Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
United Kingdom	The 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!	QUOTE (karenandtrev @ Jun 16 2009, 06:32 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thanks Ellie, hopefully it all goes well! I also have a question, when it comes to the interview, does the visa automatically get sent to the address that packet 3 and 4 are sent to, or can you request for it to be sent to a different address?? Do you fill out the envelope that the visa gets sent in? Thanks in advance x We had Pat's sent to her office since she's not at home during the day. They only requested that Pat have a photo-id and a note authorizing the drop-off if they delivered it at night and she wasn't there. Good luck! Bob and Pat	Bob and Patricia	Male	England	2009-06-16 11:39:00
United Kingdom	The 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!	QUOTE (aoifee @ Jun 15 2009, 05:19 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I got it!!!!!!!!!!!! Wow - I'm blown away, absolutely over the moon. Flying out on 26th June. Only 11 days away!!!!!!!!!! I was really expecting approval with pending docs but we had no problems at all. Interview lasted about 45 seconds. Only two questions asked: Where did you meet? When did fiance move to US That's it, your application is all in order. Congratulations. You can expect your visa in 3 - 5 days. My jaw dropped. I stared at him in disbelief for several seconds and then said That's it? I'm approved? and that was that. I am totally shellshocked. 18 months waiting and over in 45 seconds. I can't believe it!!!! Guys - thanks for being such a fountain of wisdom and understanding. Aoife. It all is rather anti-climatic isn't it? Congrats Bob and Pat	Bob and Patricia	Male	England	2009-06-15 05:27:00
United Kingdom	The 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!	QUOTE (Gary_UK @ Jun 12 2009, 11:52 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (John and Camie @ Jun 12 2009, 09:34 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Just dropping in to check on Ellie! Today's the big day, hope she's got some good news to share, I'm sure she will! I'm guessing that's a really nice glass of wine she is enjoying right now. I'm doing the same thing just checking to see if there is any news... C'mon Ellie After Pat's interview we did a Gin & Tonic at a pub a few doors down from the Marble Arch Inn. My first ever and I think I've found my other summer drink. Bob	Bob and Patricia	Male	England	2009-06-12 13:32:00
United Kingdom	The 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!	QUOTE (John and Camie @ Jun 8 2009, 06:17 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> ADD ANOTHER STAR!! My Honey did it!! He'll fill me in on the interview when he gets home, but he PASSED!!! Ellie girl, you're up! Wooo hoooo we love good news out of London! Bob and Pat	Bob and Patricia	Male	England	2009-06-08 06:24:00
United Kingdom	The 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!	QUOTE (Nik+Heather @ Jun 4 2009, 07:35 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Well, it sounds like Nik's interview was a lot like all the others except that the computers were down, so they need to "run a few more checks" before the big approval. BUT they kept his passport, so...we aren't really upset. Security took 10-15 minutes (he says loads of people didn't get the "NO PHONES!" memo), and his 5009 sticker said it was issued at 8:03 for his 8:00 appointment. He was out around 11:15 - 11:30 Documents taken: I-134 - Tax Transcripts 2006-2007 - Tax Return 2008 - Employment Letter 2 US passport photos Birth Cert (+ Copy) Police Cert (+Copy) Passport Appt Letter Tall, young American guy interviewed him "pretty friendly" Questions asked: "Please write down your fiancee's full name, and sign" Nik says this was at the bottom of the DS156K. The interviewer joked that this is his "little test" as he checked he got my name right. Nik says he passed. Then he was sworn in. - How did you meet? - Who asked who when you got engaged? - Where did you get engaged? - Have you lived abroad (he didn't care about the under teenage years in Germany) - How long was your longest visit to the States? - How many times have you stayed for 3 months in the States? - When are you likely to travel to the States? I had told Nik about the card machines being down lately, so he brought and paid with cash, so we don't have an update on that front. Anyway very short. We feel pretty confident despite the computers down situation preventing us from the official approval, and will be looking for the passport with the visa sometime early next week!!! Congrats and nice mini-review there for the new folks joining the group. Bob and Pat	Bob and Patricia	Male	England	2009-06-05 11:07:00
