London Embassy K-1 Interview Experience 2022

[Ian88 41]

Had my K-1 Visa Interview today (January 6th 2022) at the US Embassy in London, UK.

 

Took the tube to Nine Elms Station - there are several places to get food, including Starbucks and Sainsbury's if you are arriving early and are worried about getting some food & drink inside you before you head to the Embassy. The Embassy is only several minutes walk from Nine Elms.

 

I arrived at the Embassy 20 minutes before my appointment time and was advised I could go ahead. I handed my Passport and the printed appointment confirmation through a window on the outside of the building which was checked and signed by an Embassy employee. I then went to the entrance and a guard came out and asked me to unlock my phone and open any app - once I had done so I was admitted into the building and went through security similar to the airport. From there, I headed over to the main building and was greeted at the main desk. They asked to see my signed appointment confirmation which I handed over - this was returned to me with a sticker on it bearing a number. I was instructed to take the elevator to the 1F and head left and left again. 

 

There are a bunch of windows (like at the post office or the bank) and the K-1 visa's are dealt with in a small area at the far left end of the room as you exit the elevator - I think windows 19-25 but don't quote me - I was called to window 21 and 22 during my time there. I took a seat and after about 2-3 mins my number appeared on the screen telling me to head to window 21. The Embassy employee was friendly and took my Passport and appointment confirmation while asking a few routine questions; my fiancée's name, asked me for a phone number, and took my fingerprints electronically. They then asked for the following:

 

• ARCO Police Certificate
• Birth Certificate
• A letter of Intent to Marry signed by my fiancée 
• 1 Passport Photo (US Size)
• I-134 Form and Supporting Documents

 

These were placed in a folder and the appointment confirmation was returned to me. I was asked to take a seat and wait to be called again. After about 5 mins I was called to window 22. A different employee greeted me - again, friendly - and asked me to raise my right hand. I was asked to swear/affirm that I was going to tell the truth. I was asked to give my fingerprints again. They asked me the following questions:

 

• What are your wedding plans?
• Where did you and your fiancée meet?
• Where does your fiancée work?
• When was the last time you saw your fiancée? 

 

After that, they said they are going to approve my Visa and I will receive my Passport in 1-2 weeks. The original copies of my Police and Birth Certificates were returned to me. 

 

The interview itself lasted less than 5 mins and was completely painless. It should be noted that my fiancée and I have never been married, have no children, have never changed our names, have no criminal convictions, and have never been denied a visa before - all reasons why I had nothing to worry about. My biggest concern was forgetting paperwork - they did not look at my DS-160 or any of the optional evidence (photos, receipt for engagement ring, etc.)

 

Afterwards I called my fiancée and then took a stroll to see Battersea Power Station (I'm a fan of Pink Floyd so had to take a look!) which is about 10 mins walk West of the Embassy.

 

Hopefully my experience helps calm any nerves you have - it was nothing. Thanks to the members of this forum who helped me with irrational questions that were keeping me awake at night! 

[Wuozopo 4,293]

3 hours ago, Ian88 said:

Had my K-1 Visa Interview today (January 6th 2022) at the US Embassy in London, UK.

Congratulations on a successful interview!
 

You can save this excellent write up in the Reviews section of VJ.  Select and copy it, then go to your timeline and you will see a link beside your interview date that says “Submit Review”. Just past it in after selecting London embassy.

Edited January 7, 2022 by Wuozopo

[Hwezzy 0]

Hi there, thank you for posting this as it has been a great help in understanding the most recent process.

 

May I ask how long it took you to get the interview offer from your initial application date?

 

Thank you!

[Ian88 41]

16 minutes ago, Hwezzy said:

Hi there, thank you for posting this as it has been a great help in understanding the most recent process.

 

May I ask how long it took you to get the interview offer from your initial application date?

 

Thank you!

You can find that info on my timeline; however, my personal experience is not a good indicator as my application process was massively hindered by the covid situation. 

[DanElst 4]

@Ian88 Hi! 

I am a bit confused on the birth certificate. I see a variety of answers on the Facebook pages. Mine is no bigger than an A5 document. It is the original main birth certificate given to my parents, not a certified copy. Is this correct?

 

Thanks!

Edited October 19, 2022 by DanElst

[Ian88 41]

4 hours ago, DanElst said:

@Ian88 Hi! 

I am a bit confused on the birth certificate. I see a variety of answers on the Facebook pages. Mine is no bigger than an A5 document. It is the original main birth certificate given to my parents, not a certified copy. Is this correct?

 

Thanks!

