I've received two emails from the Embassy since re-requesting my Packet 3. One is a general receipt for my email, another says:

'Please confirm your current mail address before the forms are resent to you.

Thank you for your e-mail correspondence.


Consular Information Unit
U.S. Embassy, London
(a load of codes here, not sure if they're specific to me so I've deleted them, not relevant anyway)


This informal method of responding enables us to respond to you within a shorter time. No record is being made of this correspondence. If you need to e-mail us again, please return this e-mail.'

The receipt email tells me not to reply to this address under any circumstances as it slows them down, but the second email asks me to respond to confirm my email address.

Presumably others who emailed London got the same thing - what do I do, reply or not? Do I just forward them the second email in response, to confirm that it's me?

Why can't they make things clearer to begin with?

I think maybe they meant for you to confirm your postal address? That way they can ensure it ends up with you instead of getting lost in the post

It might be worth a fresh e-mail to them with your postal address then you can highlight the confusion in the e-mails - maybe they don't realise

...that makes a lot more sense.

That's how I read it anyway - but it still says to not reply in one and to reply in another... If all else fails you can always call and try to speak to a real person although saying that... you might be better off online

Good luck!!

Well to be fair, the receipt email (they've sent me another one now that I've emailed again, so clearly it's an automated response thing) says specifically that they don't want people sending duplicate emails ('prodding' them into responding, I guess) or asking for status checks. Since I'm doing neither of those and a real person has emailed me asking for a response, I think I'm alright.

I did make a point of saying 'I hope I've done the right thing here because blah blah conflicting', so I hope they make note.