jme1323

Application experience (including timeline):

I submitted the I-130 petition on behalf of my French husband (Thomas) in London on June 29, 2013. We received the letter of approval on July 11th (it was dated July 5th).

As of mid-August, we had not received his case number. I contacted the IVU via the online form on August 13th. They replied on August 30th saying they had posted the case number on August 8th. (It's the end of October, and we've still never received it, so it apparently disappeared into some Royal Mail Void.) They included his case number in their reply, so Thomas scheduled his medical visit and we sent the DS 260 and interview readiness document on August 31st.

Thomas had his medical visit on September 9th, and we expected the letter to come during the first or second week of October. When it didn't, I called the U.S. Department of State at 202-485-7600 and the rep said Thomas' interview had been scheduled for October 21st at 8:00 a.m.

We still hadn't received the letter the week prior to his interview, so we contacted the IVU via the online form again and they replied confirming his interview date and time and that he only needed to bring a copy of the email instead of the letter. Of course, the letter arrived on October 18th, the Friday before his Monday morning appointment. He used the online form to request for me to be "added" to the appointment.

Interview experience:

We arrived at the embassy at 7:00 a.m. yesterday, but there was no security personnel working yet and only 8 people queuing. We had a coffee and came back at 7:25. There were 30-40 people in the initial queue, which moved quickly. We stood in 3 separate queues at various points (two different ID checks and then security), and as I wasn't showing up on their list, they had to keep verifying with the office inside that I could accompany my husband.

They let us both in, and we sat down to wait at 7:45. As many people have noted, it's similar to a DMV with a waiting area and around 20 windows. They didn't open up the windows until 8:00. Thomas was called at 8:45 and spent around 20 minutes at the window. The man there was apparently somewhat friendly. Thomas was asked to provide his passport and his passport-style photos first. They took his fingerprints and then went to get his file. He paid the visa fee and then was asked to provide all the identity-related documents (birth certificate, marriage certificate, police certificates from the UK and France). We attached the translations to the French birth certificate and French police certificate.

Then they asked for the affidavits of support. He gave them mine and my father's (the joint sponsor). They did look through mine and kept it, along with my 2012 tax return, even though I don't qualify as a sponsor since my UK job won't continue in the US. They kept my father's 2012 tax transcript, and Thomas mentioned that he also had the 2011 and 2010 transcripts, but he was told they didn't need them. The man then asked if Thomas brought any other documents supporting my father's I-864, and Thomas said he had my father's last 6 months of pay stubs. (We brought extra documentation for my father's I-864 because his income figures were quite different each year -- my parents divorced in 2010 and sold houses in 2012, so the numbers varied widely.) The man asked only for the last 3 months of pay stubs, which Thomas handed over. They did not ask for any of my domicile-related documents or cover letter.

The man asked Thomas when we plan to travel, and Thomas said just before Christmas. The man replied that we have until March 9th to enter the US and gave Thomas his CD with the chest X ray. Then he asked where I was (in the UK or the US), and Thomas said I was actually in the waiting area. The man told him I could've come to the window with him.

We waited again until 9:45. I went to the window with Thomas for the interview. The young lady there was incredibly nice. She took Thomas' fingerprints again and asked him to sign the DS 260 after confirming that everything in it is true. Then she returned several documents to us (birth, marriage, and police certificates).

Next came the interview -- she apologized to me in advance for asking Thomas questions about me as if I weren't standing there. She asked Thomas how we met, which was easy, and then "How did your relationship develop?" Thomas explained that we met in Strasbourg, France in 2008 while I was studying there and dated for a year, and then we did long-distance while I finished my degree in the States. We decided to move to London together in 2010, and I started my Master's. Then we were married in September 2011. I'm including the full answer because after he explained all of that, she said, "You just answered all my other questions!" Then she asked how he knows Steven Goedde (my dad and the joint sponsor).

Finally, she asked if we've registered with the courier (yes) and then said, "Great, because your visa has been approved." You could tell she really loved this part of her job, and she told us we could celebrate, so we did a little happy dance. She asked if we had any questions, so we asked a few logistical things about arriving at the border, when we'll receive the green card in the mail, etc. She explained which documents would come in the packet from the courier and said we'd receive further instructions at that time on paying the additional fee, etc.

We left the embassy around 10:00 a.m. feeling equal parts excited, relieved, and hungry.

I hope this saga is useful -- we always felt better knowing what to expect after reading other people's experiences on the forum. Thank you so much for all your help and prompt responses to questions!

hoffage123

Wohoo! That is fantastic news so happy for you both

Beardysteve

It's really nice to read someone's experience of the Embassy. I'm hoping to have my own interview soon. Glad to hear that it's actually staffed by human beings! Thanks for taking the time to post this account and congratulations!

Jonion

Always good to read of a joyous end result after all the stress and worry we go through.