S

Mailed in the I-129F Petition to VSC today. Was wondering if anyone
had an experience with the consulate in Dublin as to K-1 interview and
such.

Terry Paget

"S" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Mailed in the I-129F Petition to VSC today. Was wondering if anyone
    > had an experience with the consulate in Dublin as to K-1 interview and
    > such.

I had my K1 interview on January 2nd 2003. Our petition went through
Nebraska - I hope you do not have the horrendous delays we (and so many
others) had to endure!

The 2nd NOA was dated October 30th 2002. By that stage I had already
obtained or was in the process of obtaining Police Certificates (I had lived
in England); proof (certificates or authenticated court copies) of such
things as Birth, previous Marriage and Divorce, and of Military Service. Do
start getting these documents now - don't delay.

Dublin will not set up a provisional file - they will only set up a file
when they receive the relevant package of information from the Service
Centre (VSC in your case). This should not involve any notable delay;
perhaps a week. On receipt of this Dublin send out a package of information
to you. The accompanying check list is not very well worded in terms of its
instructions. With this package you will be given the name(s) of examining
doctors: they are in Dublin, Cork or Galway. There is no reason to delay
setting up the medical - it cost just over 300 Euro but is fully inclusive
of such things as the cost of x-rays, blood tests and any innoculations you
may need.

When you have everything (or are confident you will have everything within,
say, two weeks) sign and send off the checklist form. Things don't happen
until that is returned.

If you go on the Embassy website you will be told that you should use a
premium-price phone number to contact them. *For a 129F Petition this is
not the number to use.* You use the ordinary phone number (and get routed
through to the relevant section after punching in the menu options).
However, in my own case at least, someone from the section telephoned me at
my place of work about a week after I returned the signed check-list form.
If you confirm to them you have everything they will set up an interview
appointment. In my own case this was about 5 or 6 weeks ahead. (They were
fully booked for the intervening period, and Christmas/New Year fell during
that time too.)

At the interview, you stand on the public side of a screened partition (not
at all private!). They want to see the originals of the various copy
documents as submitted with the original Petition. They were not interested
in seeing my previous marriage certificate (although the check-list says
they want it). Likewise, they were not interested in seeing the x-ray which
I had so very carefully carried from Cork to Dublin by public transport!
Having checked this documentation and you having handed over your Banker's
Draft of $100.00 the interviewer takes everything back into the main office
area. This part of the interview (at the counter partition) took about 15
minutes - but is primarily a check on documents and may take less time if
you have fewer documents to check. Some little time after that (perhaps
half-an-hour) I was called back to the counter and was interviewed by
another person. This more formal (but relatively relaxed) interview was
quite brief - no more than 5 minutes: "When do you plan to marry?"; "How
did you meet your fiancée?"; "When did you last meet?"; and this type of
question. No catch-questions, but you are so nervous, you have to think
twice before answering anyway! This interviewer will tell you there and
then whether or not you will be granted your visa.

If you are granted the visa you are told to wait for a further period and,
when you are called back to the counter again, there are your original
documents returned (except the Affidavit of Support), including your
passport with the rather magnificent visa included within it. You will also
be given the "sealed, brown envelope" which you will need to hand over to
the Immigration Officer when you enter the US.

In the event that you are not granted your visa (as happened with one guy
who attended at the same time as myself), a full explanation is given and,
it seems, how any deficiency can be rectified. (This is based on a single
instance. I have no reason to believe otherwise than that the embassy staff
are as helpful as possible, but cannot confirm whether such help is given
every time.) (You will remember that the public side of the counter screen
is very public!)

Hope all this helps.

