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| Frankfurt, Germany |  Review on December 19, 2025: |
zyscobry
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
Arrived at the Consulate around 6:50 AM for an interview scheduled at 7:30. Registered at 7:03 - there were some people in front of me in line and I believe they only started letting people in from 7:00. I and my family stayed at a hotel about a 10 minute drive away from the Consulate. As much as it sucks to get up this early, I do recommend getting to the Consulate the full 30 minutes before your appointment because the line behind me steadily grew and the hall filled up quickly.
I was pretty nervous but everything went fine. There were a few hiccups at the security check on my end (not knowing how to get to the security area/forgetting to take my phone out of my pocket) but that was it. Once I got to the big hall where the actual interview took place, everything was smooth sailing. A very nice officer helped me at check-in (where they ask for your originals and go over some administrative details) and the interview went very well too. I believe I was asked more questions than most because a woman was following along/spectating for the entire interview. Perhaps some sort of training?
After a while (maybe 10/15 minutes?) the consular officer told me that my visa was approved and that I could expect my passport back in about a week.
Some general tips:
-Bring only what you need. Your phone and any other electronics are kept by Consulate staff and returned to you after the interview. If you can, do not bring bags. I only brought my phone, coat, card holder (with my ID/bank card/etc.) and folder with documents. I went to the big hall with only my coat and folder, my phone and card holder were returned to me after the interview.
-Be overprepared in the documents that you bring. At check-in, I was asked for my joint sponsor's tax documents until a little later when I heard "oh, it looks like something has been scanned in". You don't want to be in a position where you don't have the documents they're asking for.
-If you don't know, you don't know, and that's fine. I was asked how many times we had visited each other. We were fortunate enough to have quite a few visits each year so I said I didn't know exactly. My eventual answer was "at least 3 times a year". That was just fine.
-Be concise and precise. No fluff, just what they're asking. A little context is fine.
-Being friendly is nice and appreciated but don't joke around. There were a few moments where the consular officer thought something was funny but do realise that you are inside a U.S. Consulate participating in an interview that determines whether you immigrate or not, and you are under oath. The staff are very friendly though so there's nothing to be afraid of!
To conclude: you are being interviewed for a reason, you know your own and your spouse's life, and honesty is key.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #33871