ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
United KingdomI'm so in love with this house.
Hmm, nice. 2,300 square feet for less than 1/2 of the price of a tiny studio in Manhattan. :whistle:
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-05-29 13:12:00
United KingdomTransferring GBP to USA

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...

Is that so?

Is there any reason you can't use your trading platform here in the U.S. through a U.S. broker?
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-05-29 14:16:00
United KingdomWhy did you choose the US?

Just going to remind people that this thread is about WHY we wanted to move to the USA, NOT a "How much we hate the UK thread" and I think we'd all like to keep it this way. ;)

mags,

For some people, "how much we hate the UK" is the reason WHY they wanted to move to the USA.

(Not me - I don't hate the UK - just saying.)
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-06-02 21:04:00
United KingdomFavourite English word or phrase (or Irish or Scottish ....
Anyone watch the 2007 Scripps National Spelling Bee on ABC last Thursday?
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-06-05 15:59:00
United KingdomGuess what? I'm getting a divorce.
Wow that's crazy :shocked:

I'm really sorry HA :(
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-06-21 11:24:00
United KingdomU.S. Citizen not allowed in U.K.

On a serious note, it's a shame the OP got bounced at immigration, but you were carrying a CV, and regardless of colour, People from Nigeria are notorious for 'forgetting' to go home as far as UK immigration is concerned.

It's just sad that a US citizen born in Nigeria is treated like a Nigerian and not like a native born US citizen. Discrimination just never ends.

This is why countries like Canada let you conceal the country of birth on your passport.
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2006-04-12 00:44:00
United KingdomU.S. Citizen not allowed in U.K.

Why does being born in England give you more right to be in England?

Actually, it doesn't. Or at least not since 1983. Being born in England today doesn't give you any right to be in England, per se.

You really do need to read what i say rather just spout your hate. Everybody is free when they are born. They are soon shuffled off into school and work and paying taxes etc but that is all from the same people that brought you immigration and terrorism.

You forgot religion -- another way to keep people from thinking outside the box.
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2006-04-07 00:19:00
United KingdomU.S. Citizen not allowed in U.K.


What secondary inspection if there's no luggage to inspect? You have to get through
immigration before you can pick up your luggage in an entirely different location.

There is NO primary or secondary luggage inspection on arrival -- only on departure.

i've watched the fly on the wall documentary about heathrow, and when they take people to secondary, they always seem to have thier luggage with them & it gets searched :P !

Well yes, that's because they do it BEFORE the bags are checked in, not after. It doesn't
make any sense to search your luggage afterwards.
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2006-03-29 14:48:00
United KingdomU.S. Citizen not allowed in U.K.


Something you're not telling us. Why were they searching your luggage? Normally, you go through
passport control, THEN you pick up your luggage. Did they find a discrepancy on your entry forms?

Secondary Inspection?

What secondary inspection if there's no luggage to inspect? You have to get through
immigration before you can pick up your luggage in an entirely different location.

There is NO primary or secondary luggage inspection on arrival -- only on departure.
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2006-03-29 12:18:00
United KingdomU.S. Citizen not allowed in U.K.

I showed them my U.S. Passport and ofcourse when they were searching my luggage they found my Nigeria Passport and thats when they saw some old printed copy of resume (CV). So with a U.S. Passport I will still have to pray before getting into UK? Meanwhile I have been there before for like 2wks holiday.
Now my option is to get a visa. I'm thinking of getting "Holiday Working Visa" how easy that to get I dont know.

Something you're not telling us. Why were they searching your luggage? Normally, you go through
passport control, THEN you pick up your luggage. Did they find a discrepancy on your entry forms?
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2006-03-28 22:34:00
United KingdomTime To Take Advantage Of The Dollar Rate
The strong pound is hurting the UK more than the weak dollar is hurting us. It makes
UK firms less competitive in US markets, and devalues the value of dollar earnings
made here. I'm sure the Bank of England is going to do something about it soon.
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-12 14:12:00
United KingdomWhat if?

The airlines foot the bill to return to country of origin if they turn someone away at POE who travelled in on a one way ticket and they didn't properly check.

That's cool. All you have to do then is buy a fully-refundable return ticket, return it
when you get to your destination, and then have the airline foot the bill :P
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-13 13:58:00
United KingdomThose with a visa, please step forward

the magic effect of the chocolate mags

Chocolate Mags? :P
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-14 13:03:00
United KingdomThose with a visa, please step forward

I've seen a lawyer note that he'd had incidents with clients who traveled after the FBI checks for the State Department (which are ordered by the NVC when the petition arrives there) were completed. Because of the travel the consulate wanted the checks repeated, delaying the issuance of the visa, so his recommendation to his clients is that once the petition leaves the NVC, stay home.

Seems unlikely. How would they even know if I traveled anywhere? Most countries (U.S. excluded) don't stamp your passport.
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-11 19:41:00
United KingdomThose with a visa, please step forward

Do you know why there was a name check? Was it just a usual one or some special reason for it?

