Day of Interview
Our interview was scheduled for 8am on the 26th of November 08. We woke up around 5:15am and set out 5:45am, guess what? It was 2°C and freezing cold. Before setting out we checked all the documents again to make sure we didn’t forget anything and it is in order.
Outside the Embassy
We got to the embassy exactly 7am and we were the 4th on the line. While on the line i saw people making calls and people with IPod, i was smiling. Later on, it starts getting clearer and one of them who’s read the label at the stand walked up to me to ask if they have storage inside, i told her you’re not supposed to be here with electronics ‘cos they don’t. Around 7:20am somebody came out to address us and told people with forbidden items to go to the nearby Chemist to drop them off ‘cos it’s not allowed inside the embassy and also cost £10. We were still 4th after the information but a lot of people lost their spaces ‘cos the place gets filled up every minute.
By 7:30am our letters were checked with the ones they had and asked to go through a security check, just like the ones at the airport. When going do make sure you have a tight trousers ‘cos your belts will be off for some time.
7:45am we were inside at the front desk, our letter was checked again and given ticket with number 5xxx. We moved upstairs to the main hall. They had so many non- IV applicants. Before we went for our docs submission, we had counted 12 Immigrant visa applicant with some been family based and marriage.
1st Stage - Documents Submission
8am on the dot we were called to window 13 to drop our documents. When we got there we met a British African woman herein after referred to as counter lady (CL) and we as applicant (Appt).
CL: Morning
Appt: Morning
CL: Can i have your ticket and appointment letter please
Appt: Gave her
CL: Your fingers on the machine please. Left first then right and 2 thumbs together
Appt: We did
She wasn’t smiling, we were not smiling to
CL: She went for 3minutes and came back with yellow payment form with our names on it and a big brown envelope but she didn’t give us that. Pay at window 12, she said.
Appt: Ok, I checked it and found she wrote our surname wrongly so I told her immediately the surname is not written correctly and she made the correction. We paid $1550 and it lasted 10minutes. Their rate was lower, it came to £1030 instead of £1058 we changed it at Thomas Cook. We returned to window 13
CL: Receipt please and handed over our X-ray
Appt: Handed
CL: Can i have your international passports please
Appt: Handed over 4 passports
CL: Why 4 passports
Appt: I have 2 passports, 1 filled up ‘cos i travel a lot and the other the new e-passport. She’s got 1 old one and 1 new e-passport.
CL: Your marriage certificate, (Original + 2 copies)
Appt: Handed
CL: Your educational certificates, (Originals + 1copy). She said main applicant only
Appt: Handed and asked why she’s not getting the other person’s certificates
CL: I need only the main applicant. Ok, bring it for record purposes
Appt: Handed
CL: Your Birth certificates, (Originals +1 copy)
Appt: Handed
CL: Do you have affidavit of support (AOS) please
Appt: Yes please, we have our own funds + AOS
CL: Bring the two, please. One after the other
Appt: Handed
CL: I want just letter from Bank and employers + AOS. No bank statements
Appt: OK, gave her letters from our banks stating balance as at Monday, 24th Nov 08.
CL: This is OK but let me see the AOS to. Perfect, but I’ll keep the two for the consular officer
CL: Police certificates please. Nigeria and UK (Originals + 1 copy)
Appt: Handed
CL: You still have a valid US visa, can you open to the pages please
Appt: Did that and gave them back to her. She tied with rubber band and put it in our file. The visas are on our old passports.
CL: She smiled at us and we smiled to. She said i’ve been working here for years, i mean years she said, but i’ve not seen this kind of calmness and organisation before.
Appt: My wife said nothing to fear about and he’s a project engineer so he does his things like that every time. You’ll hardly satisfy him. He's too meticulous and pays attention to details a lot.
CL: Smiled again and said that’s good, keep it up. She gave us the pink courier form. Fill it for your passports to be returned to you. I wish you the best of luck. Please, do wait at the waiting area for your number to be called by a consular officer for an interview.
Appt: OK, thanks
We went back to our seat and my wife said the 1st time we were here the interview was window 21, 2nd time window 17 and now window 13, reducing by 4 each time. This is the last time we’ll be here, she said.
No photographs were taking from us and AOS for only the main applicant was collected. This doesn’t mean you should not go with yours, please.
Interview Proper
At about 30minutes later, our number was called and asked to go to window 16. Here we met a lad hereafter called consular officer (CO) and we applicant (Appt).
CO: Morning, how are you?
Appt: Fine and you?
CO: Fine
CO: Those are your original documents and your old passports.
Appt: Thanks
CO: Raise your right hand. Do you make an oath that whatever you're presenting to me is true?
Appt: Yes, we do
CO: Your fingers on the machine please. Left first then right
Appt: We did
CO: Your wife works in the bank and you work in the oil and gas industry
Appt: You’re right
CO: I can see you’ve been to US severally and you liked it over there, so you want to relocate permanently.
He continued, you’ll want to go to California where your sponsor is for some time. Everything is alright; he pushed the blue form to us through the window opening saying l’ll be putting you on administrative processing (We interrupted).
Appt: Why
CO: Because the finger prints you brought are from Nigeria, you’re supposed (Then my wife interrupted again)
Appt: No, we did the fingerprinting at our local police station in Aberdeen. I then contributed by saying we have done our home work before coming here, it is on (quoted the link on US website) the procedure for obtaining it.
CO: Really, can i have a look at the original again.
Appt: I brought it out and he checked again
CO: OK, good, sorry it was my mistake. Perfect, everything is fine; he picked the blue form back. On your way out give the pink form to the courier for the delivery of your passports.
Enjoy your new life in America. Bye
Appt: Bye, I checked my time we spent just 3minutes
I’m so sorry, on this occasion we were not asked any question apart from ‘How are you’ and 'oath'. He did the talking and we did the nodding like Lizard. It was just a chat and some clarifications made. Finito
On our way to the SMS courier, I checked our current visa on our old passport, it was cancelled without prejudice. Overall, it all lasted 1 1/4hours. The waiting time was far more than the documents collection and interview time which altogether lasted about 20minutes.
I tell you it was just God’s favour. We did our part and he finished the rest.
I hope this would be of help to somebody.
Please do remember, ‘Every case is Unique in itself’ (aadepetun, 2008).
Lessons Learnt
1. Go for your interview early enough; we were there 1hour before the time. Also keep your 2nd NL handy ‘cos they check at every stage except main interview.
2. Study/Research to show yourself approved. I tell you it always work. Bible even said it so do exactly.
3. Prepare your documents far ahead of time and in the order stipulated
4. Make extra copies of your documents. We made 2 each.
5. They’re human beings to, look into their eyes when talking please and challenge if necessary.
6. Look around stylishly while still focused to check things on the consular officer’s desk; you might be lucky to see the next thing that’ll happen. In our own case, I saw the blue form on the side so I thought ahead he wanted to give that to us because of our laminated certificates, so I was already getting the WAEC scratch cards ready and thinking of something else that could cause it. So try to look and think ahead.
7. Don’t hide anything from them; they’re good in finding things out
8. Don’t be scared to talk to them even when they’re wrong.
9. Be optimistic about the whole process from the start and trust in the Lord for success.
Overall, this people are very nice and helpful. I tell you they respect you when your docs are genuinely in place and know a lot about what you’re there for.
Good Luck to everybody and hope to meet you guys at the TOP someday.
THE END
