People between NOA2 and Interview ~2009~

[app-girl 0]

Was wondering since we haven't gotten the official letter yet.

What is the exact location of the interview? London embassy? but where exactly?

[siya 0]

hi. the actual address for the embassy is:

24 Grosvenor Square

London, W1A 2LQ

United Kingdom

The clostest and easiest way to get there is by tube...Marble Arch on the Central Line.

Just walk down Park lane and i think after about 5 minutes walk, Upper Brook Street appears on the left. Go down this street and the embassy is on your right..cannot miss it, its huge and scary looking..

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Here's a map showing the Embassy, Gould's pharmacy where you store your mobile and keys, the Knightsbridge medical location and a few closeby, not too pricey hotels. You can zoom or move the map to suit your needs and also see tube stations and bus locations.

http://www.click2map.com/maps/nichnick/Embassy_London

[haleywynne 0]

Hi everyone We were just approved last Wednesday so I thought I'd move myself over here now! Any idea on when I should call the NVC to ask if they received my petition? I'm so anxious

[Nik+Heather 121]

Hi everyone We were just approved last Wednesday so I thought I'd move myself over here now! Any idea on when I should call the NVC to ask if they received my petition? I'm so anxious

Took two weeks for us. The petitioner will get a letter when it arrives, and then you could call to confirm that it left (instead of getting stuck with additional processing).

You don't need to call to keep it moving, so resist if you can. I couldn't - though I kept it to one, timed late enough that there was a good chance for there being more information than "Just wait 4-6 weeks". Although they may not charge you by the call, it DOES cost money to employ people to answer the phone.

[morretti 0]

Hi,

I received the interview letter from the embassy on Saturday and it says: Traveling applicants <just my name > . I'd put on the packet 3 forms that my husband would be attending the interview with me, will I need to contact the embassy and have his name added or can he just turn up with me and he'll be allowed in the embassy? Any help would be appreciated.

Michelle

[haleywynne 0]

Hi everyone We were just approved last Wednesday so I thought I'd move myself over here now! Any idea on when I should call the NVC to ask if they received my petition? I'm so anxious

Took two weeks for us. The petitioner will get a letter when it arrives, and then you could call to confirm that it left (instead of getting stuck with additional processing).

You don't need to call to keep it moving, so resist if you can. I couldn't - though I kept it to one, timed late enough that there was a good chance for there being more information than "Just wait 4-6 weeks". Although they may not charge you by the call, it DOES cost money to employ people to answer the phone.

Okay thanks! I never knew they sent a letter when they received it. I really hope there's not additional processing...

[Lisa and Ian 7]

Sorry to jump in the middle, here, but Ian and I just got our NOA2 last night! I'm excited to be a part of this group and looking forward to watching your progress.

[MARM 7]

Sorry to jump in the middle, here, but Ian and I just got our NOA2 last night! I'm excited to be a part of this group and looking forward to watching your progress.

Congratulations! Hope the next part of your visa journey goes smoothly here!

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Hi,

I received the interview letter from the embassy on Saturday and it says: Traveling applicants <just my name > . I'd put on the packet 3 forms that my husband would be attending the interview with me, will I need to contact the embassy and have his name added or can he just turn up with me and he'll be allowed in the embassy? Any help would be appreciated.

Michelle

Traveling applicants means who is travelling on the visa. If you had children also getting a visa, then their names would be listed. You husband is travelling on a US passport.

I'm the USC and I just showed up at the interview line with my then fiance to see if they would let me in. Otherwise I was just going to sit in the park there and read. We got to the front of the security line where they check your appointment letter and photo id. I showed my US passport and said "May I go inside with him?" They said no problem. I didn't have prior permission. I think there was a time a couple of years ago that they were stricter because of security issues in place. I know others have done the same as me, but it's not a !00% sure thing written in some rule book. Others have written for permission ahead of time I think. Not sure what they did, but getting a question and a response to/from the Embassy is a big bother. So if he's willing to wait in line with you and okay with hanging out in the park if not admitted, then take him along. I bet they let him in with no problem if he has a US Passport.

Mrs. Sdp took her mother. Patricia took Bob. But they don't come around this forum as much after recent moves to the US.

[viknkam 0]

HI everyone.

