ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
United KingdomUK Decree Absolute
Mine was 6 weeks after the nisi. I didn't have to do anything further and as long as there were no objections between the date of the nisi and 6 weeks after, it would become absolute. It just came in the post and we had no lawyer involved. This was back in 2002.

Edited by Converse34, 26 June 2007 - 06:24 PM.

Converse34FemaleUnited Kingdom2007-06-26 18:23:00
United KingdomNewbie from Scotland!

Hi,
I just got a call from a lady at the Edinburgh consulate yesterday saying that our oldest son (9) can get his report of birth abroad and his US passport on Tues,3rd July but our youngest son (22 months) doesn't qualify as his dad and I were married when he was born. Doesn't that seem crazy?

Not to worry though, he'll just have to trot down to London with his dad and go the visa route- SOOO much more expensive than the report of birth abroad but what can ya do? We'll just get Davids passport out the way next week and then file hubby and babys I-130s. Not looking forward to that.

Seeing so many others on here succeed is such a boost. Well done it must be so hard!

Has anyone else had children that have been through either process? Is it much the same for spouses? Good grief, I better start getting organized now!

Jenni


Wait so you are the USC and had your children in the UK and you cannot register your younger son because you were married at the time of his birth? Surely this can't be right??
Converse34FemaleUnited Kingdom2007-06-28 07:12:00
United KingdomDual Citizenship....

if you are a US citizen you have to enter and leave the country on your US passport - I think technically you are not supposed to serve in another country's army (though lots of Americans seem to serve in the Israeli army).

That is about the extent of what the US not recognizing a second country of citizenship means, practically speaking


Yeah, I agree with this. A lot of the issues arise if you were to join the army of one country or another. I think dual citizenship is most beneficial for children. I def want my kids to have both.
Converse34FemaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-19 22:09:00
United KingdomDual Citizenship....
You don't have to give it up.
Converse34FemaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-19 18:47:00
United KingdomDid anyone watch Posh's TV show last night?
I just caught the last half of the show. I thought it was pretty good. I watch a lot of TV (thank you TiVo). I always find it amusing on english views on how things work and how people are in the US.
Converse34FemaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-19 22:07:00
United KingdomAlas! Another Question! Re: traveling w/o passport

Yes, as the UK does not have ID cards, you can only travel on your passport. Anything else is a no go.

You are spot on.
My company wanted me to go on a trip to Europe next week and checked if I could travel on my Photo Driving Licence as the embassy will still have my passport. The answer was a catagorical NO! If you live within the mainland of Europe you can travel on an ID card because there are open borders, however the UK does not maintain an open border with Europe, hence passports are mandatory.

I hope it gets returned before your trip as Amsterdam is an awesome experience.


I used to work in an airline call centre and we would get this all the time. "But it is only to Spain! What do you mean I need my passport?" But if you were in the UK and traveling to Italy and you had a Italian ID card, that would be acceptable, even though it is outside Schengen, but because the UK does not have ID cards, it is simply not an option.
Converse34FemaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-21 07:20:00
United KingdomAlas! Another Question! Re: traveling w/o passport
Yes, as the UK does not have ID cards, you can only travel on your passport. Anything else is a no go.
Converse34FemaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-20 22:37:00
United KingdomCalling the US
Vonage! Unlimited calls to UK land lines or to the US if you are in the UK
Converse34FemaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-19 09:56:00
United KingdomSending documents to the UK
I sent mine by FedEx (I am lucky to get a huge discount, so it was worth it). But I took the documents to a FedEx Kinkos around 11am on Tuesday - Conrad had it in his hand by 10am on Thursday - I couldn't believe how fast it was! FedEx also has International Economy or something like that. Also, I sent him two huge package - originals, and one set of copies. So maybe if you just send originals he can make his own copy when he gets it (of course keep a copy for yourself before sending). That should cut the package price down by 50%
Converse34FemaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-22 08:21:00
United Kingdompolice report

Hello!

My Fiance and I will be starting the K-1 process very soon. We were wondering when would be the best time to order the police report, and for how long it is valid??

