One of the blog members asked for a page solely for people to post their interview experiences. So this is it – with some rules!!!
First – NO questions on this page. Let’s keep it for interview experiences only – good and bad. I will probably delete questions to try and keep the page focused on interview experiences
Please at least mention your embassy (city and country, like Accra, Ghana) and brief details about what questions you were asked and any interesting points about documents you were asked for and any tips you can give others. This will be useful to others who have not yet had their interviews. People could use the search function to look for their embassy.
December 11, 2018 at 19:33
Case number: 2019AS11**
Country of changeability :Afghanistan (should be Saudi Arabia)
citizenship: Afghanistan
Place of interview :Budapest Hungary
Date of receiving 2NL:oct
interview date :26 November 8:30
Before starting i would like to mention that i am a university student I dont have any source of income
plus i didn’t have i-134 i don not have relatives in us to provide me that . so instead, my father issued a certified cheque in my name(more than 10 k dollars) and a letter state that is a gift to help me to immigrate to the us.
so lets start . i have arrived at 8:20 and did the security check. after that i waited around 20 min (we
were only 4 applicants in the whole hall) till the lady called me to check my papers . so first asked my passport and a photocopy. then asked about my birth certificate. she was checking the documents carefully. there were some confusion about my mother name , but i had a photocopy of my mother passport and cleared that. then she asked me about my high school certificate .then police certificates i have provided that as well except i was missing the Hungarian police certificate(the post office has delayed delivering it to me ) so i told her that , then she asked my student certificate from my university. finally my medical check up and photographs plus the my financial funds . then sent me to 2 window to do the payment. this process took from me half an hour.
After the payment i was asked to go to other window to do my interview.after 15 min co called me
Co: Hi , how are you
Me: i am good thank you , how are you
co:i am good , so congratulations winning in DV lottery. Your documents are pretty good , so till me what do you want to do in USA?
Me: will first i want to do my official internship in the summer in …. city , then after that i want to do certification course in …. university, at the time of studying i will look for full time job as well.
co : ohh nice i studied in that university its really good, so did you choose to live in…. because of the uni?
me:will mainly yes but i did some research about other cities as well but i found this one more convenient to me.
co: ok, sign this paper, and my colleague will till you how to send your missing document. good lock
me:thank you. the interview literally took me 5 min.Co didn’t ask about my cheque or anything else. then a lady handed me my original docs and kept the copies plus how to submit the missing document. after one day i managed to send my document with the passport . today i got my passport with visa.
Thank you brit, for making this blog and your endless support for all of us.
December 11, 2018 at 19:40
Congratulations!
December 11, 2018 at 23:05
Hi.why you say Country of changeability :Afghanistan (should be Saudi Arabia)???because you were born in saudi arabia but you choose afghanistan for you citizenship?you choose wrong country of chargeability?thanks and congratulatiins!
December 12, 2018 at 14:26
Sir, if you don’t Mind sharing…
A letter state that it is a gift from your father,
What did you write in the letter?
because i would Do the same, i Have No sponsor..
Good Luck in USA!!
December 12, 2018 at 18:41
Hi Thomas . there is no specific thing you can write about.Mine included my name the embassy i am doing my interview and the amount of money and he stated that the money is a gift to help me to migrate to the us .and his signature. Hope it helps you .and good luck
March 21, 2019 at 07:09
Wow. Congratulations
December 12, 2018 at 13:07
Thanks Simon for the resource – incredibly grateful. Found I was significantly better prepared than the people surrounding me in the consulate and it really speed up the process!
Embassy: Sydney
I submitted by DS-260 back in May however hadn’t initially done my research on Adjustment of Status and Consulate Processing. Selected Adjustment of Status without realising implications. Ended up reading the articles here and deciding that Consulate Processing was as a better option for me. After a few emails confirming with KCC my Embassy was switched from New York to Sydney.
I received my 2NL quite early and with the correct embassy. Medical was completely fine, I used the 2nd advised Medical Center (OCNLST) who were extremely professional, prompt and easy. 2 days later I received a copy of my results in the mail and a call from the Medical Center confirming everything was ok and wishing me luck for the interview.
INTERVIEW – I was booked for 9am but historically have had to wait in line for my appointments so arrived at 8:35am. I was the only person there (except security) so was let in immediately, checked my phone and was ushered very quickly up to the next level. On the next level I took a number was seen initially by someone who confirmed all my documents, didn’t really ask any questions just clarifying details. I spent a few minutes with her – while not verbalised I did see the officer purposely use my high school certificate instead of my University degree. I had luckily brought my high school certification just in case, my theory is since my degree was only 3 years it was an easier process to just use my high school cert. I was then sent to the cashier to pay and back to the officer to confirm payment. This whole process was done in about 10 mins. I then had to wait for about 20 mins, there were probably 5 other people in the room also waiting for Diversity Visas. After the wait I was called over to a different booth with a different officer.
Questions asked:
1. What high school did you attend?
2. What do you do for work?
“Oh, you’ve already been living in the US”
“You’re visa is approved”
Finished at 9:15am.
I received an email that my passport/visa was issued at 2pm that afternoon, tracking information of my passport was received that evening and my passport was received at 2pm the next day.
I found the whole thing to be incredibly efficient. The staff at the US Consulate (at least early in the morning) were fantastic and had a wonderful energy. All were extremely kind and helpful.
TIPS/MISTAKES:
1. While I was waiting I saw the family in front of me answer the question “Have you ever lived overseas?” with Yes. The family had lived overseas for 11 months several years ago but answering yes to that question meant that they were going to have to email through some evidence that they were only overseas for 11 months or get a Police Certificate. They were given a yellow sheet of paper with an email address and instructions on how to submit the info. The officer was super relaxed about it but could only give a tentative approval of the green card until the info was emailed through.
2. Another woman was missing a police certificate and had missed her medical appointment! Consulate was extremely relaxed about it, gave her the yellow sheet of paper with instructions and was given a tentative approval of the green card pending the additional information.
Thanks Simon and Good luck Everyone!
December 12, 2018 at 13:35
Congrats Tamara. I feel more relaxed now after reading your experience in Sydney. I just submitted my DS260 and I cannot wait for my interview next year in May/June 2019EU16XXX. Could you tell me please how much they charged you for the medical? Thank you
December 12, 2018 at 23:01
Hi! The medical depends on how many additional shots you need. I ended up paying $450 for the appointment, $80 for the chest x-ray and $100 for the additional vaccinations.
December 12, 2018 at 17:32
Congratulations Tamara!
December 12, 2018 at 20:25
Embassy – Accra, Ghana
Timelines: eDv registration- 15th November 2017
1NL: checked on 18th May 2018
2NL: 27th sept 2018
Interview date: 1st Nov 2018
Passports returned: 22nd Nov 2018
Above are our timelines.
Before Interview
First we are a couple, both professionals with one kid. Soon After we received the 1NL we completed the DS 260 and submitted same on the 24th May 2018. After successful submission, I started googling and searching for every bit of information I could get, mainly because this was our first try in the DV lottery program and we knew next to nothing! Yes, next to nothing. Fortunately I chanced on Britsimonsays.com and I extensively read through all of his articles and comments for the next 2 months. I gained enormous insight through his website for which I must say I’m very grateful. I again chanced on the immigration forum hosted by the Law offices and also became and active reader. I read through the DV experiences of previous winners from Ghana from 2013 – 2018. It was an uphill task but I knew I had to do that to be successful. After gathering so much information, next was to patiently wait for our case to become current and for us to receive the 2NL.
Our case finally became current mid – September 2018 and received our 2NL on the 27th of September 2018. Interview was in 5 weeks! We knew it was time to act now.
We went to the Police Head Quarters for the CID report on the 9th of October. Spent roughly 2hrs there and were told to pick up the report on the 26th of October. We then followed it with our medicals on the 19th of October – pick up date was on the 31st October 2018.
We then proceeded to gathering our documents and photocopies for the big day. This is what we took to the interview:
1NL
2NL
DS 260 Confirmation page
SSCE diploma
University Certificates
Professional body certificates
Passport
Birth certificate
Marriage certificate
Pay stubs
Bank statements
American sized passport pictures
Medical Report
Police report
Interview fee ($330/ applicant)
Day of the interview
Got to the Embassy around 6:30 am. There were close to 40 people hanging around the embassy waiting for the day to been. After a short while, a security officer approached us and instructed those with appointments to form a queue in front of the main entrance. Our appointments were subsequently confirmed by another officer. Next was the security check point. We went through routine security checks and were ushered into the hallway. Right at the entrance of the hallway, we were asked to present our DS 260 confirmation notice and in return were given a tag. We took a seat and waited for further directives. There were quite a number who were in for various appointments. After about 20mins we were called alongside other DV winners to a window for briefing. Once that was done we headed straight to make payment at the cashier.
We were thereafter called to another window and asked to present our documents for sorting out. It took about 5 – 10 mins. Once that as done, we were asked to sit down and wait for the interview itself.
After 15mins were called to a window and met male CO. We exchange pleasantries and this is what transpired.
CO: Raise your hands to take the oath after me ….
WE: followed through
CO: congratulations, you guys are really lucky people!
We: just smiling, not sure why he said that. Perhaps winning on our first Try or probably because we just received our 5 yrs. B1/B2 visas just a year ago. We don’t really know, honestly
CO: where in the US are you going?
