ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
United KingdomRant thread
QUOTE (Allie and Nigel @ Nov 20 2009, 12:50 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
-------TRUE STUFF----->

I understand yes.gif If they can review documents in 30 mins on the day of the interview and approve it. Why does it takes 2 months to review the same documents they would have seen on the day of the interview?? blink.gif


I second that!


I think it's the unfairness of the system which makes people want to rant a bit - when you see people who filed at the same time as you get processed months before you do for no apparent reason.

We got stuck in the backlog of 2007 and our CR1 petition sat in a big pile untouched at VSC for ten months (it took over 3 months just to get the NOA1). At the point when VSC finally started transferring cases to CSC to get them done - it took 2 weeks from transfer to approval. So for ten months it sat in a pile in some filing room and we had no way of knowing what was happening. In the end it took 14 months to go from filing to the interview and we had a simple case with no RFEs - we were just at the back of a big queue.

On the one hand I was able to accept that we just had bad luck and had to grin and bear it. But when people who filed six months or so after us at VSC suddenly started getting approvals (it was as if they had dumped the new post on top of the old pile and were dealing with that first) it was really hard not to want to rant and rave about the unfairness of it all.

It's almost 12 months on now from my POE and while most of that frustration disappeared with 'getting on with real life' I am still cross that we spent the first 18 months of our marriage apart because of a failure of the system. I'd been prepared for several months apart but never thought we'd miss all those 1st year milestones.

I remember people back then telling those of us caught in the backlog that we had to be patient but it was hard especially during the 96 days it took to get the NOA1 and the cheque cashed. We all spent 3 months not even knowing if the package had even made it to the right place.


TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2009-11-19 22:10:00
United Kingdomwhat do you do?

If you do feel like doing some volunteering which fits into the above category and can't get somewhere local take a look at this website and select virtual opportunities on the search page.

There are some great non-profits looking for help from people from home and it's the sort of thing which can look great on a CV when the time comes. I was surprised how many non-profit jobs there were over here when I arrived and they all want experience in the area of working for non-profits. If I had known I would have done this myself when I had a three-month trip over during the visa process.

http://www.volunteermatch.org/search/

If you have any interest in media or journalism this company is legit and interesting....they will also give you a proper reference at the end of your time with them.

http://www.volunteer...h/opp571927.jsp



TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2009-12-17 18:25:00
United KingdomBritish/Scottish recipes

Try this website - Delia Smith is a traditional UK television cook who has been around for years and is often a big favourite with my mother's generation. She recently put all 1400 of her best recipes online for free.

http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes

It really depends what sort of food your husband likes but what I miss over here is...

Traditional Sunday roast dinner - beef, lamb, pork or chicken but with roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, at least four different vegetables, gravy etc

Shepherd's pie

Stews

Fruit crumbles

You can find good suggestions for all of those on Delia's website
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2009-11-14 17:29:00
United KingdomNeed Advice on Transportation to Heathrow
If you are flying from Terminal 4 then Yotel is a good option where you can book in for 4 hours sleep at a time.

https://www.yotel.com/default.aspx

Late at night it will cost about 30-40GBP to book a cabin for 4 hours though so not that much different in price from booking a mini-cab taxi to take you to Heathrow.
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-03-11 11:22:00
United KingdomCR1 filed in march!

There is somewhere in Virginia that does Back Bacon, but expensive. Best to forget it.

Likewise getting a decent Sausage.


Do you have a name of the place in Virginia - I really, really miss it. Someone sent me some Irish back bacon from an online ordering site a few months ago and it was quite good but really salty and I would love to find a real butcher somewhere who was preparing and selling organic back bacon.


ETA: Hi to the OP - I've ended up making my own bread to cope with the loss of 'normal UK stuff'. I also have everyone I know visit and bring me PG Tips tea bags, tomato ketchup, baked beans, Birds custard powder and Lyons Golden syrup which either cost the earth for the originals here or taste odd if you try the US version.

Edited by lsma, 13 April 2010 - 12:38 PM.

TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-04-13 12:35:00
United KingdomVisiting UK after NOA1
Because of the 2007 USCIS backlog our CR1 visa process took about 14 months from start to finish. During that time I visited my husband 4 times in the US and he visited the UK 4 times. (So almost at every stage of the process through NOA1 / NOA2 / NVC and the embassy stage) We would have gone crazy if we'd had to spend the whole first year of our marriage apart without any visits.

Neither of us had any major problems.

I was the most worried (going to the US) I always took lots of documents showing my ties to the UK - including a signed letter from my boss - but I was never asked for any more proof. I always said I was staying with my husband when asked but even that didn't seem to raise an eyebrow.

My husband had one slight scare when coming to the UK on one trip as for about 5 minutes at the counter he couldn't find his return ticket information and the border control officer started to get a little serious but as soon as he found the ticket (scrunched up in his bag) he was fine.
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-04-28 22:21:00
United KingdomUSD-GBP exchange rate
QUOTE (rebeccajo @ Nov 18 2008, 12:24 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I bolded the part of your post that has been a problem for us - now that my husband has been here three years.

The going back over bit has been gut-wrenching to say the least. It was pretty discouraging to plan a visit and try to save twice as many dollars as needed in sterling to stay in a hotel, dine out, do any shopping or even just visit the pub. Once you are over here living and working, dollars are all you've got. The backblow hasn't been pretty.


Oh absolutely - and selfishly as soon as I get over there settled and earning dollars I'll be right there with you on the same page. Right now I'm weeping into my pile of sterling.
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2008-11-17 19:29:00
United KingdomUSD-GBP exchange rate
QUOTE (rebeccajo @ Nov 18 2008, 12:08 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (rkl57 @ Nov 17 2008, 07:00 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Well, if you decided to start the visa process 6 months ago (fairly typical processing time) the money you were going to bring over is worth -23% less now than when you started.


I understand that.

What I am saying is even with today's exchange rates, one still comes out ahead.

I can understand people being disappointed that their home values have dropped and they won't clear what they would have six months ago. But that's GBP to GBP.

When bringing sterling over, you're still sitting pretty. That's the way I see it, anyway.


Of course it's still better than changing it the other way round. And anyone who has a significant amount of cash to bring over should consider themselves very lucky in today's climate.

I'm just disappointed because the process took so long for us - we got stuck in the VSC blackhole for ten months - it means I started this process over a year ago and was expecting to have been able to move a few months ago.

I took a severence package from work and had been hoping to use it to tide me over any unemployment and to put something down as a house deposit. The amount I have now gets me around $15,000 less than a month ago. It's just my bad luck/timing but it still stings. Especially if it's going to be increasingly hard to get a new job over in the US - every penny counts.

But as I said I do realise I am lucky to have something to bring over.
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2008-11-17 19:20:00
United KingdomUSD-GBP exchange rate
I thought that I would leave more here and wait to take it over when we absolutely need it. Although I was hoping to use it for a house deposit as soon as possible.

I agree - next year is going to be a tough year.
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2008-11-12 16:15:00
United KingdomUSD-GBP exchange rate
It's devastating! I have been waiting for the visa for over a year - and was going to bring my redundancy money over - I think I just 'lost' about $15,000 in a week. If only VSC had got their act together earlier....
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2008-11-12 15:44:00
United KingdomDid you register your baby's birth in the UK

Hi All,

I noticed on the British Embassy Washington website that you can register your baby's birth for babies born to British parents outside of the UK. I'm just wondering if anyone did this?

Thanks


I was thinking about it but I think I'll just get her the passport - it's all that's needed for proof of her UK citizenship.
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-05-30 13:11:00
United KingdomThe 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!
QUOTE (wifetobe @ Mar 6 2009, 03:27 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (Stinky Monkey @ Mar 6 2009, 11:43 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
kicking.gif kicking.gif kicking.gif APPROVED !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well done Shaz!!! good.gif kicking.gif biggrin.gif laughing.gif piece of cake!! tongue.gif xxxxx


Congratulations!
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2009-03-06 11:39:00
United KingdomThe 2009 United Kingdom Interview Thread!
Last year I had to reschedule my interview using the email code. I got a reply back within 3 days by email confirming that they had changed the date. I then got a letter through the post confirming it a week later.

