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| London, United Kingdom |  Review on August 28, 2007: |
James and Tracy
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
Interview date: 08/Aug/07
Travel to London:
I left home at 7pm on 07/Aug caught the midland mainline service from Sheffield to London St Pancras I got there at around 10pm. I had booked a hotel near the embassy for the night at the Hyde Hotel Paddington (booked by: www.Londonnights.com). The hotel is not very far from the Embassy. The staff were polite and the rooms although small were of a very high standard (better than I have had in some higher ranked hotels). I ordered a car from Plazza cars to collect me at 7:30am from the hotel to take me to the Embassy. The hotel does not have any AC and it was very hot.
Interview day:
The day stated early at 5:45am. Got ready checked over my paper work, all present and correct, I took my other bags and left them with the reception. The rest of the day when something like this: Headed down for breakfast at 6:50am Breakfast finished at 7:10am. Car arrived at 7:15am. Arrived Embassy 7:30am. The entrance that you need for the visas is on the south side of the square and has Grosvenor St leading off it. (if you are stood facing the front of the Embassy with the Roosevelt memorial on your right you are in the right place).
I had a 9am appointment and strictly speaking you are not meant to arrive more than 30 minutes before. I had heard queues of 2+ hours so got there early. This did not seem to bother them. I was standing around talking with other people waiting for the queue gates to be opened. They all seemed to have letters that looked nothing like mine. They were all going for non-immigrant visas and these are handled by a different branch. (Technically the K1 is a non-immigrant visa but it is handled by the immigrant visa branch). Also there were people of other nationalities getting visas to visit the USA. I think I saw a Ukrainian passport while I was there waiting.
Security is tight, you are not allowed to take any liquids through and I had to remove my belt and put everything in my small bag. I walked to the security hut and put my bag on the X ray. I waked through the mettle detector. It went off, don’t know why I did not have any mettle on me!! The security guard looked longingly at the x-ray of my bag and spotted the USB pen drive I had on my key chain. That had to stay at security. (my cell phone would have also but I had left it back at the hotel).
I walked round the building to the other side, you walk in front of the building where all the flags of the states are. You go up the steps at the other side of the building and there is a person at a desk, they ask to see your paper work.
Here is where it stated to go wrong for me, the guy on the best looked like a workman and did not know what he was doing. He asked to see my appointment letter, I showed it to him, he said
“No the one with the bar code” (I found out later this was wrong, if you are going for a NON-IMMIGRANT VISA then the letter has a bar code on it. The IMMIGRANT ones don’t)
Trying to be helpful I said this has a barcode on and showed him a copy of the DS156, I had a copy with me thankfully. He said that was ok and gave me a printed ticket No. 1000**.
This was the second problem, this ticket was for a non immigrant visa, the ticket that you should be given begins 5000**.
Anyway oblivious to this I went up the stars to the left and sat down. The room looks rather like a large bank with windows that resemble the cashier counters. These are where your interviews will take place.
Did not wait long and was called to a widow. The Lady here was very nice, she looked at the DS156 and said “Relocation to the USA?” I explained what I was doing and showed her my appointment letter. She talked with one of her colleges and she said I had been given the wrong ticket.
Back out to the front desk I explained to the guy who put right the mistake. Right ticket this time back to sit down. Longer wait this time, I knew I was on the right track when someone who was also interviewing for a K1 sat next to me. Called after about 30-40 minutes I think.
Window 13, for finger printing, payment and hand over of copies of Police and birth certificates. All going well so far, fingerprints taken 3 times as the reader was not working properly. Photograph give over, (they take a picture of the picture and use that, they give you the picture back). Asked for a letter of continued intent to marry from my US fiancé. This was because it had been more than 4 months from date of filing to the date of the interview. Handed over the I134 and supporting evince.
Then paid $100 visa processing fee, I had $100 in notes but they would also accept credit cards. Sat back down and waited, longer wait this time. Then called to window 15 for the interview. They make you take to Oath that you will tell the truth, if you don’t like swearing you can affirm.
I was asked to write Tracy’s full name on the DS157 (or it could have been 156 not sure). There were other forms to sign and then came the questions:
How we met?
When Tracy has been to college?
What I planned to do for work once I got to the USA?
Here is when the problems really stated. He asked to see Tracy’s tax returns for the last year. This was IRS FORM 1040. I did not have them. He explained that he needed to see them before he granted the visa but he was accept Fax copies. I was informed that the case was suspended until he saw the tax forms. I was given a blue piece of paper telling me what I had to provide. I was instructed that I had to have them couriered to the embassy with my passport.
I was then informed about the conditions on the visa, I had to get married in 90 days etc etc etc…..
I left at about 9am and headed back to the hotel. I got Tracy to fax me the forms (Wal Mart don’t do faxing at 5am by the way, just in case you are ever in this boat)
I arranged for the courier to collect the paper work from my home address the next day. That was the Thursday, the paper work reached the embassy the following Monday. The following Saturday we got everything back from the embassy visa Granted!!!!!
There you go one very stressful experience but it was worth it in the end. If you are going for the K1 interview don’t forget your tax forms!!!!
Paperwork:
Police Certificate
Birth Certificate
Picture conforming to state department regulations.
Letter of continued intent to marry from US fiancé. (because it has been more than 4 months from date of filing to date of interview)
I134 affidavit of support and supporting evidence.
Passport.
TAX FORMS FOR LAST TAX YEAR (POTENTIALLY 2 TAX YEARS)
Costs:
Train ticket: £22
Taxi Station to hotel: £15
Hotel: (£55 + 9.95 breakfast): £64.95
Taxi: hotel to embassy: £12
Visa fee $100 (about £50)
Courier: 24.50
Total: £188.45
Knowing that I can be with Tracy: Priceless
Things to remember for the Interview:
Tax forms: It does not say it on any of the documentation that you will ever see but you should take with you the USC's IRS form 1040 and some supporting evedence (eg W2's or scheduels)
Money: There is a little cafe where you can by drinks and some confectioar. You are going to be there a while so best be prepared.
Letter of intent to marry if it has been more than 3-4 months between filing and date of interview.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #1971