RUSSandRACHEL

Ohhhh yes I have I was getting confused with the main application forms which only ask for travel plans, sorry.

So the IV-15k (Notification of Applicant Readiness) is all we send back or do we also have to send:

DS-230 Part 1,

Form DS-156,

Form DS-157 and

Form DS-156-K aswell?

Where does it say on the forms a space for the medical date? I filled out the forms yesterday and didnt come across that question. Nor a particular question about the specific wedding date? There is just a space to explain when you are intending to travel, yes? Am I right?

And also are you writing a cover letter to explain your plans too?

We put a provisional date of Feb 01 2010 for travel and said we'd be getting married as soon as possible, pending the interview. We really intend to marry on June 27th, but I would like the interview out of the way asap. I have also heard on VJ of people asking for an earlier date, as then the embassy schedules the interviews according to that more or less.

We got the PINK slip! My interview went well last Nov 20. It was only less than 5 minutes with the consul. Right after he said "Congratulations your visa has been approved, I was so teary-eyed right infront of him while I said "Thank you so much Sir!"

And while waiting for my release slip, everything flashed back from day 1 of this journey that my fiance and I had... and i was just sitting in the blue seat crying by myself. Thank you God! Everything is indeed all worth it.

I will be home soon my love.

Good luck to those who will still be having their interviews and waiting for notices. Just keep the faith and patience. ASk for strength and perseverance and everything will be ok.

Feel free to ask me anything if you like...

God is so good!

CONGRATULATIONS!!! Well done! Im so happy for you!

Well... we are still waiting. Feel like we've come to a bit of a standstill. We are still waiting for London to recieve our case. According to NVC (which I dont know if I believe) they still haven't recieved it since it was sent on the 12th! Ahhh... the waiting game again!

im pretty sure it wont be lost!!! i dont know that that has ever happened before...

so packet 3 is the first item of correspondance you'll receive from london. calling the DOS is the best way to find out if they have received your petition. from my experience of calling the dos, it sounds like your case will be at the embassy, they just havent got round to opening it up and imputting into their systems.

(someone correct me if thats wrong)

i waited 24 days from my case leaving NVC to receiving packet 3. at some point, around the 2 weeks mark i called the DOS and i was told the embassy had received my case, but packet 3 HADNT been sent out yet. i was among a group of people who all had their packet 3s printed on the same day. it really feels like london does things in bulk, as someone mentioned before... printing off a bunch of packet 3's, assigning interviews etc...

i know it sucks, but it really cant be too much longer now before you hear something!! got my fingers crossed for you!

jo

Thanks Jo! Good to hear that we've never heard of a case being lost in transit! Well, we called again ( ) yesterday and still no news. The lady said it had been recieved at London on the 12th. Erm, we said wasn't sent on the 12th??!!! Then she said erm yes thats right, I meant electronically on the 12th! Doh! The hard copy has still not been recieved. She said we should wait at least 2 weeks!

Well at least we're not alone in this. Ok back to waiting...

On another subject... I went to the London Embassy link you so kindly gave me, SunDrop, with the checklist and forms to download. Its not very clear which you are supposed to send off after recieving packet 3? Is it all of them? Or just the checklist and do you hold onto the forms until the interview?

Thanks BadWolfProphecy!!!

Its good to hear everyones success stories! We're taking our labrador, Honey with us next year and everyones face just falls when we tell them, like we're doing the worst thing in the world to her. People dont realise that pets travel all the time.

Well, our latest update is...

Be warned of the pet shipping company Pet Air UK everyone. I thought they were really nice at first, with all the sales speil and everything, and they always answered my queries promptly and helpfully. The responses to my emails changed tone eventually and I started to get the feeliing, they were not really interested anymore and this was around the time when we were about to pay them our deposit. So, my last query was more than 2 weeks ago and they still havent got back to me!!!! Hence, we have now gone with PBS - their website is www.shipyourpet.com. Emma who has been dealing with us has been fantastic and Honey's crate was delivered yesterday evening.

Its a bit scary though, it seems so real now!! Especially looking at the Live Animal Stickers that came with it. But I know she'll be in good hands. My fiance Russ also happened to meet someone who used to work for Continental the other day (who we'll be flying with) and she assured us that Continental really do take care of the animals they transport. They are the only airline with temperature controlled areas and she urged us to insist that the airline staff check that she has boarded and is ok. Apparently they are happy to do that.

Good luck everyone!! We have a provisional date to fly as 27th April (pending my interview though) Can't wait!!!