Thank you so much!!


You can order it now - it is valid for one year. You will def be ahead of the game!
Converse34FemaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-22 11:41:00
United KingdomProper Back Bacon
We have an Irish pub across the street from us that has full Irish breakfast daily - and they use back bacon. Maybe others do in your local area and maybe you can ask who their supplier is.
Converse34FemaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-22 08:24:00
United KingdomGood luck tomorrow, halcut!
Good Luck :dance:
Converse34FemaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-23 23:30:00
United KingdomWhat about my luggage while waiting for immigration
Your bags will just be put to the side after a certain period of time (once an airline employee is available of course). Mostly they assume that you are a misconnection. Certainly nothing to worry about, it happens all the time.

Edited by Converse34, 24 July 2007 - 09:13 PM.

Converse34FemaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-24 21:12:00
United KingdomAnyone Moved From the US to the UK...then Back again?
I am a USC and spent 6 years in the UK (mostly studying). The job market can be very tough, the cost of living is higher, and salaries much lower. I have been back in the US for almost 2 years now and even though it means my fiance and I have to be a part, I don't regret it for one second. After I received my Masters, I went on about 20 job interviews all over the UK - I got one lousy job and I lasted 5 months, I couldnt take it any longer. I came back to the US to look for work and I had to fantastic offers in 2 days - earning double what I do in the UK.

I would never move back to the UK unless I was on an expat package and was transfered internally. It is just too expensive otherwise and your quality of life is much better in the US.

If you do end up having job issues, consider other locations within the US (I am from NJ but moved to Chicago for this job - I knew no one out here) before considering moving to the UK. IMHO of course.

Cheryl
Converse34FemaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-22 18:11:00
United KingdomWould you risk it?

Never flown United but I'd be deeply impressed if they've never had a plane arrive late somewhere?


:lol:

I wish this were true, but sadly not.

OK. So I gave in to peer pressure and sent him back yesterday. I have confirmed Conrad is in London and managed to find the hotel I booked. Interview tomorrow!!
Converse34FemaleUnited Kingdom2007-08-07 07:15:00
United KingdomWould you risk it?
I am generally very conservative with getting to places ontime, etc. Often too much - where I have hours of waiting around as I have built in so much delay. He is indeed flying United, and most likely in business class - so he should be able to sleep if he wanted to.

Anyways, I will probably suck it up and just send him back the day earlier. Interestingly, BA is in serious Hot Water - they need to stop thinking they are above the law!


British Airways fined over price fixing
U.S., U.K. regulators impose nearly $550 million in penalties for collusion

Updated: 1:39 p.m. CT Aug 1, 2007

LONDON - British Airways was fined almost $550 million on Wednesday by U.S. and British regulators after the airline acknowledged colluding with rival Virgin Atlantic over fuel surcharges.

The carrier was fined 121.5 million pounds ($246 million) by Britain’s Office of Fair Trading and $300 million by the U.S. Department of Justice after parallel trans-Atlantic investigations.

In May, British Airways PLC set aside 350 million pounds ($710 million) in preparation for such penalties from regulators.
In a statement, the airline said that between August 2004 and January 2006 it colluded with Virgin Atlantic over the surcharges added to fares in response to rising oil prices. Under the Office of Fair Trading’s leniency policy, Virgin Atlantic is not expected to face a fine because it reported the alleged misconduct to authorities.

British Airways Chief Executive Willie Walsh said passengers had not been overcharged. He said a “limited number of individuals” in the company had broken competition rules.

“Anticompetitive behavior is entirely unacceptable and we condemn it unreservedly,” he said.

Authorities in Britain and the United States have been investigating allegations of price-fixing on fuel surcharges since June 2006. A criminal investigation is ongoing.

During the period under investigation, fuel surcharges rose from about 5 pounds ($10) to about 60 pounds ($120) per ticket for a round-trip long-haul flight on British Airways and Virgin.

Two British Airways executives — commercial director Martin George and head of communications Iain Burns — went on leave after the inquiry began, and later resigned.

