London Medical - Knightsbridge Doctors

[Nich-Nick 3,353]

Great, so you think I'll be ok to go ahead and send my checklist off telling I'm ready for my interview. What's your opinion on sending off my ds-156,156k,157 etc forms to the embassy ahead of my interview?

Have you read the K1 instructions from London??? http://london.usembassy.gov/iv_15.html

Step One

Complete the Form DS-230-Part 1, Form DS-156 and DS-157 for each family member applying for a visa. In addition, the principal applicant is also required to complete form DS-156K. Note: Forms DS-156 and DS-157 must be completed in duplicate. If a question does not apply to you, please mark it with a N/A. The completed form(s) should be mailed to the Immigrant Visa Unit. See "Contact and Mailing Address" on the right-hand side of the page.

Note: The failure to return the forms promptly will delay the processing of your application.

Mailing in those forms is Step 1, before you do anything else. Then you schedule your medical and gather you interview documents. When you have all documents in hand, including the I-134 from your fiance and have at least made a medical appointment, then you may notify the embassy that you are ready by mailing the DS-2001 with cover letter.

I think you might have also missed this farther down the page:

Please note: The visa interview will not be scheduled until the Immigrant Visa Unit is in receipt of the results of the medical examination.

[sara80 17]

I am Italian but been living in the UK for 5 years, since I never had any vaccinations done in this country I went back to my Italian doctor who gave me a wee booklet with all the vaccinations done in my life (plus I have a hand written note from a private doctor for measles vaccination I had when I was little).

Now... I have just got the DTP done at my GP here as I think that is the only one I was missing and they used the same booklet, wrote the DTP, date and stamped it. Since it's all written in Italian... will it be accepted as a proof of vaccinations at the Medical or do I need a translation or certified translation of it?

We got the NOA2 a week ago, so cannot book the medical yet, but would like to be fully prepared when its time

Thanks for your advice guys!

[lynndy38 64]

OK you guys have completely freaked me out re the depression self harm issue.

I was in an abusive marriage,drank heavily and suffered from depression.....I left,met my US fiance stopped drinking and have my depression under control on the minimum ammount of anti depressant needed. I did self harm for a few months when I first came out of my marriage due to the guilt of leaving my son with his father (he wanted to stay)

Soooo 3 years on,no drinking no self harm and a pretty 'normal' person really,but judging what Ive read Im going to get crucified for my past?

My doctor is fab and she's always saying to me you need to be with your fiance,so I know she'd write a letter stating she cannot see me being a danger to myself in the future......will this help?

Im so worried now.....I get married in 23 days and we start the CR1 process.....I cant bear the idea of being turned down because I faced a crisis period in my life.

HELP!!!!!

[Stu4Lee 66]

As I got my tube ticket at Victoria, "You off to see the Americans??" said some kind of official standing by the machine.

Wow did I look that obvious???

Very easy to find from Bond St tube station, not even a 5 min walk up Marylebone Lane, Bentinck Mansions being on the corner with Bentinck Street.

Handed over the police certificate, photo, passport and questionnaire at reception and was given the "official" questionnaire to complete in the waiting room. Within a couple of mins of handing it back, the doctor called me in.

"Take a seat, so what can I do for you today?"

WTH?? I'm thinking...Is this some kind of trick question??

"Errrm I'm here for the US immigration medical"

"Sorry, I was in GP mode there"

Maybe it was her opening line to everyone, who knows.

Went through the "yes" answers on the questionaire, hospitalised for tonsil removal 43 yrs ago and the drink driving 28 yrs ago.

She seemed to focus on this throughout the whole medical, randomly asking about it and going back to it several times.

How much had you had to drink?? 4 or 5 pints

How much was your fine?? £120

How long were you banned from driving?? 12 months (the minimum)

Did you get your ban reduced by going on the drink/drive awareness course?? Not an option, it didn't exist way back then.

As the police certificate was "no trace" I asked her if a 28 yr old offence was a problem? "I will have to check" and she went out.

When she returned she moved on to the rest of the examination with no mention of an answer.

Next was asked to strip down to underwear.

No height and weight check, she just noted what I had filled in on the questionnaire.

Simple eye test reading from the chart, then she checked just 1 ear, just 1 eye and the mouth very quickly.

Blood pressure followed, "borderline" she reckoned but didn't have to do it again.

Then the bloods taken, easy and fast.

"So tell me about your drinking then?" randomly thrown in again, before checking the breathing with a surprisingly warm stethoscope.

Then had a quick lay down on the couch for the stomach prodding and a foot tickle.

