London Embassy Interview

[steve & Eva 0]

Ok well for all you British based Guys/Girls this may help. The experience in London is not too daunting, If I can make it anyone can.

0500 ,22.10 2008. The day that eva and I have waited for has finally arrived,We got engaged on 16th December 2007 in Ketchikan Alaska and on 5th Junuary Eva submitted the papers to start the process moving.Now I am travelling to London From Southampton for the 0900 interrview.

07.50 Arrived victoria coach station and decided to walk up to the Embassy,needed to gather my thoughts and wake myself up.

On reaching the embassy i noticed several havily armed police officers outside and in the approach road.They seem a little daunting but were freindly enough.

Outside the main entrance is a new kiosk that contains the x ray equipment. In front on the road was a roped queue area with 2 staff members at a podium in front. Th security guard standing in front of the Kiosk motioned me to join the queue and this i did. On arrival at the podium I produced my appointment letter.I was asked to remove any metal objects including my belt.I had notbrought my mobile but they checked my car keys and told me the key containing a central locking switch was not allowed on the embassy premisis. This is something i had not been warned about.The girl on the podium handed me a slip of paper with a number of addresses on it,these were shops in the area that were authorised by the embassy to look after such controband as keys/mobiles and electronic watches. The nearest was a chmist approximatly 300 yards away.

I duly deposited my car key with them at a handling fee of £5.00. I then returned to the embassy entrance. This time i was allowed to approach the outside security guard who asked for my passport and Appointment letter. After he inspected them i was admitted to the kiosk were i went through the standard airport style xray procedure. On emerging from the kiosk I was directed around the outside of the embassy to th side entrance marked Visa department.

On entering the main building i approached the desk and handed my appointmnt letter over for inspection. I was then given a 4 digit number in my case 5016.and directed to the waiting area. This resembles an airport waiting lounge.there are overhead screens displaying numbers that corrospond to those issued.The screens also display an information film about th USA and information about the interview procedure.My wait was about an hour and a half ,the screen showed me there were 14 immigrant visa applicants in my queue. A loadspeaker directs applicants to one of 20 booths as their number comes up. Anyone who has shopped in Argus will be familiar with the system.

On hearing my number I went to the booth indicated and spoke to the staff member there (English) he asked my number and had my file in front of him. He first directed me to the cashiers booth were i paid the fee of $130.00 in sterling £67.00 .you can pay in cash or by card either in Dollars or Stirling. Having paid i took the recipt back to the booth as instructed. I handed the receipt over to the clerk who first handed me my chest xray and told me to tak it with me in my suitcase to the states. then asked me to produce the following documents .

PASSPORT.BIRTH CERTIFICATE. MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE.DIVORCE CERTIFICATE.POLICE ACPO CERTIFICATE.ARMED SERVICE RECORD CERTIFICATE. CERTIFICATE OF POLICE SERVICE .2 PASSPORT PHOTOGRAPHS. AFFIDAVIDT OF SUPPORT FROM EVA AND A COPY OF HER BANK AND TAX DETAILS. i ALSO NEEDED COPIES OF ALL THESE DOCUMENTS WITH TH EXCEPTION OF THE PASSPORT. (These were applicable to my circumstances yours may be different) Having examined the documents i then provided my fingerprints by means of an electronic finger pad.

On examining the documents and finding them in order he then put them all in the folder,handed me a blue form to fill in and dircted me to sit down and wait a second call from th consular officer. The blue form was for the courier and i was told to keep it during my interview and if succesful hand it in to the courier desk .this is situated in the same waiting area.

I waited approximatly 30 minutes beforei was called by name and number to a diffeent booth. My interviewer was a young american female who greted me well and handed me back all the original documents handed in at the first interview half an hour before. I was then asked to raise my right hand and swear that the answeres given would be true to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Having been so sworn she asked me to confirm my name and sign a declaration that i intended to marry Eva on arrival in the USA. She then asked me how we had both met. I told her we had met over the internet 3 years ago and had been corrosponding regularly by e mail and webcam for between one and 3 hours nightly.. She then asked if we had met in person . I replied that we had only seen each other on two occasions once last summer (2007) and again last december when i proposed to her at the tribal Lodge in Saxman village outside Ketchikan. She then asked why only twice .My reply was that she lived in Alaska which was difficult and expensive to travel to often,and we had decide to save money for the wedding and our life afterwards.

This seemed to satisfy her .I do not recall any other questions but i had taken along a portfolio of emails and photos of us together. This was not as easy as it sounds for although we had a large number of photos taken of us we had very few of us together as one or other of us was usually behind the camera. another thing to bear in mind. I also told her that my proposal in Saxman had been recorded by the local area radio station who broadcast it to the whole of southern Alaska on Christmas day. This was probably the strongest evidence i had. At any rate she seemed satisfied and informed me she was approving the application .( I resisted the urge to kiss her or do a dance) She then directed me to the couriers desk where i paid my £14.50 fee and handed over the blue slip. I was told the visa and my passport would be returned by special courier within 3 to 5 working days .They would text me with a confirmed time.

Having done this i exited the embassy and immediatly phoned Eva to tell her the good news. (It was 3 am in Alaska but she had insisted i call her).

Well all in all a long day but i hope this account will be of use to other applicants who are embarking on this venture,it is long and frustrating but in the end it is well worth it .

Steve Challis

[frali 2]

Congrats

[Nicoxcx 1]

Very detailed.

Seems like most people get the young American girl, was she blonde? I remember I broke the fingerprint machine (or someone before me did it!) and she had me shake various wires to see if it would come back online haha.

Congratulations on your approval, its strange, you get to the Embassy and it goes so easily and smoothly . I spent about a week panicking over the whole thing .

[stevi1123 0]

Congratulations!

[truffles 2]

Congratulations ...small world ... I currently live in Cold bay AK, and I can say ( as you probably already know) it is the most beautiful state in the USA.

[Laura+Tom 2]

Congrats!! Great review as well.

[Hannah+Vito 0]

congradulations!! :dance:

[Alexandra_v 0]

congratulations !!

[desilu 0]

Congrats!!

And thanks so much for taking the time to write such a detailed review. I feel I know a lot more about the actual steps that will take place on the day which is really useful. Thanks again

Edited October 31, 2008 by desilu

[FeeandJosh 0]

Congrats! Thanks for posting that. Very helpful. I have my interview on the 17th of november. Im sooo nervous!