Vanitas

Application for the Visa/Getting an Interview
London needs 3 things before they will schedule your interview.
Complete online form DS-160. For the photo, you can scan in your US size photo you took before and use that. Otherwise you need to find a white background and take a picture either with a digital camera or with your webcam. Once that's complete, print out the confirmation page at the end and keep it safe, along with your application ID from it.
Tips: Before you start, gather all the information this application is going to ask for—passport number, your work address, trips to US and abroad; fiancé name, address, birth date; your parents’ full names, birth dates (and death year)
FYI: You do not have a national ID number. Tick "does not apply". You do not have a state or province.
Passport city of issue? London works as an answer.

Schedule and attend a medical. (Details are in previous post.) Take your police certificate, immunization records, and information from your GP if you have any current or previous medical condition. Your results will be couriered to the embassy 3-4 days after the exam, unless the doctor needs something further from you or information from your GP about a health condition. The delay is because they need to get your blood test results back from the lab.

Complete the online Notification of Applicant's Readiness Form when you have in hand all documents you will be taking to the interview. That includes your fiancé’s Affidavit of Support Form I-134 with proof of income. Review the list of documents on the embassy website.
Tips for the form:
Planned Date of Marriage? Pick something sooner rather than later if you want a soonish interview. It may move you up in the queue over picking a date 7 months away. You don’t have to show proof.
NOTES:
The order for medical and readiness form are interchangeable. If you have all your documents, you can submit the Notification of Applicant's Readiness before you actually attend the medical. The embassy website says:
Please note that you can expect to wait 6 weeks from the date on which you email the forms before being contacted by the Immigrant Visa Unit. We will not respond to status requests during this time.
That means don’t expect to get an interview letter within days of the medical or submission of the readiness form, whichever comes last.

Tips if you don’t like waiting around, or several weeks have passed since your 3 things have gone to the embassy:
Call the Visa Specialist Unit at the Department of State - (202) 485-7600 – when your “Case Updated” field on CEAC changes. This means one of two things – they've either received your online Readiness form, or they've printed and sent your interview date letter. The DOS will be able to tell you when your interview date is, just in case the letter never arrives or is late. It is a good idea to check with them because some have never received their letter.

What happens after NOA2? The Basics
Your Service center will send your file to the National Visa Center (NVC). You are done with USCIS when they hand off your file to the Department of State (DOS). DOS is over the NVC, as well all embassies.

The NVC is a short pit stop for a K1 case. They assign a new DOS case number and forward your file to London. Your new case number will begin with LND for London. The NVC will mail the petitioner a letter saying the file has been sent to London, as well as telling you the new case number. They aren’t fast about getting out the letters, so your case will likely be in London before you hear from them.
Shortcut for those who can’t wait for their letter: NVC accepts phone calls. You can call and ask if your case has arrived, if it has gone to the embassy, and if they have assigned your LND case number.
NVC: 603-334-0700 Press 1 for English
Hours: Monday-Friday from 7:00 AM to midnight (EST).
Best time to call is 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM or 10:00 PM to midnight.

You can also find out your case number from DOS.
DOS: 202-485-7600 Press 1, then 0. 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM (EST)

Your case arrives in London. The embassy will send the beneficiary a letter of instruction. It’s not a “packet”, but just a letter that essentially says “We have your approved petition from the NVC and we're ready for you to begin submitting your forms and have your medical”. The letter has a link to the embassy website where you will find forms and instructions. The letter will have a very important date at the bottom called your priority date. The same date is found on your NOA2 showing the expiration date of the approved petition. This is your four month time limit – if you haven't had your interview by this date, London will require a notarized letter from the US petitioner stating they're still happy to get married. The letter is taken by the beneficiary to the interview.
Shortcut for those who can’t wait for their letter: If you have obtained your LND number, you can enter it in the CEAC Visa Status Check site,. Choose “immigrant” in the drop down. Include the letters LND with your number. The important thing here is to forget the text at the bottom about scheduling interviews or anything like that – the Embassy does that for you once you've sent everything in. There are two main statuses at this point:
In Transit – This one means your case is on its way from the NVC to London.
Ready – This one means London has your casefile and is waiting to receive something needed to progress your case. You may begin submitting forms and booking the medical.

