Be prepared to spend a bit of time there if necessary. When we arrived at the Los Angeles consulate for our Visa we waited patiently only to be told we had the wrong form that I had printed from their website! We were told to fill out the correct form and return to the same window.

After we filled out the form we returned to the same window, but the clerk was not there. We waited patiently for 20 minutes. When we asked the clerk at the next window if she was coming back, we were told to wait there. So we continued to wait. At the one hour mark we asked again and were told we could get a new number if we wanted and start the wait over.

We didn't know what to do. We were told she would return 'soon, very soon', so we continued to wait. As the clock ticked towards 11 am I grew nervous that we wouldn't get our Visa today and would have to return. We are over two hours away.

Finally at 11:05 a clerk who had been walking around in the back area during the last 1 1/2 hrs approached us and asked why were standing there for so long. We told he what we had been told, to which she replied that she would help us. She took our application and fee.

By now it was 11:20. I thought for sure we would not get it back today but she said to return at 2:00. It was ready and waiting when we returned.