US Embassy CR-1 Interview Tuesday the 15th of October

[Kris & Crystal 47]

Today is the day...

 

Getting to London

 

My appointment was at 09:30.

 

I had some bad experiences travelling to London last time for the medical, they weren't the best this time. I swear London doesn't like me. I was flying BA1471 from Inverness to London Heathrow. Leaving at 19:05, arriving at 20:35 and staying overnight.

 

Unfortunately the day I was travelling London had Yellow and Amber weather warnings, with all the airports having IFR flying conditions or worse -- though knowing London that could have just been for a mild drizzle... sorry Londoners -- this meant I was paranoid all day the flight would be cancelled... luckily it wasn't, it just arrived about 20 minutes late.

 

I was also worried about the Revolution Rebellion LARPers slowing things down also but that didn't happen either

 

I'd recommend going for a mid to late morning appointment if you can as it would make things easier than my experience.

 

In conclusion, every time I'm in London, Caledonia starts playing in my head -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX9h558Tz1E

 

Getting to the Appointment

 

I recommend storing any luggage above a small backpack or bag, there are various options for this.

 

I stayed in the Heathrow Central Travelodge. I got one of the many buses going to Heathrow back to the airport. Took the Heathrow Express to Paddington Station. Then it was on to the Underground, took the Bakerloo - Southbound Line from Paddington until Oxford Circus for 5 stops, then switched to the Victoria - Southbound Line for 4 stops until Vauxhall station. There are 4 exits from that station, exit number 4 is the best to take in my mind.

 

Then it was just a short leisurely walk (12 to 15 minutes) to the Embassy. There are two entrances, you want to go to the South Pavillion -- it's the one with the line.

 

I arrived at 08:20, I skipped to the front of the line, a woman asked for my DS-260 and Passport, wrote on the DS-260 and told me to come back at 09:00. Walked around for a bit and came back at 09:00-ish she put a sticker on the DS-260 then I went through security, skipped the line -- death stares all round from those queueing -- took the lift to the first floor then left and left again... you'll know when you get there, there's a smaller area with a few windows and seats -- numbers 19 to 24 -- one of these windows is a cashier.

 

I took some crappy pictures if it helps anyone know what to look for https://imgur.com/a/RHFbZHJ 

 

At the Appointment

 

I waited a few minutes then went up to present my documents. I had to have my fingerprints taken. Answer if I was ever married before, did military service, lived in any other country, if I was adopted, etc. Then despite bringing a massive binder full of stuff all I had to provide was my passport, a visa/passport style photograph, the courier confirmation, birth certificate, marriage certificate, police certificate and that was it.

 

Everything else was consulted through the NVC uploads. Everything was fine I was given a handout on domestic violence, sex trafficking, etc and told to sit down and wait for the interview portion.

 

This next bit took a bit longer as there were belligerent people holding up two windows. Complaining about how much money they had already spent, and how the embassy was conspiring against them, etc.

 

When I got to the interview portion I had to swear what I was telling was the truth, give my fingerprints again and answer a few questions (How we met? When we met? If I met her parents) and that was it, was given everything back except the passport, told I was approved and that I should receive it in 1 to 2 weeks, based on previous experiences though I'm hoping it's a bit faster.

 

I was out of there by 10:20, probably would have been faster were it not for the belligerent people.

[Chi2019 3]

@Kris & Crystal Congratulations .

[JSNV90 0]

3 hours ago, Kris & Crystal said:

 

When I got to the interview portion I had to swear what I was telling was the truth, give my fingerprints again and answer a few questions (How we met? When we met? If I met her parents) and that was it, was given everything back except the passport, told I was approved and that I should receive it in 1 to 2 weeks, based on previous experiences though I'm hoping it's a bit faster.

 

I was out of there by 10:20, probably would have been faster were it not for the belligerent people.

HOORAY i am glad that everything with your appointment went well.. MASSIVE CONGRATS....I have still not heard back about my appointment yet for even then accepting my documents after they told me that 3mm was missing from the bottom of my Police cert 😞 but i did get a notification today but cant get into my account....well i can log in just cant access anything which is so frustrating. I was hoping my appointment for medical was going to be before my Husband came to Edinburgh on the 5th Novemeber but looks like i am not.

[Kris & Crystal 47]

5 hours ago, JSNV90 said:

HOORAY i am glad that everything with your appointment went well.. MASSIVE CONGRATS....I have still not heard back about my appointment yet for even then accepting my documents after they told me that 3mm was missing from the bottom of my Police cert 😞 but i did get a notification today but cant get into my account....well i can log in just cant access anything which is so frustrating. I was hoping my appointment for medical was going to be before my Husband came to Edinburgh on the 5th Novemeber but looks like i am not.

I was paranoid with the documents.

