Fill in DS-160 before or after the visit

[Luxylux 0]

Hi everyone,

I’m amongst the lucky few for which the whole process has been so far way quicker than expected!

I’ve received the packet 3 from the embassy a few days ago and I’m now gathering all the documents needed. Just a quick question to everyone here: I booked tickets ages ago to go and see my fiancé in LA for a week end of August because back then I didn’t even think that we would have heard anything about the I-129F by then. Anyway, I have carefully read all the posts on the topic here and I plan on going with plenty of proofs of my ties to the UK and cross my fingers and toes that it won’t be a problem.

But what I would really like to know if when to fill in the DS-160. I thought of doing it as soon as I come back from the US (1^st of September) but as my petition is only valid till 23^rd of October, will that leave enough time to the embassy to schedule my interview? Or should I fill it in before my trip and give the dates of my last trip instead? And if I do so, am I more likely to have problems at the POE in LAX?

Thanks a lot in advance for your help!

Lucie

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

There are 3 things that must be received by the embassy to get an interview in London

1) DS-160

2) Medical exam results

3) Readiness for interview form

You can do the first two before your trip and the last when you return or even while away. Your interview will still be probably 5-6 weeks after you submit the last of the three pieces to the puzzle.

I don't think CBP in the US airport knows what you submitted to the embassy. One is Homeland Security and the other is Department of State...separate parts of the government that don't share every detail as easily as you might think.

There is a UK forum on here that may help you with other questions Specific to London. http://www.visajourney.com/forums/forum/99-united-kingdom/

[Luxylux 0]

There are 3 things that must be received by the embassy to get an interview in London

1) DS-160

2) Medical exam results

3) Readiness for interview form

You can do the first two before your trip and the last when you return or even while away. Your interview will still be probably 5-6 weeks after you submit the last of the three pieces to the puzzle.

I don't think CBP in the US airport knows what you submitted to the embassy. One is Homeland Security and the other is Department of State...separate parts of the government that don't share every detail as easily as you might think.

There is a UK forum on here that may help you with other questions Specific to London. http://www.visajourney.com/forums/forum/99-united-kingdom/

Oh brilliant. Thank you so much. Have you had experience visiting so late in the process? I guess that's everyone number one question but I'm really nervous!

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Oh brilliant. Thank you so much. Have you had experience visiting so late in the process? I guess that's everyone number one question but I'm really nervous!

Actually my fiancé had his interview two weeks after returning from a visit to the US. We had requested an interview not be scheduled until his return. It was a situation like yours where it all came together quicker than anticipated and the trip had been booked for months. But getting to enter the US is solely dependent on the CBP officer on duty at that airport on that day. So any given experience doesn't translate to what your experience will be. It is more about how often you have visited and how long you stayed that might make them think you had over done it on you VWP privileges.

If your only worry is that submitting a DS-160 will show up on a US airport computer screen, I would bet £1000 it wouldn't. That is just my opinion based on personally asking CBP, on two occasions, if they had any information on who has filed petitions or applied for visas on the computer screen at the airport. They both told me No. I suppose if on a previous visit you had given that information, then they could have typed a note-- "Ms. Luxylux has an American fiancé in St. Louis." They do know your other entries and departures and if your name is the same as a suspected terrorist or bad guy. That's what they told me their screen shows.

Edited July 24, 2014 by Nich-Nick

[Luxylux 0]

Oh thank you so much! That is so helpful to read your experience. Just another question: did you send the notice of readiness after having your medical exam or once it was booked? I might not be able to have everything ready and sorted before my return from my trip anyway, I hope the embassy getting everything early september for a petition ending end of october is okay?

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Oh thank you so much! That is so helpful to read your experience. Just another question: did you send the notice of readiness after having your medical exam or once it was booked? I might not be able to have everything ready and sorted before my return from my trip anyway, I hope the embassy getting everything early september for a petition ending end of october is okay?

The process for me was very different for me years ago. It was all on paper forms. Now people do it all sorts of ways. Order doesn't really matter too much, but I would suggest the DS-160 first, then the others as you are ready. Most send the readiness as soon as they have a medical date to include, even when they aren't ready. If you are stalling just a bit then hold off the readiness. This info might affect you. Maybe don't submit anything this week because of a major computer crash http://news.msn.com/us/glitch-crashes-global-us-passport-visa-operations

Your petition will be re-validated. When you are with your fiancé, get a new signed letter of intent saying he is still free to marry and intends to marry you within 90 days of your arrival on the K1 visa. That's what they say they need if your interview falls after the petition expiration. Some lately who were past weren't even asked for it, but good to have it since that is what London says officially.

