K1 Visa Interview USA Embassy -
#17
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y'all (that's American talk ... yeah!)
Nah, that's not American talk. Most Americans say YOU for singular and plural. Only say y'all if you're way down south or you'll get funny looks.
Nah, that's not American talk. Most Americans say YOU for singular and plural. Only say y'all if you're way down south or you'll get funny looks.
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#21
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No way I've lived there for months and heaps of them say y'all. Especially when drunk.
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#22
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Ok, on Monday I'll be heading down to the local SSA office to see if I can get my number .... The only thing is that we're moving into our house this weekend (we've been staying with my fiancees parents since I got here and that's the address that we used on all of the forms for my K1 ) ....
I know I need to register my new address but will this effect getting a SSN ?
ta,
Paul
I know I need to register my new address but will this effect getting a SSN ?
ta,
Paul
No, you apply for it at the local SSA office. It's best to wait a week or two after you have arrived before applying to hopefully save any confusion/delays with processing.
All you need to apply for it is your passport, visa and I-94 (white card stapled in your passport at POE).
Oh, and congratulations by the way
Another sucessful 2008 BE K-1er![Smile](https://britishexpats.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif)
All you need to apply for it is your passport, visa and I-94 (white card stapled in your passport at POE).
Oh, and congratulations by the way
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#23
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You file an AR-11 for alien change of address.
Your sponsor files an I-865 for sponsor change of address.
Both can be found at www.uscis.gov, Immigration forms.
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#24
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ell I just got back from my interview and I figured any soon-to-be-interviewed people might like to know how it goes, so this is for you!
My appointment was at 9.00am
The Embassy is easy to find since the que was half way down the street and a bunch of heavily armed police were standing around.
I arrived with my bagel at 8.45, got in line and started munching. There are signs to tell you what you must have ready. I was tired and hungover and still managed to follow the instructions.
You show your invitation and your passport to an Embassy person, who will then put you in the line with the apropriate time on it. She will also give you two plastic bags - one to put electricals in, and one to put large items like wrist-watches and belts. I suggest you just leave all thatstuff if you can. I had nothing from either of these catagories and so just flashed my docs and got put in the nine-line.
I waited for an hour. During this hour I calmed down alot.
So I get up to the secondsecurity guy. He is shown the same docs and sends me to another branch of secirity (with a lovely short line) who do the whole airport thing. Scanning your belongings and having you walk through things that beep when they detect suspicious things. Despite having far too many piercings I did not beep.
Then you enter the embassy. There is a short walk to the front entrance, where you get to look at all the poor fools lined up where you were two hours ago. Allow yourself to smirk.
You collect a number from a guy at the front desk and he tells you to sit and wait with everyone else. You will notice whilst waiting that almost everyone is here for NI visas. I only waited around twenty minutes as only two Immigrant Visa people went before me. In this time at least thirty Non-Immigrant people were called up.
So I get called up to one of those super secret booths round the corner. The woman was lovely. She had me sign some stuff, sent me off to pay. I returned, gave her my receipt. She took my docs and was very patient - she also returned my x-ray to me and took my fingerprints.
She sent me away to wait for my name to be called again. During this time I filled out the courierservice form. The lady gave this to me before ... I forgot to mention that. I waited maybe ten minutes and was called to a differant round-the-corner booth where i swore that all the info in the docs was true to the best of my knowing. A nice man asked me to print my fiance's name and sign the same sheet of paper. Then he double checked my finger prints and asked a few question
(So how did you and John meet?
Have you visited him in the States?
How did he propose to you?
Why America rather then England?)
and that was that.
I was told that the process takes around five working days, and that provided my prints didn't show me as being a criminal I was filed, approved and ready to go.
I thanked him lots and then went to pay the £14 to the courier lady (who was also very nice indeed!) and was told delivery is between two to five working days. Fairenough, I didn't understand (and I still don't understand) when I should be expecting my Visa to arrive but I was too happy to care.
At this point I realised I hadmissplaced my x-ray, but luckily I found it very quickly. No-one wants an x-ray of my lady bumps, it would seem.
Then I went to explore London (again). I got a new bag, new shoes, ate too much, you know.
8.45 until 11.45 in total.
A perfectly pleasent experiance. Good luck and don't worry!! My fiance and I are way too happy.
My appointment was at 9.00am
The Embassy is easy to find since the que was half way down the street and a bunch of heavily armed police were standing around.
I arrived with my bagel at 8.45, got in line and started munching. There are signs to tell you what you must have ready. I was tired and hungover and still managed to follow the instructions.
You show your invitation and your passport to an Embassy person, who will then put you in the line with the apropriate time on it. She will also give you two plastic bags - one to put electricals in, and one to put large items like wrist-watches and belts. I suggest you just leave all thatstuff if you can. I had nothing from either of these catagories and so just flashed my docs and got put in the nine-line.
I waited for an hour. During this hour I calmed down alot.
So I get up to the secondsecurity guy. He is shown the same docs and sends me to another branch of secirity (with a lovely short line) who do the whole airport thing. Scanning your belongings and having you walk through things that beep when they detect suspicious things. Despite having far too many piercings I did not beep.
