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| London, United Kingdom |  Review on November 1, 2008: |
Scarlett
Rating:  | Review Topic: General Review
I had my K1 interview on Wednesday and got my visa today (Saturday) and I just wanted to post about my experiences with the London Embassy and the courier service.
The interview was short and non-threatening - I got there just before 9am as requested, and waited about an hour and a half to see the first guy. (You sit in a crowded lounge and watch the screens for your number being called - along with some short films of US propaganda .) He was lovely and just checked my paperwork and took it away, and asked me to pay the fee (£84). He told me that they were working to a 3-5 day delivery target at the moment. He also gave me my x-ray to keep in case the US doctors ask for it.
I then waited another hour or so to have my "interview", where the nice american woman (everyone else seemed to be English) asked me about where I met Dave, when we got enagaged, why he isn't coming to live in the UK, and whether I have ever lived out of the UK for more than a year before. Then she gave me back my paperwork originals and said I was approved (easy). Tonnes of waiting for 5 mins of interview!
Then she said that because they were going to have a "big party" for the election on Tuesday, people there "might not get much work done" (!?), so the visas might take a bit longer next week... I was a bit shocked by this, but thankfully it didn't seem to affect things much for me.
You then take the famous pink slip to the courier desk in the waiting hall. I booked with the SMS courier service for the £14.50 standard delivery (mon-fri 8.30-5.30 I think). My strategy was to put no restrictions on it so they could deliver it as soon as it was ready. I have heard of other people on this forum paying extra for "next day delivery" but I wanted to point out that all the SMS paperwork says that they always deliver the next (working) day; the day after the receive the package from the embassy.
This is certianly what happened for me, the visa is dated 31 October (Fri), and they text me on 31 October to say that they have my package and will deliver it on Monday. In the text they also gave me the option to upgrade to their Saturday service so that I would not have to wait over the weekend. I called them back and paid an extra £30 to get it today (Sat) so that I can fly tomorrow (Sun) and have my boy come to pick me up from the airport and not worry about booking time off work.
So I just wanted to say that for me the SMS courier thing worked well. Don't be misled into thinking that you can pay more and get it quicker. The only choices you have are for different time-slots in the day, or for saturdays. If you book saturday delivery, that will be ONLY saturdays.
Anyway, thank heavens that is over and I can get off to the airport tomorrow and finally go home to my new home! 
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #3536