K-1 Milestones Experience - Medical, Interview & POE
Oct 2nd 2018, 12:20 am
#1
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K-1 Milestones Experience - Medical, Interview & POE
I’ve been meaning to write an update on the final stages of my K-1 visa experience. I’ve been in the US for four months now so I don’t know how helpful it is… However, I know that it helped me reading as many unique experiences as I could find, so I thought it might be worth writing a brief note of my personal experiences of the major milestones for me of the K-1. It’s really been a whirlwind since I entered the US, got married, and started settling into US life. I know I still have a long way to go but have already sorted out those early milestones - social security number, biometrics appointment, driving licence (it was somewhat of a DMV fiasco but I’m grateful that California has an AB60 to fit around the ‘you are a resident but only in the eyes of California’ grey area!) - and biding my time happily enough until my EAD arrives. As strange as it’s been to make myself voluntarily unemployed, I’ve welcomed the spare time to settle into life as well as I can - though I miss the attachment and connections that come with working full time.
Knightsbridge Medical - April 10th
I was grateful to have a 8.50am appointment, meaning I was one of the first to be seen. I arrived slightly early and alongside one of the reception staff, who was very pleasant and let me in to wait before I could officially register my arrival. I liked that the staff I dealt with were friendly, and the environment was sort of like a family doctor’s surgery. Thankfully being early in morning meant I was seen swiftly - and you can always use the waits in-between to supply that urine sample since there’s only one bathroom with a possible queue! People were seen in rotation, with my first appointment being the X-ray. I was met by a friendly lady, who made the process go smoothly and made me feel comfortable. After that was all completed swiftly, I was sent back to the waiting room for a short while. Next was the main appointment with a lovely, incredibly friendly male doctor who immediately put me ease. He looked at my documentation, essentially told me, “you have nothing to worry about, you’re an easy case”, and then went through his basic checks, chatting with me along the way. Again, I really felt like I was just seeing my regular GP! I have a history of depression and was concerned that it might cause an issue, but as I had that letter from my GP with the 'magic words', he told me I had all that I needed. I’d had a recent MMR jab via my GP - who told me that was all that they could supply - but the Knightsbridge doctor advised it was best to have the second jab to meet the required US standards. I knew that would come up, and I’d already decided to have any additional jabs they thought I’d need there and then so that my DS-3025 would be complete. So it was back to the waiting room one more time, before I was called to a third room to have the MMR jab (which cost £50). That process was over quickly too, and I was given a secondary slip to prove that had been completed (it was also documented on my DS-3025). After that, it was back to reception to receive my copies of the forms, make my payment of £350, and then head home. All in all I was in there for an hour and 40 minutes, and that flew by!
London Embassy - April 24th
My appointment at the embassy was for 9am. Even though I lived an hour’s train journey away from London, I commuted enough to know that trains can be very unreliable and I didn’t want to jeopardise not getting there in time! So I chose to stay at the Holiday Inn Express - Vauxhall Nine Elms, in order that I could be in easy walking distance and attempt to get a good night’s sleep beforehand (I recommend rooms at the back of the hotel to avoid traffic noise). I walked the route to the Embassy the night before, and it was bliss just to know I only had a short walk the following morning. Plus I found a handy Sainsbury’s only 5 minutes from the hotel. I admit I got a bit teary-eyed when I walked around the Embassy, seeing the US flag and knowing that I was finally reaching the last hurdles (at least of this first part of the process). It was also helpful to acquaint myself with the entrances - the South Pavilion Consular Services being at the very rear of the building from the main road.
