US Embassy Visa Hell!

Well, it looks as though the dream is over before it even started and we failed to get through the first hurdle and are now officially "undesirables".

Its been a crazy week, after another day with the Robinson's in Brooklyn on the 2nd of January we flew home at stupid o'clock and arrived back in the UK on Tuesday the 3rd around 8pm.

Up the next day and off to our final Individual Consultation meetings where we were officially served with our Notice of Redundancy and then off to the Solicitor's to drop in copies of the Severance Contracts before our meeting on Monday.

We spent Thursday catching up with work and stuff and getting ready for the trip down to get our Visa's on Friday.  As advised in the guidance we put together a pack containing evidence of our ties to the UK in terms of family and property, evidence that we were on a trip in terms of the the details of the camper van buy-back and a provisional route map, and details of our finances to demonstrate that we have sufficient funds to cover the trip.  We printed out all the relevant documentation and put it all together with our passports and photos.

We decided against the train as the tickets were £160 each due to it being peak hour, so we got up at 5am and drove to West Ruislip where we caught the London Underground to Marble Arch and walked down to the US Embassy on Grosvenor Square.  Even at 08.30 the queue was snaking in front of the building and it was freezing.  Women were feeding babies as they stood in the queue and people were fumbling with papers and passports with numb fingers.  Armed police officers in the background.

First stage was to show your invitations and DS-160 which allowed you to enter the first queue.  When called over to the next queue we were retired to show our invitations and passports before entering the second queue.  People were entering the security building but many were leaving and hurrying down the street only to return and rejoin the second queue again flustered and sweaty.  We finally got into the security building in groups of 3 of 4 only to be told that we could not take our car key into the building as they qualified as an electronic item.

Suddenly, it became clear why people had been scurrying around with red faces.  We were given the option of paying to store the key in a little pharmacy a few streets away but Mike took it on himself to stash it in the leaves in the park in the centre of the square.  Back into the second queue again, back into the security building, through the scanner, outside again, round the corner and into the main building itself to join another queue.  This time we had to present all of our bar coded documentation again and we given a number.  N112, it will stay with me for a long time!

So we then entered the immigration hall and sat down in a section on the left hand side where we waited to be called to windows 1-12. After 15 to 20 minutes we were called to window 4 where we went through stage 1 which involved submitting all our papers again and having our finger prints checked at an electronic scanner.  We then sat down an waited to be called to the next stage when we would be called to windows 12-25.

It was at this stage that I began to think about the whole thing. Who do the USA they they think they are that gives them to right to treat people like this?  Between us we have travelled to many countries in the world and never have to go through a process like this to get a Visa.  A little voice in the back of my head kept asking me if I really wanted to spend a year in the country that treated foreigners in this way....I began to add up the time and money we had spent on the process so far.......As we sat there with the calls for numbers to windows rolling out in an almost hypnotic way, it became clear that we were different, or special, in some way.  Numbers in the high 100's and early 200's were being called through to the second stage but we were still sat there.  Now and again low numbers were called N09 to Window 17, 111 to window 23.  All of a sudden after about and hour we were called, N112 to Window 17.  It was time.

We were expecting an interview, how silly were we.  A young American girl sat at a desk behind a class window.  We had to stand at a counter and had to bend forward to hear what she was saying.  she had our papers on her desk with Mike's police certificate on the top which she kept tapping with her hand throughout the "interview".  She seemed taken aback when we said we wanted to visit for a year and said that only 6 months in one year would be possible no matter how we did it including driving in and out of Canada.  She asked why we were planning such a long trip and we explained but it very quickly turned sour after that.  She refused to look at any of the documentation we have brought with us and asked us very few questions other than about our children, who because they are grown up and employed could not be regarded as ties to the UK.  She eventually said that because she could not see that we had any ties to the UK she could not be sure that we planned to return and could not grant us a Visa even for 6 months.  She made reference at one point to lack of funds but when I asked to explain what she meant, because we had clear evidence with us of sufficient funds to sustain us for several years, she became flustered and said it was not her job to advise us about what might be regarded as ties to the UK.  Apparently a house, family and money in the bank is not enough.   She seemed to imply that you need a job to return to as well but ironically it is because we don't have jobs to return to that we are even able to consider a trip like this.  She did not give Mike a chance to talk about his retirement.  It became a blur after that as I realised what she was saying and could not believe it, shock and surprise quickly turned into anger and disgust and an immediate sense that I do not even want anymore to visit a country that was so arrogant about the way it treated decent people.

She passed us our documentation and a letter saying that we were ineligible for a non-immigrant Visa to the USA.  We could not appeal but we could re-apply which would mean going through the entire process from start to finish again including paying another $140 each for the privilege.  Do you know what?  Forget it!  Interestingly, the letter she gave us was already signed and dated before we got to the window and she just handed it to us as we left.  She had made up her mind before we even go there!  What a farce!  What a rip-off!  What a complete disgrace!  It all seemed so unreasonable that I began to question her real motives in my mind and its probably best not to go down that road..................

Clearly, it was a difficult and emotional experience and one we would never willingly repeat.  It is not every day you are humiliated and insulted by an arrogant young American who took 5 minutes to destroy our dream...............................

US B-2 Visa Application OMG!