Then you enter the embassy. There is a short walk to the front entrance, where you get to look at all the poor fools lined up where you were two hours ago. Allow yourself to smirk.
You collect a number from a guy at the front desk and he tells you to sit and wait with everyone else. You will notice whilst waiting that almost everyone is here for NI visas. I only waited around twenty minutes as only two Immigrant Visa people went before me. In this time at least thirty Non-Immigrant people were called up.
So I get called up to one of those super secret booths round the corner. The woman was lovely. She had me sign some stuff, sent me off to pay. I returned, gave her my receipt. She took my docs and was very patient - she also returned my x-ray to me and took my fingerprints.
She sent me away to wait for my name to be called again. During this time I filled out the courierservice form. The lady gave this to me before ... I forgot to mention that. I waited maybe ten minutes and was called to a differant round-the-corner booth where i swore that all the info in the docs was true to the best of my knowing. A nice man asked me to print my fiance's name and sign the same sheet of paper. Then he double checked my finger prints and asked a few question
(So how did you and John meet?
Have you visited him in the States?
How did he propose to you?
Why America rather then England?)
and that was that.
I was told that the process takes around five working days, and that provided my prints didn't show me as being a criminal I was filed, approved and ready to go.
I thanked him lots and then went to pay the £14 to the courier lady (who was also very nice indeed!) and was told delivery is between two to five working days. Fairenough, I didn't understand (and I still don't understand) when I should be expecting my Visa to arrive but I was too happy to care.
At this point I realised I hadmissplaced my x-ray, but luckily I found it very quickly. No-one wants an x-ray of my lady bumps, it would seem.
Then I went to explore London (again). I got a new bag, new shoes, ate too much, you know.
8.45 until 11.45 in total.
A perfectly pleasent experiance. Good luck and don't worry!! My fiance and I are way too happy.
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My passport arrived today and I fly out thursday - so very excited!!!
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Wow ...... I thought I was quick leaving 3 weeks after my interview ![Big Grin](https://britishexpats.com/forum/images/smilies/biggrin.gif)
Got my SSN yesterday and that was an adventure (maybe we should have gone to the local office than the one "downtown" ) ..... But it's another step taken on my journey so hey![Thumbs Up](https://britishexpats.com/forum/images/smilies/thumbsup.gif)
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Got my SSN yesterday and that was an adventure (maybe we should have gone to the local office than the one "downtown" ) ..... But it's another step taken on my journey so hey
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Congratulations -- correct me if I'm wrong -- was that "nice man" the only actual "American" person you spoke to? That was the actual consular officer. Most embassies employer "FSN" local people as staff. In my experience, the only times there were American non-consular staff was when they would hire Americans overseas as dependents of US Gov't employees.
I remember that, when I was about to get my immigrant visa, my attorney advised me that I could either apply for adjustment of status in the US, or go back to the UK and be interviewed at the embassy in London. She explained the difference to me like this:
"If you apply for adjustment of status in the US you will end up dealing with the INS - more specifically with some fairly low level, underpaid officials who are part of a large bureaucracy that's a bit like the DMV only worse. If you go to London you will be dealing with the State Department and you will be interviewed by someone who is a career diplomat - a very junior one, but one who was smart enough to get themselves posted to London - they will be intelligent and will probably speak English almost as well as you do"
No prizes for guessing which option I took ...
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#30
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If my own experiences with the US embassy in London are anything to go by that would almost certainly be the case. The only "Americans" were the two consular officials doing the actual "interviews" - all of the other processing was handled by people who were obviously "local" employees from the UK.
I remember that, when I was about to get my immigrant visa, my attorney advised me that I could either apply for adjustment of status in the US, or go back to the UK and be interviewed at the embassy in London. She explained the difference to me like this:
"If you apply for adjustment of status in the US you will end up dealing with the INS - more specifically with some fairly low level, underpaid officials who are part of a large bureaucracy that's a bit like the DMV only worse. If you go to London you will be dealing with the State Department and you will be interviewed by someone who is a career diplomat - a very junior one, but one who was smart enough to get themselves posted to London - they will be intelligent and will probably speak English almost as well as you do"
No prizes for guessing which option I took ...
I remember that, when I was about to get my immigrant visa, my attorney advised me that I could either apply for adjustment of status in the US, or go back to the UK and be interviewed at the embassy in London. She explained the difference to me like this:
"If you apply for adjustment of status in the US you will end up dealing with the INS - more specifically with some fairly low level, underpaid officials who are part of a large bureaucracy that's a bit like the DMV only worse. If you go to London you will be dealing with the State Department and you will be interviewed by someone who is a career diplomat - a very junior one, but one who was smart enough to get themselves posted to London - they will be intelligent and will probably speak English almost as well as you do"
No prizes for guessing which option I took ...
I like that. I have found most ConOffs easy to talk to. They reciprocate respect. However, when there is a ConOff from Hell, they are REALLY from Hell. Take a look at Pat Roush's website and she recites dealing with a fairly senior career state department officer who used to be in London many years ago and she has not changed.
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