You now attend the medical and complete your forms (separate topics) before London will assign an interview date. London will not notify you each step of the way. The beneficiary will receive an interview letter from London. The interview will likely be 2-4 weeks from when they send the letter.
Shortcut for those who can’t wait for their letter: DOS will know your interview date once it has been assigned. You may call them and ask the date. It is a good idea to check with them because London has sent out late letters or no letters in the past.

Once you know your interview date, you pay the visa fee online. (Details in a separate post)

So as I've mentioned in another thread, Nich-Nick is currently no longer on these forums.
The reasoning for this is because about two weeks ago, she was suspended for a comment in another thread. We're not entirely sure what the offence is because the moderators are hiding behind the TOS (e.g. they won't tell me) and Nich herself disputes the warning, but cannot post to this effect until she even accepts said warning. Since then, she's said she's had enough of VJ and won't be coming back anytime soon.
Now, most of you who've been through the K1 process in the past will know who she is and how she helped you out. In the last couple of weeks, it's just been me and some of the more recent K1 successes. She's held the UK forum together alongside myself, Lost and those who have stuck around here and there to help out even after they've moved.
I'll be the first to say that my knowledge isn't as complete as hers, but that's why we pooled our resources and wrote the K1 guide. So I'll be the first to ask the following things:
*If you have new information to add to the guide about something that's changed, please post it in the Guide thread.
*If you need help, please read the guide first - if your question isn't answered, then post a new thread and ask it. If it is answered in the guide, then you'll be linked to the specific post of the guide where the answer is.
As for Nich.. well, we're discussing what the heck is going on down here: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/322-tos-violations-and-moderator-responses/?view=getnewpost - If you want to add your voice and say this was unjust, go right ahead.

+1 (I've hit my limit for the day)
Good to see you back on here Krikit.
Back to the topic of opaque modding -- yes, it has been this way since the advent of the mods to a greater or lesser extent. But as Justice Louis Brandeis once said, "Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants." I would wager that the bulk of the "we can't tell you and it's for your own good" malarkey is just BS to justify marginal decisions. Having spent some time on the org squad back in the day, I know that there were some judgment calls that were bizarre on occasion but there's pressure to present a united front. I believe that more explanations wherever possible as to why specific behaviour is unacceptable will engender better behaviour overall. Will it cause some to figure out how to run around the behaviour? Sure. There are always people on here who will work within the margins of the TOS and exploit loopholes. Overall, though, I think it would increase respect for the mods and engender a team atmosphere.
Just my 2 drachmas, yo.

I think the original reason that people were told to not 'restart threads on this topic' was to stop flame wars spilling into other threads and give people a chance to cool off. It made a kind of sense. The topic wasn't banned, just not discussed until people had calmed down.
That said, it shouldn't be forgotten that the real problem is not the topic, but the posters in it. Having a site moderator pretty much say that an entire topic of conversation (and a pretty arbitrary one at that) is banned from any discussion on the site whatsoever is bizarre.
As I say, you may as well preemptively ban any controversial subject, which would mean you'd have to close the P&R forum and lose a bunch of the site traffic.
Abortion? Death penalty? Guns? You know people will kick off, why allow it?
Seems to me that there is too much ego in a lot of recent moderation decisions. But there you go, VJ doesn't moderate on the basis of good practice. You pick a bunch of people with a jobsworth mindset and this is what happens.

Glock
Double-action revolver
AR-15 (with red-dot sight, flashlight and foregrip)
12-Gauge shotgun
Mosin Nagant (with scope)
As for accuracy at the various targets.. I was accurate with the Glock, AR-15 and Mosin Nagant (especially this last one, within 1 cm of hitting dead center on all 4 shots). Not bad for someone who's never fired a gun before.

