biggish data

QUOTE (H&V @ Mar 20 2009, 02:37 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (mrs_sdp @ Mar 20 2009, 05:03 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Congrats Sad Eyes ... and good luck Obynoxx!!

We got Packet 3 in the post today ....

I'll be sending the stuff out to them on Monday ... I don't have a printer at the moment so will need to wait until Saturday to get access to one ....

Can someone confirm that it's only the checklist and the DS-230 Part 1 that I need to send off??? My brain's mince now ... just so excited about the whole thing!

Oh, I got Steve to rake out the tax stuff that he filed last year .. hopefully that will do as proof of income along with the letter from his workplace and his bank. I don't want to wait until this year's taxes are done - so he's just going to send me what he has ...

OK .. get your crystal balls out everyone. If I send the pack back on Monday .... any guess-timates on when my interview might be??

I'm laughing here ... what a silly question ....

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Moira x

Hi Moira, you also need to send Forms DS-156, DS-156K and DS-157 (all in duplicate). If you go to the website it says in Packet 3 and SCROLL down the page (don't click on the 'jumps' because they send you to an old page) there is a box called 'What Happens next' which is very useful. You can do steps 1 and 2 in one go if you have all your documents ready (or think you will soon) and booked your medical. The date of your inteview will be affected by what you put in the 'Date of travel' box I think - apparently usually about a month before that - but really who knows??! Good luck!

Hi H&V

Thanks for that. I read all the information and think I have a better grasp of what I need to do. I guess I'm panicking a bit and trying to do everything all at the same time. I should just slow down, take things a step at a time and do things properly!

Marm's post put the whole "date of interview" thing into perspective for me. I'm not so worried about the date of interview now ... I'm just looking forward to being able to relax while I'm waiting for the date to arrive!!

Thanks again ... you're a star ...

Moira x

mrs_sdp

Female

Scotland

2009-03-20 06:51:00

QUOTE (MARM @ Mar 20 2009, 06:33 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Alright everyone, finally we are locked into gear... we have successfully rescheduled our interview for: April 28.

We can relax a bit now...even though it means another month's wait...

But on a very positive note, the embassy was very fast in getting back to us. We sent an email and they acknowledged it later the same day, and the next day they emailed back giving up the new interview date (and it is a date we wanted!) and informing us that the new packet 4 is on the way.

That's great news Marm!!

We got our packet 3 in the post yesterday ... so it's all systems go to get it sent back for Monday ...

I think I know what you mean about relaxing now ... I don't think I would mind waiting as long as I had a date to look forward to!

Oh, can I ask you ... when you emailed the Embassy, did you need a special code? Or did you just send it normally?

Have a great weekend everyone ...

Moira x

mrs_sdp

Female

Scotland

2009-03-20 06:43:00

Congrats Sad Eyes ... and good luck Obynoxx!!

We got Packet 3 in the post today ....

OK .. get your crystal balls out everyone. If I send the pack back on Monday .... any guess-timates on when my interview might be??

I'm laughing here ... what a silly question ....

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Moira x

mrs_sdp

Female

Scotland

2009-03-20 00:03:00

QUOTE (Talyss @ Mar 18 2009, 06:53 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Good Luck to texpat cymru for today!

I second that!! Good luck!!

Laura+Tom - thanks for the "heads up" on the other thread - I will check it out when I get home from work tonight.

Moira x

mrs_sdp

Female

Scotland

2009-03-18 07:00:00

QUOTE (Talyss @ Mar 18 2009, 06:48 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (mrs_sdp @ Mar 18 2009, 06:20 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Good Morning All ....

A quick question - but one of those that will have me worrying all day!!

In the instructions, it says that I need to have a letter from Steve's employer, from his bank and also notarized copies of his latest federal income tax return.

Steve should have his latest taxes done and dusted in a week or so and I'm hoping to have those for the interview - do they still need to be notarized? Or am I getting confused with the I-134, which doesn't NEED to be notarized now?

