London 2012- K1s from NOA2 to interview thread

[Anna Grant 169]

1. You can call the NVC and ask for it, else it'll come by post from the London embassy once they have your case (that letter is what we call "packet 3" on here and is your LND plus a link to this webpage: http://london.usembassy.gov/iv_15.html) The only way to find out if London have your case is to keep calling them.

Rather than phone the extortion line for the Embassy, phone DOS in the US on 202-663-1225 press 1, then 0. It will just cost you the price of a call to the US. They have all the info that the Embassy exortion line has. If you have Skype, that should be inexpensive - certainly cheaper than 1.23 per minute it costs to phone the extortion line! If you do need to speak to the Embassy extortion line, it can be cheaper to phone using the US number and pay $20 for that phone call.

Once you have your case number, you can check your status online on the DOS website https://ceac.state.g...er/Status.aspx?

Edited July 1, 2013 by Anna Grant

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Oh god I'm freaking out now.

Called my nurse to get an appt asap, rather than wait 3 weeks and pro-long the process + pay for surgeon certificate! (thanks for that info btw, i had no idea!)

So I need T-dap, MMR, Varicella (?), Tetanus (am i missing any? and are they each one month apart!!??)

Probably going to have to push the Civil back til 2014 at this rate

The shots are listed in the first post of this thread.

Tdap is NOT another name for tetanus. Tetanus Diptheria acellular Pertussis is where the letters come from. It covers three diseases. (Pertussis is whooping cough). Any combination of Td or Tdap or DT or DTP or DtaP is also accepted for AOS for the diseases tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis. Capital letters mean stronger dose of the component. Lower case means weaker. Babies get DTP but the weaker t and p is the adult formula. You must have had one version of this within the last 10 years.

MMR is two doses for US immigration. But if you get one and don't have 4 weeks before your medical, then you are given a waiver for dose 2. That is because it would be medically inappropriate to have doses closer than 4 weeks apart. There is a waiver column to be marked on the vaccination sheet. You never get dose 2 if your sheet had all things that meet the requirements or a waiver. If the nurse at Knightsbridge says get dose 2 at your GP and send that with AOS, she is wrong. You can't send your GP proof. A civil surgeon would have to fill out a new form based on your GP record. USCIS only takes official forms from approved panel physicians (Knightsbridge) or civil surgeons in the US. Just check your immunization sheet before you leave and make sure the waiver "insufficient time interval" has been marked for MMR and you are fine without waiting for four weeks.

Varicella. Having chickenpox waives that shot. They take your word.

Influenza does not have to be given except between Oct 1 and Mar 31. There is a waiver column called "not flu season". Again, check to see that they tick that. You do not have to go get a flu shot even if your AOS happens in flu season because USCIS will accept that you were marked as complete or given waiverable reasons on the date of your medical.

Don't rush out the door until you see that they marked your waivers:

"Insufficient time interval" if four weeks haven passed from first dose of MMR

"Not flu season" for influenza

"Not age appropriate" for all those other shots that are for children like hepatitis, polio, etc

Looks like you can get by on two jabs if you get your first MMR less than four weeks before the medical exam. Edited July 1, 2013 by Nich-Nick

[Laura. 90]

Still no Packet 3. I've been nagging my fiancé to phone the DoS and each time he gets hung up on, and now won't call. Other than calling the extortion line, I can't find out if packet 3 has been issued can I?

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Still no Packet 3. I've been nagging my fiancé to phone the DoS and each time he gets hung up on, and now won't call. Other than calling the extortion line, I can't find out if packet 3 has been issued can I?

Do you really need the letter? It's purpose is the let you know it's okay to send your forms in. You've already sent forms according to your timeline.

[Anna Grant 169]

Still no Packet 3. I've been nagging my fiancé to phone the DoS and each time he gets hung up on, and now won't call. Other than calling the extortion line, I can't find out if packet 3 has been issued can I?

You can call DOS. I was the beneficiary and called them from the UK using Skype. Generally, they only need the case number but have your fiance's DOB with you, just in case.

I have found DOS far more helpful than the extortion line. People on the extortion line are worjing in a call center and seem to be reading from a script a lot of the time e.g. everything seems to take 6 weeks.

Edited July 1, 2013 by Anna Grant

[Laura. 90]

You can call DOS. I was the beneficiary and called them from the UK using Skype. Generally, they only need the case number but have your fiance's DOB with you, just in case.

I have found DOS far more helpful than the extortion line. People on the extortion line are worjing in a call center and seem to be reading from a script a lot of the time e.g. everything seems to take 6 weeks.

Ah great, I might give it a try later. Thanks. Edited July 1, 2013 by Laura Clare

[Laura. 90]

Uhh, managed to delete my reply to Nich-Nick.

I had said:

I don't need the letter, I just want to know if it was issued, even if it has got lost. I don't want to rush things too much and have it end up backfiring.

[VisaParaUnSueno 9]

1. You can call the NVC and ask for it, else it'll come by post from the London embassy once they have your case (that letter is what we call "packet 3" on here and is your LND plus a link to this webpage: http://london.usembassy.gov/iv_15.html) The only way to find out if London have your case is to keep calling them.