No, it's time for your wakeup call.
You have been told to behave by one of the moderators, yet you've continued to insult the single most knowledgeable member of this part of the forums as well as several others, dismissing their experiences because of the sole overriding belief that you are right above all others. You have gone around spreading fear and misinformation which other members then have to counter and clean up - the others have provided evidence to show that around the world the doctors who do embassy medicals do not have the power to deny a visa. They can ask for further evidence to show a condition isn't an issue, and that includes a psych exam if needs be.
I'll tell you what really happens. At the first window you go to, they look at your medical file and on their little checklist to hand off to the consular officer who actually makes the decision on your visa they put if you have Class A, Class B or Neither when it comes to your medical. I had 2 Class B's - specifically recent stomach surgery, and asthma. I'm now on the other side of the Atlantic, happily married because the doctor did his job at the time of my medical by asking for information from my surgery consultant. They didn't deny me then and there in the doctor's office.
And as for "covering up the truth" and people "speculating" - again, they have provided hard facts to back up their assertions. You have not. The one who needs their eyes opening is you, not us. And while I certainly can't speak for the rest of the gang who help out here, as one of the people who used to on a daily basis - you will get no further help if you continue insulting those volunteers who do give their time freely and willingly.

No, it's time for your wakeup call.
You have been told to behave by one of the moderators, yet you've continued to insult the single most knowledgeable member of this part of the forums as well as several others, dismissing their experiences because of the sole overriding belief that you are right above all others. You have gone around spreading fear and misinformation which other members then have to counter and clean up - the others have provided evidence to show that around the world the doctors who do embassy medicals do not have the power to deny a visa. They can ask for further evidence to show a condition isn't an issue, and that includes a psych exam if needs be.
I'll tell you what really happens. At the first window you go to, they look at your medical file and on their little checklist to hand off to the consular officer who actually makes the decision on your visa they put if you have Class A, Class B or Neither when it comes to your medical. I had 2 Class B's - specifically recent stomach surgery, and asthma. I'm now on the other side of the Atlantic, happily married because the doctor did his job at the time of my medical by asking for information from my surgery consultant. They didn't deny me then and there in the doctor's office.
And as for "covering up the truth" and people "speculating" - again, they have provided hard facts to back up their assertions. You have not. The one who needs their eyes opening is you, not us. And while I certainly can't speak for the rest of the gang who help out here, as one of the people who used to on a daily basis - you will get no further help if you continue insulting those volunteers who do give their time freely and willingly.

No, it's time for your wakeup call.
You have been told to behave by one of the moderators, yet you've continued to insult the single most knowledgeable member of this part of the forums as well as several others, dismissing their experiences because of the sole overriding belief that you are right above all others. You have gone around spreading fear and misinformation which other members then have to counter and clean up - the others have provided evidence to show that around the world the doctors who do embassy medicals do not have the power to deny a visa. They can ask for further evidence to show a condition isn't an issue, and that includes a psych exam if needs be.
I'll tell you what really happens. At the first window you go to, they look at your medical file and on their little checklist to hand off to the consular officer who actually makes the decision on your visa they put if you have Class A, Class B or Neither when it comes to your medical. I had 2 Class B's - specifically recent stomach surgery, and asthma. I'm now on the other side of the Atlantic, happily married because the doctor did his job at the time of my medical by asking for information from my surgery consultant. They didn't deny me then and there in the doctor's office.
And as for "covering up the truth" and people "speculating" - again, they have provided hard facts to back up their assertions. You have not. The one who needs their eyes opening is you, not us. And while I certainly can't speak for the rest of the gang who help out here, as one of the people who used to on a daily basis - you will get no further help if you continue insulting those volunteers who do give their time freely and willingly.

No, it's time for your wakeup call.
You have been told to behave by one of the moderators, yet you've continued to insult the single most knowledgeable member of this part of the forums as well as several others, dismissing their experiences because of the sole overriding belief that you are right above all others. You have gone around spreading fear and misinformation which other members then have to counter and clean up - the others have provided evidence to show that around the world the doctors who do embassy medicals do not have the power to deny a visa. They can ask for further evidence to show a condition isn't an issue, and that includes a psych exam if needs be.
I'll tell you what really happens. At the first window you go to, they look at your medical file and on their little checklist to hand off to the consular officer who actually makes the decision on your visa they put if you have Class A, Class B or Neither when it comes to your medical. I had 2 Class B's - specifically recent stomach surgery, and asthma. I'm now on the other side of the Atlantic, happily married because the doctor did his job at the time of my medical by asking for information from my surgery consultant. They didn't deny me then and there in the doctor's office.
And as for "covering up the truth" and people "speculating" - again, they have provided hard facts to back up their assertions. You have not. The one who needs their eyes opening is you, not us. And while I certainly can't speak for the rest of the gang who help out here, as one of the people who used to on a daily basis - you will get no further help if you continue insulting those volunteers who do give their time freely and willingly.

i have a total fangirl crush on nick-nich. seriously, that kind of class can't be learned.

