|
|
| Kazakhstan |  Review on February 2, 2022: |
aurelius22
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
On January 27, 2022, I had my K-1 visa interview at the U.S. Consulate in Almaty, Kazakhstan. My visa was approved.
I decided to write a long and detailed review since there aren’t many detailed reviews of the Consulate General in Almaty especially during these unprecedented times. I hope this is informative and soothing to those who are as anxious before their interview as I was. This review will be split into a few parts below. Please skip to the part that interests you.
1. NOA2 to NVC to Consulate
2. Scheduling a K-1 appointment
3. Medical exam appointment
4. Interview canceled by the Consulate
5. Interview rescheduled by the Consulate
6. Interview day
7. CDC proof of vaccination requirement
8. Visa received
1. NOA2 to the NVC to the Consulate
On October 1, 2021 my USCIS status updated to “your I-129F petition was approved.†In a week, we received the physical copy of NOA2. The approval date on the NOA2 was September 30, 2021.
We did not hear from the NVC at all for seven weeks after our approval at which point I started to feel nervous. I decided to call the NVC to find out my case number. There is absolutely no point in emailing them or filling out their query form on their website. The only way to get through fast is to call. It took me hours to get connected to someone at the NVC. However, I successfully got to someone within a minute of my call when I called during the last operating hour late at night and requested a NON-IMMIGRANT line for the first time because the IMMIGRANT line was always busy. The operator confirmed that they had my case and told me my case number. They did not send me a “welcome letter.†The wait at the NVC took almost 8 weeks from the date of approval on my NOA2.
On November 23, 2021 the NVC sent my case to the Consulate in Almaty. They notified me by email. In three days, my ceac status changed to “ready†as the consulate received the e-copy of my case. On December 7, 2021, I received a call from the consulate notifying me that my physical case arrived that day. The consulate emailed me the P4 packet on the same day. The packet was nothing extraordinary. It included an IMBRA pamphlet, document checklist and K-1 instructions. I will warn you that my K-1 interview checklist from the consulate did not list I-134 or any financial documents, but they asked for it during the interview. So even if your checklist does not mention the affidavit of support and tax returns, do not forget to bring it.
2. Scheduling an appointment
1) filled out the DS-160
2) created an account on ustraveldocs
3) paid the interview fee $265 online
4) the system notified me that I needed to wait for the consular section to open access to their appointment schedule, so that I could pick an appointment date. The calendar wasn’t publicly available.
5) received an email the next day saying I could log back in and schedule my appointment. There was only one date available for the whole of 2022, which makes me think they chose it for me. My initial appointment was for January 6, 2022. The process was relatively easy.
FYI, as I’m writing this on February 2, 2022 the first available appointment date on ustraveldocs for Kazakhstan is April 26. Maybe the calendar is now available to everyone.
3. Medical appointment
I scheduled my medical for December 27 by calling the IMC clinic. It was easy. I did the medical more than a week before my interview because of all the New Years holidays. The medical exam envelope was ready the next day.
The medical exam: I was scheduled for 8 am. I did a basic checkup (i.e the nurse measured my blood pressure, height, weight and checked my eyesight) and then I was told to see the panel physician. He reviewed my childhood vaccination records and asked me whether I have any chronic illnesses, whether I smoke and similar health related questions. He did a basic physical exam and told me to get 3 additional vaccines. I returned to the nurse and got vaccinated, submitted my urine for a gonorrhea test and blood for a syphilis test (I am f24 and these STI tests are required for my age group).
I was told to go to a different hospital to get an X-ray. I did my X-ray and had to wait a few hours to get my result in a sealed envelope that I needed to bring back to IMC. This was the last step of the medical and I was told to return the next day. The whole process took me 4-5 hours. The wait for the chest X-ray result was long and frustrating.
I returned to IMC the next day at 4 pm and picked up my sealed medical envelope. I was also given a copy of my vaccination records in English (for AOS in the US, it included my childhood records and the shots I got at IMC), X-ray and a CD. The IMC employees were kind and sweet. I have no complaints.
4. Interview canceled by the Consulate due to civil unrest and violence
On January 4, 2022 (2 days before my interview) peaceful protests took place all over Kazakhstan including Almaty.
On January 5, 2022 (1 day before my interview) the protests turned violent and Almaty was under attack by looters and criminals who took advantage of the protests in the city. At 4 pm we received an email that our appointment was canceled without a rescheduled date and time.
In the next few days, the situation worsened and the consulate shut down. The US Consulate in Almaty was evacuating non-essential staff and their family members due to unrest and violence. Consular services were canceled “indefinitely.†Visa processing was to be “severely impacted†for the foreseeable future according to the embassy website.
5. Interview rescheduled
Luckily, the situation improved and stabilized shortly after. The consulate reopened on January 18 and I received an email with a new interview date and time. My interview was rescheduled for January 27, 08:00.
6. Interview day
My USC fiancé and I arrived at the consulate together. We decided to come only 15 minutes before our scheduled time because we did not want to freeze outside. We have previously emailed the consulate for permission to be at the waiting room together and they granted it, so upon entrance, I was asked to show the email proof that my fiancé could enter with me. We did the usual airport like security check and we were in.
