UK CR-1 FILERS

[Arthur Roberta 1]

Arthur and Roberta, that's fantastic news! I guess that pre-interview interview wasn't needed?

Thank you for your comments.

No thank goodness, believe me we were very relieved as it was going to be just another delay for us. I know that I have so much to do at home and being separated is sure not getting it done. To our surprise we got an email notification from our congressman's rep to inform us that Durham went ahead and adjudicated the petition so we are extremely pleased to say the least.

It is not only the delay in getting back together but yet more added expense in traveling to London and later having to go again for the interview.

Best Wishes to all

Arthur and Roberta

[imaisha 0]

Thank goodness indeed. Do you know why it wound up in a local office in the first place?

[wildcat42539 0]

Morning Folks

Just to let you know that I am a CR1 applicant from the UK, and I have had an extremely interesting experience which started back in Oct 07.... so 18months later I am schedule to attend my interview tomorrow morning at 8am.

I will give you all a run down of the actual interview, because I am sure like me you are all wondering exactley what it will be like.

If anyone has any questions about the whole process then just ask. I won't profess to being any kind of expert, but if I can offer even the slightest piece of help or advice I will.

Wish me luck, because the nerves are really kicking in now... especially with the damn transport strike in London at the moment!!!!

Cheers

[imaisha 0]

best of luck wildcat! hope you get there alright. can't wait to hear how it goes- it'll be a big help for all of us with interviews this summer.

[aidy 0]

hope it goes well for you wildcat, i'll keep my fingers crossed for you and dont forget to report back...lol

i do have one question tho.! do they need your GP medical records for the medical?

[wildcat42539 0]

hope it goes well for you wildcat, i'll keep my fingers crossed for you and dont forget to report back...lol

i do have one question tho.! do they need your GP medical records for the medical?

No they don't need the actual medical records for the interview...... but don't lie about anything. Be totally honest about anything that might be in your records even if you think it will count against you because from speaking to my GP they do have access to your records if they want them. In my case I had a misdiagnosis of depression back in 1996. I was worried about this but I was honest on my form and entered it. During the medical the Doctor asked me about it, and all I had to do was return to my GP and get him to write out an evaluation stating what the circumstances were and to confirm that it was not depression and therefore I should not be deemed a threat to myself, others or property. This service cost me £25 for the medical report and I had it faxed through to them. So I would suggest if you have anything on the Medical form you have to answer "yes" to, then it would be well worth visiting your GP before hand and getting him to write up a report for you so you can take it with you for your appointment.

The only thing I really would recommend apart from that is to obtain an official record of your immunisation history. Anything will do as long as it details the immunisations and the dates given... .and make sure its signed and dated by the practice nurse or GP and has a surgery stamp on it to make it official.

I took the list of immunisations to the nurse and got her to give me all the immunisations that were out of date or outstanding before I went to the Medical in London.... the reason being that I got them all done for free on the NHS apart from one and therefore saved a fortune. Be aware that the DTP (Diptheria, Tetanus and Polio) vaccines you have when you are young will be out of date. In the UK we recieve a treatment of 5 injections and then are only ever receive boosters if we need them. However US regulations state that these injections need to be renewed every 10yrs... so if your DTP is over 10yrs old then you are going to need to get them again.

All in all I had 6 immunisations over a month period as they couldnt all be given at the same time.

Hope this is useful to you..... anything else then just let me know.

On a separate note.... I was nervous as heck for my medical due to that misdiagnoses, but the all the staff were really friendly and helpful and the doctor talked me through everything I needed to do. So its easy to say now that its all over for me...... BUT TRY NOT TO WORRY!!!! If you have something you think might go against you, believe me the doctor has seen and heard everything and will give you all the advice and guidence you need. You have come this far... its not worth messing things up now by trying to hide something from her.

[imaisha 0]

whoa. six shots? i thought under 65 the only things required are Tdap and MMR. i gathered that from here: http://london.usembassy.gov/cons_new/visa/...V018a_Oct08.pdf am i missing something?

