ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
United KingdomHigh School Diploma / GED
QUOTE (lancer1655 @ Aug 3 2009, 02:08 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I've never been asked to show the actual documents. If you have it on your Resume isn't that enough?

But anyone can type it... My wife was certainly asked to show hers when she moved positions within the organisation.... And she'd already been with them for 12 years wacko.gif


JeremyRMaleEngland2009-08-03 13:23:00
United KingdomHigh School Diploma / GED
If I had a penny for every job description I've seen that states "High school diploma/GED required". Question is, how does a Brit demonstrate that they 'passed' high school when we don't have that concept?

I have a (British) honours degree but don't have the certificate (long story, don't ask!). It's my understanding that universities don't give out replacement certificates lightly but if I got a duplicate I assume that would that suffice by grounds of 'superiority'?

However, failing that, what would I use to say I'm Smarter Than A 12th Grader? tongue.gif I don't have any A-Levels...

Edited by JeremyR, 03 August 2009 - 09:51 AM.

JeremyRMaleEngland2009-08-03 09:50:00
United KingdomVisa Approved, pending docs, How long to get passport
From past experience, it takes about 3-5 working days from receipt of the documents for visa issuance (assuming what you sent was sufficient, of course). If you gave SMS (the courier) your mobile phone number when you paid at the embassy, they will send you a text message when the visa/passport is released to them for delivery and it should be delivered the day after that. Given the dates you mentioned, and assuming no further hiccups, you can probably expect them to release the visa next Monday or Tuesday and receipt the next day.

YMMV for many reasons, of course but that's the typical timeframe...


JeremyRMaleEngland2009-08-06 22:40:00
United KingdomLondon not replying to emails?!
QUOTE (itzallgood @ Jul 26 2009, 02:37 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (JeremyR @ Jul 24 2009, 09:26 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
That's just ridiculous. I don't know how you're being so calm and patient... I don't know what to say except sorry you're having such an impossibly difficult time sad.gif


So you are saying that he should be jumping up and down or otherwise being inappropriate?? What good will that do?

Erm... No, that's not what I said they should do. At all. wacko.gif

JeremyRMaleEngland2009-07-26 08:10:00
United KingdomLondon not replying to emails?!
That's just ridiculous. I don't know how you're being so calm and patient... I don't know what to say except sorry you're having such an impossibly difficult time sad.gif
JeremyRMaleEngland2009-07-24 11:26:00
United KingdomLondon not replying to emails?!
QUOTE (imaisha @ Jul 17 2009, 01:53 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Also, I wouldn't recommend just faxing your information to them. Call the offices first and ask for the name of the person in constituent affairs who deals with immigration and try to speak to them first. If there's no one with that specific title, explain your situation and ask who would be the best person to speak to.

Yes, that's exactly how to do it - get a named contact at the office and things will be a little easier, especially if you can speak to them and make it a little more personal smile.gif
JeremyRMaleEngland2009-07-17 13:41:00
United KingdomBirth Certificate rejected at interview
Phew!

Congratulations and good luck smile.gif
JeremyRMaleEngland2009-08-20 12:34:00
United KingdomBirth Certificate rejected at interview
So, did you make the flight?! unsure.gif
JeremyRMaleEngland2009-08-14 17:00:00
United KingdomBirth Certificate rejected at interview
QUOTE (Sherri and Matt @ Aug 3 2009, 03:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
How do you know if you have long form or not? What is the difference?

Aside from the parent's full details as mentioned, the easy way to tell which version you're looking at is that the 'short-form' birth certificate is normally square and is quite small (bit bigger than A5). Long-form certificates are decidedly more rectangular and larger (closer to A4).

Certified copies of the long-form certificate from the GRO are a printed image of the original certificate, shrunk down a bit onto an A4 page with a seal, watermark, etc...
JeremyRMaleEngland2009-08-06 22:31:00
United Kingdomhow to watch UK tv Online
I cant view anything either. I don't get the error you mentioned, just a black screen and silence... I've discovered over the past few days that my puny stupid and overpriced ex Bellsouth AT&T DSL doesn't have the bandwidth for it really. Even when it works well, I get cut outs every few minutes which is enough to be annoying...
JeremyRMaleEngland2009-09-26 11:57:00
United Kingdomhow to watch UK tv Online
QUOTE (Welshcookie @ Sep 24 2009, 07:22 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Hmmm...I haven't had that message come up at all on any of the channels.

