ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
United KingdomGimme an A!
Awww, congratulations!!
samantha_louFemaleUnited Kingdom2006-09-18 22:33:00
United KingdomEastenders!!
www.uknova.com - its well worth it! Theres a whole host of british TV available, and its its pretty much up to date stuff aswell!
samantha_louFemaleUnited Kingdom2006-09-04 22:37:00
United KingdomAny Brits Hnkering For Some "Real" Bread ??

WOW...

I've just finished scoffing two slices of a home made loaf I just made and I can categorically state that this tastes EXACTLY like bread I used to buy from Sainsburys !! I make no bones about it... I HATE american bread... I can't stand it so I finally stopped moaning and decided to try and make my own. A couple of weeks ago I tried a recipe that my Mum uses and while it was Ok, it still didn't taste like I wanted to. Enter Delia Smith !!... I just made this recipe for plain white bread and it is FANTASTIC !!

Makes 1 large or 2 small loaves

Ingredients

24oz white bread flour, plus a little extra for the top of the bread (Available in any grocery store)

1 level tablespoon salt, or less, according to taste


1 level teaspoon easy-blend dried yeast (This worked out to be about half a packet)


1 level teaspoon golden caster sugar (I used white sugar as I didn't have any golden caster sugar. I've been very critical of the sugar in bread thing since arriving but I am now convinced its the mixture of the sugar and salt that makes it taste like I wanted it to !! :))

about 15 fl oz (425 ml) hand-hot water



All the ingredients are available in US stores and I'd gone from raw ingredients to bread in my belly in under 3 hours (Thanks to the humidity outside on our deck !!).

I cannot reccommend this recipe highly enough for any expat out there who craves some good crusty bread.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I have / am / will be again shortly !!

Mark :)


Thanks for the recipe Mark, I might have to give that a try - american bread just stinks! It tastes disgusting, especially that sourdough stuff - what is that all about? Americans wouldn't know the taste of decent bread if it came and bit them on the behind!! :P I do miss my hovis and kingsmill!
samantha_louFemaleUnited Kingdom2006-09-02 15:09:00
United KingdomUK Passport name change - how long does embassy in Washington take?
I think I did things slightly differently, I've only gone back to the UK once since I got married, changed name and got my Greencard. I actually booked the flight in my maiden name, took the Passport, Marriage Certificate and GC with me for return to the US. There were no issues upon re-entry, the agent just told me not to forget to remove conditions! smile.gif Which my sweetie and I successfully did a few months after my trip back home!
samantha_louFemaleUnited Kingdom2008-06-27 23:33:00
United KingdomVisa Waiver Program still in operation
My Mum & Dad are coming over for Christmas, and mentioned something about having pre-register on a website in advance of travelling. I don't have any of the details though I'm afraid...

Don't think it will be too much of a big deal though! smile.gif
samantha_louFemaleUnited Kingdom2008-09-07 20:47:00
United KingdomUS Entry on Saturday
QUOTE (Gemmie @ Sep 9 2008, 06:23 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Thank you!

It was because of the amount of stamps in my passport that was the issue... I have around 6 stamps from the last year and a half entering me into Boston. One look at that and his eyes popped out of his head and he stopped what he was doing. laughing.gif


Tell them that you are a HUGE Redsox fan!! whistling.gif
samantha_louFemaleUnited Kingdom2008-09-09 22:54:00
United KingdomUS Entry on Saturday
Glad to see that you're here safely Gemmie! Hope your ears are feeling better soon too! Xx
samantha_louFemaleUnited Kingdom2008-09-07 18:11:00
United KingdomUS Entry on Saturday
Hi Gemmie!

I suffer with my ears too, often get wax buildup, when you get to the US, go to a pharmacy or supplements store and get some "ear wax candles" they will do the trick nicely and you'll be feeling a million times better - you can use them straight away; no need to wait for oil to soften things up for a week or so.