Finally was the "can you drop your underwear?, I need to check for lumps and bumps"

"OK that's fine" No touching just a quick glance.

Got dressed and she asked me again about the drinking as I was putting my shoes on.

"Is this going to be an issue?" I asked, trying not to sound irritated.

"It's not for me to say, that's up to the Embassy, but you seem to have changed your attitude to drinking now"

At the time I wasn't sure whether to feel reassured by this or not, now I am.

All the notes she made, she was covering them up with her arm so I couldn't see, reminded me of school days in a test

Back to the waiting room, only a couple of mins, before being called for the x-ray.

Found it quite an awkward position to stay in, my shoulders are not as flexible these days I guess.

"Everything ok?" I asked as she burnt the cd

"well you have 2 lungs and 1 heart so looks like it to me"

Probably said that line a million times lol

Back to the waiting room, only a couple of mins again, before being called down to see the vaccination nurse.

She explained the different options to me, they were not options at all to be honest. One of them was having the MMR second dose in a month and then the medical would be passed on, another was blood test for immunity @ £150.

No thanks.

I needed 2 jabs, very fast and gentle.

Returned my passport and police certificate and gave me a vaccination record for the 2 jabs.

Back to the waiting room for a longer wait in case there was a reaction to the jabs, was only 5 mins at most.

Called to reception to pay and was given copy of the DS-3025, reminded to hang on to it for AOS.

They wished me good luck with the rest of the process as I left, nice touch.

Verdict, a very slick and efficient operation.

Took a stroll down to see where the Embassy was before I headed back, had 3 hrs to kill waiting for the return coach.

Got good info for the interview visit, soon I hope.

[Elora & Rob 15]

quick question can medials and interviews be done on saturdays???

[Stu4Lee 66]

Forgot to say above, I was in and out of the medical in just under 60 mins

[Stu4Lee 66]

quick question can medials and interviews be done on saturdays???

Mon-Fri only.

[kittylondon 47]

Hey guys, had my medical at Bentick Mansions today. Appt was 2.30, i got there around 2.15 and chatted to a nice CR1 dude from penzance who said he was on VJ too - hi Dylan! Pretty promptly called in by the cheerful radiographer to have chest x-ray, told to take bra & top off, and wrap a very sexy navy gown around me... after the blink and you'll miss it chest x-ray, told to wait in a little room with crayons and cosmo in it.. something for everyone(!). Doctor came and got me minutes later - blonde, glamorous, accented. There she asked me all the questions on the questionnaire again, and did a pretty comprehensive but swift physical - height, weight, eye sight, eyes, ears, chest and lungs, knee tap, tummy feel, peek down my knickers, blood pressure, and then blood test. That was that, took 5 minutes. She didn't utter a word, not unfriendly, but I couldn't help but think how boring her job must be.. i hope she does this part time and practises some other kind of medicine too. It's likely.

Was finally allowed outta that robe and told to wait to pay back in the main waiting room, but the vaccination nurse came and got me instead and said I was missing the second MMR jab. I know for a fact i've had it but she said it wasn't on my record. I opted not to pay them £38 and to go get it at my GP surgery instead. Even if they charge me the same, i'd rather the NHS has the money than this rip-off Knightsbridge clinic! The nurse didn't seem to care either way, just reminded me i'll need it for AOS. Then out to pay, and finally, coffee with the lovely Photomile/Mark - another VJer who had finished just before me! We walked to Apostrophe on Baker St and got the coffees we'd both been craving all day and had resisted for fear of it pushing our blood pressure higher!

All in all took 50 mins, not many people around, everyone was pleasant. Better than a day at work! Certainly grateful to live in west london, what an expensive day if you have to add travel onto £227... As my fiance said, this is just the beginning of a lifetime of frustration at the cost of private medicine! Still, yay, one step closer..

[Sunshine25 17]

Hey guys, had my medical at Bentick Mansions today. Appt was 2.30, i got there around 2.15 and chatted to a nice CR1 dude from penzance who said he was on VJ too - hi Dylan! Pretty promptly called in by the cheerful radiographer to have chest x-ray, told to take bra & top off, and wrap a very sexy navy gown around me... after the blink and you'll miss it chest x-ray, told to wait in a little room with crayons and cosmo in it.. something for everyone(!). Doctor came and got me minutes later - blonde, glamorous, accented. There she asked me all the questions on the questionnaire again, and did a pretty comprehensive but swift physical - height, weight, eye sight, eyes, ears, chest and lungs, knee tap, tummy feel, peek down my knickers, blood pressure, and then blood test. That was that, took 5 minutes. She didn't utter a word, not unfriendly, but I couldn't help but think how boring her job must be.. i hope she does this part time and practises some other kind of medicine too. It's likely.

