My Full Story

[Kubey Jr. 0]

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OCTOBER 15th 2012 - NOTICE DATE…..a I-797 Approval Notice arrives at the Petitioners home from USCIS telling us that our petition has been approved….and that its valid from October 15th 2012 to February 14th 2013.

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JANUARY 11th 2013 - Got concerned because of nothing arriving in the post so decided to contact NVC. They wrote back and told me what my case number was and that my case had been sent to London US Embassy.

JANUARY 14th 2013 - Posted the forms for the ACPO Police Certificate.

JANUARY 29th 2013 - Very concerned because of two things 1) Approval Notice is going to expire soon. 2) No letter from London US Embassy. Contacted London US Embassy for the first time...was told they had sent a letter to me at the end of October 2012...this letter never arrived at Beneficiary's home. I was told by the advice helpline to get my Fiancée to make a second letter of intent to marry and to get it notarised and sent to London US Embassy ASAP…this letter was sent to Immigration Branch, 5 Upper Grosvenor, London, W1A 2JB….was also told to download and fill in forms DS-230 Part I & II, DS 2001, DS-156, DS-157, DS-156-K

COMMENT: I would just like to say at this point that I don’t blame the Embassy for this...how can I?…conjecture is conjecture…..it was either lost by The Post Office or The Embassy….or a dog ate it….we will never know….the statement from a woman on the telephone when I dialed 09042-450-100 said that it was mailed to the Beneficiary’s home…..but, this was officially the start of great confusion and upset. I am partly to blame too for not contacting them sooner….but I honestly believed that it would come at the end of the four months because the approval notice had come exactly six months right down to the wire….I believed also that it was going to be a combined medical appointment and interview appointment all done inside one day….and I was ready with my police certificate, passport photos and was about to pick up my certified birth certificate….which would happen on February 1st.

JANUARY 30th 2013 - A Notarized letter of Intent to marry is created by Petitioner in USA, TX and sent to London US Embassy. It is sent to Immigration Branch, 5 Upper Grosvenor, London, W1A 2JB

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FEBRUARY 1st 2013 - Certified Birth Certificate is collected at Municipal Chambers Registrar office.

FEBRUARY 20th 2013 - Completed Forms and Documents DS-230 Part I & II, DS 2001, DS-156, DS-157, DS-156-K, POLICE CERTIFICATE and BIRTH CERTIFICATE were sent to 24 Grosvenor Square, London, W1K 6AH recorded delivery.

FEBRUARY 22th 2013 - I had a tracking number so I went to the Post Office track and trace site and it said “Your item with reference ******************* was delivered from our WEST LONDON Delivery Office on 21 FEB 2013”

FEBRUARY 28th 2013 - First ever letter arrived from London US Embassy dated 22 FEB 2013 arrives at Beneficiary's home in Scotland, UK referring to a previous communication that did not arrive and telling me that I have never contacted them….it asks me if I still want to proceed with an application for a non-immigrant visa to marry and reside in the United States.

FEBRUARY 28th 2013 - Much confusion and upset so phoned London US Embassy to tell them about the letter. Told them that I never received the first letter. Was given a AUTHORISATION CODE: ******** and told to email londonconsular@state.gov and say what had happened. I did this straight away.

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MARCH 4th 2013 - Email arrived from Consular Information Unit U.S. Embassy, London saying“It can take 6-8 weeks for documents to be received and registered on an individual applicant’s file. The letter you received was automatically generated since it has been more than 4 months from the date of our initial letter. If you have already submitted the required documents, you should disregard that letter. As soon as the required documents are receive and registered, an interview will be scheduled for you.”

MARCH ?? 2013 - Phoned to make a appointment for the medical. Medical will take place 10th of April at 4 Bentinck Mansions Knightbridge Doctors in London

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APRIL 10th 2013 - MEDICAL DAY - Had the medical at 4 Bentinck Mansions Knightbridge Doctors in London.

APRIL 23rd 2013 - Confusion as to what is going on so emailed using the AUTHORISATION CODE: ********...but it bounced back and said “THIS IS AN AUTOMATED REPLY. PLEASE DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS E-MAIL. Your e-mail was deleted without being read.”

APRIL 24th 2013 - Phoned the London US Embassy to ask what to do next because still had not heard anything….they told me that I had contacted them and told them I didn’t want to continue in FEBRUARY. We were gobsmacked and very confused and upset. I was also told that my medical and forms had made it….we then went on to pay for a interview.

APRIL 26th 2013 - I receive a email from the AUTHORISATION CODE: ******** saying “Embassy records show that the Immigrant Visa Unit is in receipt of your medical examination. A new appointment has been scheduled for you on ******************* A letter confirming the date and time of the appointment was sent to you on April 24.”

APRIL 27th 2013 - I receive a letter confirming the date for the interview appointment. This is the second letter from the embassy to arrive ever.

