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| Warsaw, Poland |  Review on October 31, 2009: |
Chris and Tanya
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
The embassy experience
My appointment was at 09:30 but to be sure I showed up just after 08:00. To my horror I found my aftershave had leaked in my bag and now created a stench cloud around me whenever I moved the bag - to the great annoyance of anyone sitting near me.
Stage 1 - security and "check in"
At security you need to hand in your cell phone and any other electronic equipment - if you don't have a watch you can say goodbye to any sense of timekeeping during the whole process.
Before you enter the main room your invitation is checked again. You are not given a number - you need to go to one of the active interview booths, wait for the person currently using it to finish and ask for a number card to be printed.
Stage II - document check
First off the document check, signing and so on - it went ok apart from a couple of hitches - I didn't get the 157 form - so I had to fill that out on the go. Filled in everything and was told to pay - this was odd as I should have been told to pay after fingerprinting.
Stage III - Payment
It should have been simple, easy and without a problem - but you can not pay for K1 visas by card, unlike all the classic immigrant visas. I short trip to the nearest cash machine ensued and I had to take my laptop bag with me - my head trying desperately to disappear below my collar due to the rolling cloud of aftershave smell that trailed me (damn stuff wont wash out).
Stage IV - Fingerprinting and problems
A problem popped up - the location of passport issue - now this is a pain for everyone with UK passports as far as I am aware - the vast majority of them are sent by post - so you can't say London or anywhere else - just UKPA at worst. A big discussion ensued and all I could do was kick my bag to gas some more people like some sort of sadistic Gillette salesman. Fingerprinting however went ok and then I was told to wait for the consul interview.
Stage V - The interview
All in all I had a long wait and people who had later numbers ended up having earlier interviews - and during the wait I felt like in a hospital waiting room, regular chimes, the screaming babies, people sitting in rows etc - the only thing lacking was people in tracksuits with head injuries. After a long wait my turn came to speak to the consular officer.
I came up and was asked to swear everything I entered and said was true or face the consequences etc.
After this the CO asked me where I met my girlfriend, how and then after about one line of explanation cut me off, asking for 1 photo from each year of us knowing each other.
I fished out about 3 from the stack of photos I had ready and handed them to him. Once these were taken I was told that I should come back the next day at 15:00 to pick up my passport.
After I managed to pick my jaw up from the floor I just asked - "so does that mean I have the visa" - "Yep, pretty much".
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #5168