Interview Day - US Embassy (London) - My Experience

[VisaDJ 16]

Hi guys,

 

Firstly, a huge thanks to everyone who has replied to the many (no doubt repetitive and, at times, silly) questions I've asked on Visa Journey in the past month or so; I really appreciate your help and the invaluable responses.

 

I am so, so, so happy to be able to say that I successfully navigated the US Embassy interview yesterday, and am now waiting for the relevant visa documents to arrive sometime next week!

 

Here are my experiences of the day...

 

- I travelled on the Tube to Bond Street, which was approx. 7 minutes walk from the Embassy (Grovesnor Square), and arrived outside 15 minutes before my appointment time.

 

- Upon arrival, I spoke to a security guard, who pointed me to go to the blue gazebo/tent that is unmissable out in front of the building, and has 'VISA SERVICES' written on the outside. I showed my appointment confirmation email to a lady at the tent, who checked me off a list, signed my appointment email, and pointed me to the security office on the right hand side.

 

- Luckily there was no queue whatsoever, so I went straight in and was greeted by what I can only describe as a smaller version of an airport security area. I was given a tray to place all of my belongings in (remember to remove your belt, watch etc) and then walked through a metal detector, while the tray went through the x-ray machine. All of the guards were matter-of-fact, but pleasant enough.

 

- Once I had re-assembled myself following the scan, I was told to exit security and turn right out of the door and follow along the perimeter of the building (there are lots of blue direction signs set up, which are easy to follow - although there's only one way you can really go!).

 

- After following the building ahead, and then round to the left, there are a large set of steps, leading to the main entrance, with a reception desk just inside. The receptionist was very friendly, and after checking my appointment letter, stuck various stickers onto the sheet, which contained my I-number.

 

- I then turned left from the reception desk and headed through the doors into the main waiting area, which was a very large and airy room. I had read that it can be hot and stuffy in there, but it was nicely air-conditioned during my visit, and felt very comfortable. I did some guesstimating, and think that there must be enough seats for somewhere up towards 700-ish people, but during my visit, there were all of 15 people total, so I had LOTS of space to myself, and my pick of the seats.

- There is a large dual-sided screen straight ahead of the seating area, with the first interview windows on the right hand side. The window set-up is almost identical to what you would experience in a high-street bank; you stand up when at the window being 'interviewed'.

 

- The large screen has scrolling information on the right hand side, reminding you to have documents ready, to only hand documents over that are asked for, and other general information. The left hand side displays which I-numbers are currently being interviewed, and which windows they are at. When an officer is free, a large yellow square pops up on this side of the screen, with a loud bleep sound, with the next I-number and which window they should go to. It's all very easy to follow.

- Once my I-number came up on the screen, I headed across to the relevant window, and was greeted by a lady who asked me to confirm my name, dob etc. and then asked me for each of my documents one by one.

--- The documents*** I had to provide at this stage were:

----- Appointment confirmation email

----- Birth certificate (just the long form part - my one was A4 size, but they can be various dimensions)

----- Police certificate

----- Passport

----- Passport photo (1x)

----- Form I-134 (Affidavit of support)

----- My fiancee's employer letter

After placing the documents in a folder and logging various things in her computer, I was told to sit down again and wait for another officer to call me.

***It is worth noting that you DO NOT need to take copies of your documents, even though the website tells you to. At no stage did I have to hand over anything but the original versions.

 

- I then waited for quite a while (around 30 minutes), and actually ended up being the last person in the waiting room - it was just me and the cleaner left! I noticed that there were four active windows conducting the second-stage interviews, but three of these had the same I-number at them for the entire time I was there, so everyone else had to wait and be processed by one person, which is where the delay came from. If all four windows had been running, I'd have been called within 5-10 minutes, max.

 

- Finally, my I-number was called and I headed around to the next set of windows. These are located down a walkway to the right hand side of the first set of windows, and as you walk along, it is worth noting that there are drinking fountains and toilets here - just in case you need them. I was going to window 13 - was this to be a bad omen?! I arrived at the window and encountered a smiling American lady, who informed me she needed to ask a few questions.

--- Here are the questions I was asked:

----- How and when (she only asked for the year) did you and your fiancee meet?

----- When did you meet in person?

----- She has a young son, doesn't she? (she actually has a daughter - maybe this is a ploy to catch people out?!)

----- How do you get along with her daughter?

----- I see you have 'No Live Trace' on your Police Certificate; what happened?

That was it! I had a huge stack of documents prepared - my fiancee's financial history, our airplane tickets, tons of photos etc - all of which were never required.

