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You sit down in what is a large room. Reminiscent of an airline departure lounge, with seats for maybe 300-400, with a row of bank branch windows up one side. There is snack-bar area, the courier counter, a photobooth (�3.50 for two pix), PCs to access the automated application forms, toilets.
An automated PA announces 'Now serving customer x, please go to window y'. The windows in this room are numbered from 1-11. The PA goes pretty constantly actually, making it hard to read, study etc, as you are always having to concentrate on it. But after a while you get the hang of what is happening. For some people (in the loos etc?) some numbers get called out up to five times. 'Final and last call for number xyz'
They are calling people to hand over their applications for the first stage, then after a variable wait these people are being called again for the interview. The interviews happen at a second set of windows in an adjacent attached large room. These windows are #12-25. But you are all in one waiting area. So you'll have calls to windows #1-11 in escalating order, but then at the same time to 12-25 in pretty much randon order depending on how long the applications have taken to process. After handing over your application at the first stage, you are not called for interview until they have run through it and are ready to ask you any final points.
Once you have handed over your application, (and been fingerprinted electronically) you sit again and wait. The guy I spoke to though was very helpful, and courtious. If your application is straight forward, you might wait an hour. If it is more complex, like mine, I waited over 4 hours, before being called to interview. They give you a blue piece of paper at 'stage 1', telling you what to expect next, and asking for contact info for the couriers to return your passport to you.