This post is the second part of the previous post. In this post I will discuss the medical and interview part in detail by sharing my experience with you guys. So, Lets get started.
Interview
(After getting CC, this phase lasted 2 months approx i.e June 20, 2019 - Aug 30, 2019)
After getting your appointment letter, which is basically an email you get from the NVC, you have to prepare yourself for the interview which is scheduled 1 month in advance. I got my appointment letter on July 22, 2019 and my interview was scheduled on Aug 26, 2019.
Preparing for the interview
I read a lot of forums and people reviews about the interview that what kind of questions they ask etc etc. people used to assure me that the interviews just a formality. I was well prepared but of course very nervous.
Before the interview you have to do the following things;
Get your medical done
Schedule yourself for an online courier service
Gather your documents
I’ll discuss each of the above in detail.
1. Medical
(Medical Examination lasted 1 hour and the results are valid for 1 year)
For the US immigration visa you have to get yourself medically examined by an approved physician only. You can visit https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Supplements/Supplements_by_Post/ISL-Islamabad.html#med_exam_instructions for details.
Medical Appointment
I got my medical done form Wilcare clinic, Model town, Lahore. I went to their website and booked myself an appointment. Within 10 minutes of applying I got a confirmation email from Wilcare Clinic. In the email they told me about my appointment day and time along with some instructions. The total charges they told me through Email for the whole medical were RS 32,642/- (inclusive of Govt tax).
Required Documents for medical
Original passportValid polio certificate (valid for one year) issued by the Govt hospital
FOR POLIO CERTIFICATE you just have to visit any Govt hospital. Take your appointment letter, ID card and passport with you. At the reception tell them that you want a polio certificate for the immigration purpose. They will direct you afterwards. This is completely free and you’ll get the polio certificate on the spot.
Interview call/ appointment letterEyesight glasses (if any)Previous or current medical or surgical recordVaccination record (if any)Current and intended residential information (current city and address, intended city and address)
My Medical Experience
When I got to know that I’ll have to go through a medical examination, I got a little nervous to be honest. I wasn’t sure that what was going to happen during the medical. I googled and got the idea but I was still nervous. I searched for someone online who could tell me her experience. The medical is a bit different for males and females I guess. I wanted to know a females experience but unfortunately I couldn’t find anybody who could tell me her story. Here I’m going to tell you exactly what happened during the medical.
Let’s start from the start. My experience at Wilcare was good. Nobody was allowed handbags, phones or any other electronic devices, I knew this, thus I left everything at home. I took along only the required documents. The guard at the door had a paper and on it every persons name and time was written who had an appointment that day. My appointment was ta 8:30 AM and I was there at 8:25 AM.
RECEPTION 1:
I entered the Clinic and the receptionist asked me my name then she asked for my appointment letter and passport. After that she directed me towards a door.
RECEPTION 2:
On the other side of the door there was another reception. The lady again asked for my passport and the appointment letter. After that she gave me a visitors card (that I had to wear the entire time). She directed me towards another door and asked me to drink 2-3 glasses of water.
RECEPTION 3:
At the 3rd reception, the guy again asked me for my passport and appointment letter. He asked for the medical fee which was RS 30,642/- (in the email they asked for RS 32, 642/- though) and after getting the payment he gave me payment slip. From this onwards I had to show 3 things at every single reception/ room/ cubicle that were; appointment letter, passport and payment slip. Then he directed me towards a room.
ROOM # 1:
Ok so in the room one, there were 2 men. They just entered my data into the computer. One guy took all of my documents and the other one entered date into the system. And yes, they took my pictures there on the spot. They asked me to drink 2-3 glasses of water again from the dispenser. And then they directed me towards another reception upstairs.
RECEPTION 4:
Here, on this reception there were two ladies and one of them asked me to show them my passport and payment slip and then she asked me to goto the X-ray room and then come back.
X-RAY ROOM:
In this room there were 2 men and lady. One of the guys asked me to show him my passport & payment slip. Then both of the guys went outside. The lady then locked the room and asked me to change into a gown. She took my X-ray. And that’s it. I was done with the X-ray. The lady then directed my to another room.
