Consulate Review: London, United Kingdom
Review Topic: K1 Visa
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| Event |
Description |
| Review Date : |
September 29, 2007 |
| Embassy Review : |
Arrived at the US Embassy at around 9:30am (interview time was 10am and I was instructed to turn up 30 mins beofore hand), and followed the road work like signs directing Citizens and Visa Services. There was a short line of about 10-15 people at the start of the visa entrance. At the front of this line was a woman who worked for SMS (well, she had a reflective yellow vest with SMS on the back of it) who was checking appointment times. She checked my name off against a printed list, and directed me down to another woman wearing the same type of vest.
The second woman told me to place all metal items into a small plastic bag provided. My phone and ipod went into one bag, and everything else (including belt) went into another, because I would get that one back, but the phone/ipod would not be allowed in. Once I had my things bagged, she asked my appointment time, and then directed me into one of 4 or 5 lines divided by chains. I was in row D. I assumed it was done based on your appointment time. The rows to my left were moving and ours wasn't. I guess they had earlier appointment times and that line was being processed by security first.
By the time I got to the front of line D it was 10:40 (1:10 after I had started to line up). Thankfully I had a book, and it wasn't raining (although it was uncomfortable because I had taken my belt off!).
Once I was at the front of the line, a guy who worked for a security contractor (securicor, or group 4, something like that) checked my passport against my appointment letter and told me to join a line that was waiting to go through security point. The security point is basically a porta-cabin with a metal detector and an x-ray scanner. You go in one at a time, put your plastic bags of metal and anything else through the x-ray machine, and then go through the metal detector. Once through, they give you the bag of metal that you can have bag, and store the other in a cubby hole and give you a numbered tag with a clip on it (like a small ID badge) and then you walk to your right out of security hut and around the outside the embassy (but this time on the inside of the chain-link fence), all the way to the other side of the building to a bit set of glass doors (signs with VISA and an arrow tell you where to go).
Once inside, you come to a desk. Show them your interview letter, and they'll print off 2 numbered stickers with barcodes on. (When I was there, others infront of me had sheets with barcodes on, but for the K1 this isn't the case, just hand your interview letter over). The person at the desk instructed me to just go up the stairs and take a seat.
You come up into a lobby as many have described as being like an airport lounge. Rows and rows of seats, with plasma TV displays in the center of the room, and around the edge.
These screens change between three views. One view is a list of the numbers for Imiigrant, Non-Immigrant, DHS and something else (I forgot the last category), and a total at the bottom shopwing how many of each type are in the queue. The second view is a list of all the interview desks and which number ticket is currently at which desk. The third view comes up when a new number is announced. The screen will show the ticket number, and the desk to go to. This is also announced over the PA by an automated voice. I also heard a person announcing for ticket numbers to return to a desk, but not that often.
My IV ticket (and they start at 5000 unlike the 1000 for NIV) was 5018, and there were two others in the queue before me. After about 15 mins of waiting, I was told to proceed to desk 13 (desks 1-11 are in the same room as the chairs, desks 12 - 25 are down the corridor on the side of the room opposite the windows). I got to desk 13 and a guy went off to fetch my file. When he returned, I gave him my passport, interview letter and photos. He took my finger prints (4 on left, 4 on right, and then both thumbs together) and asked for the originals and copies of my Birth Certificate (plus deed poll), police certificate and just the original of the I-134. I had to sign two forms (I didn't really pay attention to what they were I am afraid) and then he gave me a yellow slip to go and pay for my visa, and told me to bring the receipt back.
The paying desk is desk 12, so I just had to side step to it. The options for paying were dollars, sterling, visa, mastercard, and maybe diners club and amex. Switch/solo is not accepted. I paid in dollars ($100) and then got two receipts, one marked customer, the other marked consular official. I went back to my desk and gave the consular one to the the guy at desk 13. He told me that if I get the visa, it's only valid for 90 days, and then gave me a pink form to fill in, which was my courier delivery form. He told me to take a seat, gave me my appointment letter and one of the barcoded numbered stickers, said my originals would be returned to me at the interview, and to listen for my number being called again.
After about 20 mins of sitting in the main lounge again I was called to desk 17 where middle aged woman with glasses and a smile met me. I told her that I wasn't expecting to be called up so soon, and I was enjoying me book. She replied back smiling that they like to keep people like me on my feet. She first took my left hand prints to verify I was who I was. She asked me first to sign a form, and write the OH's name to state it was her I was going to marry. I then had to raise my right hand and swear that everything I was going to say was true to the best of my knowledge.
I had a folder full of evidence, and all she did was ask how we met, and if she had been here to which I said she hadn't due to the exchange rate being so poor and she said she understood completely. She was cheerily chatting about how my accent would be a novelty in Mississippi, and then said as long as there was nothing returned on my finger prints, she would be happy to approve my visa. She told me it was valid for 90 days on arrival, and good to travel with up to 6 months from issue. She gave me my chest x-ray, and advised I buy a mailing tube and just roll it up and keep it in my hand luggage.
She told me not to open the brown envelope, and that I wouldn't believe how much bother she'd had to deal with from people doing it.
She was very friendly, and constantly smiling and really put my nerves at ease about it all.
I went to the couriers desk with my filled in pink form, and paid for delivery before 8am (cost £35). They told me it would be 3-5 days, and they'd text me the day before delivery, but couldn't guarantee delivery of the text message.
I paid my cash, exited the embassy the way I came in, handed my numbered tag in at security hut to get my phone and iPod back, and then called the OH to tell her how well it had gone.
So there you have it, more time spent in a line with no belt than there was inside the embassy itself. |
| Rating : |
Very Good |
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ver 5.0