• Used a high end Xerox MFD
• Scanned at 600dpi
• Scan each multiple times with different settings and then picked the one I liked the look of.
• Purposely disabled some of the auto correction stuff to show 2mm to 3mm border around everything scanned.

They're doing some kind of maintenance,  I think.

[DesiJase 52]

22 hours ago, Kris & Crystal said:

 

Today is the day...

 

Getting to London

 

My appointment was at 09:30.

 

I had some bad experiences travelling to London last time for the medical, they weren't the best this time. I swear London doesn't like me. I was flying BA1471 from Inverness to London Heathrow. Leaving at 19:05, arriving at 20:35 and staying overnight.

 

Unfortunately the day I was travelling London had Yellow and Amber weather warnings, with all the airports having IFR flying conditions or worse -- though knowing London that could have just been for a mild drizzle... sorry Londoners -- this meant I was paranoid all day the flight would be cancelled... luckily it wasn't, it just arrived about 20 minutes late.

 

I was also worried about the Revolution Rebellion LARPers slowing things down also but that didn't happen either

 

I'd recommend going for a mid to late morning appointment if you can as it would make things easier than my experience.

 

In conclusion, every time I'm in London, Caledonia starts playing in my head -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX9h558Tz1E

 

Getting to the Appointment

 

I recommend storing any luggage above a small backpack or bag, there are various options for this.

 

I stayed in the Heathrow Central Travelodge. I got one of the many buses going to Heathrow back to the airport. Took the Heathrow Express to Paddington Station. Then it was on to the Underground, took the Bakerloo - Southbound Line from Paddington until Oxford Circus for 5 stops, then switched to the Victoria - Southbound Line for 4 stops until Vauxhall station. There are 4 exits from that station, exit number 4 is the best to take in my mind.

 

Then it was just a short leisurely walk (12 to 15 minutes) to the Embassy. There are two entrances, you want to go to the South Pavillion -- it's the one with the line.

 

I arrived at 08:20, I skipped to the front of the line, a woman asked for my DS-260 and Passport, wrote on the DS-260 and told me to come back at 09:00. Walked around for a bit and came back at 09:00-ish she put a sticker on the DS-260 then I went through security, skipped the line -- death stares all round from those queueing -- took the lift to the first floor then left and left again... you'll know when you get there, there's a smaller area with a few windows and seats -- numbers 19 to 24 -- one of these windows is a cashier.

 

I took some crappy pictures if it helps anyone know what to look for https://imgur.com/a/RHFbZHJ 

 

At the Appointment

 

I waited a few minutes then went up to present my documents. I had to have my fingerprints taken. Answer if I was ever married before, did military service, lived in any other country, if I was adopted, etc. Then despite bringing a massive binder full of stuff all I had to provide was my passport, a visa/passport style photograph, the courier confirmation, birth certificate, marriage certificate, police certificate and that was it.

 

Everything else was consulted through the NVC uploads. Everything was fine I was given a handout on domestic violence, sex trafficking, etc and told to sit down and wait for the interview portion.

 

This next bit took a bit longer as there were belligerent people holding up two windows. Complaining about how much money they had already spent, and how the embassy was conspiring against them, etc.

 

When I got to the interview portion I had to swear what I was telling was the truth, give my fingerprints again and answer a few questions (How we met? When we met? If I met her parents) and that was it, was given everything back except the passport, told I was approved and that I should receive it in 1 to 2 weeks, based on previous experiences though I'm hoping it's a bit faster.

 

I was out of there by 10:20, probably would have been faster were it not for the belligerent people.

I'm so happy and excited for you, I hope your transition to the U.S. is much more accommodating and easy. <3 Congrats.

[Kris & Crystal 47]

Last night I was showing as Ready on CEAC. This morning it was showing as Administrative Processing. Early this Afternoon it was showing as Administrative Process. It's now showing as Issued. Still no courier stuff but that might take a day yet.

[JSNV90 0]

17 hours ago, Kris & Crystal said:

I was paranoid with the documents.

• Used a high end Xerox MFD
• Scanned at 600dpi
• Scan each multiple times with different settings and then picked the one I liked the look of.
• Purposely disabled some of the auto correction stuff to show 2mm to 3mm border around everything scanned.

They're doing some kind of maintenance,  I think.

Yeah well I finally got to see my messages. And very very disappointed in with my outcome. 

 

After on the 30th September being asked for the police certificate as 3mm was missing. I submitted new ones which were perfect. 

 

The message i got yesterday said they were missing so after 3 hours on hold to the NVC and getting through to them. They have told me that it’s missing as the document looks blank. And I assured them I sent it in and double checked. She then came back to me and said oh yeah I see it. It was taking time to load. But now here’s the bad part. They can’t just put me to the top of the processing from their error. They have to wait until ceac fully opens for submitting documents which they are saying could be a few weeks. And then I get bumped back to the bottom again so will have to wait a further three weeks from when she submits the case to Ben looked at again with no need for me to upload new documents and With no way of appealing their error. 