Would anyone mind telling me the link for us to download the forms so we can start completing them and have them at the ready to send?

Thanks everyone for replying!!

That is the number we have been calling every day. So I guess that is the DOS. Russ has been fantastic calling and he calls them whilst we're on Skype so I listen in too. So theres no need for me to really call. But NVC are still saying that London hasnt recieved it yet. When we call, they say "Good news!" and we say "Yes?" and they say "NVC has recieved your case" And we're like "Uh, we KNOW!!!!!".

Its the same old story - its sitting on a desk doing nothing. I find it hard to believe that it hasnt been recieved. Why would a package with our exact dates have been recieved, but ours hasnt? This is so frustrating!

I just wanna ask how long was it beore you heard anything directly from London? Did you recieve a letter or anything saying they have recieved and are processing your case, before they sent out packet 3?

Thanks for your advice everyone about doing things in advance. We're definitely on the ball with that one and I have my medical scheduled for December 21st anyway. Hmmm... we'll see

I think most people put arrived in London according to the DHL tracking -- That's what I did.

Now that it has left NVC, you need to call DOS, as that's a different department. Going by what I remember of the other threads London does seem to do things in little bursts, a lot of people didn't have their cases logged, and then all of a sudden they did, and then a lot of people didn't have their P3s logged, and then suddenly they all did, interviews...suddenly they all did...etc etc etc. Could be they just update the system in batches and it's not filtered all the way through yet. I don't think it's been long enough to worry yet, but I know that's hard advice to take - of course you're going to worry!

Thanks everyone for replying! We are getting a little but anxious now

I thought NVC was the Department of State? If not, then does anyone know what is their phone number is and how do they know any different to the NVC number we have been calling every day? NVC have advised us to keep calling back every day... I don't want to call London as judging by the amount of calls we've already made, it'd be like paying for our I-129F all over again! lol

We have been advised that NVC recieved our case from USCIS on November 9th and then NVC sent it to the London Embassy on the 12th. Since then we have called NVC every working day to see if London have recieved it yet. It is almost 2 weeks since they said they have and today, they are still saying London hasnt recieved it!

We followed some of your advice on here and when we were told our case had been sent, we attempted to track it on DHL's website. A package we we hope was ours was sent from NVC on 12th and arrived on 16th! Could this be ours but London still havent got round to logging it in the system yet? Its now the 24th!!!

We are getting a little worried now... and thinking that maybe our case has got lost?? A lot of timelines we have looked at show only a 2 day or 3 day period for transit to London.

How long did yours take to be recieved and how long was it before you heard anything from London Embassy?

Should we be worried?

hello

I had my medical yesturday and thought i let everyone know what happened .

Woke up at 3.30am to get ready i didnt really feel nervous jus scared i might have left something, but lucky i didnt . My dad was driving me down to london so the hole family came too lol. We set off at 6am we got half way down an stopped at a cafe for some breakfast. We arrrived at the underground at 11 am which was in woodside park london, we left the car there and got the underground to Bond street. I had a hour and a half before my appointment so me and my family did some site seeing of london, I hadnt been to london since i was a little girl so it was great, we took the underground to oxford circus, had a quick look round there , then we got the underground back to bond street, from there we went to marylebone lane which took us up to bentinken street, at first we walk straight past the knightsbridge doctors, they is no sign out side so nothing stands out, anyways i got there at 1pm, i was buzzed in and it was the door on the right ( flat 4 ). I went to the reception, i told then who i was , the lady asked me for my passport, questionnaire, vaccination records and photos, i then was asked to wait in the waiting room, about 5 mins i was asked to fill out this questionnaire which was the same as the one i brought with me just set out a little different and i had to sign also to say i agreed on having the blood tests done. I was called at 1.30pm and taken to discuss what vaccination i needed, which was the MMR and and HPV, the lady asked me if i wanted to have them done there or wait, i said i was going to wait,( as the MMR i can get for free on the NHS), so she jus said she sign me off, she then took me to another waiting room which i was in there for about 10 mins then i was called and taken for my chest x rays, i was asked to take off my top and put this gown on, then i was told to stand agaist this metal plate , had my elbow stuck out and and my hands pushing in to my waist ( abit like a chicken lol) then i had to hold this thing in my hands, then he asked me to take in a deep breath and hold, after that i was told to keep the gown on and go back to the waiting room, i was waiting for about 15 mins then a female doctor called me, she asked me about the questiones i answered yes to on my questionnaire, i had answered yes to question 1, 4, 12, 20 so she asked me alittle on Q1 & 4 and then she moved one to Q12 which was about when i was caused for being drunk and disordly in 2004, she wanted me to explain what happened so i did and then she said because i had this incident and it involved alcohol and america so hard up on things to do with alcohol ( which made me now nervous on what the embassy is going to say and do), that i had to have extra 3 blood tests to check that i didnt have a drinking problem ( not that you couldnt tell by just looking at me lol i dont really drink so much any more) which cost me extra £40 for the extra blood test, she then told me the limit for a women drinking is just 1 drink and that it also gose on your height , she then she was asking me how much do i drink a week? how many do i drink when im out? dose my fiance drink and how much? when was the last time i had a drink? she kept going on about how u shouldnt drink alot and telling me not to argue with the police ( which i had not argued ) so i was confused why she was acting like i had done, she was more interested in this caution then anything else, she then asked me my height and told me to weigh my self ( i had to tell her, she didnt get up off her chair to look ), then she told me to lay on the bed, she checked my heart, blood pressure, looked down my throught, shined a light in my eyes, looked down my pants lol and she said yes you are a women thats good lol, then she took the blood samples. that was it over and done with, then i had to go back to the waiting room , then the receptionist called me to pay, she gave me back my passport and vaccination records, she gave me info on the vaccinationes i needed, i asked for a copy of my blood test results, i paid £230 got a receipt and then left.I came out of the knightsbridge doctors at 2.30pm, after that we got something to eat then went more site seeing to few places like leicester square, piccadilly circus, trafalger square then we got the underground back to woodside park to where the car was and set off back home. we got home about 10.30pm , i was so glad to be home my feet was soo sore i could hardly walk lol.

