ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
United KingdomLondon United Kingdom: CR-1 Visa came in 5 days
Mine took 7 days (5 business days) and arrived at 8pm after the 8am to 6pm time slot.

Trudi, i have written a review of my POE experience. It was Philadelphia though but you might get an idea of how it will go.
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-11-01 14:03:00
United KingdomThe "Where can I get X in the USA" thread
I have seen orange squash on the World Market website. There isnt one near me so i have never been to the store. I buy some powdered orange stuff from Walmart. Its the Great Value brand and is called Orange Early Rise http://www.walmart.c...ix-5ct/19802853 and it is the same. It needs a lot more water than the packaging says though but if you add enough water you can get it tasting like squash.

Aldi sells British cheese! As well as some Dutch cheese which is so expensive in other stores. They also sell something similar to cheese spread in triangles and the same butter biscuits covered in chocolate with houses on the front as in the UK (childhood favourite!) Best of all, its actually cheaper than buying American cheese from a normal store.

Attached File  464506_10151157888598715_486922693_o.jpg   193.72KB   6 downloads

Edited by Holly2234, 06 December 2012 - 02:36 PM.

Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-12-06 14:35:00
United KingdomPOE items to declare
Glad to hear it went smoothly :) Try Whoppers (i think thats what theyre called) they are like Malteasers. Theyre nowhere near as good but they are the same concept, you might like them!
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-01-19 15:11:00
United KingdomPOE items to declare
Good luck! Aldi do British recipe chocolate for $1.49 a bar. Literally cant beat it! They also have British cheese and loads of other things you want but cant find.

Enjoy your flight and i hope your POE is easy. Update us on how it went!
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-01-12 10:10:00
United KingdomPOE items to declare
Congrats on your approval! Everything has already been covered by the previous posters but just want to add my own experience in case you will have food etc. I didnt have anything other than clothes and my (very old!) laptop so nothing to declare. I did have quite a few snacks etc which i had for my daughter. I asked them whether i needed to declare it or not and i never really got a clear answer so when i was going past the "anything to declare" section, i double checked with them and they said it is fine, i dont need to declare it. So anything like that, its best to ask twice than get caught!
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-01-10 11:40:00
United KingdomImmunisations from doctor
Dont make an appointment with your GP, make it with the practise nurse. They are the ones that do the vaccinations anyway so there is no point in you having to come back twice. Just tell them it is for immigration purposes and they will have their own policy on charges. The nurses usually just give the vaccinations for free though so bypass the receptionist (dont ask her questions on charges, just make an appointment with them for the nurse) and bypass the doctor.
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-01-22 14:00:00
United KingdomInterview checklist
Do you have photocopies of everything?
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-01-20 23:26:00
United KingdomWhat can I do if I fail medical tomorrow?
Good luck for your medical! Im sure it will be fine :) Keep us updated.
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-01-16 20:44:00
United KingdomPacking your UK life away ?
Ohh i also feel the need to mention, it was ok for me to be ruthless because my husband lived in the UK with me. He had already sold his life in the US to move to the UK. So we came back to the US together with nothing. So we never had that feeling of mine and yours. When you both have nothing, everything becomes "ours". It is a bit different when one person already has a life set up. So definitely bring things that are important to you just to get your stamp on the place.
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-01-20 20:01:00
United KingdomPacking your UK life away ?
My suggestion would be to hire a skip. Put as much as you can on Ebay, Gumtree and Freecycle. When the very end comes, pack away your clothes and personal items that youre taking on the plane. Pack up some boxes (under 2kg each)and send them surface mail with Royal Mail and they will be about £12 each at the most expensive. And everything left over that you cant sell or give away or that you need right until the very last minute, throw in the skip and i guarantee you will fill it!

We made the mistake of thinking we had cleared the house out, but in the very end, we really hadnt! The morning we left the bed and couch was still there, our daughters crib, all of our bedding, the clothes we wore in the few days before (we wore old clothes that we didnt want to keep and just threw them out rather than bringing dirty washing with us).

In the end, my parents (not sure which one, when or how) cleared out the rest of the house because we physically couldnt do it before we had to go. Now i wished we had hired a skip. It could have been empty if we had because im sure all of that stuff was just scrapped. Even my beloved bed i wished i could bring!

My books i gave to my dad, some to a friend and donated the final ones to charity. I mailed my childhood favourites that i had hung on to for so long by surface mail and they arrived before i did!