Neither have I except just that once. I also got a message that the channel was scrambled at one point. In both cases, it worked just fine when I switched channels and then back again. Fantastic service so far good.gif
JeremyRMaleEngland2009-09-24 19:36:00
United Kingdomhow to watch UK tv Online
I think it must vary - I got the 'subscription expired' message on Channel 4 after about 10 minutes of watching it. After that, I was able to watch some other channels (including BBC2) for quite some time without that message appearing again... Maybe it's just 'random' interruption, kinda like a nag screen, in which case I'll just ignore it.

As for the sport, I guess I'll test it out during the Singapore GP this weekend... Speed's coverage isn't that bad and credit to the Yorkshire bloke who makes a sterling effort but the BBC's sport coverage in general has always been top notch.

Looking forward to watching Footie Focus too... biggrin.gif
JeremyRMaleEngland2009-09-24 11:28:00
United Kingdomhow to watch UK tv Online
So can anyone tell me this about FilmOn. Do they ever 'cut out' certain programming that they can't obtain rebroadcast rights to? I'm getting the message that the free time is over but as rebeccajo said, $10/month for BBC, ITV and C4 (etc) is an absolute bargain. BUT... It's a non-starter if it doesn't show the footie and the F1. Has anyone successfully watched sport on this service?

We pay DishNetwork for a higher value package specifically so I can have SpeedTV for the F1 and a few other channels for the tennis, some [real] football, etc... I missed watching proper sports terribly when I first moved here.
JeremyRMaleEngland2009-09-24 08:04:00
United KingdomTransportation help
I agree about doing them separately. I did mine separately even though it made things more expensive travel-wise. I did the medical as a one day trip (that was a long day) about 4-5 weeks before the interview and took the opportunity to spend a few hours in London after the appointment. The interview I did as a three day thing staying with some family outside London - it served as an opportunity to see them before I left shortly after. I'm not exactly the world's least anxious person myself and it was definitely less stressful separating them than it would have been on a combined trip. The medical office is a stone's throw from the embassy so it's also a useful opportunity to scope out the area and find everything before the day.
JeremyRMaleEngland2009-10-08 23:59:00
United KingdomTransportation help
Tell him to go to his nearest train station with a booking office. It's often cheaper and easier to get them to do the legwork seeking out the cheapest fare option than it is doing it yourself via the internet.

If coach travel is out, you can get some excellent deals by train if you book early enough and lock yourself to specific trains. For example, my train journey from Lancaster to London (a good 150 miles further each way than Nottingham) for my medical a couple of years back was fifteen quid each way excluding travelcard for the tube because I booked it about three weeks in advance and got a great deal. The walk-up fare is astronomically more than that - the key is to book as early as possible.

Of course, the problem with that is you need to know your dates to make the reservation and if you're trying to combine the interview and medical into one trip then you may not get enough notice of the interview date to get the cheapest seats.
JeremyRMaleEngland2009-10-08 19:47:00
United KingdomYou Tube London Embassy Interview
QUOTE (Darnell @ Oct 21 2009, 03:06 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Very Cool ! Seems the account is official - but the comments from others seem 'lost' ...

Yes, I'm not sure which is stranger - asking for immigration advice on a Youtube video page or offering it! wacko.gif

Edited by JeremyR, 21 October 2009 - 03:28 PM.

JeremyRMaleEngland2009-10-21 15:27:00
United KingdomYou Tube London Embassy Interview
This one?

JeremyRMaleEngland2009-10-21 10:22:00
United KingdomPR renewing UK passport - how?
Ouch! That's eye-wateringly expensive.

