biggish data

http://www.phrases.o.....n petard.html

Captain Oates

Male

England

2007-05-21 08:46:00

Either you're winding us up (which I strongly suspect) or your stay in the US will last only a few months before your wife throws you out, you go crazy, or you end up in the hospital courtesy of a chunky redneck who isn't familiar with your made-up terms of endearment.

Later.

see what I mean ? as soon as an American is given a little teaser, they immediately start talking violence- and relish the idea of what the redneck will do to me..

can't be long before they use the 'like a donkey' word- they always get below the waist pretty quickly

all i have to do is sit back and watch you two hoist yourselves with your own petard

Edited by saywhat, 21 May 2007 - 08:41 AM.

Captain Oates

Male

England

2007-05-21 08:41:00

You don't have to lecture me on Euro-humor as I've lived in the UK for several years and I get what you're saying. I also get how difficult it is to acclimate to a place that is so similar on the surface, yet so different in reality.

Oh dear - HA said my 18 mths in Wisconsin wasn't enough for me to learn ANYTHING - but you say your stay in the UK was. This is what I am complaining about - American's experiences are valid and everyone else's are invalid and they are just there to be taught the 'right' way to look at things.
and HA says we are not that different but you say we are - a split in the ranks eh ?

Lets see if I can open it up

one of you might come down my side yet

alan

Captain Oates

Male

England

2007-05-21 08:37:00

It's probably not only what you're saying, but how you're saying it. Americans don't like to be lectured by foreigners.

[

Neither do Brits when the lecturer is a nationalist supremacist - you are a foreigner by the way

Captain Oates

Male

England

2007-05-21 08:25:00

As usual, I agree with HA.

Hey, Alan...I just read some of your posts in that 'Mexican' thread and many of them had me chuckling. But this post of yours has irritated me, for all the reasons HA has put forth, so why bother repeating them, lol?

Welcome to the forum here btw

Thought I might find some Brits or Europeans kicking around in this forum and I might get some insight into how others coped...
My thread is about people being intolerant and getting irritated at opposite views - and you come on and say that iritates you ?
Own goal I reckon

I used to know a woman who was accused of being un-feminine - she screwed her face up into a snarl and smashed her fist onto the table and all the glasses fell off onto the floor - she stood up and towered over the table and bellowed in a very deep loud threatening voice 'I AM FEMININE ' !!!!

It's called irony- the Americans think thats like coppery or steely - they don't get it - but it's the core of Euro-humour

Edited by saywhat, 21 May 2007 - 08:17 AM.

Captain Oates

Male

England

2007-05-21 08:15:00

You've somewhat overestimated the US population; it's more like 280-300 million.

You forget the Pedros and Juanitas and the Paddies - hum so you only outnumber the iraqis by 15 to 1 and not the 20 to 1 that I thought..

That makes it fairer

ok back to the sunbathing

Captain Oates

Male

England

2007-05-21 07:57:00

Vielen dank ! Das ist wirklich nett ! Jemand versteht mich !

good 'un

Captain Oates

Male

England

2007-05-21 07:42:00

Look it's no good - I am just one person and there are 360 million Americans, and by the time I have taught them all not to take statements at face value, and to not be so defensive about politics and religion, and to lighten up, I am going to be exhausted.

But I can't open my mouth about any issues without getting an enraged deranged response if it is 1 degree away from the US government line

Now I am going to go through with this immigration project so the answer is obvious - I need to have my attitude adjusted to become typical of the host population or at least brought into line

I am aware that they were brought up in classrooms with flags flying and hand on heart and George Washington could not tell a lie - but is it too late for me to be socially adjusted to think like them ?

My mother in law was watching telly with me and there was the trial of American troops for raping a young girl in front of her family and then shooting them all and setting fire to them.. she simple wouldn't even think about it and said US soldiers need supporting under all circumstances and it simply was not true whatever the evidence

In a nutshell, the attitude is 'my country right or wrong'

How am I going to cope with this huge culture gap without exploding with indignation or alienating everyone

actually I am serious - I read that despite the common language, the culture gap Britain/US is wider than between Britain and any European Country - it isn't the food or the language or the customs - it's the burned in attitudes and beliefs and approach to things. That isn't easy to accept, but I have been suspecting for a long time that it's true. Look at a rugby team from France/Italy/Ireland/England - as they walk onto the pitch their demeanor is very similar - now look at American football and all the strutting etc - it really is much more alien than most Brits imagine.
I am going to do this but I need to develop a coping strategy

alan

Captain Oates

Male

England

2007-05-21 07:09:00

At the absolute minimum, TAKE THE HARD DRIVE(S) OUT before you pack it for shipping. No matter how largely or boldly you write the word 'FRAGILE' on a box, the handlers will pay no attention to it.

