ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
United KingdomBefore you permanently move to the US

:lol:

I haven't been to the job centre in years, I'm sorry you have to do that! Unfortunately there are a lot of people who don't have the desire to work, they don't know how lucky they are to have that option! Maybe we should subject them to American welfare rules, see how they like that. ;)

One of my friends back home made an innocent comment that he was upset with the government, he's annoyed that they want to change maternity leave to only 4 months. In his defense, that is a big deal if you are used to 6 months. I told him women here get 6 weeks off work, and they are lucky if their partners can get a week off! He didn't know what to say to that. I would have said the same if I hadn't have moved to America, I'm so glad I did it.


Only 4 months... I went back to work after 3 weeks. I wasnt entitled to any maternity pay because i didnt go into that job until i was already a few weeks pregnant so i had to return. 6 weeks would have been nice! My boss was one of the less desirable types though and was giving all of the shifts to other people and telling me there werent any when i came back after the birth, yet the work places were telling me they were understaffed and why wasnt i there! There wasnt a lot i could do in the way of proving it because it was an agency. He took £50 from my wages one week to pay for a CRB without my permission and all hell broke loose and he point blank refused to give me shifts because i told him he broke the law :lol: End of my job right there. Unfortunately its hard to get a job at the moment as it is, without a reference its worse! I went to college instead so i didnt switch off completely :lol:

So many women take a year off for maternity leave, take all of the pay and then quit their jobs because they think a year isnt enough.
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-06-25 04:58:00
United KingdomBefore you permanently move to the US

:rofl:

I don't know where they get that idea from? I've heard someone say that the new rules are just to keep out the "spongers", whatever that means. I had to tell them 5 times that immigrants can't claim benefits, so if they didn't work they would be hungry and homeless. That puzzled them no end. :bonk:


Well heres the biggest shocker of them all :lol: , when i go to the job centre (Yes im one of THOSE people! I lost my job after i had a baby) theyre all British in there. Most of the time shouting about why should they look for work and why should they have to go in there. All the time i can smell the drugs coming from their pocket.

Reckon we should send David Cameron into a job centre in a deprived area and he might rethink what the problem is.. I dont think its immigrants claiming. My description of the job centre regulars should explain what i think the problem is...
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-06-24 13:43:00
United KingdomBefore you permanently move to the US

When yanky wife did the UK thing in 2006, it was a total piece of cake - I drove her to Chicago and she got the UK green card stamp before we had time to get a coffee. We were back in Wisconsin by tea time. We flew to the yookay and she got free health care for life on landing. She wasn't fingerprinted and didn't have a physical exam or inoculations and didn't produce police certificates etc etc etc etc

The US income level was easier and I made it to citizenship in 3 years, but apart from those two, the USCIS was horrendous.

I can remember having to get money to the USCIS in order for them to send me a form. I did the US GC while we lived in the UK and doing it like that is VERY hard with the couriers etc. I used all the VJ tricks of forging the bar codes on the forms etc (ok not actually forging just reproducing) which saved some months, but it still took almost a year of horror and delays. Right at the end they said my wife wasn't TEMPORARILY absent from the US so couldn't sponsor me. We had a one hour argument on the phone and they only relented when she showed that she had paid her STATE taxes recently

The US Embassy in London said I wasn't on that day's list and come back in 6 weeks - and we had an argument about that too before they gave in and admitted my appointment letter was genuine !

So apart from the money limit and the drawn out probation, I still think the UK is much easier to do and I wouldn't do the US thing again as it took 15 years off my life span

However, this latest UK stuff is ham-fisted and particularly hard for younger people who don't have the funds. If there is no recourse to public funds then what is their problem ? It is up to the individual whether they are prepared to put themselves through hell for the visa, but BLOCKING people who want to be together unnecessarily is not nice and is cold blooded


Ive heard loads of stories about it being easy for the UK one. Ours wasnt though. We didnt meet the requirements for any visa so we had to apply under some sort of human rights thing, i cant remember exactly what now though. But i was pregnant and couldnt fly by that point and my husband needed to come to me. So i paid a lawyer a hell of a lot of money and after jumping through a whole load of hoops, our fate was down to whether somebody had some sympathy in our situation. Thankfully they did! There were no medicals or anything like that, but it was the uncertainty that turned me grey!