[wildcat42539 0]

whoa. six shots? i thought under 65 the only things required are Tdap and MMR. i gathered that from here: http://london.usembassy.gov/cons_new/visa/...V018a_Oct08.pdf am i missing something?

No don't worry your not missing anything. I took the stance of, "Now lets see, in the future its going to be a case of.....US = pay privately......UK = NHS". Since I have been paying for these services all these years through my wages and not really used it all that much (touch wood), I thought, "what the heck, may as well make the most of it while I am still here"

Therefore I had the following injections while they were free.... better to be safe than sorry and I am now immune to pretty much anything

• Mumps, Measles, Rubella

Polio,Tetanus and Diphtheria Toxoids

Influenza Type B (HIB)

Hepatitis B

Hepatitis A (cost me £25)

Influenza

I have also seen my dentist to, but thankfully I didnt need any work done

[imaisha 0]

phew! thanks wildcat. the hubbie will definitely be getting only what's absolutely necessary- even just the two jabs took a bit of convincing. he's already getting into the american spirit of crossing your fingers and hoping you don't get sick hehe.

good luck tomorrow! only a few more hours and you'll be all done- must be an amazing feeling. can't wait to hear how it goes!

[aidy 0]

thanks wildcat.! i really hate injections but im off work today so gonna call the do'cs and see if they can squeeze me in.

best of luck for today.!

[dvrjwh 0]

whoa. six shots? i thought under 65 the only things required are Tdap and MMR. i gathered that from here: http://london.usembassy.gov/cons_new/visa/...V018a_Oct08.pdf am i missing something?

No don't worry your not missing anything. I took the stance of, "Now lets see, in the future its going to be a case of.....US = pay privately......UK = NHS". Since I have been paying for these services all these years through my wages and not really used it all that much (touch wood), I thought, "what the heck, may as well make the most of it while I am still here"

Therefore I had the following injections while they were free.... better to be safe than sorry and I am now immune to pretty much anything

• Mumps, Measles, Rubella

Polio,Tetanus and Diphtheria Toxoids

Influenza Type B (HIB)

Hepatitis B

Hepatitis A (cost me £25)

Influenza

I have also seen my dentist to, but thankfully I didnt need any work done

Hi wildcat,

Thank you so much for all the information. I'm going for my medical on Monday 15th at 1pm, so your posting came at just the right time for me.

I too got my jabs done on the NHS, had the Tdap and MMR (which were the only two that were compulsory for my age bracket) and got a letter from my doctor for a question I ticked "yes" to on the questionnaire, so I think I've got all my bases covered.

I must admit I am a bit nervous and will be glad to get it over with. Next step is the interview on 31st July, then a new life to look forward to

Thanks again.

[wildcat42539 0]

OK then folks, now that my mind is getting back to normal after yesterdays adventure its time for me to make good on my promise and report all to you.

Left Southampton at 4.15am... yeah I know damn early but I wasn't sleeping anyway and I know from working in London that traffic and roadworks can often make the journey in an interesting one. Drive in was completely hassle free, no roadworks, no accidents, no queues... can this really be the UK? My next big decision was... drive into the centre of London and pay for parking and congestion charges, or park in Acton and catch the tube.

For general information I often use the a free car park at Royale Leisure Park, Western Avenue, Park Royal South, London W3 0PA which is a short 5min walk to Park Royal tube station, which is on the Piccadilly line or about a 15min walk to West Acton tube which is on the District line as is Bond Street. The tube costs are not bad.

However considering the latest round of tube strikes I wasn't going to take any chances on such an important day, so I decided to drive into London and park at Park Lane NCP car park... total cost £12 for parking and £8 congestion.

Arrived at the carpark at 6am, so I walked up to Marble Arch exit of the car park and down Oxford street... found a Starbucks and brought a coffee but really had no appetite to drink it.

