Sammy967
Active Member
Praying for you all to make it through
DV 2015 Winners Meet Here
- Thread starter Gold iSak
- Start date
Sensei-san
Active Member
Congratulations!! You mention Malasya being a third country for you. I am in a similar situation, hoping for an interview in Thailand. Where are you originally from? (I will understand if you would like to keep it private)We had our interview yesterday in Kuala Lumpur. I’m glad to say that our visas were APPROVED
Thank god, the endless stress and worrisome regarding whether I would make it or not has now ended. Now starts the planning and preparation for the big move.
Since there aren’t any winners interviewing in Kuala Lumpur in this forum (aside from someone back in 2006), I struggled to know what it’s like or what the process is at the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur. So, I will share my experience here in glory details hoping it will benefit others in the future.
The whole thing began in October 2013 when I registered in the lottery with my wife. May 1,2014 was the day of surprise when I found out that we won. At that point, I had ABSOLUTELY no idea about the DV visa process and how it works. Thanks to google search, it led me to this wonderful forum where I learned about the whole process and got every single question I had answered professionally and in a timely manner! Most of my learning was from watching the forum and learning from other winners’ questions and the answers addressing those questions by the forum moderators. A special thanks to @Britsimon for your continuous help. The amount of effort you put into helping others and providing support whenever needed is truly amazing. Thanks to @SusieQQQ and @Sm1smom for your valuable advises all along. You all made me better prepared without which, the journey may not have been complete. I really and truly appreciate your help.
My interview was pretty simple! Perhaps the simplest step of all ever since the selection.
Things that I thought were in my favor:
- My highest completed level of education is a Master’s degree from Malaysia, currently doing a PhD which should give a good signal that I meet the educational requirements.
- I have all documents ready and in order. I was very well prepared. I every possible document, reference, FAM rules, and anything that I thought might be needed! I even had my dad's death certificate which not sure why I took it but I did! I had a huge gigantic binder full of documents just in case I'm asked for anything. I did not want to take any chances and wanted to avoid AP as much as possible.
Things I thought that were not in my favor:
- I’m interviewing in a third country. The CO may not have knowledge of high school degrees of other countries in case they insist on checking my high school.
- The US embassy in Kuala Lumpur processes a significantly low number of DV visas (around 80 visas per year). So, they might be strict a bit which later appeared to be not true.
The US embassy in Kuala Lumpur requires submission of documents in the morning by 09:00AM then applicants need to come back at 01:30PM for their interview. So I got to the embassy at around 8AM where there was a huge line up, the vast majority were applying for non-immigrant visas which are conducted entirely in the morning. Only I and another guy applying for a family based visa were immigrant visa applicants. Security rules and procedure is the same as every other US embassy so, I won’t bother you with the details. I got inside the embassy at 8:45AM, took a “B” number and waited for my number to be called. 30 minutes later my number was called to window 10 where a local guy asked for my appointment letter, DS-260 confirmation page, and started asking for my supporting documents one by one. Education wise, he only asked for my highest completed degree which was my master’s degree along with the transcript. He also asked for a letter from my current school where I’m currently doing my PhD. Once he verified that everything was complete and in order, he collected the fees in the local currency, gave me my “B” number, and asked me to come back at 01:00pm with my wife for the interview with a consular officer.
My wife and I made it back to the embassy around 12:45pm and waited for an hour and a half which felt like the longest wait ever then our number was called to window 1 where our finger scans were taken. We then waited again for another 45 minutes as there was a family-based visa interview before us then we were called to window 6 where there was only one officer in the whole area given that there are only two immigrant visa applicants. The normal procedure started where we rose our hands and swore as usual then the interview started.
I was asked about my education and when I completed my master’s degree. For some reason the CO kept referring to my master as bachelor.
Other questions include:
- How long have you been in Malaysia?
- What are you currently doing in Malaysia?
- Are you planning to complete your PhD before going to the US?
- What were you doing in Canada and how long did you stay there?
- Aside from your home country, Canada, and Malaysia, have you lived anywhere else for over a year?
- When did you get married?
- How did you two meet?
- Did you enter the lottery as married (which we did)?
- Where did you get married?
- Do you have any children?
And not sure why, he asked me “you didn’t work illegally in Canada, did you?” which was followed by a funny laugh and my answer was NO! lol
The weird part is, he asked my wife (the derivative) more questions than he asked me. It could be due to the fact that I was the one who filled up her forms and declared so. It could also be due to the fact that my wife is in an IT profession that falls under TAL. He asked very specific questions about the type of work she does, asked about her educational background, what degrees she completed, where she lived, etc.
At the end, the CO said “looks like everything is alright, your visa is going to be approved. Good luck to you two. Just wait outside and my colleague will call you for more information”. We went back to the waiting area where our number was called again to window number 10 where I went and saw the same local guy who collected our documents in the morning. He told me “Your visa is approved, you will get your passports delivered to the address you provided in 2-3 business days. You can go home now”
It was such a relief!
I was not asked for any proof of finances (no bank statements or affidavit of support). Two weeks before the interview I emailed the embassy if I’d require an affidavit of support and their response was “you do not need to provide any financial documents” but I had my bank statements with me just in case they ask for them which they didn’t.
