DV2014 - Ethiopian selectees
- Thread starter Tew
- Start date
CHRISTABEL
Active Member
Thank you so much for the good wishes!!
Visa GRANTED. It was a long and intense interview, which I was not at all expecting, but it worked out in the end. I was the first DV interview at that window, which may be why?
Anyway, details later. Thanks so much for the support everyone!!
Visa GRANTED. It was a long and intense interview, which I was not at all expecting, but it worked out in the end. I was the first DV interview at that window, which may be why?
Anyway, details later. Thanks so much for the support everyone!!
CHRISTABEL
Active Member
Thanks for the congratulatory messages. 
Here are the details:
My appointment was for 8am, but I knew to get there earlier. I arrived at 6:45 and there were already a good 25 or so people in front of me. After standing outside in the cold for some 20-25 minutes, they checked our appointment letters and started letting us in for security checks and on to the waiting area. In the waiting room, two ladies are seated at a desk by the entrance and give out folders based on the visa type and tell you to arrange the documents per the order indicated. Then you are supposed to return it to them and wait to be called. They then call you, review you have the correct documents right in front of you, then give you a paper to read and sign and to bring in the afternoon at 1pm. Then you can leave. I was out of the embassy before 8am.
I returned at 12:20 and there was already a huge line outside, across the street from the entrance to the embassy. At 12:30, they made us cross the street and line up by the entrance. Not sure why they do this - it made no sense to me. Why not let us line up in front of the embassy from the get-go, like we do in the morning? Anyway, once lined up, a security guard goes down the multiple lines and checks you have your appointment page (that you signed) from the morning visit and your ID, then you pass through security again, and get to the waiting area. If your appointment says 1pm, they won't let you in a minute early. US Citizens are given priority and start entering by 12:45pm regardless of arrival order, so that made our wait even longer.
Once inside, you are told to sit and wait for your name to be called. I was called to window 5 where a friendly young Ethiopian man took my signed paper, returned some of my unnecessary documents (bachelor and master's degrees), took my fingerprints, and asked me a few questions (have I lived outside Ethiopia for longer than a year? Where? do I have work experience?). Then he gave me a paper and told me to go to window 1, pay the fee, and give him the receipt. I paid 6,425 Br. I did just that then took a seat. Not even 3 min later, I was called to another window where a young American man was waiting for me - he was polite, but distant and cool.
After swearing to tell the truth, the grilling began. I don't want to go into too much depth about the questions, but I will sum them up. Lots of questions about my sponsor (several ones that were repeated at different points - such as relationship, what they do in the US, where they live), lots of questions about my educational qualifications, he requested to see both my bachelor and MBA diplomas that had been returned to me (asked me if I liked the school I attended for my master's - he said he knew the school - I suspect he attended it from how he acted). He wanted to know what I am currently doing job wise. He asked to see my old passport (where my 4 previous US visas are), he asked me at 3 different points if I was married or had kids, he questioned me a couple of times as to when I left the US after completing my master's program (to see if I overstayed, which I didn't), then he reluctantly (at least his body language seemed so) said 'congratulations, your visa is approved. I will give you back your originals.' Then he handed them over along with the USCIS fee document and told me to pay the fee before leaving.
Not even 10 secs later, he said 'actually, hold on. Give me back your birth certificate.' He then looked at it and said 'ah yes, your name doesn't match the birth certificate.' It does - but it's difficult to understand for foreigners. For instance, H/Mariam is the same as Hailemariam. An Ethiopian knows this instinctively, but obviously a foreigner has no clue what the H would stand for. He told me to wait and went to the back, I assume to find an Ethiopian officer who could explain it matched my name on my passport. Then he came back and said 'It's fine', and returned it to me, asked if I had registered for DHL and instructed me to pick up my passport next week.
That's when I finally left his window. I was there for at least 10 minutes, if not 15. I felt like I had been through the ringer by the time I left. I mean, I've never been married, no kids, I have 2 high school degrees, I did my entire higher education in the US (BA and MBA), no criminal record, etc. My case is technically a shoo-in - or so I thought! Ha!!
