Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
United Kingdom	Good Luck Dan & Tiffany and psho tomorrow	Good luck trust all goes well	Lansbury	Male	England	2007-07-30 13:18:00
United Kingdom	Good Luck dropinboy tomorrow	Thank you everyone!!! Haven't checked the boards in a while, been busy but you can add another 'APPROVED' to the list!!!! The interview went well, she was in by 8:30am and out by 12:30pm, a little longer than what i've seen other's report but it all went very smooth, she was only asked 2 questions: how did you guys meet? and Are you looking forward to moving to america with all the cultural changes etc.... Again thank you to everyone!!!!! Congratulations good to hear all went smoothly.	Lansbury	Male	England	2007-08-01 13:26:00
United Kingdom	Good Luck dropinboy tomorrow	Best of luck hope all goes well	Lansbury	Male	England	2007-07-31 16:26:00
United Kingdom	Any London Vjers free next Friday?	Have fun go out in style	Lansbury	Male	England	2007-08-03 17:04:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)	Is it possible to be dumped into AP without knowing	Glad it all got sorted out.	Lansbury	Male	England	2008-10-10 11:56:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)	Is it possible to be dumped into AP without knowing	That is very unusual for London. If they say you are approved the visa comes in a matter of days. Ring the DOS number in Washington 202 663 1225 and ask them to tell you the current status. They can see on the computer what London are doing. There have been delays before however they are very rare, but also the courier has been know to attempt to deliver, there be no-one in and they haven't left the card for you to rearrange delivery. Can you contact the courier to see if that is the case.	Lansbury	Male	England	2008-10-08 15:02:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)	Waiver denied, now looking at moving to UK	Sorry to hear that you were denied. We were not in that situation by my wife (USC) moved to the UK because it was financially daft pension wise to give up my job until I had qualified for a full service pension. The intention was to move to the USA 10 years later whne I retired, which we did end of 2006. She lived in Oregon and kept open when she came to the UK:- US bank account Oregon driving license with her sons Oregon address on it. All her pension funds Voter registration with our UK address as her registered voters address. Informed IRS and Oregon State Income Tax of our UK address and submitted returns each year. I can't remember if there was anything else but generally do not close anything unless you are required to because you are leaving the country. You will need them when you return and having stuff open will be useful evidence if you do decided to apply again for a visa in the future.	Lansbury	Male	England	2008-12-03 17:30:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)	Previous Minor Crime	Just describe things at the interview the way you have here. Provide a full account and be open and honest but make sure the Consular Officer understands the minor nature of the assault and the circumstances that lead up to it. I have to say from what you say I cannot see what offenses you committed the use of reasonable force in self defense is not a crime. While is seems very hard to get a hard and fast determination of what a CIMT is, as I posted above this seems as good an idea of what type of assault isn't and may guide you in your comments at the interview. Assault (simple) (i.e., any assault, which does not require an evil intent or depraved motive, although it may involve the use of a weapon, which is neither dangerous nor deadly). It is a shame they didn't clearly state on your caution paperwork the exact offence ie Sec 39 Criminal Justice Act 1988 if that is what it was. While that does have the term battery in it that is because you can commit an assault under English/Welsh law without actually touching them. If you intentionally do something to someone without touching them and they go into shock you have assaulted them, battery just means you used physical force. Unfortunately in lay terms battery implies a high level of force that it means legally. As you put in your first post there is an exemption for one crime committed while under 18 and if 5 years have passed since the punishment ended, (that I guess would be the date of caution). I don't see it is something that will not resolve in your favour. You have prepared yourself well for the interview and hopefully the worse that will happen to you is your interview will be a bit longer than most. The anticipation of the interview in London is 99% of time a lot worse than the actual interview. Edited by Lansbury, 14 July 2009 - 02:24 PM.	