Consulate Review: London, United Kingdom
Review Topic: K1 Visa
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| Event |
Description |
| Review Date : |
October 20, 2011 |
| Embassy Review : |
My K1 interview was at 8am on October 19th. I live in London so I drove up to the West End, parking in the Adeline Street NCP (for £24) at 6:50am, and walking to the Embassy, arriving at 7:15am. By 7:15am there were already 22 people in line! My hopes of grabbing that sought after I-901 ticket and being seen first were dashed! They guys managing the first line started checking paperwork at 07:30. Their job is to check you have a valid appointment, and that you’re not too early, and that you’re not carrying ANYTHING that the Embassy considers to be electrical. This includes anything with a battery or an on/off switch and, interestingly, also includes earphones (even without an mp3 player), and memory cards/sticks, including USB drives. They give you a plastic bag for your wallet, keys, loose change, watch etc., and send you on to the next line 10 feet away – the security line. Security again checks your paperwork and your identity against your passport, and send you to a short line. The security hut screens four people at a time, so the line moves four at a time. You place your plastic bag and paperwork etc. on the belt, and then you pass through the metal detector. They are much more vigilant than at the airport, though still polite and professional. The guy in front of me had accidentally left his spare iPod earphones in the bottom of his backpack, and he was sent back outside to dispose of them, and then had to rejoin the line from all the way at the back and start over! The lady behind me had a USB stick on her key ring, and she too was sent to start the process from scratch. The staff outside do repeat over and over again that these items aren’t allowed, so it’s difficult to blame anyone except ourselves! By the way, thanks to VisaJourney, I had the sense to leave my electronic car key that opens and closes my car at the push of a button, in my car. I took only my car’s “valet key” with me.
Anyway, once safely through security, I followed the “Visas” sign around the building to the main reception, where the receptionist issues you with set of labels and sticks them to your appointment letter. Mine were numbered I-904, so I was the fourth applicant for an immigrant visa that morning. I headed up the steps to the left of reception and took a seat in the visa hall. There are 300 or so chairs set out in rows, and screens in the centre of the room. The screens show what number is being served and at which window. You have to watch the screens and wait for your number to be called and go to the window that is shown on the screen. An automatic announcer also speaks the information so you shouldn’t miss your number. I was sat down by 7:40, the screens were still on the Windows XP Splash screens, and hadn’t been turned on yet. They started calling numbers and window numbers over the tannoy system at 8am, but that stopped after about five minutes after the screens were switched on and booted up.
At 8:25, my number was called, and I went off to window 14. Windows 1 to 11 are visible from the visa hall waiting area, and windows 12 to 25 are off down an easy to find and well signed corridor. At the window a really friendly British guy identified me, took my fingerprints, and then we worked through a list of documentation that I handed over. It’s worth mentioning that the documentation that I had sent in with my “Notification of Applicant Readiness” form (DS-2000) was missing. Everything from the other side of the Atlantic was present and correct, but everything from 12 miles away had somehow got lost! Fortunately, being paranoid, I had at least five copies of absolutely EVERYTHING in my folder and brought everything along with me! So I had to produce my DS-156 (x2), DS-156K, DS-157, DS-230 Part 1 (x2), DS-230 Part 2, I-134 originals, Police Certificate Original, Birth Certificate original and copy and two photographs to the US specification. He collated everything together while we were chatting and joking lamenting that there would never be such a thing as a paperless office, and he attached everything to my file. He gave me a pink form to fill in my address details for the courier (everyone else’s forms were blue which worried me a bit!), and told me to take a seat and wait to be called for my interview. I was back in my seat by 8:35 and the visa hall was absolutely packed! I had trouble finding a seat. I tried to read my newspaper but nerves were getting the better of me and just couldn’t concentrate on it. My number was eventually called at 9:05, my heart jumped into my mouth, and off I went to window 15. This time, I was greeted by a smiling American lady – clearly very senior, who seemed genuinely happy to be doing her job. She first checked my fingerprints again, and explained that she was going to ask me some questions, and that she needed me to swear on oath that my answers would be the truth. She asked me to raise my right hand and repeat the oath after her, which I did. Once done, she asked how I met my fiancée, I told her, and she then asked when I was planning to travel. I said that I hadn’t made any firm plans just in case there might be a delay with my visa – and that I didn’t want to appear presumptuous. Turns out this might have been the right answer! She then said, “I am going to approve your visa; it was lovely to meet you”. I was speechless. I even asked “is that it?”, she laughed and said “yes” and told me that all I needed to do was to go to the courier desk to arrange for delivery of my visa, and said that I should allow two weeks for my visa to arrive, although it is usually quicker than that. I spent not much more than 90 seconds at that window. Almost a year of stress and worry resolved in 90 seconds. Anyway, I floated of to the courier desk, queued for a while, paid for delivery, and was outside in Grosvenor Square by 09:20. By the way, if you’re wondering about the Courier’s different services and prices, the link to their US Embassy Visa Delivery Prices is here: www.thedx.co.uk/customerservice/dxservicesusembassy/visa-deliveries/
I walked up Oxford Street and was back at my car before 10am calling the US, oblivious to the fact that it was only 5am on the East Coast!! Fortunately, I was soon forgiven!!
It\'s really difficult to write a helpful review with new information that hasn\'t been covered before here on the VJ site. That\'s good news though, because it means the information here at VisaJourney is accurate and pertinent. I hope my review helps to make you feel a little less stressed about your visa appointment and interview. As so many people have said before, if you’ve got all your paperwork in order and take it with you, you’ll be absolutely fine.
(updated on July 28, 2012) |
| Rating : |
Very Good |
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ver 5.0