They were very secretive about it, but it was basically a name hit. They had to fax it to
the States to run through NCIC. I looked it up on the net - found the complete manual
for consular officers which referred to the procedure as "Visas Something" (they had quite
a few names like that -- Visas Condor, Visas Mantis, but mine was something else.)
When I asked the consular officer, "is it visas whatsit", he said, "well aren't you a clever one!" :lol:
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-11 14:37:00
United KingdomThose with a visa, please step forward

Do you recall what their "waiting limit" is? I saw you mentioned that in the other thread as well.

I had to wait for a name check as well - the whole thing took 7 or 10 days.
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-11 12:47:00
United KingdomThe World’s Best Candy Bars? English, of Course

A (Terry's) Chocolate Orange? I loooove those - the dark chocolate ones. Yum.

It's not Terry's, it's mine! :P
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-17 14:07:00
United KingdomThe World’s Best Candy Bars? English, of Course

I dont do peanut butter.... it sticks to the roof of my mouth and makes me vomit.....

Oh no - you have Arachibutyrophobia! :o
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-16 15:35:00
United KingdomThe World’s Best Candy Bars? English, of Course

“Hershey’s tastes like ear wax,” said Kevin Ellis, an Alaskan-born designer with Adobe Systems in San Francisco.

For his sake, I hope he doesn't speak from experience :P
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-16 14:45:00
United KingdomAny UK folks NOT applying for US citizenship?

Tim won't. Because he's an Englishman.

One great thing about America is that you can be an Englishman, an Irishman,
a Burundi man for all I care - and still be American at the same time.
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-20 20:41:00
United Kingdomquestion about VWP

.... and then what do you put on the forms for other names used the next time you apply for AOS or lifting conditions or naturalization????

The truth, of course. Once you're in the US, it won't matter what names you used in the past.

I don't understand why you are so willing and eager to put forward ideas of how to get away with fraud. If at any point, the truth comes out, any immigration benefits that occurred after the fraud (what you call flying under the radar -- making it sound a little better) can be revoked.

I didn't suggest anything illegal -- you're the one screaming 'fraud'.

All I'm saying the system is not bullet-proof and there are ways to beat it.
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-27 13:37:00
United Kingdomquestion about VWP

How would you complete the space on the immigration forms for "Other names used"???????

There are ways to fool US-VISIT without having to lie on the immigration forms.

One thing you can do is file the immigration forms first, and then use a temporary
name to travel to the U.S. while your petition is pending. This way you could stay
under the USCIS radar, as far as immigration intent is concerned.
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-27 10:41:00
United Kingdomquestion about VWP

I seriously doubt though, that the deception could be as simple as Mark describes. All passports carry a number. So, even though you change your name and the UK issued you a 'new' passport - I wonder if they issue you a new passport number? I doubt it. And even if they do - the machine readable data on the new passport probably links it to the old.

As someone who has lost a number of passports, I can tell you with confidence that
UK passport numbers are unique, as is the machine readable data on them (which
I also happen to know how to encode and decode.)

The only thing that 'links' the new passport to the old one is the date of birth (even
the place of birth is not encoded to be machine-readable.)

Edited by mawilson, 26 July 2007 - 11:07 PM.

mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-26 23:03:00
United Kingdomquestion about VWP

Well, it seems hard to believe that one could actually get approved for a Visa using a simple name change, particulalrly since you do actually need to submit copies of this like your birth cert.

I just don't thenk the scenario you described in this thread could actually work in reality.

No - use the temporary name to #### US-VISIT - let the system record a fake name.

Use your real name to apply for a visa.
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-26 15:32:00
United Kingdomquestion about VWP

Regardless of all these facts, you still need to consider that one of the questions asked when applying for a Visa is regarding previous names and other aliases, so I think that makes this discussion invalid. IMO, of course.

Unless you think its OK to lie about that too.....

Lie once and you pretty much have to keep lying for the rest of your life.
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-26 15:06:00
United Kingdomquestion about VWP

How do I know? I've obviously never gotten a UK passport. You TOLD me that one needs a birth cert for a new passport or to replace a lost one. Are you trying to tell me that if you want to change your name on a UK passport, you take your birth cert in ALONG with a deed poll showing you under a new name, and the passport office will give you a new passport?

Exactly.
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-26 14:55:00
United Kingdomquestion about VWP

Ok, deed poll or not.........the whole situation is pretty unlikely. You can't just POOF go into the passport office and change the name on a 10-year passport because you have to produce a birth cert.

Yes, you can. I know it for a FACT. They don't change the name on an existing passport -
they issue a new one, even if the current one is valid until 2016.

Besides, let's say you have to produce a birth cert, so what? Regardless of how you obtain
the passport in the UK, USVisit will have no clue what your name was before you changed it.
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-26 14:47:00
United Kingdomquestion about VWP

Oh Mark - stop pulling my leg. I can't believe a person could walk into a passport office in the UK and ask to renew an old passport in a completely different name without some legal proof of name change.

Rebecca - there's no "legal name change" procedure in the UK. There's no "registry of names".
You can change your name at any time and as many times as you want, and a deed poll
(a contract between you and yourself that states that from now on you will call yourself
Mr or Mrs X) is all you need to get a passport in the new name.
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-26 14:26:00
United Kingdomquestion about VWP

Mark, what are you gonna simply change the name on? The passport? The ticket?

