K-1 Experience: Medical, Interview & POE

[CaptainAmerica 115]

I’ve been meaning to write an update on the final stages of my K-1 visa experience. I’ve been in the US for four months now so I don’t know how helpful it is… However, I know that it helped me reading as many unique experiences as I could find, so I thought it might be worth writing a brief note of my personal experiences of the major milestones for me of the K-1. It’s really been a whirlwind since I entered the US, got married, and started settling into US life. I know I still have a long way to go but have already sorted out those early milestones - social security number, biometrics appointment, driving licence (it was somewhat of a DMV fiasco but I’m grateful that California has an AB60 to fit around the ‘you are a resident but only in the eyes of California’ grey area!) - and biding my time happily enough until my EAD arrives. 

Knightsbridge Medical - April 10th
I was grateful to have a 8.50am appointment, meaning I was one of the first to be seen. I arrived slightly early and alongside one of the reception staff, who was very pleasant and let me in to wait before I could officially register my arrival. I liked that the staff I dealt with were friendly, and the environment was sort of like a family doctor’s surgery. Thankfully being early in morning meant I was seen swiftly - and you can always use the waits in-between to supply that urine sample since there’s only one bathroom with a possible queue! People were seen in rotation, with my first appointment being the X-ray. I was met by a friendly lady, who made the process go smoothly and made me feel comfortable. After that was all completed swiftly, I was sent back to the waiting room for a short while. Next was the main appointment with a lovely, incredibly friendly male doctor who immediately put me ease. He looked at my documentation, essentially told me, “you have nothing to worry about, you’re an easy case”, and then went through his basic checks, chatting with me along the way. Again, I really felt like I was just seeing my regular GP! I have a history of depression and was concerned that it might cause an issue, but as I had that letter from my GP with the 'magic words', he told me I had all that I needed. I’d had a recent MMR jab via my GP - who told me that was all that they could supply - but the Knightsbridge doctor advised it was best to have the second jab to meet the required US standards. I knew that would come up, and I’d already decided to have any additional jabs they thought I’d need there and then so that my DS-3025 would be complete. So it was back to the waiting room one more time, before I was called to a third room to have the MMR jab (which cost £50). That process was over quickly too, and I was given a secondary slip to prove that had been completed (it was also documented on my DS-3025). After that, it was back to reception to receive my copies of the forms, make my payment of £350, and then head home. All in all I was in there for an hour and 40 minutes, and that flew by!


London Embassy - April 24th
My appointment at the embassy was for 9am. Even though I lived an hour’s train journey away from London, I commuted enough to know that trains can be very unreliable and I didn’t want to jeopardise not getting there in time! So I chose to stay at the Holiday Inn Express - Vauxhall Nine Elms, in order that I could be in easy walking distance and attempt to get a good night’s sleep beforehand (I recommend rooms at the back of the hotel to avoid traffic noise). I walked the route to the Embassy the night before, and it was bliss just to know I only had a short walk the following morning. Plus I found a handy Sainsbury’s only 5 minutes from the hotel. I admit I got a bit teary-eyed when I walked around the Embassy, seeing the US flag and knowing that I was finally reaching the last hurdles (at least of this first part of the process). It was also helpful to acquaint myself with the entrances - the South Pavilion Consular Services being at the very rear of the building from the main road.

On the morning of my appointment, I arrived 30 minutes early as the instructions advise. I’d read that some people who arrived early were left waiting outside once they’d been seen by the first ‘checkpoint’ ie that weird stand outside the security entrance, but I was let straight through. I had a bottle of water with me, intending to give it up if I was asked, but I was let through without needing to hand it over (though once inside the Embassy, I found out from talking with others that there’s a discrepancy whether they allow water or not). Next it was walking up to the reception desk inside the Embassy itself. A lady inside asked what time my appointment was, moved me up in the (short) queue, and then I got my papers checked and a nice big sticker put on the front of my passport (which includes your ticket number, floor you need, and which windows to wait outside). I headed up the lift to the Level 1, and met with the brand spanking new waiting area which essentially looks like a really clean Post Office with all the windowed booths on one side. After a quick visit to the bathroom* (head right from exiting the lifts to the edge of the area and keep on going right until you see them!) I was ready to go to the nicer, smaller area for the K-1 visas. This area is tucked round to the left as you come out of the lift. This waiting area was a bit more pleasant to feel tucked away, although as others have noted, there is zero privacy in these areas so you have to be prepared for everyone to hear what you’re saying!