 

- She then informed me that: "based on the information you have provided previously, and today, your visa can be processed... BUT...", There had to be a BUT!!! Cue me having a minor heart attack. I soon calmed down though, and realised that the 'but' was nothing to worry about. She told me that they had to speak to ACRO (Police records office), to confirm that what I mentioned about the No Live Trace arrest was truthful, before they could process everything. Here, I volunteered the sworn statement I had prepared, which she was very happy about (otherwise - she informed me - I'd have had to email the embassy the details, after the interview), and was told that they'd contact ACRO almost immediately, and if the details matched what I'd written (which they will!), then my visa would arrive in up to 7 days time... That was it! All done!

 

- I then grinned a lot and thanked the lady about 74 times, before following the exit signs (you continue on past the second set of windows, rather than going back the way you came), and left the building. I walked back along the perimeter, through the same security office, and out to taste the sweet - yet, highly polluted (this is London, after all) - air of victory.

 

It was honestly, HONESTLY, so unbelievably easy and non-stressful. I read many accounts from other people saying how simple it was, and thought: "yeah right! that can't be true!", but it really is. If you have a genuine relationship, you have NOTHING to worry about.

 

Something to possibly note: my appointment time was 1pm and I repeatedly heard people say: "oh that's the last one", as I moved along through security, then reception etc. (as I said earlier, I ended up being the final person in the waiting room), so it was very quiet, with no queues to get into the building at all. As I said before, if the interview windows hadn't been taken up by three people who took forever, the whole process would have been much, much quicker. I had the overall feeling that my time-slot was a good time to be there. All in all, from when I first arrived at the blue tent outside, I was there for just over an hour.

 

Hopefully this rather lengthy post can be helpful to other people who are approaching the interview. Best of luck to you all!

 

Edited May 19, 2017 by VisaDJ

[NatO23 235]

35 minutes ago, VisaDJ said:

Hi guys,

 

Firstly, a huge thanks to everyone who has replied to the many (no doubt repetitive and, at times, silly) questions I've asked on Visa Journey in the past month or so; I really appreciate your help and the invaluable responses.

 

I am so, so, so happy to be able to say that I successfully navigated the US Embassy interview yesterday, and am now waiting for the relevant visa documents to arrive sometime next week!

 

Here are my experiences of the day...

 

- I travelled on the Tube to Bond Street, which was approx. 7 minutes walk from the Embassy (Grovesnor Square), and arrived outside 15 minutes before my appointment time.

 

- Upon arrival, I spoke to a security guard, who pointed me to go to the blue gazebo/tent that is unmissable out in front of the building, and has 'VISA SERVICES' written on the outside. I showed my appointment confirmation email to a lady at the tent, who checked me off a list, signed my appointment email, and pointed me to the security office on the right hand side.

 

- Luckily there was no queue whatsoever, so I went straight in and was greeted by what I can only describe as a smaller version of an airport security area. I was given a tray to place all of my belongings in (remember to remove your belt, watch etc) and then walked through a metal detector, while the tray went through the x-ray machine. All of the guards were matter-of-fact, but pleasant enough.

 

- Once I had re-assembled myself following the scan, I was told to exit security and turn right out of the door and follow along the perimeter of the building (there are lots of blue direction signs set up, which are easy to follow - although there's only one way you can really go!).

 

- After following the building ahead, and then round to the left, there are a large set of steps, leading to the main entrance, with a reception desk just inside. The receptionist was very friendly, and after checking my appointment letter, stuck various stickers onto the sheet, which contained my I-number.

 

- I then turned left from the reception desk and headed through the doors into the main waiting area, which was a very large and airy room. I had read that it can be hot and stuffy in there, but it was nicely air-conditioned during my visit, and felt very comfortable. I did some guesstimating, and think that there must be enough seats for somewhere up towards 700-ish people, but during my visit, there were all of 15 people total, so I had LOTS of space to myself, and my pick of the seats.

- There is a large dual-sided screen straight ahead of the seating area, with the first interview windows on the right hand side. The window set-up is almost identical to what you would experience in a high-street bank; you stand up when at the window being 'interviewed'.

 

- The large screen has scrolling information on the right hand side, reminding you to have documents ready, to only hand documents over that are asked for, and other general information. The left hand side displays which I-numbers are currently being interviewed, and which windows they are at. When an officer is free, a large yellow square pops up on this side of the screen, with a loud bleep sound, with the next I-number and which window they should go to. It's all very easy to follow.

- Once my I-number came up on the screen, I headed across to the relevant window, and was greeted by a lady who asked me to confirm my name, dob etc. and then asked me for each of my documents one by one.

