jeffreyhy

FM,

Indeed.

What they want is for you to tell them what your intentions are.

Regards, JEff

Fatmike85

Ok, so I have all the forms filled out and the check list of documents compiled, aside from the affidavit of support which I still need my fiancée to complete as should be done shortly.

Am I correct in think that all I have to do at this point is post DS-230, 156, 156k, 157 to the London embassy? It asks on the IV-15k the date of travel (not too sure yet, within 90 days of wedding!) and the date of the medical, can you leave these blank? I would ideally like the medical as close to the interview date as possible to try and only make one visit. Will I hold off sending the IV-15k until I know the date of the interview and therefore the medical?

Do I have to call to set up the interview like I had done in the past with my J-1 or will the embassy call me/send me a letter? Can the visa only be paid for on the day of the interview? Do they take cash? debit card? credit card? How much is this? Can't find the price on the wiki, I think I recall the J-1 being $120 or something.

Fatmike85

Also the wiki says to send DS-156 unsigned. I do not see anywhere on the form where it asks me to do so. I see on DS-156k that it is to be sign infront of the consular officer but not on DS-156.

jeffreyhy

Fm,

Give the dates that you would ideally like.

There will be no interview date set until you have submitted the IV-15k, so holding off on sending would be somewhat counter-productive.

Regards, JEff

Fatmike85

We are planning the wedding for 21st May and we are keeping our fingers crossed I can get an interview before then.

YouWantFriesWithThat

The DS-156 gets sent unsigned. Have a look at the second paragraph of this link http://www.usembassy.org.uk/cons_new...rocessing.html

Also check this link which gives general info http://london.usembassy.gov/cons_new/visa/iv/iv_15.html

You can put on the IV-15 that the medical will be arrainged by you once you the date of your interview.

Fatmike85

I managed to get all the forms away before Christmas. Thanks for the advice everyone!

How long should I expect to wait for any response? Will I get a letter giving me the date of the interview? Or will I be contact to inform me they are now processing my paperwork? I have not yet heard anything. Is there a way to check they have received the package? I sent it registered on advice of another thread.

YouWantFriesWithThat

Have you had your medical yet? You will need to have that completed before your interview.

The only correspondence you will get is the date for your interview.

When exactly did send the IV-15K back? Remember to leave time for the Christmas break.

Did you give any indication to the embassy of your travel dates? This could influence when your interview might be and in turn could influence when they reply to you as they generally give you 3 weeks / 1 month notice before your interview.

Fatmike85

I sent it back at the same time as the other forms. I gave the intended date of the wedding, wrote 'unknown' for date of travel. For the date of medical I wrote something like," I will schedule the medical to occur before the date of the interview" as I read that somewhere else on the forum. Could this hold things up? Should I go ahead and schedule the medical and update the embassy to the date?

YouWantFriesWithThat

I was trying to get at when you sent things back i.e. what date, so as to to get a handle on your possible timeframe. You should generally hear back within a month or so of sending your IV-15k back. When is the intended date of the wedding out of interest?

Yes, schedule your medical and get that sorted out (it is valid for one year). You do not need to inform the embassy about that. They will know that you've had it when the doctors send your results to them. Familiarise yourself with the vaccinations that are required - they are listed on the Knightsbridge link you can get to visa the packet 3 link. Here's one but I cannot vouch that it is uptodate, so make sure you check:

http://london.usembassy.gov/cons_new...cinechart.html

Fatmike85

I believe I sent the packet out around the 17th December. The planned wedding date is 21st May 2010.
I already have the required vaccinations unless the list has been updated within the last 2 months, I'll have to double check that.
Do the embassy just send out a letter with the date of the interview on it?

YouWantFriesWithThat

OK - so it would have arrived with them just before Christmas and then of course the Christmas / New Year period to take into account. So let's say that adds a week to processing time.

The timeframes I've seen on here and my own experience is that the embassy usually sends the letter out about 3/4 weeks before interview. Often this coincides with the letter being received 3 / 4 weeks after packet 3 being sent in as well.

The visa is valid for 6 months and the embassy usually try and make sure that they give the full benefit of that 6 months to the UKC taking into account wedding dates.

So, 3 / 4 weeks plus allowing a week for Christmas takes us into the current timeframe. So I'd sit tight and wait for your interview letter to plop through your letterbox anytime soon Plus I gather there has been delays in post generally in the UK.......

Yes, the only letter they send you is the one confirming time / date of interview. You won't get a recipt for sending back the IV-15K - which is why it's always a good idea to send these things recorded delivery.

Let us know when it arrives!!!

MandyNi

Mike, get on and get that medical arranged - I remember when I rang they were booked up maybe 2/3 weeks in advance, so if you don't want to delay the interview you need to have it done a minimum of 4 days before. That's how long they quote it takes to get your medical paperwork to the Embassy.

It'll be here before you know it! Oh and if you're travelling for your visa interview remember not to book with Ryanair because assuming you're approved you won't get your passport back. Sl(easyjet) or others will fly you with driving license etc.

Let us know when the date comes through!

Fatmike85

Great piece of advice with the passport! I have an Irish one too, but it has an old J-1 visa in it. I'll make copies of that just in case they need it, bring both but fly easyjet anyway.

Fatmike85

Medical booked for 5th February!