The easiest thing to do is just try to detach from it all. Because in the end its just stuff. And ive got stuff again now! Ive only been here 3 months but i have an apartment filled with everything i need and want and i left here with my possessions in one suitcase.

Oh and i just remembered, invest in an e-reader if you havent already! Its a way ive been able to hold on to some books that i love and i know i will want to read again.

Edited by Holly2234, 19 January 2013 - 02:54 PM.

Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-01-19 14:50:00
United KingdomInterview Tomorrow!!!
Good luck! Keep us updated!
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-02-10 19:06:00
United KingdomMysterious Brown Envelope
Go to Wilkinsons or somewhere similar and get a big plastic wallet type thing for it. That way it wont get damaged or touched any further. Or just leave it in the other envelope that it came in. Thats what i did and i put it in one of my carry on bags, thankfully i had one large enough!
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-02-16 20:36:00
United KingdomLondon Interviews 2013
I think it was about 6 weeks for me. Check my signature for accurate dates though!
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-02-18 22:19:00
United Kingdomstill no interview date!!
I think it was 4-5 weeks before i got my interview letter after the medical. Hang in there :)
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-02-16 23:31:00
United KingdomDocuments needed for interview

In the end, you've got to do what your nervous gut is insisting or you'll throw up on the interviewer.


I just laughed so much at this! I couldnt sleep the night before my interview, my stomach was in knots and i got out of bed several times for a bit more Pepto Bismol! Im sure i would have felt waaay worse if i hadnt had all of those unnecessary documents never mind how bad i felt when i actually had them!
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-02-16 22:04:00
United KingdomSSA experience
Definitely just say "I want to apply for my first SSN please". They get waaay too confused in there. I got asked for my I-94. I said i dont have one and i dont need one. "But you HAVE to have one". No i dont... SSN arrived in 4 days... They were way off the mark on nearly everything they said. The bank did this to me and the DMV did it too. Just know your facts and insist that they listen to you. I am yet to come across a person who knows ANYTHING about immigration in places where they really should.

Edited by Holly2234, 12 January 2013 - 02:46 PM.

Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-01-12 14:43:00
United KingdomWhat do you miss most about the UK?

I miss public transport being available.

 

Being able to just go into the city centre whenever i felt like it.

 

Being able to spell the way i am now! laughing.gif

 

Other than that, i have tried not to let myself miss anything. Im finding the easiest way is to integrate and assimilate. As much as these local small town inbred types will let me rofl.gif  They let me openly call them that. They must think im joking oops8rh.gif

I crossed the border into Canada last week to buy proper Cadburys! I got all of the best kinds and even some Malteasers. It was like heaven! Have to say i was thankful to be back home in the US after the horrendous driving, people refusing to let me swipe my debit card and narrow (almost Brit like) roads.


Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-07-05 09:57:00
United KingdomIf a father signs the birth certificate of a child in the UK, is he seen as the legal father?

This question probably doesnt belong anywhere on this forum but somebody may know!

My daughter was born on March 4th 2011. She was born in Nottingham England and her father and I were both on the birth certificate. Her father (USC)  and i (British Citizen) married on July 1st 2011. Her birth certificate was amended to show my married name. (I still have both copies).

We now live in the US and divorce proceedings began in November 2013. I chose to deviate on the child support rules which i am entitled to do. I do not want child support. But the judge doing the divorce decided to send it to court to double check i wasnt being mistreated (fair enough). When i got there yesterday, March 10th 2014, the judge (a different one from the divorce) said that paternity had not been established. Even though her father swore in the US embassy in London that he was to gain her citizenship, he did the same in the court house here in New York when the custody agreement was established and he said to the judge that he has no question about her being his child.

Basically, in the end after a lot of ####### talk from a judge who had no idea what he was doing since i appear to be the first foreign person he has seen in his small town joke of a court room, he asked me to provide a copy of a British law stating that a father signing the birth certificate is admitting that he is the parent.

And all of this basically equals out to "Please prove that he is the father so that you can deny child support from him". Sensible right?!

Anyway, my question is, does anybody have any links that could show this or explain it further to a judge who has no clue about anything other than what is under his nose in "normal" cases?

I have also looked into the DNA test route but New York has some awkward rules about it and it has to be ordered by the judge, which it was not, or a physician, which it will not be.












Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2014-03-11 21:27:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionWTF? Are you serious??!!!!
Its not actually necessary to send both. You only need one or the other. So i would just go with the passport because it has her current name on it which has been written on the I-864a. I used my father in laws birth certificate. It was a horrendous copy (i didnt make it, they did and mailed it to me) with the edge cut off. But it showed the name, place of birth and the registrars signature so it worked fine.
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-11-08 10:21:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionWTF? Are you serious??!!!!
Wow i am really at a loss for words on this.. You filed the day before me! What a completely useless lawyer to not even know this stuff off the top of her head never mind fail to research it and get it wrong.

Nich-Nicks second option was the one i was describing via PM. I assumed you would not be on her tax return as a dependant since you have only just got back to the US yourself. There was a mistake on my husbands parents tax return. They listed him as a dependant when he wasnt even there! It wasnt an issue at the interview and they have yet to hear from the IRS about it.

Also there is no need to FedEx your moms original documents. They only need to be photocopies. Did she ever refund your last FedEx expenses?!

I hope you get some good news soon.
Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2012-11-07 20:17:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionI-751 Waiver Filers Timeline

Sunshine, try not to worry, you have this covered once your divorce decree comes along. I know not worrying is a lot easier said than done, but try to get on with your life for now.

Im permanently worried in the back of my mind about my ROC too but im trying to ignore it. Im expecting an RFE because my divorce decree has things blacked out and at my biometrics appointment they accused me of altering it. Ive since had the county clerk stamp every page and write a letter explaining that the judge did it, not me. So im just awaiting the RFE so i can send it to them. Still really worried though because she also said i was wrong in getting married in the UK and divorced in the US. I came here on a CR1, NOT a K1 so i can marry or divorce wherever i like. Im thinking she maybe mistook me for a K1 that married prior to coming to the US. Still worries me though with what she said.


Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2014-09-15 21:33:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionI-751 Waiver Filers Timeline

Congrats on all of the approvals! I am still reading this thread so keep on posting! Unfortunately i dont get on my laptop much these says what with being at work every day but i do read the email notifications when they come through and they cheer me up endlessly to see people have successful approvals in the same boat as me.


Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2014-07-04 17:41:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionI-751 Waiver Filers Timeline

Thanks! I doubt i will be trying it because its a 2 hour drive away so i wont go unless i have to.

Ahhh that would have driven me nuts! I understand peoples curiosity and can accept some questions or corrections, but to say somebody speaks the "Wrong" English is just insane! If we are understanding each other, we are all good, if not, its usually the small town person we are talking to who needs to broaden their horizons! 

On another note, i sent my package today! (5/8/14). Its tracked and should arrive on Saturday.




Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2014-05-08 16:47:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionI-751 Waiver Filers Timeline

Im from Nottingham, theres no strong regional accent or anything! No, they dont know why it is called English. I have been told to "Learn to speak proper English next time" as people walk away from me. They are extremely prejudiced around here. If i could move to a place with more immigrants i definitely would! Its in my plan for the future.

The road tests are really busy here too. I had to wait 6 weeks to take my test, i booked it when i was almost ready in the hopes of being better at driving by the time those 6 weeks had passed! The bank manager who i just got copies of my statements from my old joint account with my ex from, was from Vancouver and had gone through the immigration process after he moved here to be with his wife, he told me his last biometrics appointment was in Albany and he was in and out within an hour! I almost didnt believe him. How do people get "early biometrics"?


Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2014-05-08 06:48:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionI-751 Waiver Filers Timeline

This same office told me i couldnt have a SSN because i didnt have an I-94 after i first arrived and wanted to get one. I told them they could have an I-551 as proof instead. They went away and spend an hour messing about then came back and told me i could have it. It arrived in 4 days after that. I think i am going to wait until i have my extension letter and then try again using that. There are very few foreign people here in this area of upstate NY so they dont have much of a clue what to do with the likes of me! Theres a woman in this area who is also British who i have heard about, shes been here 10 years and has an IR-1 but they wont give her a SSN and she just accepts it according to what people tell me.

 

The DMV updated my license straight away. It was the first place i went because its in the same building as the County Clerk so i was already there after i got my divorce decree. Cost me $12 and they changed my name and picture and im supposed to wait 2 weeks for it to arrive.