I agree with that - I took my desktop back and forth 4 times and it survived with a small dent ...

If the files are under C drive private area in XP then you might not be able to get at them easily if your machine is smashed and you put the drive in another computer... and some applications have their own security passwords and you might have forgotten em years ago - I always have a D drive partition and keep my pst files (outlook) plus excel word jpg etc on there... then its very easy to zip them into one zip file with a zip password.. then i back em up to dvd to make doubly sure

I use acronis software to clone the first drive to the other so either drive will boot and be identical...

that makes it super sure

The main reason for taking the drives out is so some computer buff doesn't half inch (pinch)them and then steals your identity from the info on there - could cost a lot more than a $500 computer

A desktop computer with flat screen as excess baggage in addition to the 2 times 32kg suitcases, cost around £75 manchester -chicago BMI

I actually think several items of excess baggage is the cheapest way to do it - but of course you are going to look like a drunken successful looter when you try and load em all onto those not free luggage trolleys in the US and get em into that no so big after all car which is parked right down the end there .

Captain Oates

Male

England

2007-05-29 06:24:00

I noticed that....British women seem to have really large breasts in relation to American women, even accounting for higher rates of obesity in the USA. I'm the same bra size here as in the USA, but shops here sell G cups and bigger! The largest cup size I ever saw in a store that caters for women of average size is DD. Where DO G cup women buy bras in the USA?

That's why they call it 'Swingin' London'

All together now''

England swings like a pendulum do !

Captain Oates

Male

England

2007-05-29 04:55:00

Very little is cheaper in the UK than the US.

I agree - It's a pity I can't import my property taxes - my house in the UK is worth double Carolyn's in the US but my property taxes are half of hers..

That means that property taxes in the US can be FOUR TIMES the UK on a dollar for dollar house value basis... and she was out in the sticks where property taxes are lower...

of course I only get my bin emptied once every two weeks but even so !

I reckon the US is very high on health costs of any description and property tax but everything else is dirt cheap... dollar is like the lira in the good old days...

I am taking very little

ps anything masquerading as 'beer' has probably got rose petals and cranberry juice and honey and all sorts of junk in it - so a decent pint of unadulterated beer anything like 'Timothy Taylor' will be a distant memory... irreplaceable. So take your own brewers yeast and recipes....wrap it in an aeroplane meal and swallow it to get it into the country - it will take a week or two to retrieve knowing BMI meals - but will be worth it.....

Captain Oates

Male

England

2007-05-29 04:48:00

One food item that I haven't yet seen in the US (maybe I just haven't looked hard enough) and will miss lots is big slabs of tasty non-processed cheddar cheese!

Though quite how you'd transport that I have no idea...

Cheshire cheese is the problem as my libido runs on that and it is the secret of my enternal youth - I eventually hunted some down at Sendiks in Wisconsin but it was a fortune to buy...

I think 'hard cheese' is importable but I don't know the definition of hard -

I guess you could try it on your mice and if they squeak then it's hard

Or hit it with a hammer and if it goes 'splodge' it's banned - and if it shatters it's legal

I can see me having an argument with chicago customs as to whether my cheese is hard or not...

They will just confiscate it and say 'hard cheese' - meaning it is soft cheese

Captain Oates

Male

England

2007-05-29 04:33:00

ISA's and Unit trust type things

Those of you with ISA's etc should know that the US will not recognize their tax free status and will tax you...

Only if you tell em

Hey don't think I didn't think about it ! these piggin computers though - look what they did to al capone for tax evasion and that was before computers..
Uncle Sam isn't as fluffy as the Inland Revenue so I am trying to play it (almost) straight..

If I lend my pal 100 quid and he gives me 105 back in cash, I will not report that - anything else I am going to tell em- not coz I am a goody - but because some risks are not worth it...

No legower for 20 years and all those seagulls bleating outside my cell - aaaarggghhh no way

Captain Oates

Male

England

2007-05-30 03:17:00

ISA's and Unit trust type things

Those of you with ISA's etc should know that the US will not recognize their tax free status and will tax you...
Hmm. Wouldn't it be nice if you could roll an ISA over into an IRA...