Thank you all for your help and support all along. Now I will finish my PhD (hopefully by May), start planning, and then make the big move
This forum along with the people in it was indeed a gift from heaven
Britsimon
Super Moderator
Some COs have refused to accept emailed I134s. They wanted the original with a "wet" signature. The form should be accompanied by copies of tax forms (W2/1040) and photo ID ( DL/Passport)
Hello everyone, i emailed the US consulate in my to ask for document i need to bring for interview and here is the list:
1.Passport (valid for at least 6 months)
2.Two Photos (5cm x 5 cm on a white background)
3. Original Birth Certificate (one certified true copy)
4. Original Marriage Certificate (one certified true copy)
5. Original BAC or equivalent diploma or work experience for the principal applicant
6. Police Certificate of any countries where you lived for at least 6 months (for anyone over 16 years of age)
7. Medical Exams to be performed by our Panel Physician
8. Visa Fee: ($330 or equivalent in CFA)
- so do i need a affidavit support?
- i am scared that when i get there they ask me for bank statement or anything that i don't have?
1.Passport (valid for at least 6 months)
2.Two Photos (5cm x 5 cm on a white background)
3. Original Birth Certificate (one certified true copy)
4. Original Marriage Certificate (one certified true copy)
5. Original BAC or equivalent diploma or work experience for the principal applicant
6. Police Certificate of any countries where you lived for at least 6 months (for anyone over 16 years of age)
7. Medical Exams to be performed by our Panel Physician
8. Visa Fee: ($330 or equivalent in CFA)
- so do i need a affidavit support?
- i am scared that when i get there they ask me for bank statement or anything that i don't have?
Sammy967
Active Member
Thanks @Sensei-san. My country of chargeability is Yemen but I haven't lived there for the past 12 years. From BritSimon's embassy league table, it seems that the US embassy in Bangkok processes a very few DV cases. If you meet the requirement and have all documents in order, then I think you should be ok. Just make sure you are on a valid visa when interviewing. You may also need to provide a letter from you current school/employer if applicable. So, Keep that handy. All the best
SusieQQQ
Well-Known Member
What information do you need? You complete the immigration procedures at Abu dhabi airport rather than in the US itself when you arrive, so before the actual flight rather than after. In practical terms the only difference is avoiding potential long queues at your US POE.
usken go
Well-Known Member
I wanted to know if i could explore this possibility.
Are they likely to be for instance, more difficult than other CBP guys in US POES'?Can they cause delays that can mess one's flight plans?
It appears from their website that this is availed to specific Etihad Airline flights no complications?
Anyone who has ever activated at AD? do they need UAE visa?
Thank you Susie for your clarification on potential Queue - beating advantage.
SusieQQQ
Well-Known Member
Vladdy did this with no problems. There is a similar procedure for flying via Ireland by the way.
I didn't do that but we flew via Dubai, did not need a visa for transit - but that may depend on which passport you're travelling on.
usken go
Well-Known Member
I hope this is in regard to my post no. 3048.
The AD website has two links; one leading to the Etihad Airline with info showing specific flights heading to Us, implying that clearance is pre arranged for their passengers only.
Link no 2 leads to the CBP website.
What I phrased poorly and you may be interpreting by 'easier ride' is about transit logistics e.g schengen visa requirements as opposed to clearance any port in Us. Kenyan travellers to and from Us deliberately avoid some Europeans Airports. We expect direct flights between Nairobi and Us to become a reality this year.
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SusieQQQ
Well-Known Member
Do Kenyans need a transit visa for Schengen though? South Africans don't, as long as they don't leave the airport.
By the way you do know that you wouldn't need one via London either as it is waived with a US visa/immigrant pack/green card. Though Heathrow is usually a really painful transit airport because of the extra security queues.
SusieQQQ
Well-Known Member
This is not an official site but says (1) Kenyans don't need a transit visa for Schengen and (2) even for the countries that do, like Ethiopia, it is also waived (like London) if you have a US visa:
http://www.schengenvisainfo.com/who-needs-schengen-visa/
http://www.schengenvisainfo.com/who-needs-schengen-visa/
usken go
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the Link.
people, including Kenyans like to spend a bit of the four or five hour transit time seeing around, talking to a relative or a friend.
Glad to confirm that if one stays within the airport, no visa hassles are involved. When it comes to logistical nightmares, trophies go Heathrow and Schipol, no doubt.
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SusieQQQ
Well-Known Member
I think Schipohl is a great airport to transit, actually... Heathrow is fine if you can fast track security and sit in a lounge but horrible otherwise! Those are the two airports I did almost all my flying via for years...
SusieQQQ
Well-Known Member
There are some airports - two I know of, an Irish one and Abu Dhabi - where US immigration procedures are done in the departing airport rather than on arrival in the US. (This is for everyone on flights to the U.S., not just potential immigrants). The "before" is technically correct but all it means is that it happens before you get on the plane rather than after you get off it, so there is no real difference.
SusieQQQ
Well-Known Member
Here is the Abu Dhabi info: http://www.etihad.com/en-us/before-you-fly/us-preclearance/