biggish data

Congrats on getting your interview dates, i posted my packet three the same day as you so i hope that is a good sign for me.. fingers crossed.

Good luck with your interview.

Edited by nickm, 23 April 2010 - 01:30 PM.

nickm

Male

United Kingdom

2010-04-23 13:29:00

I don't have experience with calling to check the status, but I am wondering how you shipped it? This is my timeline regarding getting an interview letter:

When I mailed mine I sent it next day and had confirmation that it was signed for. It was exactly 4 weeks after that that we got a letter saying I'd missed a form (there were three applications I was sending in - I was so mad at myself!). I had that delivered to the embassy two days later and it was another 4 weeks until I got an interview date - 8 weeks later. I called and got the email and moved my interview date up to 4 weeks away instead of 8.

4 weeks seemed to be the average when I was looking at other people's timelines, but of course that can change from month to month. I mailed it next day and it took 4. If you sent it regular mail, you could easily add a few days to a week on to the delivery, upping the 4 weeks to 5.

I hope that you hear something soon.

I sent it by recorded post on the 18th of march and according to the post office website it was delivered on the 22nd.

Hi nickm, we sent ours back 4 weeks ago so I've been looking for inspiration from your case and a few others who sent packet 3 back before me. I sent mine special delivery so I know it was signed for and I get my man to chase DOS everyweek to see if they know anything as the embassy line is way to much money. Now I know it's been logged and being processed, but we are just waiting. There were 2 cases this week that got interviews but they sent there's in January! So we could have a long wait yet. Boo hoo.

I dont like the sound of that.. januray applications being processed now. i REALLY hope its not that much of a wait or i might end in a the loony bin :dance:

Hi fellow W. Yorshireite,

I sent my packet back signed for delivery about a week after you sent yours. It was signed for the following Monday and I received a letter back which I guess is an RFE thing this week. So, I know that I am in they system and since you sent yours a week before me I'd say there's more than a good chance that you are too. I guess that you could call the extortion line to find out if you wanted to spent the money.

Emma

Another west yorksirite, theres a theme runnning here... LETS GET THE HELL OUTTA THIS DUMP BEFORE IT GETS WORSE.. :lol:

I'm sorry you got an RFE, hope its not too complicated, but its kind of a comfort that they have at least looked at the forms and there not sitting in a dusty pile while they work there way through january applications.

My finacee has emailed the embassy, i really dont think it will help, i am just expecting to get back a generic email "we are working on your case". BLAH BLAH BLAH..

I dont want to call the extorsion line, especailly becasue i dont have a landline and would have to take out a bank loan to call from my mobile. :lol:

I guess i will let everyone know what the outcome of the email attempt is it may help people in the future.

nickm

Male

United Kingdom

2010-04-23 06:11:00

Hi folks,

It's been 5 weeks since i sent away my packet with all the forms.. and i can honestly say the waiting is really wearing thin now.. i mean i dont even know if they got the package, in this day and age is it too much to ask for a simple acknowledgement, i dont think so.

My fiancee called the DOS today to see if there were any updates and was told that we should call, email or write to the Embassy to ask for an update the lady on the phone said "it has been long enough".

Has anyone got in contact with the embassy and been sucessful in getting a case update or will it be a simple generic response?

What can possibly take so long, its crazy..

nickm

Male

United Kingdom

2010-04-22 17:33:00

COME ON YOU LONDON EMBASSY LOT!!!!! I MISS MY SWEETHEART.. thats all i have to say.. (insert smily banging head against the wall here)

nickm

Male

United Kingdom

2010-04-04 10:50:00

It's great to see so many interviews and approvals on here. Just wanted to pass along the last bit of info from our K-1 experience. He received his visa on March 13 and flew over on March 16 to Raleigh/Durham, NC. He said POE was really easy. The first border officer checked his documents and took the envelope and told him to go around the corner for secondary processing. He missed the "around the corner" bit and ended up waiting longer than needed before the second officer found him and took his papers and sent him on his way to me.

It's great having him here and we're now in the process of getting everything together for our April 24 wedding. (So glad he made it here in plenty of time!). Got his driving license yesterday, marriage license on Monday, and are starting to get things together for applying for AOS and EAD. By the way, if you are going to be living in NC on a K-1 and decide to get a driving license before you adjust your status, they only issue a license for the length of your K-1 visa (in his case, until June 14). Then he'll have to go back in to get his license renewed once we show his legal residence documents. Not sure if other states are the same.

Best of luck to the upcoming interviews and to those still waiting for NOA2. All the stress, sleepless nights, and waiting is definitely worth it in the end!