Does anybody know what justification is given for the roughly US$100 price hike compared to renewing a passport at home?
JeremyRMaleEngland2009-11-09 10:39:00
United KingdomTime frame for legally staying in the United Kingdom
That's fantastic news smile.gif

I'm so glad this torment is over for you both and the best of luck for the AOS stage biggrin.gif


JeremyRMaleEngland2009-11-09 10:32:00
United KingdomTime frame for legally staying in the United Kingdom
Sounds like fantastic news!
I'm hoping (again...) that this is the end of it all for you both... Fingers crossed for a text message from SMS in the next few days and a knock on the door the following morning biggrin.gif


JeremyRMaleEngland2009-11-06 15:07:00
United KingdomTime frame for legally staying in the United Kingdom
I'm still reading and thinking of you guys too smile.gif

Honestly, MARM, I think SunDrop is right and you're so much between a rock and a hard place that if it comes to it, your fiancé won't have much choice but to remain in the UK until the USEM/DOS/etc finally get off their collective arses and issue his blummin' visa. The embassy aren't going to hand back the passport without withdrawing the application (for the love of god, don't do that! ohmy.gif) and he unequivocally can't leave the country without a passport (of course) so really, I don't think he has a choice. It's undesirable, obviously but I'm pretty sure that under UK law, the HO cannot deport somebody who doesn't have a country that will accept them and since he has no passport, he has no country that will accept him. There's no way, surely, that the USEM will hand over his passport to the UK home office without your fiancé's express permission.

Obviously I'm hoping against hope that it won't come to this and his passport will be returned with that magical sticker in the next couple of weeks. Fingers crossed!
JeremyRMaleEngland2009-11-05 18:56:00
United KingdomTime frame for legally staying in the United Kingdom
QUOTE (broma25 @ Oct 20 2009, 07:24 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
as a US citizen don't I have the right of Freedom of Speech!

Not on a privately owned and run web forum.

Edited by JeremyR, 20 October 2009 - 09:41 PM.

JeremyRMaleEngland2009-10-20 21:40:00
United KingdomTime frame for legally staying in the United Kingdom
QUOTE (MARM @ Oct 12 2009, 09:54 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
The only thing both my fiance and I fear is any trouble with the UKHO when he is exiting London once he gets his K-1, and also the fact that he doesn't want the UKHO show up at his door the day after his UK FLR(S) expires, because they aren't easy to deal with, and it is just a lot of added stress!

Remember that when you leave a country, you don't ordinarily pass through any form of immigration control. I'm sure there's a technical possibility of his name being flagged at check-in and him being asked to speak to the nice gentlemen in suits but I suspect that's very unlikely. Are there reports of such things happening at UK airports? Even if they do give him a ticking off for overstaying, (IANAL) I can see no legal or logical reason to stop him boarding the plane - it would be totally counter productive to stop somebody who's out of status from getting on a flight that will take him outside the UK's borders.

If he has no conceivable reason to want to return to the UK in the future, I wouldn't be too worried about a little bit of overstay. I suspect the chances of the UKBA turning up on the doorstep are slim too.

But as you said, there's still 6 weeks, I should hope it will never come to that smile.gif
JeremyRMaleEngland2009-10-12 21:40:00
United KingdomTime frame for legally staying in the United Kingdom
QUOTE (MARM @ Oct 8 2009, 09:09 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Obviously, she took the initiative, and I am guessing more than likely it is because he is a Pakistani citizen in the UK, and a student there, so the same reasons the UKHO would scrutinize him applies to the US Embassy as well, which is all very unfortunate.

Yes, you're probably right, of course. mad.gif
I'm stretching my memory back a bit but wasn't there an issue with not having a birth certificate, too? I wonder if that may not have helped matters in that respect sad.gif

QUOTE
The fact remains that we have no guarantee of his visa before Nov 30, 2009 nor do we have any plan of action if his visa is not given to him before Nov 30, 2009, because no one is answering our inquiry in this matter. This is the only concern we have right now, we are thankful that he is approved and that they are working on his case, because it could have been worse, but we don't know what to do if he doesn't get his visa issued by Nov 30, 2009.

Have you been in touch with the Home Office for advice? I'm sure they'd be as much help as a chocolate teapot but you never know, they may have a procedure for this kind of situation (needing to leave but can't due to no passport).

