Visa Las Vegas!

At 8.35am BST on 11th July 2009, I received a phone call.

From the couriers.

This was unexpected to say the least.

"Would you mind having your package early?"

"er . . . when?" I replied is a slight state of confusion.

"Ten minutes?"

So I now have a package from the Embassy . . .

Note - Shortly after this the status on the courier tracking site changed to:

Our records indicate the item has been delivered. If not received please call 0870 389 1000

11/07/2009

3-5 Working Days

The nice lady at the courier counter at the Embassy said that my visa should be processed in three to five working days and then would be couriered to me overnight.

She also told me that I should check their website, http://www.thedx.co.uk/, every evening after five o'clock to see if my visa will be delivered the following day.

So, this morning (about 5.15am), while chatting to Foof (isn't Skype wonderful?) I logged onto their website for a trial run.

Currently their website has the above tracking box on the right side of the main page. Just enter the ten digit invoice number and click the "find" button.

You are then asked to enter the post code of the delivery address.

My "Delivery Status" told me that my package was due for delivery on July 13th.

Huh?

What happened to 3-5 working days??

I shall be in from 6am - 8am on Monday morning, just in case this is for real.

After the Interview

Still feeling a bit light-headed and confused, I queued up at the courier's counter and, when called forwards, handed the lady my (pink) form.

I paid for early morning (6am-8am) delivery (you can track your package too) and ended up paying just under forty pounds on my debit card as they had no change.

The courier chatted to me and made that weird noise that I get a lot when I tell people that I'm going to live in Vegas.

I walked back to the pharmacy, retrieved my phone and called Foofer (even though it was 1:50am in Vegas). We talked for a long time, I moved to a side-street (called Red Place) as it was quieter there.

Afterwards I texted practically everyone I knew.

The Interview (part two)

You queue at reception and show them your letter - they scan the barcode, print off some stickers and stick them to your letter.

You will have a number on the stickers.
Non-immigrants will have N100, N102 etc
Immigrants (on my day at least) have I851, I852 etc.

You go and sit in the seats and stare at the screens. There is a shop and some toilets. There also seemed to be free internet facilities but there was a queue and I didn't want to get distracted. There is also a photo-booth near to the cashier.

I may have put window 11 in the wrong place.

You sit until you are called. They start calling at eight. At first the calls are in order but, as soon as people start getting called back a second time, it appears to degenerate into chaos.

The non-immigrants vastly outnumber the immigrants which mean that the (first and second) calls for immigrants are easier to follow.

On my day the non-immigrants were called first, there only seemed to be a handful of immigrants. The ratio of 7:1 held out for the first hour but then the number of non-immigrants seemed to swell.

I was called to window 14, given my x-ray from the medical, asked a few simple questions (non-interview mainly) and gave my fingerprints. The guy checked my documents were all there (thanks NVC), said the fee was already paid and had some fresh photos from me.

I sat back down.

An eternity later I was called to window 16 where a friendly American gentleman checked my fingerprints (to see if it was really me) and asked me to raise my right hand and swear an oath to tell the truth.

He then asked:

"How many times have you been to Vegas?"
"What's the longest time you've stayed in the US?"
"When did you get married?"
and
"How did you meet?"

He then asked:
"If I was going to approve your visa, when would you be travelling?"

Then he told me to go to the courier and arrange delivery of my visa. I stood there dumbfounded. I was sure I'd misunderstood.

I asked him if that was all . . . he answered "Yes, your visa is approved!"

Yay!!!

The Interview (part one)

I was at Goulds chemists at 7.30 when it opened.

I stored two mobile phones there for the massive sum of £3.

I walked towards the Embassy, crossed the zebra crossing and joined the smallish queue ahead of me.

You're called forwards and asked for your interview letter.

They ask if you have any electronics on you or metal. Those with electronics are sent up to the chemists while you are given a clear plastic bag for your metal (keys, change, belt).

You then join another queue where you will get called forwards to show your passport.

You then join another queue where you will get called forwards to go through a metal detector and put your bag and papers through an x-ray machine.

You then walk around to the North of the Embassy which is where the visa entrance is.

You queue at reception and show them your letter...

Preparation

Okay - http://www.metcheck.com tells me that it shouldn't be raining while I'm standing outside the embassy.

http://www.tubeplanner.com/ is a simple way to show me the best way around the Tube through I also check http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/livetravelnews/realtime/tube/default.html to check for delays (and there are a few today).

I'm also putting together a checklist of things to take:

• Passport
• Interview letter
• Money
• Passport-sized Photos (I'm taking three)
  

I'll also have the following:

• More relationship evidence
• Birth & Police back-up certificates (& 2 copies)
• My mobile phone in a bag, ready for the pharmacy drop-off
• Train tickets
• Hotel reservation
• Tube route (see above)
• Door key (I must remember to leave my car keys at home as they are banned from the Embassy)
• 2 cards (1 credit, 1 debit)

And while we're at it - deodorant, battery shaver, toothbrush, toothpaste - all to be thrown away at the hotel so I haven't got any baggage. I'm wearing an old shirt now and underwear/socks I won't miss. I'm taking a (plastic) bag with underwear/socks and a nice shirt to wear on the day.

Medical Notes

Amersham Station.

If you don't know your way here it can be tricky to find. The station itself is small and cramped with ticket booth #2 well hidden.

View Larger Map


Finchley Road.