Total cost of the day.

- Petrol £50

- Underground Tickets £5 each that was for the hole day .

- Medical with extra blood test £230

- Food £15

I found the medical to be rushed and its way to much money for what they do, the doctor was ok but she could of been more polite, but the overall day was good .

Hi Yorkshire Rose22, great report! Thanks for doing it. It really helps us all be prepared.

Can I ask you a question, regarding the HPV Vaccine they said you would need to have...? I am 26 years old and I will be 27 by the time we apply for AOS after we get married. So do you or anyone else know whether I will still have to have this? I thought the vaccination requirements are for AOS not for the application of the K1.

Good morning all! I have slept like a baby last night! I can't remember when was the last time I've slept so good!

Thanks everybody for your wishes! I will keep on sending good vibes for all of you and I wish you all the best in the world! You've made my journey so much easier!

Musho, I have taken with me all the documents refered to in the instructions page received from the embassy. I don't know if the instructions are the same for everybody. It was very important to have the originals of the most important documents - birth certificate, divorce decrees (both mine and his), criminal record. There was this girl who didn't bring the original of her american fiance's divorce decree so she was rescheduled for a later time (she was asked to call again and reschedule her interview when she has the document in hand). That was so sad! Also, to make sure they won't send me back to get God knows what I took every document and/or copy of documents - including those already included in the petition. I didn't need any though.

At the end of the interview they treated me like I was one of theirs. That was nice!

I will be leaving on December 17th. My port of entry will be Memphis, TN. I will keep you posted and I will keep on being here with you. The journey is far from over and over the last months I have come to know and care for all of you. It may sound corny but it's true.

Hugs and kisses to all,

Ileana

Hi guys. Thats so sweet of you. We feel the same. Don't know how we would have got this far without you all. Glad you finally had a good nights sleep Ileana! Now you can RELAAAAX! Ahh! Once again, CONGRATS! We are soooooo happy for you both and glad that your interview went smoothly!!! Its so exciting that you will be going home on December 17th. I always refer to NJ as home now cos thats where my heart is Please keep us all informed as to how you get on (POE, Social Security Number application etc...) and also... when is your wedding??!!!

Ileana, do you mind me asking, when you say you needed 'original documents', do you have to have the petitioners passport and original payslips, employers letter etc aswell..? Or will copies for those suffice instead? I say because unfortunately I will be going to the interview alone and therefore won't have these.

Also we keep calling NVC to find out if London have recieved our case yet and they keep telling us, no not yet. It has been over a week! I keep thinking maybe it has been recieved but the info hasnt got over to NVC yet. I saw that on a few other UK timelines... Also I booked my medical for December 21st! Yay! So Russ will be able to come and hold my hand after all (Im not exactly looking forward to the blood test!?

Hope you're all doing well. We keep you all in our thoughts.

Good morning everyone!

