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| London, United Kingdom |  Review on February 7, 2017: |
Li&Kyle
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
My appointment was at 12:30pm and I arrived about 5-10mins early. I was queueing at the wrong pavilion to start with, it wasn't terribly clear and others in the queue seemed to be confused where they were supposed to be as well. I've been to the embassy before for my student visa (and for the renewals) and there's usually someone standing outside who directs you where to go... Regardless, it didn't take me long to find out I had to enter via the right pavilion, which is for those seeking visas. The one on the left is for "official visitors". In the pavilion you go through security, like at an airport. The security guys were very friendly.
Then you follow the path around the building to where you enter and present your passport and interview letter to reception. They weren't terribly welcoming in reception and were quite unprofessional. There were 3 of them chatting and joking amongst themselves and not acknowledging me. I think one of them had finished her shift and was hanging around sprawled on the front desk playing with her phone. I stood in front of them waiting for about 5 minutes, I think I was just waiting for her computer to load but she didn't say "Hi" or "Hold on a second" or anything... Eventually she gave me my number and told me to go through the doors and wait. She didn't indicate which doors, but luckily I knew where I was going anyway. If you get the same unhelpful receptionists just know it's up the stairs to the left.
Inside the hall it was very very quiet. I've never seen the embassy so dead, like eerily quiet. There were only 3 or 4 other people waiting (some were families). That was probably why the front desk was so lax. It's likely it won't be as quiet for others as it was for me, as I say I'd visited the embassy 3 times over the years and I'd never seen it like that before.
I had barely sat down and my number was called! I went to window 3. He was nice, but wasn't chatty. He didn't tell me what he needed from me and I had to just make the assumption he wanted to to see my passport and appointment letter first. Then he asked another guy to pull my file. He asked for my original certificates, 2 photos, and courier confirmation. He also asked if I'd been married before. He gave me some old passport photos back that I'd provided when I first filed, and he gave me my x-rays from my medical. Then he scanned my fingerprints. He thanked me and told me to go sit back down and wait for my number to be called again.
I waited about 45 minutes for my number to be called again. When it was I had to go round the corner to the window 14. I was greeted by a woman, she was very friendly. She had me raise my right hand and swear an oath to tell the truth. Then she scanned my right-hand fingerprints and began the interview:
- So, tell me about your husband. How did you meet him?
- Was that here or in the US?
- Did you go to the same college then?
(She laughed when I told her I 'friend-zoned' him to begin with. It was all very conversational.)
- When did it become a romantic relationship then?
- What happened when you eventually had to leave?
- How did you communicate whilst you've been apart?
- I can see here you tried to visit him. You applied for an ESTA but had it refused?
(I explained how I had been denied an O-1 visa twice, and she asked me a couple of questions about them.)
- Has your husband ever lived over here with you?
Then she began telling me that she needed a letter from my husband to say he doesn't earn enough to file taxes. I started to worry and realise that I wouldn't be approved today... I told her I was confused why that would be necessary because he does file his taxes. Then I handed over the IRS transcript he had sent me. She said, "Great! This is all I need then." She told me my visa was approved and I would have my passport returned to me within the next 2 weeks!
I was only at the embassy for about an hour and 15 minutes, start to finish. It was very quick and very easy. My only advice would be to just be prepared and make sure you have with you everything they ask for in the interview letter. They didn't even look at the photocopies of my certificates nor the Affidavit of Support form/s "signed in ink", but had I not brought my husband's IRS transcript and W2s I would not have been approved that day!
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #21342