I don't know if he was so thorough because I am pretty atypical for an applicant in Ethiopia (overqualified and educated in the US) or if it was because I was the very first person he was seeing that afternoon.
Whatever the reason, I'm glad it's over, but I still won't believe it for real until I have the passport with the printed visa in my hands!! I'm having lucid nightmares of getting a phone call that he's changed his mind or something
I was out of the embassy by 1:45pm. Since I left so early I didn't see much of what happened to other DV winners. I know 2 were denied. I don't know the reason for one person (a lady); but the other one was a man who tried to qualify through work experience and failed to do so. He clearly doesn't know anything about that website you are supposed to use to crosscheck whether your level of work experience is sufficient. He was devastated and was asking the Ethiopian officer on window 5 to explain why. I saw a family - couple with 2 kids - who were thrilled as they left, so of course theirs was granted.
Here are the details:
My appointment was for 8am, but I knew to get there earlier. I arrived at 6:45 and there were already a good 25 or so people in front of me. After standing outside in the cold for some 20-25 minutes, they checked our appointment letters and started letting us in for security checks and on to the waiting area. In the waiting room, two ladies are seated at a desk by the entrance and give out folders based on the visa type and tell you to arrange the documents per the order indicated. Then you are supposed to return it to them and wait to be called. They then call you, review you have the correct documents right in front of you, then give you a paper to read and sign and to bring in the afternoon at 1pm. Then you can leave. I was out of the embassy before 8am.
I returned at 12:20 and there was already a huge line outside, across the street from the entrance to the embassy. At 12:30, they made us cross the street and line up by the entrance. Not sure why they do this - it made no sense to me. Why not let us line up in front of the embassy from the get-go, like we do in the morning? Anyway, once lined up, a security guard goes down the multiple lines and checks you have your appointment page (that you signed) from the morning visit and your ID, then you pass through security again, and get to the waiting area. If your appointment says 1pm, they won't let you in a minute early. US Citizens are given priority and start entering by 12:45pm regardless of arrival order, so that made our wait even longer.
Once inside, you are told to sit and wait for your name to be called. I was called to window 5 where a friendly young Ethiopian man took my signed paper, returned some of my unnecessary documents (bachelor and master's degrees), took my fingerprints, and asked me a few questions (have I lived outside Ethiopia for longer than a year? Where? do I have work experience?). Then he gave me a paper and told me to go to window 1, pay the fee, and give him the receipt. I paid 6,425 Br. I did just that then took a seat. Not even 3 min later, I was called to another window where a young American man was waiting for me - he was polite, but distant and cool.
After swearing to tell the truth, the grilling began. I don't want to go into too much depth about the questions, but I will sum them up. Lots of questions about my sponsor (several ones that were repeated at different points - such as relationship, what they do in the US, where they live), lots of questions about my educational qualifications, he requested to see both my bachelor and MBA diplomas that had been returned to me (asked me if I liked the school I attended for my master's - he said he knew the school - I suspect he attended it from how he acted). He wanted to know what I am currently doing job wise. He asked to see my old passport (where my 4 previous US visas are), he asked me at 3 different points if I was married or had kids, he questioned me a couple of times as to when I left the US after completing my master's program (to see if I overstayed, which I didn't), then he reluctantly (at least his body language seemed so) said 'congratulations, your visa is approved. I will give you back your originals.' Then he handed them over along with the USCIS fee document and told me to pay the fee before leaving.
Not even 10 secs later, he said 'actually, hold on. Give me back your birth certificate.' He then looked at it and said 'ah yes, your name doesn't match the birth certificate.' It does - but it's difficult to understand for foreigners. For instance, H/Mariam is the same as Hailemariam. An Ethiopian knows this instinctively, but obviously a foreigner has no clue what the H would stand for. He told me to wait and went to the back, I assume to find an Ethiopian officer who could explain it matched my name on my passport. Then he came back and said 'It's fine', and returned it to me, asked if I had registered for DHL and instructed me to pick up my passport next week.