Hope all goes well with your flight, looking forward to hearing that you made it here safely! Xx
samantha_louFemaleUnited Kingdom2008-09-05 21:01:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionH1B for Tokyo Embassy
Sooo, my company has sponsored our first H1B and we got the approval for our new employee today! YAY! ...so now he has to go to the actual embassy to get the visa actually processed in his passport. I'm struggling to find information on this, i.e. whether he has to book an appointment and if so, how he does this or whether he just shows up with his approval notice and then they will process his visa. If anyone has experience with the embassy in Tokyo, I would be grateful for any advice! smile.gif

Not quite family-based immigration, but there is such a wealth of knowledge on this site that I thought it was worth throwing it out there!
samantha_louFemaleUnited Kingdom2008-08-11 16:08:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionFilling out the N400! Its time to do citizenship!
Luckily I've only had one trip home in the time since I became a permanent resident, and have been out of the US a whopping ten whole days since getting my greencard! happy.gif

Thanks for the advice, its always good to hear some other opinions and get input! smile.gif
samantha_louFemaleUnited Kingdom2008-06-26 20:52:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionFilling out the N400! Its time to do citizenship!
Wow, its been a whilst since I've dropped by here innocent.gif But I am attempting to fill out the N400 to become a US citizen, and have done everything apart from the section where it asks you to list all the dates that you've been out of the country, for the last five years. I haven't lived here in the US for five years, so do I just go from when I filed for AOS in 2005? What have you guys all done on this question? If I answer for five years, I'll show a considerable number of days outside of the US (which is good I guess, as I shouldn't have been here for all that time anyways!!)

Any advice would be great, I'm a little lost on this one! wacko.gif
samantha_louFemaleUnited Kingdom2008-06-25 23:45:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionWhen you receive your card, you must carry with you at all times if you are 18 or older.
I must admit, I do not carry my card on me...if I did, then goodness knows how many times it would have been lost and needing replacing by now! I am always changing wallets, purses - buying new ones etc for particular outfits and what I'm wearing that day! tongue_ss.gif I don't know, its just not practical and I have keys, a cell phone plus a laptop to worry about! I do take it with me if I'm going away anywhere though, but not just day to day and when I'm out and about locally.
samantha_louFemaleUnited Kingdom2008-06-26 23:42:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionN-400 interview tomorrow (I-751 pending)
Congratulations! Glad to hear everything went well! biggrin.gif
samantha_louFemaleUnited Kingdom2008-06-27 16:41:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionI think I'm ready to send off my N400
Yes, bless him, he got his passport as we were filing for my AOS - so that he could be prepared to travel to the UK for a holiday once I had my greencard! He's yet to use it though, and now we will be waiting until this process is over before any international travelling! wink.gif

I saw you just sent your application off a few days ago! Hope it all happens quickly for you! biggrin.gif
samantha_louFemaleUnited Kingdom2008-07-21 00:20:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionI think I'm ready to send off my N400
Thanks for the link! biggrin.gif I was looking for something like that!!

Well, we're going to be delayed a few weeks it looks like - as we need to send in copies of our marriage certificate and my husbands birth certificate - which will need to be obtained from Vancouver, WA and Oregon! The taxes, bank account info and lease info is pretty easy to come by - so its just the official documents that we'll have to wait on.

It was just completely wishful thinking that I could just send in a completed application with no form of evidence gathering! jest.gif But what fun would that be?

So, here is what I will send along with my N400 (after reviewing the link)

*passport style photographs
*Marriage certificate
*USC husbands birth certificate
*three years of taxes filed jointly
*evidence of joint bank account throughout our marriage
*evidence of leases to show we've lived together
*copy of my gorgeous ten year greencard (back and front)

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction, this website is such great support! biggrin.gif
samantha_louFemaleUnited Kingdom2008-07-20 23:38:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionI think I'm ready to send off my N400
Okays, so I have completed the form - I have the near $700 ready to go...I want to put this all in an envelope and get it mailed off! good.gif

However, I've read and re-read the form, read and re-read the instructions - and I see mention of "supporting evidence", but nowhere do I see a list of things that they would like to see in terms of supporting evidence. What should I send them along with the application?

*copy of my ten year greencard
*copy of marriage certificate
*copy of husband (USC's) birth certificate or passport to prove his USC-ness

I mean, I prepared a whole folder of evidence for my I-751 and I really don't want to go through that again...