SAMPLE ROOM:
In this room there were 2 people, 1 guy and 1 lady. The guy measured my height, took my blood sample, tested my eye sight, checked my blood pressure. After that the lady asked took me to a toilet and asked me to give urine sample. I had to put the bottle at the window and that’s all. The lady then directed me to a waiting area.
WAITING AREA:
There weren’t many people in the waiting area. There were 4 doctors room, 2 for male doctors and 2 for lady doctors. The lady nurse came to me, asked me for the passport and payment slip and asked to wait. I waited for like 10-15 minutes then I was called to the doctor’s room.
DOCTOR’S ROOM:
As soon as I entered the room, the nurse locked the room I sat down and the nice lady doctor and the nurse introduced themselves. She examined my ears, throat and eyes with a torch and then she asked me a few questions. i.e.
Q: Are you married?
Q: Any pregnancy?
Q: Have you ever suffered from polio or any other disease?
Q: Have you gone through any dental treatment?
Q: any prior medical or surgical history?
Q: Can I see your polio certificate?
Q: Can I see your appointment letter and passport please?
After a brief Q&A session the nurse asked me to change into a gown and lie down on a bed. Then she examined my arms, my back and my legs for like a minute or two. She told me to change back and then I was asked to go to the vaccination room.
VACCINATION ROOM:
In the vaccination room, the nurse told me about different kinds of vaccines she was about to inject me with and told me some precautionary measures (use ice cubes three times a day for 2 days where I was injected to prevent swelling and in case of fever, take a painkiller). I got sore arms for two days it was so annoying.
RECEPTION 4:
After getting the vaccination I went back to the reception 4. They gave me a form to fill. The lady said that my medical details will be sent to the embassy online in 3 working days and I can get the medical myself after 4 days.
COLLECTING MY MEDICAL RESULTS:
After 4 days I went back to the clinic to collect my examination result. They gave me a blue sealed packet, a CD and a vaccination report and told me not to open the blue sealed packet. I was supposed to take the blue packet with me to the US embassy consulate Islamabad, while the Xray CD and vaccination report were needed to be presented on the US airport.
So basically that’s how my medical went. Smooth and simple, nothing to worry about. My medical started at 8:30 AM sharp and I was done around 9:30 AM. In short, the medical examination lasted an hour. The only thing I didn’t like at Wilcare was that they didn’t have a proper waiting room. My mother went with me on the medical day but of course she wasn’t’t allowed inside so she had to wait in the waiting room but sadly, the didn’t have any. It was hot and all the parents including my mother had to sit outside in the shade with 1 fan only. So I guess they really need to work on that. Apart from that everything was super good.
2. Register for a courier service
You need to register yourself for a courier service by visiting https://cgifederal.secure.force.com/SiteRegister?country=Pakistan&language=en_US Its totally free. Below is the step by step procedure to get registered;
Login> Update profile> New application/ schedule appointment> IV Address registration> Select visa class> Add info> Add dependents (if any)> Select a pick up location> Print the form.
This is important but you can complete this phase after the interview also.
3. Gather your Documents
Before the interview, prepare a pre-interview checklist. Visit https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Supplements/Supplements_by_Post/ISL-Islamabad.html#pre_interview_checklist for further assistance.
I took all the required documents with me and also the photocopies but it was no use. I didn’t need anything from those documents in the entire document, the only documents I actually needed at US consulate Islamabad were;
Appointment letterOriginal Birth certificateOriginal nikkahnama with certified English translationMarriage certificate issued by NADRA2 picturesPassportWedding picturesMedical result (the blue sealed packet)Print of the biographic page of passportCNIC photocopy
Don’t forget to keep a few 1000, 500 and 100 RS notes.
Interview Day
(The whole interview lasted 1 hour approx)
Finally the interview day came. My interview time was 7:00 AM and the location was Islamabad. I reached the embassy at 5:55 AM. the gates were closed and there was a long line of cars waiting.