So it can definitely be done by email - might take a bit longer this week as I'm sure they have hundreds of people to reschedule after the snow.

Good luck
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2009-02-05 07:24:00
United KingdomBrits in the USA
LSMA (UKC) and CPA (USC) to Northern Virginia = thanks
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2009-01-30 19:43:00
VietnamEnd of Journey
Congratulations - nice to hear from you again. How's the plan for the garden going this year?
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2013-03-19 08:48:00
K-3 Spousal Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports4 months pregnant out of the U.S and waiting for my K-3 or I-130 to be approved!

 

Where did you get those figures from? That sounds like total cost for pre and post care.  2012 statics puts the average for natural birth at $10,000 with the upper 5% paying $18,000. For C-section average was $15,000 average and the upper 5% was $28,000. 

 

I have a PPO plan with United Health Care through my employer. I added the wife to my company medical insurance once I received the marriage certificate sending a scanned copy. Had 90 days to it as it's considered a life changing event. Immigration status was completely irrelevant, they could careless where your spouse was from as long as you had a marriage certificate. No I couldn't use my coverage overseas but I could pay cash or credit and make a foreign claim reimbursement by just sending them the original bills with completed request form. The important one was the itemized bill from the hospital. I just told the hospital staff that I was going to submit for reimbursement and they gave me exactly what I needed; doesn't even need to be translated. I didn't even need the birth certificate as this was a claim for the mother. 

 

I added my son to my medical only using scanned copy of the hospital certificate of live birth. That easy.

 

My wife's prenatal costs were about $400. They only did one check up every two months for the first 6 then once every month after that with the last check a week before delivery. Postnatal care has been $100 bucks for c-section; it's only been one check up one month after the c-section. Then one more check after three months and then  they don't ask to see you again.

 

Sorry to go slightly off topic to answer this but it may be relevant to the OP's decision. I was quoting figures based on the birth I had in 2010 here in the US plus research I have read since then. A lot depends on the hospital you choose, or your insurance chooses for you, and where you live. 

 

I had great health insurance through my husband's employer and there wasn't any co-pay for anything during the whole pre-natal care, birth and post-natal care plus no co-pays for the post birth pediatric care and for seven well check visits in the first 3 years. 

 

However I kept a check on the bills that were coming through to us even though we did not owe anything. Two nights in the hospital, non-surgical birth, lab work, meds etc. It came to well over $20,000 - for both me and the baby. That's not including pre-natal and post-natal care after the hospital stay. And compared to your wife I had twice as many pre-natal checks - once a month for the first seven months - then once every two weeks for month eight, then every week for month nine, including two appointments in the final week. Three ultrasounds during the pre-natal care alone came to over $600.

 

You can shop around if you have the knowledge and the time to find something cheaper I'm sure. But we picked the hospital nearest to our home which was still a 25 min drive and it was not cheap. 

 

If you come from a country where medical bills do not escalate in the way they can over here in the US, and you don't manage to get on the insurance in time for the birth, it could come as quite a shock to see how much you can be charged. 

 

 

 

 


TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2014-01-27 23:32:00
K-3 Spousal Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports4 months pregnant out of the U.S and waiting for my K-3 or I-130 to be approved!

You also need to think about the costs of giving birth in the US if you are there without insurance. Without an immigrant visa you may not be able to be added to your husband's insurance or even purchase your own. 

 

The bill for a regular hospital birth can be around $20,000 - $40,000 and if you need a Cesarean it can go to $80,000

 

 


TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2014-01-27 12:52:00
USCIS Service CentersVSC Backlogged or What?

I'm fully aware of my processing time... Just saying generally for others who filed in January and February.



Glad they're moving on yours and others. Yeah!!!


When you've been on this site a while you'll notice that the workload backlogs swing back and forwards between the two centers for both K1s and CR1s.