We: Answered
CO: very cold this year round. You guys better get some warm clothing. He asked how long we have been married for and we did answer. He then started chit – chatting with our son whether he’d to go to the US and whether he’d love to do his job and started sharing experiences from his job. It was quite an interesting chat and we smiled along.
Finally he said congratulations I’m approving all three Visas right now, unfortunately I have to cancel your B1B2 visas to give you something which will enable you to live and work permanently in the US.
We: No problem sir!
CO takes a stamps and cancels our visas and scribbles a circle on a sheet of paper directing us how we can create an account on the ustraveldocs website and adds, “Do not make any travel plans before receiving your docs, Welcome to the USA and have a nice day!
We: Thank you sir and have a great day too.
Whole episode lasted 3 minutes! We stepped out to breathe a huge sigh of relief and to thank God for a great day.
Once again, our immense gratitude goes to Britsimons for selflessly devoting his time and resources to helping people all across the globe. Few people will do that. I hope to contribute a token in due time.
December 12, 2018 at 22:32
Well done!
December 20, 2018 at 19:57
Congratulations Boss @Cotteril . Could you please confirm if the 2 weeks given by the Co is “2 working weeks”.
December 21, 2018 at 07:07
Yes it is working. Mine was 9 working days in Ghana embassy. A family of 5. We attended the interview on 6 dec and the next day was holiday. We received it on 19th dec . I also counted weekend out.
December 21, 2018 at 08:02
Congratulations Ja, did you get notified before you went for your visa? I was also interviewed on 6th December this year but I am yet to get any feedback. Kindly let me know if you were notified please.
December 21, 2018 at 08:56
Thank u @ ny. Yes we received text message and email from DHL. Did u register for the dhl?
December 21, 2018 at 11:23
I believe I did. Well we hope for the best.
December 21, 2018 at 09:01
Please JA were u notified by text message or email
We are also waiting
December 21, 2018 at 09:19
Yes but that tracking system doesnt seem to work
Im happy for u.
We are hoping for the best and as Brit always preach “God teach as Patience”
December 21, 2018 at 11:57
@Akua yes they sent me both phone message n e mail. If u are family u hav to register for each member that is the dhl.
December 21, 2018 at 09:24
ja pls we need more guidance, can you kindly contact me thru email. [email protected]
January 6, 2019 at 15:05
Hi there am a winner too from Ghana and am taking my wife along can u pls get In Touch [email protected]
March 7, 2019 at 01:07
Hi Cotteril,
Thanks for the information.
Kindly confirm the below
1. Was the fee paid in dollars or in Ghana Cedis
2. Would it be an issue if i do not have my bank statement
December 21, 2018 at 08:24
Hi Mr Brit
I hope all is well with you and the family this morning.
I have a current issue which bothers my mind.
I am resident in south Africa with my Wife. My wife has been here for about 10 years and i have been here for about 7 years. We got married in September 2017 and we did receive a certificate of marriage from the church. We have all pictures and evidence to proof we are married.
We went to the department of home affairs in south Africa do apply for a marriage certificate since we will be having our interview in Ghana. The home affairs informed us that, the church or the pastor who blessed our marriage is not licensed with them so as a result the cannot issue a certificate for us from their office although we have all evidence of being married.
We contacted a lawyer and he advised that we would need to get someone who is certified with home affairs to re-marry us to enable us get the certificate from them.
Now here is the problem we are battling with since we already indicated in our form that we married in September 2017 to KCC.
1. Should we get a new certificate now, will the difference in dates not cause a problem for us at the interview
2. Do we have to carry the certificate that was issued by the church in 2017 and all pictures for both customary and white weddings to prove our case to the CO that we were actually married in 2017.
Please i need your advice
December 21, 2018 at 23:24
Yes you have some risk, because the rules were clarified this year to explain that people who claimed to be married when they actually were not could be disqualified. So here is my advice to minimize (but not remove) the risk.
1. Get legally married
2. Carry both marriage certs and photos to the interview.
December 22, 2018 at 04:49
Thank you Brit for the answers.
The Very honest Truth is that we are Married since 2017 for both customary and white marriages.
Please could you clarify this for me.
1. When they saw married according to KCC, it is legal marriage only?
If yes then I think we really at risk.
December 22, 2018 at 05:02
1. Yes, but it depends on the laws in the country whether the customary marriage is given the normal rights of a legal marriage.
December 22, 2018 at 05:11
Thank you again Brit
Please finally do you think of should we take both certificates and swear and affidavit comfirming the difference in gge dates and yhe reason and add this affidavit to the certificate ro the interview, it might also help to prove our case?
Thank you in advance
December 22, 2018 at 05:22
You can decide.
December 22, 2018 at 05:08
Ernest we went for interview we married traditionally in 2005 and legally in 2019 just don’t worry provided you can proof that way.
December 22, 2018 at 05:16
Thank you Phyllis
We do have the proof of being married in 2017.
Pictures from both customary and white weddings and the eradicate of marriage issued by the church.
But after we had filled the forms and submitted to the department of home affairs in south Africa only then did we find out that the church wasn’t registered with them meaning legally we aren’t married.
But we are still going ahead to do what is needed to get the legal one.
In your case did you get legally married after you had submitted your form?
December 21, 2018 at 11:38
@ny,waiting patiently to read your interview experience and the believe part you spoke about sometime back…I’m sure you’ll soon be notified by dhl. God dey
December 23, 2018 at 15:52
Hi Brit, How are you doing today?
Well, I have some questions to ask you as follows:
1. If we get the visa approval, our permanent residence card ( green card) will mail to the
US address that we provided in DS-260, is that right ?
2. How about Social Security number and a card ?
I replied “Yes” I want the Social Security Administation to issue a Social Security number and a card.
3.Will SSN be also sent to the US address that provided in DS-260 ?
4. Will both permanent residence card and ssn will be sent to the same US address ? and will be sent together or seperately ?
Looking forward to hearing from you and Thank you so much for your help.
Wish you have a great day !
December 23, 2018 at 16:05
Both go to that address, at different times.
December 23, 2018 at 16:57
thank you so much for your reply.
December 23, 2018 at 17:15
Hi Brit,
i have one more question about police certificate.
I am DV-2019 winner. Fyi, my case no. is 2019AS6xxx. I am 55 years old now.
But When i was 22 years old , i went to Japan for 2 years to study japanese language.
I was a foreign student at that time not a resident there. ( It was 33 years ago.)
I was wonderding , do i have to ask for Police certificate from Japan ?
Q: Do i have to ask for Police certificate from Japan ?
or only ask for Police certificate from my country ?
I need your advise and Thank you very much for your help !
December 26, 2018 at 18:22
Brit,,, pls my wife won a DV lottery, n we got the DV CASE NUMBER.
We first try filling the d260 .
later when we wanted to complete the online D260,, we got this massage “the case number is currently unavailable “.
For almost 3months now, we have not bnnn able to fill the form.
We contacted them, n they said ” the case number is not in their system,”.
Pls what might b the problem n how can we b helped?
December 26, 2018 at 20:42
You might be making a mistake with the number. If you want, email me the 1NL (you have been selected) letter to me at britsimon3 at gmail. I’ll take a look at it.
January 3, 2019 at 11:57
I did the same to open my ds260 but it says it’s currently unavailable and it’s been months I could not open my ds 260. I did the same as instructed by u in it blogs but could not open
January 3, 2019 at 15:48
So – what are you going to do?
January 4, 2019 at 21:42
Friends from Nepal currently in abroad …How do you guys get vaccine record because in nepal we dont have family doctor neither we have records of vaccines not any card. Any one in such situation please help what will be the next .
January 9, 2019 at 18:07
Embassy US consulate Guangzhou China
Case number 2019AF6**3
Nationality:Cameroonian
Interview date :03/12/2018
I will start by appreciating Britsimon for having the initiative to create a blog like this to provide people with the necessary information required to have a smooth process even though it’s not always as smooth as we want.
I was scheduled for interview at the consulate in Guangzhou because I currently work as an ESL teacher in a university here in China
I had my interview on December 3rd 2018
Sadly I was issued a 221g temporal refusal paper stated preliminary approval letter ticked (notarized police certificate) requiring me to bring a police notarized certificate.
But before I get jumped by Britsimon with statements like ,you should know already.
I have been working in a small city called Enshi for the past two years and I tried for almost a month to get a police certificate at the local police station immediately I got my interview schedule to no avail ,i was always told they’re no provisions for foreigners to get the police clearance .I had to contact the Dean of studies in my faculty in which he intervened then I got issued a police clearance.
Thereafter I was on the chase to get it notarized ,after bursting my ass for weeks i found a notary center in the city but was told the seal was broken and had to go to another city, l had no other choice than to go for the interview since it was basically just a day left.
At first it was a little complicated ,I was told they don’t get cases like this often since China mainland is not eligible for the program .
VO asked for my documents as usual interview went well but when we got to the police clearance I explained everything to him and he said he knows it can really be complicated for foreigners in China to get a notarized police report but, he issued a 221g form asking me to go try one more time and if I can’t get it,i should write a letter explaining everything I had done to get the police clearance notarized to no avail and then sign and send with my passport and 2 passport photographs through Dropbox.
I went back and inquired then I traveled to another city called wuhan on the 5th of December where I got the police clearance notarized and collected it on the 11th of December. Which I then mailed through dropbox to the embassy and it was received on the 17th of December but wasn’t attended to .
