merz

Ok, you already know this will be long-winded, and I promise not to disappoint. Please forgive the rambling; a lot of this is just like other peoples experiences.
I have probably left out very important things, so please ask if you want to know anything else.

The day before my interview (Wednesday) I was struck down with the worst migraine I had had in years and had to go home to bed at 2pm with a box of migraine tablets. I was really worried I would not be ready for Thursday but thankfully my sister had read about a cure for severe migraine being a REALLY strong espresso and 2 x nurofen. I always thought that would be a bad idea, but it worked immediately! Top tip.

I live and work in London so getting to the US embassy was pretty easy. Even though I had never been there or seen it, I am familiar with the area. I dropped my phone off at Gould’s pharmacy, at 9.15 the guys were very friendly and charged me £3, put it in a plastic bag and gave me the corresponding raffle ticket.

2 minutes later I was walking up to the Embassy, which is clearly signed ‘VISAS this way’. It was raining but I had been a sensible girl and brought a brolly. I was asked for my appointment letter by an admin person standing in the gazebo outside the embassy, and then a guard checked my passport and letter VERY closely and said in an exaggerated English voice “FABULOUS!” and directed me into the security hut 10 feet away.
This was much like an airport (if anyone has been through Kerry airport they will recognize the scale) I was asked to show them my keys and my belongings were x-rayed. The woman was very abrupt and vaguely sarcastic but I smiled brightly and carried on my way. The signs lead you around the building and up some stairs, through some REALLY heavy doors to a reception where a lovely receptionist lady gave me a numbered ticket and asked me to take a seat and listen out for my number. The time on the ticket said 09.28

I took a seat, and there were about 60 people waiting so I thought I maybe wouldn’t have long to wait, but it soon filled up.
The room was like an airport lounge and numbers were called almost every 10 seconds, however they were mostly’ N’ numbers, and there only appeared to be 5 ‘I ‘ numbers. It was a bit like bingo, everyone staring at the screens waiting.

I bought a book but could not concentrate enough to follow a story. I would recommend a newspaper, something that you can read little bits of at a time. Also use lots of anti-perspirant, the nerves and the temperature did not help in my attempt to look cool calm and collected.

I had nothing to tell the time with but I guessed that an hour and a half later of sweating like a mofo, jittering from post coffee hangover and deciding I could not live without a copy of the American Visuals on the others screens which were showing in repetetive 5 min clips: fireworks,children dressed in stars and stripes,children with faces painted in stars and stripes, fireworks, statue of Liberty, a BBQ , marching band, sad Katrina children waving flag like a surrender flag, Lego(?),people on the rain holding out their hands like Johnny Wilkinson(please explain what that is) a man with a beard , bandana and a guitar (who I recognised and later found out from hubby was Willie Nelson) more fireworks..etc..

I eventually got called! Ticket number I 872 now being served at window number 1. I resisted the urge to shout “BINGO!”I skipped up to the window, where a tiny Asian lady asked for my number and my passport. I passed them both through and she had all my documents that had been sent in all in a folder. She then asked “have you got your medical results?” I nearly fainted and said no, they had been sent directly to the embassy on 14th October. She said “just answer the question!” She kept muttering that it was very strange that they were not there. I tend to go deaf when I am nervous and I could hardly hear her, she had to repeat everything she said 3-4 times.

She took my fingerprints and then she went off to find my medical results and I was really sweating then. When she came back after 5 mins, she had my medical results and chest x-ray which she passed through and told me to take it on the plane in my hand luggage.
She then asked my husband’s name twice, still very cross sounding I told her his name and she asked “why have you not taken your husband’s name?” I told her I kept my name because I think mine is a much better name and I like it. I wondered what I had said wrong, because she just stared hard at me, then she started cracking up laughing and said she sees some really bad names, and my husbands wasn’t so bad. So the ice was broken and she was then super nice. She asked when I wanted to travel, I told her of my plan to fly on Friday 11th and she said it should be fine if I am a lucky girl and get approved, and that the screen was the reason I couldn’t hear well. She gave me the courier pink slip to fill in and said to take a seat and wait to be called again.

I filled in the slip, remember to bring a pen, I had to lend mine to 3 people. The only entertainment was toddlers being cute. They were really cute though..

Another hour or so later my number was called to window 16 and a middle aged American man welcomed me and said he had all my papers and everything was in order, took my right hand fingerprints. He said he was approving the visa, and like an afterthought asked how long I had known my husband and how long we have been married (Which I actually had to count ON MY FINGERS to work out like a two year old.) He also asked if I had ever lived outside UK, and when I would hope to be travelling.

I again said 11th if possible. He said, even if you are going for what you think is a trip to USA, it’s not. When you use this visa you are from that moment a Permanent Resident, and must always use that visa or a US passport when entering the US and did I understand that. I said I did, and he asked me to raise my right hand and swear that all the info I had supplied was correct. I said “I do” like I was getting married again. He then smiled and said “welcome to America, welcome to the family”.
He gave me back my original Marriage and birth certificates.

I was grinning like a Cheshire cat and then we has some small talk about where I was moving to and the weather etc. I thanked him for being really nice and kind to me because I had been so scared, and he said “my pleasure ma’am, have a great day”. Love it!
DX couriers put URGENT and wrote my travel date on my form and charged me £34.75 for a 'before 8am' delivery.

One of the main things I noticed was they really do hold eye contact, obviously looking for signs of deceit but if you are not used to it, I am sure it would be unnerving. I am used to it, being a cat lover. Nothing can stare at you like a puddy tat. I was at Goulds for my phone at 12.20 and back at work by 12.44. Not that I got much done.


Fingers and toes crossed now...
Thanks for staying awake whilst reading this!


Merz

traceym

Ace! everything crossed that Visa comes now!

Rete

Love your write. Congratulations on a job well done. And ....


Welcome To The Family

merz

Hahha! I don't want to sleep with the fishes..

Merz

Rete

Nor would you like those heavy cement shoes They only come in grey.

BritishGuy36

a) That's because all those ingredients are loaded with caffeine.....

b) I also had windows 1....and it sounds like the same lady. Maybe it's 'her' window. I couldn't hear her either....they really need to understand that it's really loud with all those people nattering right behind you.

sharo

Congrats again!

lansbury

Congratulations, can still remember the day I got my visa great feeling. It is the start of a very interesting journey, enjoy.

katnap8

Congratulations !!!

merz

Thanks peeps! I'm going to be taking a lot of St Johns Wort over the next few days, and listening to the Fleet Foxes on repeat.


Merz

merz

Woo Hoooo!!! Update Update! I had two calls today from DX Couriers to confirm that my pasport will be delivered to me tomorrow morning


I'm thrilled...I love it when I plan comes together, thanks again, everyone!


Next worry is the connecting flight.

Has anyone got experience of going through POE with visa in Atlanta?

Merz

traceym

Fantastic hope we all get to see the party pics!

Ginblossom

Well done Merz, and good news.

Ginblossom

ps. wait to you get the passport back, you 'll keep checking it to see if the visa is real...or at least I did, hehe....

meauxna

Arriving In America: Navigating the POE

I really will get around to moving this here one day.