My fiance is an Indian citizen, but has been living in the UK since 2003. Even though we requested the interview be in India, the information came from London and we have sent back the packet 3. The issue is that his visa for the UK expires July 31, 2009. He can stay 28 days after that, but if the k1 interview does not come during that time, then he will forfeit any option to renew his Visa to be in the UK, and by default be in India and not be able to attend his interview in the UK for the K1 visa. What ideas/options do we have? He has emailed someone that the over-priced number gave him, and I contacted the 202 number and they claim it is on the embassy... HELP!

-Kam

[MARM 7]

HI everyone.

My fiance is an Indian citizen, but has been living in the UK since 2003. Even though we requested the interview be in India, the information came from London and we have sent back the packet 3. The issue is that his visa for the UK expires July 31, 2009. He can stay 28 days after that, but if the k1 interview does not come during that time, then he will forfeit any option to renew his Visa to be in the UK, and by default be in India and not be able to attend his interview in the UK for the K1 visa. What ideas/options do we have? He has emailed someone that the over-priced number gave him, and I contacted the 202 number and they claim it is on the embassy... HELP!

-Kam

Hello Kam,

My fiance has been in the UK since 2004 and is a Pakistani citizen there on a UK Student visa. If you search the topics/posts under my name, the story of our visa journey (still continuing) is written in great detail . To answer your questions:

First, yes, NVC sends your file from the USCIS centers directly to the embassy in reference to the residential address of your fiance/beneficiary. We had the opposite issue when my fiance's I-129F was in progress: We wanted to make sure he was going to be interviewing in London rather than Pakistan, because our dimwitted lawyer had put "Islamabad Embassy" in the section where it asks for the embassy location in the I-129F forms. We called NVC to ask about this and NVC explained to us that they send the file depending on the current address of the fiance listed in the I-129F. So my fiance's residential address is a UK address so his file was sent to London, as we had hoped. So since your fiance's residential address was listed as a UK one in the approved I-129F, his file was correctly sent to London. The best way to have prevented this was to have changed his residential address at the time the I-129F was being processed at the USCIS centers. He would have had an Indian residential address and as a result his file would be taken care of by a US Embassy in India. But since this is not an option any longer...

You mention that you called the 202 # (DOS). Did you inform them of an address change? I know that he is still in the UK and technically does not have an Indian residential address, but that is the only way to prove that his interview should take place in India rather than in the UK. Case files have and can be transferred from one embassy to another in circumstances such as this.

You also mention that your fiance emailed the embassy in London. Unfortunately, as far as what I am hearing now and we ourselves too are witness to this: the embassy is currently not replying to emails in 3-4 days as they mention in their automated response email. It has been over a week since we emailed them regarding an issue we have and we still have not heard a response, same goes for a few others on this forum. Did your fiance email the embassy requesting his file to be transferred to the Indian embassy? Or did he ask for an expedited interview date? He can put in both requests by email: to either get an expedited interview date or to have his file be transferred to a US Embassy in India. He should also inform them of his residential address change to an Indian address, to provide a strong basis for his request.

You mention that his UK visa expires July 31st, 2009. He does in fact have 28 days after his visa expires to remain legal in the UK, but if he does not want to extend his visa, then he will become illegal after the 28 days if he chooses to stay in the UK.

You have the following options that I can think of:

Option A:

Why doesn't your fiance apply for an extension for his visa? Is he a student in the UK? My fiance applied for an extension for his student visa back in November 2008 which was approved in April 2009. But now, the processing times have significantly reduced for applicants applying after March 30, 2009 for UK visa extensions. The delay that my fiance experienced had a lot to do with the "re-vamping, updating" of the UKHO visa procedures. Now, the wait times are not as bad as they had been when my fiance applied for an extension. By applying for an extension for his visa in the UK, your fiance will be legal, even after the 28 days pass from the date of his visa expiration, because his application would be considered in progress once he sends it in for an extension, and his status in the UK will remain legal as it is right now. For proof regarding this, see the UKHO website.

So your fiance can apply for an extension for his UK visa and successfully remain and interview in the UK for his K-1 fiance visa at the US Embassy in London.

