It's been nearly 3 weeks since Rob sent back Packet 3 (April 15th) and we haven't heard anything from the Embassy.
I expected to wait, but I see people who filed around the same time I did and who've gotten their interview dates within a week of sending back Packet 3 and have their interview dates already coming up at the end of this month! It's so frustrating and I know you all know the feeling...
I'm just worrying that something is wrong.

And to add to the worry, I'll be going over to England to be with Rob when he goes to London for everything and I just see airfare prices going higher and higher as the weeks go by.
I'm probably just being paranoid, but I hate this whole being in limbo. Just adds to the stress of everything else going on in my life

Sometimes I wonder why I get myself into these stressful situations, but I know in the end it will ALL be 110% worth it.

I don't know who's been getting interview dates a week after sending Packet 3; everyone I've spoken to has said at least a month

and you're right... however high the stress levels reach, you will soon reach a time when they're in the dim and distant past, and it will all be worth it

The not knowing is what causes all the stress. If only they had a web site which showed receipt of documents and the progress of the application much of that stress would be removed.

that would be such a relief, and probably not too hard to do.
like each time the file is scanned into the computer it would update the website...kind of like the USCIS site, but with a little more detailed information and a running log...not just a change of date.

Mine took about 6 weeks. I agree, its the not knowing whats going on, adds to the stress.

Still, looking at your timeline. You haven't too long of a wait. Think of those of us who were/still are at the mercy of CSC. Will be coming upto a year for me, by the time I get the visa in hand.

oh yes i definitely feel for those filing at CSC
i was prepared to wait 6 months for the noa2, i almost had a heart attack when i saw we'd been approved so soon

Me too!!! Almost fell of my chair when I saw the update!!!

Darren sent his packet 3 on March 14th and got packet 4 on April 2nd...and I remember someone telling me that was fast...

Hoping that you get it soon!!!

hi i just called the embassy today and they have recived all my stuff and they said i have an interview on june 10 so it might be good to call them i sent my stuff my packet 3 to london 2 weeks ago

Congrats on the interview!!!

Maybe your packet 4 got lost in the mail??

Yes, congrats! One word of advice for others looking to call and find out if an interview date has been assigned yet -- don't bother paying through the nose by calling the Embassy on the UK premium rate. Call the Dept of State on +1 202 663 1225; when it picks up, press 1, then 0 to speak to someone. Make sure you have your case number available. It's only the cost of a call to Washington DC -- MUCH cheaper!

(Note to Poiteen -- you must have known I couldn't resist! It's like some sort of reflex action... )

I knew you wouldn't be able to kick the habit. You already know the number off by heart, whereas linking to the wiki takes effort

We're a good tag team though

sarahs....

Did your fiance answer the questions regarding anticipated travel date and/or anticipated wedding date?

If he did not, you may wait longer for both learning the date of the interview and the actual interview itself.

Mine took just over a week to come back and my interview is MOnday.

I stated that I had no fixed travel date and no fixed wedding date. I don't think they can have a set process, but i'd call them and chase it up.

Thank you everyone...
I'll be calling them tomorrow to find out info

I don't think he filled out the anticipated times, we're hopefully getting married Oct 31st so I don't recall if he put that date down or not.
I hope everything's ok with his stuff cause he sent it on April 15th...and it's now been almost a month.

All I need when I call is the number from his packet 3 right?

t took us 4 weeks to get a date, I know how you feel. It's coming though! try to not think about it I know its hard to do easy to say but keep yourself busy

They do schedule interviews based on anticipated travel date. I was told that in a email from the embassy.

This is what was in the email:


Back in January we sent our information to embassy with a June travel date and we were not given a interview until May 21. It shocked the hell out of me that they would actually try to accommodate you when nothing about this process is accommodating. It wasn't accommodating for us really because now Jenn wont be moving until August.

If you put a date later in the year or did not put a date at all I would bite the bullet and call the embassy.

