IGNORE THE ONES WHO SAY THAT! They say the Embassy doesn't have the papers, but what they mean (and what the nice ones tell you) is that the papers are in someone's pile of stuff to process. Be strong! Waiting for the interview date drove me NUTS! But it will come! Don't let State jerk you around!

i sent pack 3 in yesterday 20th feb07, medical is on the 14th march, looking to make the move over to Orlando may 07

Also, I think sometimes maybe the people who get their P4s really quickly according to the VJ timeline are actually ones who sent all the bio and application forms before and just held on to the checklist, then they put the day they send the checklist as the P3 sending date but really London's had WEEKS to enter all the forms. But also sometimes it seems to really just be luck. After all my agonizing I look back and realize I didn't really have to wait very long. It seems like forever when you don't know the end date, though!

Something Else I seemed to notice when it came to timelines and Packet 4, Is the ones who recieved Packet 4 like 2 weeks after they mailed off packet 3 had interview dates 1-2 months away from the date they receieved packet 4. Whereas the people who didnt get packet 4 till like 4-6 weeks after the mailed off packet 3 usuallt had their interview date within 2 weeks of the date they recieved packet 4. SO it seems to balance out get packet 4 fast and still wait forever for the interview or wait forever for packet 4 and then have the interview very fast.

YAY!! Just called the State Dept and we got an Interview for March 28th! No idea when p4 is gonna show up, but I'm soooooo excited. lol

Good luck to everyone waiting!

YAY!! Congratulations!!



You're almost there now!

OW WOWW!!! fantastic news!! Hopefully they've processed my date then - IM GOING TO CALL THEM NOW!!

CONGRATS !!

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAA

AND ME TOOOOO

I got March 20th for interview

she said packet 4vwould come soon

YIPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

OMG!! I was so excited by this news, I called the Embassy's ££££-line......

.... 15th March!!

I am in (the good kind of) shock - and my manager just came over and said 'what are you grinning about??' - hahaha.

Oh.... and congratulations, PCKAA and Nicole!! I almost forgot!

God, I am in total shock, and grinning and laughing like a loon. My colleagues are giving me very strange looks....!

Excellent news - Looks like we all got dates today!!

At least we can celebrate (quitely while getting strange looks from colleagues) together

That is so cool! Congratulations guys!!

Thank you heishe!!

Congratulations!!!!!!

When I got my interview notice it was just in the post and I had been at work and my dad called me and said "theres a letter from the ebassy!!!" and I was like AAAAAAHHH! It was so exciting. But then ofcourse, I strated to get nervous

Congrats to everyone! This is awesome. A lil jealous ya'll are before us.. but we still have a date, that is ALL that matters!!

Dave's medical is tomorrow, so as long as he checks out and has no diseases.. lol I'll be totally stress-free about this, I think. I'm not worried about the interview at all, we have everything in order, we're a real couple.. I make enough money.. everything should be good, so about the beginning of April I should be with my baby.. this is fabulous to finally know a date..

Congratulations everyone!! I feel so left out I called the state dept today to check for us since we all have around the same times, and the guy on the phone said they dont have nothing in their system for us yet from london Does this mean london hasnt got packet 3 or is this the typical message you get until they actually have an interview date? Thanks so much im dying over here now *cries*

nvm just back read and saw it was the same thing they told nicole... sigh guess ill be calling them everyday now but ast least i know its close!

Hey, just be patient. I called Tuesday morning and they didn't have anything in the system for us either. I was pretty upset since the packet had actually been received by them on the 12th. Why on earth weren't they putting us in the system AS SOON AS THEY GOT IT?? lol But look, 2 days later I'm dancing over here. I noticed you sent your p3 just a few days after us.. so you'll be dancing really soon too! Good luck.

Those dreaded words: we have nothing in the system yet!!
Dont despair it looks like they're getting on with issuing the dates now
There is always tomorrow!!

Thanks for all the congratulating... I am still all giddy and slightly hyperactive with excitement. Still at work (for 3 more minutes) and not concentrating at all! AND my boy is getting on a plane tomorrow evening and landing in London on Saturday morning... yup, I am, all things considered, veryveryveryvery excited indeed!!