I think im finding the US one easier because there isnt so much uncertainty. We meet the requirements, ive got all of the documents i need. So its just a waiting game. We are doing DCF too so that probably helps! The most awkward part is going to London three times (have to do a CRBA too).
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-06-24 04:05:00
United KingdomBefore you permanently move to the US
No not any more!

In my opinion, after having done/doing both, id say the US one is way easier. I think everybody has a different experience though. I think common belief is that the UK just opens the borders and hands you a benefit book! :rofl:
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-06-23 14:40:00
United KingdomBefore you permanently move to the US
Definitely agree! People need to see this before coming to a decision they may not be able to reverse later.

I was talking to my mother yesterday about the new rules. She knows very little on immigration for any country so i guess she sees it how everybody else who doesnt have a reason to know but has seen the news does. Her reply was "They cant just split families up!". Oh but they can. And i hope people dont learn that when its too late.
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-06-23 11:43:00
United KingdomBefore you permanently move to the US
If anybody is wanting to contact somebody from Labour, there is a list of all of the MP's here http://www.labour.or...constituencies/
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-06-20 13:24:00
United KingdomBefore you permanently move to the US
Is the £18600 for total income? Some people may be eligible for Tax Credits etc. (The UKC since they are the ones working) so they will have an income thats bigger than their salary. Or does that not count?
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-06-19 06:42:00
United KingdomBefore you permanently move to the US
From what i understand, if you do not have a job, you need £62,000 in the bank in savings. About $100,000.
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-06-18 06:59:00
United KingdomBefore you permanently move to the US

In the examples near the bottom of how people may or may not meet the financial requirements - this is one which seems very unfair:


Leroy has been studying in Australia for 4 years and has entered into a civil partnership with an Australian national. He has not been working. At the end of his course he gets a job offer in the UK to start in 6 weeks, paying £25,000. Leroy has no other income or savings.
Leroy will not meet the financial requirement under Option A or B. Leon can only rely on the income from a job offer in the UK if he has also been in employment at the required level of income overseas.

He's not been working overseas because he's been studying and has managed somehow to get a good job offer back in the UK paying well over the required amount. But he still doesn't qualify to be a sponsor for his partner under the new rules! Crazy.

He now has to either go back on his own and work for at least six months at his new job - be separate from his partner all that time - and then apply again.

Or he has to give up the job offer and get a job in Australia for six months at the required amount (if he's even allowed to work there as he was a student) and then reapply.

Of course it would be nice if we were all as lucky as Katy:

Katy has been travelling across the USA for 18 months with her American partner. Katy has investments that pay her £10,000 a year and she has £40,000 cash in the bank. She has not been working in the USA and has no job in the UK to return to.
Katy will meet the financial requirement through a combination of Options C and D. As she is not relying on any income from employment, she does not need to have a job offer in the UK and can meet the threshold in other ways.
Based on her non-employment income of £10,000, Katy will require £37,500 in savings to meet the threshold: ([£18,600 - £10,000] x 2.5) + £16,000. As she has more than this, the financial requirement is met.


These are a great way of putting it in plain English. The system is not going to be fair at all.
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-06-14 15:15:00
United KingdomBefore you permanently move to the US

:cry:


This is heartbreaking. Does anyone know if they can stop it from going forward as it is currently written? Can they send it back for a rewrite? I spoke to my sister about it. She currently lives there and was under the impression that it would not affect me at all. Which means to me that the media is not getting the information out there of how much this is going to affect us. Posted Image


The media is not getting it out there as it really is at all. Ive seen it on the news and it is not showing anything other than numbers! "We will get the immigration rate down by X% in X amount of time!". That isnt really the point for the rest of us though...
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-06-13 13:32:00
United KingdomBefore you permanently move to the US

It seems like asylum seekers now have more rights than the spouses of UK citizens


I haven't read the whole thing but this struck me:

It is unfair that a migrant partner who may never have been to the UK or made any tax or National Insurance contribution should get immediate settlement and full access to the welfare system.


But many migrant partners have already been to the UK, lived there and paid taxes along with NI contributions. Seems awfully unfair if they ever wanted to return.


