by Sarah Riaz

Got the visa yesterday. It was just a matter of 20 mins for me, out of which about 15 were spent waiting in the queue to get my application back, bound with the passport and going through security checks to walk inside!!! I was the 21st person to go inside for finger printing, but the 1st person to get it even before an air hostess who was there on a routine visit and was asked to wait in the next room for them to get back to her. I did not have a formal interview at counters, nothing was checked in my financial documents, only the acceptances.

Here's the whole story: I was told to go to room 2 for my finger printing, as i entered it i took it in at first glance and saw a very, very bored lookin middle aged man standing, yawning widely behind a bullet proof screen with only a sliding window for documents in it. I nodded slightly at him in professional acknowledgement while i entered and then walked to the side of the room to a chair a chair, waiting for my turn and watching the people before me. He didnt talk or greet any one other than the air hostess who he was acquainted with already and his helper guy who was helping people with the finger prints outside the window. When I got to the window he gave the slightest hint of a smile, switched his intercom on and said,

"Hello, and how are you today??"

Me: (surprised) "Oh im very well!!! Thankyou!! how are you?!!!"

him: "good, good, Im good too."

Then checked my application both on paper and in his computer, while I was being finger printed. Then switched his intercom again and asked,

"Are you a student now??"

Me: "yes, Im a final year student at King Edward Medical University, Lahore."

Him: "why are you goin to the US?!!"

(I was surprised because he was not supposed to be the person asking the questions and he didnt ask any one either, while i waited!!!!)

me: "To do 3 month electives at Emory and Umass, starting March 1st and ending May 28th!"

him: (Again checkin my application and pointing to it ) "who's this contact person here?"

me: "Oh that!! Its Ms Barbara Bingham, she's the elective cordinator at Emory."

Him: "Ohhhh, ok!!! Do you have ur support documents for that??!!"

ME: "Oh yeah i do, i have em all here"

(Now i was more  surprised because this was not where i had even taken them out yet, there were so many of them and you are supposed to go through finger printing twice and another pic taking and then waiting for an hour then u are called for an interview at the counter acc to ur number and while in the waiting room only do u take your documents out!!!)

Him: "can i see them?!!"

Me: "Oh yeah, sure!!" (taking them outa my folder, he gave me a min to do that, just watching and by this time, my thumb prints were taken!!!)

I gave him my first 1st sheaf of pages, I had paper clipped them in this order and put a tab on them. He took the tab down, checked the pages, my VC LOR, then I had put in another LOR from a teacher with good and long list of foreign credentials, and then my acceptance letters from the two Uni's and then at the end, (as a last minute thought) copies of the original applications i sent to the two Unis with my dean's approval and college seal as a REQUEST FOR ELECTIVES. He was impressed, gave me a smile and said,

"....and.... you have never been to the US before???!!!"

Me: "noo, never!!!!!"

Him: ok!!

I waited for him while he typed sthg in his computer.

(All this while, i was thinking whether I ought to ask for my tab back which he had stuck to the screen he had in between us!!!! :D )

He looked up and said, "so when do u plan to come back?!"

I told, Friday the 4th of June because my elective ended 28th May, I gave myself 2 days to leave the US, then 2 days to get rid of the jet lag, and then two days to get my things in order!!!!

At that he did smthg in his computer that changed the screen, I had the impression he checked the date in his computer calender and it was Friday on June 4!!! He handed me back my sheaf of above mentioned papers, along with them gave me a green sticker. I held it, not even acknowledging it and waited while he switched back to the original screen, typed something again.

He said, smiling broadly: "oh you can go back, I have given you the visa, u just collect your passport back in some time, it will take less than a week for you!! The American Express office in Lhr...."

Me: "ooooooh OHHHKKKAAAY!!!  THANK YOU!! i appreciate that!!! I really do!!!" 

lols that was the first time I laughed, I dint have to go through the standard procedure at all, no waiting, no walkin through different rooms,nothing!!! No talk of finances, no bank statements, no transcripts,no accomodations not a thing!! While all my other class mates, girls and guys who were there that day and days before that, they all had rigourous interviews, pleading they have the finances and all… everyone that was there who had token numbers before mine got free at 10:45 , I walked in at 7, walked out at EXACT 7:22!!! All smiles!

The key was only to be hyper-relaxed (which i was because it was not the place to be nervous yet!!!), not too over dressed not too plain, just professional yet courteous!!!