I sent an email to the embassy on the 27th requesting updates on my case since I was told it will take 5 working days ,they said they haven’t received the documents they requested from me which got me into panic mood
l had to send another email explaining to them that while tracking my passport via Ustraveldoc website on the 17th of December it was updated to ,your passport has been received by post .Next I got another email that my case is now under review and I’ll get an update through email when the officer is done with the review
NB; Please sometimes it’s not just about sitting down and waiting on the Embassy to get to you ,you have to be proactive.
Initially I was very happy with my interview date because I could get my visa before my contract expires but now my school was insisting I sign another contract since the last contract ends on the 31 of December,The contract has clauses stating that Incase there is a breach of contract I’ll pay a lot of money so I was worried ,didn’t know what to do.
But God being merciful on Monday 7th of January my status on ceac changed from Administrative processing to Ready ….. As Simon always says we shouldn’t bother about changes like that so I kept cool
The next day Tuesday 8th of January i checked my status at 12 noon guess what ? My status had changed to …… ISSUED …. I was so happy,then I got an email yesterday that my passport and visa package has been dispatched to be mailed at the address i provided with a tracking number and I’ll get it in 3 days time
I just hope this information can be helpful to someone out there…..
God bless you.
January 9, 2019 at 20:40
“But before I get jumped by Britsimon with statements like ,you should know already.”
LOLOLOL
Glad it worked out for you!
January 27, 2019 at 06:44
CONGRATULATION!
AF12***
Me and My wife have interview on Feb 13 at US Consulate Guangzhou. As you mentioned, it is complicated to get details information about DV processes in china. i would like to contact you for some procedural question. you can leave me your contact here or …add me on
Wechat ID: Mesay_kabew
Phone NO. +8618307719957
Email: [email protected]
Thanks
January 10, 2019 at 03:45
Congrats and thanks for sharing your experience
January 10, 2019 at 17:46
MY EXPERIENCE
1. Got info on 1NL around mid May 2018 from my wife as I was working out of Accra. I was selected! You have no idea what the feeling was, I just couldn’t it and i was yearning to just come back to the city to celebrate and start gathering my documents. I also had to cough up money for passports for all 4 of us as mine was the old non-biometric passport but none of my derivatives had ever held one. That was a hell of a ride as for some reason, passport books in Ghana were in short supply as I was told. I wanted and expedited service so I paid GHS 1,600 for all 4 of us(approx. $328)
For your information after submitting my DS-260 for all 4 of us, the CEAC website shutdown and after it was restored, I was unable to login again. I had some mistakes I needed to correct that freaked me the hell out, but @Frank Boakye saved the day with his information that I could make those changes at the consulate before the interview. I have still not been able to login to the CEAC site where the DS-260 was submitted up to date.
2. Received 2NL on 2nd November, 2018 and my interview date was 6th December 2018. Myself (Principal Applicant) and all 3 of my derivatives were listed on my 2NL. Our appointment was at 7:30a.m.
POLICE CLEARANCE CERTIFICATE
3. Went for our (Myself and Wife) clearance appointment on the 3rd week of November and we were given 3 days to come for it. However, it took me a week to get it as I later found out it was ready after 3 days but the officer who conducted the exercise had taken it and kept it for us.
MEDICAL APPOINTMENT
4. Went for our medical appointment at the Holy Trinity in the 3rd week of November, 2018. We paid almost GHS 7000 (approx. $1,434).
INTERVIEW DAY
Our inventory for the interview included the following:
All birth certificates and photocopies
All academic certificates and photocopies( I had SSCE certificate and it was laminated)
Sealed Medicals Envelopes for all 4 of us.
2 Police Clearance Certificates (Me and my wife only)
Marriage Certificate and 2 photocopies.
DS-260 Confirmation Pages for all 4 of us.
2NL
Passports
$1,300 for visa fees (I couldn’t get $20 change so I had GHS 100 on me, that caused some drama though as u will find out later)
2 Passport pictures each (American size)
4 Photo Albums (One for my first daughter, one for pictures before we married in 2012, one for wedding pictures, one for engagement pictures)
We also took along “prayer”
At about 7:45am, I moved towards the unofficial waiting place under the tree adjacent the consular section gate of the consulate. In 5 minutes we were all called in to follow a queue where our 2NL and passports were inspected by a young man who had some sort of an appointment list. Our appointment was confirmed and we moved a head to a security man who checked our 2NL and passports again. We were not allowed to send our bags and any electronic devices including cell phones, so we left that with the Police Officer’s post in front of the gate. We were further ushered in to a second area where we were checked for possession of any electronic device or any offensive item.
Within the consular section of the consulate, all immigrant visa applicants were asked to sit at one place, we were about 35 people. We were asked to go to a window for briefing after 10 minutes. At the window, a friendly looking ma of about 40 spoke to us about the DV applicants and the process and documents required prior to our interview. The first was to pay the visa fees, then go for inspection and collection of documents at one of the windows and then the final interview.
My attempt to pay our visa fees was met with a rejection by the Cashier as I was told the consulate does not accept cash payments in different currencies(Please refer to my cash at hand above). I was also told that once you enter the embassy you cannot go out. However, I remember at the first window for the briefing I was the only one that was bold enough to ask a couple of questions, that sort of made me the go to person when others wanted some clarity after the briefing. Leveraging on that, I decided to go back to the man who gave us the briefing to talk to him about my case and he obliged with a note for me to return by 9a.m., it was 825a.m. when I left the consulate in my quest to get a change for $20.
I dashed out with such speed and breath some of the security officers thought I was been chased out, lol. I asked a few people around and I was told I needed to go to Labone, about 10 minutes drive from the consulate. I chanced on a forex bureau after about 5 mins drive only to be told by the attendant that he could only get $50. I desperately looked around and found an ATM as I had my wallet and bank cards on me. I withdrew an additional GHS 150 to add to my GHS 100(exchange rate on the day was GHS 5 to $1). I now had a total of $1,350 dollars as opposed to the exact fee of $13,20. I quickly dashed back to the consulate, showed my note to them and they allowed me in. I was asked to join the queue again to make payment to the cashier, all this while my wife and kids were in the consulate. My kids were having play time with our passport pics and photo albums and making noise all over the place. I made payment and got $30 change.
In about 5 minutes, we were called to submit our documents at window 13. We got there and a very calm looking lady also Ghanaian I believe requested for my documents first in a particular order(Passport, Birth Cert, Educational Certs, Police report, DS-260 confirmation page, Marriage Cert, 2 Passports size pics), all documents were received as original and photocopy. It was at this point that I told the woman about the mistakes i had made on the DS-260 for my wife and younger daughter and she obliged to make the changes for me (Thanks @Frank Boakye ).
We submitted all documents in the format as described above except there was no marriage certs, educational certs and police reports for the kids. My wife’s educational certificates were not taken either. Our albums were huge so she asked us to open them up and slide them into the open space on the ledge on her window so we could get them in on the other side of the window to her. All set, we were asked to wait for our interview.
I moved into the washroom to kill a bit of the pressure and nerves, came back to sit and my wife followed with a visit to the washroom as well. Within 2 minutes we were called to window 3 for our interview and all of us went to the window.
THE INTERVIEW:
Me and wife: Good morning
CO: Good morning
Co: Adults, please raise up your hands and take your oaths.
Me and Wife: Raised our hands and took the oath.
CO: Where is your mother, asked my first daughter who was hanging on her moms shoulder.
Daughter: Pointed to her mom.
CO: Have you guys been married before?
Me and Wife: In unison, NO
CO: Have you guys been divorced before?
Me and Wife: In unison, NO
CO: Do you guys have any kids apart from these kids?
Me and Wife: In unison, NO
CO: What is your highest educational qualification? To Principal Applicant, ME.
Me: Blah blah blah… original certificate was right in front of him, he looked at it and looked back at me and our eyes crossed.
CO: Where do you wanna stay in the U.S.?
Me: Blah Blah Blah.
CO: Are you serious? You don’t mean it right?
Me: That’s is the address I would be staying.
CO: Wait a minute, CO whips up his phone from his desk, types something and shows me a road map? Do you see that?
Me: Stunned and confused at this stage, just looking and saying no.
CO: Oh you don’t get it right?
Me: Yes.
CO: Well that is a very populated city with lots of immigrants and its expensive too.
Me: Well, that is where I am going now because I have someone there whom I trust and can support me and the family hosting us for a few months before we integrate.
At this stage, another CO comes to our window to pull our CO away. CO politely excuses us. Comes back after a minute and a half.
CO: Starts giving us our original documents back and ask. How did you guys submit these albums in here?
Me: Told CO how we sent it via the open space by opening it first.
CO: Well, am not going to look at your albums so yu guys have it back. CO opens to push through the space, sees me and wife kissing in one of our pictures and exclaims…OOOOO.
Me and Wifey: LOL
CO: pushes all our albums to us and ask wheteher we have been married before, whether we had kids anywhere and whether we have been divorced before.
Me and Wife: In unison, NO.
CO: Do you want to go to America? Ask my first daughter again.
Daughter: Answer with a positive response with a head gesture, gets her chin hitting the ledge as she was standing now and could only manage a height up to the level of the ledge.
CO: Exclaims again….
CO: I believe you guys are truly married and these are your only kids… I am going to APPROVE your visa. You guys prepared very well for your interview. Welcome to America! You would have your visas within 2 weeks but please do not make any travelling plans or sell your property or quit your job until you have your visas and passports back. CO hands us a sheet with instructions on how to Collect your Visa.
