ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
United KingdomCalling the Embassy

Don't know if this helps. It says the US number is for non-immigrant visa's but the UK number number they list is the one for Immigrant visas.


Consular Affairs: Visa Services
Operator Assisted Visa Information

Callers from within the United Kingdom should dial 09042-450100. Calls to this line are charged at £1.20/min from BT landlines; some mobile and network providers may charge more. In addition, callers from outside the U.K. and some mobile and network providers cannot access this number.

Callers from within the United States who wish to obtain information on, or schedule an appointment for a nonimmigrant visa interview, should dial 1-866-382-3589. Callers are charged a fixed rate of $16:00 for up to 7 minutes which is payable by credit card - Visa, MasterCard, American Express only. Please ensure that you have your credit card details available when making the call. You will not be charged for the call until payment has been taken. Please note that you will be required to provide the agent with a U.K. address when scheduling the appointment.


http://london.usemba...assistance.html



Things must of changed, I called the Embassy many times to try and get help and never had to call a premium number. I did not keep the number I used, but I think I went through the operator initially.
John & AnnieMaleScotland2007-08-14 09:48:00
United KingdomWorst Mistake Ever...
The UK Citizen also has the option of calling the embassy liaison through your MP. On the American side you can call the embassy from the US on a toll free number (there used to be one, dunno about now) .

I called and expedited the appt with success.
John & AnnieMaleScotland2007-06-21 09:35:00
United KingdomHow Did You Meet Your USC/UKC?
the short story is that Annie asked me for directions to the bathroom.

The whole is that I was stewarding at an event in St Andrews called CLAN and as I had a yellow vest on, I was the appropriate one to ask.

It was immediate attraction, later at the conference while talking in a room with a thousand people there, the whole movie thing happened, the lights dimmed, everyone else disappeared.

You know that whole load a shite that we really do not believe in, but happened to us.

We were married thirteen months later
John & AnnieMaleScotland2007-07-27 09:26:00
United KingdomTime in JFK
We had no problems in JFK.
John & AnnieMaleScotland2007-08-20 09:22:00
United KingdomUsing Dublin Airport for US Pre-Clearance
QUOTE (Lansbury @ Aug 31 2007, 09:14 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I'm surprised they haven't started do the US immigration clearance at Heathrow. US immigration officers are there, they first came about a year before I retired and the excuse was that they could resolve problems with passengers who were hits on the No Fly List. But it was also an excuse to check out the practicalities of having a full US immigration service there.



Maybe they will do that in the new terminal, where would they put it now, there is no room.
John & AnnieMaleScotland2007-08-31 12:27:00
United KingdomUsing Dublin Airport for US Pre-Clearance
We came through Dublin with no problems.
John & AnnieMaleScotland2007-08-30 09:17:00
United KingdomOH NO!!! I forgot to change my name on my passport!
Carry the Marriage Cert. That is legal document that confirms the name change.
John & AnnieMaleScotland2007-09-04 09:26:00
United KingdomDouble Taxation Treaty

We live to the east of the Sierra Nevadas, in the high desert along the 395 between LA and Mammoth. Its an amazingly beautiful part of the world. Apart from when you need to shop or consult a tax advisor!!! Our closest mall is a 3 hour return drive.

The people do make up for it though, those I have met have been warm and very friendly. Slow, slow pace of life. Reminds me so much of Mayo, Ireland. Apart from the weather! Like going back in time.

daisy (F)



What about Palmdale/Lancaster ?
John & AnnieMaleScotland2007-08-02 18:45:00
United KingdomDouble Taxation Treaty

Thank you so much to all responding!

We live in a small town way out in the boonies. The local professionals did not come across as informative with regard to UK income and what to do with it when we were doing our US taxes, earlier in the year. The experience did not inspire us with confidence so we decided to use turbotax and a mirriad of IRS helpsheets. It turned out well and correct.

We are not too worried about paying for the advice as we are able to write off the fee. It is more a case of finding an experienced pro that really knows what they are talking about. We were just unlucky. Understandable as it does get complicated.

(I am not kidding when I say we live in a SMALL town the careers advisor at the local college asked if my accent was Australian, and when I responded 'no Im from England' she went on to say: 'Oh yes, Ive been to Italy!!!' :whistle: Bless her!)

I guess we will need to head into LA for an expert if necessary.

