Interview 10th July London

yabasta · July 10, 2006

Well today i had my interview. First things first.

So yeah it all went smoothly.

I arrived at the embassy just before 9 a.m. and saw a big line of people outside standing in the road(which has been closed and looks like it will be for some time. The embassy is now surrounded by a big thick fence and has lots of armed po po doing patrols and staring at you to see if you look dodgy i guess. I tried to avoid looking like a terrorist.

A guy from the embassy in a blue jacket(like the FBI etc wear) with American embassy or something on the back of his jacket told people to line up 9.30 and earlier on the left and later on the right. I swear though that he smiled at one point and looked just like David Duchovny.

Eventually the line moved. The guy checked my letter and passport and sent me up the road aroudn the outside of the make shift fence and into the little security hut. Airport style scan. So then you walk all the way around outside the building past the sentry and around to the visa entrance at the side of the building. Then he tells you to switch off mobile phone and go up the stairs to the left. You go through take a number from the woman and then you sit down and wait for your number to be called.

I sat down with number 11 and waited. They were callign out 242 and numbers like that which at first confused me. Then i realised immigrant visas had low numbers and other visas had higher numbers. So yeah i eventually got in the building by about 9.47 (when i turned my phone off). I got called up after a short wait an dhad to go to the window and he asked for my paperwork. I handed him all that was required and he handed back some stuff i had included which was not required. He copied my documents which i had not done. I was expecting to pay $1 for each one but he did not charge me. He then gave me the courier form to fill out while i waited and sent me back to my seat with my x ray which he said i need to take when i fly. I dunno why. I didn`t see anybody else with one. He told me i had 6 months to travel and as my wife said since i don`t have that long. haha.

So then eventually i get called to a different window and this is the interview proper i guess. He said hi and the first question he asked me was how i met my wife. I said it was a band website and he asked which one. He aske dhow long we had known each other, asked if i was living in GA when we married. Asked what my wife did for a living , asked what i did and my in laws. He also asked who my co sponsor was and if my wife had any children. He asked how old the child was and he asked what i intended to do for work in America.

Oh yeah and he made me raise my right hand and swear to tell the truth before that. Then it was the usual airport style fingerprint scans. He then said that the fingerprint checks take a few minutes and is borign to watch so he said that he woudl assume they are o.k. and let me go. He was friendly enough as everybody there was, it was just the place that was cold and unfriendly. So then i took my form to the courier desk and paid the £13.50. The letter i got said £9.50 but this was of course a lie. ha. Then i came out of the embassy and called my wife from the park on my mobile. I hung up when she answered and she called me back on our calling card.

Then i came home and made this post. Hope it helps put some minds at rest. The process was straight forward as i expected. Some waiting involved and that was it really.

So again thanks for all your help everybody. I have asked for help a lot and so has my wife. Usually people have been very understanding and helful. It has been a long hard road but by the end of the week i will have my visa.

Thank you all and good luck to all those still waiting for their trip to the most protected waiting room in London.

Joey559 · July 10, 2006

Congratulations! And thanks for sharing your experience. Best of luck in th future! :dance:

no name · July 10, 2006

Well today i had my interview. First things first.

So yeah it all went smoothly.

I arrived at the embassy just before 9 a.m. and saw a big line of people outside standing in the road(which has been closed and looks like it will be for some time. The embassy is now surrounded by a big thick fence and has lots of armed po po doing patrols and staring at you to see if you look dodgy i guess. I tried to avoid looking like a terrorist.

A guy from the embassy in a blue jacket(like the FBI etc wear) with American embassy or something on the back of his jacket told people to line up 9.30 and earlier on the left and later on the right. I swear though that he smiled at one point and looked just like David Duchovny.

Eventually the line moved. The guy checked my letter and passport and sent me up the road aroudn the outside of the make shift fence and into the little security hut. Airport style scan. So then you walk all the way around outside the building past the sentry and around to the visa entrance at the side of the building. Then he tells you to switch off mobile phone and go up the stairs to the left. You go through take a number from the woman and then you sit down and wait for your number to be called.

I sat down with number 11 and waited. They were callign out 242 and numbers like that which at first confused me. Then i realised immigrant visas had low numbers and other visas had higher numbers. So yeah i eventually got in the building by about 9.47 (when i turned my phone off). I got called up after a short wait an dhad to go to the window and he asked for my paperwork. I handed him all that was required and he handed back some stuff i had included which was not required. He copied my documents which i had not done. I was expecting to pay $1 for each one but he did not charge me. He then gave me the courier form to fill out while i waited and sent me back to my seat with my x ray which he said i need to take when i fly. I dunno why. I didn`t see anybody else with one. He told me i had 6 months to travel and as my wife said since i don`t have that long. haha.

So then eventually i get called to a different window and this is the interview proper i guess. He said hi and the first question he asked me was how i met my wife. I said it was a band website and he asked which one. He aske dhow long we had known each other, asked if i was living in GA when we married. Asked what my wife did for a living , asked what i did and my in laws. He also asked who my co sponsor was and if my wife had any children. He asked how old the child was and he asked what i intended to do for work in America.

Oh yeah and he made me raise my right hand and swear to tell the truth before that. Then it was the usual airport style fingerprint scans. He then said that the fingerprint checks take a few minutes and is borign to watch so he said that he woudl assume they are o.k. and let me go. He was friendly enough as everybody there was, it was just the place that was cold and unfriendly. So then i took my form to the courier desk and paid the £13.50. The letter i got said £9.50 but this was of course a lie. ha. Then i came out of the embassy and called my wife from the park on my mobile. I hung up when she answered and she called me back on our calling card.

Then i came home and made this post. Hope it helps put some minds at rest. The process was straight forward as i expected. Some waiting involved and that was it really.

So again thanks for all your help everybody. I have asked for help a lot and so has my wife. Usually people have been very understanding and helful. It has been a long hard road but by the end of the week i will have my visa.

Thank you all and good luck to all those still waiting for their trip to the most protected waiting room in London.