Exactly! My husband currently lives in the UK, but because his visa was granted outside of the rules, next time we would need to apply for a spouse visa but we dont meet the requirements. We have made a life here. Granted, not one we are happy to continue with so we are moving, but all the same, they dont take that into consideration in these new rules.
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-06-12 16:20:00
United KingdomBefore you permanently move to the US
An EU national has access to the NHS if they are visiting and become sick. Or if they are referred to the UK by a doctor in their own country for treatment which is not available in their country. They are also entitled to the NHS if they are ordinarily resident in the UK (even if they have a passport from another EU country).

They are NOT entitled to use the NHS if they come to the UK purely for medical care without a referral. Nor are they entitled if they are not ordinarily resident (does not count for visitors), which is usually determined by length of stay in the UK, often 12 months or more.

The following services are available to EVERYBODY no matter where in the world they are from:
*Treatment given in a hospital accident and emergency department or similar treatment administered by an NHS walk-in centre;
*Family planning services;
*Compulsory treatment for a psychiatric disorder.
*Treatment for some contagious diseases – but different rules apply to AIDS/HIV

So to sum it up, you are both correct. Some people are entitled (most people). And some are not.
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-06-12 16:03:00
United KingdomBefore you permanently move to the US

You voted for it, and then complain about the consequences? :blink:


Sorry? No complaints about Labour. They are not in power at the moment.
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-06-12 14:03:00
United KingdomBefore you permanently move to the US

I am ashamed too. We wanted to move back so that our child could have a family as we have no family here in America anymore. The conservative government clearly have no idea (and don't care) how this will affect families. Numbers are more important than supporting its own citizens, it's truly amazing that they have done this.

It seems lately all of these cuts, budget or immigration related, seem to all be attacking families. Nothing good has come out of this for those types of people. How old is your child now? You never know, it might be a good thing if you cant return! My opinions here are biased i have to say! But these are reasons i dont want to bring my child up here. Local schools have got so full you have to apply for a place and they can just say no. I know of somebody with 3 young children, all primary school age which have had to go to three separate schools. The schools then dont MAKE children learn. Its more of a production line. Theres no graduation to strive for or try to pass a grade. And as they get older and become adults, learning to drive is too expensive, getting a job is near enough impossible, university fees have gone up. All of those i say from experience. I dont want that for my daughter because im still attempting to get through those flaws in the system myself. I'm doing GCSE maths at college now because i didnt do it at school, i never learnt to drive, i never had a job that paid more than peanuts. I want things to be different for her. I dont like to say better, because both countries really do have good things and bad things. But from my own experiences (thats why i said its biased from the beginning)and comparing them to my husbands experiences through the same "growing up" stage, mine are vastly different.

Sorry for going on a bit there!

:wow: Just wait till Labour takes over again and they'll change it all back again....crazy. :wacko:


We all know its going to happen! I always vote Labour. But thats another story :lol:
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-06-12 13:43:00
United KingdomBefore you permanently move to the US

Not quite right? European Nationals can move to the UK, I know people who have done it. What are you trying to say? That there is a provision for people from a certain countries to move to the US with no visa like there is in the UK? There is not.

There is no obligation to repay benefits because the income/savings thresholds are so high that the family would not be eligible for income based benefits. You should try reading it rather than the headlines, you might learn something.

This is correct! European nationals can freely live and work in the UK. The only restriction they have, is claiming benefits. They have to live here a certain number of months (Not sure how many) before they are eligible.

Agreed, I can move back to the UK with our child but I can't return with my husband. Britain seems set on destroying families. My husband and I were waiting to be married for 4 years before thinking about moving back so that we could get ILR but that rule has been abolished so we waited for nothing.


I think its completely out of order. I know that there have to be restrictions, but these rules were clearly made by somebody who knows very little about what people go through to be with their family members from abroad. I hate to say it, but im ashamed that my country will just destroy family units just for a few numbers.

I heard about this in the beginning on the news. They were doing that little argument thing they always do about changes, yet nobody was even making any sense out of it. They were just rambling on about numbers and not once did the affect on UK citizens come into it.
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-06-12 12:39:00
United KingdomBefore you permanently move to the US

:wacko: :wacko: :wacko: :wacko:
I may be wrong, I have only read the headlines, but I do not think there is an obligation to repay HMG for any benefits as there is in the US?

Not quite right about European Nationals but that is not relevant anyway.


