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| London, United Kingdom |  Review on February 26, 2024: |
HighSoaring9876
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
Just noting my experience in detail to help put someone’s mind at ease and give you insight into what to expect.
The embassy is a 15 minute walk from Vauxhall station. If the weather is nice, I would recommend the riverfront route. My appointment was at 11am.
Follow signs to visa queue and have your passport, DS-160 and appointment letter ready. There was a queue of about 6 people but it moved fast. There were two employees looking at these documents and signing the DS-160. They then asked me to join the next queue. Do mention if you are applying for a K1 because then you can skip the queue. I didn’t do this but someone behind me did - I didn’t mind too much because I was early.
I was then asked to unlock my phone and show them before going through airport style security.
I walked over to the next section, where I showed my passport and DS-160. They gave me a ticket with a number on it and told me to go to the first floor and take a left, walk to the end and take another left. When you get out of the lift, there are a lot of people so don’t be daunted because once you follow the directions, there is a smaller section with seating.
There are a number of booths, similar to a bank. There are screens with ticket numbers and corresponding booths to go to - you can’t miss it.
About 15 minutes after my appointment time, I was called and a nice (American) gentlemen took my fingerprints and the following documents: passport, passport photo, birth certificate, police certificate, I-134 form and tax returns. He asked me to confirm simple questions such as if I had been married before, lived in another country or worked in the military. He also asked when I plan on going to the States. He then gave me a sheet to read about support and services available to immigrant spouses in the US. He asked me to take a seat and said I will be called back shortly.
After about 45 minutes, I was called to another booth and a lovely (American) lady greeted me and asked for my fingerprints. I swore an oath that I was being truthful. She confirmed my fiance’s name, asked when and how we met, when we first met in person, when our relationship began, when and how we got engaged and when we last saw each other. She then typed some things and said “everything looks good, your visa is approved. You will receive it in 1-2 weeks”. I then asked about being notified and she said I will receive an email when it is ready to be picked up.
That was it! I was in and out within an hour. The actual ‘interview’ was less than 5 minutes, it was just a very casual conversation. As others have said, very anticlimactic because it is so straightforward. It was not intimidating at all, they just want to ensure that your relationship is bona fide.
Things to note:
- Everyone I interacted with was pleasant and helpful including desk staff, security and the interviewers.
- Dress code: not too formal nor casual, business casual will do.
- The staff are willing to wait for you to gather the documents they request but you can make your life easier by having easy access to everything. We used an expanding folder.
- They only wanted the original documents, not any copies. You are not supposed to present anything that they don’t ask for. This was annoying as we spent a lot of time putting things together and printing them. It did make me feel confident that I had copies and proof of everything so I would recommend that as well. We also prepared additional supporting documents with the I-134 but the tax returns alone sufficed.
If you are genuine, all will go smoothly! Good luck!
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #32993