Lansbury	Male	England	2009-07-14 14:22:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)	Previous Minor Crime	QUOTE (sammills89 @ Jul 14 2009, 05:09 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> but as I said, in US law the maximum imprisonment for battery does not exceed 12 months, therefore it should be counted under the 'minor offences' waiver category. I just want to make sure I'm not wrong here? Your assumptions are correct from I have seen elsewhere that it fits a minor offenses waiver requirement. But how will the Consular Officer determine which US law is applicable?	Lansbury	Male	England	2009-07-14 12:31:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)	Previous Minor Crime	QUOTE (sammills89 @ Jul 14 2009, 04:36 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> This quote is taken from an ACPO officer, "A caution is not a criminal conviction, but it does result in a criminal record." So as I was told, a caution is not a criminal conviction, sorry if I didn't make that clear enough. The reason for me putting 'simple battery' was so that there was no deviation as to whether it was 'aggravated battery' or something more serious - I have my police certificate in my hand right now and it clearly states, "Caution - Battery" that is all. I am not from Scotland and the offense was committed in the UK, as a pure and unquestionable act of self-defence. Well whoever wrote that Caution paperwork out hasn't done you any favours, while the term battery appears in the Act it is not a term in 37 years police service I heard applied to the sort of assault you describe. The Act you describe is a common assault and that is how it is referred to. An assault where an injury is caused in a minor form is an ABH (actual bodily harm). During my last 10 years of service I had very close contact with the Legal Attache office and Consular staff at the US Embassy in London. Myself and my colleagues were often asked to explain to the Consular staff aspects of UK law and one thing we told them was a caution is a conviction. The way we described it to them was you can go to Court and get a caution (conditional discharge) or accept to have it dealt with solely by police and get a caution from them. Now I know some Consular officers in London do not accept a caution as the same as a conviction which it was never meant to be but there doesn't appear to be an official US policy on it as we discuss things here relating to the issue of visas. The problem with listening to ACPO officers is most hardly spent anytime as working police officers and got where they were by accelerated promotion schemes spending as little time as 3 years on the street. Now you cannot get a criminal record if you haven't been convicted of a crime so I appreciate we are playing with semantics here but I am just wanting to point how a caution is viewed in practicality by those working at the sharp end. Everything I've read and heard would indicted you have a good chance of being successful in your application, and I wish you well, but I hope my comments on how the Consular officer might view a caution is useful in your preparations.	Lansbury	Male	England	2009-07-14 12:05:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)	Previous Minor Crime	The following is a definition of an assault which is generally viewed as not being a CIMT:- Assault (simple) (i.e., any assault, which does not require an evil intent or depraved motive, although it may involve the use of a weapon, which is neither dangerous nor deadly). One other thing I would say is do not try and tell them a caution isn't a conviction. It is it will be listed on you PNC record under convictions in England and Wales. Here you are using the term simple battery and in another thread I believe final caution. These are not terms used in England and Wales but to me seem terms more used in Scottish law. The criminal law in England and Wales is different to that in Scotland there is no such thing as UK criminal law. Not sure if that makes a difference to the research you have done.	Lansbury	Male	England	2009-07-13 18:11:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)	How does I-94 and overstay time work	As Tracy says the airlines are meant to remove them and send them in. If that doesn't happen you are meant to post them back with proof of departure. If neither happens it can be assumed you are still in the US or overstayed and it might cause you problems in the future. It also might not cause any problem at all.	Lansbury	Male	England	2010-03-17 09:58:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)	CMIT london please help	yes it was crime committed only once, but fuve offeces as i described early. If someone walks into a shopping mall and shoots dead 5 people how many crimes have they committed? You haven't said what country she was in when she committed the thefts or the wording of the charges, but on the face of it five counts of theft are five separate crimes.	