United Kingdom	The 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!	QUOTE (Nich-Nick @ Jun 4 2009, 02:04 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (Nik+Heather @ Jun 4 2009, 01:25 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Having this all out of the way months before the wedding makes me feel a lot more relaxed, except that I want people to be able to buy tickets while the prices are so good! :-/ I think ticket prices are more about the month of travel. My experience with going to the UK the last how many years, is that if you can travel before the end of May, it's cheaper. Summer fares are normally higher and go back down around October. They naturally jack up the fares when people are most wanting to travel. Kinda like gasoline prices around here go up on Memorial Day weekend. I think the same is true any travel. Pat's airfare for her POE in early July is nearly twice what I paid for my trip there the end of May. Bob (wondering if booking passage on the QEII might be cheaper)	Bob and Patricia	Male	England	2009-06-05 10:51:00
United Kingdom	The 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!	QUOTE (MonkeyJuice @ Jun 3 2009, 04:08 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Hi Everyone Just thought I'd pop in & say hi. It's been hectic since I got here, unpacking, getting settled, getting to know the neighbours, familiarising myself with the house & making it that bit more girly! It's been great so far & we are both so happy. By the way, POE Chicago was a breeze. The only downside was the long queue waiting to be processe but the CO was really smiley. This process has been the most stressful of our lives but we are grateful for the help you guys gave on here on VJ. I couldn't have done this without the advice of others. It's so worth it though in the end & Mike & I are so happy, we're smiling all the time! I still can't get my head around the fact that I'm here permanently & I'm not using the visa waiver programme!! It feels fab Good luck to everyone else with the POE's & also to those still waiting for your visas. Laura & Mike (Monkeyjuice) Glad your POE went so well. Itold them to look out for you when I left Tuesday night localtime (Chicago). Pat has left her notice @work and it looks like she'll be traveling on the 4th of July.. kinda appropriate that my brit arrives on the same day we declared our independence from England. Bob I was joking about them to look out for you Edited by Bob and Patricia, 04 June 2009 - 10:19 AM.	Bob and Patricia	Male	England	2009-06-04 10:18:00
United Kingdom	The 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!	QUOTE (Gemmie @ Jun 3 2009, 07:06 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Congratulations all of you for your medicals, interviews, visas and POE! It's so good to see such great news in here.. I really appreciate the level of care that people show others. VJ is probably the best website that I have ever visited (apart from the one where I met my fiance, of course!) or will ever visit. We saved thousands of $ as VJ became our lawyer.. thanks to everyone that helped us with our journey. I know I'm not leaving for a while, but I love seeing all of these good vibes. It's such a wonderful thing to have so much good news here. This group really comes together as a community to celebrate our successes and comfort those that have had some setbacks in the process. So many other success and setbacks that we never hear about. When you think about all the others out there going through this process w/o the VJ community, and even some on VJ that don't normally inhabit this thread. For example, Pat and I have some friends here on VJ that were recently interviewed/approved (stardust86 on May 19th, and James and Allie on June 2nd). But because they don't stop by this thread, the community at large does not know them or their successes. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I cant think of another group I'd rather make this trip with. Bless you all, Bob	Bob and Patricia	Male	England	2009-06-03 10:03:00
United Kingdom	The 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!	Pat's visa was delivered this morning. Two business days. Looks like the embassy has sorted out their delay issues.	Bob and Patricia	Male	England	2009-06-02 08:44:00
United Kingdom	The 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!	QUOTE (krystiandjon @ Jun 2 2009, 07:08 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Approved!!! Interview was great, in @ 9 am out at 11:30. Now, dazed and confused from whirlwind weekend travel, I'm off to work! I think that deserves at least one dancer Nah dancers are cheap, and you deserve it. Congrats! Bob and Pat	Bob and Patricia	Male	England	2009-06-02 07:58:00
United Kingdom	The 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!	QUOTE (JimandChristy @ Jun 1 2009, 02:44 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> So woooohooooo! Hey congrats! Bob and Pat	Bob and Patricia	Male	England	2009-06-01 16:57:00
United Kingdom	The 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!	QUOTE (Nich-Nick @ May 31 2009, 03:19 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (Brookeluvsadam @ May 31 2009, 03:07 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Just a silly little fact- If you press ALT 0163 on a US keyboard you come up with £ £ £ £ Hey it works. Thanks. 0163...0163...0163...must remember..... Oops, thought that was known on here.. I guess I should have said something before when people were talking cut and paste to insert the pound sterling symbol. Bob (Home again) 33 days 07 hours 01 minutes from Pat's POE	Bob and Patricia	Male	England	2009-06-01 05:39:00
