My B1/2 Tourist Visa Experience - from start to finish
#1
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2019
Location: Somerset
Posts: 11
My B1/2 Tourist Visa Experience - from start to finish
Hi All
Apologies if this is rather long but I wanted to share a post that has a great ending and share my experiance in full as I have yet to come across a thread that has a full experiance, and in maybe doing so give some people hope and a reason to try.
So my back story -
I am a young woman (30s) and had a very colourful past with several convictions ranging from - Handling Stolen Goods in 98', Common Assualt 99', Battery 00', Shoplifting 02', Battery 07', Drink Driving 17' they were all charged and all are on my police record and my resulting fines etc were all in accordence with the laws at the time. I had a very difficult childhood (which I know is no excuse) and was very "wild" for some years until I went into treatment relating to alcohol for 12mths to help get my life back on track in 2008 and since then I work and study accounts and I am working towards becoming an accountant.( I am sharing this to give a full picture of my circumstances not for a sob story)
So for a very long time I was fully under the impression that I would never be able to apply for a travel visa to many of the big countries due to my history even more so after I was arrested for drink driving in 2017 but last August I was looking into if there was anything I could do to get a travel visa for the states and thought I would give it a go and see what happens as I have made many great friends over there I would love to meet in person.
So....
I applied for an ESTA and answered all questions honestly and not to my suprise it was rejected....I half knew that would happen but thought I should go through all steps accordingly, that was in August 19'.
3/9/19 I got my two lots of pictures done...one set for the ACRO and one set that conformed with US standards as they are slightly different.
Around the 5/9/19 I applied for my ACRO online and (£48 apx as I wanted two copies to be sure) and received them on the 24/9/19
Now I was ready to apply for the B1/2 Tourest visa as I had all the documents so time to get it all sorted...Applied for the visa 7/10/19 and paid the fee of £136.00 (160.00USD)
I managed to get a appointment booked for the 13/12/19 and at the same time I also paid for the premium delivery of my passport back which was £19.00 on the 21/10/19
So thats a breif time line of events leading up to......now appointment day.....well what an experiance it was.....in my naivety I half expected a quiet one to one booking in and out job.....but NOOOOOOOO it was like the mass visa cattle market...oh my it blew my head away!! After a breif wait I had to hand all ACRO and other paperwork in and have fingerprints taken and hand in my pictures....I did not know that at this point I should have handed in letters from my employer, travel plans etc as this was not explained before going in but if its not done at this point I learned that the interviewing officer will not take any papers from you in the interview. I then had quite a lengthly wait as hoards of numbers were being called up and I had to wait for mine to pop up so I kept my eye on who was around me at fingerprint stage and kept close to them when waiting to be called for my interview. My time came and I went to the cubicle, I wasnt able to sit as there was no chair, the gentleman seemed to be rather aggrivated that I was there and would barely make eye contact and honestly it felt like he had made his mind up before even speaking to me, he asked some basic questions -
What do I do?
What is my salary?
Please explain the circumstances surrounding your drink driving?
Where am I planning to go to in the states?
Why do I want to travel to the states?
.......and then came the curve ball.......Why did I answer yes to the question..."Do you have a physical or mental disorder; or are you a drug abuser or addict; or do you currently have any of the following diseases (communicable diseases are specified pursuant to section 361(b) of the Public Health Service Act): Cholera, Diphtheria, Tuberculosis infectious, Plague, Smallpox, Yellow Fever, Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers, including Ebola, Lassa, Marburg, Crimean-Congo, Severe acute respiratory illnesses capable of transmission to other persons and likely to cause mortality?" On my ESTA and because I was so nervous I said because of my depression and he said well we will see.....
Uh oh...I had although been honest BUT I had nervously withheld my treatment in 2008 in panic and in that moment my heart sank..
