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| London, United Kingdom |  Review on October 5, 2015: |
starsky
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
I arrived at the embassy at 7am for an 8am appointment, the queues were about 15 deep, but it wasn't until 7.30am when embassy employees surfaced and separated the lines that I realised a lot of the people queuing were for non-immigrant visas. A sigh of relief.
I was second in line on the immigrant visa queue and the first for the day on a K-1. As I watched the lines of non-immigrant visas go through into the embassy I was concerned we were getting forgotten about (and would therefore have to join the back of this now 100 strong line), but shortly before 8am we were 'fast-tracked' to the front of this queue, into security, then straight into embassy to then another 'fast-tracked' queue, much to the dissatisfaction of other visitors who just thought we were queue jumping. People get irate very quickly at the sight of queues. Immigrant visas appeared to be a bit more scheduled than non-immigrant which felt more first come, first served, hence tensions running high!
The embassy appeared to have ran out of paper on the day and weren't issuing paper tickets like others here have reported here. Instead everyone just formed an orderly seated queue in the waiting hall. It wasn't until 20 mins later an employee came along and separated us again into immigrant and non-immigrant visas. About 15 of us went to the back of the hall and were issued 'raffle style' tickets with numbers on in the order in which we entered the embassy (luckily I was 2nd in line). I wondered to myself whether my raffle prize was getting an approval today!
Sound problems in the embassy meant it was total chaos knowing when your number was being called and where to go; dismayed embassy employees were simply shouting numbers and corresponding window numbers every few moments. I really felt for them. I waited only 10 mins before being called to an old 'bank style' clerk window. He asked for my; appointment letter, passport, ds-160 confirmation, visa fee receipt, passport style photo, birth cert, police cert, affidavit of support (& proofs which included employed letter, pay stubs, w-2's) and finally the renewed letter of intent as my k-1 'four-month' petition had expired by 1 day! He retained all this & said take a seat. So far so good, I thought.
15 minutes later, back to a different window for my interview, this time it was an American lady who swore me in, verified with fingerprints, then started flicking through my case file. Paying particular attention to our 'relationship timeline' she asked us where & how we met (which I messed up slightly on specifics), what my fiance did for a living, how many brothers/sisters, where she went to university and her degree, plus a few questions around when we were looking to get married. No small talk, no chit chat, straight to the point and very procedural. My heart sank when she exclaimed she was 'confused' as to how my fiance & I had met, I said a bar, when in fact it was and therefore we had said it was a restaurant. Don't ask me why I said bar, it was a rabbit in headlight moment, brought about by nerves and the lady rightly called me out on it. I guess that's their way of keeping you on your toes, so just be careful with what you say and compose yourself before any nervous murmurings. Anyway, all approved, big sigh of relief and I was out of the embassy doors by 8.45am. I'd say it was a doddle but only because I got a positive result and everything turned out super quick for me. I know others here have said they were in the embassy for hours. I was inside for less than 45 mins!
Just a few tips:
#1 It pays to get there early, no matter what anyone else says. An hour before is fine.
#2 Be as organised as possible; better to take more evidence/paperwork and be more thorough than trying to blag it. Triple check every entry, date, signature and so on. I seen someone else getting in real trouble because they didn't have a particular form and it looked like that might have been a denial. Don't put yourself through that, prepare well.
#3 Re-read your original K1 submission from cover to cover, memorise the statements you've already given, particularly your 'relationship timeline' as most of the questions were either from that or other things you should know. Most people would say you should know your fiance's birthday but a lot of people don't. Even genuine people come unstuck on a question they do not know. My rabbit in headlight moment was brought about by not refreshing myself on some of the specifics we had put in the timeline not because we had fabricated anything. Nerves play their part massively, too.
#4. Just remember if you're genuine then you will get through this and you will get approved, but all paths lead to this point and its critical, so naturally you'll feel the pressure and nobody can say anything to really comfort you through that, it is what it is.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #17960