No there is not. Simply because a lot of visas leave you ineligible to receive benefits. So there is nothing to pay back.
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-06-12 09:35:00
United KingdomBefore you permanently move to the US

Holly, if he is already there on a spousal visa then the old rules apply. He would be grandfathered in like my daughter and myself. The new rules are horrible...I know a few people that are crushed because there is no way they can meet the new requirements. I don't think the population as a whole really understands what this means. People are going to have to make some really tough choices.


He isnt on a spousal visa. We had to apply under human rights because the age for spousal visas was 21 at that time but i was only 18. And thats one of the types of visa theyre pretty much getting rid of now. So unless we could make £18600 a year soon, theres no chance. Plus we havent been able to find work at all. Our move was prompted by a few things really, not just the new immigration rules. My husband was offered his old job back in the US with a pay rise. So stay here with no job, or move and take his old one back. Seemed like a no brainer. He hated it in the UK too.

Im glad you and your daughter are going to benefit from the old rules :)

I dont think a lot of people, except the ones it is going to directly affect really understand what it means. They all think "Less immigrants stealing out jobs!" But it is really not like that at all and is going to tear apart a lot of families.
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-06-12 09:31:00
United KingdomBefore you permanently move to the US
I think its madness. You now have to earn £18600 a year to bring a spouse etc in. So.. I cant bring my husband to this country, but somebody from another European country can bring theirs.

We applied under the human rights act when my husband came here. Because we didnt meet the requirements but now that doesnt even count for much. So when it comes to renewing his visa (in 1 year 9 months) he would have to leave. Hence us moving to the US.

Edited by Holly2234, 12 June 2012 - 04:33 AM.

Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-06-12 04:33:00
United KingdomDCF London I-130 for IR1/CR1 Spouse guide

Laura im so happy for you! Have you got a move planned out?


Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-08-04 15:37:00
United KingdomDCF London I-130 for IR1/CR1 Spouse guide

This is a thread i wrote last year which includes my experiences :D http://www.visajourn...on-uk-dcf-2012/


Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-07-22 21:27:00
United KingdomLooking for a journey buddy
Hi we've come across each other already today but i will be filing the I-130 at the end of the month too!
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-04-17 09:33:00
United KingdomHelp for a beginner!
Hi, the previous posters have answered pretty much everything but i'm also filing for the same thing right now also from London so if you need any info, just give me a shout!
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-04-17 11:00:00
United Kingdommaximum baggage allowance from Lon to DC AIRLINE
US airways are usually pretty good.

Just had a look at US Airways website and first 50lb bag is free (23kg, there abouts) and second is $70 so not too bad at all. http://www.usairways...gepolicies.html

Edited by Holly2234, 18 April 2012 - 08:08 AM.

Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-04-18 08:04:00
United KingdomWhen does Medical Appointment come?
You can make an appointment with Knightsbridge whenever you have a number for your case and after you have the police certificate.
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-05-04 13:28:00
United KingdomAdding a foreigner to a US bank account
I tried to open an account while on a trip once. They said all they needed was my green card or visa to show i can live there. Nothing else. This was in 2010 and with NBT bank, which is very good for using abroad. Only $1 fee to withdraw money at a foreign ATM.
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-05-07 09:33:00
United KingdomPolice check in U.K
Im not sure how long it takes to get the police certificate but UK ones are valid for 1 year so you will be ok to do it now if you choose to.

http://london.usemba...ice_certificate Information is all here.

Good luck :)
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-05-07 15:40:00
United Kingdommedical
Correct me if im wrong, but i was pretty sure you have to show you the police certificates at the medical when its done in London http://london.usemba...xamination.html

It only mentions the UK one there so it could just be that one you need for the medical. But it might help to ask what they require you to bring when you call to schedule the medical.
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-05-12 14:28:00
United KingdomShipping belongings to U.S
Just had a thought, what about paying for excess baggage on the plane? US Airways charges $70 for a second 50lb bag and $200 for a third 50lb bag (first one is free). Could work out a lot cheaper and hassle free with waiting for it and clearing customs etc.
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-05-14 12:49:00
United KingdomShipping belongings to U.S
Ive used any companies but ive heard this company is good http://www.excess-baggage.com/
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-05-14 09:28:00
United KingdomBirthplace on Passport vs. Birth Certificate
For all of mine so far i have just put Derby England because thats the city and the country. I didnt include the town within Derby where i was born (or borough for within London). So unless it said Town, City, Country, i wouldnt have been so specific so it wouldnt have mattered.