On the morning of my appointment, I arrived 30 minutes early as the instructions advise. I’d read that some people who arrived early were left waiting outside once they’d been seen by the first ‘checkpoint’ ie that weird stand outside the security entrance, but I was let straight through. I had a bottle of water with me, intending to give it up if I was asked, but I was let through without needing to hand it over (though once inside the Embassy, I found out from talking with others that there’s a discrepancy whether they allow water or not). Next it was walking up to the reception desk inside the Embassy itself. A lady inside asked what time my appointment was, moved me up in the (short) queue, and then I got my papers checked and a nice big sticker put on the front of my passport (which includes your ticket number, floor you need, and which windows to wait outside). I headed up the lift to the Level 1, and met with the brand spanking new waiting area which essentially looks like a really clean Post Office with all the windowed booths on one side. After a quick visit to the bathroom* (head right from exiting the lifts to the edge of the area and keep on going right until you see them!) I was ready to go to the nicer, smaller area for the K-1 visas. This area is tucked round to the left as you come out of the lift. This waiting area was a bit more pleasant to feel tucked away, although as others have noted, there is zero privacy in these areas so you have to be prepared for everyone to hear what you’re saying!
As with my medical, being an early appointment may have helped with being seen quickly. First I went to one window, gave my fingerprints, handed over those required documents (ACRO, photos, birth certificate, choice of courier option**), along with the I-134. My fiancé was the sponsor, and I’d brought his tax returns and bank statements, but none of those were needed. The man handed me my envelope from Knightsbridge, and then I went back to the seats to wait for the main interview portion. Looking in the envelope which should contain the X-ray CD, I realised it was empty!! I managed to find another member of staff to ask about this, who said not to worry, and to tell the person who would interview me what to do about it. Not what I needed, but I knew that it should be something easily resolved. After a slightly longer wait - and trying not to listen to everyone else’s interviews! - I was called to a second window, and met with a friendly-looking lady. I was prepared to be asked a number of questions… After a few pleasantries, swearing an oath, and again fingerprinting, I was asked two simple questions - where does my fiancé live, and where did we meet. That was it. She told me, “I’m happy to approve your visa today” and I was almost agog that it was that simple. I had to ask her, “is there anything else?” and she met that with a smile, and said I was all done. I then asked her about my missing X-ray CD. She went away to try to find it, but to no avail. She recommended I get in touch with Knightsbridge to get my own copy***, since their records showed that they had everything they needed from me. And that was it! I made all my calls outside the Embassy, telling family the good news. All in all was in the Embassy for about 90 minutes, but the main part of the process was done within an hour. It was an amazing feeling to reach the end of a long wait (it had been 8 months since submitting the K-1), and start the countdown to leaving the country and the final preparations that entailed!
*On the way to the bathrooms I spotted a photo booth, which is helpful to anyone who doesn’t already have their US-sized photos.
**After reading some of the DX Group delivery horror stories on here, I decided to collect my documents directly from the depot. That personally gave me peace of mind, although I know I’m fortunate that the depot was a 30 minute drive from my home, which may not be the same for everyone who are otherwise forced to use the delivery option.
***I contacted Knightsbridge about my missing CD, who sent another CD to my home address to keep for my own personal records. Thankfully easily resolved!
POE at Los Angeles International - May 17th
Virgin Atlantic has always been my airline of choice to get to the USA, and using them as an airline for my regular trips to LA to see my fiancé had the added bonus of flying into Terminal 2 at LAX. This terminal is small (very short walk from the gate to the main area), which means that I’d often only have a short wait in their small immigration hall. On most journeys flying Premium Economy with carry-on, I could be off the plane and out of the airport within 15 minutes. After a tearful but heartwarming journey (as soon as the Virgin Atlantic staff realised I was leaving home to move and get married, they went out of their way to make my journey exceptional), I made the same journey to the immigration I’d now done many times before… but with the added heart-racing of knowing I was finally here but first had to get through the immigration hurdle. Once again, I had nothing to worry about. I had a very short wait to see an immigration officer, and handed him that large white envelope. He opened it up, looked through the documents briefly, then asked me to do the usual fingerprinting. He then made a note on the visa page of my passport of my entry date, and said to me, “you know the rules about how to fulfil your K-1 visa?”. I replied that I did, and told him I would soon be married. He then handed me back my passport, and gestured that he was finished. I was again flabbergasted that it was all done so quickly, and asked if he needed anything else from me. He said “no, you’re free to go”. Having psyched myself up that I might need to go to secondary questioning, this was a huge surprise…! I was out of the immigration and customs area so fast that my then-fiance was barely prepared for my arrival. It’s hard to explain the relief and exhilaration I felt to finally be able to stay with him without a countdown for either of us to leave, and to be able to continue together with the rest of our lives. The ongoing paperwork process since then has still has had its moments of stress, but it’s so much nicer to be able to do it with my husband at my side.