What have y'all included when you sent the N-400 off?...and here I was hoping to be able to easily dump my completed form in the post tonight! LOL

Edited by samantha_lou, 20 July 2008 - 10:28 PM.

samantha_louFemaleUnited Kingdom2008-07-20 22:27:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionAnother silly question!
So I'm getting ready to send in my N400, and I got the part down about all the times I've left the country since becoming a Permanent Resident, but I'm really badly wanting a trip to the UK this year...my best friends little girl is turning two, another friend is pregnant and another is getting married...and I just wanna go home for a week and surprise them all at some time (nothing booked - airline tickets are way ridiculously priced right now!). I'm reading and trying to get my head around all this stuff, but can I still make a spur of the moment and sporadic trip home, if I feel like it, once I actually send this dang paperwork in? tongue.gif (Still waiting on tax info to come back from IRS, but am totally ready other than that!!)

Thanks! and hope everyone is doing well! heart.gif
samantha_louFemaleUnited Kingdom2008-08-03 22:09:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionPassport photos
LOL - I was just going off the N400 instructions too, and was getting ready to send USCIS just the form itself! Luckily some very VJer's pointed me in the direction of the good old M-476 which gives a whole honey-do list for evidence to be submitted!

We haven't taken the photographs yet (still waiting for the tax info to come through), but I hate having my photo taken. We took our own for AOS, and funnily enough, they accepted my husbands (the USC) and rejected mine for the background - when they were taken in the same place, same lighting - just a few minutes apart. I know I'm going to be cracking up whilst he's trying to take a more serious and appropriate photograph...oh, I'm already imagining getting an RFE for the photo not being good enough!
samantha_louFemaleUnited Kingdom2008-08-03 22:22:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionUS Citizizen !!! Finally
Just wanted to say congrats! Well done for completing the whole USCIS adventure!! biggrin.gif
samantha_louFemaleUnited Kingdom2008-08-04 20:25:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionTax Returns and tax transcripts
I sent off for the transcripts, simply because I think they show everything super neatly!
samantha_louFemaleUnited Kingdom2008-08-10 23:16:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion...during the 90 days...
I'm planning on around the start of June 2007 to send off all our stuff for the I-751, I want to get it done as soon as possible, so I figured sending it off a week after our 90 days start should make sure we hit their time frame nicely...and once its done, at least I know I just have to kick back and wait for them to do their bit.

One question though, what happens if the I-751 is not approved by the time the two year GC expires...what do you do about working/travelling after its expired if you haven't recieved the new one?
samantha_louFemaleUnited Kingdom2006-06-05 18:34:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionWe're getting ready to file
Our window to file is from the end of May right through until August 24th, so we're planning on putting our stuff together next weekend when we have three days to get it all prepared, and then file end of May/first week of June. Just wanted to say hello to all those going through this stage of the process also!

Sam (& Ryan)
samantha_louFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-05-20 16:46:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionQuick Question
Ryan and I made complete copy of everything before we handed it in to Seattle for AOS, and before mailing our I-751 application to CSC. I think its a good idea, in case of any RFEs, you know exactly what you sent off!
samantha_louFemaleUnited Kingdom2008-06-26 21:11:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionIt appears we are approved!
I recieved my ten year greencard just a few days after reading this message on my own case, so congratulations!! biggrin.gif
samantha_louFemaleUnited Kingdom2008-07-17 20:32:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionGreen card in wallet
I must admit, I don't carry my GC on me either - way too much risk of me being a complete ditz and losing it!
samantha_louFemaleUnited Kingdom2008-08-03 21:18:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsFor someone very special
Awwww, I hope USCIS starts playing nicely soon! I am sending lots of approval vibes!! rose.gif
samantha_louFemaleUnited Kingdom2008-06-28 09:58:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresIn a pickle!
I would consult with an immigration lawyer, but the H1B is probably going to be way quicker than the K1...with the H1B you are already authorised to work, where as with the K1..it'll be months before you get here, then possibly more months whilst you wait for your work permit (you have to give it at least three months before you can attempt to apply for an interim).

I would just check on the ability to adjust status from an H1B...if its okay to do that, then there is nothing stopping you taking that visa, working over here, getting married in your own time and then just adjusting status. Good luck! Congrats on the new job opportunity and upcoming nuptials, I hope everything goes smoothly for you.
samantha_louFemaleUnited Kingdom2006-06-23 21:26:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresQUESTION ABOUT HOW WE MET
I certainly would never lie, just be honest and tell the truth smile.gif
samantha_louFemaleUnited Kingdom2008-09-07 18:21:00