Vanitas

Eh, can't complain. Been working since January as a Teacher Assistant in Providence. Hard work but it's so worth it. GC finally turned up in April after having to involve one of the RI Senators. And now the missus and I are expecting our first kiddo in January 2016 so it's all going on right now. Summer's kinda a drag for me as it means I'm not working every day apart from doing some stuff for a local bakery as far as their social media goes, but baby prep is helping keep me occupied.

Eh, can't complain. Been working since January as a Teacher Assistant in Providence. Hard work but it's so worth it. GC finally turned up in April after having to involve one of the RI Senators. And now the missus and I are expecting our first kiddo in January 2016 so it's all going on right now. Summer's kinda a drag for me as it means I'm not working every day apart from doing some stuff for a local bakery as far as their social media goes, but baby prep is helping keep me occupied.

Eh, can't complain. Been working since January as a Teacher Assistant in Providence. Hard work but it's so worth it. GC finally turned up in April after having to involve one of the RI Senators. And now the missus and I are expecting our first kiddo in January 2016 so it's all going on right now. Summer's kinda a drag for me as it means I'm not working every day apart from doing some stuff for a local bakery as far as their social media goes, but baby prep is helping keep me occupied.

Eh, can't complain. Been working since January as a Teacher Assistant in Providence. Hard work but it's so worth it. GC finally turned up in April after having to involve one of the RI Senators. And now the missus and I are expecting our first kiddo in January 2016 so it's all going on right now. Summer's kinda a drag for me as it means I'm not working every day apart from doing some stuff for a local bakery as far as their social media goes, but baby prep is helping keep me occupied.

I was allowed to stay here anyway... I just got busy with life and didn't have time to stick around all that much.

*puts a plate of cookies down then runs off*

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)

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.

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.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/user/139601-alankirlyam/ - Alan and Kirylam
http://www.visajourney.com/forums/user/140762-louis-and-aya/ - Louis and Aya
They did attempt to get members for Season 2, but the mods axed it.

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)

Coheed and Cambria - Tark Side of Me

I need to finish off a resume first before I start putting applications in, but it should be soon. As for Amy.. well, she's been working the last 3-4 years at the RI Blood Center.
Huzzah! Lucky for some. Give them a kick for me, would you?

Most likely.. anyway. Congressman's office got back to me yesterday. MSC is done with my case and ready to send it to Providence, however they won't do that until Providence assigns me an interview date. So waiting on Providence to get off their arses and assign an interview date. They said to call back in a couple of weeks if I've still gotten nowhere. At least it feels like it's moving along.

Most likely.. anyway. Congressman's office got back to me yesterday. MSC is done with my case and ready to send it to Providence, however they won't do that until Providence assigns me an interview date. So waiting on Providence to get off their arses and assign an interview date. They said to call back in a couple of weeks if I've still gotten nowhere. At least it feels like it's moving along.

Most likely.. anyway. Congressman's office got back to me yesterday. MSC is done with my case and ready to send it to Providence, however they won't do that until Providence assigns me an interview date. So waiting on Providence to get off their arses and assign an interview date. They said to call back in a couple of weeks if I've still gotten nowhere. At least it feels like it's moving along.

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.

Quick update from me before I disappear into the ether again.
-Move to new 2-bed apartment went well-ish, apart from in-laws being grouchy and saying I was lazy.
-EAD/AP Combo arrived last week, woo. Can finally start sorting out a DL in Rhode Island.
-Looks like I'll be going on this course I mentioned way back in Sept/Oct.
Apart from that, keeping myself somewhat busy with things.
And back out I go, after one last post in the UK forum telling them not to bother me. That's the only reason I'm looking at the site, because someone PMed me about a non-K1 topic.

Quick update from me before I disappear into the ether again.
-Move to new 2-bed apartment went well-ish, apart from in-laws being grouchy and saying I was lazy.
-EAD/AP Combo arrived last week, woo. Can finally start sorting out a DL in Rhode Island.
-Looks like I'll be going on this course I mentioned way back in Sept/Oct.
Apart from that, keeping myself somewhat busy with things.
And back out I go, after one last post in the UK forum telling them not to bother me. That's the only reason I'm looking at the site, because someone PMed me about a non-K1 topic.

Quick update from me before I disappear into the ether again.
-Move to new 2-bed apartment went well-ish, apart from in-laws being grouchy and saying I was lazy.
-EAD/AP Combo arrived last week, woo. Can finally start sorting out a DL in Rhode Island.
-Looks like I'll be going on this course I mentioned way back in Sept/Oct.
Apart from that, keeping myself somewhat busy with things.
And back out I go, after one last post in the UK forum telling them not to bother me. That's the only reason I'm looking at the site, because someone PMed me about a non-K1 topic.

Quick update from me before I disappear into the ether again.
-Move to new 2-bed apartment went well-ish, apart from in-laws being grouchy and saying I was lazy.
-EAD/AP Combo arrived last week, woo. Can finally start sorting out a DL in Rhode Island.
-Looks like I'll be going on this course I mentioned way back in Sept/Oct.
Apart from that, keeping myself somewhat busy with things.
And back out I go, after one last post in the UK forum telling them not to bother me. That's the only reason I'm looking at the site, because someone PMed me about a non-K1 topic.

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.