--- The documents*** I had to provide at this stage were:

----- Appointment confirmation email

----- Birth certificate (just the long form part - my one was A4 size, but they can be various dimensions)

----- Police certificate

----- Passport

----- Passport photo (1x)

----- Form I-134 (Affidavit of support)

----- My fiancee's employer letter

After placing the documents in a folder and logging various things in her computer, I was told to sit down again and wait for another officer to call me.

***It is worth noting that you DO NOT need to take copies of your documents, even though the website tells you to. At no stage did I have to hand over anything but the original versions.

 

- I then waited for quite a while (around 30 minutes), and actually ended up being the last person in the waiting room - it was just me and the cleaner left! I noticed that there were four active windows conducting the second-stage interviews, but three of these had the same I-number at them for the entire time I was there, so everyone else had to wait and be processed by one person, which is where the delay came from. If all four windows had been running, I'd have been called within 5-10 minutes, max.

 

- Finally, my I-number was called and I headed around to the next set of windows. These are located down a walkway to the right hand side of the first set of windows, and as you walk along, it is worth noting that there are drinking fountains and toilets here - just in case you need them. I was going to window 13 - was this to be a bad omen?! I arrived at the window and encountered a smiling American lady, who informed me she needed to ask a few questions.

--- Here are the questions I was asked:

----- How and when (she only asked for the year) did you and your fiancee meet?

----- When did you meet in person?

----- She has a young son, doesn't she? (she actually has a daughter - maybe this is a ploy to catch people out?!)

----- How do you get along with her daughter?

----- I see you have 'No Live Trace' on your Police Certificate; what happened?

That was it! I had a huge stack of documents prepared - my fiancee's financial history, our airplane tickets, tons of photos etc - all of which were never required.

 

- She then informed me that: "based on the information you have provided previously, and today, your visa can be processed... BUT...", There had to be a BUT!!! Cue me having a minor heart attack. I soon calmed down though, and realised that the 'but' was nothing to worry about. She told me that they had to speak to ACRO (Police records office), to confirm that what I mentioned about the No Live Trace arrest was truthful, before they could process everything. Here, I volunteered the sworn statement I had prepared, which she was very happy about (otherwise - she informed me - I'd have had to email the embassy the details, after the interview), and was told that they'd contact ACRO almost immediately, and if the details matched what I'd written (which they will!), then my visa would arrive in up to 7 days time... That was it! All done!

 

- I then grinned a lot and thanked the lady about 74 times, before following the exit signs (you continue on past the second set of windows, rather than going back the way you came), and left the building. I walked back along the perimeter, through the same security office, and out to taste the sweet - yet, highly polluted (this is London, after all) - air of victory.

 

It was honestly, HONESTLY, so unbelievably easy and non-stressful. I read many accounts from other people saying how simple it was, and thought: "yeah right! that can't be true!", but it really is. If you have a genuine relationship, you have NOTHING to worry about.

 

Something to possibly note: my appointment time was 1pm and I repeatedly heard people say: "oh that's the last one", as I moved along through security, then reception etc. (as I said earlier, I ended up being the final person in the waiting room), so it was very quiet, with no queues to get into the building at all. As I said before, if the interview windows hadn't been taken up by three people who took forever, the whole process would have been much, much quicker. I had the overall feeling that my time-slot was a good time to be there. All in all, from when I first arrived at the blue tent outside, I was there for just over an hour.

 

Hopefully this rather lengthy post can be helpful to other people who are approaching the interview. Best of luck to you all!

 

Thanks for this, it's really helpful!

 

One quick question... you mentioned that you gave her the original documents, including your birth certificate. Did you get this back at the end? Ideally, I'd like to be able to get that back to make life easier in the future when I need a new passport etc.

[VisaDJ 16]

10 minutes ago, NatO23 said:

Thanks for this, it's really helpful!

 

One quick question... you mentioned that you gave her the original documents, including your birth certificate. Did you get this back at the end? Ideally, I'd like to be able to get that back to make life easier in the future when I need a new passport etc.

Yes, the only thing I didn't get back was my passport - everything else was handed back, without me having to ask  

[NatO23 235]

39 minutes ago, VisaDJ said:

Yes, the only thing I didn't get back was my passport - everything else was handed back, without me having to ask  

Thank you! Very helpful review.

[Dashinka 23,229]

Congrats! and thanks for the detailed information.

