October 2009 K-1 Visa filers

[Rito 28]

My Fiance lives in Northern Ireland (as you all well know by now) and I'm wondering where he'll have to do his Medical exam? My cousin's fiance (from england) only had two options for places to go for it, and they were both in England. I'm hoping they only listed the ones that were near him, and there are more in NI and other British countries? Does anyone know? Cause if he has to fly to England for the exam, and then fly back again for the interview, it's going to be a lot of hassle and expense...yikes!!!!

Hey Jessica&Carl -

As another Northern Ireland filer, I've been wondering the same thing. The US Embassy in London website says:

The medical examination is performed at one of two medical centers in London. The medical examination cannot be performed by the applicant's own physician.

The medical examination must take place before the visa interview. If you attend the Embassy without having attended the medical examination, the interview will be cancelled and you will be required to reschedule for a later date.

The medical results will be couriered to the Embassy within approximately 5 workdays of the examination. If the results have not been received by the time you attend the interview, provided the medical examination has taken place, action on your application will be suspended until such time that they are received.

They seem to imply that you take the medical in London, then have to wait for results and then do the interview in London. What a mess! Is this the case in practice? Can anyone who's been through this verify?

PS: The website also says the medical exam costs £180. Ugh! As if this wasn't costly enough.

Edited January 3, 2010 by Rito

[Rito 28]

My Fiance lives in Northern Ireland (as you all well know by now) and I'm wondering where he'll have to do his Medical exam? My cousin's fiance (from england) only had two options for places to go for it, and they were both in England. I'm hoping they only listed the ones that were near him, and there are more in NI and other British countries?

P.P.S: I also found the following on a transcript of an interview from the US Embassy:

Question: (10:14) Q: If traveling to London from Northern Ireland or Scotland

for the medical examination and immigrant visa interview, is it possible to do

both on the same day rather than have to pay to fly down and perhaps stay

overnight twice?

A: Once you are booked for your immigrant visa appointment at the Embassy, ring

the panel physician and see if you are able to book an appointment for your

medical that same day. The panel physician can often accommodate you. You will

be able to have your immigrant visa interview without the medical, and have it

sent afterwards. Your visa will not be able to be approved until a consular

officer has reviewed your medical examination, but you are unlikely to have to

come back in to the Embassy after your initial interview

[Leenie 15]

Hey Jessica&Carl -

As another Northern Ireland filer, I've been wondering the same thing. The US Embassy in London website says:

The medical examination is performed at one of two medical centers in London. The medical examination cannot be performed by the applicant's own physician.

The medical examination must take place before the visa interview. If you attend the Embassy without having attended the medical examination, the interview will be cancelled and you will be required to reschedule for a later date.

The medical results will be couriered to the Embassy within approximately 5 workdays of the examination. If the results have not been received by the time you attend the interview, provided the medical examination has taken place, action on your application will be suspended until such time that they are received.

They seem to imply that you take the medical in London, then have to wait for results and then do the interview in London. What a mess! Is this the case in practice? Can anyone who's been through this verify?

PS: The website also says the medical exam costs £180. Ugh! As if this wasn't costly enough.

I obviously can't verify it through experience, but this is what I have read on VJ's UK regional board. Apparently, the medical has to be done at least one week before the interview, so it is certainly pain in the neck for NI filers as far as the travel goes. You guys should drop by the regional board and read up on it!

[Jessica&Carl 1]

Okay, well that confirms my suspicions. Carl's gonna freak when I tell him. Hopefully he'll be all for the getting it done the same day idea. We had a very long talk today with much tears on my side, and we're thinking that we might wait to file our packet after we get our noa2 because it's going faster than we'd planned, and we're afraid that he won't be ready to come over when he has to, even if he waits the 6 months that he's allowed after the visa is filed. This is all so stressful. We pretty much canceled out wedding ceremony too because we just can't afford to save for the wedding and a place of our own. I haven't been this depressed about this whole situation in a really long time. Ugh. My eyes hurt from crying

[Rito 28]

Okay, well that confirms my suspicions. Carl's gonna freak when I tell him. Hopefully he'll be all for the getting it done the same day idea. We had a very long talk today with much tears on my side, and we're thinking that we might wait to file our packet after we get our noa2 because it's going faster than we'd planned, and we're afraid that he won't be ready to come over when he has to, even if he waits the 6 months that he's allowed after the visa is filed. This is all so stressful. We pretty much canceled out wedding ceremony too because we just can't afford to save for the wedding and a place of our own. I haven't been this depressed about this whole situation in a really long time. Ugh. My eyes hurt from crying

Really sorry to hear that things are getting complicated. : Maybe it would help to do what we're doing - see K1 and moving as a "first step," but not do all the formal ceremony and added hassle that comes with a big wedding. My fiance and I don't have the money for things like that now either, so this process we're seeing as "just for us." We're going to get married quietly, with a few friends, and down the road perhaps have a bigger ceremony with lots of family. Getting a visa is way too stressful to also worry about a gigantic party for every Tom, #######, and Sally in your bloodline. Also, Carl can come to the States on a K1, get married, and come right back to England to settle unfinished business if he needs to.

[Beth and John 7]

I feel ya Jessica, I really do. This whole process is very stressful on top of being apart from the one that we love so dearly. John and I are looking to find a house on top of all of this "other stuff" ... I too have no idea how we are going to afford a big wedding. We've already decided that we will have a civil wedding to get the ball rolling on the EAD, etc ... I just honestly have no idea how we are going to do the rest. ::sigh::

[lostinlove03 2]

Hello everyone,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just wanted to wish everyone luck this month. Hopefully we will get our NOA2's.