Yes it would- the good news is that one of the few countries in the world where you can have your UK state pension paid AND have it increased - is the USA

I guess its too much admin to recognize each others tax free vehicles- understandable

Captain Oates

Male

England

2007-05-30 02:25:00

ISA's and Unit trust type things

Those of you with ISA's etc should know that the US will not recognize their tax free status and will tax you...

Even worse than that - much worse - is a UK unit trust or OIEC..

The IRS in the US hates these... they are 'foreign passive investments' as the unit trusts are not actually running the companies they invest in

being the land of the free, they don't ban them - they just tax them at 100% right back to the start

I had a really chunky profit going back to 1991 as I have been sticking the max investment in every year since then

Probably had around £170k in 'profit'

Imagine getting an invoice from the IRS for £170k !!!!

I have sold em all and shoved it in cash...

IF you have ISA or PEPS or OEICS or UNIT trusts

get advice if you don't have the background to check these out yourself

I know that most VJ'ers are young folk, students etc and they might think this is not relevant - but there are many others who are older and have some 'wool on their backs' as we say in Yorkshire - and these folk need to be very, very aware

I am selling all my shares etc and getting into cash 100% - cash is king in this situation...

Captain Oates

Male

England

2007-05-29 04:15:00

I use this company http://www.interchangefx.co.uk/ who I believe mags recommended. Excellent service, no complaints at all.

Hope it helps.

Helen
Excellent - its best to have 2 companies to compare margins so I will will check with them that wordfirst are in line...

many thanks

Not sure if this is of help but our US bank account allows me to send cheques - sorry checks, (must watch my English/American!!) directly to our account. It maybe because it's specifically for the military but they don't charge and the last time I checked they were converting at 1.98. It is not a service they advertise but I just called and asked their advice and voila free service. It's not every day one of those pops it's head up from a banking service! Yipee for USAA!

May be worth a quick call to your own US bank?

Emma

wow that's brill ! 1.98 is excellent and as long as there are no associated charges that's great... When you put a US check into a UK bank it can be a long time before it 'clears' ie before you can spend it - but that is a superb rate 1.98 - a UK bank would rip you off deluxe if you deposited dollars

Captain Oates

Male

England

2007-05-30 11:09:00

I use this company http://www.interchangefx.co.uk/ who I believe mags recommended. Excellent service, no complaints at all.

Hope it helps.

Helen

Excellent - its best to have 2 companies to compare margins so I will will check with them that wordfirst are in line...

many thanks

Captain Oates

Male

England

2007-05-30 02:43:00

Yeah, Alan, everytime Wes draws money from the Simpson Family Trust Fund, we just can't figure out whether to have it wired, carrier pigeoned or floated at sea.

I agree with you. That exchange rate really sucks. Especially at two-to-one your way. Bothersome, that.

And the price of corks guaranteed to hold a seal during Atlantic gale-storms - yikes!

Can't quite decide what this post is trying to say, though I guess it is disapointment that a retired 59 and a half year old guy like me is getting a good exchange rate on the life savings he is bringing to the US

If that is malice or envy then I have met that before and I just hope you like my new speedboat anchored in the bay haha !, if it's just wine talking then cheers !

alan

Captain Oates

Male

England

2007-05-30 02:40:00

Anyone who is planning to sell a house in the UK (plus wad) is taking a heck of an exchange risk right now. When we got married in November 05, the dollar was about 12%higher from now. On a house plus wad of even say £350k, you could lose 35k easily if there was a movement...

Of course I hear people say that isn't going to happen .. what do we know ? ... a lot of things can swing an exchange rate 10% and a things could occur which would drop the exchange rate a heck of lot more than any 10%

That would cost some pending VJ immigrants a big piece of change

Don't....

I am selling a house in the UK and will have just under £200k to take to the US. The buyer pulled out a few weeks ago, I have another buyer just appeared today, I just want it SOLD and the money in the bank ready to move. But there's not much I can do to speed it up

All I can say is don't believe anyone (including me) as far as future house prices and exchange rates are concerned. I think 2.00 USD to a £ is very good and I will take that. If it goes to 2.10 I will have a wry smile but if it goes to 1.70 I will stamp my feet - so I am going to take 2.00

My pal says UK house prices will come off 10% in the next year - its possible as its more than 10 years since the last 10 yearly slump - but there are new forces at work such as immigration, divorce, and even 'white flight' (yes it exists)... so it depends on what kind of house you are trying to sell and what is the typical buyer - the overall average market is one thing but your specific kind of house in your specific kind of area, plus some good luck, is what will sell your house - no matter what the market is like.

