Possibly "helpful" info re: London Embassy

[AJones 2]

So I forked over the $16 at 0415 this morning local time to call the London Embassy, as my fiance had sent his checklist off two weeks ago and we hadn't heard anything from them, and I didn't want to come here and franticly ask how long it should take.

The nice gentleman I spoke to said that yes, they had received his checklist, but not his medical (completed last Thursday, so the Embassy should have it today as they claim 5 working days are needed to get the medical to them, while Knightsbridge says 4 working days, lolwut?), and not the DS-230-I part 1, I-156, and I-156K that he mailed off a month ago. I asked if he should re-send that packet, and the nice gentleman said no, that it can take four weeks for the Embassy to put that paperwork into the system when they get it. And then another 4-8 weeks after that, they will think about making him an appointment. Or possibly it was 4-8 weeks to get the paperwork into the system, and then they'll think about making him an appointment, maybe. I'm not quite clear because it was freakin 0415, so please excuse.

So, yeah, you think the waiting is over and things are going to move quickly once they get to the state department? HAHAHAHAHA no. They're not. We spent 3 months with the packet at USCIS and it looks like it's going to be another 3 months or more after the packet got to the Embassy, because of the whole "it will take us 1-2 months to enter the packet into the system" thing. We were getting excited thinking we were nearly done and would be receiving that appointment letter any minute now, but no. Another month or so to wait, possibly, for them to bother putting his paperwork in the system, and then I guess the appointment will be 4-6 weeks after THAT? So another 8-12 weeks to wait for him to even have the visa, and another month after that probably until he can finish tying things up and get over here since obvs he doesn't want to quit his job without knowing how long, exactly, he'll be unemployed.

Oh, and even though he had listed a DIFFERENT address on the checklist than the one on the I-129F packet, the London Embassy hadn't bothered to enter that new address into their system. You know, the part on the checklist that says "Where do you want the appointment letter sent?" Yeah. They evidently ignore that. The gentleman I spoke to this morning said he'd change it in their system, but then also had me e-mail to "emphasize" the address change, and whoever answers the e-mail said it got changed so fingers crossed.

TL;DR summary: According to the London Embassy it takes 4-8 weeks to get your paperwork into the system, and also they ignore their own checklist when it comes to changing addresses, so if your fiance(e)'s address has changed since submitting the I-129F, CALL THE EMBASSY.

On the plus side, I have the e-mail address for them and a code to keep my e-mail from getting deleted, so I intend to pester them righteously on a regular basis now.

[Justine+David 218]

What you're describing is relatively normal...we had our p3 documents verified in mid-December and didn't get an interview until March. The UK processes a TON of visas, so they can be backed up a bit. The Montreal consulate frequently has a 3+ month wait on getting an interview, so there's the silver lining

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

On the plus side, I have the e-mail address for them and a code to keep my e-mail from getting deleted, so I intend to pester them righteously on a regular basis now.

I think the code changes weekly so better get all your pestering in soon.

[AJones 2]

I think the code changes weekly so better get all your pestering in soon.

They do take all the fun out of it, don't they? I plan to call them weekly until they either tell me his paperwork is in the system or admit to having lost it and we have to re-send. My fiance is flabbergasted that they didn't update his address off the checklist; I've worked for the gov't in one capacity or another for 12 years now and KNEW they probably wouldn't.

I have such a deep, deep hate for the immigration process by this point, and for that matter I pretty much loathe every USC I know with a USC SO. I've informed friends they can find someone else to whine to about their relationship until they've had to beg, plead, bribe pay fees to, and prove the legitimacy of their relationship multiple times to two different gov't departments and god only knows how many faceless bureaucrats in those departments.

[Dodi 69]

It's ridiculous how much we have to prove in order to get married, just because we happened to be born on different sides of a rather large pond. It's ENGLAND for crying out loud! Not Bosnia!! This is the country who sent the majority of our "founding fathers" over on a boat. They speak our language and gave us our system of measurement, along with the names of many of our early cities/states, just to name a few things.

What's the problem people? We want to marry our SO's and bring them to live with us. What ever happened to this being a FREE country? Free my a**.

