Boss and Potato

So just had my interview today, was ok in the end.  I picked the 9AM slot, so there wasnt much queueing.
 
They asked for my passport, invitation letter, birth certificate, police certificates, affidavit of support and letter of intent to marry.  My original I-797 was only valid until August 15th, so per the guidance I had my partner print off an updated copy and send it over.  They didnt ask for the I-797 or anything related to the original I-129F.
 
They asked specifically for the I-134 affidavit of support and then either payslips or a tax document to support it - I had her payslips and a bank statement demonstrating her savings.  They didn't ask for any evidence of my own savings or income, even though I assume I could have used them my partner was unable to provide them.  Odd that the UK embassy site says the I-134 is for guidance only, so I guess they have some discretion with various forms of evidence here.
 
The first part was just gathering my documents, I am directed to sit back down, and then ten minutes later I talk to a second person, who just asked me some basic questions about how I met my partner, what we're planning to do for our wedding, and not a whole lot else.  He was able to tell me it had been approved at the counter, and that I will get a notification in a few days to pick it up. They only asked for one of the two photos I brought with me, and didnt ask me for any of the copies I made.  I had two of basically everything.  Even the instructions page wasn't asked for, even though they specifically tell you to print it.  You need the DS-160 to get in the building.
 
I was in and out of the building in not much more than 30 minutes, everything was pretty simple in the end.  Thanks to everyone on this board and in particular @Wuozopo!

So just had my interview today, was ok in the end.  I picked the 9AM slot, so there wasnt much queueing.
 
They asked for my passport, invitation letter, birth certificate, police certificates, affidavit of support and letter of intent to marry.  My original I-797 was only valid until August 15th, so per the guidance I had my partner print off an updated copy and send it over.  They didnt ask for the I-797 or anything related to the original I-129F.
 
They asked specifically for the I-134 affidavit of support and then either payslips or a tax document to support it - I had her payslips and a bank statement demonstrating her savings.  They didn't ask for any evidence of my own savings or income, even though I assume I could have used them my partner was unable to provide them.  Odd that the UK embassy site says the I-134 is for guidance only, so I guess they have some discretion with various forms of evidence here.
 
The first part was just gathering my documents, I am directed to sit back down, and then ten minutes later I talk to a second person, who just asked me some basic questions about how I met my partner, what we're planning to do for our wedding, and not a whole lot else.  He was able to tell me it had been approved at the counter, and that I will get a notification in a few days to pick it up. They only asked for one of the two photos I brought with me, and didnt ask me for any of the copies I made.  I had two of basically everything.  Even the instructions page wasn't asked for, even though they specifically tell you to print it.  You need the DS-160 to get in the building.
 
I was in and out of the building in not much more than 30 minutes, everything was pretty simple in the end.  Thanks to everyone on this board and in particular @Wuozopo!

I allowed at six working days - my medical was on a Friday, so I scheduled my interview for the Tuesday a week later - no problems

So just had my interview today, was ok in the end.  I picked the 9AM slot, so there wasnt much queueing.
 
They asked for my passport, invitation letter, birth certificate, police certificates, affidavit of support and letter of intent to marry.  My original I-797 was only valid until August 15th, so per the guidance I had my partner print off an updated copy and send it over.  They didnt ask for the I-797 or anything related to the original I-129F.
 
They asked specifically for the I-134 affidavit of support and then either payslips or a tax document to support it - I had her payslips and a bank statement demonstrating her savings.  They didn't ask for any evidence of my own savings or income, even though I assume I could have used them my partner was unable to provide them.  Odd that the UK embassy site says the I-134 is for guidance only, so I guess they have some discretion with various forms of evidence here.
 
The first part was just gathering my documents, I am directed to sit back down, and then ten minutes later I talk to a second person, who just asked me some basic questions about how I met my partner, what we're planning to do for our wedding, and not a whole lot else.  He was able to tell me it had been approved at the counter, and that I will get a notification in a few days to pick it up. They only asked for one of the two photos I brought with me, and didnt ask me for any of the copies I made.  I had two of basically everything.  Even the instructions page wasn't asked for, even though they specifically tell you to print it.  You need the DS-160 to get in the building.
 