Sat in Starbucks for about 30mins and then walked really slowly down to the embassy. Arrived at 6.50 and found two people standing in the queue already, so the "don't arrive 30mins before your appointment" didn't really seem to matter since we were the first intake of interviews at 8am. Now the queueing system is those snake barriers and the queue starts at the top of of barrier furthest away from the security booth. This is because they bring out a little podium to the top and hand out little clear plastic bags for you to put all your personal belongins in if you don't have a bag with you. I took a little shoulder backpack with all my evidence in it and had no problems with this. Be aware though that no electrical devices can be taken through of any kind. My car keys for my ford have the black plastic end that has the open/close locks on it so you don't have to turn you key in the door lock to get into the car and this was not allowed through security, but since Goulds Chemist wasnt open till 7.30am I queued up first. At approx 7.15am they start the security process. They call you up one at a time and ask to see your appointment letter and ask if you have any phones, car keys, pda's etc on you. I showed him my car key and he told me to go to Goulds and stick it in storage (Goulds have a row of little seats down the left side of the entrance with guys taking your things from you for a cost of £5... so they must be making an actual killing). Because I had already gone through the first stage I was allowed to rejoin the main queue for the security entrance. Main security doesnt open until 7.30am, but when they start they call you up one at a time and check your passport and appointment letter at the door of the security block. You are called into the security room three at a time and your bags are x-rayed and you walk through the metal detector just like at airport security.

Out this door and around the right of the building and into the embassy, just follow the signs for "visas". At arrival in reception you will be asked for your appointment letter only for us CR1's and your given a couple of sticky labels with a number starting at 5000. Make sure you get the right label. 1000 range is for Non-Immigrant Visas, 5000 are for Immigrant Visa, 2000 for E-Visa's and so on...

So armed with my little number (5001... the second CR1 of the day and the 6th person into the building) I walked up the stairs and into the waiting room where there are rows upon rows of chairs, with a set of screens splitting them. Watch the screens for your number to be called (think of queueing for your goods at Argos and you will get the idea). The numbers are also called out over the tannoy.

My number was called after about 25 minutes to window 1 where a nice asian lady took my passport, the sticky labels I was given at reception and my two passport photo's (Oh, on a separate note... if you havent got the approved sized photo's which if you had them done in a UK photo booth then they will be to small, don't worry... there is a machine at the embassy where you can get them done. I got mine done at a film processing shop in an Asda near where I live for £8 and the whole thing took 10mins).

One area I had panicked over was what paperwork did I need to take with me, because I had sent all my originals off to the NVC along with my DS-230 months ago and never got anything back. I am sure like me you got copies of everything and I took all of these with me on the day, however your pack is sent through from the NVC centre to the Embassy so they do have everything you sent originally. If you never managed to send anything through then you will be required to bring it with you to the interview.

Anyway, back to my interview.....

She checked through my paperwork which had been sent through from the NVC centre in New Hampshire. Nothing really to worry about here, she just chatted away about nothing in particular as she went through file to make sure everything was in order and was included in the file. You fingerprints are scanned on a machine, first all the fingers on your left hand, then your right, then your two thumbs together. I was told this is for identification purposes when you go for your second interview. One thing I will mention is that if you arrive at your window when your called and no-one is there, don't panic as they have probably only just gone to retrieve your paperwork. I saw alot of people get called to a window, find no-one on the other side and get that "deer in the headlights" look on their faces as they wonder if they had heard right. If like me, she will wander off a few times to pick up other forms and documents mid conversation. I just put this down to being first thing in the morning when nothing is ever where you want it to be!!

After about 10mins she handed me my brown envelope of x-rays, which you need to take with you sealed to your POE in the US and one of my sticky labels and told me to retake a seat until I was called again.

There is a small refreshment stand at one end of the hall where you can buy snacks and drinks, but once again the nerves were playing havoc with my stomach and the thought of eating made me want to vomit.

After about a 30min wait I was called again and this time took all my things to window 21 for me interview with one of the consular officers.