Today is the day! I will be going to the embassy for the interview in about half an hour. Whish me luck and keep your fingers crossed for me. I will get back with details later.

Hugs to all,

Ileana

GOOD LUCK! Try not to worry you'll be fine! How exciting! Cant wait for you to fill us all in later

Hi everyone, thanks for your replies. I actually got the first one from Lioncub4 and made the call right after that. I got through to a really nice lady (I guess a different one) and she took my details down and booked me in for December 21st! Yay! So now me and Russ can go together and have a day out in London together too. She did ask me if I had the 'checklist' and I was just like yeah... hehe. But I downloaded all of the medical info from the London Embassy website including the questionnaire and I'm good to go.

Ahhh... thats another thing sorted, but, £190 though?! Jeez... But I suppose its all worth it in the end

Yaaaaaaaay! My police certificate arrived this morning!

I have never committed a crime but still took a sigh of relief when I read it said 'no trace' hehe! I am always thinking the worst... that it might all go wrong and they might mix me up with someone else??? Silly me

Hi everyone!

I am struggling to get a clear answer on this one. I have been advised by quite a few people on VJ to go ahead and book my medical with Knightsbridge Doctors in London once the NVC have recieved my case and I am issued with my new case number. Well, we now have that information and we are waiting (and it should be any day now) for the London Embassy to recieve our case. So, the other day I tried to ring and schedule my medical and was met by a very rude receptionist on the phone who asked me 'why I was bothering calling', 'where did we get their phone number from' and 'who instructed us to make the appointment'. When I told her I want to schedule it for when my fiance is here over christmas and in advance so we can be organised she told me 'thats not how the embasy works and you can't make your appointment until you have been istructed by the embassy' (!!??)

I have talked to a few other VJers and they have conflicting stories, all having been able to book their medical with only their new case number and having not yet recieved packets 3 and 4.

Can anyone advise what I am supposed to do and what is the correct phone number to ring and when are you supposed to book the appointment? Do I really have to wait until packets 3 and 4?

Thanks in advance!

Frosty Mist, when is your medical scheduled for and what information did you have to give them over the phone? Also does anyone have the correct phone number to call and make the appointment? I'm going to try and make my appointment again today.

RUSSandRACHEL: That's very strange. I've had to speak with them on three seperate occasions, and each time found the receptionist to be perfectly polite and helpful. Could you not just call back in a few days and tell them you have received your packet if they ask? I'm surprised they did ask about those things: no one there has asked me whether I received my packet, or how I got their number when I phoned them.

Aww thanks Frosty Mist. What a cute pic! So have you scheduled your medical yet? I guess I will let things calm down for a few days and then call to schedule the appointment. So let me get this straight... what does it exactly say in packet 3 about the medical? Just so I can tell them I have it in my hand...

Btw, great reviews everyone. You're all so helpful.

Yes mate. Book in your medical ASAP. All you need is your case number. Get hold of your vaccination history as well, as this will speed up the examination. If you can't get hold of it don't worry.

ok cool ill get booked in then. thank u for yr help

Me and my fiance have just found out our case has been recieved at London so I thought, like you, I would like to book the medical. I really wanted to get it organised in time for when Russ comes over for christmas so I called the other day and couldnt believe how rude they were on the phone.

I was about to book my chosen time and date and they wanted my case number and took it along with my name, date of birth and phone number. Then the receptionist asked me where I got their phone number from and whether I have recieved my packet from the Embassy instructing me to make the appointment when I said 'no not yet', she totally turned on me and said 'why are you bothering calling?' And 'how do I know that I need a medical if I havent been advised to have one yet??!!!' I told her we're fully versed on the visa process and want to be organised as possible as we've just recieved our new case number. She was so sarcastic and said 'well, thats not how the embassy works!' Cheek! So now we're no better off and now I may not get an appointment for when Russ arrives over Christmas. Grrrrrrrr! More delays... Let me know how you get on booking yours yorkshirerose22, but be warned...

Well I called them this morning and spoke to a helpful lady who told me it is due for dispatch tomorrow (Thats convienient. Whenever you call anyone why is it always being sent out 'tomorrow') Hmmm... anyway cant complain, so we'll see. Hoping I get it for the end of the week

Awwww yaaaaaay! Glad that its all worked out for you too. I wish my fiance could come with me...

Last time I went to the USA, I went to the vet' to check my little ferret, she was more than 6 years old and she hasn't seemed very well for a while, and I wanted to make sure before I'd leave her to a friend for two weeks. It was making me very anxious, because I doubted she could survive such a long trip. 6 years is old for a ferret.

