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| London, United Kingdom |  Review on February 10, 2011: |
Cooki
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
'Welcome to America' 
After all of the stress and worry leading up to the interview, in the end it was remarkably straightforward! A huge thank you to everyone that contributes to this site, as it is by far the best source of information to guide you through this process - especially since the consular website seems so vague at times.
Timeline for my interview:
Arrived outside embassy 8am
Through security 8.10am
Arrived at reception and issued 'I' number 8.15am
Called for documents 10am
Interview with consular official 10.20am
Interview finished and visa approved 10.25am
Courier desk 10.30am
Done!
Yes, the waiting is the worst bit. The vast majority of visas being processed are non-immigrant (N numbers). In the main waiting area there are a bunch of counters/windows numbered 1-11. These are used for taking documents. To the side there are some more windows where the interviews with consular officials take place, I think these are numbered 12-25. When your I number is called you are told which window to go to. And, it seems that only one of the windows is used for taking documents for immigrant visas. I don't know if it's different on other days but while I was there all I numbers were first called to window 1.
After you've supplied your documents you're given your pink courier slip to complete and told to sit down and wait for your I number to be called for your interview with the consular official. It's a much shorter wait. I was sat down for literally no more than 15 minutes before I was called again.
The thing that caused most anxiety prior to the interview was constantly fretting whether I had all the appropriate documents... Have I missed something? Is this document right? etc etc etc And, despite the horror stories I've come across, as many people have commented on here, you do ONLY need what is listed on the embassy website.
When called to provide my documents I was asked for:
Appointment letter and MRV fee receipt
Birth certificate (long form - showing names of both parents) and copy
ACPO police certificate and copy
I-134 with supporting evidence
2 non-immigrant style passport photos
When sworn in and interviewed by the consular official I was asked:
Name of the petitioner
Where my fiancee lives
How we met
What job she does
What kind of work will I look for
Have we set a date for the wedding
When do I plan to go
As far as the document side of things goes, as it seems with many people on here, I was farcically over prepared.
I'd worried about the evidence of support a lot, as I'm aware how keen the London embassy is on this, and I never managed to work out precisely what they would want. I handed over a complete copy of my fiancee's latest (2010) tax return, her employer letter and 6 months pay slips... HOWEVER the lady behind the counter only kept the employer letter.
I was also unsure what photo specifications were required - so I had Gould's pharmacy take a set of non-immigrant style and a set of immigrant style (which despite what the embassy website says ARE different). When presented with both sets the lady took the non-immigrant style.
In total, I was at the document counter for no more than 5 minutes. However, in the two hours I was waiting for my I number to be called, I think only a maximum of 5 other immigrant visa applicants had been called for their documents. On a couple of occassions the person at window 1 was there literally half an hour. I think because they were short of the required documents. I know reading comments like that worried me before my interview... so I will say this, most people that use this site are obviously doing a thorough job with their preparations and if you have the documents listed on the embassy website and appropriate evidence of support the first phase is a formality. And, there really is NOTHING to worry about. But I know that's an easy thing to say... if I had to go back and do it again tomorrow, even having gone through it today... I'd still be a nervous wreck! And, I think actually that's a good thing - it really wouldn't say much about how much I love my fiancee if I was ambivalent about it all!!!
Anyhow... I don't know if any of that helps... but I've tried to cover the points that really concerned me prior to the interview. Good luck to you all!!!
(updated on February 14, 2011)
(updated on February 14, 2011)
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #7149