My husband and I drove down to LA from Oregon, USA on the 12th. Our appointment was on the 17th. We arrived in the consulate, were asked if we had an appointment, and sat down to wait for our turn. It was then that I recalled that we had not made copies of our documents, so we got that taken care of promptly, as they had a photocopier right there in the office. My name was called, and we went up to the interview window. Almost immediately, the woman interviewing us raised a problem to our attention: the marriage certificate we presented was a copy and not the original. Basically what had happened was that the original had a misprint; when I went to my county clerk to have it corrected, they gave me back a copy with something attatched to it stating our correction, and this was what I presented to the interviewer. She had to check with someone else before coming back to let us know that it was ok. We sorted through the rest of the documents we'd brought along, and were told to come back in a couple of hours. When we came back, we were told that our application had nearly been denied, but that she had gotten us an interview with her superior, and so we'd have to come back two days later. We left the office and just broke down in tears, feeling so terrified that our case was going to be denied. Basically, the problem was our finances: my husband left his job a couple months ago(though he's been searching for work since, while he's been here in the US with me) and I have a lot of problems with my legs, which make it somewhat difficult for me to find work. They worried that he would not be able to support me(he had 5,000 in his account) and pay for private health insurance so I could get the knee replacements I've been needing. We contacted his mother and asked her to fax a letter of support to the consulate. We asked his sister to send a letter of support stating that she'd hire me on as sort of a mother's helper, tending to her children while she works, e.t.c.. We asked his brother to fax a letter stating he would hire my husband on(he works as an electrician). Really, we certainly should have had these before, but thought we had built a pretty strong case without them. In any event, we came back two days later for the interview, were ushered into a separate room where we were asked a number of questions regarding our financial situation, and in about 15 minutes, I was issued my spouse visa!!! It was certainly a very stressful couple of days, especially considering we were putting our life in someone else's hands, in a sense. But I am so glad and relieved to know that in one week, I will indeed be moving to England with the love of my life. I'd like to thank the people at the forum who gave me such great advice, and wish the best of luck to all those who do what we've done.
