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| London, United Kingdom |  Review on October 19, 2021: |
P055UM
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
Just a very short review of my experience at the London embassy for my K1 Visa interview. I will keep this pretty short since my interview was conducted in the teeth of COVID restrictions in the UK, so I suspect my actual experience on the day wasn't too representative (re: waiting times etc).
I arrived in the vicinity of the embassy around 30 minutes before my appointment and took a walk along the river to calm my nerves - it is a very pleasant part of London and I would recommend others do the same if you are feeling a little jittery.
Around 15 minutes before my appointment I entered the security area and was greeted by very friendly security staff who gave me very clear instructions, processed me, and let me through in less than 2 minutes.
Upon entering the building you are directed by the receptionists to the lifts that take you to the correct floor. As I recall, the windows where the visas are processed at kind of hidden away on the floor you're directed to (to the left I believe), I got a little lost but there was a very polite security guard who was happy to give me directions.
The visa area is a collection of 6-8 windows with airport style seating in front of you. At the reception, you will have been given a number. You just sit in the seats and wait for your number to be called. Mine didn't take too long but as I said COVID meant it wasn't all that busy.
The first time you are called it is to process the documents that you were required to bring. The member of staff was very professional and courteous but not overly chatty. Just hand over the documents you were asked to bring and this interaction will go swimmingly. One thing I wish I had known beforehand: THEY WILL KEEP SOME OF YOUR DOCUMENTS AT THIS STAGE. Mostly importantly in my case, your birth certificate. This is just to make copies (they return them to you at the second window), however I didn't know this and was worried he had mistakenly kept hold of my birth certificate. I had a few minutes of panic after being sent away to wait for the second interview where I was worrying I'd have to skip the queue and ask for the birth certificate back. I eventually decided to see what happened at the second window, and I'm glad I did.
The second window is the interview part - I can't speak for all people and locations, but mine was very easy. The lady asked (as far as I recall) 1. how long we had known each other and how we met, 2. how we maintained a relationship given the distance, and 3. what our wedding plans were. All easy enough to answer if you have a bona fide relationship. After that I was told that the visa was granted and it would be with me in a couple of weeks. It arrive around a week after the interview.
My key takeaways:
* Bring all the required documentation and just hand it over when asked. Bring exactly what they ask for and don't give them anything they don't ask for. By all means "overprepare" by bringing additional documents, but don't hand them over unless specifically asked.
* Don't panic if some documents are retained by the staff between window 1 and window 2 - this is normal.
* If you have a bona fide relationship, the interview part is nothing to stress over. Just answer truthfully and comprehensively and it will be clear to the consulate staff that this is a real relationship and something you and your finance(e) both want.
Good luck!
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #30291