biggish data

It all seems very secretive, the website takes you round and round in circles. That is a really weird rule!

micmac

Female

Scotland

2012-05-18 15:27:00

So if my husband will be keeping his job, which is about $35000 a year, should that be ok? I assume so.

micmac

Female

Scotland

2012-05-18 14:16:00

cool!

In terms of sponsoring I can't do much because I am still unable to work here cause of the stupid green card. I didn't apply for the work permit because I figured there would be no point cause the wait times were similar. I read that it's as a couple rather than the citizen having to pay for everything and my husband can work from home for the company he works for here. His brother moved to England and did the same thing. So hopefully that doesn't present an issue.

My main worry is that I used to be on incapacity benefit for social anxiety. I hope they don't say I can't support him. Also, as we are applying from outside the UK we don't have an address to list. I wonder if we can put a family address and flat hunt from there when we move.

A month would be awesome! We are aiming to move in early october.

micmac

Female

Scotland

2012-05-18 13:16:00

Hey! I can't find the thread from before about people moving home.

Its been 8 months since I moved here and still no interview for AOS. Just had a Request for Evidence, and we had the applications returned twice in January. Very fed up.

Anyway we are looking into moving home again and I am wondering if anyone else here did the same or is in the process of doing so? How is the UK system? It seems a bit easier at first look.

micmac

Female

Scotland

2012-05-18 12:51:00

K1- Approx time from submitting packet 3 docs, attending medical, to interview!?

M timeline is like this

"Packet 3 Received : 2011-08-01
Packet 3 Sent : 2011-08-10
Packet 4 Received : 2011-09-08
Interview Date : 2011-09-26 APPROVED
Visa in Hand : 2011-09-30 9.20am"

Looking through my emails I guess I paid by card on the 29th of August. I got packet 4 on the 8th of September. When I paid the lady said it was good to pay early cause you would be prioritized or something like that. I had been delayed cause I needed supporting medical evidence for knightsbridge. So I'm not sure if it did run on priority date or payment date or whatever. I was expecting a october 10th ish interview date at that point and got a nice surprise!

If this tells you anything its probably that it is case by case and quite hard to predict! I think you will be on time for your wedding though :-)

micmac

Female

Scotland

2012-05-18 15:52:00

K1- Approx time from submitting packet 3 docs, attending medical, to interview!?

I paid my fee over the phone before my paperwork was accepted. They then scheduled an appointment earlier than I expected from timelines by about two or three weeks. I would pay it if I were you and had the money :-P

micmac

Female

Scotland

2012-05-18 15:33:00

UK to US to Uk again.... a wee story about going home

Plus half of Utah is on fire right now, I forgot that part.

Edited by micmac, 05 July 2012 - 02:52 PM.

micmac

Female

Scotland

2012-07-05 14:52:00

UK to US to Uk again.... a wee story about going home

Agreed. Sounds like the overall decision wasn't well thought through. You could have married here in the US on a tourist visa and then applied for his UK visa immediately after, and spared yourself the cost of the visa and the AOS process, not to mention moving expenses and having quit your job only to need one back now.

But anyway - good luck to you in Scotland.

It was thought through. I am not naive. I wanted to move here. My family were driving me insane. When we applied for the K1 I was a student (so no job to speak of losing) and I was on track to be a dietitian. I had to stay in the UK to finish my degree and get Health Professions Council registration so I could register in the US. Job opportunities for dietitians here are far better than the UK.

After we applied I got kicked out of university for having social anxiety. My hospital placement was an absolute nightmare as my superiors did not care that I was having problems, they just told me to leave. Having done a similar placement before with no problems I could never have foreseen this. I have a crappy degree despite all the work I put in. Any healthcare assisting jobs need an associates degree here to even apply. My job chances have highly diminished.

It isn't as black and white as my first post may have implied. I wanted to move here.

micmac

Female

Scotland

2012-07-05 14:43:00

UK to US to Uk again.... a wee story about going home

but you have to live in Scotland....surley worst case scenario.

I hope you are joking!

I live in UTAH. The citizens here regularly tell me that Utah is one of the worst states in the union. Healthcare sucks, everyone is uber religious and people get shot and stabbed here all the time.

micmac

Female

Scotland

2012-07-05 14:37:00

UK to US to Uk again.... a wee story about going home

But you could have submitted for Advanced Parole and the work permit and gotten both within 90 days and the green card in a few months.

