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| London, United Kingdom |  Review on November 10, 2016: |
valentinanola
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
Hi guys! I am fresh out of the embassy as I had my interview this morning and got approved 
I thought I’d share my experience on here as I was EXTREMELY nervous and reading some of these reviews really helped me to get a better understanding of what to expect.
My appointment was at 12.00pm but as I read on here, first come first serve, so I left work at 10.15 am (my office is in Leicester Square) and got on the Northern line to Tottenham Court Road and then changed for the Central line to Marble Arch. From Marble Arch station, the embassy is less than 10 minutes (Citymapper says 7 minutes, but it took me 5). I was there just before 11 am.
When I got there, I was surprised to see a huge queue, but I quickly realised I belonged to the “left line†as that’s the one designated for Visa Services. I was seen by a lady that asked me to see my instructions letter/appointment confirmation, my DS-160 and my passport. She crossed my name off a list and she asked me to go straight to the security checks (I got some bad looks from the people that had been in line for ages before me, but the lady instructed me to jump the queue as my category was Immigrant). The security check are basically like the airport ones, one of the guards calls people in the “shed†in groups of 4 at the time and they ask you to put all your belongings in a blue container (you are allowed to bring food and drinks in), you then walk through a metal detector and they let you go in the actual embassy building.
When I got in, the lady at the entrance asked me for my DS-160 and Passport again and printed a receipt that she then proceeded to stick on my DS-160, after that she asked me to go wait in the main room and sit right at the front. The room was RAMMED but there are enough seats for everyone, also they have wifi.
When your number is called in, it’s literally impossible to miss it because there’s a very loud DING sound that goes off each time a number is called to a desk.
I waited less than 10 minutes and my number got called, I was seen by a lovely ginger American man on desk number 2 he asked me how I was, congratulated me on my engagement, gave me back my chest x-ray and asked for my passport, my DS-160 (along with a picture as I wasn’t able to upload one when I completed the form online) and my visa/courier payment receipt. He then asked me to give him my birth certificate (with the Italian translation), my police certificates (both British and Italian) and Jon’s affidavit of support, tax return and letter of employment (I also had a bank letter but he didn’t want to see it). He took my fingerprints and moved the sticker that was applied on my DS-160, on the front cover of my passport (while he was doing all this he asked me if I had ever been married, if I have ever had a different name, if I lived anywhere else other than Italy and the UK, if I’m adopted and when I’m planning to move to the US), he then asked me to go have a sit and wait for me to be called again.
I wanted for another 15-20 minutes and my number got called again to desk number 14 where I was seen by a lovely American lady. She made me take a oath and asked me to put my left end on the fingerprint reader.
She then went on to ask me the following questions:
- How did you and Jon meet?
- When was that?
- How many times you’ve seen each other?
- Have you met his parents?
- Has he met your parents?
- Where is he from?
- Are is parents still in New Jersey?
- How long has he lived in New York?
- What does he do for work and within what industry?
- What do I do for work?
- How long I’ve lived in the UK?
- Have you lived anywhere else besides UK and Italy?
After answering all these questions, she gave me a big smile and said “Well, everything is in order now, congratulations and welcome to the US. You can expect your passport and visa to be couriered back to you within 17 daysâ€, she then gave me back the original police certificates and birth certificate and after thanking her a couple of times, I left. I was out of there at 11.50, so it took less than an hour.
For anyone going through this process, it’s inevitable to feel nervous and it’s also positive because I strongly believe it leads you to prepare well enough to come across 100% confident during the interview, but the staff at the embassy is extremely nice and kind and there is nothing to worry about, as long as everything is in order.
My experience was extremely positive and now I can’t wait to go be with my boo in January
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #20845