CO kept photocopies of all our documents, Medicals, Police Certs and all our passports. You have no idea the kind of excitement that followed us all the way through. We are yet to hear from the Consulate after our interview on December 6, 2018. Our checks on CEAC after the data was uploaded shows READY, last date of update is December 14th, 2018 for all 4 of us.
Thank you.
January 10, 2019 at 18:52
In Accra many of the procedures and questions are geared toward detecting fraud, rather than purely about having met the requirements. So – experiences at other embassies won’t be the same, so it’s useful to see the detailed account for Accra. Thanks for that! Best of luck!
January 10, 2019 at 22:18
That sound true, thus the repeated question on the marriage. Does the long period on READY suggest they are not working on our case yet? Should we forget about getting the visa looking at the long absence?
January 11, 2019 at 00:53
No. Just be patient.
January 11, 2019 at 16:55
Thank you very much Brit. I will give it some time.
February 22, 2019 at 11:13
ny am also having the same problem, dont know why mine has also kept that long since 1st February.
As Brit said, I think all we have now is to be patient.
January 11, 2019 at 12:35
Mr Britt,is visa bulletin release for march 2019?
My case number closer AS9000 .before september 30 can we face to the interview?
January 11, 2019 at 15:18
No bulletin yet.
Wait and see.
January 11, 2019 at 17:36
FOR MARCH 2019 VISA BULLETIN
Region All DV Chargeability Areas Except
Those Listed Separately
AFRICA 15,300 Except: Egypt 12,600
ASIA 5,000 Except: Iran 4,600
Nepal 3,400
EUROPE 13,500
NORTH AMERICA (BAHAMAS) 12
OCEANIA 550
SOUTH AMERICA,
and the CARIBBEAN 750
January 12, 2019 at 16:14
Hi Brit,
can one attend the interview without the medical examination ?
January 12, 2019 at 21:23
Generally no. Varies by embassy.
January 13, 2019 at 18:11
PLEASE, Brit, can you align your page for ‘newer comments and interview experiences first’ , so that we can get our hands on the fresh experiences? Though THE OLD ROCKS! ): ………
January 13, 2019 at 18:16
It already has more recent experiences first, although comments follow in top to bottom order.
January 17, 2019 at 15:47
Hi Brit am single but my two kids surname is their father’s name my surname is my father nameCan therebe a problem if at all I win the dv 2020 lottery
January 17, 2019 at 17:02
Wait and see if you win.
January 18, 2019 at 00:52
Hi brit, thank you very much for the work that slaughtered to help each other, my question is the following as all tax incombs are blocked on American soil, what can we use for the year 2016-2017 for to go in interview in February? Since incomb tax level is not available, thank you to clarify
January 18, 2019 at 01:24
Last years tax forms, W2 for this year and recent payslips.
January 19, 2019 at 00:59
Embassy – Buenos Aires, Argentina
Timelines: eDv registration- 15th November 2017
1NL: checked on 15th May 2018
Further DV Documents Required: 5th Nov 2018
KCC DV Documents Received: 19th Nov 2018
2NL: 27th Nov 2018
Interview date: 3rd Jan 2019
Case number: 2019SA5XX
Appointment 10.30am
We arrived to de US embassy 9.45am and it was fine. We were the only immigrants that day, so everything moved very fast.
Steps:
1. Security check
2. Fingerprints
3. CO called us to a very small room and she asked for all the documents.
She ask us for the I-134 form or financial status. We’ve got both, the sponsor, US bank statements and also a letter of employment offering a position for my husband and talking about him and his skills.
There was a difficult time, because they told us that maybe they were going to ask us for the Police certificate from Germany, where my husband has citizenship but never lived there. We get scared.
4. We waited 2 long hours in the waiting room, together with our baby, until finally they called us.
5. CO call us to another room.
They again took our fingerprints and made us swear that everything we said would be true.
Questions asked:
– What was your highest level of education?
– We know you were in the United States 1 month the xxxx. Was it an internship or were you an observer?
– When did they get married?
– You’ve traveled together to the USA? What was the longest trip duration?
– What is your relationship with the sponsor? What’s his occupation?
– We saw the letter of intention of employment. Please tell us more about that. There we name the place, the position, and that’s it.
“You’re visa is approved, buuuut we have a little problem, because the physician forgot to check some place in the medical exam, and now she is on vacations. So, maybe your papers will got a delay of 2 or 3 weeks”
A bitter celebration, and we left the embassy.
Finished at 12:00
3rd Jan – Administrative Process
4th Jan – Ceac turned ISSUED
15th Jan – Passports and envelopes with us
USA here we go!
Thanks for everything Simon. You are the best!
January 19, 2019 at 01:11
Congratulations!
January 19, 2019 at 10:18
Congratulations Flor and family! Perfectly explained !
Thanks for sharing and remember the best is yet to come !
January 19, 2019 at 12:32
Congratulations Flor! My wife and I are about to be interviewed in Buenos Aires in March, we hope to have an interview process as smooth as yours! Good look in the USA! 🙂
January 19, 2019 at 15:50
Hi man! Thanks for your reply! We’ve a WhatsApp group from BA. Do you want to join us?
January 20, 2019 at 18:32
Hi Flor! Sure, that would be really helpful, would you like to share a email address with me? That way I can send you my phone number so you can add me to the group.
Best regards!
January 20, 2019 at 22:39
Can you send me a message to this cellphone? 1158814027.
Regards!
January 21, 2019 at 11:04
hi brother I would like to integrate your WhatsApp group Thank you good M Add I am at +22509256174
January 21, 2019 at 11:05
hi brother I would like to integrate your WhatsApp group Thank you good M Add I am at +22509256174
January 21, 2019 at 11:35
Yes, sure. Where’re you from?
January 19, 2019 at 15:58
Thanks for your información. It will be usefull for those who still are in the Sweet wait. The best part of your post is “USA here we go” thats why we are doing this effort!! Congrats for your VIsa Issue and the best is coming
January 24, 2019 at 03:43
NDRE
TECTO wrote:
I thank the Lord for his grace, for the goods they gave me and the founder of this forum because this site my help a lot after I was selected in the dv 2019. here is my interview which is the the fastest way myself I was very surprised after my passage.I will not go into too much detail I just present my passage the day of the interview.
CN 6XXX
selected on 15May2018.
2nd letters 25th oct 2018
Interview 11dec 2018
visa withdrawn 13 dec 2018
I woke up around 4am because the sleep was complicated with all the stress and the lolll pressure. Then prayer and others. I leave the house at 6 am because it is necessary to arrive very early at the embassy it is important. made a rank to enter the embassy. control as usual around 8 am nothing special then we enter. there is a security guard who classifies us dv lottery on one side and groupings on the other to enter the room d interview.it first entered those of the groupement.vers 8h30 we enter I was the 2nd on the rank of the DV.je presents my passport to a security man he checks then he sends me to the caisse1 where I give all my documents with the sum of 195000.
documents submitted:
passport + 2 photocopy of the page with photo
criminal record + 2photocopy
2nd letter
Bachelor’s degree with transcript + 2photocopie
degree bts + 2 photocopy
4 pictures 5 × 5cm
medical aims in the sealed envelope
that day we got the chance they sorted all our documents. Then I went to sit down. As of Abitude it starts with the grouping so normally I had to finish with the grouping before starting with us. included my file with those of the grouping which makes that 20 minutes of waiting I am called for imprints at the checkout2 where he asks me if I am married, if I have children and ask me to sit down for the interview. barely 15 minutes waited now that they call me for the interview.
ac: bjr
me: bjr mr
ac: raise your right hand and swear that blah blah
me: I swear
ac: you are married
me no
ac: ta children
me no
ac: what do you do in the usa
me: study and work
then he takes the yellow sauce and write on the day of the withdrawal of the visa. Surprisingly the withdrawal was just in 2 days. The interview did not even make 2min I was stressed for nothing.
around 10am I already had my yellow sauce off the groupings was not finished yet and have not even yet start with the DV I assure you.the Lord our God filled with his grace he does wonders in my life .
NB: come early to the interview to be among the first at the entrance to the embassy.if possible to classify your documents it facilitates the passage in the embassy and a lot of prayer.
January 24, 2019 at 09:40
Hi BIT I have a small problem I am a fuecial record 199 with a CN 17 *** and until then I have not yet received the KCC email asking me to send my documents, I’m worried that what I have to do
January 24, 2019 at 09:50
Hi tecto
in which country did you do your interview
January 25, 2019 at 13:50
sorry i’m forgotten the ambassade.it is ambassade of yaounde in Cameroon
January 24, 2019 at 10:41
Any whatsapp group for kenyan winners
January 24, 2019 at 15:55
Hi Aj,
Am from Kenya
Kindly contact me through this number
0725838678
We can gain one or two things.
February 7, 2019 at 17:35
Hello sir,
I went for an interview on 4th Feb 2019. I was asked to show the affidavit of support but unfortunately I was told to find another joint sponsor since the one I provided was too low.
So I was told to submit the documents via DHL.
Now my question is, how much money do my sponsor have to show if he is single and what will be the total money required for the two of us.
And also is only last year’s tax return required or it can be 2 to 3 years.
Thank you
February 7, 2019 at 20:08
FAQ. Really.
https://britsimonsays.com/all-about-public-charge-affidavit-of-support-i-134/
February 12, 2019 at 01:26
hallo brit what can you predict on th future of the dv lottery 2020+more to come and what do you think trump is planning for dreamers
cold there be an end to the lottery as reported by tv,s
thanks alot man.
February 12, 2019 at 03:07
I can’t predict that.
