A day at the US embassy

(More like... from the outside looking in)

So what does one do while waiting for someone to finish his interview at the US embassy? Here are some ideas:
1. read a book
2. do some crosswords
3. chat with those sitting beside you
4. watch people pass by and observe humanity as they go on with their lives
5. check out Facebook
6. check your text messages
7. plan for things to do at work
8. check emails and get updated with things at work
9. stare blankly into space
10. walk around a bit

Well, you get the drift. I did all of those stuff but mostly I just sat there and let my mind take in the conversations happening around me.

I was appointed by the family to assist my uncle while he processes his migration papers to the US. It is as simple as accompanying him to wherever he has to be, cross checking his requirements (which is a lot) with the checklist provided, and just being there just in case something else crops up that needs attention. Truth is, I just needed to be there for moral support. That's all.

It has been a long wait for my uncle. The petition for him to migrate was filed a decade or so ago and it is only  now that it is starting to progress.  Apparently it is the case for most petitions for siblings even for families. Entering Uncle Sam's land of milk and honey as an immigrant is not that easy. I heard lots of stories from petitioners who were there with me waiting for their parents and siblings to finish their medical examination.

So what happens after an immigrant visa case is scheduled for an interview?

1. The applicant has to get medical clearance at the St. Luke's Medical Extension Clinic at Bocobo St., Ermita, Manila. (Originally, we were all set to go to St. Luke's at E.Rodriguez in Cubao. A good thing I mentioned it to a friend and she asked me to double check the address.)

The process takes at least two days. The first day is for the physical examination. The second day is reserved for vaccinations. Luckily for my uncle, he only needed two days. We arrived at the clinic at around six o'clock in the morning thinking that we were there early. We were wrong. He joined the queue and already there were 181 applicants ahead of him. Well, to be fair, the clinic also processes applicants for Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

Companions are not allowed inside the clinic since there is not enough space. I just stayed outside and chatted with others who are also doing the same. One was a petitioner whose wife has to take DOTS for TB. Another was an applicant. He was telling us that they were migrating as a family but his sister was not given medical clearance so the process for the whole family was delayed.

I was listening to all these stories and I just hoped to the high heavens that it would not be the same for my uncle. By 10:30, he was done and was instructed to return the next day for his vaccinations. We did not know it then but since that was the only instruction given, it meant that his medical examination did not reveal any ailment, no other procedures were requested. The second day was just breeze. After another four hours, he was done with his vaccinations and was given a sealed envelope to bring with him during his interview and a CD (of his medical check up) to bring with him to the US.

2. The applicant has to prepare all the necessary documents which are usually emailed and can also be found in the embassy website. Instructions are very straightforward. They just look intimidating at first.

3. Register for a courier delivery address in the US embassy website. The address provided will be where the visa and passport will be delivered by the chosen US embassy provider. In the case of the Philippines, the US embassy uses 2Go. I had difficulty registering my uncle at first but after several attempts, I managed to get it right.

How about the interview?

1. Since the interview time is provided, there is no need to arrive at the embassy very early unlike in the case of the medical examination. My uncle was scheduled at 10:10. We arrived there at 9:55. He was instructed to go straight to the table reserved for immigrants. After signing in, he was allowed to enter the embassy.

2. Security is strict at the embassy. Have you seen the place? It is like a fortress--concrete fence, CCTVs everywhere, floodlights, security guards, barbed wires in some areas. They've got the works. I am sure there are K9s somewhere.

No cellphones are allowed inside. Neither are big bags.

There is a waiting area a few meters away from the entrance. It is not really a waiting area but you know Filipinos. They sort of made it into one. At first I thought it was really THE waiting area since there are chairs scattered around which I took advantage of. It was only after I sat down that I was approached by a lady collecting my payment of thirty pesos for using the chair. Well, it seems some enterprising Filipinos saw a business opportunity and grabbed it--people need to sit, provide the chairs and collect payment.

For the next four hours, I sat there and observed. It is an organized enterprise. The lady who approached me is in charge of the chairs. Others sell pens (only ordinary black pens are allowed--not sign pens, not gel pens). They even keep phones and bags safe. The ladies have ziplock bags with numbers. If you give your phones to them, they give you a  claim tag which you return to them later. Same for bags. The rate for the safekeeping of phones is 50 pesos. It costs more for bags which is understable. They have to carry it around with them. (With what I have seen, they are trustworthy and have been there for some time. They can explain to you the procedures and they have lots of stories to tell if you manage to talk to them and they do not get distracted by newly arrived applicants)

By noon, it started raining... out came the umbrellas that they are also peddling. It is pretty impressive. They cover everything applicants need. I am pretty sure that they also sell cellphone credits.

Anyway, I sat there together with others under the rain waiting. My uncle's interview took hours. There seems to be some problems with the birth certificates. He was required to present a request form to the Philippines Statistics Authority (PSA) main office in Pasay. Since it was only two o'clock in the afternoon, we decided to make a run for the PSA office. Thanks to the LRT, we managed to make it before the offices closed for the day. We again filled in the application for the necessary documents, got interviewed, paid 350 pesos for each birth certificate we were requesting for and were instructed to wait for further instructions from the embassy. They explained to us that it would be the embassy personnel who would pick up the documents requested and we just have to wait for communication from them.

Once again, we have to wait. That is the only thing we can do.  Wait and hope for the best. We'll see.