Finally the day before I was supposed to fly, I headed to the vet.

She had cancer... Vet said she could hope to live for 3 months max with heavy medication.

In a blink, I had to make an horrible decision. I couldn't leave her to my friend like that, with the medication.

It was during the summer, it was getting hot, and I could see she was suffering.

So I decided to put her to sleep.

It was my last day at work before vacation and I was supposed to finish and close a lot of files...

All I did was crying all day long... Then I went home, and I started to dismount her cage and put away all her stuffs.

I managed to cut myself very badly...

On the way to the airport, I was still crying...

I managed to loose my little neckband cushion thingy in the gates waiting room, more crying...

I was the last one to get into the plane (because I tried to find my neckband back....)

The air hostess said "I've got a good news for you! you're upgraded to business class!", MORE crying!

We're here now, but speaking for myself, it's been more than a year I'm planning this journey, and I started to plan it thinking she would come with me...

I really hope you'll be able to manage a fine journey for your dog, Rachel, it's important.

Awww EasternDE I'm so sorry. That must be heartbreaking. I'm so sorry... Thats awful!! Russ works with animals aswell - including ferrets and he says that they are such sweet creatures. So mischevious - they move their plastic house during the night to try and make there way out of the cage haha! But I'm sorry for your loss.

And thank you for your concern but Honey is like a child to us. We have to bring her with us and she loves Russ just like she loves me. I know its incredibly stressful but shes a young dog still and unbeknown to us, the transportation of animals is something totally normal to many dogs and the cargo department... just look at Crufts dog show... So, whilst we are very very anxious about the process of taking her, I know she will be ok. I met a woman who previously worked for Continental (who we'll be flying with) recently and she has assured us both that they really do take care of the animals well... temperature control etc... Its so unfortunate that your poor baby didnt get to make the journey with you... Im so sorry. But the journey with Honey is just something we have to get through. Its just something we have to get on with. I'm dreading it to be honest though.

Congratulations NewYorkSydney!!! Good luck with your new life in the US! I wish you a smooth adjustment!

I am so sorry for what you have to go through Rachel! I hate people patronizing others just because they can. One of these days I will ask one of them if they are getting paid extra just to be abnoxious! Awwwww, your doggie is so cute!!! I want to get me one just like that when I get to US. We already chose a name for it - Dexter!

Coleen, good luck! I keep my fingers crossed for you too!

Thank you so much Azra! Have you scheduled your medical already?

Sending lots of good vibes for you Batta! Hope everything will sort out soon.

Keep you all in my thoughts and prayers,

Hugs to all,

Ileana

Aww thanks Ileana! I know, she was so rude. I guess we just have to sit tight and wait for packet three now, but I'm dreading calling her back. The attitude... shes just a receptionist lol! But yes, labradors make the most wonderful companions. And such cute little puppies. I wont deny it, they are such hard work and dont mature for about three years but the returns are a million times over. Our Honey is such a loving dog. She'd protect us in a heartbeat!

And CONGRATULATIONS NewYorkSydney!!!! We're sooooo pleased for you!!!!! Wow! What a relief! You can start to relax now and continue your wedding plans! Congrats again!

Oooh great thread!! We've added our results:

Met on the internet

Met in person 1 month later

Got engaged more than 1 year after that

Wow! 70% met on line! Yay! We dont feel like such 'freaks' now. We dont really make it public knowledge. Russ doesnt especially, but its good to hear we're all 'special' hehe.

Oh and also, can't believe 25% got engaged immediately!! Wooooow! Awwww!

Oh jeeez! So complicated! Deep breath! Ahhh...

Well get back to me fellow VJ peeps and let me know what you hear next! Thank you!

Rachel,

I can't believe they were so rude to you at Knightsbridge! To me that sounds like it goes against the new rule they just made wanting people to have their medical at least a week before the interview so the results are to the embassy in time. They should praise you for being on top of it, not reject you!!

The arbitrary rules of this process just slay me sometimes!

Anyway... you may know this already. But Russ can call the Dept of State over here in the states for info on your case. It does cost for a call to Washington DC, but it's much much better than the extortion line in London. They will tell him when you've been received and entered into the system, when your P3 is issued, even when your interview date is!

The number is 202-663-1225. Press 1 and then 0.

Hope this helps, and good luck with a swift remainder to your process!

Oh thank you sooo much roughsweet! No we didn't know that! We'll do that tomorrow! Yay! I love VJ! You're all amazing!