Failing that, will the Pakistani consulate issue an emergency travel document to allow him to leave the country? I know that they are usually reserved for emergent situations when the passport is lost or stolen but this cannot be the first time that this situation has arisen. If I were in your fiancé's shoes, I'd be liaising with the Pakistani embassy to see what they suggest. It's their job to assist their citizens in distress in the UK so they should offer some form of help...
JeremyRMaleEngland2009-10-08 21:25:00
United KingdomTime frame for legally staying in the United Kingdom
So that's technically good news, isn't it? As far as London are concerned, he's approved and they're just waiting for the nod from DC? At least now, you know where to best direct your congressional rep's attentions...
JeremyRMaleEngland2009-10-08 19:38:00
United KingdomTime frame for legally staying in the United Kingdom
It's gotta be a good sign that *they* are now chasing *you* smile.gif
JeremyRMaleEngland2009-09-30 10:06:00
United KingdomTime frame for legally staying in the United Kingdom
QUOTE (MARM @ Sep 23 2009, 09:58 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Please PM me, if you can, with the contact details. It will be GREATLY appreciated yes.gif

You've got a PM smile.gif
JeremyRMaleEngland2009-09-23 21:40:00
United KingdomTime frame for legally staying in the United Kingdom
<sigh> Sorry it's all so confusing.

I wouldn't rely on the embassy receiving the form by email if I were you, as you said, that sounds like a most unusual request. If the DOS don't show it as received in a couple of days, I'd be inclined to follow it up with a copy via Royal Mail Special Delivery (because it has proof of delivery). I think the address is Immigrant Visa Unit, 5 Upper Grosvenor Street, London, W1A 2JB (from my old Packet Three forms). Although you would presumably address it to the NIV unit now, with a covering note, LDN number, etc. In fact, in your shoes, I might be inclined to do that anyway because in the covering note, you could mention what your case worker wasn't able to express properly and know that it will (probably) be read...

If you don't mind me asking, which state are you in? If it happens to be GA, I can pass you the contact details of an immigration case worker with a congressman's office who helped my wife expedite my I-129F and chased up my delayed EAD for me. She also liased with London (read: she hounded them) to speed up my interview a bit - she's good.

Edited by JeremyR, 23 September 2009 - 08:43 PM.

JeremyRMaleEngland2009-09-23 20:41:00
United KingdomTime frame for legally staying in the United Kingdom
I would imagine they simply lost it. Shouldn't happen but it does (at all stages of the K1-Embassy-AOS process). Either that or they just want to ensure that there haven't been any changes in the last 4 months and 7 days rolleyes.gif. Don't sweat it. I'm sure you've looked by now but it's a single page form with not particularly tricky questions so the 'missing' form itself shouldn't be much of a hold up and hopefully the fact that they're now verifying that nothing has changed indicates that you're getting to the end of the AP process...


JeremyRMaleEngland2009-09-18 10:01:00
United KingdomTime frame for legally staying in the United Kingdom
I don't understand how they could have lost the DS-157 but at least it's a simple form so if it is that, it can be dealt with and returned nice and quickly
JeremyRMaleEngland2009-09-17 19:08:00
United KingdomTime frame for legally staying in the United Kingdom
Speechless...

Don't know what to say, sorry... sad.gif

Magpie is right though, you've got to keep you head up. One way or another, you'll be together one day... smile.gif
JeremyRMaleEngland2009-09-17 14:39:00
United KingdomTime frame for legally staying in the United Kingdom
That sucks (maybe unsure.gif)...

Remember that the helplines for USCIS and DoS are notorious for giving out inaccurate or misleading info. There have been countless times when they have indicated that somebody is still processing when in actual fact, they're approved. BUT I've never heard of somebody being told that they are approved when in reality, they're not. I'd be more inclined to believe the first rep you spoke to.

Did the first rep say that the visa was approved or that it had actually been produced? There's normally a difference of a few days between approval and production/release so that might explain why the second rep considered him to be in processing still (in so much as the visa hasn't been physically printed and mailed yet). That's just speculation though, of course sad.gif.