Lansbury	Male	England	2010-04-01 17:44:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)	CMIT london please help	yes it was crime committed only once, but fuve offeces as i described early. according to rules she will fine after june next year. but what are the chances on k1 visa or should i get marry and it will be better chances. coz when she applied for student visa she was told she has to clean for 5 yrs. please give me your opinion thanks It doesn't matter if it is a K-1 visa or CR-1 they will treat the criminal conviction the same way. You need to consult with an immigration attorney even if just a one off for advice. Like I asked before and you haven't answered is "shoplifting" a CIMT. The definition of what is and what isn't a CIMT is very murky. Just because for a student visa they told her to be of good moral character for 5 years doesn't mean that rule applies to immigration visas. If she applies for a K-1 or CR-1 and is refused I believe the only grounds for a waiver is hardship to the US citizen. That is very hard to prove and is most certainly not a do-it-yourself job. I have given you the link to the immigration lawyers association go find one near you and have a one of consultation with them. It might well be the best couple of hundred or so bucks you have every spent.	Lansbury	Male	England	2010-04-01 17:37:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)	CMIT london please help	Might be one count but as you say it is five offenses, it is five offenses not one. Were they all at the same time and location or offenses committed on different days but all part of one charge. Will it make a difference yes. Is there a time line for waivers, not really depends on the circumstances. Waivers are not do it yourself jobs you need to speak to an immigration lawyer who undertakes waiver cases. www.aila.org - American immigration lawyers association.	Lansbury	Male	England	2010-04-01 01:04:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)	CMIT london please help	The ground does not apply where the alien has committed only one crime of moral turpitude, the crime was committed when the alien was under 18 years of age and the crime was committed (and the alien was released from confinement to prison or a correctional institution imposed for the crime) more than five years before the date of application for a visa or other documentation and the date of application for admission to the United States does this help to make the case easy As you say she was 19 at the time, and there was more than one count (more than one crime) I do not expect it does help very much. However is shoplifting a CIMT?	Lansbury	Male	England	2010-03-31 20:16:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)	URGENT INTERVIEW TOMMOROW AND POLICE WARNING	I forgot to mention. The warning will be on his record for 3 YEARS There are no such things as warnings on a persons criminal(PNC) record. This sounds more like a formal caution which is more serious than just an unofficial warning.	Lansbury	Male	England	2010-12-02 12:17:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)	Please tell me this isn't the dreaded AP!?!	Still AP, Doesn’t metter in few or most. Will still call AP for the country. No one can tell and or have real number, how many cases go under AP in London. You miss the point entirely, I am not saying it isn't AP, but I am challenging a statement made with gives the impression that AP is normal at the London Embassy. It is far from normal there by what I think most people would consider normal. By the way if you search the information on visas and AP and many other statistics are available in various US government reports. Therefore if someone is placed in AP in London there is usually a specific reason rather than a generic all applicants get placed in AP. It also tends to make the resolution of AP quicker in London that other places, although that isn't something which should be taken as a given.	Lansbury	Male	England	2010-03-20 01:11:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)	Please tell me this isn't the dreaded AP!?!	I have no idea about percentage, but I have seen few posts about UK AP. A few out of many thousands issued each year. AP in London is far from being normal.	Lansbury	Male	England	2010-03-19 07:03:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)	Please tell me this isn't the dreaded AP!?!	Thanks, Lansbury. I think this may be because I lived in a certain part of the world as a teenager. Then in that sense the additional checks are normal for someone with connections to certain parts of the world. Hopefully you will not be stuck in AP for too long.	Lansbury	Male	England	2010-03-15 15:39:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)	Please tell me this isn't the dreaded AP!?!	Hey sorry to hear about AP, this is normal in many cases. How many cases is AP normal in, in London, or a better worded question would be what percentage of London cases is AP normal in? Edited by Lansbury, 13 March 2010 - 11:17 AM.	