Applying for an E-2 visa at the U.S. Consulate in London

Scott Legal, P.C. is an immigration law firm founded on an E-2 visa.  Our firm has processed hundreds of successful E-2 visa applications and we regularly process E-2 visa applications at the U.S. Consulate in London.

To find out more about the E-2 visa requirements click here.

While E-2 visa law is the same everywhere, application procedures and adjudication methodology is different depending on the Consulate you go to. For example, some Consulates have a page limit for submissions while others do not.  The U.S. Consulate in London has very specific instructions that you are required to follow when submitting an E-2 visa application and we have summarized some practice pointers below.

1. The U.S. Consulate in London has VERY clear instructions on their website. They are a high volume E-2 Consulate so following the guidelines are important for a successful application.
2. The U.S. Consulate in London will only accept applications from foreign nationals who reside in the U.K. or who are U.K nationals. In addition, if the applicant is a U.K. national, he/she must provide evidence that they reside in the U.K. to even be eligible for an E-2 visa.  For example, the U.S. Consulate in London will accept current paystubs, home ownership documents, leases,  utility bills, etc..
3. The E-2 visa application in London does not have a page limit. In addition, the Consulate requests that an applicant provide all detail related to expenditures (invoice, cancelled check and bank statement) That being said, you should only provide relevant information to the Consulate.  The submission is now an electronic submission and the Consulate request very specific tabs to be included in the file.   You should visit the website to see the specifics on what to include in each Tab.
4. Once you file your DS-160, you must email the pdf submission to the Consulate.  You will also submit a signed credit card authorization to the Consulate.
5. The Consulate will confirm receipt of the document and will also do a preliminary review and “accept” the file. If you have not followed the instructions or are missing information, the Consulate will reject the file.
6. The Consulate will perform a review of the submitted information and this usually takes around 1 month. During this time, they often ask for additional documents to be sent to the Consulate.  These documents can be emailed to the Consulate.  The Consulate does not permit an applicant to supplement their application if they do not ask for additional information. Instead, you should bring any additional relevant information to the interview.
7. When the Consulate has completed their review, they will invite the applicant to go on to the online system to schedule an interview.
8. When you arrive at the Consulate in London, you will go through an initial screening and you will then go to the main waiting area for your interview.
9. The interview is not held in a closed room but rather you go to a window and your petition is adjudicated while your fellow E-2 applicants are sitting in the room. Similarly, while you are waiting, to be called to the window, you will hear adjudication and success or denial of your predecessor.
10. In London there are typically 2 outcomes – Approval or Denial. While some Consulates will suspend the application and request more information, we have not seen this at the U.S. Consulate in London. This is likely because they carefully review the file beforehand and ask for additional documents prior to the interview if needed.
11. If your application is approved, you will be taken to another room to pay your reciprocity fee (if applicable) and the Consular officer will take your passports.
12. In around 5 days you will get your passports back with an E-2 visa stamp in them.
13. The Consulate is very E-2 visa Savvy and they know E-2 visa law well. They are a pleasure to deal with and regularly respond to email requests.