I am always happy to read some good news on here, there seems to be so many gloomy stories that a shining ray of light through the clouds is always nice.. Congratulations and good luck with the rest of your journey.. (AKA Life)

nickm

Male

United Kingdom

2010-03-31 07:17:00

I think DOS sees the data logged by the Embassy because embassies are part of the Dept. of State (rather than USCIS/Homeland Security). So if your files are still offsite (where delivered via DHL), or still in a box waiting to be logged in by workers in London, then DOS like the Embassy wouldn't really have a way of confirming that your file arrived. Once unpacked and it makes it's way to data entry, your P3 letter is generated. And at that point, somebody on the phone can look up your case, but your letter should arrive in a few days also to let you know. Calling DOS twice a day from the time your file leaves NVC probably does little more than clog up the phone lines for people who have a real issue...like it left NVC 3 months ago and there has been no word from the embassy. But hey, do what makes you feel secure and happy.

I think we got some crossed wires, i have sent P3 to London.. i was wondering if there was a way to see if they had recevied the paper work that I sent.. I know they got my case from NVC as i already got the P3 letter. :thumbs:

nickm

Male

United Kingdom

2010-03-27 13:29:00

Call NVC 001 202 663 1225 get the NVC case number (it will begin with LND). They can also tell you when they have sent your file to the embassy.

After the petition has left NVC - call DOS 001 202 663 1225 (press 1 then 0 to get a live operator). You will need your NVC case number, petitioners and beneficiary's dates of birth. They will tell you when the embassy has receive your case and when packet 3 has been sent out. It typically takes about a week to receive packet 3 from the date NVC says it has been sent (they use 2nd class mail!)

Just out of curiosity, can the DOS tell you if the embassy has recieved and logged packet 3? it says on the embassy website that they cannot confirm recipt until they have processed the application, but i wondered if maybe the DOS can.

nickm

Male

United Kingdom

2010-03-26 10:18:00

Hi, our case seems to be a bit stuck. The embassy has a electronic copy from NVC but have not had hard copy. I think I've seen somewhere that it is trackable through DHL does anyone know where I would get the reference number from?

here is the original post that tell you how to track from the NVC..

The NVC uses DHL to ship their packages. Once you confirm the date that the I-130 was sent, you can go on the DHL website to approximately track your case. There are forums here talking about it but I'll sum it up below.

1. Go to: http://track.dhl-usa...?nav=TrackByRef
2. In Reference, enter the info as follows:
EXP DD MMM YYYYA
EXP is constant
DD is the date before the day the NVC said they shipped the case.
MMM is the three letters representing the month the NVC shipped the case
YYYY is the year the NVC shipped the case
A is constant
For example, if the NVC says they shipped the case on February 12 2009, this would be entered as "EXP 11 FEB 2009A"
3. Date range for shipment - From: Enter the date of the day NVC said they sent the case
4. Date range for shipment - To: Enter todays date
5. Keep the rest of the fields blank
7. Once you enter the info, press "Track"
8. After a while you will see a list of all of the packages that left the NVC today. You need to search for the specific consulate.
9. When you find the shipment the corresponds to your consulate, you will see the tracking number that you can record.
10. You can then track the shipment from the NVC to your specific Consulate

Good luck

nickm

Male

United Kingdom

2010-03-20 05:40:00

I got the "package 3" letter this morning, and i have sent everything this afternoon. So i am now eagerly awaiting my interview. :-)

Miss jess

If the two work stints at disney were continuous i would put them as one position. I don't think i would worry too much about the supervisors name, maybe just put the name of one of your superiors, and i'm pretty sure you have to put all the times you have entered the USA, whether it was a J1 or just VWP. I put them all, and before the VWP appeared i just put "visitor" as the visa type i'm not sure if thats right or wrong.

Please dont take this as gospel, i am just saying what i would do i am certainly no expert on filling out forms.

Cheers and Good luck.

Nick

Edited by nickm, 18 March 2010 - 11:39 AM.

nickm

Male

United Kingdom

2010-03-18 11:37:00

Nick when I realised you have the same NVC left date as me I too rang the DOS...and our Packet 3 is on its way too!!! Expecting it by Friday.

If you look at the medical info on the Embassy website one of the FAQs is what to do if you dont have an interview date yet - and it says not to worry and that the results are good for 12 months, so it's clearly OK and happens a lot. Mine's on the 7th

I had read that, and that was the main reason i questioned what the DOS had told my finace.