Who's that?

Knightsbridge can NOT deny a visa. They are contracted to perform a medical exam and report the results to the embassy. Knightsbridge is not the American government. They have no jurisdiction over visa decisions.
If something in the medical report indicates a medical condition that makes a person inadmissable, then the officer at the embassy will make the decision on approval or denial of the visa.
You have no idea unless you were present at the exam what you fiancé said or how he acted. You don't have the REAL story, only what your fiancé chooses to tell you. He could have acted in a manner that made the doctor think he was unstable. They are evaluating his demeanor, reponses, and actions from the minute he walks in the door; all the time making it sound like thay are chatting about the weather or something. When coupled with his scars, and a report from another doctor, it could have made the doctor wary of giving him a clean bill of health. You also said months ago he had no doctor that treated him for his condition or a regular doctor that knew him well. You said there was no way he could get a doctor report. If that was true, then anything he took in from another GP was maybe not convincing.
This thread and your post are irresponsible given you have no facts.

Who's that?

The customer could (and should) have been ejected for that. Anyone working in a customer-facing position doesn't deserve to have that kind of attitude flung at them.

The customer could (and should) have been ejected for that. Anyone working in a customer-facing position doesn't deserve to have that kind of attitude flung at them.

Last Things Last – Post Interview
You've got your passport and BBE – now what? Well, it goes without saying you and your other half will now need to decide when you're leaving so you can book flights. Go ahead and do that now assuming nothing major is barring you (like a pending house sale).

There's a thread on things you need to do before leaving the UK - read the entire thread though, as many people have contributed things not in the first post.

When you arrive at your Point of Entry (POE), make sure you have your Passport, BBE and Customs Declaration ready. Ask the immigration staffers where they want you to go – some airports (San Francisco) have special “New Immigrant” lines. Others will have you go through the “Visitor” line. Some may even have you go through the “US Citizen/LPR” line, especially if your future spouse flew with you. Note if you're flying from Dublin, that IS your POE as they have pre-clearance there and therefore when you touch down in the US it's as if you flew in on a domestic flight.

You will get taken into Secondary Processing, or at least directed to it. In your case this is nothing to fear – you're basically being signed in. They'll take your BBE off of you as this gets sent away ready for AOS later on. Your visa will be stamped or written on and you will be told what date you need to be married by. As with all CBP officers, you might get a nice one, or a grumpy one. Can't help that, unfortunately. Note, if you have a connection you want to leave lots of time just in case there's an issue as you will have to recheck your bags and go through security one last time.

If your first stop is your last one, you best be ready to run into the arms of your beloved. If not, get your bags, recheck them and go through the security checkpoint one more time before you go to get that last flight. Next up is marriage and AOS. But think about that a bit later, first off you might have some serious catching up to do!

