derppis

Visa won't be declined if medical results aren't at the embassy when you interview, you get a blue paper stating they are waiting results from your medical. Took me less than a week from Knightsbridge receiving the papers to CEAC saying Issued. Not the end of the world.

Hey there, we were waiting the 2 weeks from entry as per the SSN guide on VJ - so it worked fine for you without waiting?

Yep I got it without a visit.

(Well, I DID visit, on the 28th, the same day the card was in the mailbox, so it was a pointless visit!)

Card was mailed to the address I wrote on the DS260, not the one I gave at POE.

Less than a month since entry and already got a job, SSN, a few credit cards, car title on my name etc. Still waiting for the GC though. Love it!

I changed my passport during the process. No problems at all. I didn't redo any forms.

Entry on the 22nd, Social Security Card issued 27th. Pretty quick!

No, it gets updated into IR1. That's what we did. First it was CR1, then it went to the embassy as IR1 because our 2 years was done by then.

Hmm, we had one letter from her mom as proof and it was accepted no questions asked...

They will have the correct category when it goes through NVC and in to the embassy. Ours was automatically updated from CR to IR when our 2 years was done, they check it at the interview.

I waited 11 months and 20 days or thereabouts (on purpose to delay the process) - No problem as long as you "ping" them at least once a year.

Ok, those steps sound pretty good to me. I just need to get it done, and keep my fingers crossed it gets to the Embassy in time for my interview on the 1st.

I do tend to have high blood pressure, but as far as I can tell from all the info I've read that isn't the kind of thing they are really looking for.

I just really want all this stuff to be over and done with. Will be so happy to have it all behind me.

(I'm writing this from the plane on my way to my POE...)

It is not the end of the world if your medical isn't there for the interview. Mine wasn't.

For me, BP was a big issue, I needed statements from 3 specialists for them - but I'm not a UK resident and I don't have a GP. If you are, I'm sure your GP's statement will be enough. (For me they needed lipids, creatinine, and sugars, and needed a specialist assessment for all 3. Ridiculous, as every specialist said. I also used 2 other panel physicians in 2 other countries to sort everything out, everyone said the UK doc is full of sh*t).

Anyway, here's how mine went:

Late in June (19th or so I think), medical check. Need more info for alleged BP problem.

4th July, got the medical stuff done in another country. (I haven't lived in the UK for a few years, only reason I had to do the med/interview in London was because someone at NVC screwed up and didn't transfer our case to the correct embassy.)

5th July, Knightsbridge receives the statements from other doctors.

6th July, Interview. No medical, blue letter and AP.

11th July, Knightsbridge says embassy has the medical today.

14th July, Visa issued.

19th July, Visa in hand.

The delay really isn't bad, so don't stress about it. Good luck!

Yay for you! Bet you are relieved. Won't take long now, I promise. Get all that paperwork ready for the NVC, and you'll be moving along nicely!

I have my medical tomorrow! Getting a little nervous/stressed. I don't have any issues, but just hate this kind of thing. Any advice from anyone who's done their medical in London?

Yes, 4 steps: Go in, pay their insane price, get out, think "what was I worrying about".

Blood pressure seems to be a big thing for them if it's even slightly higher than normal. Apart from that, they don't really care.

We got approved with 2 years of foreign income (so 0 in the US), and a signed job contract in the US stating salary above the minimum.

My POE will be ATL on Saturday 23rd. Booked a ticket via Turkey for extra excitement (and no doubt extra security checks, TK is pretty insane with it these days). One-way ticket with 3 32kg checked bags. I expect SSSS on my boarding pass