I don't get what you are saying.

The passport and the ticket. A deed poll (£30) and a new passport (£70) and the
USVisit will never know than Jane Smith is Rebecca Jo.

When you're ready to immigrate, another deed poll (£30) and a new passport (£70)
and you're Rebecca again.

All perfectly legal.

Don't you have to produce your birth certificate to get a UK passport?

Only if it's your first passport or you're replacing a lost passport. Otherwise, you only need
your current passport and a deed poll - you can change your name every day if you want.
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-26 14:15:00
United Kingdomquestion about VWP

Mark, what are you gonna simply change the name on? The passport? The ticket?

I don't get what you are saying.

The passport and the ticket. A deed poll (£30) and a new passport (£70) and the
USVisit will never know than Jane Smith is Rebecca Jo.

When you're ready to immigrate, another deed poll (£30) and a new passport (£70)
and you're Rebecca again.

All perfectly legal.
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-26 13:48:00
United Kingdomquestion about VWP

USVisit?

Right. USVisit does change things a bit, but still can be beaten with a simple name change.

A person's biometrics are only compared with the biometric record attached to his visa
(or the machine-readable information in his passport), not with everyone else's biometrics.
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-26 13:35:00
United Kingdomquestion about VWP

In the denial letter for the visa (which also gave him a permanent bar to the US) DOS stated one of the reasons for the denial was his indiscrete use of the VWP.

Thanks Becca -- I have no reason to doubt the possibility of this scenario, but I wouldn't
be surprised if the Embassy found out about his use of the VWP from the information
he himself had disclosed on one of the forms.

To be specific, one of the immigration forms asks you if you have ever visited the US
and the dates of your visits. Assuming your friend had met his wife in the US, he
probably answered 'yes', and since the Embassy could easily verify (using their own
computers) that he had never applied for a tourist visa (which is something a person
with a criminal conviction is supposed to do), they subsequently denied his visa.
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-26 13:27:00
United Kingdomquestion about VWP

Tracking I-94W information and matching it to applications is already happening.

Hearsay?


No. Read up on the VWP and the tracking and reporting requirements for member countries.

I'm not sure what you're saying here. Member countries don't have access to I-94W
information, only CBP does. The information is useless anyway - changing your name
would instantly invalidate it.


Only the U.S. has access to the I-94W. It is a form the US uses to help satisfy it's tracking and reporting requirements. Other countries have similar requirements and they use their own methods. Part of the calculation for whether a country stays on the VWP list is based on the results of this tracking. There are countries that have been removed from the VWP based on the results.

Stating the obvious there, john_and_marlene. You haven't explained the mechanism
by which U.S. Embassies and Consulates overseas (State Department entities) can gain
access to the I-94W information stored in DHS computers and paper archives in the US,
and that in fact they routinely do so. It wasn't in the consular manual a couple of years
ago, so I'm pretty sure they didn't do it then.
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-26 13:13:00
United Kingdomquestion about VWP

Tracking I-94W information and matching it to applications is already happening.

Hearsay?


No. Read up on the VWP and the tracking and reporting requirements for member countries.

I'm not sure what you're saying here. Member countries don't have access to I-94W
information, only CBP does. The information is useless anyway - changing your name
would instantly invalidate it.
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-26 12:53:00
United Kingdomquestion about VWP

Tracking I-94W information and matching it to applications is already happening.

Hearsay?
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-26 12:43:00
United Kingdomquestion about VWP

And if he lies on the I-94W and then ever tries to get a visa where he has to disclose the crime, he may encounter a very big problem having falsified the document to gain entry to the U.S.

That's a big IF. You think they are going to keep all the I-94W's and then try to match
the information against future visa applications? Not gonna happen.

I'm not saying he should lie or that it's guaranteed consequence-free, but ultimately it's his decision.
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-26 12:31:00
United Kingdomquestion about VWP

Mark -

I tried and tried to find a pic of the I94 as my understanding was the question was there. Everything I located looked much different than that.............

Problem being I was looking for I94 instead of I94W. Thanks for finding this!

Becca

Yeah - the I-94 is a white form, the W version for visa waiver countries is green :)

(Although I'm almost certain I saw the same questions on the back of I-94 as well!)
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-26 12:24:00
United Kingdomquestion about VWP

There is no question on the I94 about criminal activity.

The form for VWP is I-94W, not I-94, and yes, there is:

http://www.immihelp.com/visas/images/i94w.jpg
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-26 11:43:00
United Kingdomquestion about VWP

my hubby's friend purchased a ticket to come here in a few months, the problem is he has a firearm charge on his record(from 1998)....is he inadmissible?

He is inadmissible in theory, but it's not like the US authorities would know anything about his past criminal charges.

If he lies on the I-94W (and yes Rebecca - the form asks if you've been arrested or convicted), he will be admitted;
otherwise he will need to apply for a B visa.
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-26 11:40:00
United KingdomWould you risk it?
Depends on the airline -- some are very reliable.
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-08-02 11:00:00