JPROPS72

After all of the neurotic worrying, two days being unable to eat, it all ended at 2.25pm with the magic words!

We arrived at the Embassy at about 11.45 for the 1pm appointment but the nervous bladder got the better of me and we headed to Starbucks for a pit stop. Arrived back at the Embassy at midday to find 4 people already in line!

Chatting to the guy in front of us (who hadn't even had his medical and didn't plan on moving to the US ) to pass the time and we were finally allowed into security at around 12.35.

Once inside, I was given number I 905 and sent up to the cattle pen! The lady at the desk said there were 728 Non-Immigrant Visa Appointments today but the list for Immigrant Visas was probably about 25 long. It was packed in there but we managed to find a seat.

10 minutes in I was called to Window 1, where a sweet Asian lady took all of the civil documents. The guy ahead ome was clearly disorganized and she thanked me for being well prepared. Mid processing the guy came back saying that he couldn't pay his visa fee because they were at lunch, but he'd just gone to the wrong window! She went away to figure it out and when she came back to say "window 12" the dude had walked away!

Back to me, she processed me quickly and asked me when I wanted to move. When I said "ideally the 27th" she said "2017, why are you applying now!" Biometrics were taken, she handed me the disk with my chest xray and told me to hand that in at the POE, and with that, she told me to pay the visa fee, hand her the receipt and take a seat.

About 20 minutes later, I was called to the interview. The consular officer was a nice lady probably in her 30s. The interview was very informal and very relaxed. I didn't at all feel like she was being tricky or trying to catch me out. I was asked, how long I'd been married, why I wanted to move to the US, if I had children, how old, was my child a US citizen, what my wife did for a living, what I intended to do, who my joint sponsor was, where he derived his income and where was I denied entry.

When I explained about being denied entry because I had visited my wife (then girlfriend) too much, she said, "it happens, you didn't do anything wrong and it doesn't matter at all with an immigrant visa application" I said that it hadn't been a problem when I got my 10 year B2 either and then she said the magic words!

I thanked her and she said "You're welcome, and thank you, good luck for your new life in the US"

The only problem was my own stupid neurotic worrying! Thanks to everyone who has answered my questions and helped me, it really wasn't a big deal after all!

ian-mstm

Congratulations! Well done.


Many people report that the actual interview is somewhat anti-climactic.

Ian

sarahincos

Lovely! Thank you and congrats again!

JPROPS72

That's exactly the way I'd describe it. It was very much "that's it? I've been worried about this?". I think part of my issue was a somewhat negative experience being denied entry and then having a B2 denied. Today was entirely different. From the moment I stepped up to the window, I never felt like it was going in a bad direction. Not a single scrap of the 4 folders of evidence I'd prepared was needed. After all of the stress I put on myself, I came home delighted but feeling a bit of a lemon for worrying so much, Ian.

sarahincos

Didn't you have (joint?) sponsor income/ public charge worries? Did anything come up about this? My husband's joint sponsor made something like 25,300 in 2014 but they have a better job now and make well above the requirement (with employer's letter & paystubs to confirm). I'm sure we are okay as we technically meet the requirements, but my husband is disabled and in a wheelchair so I'm afraid of them stereotyping him as a public charge.

JPROPS72

Yes, my wife the USC didn't have the income to meet the requirements. We SHOULD have had enough in assets to meet the short fall but a payment that I was expecting didn't come in time. We had already got my Father In Law as a back up joint sponsor just in case and we needed it.

As long as your joint sponsor can evidence that they meet the requirements, it's not an issue. My father in law is retired but his retirement income met the threshold and was accepted without a problem. I provided his IRS transcripts for 2013/4 and 2014/5 and that was fine.

sarahincos

Thank you