United Kingdom	The 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!	Can we get an AMEN from the choir?? And a red approved star would be nice too. Sorry didn't post earlier but we were busy with post-interview celebrations and just trying to get home from London. The interview went well... was kind of like flying in an plane.... Hours of boredom punctuated by seconds of sheer terror. Pat did really well even after drawing a complete memory blank and bumbling one question The long and the short. Took the train to London the day before. Stayed at the Marble Arch Inn... small but clean and inexpensive (£65 double bed, private shower and toilet) Did the tourist thing that afternoon/evening and got to bed early. Friday morning we left our suitcase along with laptops and mobile phones in the hotel lobby and walked to the embassy.. about a 15 minute trip. We arrived 30 min before her 9:00 appointment. There was no queue and we were ushered to security. I had to run back to Goulds with Pat's electronic remote car door opener. Once inside she was given #5015 and we sat down in the waiting area. Numbers 5003 and 5004 we just being called to the pre-screener/cashier as we sat down. We waited about 2 hours 20 minutes before we were called to the pre-screener. He took Pat's fingerprints, handed her her chest x-ray, and took the forms we needed to provide (Birth, Divorce, Police certificates, Affidavit of support and related documentation). I was directed to the cashier and paid the visa fee. We went back to our seats and waited 40 more minutes for the interview. We were called to an interview window, where the woman took Pats fingerprints again (Supposedly it was to confirm it was actually her). Pat was then sworn in, I was cautioned to keep my mouth shut, and the questions started. As I mentioned above she handled everything well except for a memory blank. The question was what was the name of the chat program we met on. Another question that kind of threw her was "how long have you dated?" Being an internet couple there was really no formal dating period in the sense of going out to dinner and taking in the pictures. Pat tried to explain this and overall I was very proud of her. Finally minutes/hours/days later the woman smiled and said she was happy to tell us that Pat's visa application had been approved. I almost let out a shout of joy and my normally cool. calm, and reserved brit allowed herself a few tears of happiness. We paid the courer fee, left the embassy, and plopped ourselves down in the grass of Grosvenor Square where we hugged, kissed, and hugged some more. We had lunch and a drink at a pub near the hotel. And then collected our bags, changed clothes into something more comfortable and knocked around town until it was time to catch the train home. Line problems on the main line forced a detour and we finally got back in Manchester an hour late.. very tired but happy that we were approved. Thank you one and all for the support you've given on this ride. Looking forward to seeing success stories coming out of London in the future. Bob and Pat	Bob and Patricia	Male	England	2009-05-30 04:32:00
United Kingdom	The 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!	QUOTE (Bob and Patricia @ May 21 2009, 03:22 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (MonkeyJuice @ May 21 2009, 01:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Good Luck PJ&JAM for tomorrow! Bob, I'll wave out of the window of the plane when we pass each other next Wednesday! You'll be absolutely fine at the interview..easy peasy, lemon squeezy! I'm leaving Chicago Tuesday evening and it's an overnight flight landing at MAN 7:20am. I may be stuck in passport control again so I'll wave to you from there. Bob I was waving my fool head off but nobody waved back so I guess we missed each other. Hope you had a good POE, Pat and I will be sure to pick your brains on the experience. I got through passport control w/o a hitch yesterday, although it was shaky for a few seconds. Again was the question of the relationship with the friend I had come to visit. As I said 'fiancee', I'm expecting a whole line of questions related to that and to be motioned to the glass holding room again. Instead, to my surprise, he only said, "Don't ever let her hear you call her a 'friend' again mate." Bob	Bob and Patricia	Male	England	2009-05-28 03:20:00
United Kingdom	The 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!	Moira... You'll do fine. Like you said a few weeks back, you got the family sorted out with yahoo and web cams. There will be chat times and holidays spent together. Have a great POE! Everyone else, thanks for the well wishes. We're getting ready to catch the train to London. Planning on doing the tourist thing this afternoon and evening, then kick some tail at the embassy @9. Will drop a line on here when we can find a WiFI hotspot tomorrow afternoon. Bob and Pat	Bob and Patricia	Male	England	2009-05-28 03:15:00
United Kingdom	The 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!	QUOTE (PB&JAM @ May 22 2009, 07:13 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> sorry to be the bummer of the group! Friends aren't bummers to the group. We all feel your pain. I know my heart took a big slump when I read your initial note and followups. Fill out your forms, write the letters, and get your man over here. Godspeed to you and Paul. Bob and Pat	Bob and Patricia	Male	England	2009-05-22 07:28:00