If you have put the borough before then just stick with whatever you have put previously and include a note about boundaries changing or whatever the reason behind it is.

I have'nt done this before so dont quote me on it, its just what i would/have done.
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-05-16 13:39:00
United KingdomDual Citizenship
The same as what was said above, the questions on the passport forms (not sure if theyre different if youre doing it from over there) request information about your parents and their birth certificate if its a UK one and yours isnt.
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-05-18 13:11:00
United KingdomGot the NOA2 !!!!
Congrats!
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-05-18 13:13:00
United KingdomMoving home to Scotland... Any Advice?
I heard about the new requirements too. I think its the amount you get when you are no longer eligible for Tax Credits. I think thats £26000 a year. Thats one of the things that made us decide to make the move to the US. We dont meet the requirements and likely wont before my husbands visa needs to be renewed. Nobody will employ either of us! :angry:

You should be ok with your husbands job though :thumbs:
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-05-19 04:49:00
United KingdomMoving home to Scotland... Any Advice?
I thought it was weird too. But then im thinking thats because Jobseekers Allowance is currently £105 a week for a couple (i think it could be £106 possibly now, cant remember!) so thats seen as an acceptable amount to live on without needing government assistance. Not sure how true it is, but if it is, you'll be fine.

It is very secretive. The UK immigration system is not one that im keen on. Its very easy if you know how, but getting to know how, not so much these days. Plus the fees have almost doubled in a year! I paid £450 in March 2011. And having just looked at the fees, its now £826!
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-05-18 16:21:00
United KingdomMoving home to Scotland... Any Advice?
Yes i assume so. I dont know the figures for it but i expect that will be enough. Its more than i get in this country :lol:

I cant seem to be able to find figures anywhere.. I have read some things that say after rent and bills etc you should have £105 left over. The UK dont seem to like giving much away! I know they were trying to cut immigration so i think thats probably why. If you dont pay big money for a lawyer who knows, theyre not gonna tell you :blink:
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-05-18 14:51:00
United KingdomMoving home to Scotland... Any Advice?
http://www.ukba.home...ly/maintenance/ Thats the part that most people have trouble with, but if you can cover that, you're pretty much good to go :)
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-05-18 13:56:00
United KingdomMoving home to Scotland... Any Advice?
We didn't move home as such because we haven't got to the US yet. But my husband came to live in the UK with me and we had to get a lawyer to help with ours because we didnt fit into the criteria for anything..

Anyway, spousal visas arent too difficult for the UK (US is easier though but not quicker!), the only thing that holds a lot of people back is the income requirements but it has since changed so that a joint sponsor (called something different but cant remember what!) can be used. The home office website doesnt say a lot about it but i tend to keep up with these things as i have been helping a friend get her husband (USC) over here.

Edited by Holly2234, 18 May 2012 - 01:07 PM.

Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-05-18 13:06:00
United KingdomQuestion about medical
They cant see your records unless you hand them over so it wont matter. I recently asked for my vaccination records and got my entire medical record instead. There are some things on it which arent even true (says i had depression and hallucinations. Not true.). That is there due to my mother and her ex husband speaking about me to the doctor (her ex told lies, cheated and was violent etc and didnt want to admit it when i spoke up, so he went to the doctor and said i was hallucinating. Crazy!) and it went in my records that i verbally stated those things to the doctor, when no such thing ever happened, i wasn't there. Also has down the illnesses he had and used my name for to get free prescriptions. I thought about going to the doctor and saying "What the hell is this?!" but it was when i was 12 years old and far too long ago for anybody to do anything. If the doctors had given me what i asked for and not the whole record, i would have never known that was even on there. Its not true, so its not a lie to not tell anybody. I think the same goes for your situation. Just be honest and state the TRUTH. Not what some incompetent fool typed into a computer system.
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-05-21 12:49:00
United KingdomAnybody else filed in London?
Good luck :) I hope it all goes smoothly from here :D
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-05-22 13:55:00
United KingdomAnybody else filed in London?
Woohoo! :dance: So happy for you!

Thanks for the advice, i will take a few things for just incase when we get to it. Do you pay for the visa (The $230 i think it was) at the embassy? Any idea when the big move is going to be?
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-05-22 09:23:00