wished us good luck and asked us to proceed to the finger scanning at window 50 or 51.
Fourth queue (FINGER SCANNING): 7:30 am
Took us less than 5 mins to do this, no lines.
Fifth queue (INTERVIEW): 7:35 am
We were seated for about 30 mins. Then we were asked to stand up when it's almost our turn. Unfortunately, the consul assigned to us was very meticulous and previous interviews were taking up to 30 mins. We stood there for an hour (yes, we can hear the questions from where we stood) and when it's finally our turn, I greeted the consul good morning and my son did the same.
Here's the funny part, she was soooo nice to us, probably because my 9-yr-old speaks the language and she probably thinks he's adorable. We were asked to raise our right hand and take an oath. Then we did another finger scan. She asked the same questions as the pre-screening officer.
Additional questions asked were: how we met, what does my fiancé do for a living. Then she asked my son if he likes my fiance, he said "I like him very much".
She gave me the IMBRA pamphlet and explained a bit about domestic violence. Then she approved our visa application. Before we left, she asked my son what state are we headed, he said California, she replied with "Enjoy buddy, I hope you have a great time!"
Seems like he's my lucky charm, took us approximately 5 mins to finish! Not only that, she DIDN'T ask for affidavit of support or proof of relationship.
We were done by 9:05 am.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #26127