And Catica... I'm sure you must be only a few days, at most, from having an interview date, by the looks of things... the Embassy seems to be being super-efficient lately!

ps, Heishe... I know I saw you post somewhere yesterday that Pigu is arriving any day now... hm, if I'm this excited about an interview date and my boy's 1-week visit coming up, I can imagine you must be on the verge of spontaneously combusting!!

And... cos we're all celebrating today.. I can add that my boy is coming to visit next saturday too !!! Yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

YESSS!! He's coming on Tuesday. TUESDAY!!! Seriously I just wanna run and scream, I don't know how to handle this excitement. Five days!! AIEEEEEEEEE! I stocked up on Marmite and everything!

Hooray for Visiting Boys!!! How long is he over for? Oh, and meant to say - it's all doubly good news for you, because of your house sale. That's fantastic.



Awwh, congratulations on his impending arrival... after all the cumulative pent-up stressiness of the whole process, knowing that you're just days away from being together without any more horrible goodbyes must be incredible. Seriously, just the fact that Casey's going to be here the day after tomorrow and then my interview's less than 2 weeks after he goes home has got me so ridiculously excited that I want to jump up and down on my bed like a kid to channel some of the adrenaline I seem to be full of today.... I will be climbing the walls with excitement when we get to the stage you're at now - running around and screaming like a lunatic! I'm so pleased for you both (and everyone who's coming to the end - or at least, the end-of-being-apart - of this whole thing).... is it just me, or when you realise you're getting towards the end of all the waiting, do you suddenly think 'pah! that was nothing, I could do that all over again, RIGHT now*!!'

Aaaaand breathe! I really do want to run up and down the road like an over-excitable madwoman. Must calm down before my medical tomorrow, or they'll decide I'm clearly not quite right in the head...



*something I really shouldn't say - don't want to tempt fate here!

Once in a while I briefly think Ohh that wasn't so bad really, I survived and we're closer than ever and everything's okay and I could do it all over again..

Well, and I COULD do it again, but yes exactly.. no tempting fate. I would probably survive, but I'm pretty sure I'd die a lot at the same time. I don't know how the people who have to wait for waivers stay sane.

I'm gonna be here at the office when he lands in Chicago. I'm gonna be so useless to my employer.

Speaking of being too hyped up at the medical...

When I had mine I was so nervous and excited and stuff, my heart was RACING! I had the german doctor and he was teasing me about it, haha.

Hah, get me and all my just-got-interview-date and boy-arriving-on-Saturday bravado - I think it's just that when everything seems to be (touch wood) going according to plan, it suddenly all seems to be not that unbearably painful after all... but then there's those times when (for no reason at all, often), it feels like there's never going to be an end to it, and it's pure hell. And that's just with a 'normal' wait being involved - like you say, I can't even imagine how people who have to file waivers or who end up in AP, AR or whatever it's called, get through it... hats off to them.

I think I'm just on a ridiculous high right now, and waiting for the usual irrational panic about nothing in particular to set in. Still, I have my medical tomorrow - I'm sure I'll think of something stupid to worry about in the next few hours!

As for you being at work when he lands... haha, you might as well give up even the pretence that you're going to get any work done. Not going to happen!!



That will be me, tomorrow... I hope the doctor sees it as something worthy of teasing rather than a potential medical problem! Maybe if I explain that I just found out my interview date, they might understand why I'm having palpitations - haha.

Well I was nervous and babbling and usually my blood pressure is low so I asked if it was and he said no its actually high right now cause your so nervous!
Haha, silly me.
But they will understand!

Good luck with it all tomorrow!

More fun with the embassy lol, my fiancee called the embassy this morning the paid line to see if we had an interview date today, and yesterday they told us we werent even in the system( typical response) well today the woman said we were in the system but couldnt be given an interview cause our case was incomplete they were missing the medical, my fiancee not being a avid reader of vj like me accept this response thinking they needed the results of his medical before they scheduled the interview. When he told me about it when i woke up I told him that wasnt the case. you can get your interview date before you have your medical so i didnt know what the woman was talking about. So he called them back, the second woman he talked to said everything was fine and in the system but due to their backlog could take 4-6 weeks before we get an interview date ( which im hoping is just another standard response) But gee what a fun morning lol.