In hindsight it’s been strange to consider how anxious and stressed I was preparing for these events, and yet in reality they were such smooth sailing. As others advised, as long as you have your paperwork in order and no skeletons in your closet, there’s no reason why you’d have anything to worry about. However, these things are easier said than done, and it’s not until you’ve experienced them for yourself do you see what everyone means! I’m grateful for the advice and support from people on this forum, which continues to help me as I move through my AoS.
Knightsbridge Medical - April 10th
I was grateful to have a 8.50am appointment, meaning I was one of the first to be seen. I arrived slightly early and alongside one of the reception staff, who was very pleasant and let me in to wait before I could officially register my arrival. I liked that the staff I dealt with were friendly, and the environment was sort of like a family doctor’s surgery. Thankfully being early in morning meant I was seen swiftly - and you can always use the waits in-between to supply that urine sample since there’s only one bathroom with a possible queue! People were seen in rotation, with my first appointment being the X-ray. I was met by a friendly lady, who made the process go smoothly and made me feel comfortable. After that was all completed swiftly, I was sent back to the waiting room for a short while. Next was the main appointment with a lovely, incredibly friendly male doctor who immediately put me ease. He looked at my documentation, essentially told me, “you have nothing to worry about, you’re an easy case”, and then went through his basic checks, chatting with me along the way. Again, I really felt like I was just seeing my regular GP! I have a history of depression and was concerned that it might cause an issue, but as I had that letter from my GP with the 'magic words', he told me I had all that I needed. I’d had a recent MMR jab via my GP - who told me that was all that they could supply - but the Knightsbridge doctor advised it was best to have the second jab to meet the required US standards. I knew that would come up, and I’d already decided to have any additional jabs they thought I’d need there and then so that my DS-3025 would be complete. So it was back to the waiting room one more time, before I was called to a third room to have the MMR jab (which cost £50). That process was over quickly too, and I was given a secondary slip to prove that had been completed (it was also documented on my DS-3025). After that, it was back to reception to receive my copies of the forms, make my payment of £350, and then head home. All in all I was in there for an hour and 40 minutes, and that flew by!
London Embassy - April 24th
My appointment at the embassy was for 9am. Even though I lived an hour’s train journey away from London, I commuted enough to know that trains can be very unreliable and I didn’t want to jeopardise not getting there in time! So I chose to stay at the Holiday Inn Express - Vauxhall Nine Elms, in order that I could be in easy walking distance and attempt to get a good night’s sleep beforehand (I recommend rooms at the back of the hotel to avoid traffic noise). I walked the route to the Embassy the night before, and it was bliss just to know I only had a short walk the following morning. Plus I found a handy Sainsbury’s only 5 minutes from the hotel. I admit I got a bit teary-eyed when I walked around the Embassy, seeing the US flag and knowing that I was finally reaching the last hurdles (at least of this first part of the process). It was also helpful to acquaint myself with the entrances - the South Pavilion Consular Services being at the very rear of the building from the main road.
