ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
United KingdomBritish views on emigrating to America
My fiancee is despised in England because she is Scottish. But she comes here and is an instant celebrity. She even talked a cop out of his rifle and got to examine an unloaded M-16. I told her cops NEVER give up their guns, she is the charmer!
Robert&KarenMaleUnited Kingdom2011-07-07 16:09:00
United KingdomBritish views on emigrating to America
I brought my fiancee from the UK to the US last September to see if she could adjust. She turned out to be more American than many Americans! She loves root beer which apparently they do not have in the UK. She also loves the customer service and nice attitude at many businesses. Even the local "English pub" is decidedly un-English with their free refills of drinks and customer is always right attitude.

As for her family, aha. Adult kids loathe the fact that she is moving. Her neighbors are jealous and excited at the same time. They are old enough to fly over for a visit, and they prefer the UK though they have never left it once.
Robert&KarenMaleUnited Kingdom2011-07-07 15:10:00
United KingdomInterview in 7 days and SO nervous! Help!
"But you can call the department of state on 202-663-1225, tell them your LND case number and they'll tell you if/when the interview has been booked for. "

I called and they said the case is at the Embassy and I have to call them. Hmmm.
Robert&KarenMaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-18 15:40:00
United KingdomMedical at Knightsbridge
One of the shots needed is not available in the UK, and in the US we only give it to newborns. Are we exempt from needing that shot?
Robert&KarenMaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-18 15:41:00
United KingdomThe Big Day
She is not too concerned about her wedding dress, but she wants me to be in my Army uniform. ACU cammies, not Class A's.
Robert&KarenMaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-18 16:15:00
United Kingdomsomebody PLEASE tell me I do not have to apply to UK to export my cat!
I always get the certs and in 10 years of traveling with a pet was only asked for it once, and then they glanced at it so quickly it could have been anything.
Robert&KarenMaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-18 16:16:00
United KingdomReady to see OCT-NOV-DEC APPROVALS

Yes, I am also a November filer and I am wondering if my file is in the black hole of CSC. Crazy crazy.


What is your status now? NOA1 last December and still no NOA2?
Robert&KarenMaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-18 16:17:00
United KingdomUK Injections for myself and daughter
Yes, that 1260 pounds here is the cost of a nice dinner, that is our plan.
Robert&KarenMaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-19 09:18:00
United KingdomUK Injections for myself and daughter
Here is what I was told by the doc:

The good news:
HEPATITIS A
MEASLES
MENINGOCOCCAL
MUMPS
PNEUMOCOCCAL
POLIO
RUBELLA
TETANUS & DIPTHERIA TOXOIDS
These free from the doctor.

HEPATITIS A
INFLUENZA type B (only for kids)
MEASLES
MENINGOCOCCAL
MUMPS
PNEUMOCOCCAL
PERTUSSIS (only for kids)
POLIO
RUBELLA
TETANUS & DIPTHERIA TOXOIDS
The kids can get from the doctor for free.

You have to go to a private clinic in Southampton for:
HEP B 100 pounds each = 300 pounds
INFLUENZA A 20 pounds each = 60 pounds
CHICKEN POX 90 pounds x 2 shots = 180 pounds each = 540 pounds
ROTAVIRUS 60 pounds x 2 shots = 120 pounds each = 360 pounds


TOTAL = 1,260 pounds for first series.

Influenza is for all 3, chicken pox and rotovirus for the kids hence the x2, and there is a series of 3.
Robert&KarenMaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-18 23:35:00
United KingdomUK Injections for myself and daughter
Yes, there are no shots at all on record for her and the 2 kids. Some of the shots are rate in the UK and cost 200 pounds each, and a series of three are needed. That's only one shot. The price of shots from Knightsbridge is online.
Robert&KarenMaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-18 18:08:00
United KingdomUK Injections for myself and daughter
I'm not about to pay 3,600 pounds for three people to get 15 shots.
Robert&KarenMaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-18 18:01:00
United KingdomUK Injections for myself and daughter
Some of the UK shots are prohibitively expensive and can be had in America for the price of a cup of coffee. Thank heavens we can do it here!
Robert&KarenMaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-18 16:21:00
United KingdomCheap phone calls to the UK ?
I installed Google Voice on my cell phone. Calling the UK is 2 cents a minute to a land line and 10 cents a minute to a mobile phone. I simply dial the country code and number and the Google Voice app sees that it is an overseas call, jumps in the middle, and dials a local free number for me, then tells me the cost per minute. The app is free but you need a smart phone and have to put a few dollars on the account to make the calls. You can also make them from your laptop.

