Question For Those Who Passed London

[Sharkano 13]

I will be attending from the States with my future spouse, and I have made all the necessary requests to be there with her. However, will I be allowed to go up with her, or will she have to do it all alone? Anyone who has been through it with their fiancée and has experience, I'd love to hear what (if anything) the non-applicant can do. Thanks!

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

I only eavesdropped at the document collection window. I did not go to the back room to the interview window, but I don't think they care. After, we had a lovely afternoon walking through Hyde Park, doing the Buckingham Palace tour, then dinner before catching the coach home. Fun outing.

[lizzyduckluv 3]

I am the USC and attended my fiancé's interview on Nov. 5. I was with him the entire process standing silently by his side at both windows. I was asked a couple questions at the interview window. It was a smooth process. We were approved. Entire process too about 2 hrs. Good luck to you.

[Anna Grant 169]

My then fiance came to both windows and spoke bith times, although no question was asked directly to him, he has a hard time keeping quiet! It made the whole process a lot more comfortable for me, knowing he was by my side. It was also great that he knewwe were approved at exactly the same time as I knew, rather than waking him up with a phone call.

Just make sure you take evidence with you that permission has been given for them to attend and tat they take their US passport with them.

Good luck.

[Ladysylvie 0]

How do you get permission for a USC to attend the embassy for the interview with you?

[Sharkano 13]

Thanks, all!

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

.....he has a hard time keeping quiet!.

That's why I didn't go back to the interview. I talk too much and would have taken over like it was my interview. LOL. It was difficult watching silently as he fumbled all the papers at the document window because he was clueless what they were or what the "angry Asian lady" was saying to him. He finally pushed everything in the folder under the glass to her all in a big mess. She took a few things and pushed the rest back to him. She frowned at him a lot.

How do you get permission for a USC to attend the embassy for the interview with you?

It's the fourth tick box on this contact form. http://london.usembassy.gov/niv/visa_contact_form.html

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Oh, forgot to tell a tale on me. It was July and very hot in there. The big fan was clattering those vertical blinds in the window, making it even harder to hear the numbers being called. Extremely annoying and loud. I had my fill of that so got up and adjusted the fan and tied back the blinds with the pull cord and a chair. All those British people in there stared at me like I was committing treason. Bet they were thankful though.

[lost_at_sea 995]

Hello

My husband came with me to my interview, back in July of this year. He came to both windows with me - the first so he could explain his I-864 evidence (was a little complicated, and it was easier to just let him do the talking for that part - chap didn't seem to mind) and then again to the second window.

The interviewer was very chatty and cheerful with us, she addressed me at first (she made a joke - "we're going to talk about you a for a little while now" to my husband), but being the light-humoured and somewhat sarcastic pair we are, we ended up both talking to her, and her both to us - although she never directly asked him a question - each was aimed at me, but she didn't mind him chipping in once I'd responded (and in fact, he corrected me on one point) and she'd talk to him then.

We appeared to have a good rapport with her - we were all making jokes and laughing (I've tried this approach at the immigration queue at the airport with a mixed response )

I realise you were looking for fianc(e)ê stories, but thought it was worth chipping in that our experience was pleasant and I don't believe they would have any issues with your partner being there in most situations. Worst case: they simply ask him/her to go and sit back down or flat out ignore them. No big negatives.

Edited November 16, 2013 by lost_at_sea

[Sharkano 13]

Good info -- thanks!

[david'sgirl 134]

I went with David in 2009 and we went up together to both windows. The first woman just wanted to be sure we had all of the documents and had a hard time locating his x-rays. Once everything was found there was no issue with her.

The second window was out back and the woman was about my own age and asked us both several questions but in a conversational manner. She asked how we met, a few questions about the wedding and the kids. Then she welcomed him and told us where to go to pay. It was that simple.

London was a nice holiday fro us. We stayed at the hotel across the road and took most meals at the Audley pub. We walked to the palace, the parks, Big ben etc and went on a boat down the Thames to Greenwich and went to the Tower of London, Harrods, the National gallery and Trafalgar square. I flew British airways from Boston and he flew them from Edinburgh and we met in terminal 5 then took the train to the hotel. Because we had a room we didn't need to worry about where to leave everything during the interview.

Good luck.

[LauraDP 10]

My husband had an email telling him he was able to attend with the kids and me (I felt I needed a bit of child wrangling help) but when we got to the street desk in London they had no record of his name on the list and, of course, we could not show them the confirmation email since he had not brought his mobile phone with him. So he had to wait out on the street while our four kids and I went in. Once I was at the first desk inside, I asked if my husband could be permitted to come in and help me with the kids (who were getting antsy after an early start and a long and boring wait in the room). The bloke said he would phone down to the street and say Chris could come in but he would only have a minute to enter the building after it was authorised (!) so I had to go to the window and get his attention. Alas, he was too busy gassing to another spouse outside so he didn't look up and see me flapping at the window but the security guard on the street remembered our unusual surname and the four kids so she went and fetched him, which was a stroke of luck.

So based on my experience, bring a print out of the confirmation email and don't just turn up. We did not have that option as we were travelling to London already when the email showed up on my husband's phone and we had no access to a printer.

Best wishes

Laura

[Sharkano 13]

Thanks, Laura. I asked in our letter submittal, and our e-mail submittal, and now have e-mailed them again to please confirm. If they don't respond, I will bug them again as I would like it in writing.