I said in my first post that I took the work permit application out because they had rejected us twice and told us we would be fast tracked. I figured it would be pointless to apply because it took 90 days, and if the green card is meant to take 4 months and was being "fast tracked" it would be the practically the same. I didn't know the green card was going to take 5 months total with the supposed fast tracking.

micmac

Female

Scotland

2012-07-05 14:35:00

UK to US to Uk again.... a wee story about going home

So basically you just wasted a truck load of money and time on a K-1 and AOS fees, just to end up going home and losing the greencard again? Way to go

Well really we couldn't have got a UK fiance visa because I was a student and couldn't have sponsored him, and fiance visas don't include working rights if I remember correctly. And if I didn't have the green card then I would technically have overstayed this visa and I would be banned from entering under visa waiver again. So it wasn't a waste of money really.

micmac

Female

Scotland

2012-06-28 15:49:00

UK to US to Uk again.... a wee story about going home

So after all the USA visa stuff we are moving back to Scotland.

This is partially my own fault. What happened was that after the wedding we applied for the green card and the work permit. The forms were rejected twice (I sent a cheque for $10 extra the first time, then something was missing the second time) so I was worried that they would somehow make a fuss about the fees and the work permit. So having seen that the work permit was a 3 month wait I decided to take the work permit out.

I waited and waited without a job, expecting the green card by April at the latest. We had been sent forms that would keep our application in line so not to lose time. These seemed to have no effect, other than our package was forwarded to California to "speed up the process".

At this point I was still expecting April. By the time it got to May we were so fed up of waiting and we decided to apply for a UK visa. The home secretary was changing the rules and I had a return ticket to be used by October, so we decided to go ASAP.

We applied for the visa which was $1400. Because my husband can continue his current job from a home office we managed to get the visa despite my unemployment and lack of savings. Under the new rules we would never have got it. The visa took 3 weeks maximum, with no interview, only biometrics taken at a USCIS office.

I would say to anyone who is considering moving home to do it ASAP, because the rules are being tightened up. Of course you would need $1400 lying around... My husband will be given Indefinite Leave to Remain in two years rather than five years as will be after July 9th. After all this hanging around unemployed I have done I am excited to leave. It is a shame that our green card took so long. We had already paid for the visa when it came one the 6th of June. 6 months after we applied. I had no interview and it came in the mail. It was a mixed feeling when it did come, but by that point we were set on going home anyway so it didn't change anything.

Just sharing my story. I am sure everyone else will have better luck than we did. Just remember to pay the exact fee cause they don't just send you a cheque with the difference, they reject your whole application...

micmac

Female

Scotland

2012-06-28 14:54:00

The Healthcare Bill

A lot of people here talk about being christian and stuff but then when it comes to stuff like this they are horrified. Jesus was all about helping the poor. He practiced the "you can't take it with you" mentality. I see people on comments sections on news articles all the time complaining about the prospect of paying for other people's ailments.

Having looked at my husband's paycheque I wouldn't say he was paying that much of a difference on health insurance v national insurance. And National insurance pays for everyone. So where is the insurance money going? Some rich guy's pocket.

I personally would rather everyone was given affordable care than have to pay co-pays on top of insurance to be seen maybe all of an hour before I would have been on the NHS at instacare. I'd rather wait the extra hour and have money for other things.

When it comes to the insurance mandate it maybe isn't fair to make everyone pay but considering a lot of democrats wanted single payer you have to wonder if it was the republicans influence. Especially considering romneycare is similar.

micmac

Female

Scotland

2012-07-05 15:05:00

Medical to interview for DCF

I just got word back from Knightsbridge Doctors that they've received the proof of vaccinations they'd requested last week (things have changed since I went through the process for the first time in 2007). They said that all being well the embassy will have my medical results by the end of the weak. Could anybody tell me the average amount of time it's taking for the embassy to send out the interview letter after the medical has been completed?

vamos

Male

Scotland

2012-02-08 05:55:00

I needn't have worried. I got an e-mail from the embassy today letting me know that my interview is on 8th March. I had asked them to consider me for any cancellations. What a relief!

vamos

Male

Scotland

2012-03-01 09:39:00

The guy didn't seem concerned at all but that probably said more about him than whether I should worry or not. He's obviously been told to say if it's within 4 weeks of sending the DS-2001 it's still within timescales. He said they normally upload the DS-2001 and medical at the same time so what I assume from that is they haven't received it; just as you said. He suggested e-mailing the Embassy when I told him we need to go back quite urgently. I did that but sending the DS-2001 again is probably a good shout.