He proceeded to tell me he was not approving me for a visa and handed me a letter and bluntly told me the letter would explain why and that it was because my drink driving charge was under 5 years old..the letter was a 221(g) request for a medical which was going to cost £405 and could cost more, given Christmas was around the corner I decided to wait until January to book the appontment but the letter stated I only had 3mths to get it done or the visa case would be closed. so had to get a letter from my doctor and made sure I had more than enough information for the appointment regardless of it being asked for.
10/01/20 I had my medical again this was in London and its was in my opinion excessive to say the least, I dont think I have ever had a full medical like that before - eyes tested, chest x-ray, pulse, urine sample, heart rate, bloods, height, weight...the only thing not checked was my teeth!!! then I had my doctor appointment and she was lovely she thanked me for the extra letters I had brought with me and we talk at length about my past (treatment included even though it is not on my doctor files) and plans for the future...all in all the appointment took about 3hrs and I was told it would take about 5 to 7 days for them to write it up and send it back to the embassy.
16/1/20 I received an email from the Embassy requesting my passport back given how quick this was I assumed they wanted to hold it for administration purposes so sent it back on the 31/1/20
Was checking every couple of days on the portal for an update and then on the 11th Feb my status changed from "administration processing" to "Issued" and I had an email to say the company would be returning it within 10 days but today I had my passport back with that lovely glow of a visa stamp saying it was valid for multiple entries and for 10years......bleddy fantastic.....I am now looking forward to my first solo trip without my kiddo and also to taking her over.....at some point in 10years hahahahaha
It's been emotional and hard work but was well worth it even though many MANY people told me I would never get one....
Hope someone looking for help finds this useful...happy to answer any questions openly on this thread...MODs please let me know if there is too much information here that reveals too much about me
Apologies if this is rather long but I wanted to share a post that has a great ending and share my experiance in full as I have yet to come across a thread that has a full experiance, and in maybe doing so give some people hope and a reason to try.
So my back story -
I am a young woman (30s) and had a very colourful past with several convictions ranging from - Handling Stolen Goods in 98', Common Assualt 99', Battery 00', Shoplifting 02', Battery 07', Drink Driving 17' they were all charged and all are on my police record and my resulting fines etc were all in accordence with the laws at the time. I had a very difficult childhood (which I know is no excuse) and was very "wild" for some years until I went into treatment relating to alcohol for 12mths to help get my life back on track in 2008 and since then I work and study accounts and I am working towards becoming an accountant.( I am sharing this to give a full picture of my circumstances not for a sob story)
So for a very long time I was fully under the impression that I would never be able to apply for a travel visa to many of the big countries due to my history even more so after I was arrested for drink driving in 2017 but last August I was looking into if there was anything I could do to get a travel visa for the states and thought I would give it a go and see what happens as I have made many great friends over there I would love to meet in person.
So....
I applied for an ESTA and answered all questions honestly and not to my suprise it was rejected....I half knew that would happen but thought I should go through all steps accordingly, that was in August 19'.
3/9/19 I got my two lots of pictures done...one set for the ACRO and one set that conformed with US standards as they are slightly different.
Around the 5/9/19 I applied for my ACRO online and (£48 apx as I wanted two copies to be sure) and received them on the 24/9/19
Now I was ready to apply for the B1/2 Tourest visa as I had all the documents so time to get it all sorted...Applied for the visa 7/10/19 and paid the fee of £136.00 (160.00USD)
I managed to get a appointment booked for the 13/12/19 and at the same time I also paid for the premium delivery of my passport back which was £19.00 on the 21/10/19
So thats a breif time line of events leading up to......now appointment day.....well what an experiance it was.....in my naivety I half expected a quiet one to one booking in and out job.....but NOOOOOOOO it was like the mass visa cattle market...oh my it blew my head away!! After a breif wait I had to hand all ACRO and other paperwork in and have fingerprints taken and hand in my pictures....I did not know that at this point I should have handed in letters from my employer, travel plans etc as this was not explained before going in but if its not done at this point I learned that the interviewing officer will not take any papers from you in the interview. I then had quite a lengthly wait as hoards of numbers were being called up and I had to wait for mine to pop up so I kept my eye on who was around me at fingerprint stage and kept close to them when waiting to be called for my interview. My time came and I went to the cubicle, I wasnt able to sit as there was no chair, the gentleman seemed to be rather aggrivated that I was there and would barely make eye contact and honestly it felt like he had made his mind up before even speaking to me, he asked some basic questions -
What do I do?