OFT Chairman Philip Collins said the fine — the largest ever imposed by Britain’s competition watchdog — “will send an important message to corporate boards and business leaders about our intention to enforce the law, and serves to remind companies of the substantial risks involved if they are found to engage in such behavior.”

The office found that British Airways and Virgin discussed fuel surcharges on at least six occasions over the year and a half to January 2006. Soon after that, Virgin went to the authorities.

In a statement, Virgin said it had informed regulators “as soon as our legal team was made aware of the nature of contacts that had occurred between some individuals at British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.”

Deborah Jones, deputy director of cartel investigation at the Office of Fair Trading, said it was just to treat Virgin differently because it had come forward first. She said that did not mean Virgin would not be penalized.

“Virgin are still facing the censure, the publicity that they have engaged in this behavior,” she said. “They are not immune from customers who may seek some form of compensation.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20065386/

Edited by Converse34, 03 August 2007 - 07:11 AM.

Converse34FemaleUnited Kingdom2007-08-03 07:11:00
United KingdomWould you risk it?
So there are flights to LHR at 4pm, 6pm and 9pm. I have him on the 4pm - and although there are often delays at ORD, longhaul flights are usually given priority. Hmmm. I am still undecided. I will think about it over the weekend.

What is the worst that happends - we miss the interview and have to reschedule. Hmmm.
Converse34FemaleUnited Kingdom2007-08-02 11:06:00
United KingdomWould you risk it?
So Conrad is visiting me in Chicago this week. His interview is on London on Wed 8.8. We had planned this trip before we got our interview date and I have him returning on Aug 7th which lands the morning of 8.8. His flight gets in at 6am and our appointment is 10:30. Should I have him go back a day earlier and spend a night in a hotel or should I risk it and go as scheduled? What would you all do?

I should also mention we are in no real rush to travel. Planning a late Oct early Nov wedding so he just need to be here in Oct.

Edited by Converse34, 02 August 2007 - 09:58 AM.

Converse34FemaleUnited Kingdom2007-08-02 09:57:00
United KingdomGood luck tomorrow, Jen&Barney and Converse34!
APPROVED!!!!!

Thanks for everyone's support on here - you guys have been great! Full review to follow shortly. :D

Edited by Converse34, 08 August 2007 - 06:25 AM.

Converse34FemaleUnited Kingdom2007-08-08 06:24:00
United KingdomGood luck tomorrow, Jen&Barney and Converse34!
Thanks so much! Conrad is already in London (he took the earlier flight!) and just having a chill out day before tomorrow. I organized all his papers for him yesterday, so hopefully he can find everything! I will update you guys as soon as I hear tomorrow.
Converse34FemaleUnited Kingdom2007-08-07 09:05:00
United KingdomWhere in the UK are you or your SO from?

Neal is from Wallington, South London. A craphole if there ever was one. :lol:


Wythenshawe, Manchester is right up there :) It is where the "The Royal Family" are from.



I dont wish to offend anyone from Manchester, but I have to agree that Wythenshawe is a right hole.


Oh I know, I agree. It was difficult for me to live there. I have to be careful what I say, since Conrad and his whole family are from and still live there. Wythenshawe on a whole is huge, so of course there are better parts than others. I can't wait to get him out of this environment, I think it affects him in a negative way for sure.
Converse34FemaleUnited Kingdom2007-06-29 06:46:00
United KingdomWhere in the UK are you or your SO from?

Neal is from Wallington, South London. A craphole if there ever was one. :lol:


