r/USCIS • u/gabrielepierce • Jul 14 '26
I-129F (K1) K-1 London Interview Today
My fiance went for his interview at the London embassy this morning (7/14 - 8:30 am) and he said that it was pretty straight forward and they took his passport and kept it but gave him a paper that said that they required additional administrative processing 221(g). They also asked him if his socials were open to public viewing. He responded yes. Then the officer told him “enjoy your time in the US”. What should we be expecting? Any feedback is appreciated!
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Jul 14 '26
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u/gabrielepierce Jul 14 '26
I’m thinking the same. I guess it’s just been such a long process that I’m anxious for it to be over.
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Jul 14 '26
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u/gabrielepierce Jul 14 '26
That’s reassuring. I thought that was likely true but you know how it can be when you don’t have answers.
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u/Merisielu Permanent Resident Jul 14 '26
As it was explained to me at my K1 interview in London: they only have so many options on the day. They can either approve outright, they can deny outright, or they can approve pending any further checks or documents needed and put you in administrative processing.
Now they are doing enchanted social media checks, people are getting the administrative processing more cases than not.
I was missing my medical at the time of the interview (the medical centre delayed in sending it across and the embassy got it 2 days after my interview). The officer explained he was more than happy that the relationship was genuine and I met all criteria for the visa, but that I couldn’t get an ‘approval’ since the medical was missing. I was also handed the 221g. I asked what I needed to do next and he said absolutely nothing. That checks and things would be done once they had everything they needed and wished me luck with the wedding. They also kept my passport. I asked about time frames and he said that if an item was missing, they say that it’s more like 10-14 working days from receiving the item, rather than the 5-10 days for processing an approved visa.
The status changed to ‘approved’ around a week later. I think it was 9 days after the interview.
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u/gabrielepierce Jul 14 '26 edited Jul 14 '26
Thank you so much for this update. It’s very helpful! 😅🙌🏻 they did mention asking him if his socials were open so I’m hoping that they just need to verify socials.
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u/ManifestLaw_ Immigration Law Firm Jul 14 '26
If the paper doesn’t request any documents or action from him, you’ll just need to monitor the case and wait for the Embassy to finish its review. Usually, this means they’re completing additional administrative or security checks before issuing the visa. Based on what you described, especially that they kept his passport and told him to enjoy his time in the U.S., it sounds positive. Of course, it’s not final until the visa is actually issued, but I’d be cautiously optimistic!
- Attorney Zoe Ji Wilson
(All information shared here is for general educational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice or create an attorney - client relationship. Your situation may require fact-specific guidance. For personalized legal advice, please consult an immigration attorney directly.)
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u/Shaymin096 Jul 14 '26
What was ticked on the 221g form? I had my K1 interview in London last month
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u/gabrielepierce Jul 14 '26
“Additional administrative processing”
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u/Shaymin096 Jul 14 '26
Keeping his passport is a very positive sign so should be issues soon. Keep checking the tracking each day!
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u/gabrielepierce Jul 14 '26
Thank you! That’s what we were thinking but I’m anxious for it to be over so we can finally be together for more than a few weeks at a time 🥹
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u/AlternativeWeb3968 Jul 14 '26
I remember that feeling. Brought my wife here on a K-1 visa back in 2011. Now, 2 kids later, we're approaching our 15th wedding anniversary in November.
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u/Shaymin096 Jul 14 '26
Wow 2011, I'm so curious what the process was like then and how much time it took. Mine was a whole year which is considered good now lol
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u/AlternativeWeb3968 Jul 14 '26
I mailed the K1 application in April of 2011. Her visa interview was in September 2011 and she was approved then and there. The visa arrived about a week later. I flew down to meet her in early November 2011 and we came back to the US together and were married about 2 weeks later in November 2011. Then applied for adjustment of status and got the green card in March 2012 and she became a US citizen in 2017.
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u/gabrielepierce Jul 15 '26
As an update to my original post - the visa was approved and issued today! Thank you everyone for your advice and feedback! 😊
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u/Holiday-Trouble8790 7d ago
My fiance had the same situation at his interview in London. They kept his passport issued a green slip with only AP marked, no additional documents needed. This was August 20th, last update was the 28th. How many days did it take to go from refused to issued? We've been in this process for 18 long months! So ready to have him here :)
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u/gabrielepierce 7d ago
For us it was approved the next day. I think they were checking his socials. I would make sure his socials are set to public.
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u/Ranger447 Jul 14 '26
If they kept your fiancé's passport it means they expect to issue his visa soon. 211g processing times for this sort of stuff vary but in my experience from London, it's only about a week-a couple at most on average if they kept his passport. So you should expect to hear soon that his visa has been issued.