Overview of the Process
There are three stages involved in the processing of E-visas in London: submission of documents, review of those
documents, and final adjudication.
Submission
All applicants must submit specific documents for an E-1 visa or E-2 visa. These documents should be
provided in a hard binder with appropriate tabs and sent to the E Visa Unit by DHL, FedEx or Royal Mail at the following address:
E Visa Team
5 Upper Grosvenor Street
London W1A 2JB
Upon receipt, the application is reviewed for completeness by a member of the E Visa Unit. If the application is
missing the DS-156/157/156E, fees or photograph, the case will be returned to the applicant or legal representative for
correction.
Once we have deemed that the documents are complete, the case is placed in a queue based on the date of receipt. This
date of receipt is the date the case was found to be documentarily complete. Notification will be sent to the applicant
and/or legal representative confirming receipt of the case. After this point, we will not accept any other supporting
documents until the interview itself.
Requests by applicants to have their case moved up in the queue will not be accepted. Current review time for each
case is 60 days. Please plan in advance when considering an application for an E visa.
Review
The case is reviewed by a Consular Officer when its place in the queue has been reached. Consular officers
meticulously examine all documents submitted by the applicant. Please make sure that these are germane to the case.
The reviewing officer will note any missing or additional documents that may be required at the interview.
The applicant or legal representative is:
- notified that the case has been reviewed;
provided a list of any additional documents required; and
- advised of open dates for the applicant's interview. Applicants must/must attend
an interview within three months (90 days) of this initial notification.
Cases will not be held longer than 90 days.
Adjudication
On the day of the interview, applicants should come to the Embassy no more than 30 minutes prior to the appointment
time so that they can proceed through security. Upon entrance into the waiting room, applicants will be given a number and
then called to the intake window. Complete applications (DS-156, DS-157) for dependents will
be required at this time. Finger scans will also be taken at this time and additional documents handed in.
Applicants should be prepared to discuss their business in detail during their interview. Legal representative and/or
financial advisors are not permitted to attend. At the conclusion of the interview, the Consular Officer will determine if
the business and applicant qualify under U.S. regulations for the visa.
If the applicant qualifies for an E visa, he or she will then pay any applicable reciprocity fees
(for UK citizens this fee is $105/visa) and make arrangements for delivery of passports and visas through the courier.
We require 5 business days to complete processing and print the visa. Please plan flights accordingly.
If the applicant is denied an E visa, the officer will provide a form describing the reasons for the refusal and citing
the appropriate section of US regulation. The officer's decision is final. If the applicant feels strongly that the case
was misjudged or if the material facts of it change, he or she may submit a new application for the same business.
This will be treated as a new submission and take its place at the end of the queue. We will make every effort to see
that the next interview, if one is merited, is conducted by a different officer.
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E Visas