They kept our phones, keys, and other items in a box downstairs. We were only allowed to bring our documents and folders.
The security staff were wonderful and polite. They escorted us to the 17th floor. They were especially courteous with my USC fiancé lol.
On the 17th floor we were given a number and were told to wait to submit our documents to a young woman from window 2. There were 3 people in front of us. We waited approximately 30 minutes to be called up by the young woman and she was nice and pleasant.
She asked me to submit: passport, delivery address registration (called “appointment confirmationâ€), birth certificate, police certificates (3 countries), 1 photo, medical envelope and I-134 (I also gave her everything I had: 2020 tax return 1040, 1099s, bank statements, investments and savings documents etc.)
One of my police certificates from a foreign country I lived in was issued in 2018, so it was over three years old at the time of the interview, but that certificate was issued a few days before my departure from said country and I never returned. This certificate was accepted.
All documents in Russian were translated into English by a private notary in Almaty.
She asked me:
What is your patronymic name?
In what city was your passport issued?
What city do you live in?
Have you been married before? Has your fiancé been married before?
I was told to sit down and wait for my interview. I waited for around 35 minutes to be called up for my interview at window 3.
The American consul who interviewed me was a woman. She was strict and serious, but polite. She almost seemed bored.
I am an extroverted person, so I expected a smiley and friendly face. I was hoping for a pleasant conversation with an easygoing officer based on dozens of interview reviews I read here on VJ, but that was not my case. Of course, it was my own fault. I don’t know why I thought it would be fun and pleasant. Manage your expectations! It’s an interview.
My interview went as follows:
CO: Good morning.
Me: Good morning!
*proceeds to ask me to raise my right hand and swear that everything in my application is true and asks me to submit my fingerprints*
CO: Where did you meet you fiancé?
Me: country X (short 1 word answer)
*CO stares at me, awkward silence and crickets*
Me: I’m sorry?
CO: Can you tell me more???
(To be fair, I was advised to be brief and concise by many people and not volunteer unsolicited information)
Me: Oh, I’m sorry! *proceed to tell her the whole story frantically because her tone made me nervous*
(I also pointed at my fiancé in the waiting room and he waved and smiled at her and she did not even bother to look at him and gave me an “IDGAF†look lol)
CO: What were you doing in country X?
Me: *tell her what I did*
CO: What was he doing in country X?
Me: He was working.
CO: What type of work??? *slightly annoyed*
Me: *his job title*
CO: You said you moved to Kazakhstan when?
Me: *tell her the date of arrival*
CO: Have you ever been married before?
Me: No
CO: Has your fiancé ever been married before?
Me: No
CO: Have you lived anywhere else except for your home country?
Me: *list the countries I lived in*
CO: *nods and types*
CO: Please review this (*hands me an IMBRA pamphlet and returns my birth certificate*). Your visa is approved.
Me: Thank you!
*internal screaming*
Throughout the whole interview she looked me straight in the eye and I returned her gaze confidently. She did not type as she spoke to me. She was watching me the whole time.
The interview was around 5 minutes. It ended abruptly. I expected many more questions especially because she did not look pleased nor convinced, but surprisingly she approved me quickly. My fiancé and I have a significant age gap too, but she did not mention that. She conducted interviews very quickly and my guess is she had a big workload that day. That might explain her straight-to-the-point style. A woman before me asked for her interview to be in Russian and the consul spoke Russian to her. So, you can choose whatever language you’re more comfortable with.
7. CDC proof of vaccination requirement
I asked her a question about the CDC proof of vaccination requirement for K-1 applicants to board a flight to the US since I do not have a WHO approved vaccine (Sputnik V). She told me I most likely won’t be granted an exemption since they are rare and issued to those who have medical emergencies. I asked her if it means I have to travel to a third country to get a new vaccine before traveling to the US. She said, “most probably.â€
8. Visa received
The next day (January 28, Friday) around 4 pm my ceac status went from “ready†to “administrative processingâ€. On Tuesday around 11 am, the status changed to “issued.†I chose to receive my passport via mail by DHL. I received an email that my envelope was ready for shipment and a payment was required in the afternoon. I paid $7.5 and my passport was delivered straight to my home the next day. I regret getting a premium delivery service. I should have just picked it up myself at the VFS office in Almaty lol. Seems like a waste of money and time. I could have picked up my passport as soon as it was ready. Instead I had to wait for the next day delivery. I don’t know what I was thinking.
Our NOA1 date was February 2, 2021 and we received our visa on February 2, 2022.
I’m happy with my experience with the US Consulte General in Almaty. They respond to emails within 2 business days, there was no harassment and the whole process was pretty straightforward. It’s a relatively small place and in no way as terrifying as you imagine. People are just following the bureaucratic process by the book. It almost feels like you’re at a bank because of the bank-like partitions between you and the consul. Everyone hears each other’s interviews.
Voila! I wish you all the luck with your visa journey. Patience is key. Make sure you’re well prepared and you tell the whole true story. You got this.
As for me, I’m gonna go give my four week’s notice at work and dream of our life together!
| |
|
Consulate / USCIS Member Review #30701