Careful of averages - if you have one foot in the fire and one foot in the fridge, then on average you are comfortable.

Captain Oates

Male

England

2007-05-30 02:34:00

I use Worldfirst in London and they are about 1.5 US cents less than my spreadbetting graph which is real time and represents the middle of the real time market..

So when the dollar is 1.985, Worldfirst can usually quote me 1.97

they are v efficient and I have an electronic payment set up at my bank to pay them for free in 3 days...

If I pay Worldfirst £4 extra they will cover the charges all the way through to either the US or my offshore banks..

I used the Halifax PLC once and the rate they gave me was more like a tourist rate- cost me a LOT !

I don't work for Worldfirst or have any sort of hookup but I would recommend using a specialist outfit like that rather than a bank

I have made at least 7 transfers with them without hitch or hassle

Has anyone used other specialist exchange companies like that...?

I know I won't be able to use my spreadbetting trading platform as it will be illegal for companies to provide that to a US resident (work of the DEVIL pilgrim ?) but the spot rates there are bang on the market rates...

It's really handy right now as I bet against the GBP when the exchange rate goes really well which allows me to 'fix' a rate.. I am fixing any time it goes near 2.00 (it is almost there now)

At the worst end of the spectrum, I see airport cash changes charging 12.5 % spread from buy to sell

Anyone who is planning to sell a house in the UK (plus wad) is taking a heck of an exchange risk right now. When we got married in November 05, the dollar was about 12%higher from now. On a house plus wad of even say £350k, you could lose 35k easily if there was a movement...

Of course I hear people say that isn't going to happen .. what do we know ? ... a lot of things can swing an exchange rate 10% and a things could occur which would drop the exchange rate a heck of lot more than any 10%

That would cost some pending VJ immigrants a big piece of change

Captain Oates

Male

England

2007-05-29 03:54:00

prescription drugs

I didn't even think about him bringing prescriptions here with him. It might work for awhile since your fiance will still be a UKC, but like Kez said, he wouldn't be living there. You should probably have him talk to someone in charge, but I doubt he'd be able to.

Slight pedantic correction.... no such thing as a UKC

only UKS

We are all SUBJECTS of the Queen - no citizens as it isnt a republic yet

All propery in the UK is owned by the crown and freeholders hold their houses as tenants but 'free' of rent to the crown..

nobody owns anything except LIZ who owns it all

She used to own everything in the USA too....

Captain Oates

Male

England

2007-07-24 14:57:00

Friend is looking for a Scottish Husband

http://www.scotlandsocial.co.uk/

I'm not quite sure why you would ever want to meet a potential life partner from a specific country though - surely that just happens if it is meant to be?! Ideally I would like to be hooked up with a nice English guy as lovely as my US one - it would save the visa hassle, the expensive plane fares and not seeing each other for months at a time...

Saying that though, the distance *has* taught me about what it is like to work for a good relationship - something I never had before

Yes the whole thing has taught me an awful lot and as 'foreign' as the US seemed to me at first, closer inspection reveals that we are all the same and the culture thing is only skin deep...

I lived alone 18 years after my divorce so I had scoured England pretty well and I knew what I wanted when it happened. I love my wife despite of her American style and not because of it. I am a stereotypical pompous Englishman so I am sure she feels the same way. The American style is not my style and the English style is not her style.

I am also wondering whether US/other relationships are worth avoiding before they start. We are possibly only 10 weeks or so from the green card but what if there was a last minute problem - say at the medical ? My USC wife is totally out of her depth here in England and wants to return to the US very soon. What would we do ? She can't exist here in England and I would be barred from the US. What happens to our immigration application in the next few weeks would mean a divorce after 3 years together, and me being back on my own at age 60 come November. The only alternative is her staying here and withering in spirit.

How much more stress can you add to a marriage ? ok it's 95% certain all will be ok - but that 5% expands to elephant like proportions in one's mind just because it's there.