Congratulations on your interview date by the way.

vamos

Male

Scotland

2012-02-24 16:13:00

Oh dear...mine will be an IR-1 so I can't see there being much of a difference.

vamos

Male

Scotland

2012-02-24 13:19:00

I just called the premium rate information line and they said they don't have a record of the DS-2001 or the interview. I sent the DS-2001 before the interview! Suffice to say I got the code to send an e-mail. We need to get back by April to get our old jobs back and to enrol my daughter in daycare before the spaces run out at my wife's work.

vamos

Male

Scotland

2012-02-24 09:04:00

That sounds promising! Ha ha! Well...yes that timeline is correct, I did get a K3 in 2007, I did receive my green card in 2009 but then I did make a big mistake in 2010. They don't have a timeline for moving your family back home, abandoning status, then realising it was the wrong move and applying again. I should probably erase everything and log this application but I can't bring myself to.

vamos

Male

Scotland

2012-02-23 18:39:00

Does anybody who had their medical in February have an interview date? The embassy would've received my medical results on the 10th but I called the DOS line today and they still don't have a date.

vamos

Male

Scotland

2012-02-23 16:50:00

If anyone is reading this and knows what the answer to my question is or knows where I should ask about it please post, we need to fly out tomorrow...

vamos

Male

Scotland

2006-03-14 03:33:00

Hey sorry to switch subjects here but I've got a really urgent question that I hope someone will be able to answer. My wife's sister has been involved in a car accident and she's in a critical condition so my wife and I are wanting to fly back over to be with the family. Would the fact that I've had the I-130 rejected because of the wrong type of payment being sent make it impossible for me to be allowed into the country under the visa waiver program?? I know this is off topic but seeing as this thread has all the information on our situation I thought it would be best to add it here.

vamos

Male

Scotland

2006-03-13 16:51:00

Hi, thanks for the advice, unfortunately I live in Scotland and the nearest branch would be Manchester which would be 4 hour drive. I wonder if we can have someone in my wife's family take out a money order for us...

vamos

Male

Scotland

2006-03-04 14:56:00

Arrrghh! Thanks for letting me know Rebster you've saved us a lot of wasted time and that means a lot. The only problem we have now is how we're going to pay for the I-130 being that my wife closed her bank account in the US and we're both over here right now, would either of you have any suggestions on how to do this?

vamos

Male

Scotland

2006-03-03 17:00:00

I was wondering how long it usually takes for an initial reply when filing the I-130 at a Service Center (in this case Texas) in the U.S. My wife and I are living in the U.K and sent the I-130 to the U.S Embassy here in mid-January. We were hoping to go the DCF route, however we receivng a letter from the embassy dated the 30th of January stating that my wife has not been in the U.K long enough for us to file there and they have forwarded the application on to the Texas Service Center.

Not knowing how long it usually takes for the Service Center to take the payment (I sent a credit card payment form) and start processing the application I've been checking my credit card online everyday and have so far been charged nothing, nor have we received anything in the post. A month on I was wondering if it is normal that they have not taken the payment yet and gotten back to us so that we can file for the K-3. Is this normal?

vamos

Male

Scotland

2006-03-01 07:26:00

I-129f sent 4th July no NOA1

Hi, thanks for the advice. We sent the documents with royal mail's international signed for service. However, their tracking service only goes as far as saying it's reached the US for delivery, they never give anymore information than that. As far as the cheque goes we sent a foreign banker's draft so the money was drawn at the time of the cheque being printed. We did have a problem with the NOA1 for the I-130 being sent to my wife's father's house but nothing has been sent there as of yet this time. I guess what I'll do is check with the bank and see if they can trace the cheque and then I'll call the service centre in Texas.

vamos

Male

Scotland

2006-08-10 07:22:00

I-129f sent 4th July no NOA1

My wife (US citizen) and I are living in Scotland so we initially tried DCF. However, our application was forwarded on to the Texas service centre due to my wife only having been here for a year. After receiving the NOA1 for the I-130 we sent off the I-129f at the beginning of July. We still haven't received an NOA1 yet and I'm starting to get worried seeing as everyone else seems to get theirs in about a week. Is it normal that it's taking this long? If I contact them to find out what's wrong should I call the Texas service centre or the Chicago one?

vamos

Male

Scotland

2006-08-10 04:49:00

So it's essentially a race between the two applications?

My wife's income is from a U.K source therefore her father has agreed to be a co-sponsor. We do have the problem of having to show proof that my wife plans to return to the U.S once the visa has been granted, this can be done by leasing an appartment or accepting a job offer to give two examples. We're quite worried about this aspect of things as obviously it would be an unnecessary financial burden to pay rent for a residence we're not staying at and to try to secure a job when we don't know when we'll be able to move back would be impossible.

Edited by vamos, 29 August 2006 - 09:54 AM.

vamos

Male

Scotland

2006-08-29 09:51:00

vamos, are you a U.S. citizen living in Scotland? Are you a legal permanent resident there? Where is you wife from? What is her citizenship?