That's when I finally left his window. I was there for at least 10 minutes, if not 15. I felt like I had been through the ringer by the time I left. I mean, I've never been married, no kids, I have 2 high school degrees, I did my entire higher education in the US (BA and MBA), no criminal record, etc. My case is technically a shoo-in - or so I thought! Ha!!
I don't know if he was so thorough because I am pretty atypical for an applicant in Ethiopia (overqualified and educated in the US) or if it was because I was the very first person he was seeing that afternoon.
Whatever the reason, I'm glad it's over, but I still won't believe it for real until I have the passport with the printed visa in my hands!! I'm having lucid nightmares of getting a phone call that he's changed his mind or something
I was out of the embassy by 1:45pm. Since I left so early I didn't see much of what happened to other DV winners. I know 2 were denied. I don't know the reason for one person (a lady); but the other one was a man who tried to qualify through work experience and failed to do so. He clearly doesn't know anything about that website you are supposed to use to crosscheck whether your level of work experience is sufficient. He was devastated and was asking the Ethiopian officer on window 5 to explain why. I saw a family - couple with 2 kids - who were thrilled as they left, so of course theirs was granted.
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Just some things to keep in mind if something like my interview experience happens to you:
- Stay calm, collected and polite even if it seems like the whole thing is going south.
- If you are telling the truth, there is no reason to panic or be anxious
- Keep your answers short, clear and precise. The more you say, the more ammunition you are giving the CO to grill you with.
- Even if you are denied the visa, it's not the end of the world - the US is a very beautiful country, but it's not heaven itself. You can have a good life in your own homeland. Don't go in with the belief that your world is over if you don't get the visa. After all, it's not a God-given right for you to live in somebody else's land. If you truly believe this, it's easy to stay calm.
The 4 above things are how I think and act, and I'm sure they played a part in getting me a positive outcome. Emotional outbursts and panic will make things much worse.
- Stay calm, collected and polite even if it seems like the whole thing is going south.
- If you are telling the truth, there is no reason to panic or be anxious
- Keep your answers short, clear and precise. The more you say, the more ammunition you are giving the CO to grill you with.
- Even if you are denied the visa, it's not the end of the world - the US is a very beautiful country, but it's not heaven itself. You can have a good life in your own homeland. Don't go in with the belief that your world is over if you don't get the visa. After all, it's not a God-given right for you to live in somebody else's land. If you truly believe this, it's easy to stay calm.
The 4 above things are how I think and act, and I'm sure they played a part in getting me a positive outcome. Emotional outbursts and panic will make things much worse.
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Britsimon
Super Moderator
Thanks for the congratulatory messages.
Here are the details:
My appointment was for 8am, but I knew to get there earlier. I arrived at 6:45 and there were already a good 25 or so people in front of me. After standing outside in the cold for some 20-25 minutes, they checked our appointment letters and started letting us in for security checks and on to the waiting area. In the waiting room, two ladies are seated at a desk by the entrance and give out folders based on the visa type and tell you to arrange the documents per the order indicated. Then you are supposed to return it to them and wait to be called. They then call you, review you have the correct documents right in front of you, then give you a paper to read and sign and to bring in the afternoon at 1pm. Then you can leave. I was out of the embassy before 8am.
I returned at 12:20 and there was already a huge line outside, across the street from the entrance to the embassy. At 12:30, they made us cross the street and line up by the entrance. Not sure why they do this - it made no sense to me. Why not let us line up in front of the embassy from the get-go, like we do in the morning? Anyway, once lined up, a security guard goes down the multiple lines and checks you have your appointment page (that you signed) from the morning visit and your ID, then you pass through security again, and get to the waiting area. If your appointment says 1pm, they won't let you in a minute early. US Citizens are given priority and start entering by 12:45pm regardless of arrival order, so that made our wait even longer.
Once inside, you are told to sit and wait for your name to be called. I was called to window 5 where a friendly young Ethiopian man took my signed paper, returned some of my unnecessary documents (bachelor and master's degrees), took my fingerprints, and asked me a few questions (have I lived outside Ethiopia for longer than a year? Where? do I have work experience?). Then he gave me a paper and told me to go to window 1, pay the fee, and give him the receipt. I paid 6,425 Br. I did just that then took a seat. Not even 3 min later, I was called to another window where a young American man was waiting for me - he was polite, but distant and cool.
