Knightsbridge and London Embassy Experience

[Elethiomel 85]

I had my medical about a week ago at Knightsbridge, it was a bit intimidating (especially for someone with an anxiety disorder being questioned about how anxious I was!) but after asking all the questions I'd ticked to and looking at my patient summary/checking my vaccinations and chest xray I was informed it was fine and my medical would go on to the embassy 4 business days later, I was pleasantly surprised it arrived in a shorter amount of time than that. 

The K1 interview today went great, would have been nice if it hadn't rained though. Documents were taken at the first window instantly (I had barely walked through the doors and the bleep went off for me to take my papers up) they didn't end up taking the copies of most documents just the originals, I was a cadet instructor for a couple of years so they were a bit iffy I had no paperwork for that but they didn't end up needing it.

 

Twenty minutes minutes later I got my main interview. Just a few brief questions then they said I was approved, I was dizzy, excited and almost fainted. I'm a pretty anxious person but it really wasn't as bad as I had worked it up to being in my head (I'd worried myself an absurd amount about x possible problems). The 1pm Wednesday slot was a good idea, seemed not to have many people there (3 people ahead of me in line and no one else waiting)

It's still not really sunk in yet! I'd talked myself into worrying about every little detail but it turns out there was no need. "I'm going to approve your visa, it will arrive in the next 14 days" is probably the second best thing I've heard in my life; the first being when my lovely fiancee said yes to marrying me!

Edited July 26, 2017 by Elethiomel

[Yaztalksalot 127]

Congratulations!!!  It's such an anti-climax isn't it haha! 

[Elethiomel 85]

Definitely. I'd expected to be given the third degree, but it really wasn't that bad. Simple straightforward questions etc. I think I'd read too many horror stories from the scarier consulates. 

[TriloByte 1,818]

When we first started this process, in my mind, the interview would consist of my fiancee in a stadium size room sitting in a rigid wooden chair in the middle with the interviewer 50 yards away at a huge desk yelling questions over loud speakers while government agents watched her reactions, sweat and lie detector readout. Then there would be a long silence, the interview would end in uncertainty and they would tell her we would hear back in a few months. That's honestly what I expected when we first started. Glad it probably will not be like that.

Edited July 26, 2017 by TriloByte

[FlashLG 152]

 

3 hours ago, Elethiomel said:

Twenty minutes minutes later I got my main interview. Just a few brief questions then they said I was approved, I was dizzy, excited and almost fainted. I'm a pretty anxious person but it really wasn't as bad as I had worked it up to being in my head (I'd worried myself an absurd amount about x possible problems). The 1pm Wednesday slot was a good idea, seemed not to have many people there (3 people ahead of me in line and no one else waiting)

Congratulations! I had my interview today too and was approved. Like you, it took hardly any time at all which was a surprise. My appointment was at 11.30 and by 12.15 I was approved.

 

2 hours ago, Yaztalksalot said:

Congratulations!!!  It's such an anti-climax isn't it haha! 

@Yaztalksalot thanks again for your helpful blog post on your interview experience (I commented on it a couple of weeks ago). It really was helpful 

[Elethiomel 85]

Just an update for everyone. My visa was Issued today at 2pm. My CEAC was "Ready" for about a day after the interview, then the next afternoon it went to "Application Received" for a couple of hours, "Administrative Processing" as an Immigrant Visa it sat in for 12 hours (and the creation date changed to the day after the interview, it then switched to Non-Immigrant and still "Administrative Processing" late last night, a few hours later it switched to Issued.

 

If anyone else is a worrier and a compulsive CEAC checker I hope this is reassuring when you guys have the same experience, I certainly got briefly anxious seeing the AP setting.

[Skatie2k17 36]

4 hours ago, Elethiomel said:

Just an update for everyone. My visa was Issued today at 2pm. My CEAC was "Ready" for about a day after the interview, then the next afternoon it went to "Application Received" for a couple of hours, "Administrative Processing" as an Immigrant Visa it sat in for 12 hours (and the creation date changed to the day after the interview, it then switched to Non-Immigrant and still "Administrative Processing" late last night, a few hours later it switched to Issued.

 

If anyone else is a worrier and a compulsive CEAC checker I hope this is reassuring when you guys have the same experience, I certainly got briefly anxious seeing the AP setting.

I'm at exactly the same stage and have observed exactly the same tracker changes! Changed to issued Thursday morning. So now I've moved on to worrying about it actually getting shipped, arriving safe and sound etc... haha

 

any idea what the time frame is Issued -> receiving a notification from the courier? I would've thought I would have gotten it in two business days... I believe you get an email or text message with a tracker ID?

[Elethiomel 85]

I got my email with the tracker ID today at lunchtime, it's due to be here tomorrow. So one week (5 business days) from interview my visa is due to arrive. 

[GFMc 0]

Elethiomel - it looks like there was only a week between your medical and your visa interview. Is that correct? If so, can I ask if you were able to reserve your interview slot before you did the medical (I know what the Embassy website advises, but I've seen conflicting information on this), or were you able to get an interview that quickly? I'm worried about a long wait between medical and interview, if I can't reserve my interview until after the medical is done. Thank you!

[RaptureSongbird 533]

3 minutes ago, GFMc said:

Elethiomel - it looks like there was only a week between your medical and your visa interview. Is that correct? If so, can I ask if you were able to reserve your interview slot before you did the medical (I know what the Embassy website advises, but I've seen conflicting information on this), or were you able to get an interview that quickly? I'm worried about a long wait between medical and interview, if I can't reserve my interview until after the medical is done. Thank you!

I know the website directions have changed since we filed a few months ago and that they now suggest not booking the interview until after the medical is done.  I think that this is to ensure that your results have arrived, or if there are any issues at the medical that you have time to go back to your GP for more information/test/etc., and then to get that information back to Knightsbridge so they can finalize your medical and get it to the embassy.  When we booked, we scheduled the medical for August 16th and the interview for August 24th and had no problems at all.  We called Knightsbridge to get the appointment and then the next day, since CEAC had changed to Ready, completed the DS160, made the interview appointment, and paid the fee.  The old directions used to state, and I think the slide presentation that is linked from the embassy website still states, that you should book your interview at least 5 working days (don't count weekends, holidays, or bank holidays in this) after your medical.  If you don't foresee any issues with your medical, I think you will still be fine following this advice and it will ensure a shorter wait between the medical and interview.  You also have the option of rescheduling the interview on the website for free, as long as you do it I think 48-72 hours before the interview time, so if there was any issue with your medical, you could also bump back your interview date a bit.

[GFMc 0]

Thank you! Our DS160, fees, etc. have all already been processed by NVC in New Hampshire before being transferred over to London, so thankfully that's one less thing to worry about. I think because of this, our status on CEAC already says "ready," so I'll proceed as you've suggested. 

[Elethiomel 85]

On 12/10/2017 at 3:53 AM, GFMc said:

it looks like there was only a week between your medical and your visa interview. Is that correct? If so, can I ask if you were able to reserve your interview slot before you did the medical

I called up and booked my medical and then booked my interview. I just happened to luck into having a free interview date just a week after my medical. At the medical they said it would take approximately 4 business days for my medical to reach the Embassy. 

 

This said I was quite thoroughly prepared and armed with comprehensive GP letters and full information on all conditions and was sure my bloods would come back fine for STDs etc because I'd had the NHS test me the week before and been clear. If I had suspected I might need to go back to my GP for more info I'd want at least another week's leeway