Consulate Review: London, United Kingdom
Review Topic: K1 Visa
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| Event |
Description |
| Review Date : |
February 14, 2018 |
| Embassy Review : |
I arrived at the embassy at 9:50am (Appointment at 10:30), I handed over my passport and DS160 to the guy at the tent and went straight in and through security within 3 minutes.
Once I reached the next area I was sent to the front of the queue (I assume everyone else was queuing for tourist visas), the ladies at the desk advised me to take the lift to the 1st floor, once I got there I turned left and followed the signs to windows 19-24 which is the immigrant visa section and was almost completely empty. As soon as I walked around the corner my number was called.
I spoke to a very nice officer who took my documents, my fingerprints etc and we just chatted while he processed everything. He informed me my medical hasn't yet arrived :'( When we were done, he advised me there would probably be a bit of a wait until the 2nd officer sees me so to call Knightsbridge and see what's going on.
I called Knightsbridge and they told me it will be sent over in the next couple of days...so word of warning: Even though they say 5 working days, give it longer if you can to avoid delays and the mini heart attack you get when the officer tells you it's not there. I allowed for exactly 5 clear working days and it wasn't there (I also overheard someone at a window who'd had it done the week before me and his results weren't there either).
From arriving, handing over documents, calling Knightsbridge it only took about 20 minutes. I then waited for around 30 minutes before I was called up by the second officer. He wasn't as friendly as the first guy I saw, but he was nice enough.
First he checked my fingerprints and had me raise my right hand to swear I was telling the truth. After that he just went through my documents, asked how we met, had I been to the US before, how we intend to support ourselves, then talked a little bit about where I'll be living, but that felt more like just chatting than being quizzed. He rounded it off by telling me I'm approved pending the medical and he estimates it will be around 2 weeks until I have my visa in hand. The interview bit only took maximum 10 minutes and I was out of the embassy and on my way to celebrate by 11am.
The embassy itself is a nice big building, very minimalist inside. Everything is clearly signposted, but there are also police dotted around who are happy to help with directions. There is a waitrose opposite if you want to get breakfast or pick up a newspaper before you go in. The staff were all friendly and happy to help from what I saw.
Tips:
- Take a bottle of water, I didn't see a drinking fountain around and you could be waiting a while.
- Take something to do/read - data internet connection is spotty, so phone/tablets aren't much use (other than for actual phone calls...)
- Relax!
All in all a good experience, just need Knightsbridge to get there a***s in gear.
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| Rating : |
Very Good |
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ver 5.0