The cons of choosing this option: Of course time is a gamble--he may end up postponing his K-1 interview date a couple of times while waiting for the approval of his UK visa extension. The reason for this is because your fiance's passport must remain with the UKHO while his UK visa extension is being processed. HOWEVER, he may be eligible for premium processing, where a decision is made then and there when he applies for his visa extension in person at one of the UKHO offices. See the UKHO website for additional details regarding his eligibility for premium processing. If he is eligible for premium processing, his passport will be returned to him within a week, and he will be notified of an approval on the day of he does to apply for a visa extension in person at a UKHO post. Of course premium processing is quite expensive, but its your choice to make.

So this option is if he wants to stay in the UK and interview for his K-1 visa at the US Embassy in London and complete the process there and not jeopardize future chances of applying for visas/visiting/remaining in the UK.

UKHO website: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/

Option B:

As I mentioned earlier, contact DOS by phone and contact the US Embassy in London by phone and email. Inform them of an address change for your fiance (must be a residential address in India) so that your file can be transferred from London to India. The reason you must inform them of an Indian residential address is to prove a sound reason for your file to be transferred from one embassy to another. I don't think the embassy or DOS will entertain requests like, "I want to interview in India instead of London". There has to be a viable reason, and since your fiance will be in India if his visa expires in the UK, and since he wants to be interviewed in India, informing the US Embassy in London and DOS of his address change from London to India will be a legitimate and verifiable reason for his file to be transferred from London to India for further processing and interview.

The cons of choosing this option: Transferring a file from one embassy to another may take a significant amount of time, I am not sure on an estimate, but it is a process in itself, so be prepared to wait. But keep in touch with DOS to inquire about the progress. Also, I am not sure about the type of evidence your fiance may need to provide to prove his Indian residential address change if he is asked for one. I don't think he will be asked for any evidence because he is an Indian citizen, so his passport is proof enough that his permanent address is in India.

If you choose Option B, be sure to contact DOS. You should contact DOS as well as your fiance--just to emphasize the matter. And your fiance should contact the embassy by email and phone if he hasn't already regarding this matter. The address change is what should get things moving for you both, if Option B is your choice.

Another thing I want to mention, you may already be aware of it--your fiance may go under additional administrative processing after his interview even if approved--whether he interviews in India or in the UK. Do a search under immigration time-lines for people who went through India interviewing for a spousal/fiance visa or do a search under member profiles for all members whose concerned consulate is Indian. As far as interviewing in the UK, so far, everyone that I know: namely the following members: merijan, KhanShahid, mansehra, Linkin, SadEyes, KnightAndMagpie, DairyFarmer, and a few others that I am not recalling at the moment were all applicants for fiance/spousal visas who interviewed at the US Embassy in London but were not UK citizens (Except for KnightAndMagpie, Magpie is a UK Citizen, but was born in India). All of these members endured some kind of further additional administrative review/processing after being approved at the interview. The reason is unclear, but there is a pattern of non-UK background being directly proportional to further processing required after a successful interview. The time for this processing can range from a few days (such as merijan) to more than a year (SadEyes). So the time process is fairly unpredictable, although the average seems to be 4-5 weeks...

My fiance is probably in some type of additional processing too at the moment, but we have not been informed as of yet by DOS nor by the embassy in London as to whether it is a fact or not. But we are surely experiencing a significant delay in his visa issuance (see our detailed time-line on my profile page in the "About Me" section).

I don't mean to discourage or scare you, but to make you aware of the facts. It's better to be mentally prepared before it happens although it doesn't make it any easier , but it's not a rude surprise either if it happens. But as I always say, hope for the best but be prepared just in case.

I hope all this information has helped. Feel free to PM me with any further questions.

Good luck!

Edited July 22, 2009 by MARM

[haleywynne 0]

Woo got the letter from the NVC today saying they got my petition on the 20th! I'm calling them tomorrow.

Do they tell you the exact day they mailed it to London or is there some other way to find out?

[MARM 7]

Woo got the letter from the NVC today saying they got my petition on the 20th! I'm calling them tomorrow.

Do they tell you the exact day they mailed it to London or is there some other way to find out?

Yes, NVC will tell you the exact date they send your file out to London.

[imaisha 1]

Yes, NVC will tell you the exact date they send your file out to London.

If you call and ask. They won't send you another letter about it.