Lansbury	Male	England	2010-03-13 11:15:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)	Please tell me this isn't the dreaded AP!?!	It is very far from typical procedure for the London Embassy to place someone in AP. You may have been born in the UK but does your family originate from somewhere else. If the Embassy say you are in AP then take what they say as right. My guess from everything I've learned on here is that they are running more detailed background checks than London normally do, but that those checks are ones that are done in many other Embassies. Hence my asking about your family background and them saying normal processing. When calling DOS remember they are not meant to be dealing with queries about London, there is a special number in the UK for that. The fact they do help out is a bonus and a very useful one, so if you get someone less than helpful just ride with the flow. While people who have no knowledge of London post with the best of intentions take their postings with a pinch of salt. Just because something happens in one Embassy doesn't mean it happens in all or any of the others, or that what London might do is done anywhere else. Edited by Lansbury, 13 March 2010 - 10:15 AM.	Lansbury	Male	England	2010-03-13 10:13:00
United Kingdom	Transporting our belongings to the US	We found a place that we think we are going to use. We were really impressed with the way they shrink wrap all the boxes on pallets. http://www.shipit.co.uk/index.html They have given us a quote of £1200 for 6 cubic metres (not including insurance.) They also have given us an "on water" transit time of 16 days, which means we will have our things delivered in less than a month! We are choosing to pack our own boxes, but they do offer that service for an additional charge. I'll post after the move to let everyone know how they did. (please let this go smoothly!!) Would be very interested to hear how you got on with this company as we are thinking of using them as well. We are taking some furniture with us and they quoted £4500 for a 20ft container, that is with them doing all the packing and the container leaving our house and going straight to the ship.	Lansbury	Male	England	2006-06-18 02:58:00
United Kingdom	The Big Move to the States..	Yes i think I remember that they said it would have to be in writting so I could write a letter from states as long as I dont need to transfer the money quickly as it takes 5 days to get the letter here in UK from states or I can fax a letter they said - but again this was some time ago I still have to go in and talk to them:) Lina (UKC) Could I suggest Money Corp (www.moneycorp.com) they are a commercial currency broker. You phone them up in the UK agree the deal over the phone and they then send an email with payment instructions. You go to your online bank and transfer them the pounds, they are based in London. Three to four days later the money arrives in your US account, the delay is to allow the money to get from your UK account to them. They are cheaper than NatWest and offer a better exchange rate. They are several other commercial currency dealers who will deal with individuals if you want to shop around.	Lansbury	Male	England	2006-06-19 03:14:00
United Kingdom	police certificates?	Hiya. My fiance moved quite a bit, during college. How many areas does he need a police certificate from? Like, if he lived in Islington & Hackney & back to Islington, does he need them from both? Is it every borough? Thx in advance. GO ENGLAND! He should apply to the police service in the area in which he lives now. If he lives in London that is the Met Police, he can get the form online and then take it into a police station or post it to the Met Police Public Access Office, address on the form. He will need to list all his address for the past 10 years but only needs the one form additional address he just writes on a seperate sheet and includes it with the form. If he now lives outside London he applies to his local police but would include all address for the last 10 years regardless of where in the UK he lived Lansbury aka DC Dave Hedges Met Police	Lansbury	Male	England	2006-06-23 08:27:00
United Kingdom	PNC Print Out - When is it needed	You actually need to take the police certificate with you to the interview at the London Embassy, hope this helps. Little tip take a photocopy of it as well. Janice Yes thanks thats a great help as the mess up shouldn't delay things. Not that worrying about it would have made any difference anyway.	Lansbury	Male	England	2006-06-26 12:09:00
United Kingdom	PNC Print Out - When is it needed	At what point is the police PNC print out needed so it can be sent to the Embassy (DCF). I ask because the Met have lost my application and I am having to resubmit. Just wondering if it will arrive before I actually need it.	Lansbury	Male	England	2006-06-26 05:58:00