My wife is a U.S Citizen (from San Antonio, Texas) and has Further Leave to Remain in the U.K (2 years) which is based on our marriage. I myself am Scottish, a citizen of the United Kingdom. My wife could only become a permanent resident here (Indefinite Leave to Remain) if we were to stay and make an application after her two years are up.

vamos

Male

Scotland

2006-08-28 17:55:00

Woops sorry it seems like I've commited a faux pas! That's my timeline filled in now, thanks for all the info given. I've found that the people on the forum are extremely generous with the time they take to explain things; I really appreciate that.

Does having the I-130 approved make the I-129f obsolete?

vamos

Male

Scotland

2006-08-28 15:37:00

I just checked online and found that our I-130 application was also approved. The only problem is that I have no idea where this puts us in regards to finishing line. Can anyone tell me what significance this has?

vamos

Male

Scotland

2006-08-26 12:03:00

I just called the embassy and after taking my LND number they advised me that it will still be ok for me to follow the K3. They also said that their policy is that the forms should be returned ASAP but they don't have a specific set expiry time/date.

vamos

Male

Scotland

2007-02-12 09:35:00

I understand that the I-864 is for the CR1, I wasn't being very clear. I was explaining that the CR1 won't superseed the K3 unless we send them the I-864 to get that ball rolling. Of course, if the K3 has expired none of this will matter as I will have no choice in the matter. I'm going to give the embassy a call to confirm when the K3 expires.

vamos

Male

Scotland

2007-02-12 08:20:00

Thanks for the advice everybody. I should've have mentioned that we don't have a tax return for 2005 only the W2, we'll have to get a transcript if we don't have to file for 2006 yet.

We received the K3 package in October last year, so if there is a six month expiration we haven't reached it yet. The NVC is asking for the I-864 to be filed to them so I take it they won't forward anything to the embassy until they receive everything they've asked for.

I'm worried about the difference in time it takes for the NVC to forward the information they receive to the embassy and the amount of time we would have to wait if we go down the K3 routh right now. Also, my father-in-law has a lot of other things to deal with in his family right now so, understandly, it will take him extra time get to his things together for the I-864.

Even after everything you've all said I'm still swaying towards going for the K3, even though we'll lose some money. I'm still unsure as to what we would do for the I-134 though.

We just really need to be sure that we'll be able to leave before September to avoid being separated.

vamos

Male

Scotland

2007-02-11 17:56:00

My wife (US citizen) and I have only just sent away the $390 processing payment for the I-130 visa and we're starting to think we may have done the wrong thing.

We live in Scotland and my wife has a "Limited Leave to Remain" visa which expires in September this year.

We were initially doing the K3 visa when we decided to switch tracks; both the applications were approved and we didn't think it would take much longer to just go for the CR-1. However, we've been lazy and having finally decided to get things together we've found that getting my wife's taxes done for 2006 will not be as quick a process as we initially thought. We found out that I am going to have to apply for an ITIN which we've been told could take up to 12 weeks and only then can my wife file her taxes (even though all the money she earned in 2006 was in the U.K). This is going to delay our ability to return the I-864 form so much I don't know if we'll be able to obtain the visa before September. We want to do whatever it takes to avoid being separated.

In light of this I've got a few questions which I hope somebody here may be able to answer.

1. Will having already filed the fee for the CR-1 stop us from changing our minds and going back onto the K3 route?

2. My wife's father is going to be the co-sponsor for the I-864 as my wife works and lives in Scotland with me. I see that the I-134 form doesn't have any information on co-sponsors. Could my father-in-law be the sole sponsor or does the petitioner always have to be the sponsor for the I-134?

3. Will I be able to avoid having to come back to the U.K to get the I-130 visa and just file for adjustment whilst we're living in the US? (not greatly important but it would be really inconvenient seeing as I'm from Scotland and the embassy is in London)

vamos

Male

Scotland

2007-02-10 11:01:00

K3 Medical

My K3 is with the embassy in London and it states in the pack that the medical is valid for one year.

vamos

Male

Scotland

2007-02-19 05:19:00

London Embassy

I just sent away for my police clearance at the beginning of the week and I'm going down to London for my medical next week. However, I was wondering if it would be wise to send packet 3 completed even though I don't have the police certificate yet and we're still putting together the I-134. I know this would speed up the process but I don't want to get caught out by getting an interview date too early.

vamos

Male

Scotland

2007-02-23 12:44:00

going ahead with the K-3.......pray for me

From what I remember the guidlines state that if you're filing the form for a K3 you don't answer that question it's not applicable.

vamos

Male

Scotland

2007-03-12 16:34:00