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO CSC!!!!!!!!!!!

Edited January 4, 2010 by lostinlove03

[K and L 27]

FWIW, in Brazil (where there are only three cities with approved surgeons - Recife, Rio, and São Paulo), they allow your personal physician to do the lab testing and x-rays. But I believe Brazil also has a centralized medical database that allows the local physicians direct access to the results. Perhaps he should contact the consulate to see if that is an option?

[Leenie 15]

Okay, well that confirms my suspicions. Carl's gonna freak when I tell him. Hopefully he'll be all for the getting it done the same day idea. We had a very long talk today with much tears on my side, and we're thinking that we might wait to file our packet after we get our noa2 because it's going faster than we'd planned, and we're afraid that he won't be ready to come over when he has to, even if he waits the 6 months that he's allowed after the visa is filed. This is all so stressful. We pretty much canceled out wedding ceremony too because we just can't afford to save for the wedding and a place of our own. I haven't been this depressed about this whole situation in a really long time. Ugh. My eyes hurt from crying

Hey Jessica! You're right, this is a very stressful process, even without the constraints of time and money, but keep your chin up. Many of us are in the same boat, so maybe we can all help each other through this!

Even if there are tears, it's good that you are Carl are at least talking about the situation. Who knows - you two might end up generating some solutions to your problems. If he's not that involved in the process right now, get him involved, invite him to VJ!

Anyway, all hope isn't lost if you need a little more time for your case. You might want to try sending VJ user KnightandMagpie a private message for some tips. Magpie is the female UKC who uses the account, and she and her husband filed for K1 some months ago. I remember from the UK forum that she and her (then) fiance delayed their case after NOA2 by sending forms in to the US embassy in London one at a time at intervals of weeks and months. By doing that, they bought time while also keeping their case active.

The great thing about VJ is that if you have a problem like this, you are probably aren't the first one, and there are lots of people who might be able to give you advice. You might even consider starting a thread in the UK regional forum asking anyone if they've been in a similar situation and how they bought time at the embassy stage.

And remember, where there's a will there's a way!

[kristik 0]

Hi all, I am a newbie here to VJ. I was pleased to see the support in the forums and decided to join. It is such a relief to see that there are others out there who are going through the same process! We received our NOA1 on 10/29/09...looking forward for an NOA2 this month...good luck to you all!

[Rito 28]

Hi all, I am a newbie here to VJ. I was pleased to see the support in the forums and decided to join. It is such a relief to see that there are others out there who are going through the same process! We received our NOA1 on 10/29/09...looking forward for an NOA2 this month...good luck to you all!

Welcome, kristik! We're so close to our NOA2's now - I think it's hardest right at the end! We'll get there though, and hopefully soon.

[Beth and John 7]

Hi all, I am a newbie here to VJ. I was pleased to see the support in the forums and decided to join. It is such a relief to see that there are others out there who are going through the same process! We received our NOA1 on 10/29/09...looking forward for an NOA2 this month...good luck to you all!

Welcome! and here's to a speedy NOA2 for you!

[lilacvioletiris 11]

Welcome, Kristik. Oh, I so feel the pain of the waiting and the not knowing when things will happen. I am hoping my petition will be approved when VJ says it will be otherwise my fiance' probably won't get an interview at the Montreal Consulate in time for our proposed wedding date of July 11, 2010. I understand the tears too as I was reading through the thread today about people's wait times for the Montreal, Canada consulate to let them know when an interview would be scheduled. I am sincerely looking forward to marrying my fiance'! Intent to marry is definitely there. I am going to pray harder that the CSC processes things as quickly as they can. I think for my situation it will be the waiting for the interview step that will take the longest! It sounds like there are some good people at the consulate in Montreal doing their best to move things along. They just need more people to get K-1 visas processed faster.

Has anyone else looked into how long it is taking your fiance'/fiancee's consulate to go from receiving the packet from the National Visa Center to having an appointment for an interview?

Edited January 5, 2010 by lilacvioletiris

[kabhatti 2]

Welcome, Kristik. Oh, I so feel the pain of the waiting and the not knowing when things will happen. I am hoping my petition will be approved when VJ says it will be otherwise my fiance' probably won't get an interview at the Montreal Consulate in time for our proposed wedding date of July 11, 2010. I understand the tears too as I was reading through the thread today about people's wait times for the Montreal, Canada consulate to let them know when an interview would be scheduled. I am sincerely looking forward to marrying my fiance'! Intent to marry is definitely there. I am going to pray harder that the CSC processes things as quickly as they can. I think for my situation it will be the waiting for the interview step that will take the longest! It sounds like there are some good people at the consulate in Montreal doing their best to move things along. They just need more people to get K-1 visas processed faster.

Has anyone else looked into how long it is taking your fiance'/fiancee's consulate to go from receiving the packet from the National Visa Center to having an appointment for an interview?

I think that's a reasonable time for your wedding, I predict it will happen as scheduled.

[TaiwanLover 0]

Hey everyone, I'm kind of late getting on this thread, but I filed in October and have an NOA1 date of October 7th. Looks like some of the October filers have started getting approved. Hopefully this week will be a week to celebrate!

I'm a little worried I might get an RFE because I hadn't discovered this website until after I'd sent in my stuff. The only evidence of a prior meeting I sent was photos of us together in Taiwan. It didn't specify in the instructions that other evidence was needed, so I figured it was straightforward.

It'd really suck if this got delayed, because I've already been away from my sweetie for four months!

Anyway, here's hoping to a host of approved petitions in the next few weeks!

-Chris