What is my salary?
Please explain the circumstances surrounding your drink driving?
Where am I planning to go to in the states?
Why do I want to travel to the states?
.......and then came the curve ball.......Why did I answer yes to the question..."Do you have a physical or mental disorder; or are you a drug abuser or addict; or do you currently have any of the following diseases (communicable diseases are specified pursuant to section 361(b) of the Public Health Service Act): Cholera, Diphtheria, Tuberculosis infectious, Plague, Smallpox, Yellow Fever, Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers, including Ebola, Lassa, Marburg, Crimean-Congo, Severe acute respiratory illnesses capable of transmission to other persons and likely to cause mortality?" On my ESTA and because I was so nervous I said because of my depression and he said well we will see.....
Uh oh...I had although been honest BUT I had nervously withheld my treatment in 2008 in panic and in that moment my heart sank..
He proceeded to tell me he was not approving me for a visa and handed me a letter and bluntly told me the letter would explain why and that it was because my drink driving charge was under 5 years old..the letter was a 221(g) request for a medical which was going to cost £405 and could cost more, given Christmas was around the corner I decided to wait until January to book the appontment but the letter stated I only had 3mths to get it done or the visa case would be closed. so had to get a letter from my doctor and made sure I had more than enough information for the appointment regardless of it being asked for.
10/01/20 I had my medical again this was in London and its was in my opinion excessive to say the least, I dont think I have ever had a full medical like that before - eyes tested, chest x-ray, pulse, urine sample, heart rate, bloods, height, weight...the only thing not checked was my teeth!!! then I had my doctor appointment and she was lovely she thanked me for the extra letters I had brought with me and we talk at length about my past (treatment included even though it is not on my doctor files) and plans for the future...all in all the appointment took about 3hrs and I was told it would take about 5 to 7 days for them to write it up and send it back to the embassy.
16/1/20 I received an email from the Embassy requesting my passport back given how quick this was I assumed they wanted to hold it for administration purposes so sent it back on the 31/1/20
Was checking every couple of days on the portal for an update and then on the 11th Feb my status changed from "administration processing" to "Issued" and I had an email to say the company would be returning it within 10 days but today I had my passport back with that lovely glow of a visa stamp saying it was valid for multiple entries and for 10years......bleddy fantastic.....I am now looking forward to my first solo trip without my kiddo and also to taking her over.....at some point in 10years hahahahaha
It's been emotional and hard work but was well worth it even though many MANY people told me I would never get one....
Hope someone looking for help finds this useful...happy to answer any questions openly on this thread...MODs please let me know if there is too much information here that reveals too much about me
#2
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Dec 2005
Location: Colorado Springs
Posts: 1,214
Re: My B1/2 Tourist Visa Experience - from start to finish
Congrats ... bloody hell that sounded like a lot of hassle. Enjoy your US trip.
#3
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2019
Location: Somerset
Posts: 11
Re: My B1/2 Tourist Visa Experience - from start to finish
Yes it was and the annoying part was I dont drive because I live so close to my work now I have no real need to on a day to day basis so I had to get trains and buses to London and Exeter and all over to get documents for the whole thing...nearly sacked it off but pursued with it and was worth the result...planning trip in a couple of months...thank you 😁
#4
Re: My B1/2 Tourist Visa Experience - from start to finish
The Great Western Express to Paddington is a pretty pleasant train journey though in my multiple experiences. I can't tell you how many times I rode that thing to/from Taunton between 2010-2013.
Congrats on the visa!
Congrats on the visa!