Stop calling the embassy! You get the same information calling the State Dept and it isn't a premium line. Or don't stop calling the embasy, that's cool too.

I didnt call the embassy, I cant its for UK only lol, and he did it while i was sleeping.. One of those man things if he wants to waste his money on it *shrugs* I let him be lol, I do call the state dept when I personally check it.

Called the State Dept this morning still no interview date however I have just a little bit info, I know you said there was no difference in calling the Embassy and the State Dept, but when my fiancee called the Embassy on Friday they said they had recieved the packet 3 and we were now on a waiting list for our interview. When I called the State Dept this morning, they said they have no record of the Embassy recieving packet 3 yet and we werent in the system at all. Debating on getting my fiancee to call the embassy again to just to see what they say today, If we do decided too Ill post again if they say something different still then what the State Dept did.

Well now that you know the Embassy has your case, now go the free route and just call the State Dept lol Was just wondering if you'd heard anything.. but surely you'd post letting us know..

Good luck!

Yeah still havent heard anything, only been calling the State Dept this week and have kinda avoided posting for the main reason they are just pissing me off. This week went like this Mon- State Dept said they had no record, Tues- State Dept said we were there and had been added to the list of waiting for an interview, Wed- State Dept says they have no record again wth? So I asked the woman on the phone how is it today there is no record when yesterday we were told we were there and on the waiting list. Response I got was I dont know, they hired new people and one of them must have read it wrong. Today I havent bothered calling either one just a tad frustrated still.

Catica - I can really understand what you are going though - i even posted on VJ about going slightly crazy waiting for the interview date. I couldn't take the disappointment of hearing the state dept or the $$ line tell me that no interview was scheduled - and there is nothing they can say to make you feel better. I vowed i would stop calling them just cos it was completing ruining my days...

However - it sounds like you are going through exactly the same process that I did - AND.. I believe it was last friday that we all got our interviews scheduled - so it might just be that you get a date tomorrow !!!!

Keep us updated !!

Keeping fingers & toes crossed for you - and don't worry however pissed off you are now - it will all disappear once you know the interview date!!

They must be hiring new last week too. I swear the guy I talked to was retarded lol Actually, for some odd reason, I think he thought I said NVC instead of Embassy? Coulda happened, right?

I keep checking the immigration timelines to see if anyone new had gotten their interview date. Best of luck to you. I don't know about anyone else on here, but feel free to rant about the State Dept or anything else that's bothering you. That's what we're here for!

Just receaved packet 4 today, interview in London on the 28th march, medical is booked up for the 14th march, fingers crossed all goes well, fly out to Orlando friday 4th may

Wow Congrats...


but is it okay for me to stamp my foot yet and have a childish tantrum and say its not fair!

I would say it's OK. Course, I've only been waiting a week and am already dancing a bit with impatience...and waiting for a phone call or email telling me how the medical went.

Hello Thingee! Havent heard from you in a while or I just been reading the wrong topics lol. Hope your doing good seems like now we are waiting buddies again .

Yep that means still nothing today Sate dept still back to saying no record but the guy I had on the phone today was very nice and seemed cheerful so i took the opportunity to ask some questions. I told him about VJ and there being 2 people who sent there packet in a few days before us, 1 who sent it back same day, and 1 who sent theres back 10 days later and they all had interview dates already and 2 of them I knew of had already got packet 4 in the mail so we were starting to have concerns over our packet 3 being lost. I asked about getting a new packet 3 and based on his answeres we are going to reguest a new packet 3 today from the embassy, If we dont have an interview date by the time the new packet 3 comes we are going to fill it out and send the new one back. He said they would make a notation in the system that we had asked for another packet 3 so even if later down the road they ended up with 2 packet 3s from us it wouldnt be a problem or cause any delays or confusion. And this is where we stand at now lol.