As with my medical, being an early appointment may have helped with being seen quickly. First I went to one window, gave my fingerprints, handed over those required documents (ACRO, photos, birth certificate, choice of courier option**), along with the I-134. My fiancé was the sponsor, and I’d brought his tax returns and bank statements, but none of those were needed. The man handed me my envelope from Knightsbridge, and then I went back to the seats to wait for the main interview portion. Looking in the envelope which should contain the X-ray CD, I realised it was empty!! I managed to find another member of staff to ask about this, who said not to worry, and to tell the person who would interview me what to do about it. Not what I needed, but I knew that it should be something easily resolved. After a slightly longer wait - and trying not to listen to everyone else’s interviews! - I was called to a second window, and met with a friendly-looking lady. I was prepared to be asked a number of questions… After a few pleasantries, swearing an oath, and again fingerprinting, I was asked two simple questions - where does my fiancé live, and where did we meet. That was it. She told me, “I’m happy to approve your visa today” and I was almost agog that it was that simple. I had to ask her, “is there anything else?” and she met that with a smile, and said I was all done. I then asked her about my missing X-ray CD. She went away to try to find it, but to no avail. She recommended I get in touch with Knightsbridge to get my own copy***, since their records showed that they had everything they needed from me. And that was it! I made all my calls outside the Embassy, telling family the good news. All in all was in the Embassy for about 90 minutes, but the main part of the process was done within an hour. It was an amazing feeling to reach the end of a long wait (it had been 8 months since submitting the K-1), and start the countdown to leaving the country and the final preparations that entailed!

*On the way to the bathrooms I spotted a photo booth, which is helpful to anyone who doesn’t already have their US-sized photos.
**After reading some of the DX Group delivery horror stories on here, I decided to collect my documents directly from the depot. That personally gave me peace of mind, although I know I’m fortunate that the depot was a 30 minute drive from my home, which may not be the same for everyone who are otherwise forced to use the delivery option.
***I contacted Knightsbridge about my missing CD, who sent another CD to my home address to keep for my own personal records. Thankfully easily resolved!

POE at Los Angeles International - May 17th
Virgin Atlantic has always been my airline of choice to get to the USA, and using them as an airline for my regular trips to LA to see my fiancé had the added bonus of flying into Terminal 2 at LAX. This terminal is small (very short walk from the gate to the main area), which means that I’d often only have a short wait in their small immigration hall. On most journeys flying Premium Economy with carry-on, I could be off the plane and out of the airport within 15 minutes. After a tearful but heartwarming journey (as soon as the Virgin Atlantic staff realised I was leaving home to move and get married, they went out of their way to make my journey exceptional), I made the same journey to the immigration I’d now done many times before… but with the added heart-racing of knowing I was finally here but first had to get through the immigration hurdle. Once again, I had nothing to worry about. I had a very short wait to see an immigration officer, and handed him that large white envelope. He opened it up, looked through the documents briefly, then asked me to do the usual fingerprinting. He then made a note on the visa page of my passport of my entry date, and said to me, “you know the rules about how to fulfil your K-1 visa?”. I replied that I did, and told him I would soon be married. He then handed me back my passport, and gestured that he was finished. I was again flabbergasted that it was all done so quickly, and asked if he needed anything else from me. He said “no, you’re free to go”. Having psyched myself up that I might need to go to secondary questioning, this was a huge surprise…! I was out of the immigration and customs area so fast that my then-fiance was barely prepared for my arrival. It’s hard to explain the relief and exhilaration I felt to finally be able to stay with him without a countdown for either of us to leave, and to be able to continue together with the rest of our lives. The ongoing paperwork process since then has still has had its moments of stress, but it’s so much nicer to be able to do it with my husband at my side.

