Avoid submitting critical document AFTER the Interview

Not bringing all required documents on the day of the K1 Fiance Visa Interview is an avoidable mistake that could cost weeks or months of delays and sometimes even denial.

 

When applying for a fiance visa the applicant must comply with extensive requirements for evidences, proofs, photos and civil documents. The process begins by submitting an application to USCIS including documents and evidences that demonstrate one’s simple eligibility. Basically this is the minimum needed to “get your foot into the consular door” for the visa interview.

And if it is a VisaCoach “front-loaded” petition, then the petition also includes a full set of well chosen, persuasive evidences that prove that the couple’s relationship is Bona fide. The VisaCoach philosophy is that using the petition to GET the interview is not enough, but using the petition to WIN the interview, before it actually starts is our goal.

After submitting the application to USCIS, usually in about 5 to 6 months, your fiancee is required to attend an in-person, decisive interview at the consulate. This is the final inning, the last 2 minutes, the time when the brass ring is within reach.

And this is OFTEN when after so much work, so much preparation, so much waiting, and so much nervous anticipation. That the ball is fumbled.

Before being allowed to speak with the American consular officer, typically your fiancee is brought before a clerk, working for the consulate, who asks for the documents your fiance brought with her or him. He’s got a clipboard and a checklist, and one by one, he asks your fiance to hand over each item on his list.

The EPIC fail, that happens again and again, and again is that your fiance shows up at the interview without all of the required documents. Maybe, it’s an oversight, the item was forgotten, or the couple just did not know what they were expected to do.

It happens again and again. Required civil documents such as police clearances, CENOMAR’s, signed affidavits, financial evidences just don’t arrive to the interview when needed.

The Consular officers are not amused. They process many hundreds of visa requests a day, And they, like you, don’t want the process to continue indefinitely, they want to start the interview, review the FULL story, then make a final and definitive decision to approve or deny. Then move on to the next case. Nothing apparently wastes their time more than to have to defer the decision because of a missing document, and eventually later, have to start over to redo the review later, once more items finally turn up.

This warning is repeated by the US Department of State, at various locations at their websites And to all couples:

The applicant is responsible to bring ALL required original civil documents, and photocopies of the original civil documents, to the visa interview. Failure to bring all required original civil documents and the photocopies to the interview may cause delay or denial of the visa.

Here at VisaCoach, we, I want you to get your visa as quickly and smoothly as possible. So for each and every couple I prepare you with a personal checklist of what needs to be done, and what needs to be in the fiancee’s hands as she or he arrive at the Consulate. By being properly prepared, the interview goes well, the visa and passport are promptly returned in about a week, and the fiance can start the journey to the USA.

Not bringing all required items, is a classic rookie mistake that sadly can cause cause weeks, sometimes months of delays.

Why would there be a long delay? Especially why would it take a long time, if the fiancee could quickly obtain the missing document and courier it to the embassy, right away.

If the item is only delayed for a few days, shouldn’t that mean that the visa would also, ONLY be delayed for a few days too?

That would be nice. But that is not the way it works. The consulate was ready to promptly interview and issue a visa. Your fiance visa application was part of the normal, efficient flow that all involved, both you and the officers wanted to experience. You wanted the visa. The consular officers wanted to close the case.

But WHEN the flow is interrupted by a missing document, it no longer proceeds as quickly and smoothly as it should. Missing document cases are treated as low priority, no longer are these cases at the top of the list for action, but fall deep down into some officers in-basket for eventual secondary review and action. What could have been accomplished on time now may drag on for weeks or months.

There is no proof that Consular officers deliberately drag their feet before getting around to processing missing document cases to punish applicants who have caused this extra work for the consular officer.

But it sure FEELS that way.

Anyway, the best way to proceed with a fiance visa application is to “do it right the first time”. And that my friends, is what VisaCoach is all about. I have set up procedures, checklists and instructions that I follow for each and every case. That way mistakes are not made, and avoidable delays, are avoided.

By Fred Wahl
the VisaCoach