Was finally allowed outta that robe and told to wait to pay back in the main waiting room, but the vaccination nurse came and got me instead and said I was missing the second MMR jab. I know for a fact i've had it but she said it wasn't on my record. I opted not to pay them £38 and to go get it at my GP surgery instead. Even if they charge me the same, i'd rather the NHS has the money than this rip-off Knightsbridge clinic! The nurse didn't seem to care either way, just reminded me i'll need it for AOS. Then out to pay, and finally, coffee with the lovely Photomile/Mark - another VJer who had finished just before me! We walked to Apostrophe on Baker St and got the coffees we'd both been craving all day and had resisted for fear of it pushing our blood pressure higher!

All in all took 50 mins, not many people around, everyone was pleasant. Better than a day at work! Certainly grateful to live in west london, what an expensive day if you have to add travel onto £227... As my fiance said, this is just the beginning of a lifetime of frustration at the cost of private medicine! Still, yay, one step closer..

Glad it all went ok for you!

I had a different doctor, who was really nice and very good (and patient) with my son. I didn't get the knee tap or peek down my knickers-, maybe the fact I had my son with me was enough to establish the gender check!

My GP charged me under 10 pounds for the MMR jab, much cheaper than them.

[Ezekiel Chester 3]

I'm not sure if this has been covered because I haven't read all the comments (I know, I'm really lazy lol!), but I noticed that people have only paid around £160 (depending on vaccinations). Is that including the x-ray? Because when I searched online with Knightsbridge it said you had to pay extra for the x-ray - around £362 in total!

[kittylondon 47]

Current price is £227 including general physical exam, and chest x-ray, but not any extra vaccinations you may need.

That's what I paid today. So... Bring on payday!

[photomile 101]

Will update medical if I can get my iPhone working which has lots of nice pictures to update the thread

[Patsgal54 18]

My appointment was at 3:10 at Bentinck Mansions. When I first got there (around 2:45) I thought I was in the wrong place, it certainly doesn't look like a doctor's surgery from the outside! I went up to reception, the lady asked for my name and then all the documents that I had been told to bring. She said that was perfect and gave me another questionnaire to fill in, a lot like the one you take with you, just a little more detailed. I gave it back to her and waited to be called in.

After a little while the radiographer (a very cheery gentleman) called me in for my chest x-ray. He told me to take my top and bra off and put on a blue robe, and to tie my hair up. He told me how I had to position myself (rather awkward, as other people have said) and chatted away to me while he took the x-ray. After a second it was done and he put it up on his computer screen. He said everything looked fine and told me to go and wait in another waiting room. He had already told my mum to come and wait there too, which I thought was a nice touch.

I had a pretty long wait at this point, I think because my appointment was one of the last and they were a little backed up. After maybe 30 minutes the lovely doctor called me into her room. She introduced herself, shook my hand and told me to take a seat. She gave me back my passport and police certificate, went through the questionnaire again and talked to me about the one I ticked 'yes' to. She then explained to me why we have to bring a police certificate with us. Apparently one of the most common reasons for failure at the medical is drug and alcohol related problems. She explained that anything on your police certificate involving these is a red flag for them. As mine said 'no trace', she said I would be fine. She then took my height and weight, checked my eyesight (20/20, yay!) and my blood pressure. She then took a blood sample. She listened to my chest and back and then checked my skin. She pointed out a mole that she told me to keep an eye on and even asked about a bruise on my leg! She checked my breasts for lumps and then checked my stomach. Finally she had a peek down my underwear, literally for a second. Then she said I was done and I could get dressed. She told me that everything looked fine, they just had to wait for my blood test and chest x-ray results, which take two working days. She said if I hadn't heard anything after two days that meant everything was fine with those too. She told me to sit back down in the waiting room for a minute.

After a minute the receptionist called me and told me I was all done, I just needed to pay (the only painful part haha). She took my payment and gave me my DS-2035. Overall I was very impressed with the process. Everybody was very friendly, they all told me exactly what was going to happen and they were very thorough. It could have been a bit faster (I was in there for nearly two hours) but I suppose I got my money's worth!

[Rachie07 4]

OK you guys have completely freaked me out re the depression self harm issue.

I was in an abusive marriage,drank heavily and suffered from depression.....I left,met my US fiance stopped drinking and have my depression under control on the minimum ammount of anti depressant needed. I did self harm for a few months when I first came out of my marriage due to the guilt of leaving my son with his father (he wanted to stay)

Soooo 3 years on,no drinking no self harm and a pretty 'normal' person really,but judging what Ive read Im going to get crucified for my past?