Well Im not going to listen to them anyway becasue ive already bought the tickets, i am going to stick with my plan and have the medical on tues next week. B-)

nickm

Male

United Kingdom

2010-03-17 16:29:00

Hi Kristin

Good to know you finally did receive the packet 3 letter. 8 days later! NVC tells me mine was sent out on 12 March, so I will expect it next week. On the subject of the form DS 230 - what version did you guys use? Did you use the new version as discussed on this thread? http://www.visajourn...5

It says it does not apply to K1 applicants, but it's not crystal clear. I'm confused. Is it just me?

i have filled out the newer version of the DS-230. It does say previous editions obselete so i would assume it is better to fill out the new one.

nickm

Male

United Kingdom

2010-03-17 09:55:00

I just found out that we have been sent pacakge three.. I havnt receieved it yet but according to DOS it has been sent so hopefully it will arrive before the weekend.

My finace was told that i shouldnt book the medical until we recieve package four? I have already booked mine and its next week (what can i say im eager to get things done and over with) has anyone encountered a problem with going for the medical too early?

Also, if packet three has been sent, is it really worth waiting for it to arrive or can i just go ahead and send them the forms? is there anything in there that is likely to trip me up if i dont wait to recevie it? I am 100% sure i know exactly what i need to send.

I know im soo inpatient, but if i explained my situation im sure you would understand why.

Cheers for the help.

nick

nickm

Male

United Kingdom

2010-03-17 08:26:00

My finace called the DOS last week and she was told that the paperwork was on its way to the London Embassy, and that they had sent an elctronic version already, do they log the application only when they have the physical paperwork?

So they will tell you that the package has been sent from there, thats good to know, Thanks. I will get her to call them everyday then :-)

nickm

Male

United Kingdom

2010-03-14 07:07:00

Hiya - when did you send your P3? Please update your timeline, thanks

I havent sent it yet, i am waiting for the embassy to contact me first. But, I am just wondering if it is neccessary to wait for this contact, the embassy website says forms without a case number will be discarded, i do have my case number so i cant see why they wouldnt accept them.

I am contemlpating sending the forms before hearing from them, i mean if they discard them, well i have plenty of copies which i can send again.

I will just have to call the expensive hotline a week or so later to check that they were accepted for my application, i think spending 10quid on a phone call will be worth it if it means i can get back to the States quicker.

Seriously if i could expedite this process with money, I would.

nickm

Male

United Kingdom

2010-03-13 16:40:00

Is it really neccessary to wait for "packet 3" to arrive before sending off the forms..?

It says on the London Embassy website:

Note: Only applicants who been notified by the Immigrant Visa Unit that a petition has been received in their name should complete the visa application forms. Forms received without the applicant's case number will be discarded.

So if you have the Case number, which is assigned at the NVC stage then is it possible to send the forms?

I know it says only applicants who have been notified should send the required forms, but i have also read that sometime people do not recevie this letter, so in that case are you endlessly waiting.

Im getting so ichy to keep things moving.

This has to be one of the hardest things i have ever had to do. Everything seems so close yet so far away all at the same time..

Come on London, get those letters moving out and lets get our interview sorted. Even if the date is 6 weeks away at least we will know.

COME ON!!!!!!!!

nickm

Male

United Kingdom

2010-03-13 13:54:00

I have a couple of questions about this actually - one of which I've asked before but as you folks are recent grads of the embassy you may have a clear answer

So with the medical - guesstimate of what the wait for an appointment is at the moment? Just trying to figure out if I should just book it (and try and align it with a work trip to London so I don't have to pay for the train ) or wait a bit.

Also, I have a problematic vaccination history. I had an allergic reaction to the Measles vaccine when I was a kiddie and so pretty much haven't had any vaccinations since (Mumps and Rubella being notable omissions). Will a letter from my doctor advising I shouldn't have any vaccines grown on eggs for medical reasons suffice?

From the way I understand the vaccine chart I'm only supposed to have Tetanus, MMR and Varicella anyway for my age group - I'm just worrying about it.

I booked my medical yesterday, and it is on the 23rd of march, so two weeks wait. I too was trying to get to only have on train journey, but it seems that i will have to have two. I'm sat here with all my forms ready to go and just waiting for an acknowledgment that they have the petition and i can send the forms to book my interview. But this way at least i wont have to wait for the embassy to get the medical results in order to issue my visa.

