DS-160 or GSS first?

[thailand2arizona 0]

Our K-1 petition was approved by USCIS, transferred to NVC, and received by the embassy in Bangkok. I received the Packet 3 & 4 email saying we can schedule our interview. I know we need to fill out DS-160 and also do the GSS stuff (create profile ustraveldocs.com, make payment, and schedule interview), but I can't figure out which of those to do first. It seems like each of them depends on each other and it's circular:

 

1. DS-160 asks what date you intend to come to the US, but how can you do that before you know your interview date? And you can't schedule your interview until you've done the GSS payment.
2. The GSS form asks for your DS-160 confirmation number, but how can you know that number before you've submitted DS-160?
   • Some people say (link 1, link 2)the DS-160 confirmation number is the same as the Application ID that you get when you start the DS-160 application ("AA" followed by 8 characters), but the embassy instructions say "Each visa applicant must have his/her own DS-160 confirmation page in order to receive an interview date", which implies that you need to submit the DS-160, not just start working on it.

 

Bottom line, it seems like both forms require you to submit the other one first. I'm confused. Any help would be much appreciated.

[happyscrub 30]

I'm not at that stage yet, but everything I've read says to pay the fee and ds-160 first.

 

I don't think the date on there for when you expected to travel to the US matters. Might be relevant for other petition types. Just put a reasonable date on there.