I was in and out of the building in not much more than 30 minutes, everything was pretty simple in the end.  Thanks to everyone on this board and in particular @Wuozopo!

So my fiancee (petitioner) got an email from NVC today saying our 129-F was being sent to the London embassy.  Previously the last communication we got was the NOA2 from USCIS in April, never any confirmation NVC had even received anything.
 
I have an NVC case number now finally, and in the CEAC tracker my case shows as "In Transit" - is that what all the backlogged/stuck cases are showing, or is my case really, actually on the way to London?
 
To quote the tracker:
"Your case is in transit to the Consular Section. Your interview date was provided to you by the National Visa Center." - sounds like cause for optimism, even if its obviously not correct, since no date has been provided

NVC does not approve K1s or evaluate their cases in any way. It is merely a handoff between USCIS, who approves petitions, and the Dept of State who issues visas abroad at embassies. All they do at NVC for a K1 is assign a Dept of State case number and send the petition file on to the correct embassy.
 
K1s used to pass through NVC IN 2-3 days. But with the halt of K1 visas, NVC just held on to the cases waiting for things to change or embassies to reopen.  Even in the fastest of times, a beneficiary would not get a letter from London a week after it left NVC. It takes about 4 days transit to the mail receiving area, off site from the embassy building. Then sorting and getting delivered to the embassy. Once at the IV unit, they take time to recognize the case arrived and even more time to issue the letter of instruction to the beneficiary. sometime the letter never arrives. 😩
 
But good news... you don’t actually need that letter for anything because their instruction on how to proceed is posted online over several pages on the embassy website.  Here’s the start. https://uk.usembassy.gov/visas/fiancee-2/applying-for-the-visa/
DO read all the links and FAQs to get prepared and have your ducks in a row when your case arrives at the embassy. 
 
How will you know when to start if you haven’t received the letter? Just check your status on https://ceac.state.gov/CEACStatTracker/Status.aspx  and when it says “ready” it’s GO time. Just 1)submit your DS-160 online, 2) make your medical appointment, and 3)pick an interview date online. You can do all that in one day (if interview appointments are showing up). It is explained in their website instruction.  Again, YOU DO NOT NEED TO WAIT FOR THE ACTUAL LETTER to get started. You finally control your timeline. 
 

K1 approved petitions since March 2020 are in “prison” at the NVC. The NVC will notify the petitioner when they send the file to London. The online status will say”ready” when London has the file and logged it in and is ready for the beneficiary to begin the visa application (DS-160). Sit tight and wait for your file to get to London. The backlog is HUGE. 
 
Meanwhile get shots needed at your GP or another immunisation place. Get proof of all immunisations. And order your UK police certificate. Those will be needed when you finally are ready to attend the visa medical. 

Initial I-129F submission - 05/20/2021
 
NOA2 - 02/02/2021
 
I'm coming up on the 4-month window of approval from USCIS and I have a concern about not receiving anything by mail from the NVC.  I contacted the NVC a few weeks ago and they mentioned that I won't receive anything until the application has been sent to the London Embassy for processing, however they did provide me with a case number and invoice number.
 
When I go to https://ceac.state.gov/CEACStatTracker/Status.aspx? and enter in the case number, it states that the application is "At NVC" and that I can check the status by going to http://ceac.state.gov/iv.  I go to that website and enter in the case number AND the invoice number I received from calling the NVC and the case summary information states:
 
K visas are nonimmigrant visas that assist spouses or future spouses of American citizens in entering the United States. As with all nonimmigrant visa applicants, a DS-160 must be filled out in order for a consular section to process the case.
 
Now my concern is that the NVC is waiting for me to submit a DS-160, but I have never received explicit instructions to do so.  Has anyone had a similar experience to mine?
 
Thank you in advance!