MY INTERVIEW EXPERIENCE
I woke up around 4:15 am yesterday and started to prepare. I left the house at 5am. I chartered a taxi to the embassy. At 5:28 am I got to the embassy, at the embassy I realized one man had been there earlier before me. I approached the main gate of the embassy and asked the security man where to wait, he told me the embassy opens at 7:30am and that I should wait under the trees that were about 100 metres from the embassy. I went back to wait under the trees, back at the trees I saw the man who had come earlier before me, I was wondering at what time he might have come to the embassy, anyway I never made any attempts to speak with him. In about 15 minutes a taxi pulled by, in it was a family of 5, two boys and a girl with their parents, at that moment I guessed they were also coming for an immigrant visa interview. I was praying to myself for the clock to tick faster, at that moment I regretted for being at the embassy so early. After 6 am a lot of people started trooping in.
At 7:35 am one of the embassy guards opened the gates to the entrance, everyone started walking towards the gate even though we hadn’t been called, I decided to follow the crowd and walk with them to the gate. At the gate the security guard told us to go back and that they would call us when they were ready, no one really wanted to go back as we kept standing by the gate. Another security man inside the embassy came out and told the security man with us not to attend to us if we were not willing to go back. I realized the reason why people were unwilling to go back was because everyone wanted to be first to enter the embassy, after about 7 minutes the 2 security guards came outside. One mentioned that all those with the green cards should come forward. I stepped forward only to be told by one of the security guards that he was not referring to immigrant visa applicants, later I got to know that those with the green cards were supposed to be interviewed last week Friday but due to certain reasons were not interviewed, they were given those green cards just to enable them gain first entry to the embassy. Next we were told to form 2 queues, Immigrant cases to the left and non-immigrant cases to the right. I was the first in the queue of the Immigrant cases. The man I came to meet at the embassy was standing besides me. He walked over to talk to one of the security guards. I realized he was an American citizen because he had an American passport, all I heard the security man tell him was services for American citizens start at 8:30am. We were asked to bring out our appointment letters. They would look at the name on the letter and check their sheet to see whether or not you have an appointment. I was inspected by one of the security guards and told to enter. I entered into a room where my phone was collected and kept at a secured place and I was given a number. I was asked to show the number on my way out and claim back my phone. I passed through a metal detector to make sure I was ok and was not carrying any unwanted objects.
At the interviewing hall another guard directs me to drop my appointment letter at window 1 and then come back to sit on the first chair in the first row. There is a notice inside the embassy that says the sitting capacity in the hall is 76 persons, after about 20 minutes the hall was filled to capacity, we were like 100 or more inside the embassy as some were standing. I was made to sit with other immigrant applicants. Non immigrant applicants were also made to sit together. They started processing the cases of the non immigrant visas. There are 13 windows at the embassy where applicants are interviewed. I guess windows 1-6 are for immigrant cases.
After about 20 minutes of sitting all DV cases were called to window 1 by a pretty Ghanaian lady. She counseled us briefly and gave us a paper on which we were to indicate our qualification for the programme. She told to pay the DV fee after we had finished filling the form and to take our seats when we were done. On the sheets we were suppose to tick if we qualified either by education/Work experience, if you were using work experience you had to state your profession, on the back of the sheet you tick whether you are single, married, have children or not etc. There is a part on the sheet that states ‘applicants who prior to registering for the lottery were married/had children but didn’t include them during registration but included them after winning would automatically be disqualified. There was another part that asked whether or not you wanted to be interviewed.
2 people rescheduled their appointment’ a gentleman and a lady with the rest of the 5 of us deciding to go on with the interview process. I did not know why the man rescheduled his interview but with the lady I got to know later she wasn’t prepared psychologically for the interview even though she had the DV fee.
After 20 minutes of sitting all DV cases were called to Window 2. There was no one at window 2 when we got there so we kept standing there. We stood there for over 5 minutes and no one was coming. We decided that one of us should go and inform the security guards that we have been standing there for sometime and that if we could sit down. What the security guard could tell the gentleman who went to ask was we are at liberty to do what we want. It took over 8 minutes of standing before a Ghanaian lady finally showed up. The lady was pretty but not professional for my liking. I thought she would apologize for keeping us waiting but she never did. She mentioned our names one after another and started to inspect our documents. My name was mentioned first. I gave her all my documents but she gave back the “affidavit of support” which was in a sealed envelope. She asked me to open the envelope and give her the contents. These were the documents she took
Police certificate, she returned the photocopy.
School certificates (High School) she gave back an attestation letter I had taken from my University.
Medical reports
AFFIDAVIT OF SUPPORT which included letter from sponsor’s employer, tax returns for 2008 and sponsors bank statement.
Passport pictures, I had taken new passport pictures but she didn’t take any of the new ones but a copy of the one I sent to KCC.
I saw the DS 230 form I filled and sent to KCC with my picture affixed on the desk of the lady. She asked me to have my seat. After over 15 minutes of sitting my name was mentioned to come to window 1, this time to take my finger prints, it was simple and easy and didn’t even last a minute. She asked me to have my seat and wait for my interview.
Since I had been first in all the processes I was expecting to be called 1st for the interview. After sitting for over 15 minutes I heard one of the consular officers call the lady behind me to window 6, I was a bit surprised because I thought I would be called 1st. My name was mentioned 2nd and was asked to come to window 4.
The consular officer at window 4 was a matured man. I guess he’s is a little over 40. He was very nice to me.
Me: Good Morning
CO: Good morning
CO: I realized you are a student of …….Your campus at…… is very nice. I do pass by that place once a while.
Me: I’m not on that campus. We have 3 campuses and am on the…. campus. That ……..campus is for those reading the sciences and the…..…….campus is for business students.
I realized he wasn’t really listening to me but was busy typing something on his computer
CO: I see, what are u reading?
Me: I’m majoring in Economics and minoring in Finance.
All this while he was still busy typing on his PC.
CO: That’s a good combination. What year are you in.
ME: My third year.
CO: What courses are you doing this semester?
Me: Blab la blab la
CO: Richard you would have to come back on………………………………………….
He’s checks something on his PC and I could hear him say. We are so busy, we are so busy.
I stand there starring at him and wondering to my self what is he so busy about, just give me the thing and let me go.
CO: He takes out my results and asks me if I brought a scratch card.
ME: No, at that time I realized I should have brought a scratch card. I did not send a scratch card because the notification letter didn’t ask for one. My advice to guys yet to go for their interview is to take scratch cards along.
CO: He tells me he would be right back and dashes out.
I could see him talking to someone. He comes back after about 2 minutes.
CO: Richard, we would have to check on some documents. We are very busy this season and you would have to come back on 2nd February.
Me: Would I be coming back for my visa.
CO: If everything turns out OK be rest assured you will have your visa. I see him writing something on a sheet. He gives out the sheet to me.
Me: Thanks
I have been asked to come for my passport on the 2nd February. I guess I would be going for my passport with my visa embossed in it.
I witnessed other events. I would share them soon.