March 7, 2019 at 09:30
Hi Brit,
a month ago(29january) KCC emailed me requesting i send additional documents which i did, few days back i received another mail saying some documents are missing or ineligible the mail also talked about the size of my email i must send to them, i sent mutiple emails with same documents while naming the documents but yesterday evening i still received the same email. … am confused i don’t know what am missing or what i should do… please help me Brit
March 7, 2019 at 09:58
Hi
srry to intervene bt I think u should call and check with them…nd them clear all ur doubts…
March 7, 2019 at 17:41
They need ONE email with all the documents. Follow the instructions.
March 8, 2019 at 06:40
Ok! Thanks Brit
February 13, 2019 at 05:20
Hi Brit,
First off I would like to say a huge thank you for all the time & effort you put into helping out. The amount of useful information that you post on the page is amazing! My Wife & I were on the page nearly everyday during the process.
Case number: 2019OC000001XX
Embassy: Montreal, Canada
Country of Chargeability: Australia
2NL: 28th Sept, 2018
Interview date: 1st Nov, 2018
A bit of background information about our situation:
My Wife was the primary applicant and we are both Australian Citizens and had been living in Vancouver, Canada since 2015. We got married after the results were announced but have been together for 10+ years.
During our process everything was reasonably straightforward as neither of us have any criminal history, no medical issues, had completed high school & have friends in the USA to complete the Affidavit of Support along with the supporting documents.
The only hiccups we encountered were the change in which type of police check was required from the Canadian Police Force but we applied for the new check & took both to our interview. Also there were alternating postal strikes happening in Canada when we went for our interview so the Consulate wouldn’t post our passports back so I decided just to fly back to Montreal to collect our passports to avoid any hassle.
Interview:
Our interview time was scheduled for 7:30am on November 1st in Montreal, Canada. We arrived at the consulate at 7:00am but the sign outside said that the consulate doesn’t open until 8am so we went and got a coffee & returned at 7:30 to be safe.
The security guard asked to see our interview confirmation letter before taking us in to the foyer where we handed our interview letter & passports to a CO to check our appointment details. Once that was all good we went through security & they gave us a laminated sheet that had all the required documents with which order to have them in. We were instructed to head downstairs and wait for a security officer to come down and take use up to the interview area.
Once up in the interview area we were only seated for about 5-10 minutes before we were called to the first window to submit our documents to the first CO. She went through the process of asking for all our documents & copies of each document which we had prepared in separate plastic sleeves. If you are in Canada on a working visa make sure you take your visa with you as the CO asked for ours to prove our status in Canada. Once everything was good with both our documents she instructed us to go pay the fee’s at a cashier window & bring the receipt back to her.
We were seated for about 30mins after that before we were called for our interview. The CO instructed us to take oath & then proceeded with the interview. She only really spoke to my Wife as she was the primary applicant & the questions she asked were roughly as follows:
1. Asked for some clarification on her study & how long she studied for.
2. Asked us about when & where we got married.
3. Asked us what our longest stay in the USA had been.
They were basically the only 3 questions she asked before saying “We are ready to approve your visas”. We were given the Welcome Letter instructed that our passports would be posted back to us. Everyone we dealt with at the Consulate was very pleasant & helpful. We were expecting to get more questions in regards to our marriage so we had a folder that had a lot of documents that show how long we have been together (leases, bank statements, travel itineraries, insurance forms, photos etc.).
Getting Passports Back:
In hindsight we wish we had of asked to CO if we were able to pickup our passports before we went back to Vancouver a few days later as we knew the postal strike was still happening but thought they may post the passports with a different postal company. About a week after our interview my Wife & I post emailed to consulate to see if they were going to post our passports but they replied saying they won’t be posted until the strike is over but we could go pick them up or have someone else pick them up for us. I decided to fly back to pick them up as our Canadian visas were due to expire in January so wanted to get them back to be safe.
First Entry:
We entered the US to activate our Green Cards during the 2nd week of January & the process was relatively smooth. The Border Officer asked us about how we got our Green Cards & asked about the timeline of the process. After that we went to the secondary inspection room which only took about 20 minutes to complete everything & get the stamp in our passports. We stayed for 2 days after our first entry then headed back to Vancouver for a couple of weeks before moving permanently.
Receiving Green Card & SSN:
Our SSN’s were posted to our US address about a week after we first entered & we received our Green Cards about 2-3 weeks after our first entry.
That is basically all the main info in regards to our case & I hope that some of this info might be able to help out someone else who may be in a similar scenario.
We found A LOT of helpful information on this page & I would constantly go through the comments to find information that was relevant to our situation.
Thanks again for all the effort you put into this page Brit, it’s amazing!
Dyllan.
February 13, 2019 at 05:32
Thanks for all the detail on the interview and the activation trip!
February 14, 2019 at 22:25
Brilly
Hi Brit… i won the dv lottery 2019 i submitted my DS260 form may 23 and on january 29 2019 i received an email fro KCC asking me to email them my birth certificate, police certificate and passport. I was wondering around when could i be going for my interview and also if i will need a bank statement to take with ne for my interview. Thanks….anxiously waiting to hear from you
February 14, 2019 at 22:34
Read these articles (and the FAQ!)
https://britsimonsays.com/dv2019-basic-questions/
https://britsimonsays.com/all-about-public-charge-affidavit-of-support-i-134/
February 15, 2019 at 11:14
Dear Britsimon:
You might remember Joan.
On the interview date, she arrived on time. She carried her original documents, their copies, and the money required in cash.
The gatekeepers allowed her in. She was searched for contraband. They refused to allow her carry her phones into the consular area.
At the first section, her appointment was confirmed.
In the next section, her documents were taken, original and copies. The person in that section gave her an invoice to pay for the interview.
At the cashier, she paid the money required.
The consular office conducting the interview was warm. She even smiled, Joan says.
“I see here that you have demonstrated your need to come to America,” the consular officer said.
“It is the world cultural leader,” Joan said.
“Is that what you really think?” the consular officer asked.
“Yes,” Joan said. “I know so.”
“Well, welcome to the United States of America,” the consular officer said. “You will collect your documents from DHL in five working days. Ensure you pay the emigrating fee to prepare your paperwork as shown in this paper I am giving you.”
“Thank you,” Joan said.
“Have a good day,” the consular officer said.
The whole exercise, Joan tells me, took less than twenty minutes from the time she entered the consular section up to the time she left.
February 19, 2019 at 11:06
Interview location :Nairobi Kenya
interview date Feb 13 2019
Arrived at the consulate 6.30 am had to go through some security checks before entering the main building where you give out your appointment letter and passport then given a number ,wait outside then the number is called then you give out your passport,2 photos,police clearance certificate,birth certificate and copy and original high school and copy.
Some questions are then asked
Are you married ,do you have children ,Have you lived outside the country have you applied for an immigrant visa before
Fingerprints are then taken and an invoice issued .Once you pay you have to wait outside for an hour plus before your number is called out again this time to face the CO
Co: Good morning
Me:Morning to you
Co:Raise your right hand and swear xxx
me: xxx
Co:When did you finish high school
Me:xxxx
Co :Did you go to university:
Me :xxxx
Co:Are you in the same field now
Me:xxxxx
Co:are you married
me: xxxx
Co:do you have children
Me:xxxxx
Co :Who is your sponsor
Me :xxxxxx
Co: do you have documentation
Me :Yes
Co:Can i see
Me :Slides the AOS over to her
Co:Recent taxes
Me :slides over them to her
CO: do you have photo ID
Me:slides it to her
Co: peruses the docs then asks what does he do
Me:xxxx
Co :seems everything is in order i hereby approve your visa will remain with your passport xxx
Me :thank you
Co:Have you registered for dhl then she hands me a document on how to pay for the green card
She hands back my birth certificate and high school certificate
The interview lasted less than 5 minutes
Ceac update indicated ready on the day of the interview then issued the following morning ,next day i received an email indicated documents had been dispatched which i picked up yesterday
More here https://forums.immigration.com/threads/dv-2019-kenyan-selectees.337700/
February 19, 2019 at 14:29
Great!
February 19, 2019 at 20:14
Hi,
This is my interview experience
Case no: 2019as37xx
Interview location: Cairo
I am the principles and we are family from 4 members
We have received an email asking to submit our documents on 18/11
I did in first week in December , ten days later we got a confirmation all documents submitted correctly
2nl later received on 28/12
Interview 13/2
I have prepared everything very well
At 6:30 i was outside of the front door
at 7 am a security asked us to follow the instructions and i think all you know them
At 7: 30 we was inside and took our number 604
First call on window 13 to submit our documents
After that we paid the fees and we have stayed in the waiting area for interview
8:40 am our number called
ME: Good morning
CO: GOOD MORNING , H R U today
I am great what about you
CO: I AM GOOD
CO: All you can speak English ?
ME and My wife : yes
CO: that’s good
Co: do you swear all documents are authentic and to say the truth
Yes we do
CO: What are you doing for living?
I am a technical support manager in a company ……
Co: is this job related to…. or to…..
Answered
CO: Good I have a good idea on your field with smiling
Me: yes I see with smiling
CO to my wife: Do you have a Job?
My wife: yes I am a lecturer on….
CO: ooh that’s good
CO: which field ?
My wife : …….
CO: nice , you have a master degree or Phd?
My wife PhD
Co: it wasn’t easy for sure to get it with smiling
My wife : yes I have spent a lot of time
**He didn’t ask her for any certificates
Back to me
CO : Do you know anyone in US?
