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| London, United Kingdom |  Review on October 11, 2012: |
Gavin + Heather
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
Well that was all bit surreal. I got to the embassy for 07:05, there were two queue points, one for US citizens and one for visa applicants. I was the first there, some other people turned up and a lady come over to ask if any of us had electrical equipment or key fobs etc. Some did, so off they went directed to near by chemists that can store these things for a small price.
The lady then checked my letter and that I was on her list. After that, I was asked to wait by a pillar where I took off my belt and put it, my keys and money etc in my bag - in preparation for security. Security it pretty much the same as the airport, put your bag on the belt and walk through the scanner and pick up on the other side.
You then leave this small building outside the embassy and walk to the right, around the embassy to a different entrance. At reception I handed over my letter, MRV and passport. The receptionist then printed off some barcode labels and stuck them on the letter. She directed me up some stairs on the left to the waiting area. I was sitting down by 07:33. At 08:00 the first numbers were called. All N numbers, 1 through 5 and then at 08:03 my number I901 was called (I for immigration I believe).
I went up to window 1, where the lady asked for my letter, MRV and passport. I tried to explain to her that there was a mix up with Packet 3 and I had sent some stuff with it that they hadn't required. She wasn't too sure what I was saying, but we got there in the end and she popped off for a couple of seconds to retrieve my file. I had sent my birth certificate, the I-134 forms for Heather and her father, pictures with the I-156 forms, police certificate and receipts for the engagement and wedding rings.
She worked through the forms and asked when I was planning to leave, I said next week, she asked for a day, so I said October 12th. She wrote this down on a form. While she was doing this, I noticed that on the forms I'd sent in that there was writing on them - so I don't know what processing they'd already done on them. The only other thing she asked for was Heather's letter of employment. She gave me a pink slip of paper and affixed one of the barcode labels to it that I had gotten earlier. She then told me to sit and wait to be called again. I sat down at about 08:15. So 12 minutes work so far. Oh and she gave me the CD from the medical.
At around 09:00 my number was called for window 16. There was an American guy there and he said "Hello", asked me to write Heather's full name on a form and sign it. He then asked me to raise my right hand and swear that I'd tell the truth, which I did. He then very quickly asked a few questions.
When we met?
Where we met?
How we knew the mutual friends at the engagement party that we met at?
How old am I and how old is Heather?
Do I have any job leads? (I said not at the moment)
Do I have any savings? (Yes and I'm taking it with me)
I barely had chance to answer before the next question was coming. Some answers I didn't get halfway through before the next question came. He then flicked through some photos that we sent in back in February with our I-129F submission and gave them and my birth certificate back to me. At which point he said "Pleased to say you're approved, please take the pink slip to the courier".
That was it, the interview lasted less than 5 minutes!
Wow, stunned at how quick that was. Oh, and my amazing folders of evidence, not needed Still, I was glad I had it. My overall impression was that we had been approved already and the interview was just a case of going through the motions.
Really happy with the experience. I only wished it was possible to find out when they would give the passport/visa packet to the courier. On research and my experience, it seems that DOS is the place to call to find out when the visa has been issued. Once it's issued it looks like it takes the embassy a couple of days to give it to the courier. Then the courier seem to deliver next day.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #10595