United Kingdom	Playing video tapes from England in USA	My husband brought over several video tapes when he moved from England. I did some internet searching and discovered that you need to convert them to play on american tv because the tv's here use NTSC and UK ones use PAL. Well we bought this converter that is meant to do that. Problem is it doesn't work at all with my VCR/TV and when I tried it on my mother's VCR/TV the picture was good but the sound was dragging rrrrrrreeeeeeeeeaaaaaaallllllllyyyyyyyy sssssslllllllllllllllooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwww. It's almost like the tape doesn't want to play in the VCR right. We've tried different tapes to see be sure it wasn't just a problem with the tapes. Has anyone been able to watch their English vidoe tapes over here in the states? If so can anybody help us please? Thanks in advance! Amy I'm no expert on this but I have done a bit of research in view of my pending relocation to the States. From your post I gather you are playing the tapes back on a US video recorder (NTSC). If I am not mistaken you need a PAL video recorder to play back on with the PAL to NTSC converted between the recorder and the TV. These people maybe able to help http://www.world-import.com/index.htm	Lansbury	Male	England	2006-06-26 01:35:00
United Kingdom	ex partners permission	If you never married your child's father and they never applied to the courts for custody or access, then you don't need his permission to remove the child from the jurisdiction of the court. That isn't quite correct anymore, the law changed for a child born on or after 1st December 2003. If the unmarried father of a child born after that date was present when the birth was registered and signed the birth certificate he has parental responsibility and his permission to remove the child from the UK would be required.	Lansbury	Male	England	2006-06-29 04:42:00
United Kingdom	Cheap flights?	I think there are some unecessary scare tactics here about return V single tickets. Now people are thinking they may get in trouble. I think they're more likely to struck by lightening. As long as the airline is informed, surely they can resell the seat and make more money? This really shouldn't have been raised here when it is VERY unlikely that anyone would get in trouble for doing this on a visa. It seems you've had the same argument a few years back, Lansbury http://www.thetravel...com/t88827.html If you really think it is such an offence, surely you should recommend that people purchase a one way to avoid any 'trouble'? It is not an argument it is my opinion based my professional knowledge and experience. My opinion is held by some to be wrong but that is their right to do so. It is not scare tactics it is a statement of what I believe to be correct and it is for people to decide for themselves what that might choose to do. It is also not for me to recommend what others should do. I merely pointed that I consider it an offence under the Theft Act and I also pointed out that to the best of my knowledge no airline at Heathrow has ever chosen to pursue the matter. People are perfectly at liberty to make their own decision. My personal opinion is that the airlines cannot justify charging more for a single trip than they do for a return and it people choose to exploit that loophole good luck to them. My professional opinion has nothing to do with what I consider justified or not. Sorry you think it should not have been raised here or is it more that I choose to contradict your statement that the airlines don't care. If people think they may get into trouble because I have raised the matter, than good there is a chance they might especially if they placed a lot of weight on your ill informed comment. Book a return ticket by all means but at least now they know that it may be foolish to be open and let the airline know what they are up to. If you book a return with the intention of using it and then find due to unexpected and unforeseen circumstances you can no longer travel, no problem. Just know how to play the game before hand.	Lansbury	Male	England	2006-06-25 16:25:00
United Kingdom	Cheap flights?	A little tip check the price for a return ticket they are quite often cheaper than a one way. Not exactly what you are suppose to do but just don't tell the airline you are not coming back. My one way ticket was much cheaper than a return. As long as you have a valid visa, the airline doesn't care about it being a one way. They also don't care if you don't use a return, but it is courteous to let them know so they can release your seat. That's fine if yours was cheaper, I said it is quite often cheaper not always. I have seen just recently a case where a return ticket was £1700 cheaper than a one way, that will save me a lot of money. The airlines do in fact care about it in the same way they will try and prevent hidden city ticketing. If you buy a return ticket which is cheaper than a one way you have deceived the airline into supplying you with a service at a price cheaper than they would have done had they known the correct circumstances. In the UK that is an offence under the Theft Act. Working at Heathrow I don't know of any airlines that has ever pushed it that far, but I do know instances where they have tried to recover the extra money and also stripped people of their frequent flyer miles. But they were what you might call repeat offenders. In the case of an individual buying a ticket in the situation those of us going to the US permanently would do they are not likely to even realise what has happened.	Lansbury	Male	England	2006-06-25 05:02:00