Did your fiancé give the courier a mobile phone number when he paid them the delivery fee? If he did then they should send him a text message when they collect the visa and passport from the embassy. Receiving that text message would be a sure fire indicator that the visa is on the way...

Fingers crossed smile.gif
JeremyRMaleEngland2009-09-16 17:22:00
United KingdomTime frame for legally staying in the United Kingdom
Hooray! Congratulations dancin5hr.gif dancin5hr.gif

Hopefully you can both put this horrible business behind you and it'll be plain sailing from now on biggrin.gif

JeremyRMaleEngland2009-09-16 11:57:00
United KingdomTime frame for legally staying in the United Kingdom
QUOTE (MARM @ Jun 10 2009, 07:23 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Good news dancin5hr.gif dancin5hr.gif dancin5hr.gif !!!!!!!

We got the passport back from the UKHO today!!!
2 days from faxing letters of complaint to every UKHO post we knew, we GOT IT!!!

Now moving on to arranging courier service with the US Embassy...

That's fantastic news smile.gif About bloody time!!!
JeremyRMaleEngland2009-06-10 08:21:00
United KingdomTime frame for legally staying in the United Kingdom
That really f***ing sucks mad.gif sorry to hear this is still dragging on for you both. Frankly, it's an embarrassment that the HO is so f***ed up mad.gif mad.gif mad.gif

It's a long shot but have you considered seeing if the press would be willing to take up the chase? I'm sorry I've got no better suggestions but I can't think what else you can do either sad.gif sad.gif
JeremyRMaleEngland2009-06-06 23:11:00
United KingdomTime frame for legally staying in the United Kingdom
That's fantastic news! kicking.gif

Here's hoping it turns up soon good.gif
JeremyRMaleEngland2009-05-12 09:48:00
United KingdomTime frame for legally staying in the United Kingdom
This is getting bloody ridiculous ranting33va.gif

First up, if you haven't already, get in touch with the Citizen's Advice Bureau. They're free and immigration matters fall under their remit. They tend to be very overworked though...

If they can't help, perhaps consider asking a solicitor to write a sternly worded letter to the Home Office on your behalf. I have no idea how much it costs but it should make it clear you mean business and want that passport back, now.

[edit] fixed mangled sentence. /me repeats "use the preview function" 10 times blush.gif

Edited by JeremyR, 06 May 2009 - 10:19 AM.

JeremyRMaleEngland2009-05-06 10:18:00
United KingdomTime frame for legally staying in the United Kingdom
Phew! good.gif

I was just going to post this idea I had. I guess it doesn't matter any more but I'll post it anyway - if he had gone to the embassy with his driver's license (which is considered 'proof positive' ID in the UK, btw, so it may have been enough to pass the checkpoint) and then he'd been denied entry, perhaps it would have been possible to insist on a 'receipt' showing he wasn't permitted to enter? At least it would show the IVU that he had tried to attend in good faith...

I guess it's all hypothetical now anyway so it doesn't matter but I did ponder about that this morning smile.gif
JeremyRMaleEngland2009-04-27 11:20:00
United KingdomTime frame for legally staying in the United Kingdom
That's great news biggrin.gif. Hopefully he'll have it back before the medical too, I'm sure that Knightsbridge would prefer a passport as proof of ID over a drivers license, etc...
JeremyRMaleEngland2009-04-21 10:59:00
United KingdomTime frame for legally staying in the United Kingdom
QUOTE (Brit Abroad @ Apr 17 2009, 07:01 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Although the US Embassy wants (and needs) to see the passport, I believe it's mainly to establish legal identity with a document issued from the home country so, would it be worth checking if they would accept a notarised photographic document of identity and covering letter from the Pakistani Ambassador at the Embassy for your fiance's K1 interview, explaining the situation, with a copy of his passport particulars (assuming your fiance kept a copy of his passport when he sent the original in)?

Don't you have to show your passport to get through the embassy's security checkpoint? I can't remember clearly (that day is a blur in my memory) but I'm pretty sure I was asked for mine at the checkpoint...
JeremyRMaleEngland2009-04-17 13:29:00