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| London, United Kingdom |  Review on June 23, 2009: |
John & Mary
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
It was no problem at all for me (Mary, the USC) to attend John's K-1 interview with him at the London embassy. They merely looked at my passport in the security line, and then wrote my name on his interview letter.
We were issued our appointment number at 7:38AM for an 8:00AM appointment. Apparently, the immigrant visa issue numbers have changed; they're no longer the 5000 series. We were assigned I854 and there were three others ahead of us, the first being I851. (Non-immigrant visa applications all had numbers that started with N, the first of the day being N100. There were a few other applicants who had numbers that began with E or D, but I have no idea what kinds of visas those were.)
We were there early enough to see them opening up for the business day, starting up the monitors, raising the window shades, etc. During the two hours we were there, they called over 100 non-immigrant visa applicants to the windows, so they were definitely busy.
After about 45 minutes, we were called to Window 1 and surrendered the appropriate documents to the older Asian woman whom others have described. (I believe her last name was Lei.) She did NOT like/appreciate the passport photos that John had made at Snappy Snaps; she said that the paper they used was inferior, and it made it difficult (perhaps impossible) for her to photograph the photos on a little tripod setup she had on the desk. She told us that Snappy Snaps was "BAD" in no uncertain terms. John was all prepared to go around the corner and take some new photos in the booth there in the embassy, but she didn't ask us to do that, so he didn't. I guess she made do with the photos somehow.
I had piles of evidence to give over re: the I-134, but all she took was my 2008 tax return and an employment verification letter from my employer (she did NOT want the original copies of my W2 forms). She also took John's birth certificate (plus copy) and police certificate (plus copy). After John went and paid for the visa and brought back his receipt, she gave him his x-ray folder and the pink courier form to fill out and sent us back to our seats.
We sat for about an hour before we were called back to the interview with the CO at Window 16. My stomach was in knots and I couldn't concentrate on my book at all, but John was the epitome of the cool-cucumber-Englishman. When our number was called (and it was out of order-- they called I855 before us!), I felt for sure that I was going to faint as we walked to the window. (I'm a fainter by nature.)
However, once we got to the window, I was able to lean on the counter and I recovered my stability as the CO began asking questions of John. We were lucky and got the young American man so many others have cheerily described. He was affable and quick. He asked the following questions of John:
* Have you lived in any other countries than the UK?
* Have you ever had any trouble with the police?
* What happened when you were denied entry in October?
* How/When did you meet Mary?
* Where did you propose?
* Did she say 'yes' the first time you asked?
* When are you planning to go to the US?/get married?
Then he asked me:
* Are you working in the US right now?
* How long have you worked at your current location?
He then said, "Well, it all looks good here," but then spent an inexorably long time looking at his computer screen and typing. Finally he said we were done and approved! I'm not sure he even heard my thank you as he turned to go about his business. So funny-- the slightest moment in his morning made up one of the biggest days of John's and my life together.
Then John paid the courier at exactly 10AM, and out into the great, green Grosvenor Square we went... a very happy couple.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #4629