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MAY 10th 2013 - INTERVIEW DAY

[Kubey Jr. 0]

Do they care about a receipt of the payment of the interview?....because I don't have one of those....however, it's written on a bank statement that ive printed out and will be taking.

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

What is your question exactly? They will extend the validity of your petition approval, so that is not a problem.

[LeftCoastLady 441]

Do they care about a receipt of the payment of the interview?....because I don't have one of those....however, it's written on a bank statement that ive printed out and will be taking.

Yes, you'll need to bring a copy of the MRV receipt with you to the interview. Who paid the visa fee -- you or the USC? The receipt would have been emailed with a PDF attached. You (the visa applicant) would need to print and sign it.

[LeftCoastLady 441]

What is your question exactly? They will extend the validity of your petition approval, so that is not a problem.

From what I've gathered from the OP's various posts in the K-1 forum to date, the OP didn't know/realize they needed to send in the DS forms to the Embassy until it was nearly too late. London will only extend if they hear from the visa applicant. If the OP hadn't communicated with them, the application likely would have been written off as abandoned.

[Kubey Jr. 0]

Yes, you'll need to bring a copy of the MRV receipt with you to the interview. Who paid the visa fee -- you or the USC? The receipt would have been emailed with a PDF attached. You (the visa applicant) would need to print and sign it.

just found it now.....after i read what you said it took me a while but i suddenly remembered that they did indeed send me two emails.......and one does indeed have a pdf attachment ....wow, I cannot believe I have not printed this out until now......it was in a 14 minute video that i watched on youtube about preparing for the interview that they said about the receipt that i watched a lot about a week ago..... ...but i didn't understand what they meant exactly...you are a life saver!....if i had gone there without this what would have happened do you reckon?.....thank you.

[LeftCoastLady 441]

just found it now.....after i read what you said it took me a while but i suddenly remembered that they did indeed send me two emails.......and one does indeed have a pdf attachment ....wow, I cannot believe I have not printed this out until now......it was in a 14 minute video that i watched on youtube about preparing for the interview that they said about the receipt that i watched a lot about a week ago..... ...but i didn't understand what they meant exactly...you are a life saver!....if i had gone there without this what would have happened do you reckon?.....thank you.

They may have asked you to send in the receipt before they approved the visa. But, you have it, so that's good.

Now, spend the next few days reviewing the pinned K-1 interview thread in this forum and reading the K-1 interview reviews for London so you're prepared on what you need to bring and what not to bring.

[Kubey Jr. 0]

What is your question exactly? They will extend the validity of your petition approval, so that is not a problem.

thank you

my question is mainly about concern and worry that it has all gone wrong.

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Here's some background of what is supposed to happen, then we will catch you up to what happens next-

1. Petition gets approved (Oct) and USC (US citizen) gets notified by mail. It shows an expiration in Feb.

2. File goes to NVC for only a few days. This is the hand-off to the Dept of State. Gets a new case number LNDxxxxx and is sent to London. USC gets a letter from the NVC telling new case number and it's gone to London.

***At this point you can call the Dept of State for info on your case. It is a US phone number. DOS 202-663-1225 press 1, then 0. They don't charge per minute to give your information.

3. London takes a couple of weeks maybe, but eventually logs in your case and sends a paper letter to the UK person with instructions on how to apply for the visa. A description of that is in this post in the LONDON K1 thread http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/350185-london-2012-k1s-from-noa2-to-interview-thread/?p=5137390 . The letter is posted in the same forum here http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/350185-london-2012-k1s-from-noa2-to-interview-thread/?p=5180175.

The London web page of instructions is here Instructions for Immigrant Visa (K) Applicants Applying for a Visa in London.

4. The UK person sends in four forms with information. As long as those get in before the I-129F petition expires (Feb for you) everything is fine. If there is a delay, the letter says that London will need a notarized letter of intent from the USC (at the interview) to assure them she is still on board. If they still don't get the four application forms forms from the UK person and the petition is expired, London will mail a second letter asking The UK person if they still intend to apply for a visa.

5. After sending the four forms, the UK person follows the rest of the website instructions to gather the documents required for the interview. That list is here http://london.usembassy.gov/application_documents.html

6. A medical exam is scheduled. The results go to the embassy.

7. When all the documents needed (see #5) are in hand, and the medical has been scheduled, the UK person lets London know they are ready to interview by sending for DS-2001.

8. When London has three things from you they will give an appointment. Those things are a)application forms, b) medical results, c ) Ds-2001 ready for interview form.

9. London mails an Appointment Letter giving the date and time.

10. The UK person calls the embassy line ( 09042-450-100 ) to pay the visa fee over the phone by credit card. A receipt is emailed. Bring the receipt to the interview appointment to show you have paid.

[Kubey Jr. 0]

Hi Nich Nick......thanks..........wow.....you see the USC never got a letter from NVC either.

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

This post is going to explain some of your confusion. Refer back to the step numbers in my post #9.