Interview Day
You should have paid the visa fee in advance so take the confirmation page you printed when you paid online. Take your appointment letter and documents. Bring photocopies of any document that you need back. They look at the original and file the photocopy. Things you might want back: birth certificate, divorce decree, police certificate, letter from employer (use again for AOS maybe). Basically don’t give up your only copy of something.
The American Embassy is located at 24 Grosvenor Square London, W1A 2LQ
This map from Nich-Nick will be helpful http://www.click2map.com/maps/nichnick/Embassy_London because you can move it or zoom in close to see detail or zoom out if needed. The embassy, medical, hotels, and Gould’s Pharmacy are marked, as well as bus stops and tube stations.
The closest tube stations are Marble Arch or Bond Street.
Before going to the Embassy, check your mobile phones, car keys, headphones, thumb drives, and any electronic items at Gould’s Pharmacy at 37 N. Audley St. (marked on the map). They open around 7:20 AM and will keep your items for about £3-5. They can store larger items like luggage, but if you stayed overnight nearby, ask the hotel if they will hold your luggage while you interview.
The interview line forms near the corner of N. Audley Street and Upper Brook Street. They suggest you get in line no earlier than 30 minutes before your appointment, but it is first come first served. Your appointment time is more of a “suggestion” to stagger arrivals. If you have an 8:00 appointment and don’t get in the door until 8:15, you won’t miss your interview. You will just have a lot more people ahead of you that arrived earlier.
While in line, you will be given plastic bags for putting pocket change, watches, cigarette lighters, etc. in. That is mainly for men. Ladies with handbags can put their watch inside the handbag. At the front of the line, they will check your passport and appointment letter before sending you to the glass security booth. It’s like the airport. Put your things on the conveyor and walk through the metal detector, then collect your things.
The embassy has prepared a YouTube video that shows exactly the process you will encounter on interview day. I think it’s geared toward visitor or student visas with the sample “questions” you will see, but it’s a good preview of things you will see and do at the embassy. You can see how people dress for their interview. The last part about scheduling and paying for the courier at the counter inside the lobby is no longer done by K1s. You handle that part online when you pay your visa fee.
The “interview” is like a chat and is not intimidating. The officer of course has read over your file before you walk in so knows a little about you and is just checking that you know something about your fiancé.
So how did you guys meet? What does she do for a living? Does she have kids?
I have written a detailed account of my experience at the Embassy from queuing up in the cold outside to final approval – this has everything you need to know, from handing your documents over at the first window to what kinds of questions you might get asked at the second window with the Consular Officer.

Again, best of luck. Do NOT panic! We all know this is one of the most important interviews you'll ever have, but we've all done it and come through the other side. Just keep your calm – the Consular Officers themselves are widely reported to be really nice and the interview is usually more of a conversation than an interrogation. At the end, one of two things will happen. Normally, it's an approval and they will tell you what happens next regarding delivery (or pickup) and give you a leaflet on the AOS process, and give you the opportunity to ask them any questions you have lingering.

However, if you are not approved they will explain why and give you a written paper detailing what is still needed, and most of the time it's something that can be fixed by sending them documents of one kind or another – and they will explain how to do that. It could be the wrong police certificate, or not having your “long form” birth certificate. One member got denied because her passport was damaged, but as soon as she had a replacement and had it couriered in, she was approved and is now happily married in the USA. If they call it "denied", don't panic. They give you opportunity to submit whatever is needed for approval.

What happens after NOA2? The Basics
Your Service center will send your file to the National Visa Center (NVC). You are done with USCIS when they hand off your file to the Department of State (DOS). DOS is over the NVC, as well all embassies.

The NVC is a short pit stop for a K1 case. They assign a new DOS case number and forward your file to London. Your new case number will begin with LND for London. The NVC will mail the petitioner a letter saying the file has been sent to London, as well as telling you the new case number. They aren’t fast about getting out the letters, so your case will likely be in London before you hear from them.
Shortcut for those who can’t wait for their letter: NVC accepts phone calls. You can call and ask if your case has arrived, if it has gone to the embassy, and if they have assigned your LND case number.
NVC: 603-334-0700 Press 1 for English
Hours: Monday-Friday from 7:00 AM to midnight (EST).
Best time to call is 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM or 10:00 PM to midnight.

You can also find out your case number from DOS.
DOS: 202-485-7600 Press 1, then 0. 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM (EST)

Your case arrives in London. The embassy will send the beneficiary a letter of instruction. It’s not a “packet”, but just a letter that essentially says “We have your approved petition from the NVC and we're ready for you to begin submitting your forms and have your medical”. The letter has a link to the embassy website where you will find forms and instructions. The letter will have a very important date at the bottom called your priority date. The same date is found on your NOA2 showing the expiration date of the approved petition. This is your four month time limit – if you haven't had your interview by this date, London will require a notarized letter from the US petitioner stating they're still happy to get married. The letter is taken by the beneficiary to the interview.
Shortcut for those who can’t wait for their letter: If you have obtained your LND number, you can enter it in the CEAC Visa Status Check site,. Choose “immigrant” in the drop down. Include the letters LND with your number. The important thing here is to forget the text at the bottom about scheduling interviews or anything like that – the Embassy does that for you once you've sent everything in. There are two main statuses at this point:
In Transit – This one means your case is on its way from the NVC to London.
Ready – This one means London has your casefile and is waiting to receive something needed to progress your case. You may begin submitting forms and booking the medical.