Every step of the process is reason for elation, followed a week or so later by worry about the next stage. I am hoping for 'case complete' at NVC in the next couple of days but then comes the anxiety about the medical. I have passed it once at K1 but I know I will be sat here whacking my knees caps to see if there is a reaction and avoiding biscuits to lower my blood sugar content !

But anyway, back to the original post - yes I think we all know that 'I want a Scotsman' is crazy because Scotsmen come in all the varied packages that ALL men come in. I am really getting averse to Nationalism (usually dressed up as patriotism) because it means that you believe your countrymen to be 'better' than others and all this 'I love America' stuff leaves me uncomfortable as it can easily be perverted to 'The people in this country are better than people in other countries'. We know where that leads.

Even if 'I love America' means the system of government, then surely that does not apply to all of it - the immigration system for instance ? and George W ? and those state governors in the south in the 1960's ?

If it means ice cream and popcorn and baseball and big cars then I can accept 'I love America' at that level and that is the level I will be working at when I arrive.

I think people who concentrate on Nationality and Nationalism have some sort of ethereal thing in their mind - a bit like the concept of God- which is so hard to define - and the reality is that all people in all countries have a core of situations that are common.

Death for instance.

So the 'I want a Scotsman' lady is working in the abstract and needs to get her feet on the ground... A late Saturday night in the streets of Govan would be good research for her - followed by an art gallery in Edinburgh... She might then conclude her choice was between a 300 lb slobbering incomprehensible drunk and a skinny gay artist... neither of which are true

alan

Captain Oates

Male

England

2007-08-06 02:24:00

Friend is looking for a Scottish Husband

All the Scotsmen worth marrying have already emigrated to england

In the words of Dr Johnston in 1700 and something :

The best prospect a Scotsman ever saw was the high road that led to England

and as for that little actor who did braveheart, that was just poisonous fiction and even in Germany I am abused by small children for 'what the english did' as evidenced by mel gibson (worse than auschwitz etc etc). The English and the Jews have reason to resent that guy.

If the 'man seeker' bases her preferences on that film then she is in for a shock Jim and no mistake...

Oh don't get me wrong, I love going to Scotland and I refuse to go one year without a visit - but I go for Scotland and not the Scots, who are just like everyone else when it comes right down to it - same % of paedophiles/thieves/prostitutes/con artists/friendly/unfriendly/smelly/clever/dumb/violent partners/sweet people etc as every other race - so singling out a race and generalising about their desirability is pretty dumb. I haven't seen any studies on it, but perhaps they don't even have hairier bottoms than others, so she needs to be careful with her predilictions...

I am sure not all Thai /Polynesian girls are smiling and sweet at all times which is what we are led to believe by people who generalise...

However, generalising for a moment, I have yet to meet an American (including my wife), who is able to speak for long without referring to the lower rear part of the human body or it's attendant functions... so some generalisations are valid and the lady may have spotted something she particularly likes about Scots which is buried deep in her psyche...perhaps 'beam me up Scotty' on the telly coincided with her first arousal ? who knows...

Captain Oates

Male

England

2007-08-05 06:14:00

RFE for financial information

moving this to nvc forum ! wrong forum

alan

Captain Oates

Male

England

2007-08-09 03:58:00

RFE for financial information

We were expecting 'case complete' today..

Our 864 was received 20th july and they said it was 'fine'

our 230 was received by them 2 weeks ago today

Just called the auto line and they said there is a 'RFE on the financial information'

I know their letters take 3 weeks to come to me so this puts me back at least a month - right into mid winter given london interview dates

We put a number of bank accounts in the US and UK as 'assets' - more than $650k in cash accounts - and included statements of transactions on all of them...spouse assets are ok for inclusion. We sent a huge pack of fine details of monetary assets. So what their problem is i dont know..

now we have an RFE to sort out from England and the whole thing is holed beneath the water line...

I feel totally gutted and I don't know how to tell Carolyn. She must be wondering why she put her life on hold for a year - all for it to end up like this...

I will call when they open but I bet they won't tell me details.. these people are plain nasty for the sake of it.

Oh well, I feel like just another wildebeest dragged out of the herd at random - just bad luck

alan

Captain Oates

Male

England

2007-08-09 03:14:00

CR1 visa - London - 2 packets or 3

I did an IR-1 at the London Embassy.

There is packet 3 with a check list of all the documentation that you will be required to take to the interview. Packet 3 also contains instructions for booking the medical in London. You will need a police certificate for the interview, order it asap as it is valid for one year and takes up to 40 days to arrive. You return the check list to signify you are ready for interview.