Thanks again.

daisy (F)


Where do you live?
John & AnnieMaleScotland2007-08-02 18:11:00
United KingdomFlying to Uk... need advice!
QUOTE (Kat And Russ @ Sep 10 2007, 03:29 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
We are supposed to land at 6.30am in London and then we leave for Manchester at 9.00


Is that enough time? i am worried now!



you should be fine, when you check your baggage stateside make sure they book it all the way to Manchester.
John & AnnieMaleScotland2007-09-10 18:04:00
United KingdomFlying to Uk... need advice!
If you find yourself short on time to your next flight, there is usually a chap (or chapette) at the head of the line prior to going through immigration at terminal 1. show them your ticket and that you have little time and they will show you to the front of the line.
John & AnnieMaleScotland2007-09-10 09:50:00
United KingdomPlease advise on airlines from US to UK
BA over united and Virgin over all of them.
John & AnnieMaleScotland2007-09-04 09:27:00
United KingdomFlight Schedule and POE
You should be fine at LAX. I would recommend that you have them book your luggage all the way through
John & AnnieMaleScotland2007-09-17 18:34:00
United KingdomThree weeks in as a US resident!
QUOTE (Mags @ Sep 19 2007, 09:58 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (John & Annie @ Sep 19 2007, 10:45 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
You should of said, oh you call USCIS and I will call the American Medical Association and report you for unethical behavior.

That is kind of like a restaurant charging you full price for looking at the description of a menu item.


In fact, I would still consider doing this. Rubycon didn't actually leave the waiting area yet they seem to want to charge a consultation fee, that is grounds for some sort of complaint, surely?



I would think so
John & AnnieMaleScotland2007-09-19 17:35:00
United KingdomThree weeks in as a US resident!
You should of said, oh you call USCIS and I will call the American Medical Association and report you for unethical behavior.

That is kind of like a restaurant charging you full price for looking at the description of a menu item.

Edited by John & Annie, 19 September 2007 - 09:46 AM.

John & AnnieMaleScotland2007-09-19 09:45:00
United KingdomAnyone been refused entry at Heathrow?
From the way I understand it, as long as he is not intending to stay it should not matter
John & AnnieMaleScotland2007-09-18 16:21:00
United KingdomConcern about the medical
discuss those issues with the Dr. you never know the Dr. might make a decision that if it was experimental in the case of the cannabis or a one time event for the depression, they make decide it was nothing.
John & AnnieMaleScotland2007-09-17 18:37:00
United KingdomOMG - we are leaving on Friday and I'm a wreck!!!
Who are you flying with?
John & AnnieMaleScotland2007-09-19 17:34:00
United KingdomHas anyone thought about going the other way???
We looked at it both ways and even though I have been a project manager here for years, if I moved to the UK I would make a quarter of what I do here.

Plus the weather in Sunny So Cal is better that the west coast of Scotland.

Don't get me wrong I love it in Scotland, I look forward to going back through the years, but as mentioned already the quality of life is much better here.

Oh, and my MIL says the traffic laws make better sense here. We brought here a Drivers handbook from DMV and she was amazed.
John & AnnieMaleScotland2007-09-19 17:33:00
United KingdomAdvice needed, USC in the UK
I would contact the British embassy when you are back and see if there is a visa you can obtain that would eliminate any problems. It might cost, but if you want to ensure that you can see him...it might be worth it.
John & AnnieMaleScotland2007-09-25 09:30:00
United KingdomBritain's Got Talent.. wow
wow, i wish i could sing like that
John & AnnieMaleScotland2007-06-15 13:09:00
United KingdomHere's a totally stupid question
leave it to the crazy cat lady to sort it out.

thanks mags, i could not spit it out.
John & AnnieMaleScotland2007-09-27 17:58:00
United KingdomHere's a totally stupid question
QUOTE (Niagaenola @ Sep 27 2007, 07:50 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
The house I owned in the UK had a combi hot water system, like others have said it heats water for the taps as you need it and also heats the central heating system for the radiators... the shower I had was a cold fill system so yeh you never ran out of hot water...

Over here we have just had the water tank in our condo changed over to a tankless heating system... so now it heats the water as you need it and does not store hot water in a tank... also means there is no tank to burst as I have been told the tanks only last about 10 years and then they can burst... so they need to be replaced often...

I have not been able to find a cold fill shower system over here....


Kez



I just did a quick google and they are hard to find here. I shoud say they are not as common as tehy are over in the UK. The ones over here would not be the same.

The best bet is to go tankless.
John & AnnieMaleScotland2007-09-27 10:11:00
United KingdomHere's a totally stupid question
RJ,

Congrats, you have been trying to get out there for a while.

