The fiance visa Interview is the most important point in your visa process

I want to compare something to our fiance visa process here. Stay with me and you’ll see where I go with this.

Simone Biles was less than 10 years old when she got the “bug”. She started practicing hard for one day to be the USA’s “most decorated” gymnast, according to biography.com.

Read that again: she was younger than 10 when she dedicated herself to practicing to become the best.

Yet, when did she climb to fame? At the Olympics. That’s when years and years of sweat finally paid off and she won several Gold medals at the Rio games in 2016, a mere blip in time compared to the years she spent preparing.

She’s a great example of how solid preparation ultimately leads to success. She knew years of hard work would only pay off if the judges at the Olympics were impressed.

In no way to undermine her success, our fiance visa interview is similar to the “blip” in time after the build up.

Here’s our build up:

● We prepare & submit our I-129F (takes 1-2 months)

● We wait for I-129F processing (and lose sleep wondering whether you should’ve filled out the application in all caps or lowercase) (5-8 months)

Our visa Olympics:

● Proving our case to an officer at the K-1 visa interview (1 day)

Just like how the Olympics is one of the MOST important part of Simone’s journey, our fiance K-1 visa interview is one of the MOST important part of our journey.

Let me explain to you what goes behind the scenes and why it’s indeed the critical turning point.

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Why the K-1 visa interview is the MOST important part of the K-1 visa process

If Simone didn’t nail a landing perfectly, do you think she’d be able to plead to the judges, “believe me, I really practiced. I don’t know what happened…”

Of course not. It’s the same with our fiance visa interview. You can’t expect much if you say “Denied? But… I really want this visa.”

The Embassy has to be convinced of your eligibility. But why does this even matter?

The simple answer is that the Embassy officers hold the power to approve or deny your case REGARDLESS of how your case actually is. The story behind the curtains is shocking once you learn about it.

You see, the US Embassy plays an extremely important role. It’s considered the “eyes and ears” of the US government in terms of visa issuance.

The Embassy officers are on the ground, in the trenches, and face to face with applicants. They’re very experienced. They’ve seen the good and the bad. They can tell quickly who’s real and who’s fake.

Not like the USCIS who only approve your case based on paperwork (read what happens after you submit your I-129F).

The USCIS knows that they have a shortcoming because they can’t be with you face to face scrutinizing your paperwork and asking in depth questions.

That’s why they place a lot of trust and faith on the decision that the Embassy makes. And that’s why it’s important for you to satisfy the Embassy with YOUR case. Because if they are, then so is the USCIS.

Here’s the excerpt from the Foreign Affairs Manual. It’s what the government instructs officers to do regarding suspected fraud relationships:

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The government tells them to pluck out fraud cases and return them to the USCIS or NVC. Along with a detailed explanation of why they felt it should be denied.

The USCIS has faith in the US Embassy. It’s like how the Olympic Committee places their faith behind the judges who score Simone’s athleticism. They know the judges will evaluate her performance fairly because they’re experienced in all facets of the sport.

Let me give you some context here for our fiance visa.

Good cases can turn bad, bad can turn good

I’ve seen fiances cases that were 100% compliant in terms of paperwork, financials, and Medical report, Police clearance and so on, but were still denied due to the officer’s “gut feeling” regarding the relationship.

You know… cases that have red flags or big holes in their story. It’s common for those with a vast age difference or language barrier.

Take this for example:

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It’s from a devastated applicant who had spotless paperwork, yet his case was denied by the consulate due to red flags.

Realize that if we were only talking about his paperwork, then this guy would be approved. But we’re not.

The USCIS saw his paperwork and stamped an approval without a second thought. But when they shipped it over to the Embassy, the officers put it under a microscope. Similar to how Olympic judges may use grading systems in the Olympics.

It all makes sense, right? That there’s a system to visa evaluation.

But now, let me throw that entire concept out the window.

At the end of the day, many complex factors affect their decision. Here’s an example that’s completely different from the first.

I’ve known applicants who walk into the interview with incomplete paperwork — such as a missing police clearance certificate — but were still approved because the Consular officer felt there was enough to go on for approval.

Here’s the actual conversation I had with the one who had problems with Police Clearance Certificates. He was panicking that he wasn’t going to make it with a PCC because his home consulate wasn’t cooperating.

● Would he have to cancel and reschedule his interview?
● Was he going to be turned away at the interview?
● Did it mean an automatic denial?
● What if he could never get that PCC, what then?

I told him to try his luck and ask the US Embassy for help. He did. And he emailed me the response the consulate gave him:

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The Embassy responded that he can come in for the K-1 visa interview and the officer will figure out if he needs to submit a Police Clearance or not.