[Ina2017 40]

Congratulations - you're almost there 🎉🎉🎉🎉

[Wuozopo 4,285]

2 hours ago, VisaDJ said:

 

It was honestly, HONESTLY, so unbelievably easy and non-stressful. I read many accounts from other people saying how simple it was, and thought: "yeah right! that can't be true!", but it really is. If you have a genuine relationship, you have NOTHING to worry about.

 

Welcome to the club of "It's Not That Hard" believers. I have read hundreds of detailed accounts such as yours expressing how easy it was.  But the next guy coming up will never believe you. They never do. 

Congratulations on one more step, big step, completed in the journey.

 

Cooy and paste your review in the London review section of Visa Journey http://www.visajourney.com/reviews/index.php?cnty=United+Kingdom&cty=&dfilter=5

[VisaDJ 16]

6 minutes ago, Wuozopo said:

 

Welcome to the club of "It's Not That Hard" believers. I have read hundreds of detailed accounts such as yours expressing how easy it was.  But the next guy coming up will never believe you. They never do. 

Congratulations on one more step, big step, completed in the journey.

 

Cooy and paste your review in the London review section of Visa Journey http://www.visajourney.com/reviews/index.php?cnty=United+Kingdom&cty=&dfilter=5

Haha, yes... How silly I now feel for being a 'non-believer'   I'll definitely post my review onto that page, later today.

 

Thanks again!

[v.b 3]

3 hours ago, VisaDJ said:

Hi guys,

 

Firstly, a huge thanks to everyone who has replied to the many (no doubt repetitive and, at times, silly) questions I've asked on Visa Journey in the past month or so; I really appreciate your help and the invaluable responses.

 

I am so, so, so happy to be able to say that I successfully navigated the US Embassy interview yesterday, and am now waiting for the relevant visa documents to arrive sometime next week!

 

Here are my experiences of the day...

 

- I travelled on the Tube to Bond Street, which was approx. 7 minutes walk from the Embassy (Grovesnor Square), and arrived outside 15 minutes before my appointment time.

 

- Upon arrival, I spoke to a security guard, who pointed me to go to the blue gazebo/tent that is unmissable out in front of the building, and has 'VISA SERVICES' written on the outside. I showed my appointment confirmation email to a lady at the tent, who checked me off a list, signed my appointment email, and pointed me to the security office on the right hand side.

 

- Luckily there was no queue whatsoever, so I went straight in and was greeted by what I can only describe as a smaller version of an airport security area. I was given a tray to place all of my belongings in (remember to remove your belt, watch etc) and then walked through a metal detector, while the tray went through the x-ray machine. All of the guards were matter-of-fact, but pleasant enough.

 

- Once I had re-assembled myself following the scan, I was told to exit security and turn right out of the door and follow along the perimeter of the building (there are lots of blue direction signs set up, which are easy to follow - although there's only one way you can really go!).

 

- After following the building ahead, and then round to the left, there are a large set of steps, leading to the main entrance, with a reception desk just inside. The receptionist was very friendly, and after checking my appointment letter, stuck various stickers onto the sheet, which contained my I-number.

 

- I then turned left from the reception desk and headed through the doors into the main waiting area, which was a very large and airy room. I had read that it can be hot and stuffy in there, but it was nicely air-conditioned during my visit, and felt very comfortable. I did some guesstimating, and think that there must be enough seats for somewhere up towards 700-ish people, but during my visit, there were all of 15 people total, so I had LOTS of space to myself, and my pick of the seats.

- There is a large dual-sided screen straight ahead of the seating area, with the first interview windows on the right hand side. The window set-up is almost identical to what you would experience in a high-street bank; you stand up when at the window being 'interviewed'.

 

- The large screen has scrolling information on the right hand side, reminding you to have documents ready, to only hand documents over that are asked for, and other general information. The left hand side displays which I-numbers are currently being interviewed, and which windows they are at. When an officer is free, a large yellow square pops up on this side of the screen, with a loud bleep sound, with the next I-number and which window they should go to. It's all very easy to follow.

- Once my I-number came up on the screen, I headed across to the relevant window, and was greeted by a lady who asked me to confirm my name, dob etc. and then asked me for each of my documents one by one.

--- The documents*** I had to provide at this stage were:

----- Appointment confirmation email

----- Birth certificate (just the long form part - my one was A4 size, but they can be various dimensions)

----- Police certificate

----- Passport

----- Passport photo (1x)

----- Form I-134 (Affidavit of support)

----- My fiancee's employer letter

After placing the documents in a folder and logging various things in her computer, I was told to sit down again and wait for another officer to call me.

***It is worth noting that you DO NOT need to take copies of your documents, even though the website tells you to. At no stage did I have to hand over anything but the original versions.

