Hi everyone....... WE DID IT!
Yay!!
Thank you all for your encouragement and support and crossed fingers
![[smiley=2thumbsup.gif]](https://www.talk.uk-yankee.com/Smileys/classic/2thumbsup.gif "2thumbsup")
Sorry I took a while to reply. We had been up very early in the morning and both crashed when we got back.
So, the interview.....
It was all fine of course, but you can't help but worry. It turned out we had things we didn't need but it's better to be safe than sorry.
Surnames A-H go to the doctor's office first at 8am, surnames I-Z go to the embassy first at 8am then the doctors). We got there about 7.30 and there was already a line!
By 8am there were quite a few people behind us, but it doesn't matter where you are in the line by 8 o'clock because when they open the door they just gather everyone in the waiting room. At this point a woman gives out information cards in a plastic pocket for everyone to read.
You need to place your passport, medical questionnaire, a passport photo, and your vaccination records in to the plastic pocket and return them to the reception. (Altogether you need to have four photos, two ¾ face and two full face, one of the full face photos goes to the doctors).
After you hand that in they seem to call everyone back somewhat randomly, (I was 3rd to be called
) then you have to pay £125. You then take your folder down to another waiting room and are called for the blood test first, then the chest x-ray and finally to see the doctor who checks your medical questionnaire and vaccination record and performs a quick physical examination.
(Brooke would just like to say that the doctor's waiting room is hot and stuffy and when she was there they couldn't get the window open!)
After that you are given your x-ray and then go straight to the embassy. (Total time we spent in the doctors was 1hour 15mins). If you don't have all your vaccinations you are given them at this point and then go to the embassy. If you are walking from the doctors to the embassy, (or vice-versa if your surname is I-Z), it's about a 10-12 min walk.
At the embassy, after going through security, you go to window number 1 and give them your appointment letter and pay $335. We then went back down past the entrance to get the courier envelope for them to send the visa to you, (pay £10). You could get this on the way in..(saves you going back down again!).
They call you up once to gather all your paperwork and then you wait...... You are then called by the consular officer. There are apparently 2 of them; the one another couple saw was a woman. They claimed she was very cold, never smiled and grilled them both about what they would be doing for employment in the US, etc. The guy we saw was smiling and was really nice
He never asked me about employment or what I would be doing, but maybe this was because Brooke already has a job and was my sponsor. He just went over all the paperwork, said everything looked good and then took my finger scan and then explained the process I would follow at my point of entry to the US.
Usually after this you would have to take a seat again and wait for the medical results, but while we were talking to him the results came back, so he said, "good news, you’re healthy"
He said, "Everything’s fine, you can go. Your Passport and visa should be delivered between 1 and 5pm on Monday. Don't open the sealed visa envelope. That's to give them at your point of entry". Total time at embassy : 2½ hours.
YAY!!!
Sarah (MarsBar) was right; take a book and a drink. For Brooke the doctor's office was hotter than the embassy! Either way there's no air conditioning.
So we then went to celebrate at Wagamama, (with air conditioning
)
Laurie (& Brooke)
