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| London, United Kingdom |  Review on January 27, 2009: |
Ben&Ana
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
A ridiculously easy experience. Arrived at the Embassy at about 7:45am for an 8am interview. The security guards were friendly enough and by the time I went through all the checks I was in the building by just after 8.
At the reception I took a number (5003) and was directed upstairs. I took a seat and within thirty minutes I was called to a window. Here I spoke to a woman who asked to look at my passport, birth certificate and my police certificate. I gave these to her (with copies - except for the passport) and she put the originals in a plastic bag. I was then instructed to provide her with fingerprints. Here I had to do four fingers at a time before providing my thumb prints. After I'd given them - it took a couple of goes - the woman remarked that I didn't have very good fingerprints. Quite what this means, I don't know. Maybe I could have utilised my 'bad fingerprints' for a life of crime. But alas I try my best to be a model citizen. She then gave me a yellow form and instructed me to pay for the Visa. I wandered around for a while, vainly searching for the cashier's window and eventually found out that it was right next to the window I was previously at (d'oh!).
At the window were a couple with a baby, trying to pay for their Visa. They were having some sort of trouble with their credit card and so it took a while for my turn to come around. Having seen this debacle, I decided to pay cash (£94.19 - damn weak pound!).
After this, I went back to the original window. The woman asked for my fiancee's affidavit of support. I gave this to her and then she asked for supporting documents. I gave her copies of my fiancee's pay slips, her tax returns for the last three years and a letter from her employer. The woman then asked if my fiancee had a back account. I said she did but I didn't have a copy of her statement to provide. The woman nodded her head and gave me a pink form to fill out for the courier. I said I didn't have a pen with me and asked if I could fill the form out at the window - she said okay but told me to be quick as they were running a little late with the processing of visas.
Once I'd filled the form out, I returned to the waiting room. A little hungry, I bought a (cold) sandwich at the canteen at the far end of the room. It wasn't particularly good, but it did the job.
It's here that things turned a little surreal. I sat behind a party of people and then slowly realised that I was sitting behind the 'glamour' model Jordan. She talked to her group and I eavesdropped like mad and then I was called again (this was maybe 30-45 minutes after I sat back down).
At the window this time was a young American man, with the original copies of my birth certificate and police certificate, and the documents relating to my fiancee's employment and finances waiting to be taken. He was extremely friendly and I had to swear that I was telling the truth. I did so and then had to answer about 3 or 4 questions - how did you meet?, what do you do for a living?, where is your fiancee from?, and have you ever had any trouble with immigration before? I answered all of these and then managed to make him smile by telling him, in response to the 'where is your fiancee from?' question, that I'd been to her citizenship ceremony the year previously. He said that in a few years time I might be going to one so that I too could become a citizen.
The whole interview took 2 minutes (if that) and he said that he was approving my visa. All that was left was for me to go to the courier's desk to arrange for delivery (£14.20).
After getting into the Embassy at just after 8am, I was out of it by 9:45.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #3854