Think about that: Even though the rules explicitly state a PCC is required from each applicant from the locations you’ve lived, they understand it’s impossible to get sometimes.

More than that, they have the authority to say “Nah, you’re okay. You don’t have to bring that in.”

And indeed, the officer allowed the interview without a PCC. In fact, even though his paperwork was “incomplete”, he was still approved a K-1 visa.

Again, the Embassy has the discretion on almost all facets of your case. That’s why I say your interview is the most important point in your entire process. A good case can turn bad, and a bad case can turn good (like the two examples we saw).

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What does the USCIS think about that?

So, what does the USCIS think about all of this power?

Do you think they objected to the fact that this applicant didn’t bring a PCC from a particular country and the Embassy officer still approved his case?

No way. They have faith that the Officer made the right decision to waive the PCC requirement, and no security issues arose.

Similar to how the Olympic Committee has full faith in the judges who awarded Simone the gold medal. They didn’t go back and say “Sorry, Simone. We didn’t agree with the judges. We’re taking that medal back”.

At the other side of the token, how does the USCIS respond when an officer refuses someone’s K-1 visa?

Although the USCIS follows a procedure to “review” the denial before giving their final verdict, the same deal as before applies. In most cases, when an Embassy officer denies a fiance K-1 visa, the USCIS supports it and usually agrees with it.

Again, the Embassy is the “eyes and ears” of the government. That’s why the K-1 visa interview is the most-important part of your entire process.

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Does this mean anything else, like your I-129F, isn’t important?

If you’ve been with me so far, two things should’ve popped into mind:

● If my two examples show that it’s up to the Officer’s discretion, doesn’t everything just come down to luck then? Why should I even prepare at all?

● Secondly, does this also mean my I-129F petition isn’t important because the Embassy makes a decision regardless of how I front loaded everything?

Because there’s so much freedom in what the Consular Officer decides, it’s easy to think that it all comes down to luck.

OR to think it’s just luck that Simone nailed that perfect landing to rake in several gold medals. Or was it luck that the judges were impressed by her?

Not by a long shot.

In our fiance visa interview, it’s not just one factor, but a combination of evidence, of being eligible, prepared and answering questions correctly that land you an approval. The officers are experienced with different cases. Whatever your situation is, they’ve seen it before.

Think back to our two examples. The first: the guy with a red flag denial. Do you think it was ONLY because he was 12 years younger than his female US partner that got him a denial? Even though his paperwork was spotless.

Perhaps. But I think it was more than just that. It was a combination of the red flags, infrequent meeting (comparatively), not meeting family members, and the way he responded to questions (defensively) during the interview that sealed his fate.

Think about the second example: Was it luck that the applicant walked in without a PCC and was still approved?

Perhaps. OR perhaps it was because his case gave the officer a good “gut feeling” with a combination of: no red flags, other paperwork being complete, “clean” background history, and sincere responses during the interview that got him an approval.

Let’s take the conversation even deeper.

What about your I-129F petition? You know, the packet I talk so much about in my website and how important it is.

Does it mean your I-129F is unimportant since the Embassy officer can interpret your case anyway he/she feels like it regardless of what’s within the packet? While no one (like the USCIS) will say anything against it?

No. You see, let’s not confuse lack of accountability with lack of responsibility. Yes, it’s true that officers aren’t questioned by the USCIS too frequently regarding their decisions. But that doesn’t mean the officers are irresponsible and/or emotional with their decision.

The I-129F is one of the most important packets they use to review your case, understand your relationship, and base their conclusion while interviewing you.

It’s your best tool of persuasion. That’s why I talk so much on my website about making it perfect. The I-129F is HOW you make sure you front load for a great case. The K visa interview is WHERE this hard work shines. And both are critical components for getting a visa.

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Focus on getting prepared for the interview

So, the idea to take away is that the interview is the most important aspect of your fiance visa. Everything we talk about– the I-129F, the proof of relationship, the affidavit of support, rehearsing questions/answers, and all else — combine together to get an approval.

The K-1 visa interview is the point where your hard work comes together. The Olympics is where Simone’s hard work comes together.

Good cases can turn bad, bad can turn into good. Don’t get complacent.

My words of wisdom: the single biggest advantage you have to have for a good outcome is to be prepared with that the things that matter like paperwork, details, proof of relationship and so on.

After years of unraveling the fiance visa process and seeing how it ticks, the truth is that preparation is key to approval, along with paperwork and great bona fide evidence (my 3 parts of a “Solid Approval”). The interview is where this preparation shines.