Wythenshawe, Manchester is right up there :) It is where the "The Royal Family" are from.
Converse34FemaleUnited Kingdom2007-06-28 21:18:00
United KingdomWhere in the UK are you or your SO from?
We lived together in South Manchester (where Conrad is from and still living, though he spent the first 12 years in Birmingham and was actually born in Elgin, Scotland) for 6 years. I also spent at year just outside MK (Milton Keynes).
Converse34FemaleUnited Kingdom2007-06-28 16:40:00
United KingdomGood luck tomorrow, essjay and Neal&Cari!
Congrats Cari! So happy for you guys!!
Converse34FemaleUnited Kingdom2007-08-07 09:02:00
United KingdomGood luck tomorrow, essjay and Neal&Cari!
Good luck! Hope it all went smooth!!
Converse34FemaleUnited Kingdom2007-08-07 07:11:00
United KingdomSomeone, please buy our house!
We asked our agent about if it was possible for us to sell the house while we were aboard. He said it is no problem and we can fedex documents back and forth. People must do it all the time. So in our case, we would come over as planned and if we havent sold the house, we will just sell it from here.
Converse34FemaleUnited Kingdom2007-08-07 07:09:00
United KingdomSomeone, please buy our house!
Thanks everyone. So I have confirmed with Conrad - We have accepted at £125 (thanks LisaD - though I still prefer it to just be on the keyboard). Hopefully it will move quickly!
Converse34FemaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-25 19:49:00
United KingdomSomeone, please buy our house!
Well, we had another offer today - 125k! (I do wish US keyboards had the quid sign) So I think we are going back and forth with the realtor now - but we will most likely accept! Hopefully we will complete quickly - I will keep you all posted.

Thanks for all your ideas and comments!!
Converse34FemaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-25 12:28:00
United KingdomSomeone, please buy our house!

Converse, I wish you the best of luck. 4 grand apart is heartbreaking.



Its a good figure to push for though as after all it is $8,000


Although we were close, think what an additional $8k could buy you. It certainly isn't an amount to balk at.

Thank you Converse34, I think I am almost on first name terms with DOS... :whistle:

With our house sale, we weren't in any hurry when we put it on the market. All the agents told us we were in a particularly difficult area to achieve sales (wrong part of town!) and the first agent tried to get us to reduce the price after one week. We changed agent, kept the higher end of agent valuations, had moderate interest but weren't worried. All of a sudden, one Friday someone came in for a viewing in the morning, brought her husband back in the afternoon, and put an offer in by 4pm. We said no to the first offer but didn't give them a minimum that we would consider. They came back so close to the asking price but on condition they could have our microwave... Sale agreed by 5pm and bye bye microwave.

So shortly we will not only be homeless, but without a microwave as well!!

Hang in there. It only takes one buyer, and I am sure they are just around the corner.


Essjay - thanks for your story - I find it encouraging!


Yep and it depends on your position too. A few months ago we could be picky about who bought our house because we were still living in it. Now we are living 3000 miles away, paying rent here and a mortgage for an empty house back in the UK. We're still getting plenty of offers on the house but three buyers have fallen through and to be honest I'd take £20-30k less than the original asking price just to get the money over here now...


Yes, this is def what i would like to avoid. I feel like we can't start our new life while our money is tied up in the house. But I think we are still early enough in the process to hold out for a better offer. I think if we do not have another offer in a few weeks, we may need to reevaluate.

We had another viewing today! No other news so far, but it appears the interest is certainly still there.

Edited by Converse34, 24 July 2007 - 09:18 PM.

Converse34FemaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-24 21:17:00
United KingdomSomeone, please buy our house!

Lina - good luck with your house - keep us posted!!


Well I accepted the £123,000 offer on friday so I guess we shall now be doing all the necessary stuff to complete - Just pray the buyer doesnt back out!! This is £11,000 less than what it is up for (£134,000) but then again I decided I would go as low as £120,00 so it is £3000 more than i would take so I am happy! Just pray it goes smoothly, wquickly with no hickups - I want to leave this place and be with my hubby to be as soon as possible:)

Lina


Lina congrats!!! I hope the whole process is smooth sailing.

We have the opposite.... our house is under contract and we have set a completion date, but we haven't got the interview date yet. :crying:

Please give me an interview!!

(Your house looks good by the way. I wish you the best of luck in selling quickly.)


Thanks essjay! I hope you get your interview date soon - keep calling the DOS!

So we told the agent today 125k is our lowest and I guess he went back to the buyer and they were having none of it because the agent didnt call back. Conrad's argument was that there was a pink house down the street (literally pink on the outside!) that was only 3 bed and not redone inside that sold for 120k - so surely ours should be worth at least 125k.
PLUS the agent we are worth, and i do believe they are good, but they are doing the mortgage for this buyer - so of course it is in their interest for us to accept the offer, so the make the commission off us and whatever they get for hooking up the buyer with the mortgage.

