The 2008 United Kingdom Interview Thread!

[greeneyedgirlfl 0]

thanks julez... as I posted elsewhere, my passport was delivered today, so visa is now in hand

I'm still aiming for an April departure... which would give me a May arrival, after a few weeks in Aus with the fam

Congrats!!!

[Darren&Laura 3]

Congratulations to all the recent approvals!

I've booked a flight from Leeds to London on Monday, in readiness for Tuesdays interview... getting really nervous now - I must have checked through my file at least five times today to check I'd not forgotten anything, and that everything is filled out correctly. I imagine I'll do the same tomorrow, and the day after....

Hopefully this time next week I'll already be on my way back to the USA.

[londonuk 0]

Sorry for my ignorance but what is AP? What does it stand for?

[greeneyedgirlfl 0]

Sorry for my ignorance but what is AP? What does it stand for?

I think it's Advanced Parole...which allows you to leave the country while your AOS is being processed (please correct me if I'm wrong, somebody!)...

[Toshtishtash 1]

Hiya all

Am all back to normal now and back to work so I thought i'd come in and say a little bit more about my London experience.

So... I guess i'll take it from the top! (This might be a bit long, )

Got a Ryanair flight from Newquay to Stansted on the morning of my medical, I landed at Stansted at 9.15am and then had to make my way by Stansted Express (£10 on Ryanair, would have been £16 otherwise!!) to Liverpool Street. From there I got the tube to Bond street and went for a wonder to find where the doctors is. It is VERY easy to find from Bond Street tube station! Starving by this point so I went to a little greasy spoon cafe called Joe's, very good indeed Then I went to go and find Snappy Snaps to get my passport pics done.... Ended up getting lost I had a friend of mine back here on google maps directing me over the phone to the address that they had on the net... Got there after about 30 mins of walking and it wasn't there Asked in Boots on the way back to Bond Street and she said 'Aaaah yes! It's just round the corner' Turns out I went the LONG way round and it was in fact about 7 and a half steps from where I was originally!! (Typical ) - this cost me £20 for 4 pictures

Anyway... I then made my way to the docs, they buzzed me in, asked for my passport, passport photo, medical questionnaire and vaccination report, gave me some forms to fill in and told me to go wait in the waiting room. I filled out a form which was much like the one in packet 3, signed the consent form and handed it back in. Within 5 mins the nurse called me in and told me that I needed another injection towards my MMR. Apparently before the MMR was introduced, there were 3 sets of 2 injections that you had to have... I am missing part 2 of the 3rd lot. She mentioned the HPV injections too and that I didn't need them now but I would need them for AOS. I told her that I would be 26 by then and she said well... There is no need to have them then, as it is only necessary for people under that age. I am going to have the MMR at my docs and just take the proof with me for when I go through AOS.

I then went to a different waiting room and 5 mins later was called in to have my chest X-Ray. Had to remove everything between neck level and belly button level and put on this rather attractive blue gown and press myself up against the machine in a position that most contortionists would be proud of. He said that I looked too comfortable and raised the thing I was resting my chin on up a bit 2 seconds later it was over... Pretty painless so far.

Went back into the waiting room and 5 mins later the doc called me through. She seemed quite nice, I had the Indian lady (I can't remember what her name is now...) She asked me all the standard questions that I had already answered on the medical forms. She asked what medication I was on and I said that I was on the Mini Pill.. She then with a raised eyebrow, asked how much I smoked... I said about 15 a day and she then proceded to give me a 10 minute lecture about how I needed to give up one of them or I would most probably die. She was extremely blunt. She also said that if she was my doc then she would never have prescribed me the pill. I said that I was planning on giving up but wanted to get all the stressful stuff out the way first!

She then weighed me and tested my eyesight. She then asked me to take off my gown and she examined all my tattoos, did a breast examination and then looked at my arm for a while... I have a very rare split birthmark on my right arm and no one EVER believes me when I tell them what it is. They do look like bruises and it took a bit of explaining, lol. She then asked me to lay down and she had a feel around of my stomach, checked my eyes and checked my breathing etc.. She then did the blood test asked me to stand back up and drop my trousers, she checked my legs (For what i'm not sure) and then did a very brief gender check and announced that I am infact a girl. She then told me to get dressed and to come and sit back down. She said that everything appeared fine and that they only thing she is concerned about and would make a note of is the smoking whilst on the pill. I then went and paid my £170 at the window and left!