United Kingdom	The 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!	QUOTE (Ellie-and-David @ May 21 2009, 05:30 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (PB&JAM @ May 21 2009, 06:06 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thanks everyone!! Yes seems like a great month for interviews! i hope not to break the streak! Yes Bob n Pat, will get them used to saying yes! haha. U two will do great i know it! I have a new respect for everyone who has been through this, I didnt imagine how nervous I would be. (and i'm not interviewing even, paul is). I havent been this nervous since i went bungee jumping!! no joke, this process is as nerve wracking as jumping off a 10 story bridge with a pile of pointy rocks below!! Good luck for tomorrow!!!!!! ......... I think i'd take the bungee cord rather than do this process ever ever again Ain't that the truth. It kinda brings to mind two things I've recently heard. First off, Dad tells me 'You really must love her to be going through all this'. And second from Pat herself, 'You know I wouldn't do this for just anybody'. I really have to hand it to each and every one of us out here. You've all been great and I can't think of another loose group of tightly knit friends that I'd rather make this journey with. Cheers, Bob	Bob and Patricia	Male	England	2009-05-21 20:24:00
United Kingdom	The 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!	QUOTE (MonkeyJuice @ May 21 2009, 01:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Good Luck PJ&JAM for tomorrow! Bob, I'll wave out of the window of the plane when we pass each other next Wednesday! You'll be absolutely fine at the interview..easy peasy, lemon squeezy! I'm leaving Chicago Tuesday evening and it's an overnight flight landing at MAN 7:20am. I may be stuck in passport control again so I'll wave to you from there. Bob	Bob and Patricia	Male	England	2009-05-21 15:22:00
United Kingdom	The 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!	QUOTE (H&V @ May 21 2009, 12:42 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Good luck PB&JAM for tomorrow!! Ditto on the well wishes and get them used to saying yes at the embassy! One week from now Pat and I will be at the Marble Arch Inn waiting for her interview on Friday morning the 29th. Bob Edited by Bob and Patricia, 21 May 2009 - 01:02 PM.	Bob and Patricia	Male	England	2009-05-21 13:01:00
United Kingdom	The 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!	QUOTE (JM & Vid @ May 21 2009, 11:13 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Hello Members of this forum, I have been following your discussions for the past 2 weeks ever since i received my interview letter from the Embassy in London. It has actually blessed and informed me in my case. Toady I was approved of my K-1 Visa at the after a 2min interview with the CO. Though my case was a bit complicated, I am so happy and waiting for the return of my passport in 3-5 working days as I was told by the CO. I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart, you are doing a very great job here. I will keep you all informed as things unfold. Wow even more good news out of London lately.. congrats! Bob and Patricia	Bob and Patricia	Male	England	2009-05-21 11:25:00
United Kingdom	The 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!	QUOTE (RBAL_TN @ May 21 2009, 10:37 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Just wanted to drop in a note that we both attended the interview on Monday May 18 and were approved!! I was expecting the visa to be returned to us by Friday, but the courier had it back to us by Wednesday (never seen gov't be so quick). Now we are packing and heading back to the US on 29 May. Next stop - wedding! Hey congrats! I'm wondering how many single people Manchester will have after us on VJ steal them all away. Looks like your travel day is our interview day. Bob and Pat	Bob and Patricia	Male	England	2009-05-21 10:49:00
United Kingdom	The 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!	QUOTE (laura819 @ May 20 2009, 10:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (Brookeluvsadam @ May 20 2009, 11:26 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> so i havent been around much.. but just wanted to jump into this thread.. My fiance will be leaving for his interview in about three hours!!! Im so nervous I dont know what to do with myself!!! Wish us luck! Good luck! I stayed up most of the night with nerves...I fell asleep for 2 hours and then when he called to say he was approved, he woke me up and I was up for hours after that! then I crashed haha and slept a good part of the day. That's one of the reasons I'm going to be by Pat's side for the interview. Her sanity, and mine. Also it's my last time to see that side of the family until we go back sometime next year, or they travel here next summer for our church blessing 2nd wedding. (Our real wedding will be just us and a captain on a sailboat off Florida this summer) Bob	Bob and Patricia	Male	England	2009-05-21 09:25:00