2. That's right. MMRs are 1 month apart. You'll likely need a tetanus booster, too (they need to be administered once every 10 years). Note, if you're intending to complete your vaccinations *after* your medical for the K1, they won't have been counted and you're gonna have to get a certified civil surgeon dude (I forget their proper name) to do a new form for you, at cost. That's why people try to get ALL their vaccinations done before the K1 medical to cut out that complication and expense.

3. All the good stuff is already in this thread. If you want to move this quickly, you need to sit on top of the process and keep calling until you get the info you need. My only tip for you is to really consider moving your civil wedding. August interviews are already being assigned to folks on here, so they may well fill up before you even get near to the embassy. Advice on here is to never book or make plans you can't move until you have your visa in-hand. Bare in mind that visas are *not* issued same day - they hold your passport and courier it back to you a few days later. There are *a lot* of variables between now and the end of August.

Hello Fellow VJ,

When you say "keep calling them" you mean NVC correct not the Embassy In London? NVC will have the LND# which is it the same as case number?

[VisaParaUnSueno 9]

Still no Packet 3. I've been nagging my fiancé to phone the DoS and each time he gets hung up on, and now won't call. Other than calling the extortion line, I can't find out if packet 3 has been issued can I?

Hello Fellow VJ,

Is this the number your Fiance has been calling for the Department Of State (202) 663-1225? What is the extortion line you are speaking of?

[VisaParaUnSueno 9]

Hello Fellow VJ,

Is this the number your Fiance has been calling for the Department Of State (202) 663-1225? What is the extortion line you are speaking of?

Got it!

[Anna Grant 169]

Hello Fellow VJ,

Is this the number your Fiance has been calling for the Department Of State (202) 663-1225? What is the extortion line you are speaking of?

'Extortion Line' is the name we normally give to the London US Embassy Call Center number. It costs 1.23 a minute (in US - no pound sign) to call from the UK or $20 flat fee to call from US (paid by credit card). It is a call center based in Scotland and they tend to say everything takes 6 weeks (that is my experience, anyway).

DOS don't charge to answer calls and they have as much info as the Embassy call center (of course, bear in mind that they are 5 hours behind the UK).

[Laura. 90]

So I just got a Skype subscription to call the US for £3 a month (way cheaper than calling the embassy). Called DoS and got through to an operator within seconds, so I have no idea what my fiance was doing and why he found the menu so hard to navigate.

But basically, London apparently haven't received the petition yet (or logged it), and haven't issued Packet 3 yet. Damn.

[VisaParaUnSueno 9]

As soon as you have the case number from NVC, you can schedule the medical by phoning the Knightsbridge doctors - http://photos.state....18a_medical.pdf. That is the one piece of information you need for the appointment. You need to be a little careful as you don't want your medical results arriving at the Embassy before your case does!

What I did was book the medical as soon as I knew that our case had left NVC. It took three days for our case to get to London and then 7 days for them to register it and send out the 'packet 2' letter. As the wait time to book a medical appointment is around 10 days at the moment, that worked out fine.

I'm a bit confused when reading other recent post about vaccinations and medical exam: Making sure they receive proper dosage and how it might be months between shots...

Please correct me if I'm wrong:

First, my Fiance has to get all his vaccinations done then the Medical...

Where does Vaccinations take place?

Where does Medical Exam Take place?

~ He is from Morocco and will get his Moroccan records (shots he's had in the past) & take that with him at the time he gets his shots in the UK (he might not have to take them again)... With that being said;

What I'm really asking is...

Can he get his missing or necessary shots with Knights Bridge Doctors also listed below? Or he has to go to a General Doctor (Practitioner) and get this done? Do they handle both? Separate Appointments for each of course...

http://www.visamedicals.info/us.asp

http://photos.state.gov/libraries/unitedkingdom/164203/cons-visa/iv018a_medical.pdf

Obviously after reading certain post what I really concluded is that the shots go first then Medical Exam because possible days between shots are needed. This is to avoid an issue with your Medical Exam being done first, sent off to the Embassy and your shots are still not complete. I get this part...

[Anna Grant 169]

So I just got a Skype subscription to call the US for £3 a month (way cheaper than calling the embassy). Called DoS and got through to an operator within seconds, so I have no idea what my fiance was doing and why he found the menu so hard to navigate.

But basically, London apparently haven't received the petition yet (or logged it), and haven't issued Packet 3 yet. Damn.

OK - do you know the actual date that NVC sent your case to the Embassy? If yes, you can track the package that includes your petition using the instructions in this thread:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/194465-how-to-track-your-case-from-nvc-to-embassy/

[Laura. 90]

OK - do you know the actual date that NVC sent your case to the Embassy? If yes, you can track the package that includes your petition using the instructions in this thread:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/194465-how-to-track-your-case-from-nvc-to-embassy/

I already tracked it with DHL. Left NVC on the 19th (confirmed with DoS) and arrived on the 21st.

I'll just wait a few days and try calling again. I just wish I'd known all this before I sent the forms, I'd have waited a bit longer. Ah well, not the end of the world I suppose.