Wondered around London a bit more until my friend finished work (Also went and found the embassy so that it would be easier the next morning) made sure ALL my paperwork was in order and then had an early night.

Woke up the next morning and got the tube around 9am back to Bond Street and arrived at the Embassy at about 9.30 to join the queue. Security told me to come back in half an hour (Which worried me slightly as my interview was at 10!) Went and sat chain smoking in Grosvenor square for half an hour and then rejoined the queue.

They made me turn my phone off and put it in a plastic bag to hand in at security. There were probably about 50 other people in the queue and I had to line up for about half an hour. (There was a man in front of me who looked VERY familiar... I can't can't work out if he was famous or not, lol) went through security and the metal detector etc and then went and got a number from the front desk (No. 5017) sat on a chair in the main hall and waited for my number to be called (There is a big screen and an automated message calls out numbers also... So there is definitely no danger of missing it!) After about half an hour my number was called and I had to go to window 14. A nice Australian man asked me for my passport photos, my passport, my birth certificate and deed poll forms, evidence of support, police report and then asked me to sign 2 forms. He then asked me to go to window 12 to pay the visa fee which worked out at about £63 ish. I then went back to window 14 and he took my fingerprints and gave me a courier form to fill out (I think thats all he asked for...) He then told me to go and sit down and they would call me shortly for my interview.

5 minutes later I was called back, this time to window 15. An American guy there asked me to raise my right hand and swear that everything I was about to say and everything that was written down was true etc etc, he retook my fingerprints and asked me to sign a form and the only questions he asked were:

[Him] So. Are you married?

[Me] No, not yet

[Him] Whats your fiances name?

[Me] Chris

[Him] How and when did you meet?

[Me] November 2005 in a pub in Hagerstown, Maryland - I was in America visiting my Dad

[Him] Aah that's nice, so how many times have you visited him?

[Me] Quite a few now, probably about 5 or 6 in total?

[Him] Has he been to visit you?

[Me] Not as of yet, no. But we will both by visiting England together at some point

[Him] Where are you and your husband going to live?

[Me] *Raised eyebrow* Erm...

[Him] Aaah sorry *giggle* I mean fiance

[Me] In Maryland to start with

[Him] Well, ok then! Congratulations! Depending on your medical and fingerprint results, your visa will be sent within 2 weeks, it's usually quicker than that though. Go and hand in your courier forms and I hope you enjoy your time in America!

And that was it! I paid the courier £14 and off I went to get my stuff back.

Me and Lisalou met up for lunch and had a fabulous wine and tapas filled afternoon and then I went back to my friends and at 12pm the next day, made my way to Paddington and got the train back to St Ives.

All in all a very successful week Just hoping the visa gets here soon!

Sorry for going on!

Edited March 8, 2008 by toshtishtash

[weedebz 0]

what a good report. Congrats on your approval!

[Toshtishtash 1]

Thank you You too!

[bakofoil 27]

Excellent and really helpful report. Thanks for providing such detail (it's not going on!) because for those of us still waiting on interview it really does help to know what to expect.

Congratulations!!! Look forward to your 'visa arrived' post!!

[Bforbarree 4]

Sorry for my ignorance but what is AP? What does it stand for?

I think it's Advanced Parole...which allows you to leave the country while your AOS is being processed (please correct me if I'm wrong, somebody!)...

Can also mean Administrative Processing...further checks into information providied in the petition.

[greeneyedgirlfl 0]

Sorry for my ignorance but what is AP? What does it stand for?

I think it's Advanced Parole...which allows you to leave the country while your AOS is being processed (please correct me if I'm wrong, somebody!)...

Can also mean Administrative Processing...further checks into information providied in the petition.

That's true...I guess I've been spending too much time in the AOS forum...

[Jeraly 4]

Thanks for the detailed review - I was going to add your questions to my interview questions list but my puter has decided to not paste properly... have to wait til I reboot - someone nag me about it - please?!?!?

[bakofoil 27]

Thanks for the detailed review - I was going to add your questions to my interview questions list but my puter has decided to not paste properly... have to wait til I reboot - someone nag me about it - please?!?!?

REBOOT YOUR POOTER LIKE NOW!

ok?

[Jeraly 4]

Alright, alright I did it already!!!

[Toshtishtash 1]

Good luck tomorrow Lisa!!

[greeneyedgirlfl 0]

Good luck to everyone interviewing this week!!! Can't wait to hear your stories!!!