No, the small certificate given when you were born is not the document they require. I got the required document from City Hall in my home town.

[Ms.A 0]

Hi. Thank you for giving us an idea of the your experience in  us embassy london interview. I would like to ask about the letters you brought to the interview. Did you received any letter from the embassy or consular section like a go signal or appointment letter to schedule and interview? We already got the  NVC letter (K1-FTP) and the CEAC status states READY, is that enough to schedule an interview and book medical exam, filling in DS 160? Do I need the consular section/embassy letter first? Thank you so much for your help.

[Ian88 41]

2 hours ago, Ms.A said:

Hi. Thank you for giving us an idea of the your experience in  us embassy london interview. I would like to ask about the letters you brought to the interview. Did you received any letter from the embassy or consular section like a go signal or appointment letter to schedule and interview? We already got the  NVC letter (K1-FTP) and the CEAC status states READY, is that enough to schedule an interview and book medical exam, filling in DS 160? Do I need the consular section/embassy letter first? Thank you so much for your help.

Hi. I never actually received my letter; they either never sent it or it was lost in the mail. I emailed the embassy and they responded telling me I should have it, but that their email response was enough to proceed.

 

I would say try that, but also just go to the Embassy website and try to schedule an interview and see what happens. Also don’t be discouraged if your medical comes after the interview, you can do that.

 

good luck.

Edited January 9, 2023 by Ian88

[Ms.A 0]

Hi Ian88. My fiance send an email to US embassy london about the letter never came by post. They replied they have sent it by the wrong post code and said won't send another letter to us just check the documents needed for the interview in their website and print their email reply to us as proof during the medical and interview that we are good to book appointments. Thank you so much for your help. I just had my medical yesterday hopefully its all good. Will the visa medicals call me if there is any issues with my results? Or will they just send it straight to the embassy? Thank you for your help.

[Ian88 41]

1 hour ago, Ms.A said:

Hi Ian88. My fiance send an email to US embassy london about the letter never came by post. They replied they have sent it by the wrong post code and said won't send another letter to us just check the documents needed for the interview in their website and print their email reply to us as proof during the medical and interview that we are good to book appointments. Thank you so much for your help. I just had my medical yesterday hopefully its all good. Will the visa medicals call me if there is any issues with my results? Or will they just send it straight to the embassy? Thank you for your help.

Hi,

Glad to hear you got your interview sorted. I am unsure if they contact you if there are any problems - I’m healthy (besides being slightly overweight) so there was nothing to report from my medical.

 

Don’t be nervous about the interview it’s pretty straightforward. Good luck.”

[Wuozopo 4,293]

2 hours ago, Ms.A said:

Hi Ian88. My fiance send an email to US embassy london about the letter never came by post. They replied they have sent it by the wrong post code and said won't send another letter to us just check the documents needed for the interview in their website and print their email reply to us as proof during the medical and interview that we are good to book appointments. Thank you so much for your help. I just had my medical yesterday hopefully its all good. Will the visa medicals call me if there is any issues with my results? Or will they just send it straight to the embassy? Thank you for your help.

It takes a few days for the bloodwork results to come back from the lab. If there was any surprise problem like STDs, they would contact you. Once they get the lab results, they finalize the report and send it over to the embassy. They don’t contact you to tell you it’s okay and sent. No news is good news.

[Ms.A 0]

Hi Wuozopo. Thank you for your input. Im just kinda anxious with my xray. Recently had covid december 2022. Though i had an xray post covid last xmas and everything was normal as per the radiology report and by the ED doctor maybe everything just makes me so anxious at this stage. And also, i had my medical on january 11 and my interview will be on january 25.. that will 10 working days in between. Will be that enough time for my report to be ready for the interview? Thanks.

[Wuozopo 4,293]

1 hour ago, Ms.A said:

Hi Wuozopo. Thank you for your input. Im just kinda anxious with my xray. Recently had covid december 2022. Though i had an xray post covid last xmas and everything was normal as per the radiology report and by the ED doctor maybe everything just makes me so anxious at this stage. And also, i had my medical on january 11 and my interview will be on january 25.. that will 10 working days in between. Will be that enough time for my report to be ready for the interview? Thanks.

Yes that should be enough time. You can call them…maybe Tuesday…and ask if it has been sent.and when.

 

If anything was wrong with your x-Ray, they would have talked to you about it at your appointment. People have posted they had a chest cold and they were told their x-ray looked cloudy so they would have to have another done when the cold cleared up. I think you are fine if they didn’t ask for any further testing or evaluation by a psychiatrist or something like that, which happens.