US Visa Interview in London: What to Expect and What They Ask

TL;DR

A US visitor visa interview in London is by appointment only. Security is airport style: no laptops, no bags above cabin size, and no storage, so bring as little as possible. You are admitted no more than 30 minutes before your time, and should expect two to three hours inside. The appointment runs in three stages: form submission, fingerprints, then the interview itself with a consular officer.

What the appointment actually is

The interview is the last step of the process the US Embassy London application page sets out: complete the online DS-160 and print the confirmation page, pay the fee and schedule the interview at ais.usvisa-info.com/en-gb, then attend with all your documents. Interviews are by appointment only, and the embassy's interview page describes how the day runs.

One detail decides whether you get through the door at all. The DS-160 must be signed and submitted at least 2 business days before the appointment, and its number must match the number held in your appointment account. If it does not, entry is refused and the appointment must be rebooked. Check both numbers the night before. Our DS-160 guide for UK applicants covers the form itself.

What you can and cannot bring

Security is airport style. No laptops and no bags above cabin size, and there is no storage at the building, so anything you cannot carry in has nowhere to go. Keep belongings to a minimum.

A mobile phone may be brought in, but it cannot be used at any stage. Bring the printed DS-160 confirmation page, your passport, your photograph and the rest of your file, and little else.

Admission is no more than 30 minutes before your appointment time, so arriving very early does not get you seen sooner, and arriving late can cancel the appointment. Once you are inside, expect to be there two to three hours.

The three stages

1. Submit the application form. You hand over the printed DS-160 confirmation page and your documents.
2. Fingerprints. Your fingerprints are scanned.
3. The interview. You speak to a consular officer, who decides the application.

What the officer asks about

The embassy does not publish a question list, so what follows is our advice, drawn from the interview briefs we write rather than from an official source. In our experience a visitor visa conversation turns on five themes:

• Purpose of the trip. Where you are going, what you will do, how long you plan to stay.
• Ties to the UK. Your job or studies, family here, a tenancy or a mortgage: the reasons you come back.
• Funds. Who is paying for the trip, and whether that money is visible in your file.
• Previous travel. Where you have travelled before, and whether you returned on time.
• Consistency with the DS-160. Your answers should match the form you already submitted.

We recommend answering briefly and directly. The interview is short, the officer has your form in front of them, and a plain answer that matches what you wrote does more for you than a long one. If you hold documents that support an answer, say so rather than reading them out.

What section 214(b) means

Most visitor refusals are made under section 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act: the officer was not satisfied that the applicant qualifies, most often on ties outside the US. There is no appeal. You may reapply with a new fee and a new DS-160, and should show changed circumstances. The State Department explains this on its visa denials page, and we go through it in detail in our guide to a 214(b) refusal and how to reapply.

Separately, Presidential Proclamation 10998 suspends or limits visa issuance for nationals of 39 countries, which the embassy's visas page confirms. If your nationality is on that list, the interview is not the obstacle.

Before you go

Take a file you built, not a folder assembled the night before. Our document list for UK residents separates what the embassy requires from what we recommend adding. Use the bundler to put the pages in a sensible order and the compressor to keep any uploads inside size limits.

If you have not booked yet, read how the London appointment works and the full guide to the US visitor visa from the UK. When you are ready, start your plan.

Prefer someone to do the paperwork? Our prepared-for-you US visitor visa service completes the DS-160 with you, builds your document pack, books the interview with you on the official site and gives you a written interview brief, for a £129 service fee. You pay the $185 visa fee yourself and attend the interview.