Really stupid question...

I went through the Chicago Consulate to get my Spousal Visa.  Make sure you have absolutely everything you need with you.  You can bring your partner, no problem.  When you get into the room, you just draw a number and wait.....it's a lot less formal than I thought it was going to be.  They were really nice too.  Don't be late, because they won't let you in.  Good luck!

Hmm...I thought I read somewhere that unless your sponsor was with you at the interview, you had to bring a notarized letter from them stating that they are aware of the application etc. From my understanding, it seems easier just to have your spouse or S.O. with you just to save on hassle.

Hmm...I thought I read somewhere that unless your sponsor was with you at the interview, you had to bring a notarized letter from them stating that they are aware of the application etc. From my understanding, it seems easier just to have your spouse or S.O. with you just to save on hassle.

You are correct, you need a notarized letter if your sponsor is not with you. But it is not always possible for your sponsor to be with you. For example, when I got my fiance visa, I was in the US and my fiance was in England.

Very true and the notarized letter is a good thing to have available. At the least, it does point out that you should have no problem taking your spouse or sponsor with you to the appointment.

There needs to be a letter from your sponsor whether they are there with you or not, but it does not need to be notorised.


Victoria

I went through the Chicago Consulate to get my Spousal Visa.  Make sure you have absolutely everything you need with you.  You can bring your partner, no problem.  When you get into the room, you just draw a number and wait.....it's a lot less formal than I thought it was going to be.  They were really nice too.  Don't be late, because they won't let you in.  Good luck!

about how long did the whole thing take?? You had to take a number even though you had an appointment??

There needs to be a letter from your sponsor whether they are there with you or not, but it does not need to be notorised.


Victoria

Ditto that.  The letter we included from Alex was not notarized.

It only took 10 minutes.  In and out.....just how I like it! 

How about all the stress that goes into the whole visa process and then it is all said and done in about 10 minutes? We used a courier service and they took the applications  in at 9:00 and I did not hear anything until 3:30. This was a very long wait for me. I cannot imagine the stress that it would have caused me if I had mailed the apps. in.