Hi Everyone,
Here is our day at the Embassy for a B1 Visa in full:-
[u]The Appointment</u>
First ring the premium rate tel no. for an appointment, they give you that straight away.
The letter they send gives you all the details of the appointment, and what you need, including payment slips for Barclays bank where you have to pay £60 before you turn up.
The letter says be prepared for a long wait (Correct), it also states no large bags can be taken in the embassy, (Wrong) we saw all sorts of bags, carry on types with wheels, holdalls and rucksacks. If it were me i would take one with drinks snacks and a paper or book.
We had an appointment for 10.00am, it says you should not turn up any more than half an hour beforehand, as you will not be allowed in.
We got there at 9.30am and there was already a large queue outside the building.
[u]The Queue</u>
We joined the queue at 9.30am which was already down one side of the building and round the next side.
At 10.20am an embassy guy called for all 9.30am appointments to form a queue to the side of the big queue, alot of the people in the big queue jumped left to the second queue, we moved forward.
10.45am the second queue had gone and he calls for the 10.00am appointments, we quickly jump left and shot further to the front.
As we reach the front they check our passports are in order, then we go through a gatehouse which has the regular security xray stuff, once through we are inside the large fench but not in yet. Walk back down 2 sides of the building and finally enter the embassy at 11.00am. Greeted by another guard, i have to hand in my camera (Sight seeing later) which we get back at the end. Next we move into this gigantic room.
[u]The waiting room</u>
The room is huge, has approx 20 rows of seats 12 wide, about 240 people. Once inside you have to join another queue, this time its just to get a number and buy the registered envelope that they will send your passports in.
There are these TV screens with the next number to be called on and also they make announcements, "Number 240 to desk 9". This seemed to go quick we are called up to the desk at 11.25am, the desks are just like train information counters, about 12 running down the side of one wall. The person on the other side of the glass takes our application forms, passports, payment slips, paid envelope and any other documentation we had brought, no real questions, just collecting everything and making sure everything is filled in. This takes 2 mins then we are told to sit down and wait to be called again.
[u]The Wait</u>
We sat back down at 11.27am, and began studying the TV screens alittle more in depth. The numbers seem to be going down fast but thats the queue for the first window, then it dawns on you that there is a second line of numbers been called back up to go through to the second window, these were about 100 lower than ours and didnt seem to be going up very quickly. And so the wait begins, watching the numbers below you slowly move up, whilst an ever growing number keeps getting called to the first window, people who have come in after you.
There is a little snack bar, which has bottles of coke 0.95p, and crisps 0.65p and other snacks and coffee etc.
As the number on the TV grows ever closer, you start to get hope, weirdly every now and then a number after yours gets called and they are away before you, then it grows closer and you start talking to people next to you swapping tales and seeing what number they have. It gets to feel like the lottery, will the next number be us?, then yes "380 to room 25" we have won, no we are required at the window.
[u]The Interview</u>
So we finally make it to window 25 at 2.25pm, the lady there has all our documents and asks us why we want a B1, we explain we would like to go over for a while to chill out, then find a business to purchase, to qualify for an E2. She asks why do we need a B1 again i explain because we want to buy a business and dont want to do it whilst on the Visa waiver program, we just want
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