When I applied for my spouse visa Vermont was severely backlogged and eventually after 10 months of waiting for my NOA2 (The NOA1 took 3 months to come!!) Vermont admitted defeat and send a load of casefiles to California to help them catch up. From the email saying they were transferring the case to Cali to getting the NOA2 took just 2 weeks. Which shows just how fast a file can be processed once it lands on someones desk.

It still annoys me that my file sat unopened on a shelf at VSC for 10 months. Nearly the whole first year of our marriage.
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-06-28 10:06:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)BRING ON THE DANCING MEN!!!!
Wonderful news - congratulations and best wishes for the future
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2008-11-14 07:13:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)Humanitarian Visa DENIED!! Help please!!

I think you are pretty set on not moving to the UK. However, as someone else said. The NHS can be awful but it depends where you live. There are some really amazing trusts and hospitals available. Also - you can pay for private treatment if you wish to bypass the queues faced for some medical issues. 

 

I don't want to get too off topic but I have a recent personal experience of just how amazing the NHS can be. My Mum was diagnosed with late stage cancer last year and the care given to her by everyone from the family doctor to the cancer and hospice specialists was so brilliant. And no worry about any fees or bills. 

 

Where does your fiance live? Can he move somewhere with better services?


TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2014-05-07 13:34:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)Humanitarian Visa DENIED!! Help please!!

If it looks as though your only choice is to move back to the UK to be together then there are several things you will need to put in place before you can there. 

 

There is a relatively strict financial requirement now for UK family visas, you should check the income requirement asap for your family size - I think it will be just for you as your child is probably entitled to a British passport. It's something like a yearly income of 18500 pounds. There are also some rules about how long the UK sponsor has held the job for. So your fiance needs to keep that job he has now if he meets the requirements or get a new one asap. 

 

There are no joint sponsor options in the UK. 

 

The positives: 

 

Children in the UK are entitled to 15 hours of free preschool care a week from age 3. Public school starts at 4.

Your child will most likely be entitled to child benefit payment

You have a very portable job which is often in demand so once you are certified you will be able to find a job in a nice part of the UK where there are good schools and lovely communities. Not everywhere is horribly expensive and cramped. I grew up in Cumbria and it's gorgeous there.

If you decide to take British citizenship when you are eligible then the whole of the EU opens up for you with job opportunities. You could go to a warmer country, Italy, Spain etc for better weather. 

If you give it your best shot and you really can't stand it and have to move back on your own to the US after five or six years, at least you will have given your husband and child a chance to bond which will make there future relationship easier to maintain. 


Edited by *Lynne*, 06 May 2014 - 02:33 PM.

TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2014-05-06 14:32:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)Canadian Citizen removed with 5 year ban - unique situation

 

 

People are getting carried away when they say helping to do the dishes or clearing the table will get them in trouble. Domestic work on a casual irregular basis is not cause to be deemed employment. But if a person was cooking and cleaning, or taking care of a child daily, such as a maid or nanny might do, then it is going to meet the standard of employment.

 

(h) The term employment means any service or labor performed by an employee for an employer within the United States, including service or labor performed on a vessel or aircraft that has arrived in the United States and has been inspected, or otherwise included within the provisions of the Anti-Reflagging Act codified at 46 U.S.C. 8704, but not including duties performed by nonimmigrant crewmen defined in sections 101(a)(10) and (a)(15)(D) of the Act. However, employment does not include casual employment by individuals who provide domestic service in a private home that is sporadic, irregular or intermittent;

 

 

Exactly. - the border officials are allowed to use their common sense. Even if it feels as though sometimes they are not. 

 

Why this has come up on VJ is when there have been some couples who have wanted a visitor visa for the mother-in-law to come for at least six months to look after the new baby for eight hours a day while the wife goes back to work. Or a sister to come and act as an au pair or nanny. In these cases the relative is going to be doing a job which would otherwise have to go to a US resident. Full-time child care.