You can have the best of both worlds if want.

They do make those little heaters over here, but I do not think you will find alot of people who know how to install them. They are typically made for sinks in industrial complexes.

Your best bet is to get a tankless water heater, then it will function the same way without having to hit the power button in the shower.

As for your other question, radiators get their heat from the boiler, the hot water for the taps is typically is from a tank that surrounds the heated water for the radiators. They are two systems that use the same. energy. there are many ways that this works, but you get the gist.
John & AnnieMaleScotland2007-09-27 09:36:00
United Kingdomwhat would u ask relatives to bring from the UK
QUOTE (featherB @ Sep 27 2007, 09:29 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (elmcitymaven @ Sep 27 2007, 11:10 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Oh, and I will be bringing back some Bart Thai Green Curry paste.


I asked my mum to bring over some of the Bart red & green curry sauces (the ones that come in a plastic 'bag')... I was soooo looking forward to eating that stuff again. Apparently Sainsbury's had run out, so she brought me their own-brand stuff, one red and one green, in their plastic bags... I made the green one the other day, it was utterly, utterly #######. Hideous watery stuff that bore no resemblance to green curry at all.

And yeah, I know you can make thai curry easily enough, but I wanted my bag of Barts! I also asked for Loyd Grossman's tomato & chili pasta sauce, but she forgot that - tsk! crying.gif

All this talk of food reminds me - I wish Dr_LHA was still here, I remember him posting something about Bovril not being available over here because of the BSE thing, but... I wanted to tell him, I saw some Bovril in a local place the other day. Vile stuff! (Oh, I also saw South African marmite... who knew they had marmite in South Africa? It has an orange label, y'know...).


you can probably see DR_lha on one of the other sites.

Tesco here is know as Fresh and Easy, its starting in So California. They are not going to have a lot of 'British' foods.
John & AnnieMaleScotland2007-09-27 11:33:00
United Kingdomwhat would u ask relatives to bring from the UK
QUOTE (Britchick @ Sep 27 2007, 05:45 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I have family coming over from England in a few weeks. Of course they have asked , so what do u want us to bring u from here?

Here's what I have come up with so far....weetabix, white musk from the body shop, sarsons vinegar, a bag of fish and chips, galaxy chocolate, crunchies, some pics of the good ole english countryside and christmas crackers!! I know some of them are unrealistic for them to bring....but they asked what i wanted so.......!!

So what would u have people bring over for u???


Annie would say that we can never have enough Galaxy chocolate in the house.

You may want to see if there is a World Market near you. They have a great selection of 'international' foods and we find quite bit there. We have seen weetabix plenty of places.
John & AnnieMaleScotland2007-09-27 09:27:00
United KingdomCheap Flights anyone?
did you import the drunk uncles or did you use local talent?
John & AnnieMaleScotland2007-09-27 09:23:00
United KingdomCheap Flights anyone?
Annie took the overnight bus from Glasgow. It was a short taxi ride to the embassy.

That is the cheapest way, as far as airfare, yup, you are going to pay more in taxes than the fare.

did you try opodo.com?

Edited by John & Annie, 26 September 2007 - 09:29 AM.

John & AnnieMaleScotland2007-09-26 09:28:00
United Kingdomessjay's off to America!
QUOTE (essjay @ Oct 4 2007, 12:48 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Thank you guys so much! I really appreciate the good wishes.

This is the first time I have had a chance to come back to the forum since getting here. How bad is that!?!

Miami was super easy processing, the whole thing took less than 20 minutes from plane to car hire. The only really annoying part was they refused to process me for a 10 year even though we were past our 2nd anniversary mad.gif . Still, hasn't managed to lower my spirits since getting here. Getting my computer to work properly however...... That has been a whole different ballgame! But, computer is out of its coma and I am back on the forum.

I'M HERE kicking.gif kicking.gif kicking.gif and sooooo happy!! Green Card and SSN took about a week to arrive, it has all been so fast.

Thanks again to EVERYONE that has provided so much support and advice on this forum.

I can't believe it, I am really here.........



we were told we could send the green card back as an administrative error for not cost as that you should revcieve the ten year. I posted the details 'transfer to CSC' thread the other day.
John & AnnieMaleScotland2007-10-04 17:45:00
United KingdomQuick Update
a well deserved Congrats!!!!

Stay in touch
John & AnnieMaleScotland2007-10-12 17:03:00
United KingdomMoving to California
a hearty Congratulations to you!!!!!!!

Let us know wherein CA you are settling into.