Yes in Ma ( Massa..masaato..Massachusetts ) sorry I can’t spell it easy
CO : Laughing . YES it’s a hard word
CO: Do you know any body else
Yes I have some friends but in different States
CO: ok that’s good
Co: what are you work in US?
Me: any legal work until I find something in my field
Co: illegal work!
Me: no sir , any legal work not illegal
CO: it’s a joke with laughing
Congratulations I approved your visa please wait a call from aramex within two weeks
He was really nice and gentlemen
after two working days we got pur passports
Thanks Mr.brit for all your support !
February 19, 2019 at 21:13
Awesome!
February 20, 2019 at 12:24
Hello Simon, i would like to say Thank you for setting up this blog. After a successful interview my visa status turned to issued today. Your blog has been a great source of information and help and saved my money from local informants that charge you more than what they’re willing to share. As an IT graduate your blog has also been an inspiration for me to set up my own blog and help winners from my country especially those who do not speak English and would very much appreciate the free support in their own local language, with the basics of course since i do not have enough dv knowledge to do what you do here.
i also would like to thank the Ethiopian American embassy employees, with the number of applicants they work with everyday they were surprisingly kind, compassionate and very helpful. i was not expecting that. during my interview day they didn’t even take a break for lunch until the last applicant left the building.
i promise i will comeback with my interview experience and a donation as soon as i get to america.
February 20, 2019 at 14:18
Thank you for letting me know the success! Best of luck!
February 20, 2019 at 19:16
Hi,
This is my interview experience
Case no: 2019as37xx
Interview location: Cairo
I am the principles and we are family from 4 members
We have received an email asking to submit our documents on 18/11
I did in first week in December , ten days later we got a confirmation all documents submitted correctly
2nl later received on 28/12
Interview 13/2
I have prepared everything very well
At 6:30 i was outside of the front door
at 7 am a security asked us to follow the instructions and i think all you know them
At 7: 30 we was inside and took our number 604
First call on window 13 to submit our documents
After that we paid the fees and we have stayed in the waiting area for interview
8:40 am our number called
ME: Good morning
CO: GOOD MORNING , H R U today
I am great what about you
CO: I AM GOOD
CO: All you can speak English ?
ME and My wife : yes
CO: that’s good
Co: do you swear all documents are authentic and to say the truth
Yes we do
CO: What are you doing for living?
I am a technical support manager in a company ……
Co: is this job related to…. or to…..
Answered
CO: Good I have a good idea on your field with smiling
Me: yes I see with smiling
CO to my wife: Do you have a Job?
My wife: yes I am a lecturer at….
CO: ooh that’s good
CO: which field ?
My wife : …….
CO: nice , you have a master degree or Phd?
My wife PhD
Co: it wasn’t easy for sure to get it with smiling
My wife : yes I have spent a lot of time
**He didn’t ask her for any certificates
Back to me
CO : Do you know anyone in US?
Yes in Ma ( Massa..masaato..Massachusetts ) sorry I can’t spell it easy
CO : Laughing . YES it’s a hard word
CO: Do you know any body else
Yes I have some friends but in different States
CO: ok that’s good
Co: what are you work in US?
Me: any legal work until I find something in my field
Co: illegal work!
Me: no sir , any legal work not illegal
CO: it’s a joke with laughing
Congratulations I approved your visa please wait a call from aramex within two weeks
He was really nice and gentlemen
after two working days we got pur passports
Thanks Mr.brit for all your support !
February 20, 2019 at 21:25
Nicely done!
February 22, 2019 at 07:23
Any stories from Sri Lanka? Kindly share
February 22, 2019 at 07:39
Interview Experience
Place: US Consulate General Guangzhou
CN: 12***
Interview Date: 13 Feb 2019
Married couple after result.
We were over prepared and took all documents that we believed important for interview but they received only few documents.
1. Marriage Certificate
2. Birth Certificate
3. Non Criminal Record from Ethiopia and China
4. Bank Statement (20000$) and i-134 form
5. Medical Result
6. Photos and
7. Passport
We really surprised that they didn’t ask educational qualification or work experience. There were more than 200 immigration case all Chinese applicant we were the only foreign IV applicants. They don’t know DV case it tooks 10 minutes to let us to pass through security check even if we showed them appointment letter. After we finished security check we entered big building third floor. Inside the building we passed through three different windows first window Chinese women gave us two similar numbers after we showed her appointment letter. When our number called we requested to submit all the above documents on windows number 3 then we had asked to pay application fees second floor. After 30 minutes we called at Windows number 15 for interview which was like discussion. It was so simple and far below our expectation. Interview questions are similar with other interview experiences.
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
CO was a pregnant women said it not common here interviewing DV case for procedure I will ask you some questions first you swear to tell the truth
We do
Then we asked to give our fingers print
We did
1. After long silent she said
you are married recently,
right?
Yes
2. How long you know each other
*
3. When and where we had married
**
4. What are you doing here in China?
*
5. Both of you are studying engineering
****
7. Who is your sponsor and how do you know him
****
8. Do you have resume
****
Everything is okay your visa have approved. She returned our original documents. We asked her how long it takes to get our Visa because we are coming form other city couldn’t travel without passport…She asked Chinese assistant told us from one to two weeks. We could wait here.. Today, after 10 days we received email to take the Visa packages from Citic Bank. Now we got our visa.
Thanks Brit for your endless support for many of us it would be difficult to use this opportunity without your blog. Thanks a lot!!!
February 22, 2019 at 14:50
Haha – love that. THat the embassy wouldn’t know the DV process was somewhat predictable, but that can often make the process harder. I’m glad it didn’t in your case!
February 23, 2019 at 09:31
I am a silent reader of Brit Page for the past 9 months. I read many interview experiences from interview experience stories from Ethiopia especially surprised with experience story from a guy called GAT on March 13, 2018 at 9:15 am (https://britsimonsays.com/interview-experience-stories/comment-page-9/#comments) and one of the longest interview experiences ever, as Brit confirmed. I hope this will be useful to others who have not yet had their interviews in Ethiopia.
Interview Place: US Embassy Addis Ababa
Case No: 2019AF12***
DV entry: November 11, 2017
1st NL: May 15, 2018
Further Document Requirement: November 05, 2018
2nd NL: December 18, 2018
Interview Date: Valentine Day (Hamuse ye Kene Keduse)
Documents Requested:
• Passport and a copy of the passport bio¬page
• Two Visa Photographs (Please write your full name on the back of each photograph with Amharic and English)
• 1st NL
• DS-260 Confirmation Page
• 2nd NL
• Appointment Visa Registration
• Birth Certificate and a copy
• Police Certificate
• Educational Documents and a copy
• Work Experience (If any) and a copy
• 330$ (9400 at that time)
• Don’t Forget Authentication @ Yewche Guday Zemen Bank Akababi
One Beautiful Ethiopian lady and one tall, handsome CO
Questions:-
CO: Raise your Right Hand
Me:
CO: Do you swear that all the information given are true
Me:
CO: Please Finger Prints
Me:
CO: Your Highest Educational level, where and in What
Me:
CO: Your Bachelor, where and in What
Me:
CO: Who is your sponsor and in which state
Me:
CO: Will you stay there
Me:
CO: Married Before, Any Child, Any Plan
Me:
CO: Where do you currently Work
Me:
CO: Congratulations! Your U.S. Visa has been approved
Me: Thank You’ve very Much. Amesegenalehu!!!
Keza behuala Kitene Bekalcho eymetahu eske stadium be egere……..
General Tips:
• The Interview is just a formality if the documents and information are accurate and fulfilled
• Have confidence, No stress, Answer correctly
• Have an Amharic interpreter if you want ( Mene achenankachu be engliznga)
• Read Britsimonsays.com
February 23, 2019 at 14:35
Congratulations!
February 24, 2019 at 09:49
Congrats sis, can’t believe you walked that far on foot. lol
when are you planning to go? me and a couple of friends are planning to go together if you are interested let me know.
February 25, 2019 at 13:45
Hi brit
I went to interview on the 5th of February in Accra Ghana and l was approved by the CO and my status have change to issued but still have not received any message for pic up of my passport please can u help me out on my way forward thanks
February 25, 2019 at 14:56
Be patient or contact the embassy.
February 25, 2019 at 18:21
Fred… you pass through the DHL office to check…
February 26, 2019 at 07:37
Please in Accra or where
February 26, 2019 at 15:32
Check on the white paper they gave after the interview
Let me ask if u ve registered online
February 26, 2019 at 19:43
Yeah l have register
February 27, 2019 at 08:57
Yes-Accra
February 27, 2019 at 12:07
Yes… DHL office in Accra Rigde, Near Alisa Hotel
February 25, 2019 at 19:55
hello I want to share my story in regards to the DV .2019AF1xxx
I noticed that I was selected on the 20th of may 2018 at 1: am after playing several times, I think tree times before this last one .I couldn t believe that it was true .the next day I started filling the form 260 and I finally submitted it on the 25th of May 2018,in November I received the unexpected mail asking to submit the electronic copies of the documents and then I realised that the cut off was showing that I was supposed to have my interview in January and instead of receiving the email for the interview I was asked to sent electronic copies of the documents, you can imagine the number of questions going through my mind at that moment but thanks God that this website was there to guide us and help us to understand what was going on .
The day of the interview everything went so fast as usual .I will not go into the details because it is the same process as the testimony above .I came back two days later to collect the passport.
Thank you to all for you being committed to this website .