Ahhhh geeeeeez. I promised the SO I wouldn't call the State Dept. Now that's going to be a doozy of a promise to keep. He wants to be the one to tell me the good news.

The medical btw, was totally uneventful apparently. He had a titre done as he had no possibility of getting shot records, and they came back indecisive. Turns out according to the official doctor he needs a couple of boosters. One MMR and tetanus.

Good afternoon I have a small question on your timeline - you say that you sent Packet III on the 21st Feb - was that everything including checklist, or had you sent the documents prior to that?

I'm trying to work out what people mean by saying they sent Packet 3 as it's a two stage process Just trying to gauge how long away my Packet 4 receipt is, along with possible interview dates

I'm trying to work out what people mean by saying they sent Packet 3 as it's a two stage process Just trying to gauge how long away my Packet 4 receipt is, along with possible interview dates
[/quote]

I was thinking most people sent them back together. I know we did. It didn't take that long to get packet 4 back (sure felt like it at the time tho!)

Caved and called the State Department today. We aren't as yet in the system. ARGH! I wonder how long you're in the system before Packet 4 goes out. Hmm.

We sent them back together as well. For some reason, I had it in my head that they should all be sent together, but, searching this board, it doesn't seem to matter.

Is it too soon for me to start complaining that we haven't received Packet 4 yet?

(I'll go wait in the corner until at least two weeks have passed. Then I'll start complaining )

I'll join you in that corner :grins: I know they received it either Friday or today (my checklist) and I keep going downstairs to see if any post has magically appeared through my letterbox :grins:

IsItHereYet?No IsItHereYet?No IsItHereYet?No IsItHereYet?No

I hear it could take up to 4 weeks to come through. Think I might wear my stairs out :grins:

Very very antsy now! I can't do things like work out handing in my notice for work and my house until I have a date (I will leave myself a sensible margin post-interview just in case something goes awry) but... dang!

Not complaining, just being this close to the end and being able to taste the visa (metaphorically ) is so... frustrating :grins:

I'll shush now and get back to sorting through my stuff/putting things in boxes lol

I asked my husband to send in Packet 3 via recorded mail so we could at least know when it was received at the Embassy. Knowing him, he's sent it via second class or carrier pigeon or mule train. His motto is, "Eh, it'll be alright.", which drives me crazy sometimes but keeps me sane at others because I tend to worry about everything.

His housing situation is much easier to deal with, as he's currently renting a place just outside of London that's due to be sold by the owners once he leaves. The property manager is letting him stay there on a month to month basis. If his visa is approved, he'll be able to leave as soon as he gets his passport back.

I doubt it will happen, but we'd love to get Packet 4 before March 20th. He'd booked a flight to the States through British Airways this past autumn that he wasn't able to take, so he'd called and changed the date of departure to March 20th. At that time, we were sure he'd have had an interview by then (how naive were we? ). I don't know if there's a limit on how many times you can change a flight, but I think we're going to be testing it.

There's no way I can wait four weeks. I'll start calling the State Department after two. I'll call them every five minutes until I annoy them so much that they have to schedule his interview just to get rid of me. ;-)

Was informed today that we're now on the waiting list for an appointment. Typical response on how long it'll take to get an interview date.

My fiance' just recieved packet 4 yesterday. Looks like we will have to wait until April 13th.

Friday the 13th !!!!

(cue spooky music)
Congrats on getting your, er, "special" interview date.

Hmmm. I thought they were only up to the tail end of March as far as interview scheduling was concerned. Have they all decided to go on holiday the first two weeks of April? I know, I know--there's an Easter break in there somewhere.

I'm going to be an optimist and continue to think we'll get an interview for the very end of April. Like at 23:59 on the 30th.

I sent them both together, but that's because I'd been champing at the bit for weeks (uh, months, probably) to get everything ready so that I could send the forms & checklist off within nanoseconds of getting Packet 3. I suppose for people who send the forms & checklist separately, their 'Packet 3 Sent' date would (or should) be the date they return the checklist, as they're not going to be eligible for an interview until the Embassy receives that...