|
|
| London, United Kingdom |  Review on September 6, 2014: |
jsumner86
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
My wife and I decided to stay in a hotel in London that wasn't too far from the embassy, the night before our interview, as otherwise we'd have had to travel from the Midlands early in the AM, leaving us both tired and uncomfortable during my interview. Unless you live reasonably close by, I'd definitely recommend doing this.
My interview was at 8AM - we left the hotel just before 6AM, and arrived outside the embassy a little before 7. We found out at that point that Goulds pharmacy doesn't open until 7:30, so had a cold drink at the cafe next door.
At 7:30 we dropped our luggage off at Goulds and walked across to the embassy, where a long queue had already formed. After waiting in the first queue we presented my passport, DS-260 results page and interview letter to the staff at the blue table - luckily my wife's name was on the list they'd been given, I've heard that this isn't always the case. We then waited in the second queue as I held my entire life in a little clear plastic bag the embassy staff had handed me, in my hands.
After passing through the metal detectors (which caught me out as I'd forgotten that I had a pen in my shirt pocket), the staff as the reception desk gave me my ticket number and we were directed to sit down on the well known blue seats of the waiting area.
At this point it was a little before 8AM, and while there were dozens of people already waiting, interviews hadn't yet started and ticket numbers weren't yet being called. They got up and running at about 8:10, and the regular ding of ticket numbers being called and displayed on the screen at the front of the room started.
It was around 20 minutes wait before we were called up to a booth for the document check/fingerprint process, and a rather stern British lady went through all of that with us, which took about 10 minutes - we couldn't hear each other very well through the glass and background noise behind me, which was a little frustrating. We sat back down to wait to be called for my interview, and after a slight mix up in which our ticket number was called up again accidentally, we were called up to a different booth after a further 30/40 minute wait.
The friendly American man at this booth stated that he was performing my interview and that while my wife was welcome to be present, he would be talking to me and not her. After taking my finger prints and having me take an oath, he asked me a series of general questions such as where we met, how we kept in touch, how often we visited each other, who my co-sponsor is and what she does for a living, whether or not both my wife and myself are currently employed etc.
I was a little nervous at this stage because a series of minor issues came up at my medical check, some of which I wasn't even previously aware of myself. While logically I knew these wouldn't be an issue, it's difficult to not worry about it. I was also concerned about proving my wife's domicile, as she has been living here in the UK for a couple of years.
As it turned out, neither of these were mentioned at the interview, and it was less than 5 minutes before he smiled and stated that our visa was approved. 10 minutes later we had collected luggage and were walking through the streets of London again.
As has been stated many times before on these reviews, it's normal to be nervous, but if you are in a legitimate relationship and have properly prepared, nothing will go wrong at this stage.
| |
|
Consulate / USCIS Member Review #15149