United Kingdom	The 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!	QUOTE (laura819 @ May 19 2009, 04:12 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> APPROVED! ....or atleast I think so! He called from a pay phone I think and he got cut off really fast, but he said we have been approved and they took his passport, so no additional docs. at least! I will get the whole story as soon as I can! Thank you for all your wishes everyone Woooo hoooo way to do it... get them used to saying YES! Bob and Pat	Bob and Patricia	Male	England	2009-05-19 08:17:00
United Kingdom	The 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!	QUOTE (Alixhilary @ May 18 2009, 10:54 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Hey All! Just want to say that my visa coming 2mos..... Finally Hope everyone doesnt have to wait as long as I did! Rich I'm a little lost here. Your interview was only 3 weeks ago. How did your visa take 2 months? In any event congrats! Bob Edited by Bob and Patricia, 18 May 2009 - 11:04 AM.	Bob and Patricia	Male	England	2009-05-18 11:02:00
United Kingdom	The 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!	QUOTE (H&V @ May 15 2009, 05:22 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Happy to report we are approved!!!! Wow, now the rest of my life can begin! On the train home now so will write a full report later but wanted to say thank you to everyone on here for all the help, advice and support we've received. This place has been a godsend and I intend to stay with it for all the other processes and form filling to come. So thank you!! Gimme one of those shiny stars please! Bob and Pat like seeing shiny stars! Congrats!	Bob and Patricia	Male	England	2009-05-15 08:31:00
United Kingdom	The 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!	QUOTE (MARM @ May 12 2009, 09:13 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Congrats Moira!!! Drum roll please... My fiance is APPROVED PENDING PASSPORT!!! Congrats Marm and Moira! Bob and Pat (always doing the happy dance with good news out of London)	Bob and Patricia	Male	England	2009-05-12 11:59:00
United Kingdom	The 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!	QUOTE (KAT&Allie @ May 10 2009, 02:47 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Hi guys, I know I haven't been in touch for a while...too busy packing and sorting things out before my departure and the wedding. But all this has now been postponed. As some of you may remember, I had my interview on 29th April and was told to expect my passport back within 5 working days. well, 5 days have come and gone by and still no passport. DOS is saying it hasn't been printed yet!!!! #######!!!! I was supposed to fly out today and the wedding was organisedd for this coming Tuesday. It seems that everybody will be there exept for the bride !!!! He flew back to Florida by himself today... it was heartbreaking waving goodbye to him... Absolutely gutted.... DOS is saying that it's at Embassy's discretion when they print the visas and they can take as long as they want and we just need to sit tight and wait. Honestly, I thought that getting NOA2 was hard but this - I have never expected or would have believed. My fiance will be calling his congressman first thing tomorrow morning to find what the hell is going on. But the boat has sailed - I shall still miss my own wedding... Can't find words to explain how devastated I feel right now... as we haven't waited long enough to get our NOA2.... I'm off to cry some more... I usually wake up and check VJ finding happy news of interviews gone well, but I was blown away by your bit of news today. Both Pat and I echo what the others have said on how sorry we all are for you. Having your fiance contact his congress critter is a great idea though. Perhaps they can light a flame under somebodies tail to get it printed ASAP. With you working it from that end on the extortion line, maybe you can make something happen. Bob and Pat	Bob and Patricia	Male	England	2009-05-11 05:48:00
United Kingdom	The 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!	QUOTE (MARM @ May 8 2009, 07:45 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> January 2009 Graduates of the US Embassy, London Jason&Sarah, Hannah+Vito, Mrssmith, ShannonNick, adrianandlinsay, Marmite Lovers! February 2009 Graduates of the US Embassy, London Rob&Dawn, Zoe and Hal, Terri and Seb, Talyss, TeeKol, March 2009 Graduates of the US Embassy, London Stinky Monkey, skparker, Laurence+Lauren, pothergavel, paumanda, texpat cymru, obbynox, jhonscotland, Caminic, Furious Biscuit, ahlpo, jojo_gee April 2009 Graduates of the US Embassy, London DairyFarmer, skeez&titanic, SwanTiger, miss g, LondonLad, niniel71, mr and mrs, Stinkerpotsam, Marty J, prima and jay, Helen&Dougie, KAT&Allie, KnightAndMagpie, paul., Kirsten UK May 2009 Interviews 1st May 2009.....Graziumphry..................K-1 1st May 2009.....gary e83........................K-1 1st May 2009.....emma77........................K-1 5th May 2009.....Monkey Juice.................K-1 5th May 2009.....Gemmie........................K-1 12th May 2009....MARM...........................K-1 12th May 2009....mrs_sdp.......................K-1 15th May 2009....H&V..............................K-1 19th May 2009....laura819........................K-1 22nd May 2009...PB&JAM.........................K-1 Still waiting for approval stevi1123..........16th October 2008 - Approved pending additional documentation Marie620..........12th January 2009 - Denied Dave and Jess..10th March 2009 ? The Dip Sticks..25th March 2009 ? Alixhilary..........27th April 2009- Approved pending additional documentation Colinjess..........27th April 2009- Approved pending medical results = APPROVED Updates/New entries/changes highlighted in blue - will go to normal color in the next update. Please let us know if you have an Interview Date to add to the list, updated information or corrections. ^^^Just bumped the interview list to view upcoming interviews. For right now, it looks like my fiance will interview on May 12. DOS says May 12 is still his interview date, we are waiting on an email from the embassy confirming this and explaining what to do because he does not have his passport yet. Poke Pat and I into the list for 29th May 2009 at 09:00 YES!	Bob and Patricia	Male	England	2009-05-08 10:24:00
