|
|
| London, United Kingdom |  Review on February 18, 2009: |
briff2000
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
Phew!!! It's finally over and we have our visa!!
Had an 8.30am appointment and arrived about 8.20, but would suggest arriving as early as possible, because all of the immigrant visa applications seem to arrive around the same time and the earlier you are in the queue can make a big difference in waiting time, as they seem to process one case at a time (immigrant visas only).
We waited about an hour initially to see the first officer who just checked through our file and ensured all documents were there (took about 5-6 mins)before asking us to sit down and wait to be called again.
Waited for about another hour and a half to be called again, this time to be met by a friendly (but intense) female officer. My wife had come over from the US for the interview but the officer told her that it was an interview of me and that she couldn't say anything, make gestures, or otherwise affect the interview. She then asked the expected questions about how we met, where this was, and what I was doing there. The officer asked for clarification on some details in order to get an exact reply, such as where I studied (I did an exchange year at University), and she wanted me to answer with the correct university title, not just the city it was in. She then asked some 'quick-fire' questions - what is your wife's date of birth?, where was she born? what are her parents names? She finished by asking me some details about a traffic violation I had in the US from about 9 years ago (which I had declared) to ensure that drugs and alcohol weren't involved. Then she announced that she was happy to grant our visa. Again, it was all over in about 10 minutes. It makes you wonder what the previous 15 months of forms and endless waiting is for! We went and paid our courier bill and left at about midday. The visa arrived at home 2 days later and it all feels a lot more real once you have it in your hand!
Only real surprise is that the interview is conducted behind a glass screen in a booth next to lots of other people. You almost feel like you are in a bank, not sat down in a room like I was expecting.
Overall, nothing to really worry about but expect a lengthy wait.
| |
|
Consulate / USCIS Member Review #3960