Yes, it is simply a case of crossing over the platform but, remember, the train you're leaving is a tube train. It's doors don't stay open for long. A large group of people on the train with me were chatting and joking as they were getting off and seemed not to notice the "doors closing " alarm. Some got stuck on the train (and I'm guessing had to swap for the Jubilee Line at Baker Street instead - a much more complicated step).

Bentinck Street

No, I didn't find it first time - I was distracted by Hinde Street Methodist Church (it was surprising to see a church wedged into such a tiny area) and didn't notice that Hinde Street turns into Bentinck Street.

Waiting Room Advice

Have your medical form filled out with as much information as possible. There was one guy there who didn't know what a case number was (I repeat - it's not that he didn't know what his case number was, he didn't know that you were given a case number by the NVC - he had to phone his fiancée for advice (not the last time he had to do that too)). Be prepared. Read all the immigration forums/blogs you can (example). Have your £180 in a little bundle/envelope, ready to pay.

Other Advice

• Always get there early and do some scouting (applies to the medical and the interview).
• So far Foof & I have had no major hiccups, that's mainly because we keep planning ahead and we check and re-check each other's paperwork.
• These people are all just doing a job. If something goes wrong it's better to ask their advice than to give your opinion.

Recon

Very useful map
(click it for a more legible size)

So, while I was waiting for my appointment at the doctors', I wandered down to the American Embassy to do a little reconnaissance for my interview on Friday. As there are many exits from Bond St. tube station I haven't tried to draw a route on the above map, I've just provided some shops to use as references to get your bearings.

Points of note are the chemists:

View Larger Map

and the embassy itself:

View Larger Map

What's Up Doc? Part 2

So, once you've come back from your x-ray (mine was done in a back room by a very friendly gentleman) you will wait in the waiting room again.

Eventually you'll get called for your examination - the doctor will come for you personally (or at least greet you at the door of the examining room).

As this will be different for everyone I shall just go over what happened to me:

First, a chat. This showed that the form you bring in is, essentially, a waste of time. The doctor sat down with me and filled in another, more official looking, form. She went over anything unusual in my medical history and double checked my vaccinations.

Then I was measured. Weight (I was 2.5kg heavier than when I'd weighed myself earlier that week - oops), height (at least I hadn't shrunk/grown) and, moving me over to stand by the examining "couch", my eyesight

As I was standing by the examining couch... I removed my shirt, sat on the bed/couch and breathed as an ice cold stethoscope was pressed against parts of my torso. I had my blood-pressure taken too. At some point she checked my ears too.

So I might as well lie down... Now I had various parts of my body pressed upon as my lymphatic system was given a thorough MOT.

And while I'm relaxed... My jeans had to be opened up and I had to turn my head and cough (really!) - also, if they need to look at any part of you that's still covered up, (operation scars, extra testicles etc.), this is when they'll ask.

Bloodshed, literally Finally she took a blood sample (for HIV and syphilis) and informed me that, pending results from my blood test/x-ray, I'd passed and that my details would be sent to the US Embassy next week. If there were any issues they would call me immediately. I had the correct vaccinations (yay!) and immunities (I'd had chicken pox as a kid) and went back to the waiting room while they wrote up the bill. I started to bleed again and got taken to a store room where I got patched up.


A short while later I paid my £180 (in cash as it seemed the quickest way to do it) and I was off, back towards Bond Street and a long journey home...

What's Up Doc? Part 1

View Larger Map

That's the door, the doorbell is on the right.
Press the button and you'll get buzzed in.

Once inside, walk forwards and head right.

Reception is just through the next door and it has two hatches.

You'll hand in your passport (which they'll photocopy and give back) your medical form (plus any additional sheets) and any vaccination records. They'll then send you around to the waiting room (straight on, turn right - I'll hack together a bad floorplan and include it in the second part of this post).

Once in the waiting room they'll surprise you with a quiz. It will be mostly the stuff from your medical form, just answer the yes/no questions on the top half of the first page and sign the HIV disclaimer on the last sheet.

Hand the forms back and sit in the waiting room until they call you for your x-ray.

Amersham

I arrived in Amersham at 9am and parked in the multi-storey car park that's just to the east of the station.

I paid for parking (£5) and walked to the station where I paid a further £9 for a return ticket to Bond Street (zone 1) which turned out to be an "off-peak day travelcard".

The train pulled into the station as I approached the platform (as this is the first stop the train was empty) and it left (with me on board) at 9.20

At Finchley Road station I stepped off my train, walked across the platform and stepped onto the Southbound Jubilee line train that would take me to Bond Street.

I arrived at Bond Street at 10.20, headed north (I had a tiny compass on my £5 backpack) from Oxford Street into Stratford Place and then realised that this was a dead end and had to come back. I wandered up Marylebone Lane until I saw the church at Hinde Street and knew I was at the doctors'...

View Larger Map
If you're looking at the church from this angle, you have your back to the doctors'

Jabbed!

As you may (or may not) recall, I decided to have some vaccinations prior to my medical to save some money as the NHS will give me them for free. I needed the MMR for measles, mumps and rubella and the Tdap for tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (whooping cough).

So the nurse gave me my two vaccinations, the first being the MMR (a live vaccine apparently). The second, she explained, had been for tetanus, diphtheria and polio. Sorry? Polio?

It turns out that the NHS don't do the Tdap.

So I'm a little confused as to what happens next.

Logically, as the Tdap is not a live vaccine, I can have that on Friday but who knows.

Stay tuned...

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!!