In hindsight it’s been strange to consider how anxious and stressed I was preparing for these events, and yet in reality they were such smooth sailing. As others advised, as long as you have your paperwork in order and no skeletons in your closet, there’s no reason why you’d have anything to worry about. However, these things are easier said than done, and it’s not until you’ve experienced them for yourself do you see what everyone means! 

Edited October 2, 2018 by CaptainAmerica

[Wuozopo 4,285]

Great write-up. Thank you. 👍

[DktrFaustus 38]

Very thorough write up and congrats on making it through! I'm really happy for you and I hope you two have a happy life together.

 

Gonna sound like a broken record given my recent posts here, but in terms of the medical and discussion of depression, did you have to present a note, and did it go into detail about medications and diagnosis, or was it more of an overview that contained the "no harm to themselves or others" phrase?

 

Many thanks, and congrats again.

[CaptainAmerica 115]

16 hours ago, DktrFaustus said:

Very thorough write up and congrats on making it through! I'm really happy for you and I hope you two have a happy life together.

 

Gonna sound like a broken record given my recent posts here, but in terms of the medical and discussion of depression, did you have to present a note, and did it go into detail about medications and diagnosis, or was it more of an overview that contained the "no harm to themselves or others" phrase?

 

Many thanks, and congrats again.

Thank you for your comments! I hope you make it through the next phase swiftly too. 

To answer your question, I had a letter from my GP on letterhead paper, which was only very brief. It stated that I had previously experienced moderate depression and had been prescribed antidepressants and CBT. My GP included the phrases that I was no longer experiencing symptoms and have been off antidepressants since 2014, along with the magic words 'she is well and is not a harm to herself or others'. 

When I went to the medical, I included this letter along with my medical summary and the doctor there read through these notes himself without me prompting him (as he read the GP's letter, he verbally acknowledged that the wording was accurate). The letter's content may depend on the severity of one's symptoms, however I believe that the letter itself need only be brief unless there is a significant history to refer to. The medical summary will display the details of your medical history itself. I had brought along a more detailed medical summary just in case that was needed, but it wasn't. All I needed was the medical summary, proof of vaccinations and the letter from my GP regarding my mental health. 

 

I hope this helps you! 

[moreadore 95]

Great write up! Currently have our case "in transit" from NVC to London... I have a question if you don't mind answering regarding scheduling appointments... What letter did you need to bring to the medical? We received an email about the case being in transit today with an attachment. And, does the interview need to be scheduled first like 4 weeks out then call the medical and schedule two weeks out? I guess this part of the process gets a bit hazy as this is where it goes unique for each specific country.  Congratulations on smooth process and hears to happy times in the US!

Edited October 3, 2018 by moreadore

[DktrFaustus 38]

9 hours ago, CaptainAmerica said:

Thank you for your comments! I hope you make it through the next phase swiftly too. 

To answer your question, I had a letter from my GP on letterhead paper, which was only very brief. It stated that I had previously experienced moderate depression and had been prescribed antidepressants and CBT. My GP included the phrases that I was no longer experiencing symptoms and have been off antidepressants since 2014, along with the magic words 'she is well and is not a harm to herself or others'. 

When I went to the medical, I included this letter along with my medical summary and the doctor there read through these notes himself without me prompting him (as he read the GP's letter, he verbally acknowledged that the wording was accurate). The letter's content may depend on the severity of one's symptoms, however I believe that the letter itself need only be brief unless there is a significant history to refer to. The medical summary will display the details of your medical history itself. I had brought along a more detailed medical summary just in case that was needed, but it wasn't. All I needed was the medical summary, proof of vaccinations and the letter from my GP regarding my mental health. 

