The Interview Letter - in detail (part two)

The rest of page two tells you that your case has now moved beyond the NVC and, if you have any questions, you should now only communicate with the US embassy. You are given the address of the embassy and are told what details (Case number, Principal Applicant, Category & "Foreign State of Chargeability*") to include when communicating.

The third and final page is entitled "Notice to Visa Applicants".

There's a subheading "Visa Interview Requirements" that I will copy (almost) verbatim.

VLAD THE IMPALA must bring the following to the visa interview:

• Any original documents that were requested by the NVC but were not submitted to the NVC
• The medical examination results if not submitted to the Embassy/Consulate by the physician
• The correct size and number of photographs
• Valid passport for all traveling applicants

Point three is beautifully vague.

Finally there is a very scary looking table of "documents requested" that (in my case) names seventeen documents needed for the interview. Each document has a code letter by it. As most of my original documents were sent to the NVC (or the USCIS) this is a little intimidating.

Then you look up the codes. Basically you're looking for codes 'A' (to be acquired), 'I' (is incomplete) 'T' (translation needed) or 'S' (scanned document received), though a 'U' (document unavailable) is pretty scary too. My application had none of these codes - mine was full of F's, O's and Y's ("not required", "original document already submitted" and "document received and accepted").

I also had a document status of 'C' for a document called "Correspondence Instructions" - this was not explained in the notes. I have to assume that, as this was the first document named, that it's self-referential and is talking about the interview letter itself (as that has to be brought to the interview).

And that's about it...


*is that a real word? Really?

The Interview Letter - in detail (part one)

It arrived in a weird, side-opening envelope a few days after Foof received her copy. It came directly from the NVC in New Hampshire and is (according to the text) the last time that the NVC will communicate with me. It's printed on US "Letter" paper and not A4 so it will be a little too wide for those cute plastic covers that you've been storing all your other paperwork in.

Just like Foof's letter it's dated June 9th. It gives a summary of where we are in the process (i.e. just finishing with the NVC), reminds me of my case number and tells me that my petition has been forwarded to the London Embassy.

The second paragraph gives the interview date and time.

There's then a section marked "Important Information" that points you to the www.ImmigrantVisas.state.gov website and tells you to follow all its instructions carefully so that your application isn't "refused at the initial interview". You are instructed to take this letter with you to the interview (or you won't get in, obviously).

The next page lists everyone who should attend the interview (i.e. me).

There is then a list of "reminders", asking you to bring along any documents you've missed, medical results (if they've not already been sent to the embassy), a "number" of passport-sized photographs (5cm x 5cm), Foofer's income tax return (if needed) and the final "reminder" is another "refused at the initial interview" threat if you don't bring all your documents.

Part two will detail the rest of this letter including the list of what you must bring to the interview...

Invitation to an Interview

As you're not allowed into the US Embassy without a written invitation, I'd asked Foof to send me the letter she had received from the NVC as soon as possible. This turned out to be a waste of time and mail as they have sent me my own copy - which I received today.

Yay!

Where does it hurt?

A little more information on the UK medical can be found here.

(Obviously immigration medicals in/for different countries will differ wildly so only take this seriously if you're in the same position as your friendly author (okay "blogger"))

You'll Feel a Slight Prick

Okay - don't freak out over the picture - it's just a magic trick.

I went to my GP (British for "Doctor") today to get my vaccination records. For your enjoyment they are listed below:

1. None that are in date

So that was a wasted journey. Once I know what vaccinations I need I can call them and they will arrange to stab me with needles until I'm immune. This will be tricky as I'm donating blood components next Wednesday and need my blood to be clean before then.

To find out exactly what I'll need, I checked here at the US Embassy website (if the link has vanished you'll just have to go and look for it yourself). Being a male in his 40s, the chart tells me that I need to get Tdap, MMR and, weirdly, a Chickenpox jab (Varicella) that you can't get in the UK (but I had chickenpox as a kid so I don't know if that counts). Checking the price list, this would cost me £60 so I'm hoping that my own doctors can do this for less.

Update 1.

I called my doctors and asked about having a Tdap and an MMR. They had no idea what a Tdap was. I read them the description form Wikipedia and they're going to get back to me. This, of course, fills me with confidence.

Update 2.
They can do the injections. The time that would suit me would be Wednesday afternoon/evening or Thursday evening (1st/2nd July). The Sister is not available on the Thursday and is fully booked on the Wednesday (which is apparently "half-hour appointment day") so they'll have a think and get back to me. I actually offered to forget about it and I'd do it during my medical (It's kinda worth £60 just to avoid this kind of hassle) but they said they'd get back to me.

Update 3.
Having to number your updates is never a good sign. Still, we're now on for 3.30pm next Wednesday (July 1st).

Turn Your Head & Cough

So now we know when the interview is, I need to book my medical (the final letter from the NVC actually tells you to log on to their website and follow the instructions (for your country) to prepare for your interview).

