Have you had your K-1 interview at the London Embassy recently?

[Claremcin 1]

Hello

I have my interview at the US Embassy on Tuesday 1st July. The letter says my interview is at 08:30am and that I should arrive about half an hour before then.

Someone in the forums has told me that it doesn't really matter exactly what time I get there, that I won't be 'late' if I arrive later than 08:30 and that whether I get there 08:30 or 09:30 or whenever I will just have to line up and wait. The person who told me this (thank you Nich-Nick) had their interview quite a while ago though so I would appreciate any info anyone (who had their interview recently) can give me.

If I definitely need to be there for 08:30 I will stay in a hotel overnight the night before to ensure I am not late, but if it doesn't matter if I am a bit later than 08:30 then I will just drive up on the day (though still aim for 08:30).

I would appreciate any info that you can give me about this, especially if you had your interview recently.

Thank you.

Clare.

[landr 126]

My interview was last Friday at 8.00am, I got there for just before 7am. I'd advise you to arrive for 7.15am-7.30am as that's when they set up the mobile desks in front of the embassy and when the queuing will start. See my interview review for where to stand (near the white bin in between the black bolsters). Normally they let in the people with the 8.00am interview slots first and anyone with a later interview has to queue in a separate line. However, there is no harm in getting there early. While the queues do seem to move quickly, there's still the anxiety of having lots of people in the queue in front of you and psychologically it just "feels" better to be standing nearer the front, in my opinion. Plus, you'll be able to hear any instructions that they shout out to those queuing. They will most likely let in those with 8.30am interview slots next, so you shouldn't have that long to wait.

The other things to consider are the London weekday morning rush hour (approximately 7am to 10am) and trying to find parking in Central London, let alone trying to find parking near the embassy, where security will be high. If you have never driven into Central London before, then you're going to be in for a shock and I would not advise driving in plus trying to get to the embassy for 8.30am. I'd advise taking the Tube, which was relatively straightforward and not very packed when I took the Victoria and Central lines last week.

In my opinion, if you live far enough away that you'd need to drive in, then the least stressful solution would be to find a hotel nearby, arrive the night before the interview and then walk to the embassy in the morning. If you do a search and/or have a look at some of the reviews, you'll find some recommendations.

Nich-Nick has been advising on these forums for years, so if she gives you advice, it's usually a good idea to listen to it.

[Clair.S 5]

I was asked by a friend to take them to the embassy a few weeks ago. I looked into the prices of parking and all the added extras of driving in London and decided it wasn't financially worth it, so we parked in Harlow and got the train in (7 pound a day parking at the train station). A few things to consider, this is your interview, if you are stressed like I would be...would you:

-Want to drive in London during rush hour when you have an early appointment.

- Want to find parking around the embassy, which from my observations seemed very limited.

I would say either stay in a hotel overnight or drive early but park at one of the outer train stations and get the train / tube in - but again have enough time spare for any delays.

As for getting there after 8.30, it does state on your interview letter that "Late arrivals may result in cancellation of your appointment". Whilst they don't run appointments by the exact time specified, this isn't something that I would want to test for something so important.

Edited June 27, 2014 by Clair.S

[Nich-Nick 3,353]

There is a large car park under Hyde Park http://m.q-park.co.uk/parking/parkingid/1953

They have a map and the embassy is marked. It's by the green oval to the right of The car park.

My point was the time 8:30 is not held exclusively for one person and at precisely 8:30 they will call her name. You queue, take a number, and get called by number, not appointment letter time. So not being inside the door by 8:30 on the dot would not be cause to panic.

The interview appointment for a visa is not the same as an interview for a job where you are the only one coming at that time. The embassy will have a mass of people and they won't know if you got in the door at 8:00 am or 8:45am. So if you found yourself 6 blocks from the embassy at 8:29, you wouldn't have to break out running for fear your name would be called in one minute.

[Claremcin 1]

Thanks to everyone for the advice. I am intending to drive up, park at Wimbledon and get the tube from there and will aim to be at the Embassy a bit before 8.30 e.g. 8am, to be safe. Thanks again all.

[landr 126]

Thanks to everyone for the advice. I am intending to drive up, park at Wimbledon and get the tube from there and will aim to be at the Embassy a bit before 8.30 e.g. 8am, to be safe. Thanks again all.

The tennis championships are on at the moment, so it's going to be even busier than usual around that area. The first matches start at 11.30am on the day of your interview, you might be lucky and miss the crowd. Otherwise, if you don't want to risk it, I suggest parking at a station that's bit further down the Tube line you plan to take.

Edited June 27, 2014 by landr

[KVE 29]

Thanks to everyone for the advice. I am intending to drive up, park at Wimbledon and get the tube from there and will aim to be at the Embassy a bit before 8.30 e.g. 8am, to be safe. Thanks again all.

I was at the embassy at 6.30am, by the time it was 7.30am there were nearly 100 people waiting. They started letting people in around 7.40/7.45ish.