 

The people who suffer unfairly are those from cultures where it's common for the wife's mother to move in for many months and 'look after' both new Mum and baby. This isn't taking job because it's just about having your Mum there taking care of you in a vulnerable time, you're not going to get anyone else to be your Mum, but when applying for the visitor visa this scenario looks an awful lot like the one above and people get denied. 

 

For people who have family coming to visit them for a regular vacation period, and their family as all polite visitors should do offer to help occasionally, do the dishes, take your grandchild out for the day - that's not going to be a problem. And why would that even come up in conversation with the border guard? 

 

When my parents came to visit me as I was about to give birth they had one of the nicest conversations with the CBP they'd ever had about how excited they were to see their first grandchild and how much fun it was going to be changing diapers again. No warnings about how changing those diapers could be working illegally in the US.  


TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2014-06-13 09:13:00
United KingdomKnightsbridge now denies on past Depression/Self-harm

Also - unless I am missing something at this point your fiance has not been denied. So you are the one who is speculating. 


TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2014-04-23 11:32:00
United KingdomKnightsbridge now denies on past Depression/Self-harm

Excuse me! Are you trying to shove the truth under the rug??? People need to know these things they must be ready in case the worst comes. If you try to hide that you do more harm than good. The truth must be heard.

 

The medical office CANNOT deny anything. Only the Embassy can do that. So the title of this thread is inaccurate. 

 

If, once your fiance has had the interview and at the interview they deny him, and tell him it is because of a failed medical exam due to his past depression and self-harm you can create a thread titled  - The UK Embassy now denies (sometimes) on past Depression / Self-harm. 

 

It is misleading for future members here to read this thread title. 


TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2014-04-23 11:29:00
United KingdomKnightsbridge now denies on past Depression/Self-harm

Any chance your fiance could come on here himself and describe how the medical went and what exactly the doctor said at the end?

 

 


TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2014-04-23 11:23:00
United KingdomUK to US Fiancee Visa

Ah - well it's probably very unlikely that it will come up at your interview unless you are an engineer or chemist. And even then very unlikely they would ask your fiance about it.

 

It'd not good in this visa process to have secrets and inconsistencies though, they sometimes trip you up when you least expect it. You're already worrying about it which may make you seem more anxious at your interview.


TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2014-09-08 08:49:00
United KingdomUK to US Fiancee Visa

If I need to provide one, will the contact the petitioner to corroborate it?

 

Unlikely. It sounds like there is something very specific that you are worried about?

 

I am guessing that there is something on your CV that you have not told your fiance? Or don't want them to know?

 

The only cases I can remember on VJ where they asked for a CV at the UK embassy was connected to scientists or engineers whose work may have been in sensitive areas. 

 

Sometimes when they don't think a relationship is genuine they ask the same questions separately to a couple to see if their answers match but without knowing exactly where your concern lies it's hard to know if this will affect you or not. 

 

The UK is generally an easy interview - especially for UK nationals - sometimes harder for foreign born applicants who are in the UK on other visas. 

 

*Edited to add example of case at London embassy where CV was required - http://www.visajourn...rview-done-but/


Edited by *Lynne*, 08 September 2014 - 08:43 AM.

TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2014-09-08 08:35:00
United KingdomUK to US Fiancee Visa

It hardly ever comes up - especially at the UK interview. 

 

I was the beneficiary and simply because I read on here about one person who had been asked for a CV and it took them by surprise, I took a couple of copies of my CV with me to the interview along with other papers I thought I might need just in case but I wasn't asked for it. 

 

If it makes you feel more prepared then just take a copy with you. 

 

Even if you forgot to do that and they wanted to see a copy it would simply mean a short delay in issuing the visa while you provided it. 


TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2014-09-08 08:10:00
United KingdomUK to US Fiancee Visa

Do you mean the work history of the beneficiary or the petitioner?

 

Sometimes if the beneficiary has worked in a field 'of interest' connected with possible issues of national security they ask for a full CV - or perhaps if something comes up during a name check 

 

At some consulates they quiz the beneficiary about the petitioner's work history to see how well the couple know each other - although that's not usually that common at the UK interview

 

 


TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2014-09-08 07:55:00