MandyNi

Good luck with that!

Fatmike85

Embassy interview 23rd February! It's all starting to get pretty exciting!

MandyNi

Oh excellent Mike, that'll come faster than you think. So a couple of trips to London this month then. Good luck for the 5th, let us know how you get on!

Fatmike85

One London trip out of the way! I wasn't very impressed with the medical. I think the nurse in the local GP's office could have done a better job. Ah well, only have to wait until the 23rd now for the interview!

Another question; Going through the checklist I see I need a notarized statement. Does this have to be from both parties or just from me? Is it the same as the I129F where we just sign a letter of intent? Do I need to get this formally notarized in a bank or something?

Noorah101

Yes, you need to bring a new original statement of intent from both you and your USC fiancee. I am not sure if they need to be notarized...it's easy to do in the USA, but in the UK you'd probably have to wait until you arrive for your interview to get yours notarized by someone at the embassy (it has to be done by a US notary).

Rene

Fatmike85

So should I get my fiancee to send a notarized letter of intent over asap. Have one for myself ready, but leave the signature blank until I am infront of the first window?

Noorah101

Yes, and yes.

Rene

MandyNi

Ironic thing is that you "need" then but they might not ask for them. THey didn't take mine from me!

rebeccajo

Congratulations fatmike on that medical.

I know I'm late to the thread - I did read through quickly so forgive me if I missed this little factoid.

It's not uncommon for persons living in the North to place the location "Dublin" on the I129F as their intended consulate.

NVC will re-assign the case to London automatically.

Fatmike85

A bit of an update on my visa interview.

After leaving my bags off at left luggage at the train station for my later flight back home I made my way to the embassy. I went straight to the chemists to drop off my electronics and then joined the line outside.

Once inside and after waiting for approx 4 hours I got called to the first window. I handed over all the required documents, I was surprised that several weren't requested.

I should say at this point that 2 days previous to the interview I discovered that the I-134 I had in my possession was a copy and not the original. I had gone over and over the forms and never realised until a couple days before the interview that I didn't have the original. Gutted! My fiancée had forgot to include it in the document pack she had sent me and no time for me to get it before the interview. I had it in my head that the visa process was getting suspended.

The lady at the first window noticed I had only submitted a copy and made a note on the paperwork she was filling that I needed the original. She checked the rest of the documents she had asked for while taking my fingerprints and then told me to go and pay for the visa and return to the window. I was given my x-ray and told to take a seat and wait for my number to be called again.

After about a 20 minute wait I was called to the interview window. I was asked about my fiancée, how we met, how we maintain our relationship. Not many questions were asked and I wasn't asked for any documents as proof of an ongoing relationship. I was asked had I ever been refused a visa before (I knew this was coming), I told the officer I had been refused an E-2 and the circumstances surrounding it. She seemed happy with the answer.

She then explained that she needed the original I-134 from my and on that basis was suspending approval of the visa until then. She also requested printouts of my fiancée's payslips for all of 2009 and the start of 2010 or her tax return for the year. I had given her my fiancée's IRS transcripts which she didn't seem impressed by, she said she had never seen them formatted the way they were and couldn't read them and that is why she wanted extra evidence.

After I got my blue slip I wandered out of the embassy feeling relieved at least. The interview seemed promising, at least I feel as though I was led to believe it. The officer did have a Wolverines mug she was drinking out of; I will be joining my fiancée in Michigan, hopefully this scored me brownie points
I treated myself to a 3 course meal at a nice little Italian a stones throw away. I would recommend it but can't remember the name!

I phoned my fiancée straight away and she got onto collecting the extra forms. She had her mother post them from the local post office a couple days later whilst she when to work BIG MISTAKE! After a week and a half I got suspicious and asked my fiancée to compile another batch of forms. A few days later she sent them by UPS registered.

UPS arrives on Tuesday (16th March) a day late. After looking at the tracking it had been hopping back and forth between Germany and Ireland, when it needed to be going to N. Ireland, UK. The UPS store employee got confused by this and only included Ireland on the package thinking the 'N. & UK' had no significance. Took UPS a while to figure it out because they work with bar-codes. I called the embassy courier company that day to come and collect the forms, we arranged a Thursday pick up.

I was worried at this point because the original I-134 had still not arrived and the new package my fiancée had sent had a new date and signature on it than the copy in the embassy's possession. Anyway, the original forms arrive on Thursday morning with a big stamp across the front "MIS-SENT TO SINGAPORE". I compiled the forms with the original I-134 for the courier to pick up later that day.

We are just waiting to hear back from the Embassy at this point. Hopefully they don't drag their heels, our families are itching to get into battle stations for our intended end of May wedding!

Fatmike85

That's for that. I'm glad I sent it straight to London in the end to avoid the dissapointment of being informed that I had to go to London!