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| London, United Kingdom |  Review on June 25, 2024: |
Haynes
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
Although the area the Embassy is in is very nice, the area by Vauxhall station which most people will travel through is very much not a great place to be. I stayed at the Travelodge London Vauxhall as most here did, and it's the standard Travelodge experience, nothing special but perfectly fine for an overnight stay. I paid the extra few quid for late checkout which was worth it for me to freshen up after before heading home.
My appointment time was at 9.30am, so I arrived around 9am which most people here recommended. The queue for visas wasn't too long, so I didn't skip as I read a lot of people here do. (For what it's worth, I wasn't told at any stage to skip any queues, I might have tried it if the lines were busy but I never queued for more than 5 minutes at any point.). At the first queue outside, my passport and DS-260 was checked and sent onwards into the security queue.
G4S who operate the security were unpleasant to deal with and left a sour taste. There is an X-ray machine and a metal detector. I asked if I should take my belt off for the metal detector that apparently required a committee of people to decide, and took longer than what it would have taken me just to take the belt off. Once my items were scanned, I was told I had to put my belt on outside in the courtyard? It wasn't in the slightest bit busy there so seemed odd. I started to pick up my items including the belt to take them outside, and was yelled at that I had to put the belt on outside. Then, after trying to walk outside with only my belt, was yelled at again for leaving my items behind! Bit of a bizarre experience, and I imagine for a lot of people who wouldn't have English as their first language this would be a nightmare of confusing instructions.
Across the courtyard and inside to another queue to check in at reception, once checked in I was given a number to look out for and instructions to take the lift up to the first floor, turn left, walk all the way to the end of the corridor and turn left again. I had to tell the person who greeted me immediately outside the lift that I was here for an immigrant visa and didn't need to join those queuing for their non-immigrant visas.
I sat down in the waiting room, and after about 10 minutes was called up to provide my documents. Passport, DS-260, marriage certificate, police certificate, birth certificate and courier confirmation page. I was asked basic questions about myself, my name etc. and asked for a planned travel date. I was given the pamphlet about domestic abuse to read then told to sit down and wait for my number again.
Unfortunately, there appeared to be two booths open taking documents, but only one for interviews. This meant there was a bit of a backlog when I was there. I tried to estimate how long I would be waiting by timing interviews and looking at the numbers ahead of me, but not everyone with an I (immigrant) number required an interview and of course some interviews took (a lot longer) than others. There isn't much in the way of privacy at the booths either so be prepared to hear everyone's life story whether you want to or not. There are no signs pointing towards toilets or anything which is a bit annoying, for reference if anyone reads this, head back towards the lift and you'll find them. There is also what appears to be a little café here, although I only noticed this when the lift doors were closing so couldn't investigate further.
I waited about an hour and 50 minutes after handing my documents over to get my actual interview (hour and 40 after my appointment time). I was asked three very basic questions about my relationship with my wife, and then asked if I had read the pamphlet and if I had any questions. I was then told that I had been approved and to expect my visa to be delivered in the next two weeks. I was stood at the booth for my interview no more than three minutes. Back the way I came in, through security and outside to call my wife and tell her the good news.
The visa itself arrived around 50 hours after my interview via the courier, who shoved it through my letterbox despite my apparent need to be in to show ID.
Although the process was simple enough, I did feel a bit annoyed by security and how long it took to be seen for my interview. Obviously not everyone has a simple open and shut case like mine (married for four years and lived together in the UK for quite a bit of time) and I understand their interviews can take a while, but I only really had about 10 minutes of actually doing something during the two hours or so I was in the building.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #33260