You now attend the medical and complete your forms (separate topics) before London will assign an interview date. London will not notify you each step of the way. The beneficiary will receive an interview letter from London. The interview will likely be 2-4 weeks from when they send the letter.
Shortcut for those who can’t wait for their letter: DOS will know your interview date once it has been assigned. You may call them and ask the date. It is a good idea to check with them because London has sent out late letters or no letters in the past.

Once you know your interview date, you pay the visa fee online. (Details in a separate post)

Application for the Visa/Getting an Interview
London needs 3 things before they will schedule your interview.
Complete online form DS-160. For the photo, you can scan in your US size photo you took before and use that. Otherwise you need to find a white background and take a picture either with a digital camera or with your webcam. Once that's complete, print out the confirmation page at the end and keep it safe, along with your application ID from it.
Tips: Before you start, gather all the information this application is going to ask for—passport number, your work address, trips to US and abroad; fiancé name, address, birth date; your parents’ full names, birth dates (and death year)
FYI: You do not have a national ID number. Tick "does not apply". You do not have a state or province.
Passport city of issue? London works as an answer.

Schedule and attend a medical. (Details are in previous post.) Take your police certificate, immunization records, and information from your GP if you have any current or previous medical condition. Your results will be couriered to the embassy 3-4 days after the exam, unless the doctor needs something further from you or information from your GP about a health condition. The delay is because they need to get your blood test results back from the lab.

Complete the online Notification of Applicant's Readiness Form when you have in hand all documents you will be taking to the interview. That includes your fiancé’s Affidavit of Support Form I-134 with proof of income. Review the list of documents on the embassy website.
Tips for the form:
Planned Date of Marriage? Pick something sooner rather than later if you want a soonish interview. It may move you up in the queue over picking a date 7 months away. You don’t have to show proof.
NOTES:
The order for medical and readiness form are interchangeable. If you have all your documents, you can submit the Notification of Applicant's Readiness before you actually attend the medical. The embassy website says:
Please note that you can expect to wait 6 weeks from the date on which you email the forms before being contacted by the Immigrant Visa Unit. We will not respond to status requests during this time.
That means don’t expect to get an interview letter within days of the medical or submission of the readiness form, whichever comes last.

Tips if you don’t like waiting around, or several weeks have passed since your 3 things have gone to the embassy:
Call the Visa Specialist Unit at the Department of State - (202) 485-7600 – when your “Case Updated” field on CEAC changes. This means one of two things – they've either received your online Readiness form, or they've printed and sent your interview date letter. The DOS will be able to tell you when your interview date is, just in case the letter never arrives or is late. It is a good idea to check with them because some have never received their letter.

Update regarding calling Department of State (Post 2, Point 2)
As of January 27th, the Department of State is now unable to provide information regarding K1 cases. You must call the National Visa Center instead on the number listed in this post.

Last Things Last – Post Interview
You've got your passport and BBE – now what? Well, it goes without saying you and your other half will now need to decide when you're leaving so you can book flights. Go ahead and do that now assuming nothing major is barring you (like a pending house sale).

There's a thread on things you need to do before leaving the UK - read the entire thread though, as many people have contributed things not in the first post.

When you arrive at your Point of Entry (POE), make sure you have your Passport, BBE and Customs Declaration ready. Ask the immigration staffers where they want you to go – some airports (San Francisco) have special “New Immigrant” lines. Others will have you go through the “Visitor” line. Some may even have you go through the “US Citizen/LPR” line, especially if your future spouse flew with you. Note if you're flying from Dublin, that IS your POE as they have pre-clearance there and therefore when you touch down in the US it's as if you flew in on a domestic flight.

You will get taken into Secondary Processing, or at least directed to it. In your case this is nothing to fear – you're basically being signed in. They'll take your BBE off of you as this gets sent away ready for AOS later on. Your visa will be stamped or written on and you will be told what date you need to be married by. As with all CBP officers, you might get a nice one, or a grumpy one. Can't help that, unfortunately. Note, if you have a connection you want to leave lots of time just in case there's an issue as you will have to recheck your bags and go through security one last time.