Yesterday I spent 4 and a half hours submitting our DS-160 on-line Visa Applications.  OMG!  I am surprised anyone ever manages to get to the end of this process.  If you are ever thinking of trying it, read this post before you do and it might save you a few hours.

To be fair, so far everything has happened fairly quickly and the people we have spoken to have been friendly, helpful and courteous without exception.  We started a few weeks ago by doing a bit of on-line research to find out what Visa we needed and how to go about it.  The US Embassy Page http://london.usembassy.gov/visas.html is very helpful and explains everything you might need to know very clearly.  When you ring you always speak to a Scottish person so I can only presume their call centre is based in Scotland somewhere.  I suppose this could also explain why they are all so delightfully efficient and helpful too!

We quickly established that we need to make an appointment for an interview with the Embassy in London and fill in an on-line application form.  However, we also quickly discovered the first hurdle.  Many years ago, 13 to be precise, Mike had a minor altercation with the law when he damaged a door.  Yes, I know, the crime of the century, he damaged a door.  Its a long story best told at another time in another place.  The thing is that even a minor incident like this renders one potentially ineligible to visit the US on a B-2 Visa, or on any other visa for that matter!

Before we could even submit an application we had to go online and request a Police Certificate for him that would outline the details of the heinous crime.  Police certificate arrived a few days later, all very efficient and very quick.  The certificate read simply "No Trace".  Back on the phone to the Embassy for further instructions.  After paying Mike's $140 Application Fee we were given our next set of instructions.

Next step, download and complete a VCU 01 form and write, date and sign a Sworn Statement telling the location, date and circumstances surrounding said heinous crime.   Scan Police Certificate, VCU 01 and Sworn Statement and email to the Embassy then await their response.

48 hours later, again very efficient and rapid, email received stating that we can now make an appointment for our Visa Application interview....yippee!

That brings us to yesterday when we finally phoned to make our appointment and I paid my $140.  Appointment made for 09.00 on Friday the 6th of January at the London Embassy in Mayfair.  Great news despite the logistical challenge of getting there for 9am without spending  a fortune on an overnight stay.  Not impossible though, just a case of catching the 06.40 from Birmingham International.  When we are in London we are also going to open a US Bank Account to make the management of our finances easier when we are there.

We were then told the list of requirements to ensure our interview goes without hitch.  If we contravene any of these requirements we will be sent away with a flea in our ear and made to return on another occasion when we can get our act together properly!

The requirements are as follows;

• do not arrive more than 30 minutes before the scheduled time slot
• do not bring anyone with you
• print and bring the bar coded invitation letter
• print and bring the bar coded receipt of payment for Application Fee
• bring all the documentation relating to Mike's heinous crime
• do not bring mobile phones or any electronic devices with you
• do not bring large bags with you
• complete the DS-160 on-line and print bring the bar coded confirmation page with you
• bring your passport with you
• bring a photograph with you that meets certain detailed requirements
• provide evidence of funds sufficient to cover all expenses while in the United States
• provide evidence of a residence abroad to which you intend to return at the end of the stay in the United States. This is generally established by evidence of family, professional, property, employment or other ties and commitments to some country other than the United States sufficient to cause the applicant to return there at the conclusion of his/her stay.

Phew.................

Next and final step, complete the on-line DS-160 and print the bar coded confirmation page.
Easy to say!  This consisted of a multiple page on-line form that timed out every time you did not complete the page within the defined time period requiring you to log-in again using the Application ID and some passwords and security questions.  Problem was that you could not predict the information required and the level of detail required involved digging out CVs, family trees, old pay slips, scanning through passport stamps etc etc etc.....Everytime you had to look something up you got timed out and had to log-in all over again and so the afternoon whittled away. ...........

Information required included;

• Personal details including National Insurance and Passport Numbers
• Travel plans and an address in the US
• Details of any previous visits to the US
• Details of  a contact in the US
• Mother and Father's details and birthdates
• Details of relatives in the US
• Career and Educations details
• Spouse and travelling companion details
• All the other countries you have ever visited
• A long list of security questions about communicable diseases, terrorism, human trafficking, genocide, drug use, espionage, prostitution, money laundering, torture, murder, child soldiers, etc etc etc.......does anyone ever answer yes to any of these questions?

Another phew......

Just as I was truly losing the will to live came the point to upload a photograph that met the requirements.  All the photos on our PC would not load, were unsuitable or the file was too big.  We took some new ones and saved them but again the files were too big (so much for our expensive camera!).  We resorted to taking the photos with the Blackberry but had to load them onto the Mac and not the PC as we don't have right software on the PC.  Had to do this downstairs where the Mac is permanently connected to the Internet cable as the signal has been so **** recently that the wireless won't work.  The Mac could not read the photos so eventually we emailed them to the PC from the Blackberry  and attempted the upload.  Mine worked and Mike's did not as it was too ******* dark.......OH MY GOD!  Can you tell from the photos how thoroughly ****** off we were by this stage? Sorry, but I could not even be bothered to do my hair or put any makeup on.  Friends and family, I know you will find this hard to believe.

 So, if you are ever thinking of applying for a US Visa - Be Warned!  This process is truly a test of your genuine desire to go there...........................