Unable to pay visa fee - K1

[BLRH 0]

Hi everyone, 

 

I've been scouring the UK forum for more info, but am struggling to get a firm answer! My fiance (US citizen; petitioner) received our K1-FTP via email on the 16th August, and our CEAC status has been 'Ready' since the 21st August. We haven't received Packet 3 (though looking through the forum, it seems like this is an extremely hit-and-miss thing in the UK, and many people go ahead and start booking appointments without it). I've completed the DS-160, and have a medical exam booked for the 7th September as I wanted to get it out of the way. However, when I register with the Visa Appointment Service and try to schedule an interview, I am unable to pay the visa/MRV fee and am given the following message: 

"There are no available appointments at this time. Please check back in a few days as the Consular Section will open more appointments."

Am I missing something?
- Do we need to pay fees somewhere else first in order to be able to schedule an appointment, OR is the visa fee paid after you've selected an appointment? I've read that there are DS-160 fees to pay as well as the visa/MRV fee, but wasn't given the option to pay anything during the DS-160 application process.

- Or, is this error message totally normal, and there aren't any interview appointments? Having looked at similar K1 timelines, though, it seems like people have recently been able to get interviews about a month after NOA2, so we're concerned that we're doing something wrong.

 

This whole process is a nightmare - so few instructions are given! We feel so lost and frustrated.

 

Thank you so much - any info would be amazing. 

Beth and Rob

[Cimira 2]

Hello , first you don’t have to pay any money when filling out your DS 160. You will pay 265 dollars for visa fee application(roughly 225 pounds). 
Furthermore, if there are no schedules you will not be able to pay visa fee, try checking for appointments by 6am , this is when I got mine  also it does not mean you will not be able to check other times during the day, the chances are quite high in the morning. Also consular releases date everyday , so don’t worry about not getting appointments , you will soon. 
Hope I answered your question.