Also, can I send the checklist back without actually having the documents I need from him in my hands in the UK? I was hoping to send the checklist back .... and then have the docs here for the interview - which looks as if it may be some weeks away yet ...

All advice appreciated!!

Moira x

PS ... I wish they had an emoticon of a worried little face biting their finger nails!!

Taxes don't have to be notarized. If you are very confident that you will have the documents soon then you can send off the checklist. The tax returns can be copies so that can always be scanned and e-mailed at the last minute so he doesn't have to wait on that being completed to send you the other items.

Thank you very much Talyss!! I think I will ask Steve to send me over the docs that he has already and find out if he can get access to a scanner for sending over the tax info when he gets it. Does anyone know of any stores that might offer a scanning service? He has a USB flash drive so could put them on that and then email the tax docs to me ...

Brilliant idea ... now why didn't I think of that ....

mrs_sdp

Female

Scotland

2009-03-18 06:58:00

QUOTE (DairyFarmer @ Mar 18 2009, 06:36 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I right click my mouse and copy image location I then click the insert image link and paste.

Hmmm ... I don't have those options when I right click ....

Nevermind, I'm sure I'll get it worked out - solving the puzzle will give me something to do with my time while I wait for packet three!!

Thanks again ...

mrs_sdp

Female

Scotland

2009-03-18 06:39:00

QUOTE (DairyFarmer @ Mar 18 2009, 06:28 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If in doubt google is your friend. http://www.gtouk.org...hp?mode=smilies

Thank you so much!! I got to the page ok, but have absolutely no idea what to do with it - I will have a fiddle later ....

mrs_sdp

Female

Scotland

2009-03-18 06:34:00

QUOTE (DairyFarmer @ Mar 18 2009, 06:23 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

OMG ... that one's NOT on MY list ....

mrs_sdp

Female

Scotland

2009-03-18 06:25:00

All advice appreciated!!

Moira x

PS ... I wish they had an emoticon of a worried little face biting their finger nails!!

mrs_sdp

Female

Scotland

2009-03-18 06:20:00

QUOTE (Nich-Nick @ Mar 16 2009, 05:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (pothergavel @ Mar 16 2009, 04:17 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

DO NOT WORRY. IT'S A DODDLE. I REPEAT, DO NOT WORRY.

Yeah, and that's what I've been saying for months, but nobody will believe you. I'm nominating this thread for the Most Hysteria on VJ award.

All of a sudden .. I feel sooooooo much better ....

Thanks for your reply Nich ... Mum has said that she will hold my phone while I'm in the Embassy and will only charge me a fiver for doing it!!!

We're going to spend a couple of days in London .. hopefully the medical on the first morning and the interview on the next. Mum wants to go on the London Eye and ride on the open topped tourist bus .... I suppose it will keep my mind off things!!

Congrats pothergavel .... nice one!

Moira x

mrs_sdp

Female

Scotland

2009-03-16 22:22:00

Thanks for the info ... I'm disappointed that my Mum can't come in with me though ...

I'm 47 years old and stressed to the max .. I guess you always need your Mum, no matter what age you are!!

Congrats on those approvals!!!

Moira x

mrs_sdp

Female

Scotland

2009-03-16 07:58:00

Hi All ...

I have some questions - hopefully someone can help! I have looked throught the site and found answers for some of my queries, but can't find the rest of the answers I need ...

On the DS-230 form ... where it says .... 19. List Names, Dates and Places of Birth, and Addresses of ALL Children. Do I list my kids? They're both over 21, married and aren't going to the USA with me. We already had an RFE for including them in the I-129F, so I'm a bit wary on this one ... The example form didn't help as the applicant was childless ...