Edited July 23, 2010 by Dodi

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

It's ridiculous how much we have to prove in order to get married, just because we happened to be born on different sides of a rather large pond. It's ENGLAND for crying out loud! Not Bosnia!! This is the country who sent the majority of our "founding fathers" over on a boat. They speak our language and gave us our system of measurement, along with the names of many of our early cities/states, just to name a few things.

What's the problem people? We want to marry our SO's and bring them to live with us. What ever happened to this being a FREE country? Free my a**.

Sorry to be a party pooper, but immigration is a privilege, not a right. Yes, it stinks, but believe it or not going through London is one of the easiest journeys people on this site take. No one country is given preference over another, something we as USCs should be proud of. Be happy that your loved one is not going through Casablanca or Lagos, every time you feel frustrated. Our journeys are faster and less fraught in general. Every one of us who has completed this process has been where you are now -- we have all felt the anger and frustration. But know this: it will soon be over. Really. And in six months you will be on VJ telling people to calm down. I promise!

Pro tip for those who want to feed their obsession with updated info: MUCH cheaper to call the DOS than the Embassy Extortion Line, and 9 times out of 10 the info is exactly the same on the computers. Call (202) 663 1225; press 1 then 0 to speak to an operator. Have your LND number ready.

[Rob and Jill 82]

OK wait...I am confused now.

Are you saying, after you mailed in all of the paperwork for the visa it and everything is finished on that side of things, it can still take another 3 months or so to get the interview?

I am fairly certain that just ruined my day. HAPPY FRIDAY TO YOU TOO!!!!!!!!!

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

OK wait...I am confused now.

Are you saying, after you mailed in all of the paperwork for the visa it and everything is finished on that side of things, it can still take another 3 months or so to get the interview?

I am fairly certain that just ruined my day. HAPPY FRIDAY TO YOU TOO!!!!!!!!!

Jill, hon. Shhhhhhh. No tears -- it's Friday after all.

Do not listen to what the Embassy tells you about timing. Really. REALLY! They give extremely conservative timeframes for everything. It is much more useful to consider what recent London "graduates" have experienced in terms of wait times. On average, in the 3.5 years I've been on VJ, the wait time between P3 being sent in and the actual date of the interview is about 2 months.

I have an idea for you, which might help you get a sense of what the current situation is AND give you something constructive to do. It looks like the interview thread has been abandoned, which makes me sad because once upon a time in 2007 I was the person who revived that thread. Would you consider taking it over? It needs some MAJOR work -- a lot of dates have been posted over the past month or so but they have not been collated. If you want, you can tidy the list up, and in doing so, you could get a sense of how long it is currently from P3 to interview date.

Whaddya think?

[Rob and Jill 82]

Jill, hon. Shhhhhhh. No tears -- it's Friday after all.

Do not listen to what the Embassy tells you about timing. Really. REALLY! They give extremely conservative timeframes for everything. It is much more useful to consider what recent London "graduates" have experienced in terms of wait times. On average, in the 3.5 years I've been on VJ, the wait time between P3 being sent in and the actual date of the interview is about 2 months.

I have an idea for you, which might help you get a sense of what the current situation is AND give you something constructive to do. It looks like the interview thread has been abandoned, which makes me sad because once upon a time in 2007 I was the person who revived that thread. Would you consider taking it over? It needs some MAJOR work -- a lot of dates have been posted over the past month or so but they have not been collated. If you want, you can tidy the list up, and in doing so, you could get a sense of how long it is currently from P3 to interview date.

Whaddya think?

I could although I am not really sure what all it entails.

[Y&E 12]

The timeline that he gave you is extremely conservative. When I was waiting some people were getting their interviews within 30 days of sending in packet 3. I think it depends on the time of year. Once you've got your interview day the time will seem to speed by! Just try not to stress too much, at least you know that they have your information.

[AJones 2]

OK wait...I am confused now.

Are you saying, after you mailed in all of the paperwork for the visa it and everything is finished on that side of things, it can still take another 3 months or so to get the interview?