United Kingdom	The 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!	QUOTE (mr and mrs @ May 7 2009, 07:26 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> bob, was it a little room off to the left-hand side of the immigration checkpoint with a water cooler? Yes thats the place! I'm surprised you didn't get your camera seized. Most of those black signs with white letters that you see on the walls... "No cameras or mobile phones in this area." I had no idea my story would generate so much comment... when it all started as a comment itself. When I fly back for the interview all I'm claiming is that that I'm there on holiday to visit a friend I've know for 3 years. I'm sure my passport has been electrically flagged somewhere and I'll have yet another story to tell. Bob	Bob and Patricia	Male	England	2009-05-08 07:35:00
United Kingdom	The 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!	QUOTE (Damian P @ May 7 2009, 10:42 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (Bob and Patricia @ May 7 2009, 08:48 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> My April visit to Pat almost ended before it started. To make a long story short, I waited for 2 1/2 hours at passport control. They almost didn't let me in because they thought my American Express Gold card and £150 in currency was close to vagrancy. QUOTE They called Pat twice and then embassy to confirm our stories. Why did they call her twice? Did the first person that called her not understand English? I got a few personal message on this so I'll tell the whole group instead of one at a time in PM. I said it was a long story, you've been warned At passport control. The nice lady asked why I was here, and I told her i was on holiday... visiting a friend. She asked me who and how long I had known said friend. I said it was my fiancee and I had known Pat 3 years. I don't know if this is a red flag but this turned into a cross-examination.. are you here to get married. where does she live, whats her birthday, where does she work here, will we be living in the states or the UK, has she lined up a job there yet.. do you have a job, do you own a home... and on and on.. I muddled thru the answers as best I could.. I got little sleep on the plane and my body clock was telling me it was 2:30am. She asked where I was staying and how much money I had.. I told her I was staying at Pat's house and had my American Express charge card, my bank debit card and about £150 in currency. She then wanted to know if Pat was there to pick me up and I replied no, Pat was at work. So I got asked how I was going to find my way to her house. I told her i was taking the train into Manchester and meeting Pat at her office... this seemed to satisfy her. She wrote down so many notes on the entry card I filled out on the plane that she had to go to a separate sheet of paper. I was motioned to a holding area and she came back every 10 min or so to ask more questions and then disappear again. At one point I even broke out my 2008 1040 tax return to show that I make damn good money, and I'm not thinking about skipping the US. Eventually she called Pat who of course confirmed the fiancee story and said I was staying with her. Immigration told her they were concerned that I had so little money on me and was Pat going to be responsible for my living expenses while I was here. I guess people that carry gold class credit cards are destitute. Satisfied with Pat's answers, they told her they'd release me. 20 minutes later I'm asked more questions about our relationship, where we're at in the visa process, etc. The Immigration lady left again for some ungodly time and comes back saying the embassy in London has no record of Patricia and suggests that my entry into the UK might be fraudulent. Now I'm sweating bullets and all I can envision is waiting until the afternoon return flight and thinking I'll be put on it.. in handcuffs.. (yeah i know it was a bit dramatic but I was really worried). I tell her call Pat again to get her LND number. (All my paperwork is in checked baggage and they haven't/won't let me get to it.) They place another call to Pat, get the case number and call the embassy. Another 20 or 30 minutes later I'm finally given my passport and allowed to go. All told, I'm held there for nearly 2 1/2 hours.. sheesh. Then I get downstairs to baggage and my bag is sitting in the middle of the floor completely unattended. All I could think of is a thousand airport PA voices saying Do not leave your bags unattended, Unattended luggage will be disposed of by the fill in the blank police department. Bob	Bob and Patricia	Male	England	2009-05-07 11:11:00