If your first stop is your last one, you best be ready to run into the arms of your beloved. If not, get your bags, recheck them and go through the security checkpoint one more time before you go to get that last flight. Next up is marriage and AOS. But think about that a bit later, first off you might have some serious catching up to do!

Interview Day
You should have paid the visa fee in advance so take the confirmation page you printed when you paid online. Take your appointment letter and documents. Bring photocopies of any document that you need back. They look at the original and file the photocopy. Things you might want back: birth certificate, divorce decree, police certificate, letter from employer (use again for AOS maybe). Basically don’t give up your only copy of something.
The American Embassy is located at 24 Grosvenor Square London, W1A 2LQ
This map from Nich-Nick will be helpful http://www.click2map.com/maps/nichnick/Embassy_London because you can move it or zoom in close to see detail or zoom out if needed. The embassy, medical, hotels, and Gould’s Pharmacy are marked, as well as bus stops and tube stations.
The closest tube stations are Marble Arch or Bond Street.
Before going to the Embassy, check your mobile phones, car keys, headphones, thumb drives, and any electronic items at Gould’s Pharmacy at 37 N. Audley St. (marked on the map). They open around 7:20 AM and will keep your items for about £3-5. They can store larger items like luggage, but if you stayed overnight nearby, ask the hotel if they will hold your luggage while you interview.
The interview line forms near the corner of N. Audley Street and Upper Brook Street. They suggest you get in line no earlier than 30 minutes before your appointment, but it is first come first served. Your appointment time is more of a “suggestion” to stagger arrivals. If you have an 8:00 appointment and don’t get in the door until 8:15, you won’t miss your interview. You will just have a lot more people ahead of you that arrived earlier.
While in line, you will be given plastic bags for putting pocket change, watches, cigarette lighters, etc. in. That is mainly for men. Ladies with handbags can put their watch inside the handbag. At the front of the line, they will check your passport and appointment letter before sending you to the glass security booth. It’s like the airport. Put your things on the conveyor and walk through the metal detector, then collect your things.
The embassy has prepared a YouTube video that shows exactly the process you will encounter on interview day. I think it’s geared toward visitor or student visas with the sample “questions” you will see, but it’s a good preview of things you will see and do at the embassy. You can see how people dress for their interview. The last part about scheduling and paying for the courier at the counter inside the lobby is no longer done by K1s. You handle that part online when you pay your visa fee.
The “interview” is like a chat and is not intimidating. The officer of course has read over your file before you walk in so knows a little about you and is just checking that you know something about your fiancé.
So how did you guys meet? What does she do for a living? Does she have kids?
I have written a detailed account of my experience at the Embassy from queuing up in the cold outside to final approval – this has everything you need to know, from handing your documents over at the first window to what kinds of questions you might get asked at the second window with the Consular Officer.

Again, best of luck. Do NOT panic! We all know this is one of the most important interviews you'll ever have, but we've all done it and come through the other side. Just keep your calm – the Consular Officers themselves are widely reported to be really nice and the interview is usually more of a conversation than an interrogation. At the end, one of two things will happen. Normally, it's an approval and they will tell you what happens next regarding delivery (or pickup) and give you a leaflet on the AOS process, and give you the opportunity to ask them any questions you have lingering.

However, if you are not approved they will explain why and give you a written paper detailing what is still needed, and most of the time it's something that can be fixed by sending them documents of one kind or another – and they will explain how to do that. It could be the wrong police certificate, or not having your “long form” birth certificate. One member got denied because her passport was damaged, but as soon as she had a replacement and had it couriered in, she was approved and is now happily married in the USA. If they call it "denied", don't panic. They give you opportunity to submit whatever is needed for approval.

Application for the Visa/Getting an Interview
London needs 3 things before they will schedule your interview.
Complete online form DS-160. For the photo, you can scan in your US size photo you took before and use that. Otherwise you need to find a white background and take a picture either with a digital camera or with your webcam. Once that's complete, print out the confirmation page at the end and keep it safe, along with your application ID from it.
Tips: Before you start, gather all the information this application is going to ask for—passport number, your work address, trips to US and abroad; fiancé name, address, birth date; your parents’ full names, birth dates (and death year)
FYI: You do not have a national ID number. Tick "does not apply". You do not have a state or province.
Passport city of issue? London works as an answer.