Is it feasible to have my medical on one day and the interview on the next? I realise I'd need to wait for the medical results before any visa would be issued, but I'll be travelling from Scotland, and don't want to make two journeys down to London if I can avoid it. Also, someone mentioned the name of a hotel across the road from the Embassy - and I can't find the post that I saw it in .. any suggestions on where to stay? Somewhere central to both the Embassy and the Dr's Office? How far is the Dr's office away from the Embassy? Is it within walking distance? Sorry lol - I keep thinking of more questions to ask ....

Lastly ... I know I'm going to need some moral support on the day, so my Mum is going to be travelling with me - is it OK if my Mum comes into the Embassy with me?

Thanks in advance ...

Moira x

mrs_sdp

Female

Scotland

2009-03-15 18:09:00

QUOTE (Rob&Dawn @ Mar 15 2009, 05:39 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (Stinky Monkey @ Mar 15 2009, 01:32 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (pothergavel @ Mar 15 2009, 12:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (Talyss @ Mar 15 2009, 11:32 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

good luck for tomorrow for pothergavel

Thanks Talyss, much appreciated

Heading down to London in a few hours - I think the technical term for what i'm experiencing is "shi**ing myself"

Good luck from me as well

Honestly it is not gonna be as bad as you think it is mostly just waiting around, you will be fine

Pothergavel:
Good luck for tomorrow from me too.

Good luck with the interviews ...

mrs_sdp

Female

Scotland

2009-03-15 17:08:00

[/quote]

Well, karenandtrev, I sincerely hope you won't get the RFE at all. There is a slight difference (surprise, surprise) between how CSC and VSC process RFE and recently the VSC's record in dealing with RFEs has not been the greatest. If you are lucky, you are looking at around 2 weeks but most of us with RFE have been waiting well over 3 weeks. I'm on my 34th day today with no hope of an approval soon. I'm sure that in the grand scheme of things that is a minute wait but right now, it feels like a century. So I really hope you'll be able to avoid it.

Good luck.
[/quote]

Hi ...

Wow .. I didn't realise the timescales are so different in Vermont. That's a long wait, I'm sure I'd have been climbing the walls by now. I guess our RFE was relatively simple if it was resolved that quickly - and as I said, different issues may have different timescales ...

Hopefully Vermont will send your approval soon ....

Moira x

mrs_sdp

Female

Scotland

2009-03-15 13:45:00

QUOTE (karenandtrev @ Mar 13 2009, 07:17 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

We got our NOA1 on 16 January, so we still have a bit of a wait, I'm just trying to do as much as possible while I wat otherwise I might go crazy! Thank you for all your advice though. I have another quick question, if I get an RFE, does that set us back even further, or is it just a few weeks? Thanks!! x

Hi There

We had an RFE early on in the process. I made a mistake when filling in the form in regards to my children. I didn't realise that if they were married or over 21 that they didn't need to go on the list!!

We had to send off an amended form and Steve also put a covering letter saying that my kids were both married adults and had no intention of coming to the USA with me.

It delayed us about ten days ... which in the grand scale of things isn't too much of a delay. Other issues may have longer timescales, but hopefully you will be one of the hundreds of couples that sail through the process without any RFE's!!

Moira x

mrs_sdp

Female

Scotland

2009-03-13 06:28:00

Congratulations!!!

I am so looking forward to seeing our names on that list with APPROVED next to them!!!

Have a great weekend everyone ...

Moira

mrs_sdp

Female

Scotland

2009-03-13 05:53:00

Just wanted to say Hi to everyone ....

Steve received our NOA2 on 5th March and got a letter from the NVC saying that our file was on it's way to the London Embassy on the 9th of March ...

OMG ... is there where I start to panic???

I think I'm all organised .... I HOPE I'm all organised ... I'll double and triple check it all over the weekend!!!

Good luck to all ... I hope we're on that interview list soon!!!