On the morning of my appointment, I arrived 30 minutes early as the instructions advise. I’d read that some people who arrived early were left waiting outside once they’d been seen by the first ‘checkpoint’ ie that weird stand outside the security entrance, but I was let straight through. I had a bottle of water with me, intending to give it up if I was asked, but I was let through without needing to hand it over (though once inside the Embassy, I found out from talking with others that there’s a discrepancy whether they allow water or not). Next it was walking up to the reception desk inside the Embassy itself. A lady inside asked what time my appointment was, moved me up in the (short) queue, and then I got my papers checked and a nice big sticker put on the front of my passport (which includes your ticket number, floor you need, and which windows to wait outside). I headed up the lift to the Level 1, and met with the brand spanking new waiting area which essentially looks like a really clean Post Office with all the windowed booths on one side. After a quick visit to the bathroom* (head right from exiting the lifts to the edge of the area and keep on going right until you see them!) I was ready to go to the nicer, smaller area for the K-1 visas. This area is tucked round to the left as you come out of the lift. This waiting area was a bit more pleasant to feel tucked away, although as others have noted, there is zero privacy in these areas so you have to be prepared for everyone to hear what you’re saying!
As with my medical, being an early appointment may have helped with being seen quickly. First I went to one window, gave my fingerprints, handed over those required documents (ACRO, photos, birth certificate, choice of courier option**), along with the I-134. My fiancé was the sponsor, and I’d brought his tax returns and bank statements, but none of those were needed. The man handed me my envelope from Knightsbridge, and then I went back to the seats to wait for the main interview portion. Looking in the envelope which should contain the X-ray CD, I realised it was empty!! I managed to find another member of staff to ask about this, who said not to worry, and to tell the person who would interview me what to do about it. Not what I needed, but I knew that it should be something easily resolved. After a slightly longer wait - and trying not to listen to everyone else’s interviews! - I was called to a second window, and met with a friendly-looking lady. I was prepared to be asked a number of questions… After a few pleasantries, swearing an oath, and again fingerprinting, I was asked two simple questions - where does my fiancé live, and where did we meet. That was it. She told me, “I’m happy to approve your visa today” and I was almost agog that it was that simple. I had to ask her, “is there anything else?” and she met that with a smile, and said I was all done. I then asked her about my missing X-ray CD. She went away to try to find it, but to no avail. She recommended I get in touch with Knightsbridge to get my own copy***, since their records showed that they had everything they needed from me. And that was it! I made all my calls outside the Embassy, telling family the good news. All in all was in the Embassy for about 90 minutes, but the main part of the process was done within an hour. It was an amazing feeling to reach the end of a long wait (it had been 8 months since submitting the K-1), and start the countdown to leaving the country and the final preparations that entailed!
*On the way to the bathrooms I spotted a photo booth, which is helpful to anyone who doesn’t already have their US-sized photos.
**After reading some of the DX Group delivery horror stories on here, I decided to collect my documents directly from the depot. That personally gave me peace of mind, although I know I’m fortunate that the depot was a 30 minute drive from my home, which may not be the same for everyone who are otherwise forced to use the delivery option.
***I contacted Knightsbridge about my missing CD, who sent another CD to my home address to keep for my own personal records. Thankfully easily resolved!
POE at Los Angeles International - May 17th
Virgin Atlantic has always been my airline of choice to get to the USA, and using them as an airline for my regular trips to LA to see my fiancé had the added bonus of flying into Terminal 2 at LAX. This terminal is small (very short walk from the gate to the main area), which means that I’d often only have a short wait in their small immigration hall. On most journeys flying Premium Economy with carry-on, I could be off the plane and out of the airport within 15 minutes. After a tearful but heartwarming journey (as soon as the Virgin Atlantic staff realised I was leaving home to move and get married, they went out of their way to make my journey exceptional), I made the same journey to the immigration I’d now done many times before… but with the added heart-racing of knowing I was finally here but first had to get through the immigration hurdle. Once again, I had nothing to worry about. I had a very short wait to see an immigration officer, and handed him that large white envelope. He opened it up, looked through the documents briefly, then asked me to do the usual fingerprinting. He then made a note on the visa page of my passport of my entry date, and said to me, “you know the rules about how to fulfil your K-1 visa?”. I replied that I did, and told him I would soon be married. He then handed me back my passport, and gestured that he was finished. I was again flabbergasted that it was all done so quickly, and asked if he needed anything else from me. He said “no, you’re free to go”. Having psyched myself up that I might need to go to secondary questioning, this was a huge surprise…! I was out of the immigration and customs area so fast that my then-fiance was barely prepared for my arrival. It’s hard to explain the relief and exhilaration I felt to finally be able to stay with him without a countdown for either of us to leave, and to be able to continue together with the rest of our lives. The ongoing paperwork process since then has still has had its moments of stress, but it’s so much nicer to be able to do it with my husband at my side.