Google Voice just a few days ago became available in the UK to call the US for 1p a minute. You need 10 pounds to start the service.
Robert&KarenMaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-18 15:55:00
United KingdomBank Draft/UK Postal Order for ACRO Police Certificate
Can you get pounds at an exchange center and send cash registered mail?
Robert&KarenMaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-20 23:39:00
United KingdomPacket 3 until Packet 4
Update! How is everything going?
Robert&KarenMaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-21 00:26:00
United KingdomGeneral Timeline
We sent out packet 3 on Aug 1, they signed for it Aug 2 and still no word. :unsure:
Robert&KarenMaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-21 00:08:00
United KingdomDoes shipping stuff over to the USA get taxed?
My fiance is shipping hardly anything except designer clothing. Reason being is that it is cheaper to sell there and replace here than do deal with postage and shipping costs. We can go to a US garage sale (car boot sale) and buy things for 10% of the original price. A 20 gallon fish tank would be about $15 or 9 pounds. I'd not risk shipping anything glass.

Sentimental items are different. I don't know if one can get attached to a fish tank but you never know. Shipping a TV, well I can't ever think of a time it is not better to sell there and buy here. Check the postal rates for larger items and then after you pick yourself up off the floor decide what you want to do.
Robert&KarenMaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-21 16:19:00
United KingdomEPL Compo - 2011/2012
I was born deficient of the sports gene. I used to go to the mall on game days and ogle all the women. :innocent:
Robert&KarenMaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-21 16:23:00
United KingdomInterview Checklist
From an American point of view, if I was asked for 2 or 3 of something I'd bring 4 or 5.
Robert&KarenMaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-21 16:29:00
United KingdomCan a US born British Citizen attend Uni in UK as a Brit?
I'll get the kids to join the Army. They paid for 95% of my college.
Robert&KarenMaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-21 16:30:00
United KingdomInternational Wire Money Transfer
I send cash in the mail. Also sent her a credit card to use as needed. Worst case, have them open an account in the UK at a bank you have in the US like Chase and do an internal transfer. You can also transfer/wire money to any bank worldwide, it just sucks to pay $30 to transfer $50.
Robert&KarenMaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-21 16:34:00
United Kingdomi134 help
The bank funds are optional. I decided to leave out all that part, mostly because thanks to the economy my house is under water and would show a negative. My income is qualifying on its own.
Robert&KarenMaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-21 21:49:00
United Kingdomi134 help

It says on the instructions that it need not be notarized.Anyone feel free to correct me if I am wrong. We didn't get ours notarized and the embassy didn't complain.


Okay I will skip that part. All she has now is the tax form for 2010. I guess I will send pay stubs and ask for an employer letter to be sure. You'd think they could just run my social security number for reported income!
Robert&KarenMaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-21 15:56:00
United Kingdomi134 help
I e-file so there is nowhere to sign. I have a cover sheet from my accountant that I sign for his records, and my IRS signature is a PIN number. My fiance has my tax return for 2010 and they did not ask for anything prior but the form said it was okay to submit. My tax cover sheet shows the last two years so I put that data in.

Of course once we file for AOS I can have everything. I wish the I-134 stated if notarization is needed or not. Should I do another one notarized?
Robert&KarenMaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-20 23:51:00
United KingdomG-325A
My fiance is from Scotland so I put UK. When you get to America you will find the majority of folks think England is the only country there, and Scotland is a part of it to the north. Also as far as the dropdowns on the USCIS and other websites go, UK and Great Britain are pretty much your options.
Robert&KarenMaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-21 16:21:00
United KingdomLondon case logging time
We got packet 4 today! I was going to call the DoS and get the status but surprise, got the letter! We had sent in our packet 3 on 8/1, they got it 8/2, they also received the medical 8/2. Add that to your time frames. Interview is 9/26.

Now how long from interview to receiving the visa? I want to buy plane tickets!

Edited by aorobert, 22 August 2011 - 11:00 AM.

