Additional USA Non-Immigrant Visa Application Process
 

Hello All,

I have also posted this within the Private Flying Forum

The US Embassy in London has introduced an additional requirement for the application of Non-Immigrant Visas this month (January 2003).

They now require *all* applicants between the ages of sixteen and fifty nine to attend the Embassy with all required paperwork for a formal interview with regards to the application. Sixteen to Fifty Nine year olds are no longer able to apply for Non-Immigrant Visa's (inc M-1) by post.

URL: http://www.usembassy.org.uk/cons_we...v/interview.htm

I thought it would be wise to let you all know, even though those of you who will be applying for this type of visa will be checking the US Embassy website for the latest information.

This information is for UK people only, I am unable to comment on applications from other countries / citizens.

My interview is for the 28th of January... applying for an M-1 so I can go to NAC in April for the FAA CPL/IR course. :-)

Best wishes,

Charlie Zulu

The rule wasn't meant to come into force until the 6th of January, but this was changed and was implemented from the 1st instead.
I didn't realise this and was somewhat a bit confused when i got my application back in the post stating in big capital letters "YOUR VISA HAS NOT BEEN PROCESSED"

So a brief phone call later, i'm off to London for the day.

28th of Jan seems to be a popular date, I'll be there too. Any ideas on the questions they're gonna ask?

I'm there around midday, so maybe see you in the waiting room with our "tesco meat counter ticket" in our hands for an hour or so.

I was speaking to someone I know who went for his yesterday.

He said it lasted all of 10 minutes and consisted of questions such as: "What is your job?", "Do you go to the USA often, why?", "You have an ATPL but don't use it, why?", "Why do you require an FAA licence?"... etc etc...

So nothing to worry about (hopefully).

Does anyone have any idea how long it takes (on average) from the interview to getting your passport and visa back. I need to start thinking about booking tickets and don't want to leave it to the very last minute.

What is the "special delivery" envelope that you refer to? What papers do you need to take with you to the embassy. I suppose that your flying school in the States will provide you with the application forms that you need to fill in.

Bill

The special delivery envelope is one which you get from the post office. You have to have it with you otherwise the embassy send you out for a little walk to go and get one. It is basically some sort of next day, self addressed recorded delivery service. The forms which you will have to take with you come from two sources 1. The embassy and 2. The flying school. As far as I'm aware, the type of forms which the school sends you, very much depends on which school it is. Not much help in there really I'm afraid. When speaking to the embassy on the phone, you don't get a great deal of information. I ended up simply liasing with the flight school and the embassy to try to sort out the contradictions. In the end the flight school called the embassy to sort it out because I was being told the opposite of what the school was told by the embassy. Got there in the end though!!

Hope this is some help for you.

scotte

Thanks Scotte, that was helpful.

By the way, Which School are you going to train with? I am still in the process of obtaining quotes for an FAA CPL/IR completion course. Air desert pacific quoted me a very good price but I am not sure about the quality of instruction and the servicability of the a/c.

I have been told that for an FAA CPL/IR it is far better to train with a School who specializes in American training as opposed to some of the US Schools who concentrate on JAR stuff but also happen to offer FAA courses.

I am currently preparing for the written exams which I am going to take at Norwich.

Cheers, Bill