United Kingdom	Cheap flights?	Hi...would anyone know if any good/cheap travel agents or special fares from the UK to JFK??? Any info is appreciated ! Been hunting, and they are all INCREDIBLE as it is the height of the season Rose A little tip check the price for a return ticket they are quite often cheaper than a one way. Not exactly what you are suppose to do but just don't tell the airline you are not coming back.	Lansbury	Male	England	2006-06-24 04:55:00
United Kingdom	BA - British Airways	I'm really considering using BA when the visa gets through to return to Andy. I just would like to know peoples experiances with that airline. How was YOUR flights with BA? In economy there is nothing to choose between any airline with the exception that UK airlines still seem to be offering free booze, while US airlines charge for it.	Lansbury	Male	England	2006-07-01 16:02:00
United Kingdom	U.S. citizen or Permanent Resident	I am just curious how many people from the U.K. have ,or intend to, become U.S. citizens. I am not sure to be honest if either really matters in the big scheme of things. So i wondered what are the benefits? I don`t mean in terms of financial really but if there are financial benefits i would like to know. ha. Working at Heathrow I meet quite a few people who get deported from the USA for a variety of reasons. The US along with Australia seem to have the most harsh and eagerly applied deportation laws for people who are not US citizens which seems to me a very good reason to protect yourself by becoming one. You just never know if the day will come when circumstances beyond your control will come back to bite you. Also having gone through all the hoops to become a LPR why not go the extra mile to make sure you can fully participate the US way of life and enjoy all its privilages, or which the right to vote is surely the greatest of those.	Lansbury	Male	England	2006-07-08 12:16:00
United Kingdom	Has anyone got a police report in less than 40 days?	Has anyone got a report in less than 40 days??? Am soooooooooooooooooooooo longing to get mine... I received mine this morning, 28 days after I applied.	Lansbury	Male	England	2006-07-22 02:38:00
United Kingdom	After I-130 is processed	Ok so the embassy is processing I-130s received on 13th June, mine was filed on the 14th. What happens once they process it, what can I expect to receive from them and what documents do I need to have to hand	Lansbury	Male	England	2006-08-05 13:09:00
United Kingdom	Travel to London Consulate	Our interview is tomorrow and Stephen was planning on flying into Heathrow--I don't think that will work now. We are checking the train schedules. Does anyone know which station is closest? The train website gave me a station called Euston--how far is that from the embassy? I work at Heathrow and I wouldn't risk flying there tomorrow. A lot of aircraft are still out of position and while tomorrow probably will not be as bad as it is certainly not going to be anything like normal.	Lansbury	Male	England	2006-08-10 13:39:00
United Kingdom	Question about assets, and a nice trade	My husband has a considerable savings in his account at home in the UK, and we're wondering if it would be better housed where it is for the duration of the visa process, or if it would be wiser to have it here in our US joint account. Two considerations. 1) The exchange rate, very good at the moment I have just transferred a large sum at $1.88 to the pound. Do you feel lucky and expect the exchange rate to go up? 2) Where will the money earn the best rate of interest. Not a lot of difference either side of the pond at the moment.	Lansbury	Male	England	2006-08-26 04:47:00
United Kingdom	delay due to marriage broker act anyone heard anything?	Not sure what is going on at the Embassy. They haven't processed any I-130 applications for the last 4 weeks, stopped the day before ours was filed, so it maybe nothing much at all has got processed during August.	Lansbury	Male	England	2006-09-02 09:11:00
United Kingdom	Transferring funds	So... does anyone know of the most painless way to transfer his savings from pounds to dollars? I use Moneycorp to transfer my funds www.moneycorp.com. Not as expensive as my bank and a much better exchange rate.	Lansbury	Male	England	2006-08-17 02:22:00