Woo-Hoo!!!

TeresaChristina · March 11, 2006

This is Mr TeresaChristina here!

The speed of the interview is most likely down to the effort Teresa put in to the original I-129F, which was as comprehensive as you can imagine. She really worked hard on it, and this must have left them in no doubt as to evidence of relationship. I'd like to think that it also helped that I bothered to put my suit on as well. Most people didn't bother dressing up, but I thought I would.

Waiting outside the embassy, there were probably about 70 people waiting per half hour interview slot. One woman realised that she hadn't paid her £68 fee, which you are supposed to do beforehand at a bank, but she had time to run off and find a branch of Barclay's and still get back with plenty of time to spare. Due to increased security, it was always going to take a while to get in. The entire building has a road block around it with fencing, and British police strolling around with machine guns. Friends and relatives are not even allowed to queue with applicants or even sit on the roadblocks waiting, never mind allowed to enter the building. At least it didn't rain.

After being herded in the cold outside the embassy for the best part of two hours, we eventually got through the little hut they have built containing an airport-style scanner, and into the building, one hour later than the alotted interview time. The lateness doesn't seem to matter. It is accepted that everyone will be late. The time given appears to just be so everyone doesn't turn up at once.

I don't know if you ever have a system in the US at supermarket deli counters where you take a numbered ticket and wait to be called, but we were all given numbers like that. A screen shows who's next, and an automated American voice calls out the next number and window to go to. But immigrant visas appear to have their own queue, so I was called to a window within a couple of minutes, and a British lady checked my docs. She just needed my passport, birth certificate, police certificate and the I-134, including a re-affirmation of intent to marry from Teresa (but not me). I'd brought other personal evidence of support but I never got the chance to submit it, nor was the original I-129F needed.

Then I took a seat again to wait for the interview, and the screen showed that 74 people were in the interview queue. It was then I started thinking about sandwiches. There is food to be bought at the back of the room for those who have to wait a long time and get a bit peckish.

While waiting I was supposed to fill in a form to hand to the courier service for where to deliver the visa (if granted). I'd only got as far as writing my name on it when a human voice called my number. When I got to the window, she just asked me a couple of questions (how and when did we meet) and made my swear/affirm that I wasn't a liar. And that was it. They must have plenty of short interviews like that because there was no chair to sit on. I saw that some of the other windows did have chairs so some people must get a bit more of a grilling.

Off I went to fill in the rest of the courier form and pay my £9.50, and then I escaped the embassy having spent less than twenty minutes in the building, and called Teresa with the good news! I'd hardly had time to warm up, so I perhaps didn't sound quite as overjoyed as I might have, but I certainly was! Now there is a firm date by which I KNOW I will have begun my new life with the woman I will be proud to call my wife.

So now I have the customary X-ray in my possession, which I need to take in to the US, but immigration will almost certainly ignore. It's A3 size and is not to be folded, which means I'll have no way to pack it.

You might think the difficult bit is over, but now I have to sort through all my junk. This is the part I have been dreading! I have multiple plastic bags of papers, some of which I brought from my last house, nine years ago. Such is the curse of moving to a bigger place and not having to throw anything away. But now I finally have to get rid of it all. Well, I've bought a shredder, so that's a start.

Anyone else worried about the interview (in London at least) needn't worry if they've submitted a clear application. I think the authorities are just making sure that everything tallies up with the I-129F. Of course it might help if you have a "favourable" occupation (I'm in IT) and have visited the US plenty of times for short periods, as I have. Or it could be that they were impressed by (or took pity on) the fact that we've been together for seven years.

Or perhaps they just think no-one would fake an application to go and live in Indiana...

Cheers,

Alan

meddykomp · March 12, 2006

congrats

sheila526 · March 12, 2006

Congratulations :dance:

Sheila (F)

STL_HCMC · March 13, 2006

CONGRATS!

arwensun1965 · March 13, 2006

Hi Alan and Teresa

Jon and I had basically the same kind of experience as you, Jon was with me for the interview, so that kinda helped me, Jon also did things to the letter and he also works for the US government (so me thinks that helped a lot) as you said if everything is in order then all is well. Jon is particular when dealing with the US government, as he has done his job for the last 16 years he knows what is what if you understand my meaning. Had to laugh at the last bit of your paragraph hehehehe your right :devil: Best of luck and hope you and Teresa have a wonderful life together.