My Visa Interview

By Colin
 
Sorry that it has taken so long to post this -- but at last, here is a post about my visa interview experience.

I had to stay overnight in London, so I booked an evening flight for the night before, and I managed to find a reasonably priced hotel that was around 20 minutes walk from the embassy.

I didn't sleep much the night before the interview, waking up at least once and passing the time watching wrestling on television.

On the morning of the interview, I was up in good time and made my way to the embassy with the help of a map that was provided by the staff at the hotel. I didn't bring my phone, because I had read that phones weren't allowed inside the building (this rule later turned out to have been changed, and it was now only large electronics like laptops which were prohibited). I arrived at the embassy around 7:30, half an hour before my appointment as instructed on my letter. There was already a large queue.

There was a delay in the K1 Visa people getting access to the building, because the staff inside weren't ready for them on time. I didn't mind, because it was a nice enough day. People outside were talking amongst each other, sharing their experiences of the process so far and talking about how nervous they were. This part didn't help me much.

Eventually our queue started moving and we went through a security check point. I then handed over some documents and was given a number to watch for, coming up on a screen. I'd estimate there were around 100 people waiting in the room, for interviews for various visas, with a steady trickle coming in throughout my wait. My number came up and I went to a window where I spoke to a woman from the UK who gave me a form to fill in which had questions on it that I had already answered several times on previous forms. I answered them yet again. I handed over documents and my passport with some more passport photographs and sat down again, waiting for my number to appear a second time.

This was going to be the visa interview. I was in a state of panic. I'm not good in interview situations at the best of times, and especially not if it is for something as important as that was. My number was called and I went to the window. It was an American lady on the other side of the glass, with a man shadowing her. She was really nice, and her approach helped to put me at ease.

I was asked only a few questions:

Who is petitioning your visa?
How long have you known each other?
Have you visited each other?
Have you met her parents?
Why are you going to the United States rather than her coming to the UK?

I think that was all, although the whole five minutes or so that the questions took to be asked is a bit of a blur. It all seemed slightly surreal.

After I gave my final answer, the lady said that she was pleased to tell me that my application was successful. I cried. I don't think she was expecting it, and neither was I, but after going through what we had so far and spending the amount of time and effort and the weeks and months of being apart from each other, I think it was an outburst of relief that it was almost over.

After the interview, I made my way back to the hotel and sent Victoria a message to let her know. She was awake, even though it was early in Washington, but she was anxious to hear how it had gone.

In preparation for the interview, I had printed off some pictures of me with Victoria in various places over the last two years and brought a letter that she had written to me as well. I wasn't asked for any evidence at all, though.

The next few weeks will be absolutely hectic, but I think the very worst part is over. New adventures await.