Someone mentioned calling the Department of State number but they can't really help in regards to the interview date. At least they could not tell me why it was taking so long. They told me to call the embassy because they do not have access to then entire case information. I talked to quite a few people and every time it was the same thing. Some said we were most likely missing something in our case or they would just give me a guess answer to get me off the phone. You will have to call the Visa Information line on the embassy website. If they cant answer your question(s) make sure they give you the email address to the embassy and code. Without that code in the subject they will delete the email.

Hope this helps

Thank you for this, I will be calling the embassy tomorrow morning.

I've been wondering about the cost of this also, I call the UK for free because I have Vonage...is there some additional cost I will get just for calling the Embassy? or is what everyone is talking about just the cost of a phone call to the UK?

meh i wish i could edit my last post...anyways I found this on the embassy site - Is this the cost thing? And what happens if the call last longer than 7 minutes? Are you charged $16 every 7 minutes?

Consular Affairs: Visa Services
Operator Assisted Visa Information

Callers from within the United Kingdom should dial 09042-450100. Calls to this line are charged at £1.20/min from BT landlines; some mobile and network providers may charge more. In addition, callers from outside the U.K. and some mobile and network providers cannot access this number.

Callers from within the United States who wish to obtain information on, or schedule an appointment for a nonimmigrant visa interview, should dial 1-866-382-3589. Callers are charged a fixed rate of $16:00 for up to 7 minutes which is payable by credit card - Visa, MasterCard, American Express only. Please ensure that you have your credit card details available when making the call. You will not be charged for the call until payment has been taken. Please note that you will be required to provide the agent with a U.K. address when scheduling the appointment.

Have you already tried the DOS line? Maven has the details above.

They won't be able to tell you if anything complicated is going on with your case, but they will be able to tell you if you've been assigned an interview appointment. And it's the cost of a call to washington DC i believe. Plus they'll be up right now, whereas the embassy is asleep

The US 1-866 number is not what you need -- they don't handle K-1 or other family-based visa enquiries. If you need to reach the Embassy, your fiance will need to call from within the UK; it is a premium rate number and costs 1.20/min. The only thing they're really good for is getting the special code to email the Embassy.

Calling the DOS could at least give you an idea if you're "eligible for an interview", as they put it. This just means you're about ready to get the date.

Or, you could try emailing the Embassy without the code, saying you're worried something's wrong. Although the autoreply is always that they delete without reading, that's b*ll*cks. If it's important, they will answer you. Seriously, a month's wait, although a pain, isn't unheard of. You should be getting th P4 shortly!

I know a month's wait isnt unheard of...i just keep seeing everyone who's sent their's back around the same time i did who've gotten their P4 in a week and its frustrating

All the more reason for you to call the DOS NOWWWW!!!!!

End the wondering

lol DOS closes at 5

inconvenient because i work till 5 or 6 pm every day, but friday is my day off.

so whomever i call it will have to be tomorrow anyways

I believe the DOS operators come on duty at 8am... set your alarm clock and call!

I have always had a hard time getting anything from the DOS line. All they will say is whether or not you have a interview date scheduled. They could not tell me why it was taking so long or if anything was wrong. I tried calling the US number for the embassy only to be told they could not help me and my fiancee (UK citizen) would need to call. This call the guy was rude and just wanted me off the phone - I didn't even get to the point of paying for the call... lol I had my fiancee call the embassy which come to find out is not actually a number at the London embassy. I believe it's a call center in Scotland. Her call did not last long at all and was told the embassy was missing documents for our case but would not say what documents. They gave her the email address, email code and I emailed them. After a few days I got a reply back stating they had everything and the reason nothing has happened was due to what I posted above. (Date of planned move)

The DOS line can tell you when documents have been received by the embassy and whether or not a interview has been set. Other then that they have no idea and will most likely tell you to call the embassy line or tell you to call back in a week or two.