Robert&KarenMaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-22 11:00:00
United Kingdommedical in london...RIOTS!
If another riot comes about when our interview date comes by I swear I will hire a squad of Gurkhas to escort my fiance through the mess!
Robert&KarenMaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-21 16:26:00
United KingdomAny of the old guard still around ?

Yes babies are great because they stay where you leave them. Toddlers are a whole different kettle of fish although I obviously love mine to death.


I'll take them at any age out of diapers.
Robert&KarenMaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-23 13:30:00
United KingdomAny of the old guard still around ?
I can't wait until I am old school!
Robert&KarenMaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-20 15:28:00
United KingdomDrivers Licences...

I remember my first ever trip to Wal-Mart. I see a sign saying 'Ped-Xing'

I thought it saying something in Chinese. :whistle:


When I was a kid I knew Ped meant pedestrian, but I thought "Xing!" was the sound they made when you hit them with your car.
Robert&KarenMaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-31 11:07:00
United KingdomDrivers Licences...
When I am in the UK and enter a roundabout as a passenger, and go left, I get completely lost. No matter where we were gong I need to completely start over, in my mind I'll never get back.

Inside the US I think I have only been on two roundabouts ever.
Robert&KarenMaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-31 01:32:00
United KingdomDrivers Licences...
My fiance would rather I always do the driving. I scare the life out of her with my wide left turns, hehe.
Robert&KarenMaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-27 17:09:00
United KingdomDrivers Licences...
As soon as she lives here my car insurance goes up $24 a year. As soon as we are married it goes down $36 a year.
Robert&KarenMaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-22 21:15:00
United KingdomDrivers Licences...
I'd love to know how many here already have driven on the wrong side of the road in America, and how many are deathly afraid of it.
Robert&KarenMaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-21 16:35:00
United KingdomNew to this. Help appreciated
Our plans are written in sand until that visa is in hand.

As for UK marrying US, that's the way I am going!
Robert&KarenMaleUnited Kingdom2011-09-02 14:36:00
United KingdomMy Birth Certificate Only Has My Moms name On It

Thank you for your help guys. I think at this stage in the game you just start to worry about every little detail!


If only everyone cared as much, the world would be a better place!
Robert&KarenMaleUnited Kingdom2011-09-01 11:32:00
United KingdomCan we sue the London Embassy for unprofessional conduct
Favoured, I used to work in a US Embassy and have seen the entire range of people. Some think unless you have a vodka with them that the meeting has truly not started. Also the number of women who dress provocatively to try to get favor, oh my. While we do our best to understand the culture we are in, we appreciate it when the local culture learns just the tiniest bit of American culture. For example in America if you are to meet me at 9:00am we expect you to be there at 8:55am. (For the embassy line get there as early as possible though!) We also stand for a superior or person of authority as a sign of respect. Having bathed in the last 24 hours before meeting an American is much appreciated too. Yes, you'd be amazed. I did not work in the civilian visa area but the entire staff is a family and we all communicate.

Above all, just be honest. Answer questions directly. It's nothing personal, and keeps the line moving.
Robert&KarenMaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-21 16:06:00
United KingdomCan we sue the London Embassy for unprofessional conduct
The interviews are subjective. If you give off a bad vibe they may ask for more information or question you more deeply. It's not a machine that grades you but a human.

From your explanation I feel that SOMETHING happened, acquitted or not. If you say "I got arrested, it was a big mistake, it's all clear" I'd tend to believe that. But you ramble on and on and on, just like a person trying for a quick adjudication and hoping that I agree with you before I have time to think about your compete story.

Maybe it is a language barrier. Maybe you are hiding something. Maybe you have a different way of communicating when you are nervous.

But you cannot lie to the interviewers. They hear hundreds of stories a day and can pick out the one liar who stands out from all the rest. Your attitude and explanation, from my point of view, warrant further investigation. If it is all truly an egregious error, be quiet and let the paperwork do the talking.
Robert&KarenMaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-18 16:05:00
United KingdomHELP!!!
For Americans if we are ever stranded overseas we can surrender our passports at the Embassy in exchange for a plane ticket. Our passports are held until the government is reimbursed and they may tax our tax returns, but we're never stranded. I do not know if the UK works the same way but you can ask.
Robert&KarenMaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-20 23:35:00
United Kingdomsending mail to the US
Maybe you can mail a package to UPS and when they open it there is your package for them to send and the funds to pay for it?
Robert&KarenMaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-21 16:28:00