My doctor is fab and she's always saying to me you need to be with your fiance,so I know she'd write a letter stating she cannot see me being a danger to myself in the future......will this help?

Im so worried now.....I get married in 23 days and we start the CR1 process.....I cant bear the idea of being turned down because I faced a crisis period in my life.

HELP!!!!!

I am in a very similar predicament to yourself and I have got a letter from my doctor in regards to the self harm stating that it was a one time event when I was 14 and unlikely to reoccur again. What they are looking for is a line that you are no longer a threat to yourself or others and that the self harm is unlikely to return again. Your doctor will also need to state in the letter the circumstances surrounding your depression (reactive and clinical depression are two very different things and depression can vary on a scale), how long you suffered with it, the treatment you had and a prognosis for the future. I know some doctors dont like to do this but mine has done this for me. From reading other threads, two things can happen. Firstly Knightsbridge accept the letter or they request you go to see a psychiatrist for a psych evaluation. If this happens, they complete a report and fax it back to the knightbridge doctors and they forward it to the embassy. I havent had my medical yet but I have done a lot of research, asked questions, scoured forums on this issue. I am even trying to get a psych report done before the medical "just in case". Tell them the basic facts and let them ask the questions.

I dont know about the drinking aspect, I am thinking it could be similar to the self harm issue. Your doctor seems really supportive which is always helpful. I have read some posts where doctors have not been at all supportive.

I'll add my own experience with the medical good or bad on here anyway to give others with these concerns a up to the minute experience of the medical. I am of course, very worried but seeing how others have gone through the medical and interview with more severe circumstances than me gives me hope.

[photomile 101]

Ok, my interview experience was much like Kittys,

i was scheduled for a 2:10pm appointment at Bentick Mansions.

I arrived at about 1:30 after my train and Tube connections were a little fast. The place is like a lot of small city doctors surgeries. I walked up to the counter and was asked to hand over my documents and police certificate. For some reason, I had a photocopy of it with me already. She took sight of my actual police certificate and was quite happy to take the photocopy off me (Guess it saved them a bit of time).

I was handed a form much like the original questionnaire and told to fill that in and come back when I was done. Nice big waiting area, although they were out of water.

The form, since no-one seems to have said this before, is a DS-3026, which can be found Here!

It's simple enough, but I ticked yes to tobacco use since I was an ex smoker. Also Dylan was there. Hi Dylan!

After I handed the form back to reception, I waited another 3 or 4 minutes and was brought into a room to talk about my vaccinations. Turns out I needed an MMR booster, so I got that done just to get everything out of the way and save for any delays. The woman was friendly enough and told me of her immigration experiences (She was Norwegian).

Back into the waiting room, and less than a minute later a cheery gent came to take a chest X Ray. I've had chest X rays in the past but never had to hold my arms quite like that, certainly very awkward and yes, I got the squishy thing to hold as well. (It had the X Ray markers on it so I'm guessing it was a lead lined *thing* that they can clip the identification markers to)

Cheerful enough, and this time I was put into a different waiting room (Smaller and in the main corridor, there's magazines there if you want) . About five minutes later the next doctor came along, cheerful tall blonde woman, who's name started with a Q I think (It's written on my 3025 but I'm sure all doctors in the UK are trained to have illegible handwriting) anyway... she ran through the questionnaire, took all of two minutes to quickly make sure I was ok and well, then asked me to take take my shoes off so she could take my weight and height and then asked me to take a seat on the bed.

She examined my eyes, ears and throat with an Otoscope then asked me to undress to my underwear and lay down. There was a sheet to cover if I wanted it, but eh, I have no issue with doctors or medical procedures so didn't bother.

From there she checked my breathing, took my pulse from my wrist then my blood pressure and had a feel of my glands before lifting up my underwear and asking me to cough. Bloods were then drawn and I was asked to redress.

She didn't talk too much but did assure me everything was fine, and then asked me to do a quick eyesight test. With that being done she very quickly confirmed all was fine and the bloods would be checked over. She explained that she had to tick that my vaccination history was incomplete and that I would be eligible for a blanket waiver. I assume this is because of the Varicella.

After that I went to reception to pay and was told that my results would be there by Monday and if I didn't hear anything by friday afternoon, no news was good news!

I coughed up, got given a copy of my forms, popped to the loo and walked out the door.

So, according to my photograph, I took a picture of the front door at 1:34 just as I entered, and I walked out of there at 2:15. All in all, in and out in basically half an hour and no more painful or difficult than a regular GP's appointment.

Pictures will be uploaded in the next post!