You need to read this thread http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/474161-london-k1-a-complete-guide/

There a a few changes that can't be edited and are corrected later after post #8 like mobile phones are now okay inside the embassy. Small changes really.

[Luxylux 0]

Thank you so much! You really are a star! Just one last question: when you filled in the ds-160 you gave the date of your last trip to the US then? No mention of the upcoming one? Thank you again, so much!

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Thank you so much! You really are a star! Just one last question: when you filled in the ds-160 you gave the date of your last trip to the US then? No mention of the upcoming one? Thank you again, so much!

That's been debated. I suppose if you know the dates, and it will let you enter dates still in the future without rejecting the entry, then your information will be current on your interview date. I don't think either way is a deal breaker. Doesn't really matter which way in my opinion. If you don't put them, then you can tell your interviewer (second time called up to a window) that you made another trip to the US and would he like to have those dates to update your DS-160 information.

(When we did this, there were four paper forms to snail mail to the embassy, plus a paper readiness checklist. No memory of what trips were listed because my husband did the forms and we aren't sure where those copies are.)

[Sweetmelissa 82]

Hi everyone,

I’m amongst the lucky few for which the whole process has been so far way quicker than expected!

I’ve received the packet 3 from the embassy a few days ago and I’m now gathering all the documents needed. Just a quick question to everyone here: I booked tickets ages ago to go and see my fiancé in LA for a week end of August because back then I didn’t even think that we would have heard anything about the I-129F by then. Anyway, I have carefully read all the posts on the topic here and I plan on going with plenty of proofs of my ties to the UK and cross my fingers and toes that it won’t be a problem.

But what I would really like to know if when to fill in the DS-160. I thought of doing it as soon as I come back from the US (1^st of September) but as my petition is only valid till 23^rd of October, will that leave enough time to the embassy to schedule my interview? Or should I fill it in before my trip and give the dates of my last trip instead? And if I do so, am I more likely to have problems at the POE in LAX?

Thanks a lot in advance for your help!

Lucie

I spent the week before my interview with my fiance in the US.

Just complete the form and give the dates of previous trips to the US. One less thing to worry about; you can cross it off the to-do list and move onto the next item. I filled mine out in March, and made 3 more trips to visit my fiance between the submission of DS-160 and the actually interview.

In regards to the expiration of your petition, it will be automatically re-validated for four more months when you appear for your interview, so that date is nothing to really concern yourself with.

Edited July 25, 2014 by Sweetmelissa

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

In regards to the expiration of your petition, it will be automatically re-validated for four more months when you appear for your interview, so that date is nothing to really concern yourself with.

London has been saying for about 3 years in the instruction letter (packet 3) to bring a new letter of intent to revalidate the petition if you go past your priority date as they call it. In 2012 and 2013 it also said notarized but I think they dropped that notary part from the letter this year. I haven't seen a letter from this month, so read your letter from London again and see what they instruct you to do.

[Sweetmelissa 82]

London has been saying for about 3 years in the instruction letter (packet 3) to bring a new letter of intent to revalidate the petition if you go past your priority date as they call it. In 2012 and 2013 it also said notarized but I think they dropped that notary part from the letter this year. I haven't seen a letter from this month, so read your letter from London again and see what they instruct you to do.

From what I have seen most consulates ask for new letters of intent signed within a month of the interview.

They were specifically asked in my packet 3 info, but when I got to the interview, they weren't interested!

[JIJourney 96]

Do it before the trip so you do not have to worry about it

[kehills 217]

We specifically delayed my husband's interview so he could come to the US for Christmas, and then return for a fellowship, before immigrating here. He just made sure that, for the Christmas trip, he had doubled down on all the information proving he was returning to Australia. He actually received the email scheduling the interview while he was in America.

[Luxylux 0]

Thank you so much, all of you! Scheduled my medical for a week before my trip and will fill in the ds-160 in a few days so I'll send the readiness form around a week before my trip or something like that. I plan on moving end of January and get married in February so everything should work out fine this way Just very nervous about the medical now but hopefully it will just go smoothly!