In hindsight it’s been strange to consider how anxious and stressed I was preparing for these events, and yet in reality they were such smooth sailing. As others advised, as long as you have your paperwork in order and no skeletons in your closet, there’s no reason why you’d have anything to worry about. However, these things are easier said than done, and it’s not until you’ve experienced them for yourself do you see what everyone means! I’m grateful for the advice and support from people on this forum, which continues to help me as I move through my AoS.
Oct 2nd 2018, 12:39 pm
#2
Often not so civil...
Joined: Apr 2010
Location: The Boonies, GA
Posts: 9,561
Re: K-1 Milestones Experience - Medical, Interview & POE
Thanks for the write up and a belated welcome to the US! 
Oct 2nd 2018, 4:05 pm
#3
Hoppity hop...
Joined: Apr 2013
Location: Bedford, TX
Posts: 1,348
Re: K-1 Milestones Experience - Medical, Interview & POE
Welcome to the US!
The whole process is weirdly anticlimatic isn't it? I went to my interview armed with this huge folder of information, photos etc and was just asked 3 quick questions and it was over! 😂
The whole process is weirdly anticlimatic isn't it? I went to my interview armed with this huge folder of information, photos etc and was just asked 3 quick questions and it was over! 😂
Oct 3rd 2018, 12:31 am
#4
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2018
Location: London, United Kingdom
Posts: 82
Re: K-1 Milestones Experience - Medical, Interview & POE
Ahh, I love reading these stories, congrats! Love a happy ending. Also kinda reassuring to know that it's anti-climactic. I'm only 2 months in, but think of a new thing to worry about every day.. 
Oct 3rd 2018, 1:37 am
#5
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Joined: Aug 2017
Location: California
Posts: 47
Re: K-1 Milestones Experience - Medical, Interview & POE
Thank you for the welcomes! I agree that it is all strangely anticlimatic, especially after all the lengthy preparation required. I also brought with me my full binder of paperwork (I got one of those presentation folders with lots of different tabs for all of my materials) just in case, but I only needed the basics. I'm still glad I took the time to put together that folder though - for my sanity, and it's also still useful for me here in the US ie I know exactly where my birth certificate is etc!
@Muna_93, I know exactly how you feel and I was very much in your shoes at the beginning of my process! All I can tell you from my experience is read all that you can and prepare all that you can in stages. I'd find it would get very overwhelming looking further down the line (I would obsess over it!), so I'd try to concentrate on what I needed to deal with in the near future - whilst also recognising what I'd need to do eventually. Then take each next stage as it comes! You will be able to handle it all, it's just trying to take it all in step by step.
@Muna_93, I know exactly how you feel and I was very much in your shoes at the beginning of my process! All I can tell you from my experience is read all that you can and prepare all that you can in stages. I'd find it would get very overwhelming looking further down the line (I would obsess over it!), so I'd try to concentrate on what I needed to deal with in the near future - whilst also recognising what I'd need to do eventually. Then take each next stage as it comes! You will be able to handle it all, it's just trying to take it all in step by step.
Oct 3rd 2018, 4:54 pm
#6
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Joined: Feb 2015
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Posts: 1,523
Re: K-1 Milestones Experience - Medical, Interview & POE
Very thorough writeup!