We are in the LA area (or will be in a month or so)

Edited by John & Annie, 17 October 2007 - 10:11 AM.

John & AnnieMaleScotland2007-10-17 10:10:00
United KingdomTrip to England
QUOTE (thesnowman @ Oct 24 2007, 02:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I would head to the southwest. Go to Bath, lovely place and then head down to Devon and Cornwall. Also being from Scotland I think Luss on the Banks of Loch Lomand is the most beautiful place in the world.


Loch Lomond is beautiful in the winter, I proposed on the shores of the Loch by Drumkinnon Tower.

If your thinking of Scotland, I would say Loch Lomond and Stirling. If you have not been to the Wallace Monument, its a fun tour just outside Stirling. And then a nice three day Whiskey tour up around Moray (Elgin).

Just my thoughts
John & AnnieMaleScotland2007-10-24 18:13:00
United KingdomHad medical today at Bentinck....
QUOTE (RosemarieL @ Oct 25 2007, 04:16 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (wellywench @ Oct 25 2007, 09:40 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (RosemarieL @ Oct 24 2007, 04:40 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I had mine there today as well at 10am. I was behind a family so I didn't get out until about 11:30. The staff were friendly and everything seemed ok but they had to take 2 x-rays as the first plate they used wasn't long enough.


It's a shame our times weren't closer together or we could've met up for a coffee! Glad it all went well for you, did they charge you more for the extra x-ray? A woman going in before me was charged for two and she was not best pleased lol I didn't hear how much more she was charged but even so she was not ahappy bunny blink.gif


It is a shame. It would have been good to meet up with someone going through the same process smile.gif. I didn't get charged any extra. Perhaps it depends on whether they perceive it as your fault (eg you moved) or their fault (they used a plate which was too small). Generally everyone was pretty friendly which was nice.


It was that way two years ago. You could get the medical done in Edinburgh, Birmingham, or London. They changed it to London only in the last year
John & AnnieMaleScotland2007-10-29 10:23:00
United KingdomHad medical today at Bentinck....
QUOTE (KJC @ Oct 24 2007, 03:14 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
How many locations are there for getting a medical done? Is it a foregone conclusion that I will have to travel down to south England?


Yes you do have to go to London now. The Overnight Bus will get you there pretty cheap.
John & AnnieMaleScotland2007-10-24 18:16:00
United KingdomUK sim card question
We have tmobile and use our phones when in the UK. I stopped using my UK sim card last year.
John & AnnieMaleScotland2007-10-31 15:31:00
United KingdomA few post-approval questions.....
you have had great advice.

Enjoy your flight and congratulations!
John & AnnieMaleScotland2007-11-02 17:48:00
United KingdomCheap Flight to US
We found Aer Lingus to be pretty reasonable. If you are flying out of London and Virgin is a little more, I think it is worth it.
John & AnnieMaleScotland2007-11-08 11:11:00
United KingdomUK student loans
UK Student loans repayment is based solely on the persons income that has the loan.

We have had nothing but Headaches from the Student loans people.

Make sure you get everything in writing from them, even then they told us that they do not do anything in writing until we presented them with a letter on their letterhead.
John & AnnieMaleScotland2007-11-29 13:41:00
United KingdomTraveling in the UK - Advice for Americans
QUOTE (Niagaenola @ Sep 10 2007, 01:34 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
My Husband claims that when I get really mad at someone my Scottish accent get real thick and my Green eyes blaze.... I have never noticed....

Kez



That is a look I know very well.

You and Annie should never get together, it would be bad, very bad devil.gif
John & AnnieMaleScotland2007-09-10 17:02:00
United KingdomTraveling in the UK - Advice for Americans
QUOTE (Leney @ Sep 10 2007, 09:33 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (Niagaenola @ Sep 9 2007, 06:23 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
WHAT A LOAD OF #######......

NOT EVEN FUNNY...

Kez


That was the exact same reaction of my hubby tongue.gif Though I had a chuckle, I can just see a Hawaiin Shirt 50 something American tourist with a fanny pack and jesus sandles taking it for gospel ;P

Before I ever met my hubby, and I was planning a trip to Scotland, an English friend of mine sent me to this web site: http://www.glasgowsurvival.co.uk/

I was so terrified of Glasgow before I ever got there, it wasn't funny tongue.gif Strangely, the site didn't disappoint lol


ah yes the wee Glasow NED.

When Annie gets really upset at someone, I can tell cause she uses ned-speak at them.
John & AnnieMaleScotland2007-09-10 15:03:00