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| Juarez, Mexico |  Review on April 13, 2010: |
C+C
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
Our visa was approved today!! We arrived in Juarez on Sunday, and we were approved by Tuesday 10:00 am. Obviously everyone has a different experience. We were very well prepared and perhaps a little lucky. I'll tell the story and try to include details that may help save time and frustration (and money). The other reviews on Visajourney have been extremely helpful to us. While here, we noticed several people were trying to prepare their documentation after arriving in Juarez. My advice is to do your homework, and come completely prepared with all the forms already filled out and printed.
I drove to El Paso on Saturday, stayed overnight, and parked my car in long-term parking at the El Paso airport ($4.50/day). I had American Shuttle ($65.00) 1-888-831-1321 pick me up at the parking lot and drive me across to the Juarez airport to pick up my fiancee. The driver was very helpful and safe and I highly recommend this service. The trip took about 45 minutes. When my fiancee arrived, we took a taxi (245 pesos) from the airport to the Holiday Inn Express Las Misiones, where we stayed. The Holiday Inn is very comfortable and conveniently located. It is about 2 blocks to the embassy gate and the medical clinics. There is a large shopping mall across the street, and many restaurants nearby. Despite the horrible news coming from Juarez, the area feels safe, with lots of people walking around and very visible police.
Monday morning we arrived at the embassy gate at about 8:00am. We waited in line about 2 hours and got our invitation letter from the information window. They actually open at 7:30, and I recommend arriving earlier than we did. Luckily, with the invitation letter in hand, we still had time to make it to the medical exam the same day. The clinic closes the gates at 11:00 am. The clinic was brand new, clean, and well organized. We were in the clinic for about 30 minutes. The cost was about $190 USD, payable in cash. In the clinic, they first took a blood sample, then they did an eye exam. You then go into a small exam room where a doctor of your gender tells you to undress, and looks (without touching) for tattoos, piercings, or visible marks. They take blood pressure and ask about your disease history. Then they take a chest x-ray. For K-1 visas, no vaccinations are necessary. Then you get dressed, and pay for the exam. If there are no health problems, the exam results can be picked up at 2:00 pm. After the exam, we went to Denny's next door. We don't recommend it, there are lots of better places next to the consulate in the little white and blue mini-mall. We then walked across the street to the Banamex located in the shopping mall. We payed the consulate interview fee, which was about $150 USD, more than the $131 advertised. They do have an ATM, so if you have your bank card, you can get away without bringing so much cash. We then went back to the hotel, went down the checklist and got all of our documents organized.
The consulate receives interviews for K1 between 8:00 and 10:00 am. We arrived Tuesday at 7:53, and she was directed inside immediately, no waiting. She first passed through security, similar to the airport. Don't take pens; you'll have to throw them away. All you need is your documents and $8.00 USD for DHL. After security, you get a number. You sit and wait for maybe an hour for your number to appear on a screen. The screen tells you which window to go to. At this first window, you give them your forms and some other documents. They ask you to sign the forms in front of them. You then sit and wait again, about 5 minutes, until your number appears on the screen, and go to a second window, where they take your fingerprints. You then sit again, wait again for your number, maybe 20 minutes, to go to the third window, where the interview occurs. My fiancee was asked some easy questions about me. The interviewer was nice and respectful. The interview lasted about 5-10 minutes. At the end, he said "Congratulations, your visa has been approved!". My fiancee was then sent to the DHL line, where she paid, and got the tracking information for the visa package. She was told we would wait between 1 and 3 business days for the package, but that we could begin checking online after 3:00 pm the same day.
Overall, this was a good experience. Like everyone, we were very stressed out, and of course the system could be improved in countless ways. But the people at the embassy and clinic were all very professional, and the organization was great considering how many people they process each day.
We will submit another report after we get the package and cross the border.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #5915