Oh well - hopefully more news soon!!
Converse34FemaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-23 23:28:00
United KingdomSomeone, please buy our house!

If I had a buyer who was low-balling me, but they were ready to close, I'd give it a very serious look. Especially if I could afford to take the offer. It's one thing to get what your house is worth, but it's another to stand too firm if your property has disadvantages.

A buyer in the hand is worth 10 perceptions of the value of your house. JMHO.


Very wise words.

Plus, if there's an urgency as far as selling...imagine Z amt of mos @ $X per month to operate the house....wouldn't take terribly long to hit a 7k differential.


As far as location....imo....it's not really about location as much as it is about price. People buy homes in 'non-ideal' locations all the time....for the right price, mind you. You cannot control your home not being located elsewhere...you can only control price.


So we had worked out the difference previously and the low ball offer is about 6 months of mortgage payments. So it would have to be on the market for say at least another 4 months (assuming 8 weeks to complete) for us to be "out" money for not accepting the deal.

I agree price is a big factor - but our area is very "postcode sensitive". And often the only people that are buying are people who already live in the area, not really people pushed out of neighboring areas. Oh well, we shall see. Thanks for everyone's advice :D

I always had a bit of a crush on Phil. Yes, he had hair issues but he was pretty sexy. Phew!


I agree - I used to find him attractive, and he was def smart. Also, if he can put up with Kiristie - he could def deal with anyone :lol:
Converse34FemaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-22 18:16:00
United KingdomSomeone, please buy our house!

Wow - 3 hours! That was the pipe dream I was living in and hoping for!


It was more, as Phil and Kirstie always say, Location Location Location! The market is awful there for first time buyers and there is a distinct lack of property available now. So, when the houses that fit into that criteria come onto the market, they are snapped up right away.

They initially offered me 5000 less than the asking price, but I told the Estate Agent that if they gave me asking price I'd take it off the market and not let anyone else view it. They were more than happy to agree to that and they were a really lovely couple too!


Aww, I miss Phil and Kirstie (as annoying as she can be). I always watched Location. That is the problem with our house, the area is not great and has a bad reputation (most of which is true). It has certainly improved over the last few years, but still "up and coming" as they say :D

Wow - fantastic deal - how long did it take you to complete?
Converse34FemaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-22 11:40:00
United KingdomSomeone, please buy our house!

Are you going to counteroffer?

8 grand doesn't seem too far away for everyone to come to an agreement!


I don't think they can go any higher. They first said 119 and we said to the agent that we would consider around 125. He came back and said and they said no, it stands at 119. So we said No. Then they came back and said 121. We just said we would think about it over the weekend. The agent also said we could accept it and if higher offer came in between now and the time we close - we could accept it. But I think it is still too low.


My house was an ex-council house and they can come with some stigma attached. In my experience though they tend to be sturdy and well built houses and I think the layouts of them can be perfect. However, I do find that people like to see the front of the house as a rule, so I think maybe a front and back shot would be good.

People are going to be able to tell it is ex-council - I could - so I wouldn't try to disguise it too much. Work with what you've got and, from what I can see, you have presented it well (no clutter, light, bright, modern and airy looking) so you should get a better offer soon. *crosses fingers*

I sold my house last year but I was lucky. I had a buyer offering full asking price within 3 hours of going on the market. But I was in the outer suburbs of London where the smaller houses are leapt at by first time buyers. I had also removed all clutter and painted it in neutral colours, exactly what the average buyer is looking for.

Good luck and keep your spirits up; it really is a lovely looking little (big!!) house. :D


Wow - 3 hours! That was the pipe dream I was living in and hoping for!
Converse34FemaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-22 10:11:00
United KingdomSomeone, please buy our house!