I am fairly certain that just ruined my day. HAPPY FRIDAY TO YOU TOO!!!!!!!!!

I realize Maven is being all calm and rational down there, but I just spent most of the day with my office door shut at work crying, too. Yes, according to what the guy at the embassy told me, once they RECEIVE packet 3 from your fiance, it will take them 4-8 weeks to bother to put it in the system, and his interview date will be 4-8 weeks after that, so you're looking at 2-4 months after he sends in packet three.

At this rate, the London Embassy is going to wind up sitting on our packet longer than the fabled Vermont Service Center did.

The timeline that he gave you is extremely conservative. When I was waiting some people were getting their interviews within 30 days of sending in packet 3. I think it depends on the time of year. Once you've got your interview day the time will seem to speed by! Just try not to stress too much, at least you know that they have your information.

Actually, I don't. They can't confirm that they actually received packet 3 and didn't lose it until it goes in their system, 4-8 weeks after they receive it. The guy also couldn't tell me whether or not the medical got there, although it should have yesterday.

[AJones 2]

Sorry to be a party pooper, but immigration is a privilege, not a right. Yes, it stinks, but believe it or not going through London is one of the easiest journeys people on this site take. No one country is given preference over another, something we as USCs should be proud of. Be happy that your loved one is not going through Casablanca or Lagos, every time you feel frustrated. Our journeys are faster and less fraught in general. Every one of us who has completed this process has been where you are now -- we have all felt the anger and frustration. But know this: it will soon be over. Really. And in six months you will be on VJ telling people to calm down. I promise!

Pro tip for those who want to feed their obsession with updated info: MUCH cheaper to call the DOS than the Embassy Extortion Line, and 9 times out of 10 the info is exactly the same on the computers. Call (202) 663 1225; press 1 then 0 to speak to an operator. Have your LND number ready.

I'm not really angry and frustrated, at the moment I'm just crushed and defeated. We were so sure we were getting to the end of this thing, only to find out that the Embassy is going to theoretically sit on the packet longer than the Vermont Service Center did. We got out of THERE in 3 months or so.

I realize we have it easy, I don't mean to imply that everyone else doesn't have it hard. Except those bastards with their US Citizen SOs who can just up and move in together and get married and never have to prove to anyone, let alone two different departments of the government, that their relationship is "real".

Thanks for the DOS number, I intend to put it on speed dial.

[Darren + Heather 0]

I think you should take the advice of the person above and call the Department of State. We mailed our Packet 3 to London on July 14. Yesterday the Department of State confirmed that London had received it and are were logged as eliglible for an interview. Most timelines I have viewed that had interviews scheduled already received their Packet 4 in the mail within 2 weeks of sending in Packet 3. I am hoping our interview date will be set next week. Best of luck!

[AJones 2]

I think you should take the advice of the person above and call the Department of State. We mailed our Packet 3 to London on July 14. Yesterday the Department of State confirmed that London had received it and are were logged as eliglible for an interview. Most timelines I have viewed that had interviews scheduled already received their Packet 4 in the mail within 2 weeks of sending in Packet 3. I am hoping our interview date will be set next week. Best of luck!

We mailed packet 3 (Well the DS-230-I, DS-156, and DS-156K) at the end of June; it was the guy at the London Embassy itself who told me that the packet wasn't even in their system but not to re-send it because it can take 4-8 weeks for them to put it in the system. Monday will have been 2 weeks since we sent the checklist in after I took him the I-134 and supporting documents when I went to visit the first week of July. Given your experience, I'm wondering if they lost our paperwork and just refuse to admit it until 2 months have gone by.

[Twinkles 10]

Reading what you have said it sounds very similar to what i panicked about just a few week ago.

Mailed my packet and checklist in may i think it was around the 20th. One month later it was on the system..frantic month of panic and i would say now with hindsight wasted phone calls to the Embassy every week on my part

Approx 2 weeks later i got my interview letter for July 30th.

So with all that being said i would say it is taking approx 6 to 8 weeks from the day you post your packet 3 and checklist to standing in the embassy. Hope that helps.

I try to keep in mind now they dont just deal with K1