As for the vaccinations, i went to the doc's with a list of requirements and they did what they could, i am going to have to pay for the MMR because the NHS will only administer it to children, if you are worried then when you phone to make your appointment ask the receptionist, i had a few questions and she was very helpful. It may also pay to get a doctor to sign somthing saying why you cant have the measles and book to see a practice nurse who will give the the rest of the shot, Tdap which is atriple vaccine and anything else you need.

From what i have read varicella/chicken pox, is not available as a vaccine here and if you have had chicken pox you dont need it anyway. This BBC news story says it all about varicella http://news.bbc.co.u...lth/8557236.stm.

good luck.

nickm

Male

United Kingdom

2010-03-10 10:12:00

Six Nations

So the Six nations kicks off in a few hours, and this event usually signifies the highlight of those dark winter months. WE have had a terrible turn up the last few years so to all you welsh, Scottish and Irish good luck and here's hoping for a much better tournament this year. With England as the winners obviously :thumbs:

For anyone using Expat shield, which isn't working anymore i have a Proxy address that will let you watch BBC Iplayer and hopefully that means also watching the rugby live.

Please Pm me if you want it.

I don't want to post it here so everyone has access as this will cause the connection to become super slow.

Good luck all

COME ON ENGLAND!!!!!!!!!!!!

nickm

Male

United Kingdom

2011-02-04 08:56:00

Port of Entry

The POE is pretty straight forward, You will enter through the USC line and your other half will have to go to the Non USC line. Stand behind the yellow line, approach when called, no mobile phones the usual drill.

Approach the desk, have the I-94 filled in and ready, hand over the big brown envelope, I was taken into secondary for this at Philadelphia, but to this day i have no idea why they made me wait an hour, i think they were just checking the paper work as the first officer said i had immigration intent, well duh i had a K-1.. :bonk:

But it wasn't too stressful, i just wanted to get out of there to see my wifey and have a ciggy. I think the first officer i saw just dint want to check the paper work so sent me to secondary.

All in all the POE took me about 2 hours, most of which was waiting in secondary.

If you are prepared its a non event.

nickm

Male

United Kingdom

2011-02-25 07:35:00

New member...Please help put my mind at rest

If you get to about week 4/5 after sending and you haven't heard anything regarding an interview date, i would suggest calling the embassy extortion line to check your forms were received and logged.

My forms mysteriously vanished, after they we delivered, and if i hadn't called i could of been waiting forever..

It all worked out in the end, but just something to be cautious of.

Nick

nickm

Male

United Kingdom

2011-03-30 20:06:00

Medical Advice in London

The medical questionnaire tells you all you need to know about the medical, what to expect what to take with you. They have two phone numbers as they have two offices in London.

You can book once you have your LND number.

I don't remember having to give them my police certificate, just passport, vaccination history and medical questionnaire, but just because i don't remember doesn't mean i didn't.

a little tip from me is ensure you have ALL vaccination completed.. It will save you alot of hassle once you are in the AOS procedure.

nickm

Male

United Kingdom

2011-02-24 07:14:00

UK TV in the US

To watch channel 4 programs go to seesaw.com.. iplayer and itv work, but C4 wont, with expat shield. :thumbs:

nickm

Male

United Kingdom

2011-05-24 18:05:00

Vaccination records for UK

They can't take your word for it. The form requires specific dates be written in. It's not a yes/no tick box. Here's what the CDC says:
Vaccination Documentation
Acceptable vaccination documentation must come from a vaccination record, either a personal vaccination record or a copy of a medical chart with entries made by a physician or other appropriate medical personnel. Only those records of doses of vaccines that include the dates of receipt (month, day, and year) are acceptable. The document must not appear to have been altered, and dates of vaccinations should seem reasonable. Self-reported doses of vaccines without written documentation are not acceptable.
Here's a document discussing immunization for your AOS which is the ultimate reason why you're worrying about shots now...so you can get a green card. You get the visa with or without shots. http://www.cdc.gov/i...nstructions.pdf

I prefer this document which goes into great detail in the footnotes about each vaccine, the intervals between, the contraindications, etc. The only thing that makes this document out of date is the reference to HPV and Zoster which were removed from the requirements in Dec 09.
http://www.cdc.gov/m...mmunization.pdf

No matter what your childhood record says, you're going to need a Tdap or Td as a booster most likely. (Note: that is not just a Tetnus booster. It has diptheria and anti-cellular pertussis) The other shot UK adults will need is the MMR series. If you don't have record of that, then plan ahead and get started with your NHS. Many give it free, but even if they charge, just do it. There's 3 in the series. The first two are 4 weeks apart. You'll need that by AOS, so get started while you've got nothing to do but moan about not hearing if London logged your packet. (Not talking to you specifically Y&E) Have the second dose before your medical so both can be recorded on your record. The third dose is 6-12 months later, so you'll be okay wthout that because you'll file for AOS before it's due. Or you can wait until you get to the US to do everything. But you'll be back posting in AOS forum that you don't know where to get a shot cheaply, you can't drive and somebody has to take off work to get you there, yada yada. I vote for getting it done and dusted while you're in your comfortable familiar environment with the possibility of getting it free if your NHS doctor is nice. And try to get that history of chickenpox documented by your NHS on the form you take to Knightsbridge of your shot history. It'll be easier.