United Kingdom	The 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!	QUOTE (mrs_sdp @ May 6 2009, 08:28 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> ....... I would finally be able to enjoy the long flight without worrying about whether they're going to let me into the country or not! ....... My April visit to Pat almost ended before it started. To make a long story short, I waited for 2 1/2 hours at passport control. They almost didn't let me in because they thought my American Express Gold card and £150 in currency was close to vagrancy. They called Pat twice and then embassy to confirm our stories. 15 years of international travel and that's the first time I was picturing being sent back on the next flight. Bob	Bob and Patricia	Male	England	2009-05-07 08:48:00
United Kingdom	The 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!	QUOTE (MonkeyJuice @ May 5 2009, 04:25 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Just got back & would like to say we are APPROVED!!!! OMG! I was a nervous wreck waiting for my number to be called & I'm so glad I went at 7.30am for a 9am appointment. I was number 5002 and that took 1 hour & 15 mins to be called to the 1st window. I was only asked for Passport, 2 pics, Birth Cert, Police Cert, I-134 & 2008 tax return. Didn't even ask for the W2'a or 1099's. Then I sat back down & waited 45 mins to be called for interview. Had the lovely, smiley American guy. He asked lots of questions but if you know your fiance well, it'll be fine. He said the docs were all in order & he was delighted to approve my visa! woo hoo!! I'm so relieved & it defo wasn't an anti-climax for me! Though I so glad this part is over. Next step...POE Chicago! Wooo hooo, congrats, and welcome to the Chicago/Northwestern Indiana area! There are a few other Mancunians in the area and hopefully we'll soon get my Pat here too. Bob (I love waking up early in the morning to see London approvals.)	Bob and Patricia	Male	England	2009-05-05 05:41:00
United Kingdom	The 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!	Does anyone know if the extortion line is open on UK bank holidays (like today) Bob	Bob and Patricia	Male	England	2009-05-04 06:19:00
United Kingdom	The 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!	QUOTE (mrs_sdp @ May 1 2009, 09:59 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Hi All ... I just phoned the DOS and my interview is on 12th May at 10am ... I am over the moon - I thought they had forgotten all about me ... Can someone please post the telephone number that I need to call to book my medical? I don't have the paperwork with me at work and I don't finish until 10pm!! I want to get it booked asap in view of the holiday weekend. Thanks in advance ... have a BRILLIANT FRIDAY!! WOOT!! Moira x From http://www.visamedicals.info/us.asp The number is 020 7486 7822 Congrats!	Bob and Patricia	Male	England	2009-05-01 10:07:00
United Kingdom	The 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!	QUOTE (Nich-Nick @ Apr 30 2009, 10:22 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Embassy time charts The days on here are just based on VJ member timeline data and aren't reports from the embassy. But a VJ sampling is often a good indicator. So it's averages and not what's the quickest I can get a response and an interview. Some delay interviews like we did, and MARM has, so it skews the averages longer. Then others put an immediate wedding date and London puts them in ahead of those who didn't give a date, even though they sent in forms earlier. Like Laura said, it's kind of all over the place but maybe the overall averages work out to be fairly accurate for the fairly average case. None of you are "average" BTW...it's those other blokes we don't know. hahahaha Well said. And for all my belly-aching we're ahead of where we thought we'd be at this point in time. It's just when you see that light at the end of the tunnel..... Well that and Pat accepted an offer on her house.. come onnnnn May interview date! Bob and Pat	Bob and Patricia	Male	England	2009-04-30 22:31:00
United Kingdom	The 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!	QUOTE (laura819 @ Apr 30 2009, 07:15 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (mrs_sdp @ Apr 30 2009, 08:10 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (laura819 @ Apr 30 2009, 08:01 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Guess the DOS lady that told me May interviews were already schedule was wrong! Hopefully this makes you feel a bit better that there is still hope! Have you done any investigating as to where your file is? Hey Laura ... yes, it does make me feel a little bit better. My docs are with the Embassy - no doubt about that. DOS has had them on their system since the 26th of March. I just posted re an email I sent to the Embassy on Tuesday, so hopefully I'll hear something soon. I'm not looking for anything concrete from them ... I'm just needing a little bit of reassurance that our case is being looked at actively ... Hope the time flies for you .. congrats again! Moira x I'm sure you've already said this, so I am sorry for asking again but could you confirm with DOS at all if the embassy has everything needed to schedule the interview? Did they say you are eligible for the interview, like they did to Bob? If they didn't, I don't think this is a problem, because they never said that to me at all...but it would be interesting to know. Hopefully in their response to you they tell you what the issue is. I'm assuming you send in all the forms, and the checklist? Did you make sure to check all of the appropriate documents on the checklist? The only 'explanation' I ever got was London is a very busy station and things move slow. I recall seeing some charts somewhere on VJ that London was like teh 3rd busiest behind the Philippines and Moscow. Just my $.02 worth, Bob Bob	Bob and Patricia	Male	England	2009-04-30 21:19:00
