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| London, United Kingdom |  Review on March 13, 2011: |
juliemarieayers
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
This review is on behalf of my fiance's experience as an Australian living in London.
We got great advice from a fellow VJ member going through the same process in London (thank you thank you). We never got a physical 'packet 3' letter so we just followed the instructions on this link http://london.usembassy.gov/iv_15.html as suggested, Michael got his medical and then sent everything in without waiting for the letter. After noticing another couple sent in their packet 3 just days before we did and seeing that they had an appointment date, I inquired. I was informed that for London appointments we MUST call the embassy in advance to pay for the visa. This was the first time I had heard of that and in all my obsessive reading on these forums, I never once saw that. Thankfully Michael called to pay and they advised him that his appointment was already scheduled for March 10, just 6 days from that phone call! We highly suggest you do not wait for the appointment letter. Call the Embassy to pay for your visa in advance and if they can't give you the appointment date, call the DOS and ask for it. After his appointment last Thursday, he got home and in the mail was the appointment letter! He would have completely missed his interview if it had been that he was relying on the letter to come through to let him know! Thanks to everyone for such wonderful advice and support. Michael was approved and plans to fly out on March 21. I will update when his passport actually is back in his hands so that you have an idea of timing. Good luck everyone!
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My appointment was at 9:00am and the website said I could get there 30 mins before hand but you can show up at 8:00am as everyone gets tickets and then has to wait to be called. Before you line up make sure you have no electronic equipment on you, they will not let you in with phones, ipods anything like that, even car keys with electronic beepers. You can check that all at the pharmacy for £5, or just dont bring it. Have your passport and visa fee in hand while you are lining up, a few guys from the consulate will check your details a few times while you are lining up. I was asked 3 times for a B160 or something like that but the consulate had told me days prior that all I need to show to get in is the visa fee and my passport, so if anyone asks for it, tell them you didnt need one and that your name should be on the list. Once you go through the airport style security check you will go around the side of the building to the entrance where they will check your passport and visa fee and you will be issued a number, and then you wait... You will be called up to one of the windows from 1-11 you will have to give them birth certificate, police certificates and a few other things they may have a little chat with you but its nothing too serious. Then they give you a piece of paper that you have to fill out for the courier and tell you to sit down and wait again. They will eventually call you up again this time to a different window 12-20 and after writing your fiancées name and signing your own they will ask you a few non intrusive questions: how did you meet, what do they do, what do you do? This person has been all over your whole file and they just want to make sure you know it which you obviously should. They may ask to see more documents but it will all be things you have. After that if everything checks out they will let you know if they are going to approve you. Then you talk to the courier and decide what is the most convenient time to deliver. As far as exactly when it is going to come back is another matter. When the consulate is done with it they give it to the courier and they will deliver it that or the next day. All in all its a very easy process. Just relax, have a chat with them and it will all be over in a few hours.
Mick
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #7264