March 2, 2019 at 12:06
Submitted DS 260 in September
Received Email from KCC in November
Submitted Documents After a Weeks Time
Received 2nd NL in December
Interview in February
INTERVIEW
Arrived in At USA EMBASSY at 7:30 Am
Entered at 8:00
Received Token
Submit Original documents Photocopies and Translations
Paid Fees
Finger Prints
After an Hours time , CO asked our token no
Finger Prints
SWEAR that all the thing and information is correct, we did
Married
Children
What is you highest Education
Where you are going in America
what will you do in USA
What spouse is doing
Spouse Education
After all the basics questions the CO asked that
Well Everything seems in order and there is not any thing wrong
Well I am approving your visas, you will get the passports after a weeks time
after further processing
OUR visas are issued,Passports have arrived we are going to USA
Thanks to ALMIGHTY
In the End, Brit I want to thank You, This blog help us a lot in achieving this. GOD BLESS U
March 2, 2019 at 16:50
Congratulations!
March 4, 2019 at 05:23
My personal interview experience @Tokyo Embassy.
Please take note that all processes and interviews are unique; yours may be different. Result: Success!!! (family of 4). Case# 2019AS42xx (went current in February; documents submitted in November; not sure but may be the new document requirement had an effect for the one month delay).
1) Inside embassy at 8:45 am on March 4, 2019.
2) Initial check of documents by CO 1.
3) Paid DV fees.
3) Adults’ fingers scanned by CO 2.
4) Interview by CO 3. Not too friendly, not too stern. Questions asked:
i) Why do you want to come to the US? I thought, “duh?” and I gave him a neutral answer to stay on good terms.
ii) What is your job now and do you have a job lined up in the US? Kept the answer concise and gave the truthful answer.
iii) Where do you intend to live in the US? Again, concise answer. The CO 3 gave his/her personal opinion on the location, but I just smiled.
iv) CO 3 said to the effect “your documents are in good order and you will receive your passport, etc. by registered mail in a week.”
v) I clarified to CO 3 by asking “so, did we receive the DV visa?” CO 3 said “Yes.”
5) Left embassy at 10:30 am.
6) CO 1 wanted a high school transcript. I graduated many years ago and it does not exist. So I got a certificate of graduation from the high school. CO 1 wanted to ensure minimal hiccup so he/she asked for my US graduate school transcript.
7) Our children are dual citizens, passports without middle name and the other with middle name. CO 1 asked for the passports with middle name.
My moral of the day. Dot all the i’s and cross the t’s for the required documents. If possible, bring all documents that are relevant to your application. You cannot predict what documents the CO may want to confirm.
Not many DV selectees choose Tokyo, Japan as their interview location so we were the only DV visitors today. Also, the embassy is very efficient and flexible to a certain point.
Lastly, my sincere gratitude to Simon for his fantastic facilitation and the countless DV selectees for sharing their questions and experiences.
A big thank you to Simon and godspeed to the DV2019ers!
March 4, 2019 at 05:33
Congratulations!
March 4, 2019 at 12:23
Please who have gone to interview in February from Ghana and has received his documents
March 4, 2019 at 13:39
Hello Baffoe,
I had my interview in February but still havnt got my documents.
I guess you are also in the same situation.
March 5, 2019 at 08:09
Guys ( Mardok & Baffoe , you will definitely get ur documents very soon . I’m have ma interview coming up soon . Kindly share your experience . I’m also from Ghana .
Tanks
March 5, 2019 at 10:24
Oh bro is not any big deal once’s all ur documents a good is not difficult.
I was interviewed on the 5th of February 2019 my time was 8:30 so l went to the embassy around 7: 30 to relax small so around 8:00 we call to come in we pass through all the security then we all went to the interview room.
There we pay the interview fee 330 usd then u will be ask to wait.
Then later l was call to submit some documents my passport, police report, medicals report educational cert both SHS and degree cert.
So l waited for a while then l was call for the actual interview
The CO ask me to take and Oath then after this were the questions l was ask.
Are u married l answered No
Do u have Children then l answered
Where are u going to stay in the US
Why am l going to that Place
What work l will like to do in the US
After all he said congrats l will approve your visa welcome to the USA
March 5, 2019 at 10:28
And don’t forget to pray God will see u through
March 5, 2019 at 10:11
Yes mardok my number is 0243108262 u can hala for us to talk
March 5, 2019 at 11:11
Thank you guys . Appreciate. It’s well ?
March 14, 2019 at 14:10
Hi Brit!
Thank you for sharing your website and I really do appreciate it as it helped me a lot throughout this process. Hence, I would like to share a summary of my interview experience in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Case Number: 2019AS4xxx
June 2018 – Submitted DS260
Early November 2018 – Reopened DS260 and submitted again
Mid November 2018 – Email from KCC that further DV documents required
Mid December 2018 – Email from KCC stating documents complete and valid
January 2018 – Case number current
End January 2018 – 2NL received
Mid February – Medical Check Up
Mid March – Interview
Was scheduled for an interview at 9a.m.
Reached there around 8a.m and am allowed to enter and register. Showed my appointment letter and gave them my I.C (driving license is also allowed) to get a visitor tag. They scanned my bag and I had to gave them my phone in exchange with a locker tag. I kept it simple by bringing a bag with my purse and all my documents as they would take all your electronic devices.
Went in the US embassy and had another round of checking. I was then given a form with a list of documents needed. The list that I provided to them were as below
– Appointment letter
– DS260 confirmation page
– Medical Report (Sealed)
– Police Certificate (original + photocopy)
– Passport (original + photocopy)
– 5 x 5 passport size picture (one) (but bring more in case)
– Education certificates
SPM (original + translated + photocopy)
A levels (original + photocopy)
Degree (original + photocopy)
– Birth Certificate (original + translated + photocopy)
– Delivery confirmation (Aramex)
After compiling all the documents, I had to take a queue number to submit the documents at the counter. I was then called to the counter. The lady was really nice. She would patiently ask for each documents and I had to submit accordingly. After sorting and clarifying all the documents, I was then asked to pay $330 at another counter. I had to then get back to my seat and wait for my interview. There was only one counter for interview at that time and I was the fourth person, hence, although it was past 9a.m I still had to wait for my turn. The first family took almost 20 minutes and I overheard that the first family that went to the counter was in administrative processing where they are asked to send further documents. The second family had to register for their passport delivery as they did not register beforehand. There was this one family where they did not bring certain documents and they panicked, however, the person in charge was really nice and stated that it was alright and asked them to proceed with the interview as they can send their documents later on if needed. However, the family did not listen and tried to leave the embassy to get their documents but was shouted by the same officer. He stated ‘ I told you all that it is alright to proceed and if you guys step out of the embassy, do not think that all of you can enter again’. He was furious. I was in fear when I saw the situation.
Trying to calm down, I was called to the counter unexpectedly as I had the fourth queue number but I was called third.
The officer was really friendly. He started with a good morning and asked me to put my right hand up and swear. He then took my fingerprints and scanned. He returned all my original certificates that I submitted earlier.
Officer: Are you working right now? (Note that I put student in my DS260 as I just graduated at the time I submitted my DS260 and I only started working in January 2019 and I did not reopen my DS260 to make changes)
Me: Yes, in an audit firm (showed my employee ID as evidence)
Officer: Until which level you have graduated?
Me: Not understanding what type of level he was asking so I asked him to repeat politely.
Officer: You graduated with Bachelors? Masters?
Me: Oh, Bachelors Degree in Accounting.
Officer: Do you have family in the US?
Me: Yes, my cousin is there.
Officer: Are you going to stay in the same town as your cousin?
Me: Yes, I am.
Officer: Everything looks good. All your documents are complete and I will issue you the visa and your passport will be delivered to you within two weeks.
I was shocked thinking That’s it? It was less than 2 minutes. I thanked the officer and walked out of the embassy still unable to process what happened. I returned the visitor tag and the locker tag to collect my phone. I was over prepared and I expected them to ask more questions and get more documents from me but they did not.
The next day, I received an email stating that my passport have been collected from the US Embassy and will be delivering to my house. I received the visa 2 days after the interview.
From my experience, I think that as long as you are honest and have all your documents ready, it would be easy and fast.
That’s all for my experience and I hope it would help someone just like how reading previous experiences helped me. Thank you Britsimon for sharing this website to guide me as this was my first time entering the lottery and won it. All the best to everyone and I would suggest you to relax and just tell the truth.
March 14, 2019 at 19:42
Congratulations!
November 6, 2019 at 10:08
Hi Jus, for financial wise, how much money do you prepare and do you use Affidavit of Support? Thank you!
March 16, 2019 at 11:01
2019EU10***
March 2019 Moscow Russia.
All went well, visas approved, passports came back in 6 days (including 3 days of public holidays).
2nd chance after my DV2018 high case number failure.
Main applicant – wife.
Everything took 2 hrs, conversation with council was very friendly.
Papers submitted as per required list.
Assets support documents were submitted, but i don’t think they looked at them, just put into the folder.
Interview itself took less then 5 minutes.
Only 3 questions were asked.
You visas approved.
March 16, 2019 at 13:52
Great!
March 16, 2019 at 11:02
Embassy – Buenos Aires, Argentina
Timelines: eDv registration- 6th November 2017
1NL: checked on 15th May 2018
Further DV Documents Required: 5th Nov 2018
KCC DV Documents Received: 19th Nov 2018
2NL: 17th Jan 2019
Interview date: 14th Mar 2019
Case number: 2019SA6XX
My wife was the principal applicant (we got married after the results were announced but had a 3 years relationship)
We arrived at the embassy at 10:00 am (30 minutes before the appointment) and approached the guard outside the embassy to inform we had a scheduled immigrant visa interview.