United Kingdom	The 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!	QUOTE (laura819 @ Apr 30 2009, 12:25 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Add me to the list of interview dates!!! May 19 at 8:30 am! So excited Hopefully May is going to be a great month for all of us again! Congrats on the date! We're pulling for a May interview ourselves. Returned packet 3 on April 11th so it seems possible they can fit us into May. I called the DOS today and still same thing.. she's been approved for a date but none has been assigned yet... sigh. Bob	Bob and Patricia	Male	England	2009-04-30 14:55:00
United Kingdom	The 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!	QUOTE (KAT&Allie @ Apr 29 2009, 06:28 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I've got to dash to work but I just wanted to let anybody who might be interested know that my visa's been approved @ 9:40 this morning!!! . It was by far the easiest part of this whole visa journey. Got all my originals back including the letter of employment. I'll write the review a bit later. Now the countdown to the wedding can start - 13 days to go... Wow that's great news out of London today! Congrats! Bob and Pat	Bob and Patricia	Male	England	2009-04-29 10:06:00
United Kingdom	The 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!	QUOTE (laura819 @ Apr 28 2009, 12:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (Bob and Patricia @ Apr 28 2009, 12:37 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (mrs_sdp @ Apr 27 2009, 07:07 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Hi All .... I guess that's any hope of a May interview out of the window then - I didn't realise that all next month's interviews had been allocated already. Is it too early to be worried? I keep seeing you lovely people getting interview dates before me ... and am beginning to wonder if there is a problem with the docs I sent in. I suppose everyone's circumstances are different and that all applications take different amounts of time ... Oh well ... no chance of our mid-June wedding now .... Have a great week everyone ... Moira x I've been calling DOS every other day and they tell me Pat is qualified for an interview, but no date has been assigned yet. In my mind I keep thinking.. FFS if they know she's all set for an interview, why can't they just assign one?? Paper shuffling between desks? I'll give it another few days then start digging into it.. maybe have Pat call the expensive line, get the email code and carry on from there I guess. Bob What do you ask them to get them to say she is qualified for an interview? When I asked them today if Sven is qualified for the interview or not, they just said that the embassy will send out a letter when they schedule the interview... I'm gonna wait til next week and try calling again. The first time I heard that, it was volunteered freely. "Yes I see she's been approved for an interview but no date has been set" The 2nd 3rd, 4th times I asked. "So she is approved for an interview... correct? We're not waiting for anything else?" The answer is always something like "Yes she is approved and ready for a date to be set" This last time I also asked about her medical to make sure that was all ok. As far as I can tell we're not waiting on anything other then an appointment date. Good luck, Bob (and Pat)	Bob and Patricia	Male	England	2009-04-28 12:52:00
United Kingdom	The 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!	QUOTE (mrs_sdp @ Apr 27 2009, 07:07 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Hi All .... I guess that's any hope of a May interview out of the window then - I didn't realise that all next month's interviews had been allocated already. Is it too early to be worried? I keep seeing you lovely people getting interview dates before me ... and am beginning to wonder if there is a problem with the docs I sent in. I suppose everyone's circumstances are different and that all applications take different amounts of time ... Oh well ... no chance of our mid-June wedding now .... Have a great week everyone ... Moira x I've been calling DOS every other day and they tell me Pat is qualified for an interview, but no date has been assigned yet. In my mind I keep thinking.. FFS if they know she's all set for an interview, why can't they just assign one?? Paper shuffling between desks? I'll give it another few days then start digging into it.. maybe have Pat call the expensive line, get the email code and carry on from there I guess. Bob	Bob and Patricia	Male	England	2009-04-28 11:37:00