Packet 4 is basically the interview date and instructs for attending.

ah right so it is the same as K1 - a lot of people say there is only 1 letter but they probably dont count the interview letter as a letter as there is nothing to do...

yes i got my police cert right back in January so i may be lucky and get interviewed before Jan 08 - though with the mess it has toiled through so far i would not be too sure

ok well that spins it out a lot more...dash...but many thanks for the info

alan

Captain Oates

Male

England

2007-08-12 12:19:00

CR1 visa - London - 2 packets or 3

When I did K1, there was a packet 3 with a checklist re police certificate etc and then packet 4 with the interview date..

With the CR1, I have received instructions already from NVC re police certificate and some VJ posters seem to be saying there is only 1 letter which has the interview date and instructions for the medical

can anyone who has done cr1/ir1 in London recently confirm please ?

There are so many visas and embassies that it's hard to figure it out

many thanks alan

Edited by saywhat, 12 August 2007 - 06:54 AM.

Captain Oates

Male

England

2007-08-12 06:53:00

Taxtion On Personal Money?

and don't use your bank to transfer the money - UK banks are rip off artists

use a specialist firm in London who will give you a much better rate with no charges

If you pay £4 it will guarantee no charges at the other end too

I used my halifax bank first time i they tore a big chunk off - then i used worldfirst in London - I have tried others but they are not as nice /more paperwork and charge the same when you actually do it - no matter what they say

just send an electronic transfer from your bank (like paying an elctricity bill) to the london forex specialists - its free and takes 3 days to get there - then the onward payment is same day to USA

they take 1.5 cents on the dollar different to london interbank rate but your bank will take much more

Look out for PEPS/ISA - IRS hate them and tax them at 100% so sell em now!

I had £100k profit on mine and could have received an IRS bill for all of that so i sold em - then the market fell 10% anyway so lucky boy eh ?

Captain Oates

Male

England

2007-08-21 04:50:00

Someone, please buy our house!

I put my UK house up for sale in May and I have reduced it twice (3% each time) and still only had one viewer..

The estate agent is the biggest operator on the estate

Nice house - 12 years old and detached in a nice position by the marina

Mine is not selling and nobody else's is either..

The market has stopped. So anyone who has sold can think themselves lucky.

I see a 3 year housing recession and I will have to rent it out so it is kept warm in winter and the property taxes are paid and the lawns are cut - all at someone elses expense.. That is IF I can find a tenant. They are drying up because everyone is having to rent out

alan

Captain Oates

Male

England

2007-08-21 10:20:00

US Banks - WTF???

There are alot of banks that don't charge for checks - Guranty bank in Wisconsin for example..

but I too need to find a national bank that does free banking and doesn't look blank when you mention the 'alien' world (where the aliens come from )

Captain Oates

Male

England

2007-08-07 03:36:00

QUOTE (essjay @ Aug 22 2007, 08:41 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Alan. The number you have got is right. When it answers, press option 1 and then option 0 and a REAL person will ask for your case number. The good thing is they are really friendly and it's much cheaper to call!!

Super dodge ! yes calling the embassy in london costs a fortune i remember - and they keep you on the line for ages with loads of guff before you get through to someone who's job it is to stonewall you...

So calling the DOS on my 1 penny per minute line sounds much better !

cheers !

Captain Oates

Male

England

2007-08-22 02:48:00

QUOTE (elmcitymaven @ Aug 21 2007, 02:50 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Alan, no answer to your NVC question, but just wanted to send my congrats to you and Carolyn for your approval. Glad that the domicile issue got sorted out finally, that sounded ridiculous! One way of finding out if you're in the system at London is to call the DoS and quote your case number. Won't be able to tell you when it will get on, but you'll know before you get the actual packet 3.

many thanks ! free at last !

dept of state website has a contact number :

Visa Information:
202-663-1225

i guess this is it ?

i will give em a call in a week or so and see if it has left nvc...thanks again - alan

Captain Oates

Male

England

2007-08-21 08:56:00

QUOTE (saywhat @ Aug 21 2007, 02:19 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

ok we finally got our blood and sweat soaked 'case complete' last friday the 17th august

Can someone give me some estimates and info please...

How do I know it has left NVC ? - does it appear on the auto messages or do we have to call ?

