So, the 29th May was our big day. One we had waited for since we decided in September 06, when Dannie came to the UK while she studied at university with me, that come July 07 we didn't want to part ways after living together for 2 years. We were lucky enough to be able to file at Vermont, not knowing at first it was quicker than the others and was pleasantly surprised to see all these quick NOA2's from them!
I had already applied for the Police certificate, and we had all the paper work for the interview sorted before packet 3 arrived and as soon as it did, I booked my medical and I made sure was all right and turned it right back to them with everything they needed.
The Police Certificate took exactly 39 days to arrive and got it a few days before the medical. By this time I had my interview date with packet 4. I have to say I was most nervous about the medical for some reason. I knew I wouldn't have anything wrong with me, but I was always afraid of some sort of illness not allowing us to be together. Throughout this whole journey I hated the fact that someone else could control your future... That thought always scared me. Anyway, the medical was easy, didn't need any injections, the x-ray was as simple as standing there, and the actual medical was fairly painless, apart from being poked and prodded. The blood taking was ok however, but we had troubles with my right arm which left me with a massive bruise for over a week! After the medical I kept my phone on me at all times, paranoid that someone would call and tell me there was a problem, but, nope
Next was the interview. We made an exact replica of the original petition, got some new photos printed, got some more evidence of continued relationship, such as mail, transcripts from our uni, rent payments for our place etc. I made copies of all the paper work I sent with packet 3, and got all the evidence of support together, along with the police certificate and copies, plus birth certificate and copies.
The evidence of support was interesting. Dannie's parents would be our co-sponsors as Dannie is currently not on a wage due to being a full time student. Regardless, she filled out the I-134 with the word that she could get it notarized at the embassy. She got copies of her bank statements, her transcripts for university and her last 3 tax returns. Her parents both filled out the I-134 and got it notarized, so essentially we had two co-sponsors. Her mother and father supplied us with a copy of shared bank statements, house deeds, property tax, 41k financial details and shared tax returns. Her father also supplied wage slips, a letter from his employer, while her mother, who runs her own business, supplied tax returns from the business plus business bank statements. All that was complete, and we hoped it would be enough.
So the day of the interview arrives. Luckily as Dannie was with me, we went together which made me feel much less nervous than I think I would have been. My brother lives in London, so we were lucky enough to have accommodation and we stayed for the long weekend where it rained constantly
The appointment was at 10.30 and we arrived at 9 so we could get Dannie's I-134 notarized. As she is a USC, she walked right in only to find the notary office was closed till 2! Panic! We began to get a little nervous now, however, I had read in the reviews section of people not even bringing the I-134 in and still had the interview but just had to send it in at a later date. We said this would be worst case scenario, infront of being denied of course! With this is mind, we nervously queued up at 9.45 to be around 14th in line. We were given a bag to put our wallets, money, belts etc in. There was the 10.am line already filled with plenty of people all quiet and keeping themselves to themselves. By 10.30 there was still around 20 people from 10.am being let in and they only began letting us 10.30'ers in at 11.10! We presented the interview letter, my UK passport and Dannie's US passport and we left our cell phones with security. We got through security and went to the front desk in the embassy and handed over our letter and was given a number for 'immigrant' which was number 18. We went and took a seat and both were still fairly on edge, ready to get this done with. I personally am very nervous in these situations even though this was my third time at the US embassy (2 prior J1's).
We were called up within 10 minutes of entering to desk number 14 where we met this really nice guy who joked with us a little bit and talked about the process. He asked for my birth certificate and copy, my police certificate and copy. Then he took my passport and 2 photos. Then came the affidavit of support....
I came out and said, "as Dannie is a student we have a co-sponsor" and handed him both her mum and dad's I-134's. Dannie then said "I have also filled out the I-134, but I could not get it notarized today" but he said, "it's ok, we don't need it if you have a co-sponsor." JOY! We both smiled and felt relaxed for the first time in the day. He then looked over the I-134's and asked for any supporting evidence we had. I handed over the letter from the employer and 3 pay stubs, and he said thats all they would need. He took the copies and gave me back the originals. I had a whole case of bank statements, tax records etc! Ah well
He then asked when I intended on leaving the UK and I said July.I paid the fee (£53.34 (thank you exchange rate)), did the finger prints thing, and he said good luck and told us we would be called for the interview in 30 mins or so. He also mentioned Dannie could come to the window but may not be allowed to speak.
As soon as we sat down, thats when the fun started. A loud alarm went off, and everyone looked confused, especially the ones behind the desks. Then a voice came over the tannoy:
"Everyone duck and cover, move away from the windows, this is not a drill".
Everyone looked even more confused. A few people moved, a few people got down. Most just looked like this was normal! Then all the employees got under their desks and people then began realize, this could be real. Then a security guard came in and said:
"Everybody quick, follow me into this room, this is not a drill, head down and keep down."
Everyone ran! Right into the room where there are more interview windows, but away from the main hall. Doors were closed and locked. Again over the tannoy a voice was heard saying, "this is not a drill, please stay down."
Now we were freaking out a little. As were most people. We could see right into the office where all the workers were hiding under their desks. This was pretty scary. Police cars could be heard outside so we just kept sitting and thinking what was going on!? 10 minutes later, another announcement saying all radio's are being turned off for security. Then nothing.... No one knew what was going on. Were we under a threat? Did someone have a bomb? What was going on!!!
10 minutes later, the voice returns saying, "thank you for your co-operation, this was a drill in our continuing mission to better our security."
WTF! That did not help the nerves.... AT ALL!
As soon as we got back to our seats we were called right up for the interview! We both got there and were met by another really nice guy, this time American. He joked around about the drill saying he had no idea either, it was the first one they had done.
He took my finger prints again, then I swore under oath HE joked around and asked how we met, when we started dating, then asked Dannie how long she has been in the UK. Then he said "great, I am happy to tell you your application is approved, congratulations." We both smiled, hugged and kissed He said "awww, you guys will be happy together." It was a nice thing to say as were definitely surprised with how nice they were. He then explained the AOS stage and when my visa will be delivered. He also went over the "do not open" letter and explained how he heard stories of people being sent home after opening it before the POE. He then congratulated us again and sent us to pay for the courier.All in all, great day. We celebrated with a nice meal and relaxed in London for the rest of the day before heading home. We couldn't have been happier and both agreed the whole process wasn't as scary as we both thought it had been. We were very happy with the embassy trip and thought everyone was very nice and helpful.
When we got home, we got our invitations ready and the flights booked.
America, here we come!
