Another step completed – I have just got back from my biometrics appointment.
If that sounds even remotely interesting then trust me, it isn’t. In fact the only reason I am blogging about it is for the sake of consistency, and in case anyone else going through the process isn’t sure what happens.
With one wedding down, it was time for the second! First a trip to the County License Center to get the marriage licence, then to our appointment at the Justice Center for the wedding itself.
I was partly expecting to simply sit at a desk and fill in a marriage records book, but rather it was a full ceremony with the giving of our rings, vows and some beautiful words about marriage itself.
We had a perfect wedding day, conducted by a friend, surrounded by friends and family.
In three days we will be flying to the USA…
(Photo by Stephen Green)
I am currently waiting for a shipping company to come and collect my boxes to send to the States, and in a week’s time I will be on a plane following them…
It was a big relief to get my visa approved, but it turns out that was far from the end of the work that needed to be done.
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.
Yesterday was medical day, and considering so many applicants seem to get worried about it, I thought I would give an overview of how it went for me in case anybody stumbles upon this blog!
US immigration nominate the Knightsbridge Doctors as the only people who can carry out the visa medical, which means a trip to their rather plush location in Bentick Mansions, Knightsbridge. There’s a buzzer to get in, and the practice itself has beautiful high ceilings and period fireplaces throughout. It is a bit different to my local (but lovely) GP.
We got this lovely notice in the post over Christmas, which was a rather nice present. This means that our application has been approved (not to be confused with the visa being approved…)
If effect, this means that they are going to send the application onwards to the embassy in London to be processed. It is confirmation that we haven’t forgotten anything important, or failed to provide enough evidence with our forms.
Stage one is complete! It is a small, but significant one. The story so far:
The first step to getting a K1 fiancé visa is to create an I-129F package, which is the Petition for Alien Fiance.
I had the easy job, one side of paper where I needed to put details of where I was born, my job, where I have lived etc, much like a credit application. Along with this I had to send a letter literally stating that I was able, and wanted, to get married, and a passport photo. For my other half it was a different matter. The following is a checklist taken from the fantastic visajourney.com website:
The sun was shining on a beautiful autumn day in Wisconsin as we climbed down the side of the gorge and sat on a rock overlooking the river. The ring box tucked in my jacket pocket felt like it had been burning a hole in me all day, ever since I first recovered it from its hiding place in my girlfriend’s parents’ house that morning. I had rehearsed how this might play out many times, but wasn’t even sure where it was going to happen, so I was pleased when we chanced upon a spot just like I had imagined.
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