Is that about 2 weeks usually ?

How do we know it has arrived in London ?

How long after that does London Embassy send the checklist (some people call this packet 3 ?) ?

How long after that does the letter with the interview date arrive ?

I am going to try set up a medical before the checklist arrives in case there is a 6 week wait

I reckon London interview is about 6 weeks from checklist return ?

many thanks for any info people can add

alan

I am a silly boy as far as the london end is concerned as i just found the 'london interviews' thread where i can see dates..

still dont know how to tell when it has left nvc and how long to packet 3....

Captain Oates

Male

England

2007-08-21 08:38:00

Captain Oates

Male

England

2007-08-21 08:19:00

QUOTE (essjay @ Aug 25 2007, 06:25 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

A genuine question here - has anyone made up dates when contacting the Embassy? I know everyone has different circumstances and London IS very good at working around your dates, but there are suggestions that people fabricate dates and admit to it, and I don't remember seeing that?!?

As I said, just posing a genuine question.....

I haven't seen it either so it's hypocrasy and envy in equal measures that is stalking these streets.

When I did K1, Carolyn did have a reason to have medical tests and was down about it and worried and I blew it up as much as I could on the covering letter and got a 1 month date when everyone else was 6 weeks.

I didn't lie but I emphasised the issue to see if they would recognize that and give us an earlier date... So there we are - a public confession !

Does that make me an immigration cheat and a liar ? Should I have my current petition cancelled ? Should I be extradited and given 10 years in jail in one of those big cages listening to people being sizzled on death row ?

This President has lied and caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and Americans

The last President 'did not have sex with that woman'

Compare that to my heavily emphasizing a genuine medical problem of a woman living alone in a cabin in the snow in Wisconsin !

Jeez unreal man! what a set of hypocritical puritan prigs.

Come on and get your pristine white halos off and get real... we are the little people fighting for our little place in the world while every American President since tricky dicky nixon is burgling/bonking and killing with no criticism from the schoolmarmish mother superiors who play mind games with us and tell us how flawed we are

alan

Captain Oates

Male

England

2007-08-25 13:55:00

QUOTE (TracyTN @ Aug 25 2007, 06:21 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (Rubycon @ Aug 24 2007, 04:41 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Making up a date IS lying - and there are plenty of people who have done it and posted about it. Its called making a false declaration.

This has always annoyed me, too. Esp. when people who put bogus dates (or otherwise push for an 'early' interview') get interviews before people who may have legit reasons for needing an earlier date (sick relative, losing their housing or job, etc).

We are SO lucky to be going through London. Its one of the fastest consulates, and one of the most consistant when it comes to helping people make dates that they need to make. To otherwise push them to get you in and out faster than they already will - esp. if you have no definite need for it - seems selfish to me.

Not having a go at anyone in particular - just making a general observation about things I've seen over my time at VJ. (Which is a looong time, to be sure

So I should miss my medicare date at age 65 because some air head fiance got pregnant and wants to get settled in and hang pink wallaper in the nursery ? Bit extreme I suppose but what is important and justified to someone else might not be important to me - its all too subjective.
As long as nobody is lying, then putting your 'reasons' in the best possible light is just part of our 'market' economy. Anyone who is laid back enough to wait for whatever date comes along can't be all that motivated.

It's like buying beer in an English pub - if you don't push through to the bar then you are not going to get served.
It's like a single gal going out for the night and putting lipstick on

What do I put on the form 'I am feeling really good and all my relatives are healthy so make sure you put me at the end of the queue otherwise I will feel horribly guilty'

This 'holier than thou' thing is one American trait that does annoy me and I reckon it came over with the pilgrims.

One minute it's 'I cannot tell a lie' and the next minute it is 'Baghdad is full of WMD's'
Nuclear
Chemical
Biological

jeez

Captain Oates

Male

England

2007-08-25 12:44:00

QUOTE (Rubycon @ Aug 24 2007, 10:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I wasn't specifically replying to you (hence no quotes) and I appreciate that your situation isn't as simple as just making up a date. However this idea of making up a date to push through an interview is a recurring theme in this and other, previous threads.

Just an opinion I needed to air. After all, I don't think a website such as VJ should be - to an extent - condoning such activity.

ok but we are all here to figure our way through this and we are a community

What about James' short cuts which I used and which saved me two months ? I suppose I didn't push anyone back by doing that but I 'gamed' the system nevertheless.