Moira

mrs_sdp

Female

Scotland

2009-03-12 07:56:00

Medical at Knightsbridge

I had exactly the same issue with the mmr and the mental health thing! I went yesterday :-P

Basically, a serology test or a booster will be fine. You are entering on a K1 so they will pass you if you promise to have the relevant evidence from the doctor before you leave the country because you will need it for AOS. As for hep A+B they are not necessary, they didn't want any proof of my hep B. It was only really tetanus, polio and diptheria and the MMR that they were bothered about. But I think it depends on age as well.

As for the mental health thing, if you can get a letter from the doctor saying that you are not a danger to yourself or others, and about any treatment you received they should pass you. The letter does not need to be in depth (according to the doctor) Otherwise they will ask you for the doctor to fax a letter to them before they can release results to the embassy.

STDs are on the questionnaire, so better to disclose it just in case. You wont be asked about fertility.

I hope that helps! good luck and if you have any more questions... :-)

micmac

Female

Scotland

2011-08-11 20:53:00

pahaha if your timeline is anything like mine there probably will be! I am a major jinx!

micmac

Female

Scotland

2011-08-23 20:26:00

they said that because they are still open the 90 pound fee will still apply
Ill do my best to be there and not get petrol bombed in the process! I hope the looters dont realise that targeting harrods would be more cost effective than stealing from poundland...
the things we do for love...

micmac

Female

Scotland

2011-08-09 07:21:00

:-S

thanks for the update. What is with people seriously? Like, "oh, they had a riot... Lets have one too!"

micmac

Female

Scotland

2011-08-08 15:27:00

If I can ever get through on their permanently engaged phoneline! haha

The news said it is possibly spreading to oxford circus... just get the army in!

I hope any londoners on visa journey are ok :-S

micmac

Female

Scotland

2011-08-08 14:50:00

Got my medical on wednesday... if the riots get worse do you think I will still get charged the 90 pound cancellation fee?

getting kinda worried! I booked trains for 100 quid too! Bad stuff always seems to happen right before me and my SO have something important! Snow shutting heathrow, bank losing my money, icelandic volcano and now this! Granted we always got lucky ;-)

Has anyone else had to cancel with knightsbridge doctors?

micmac

Female

Scotland

2011-08-08 14:30:00

Debt in the UK when you move to the USA?

I was contemplating this today. haha

I might move back in less than 6 years, and my mother lives in my house so leaving a load of debt under that address maybe wouldn't be the best plan!

I do feel the pain of the phone contracts. I will probably have to buy mine out from three. I despise three and dont really want to give them anything!

micmac

Female

Scotland

2011-08-01 18:12:00

Interview!

Micmac, have you heard anything from the embassy yet? Just keep buggging the dos and they will update you. It varies on who you speak to, some will tell you there is no info, some will tell you specifically whether your case has been received and is pending or not. Got my packet 4 this morning, its all seeming real now.

Yeah My guy called dos yesterday and they told him the 26th, and the letter came today! I had been told last week my medical had not been logged so I was a bit worried but apparently packet 4 got processed over a week ago

micmac

Female

Scotland

2011-09-09 20:18:00

Interview!

that's quite worrying!! :-(
glad you got it all fixed! Your timeline is very similar to mine :-)

micmac

Female

Scotland

2011-09-08 05:48:00

When Calling The Extortion Hotline

I called a couple of days ago... they asked for my passport number which I thankfully had to hand or I would have had to waste another pound or so calling back!

I bet the phone call cost me about 15 pound but I am too scared to look at my bill...

had a nice scottish lady who laughed at my email address (quite rightly :-P)

micmac

Female

Scotland

2011-08-31 06:47:00

Let's do a thread on how we pass the time while waiting

we watched films together early on in our relationship but now we just skype together 5 hours on a sunday and IM the rest of the time

Because of the frame rate he would have to pause every now and then cause I would be ahead

just now we are finally planning the wedding, cause we can set a date now.

