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| London, United Kingdom |  Review on November 9, 2006: |
MattG
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
A very smooth experience, a lot less scary and taxing than I expected it to be.
I arrived about 09:20 ready for the 10:00 appointment specified in the letter I was sent from the embassy. I think this was about the right amount of time in advance to arrive. There was a woman outside the embassy in a fluorescent jacket organizing people into queues, and she put everyone whose appointment was within 10 to 15 time in one queue, and everyone else (the people who were super early) into another queue (which didn't move). As peoples' appointments got close, they were moved into the queue which actually moved. Though very slowly.
I eventually got into the embassy at 10:20, after waiting for an hour outside in the cold. I took the ticket from the guy who was managing the machine, and sat down to wait for the number on my ticket to be called. About 5 minutes later I was called to window 13 (!) where a guy who was new to the job gradually took all of my documents and forms off me. Another guy was stood behind him, training him to process my application properly. I had my fingerprints taken on the electronic machine, and was then told to go to another window to pay the visa fee. After I had paid this, I had to sit down again and wait to be called.
After about half an hour waiting, I was called to window 16 where a woman had my application in front of her. I got all my original documents back (birth, marriage and police certificates) and basically had to stand there while she went through my paperwork quite carefully. It didn't seem much like an interview - she didn't ask me many questions. The only problem I had was that my wife's IRS transcript was basically a list of 0.00 entries. It didn't show the foreign income that she had earned in the UK. Once I gave her a photocopy of the actual tax return that my wife filed (which DID show the foreign income earned) she was happy.
Fingerprints on my left hand were taken a second time for some reason. Then I had to hold up my right hand and swear that all the information I had provided was true to the best of my knowledge. Then I was told that everything was in order and that I should proceed to the "Secure Mail Services" desk to pay the courier to deliver my visa for me. I didn't get a "Welcome to America" from the consular officer. 
Since I was planning to be on holiday with my wife for the next few days in London (2nd wedding anniversary) I asked SMS to delay delivery of my visa until the day I knew I would be back. This is why my visa took longer than most immigrant visas to arrive (these generally arrive very quickly!)
Overall I was impressed with the organization of the embassy and the treatment I received. I was out of there by 11.45, so overall I was there for 2 hours and 25 mins, although an hour of that was waiting outside in the cold. I would have prefered the whole experience to be less impersonal and clinical, but... hey! At least I've been approved, and its over, and I was treated well. I shouldn't moan. 
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #1009