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| London, United Kingdom |  Review on September 2, 2005: |
Circus-of-Power
Rating:  | Review Topic: General Review
OK here we go .. with my London Interview experience.
I travelled down the day before and stayed at a hotel just yards from the US Embassy; this meant that I only had to roll out of bed at 10am for the 11.30 appointment. A quick trip down one of the other side streets near to the Embassy brought me to Goulds Pharmacy and a chance to get the real US Visa style photographs. Not cheap at £7.50 for 4 but the real deal never the less.
So to the big day and after the exhausting 50 yard walk I came to the Embassy, a look up and down for the “ZZ Top” man with the clipboard alas he was nowhere to be found, just a young girl with mirror shades who was hopeless and thats being kind . People often ignored her and strode straight up to the guy checking names off a list and this caused not only delay but a fair amount of discontent in those actually queuing. Eventually I made it to the guy checking names …. He was as useless as the girl, and so slow that I thought we may have to go get some new batteries for the poor chap. Next up the security hut, no problems there and so it was the long walk to the visa entrance. I was then asked to hand over my camera and to turn off my cell phone. Up the next flight of stairs and to the lady issuing the ticket numbers and it was number 22 immigrant visa.
As others before me have said, the waiting room is vast, and today was one of the hottest of the year and there was little or no ventilation, it was a seething mass of humanity and we all had our eyes glued to TV screens displaying the ticket numbers and appropriate windows. I was seated near to Window 1 which was on the day the one used for Immigrant visas. I amused myself spotting the non VJ members ….. Those lugging around the medical x-ray and looking totally bemused. One poor young lady had no police certificate; she said “I have never been in the Police Force ...why would I have one of those “…. I kid you not.
45 or so minutes later and its my turn at the window, the poor lady on the other side of the screen is suffering from summer flu and at times I can barely hear her, she asked for my papers one by one and then for the I-134. Why have I given her 2 she asks …? “Because I need a co-sponsor” I reply. She then looked at me and said “Your doing the easy peasy way, this is too much information, but it is good practice as you will need it for the AOS.” … with that she returned the bank letters etc. I was asked to sign my name a couple of times and then given the pink courier form to fill in.
Back in my seat, I began to wonder what all the fuss had been about, especially the I-134, seems as I had always thought people get confused between the I-134 and I-864 and quote the wrong information.
So the next wait began again!!!
It was a good 2 hours before the tannoy crackled into life and said “number 22 Mr Cunningham to window 14 “...so no dreaded 13 for me then. A beaming middle aged lady greeted me, asked how I was …. But all the time my eyes were focused on the paperwork she held and I could see the words “APPROVED” in big red letters I was as giddy as kid on Christmas morning. She said the medical was fine and that the other papers were good too. She asked questions but answered them herself, I merely replied yes or that is correct. I then was asked to raise my right hand and swear that the information we had provided was correct … so I swore … She made a joke about useless bureaucracy and then asked me to place the index finger of my left hand on the gizmo at the side of me….. Then she said “No Mr Cunningham that’s your ring finger” I went a shade of crimson …. and apologised profusely when that was done it was time for the index finger on the right hand … like a complete numb nut I did the same again much to her amusement. The kind lady also pointed to a large diagram to the side which showed the index finger … I could feel a huge DOH!!! …Coming on
One last flick through the papers and she handed me back the originals, then said “Your good to go” it was better than any welcome to America and she looked genuinely pleased. I was given a quick run down of the POE and the AOS, then told that was all, it took no more than 5 minutes in total. 10 months for 5 minutes, not really a fair swap but I will settle for it.
So what can I say …? I’m going home!!!!. The Embassy staff were excellent and did everything to put you at ease.
I’m glad I came to Visa Journey as the information that is here is priceless. It’s the AOS forum for me now I suppose but I intend to give back what I took out and to help the next batch of hopefuls.
Thank you all once again ..
Paul & Catherine
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #128