K1 Visa Interview at the US Embassy

I paid a visit to the US Embassy recently, and those lovely people approved my visa!

In the build up to my interview I read numerous blogs and forum posts about the interview experience, and despite pretty much all of them saying it was very straightforward, an opinion echoed by our K1 guru, Phoebe, I was still nervous due to the magnitude of the situation.

So, for anybody that has their interview booked (or for anybody else that is interested), this is how it went for me…

My appointment was for 1pm, although I had read that it didn’t really matter if you arrived early. I didn’t want to push it, but I wanted to get there in plenty of time, and in the end I arrived at the embassy at around 11.45am.

The embassy itself is, not surprisingly,  surrounded by a large security fence, with two security checkpoints/gatehouses at the front. As well as this, there is a separate little kiosk in the square out the front, which was the first place I went. There, they took my passport and appointment letter and checked me off the list, before directing me to the right hand checkpoint (this is for visa services, the left hand for citizen services).

My dad had come with me to the embassy, although he was well aware he wouldn’t be able to come in (and that the wait may be considerable!) Grosvenor Square is a nice small park, pleasant to wait in with a paper or book if the weather is right, and it is also a short walk from Oxford Street, with all that there is to see and do in the area.

There was a small queue at the security gatehouse, with only two people in front of me, and security checked my passport again before letting me in. The security is very much of the airport variety, with a bag scanner and walk through metal detector, and they had no problem with me taking two mobile phones and a Kindle (although they did ask me to take the Kindle out of my bag).

There used to be a lot more in the way of restrictions, with no electronic devices of any sort allowed, however this has now been relaxed. The list of restricted items on the embassy website explains that, at the time I went, e-readers and tablets are fine but laptops and anything with a keyboard aren’t.

Once through security the entrance is to the side of the building, with a reception where they took my passport and appointment letter, and gave me my number (I903). Entrance to the waiting area is through yet another locked security door.

The waiting area is a bit like a cross between an airport departure lounge and a bank. Rows of seats all face the same way towards a large screen that explains on a loop which documents you need for which visa, whilst along one side of the room are a number of cashier style windows where the checks and interviews take place.

Down one side of the big screen they list the numbers that have been called, and which window to go to. A bell rings each time a new number is put up, with where that person should go. It is rather like being at Argos, but with the end goal being to walk away with a US visa rather than a Tracy Island play set.

After about 15 minutes my number was called, and I went to windows number 13. The lady behind the window asked for my appoint letter, and then for my documents one by one. There are a number of signs that say not to present anything unless it is specifically asked for, and things are also made a lot easier if you can get your documents out and ready when sitting down.

She needed my instructions/payment receipt, birth certificate, police certificate and affidavit of support, as well as my photos and passport. My fingerprints were taken (the same process as at US airport immigration) and she asked me a few generic questions (had I been married before, ever changed my nane, served in the military.)

Finally she passed me a package containing my chest x-ray – this is to hand over at the airport immigration when I land in the states.

I then went and sat back in the waiting area, ready to be called for the interview itself. I probably waited for around half an hour or so, and managed to do some reading despite nervously looking up every time a number was shows on the screen. Then, quicker than I expected, I903 was called and I headed to window 19.

My interviewer was a tall American man, who first asked me to swear that everything I said was the truth, and then confirmed my fiancée’s name. Then, the dreaded interview questions… which were so straightforward I wondered what I had been worrying about!

He asked how we met, then when we first met in person and when we started dating. I briefly told him our story, and he didn’t really ask for any more detail. Then he asked what my fiancée does for work, and when she last visited the UK. His next words were the ones I was waiting for: “you’re approved!”

Just like that.

A huge grin spread out on my face, and I was so surprised at how quick it had happened, I stuttered a little, asking him if there was anything else he wanted to see. “Nope!” he said, “go home!”

He passed back all the documents I had originally given, minus my passport, so I put them all back in my document wallet and walked out.

I had loads of photos of us taken over the years, my fiancée’s financial records, tax records, employee letter, call records… they didn’t need any of them! I am pleased I took them, to be safe, but I really had nothing to worry about.

I walked out the way I had come in, calling my fiancée as soon as I was out of security to give the good news and talk about what happened, then I found my dad in the park and went through it again. I couldn’t believe how straightforward it was, after all of the buildup. I was out by 1.15pm, so we suddenly found we had a whole afternoon to fill!

If you are reading this with your interview date coming up, you can read a hundred reports of people’s experiences that say how easy it is, and whilst nothing will completely calm your nerves… it really is. If you have nothing to hide, and have done everything properly, it is a very straightforward process.

(For the record, we spent the rest of the day drinking beer at the Serpentine Bar in Hyde Park, napping in deckchairs by the serpentine, and then watching the spectacular Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds at the Dominion Theatre. The perfect end to a perfect day.)

Now to finish planning a wedding, and then next stop: Minnesota.