He downloaded the new version of skype and now it seems more buggy and the games dont work on his.

micmac

Female

Scotland

2011-09-12 18:27:00

Travel Insurance until Married?

surely you could maybe get away with it cause you will be travelling? I will book some kind of insurance for mine too cause I am prone to issues surrounding my flights... But I was wondering this very same thing.

micmac

Female

Scotland

2011-08-21 10:45:00

esta processing fee?

remember the banks charge a conversion fee because the website charges in dollars! I forgot and came close to overdrawing my account :-p

micmac

Female

Scotland

2011-09-12 18:29:00

It's finally here!

good luck!

micmac

Female

Scotland

2011-09-15 19:16:00

Packet 3 to Interview Letter Time Frame

I sent my packet 3 twice so my timelines might not be great... but I sent it half completed around the 1st of august then fully completed (some duplicates) on the 11th. My medical was on the 10th but I required supporting evidence so I dont know when it was logged. It hadn't been logged as of the 30th of august.

I got an interview for the 26th of september. We found out from Dos on the 7th and the letter arrived on the 8th. It was processed on the 31st.

Hope that helps. We had a wedding date of the 29th of september and I paid the fee on the 30th so maybe that pushed it along. I had to change he wedding date anyway because the 26th would never have got the visa in time!

micmac

Female

Scotland

2011-09-16 19:17:00

Passport Received

ahhhhh! well done!

please review newark cause it could end up being my poe ;-)

micmac

Female

Scotland

2011-09-21 16:21:00

passport delivery after interview

yay! when are you planning on leaving? how son do you know when its coming? Is it a website tracking thinger?

micmac

Female

Scotland

2011-09-23 17:30:00

passport delivery after interview

My last time through customs the officer grilled the three groups of people in front of me, and when I got up there he stamped my passport and sent me on my way without a single question! Sometimes if you are FIRST in like they will give you the harshest questioning and other agents will watch the people in line for a reaction. Those whop are hiding something will look different, nd you are just the bait. I have been at the front of too many lines, now I sit back and let another person get delayed. :-)

Hehe when i went through newark the queue was MASSIVE, and took 20 minutes to get through so its not surprising that I was questioned the least there. I got a nice old guy in salt lake and I was first then but all he talked about to me were my pink glasses...

That was lucky for you!

Yeah I wonder the visa delivery thing too, how much is it? I was told 25 from my american brother in law, but I don't know if that was dollars or not... I heard 8 days as well but judging by some timelines it is less than that. Confused!

micmac

Female

Scotland

2011-09-15 19:22:00

passport delivery after interview

Just be warned, us customs can deny you entry based on the fact you have a visa pending. I travelled during the time between my noa2 date and I was questioned thouroughly. Get a letter from your work stating that they expect you back at work when your trip ends. Also take any other proof to show the customs officer you intend to return to the uk. They may think you are planning on staying permanantly and deny you entry.

I went to the USA twice during my process, once after NOA1 and once just before NOA2 and I was not asked anything at POE. I was asked to show return itinerary the first time, and the second time I asked if the guy wanted to see it and he said no like I was an idiot! This was a 6 week trip too.

I think being prepared is the best thing to do, I was paranoid I would get turned away both times so I brought everything I could think of. I think it depends what kind of officer you get, and there are plenty of a holes out there!

micmac

Female

Scotland

2011-09-15 07:18:00

A nice surprise - finally!

I think my packet 3 was logged on the 12th of august ish and my medical around the 30th. My packet 4 was processed on the 31st and the letter recieved on the 7th of september, interview for 26th. Hope that helps :-)

the embassy kept my original police certificate, not sure if they give you it back so maybe having copies is a good thing!

micmac

Female

Scotland

2011-09-29 12:48:00

A nice surprise - finally!

thats great! well done!

micmac

Female

Scotland

2011-09-28 14:53:00

Thankyou!!!!

thanks nick, I heard them mention it on flights before but flying out of visa waiver countries not many people need one so it kinda went over my head... haha

micmac

Female

Scotland

2011-09-28 17:02:00