#5
Forum Regular
Joined: Nov 2018
Posts: 255
Re: My B1/2 Tourist Visa Experience - from start to finish
Hi All
Apologies if this is rather long but I wanted to share a post that has a great ending and share my experiance in full as I have yet to come across a thread that has a full experiance, and in maybe doing so give some people hope and a reason to try.
So my back story -
I am a young woman (30s) and had a very colourful past with several convictions ranging from - Handling Stolen Goods in 98', Common Assualt 99', Battery 00', Shoplifting 02', Battery 07', Drink Driving 17' they were all charged and all are on my police record and my resulting fines etc were all in accordence with the laws at the time. I had a very difficult childhood (which I know is no excuse) and was very "wild" for some years until I went into treatment relating to alcohol for 12mths to help get my life back on track in 2008 and since then I work and study accounts and I am working towards becoming an accountant.( I am sharing this to give a full picture of my circumstances not for a sob story)
So for a very long time I was fully under the impression that I would never be able to apply for a travel visa to many of the big countries due to my history even more so after I was arrested for drink driving in 2017 but last August I was looking into if there was anything I could do to get a travel visa for the states and thought I would give it a go and see what happens as I have made many great friends over there I would love to meet in person.
So....
I applied for an ESTA and answered all questions honestly and not to my suprise it was rejected....I half knew that would happen but thought I should go through all steps accordingly, that was in August 19'.
3/9/19 I got my two lots of pictures done...one set for the ACRO and one set that conformed with US standards as they are slightly different.
Around the 5/9/19 I applied for my ACRO online and (£48 apx as I wanted two copies to be sure) and received them on the 24/9/19
Now I was ready to apply for the B1/2 Tourest visa as I had all the documents so time to get it all sorted...Applied for the visa 7/10/19 and paid the fee of £136.00 (160.00USD)
I managed to get a appointment booked for the 13/12/19 and at the same time I also paid for the premium delivery of my passport back which was £19.00 on the 21/10/19
So thats a breif time line of events leading up to......now appointment day.....well what an experiance it was.....in my naivety I half expected a quiet one to one booking in and out job.....but NOOOOOOOO it was like the mass visa cattle market...oh my it blew my head away!! After a breif wait I had to hand all ACRO and other paperwork in and have fingerprints taken and hand in my pictures....I did not know that at this point I should have handed in letters from my employer, travel plans etc as this was not explained before going in but if its not done at this point I learned that the interviewing officer will not take any papers from you in the interview. I then had quite a lengthly wait as hoards of numbers were being called up and I had to wait for mine to pop up so I kept my eye on who was around me at fingerprint stage and kept close to them when waiting to be called for my interview. My time came and I went to the cubicle, I wasnt able to sit as there was no chair, the gentleman seemed to be rather aggrivated that I was there and would barely make eye contact and honestly it felt like he had made his mind up before even speaking to me, he asked some basic questions -
What do I do?
What is my salary?
Please explain the circumstances surrounding your drink driving?
Where am I planning to go to in the states?
Why do I want to travel to the states?
.......and then came the curve ball.......Why did I answer yes to the question..."Do you have a physical or mental disorder; or are you a drug abuser or addict; or do you currently have any of the following diseases (communicable diseases are specified pursuant to section 361(b) of the Public Health Service Act): Cholera, Diphtheria, Tuberculosis infectious, Plague, Smallpox, Yellow Fever, Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers, including Ebola, Lassa, Marburg, Crimean-Congo, Severe acute respiratory illnesses capable of transmission to other persons and likely to cause mortality?" On my ESTA and because I was so nervous I said because of my depression and he said well we will see.....
Uh oh...I had although been honest BUT I had nervously withheld my treatment in 2008 in panic and in that moment my heart sank..
He proceeded to tell me he was not approving me for a visa and handed me a letter and bluntly told me the letter would explain why and that it was because my drink driving charge was under 5 years old..the letter was a 221(g) request for a medical which was going to cost £405 and could cost more, given Christmas was around the corner I decided to wait until January to book the appontment but the letter stated I only had 3mths to get it done or the visa case would be closed. so had to get a letter from my doctor and made sure I had more than enough information for the appointment regardless of it being asked for.