They checked our appointment was scheduled accordingly, gave us a green folder and ask us to organice the documents in order as listed there; then we went through security and had our fingerprints taken.
Then, the CO called us to a small room and asked us to provide all the necessary documents:*
-1NL
– Passports
– Expired passports if any
– Photos
– Birth certificate
– Marriage certificate
– Our medical results were delivered to the embassy by the physician.
– High School diploma (For people in Argentina, please be advise that if you are qualifying with High School diploma you have to take both the Analytic and the diploma, also please make sure the stamp of the Ministry of Education is LEGIBLE)
– Argentine Police records (For people in Argentina, please make sure the digital signature of the officer who processed the police records appears in the certificate *The signature is the name of the officer*, ours didn’t have it and the CO wasn’t happy about it.
– Venezuelan Police Certificate (I moved from Venezuela to Argentina in 2015 and they asked for it)
– Working experience evidence of my wife
*It is important to point out that here in Argentina, 1 month before our interview, the embassy contacted us and asked us to provide single copies of all the necessary documentation and deliver it to them in a sealed envelope, so please make sure you have all the necessary documentation ready in case they contact you as it looks like this speeds up the process once you get to the embassy.
After handling all the documents we paid USD$660 for our visas and waited around 40 minutes until the CO called us to another room to be interviewed.
INTERVIEW
The CO again took our fingerprints and made us swear that everything we were going to say would be true.
Questions asked
– Where do you work and what do you do at work?
– What do you study in college?
– When did you get married?
– Do you live together?
– When did you first meet?
– Who is your sponsor?
– Have you ever been in the US and when?
– Did you ever worked illegally in the US?
– Did you ever have any problems with the law?
– Have you lived in another country beside Argentina? (My wife said no and I said only Venezuela)
– (To my wife only) What will you do in the US?
– Where will you live?
– Do you have family in the US?
– Are you going to interrupt your studies here in Argentina to go to the US?
– (To my wife only) What are the the requirements to work where you work?
– (To my wife only) Do you speak english?
Your visas are approved! Then he gave us 2 sheets with all the information to pay our immigrant fees and said that our visas would be ready in 1 week approximately.
14th Mar – Administrative Processing
15th Mar – CEAC status changed to ISSUED and a couple of hours later we received an email that our visas were ready!
Thank you for everything you do for this community Simon, It is beyond words how grateful we are for all the help you provided us throughout this long journey! God Bless you! You are awesome!!!!!! I wish you all the best of luck!!!!!!!
March 16, 2019 at 13:53
Thank you for the detailed account of the interview. Congratulations!
March 18, 2019 at 08:16
Bravo, but so many questions asked including expired passports if any! it feels like an interrogation.
March 18, 2019 at 11:49
Hi Brit, Got a call from embassy and told me interview has been postponed.and gave me another date. do i need to get a written confirmation.
March 18, 2019 at 13:28
No
March 19, 2019 at 04:02
Thanks Brit, so is it ok if I take the old appointment letter to the interview. will it be a problem? I do not have any proof. just a verbal information.
March 19, 2019 at 13:33
Do you have any other choice?
March 22, 2019 at 03:50
Dear Brit, We had interview on the first week of March
Country – Sri Lanka. Husband,Wife and 2 children accompanied.We reached there at the time given.Security officer checked our passports and allowed us to enter.We were seated according to token number.Sri lankan staff who works for US embassy seems very friendly.When they called our no. we went that counter.First they told us to pay the visa fee.$330 per each person. We paid it by sri lankan rupees.It costs Rs.237600.00(They want the exact amount as they have no change money at the embassy.So remember to take change money with you)Then they collected all documents required along with photocopies.They asked adults to put finger prints.
Then they asked us to sit and wait for the proper interview.After 15 minutes consular officer called our number to the another counter.Four of us went there.He welcomed us in very friendly manner.He asked us to give the auth by raising hands.Then he asked some questions from the main applicant.Some of the questions are,
How many times you tried for the lottery?I said more than 5 times.He laughed and said “very good”.When checking our civil documents, A/L results, Police clearance, medicals and sponsors documents he asked some clarifications.
He asked the Birthday of the spouse,Year of marriage,Appreciate A/L results and ask whether has a degree. I answered I am doing but not completed yet.He asked about childrens classes and name of the schools.Turning medical reports he asked about my previous surgery. I explained.He asked where are you going and the relationship to the sponsor.He was not asked so deeply.Just true answers are enough.
Asked few simple questions from the spouse.After 10 minutes he said you are “perfect” I approve your visa and welcome your family to USA.
After two weeks we got Visas.
Wow! our dream came true.Thanks Brit for all you have done for us from last May 2018.Your words, guidance made us easy to overcome this great dream.Please do continue this great job.
March 22, 2019 at 15:27
Excellent!
March 22, 2019 at 18:22
Hello thiru congratulations. Im also 2019DV winner and im from sri lanka please give your contacts.
May 17, 2019 at 12:01
Hi Thir. I am also Sri Lanaka. My interview will be held on next week. Please contact me [email protected]
March 22, 2019 at 17:55
Hello
First of all a Big Thanks to Brit.
You have been very helpful all this time.
My experiense.Case EU91xx (Albania)
All required dokuments was send 3 weeks before.checkup 2 days before interview.(analysis send to embassy 1 day before interview by doctor)
-Showed up at embassy at 9 am
-paid the fees and gives finger prints
-waited to be called for interview for 1 hour.
-3 basic questions regardet to documents.
(Name of high school,problem with law,date of mariage,have u been living for more than 6 months out country)
-afer 1 minut of interview ,CO said its approved,DHL will do the rest.CONGRATULATION
So dont worry.everything its going to be ok,if nothing misses from required documents.
GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE
March 22, 2019 at 18:17
Great!
March 23, 2019 at 12:35
US EMBASSY YAOUNDÉ CAMEROON
Case no: 2019AF13xxx
Submitted DS 260 in May but unlocked twice to update info
Received Email from KCC in November
Submitted Documents After 4 days
Received 2NL IN JANUARY
Did Medicals In Feb
Interview: 19th March
INTERVIEW
Arrived the EMBASSY at 7:45am
Submit Original and Photocopies of documents
Paid Fees and received a number
After about one hour my number was called for
Finger Prints after which I went back to my seat to be call again for the interview
After about 1hr30mins, my number was called.
Finger Prints taken
SWEAR that all the information is correct, I did
CO: When did u have ur A level
Me: xxxxx
CO: Which papers did u pass in?
Me: xxxxxxxx
CO: Who play the lottery for you and where??
Me:xxxxxxxxx
CO: which state are u going to??
Me:xxxxxx
CO: congratulations and enjoy ur stay in the United States
Me: Thanks you
She returned the originals of my documents and gave me a piece of my paper with the date and time to come pick my passport and package.
Picked up passport and package on Thursday 21th March two days after the interview…
Thanks Brit for the blog it helped a great deal…. Am grateful
March 23, 2019 at 16:28
Hi Bido congrats. I am also a from Cameroon and a winner of dv 2019.
pls can i have ur contact for more info
March 23, 2019 at 21:29
Hi Bido congrats. I am also from Cameroon and a winner of dv 2019
Pls can i have your contact for more info
March 24, 2019 at 06:06
Okay bro contact me at [email protected]
March 25, 2019 at 05:47
interviews in Ethiopia.
Interview Place: US Embassy Addis Ababa
Case No: 2019AF11***
1st NL: May 15, 2018
2nd NL: jan 17, 2019
Documents Requested:
• Passport and a copy of the passport
• Two Visa Photographs
• 1st NL
• DS-260 Confirmation Page
• 2nd NL
• Appointment Visa Registration
• Birth Certificate and a copy
• Police Certificate
• Educational Documents and a copy
• Work Experience (If any) and a copy
• 330$ (9400 at that time)
CO: Raise your Right Hand
Me:
CO: Do you swear that all the information given are true
Me:
CO: Please Finger Prints
Me:
CO: Your Highest Educational level, where and in What
Me:
CO: Your Bachelor, where and in What
Me:
CO: Who is your sponsor and in which state
Me:
CO: Will you stay there
Me:
CO: Married Before, Any Child, Any Plan
Me:
CO: Where do you currently Work
Me:
CO: Congratulations! Your U.S. Visa has been approved
Me: Thanks you
After two days we got Visas.
Thank you Jesus
Thank you britsimon
March 25, 2019 at 11:10
Hi Brit
It has been 10 working days since i went for my interview and CO informed my visa has been approved, however i haven’t received an email or sms asking to pick up my package.
Also can Ghanaian winners give steps on how they created an account and profile on the website. I have tried severally and cant find DV option under the visa class section
March 25, 2019 at 21:34
Nike when did you go for your interview?
March 25, 2019 at 22:24
7th march
March 26, 2019 at 13:59
Please check the ceac site on https://ceac.state.gov/CEACStatTracker/Status.aspx?eQs=o/iS8zDpeAKjMWCuebHqOw==
March 26, 2019 at 10:25
Create the profile and choose any of the visa types under the immigrant visas category. You can choose E32. Cheers.
March 26, 2019 at 12:38
Thanks , this has been helpful.
I am on step 8 and i am being asked to enter my case id , i tried entering my case number however it says incorrect
Please assist