Terry Paget

S

"Terry Paget" wrote in message news:...
    > "S" wrote in message
    > news:[email protected]...
    > > Mailed in the I-129F Petition to VSC today. Was wondering if anyone
    > > had an experience with the consulate in Dublin as to K-1 interview and
    > > such.
    >
    > I had my K1 interview on January 2nd 2003. Our petition went through
    > Nebraska - I hope you do not have the horrendous delays we (and so many
    > others) had to endure!
    >
    > The 2nd NOA was dated October 30th 2002. By that stage I had already
    > obtained or was in the process of obtaining Police Certificates (I had lived
    > in England); proof (certificates or authenticated court copies) of such
    > things as Birth, previous Marriage and Divorce, and of Military Service. Do
    > start getting these documents now - don't delay.
    >
    > Dublin will not set up a provisional file - they will only set up a file
    > when they receive the relevant package of information from the Service
    > Centre (VSC in your case). This should not involve any notable delay;
    > perhaps a week. On receipt of this Dublin send out a package of information
    > to you. The accompanying check list is not very well worded in terms of its
    > instructions. With this package you will be given the name(s) of examining
    > doctors: they are in Dublin, Cork or Galway. There is no reason to delay
    > setting up the medical - it cost just over 300 Euro but is fully inclusive
    > of such things as the cost of x-rays, blood tests and any innoculations you
    > may need.
    >
    > When you have everything (or are confident you will have everything within,
    > say, two weeks) sign and send off the checklist form. Things don't happen
    > until that is returned.
    >
    > If you go on the Embassy website you will be told that you should use a
    > premium-price phone number to contact them. *For a 129F Petition this is
    > not the number to use.* You use the ordinary phone number (and get routed
    > through to the relevant section after punching in the menu options).
    > However, in my own case at least, someone from the section telephoned me at
    > my place of work about a week after I returned the signed check-list form.
    > If you confirm to them you have everything they will set up an interview
    > appointment. In my own case this was about 5 or 6 weeks ahead. (They were
    > fully booked for the intervening period, and Christmas/New Year fell during
    > that time too.)
    >
    > At the interview, you stand on the public side of a screened partition (not
    > at all private!). They want to see the originals of the various copy
    > documents as submitted with the original Petition. They were not interested
    > in seeing my previous marriage certificate (although the check-list says
    > they want it). Likewise, they were not interested in seeing the x-ray which
    > I had so very carefully carried from Cork to Dublin by public transport!
    > Having checked this documentation and you having handed over your Banker's
    > Draft of $100.00 the interviewer takes everything back into the main office
    > area. This part of the interview (at the counter partition) took about 15
    > minutes - but is primarily a check on documents and may take less time if
    > you have fewer documents to check. Some little time after that (perhaps
    > half-an-hour) I was called back to the counter and was interviewed by
    > another person. This more formal (but relatively relaxed) interview was
    > quite brief - no more than 5 minutes: "When do you plan to marry?"; "How
    > did you meet your fiancée?"; "When did you last meet?"; and this type of
    > question. No catch-questions, but you are so nervous, you have to think
    > twice before answering anyway! This interviewer will tell you there and
    > then whether or not you will be granted your visa.
    >
    > If you are granted the visa you are told to wait for a further period and,
    > when you are called back to the counter again, there are your original
    > documents returned (except the Affidavit of Support), including your
    > passport with the rather magnificent visa included within it. You will also
    > be given the "sealed, brown envelope" which you will need to hand over to
    > the Immigration Officer when you enter the US.
    >
    > In the event that you are not granted your visa (as happened with one guy
    > who attended at the same time as myself), a full explanation is given and,
    > it seems, how any deficiency can be rectified. (This is based on a single
    > instance. I have no reason to believe otherwise than that the embassy staff
    > are as helpful as possible, but cannot confirm whether such help is given
    > every time.) (You will remember that the public side of the counter screen
    > is very public!)
    >
    > Hope all this helps.
    >
    > Terry Paget

Thank you so much!!!!!!!! My fiance (Dublin) and I already have all
the documentation necessary for the next step as we gathered most of
it in the course of preparing the I-129F. We had not seen anyone on
the message board that had any specific experiences in Dublin, so all
your information in this regard is wonderful. We were concerned about
checking with the consulate using their relatively new outrageously
over price phone number so I'm glad to hear that we don't have to use
it. Thank you again!

Congrats on your K-1. I'm glad your long wait is over and Good Luck