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|  Review on January 21, 2012: |
Jay and Maureen
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
General Notes and Tips….. just sharing experiences....no particular order....
- Visa was received 8 days after interview via DHL. Nairobi Embassy does not
hand over spousal visa’s by hand, will be delivered via DHL.
- Questions asked...
What type of work does your husband do?
What is your husband’s phone number?
Why did your husband get a divorce from first marriage?
Do you have any wedding photos?
What is your husband’s birthday?
How many visits did your husband make to Kenya to visit you?
May I see your husband’s passport?
How do you and your husband communicate?
Where do you currently live?
- We stayed at the Sandton Palace hotel in Nairobi. Cost 3600 shillings per
day for Kenyan citizens.
- http://www.sandtonhotels.co.ke/sandton/
- The sandton palace hotel is located a 5 minute walk from the DHL pick up
location for visa.
- The sandton palace hotel has 24 hour taxi service.
- The sandton palace hotel is a 15 minute taxi drive from the embassy. And
about 15 minutes from the Nairobi Airport (NBO)
- Full breakfast buffet included in cost for the sandton palace hotel, but
lunch and dinner cost 3 to 4 times the cost of local restaurants… Good
restaurants are a 1 minute walk from the hotel.
- Tuskys Grocery store is a 1 minute walk from the hotel.
- Hotel is also a 2 minute walk from a major town and business district.
Do not make return trip flight arrangements until visa/passport is in hand. It May take up to 8 days to receive visa/passport via DHL.
Additional Notes:
- While at the visa interview, ask for the instructions for how to register for
DHL services to receive visa/passport.
- Do not leave the interview with certificate of good conduct in your
possession… Interviewer mistakenly had given my wife her police certificate
and called her back the next day to return the document to the embassy via
DHL.
- While at the interview, beneficiary will be asked to provide a contact
number… make sure he/she provides a number in case they need to contact you
in case of an emergency.
- Have spouse get new passport with new surname immediately and well before
interview date.
Evidence we brought with us to interview:
Call logs, text logs, marriage certificate, shared bank account info, wedding/family photos, every document that was previously asked for.
Not all evidence was requested…
Saving Money on Phone Calls…
- Yu Mobile: http://www.yu.co.ke/
- Have spouse use a Yu sim card.. cost is 2.5ksh per minute from Kenya to
the USA.
- When calling from USA to Kenya, use rebtel…. 9.5 cents per minute
Free Text Messages….
- http://www.mysimplemobile.com/ SIM card that allows Free international text
from USA
We saved money by having me texting her for free and her calling me using her Yu line.
Traveling… Use expedia.com for international travel for best rates.
For traveling within Kenya and for the best rates… visit: jetlink.co.ke
Why people may fail during the interview….
- Being UN- prepared to answer all questions
- Attempting to immigrate to the U.S. for reasons other than a genuine marriage
- Having individuals write Affidavits on your behalf who were once connected
with marriage fraud.
It is often said that the Nairobi Embassy is one of the worst in the world for Visa Interviews; however here are the facts… Individuals who were not prepared were treated as such….. Individuals who are marriage fraud potentiates are treated as such…..
Our Nairobi Embassy Experience: We were very well prepared with all supporting documents and were treated with the utmost respect.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #9038