Just to update... Just got off the phone with DOS, said the file still shows they are waiting receive Packet3

Soo I'm going to have my fiance call the embassy on Monday and see what's going on...
should i have him call the # in that thing I posted above? the 09042-450100?

That's the one. Tell him to ask to get the special email code too so you can email the Embassy about this as well.

It almost certainly got lost in the post, and you'll have to send another one. I hope you kept a copy! Sorry to hear this.

My fiance just tried calling the embassy as they're opened till 9pm gmt and he said the number doesnt work

I feel like I'm spamming, but I totally don't mean to - I told my fiance to keep calling till it went through and he did and got to talk to someone. They told him it's possible his file hasn't been updated yet and to send an email by tomorrow night, gave him the code and everything. So he sent and email and now we just have to wait for them to answer - which I hope is in a timely manner
*keeps fingers crossed for me and everyone else who needs it*

I really need to thank you all for the information and support
It really does help calm the nerves

That's what we're all here for

Plus we've all been through it, or are going through it, and believe me, you are not the most stressed of anyone here

If I was you fiance, and I had a copy of the packet 3 he sent in, I would send in another copy straight away, just to keep the process moving. He could include a covering letter explaining that he's already sent one in, and if they have it, disregard the correspondance, but if now, at least they get soon.

They usually take a day or two to reply to email queries, so it would be just staying a bit ahead of the game

Oh gosh I know there are people with far worse issues here than what this is and people who've been waiting WAY longer than me and I really hope everything works out for everyone the way it should, no matter what the issue.

Do you know if England has a sort of "return receipt" for their postal service...where you get a signed post card or something back when they receive the package at the destination?

Recorded or Special Delivery you can then go online and see if it has been delivered. However that delays things at the Embassy a few days as that sort of mail goes into the main Embassy mailbox to await collection, and then has to get sorted at the Embassy and passed to the Consular section.

Thank you for informing me of that
A few days delay is fine with me as long as I can know for sure that they have gotten it.
My fiance should be getting a response email back from them early next week and if they confirm that they never received his Packet 3, I told him to request that they send him another (if they will do that).
For certain reasons he was unable to make copies of the forms so he would need another checklist and whatnot.
*I* have copies I filled out by hand because I was helping him with them so it would be easy to redo them, but he'll still need an additional copy of the checklist with his Case #.

He can download copies of forms from here.

http://www.usembassy.org.uk/cons_new/visa/.../visaforms.html

The online checklist doesn't have the box to put the check mark in but that can be put alongside the item, and he would have to known his case number to write that on. It might save you a fews days if the forms you need are online.

Thanks, he's got the forms needed which I think were only DS-156, DS-156K, DS-157, and DS-230 Part 1 only.

Would you happen to know off-hand if on the DS-156, UK citizens need to put their National Insurance Number in the spot where it says "National Identification Number (if applicable)"?

I put "not applicable" because the National Insurance Number is not an identification number

Ok thank you again, that was what I thought, I just wanted to be completely sure before he filled the thing out again

Yeah I also put N/A
I don't think our NI number would mean anything to them

Thanks
and Saffyre GOOD LUCK on your interview tomorrow!
i'll be keeping fingers crossed

In case anyone was wondering - Rob finally got an email back from the Embassy yesterday saying that all forms were received, they are just waiting on the IV-15 Document Checklist in order to schedule the interview.
I find this VERY strange considering the checklist was at the top of the pile of papers he sent, so I told him to call them and tell them that.

He did and the woman he spoke with also found it very odd, she said he better email them again and so gave him another code. So now we're waiting till next week due to holiday to get a response back.

At least now we know the papers weren't lost in the post, thats a monkey off my back for sure. Hopefully they can find that checklist, but if not I've already got him to print out another one and fill it out so he's ready to pop that in the mail.

I send that check list anyway, no harm to do so with a covering letter. Why wait while they look for it. It has obviously got separated from the other papers and could be anywhere.