 

I hope this helps you! 

 

Thank you for your reply

 

I have a patient summary printed off by my GP, which contains brief mentions of past history/problems and their relevant dates, along with a vaccination history, but nothing pertaining to medication prescribed. Frustratingly, my GP does not allow Patient Access online, so I cannot access anything more detailed myself. I'm going in this afternoon to see if I can get more detailed notes, and an updated letter noting medication prescribed and the dates. I hope I can get the information required. I'm so worried about not getting this right, or there being a bigger problem with it all, that it has kind of overtaken my life right now.  My medical is on October 13th and I'm just worried time is running out. I've even considered rescheduling, such is my anxiety over it. It hasn't been a great week so far!

 

Anyway, just needed to vent that. Having to keep it from people at work, who are asking me why I'm so quiet and tense-looking is difficult.

[chlosicles 65]

@DktrFaustus

I understand your need to vent. I went and picked up my patient summary yesterday and they've listed the depression and anxiety I used to suffer with as a current problem so I need to get that fixed!
They also put on there I suffer with a personality disorder (which I don't - I was diagnosed as having traits of it).

Have written them ANOTHER letter to hand in today asking them to write a note explaining the depression/anxiety and to include those words "am not a harm to myself or to others"

 

Like you, I considered rescheduling, but then I think to myself, there have people that have gone to the medical, and the doctors there have told them to scan through copies of letters from the GP explaining everything.. until you give everything the visa doctor wants, the visa is on hold. So it's not too bad, it can all be sorted out

[Wuozopo 4,285]

2 hours ago, DktrFaustus said:

My medical is on October 13th and I'm just worried time is running out. I've even considered rescheduling, such is my anxiety over it. It hasn't been a great week so far!

If Knightsbridge needs more, they write exactly what they want, to your doctor. You could drop off or fax to your GP and pick up when ready. No guessing. No point in getting so worked up and chasing shadows trying to guess. If it's not enough on the day you go, you get it after and fax or email back to them. Go with what you have. If not enough, your GP gets a doctor to doctor request for exactly what is wanted.

[DktrFaustus 38]

10 minutes ago, Wuozopo said:

If Knightsbridge needs more, they write exactly what they want, to your doctor. You could drop off or fax to your GP and pick up when ready. No guessing. No point in getting so worked up and chasing shadows trying to guess. If it's not enough on the day you go, you get it after and fax or email back to them. Go with what you have. If not enough, your GP gets a doctor to doctor request for exactly what is wanted.

 

Ultimately, I agree with you re: getting worked up/chasing shadows. I just have a bad habit of narrowing my focus onto something like a dog with a piece of meat, especially something as important/pivotal. I suppose I just worry about a doctor request being made, not having control over the situation and potentially bad things happening, but that's just how my mind works. BUT I can only do my best, get as much info as I can, and that's what I'm doing.

 

All I know is I picked the wrong time to give up drinking for a while!

[Wuozopo 4,285]

15 minutes ago, DktrFaustus said:

 

Ultimately, I agree with you re: getting worked up/chasing shadows. I just have a bad habit of narrowing my focus onto something like a dog with a piece of meat, especially something as important/pivotal. I suppose I just worry about a doctor request being made, not having control over the situation and potentially bad things happening, but that's just how my mind works. BUT I can only do my best, get as much info as I can, and that's what I'm doing.

 

All I know is I picked the wrong time to give up drinking for a while!

This isn't a race where you have to get the quickest time. You only have to finish. Be the tortoise instead of the hare. You still get to move to the US. Understand how few people get denied K1 visas in London. BELIEVE all the posts that say how nice all the medical and embassy people are and that their worry was futile.

[DktrFaustus 38]

1 minute ago, Wuozopo said:

This isn't a race where you have to get the quickest time. You only have to finish. Be the tortoise instead of the hare. You still get to move to the US. Understand how few people get denied K1 visas in London. BELIEVE all the posts that say how nice all the medical and embassy people are and that their worry was futile.