For this I will need the following:

• Passport
  
• Passport photo
• £180
• Vaccination records
  
• Completed USA Medical Questionnaire

The first three items I have (or can get), the vaccination records I will get from my GP tomorrow (I called them and they seemed pretty cool about it) and the (country specific) Medical Questionnaire I have downloaded from www.ImmigrantVisas.state.gov (as the NVC letter states).

The Medical Questionnaire itself is a one page form at the end of the downloadable medical pdf (which contains some FAQ, directions, vaccination details etc…) which requires your case number, interview date, name, address, nationality etc... and then goes on to ask 21 medical questions. If you answer "YES" to any of these questions you must use a separate sheet of paper to give further details.

I rang a very nice lady at Knightsbridge Doctors who, even though they were busy, managed to get me a medical on the day I wanted (I am donating platelets on July 1st so I didn't want to have any vaccinations until after then) at a time that was convenient. Note: All immigration medicals are performed at their site in Bentinck Mansions.

I now have my medical booked for July 3rd.
Exactly one week before my interview…

Interview Date Set!!

So Foofer just got a letter from the NVC, dated June 9th, telling us that my interview at the London Embassy is set for July 10th. At first we weren't sure why this was sent to Foof. then we realised - they must really take this "agent" stuff seriously.

WOW.

This is also the last time we deal with the NVC. The letter states that, from now on, we should talk directly to the embassy.

Now, while Foof sends the interview letter to me (so that I can get into the embassy), I have to organise my medical.

It's suddenly all happening!!!
(and I couldn't be happier)

From Londonderry(NH) to Lambeth(London)

(Clicky 4 bigger)

So the paperwork has reached the US Embassy.
Yay!!

Coming to England

Have just heard, via the final NVC automated message, that my papers were despatched (or is it dispatched?) to the London Embassy on June 16th. My case is coming to England.

YAY!

The next thing that should happen (I think) is that the embassy will contact me for a medical. But before that, there is a(n unofficial) way for me to follow my paperwork from the NVC to the UK:

Every day the NVC posts a batch of immigration forms to various embassies/consulates around the world. The always use the same format for their tracking "EXP dd MMM yyyyA" where dd = day, MMM = month (JAN, FEB etc) and (guess what?) yyyy = year (the "EXP" and "A" don't change).

Some examples are: "EXP 08 JUN 2009A", "EXP 24 DEC 2006A" & "EXP 16 OCT 2008A"

The date you will be after is the date mentioned on the automated message (or maybe the day before/after that). Go to this site and enter your reference. This will give you a list of the packages sent on that day. Find your country and track your package...
(update: Mine (9343816182) has gone from Londonderry NH to Boston MA to Wilmington OH (I know that looks like the wrong way but DHL have a major site in Wilmington) and should be in the UK tomorrow(ish))

It's not a great help but, for some reason, it helps...

150 Days and Counting

The timer that I set on January 14th (go check - I'll wait) now* reads 150 Days**.

We're a LOT farther along this process than I dared hope.

Yay!!!

*Obviously, if you're reading this after June14th*** then the counter will show more than 150 days.
**It would also read exactly 5 months, but the site I picked, doesn't do months.
***Two points:
1- Notice I'm using the US term and I'm not saying "14th of June"
2 - If you are reading this on June 14th 2009, er, "welcome" and "who, how, why?"

NVC Automated Messages

For your own reference (and timeline) here are the main automated messages:

NVC Assigns a Case#:

"...This case was entered in the NVC computer system on _______. The case number assignned by the NVC is (Case #). Please allow 6-8 week from this date for the beneficiary to receive the documents"

DS3032/ AOS Fee Bill Generated:
"...NVC will mail...the beneficiary..." OR "DS3032 and AOS Fee Bill has been generated on________"

DS3032 Entered in the System:
"...NVC has received the DS3032, Choice of Agent and Address form on______.
Please allow 4-6 weeks before you will be notified by NVC..."

AOS Fee Processed:
"...NVC has received the DS3032, Choice of Agent and Address form on______.
and will send further instructions within the next few weeks..."

IV Fee Bill Generation:
"...The Immigration Visa Fee Bill letter has been generated on ____and will be sent within the next few weeks..."

IV Fee Bill Processed:
"NVC has received IV fee bill on ______ and will send further instructions within next few weeks. "

DS-230 Generation:
"NVC is expecting return of the biographic forms by the petitioner... "

DS-230 Receipt:
"The NVC has received the checklist letter response on ______"

Processing:
"The NVC received your documents on ______. Please allow 6 to 8 weeks..."

Case Complete:
"... your Case was completed on ______. Please allow 8 weeks for further instructions..."

Case Forwarded to Embassy:
"...The NVC has completed the case and forwarded it to the Embassy or Consulate in..."

Note - If you're outside the US, try a service like Skype to save on call costs (especially as, if you're like me, you'll be calling the NVC a lot more than you'd like to admit)

NVC - Complete

Our case was completed at the NVC yesterday.

YAY!