I dislike queue jumpers myself but if x % are not that bothered about an early date because they are finishing a college course for instance, then why shouldn't someone who feels more urgent, press for an earlier date using whatever they have ..

Lying about an intended wedding date ? I am a bit argumentative and instinctively I would like to argue, but I suppose you are right - drat.
Yes you are.

But anything short of that I would push my case and put it in it's most advantageous way (yes to the disadvantage of someone else - obviously) ... It's not fair that stupid people get rejected at job interviews - or people with venereal disease through no fault of their own have an immigration rejection added to their problems, but thats the way it is.

I once stepped back and let a lot of mothers and elderly people board a plane in front of me and when I got on (yes I was actually on) they decided they had handed out too many boarding cards - I was told to get off as I was last on. Makes you think. Ethics eh ? difficult.

Ok you are absolutely right - and the truth is the truth - but there can be a bit of fuzz around the edges here, where pushing an otherwise weak case by exaggerating things doesn't amount to a bare faced lie...

We all know where the line is deep down inside...

Captain Oates

Male

England

2007-08-24 16:51:00

QUOTE (Rubycon @ Aug 24 2007, 09:52 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No offense to the I-129F vets here (well, not much anyway) but I think its bullsh*t that people make up dates to push their interviews through. All that happens is that honest people who wait in line and don't LIE on their paperwork get pushed further down the que. I mean, ####### people??

I have my visa in hand now so most of the stress is over, but I waited a good three or four weeks longer than many people with similar timelines to get my interview scheduled. Thats because I wrote the TRUTH on my correspondence to the embassy (thats what you sign to say you have given) - that I hadn't scheduled a wedding date (remember being told not to schedule a date??). And you know what? I could've done with those extra few weeks so that I wouldn't have had to sit on my now unemployed ### for an extra month.

I hope the embassy turns round and asks one of you people for some evidence to back up your date claim - it might pursuade some people to be a little more honest.

I think if you read things a bit more carefully, that nobody is suggesting lying so your precious cherry tree is safe pilgrim.
I said I would mention that my wife will be unemployed and wanting to make sure that her resume didnt have a gap - that is 100% TRUE So I am afraid your resentment is down to your lack of basic comprehension when you read English.
Putting an emphasis on something which is true in order to get a better date is not lying !

We have been married 2 years already so whats all this junk about wedding dates ?

Get a brain cell before you fire off at people. See I can tick you off without all the low class ### that you use

Captain Oates

Male

England

2007-08-24 16:00:00

QUOTE (Lansbury @ Aug 24 2007, 07:09 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (saywhat @ Aug 24 2007, 10:49 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I stand to be shot down in flames for this comment but I'm sure I seen people say this.

It has been known for a conditional green card to be issued when the CR-1 has been issued before the 2 year anniversary even though the person has arrived in the US after the 2 years. This seems to happen becasue they look at the visa type CR-1 and not the IR-1 you get if you were married more than 2 years when the visa was issued.

I am sure you are right and 30% of people get a conditional green card issued when it should be unconditional- however I will be ENTITLED to an unconditional and it will be a mistake, so i will spend 3 months sending it back for a correction and then filling in lots of forms about how i 'lost' it. In the meantime i wont be able to leave the country and i will lose the return leg of my ticket.. I am so resigned to all this junk now that I will be shocked if they manage to follow their own regulations and US immigration law and do it right

I am quite prepared for that, on the basis that if they can do it wrongly - they will- sods law operates at all times- thats why I told Carolyn that I would only go and live in the States on the basis of an unconditional green card so they cant keep screwing my life up and I don't need any contact with them for 10 years by which time I will be so senile I won't care anyway.

I will chat to the guy at POE and ask him if he can put a comment on the file to say we are married 2 years and ENTITLED to an unconditional - I am 99% sure he will roll his gum, shrug, and say he cant add a comment and its nothing to do with him ...

So yes I am braced for another fight to get my ENTITLEMENT which is an unconditional green card if I enter after we have been married two years. No confusion, no gray area, no discussion, no complications, no case law, no ifs, no buts - its an ENTITLEMENT and I will make them do it eventually...

I will be amazed if they do it correctly but the issued visa type is superceded by the marital status on the date at POE. Yes i am getting tetchy - the whole thing is getting to me now...

Captain Oates

Male

England

2007-08-24 15:50:00