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
Heya! I'm a UK citizen and a K1 applicant, so I'm in the same boat as your fiance. We filed in May 2022, and I've visited my fiance in the USA 3 times since then (once for a month in 2022, and then two 14-night stays this year separated by 5 months). My experience was the usual questioning (why are you here, where are you staying, how long are you staying etc) but I've never been asked to provide physical proof. On one occasion (one of the 14-night trips), the officer pointed out that I'd visited the USA a lot (I had also visited my now-fiance a few times before we got engaged), but I explained that we were waiting for a K1 visa and that my fiance and I were just trying to see each other once every couple of months - because we're forced to live apart. He warned me that the next officer might not be so understanding, but I entered again 5 months later and the officer didn't even ask me a single question! I think it's partly luck of the draw. It's anxiety-inducing and very stressful - I hate arriving in the US, not knowing whether the officer will be in a good mood or a bad mood. The USA to UK flights are much more expensive, but if you haven't already visited, it's a much more chilled experience - straight through the e-gates and no questions asked! Does your fiance pay monthly rent or a mortgage? I'd say that's pretty good evidence that he's gonna return to the UK. Might be worth taking a rent or mortgage agreement, just in case?