After swearing to tell the truth, the grilling began. I don't want to go into too much depth about the questions, but I will sum them up. Lots of questions about my sponsor (several ones that were repeated at different points - such as relationship, what they do in the US, where they live), lots of questions about my educational qualifications, he requested to see both my bachelor and MBA diplomas that had been returned to me (asked me if I liked the school I attended for my master's - he said he knew the school - I suspect he attended it from how he acted). He wanted to know what I am currently doing job wise. He asked to see my old passport (where my 4 previous US visas are), he asked me at 3 different points if I was married or had kids, he questioned me a couple of times as to when I left the US after completing my master's program (to see if I overstayed, which I didn't), then he reluctantly (at least his body language seemed so) said 'congratulations, your visa is approved. I will give you back your originals.' Then he handed them over along with the USCIS fee document and told me to pay the fee before leaving.
Not even 10 secs later, he said 'actually, hold on. Give me back your birth certificate.' He then looked at it and said 'ah yes, your name doesn't match the birth certificate.' It does - but it's difficult to understand for foreigners. For instance, H/Mariam is the same as Hailemariam. An Ethiopian knows this instinctively, but obviously a foreigner has no clue what the H would stand for. He told me to wait and went to the back, I assume to find an Ethiopian officer who could explain it matched my name on my passport. Then he came back and said 'It's fine', and returned it to me, asked if I had registered for DHL and instructed me to pick up my passport next week.
That's when I finally left his window. I was there for at least 10 minutes, if not 15. I felt like I had been through the ringer by the time I left. I mean, I've never been married, no kids, I have 2 high school degrees, I did my entire higher education in the US (BA and MBA), no criminal record, etc. My case is technically a shoo-in - or so I thought! Ha!!
I don't know if he was so thorough because I am pretty atypical for an applicant in Ethiopia (overqualified and educated in the US) or if it was because I was the very first person he was seeing that afternoon.
Whatever the reason, I'm glad it's over, but I still won't believe it for real until I have the passport with the printed visa in my hands!! I'm having lucid nightmares of getting a phone call that he's changed his mind or something
I was out of the embassy by 1:45pm. Since I left so early I didn't see much of what happened to other DV winners. I know 2 were denied. I don't know the reason for one person (a lady); but the other one was a man who tried to qualify through work experience and failed to do so. He clearly doesn't know anything about that website you are supposed to use to crosscheck whether your level of work experience is sufficient. He was devastated and was asking the Ethiopian officer on window 5 to explain why. I saw a family - couple with 2 kids - who were thrilled as they left, so of course theirs was granted.
WOW. That must have stopped your heart!!!
There is some interesting stuff in your interview experience. This should be required reading for Ethiopian selectees and for others also!
You will be pleased to learn that you will be entirely typical in the US (overqualified and educated in the US) so you will have the same chances as everyone else - and on a level playing field I'll be willing to bet you will be a winner!
Good luck for your move!
Thanks Ormania! Any news about your case?
Simon, my heart dropped for a second when he asked for my birth certificate back, but I remained strangely calm beyond that. I was almost detached from the whole thing and on autopilot. But for that one second though, my heart reached the Earth's core before bouncing back LOL.
I am pretty typical for the US, but immigrants that the embassy is used to here are completely different. Most have never left the country, let alone schooling in the US.
Good luck for your interview
Christabel and SudMD - I hope you go current soon. It's hard to completely celebrate knowing there are so many anxious people waiting for the VB. I was there a few months ago and it sucked!
Simon, my heart dropped for a second when he asked for my birth certificate back, but I remained strangely calm beyond that. I was almost detached from the whole thing and on autopilot. But for that one second though, my heart reached the Earth's core before bouncing back LOL.
I am pretty typical for the US, but immigrants that the embassy is used to here are completely different. Most have never left the country, let alone schooling in the US.
Good luck for your interview
Christabel and SudMD - I hope you go current soon. It's hard to completely celebrate knowing there are so many anxious people waiting for the VB. I was there a few months ago and it sucked!