10/01/20 I had my medical again this was in London and its was in my opinion excessive to say the least, I dont think I have ever had a full medical like that before - eyes tested, chest x-ray, pulse, urine sample, heart rate, bloods, height, weight...the only thing not checked was my teeth!!! then I had my doctor appointment and she was lovely she thanked me for the extra letters I had brought with me and we talk at length about my past (treatment included even though it is not on my doctor files) and plans for the future...all in all the appointment took about 3hrs and I was told it would take about 5 to 7 days for them to write it up and send it back to the embassy.
16/1/20 I received an email from the Embassy requesting my passport back given how quick this was I assumed they wanted to hold it for administration purposes so sent it back on the 31/1/20
Was checking every couple of days on the portal for an update and then on the 11th Feb my status changed from "administration processing" to "Issued" and I had an email to say the company would be returning it within 10 days but today I had my passport back with that lovely glow of a visa stamp saying it was valid for multiple entries and for 10years......bleddy fantastic.....I am now looking forward to my first solo trip without my kiddo and also to taking her over.....at some point in 10years hahahahaha
It's been emotional and hard work but was well worth it even though many MANY people told me I would never get one....
Hope someone looking for help finds this useful...happy to answer any questions openly on this thread...MODs please let me know if there is too much information here that reveals too much about me
Apologies if this is rather long but I wanted to share a post that has a great ending and share my experiance in full as I have yet to come across a thread that has a full experiance, and in maybe doing so give some people hope and a reason to try.
So my back story -
I am a young woman (30s) and had a very colourful past with several convictions ranging from - Handling Stolen Goods in 98', Common Assualt 99', Battery 00', Shoplifting 02', Battery 07', Drink Driving 17' they were all charged and all are on my police record and my resulting fines etc were all in accordence with the laws at the time. I had a very difficult childhood (which I know is no excuse) and was very "wild" for some years until I went into treatment relating to alcohol for 12mths to help get my life back on track in 2008 and since then I work and study accounts and I am working towards becoming an accountant.( I am sharing this to give a full picture of my circumstances not for a sob story)
So for a very long time I was fully under the impression that I would never be able to apply for a travel visa to many of the big countries due to my history even more so after I was arrested for drink driving in 2017 but last August I was looking into if there was anything I could do to get a travel visa for the states and thought I would give it a go and see what happens as I have made many great friends over there I would love to meet in person.
So....
I applied for an ESTA and answered all questions honestly and not to my suprise it was rejected....I half knew that would happen but thought I should go through all steps accordingly, that was in August 19'.
3/9/19 I got my two lots of pictures done...one set for the ACRO and one set that conformed with US standards as they are slightly different.
Around the 5/9/19 I applied for my ACRO online and (£48 apx as I wanted two copies to be sure) and received them on the 24/9/19
Now I was ready to apply for the B1/2 Tourest visa as I had all the documents so time to get it all sorted...Applied for the visa 7/10/19 and paid the fee of £136.00 (160.00USD)
I managed to get a appointment booked for the 13/12/19 and at the same time I also paid for the premium delivery of my passport back which was £19.00 on the 21/10/19
So thats a breif time line of events leading up to......now appointment day.....well what an experiance it was.....in my naivety I half expected a quiet one to one booking in and out job.....but NOOOOOOOO it was like the mass visa cattle market...oh my it blew my head away!! After a breif wait I had to hand all ACRO and other paperwork in and have fingerprints taken and hand in my pictures....I did not know that at this point I should have handed in letters from my employer, travel plans etc as this was not explained before going in but if its not done at this point I learned that the interviewing officer will not take any papers from you in the interview. I then had quite a lengthly wait as hoards of numbers were being called up and I had to wait for mine to pop up so I kept my eye on who was around me at fingerprint stage and kept close to them when waiting to be called for my interview. My time came and I went to the cubicle, I wasnt able to sit as there was no chair, the gentleman seemed to be rather aggrivated that I was there and would barely make eye contact and honestly it felt like he had made his mind up before even speaking to me, he asked some basic questions -
What do I do?
