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| London, United Kingdom |  Review on August 10, 2008: |
CarolineLovesPaul
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
The whole process was fairly painless and in total took about two and a half hours. I arrived at the Embassy around 8.15am (for a 9am appointment) on the 17th of July. The queue was not particularly long (about fifty people) and was moving pretty swiftly. The only thing that was slowing up the queue were several people remonstrating about the fact that they couldn't take their car keys through security (even though it stated all this in the letter). The staff were friendly and efficient and I breezed through security. I collected my ticket in the foyer and made my way to the general hall at around 8.45am. It was quite clear from the boards that most people were there for non-immigrant visas and I was fourth on the waiting list for K1 Visas. It took about forty minutes wait until my first interview and I spent about fifteen minutes talking to the first lady (who was British). The interview would have been slightly shorter if (a) the woman at the cash desk had had change and (b) the first interviewer had not been having slight technical problems with her computer. After the preliminaries were over (handing in the various papers), I was returned my large X-rays (how I am going to fit them into my hand luggage is anybody's guess) and asked to return to my seat before being called again. The second time I waited for about half an hour before returning this time to talk to a chirpy American blonde woman. She asked me a few personal questions but rather than it being an interview it was more like talking to an old friend. The only snag is that we managed to forget the IRS forms which meant that they handed my passport back to me and told me to send it back to them once the forms had arrived. Once again, she was very laid back about it, handing me a blue slip to call the courier once I had arranged the final papers.
By 10.45am I was out of the building and into the street, eventually finding a phone to call my baby. For those of you worried about your interview, don't (unless of course you're not legit and you have something to hide). All the staff that I spoke to (security, the receptionist, the interviewers) were polite, friendly and courteous. I can't fault any of them for the service I received and they made it easier than I guess any of us imagine it will be. 
Anyway, my Visa arrived on Wednesday. It feels so real now and I'm flying out to LAX on 19th September. Caroline and myself will be married in November. Thanks to the US Embassy for making this part of the process really easy. Goodness knows what the next leg of the bureaucratic journey will be like.
Paul 
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #3219