2015 Interview date to visa in hand
Feb 10--14 days (djawal) delivery
Feb 11--9 days (The Andies)
Feb 12--8 days (Gina&Pete14)
Feb 14--7 days (Pheebs1201) depot
Feb 17--7 days (kristenxo) depot
Feb 19--7 days (DaveNot) delivery
Feb 23--4 days (Kimberley95)
Mar 03--7 days (Vicks5721) depot
Mar 05--8 days (Shana) delivery
Mar 10--2 days (E-N)
Mar 27--8 days (Talking Head) depot
Mar 19--11 days (Gary & Aubrey) delivery
Apr 07--7 days (PiLoT) delivery
Apr 07--7 days (TeamJS) delivery
Apr 09--7 days (chrismorrison) delivery
Apr 13--11 days (Allison_Simon2014) delivery
Apr 14--11 days (FewerHatsPlz)
May 18--12 days (wbeem)
May 18--15 days (bonzaigirl) depot
May 26--13 days (wanderlust_16) delivery
May 27--9 days (E + S) depot
May 29--6 days (scottandvicki)CR1 delivery
Jun 02--10 days (xbritto)
Jun 03--6 days (mellylamelle)CR1 delivery
Jun 04--11 days (rpb13) depot
Jun 05--10 days (Yanirose) depot
Jun 10--30 days (MichaelBenjamin) delivery
Jun 12--19 days (immiuser) IR5 depot
Jun 15--17 days (luckyanna) Central London depot
Jun 16--16 days (Howeetest D) Depot
Jun 16--14 days (Elle&Kev)CR1 depot
Jun 16--24 days (Dizzdemey) delivery
Jun 18--14 days (rlt8990) depot
Jun 22--8 days (Ashanu)CR1 depot
Jun 22--9 days (BryterMoon) Delivery
Jun 23--17 days (Newtothelift) Delivery
Jul 01--9 days (Babushka545) depot
Jul 01--9 days (mlh) CR1 delivery
Jul 01--9 days (ToriaM) delivery
Jul 10--12 days (HolliA) depot
Jul 14--8 days (MSCastillo) Depot
Jul 16--11 days (SteveHaze) Delivery
Jul 16--8 days (gjrhopkins) Depot
Jul 20--8 days (ChasUno) Delivery
Jul 24--? days (Tabitha and James)
Jul 27--4 days (Lea!) Delivery
Jul 27--8 days (Kaisara) Depot
Jul 30--7 days (yuna628) Depot
Aug 05--15 days (Wooderz) Depot
Aug 06--12 days (Joey Keanu) Delivery
Aug 06--12 days (beppykins) delivery
Aug 06--12 days (UKPaul) Delivery
Aug 11--7 days (killercat) CR1 delivery
Aug 13--7 days (nelya94) depot
Sep 15--7days (Gizzmondo) delivery
Sep 16--9 days (xvixiiex) depot
Sep 17--? days (vickie1974)
Sep 17--8 days (LEL) delivery
Sep 17--21 days (em2198) delivery
Sep 18--7 days (Sunya and Tim) depot
Sep 21--5 days (JayMain626) CR-1 delivery
Sep 21- 7 days (dj6372) CR-1 depot
Sep 25--7 days (racheal&david) depot
Sep 30--6 days (Devonian) depot
Oct 05--4 days (Starsky) depot
Oct 05--16 days (LunaRose) depot
Oct 16--10 days (CharlieTanger)
Oct 16--10 days (noini89) delivery
Oct 26--9 days (kirstyandliam) depot
Oct 26--9 days (Henley1989) depot
Oct 26--9 days (HisLittleSecret) delivery
Nov 02--8 days (Kaffawren) depot
Nov 09--7 days (mpmarks1975) CR-1 depot
Nov 12--8 days (Jonathan and Tina) depot
Nov 17--7 days (EmmaAndMike) depot
Nov 18--9 days (6 years Later) delivery

2016 Interview date to visa in hand
Jan 18--7 days (gavw72) delivery
Jan 20--9 days (Alimanu) depot
Feb 02-- 9 days (oscillate.wildly) depot
Feb 02--10 days (Trudi) delivered
Feb 12--10 days (AndyR82) delivery
Feb 19--10 days (pk4690) depot
Mar 15--7 days (Simon Schus) depot
Mar 17--12 days (lurdino) delivery
Apr 04--9 days (vpalermo85) delivery
Apr 28--7 days (YorkshiretoAZ) Delivery
Apr 21--7 days (laurajc1984) Depot
May 13--6 days (Seppi) Depot
Jun 01--7 days (Tricked) Depot
Jun 01--7 days (UKTOBK) Delivery
Jun 01--8 days (slimbolina) Delivery
Jun 03--10 days (CatHaven) Depot
Jun 06--4 days (iamian) Delivery
Jun 08--8 days (benkat9596) Delivery
Jun 14--6 Days (Simonsailor) Depot
Jun 14--7 days (KatB) Delivery
Jun 15--7 days (Shalvee) Depot
Jun 15--7 days (AMZJ) Delivery
Jun 27--7 days (TaRems) Depot
Jul 07--7 days (dreaming-big) Depot

Jul 12--7 days (prenouveau) Delivery

Jul 06--13 days (derppis) Depot, delayed medical

Knightsbridge really is just a medical mill/money making machine. I was told by two other panel physicians (not in the UK), that the official guidelines say that the medical examination/questioning should last at least 45 minutes. My blood pressure was taken once, and still they gave me a note saying it had been taken 10 minutes apart (which was not true).

It's a smooth operation, but a complete pain in the a** if you have any issues, even when the issues are outside the scope of the examination. Scope of the exam is to find medical ineligibilities, not require 3 specialist statements from doctors about your blood pressure, which wasn't even that high (154/94, taken once after receiving the shots 3 minutes earlier).

Pretty annoyed that I had to do my medical/interview in London. Instead of 60USD it would've cost in Korea where I lived, it cost me around £4000 all in.

Picked up my packet from Chancery Lane. Happy as a pig in ...

Several thousand dollars to fill out very simple forms. Ouch.

IMO, only reason ever to use an immigration lawyer (and even then, only a very experienced one!) is in case you need waivers for misrep/CIMT.

Yes you can.

https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/temporary-i-551-stamps-and-mrivs

Thanks for your response Lenny&Sanna. My husband has never updated his status in Finland to married, and now that he recently became a U.S. citizen, and he is going to Finland next month, I was thinking he should probably update both of those status's while he is in Finland. He said he was just going to bring our marriage certificate and his naturalization certificate to Finland and show them those. But is that enough? A couple of you of mentioned needed an apostille. I am so confused about apostilles. I'm trying to research about it now. We live in California right now, but we were married in Oregon. So we have to get an apostille for our marriage certificate from Oregon right? (I realize we can do this by mail, but I am just double checking.) As for his naturalization certificate, we can get an apostille for it from USCIS? At least that is what I read on one website. I am starting to wonder if he will have to time to get these before he leaves for Finland on May 27.

Bit of a necropost, sorry about that.

If you try to change your status in Finland to married, you need an apostilled marriage cert, and I understand only one place in the US does apostilles. It is easier to do it through the Finnish embassy in the US, since they accept the original certificate.

I'm still unmarried there (I'm a Finn but I haven't lived there for years) because Finland makes it so difficult, and the ever-so-friendly people at Maistraatti weren't being very helpful.

What is your visa type? Why don't you fill out your VJ timeline?

IR1. My timeline isn't very relevant, since we've delayed it on purpose for years. We filed I-130 in 2013, and I've only "pinged" them a few times to keep the case alive until January 2016 when I started collecting required papers to send to NVC.

I can fill it if you think it is of any interest to anyone?

What worked for us was to put 0 in I864, and attach work contract that starts after we move which shows sufficient income. London was fine with that (and so was NVC, no RFEs)

Just a fresh datapoint, I got the shots at Knightsbridge. Cost £80 and two sore arms.

Fiance got the email today, visa will be delivered tomorrow

Funny, I got the same email

Pick your own for K1 and DCF has only been in effect two months. There's still slots set aside for NVC in the manner they have always done so that part shouldn't be different. NVC has to micro manage and check all your documents and take payment ahead of time. They come up with some weird RFEs on the I-864. Things I am sure London wouldn't even be bothered with. And London does have the final say. And it takes them a long time to get around to your case to check it. It's kind of a bottleneck in my opinion since DCF people get the same visa without NVC. London checks everything at the interview for DCF and K1. If it's unacceptable, they tell you what to fix before they can issue the visa.

So this online scheduling is new and I don't have my head around it yet. Wondering if once NVC gives you an interview date, you would somehow be able to log in, see your date, and pick a different one. Just thinking out loud because I have no clue. You can also use one of the contact forms to ask for an earlier date, but seeing what was open and changing yourself would be a bonus. Something to experiment with when you get there.

London checked everything with my NVC case as well. The CO interviewing me went through the I-864 and made sure we met the income threshold. She also filled up the area on top of the form where it says if you meet/don't meet the income requirements. With our case, the adjusted gross income was 0, the CO accepted the job contract we had included.

Interview today- approved!

Congrats! You have the same "Issued" date as I do, keep us posted when you have visa in hand

CEAC changed to "Issued" today...