What is my salary?
Please explain the circumstances surrounding your drink driving?
Where am I planning to go to in the states?
Why do I want to travel to the states?
.......and then came the curve ball.......Why did I answer yes to the question..."Do you have a physical or mental disorder; or are you a drug abuser or addict; or do you currently have any of the following diseases (communicable diseases are specified pursuant to section 361(b) of the Public Health Service Act): Cholera, Diphtheria, Tuberculosis infectious, Plague, Smallpox, Yellow Fever, Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers, including Ebola, Lassa, Marburg, Crimean-Congo, Severe acute respiratory illnesses capable of transmission to other persons and likely to cause mortality?" On my ESTA and because I was so nervous I said because of my depression and he said well we will see.....
Uh oh...I had although been honest BUT I had nervously withheld my treatment in 2008 in panic and in that moment my heart sank..
He proceeded to tell me he was not approving me for a visa and handed me a letter and bluntly told me the letter would explain why and that it was because my drink driving charge was under 5 years old..the letter was a 221(g) request for a medical which was going to cost £405 and could cost more, given Christmas was around the corner I decided to wait until January to book the appontment but the letter stated I only had 3mths to get it done or the visa case would be closed. so had to get a letter from my doctor and made sure I had more than enough information for the appointment regardless of it being asked for.
10/01/20 I had my medical again this was in London and its was in my opinion excessive to say the least, I dont think I have ever had a full medical like that before - eyes tested, chest x-ray, pulse, urine sample, heart rate, bloods, height, weight...the only thing not checked was my teeth!!! then I had my doctor appointment and she was lovely she thanked me for the extra letters I had brought with me and we talk at length about my past (treatment included even though it is not on my doctor files) and plans for the future...all in all the appointment took about 3hrs and I was told it would take about 5 to 7 days for them to write it up and send it back to the embassy.
16/1/20 I received an email from the Embassy requesting my passport back given how quick this was I assumed they wanted to hold it for administration purposes so sent it back on the 31/1/20
Was checking every couple of days on the portal for an update and then on the 11th Feb my status changed from "administration processing" to "Issued" and I had an email to say the company would be returning it within 10 days but today I had my passport back with that lovely glow of a visa stamp saying it was valid for multiple entries and for 10years......bleddy fantastic.....I am now looking forward to my first solo trip without my kiddo and also to taking her over.....at some point in 10years hahahahaha
It's been emotional and hard work but was well worth it even though many MANY people told me I would never get one....
Hope someone looking for help finds this useful...happy to answer any questions openly on this thread...MODs please let me know if there is too much information here that reveals too much about me
congratulations mrs.
#6
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2019
Location: Somerset
Posts: 11
Re: My B1/2 Tourist Visa Experience - from start to finish
Hahahah... I had to first get a bus to Taunton and then the London/Paddington train so same journey as you
#7
DE-UK-NZ-IE-US... the TYP
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 2,854
Re: My B1/2 Tourist Visa Experience - from start to finish
Congrats, now hopefully you are going somewhere a little more flashy (no offense to Taunton) on your first visit... NYC and/or Vegas would be my first choice (SF and Miami are also up there and lots to see and do in Chicago).... I’m sure other here have their own recommendations and biases....
#8
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 520
Re: My B1/2 Tourist Visa Experience - from start to finish
Just shows what's possible when you follow procedure. Well done.
#9
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jun 2015
Location: Near Lynchburg Tennessee, home of Jack Daniels
Posts: 1,381
Re: My B1/2 Tourist Visa Experience - from start to finish
Congrats on the visa. If you are coming over in April best to visit the south. Still a little cold in the north. You probably already know there is almost no public transportation.