Now for the most important interviews of my entire life..... and what an easy thing it was. The American lady was really friendly and she helped to just put you at complete ease. She looked through my folder and the questions started, however it never really felt like an interview. The questions I got asked were;

"Where did you two meet"

"What made you think she was the one for you"

"Do you have kids"

"How old are they"

"When did you get married"

"Where was it"

"Why do the two of you want to live in the US rather than the UK"

"What does she do for a living"

"What do you do"

The whole thing was handled as if you were meeting someone for the first time and they are just asking you questions in a "getting to know you" type of way.

and then she put a huge grin on her face and said those magic words that for 20 months I never thought I was ever going to hear... "Well it gives me great pleasure to tell you that you application is approved... congratulations"

I am still walking on air... the whole thing just seems so unreal to finally be over and I get to be with my wife and kids once again.

So before you leave, you take a pink sheet to the courier desk near the exit and arrange for the courier service of your passport. The basic charge is £14.20 if I remember rightly for a standard delivery, and then extra charges are incurred for pre-12, pre-10 and pre-8am delivery times... I paid for a pre-8 for a total of about £35 and walked out with the biggest smile anyone has ever seen.

So arrived at the embassy at 6.50am in the morning and my new life was beginning as I left at 9.35am.

Called my wife and woke her up at 4.30am and made her cry with happiness...

All thats left now, is book my ticket, wait for my passport which I was told would take about 5 working days.... and I am off home.

Good luck to all those with interviews to come. I know it will be nervous as heck for you all and the waiting around doesn't really help all that much, but the staff are friendly and understand how you are feeling and really do go out of their way to make it as painless as possible.

If you have any questions then just ask and I will give you as much info as I possibly can.

[imaisha 0]

CONGRATULATIONS!!

And thanks for such a detailed review- should give my husband's nerves some rest

I thought, and I'm not sure why now, that the photos that we sent in to NVC would be the two passport photos needed for the visa. Guess we'll get some new ones done- the old ones weren't so hot anyway hehe. Will definitely check ASDA- glad to hear they might be able to do it as Snappy Snaps is a bit of a long haul.

Congrats again and let us know when you've got your visa in hand and POE planned- I'm sure the rest of this process will be a walk in the park.

[Kamahoi424 0]

Hi!

Firstly, congrats to you, wildcat! And thanks for the interview post

My husband and I reside in the UK. We've just sent in our I-130. I'm the USC and he's the UKC.

We're just starting and it seems most of you are either in the middle or nearing the end, lucky you!

Anyway, a question really - do I have to tell the embassy that I'll be going with my husband to the interview (when we get it) or can I just show up at the door with him (and daughter in tow)?

Thanks!

Jen

[wildcat42539 0]

Hi!

Firstly, congrats to you, wildcat! And thanks for the interview post

My husband and I reside in the UK. We've just sent in our I-130. I'm the USC and he's the UKC.

We're just starting and it seems most of you are either in the middle or nearing the end, lucky you!

Anyway, a question really - do I have to tell the embassy that I'll be going with my husband to the interview (when we get it) or can I just show up at the door with him (and daughter in tow)?

Thanks!

Jen

Hi Jen

First of all I just want to wish you and your husband Good luck and all the very best for the future... Applying to emigrate to the US is going to be a very stressful, frustrating and lengthy period for both of you, but from what I have read living together and applying through the UK embassy is a much quicker and hassle free process. However, the two of you are lucky enough to have each other to come home to every night so its going to be a lot smoother ride than most of us have experienced due to us living apart from our partners for such a lenghty time, which is where most of us feel the most frustration.

As far as going to the Embassy together then yes, you will definatley need to contact them and inform them that you will be attending as well, as only the people listed on the appointment letter are allowed entry. If you just turn up at the door you will be refused.

They have this on the embassy website

"Only applicants with appointments will be admitted into the Embassy. Exceptions will be made only if the applicant is under 18, if the applicant requires an interpreter or if the applicant is disabled and requires assistance. The parent or guardian, interpreter or carer’s name must be on the appointment list. Local authorities will not permit anyone to wait outside the Embassy, so please do not bring anyone else with you."

I would definately call the operator assistance line and speak to them, here is the link

http://www.usembassy.org.uk/cons_new/visa/...assistance.html

Good luck with everything, and if I can be of any more assistance then just let me know... Just remember to keep your head up and the thoughts of the awesome life the two of you will share together in your home country at the front of your mind.