 

The government employees around this area just write me off because i talk differently to them. They say im not eligible for things that i am (such as HEAP) based on how i sound... They dont ask for proof of permanent residency or anything! I have to read out their policies to them and show them proof, then they go away and find out that im right all along, its insane. I had to force one worker to apologize to me once, she went to the other side of the room and mocked the way i spoke to another worker because i had insisted she was wrong (she was), when she came back i told her i heard every word she said and that i expect an apology and then i will walk away and deal with my application elsewhere. She refused but after i didnt move, she apologized quickly. 

 

People seem to think we are a second class in society and that we are slow and dont understand if they mock us etc. Or people talk about me within earshot thinking its ok or i dont understand. Its completely crazy. I always wonder if its different in larger places!


Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2014-05-03 10:20:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionI-751 Waiver Filers Timeline

I got my divorce decree yesterday (5/1/14) and i almost have my ROC package ready, i am just going to go through it tomorrow and mail it monday. 

 

Tried to change my name back to my maiden name on my social security card today but they wouldnt let me, they said i have to change it with the DHS first. Assuming this will be done when i file for ROC in my new name..


Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2014-05-02 18:23:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionI-751 Waiver Filers Timeline

I agree completely. There is so much more to life than what happened. I have achieved so much by myself since leaving a year ago than i ever did with him. Im sure it is the same for you! Your marriage sounded very much like mine minus the STD's and broken knee so i can definitely relate there!

Which country are you originally from if you dont mind me asking?

 

So far i have put things from each year into folders marked 2009- 2013 just to show a sort of timeline thing. I dont want them to open it and shove it somewhere because its a mess. Waiting for an affidavit from a friend who knew us to come in the mail from the UK and then i will be going in to get my divorce decree and sending it all away. 


Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2014-04-28 12:59:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionI-751 Waiver Filers Timeline

Thanks for your help. I think i will put my maiden name too. I think i will just include a few photos etc from before the marriage because i dont want the person reviewing it to think we married in 2011 and filed for divorce in 2013 and that was it. It was 2009 to 2013. I dont believe we even have any pictures of us together in the US because thats when things started to fall apart. He thought i was going to be a house wife and have no life, i thought i was going to get a job and make friends and become a part of the community since i literally had no life here. We grew apart based upon our responses to a different life (plus i found out he was a gigantic liar! I just hadnt found out because he could hide his US life from me when we were in the UK).

 

Do i need to say why the marriage ended? Id rather not have to because it sounds stupid (i have another thread on it which i posted last year around this time when i was still with him). Or is it simply evidence it was real that they are concerned with?

 

Also that bank account is closed so i cant log into the account any more so im just hoping they will be able to print something off or maybe write a statement saying that the account existed.


Edited by Holly2234, 26 April 2014 - 11:05 AM.

Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2014-04-26 11:03:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionI-751 Waiver Filers Timeline

Its too late to edit my post above, but i feel the need to mention that we were not married until July 1st 2011. But a lot of these documents such as his UK immigration papers (it was obtained through me but not marriage)  are from before our marriage. We were together from 2009 until 2013. Married from 2011 to 2014 but we split in may 2013. Should i be including things from the entire relationship? Because a lot of our joint life together began before we got to the US. I also have flight tickets and itineraries from 2009 to 2010. He moved to the UK in Jan 2011 and we did not travel after that until we moved here.


Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2014-04-25 20:35:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionI-751 Waiver Filers Timeline

My divorce came through today so i will be filing in the next few days. I have started putting my package together. I would appreciate any tips you guys may have!

Also curious, do they send an extension letter for the GC? I dont want to be unable to work or cross the border or anything (I live 5 miles away from Canada so my nearest mall is over there etc.)

So far i have bank statement from when we lived together in the UK. Going to try the bank we had in the US together to see if they have any records but we were paperless so i don't have anything as of right now.



His immigration documents from the UK

Lease

Bills from the UK

Things showing the same address in the US

Pictures

Cards addressed to us both including going away cards

One affidavit from a close friend

Medical cards from the UK

Tax return filed joint

Our daughters birth certificate

Our daughters CRBA

Our daughters custody agreement

Our daughters child support agreement

 

We dont have too much in the way of joint health insurance, life insurance, mortgage, car etc. because we never had that stuff. I didnt get a car until i had already left him and he still doesnt have one now.

 

Is there anything important missing? Also, what name do i file with? My maiden name which i am going back to or my married name that is on my GC?

 

Thank you all in advance and i wish you all the best of luck.

 


Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2014-04-25 20:09:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionI-751 May 2014 Filers

Congrats to all of those who have been approved!