 

I am disappointed at the error of course. But I have to say I am still in good spirits as We only applied in March which by the looks of things we are moving quicker than a lot of people so we are very thankful. 

 

How ow did your journey go back to Inverness? All good and no delays I hope. 

[Kris & Crystal 47]

2 hours ago, JSNV90 said:

Yeah well I finally got to see my messages. And very very disappointed in with my outcome. 

 

After on the 30th September being asked for the police certificate as 3mm was missing. I submitted new ones which were perfect. 

 

The message i got yesterday said they were missing so after 3 hours on hold to the NVC and getting through to them. They have told me that it’s missing as the document looks blank. And I assured them I sent it in and double checked. She then came back to me and said oh yeah I see it. It was taking time to load. But now here’s the bad part. They can’t just put me to the top of the processing from their error. They have to wait until ceac fully opens for submitting documents which they are saying could be a few weeks. And then I get bumped back to the bottom again so will have to wait a further three weeks from when she submits the case to Ben looked at again with no need for me to upload new documents and With no way of appealing their error. 

 

I am disappointed at the error of course. But I have to say I am still in good spirits as We only applied in March which by the looks of things we are moving quicker than a lot of people so we are very thankful. 

 

How ow did your journey go back to Inverness? All good and no delays I hope. 

 

By far the longest wait seems to be for the I-130/I-129 approval

 

I got back fine, Just had to wait until 20:20 for the return flight. Then I had to drive for about 2 hours 30 minutes.

[JSNV90 0]

17 minutes ago, Kris & Crystal said:

 

By far the longest wait seems to be for the I-130/I-129 approval

 

I got back fine, Just had to wait until 20:20 for the return flight. Then I had to drive for about 2 hours 30 minutes.

Glad you made it back. Yeah i see everyone waiting excess of 200 days for the approval of the I-130 ours got approved in 98 days which is the quickest that i have seen anyone be approved so i cant complain. I also see that you got your notification from the NVC and then your Medical and appointment all in the space of a month which is quick and good.

 

Its just a waiting game for you now to get your passport back, i bet your getting itchy feet? when do you plan to make your move?

[Kris & Crystal 47]

10 minutes ago, JSNV90 said:

Glad you made it back. Yeah i see everyone waiting excess of 200 days for the approval of the I-130 ours got approved in 98 days which is the quickest that i have seen anyone be approved so i cant complain. I also see that you got your notification from the NVC and then your Medical and appointment all in the space of a month which is quick and good.

 

Its just a waiting game for you now to get your passport back, i bet your getting itchy feet? when do you plan to make your move?

Yeah it went surprisingly quick after the NVC stage. The wait for document approval was kind of annoying. I have to hand in my notice by next Tuesday -- the 22nd -- so I can finish on the 19th of November. I'm hoping to travel to London on the 20th of November, stay overnight and then travel over to Los Angeles on the 21st of November.

[QBHE 5]

On 10/16/2019 at 8:34 PM, Kris & Crystal said:

Yeah it went surprisingly quick after the NVC stage. The wait for document approval was kind of annoying. I have to hand in my notice by next Tuesday -- the 22nd -- so I can finish on the 19th of November. I'm hoping to travel to London on the 20th of November, stay overnight and then travel over to Los Angeles on the 21st of November.

hey, Can you please share the timeline of your case? When did you get the notification for qualified documentation and when did you get the notification of interview date after that? I can find very little information regarding immigration visa in UK, thanks a ton for your information! 

[QBHE 5]

On 10/16/2019 at 8:19 PM, JSNV90 said:

Glad you made it back. Yeah i see everyone waiting excess of 200 days for the approval of the I-130 ours got approved in 98 days which is the quickest that i have seen anyone be approved so i cant complain. I also see that you got your notification from the NVC and then your Medical and appointment all in the space of a month which is quick and good.

 

Its just a waiting game for you now to get your passport back, i bet your getting itchy feet? when do you plan to make your move?

hey, may I ask when did your documentations qualify by NVC and have you received interview date scheduled for the UK embassy? Many thanks! 

[Wuozopo 4,285]

2 hours ago, QBHE said:

hey, may I ask when did your documentations qualify by NVC and have you received interview date scheduled for the UK embassy? Many thanks! 

Look at the Kris&krystal post on the left profile side with user name. Under the Scottish flag it says "Timeline". Click that and you will see all his dates. Visa done and dusted. Entering the US this week. 

Edited November 19, 2019 by Wuozopo

[QBHE 5]

2 minutes ago, Wuozopo said:

Look at his post on the left profile side with user name. Under the Scottish flag it says "Timeline". Click that and you will see all his dates. Visa done and dusted. Entering the US this week.

That's really helpful!!! Thanks!