The gate opened at 6:00AM sharp. It was raining cats and dogs that day. My parents and I went inside after parking our car, there was a reception but no one was there yet. I asked a personal what am I supposed to do to now as there was no one on the reception and I had no idea at all what to do. He told me to wait and that in a little time an announcement will be made then you’ll have to come a stand in a queue. So I sat in the waiting area along with many other people. My parents were with me till this point but they couldn’t go with me further from this point. There was a cafeteria there, it wasn’t that good but it was fine, something is better than nothing you know, my parents had a nice breakfast from that cafeteria and waited for me.
THE WAITING AREA:
This place I’m talking about is basically the parking and waiting area. The waiting area had fans only, no ACs. Luckily that day the weather was good so everything went smooth otherwise it would have been really very hot there. Anyhow, Nobody was allowed to go further than this point (only the applicants). From this point people were directed towards their respective embassies via shuttle surface. The area ahead this point is the diplomatic enclave where all the embassies are located e.g. USA, Italy, Qatar, Russia, Korea etc. At 7:00AM sharp, an announcement was made that all the US applicants who are scheduled for an interview at 7:00AM are requested to form a queue.
THE SHUTTLE SERVICE:
I got in the queue. On my turn the lady asked me for my ID card and its copy, photocopy of the biographic page of my passport and RS 100/-. After that I was asked to stand in other queue. here, on my turn the lady asked me for my passport (again) and demanded RS 500/- (fee for the shuttle service). She returned my passport along with a shuttle ticket. Then again, I went o the waiting area but a different one. I was on my own from that point. No bags or cellphones were allowed beyond this point so I gave everything to my parents and only took the documents with me.
After 5-10 minutes of waiting an announcement was made that people who are scheduled for an interview at US embassy please step forward and get into the bus. I showed the driver my shuttle ticket and got inside the bus. The US embassy was 25-20 minutes far from the waiting area.
US EMBASSY ISLAMABAD:
After some time I along with many other people reached the embassy. It was such a nice place. Everything was just perfect. As I entered the building, the handed me a green paper, it was basically instructions on how to get recited for a courier service. Then I went to window 1, I was given a token from this window and then I waited, again.
On my turn I was asked to go to another window. Here, I gave my fingerprints and some documents. I.e.
Original nikkahnama along with certified English translationMarriage certificate issued by NADRAOriginal birth certificatePassport 2 picturesMedical result (blue sealed packet)
I was also asked here that in what language I prefer my interview. I said English.
INTERVIEW:
After waiting a little more I was finally called at the interview window. Again, I was asked about the language I prefer for the interview. I said English and my interview began. The questions he asked me were;
Q: Who is calling you?
Q: When did you get married?
Q: Where did you get married?
Q: How many people were there at your wedding?
Q: Where does your husband live in the US?
Q: How many members are there in his family?
Q: What are the names of his sister?
Q: Are they married?
Q: What is your qualification?
Q: What is your husband’s qualification?
Q: What are your future plans?
Q: Do you plan on having children?
Q: Can I see your wedding photos?
After this he said, “Okay miss Aliza, your visa has been approved. Congratulations. Here are your original documents. You will receive your passport within a week or two.”
YAAYYY!! I GOT MY VISA
After 2 years and 7 months of waiting and struggling, I finally got my US spouse immigration visa approved. I can’t tell you how relived I was at that moment and I could’t wait to tell my family and my husband about it.
PASSPORT TRACKING:
If you didn’t register yourself with a courier service before, then you can do it now. After that you can easily track your passport using this website http://www.ustraveldocs.com/pk/pk-niv-passporttrack.asp
PASSPORT COLLECTION:
After a few days of your interview you’ll receive an email that your passport has been collected from the embassy. Then you can go and track your passport online by using the link given above. At the passport pickup location, you need to take along with you your appointment letter and your original CNIC and its photocopy. They will give you a form to fill and you have to attach the copy of your CNIC with it and Thats it. You got your passport. CONGRATULATIONS!!
I got my passport after 3 days of my interview. This passport is valid for 6 months but if your medical result expires before you enter the US, then your visa also expires.
Every use is different but the Total timeline in my case was;
USCIS (1 year and 11 months)
NVC (6 months)
INTERVIEW (2 months)
If you want to learn more about being a lawful US permanent resident, visit this website https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/files/nativedocuments/M-618.pdf
Thats all from my side friends. If you know someone who might get help from this post, then please feel free to share.