 

As Fox Mulder said: "I want to believe". I know I will be just fine, and forgive me being a bit of a tool! Thank you for your words, they are reassuring.

[chlosicles 65]

4 hours ago, Wuozopo said:

If Knightsbridge needs more, they write exactly what they want, to your doctor. You could drop off or fax to your GP and pick up when ready. No guessing. No point in getting so worked up and chasing shadows trying to guess. If it's not enough on the day you go, you get it after and fax or email back to them. Go with what you have. If not enough, your GP gets a doctor to doctor request for exactly what is wanted.

You are so reassuring, thank you so much. 

[CaptainAmerica 115]

13 hours ago, DktrFaustus said:

 

Thank you for your reply

 

I have a patient summary printed off by my GP, which contains brief mentions of past history/problems and their relevant dates, along with a vaccination history, but nothing pertaining to medication prescribed. Frustratingly, my GP does not allow Patient Access online, so I cannot access anything more detailed myself. I'm going in this afternoon to see if I can get more detailed notes, and an updated letter noting medication prescribed and the dates. I hope I can get the information required. I'm so worried about not getting this right, or there being a bigger problem with it all, that it has kind of overtaken my life right now.  My medical is on October 13th and I'm just worried time is running out. I've even considered rescheduling, such is my anxiety over it. It hasn't been a great week so far!

 

Anyway, just needed to vent that. Having to keep it from people at work, who are asking me why I'm so quiet and tense-looking is difficult.

Believe me, I know how you feel! Ultimately I think I was over-prepared in all the paperwork I pulled together, but it was useful for me at the time and it's also handy just to have the documents for my own personal records. As you've already been told, Knightsbridge will advise you if anything's missing, and you'll have time to send it back to them. I hope that your GP can help you before your medical appointment, but there is a great (and unfortunate) variant on how doctor's surgeries treat these sorts of requests. 

[CaptainAmerica 115]

18 hours ago, moreadore said:

Great write up! Currently have our case "in transit" from NVC to London... I have a question if you don't mind answering regarding scheduling appointments... What letter did you need to bring to the medical? We received an email about the case being in transit today with an attachment. And, does the interview need to be scheduled first like 4 weeks out then call the medical and schedule two weeks out? I guess this part of the process gets a bit hazy as this is where it goes unique for each specific country.  Congratulations on smooth process and hears to happy times in the US!

Initially I was also concerned about the letter of proof, and printed a screen grab of the NVC page once it had changed to 'Ready'. That was in the end unnecessary, as I soon received my confirmation packet from the Embassy confirming their receipt. It may well be that yours arrives before your medical appointment too! 

As for scheduling the interview and medical, it's probably wisest to book your medical first since those appointments seemed less available than interview appointments (at least when I was booking mine during March). The interview can be scheduled as soon as your case shows as 'Ready' and the Embassy's system lets you in to book your appointment. As you know, it's recommended to leave two weeks between the medical and interview, to give enough time for the papers to be passed over. So I'd sort out your medical first and then book the interview as soon as you're able to. You'll find that the interview system is easy to use and to reschedule, so you can change your interview appointment as you see fit (I ended up being able to move mine forward by checking the system occasionally for earlier appointments to appear). 

I hope that helps you! 

[StaceF 41]

Great write up, thank you so much! Still awaiting NOA2 but as a May filer we are hoping we will be hearing next month 🤞🏼

 

Would you please mind helping with a question I have about your drivers license? I’m currently trying to research what to do to get a Cali driving license and I am getting differing results. I have a full UK license but am reading in various places that I won’t be able to use it...in other places I’ve read you can use it for a year.

With not being able to work until EAD is received and potentially not being allowed to drive for months either I’m starting to wonder what I’ll do with myself whilst hubs is at work! I was hoping to buy a car straight away and be able to properly explore my new home.

Can you please tell me how long it took for you to get your California license? Could you drive on your UK license at all? 

 

Any advise would be much appreciated!