Consulate Review: London, United Kingdom
Review Topic: K1 Visa
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| Event |
Description |
| Review Date : |
January 27, 2013 |
| Embassy Review : |
Having never been the to US embassy before it was a first slightly daunting to say the least, my interview was set for 10:00, I arrived at the embassy at 9:20 to be greeted by a huge queue spanning the walkway area and multiple armed officers on patrol.
I joined the queue and immediately i had a woman approach me asking me what i was there for, i explained it was K-1, she found my name on the list and told me to stay i the queue and to inform the receptionist in the building that i was on the list as i had a last minute interview and had not yet receieved my confirmation letter. 5 minutes pass and i'm at the front of the queue about the enter the metal detector/ security check, had a bit of a laugh with the guard on duty due to my appearance on my passport, as my bag went through the metal detector it was given back to me and i was told to leave the building and dispose of the USB memory stick i had in there, i suddenly felt panicked as i didnt even know it was in there, so off i went back out of the security building and frantically searcing my bag for this USB stick, finally found it tucked into a corner of one of the pockets (doh!), luckily i was allowed to go right back into the security building rather than queing again, ok so this time i got straight though security with no problems and im at the reception inside the building at roughly 9:45.
The receptionist was very friendly and made me feel very comfortable and also had a little chat with me about Florida as she was from there, i was assigned my number (I920) and in i went.
My initial thought as i entered was "this place looks a bit like a dated bank", it's like a cross between a departure lounge and a bank in my opinion, lots windows where people are handing over their documents, numbers 1-12 in the main waiting area and 13-25 round the corner a bit out of the way. I found myself a seat and sat down in anticipation, at this point my nerves were intense, i hadnt slept the night before and had just gotten off a 3 hour train journey so i looked like a drug addict most probably, red eyes and tapping my feet profusely Whilst im sitting there i notice that there may only be about 4 other people in there waiting for a k-1 interview, everybody else seemed to be there for employment based visas, the I numbers are very few so keep alert as they dont show up often. 20 minutes passes and i'm called to window 1, as i get to the window i notice the small asian lady who talks very quietly i had read about in many other reviews, this made me slighly more nervous. To my surprise the lady was very polite with me and we had a bit of a chat and a laugh together, she asked for my birth certificate, police certificate and my I-134, she then filed these papers and stamped a few things, a couple of mintutes later she asked for my affidavit evidence, as i was getting it all out she told me just a letter of employment would do, so i handed that over and she was happy,she then took my fingerprints. whilst she was compiling my file she asked me about my university studies and told me i was strange for wanting to move to America and how she hated her job, she then laughed a little and handed me back my pink courier form to fill out and told me to sit down and wait for my interview.
So i'm sat back down again, by this point my nerves were completely gone for the most part, my main worry for the time prior was my affidavit documents as i felt i might not have had enough evidence, knowing that she had taken just the letter of employment and not wanted any of the tax transcripts made me relax, after waiting for about 40 minutes i was getting extremely tired and was struggling to stay alert, i walked down the waiting area to the little shop and bought my self a mars bar and a can of mountain dew, enough sugar to keep me awake. As soon as the clerk closes the till i hear my number being called for an interview, off i go to window 15, this time out of the way of the seating area and a little bit more private.
Ok, so here is the interview, at first i was a little confused, i hadnt expected the interview to be basically in the corridor, again it was like a bank window with people standing behind me, the interviewer was a male probably in his late 20's or early 30's with a slight beard, he was american, he greeted me very politely and away we went,he read the whole oath thing to make asked me to raise my right hand and say i do, i obliged. He then took my fingerprints. first of all he confirmed i was who i am, then asked me to write down my fiancees full name, first question, how did we meet, he was happy with my answer and then asked me about her hometown, what family she has there and who is her best friend, once again he was happy with my answers and moved on to the affidavit, he asked why i had a co sponsor and why my fiancee hasnt sponsored me, i explained how at the time of my initial petition she wasnt earning enough though she actually is now, he asked about the co sponsor, how i knew him and such. He asked what i do and how much money i have in the bank, i told him and he asked if i had a bank statement but i told him i only had bank statements for my affidavit of support. He was ok with this and asked me why i wanted to marry this girl, what i was about her that made me want to committ myself to her, i just told him the truth and how much she means to me, i spoke to him like i was talking to a friend, very relaxed and natural. He then asked me a tough question which i struggled with, "What has ever caused tention between us ?", this had me stuck and in a bit of a panic, i told him we have never had any real sort of disagreement, i was thinking to myself he must think im lying by saying we dont aruge at all. he then said "well everybody argues" i just told him we dont and we agree on most things and have very similar opinions and morals, and anything we do ever disagree on isnt worth an arguement and would never be worth ay tension betweem us, He suddenly stopped me and said "You're approved !" YESS!!, I thanked him about 10 times and told him i would shake his hand if i could, he smiled at me and said congratulations, informed me of what to do next regarding the courier and off i went.
Back through to the main waiting area with a huge grin on my face and heading to the courier desk, everybody in the building could see i had been approved, i just couldnt contain myself. At the courier desk the woman there was also very polite and also seemed to recognise me saying how i wasnt in there that long as she saw me come in, i paid for delivery, signed the receipt and i was done.
When i left the building i was still trying to hold back my stupid grin but couldnt so i was getting a few funny looks from the armed guards, i exited through the security building and was greeted by my mum who was there to look after my stuff whilst i was in there and i was overwheled with happiness, my eyes got a bit watery, I was incredibly happy, to finally be able to be with my fiancee, all i have to do now it get my passport back !
All in all i was very happy with the day, nothing negative to say about the embassy or experience at all, i was probably in the building for a total time of 2 hours or so, it all seemed to happen very quickly. |
| Rating : |
Very Good |
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ver 5.0