I requested the MMR jabs from the NHS and my doctor will only administer it to "young persons", i never got a specific age. But this means i could not get it and so i am now finding out how much it will cost to get it in the states vs the 35 pound charge of getting it from knightsbridge. I am going to do which ever is cheaper.

nickm

Male

United Kingdom

2010-03-12 08:36:00

Vaccination records for UK

I just went to the GP i am registered with and requested a vaccination history. They printed one out for me on the spot. I then booked in to see the nurse and took along th elist of vaccination required and she gave me the ones i would need and that were available.

nickm

Male

United Kingdom

2010-03-11 15:29:00

long version of birth certificates

here in the uk, i have a what i guess is a "short form" birth certificate, however it is a piece of paper about 3 x 5 inches but does not include parents names.. I found out where to order the "long form" from. Anyone who needs to find out where to get a long form birth certificate can find it here http://www.gro.gov.u...t/certificates/.

And this PDF file show what a UK "long form" birth certificate looks like. Up until this week i had never even heard of one.

http://www.direct.go...t/dg_176217.pdf

Time to order a new birth certificate for me, another cost in the visa journey :-)

Edited by nickm, 28 February 2010 - 06:49 AM.

nickm

Male

United Kingdom

2010-02-28 06:48:00

long version of birth certificates

Is the UK "Short form" birth certificate acceptable? My birth certificate does not include my parents names. Is that still accepted?

I cannot find any other type of birth certificate in the UK so i am assuming it will be fine, but just to be safe i thought i would ask if anyone has encountered issues with the UK birth certificate format.

nickm

Male

United Kingdom

2010-02-27 09:29:00

Packet 3 received, DS-156 question

Just a quick question that I hope some of you can help me with. My fiancee in Taiwan has received the first package (3) from the AIT stating that she needs to fill out DS-230, DS-156K, and DS-156. I looked at the example form provided here and it makes it a little more confusing. Question 36 asks if someone has ever filed a visa petition on your behalf, and the answer is no. Shouldn't it be yes, since someone IS filing a K-1 visa petition for the person? This is confusing, is it a typo or does my fiancee really have to put NO even though I'm filing the petition on her behalf? Thanks for your help everyone.

Here's the link to that example I'm talking about...

Example DS-156

-Carlos

I put yes, and put my finacees name in the box.. seen as YES someone had filed a petiton on my behalf.
I dont know if this is correct but i am sure many get confused over this question so i am sure they will expect both yes and no answers.

nickm

Male

United Kingdom

2010-03-27 12:57:00

Medical

The best thing to do is book your medical before your interview at the embassy. The results take 5 days to be processed and sent to the embassy.

You can have the medical on the same day if you wish but this will hold up the approval of your visa until the results are received by the embassy.

I would advise booking the medical for a couple of weeks before the interview then if you run into any issues they can be sorted. I have had my medical alreadt and dont even have my interview date yet.

You will need your case number, LND....., from the NVC in orer to book.

http://www.usembassy.../medexam_K.html

This will tell you all you need to know.

Good luck.

nickm

Male

United Kingdom

2010-03-30 14:11:00

New Electronic Visa form

Cheers Guy's

Still not sure though...Lol

Waza

I was confused about this one too.. the K1 visa process seems really bizzare, at some stages it is treated as a non-immigrant visa and others an immigrant visa..

The london website says "Nonimmigrant visa applicants applying for a visa are required to complete the new DS-160."

However, the table of non-immigrant visas does not include the K1.. so i would assume the london embasyy are treating the K1 as an immigrant visa, even though it is not really.. Its all very confusing.

I recently sent P3 and did not include the DS160.

nickm

Male

United Kingdom

2010-04-02 13:33:00

New Electronic Visa form

If you check the list on the Embassy Website, K-visas are not included for the DS160.

See here http://london.usemba.../niv/index.html

nickm

Male

United Kingdom

2010-04-02 13:22:00