You didn't get the letter of instruction from London (#3). So you didn't do #4 in time so a letter was automatically generated in Feb. You had sent the forms recently and talked on the phone to the helpline, but the letter was of a generic reminder nature and the person who sent that out did not know you had just sent forms or had talked to the helpline. So don't make too much of that letter or wonder why they didn't know about your phone calls. It was a robot letter.

Other issues you have posted here and elsewhere:

The helpline people are not at the embassy. They can't help much. If you have a real problem, they can give you an email code to put in the subject so a real officer in London will read your email. Any email without the code bounces back to you saying it will not be read.

You didn't know your instructions so you mailed a massive amount of evidence and your interview documents to the embassy with your DS- forms. Other people have made the same mistake. It will all be there. Read the list given in #5 to make sure you covered everything they want and it's already there.

Your medical arrived so they checked your file and your 3 key things (#8 above) are there. That's why they mailed you an interview appointment. That's good news that all is fine so far.

You went the crazy route, but you have an interview. Pay the fee and print your receipt. If all goes well, you will be approved and your passport and visa will be sent to you by courier in 3-10 days. If there is anything that got lost or misplaced, the officer will give you a list of what you still need. You get time to fix anything missing and return it to the embassy by their courier. Then they will issue your visa.

If you happen to be born in the middle east, India, Pakistan; or are Muslim; or you visit there frequently; or even your parents were born in known terrorist countries---expect you visa to be delayed because you will have to go through extra security checks that can take weeks or months to clear.

Did I cover everything?

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

I see above you said you already paid the fee and have the receipt. Don't worry about what letters you didnt get. It messed you up, but everything is all set now for the interview. Move forward.

[Kubey Jr. 0]

Thank you Nich Nick....this is very clearly presented what you have posted in here....many thanks!...........yep the receipt is now printed....but was printed in Black and White....but i would imagine that doesn't matter?...though colour is nice....hmmm......but, do i have to do a copy of it and get them to give the original ink signature back to me?

Edited May 7, 2013 by Kubey Jr.

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Thank you Nich Nick....this is very clearly presented what you have posted in here....many thanks!...........yep the receipt is now printed....but was printed in Black and White....but i would imagine that doesn't matter?...though colour is nice....hmmm......but, do i have to do a copy of it and get them to give the original ink signature back to me?

No. Sign the receipt and don't make a copy to take with you. If you want to see your receipt again (you won't) there is still the email to generate it again.

Thank you for finally making it to the UK forum where we can try to help and you don't get info of procedures in other countries that confuse you.

[Kubey Jr. 0]

ok a parcel arrived just now with more documents in it

here is a check list of what i've gathered together so far.

Petitioner Letter of Intent to marry dated 21st of April ( original ink signature... but letter is not notarized)

Sponcor's Letter of intent to marry and intent to sponsor dated 21st of April (original ink signature... but letter is not notarized)

Appointment letter (original)

2 UK passport sized Photos (possibly printed on dye sublimation printer (at Tesco passport photo booth))

5 dollars

Passport (original).......(Embassy has copy of every page...but I might make another copy)

Birth Certificate (original and copy) (Embassy has a certified copy)

Police Certificate (original and copy) (had two made...one is at the Embassy)

Machine Readable Visa Application Fee Receipt (original)

I-134 Affidavit of Support (copy)....(Embassy has original)

.........Sponsorship Letter (copy)....(Embassy has original)

.........Verification of Deposit Letter (copy)....(Embassy has original)

.........U.S. Individual Income Tax Return 2012......(copy).....(unknown if embassy has original)

.........U.S. Individual Income Tax Return 2011......(copy).....(unknown if embassy has original)

.........U.S. Bank Statements from March 01st 2013 to March 31st 2013

.........U.S. Bank Statements from February 01st 2013 to February 28th 2013

.........U.S. Bank Statements from January 01st 2013 to January 31st 2013

.........U.S. Bank Statements from December 01st 2012 to December 31st 2012

.........U.S. Bank Statements from November 01 2012 to November 30th 2012

.........U.S. Bank Statements October 2012

.........U.S. Bank Statements September 2012

.........U.S. Bank Statements August 2012

.........U.S. Bank Statements July 2012

.........U.S. Bank Statements June 2012

.........U.S. Bank Statements May 2012

.........U.S. Bank Statements April 2012

Department of State - Vaccination Documentation worksheet (copy)

Medical Receipt Knights bridge Doctors (original)

Beneficiary's HM Revenue and customs Letter dated 29th October 2012 with NI Number and ref number (possibly original)

Beneficiary's HM Revenue and Customs Claim to repayment letter 2011 (original)

Beneficiary's Bank Statement 1st May 2013 (original and copy)

Evidence of Bone Fide Relationship

..................2 lots of Photos...one pile from 2011 and one pile 2012

..................14 hand written letters from Petitioner to Beneficiary (originals)

..................Boarding Passes and travel Itinaries from 4 trips to TX (originals)

Driving License and Counterpart (original)

I-797, Notice of Action (copy)

Edited May 7, 2013 by Kubey Jr.