A Trip to the Houston Korean Consulate

My E-2 visa application documents arrived at the consulate in Houston on Monday, 11th(USPS priority mail). I was called the same day to participate in an interview on Tuesday, 12th at 2:30pm. After a looong drive from Oklahoma City, I made it to the consulate with time to spare. There were two other girls there getting their visas as well. After a short and sweet one-on-one interview with a consul, I was told to come back in an hour to pick up my visa-stamped passport. All I can say is that the Houston consulate works FAST. Everyone my not have the same experience I did, but I was more than pleased to get the final step of my visa process taken care of 15 days before my departure. On an even better note, I got to spend precious time with Michael, singing 90's songs in the car for nearly 14 hours. :)

If anyone reading this has questions or needs help locating the Houston consulate, please send me an email or leave a comment. I'll happy to help!

Questions the Consul asked me:

I was asked to confirm nearly everything I wrote on my application, college, major, birthplace, etc.
I was also asked how I found this job and if I had any teaching or tutoring experience.
He then talked about his teaching philosophy and told me that I'll enjoy my time teaching in Korea.

It was quick and painless. He was very friendly and talkative.

19 more days...

So...the E-2 visa process has been sort of an expensive nightmare for me. Had I realized this before, I would have started the process much sooner. At this moment, I'm waiting to get my visa issuance(?) number from immigration in Korea. Hopefully I receive it this week. I get to take an 8 hour road trip to Houston, TX for an interview by the Korean Consulate. I'm not looking forward to it. Thankfully, Michael will be able to make that trip with me. 


I decided to start this blog before I arrive in Seoul so others can see my preparation. Perhaps I can be of some help to people going through the same experience.