 

I had to change my address recently and the online form wasnt working for me for some reason so i had to mail the AR-11 and call them. Tier 1 could also not get it to change so tier 2 had to call me back and do it. They changed it and put an extra digit in there! So once the confirmation came and i discovered it wrong, i called back and tier 1 was able to change it again that time. 

 

Also i asked if there is any news on my case yet and she informed me that they are processing cases from March 24th 2014 as of yesterday, 10/16/14. So we are getting closer!


Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2014-10-17 12:45:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionI-751 May 2014 Filers

I had my biometrics today in St Albans, VT. It was pretty simple. There was only one other person there who had arrived minutes before me and was there for something else. Went through security. Was told to sign in and place my appointment letter in a box on a door and fill out a form which basically asked for my A#, hair color, eye color, height, weight etc. The lady came out and asked for my ID. On the letter it said i can just bring any state ID which i had. I left everything else in the car because its a pain going through security with too much. She asked for my green card so i had to go outside to get it. I basically brought everything with me that i had back in. Once i was back inside and through security again, i gave it to her along with my divorce decree which shows my change of name because my green card is in my previous married name and my letter and drivers licence etc is in my maiden name, which i have gone back to using and the permission to change back is in the divorce decree. She also asked me if i carry my green card on my person at all times and i said yes. She said "Good because it is a misdemeanor if you don't so make sure you don't leave it in the car again"

My divorce decree was basically a generic form where i filled in the blanks and submitted. And they used a black marker and deleted anything that was not relevant. Such as there being 7 different options for the divorce, i chose option 7 so the judge blacked out 1-6 so it basically is as it reads. Only the lady said she has never seen that before and that it probably wont be accepted because it looks like it has been altered. Even though its clearly a copy (of the original) and the back page has the county clerks seal on it and it is the original. I have sent them an exact same copy that i showed her, also with the seal. She agreed to accept it for the purpose of my name change but that i would probably need to get one that is not like that. Thats probably not even possible since it is what it is... Anybody heard of that before?! It also came up that i was married in the UK and divorced in the US and she said "They're not supposed to do that". Why not? They did do it!

Anyway... She called me into the room a little ahead of time because the other man in the waiting room was getting more displeased by the second and arguing with staff and she said it was for my comfort...

She then explained what they are doing and checked my finger tips for anything covering them. She then put some water over my fingers and asked me to rub my hands. She took my finger prints and then asked me to sit for a photo and sign my name. She stamped my letter and told me to keep it for my records and that i was free to go.

My appointment was at 3pm. I arrived at 2:30 and was let straight in and i was out by 3pm.




Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2014-06-18 17:31:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionI-751 May 2014 Filers

It seems that anyone who did biometrics for a K1 isnt getting called for one. Just an observation..


Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2014-06-10 19:59:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionI-751 May 2014 Filers

I got my biometrics letter today. Its for 6/18 at 3pm in St Albans VT.


Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2014-06-08 19:19:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionI-751 May 2014 Filers

Question: since the decided not to have people do the biometrics again, are they gonna give the $85 biometric fee back?

I was wondering about this too! Im not going to count on them giving us anything back...


Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2014-06-01 19:40:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionI-751 May 2014 Filers

Received NOA1 today! Receipt date is 5/13/14 but it was not postmarked until 5/22/14. Received the notice on 5/24/14.


Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2014-05-24 16:45:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionI-751 May 2014 Filers

 

 Lawyer sent my package on the 5th and I have had no news since them. I tracked the money order and has not been cashed out and I called USCIS and they said I have to wait 30 days for them to give me any info. Let me know when you here something because I feel left out :(

 

I mailed mine on the 8th, it arrived the 12th and still no NOA1. But the thing we do have in common is that we both used a money order. A lot of others seem to have used personal checks. Maybe that has something to do with it? I havent checked the status of my money order yet. I am going to wait until Friday and see if it has been cashed.


Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2014-05-21 18:16:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionI-751 May 2014 Filers

STILL no NOA1!


Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2014-05-20 16:45:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionI-751 May 2014 Filers

Still no NOA1 for me yet!


Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2014-05-19 21:06:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionI-751 May 2014 Filers

I mailed mine on the 8th but it wasnt delivered until the 12th because of the weekend. Dont worry about the NOA coming to you quite yet, the mail takes time sometimes.


Holly2234FemaleUnited Kingdom2014-05-16 18:13:00