Schedule and attend a medical. (Details are in previous post.) Take your police certificate, immunization records, and information from your GP if you have any current or previous medical condition. Your results will be couriered to the embassy 3-4 days after the exam, unless the doctor needs something further from you or information from your GP about a health condition. The delay is because they need to get your blood test results back from the lab.

Complete the online Notification of Applicant's Readiness Form when you have in hand all documents you will be taking to the interview. That includes your fiancé’s Affidavit of Support Form I-134 with proof of income. Review the list of documents on the embassy website.
Tips for the form:
Planned Date of Marriage? Pick something sooner rather than later if you want a soonish interview. It may move you up in the queue over picking a date 7 months away. You don’t have to show proof.
NOTES:
The order for medical and readiness form are interchangeable. If you have all your documents, you can submit the Notification of Applicant's Readiness before you actually attend the medical. The embassy website says:
Please note that you can expect to wait 6 weeks from the date on which you email the forms before being contacted by the Immigrant Visa Unit. We will not respond to status requests during this time.
That means don’t expect to get an interview letter within days of the medical or submission of the readiness form, whichever comes last.

Tips if you don’t like waiting around, or several weeks have passed since your 3 things have gone to the embassy:
Call the Visa Specialist Unit at the Department of State - (202) 485-7600 – when your “Case Updated” field on CEAC changes. This means one of two things – they've either received your online Readiness form, or they've printed and sent your interview date letter. The DOS will be able to tell you when your interview date is, just in case the letter never arrives or is late. It is a good idea to check with them because some have never received their letter.

What happens after NOA2? The Basics
Your Service center will send your file to the National Visa Center (NVC). You are done with USCIS when they hand off your file to the Department of State (DOS). DOS is over the NVC, as well all embassies.

The NVC is a short pit stop for a K1 case. They assign a new DOS case number and forward your file to London. Your new case number will begin with LND for London. The NVC will mail the petitioner a letter saying the file has been sent to London, as well as telling you the new case number. They aren’t fast about getting out the letters, so your case will likely be in London before you hear from them.
Shortcut for those who can’t wait for their letter: NVC accepts phone calls. You can call and ask if your case has arrived, if it has gone to the embassy, and if they have assigned your LND case number.
NVC: 603-334-0700 Press 1 for English
Hours: Monday-Friday from 7:00 AM to midnight (EST).
Best time to call is 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM or 10:00 PM to midnight.

You can also find out your case number from DOS.
DOS: 202-485-7600 Press 1, then 0. 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM (EST)

Your case arrives in London. The embassy will send the beneficiary a letter of instruction. It’s not a “packet”, but just a letter that essentially says “We have your approved petition from the NVC and we're ready for you to begin submitting your forms and have your medical”. The letter has a link to the embassy website where you will find forms and instructions. The letter will have a very important date at the bottom called your priority date. The same date is found on your NOA2 showing the expiration date of the approved petition. This is your four month time limit – if you haven't had your interview by this date, London will require a notarized letter from the US petitioner stating they're still happy to get married. The letter is taken by the beneficiary to the interview.
Shortcut for those who can’t wait for their letter: If you have obtained your LND number, you can enter it in the CEAC Visa Status Check site,. Choose “immigrant” in the drop down. Include the letters LND with your number. The important thing here is to forget the text at the bottom about scheduling interviews or anything like that – the Embassy does that for you once you've sent everything in. There are two main statuses at this point:
In Transit – This one means your case is on its way from the NVC to London.
Ready – This one means London has your casefile and is waiting to receive something needed to progress your case. You may begin submitting forms and booking the medical.

You now attend the medical and complete your forms (separate topics) before London will assign an interview date. London will not notify you each step of the way. The beneficiary will receive an interview letter from London. The interview will likely be 2-4 weeks from when they send the letter.
Shortcut for those who can’t wait for their letter: DOS will know your interview date once it has been assigned. You may call them and ask the date. It is a good idea to check with them because London has sent out late letters or no letters in the past.

Once you know your interview date, you pay the visa fee online. (Details in a separate post)