Good luck with selling the house. :)

I hope you don't mind a bit of unsolicited suggestion - the inside pictures and the garden pictures are really nice, but the outside view of the house confuses me. Is that just the back? Or is that the main entrance? If it's not the main entrance, can you post a picture of the main entrance?


Thanks for your comments. At the suggestion of our agent, we did not have a front of house picture, but it does frankly, look like an ex council house. And even though we redid the front garden, new fence, etc. it still wasn't all the appealing. So he suggested taking a picture of the back so people could see all the extensions. Also, with the bedrooms, they were really the only rooms we didn't redo 100%, so some of the wall paper is not all that attractive, so we didn't include those either.

So, HA you were right, we did get a low ball offer yesterday. First 119, then 121. We told them we would think about it over the weekend, but Conrad has decided it is too low and we still want something closer to 129. But I am encouraged that we have gotten an offer and know it is a waiting game.

Lina - good luck with your house - keep us posted!!
Converse34FemaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-22 08:16:00
United KingdomSomeone, please buy our house!

Uh people in the UK DO make cheeky offers. We had an offer for 20k GBP below our original 195k asking price. :lol:


That's fine - at least it opens the doors for talks! I love to negotiate.
Converse34FemaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-19 23:25:00
United KingdomSomeone, please buy our house!

It certainly looks a nice house. The one thing about it which might stop me making an offer if I was in the market is the offers in access of. It conveys a certain amount of unknown about what you might accept whereas if potential buyers are viewing other houses which have the normal maximum asking price shown at least they know what the price is the seller will accept. With yours they don't known that, and that might put them off making an offer.

It is a bit of psychology. The person who brought our house paid 5 grand less then the asking price, but 5 grand more than the agent said it would probably make. They were happy because they had managed to get it below the asking price and to them saved money. Offers in access of doesn't give a potential buyer that possibility. Just my 2 cents worth, if it is worth that.


Thanks for your suggestion. Well we had it on the market for 134,950 with our a first estate agent and our new agent suggested the whole offers over situation. I was never really familiar with it and thought it was just the system that was done in Scotland. I think if we dont have an offer in a few weeks, we will reevaluate the price. I would be perfectly happy with 129 or even slightly less at this point!

I also think in the US that people are a bit more bold, putting in cheeky offers, etc. Whereas in the UK, people seem not to dare. I'd be happy with a cheeky offer - at least it is a starting point for negotiation!
Converse34FemaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-19 23:06:00
United KingdomSomeone, please buy our house!
Thanks everyone. Yes, renting it out could certainly be an option, but we really need the money to buy a house over here. Oh well, we will just have to wait and see.

SgdnGuns - Sure! Post away - thanks!! :D
Converse34FemaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-19 22:02:00
United KingdomSomeone, please buy our house!

It's a lovely home...and the price is good...You should have no trouble selling it...what types of marketing are you doing?


Thank you! Conrad did a lot of the work himself on it. We are on all the websites, fish4homes.co.uk, propertyfinder.com, etc. We have a brochure, but I'm not sure if we are advertised in the newspapers or not. The only problem is our area isn't the greatest, but I suppose there isn't a lot we can do about that!
Converse34FemaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-19 19:16:00
United KingdomSomeone, please buy our house!
I know, I just didn't think it would take so long. We spent the last year fixing it up - everything has been redone, it is like a new house inside. No, the first estate agents were useless. Never returned phone calls, got our brochure wrong like 5 times, and we were never put on their website. We are def with the right agents, I am just worried we will be already to go except getting rid of the house!
Converse34FemaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-19 18:50:00
United KingdomSomeone, please buy our house!
So, now that we have our interview date and our medical is tomorrow - everything should be going in the right direction.

BUT my biggest stress is trying to sell our house! I am still hopeful for a Fall wedding, but our house has been on the market for about 6 weeks and although we have had lots of viewings - we have yet to have an official offer! We dropped our first estate agent as they considered 2 viewings in 4 weeks "good". Obviously, we are not on the same page.

Is anyone else selling a house? Anyone want to buy a house in lovely South Manchester?? :lol:

http://www.rightmove...5...=1&tr_t=buy
Converse34FemaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-19 18:46:00