 

- I then waited for quite a while (around 30 minutes), and actually ended up being the last person in the waiting room - it was just me and the cleaner left! I noticed that there were four active windows conducting the second-stage interviews, but three of these had the same I-number at them for the entire time I was there, so everyone else had to wait and be processed by one person, which is where the delay came from. If all four windows had been running, I'd have been called within 5-10 minutes, max.

 

- Finally, my I-number was called and I headed around to the next set of windows. These are located down a walkway to the right hand side of the first set of windows, and as you walk along, it is worth noting that there are drinking fountains and toilets here - just in case you need them. I was going to window 13 - was this to be a bad omen?! I arrived at the window and encountered a smiling American lady, who informed me she needed to ask a few questions.

--- Here are the questions I was asked:

----- How and when (she only asked for the year) did you and your fiancee meet?

----- When did you meet in person?

----- She has a young son, doesn't she? (she actually has a daughter - maybe this is a ploy to catch people out?!)

----- How do you get along with her daughter?

----- I see you have 'No Live Trace' on your Police Certificate; what happened?

That was it! I had a huge stack of documents prepared - my fiancee's financial history, our airplane tickets, tons of photos etc - all of which were never required.

 

- She then informed me that: "based on the information you have provided previously, and today, your visa can be processed... BUT...", There had to be a BUT!!! Cue me having a minor heart attack. I soon calmed down though, and realised that the 'but' was nothing to worry about. She told me that they had to speak to ACRO (Police records office), to confirm that what I mentioned about the No Live Trace arrest was truthful, before they could process everything. Here, I volunteered the sworn statement I had prepared, which she was very happy about (otherwise - she informed me - I'd have had to email the embassy the details, after the interview), and was told that they'd contact ACRO almost immediately, and if the details matched what I'd written (which they will!), then my visa would arrive in up to 7 days time... That was it! All done!

 

- I then grinned a lot and thanked the lady about 74 times, before following the exit signs (you continue on past the second set of windows, rather than going back the way you came), and left the building. I walked back along the perimeter, through the same security office, and out to taste the sweet - yet, highly polluted (this is London, after all) - air of victory.

 

It was honestly, HONESTLY, so unbelievably easy and non-stressful. I read many accounts from other people saying how simple it was, and thought: "yeah right! that can't be true!", but it really is. If you have a genuine relationship, you have NOTHING to worry about.

 

Something to possibly note: my appointment time was 1pm and I repeatedly heard people say: "oh that's the last one", as I moved along through security, then reception etc. (as I said earlier, I ended up being the final person in the waiting room), so it was very quiet, with no queues to get into the building at all. As I said before, if the interview windows hadn't been taken up by three people who took forever, the whole process would have been much, much quicker. I had the overall feeling that my time-slot was a good time to be there. All in all, from when I first arrived at the blue tent outside, I was there for just over an hour.

 

Hopefully this rather lengthy post can be helpful to other people who are approaching the interview. Best of luck to you all!

 

congratulations! how long the whole process took from the beginning ?

Edited May 19, 2017 by v.b

[aless02 9]

Congrats!! Thank you for the comprehensive review!!!

[VisaDJ 16]

3 hours ago, v.b said:

congratulations! how long the whole process took from the beginning ?

Approx. 5 months in total from start to finish.

[trudi 1,317]

Congratulations!!

 

Enjoy your celebrations 🎉 

[VisaDJ 16]

1 hour ago, trudi said:

Congratulations!!

 

Enjoy your celebrations 🎉 

Thanks so much! Very happy  I shall definitely raise a glass or two this weekend!

[Sojourner 2]

@VisaDJ Congrats on the good news!! So pleased for you. And thanks for the detailed account of your experience at the embassy. Very helpful. On quick question: at what point did you pay the interview fee? Before you turn up or on the day? How much was it? Thanks!

[VisaDJ 16]

6 hours ago, Sojourner said:

@VisaDJ Congrats on the good news!! So pleased for you. And thanks for the detailed account of your experience at the embassy. Very helpful. On quick question: at what point did you pay the interview fee? Before you turn up or on the day? How much was it? Thanks!

You pay for it online (you have to pay it before you can actually book your interview) and then go ahead and select which day / time you want for the interview, based on what is available (you'll see a calendar type thing, with the available slots).

 

It's awful but I can't remember off of the top of my head how much the fee was, and I only booked it about a month ago! I think it was around £200 total - which included the home courier delivery of the documents (this is an extra cost - the default is for it to go to a location in London, where you would have to go to pick it up).

 

Hope that helps!