well, that's exaclty why i apply for jobs with the university. awesome benefits.

hope you'll feel better soon, hun!

Me too!! What sort of jobs?

administrative assistants, administrative associates and office specialists.
not too challenging, nothing you need a degree for, but - a job with good benefits.

no passport for me

I finally broke, and rang the courier company at 5.30pm - they put me on hold for a while, and then came back and said they'd call me back, and then after a while did so, and said that the driver was ill today so didn't go out

ok, fine, everyone gets ill, but they didn't know this before?! why was I still sitting at work after 6pm, after arriving before 8am, if there was no hope of my passport being delivered? they didn't have an answer to this, but said that the earliest available time was next Monday... I said I didn't think that was reasonable, since this was THEIR error, so after a lot of palaver, and more calls, and a manager calling me back, and me politely but firmly sticking to my guns, they SAY it will be delivered tomorrow... I guess we'll see

I'm not at all superstitious, but I just don't want to move on with plans until I have that damn visa in my HAND; I wouldn't have minded waiting til next week if that was just how long it was going to take, but if they text me - twice - to tell me to be available for an entire day, and then don't do me the courtesy of telling me that that plan has changed, then they can bloody well make it up to me another way

*sigh*

it would be nice to see some professionalism left in this world, but it seems to be a dying art

Double-you tee eff?!?!?! Ummmm...the driver is sick so they don't deliver that day??? What is this, 1974?

I share your misery to a small extent. My petition was delivered to Moscow yesterday (2 days ago really, since it's Moscow time), but has not been "received" by Moscow. And since Chuck Norris appears to be sick, I can't even send him over to kick some butts. Great. Just great.

Thanks for all the wishes.. Yaaaaaaahooooooooooooo got approved

Stilltheprettiest - Congratulations on your approval!!!

I did not post on the 4th. Daniel and I ran into a little problem at the Consulate. I was returned all the docs unopened as soon as I entered the Consulate, that I had submitted at the VFS on the 19th feb for them to review before the interview.
My interview was taken by an Indian (I didn't know, if that was possible) and he was more interested in talking to his collegues than taking the interview. I got the impression that they had already decided not to give me a visa on that day. He gave me a 221g. Listing all the docs they had returned back to me in the morning (unopened and unreviewed). I was stunned, it felt like everything came crashing down and I couldn't do anything about it.
Daniel and I refused to leave the Consulate and D actually asked for a supervisor. We were taken to another counter and after explaining for 10 mins why 221g was not right. They took my docs and the 221g back. We came home, called DOS and found that I had been put under AP. Let me tell you exactly what the lady at the DOS said - It looks like they made a mistake, realised it and took it back
Well my AP lasted 1 day, I got my approval and will collect my passport today. Yeeeeaaaah

The bureaucracy hell strikes again Great that it was "just" 1 day of AP and that you got approved though Congratulations

On the other hand, you have it better than us, cuz you are actually getting better every day and we are still the same (Why would I even type this?)

what a bummer! I bet they still keep riding their horses to deliver stuff and use pigeons to let people know there was a change in their plan...let´s call them a 2-century-ago courrier

wow, Parul; that sounds nasty

so glad you stood your ground though... well done on the outcome!

Whew! I'll bet your nerves have been a rollercoaster for a couple of days. glad to hear that it all worked out in the end.

Ahh - I can do that stuff!! Will have to keep my eyes peeled when I move



That royally sucks - I would be so disappointed if I wasn't in tears!! I really hope you get it today just for your peace of mind *hugs*



OMG - that sounds horriffic! I am so glad you stood up for yourselves and it is so good that Daniel was there as well so you had some moral support! Really glad it all worked out as well - I hope nothing like that happens to me - I think I would just walk away sadly without looking deeper because I would be so upset!!

wow :: congratulations :: i cant even think of how upset u were until it was resolved but thanks God it is over and ur on ur way to the new part of ur life........

my passport arrived

I didn't open the brown envelope

YAY!!!!! And no fair - I want to get the original docs from my brown envelope You think if we naturalize we will get them back?

Hurrah!!! Looks like your telling off worked!!

yes; they even rang me and told me to expect it around midday... I think I got premium service without paying for it

what original documents are in the brown envelope, Jeraly? I can't think of anything I want from it... but I can't imagine they'd give us anything back EVER; it's the gummint we're talking about

and in any case, I don't intend to naturalise... I'll stay an alien forever

Everything from your I129F packet is in the mysterious brown envelope. As far as I know, you don't get that stuff back.

Congratualations!!!

I don't even know where we got the strength to tell them that we do not accept the 221g. I do know now that if people become more aware of the visa process, things can be taken care of.. We are just soooooo happy that we haven't stopped celebrating (am so hungover and drunk at the same time )
Daniel's napping now before we start drinking again

Love to all and best wishes 'hic'

Trouble-maker.



And congrats on getting your passport back!

My packet was finally received received by Moscow, so I'm hoping packet 4 goes out any day now.

Yay! Good job pigeons

why is that?

They keep us on file forever and will keep looking at our documents or proofs of whatever whenever they feel like it (I´m just kidding...hope it´s not true but might as well be..)

yeah, I know, but I can't think of anything I'd WANT back... just wondering what Jeraly knows that I don't





and proud of it


I dunno... just can't imagine that I'll ever feel at home enough in America to want to take on that nationality (and rather hope we don't stay that long )... never say never, of course; as I phrased it above: I don't INTEND to naturalise, but you can never know what the future holds... I never INTENDED to marry a damn yankee either, and now look at me

i will most likely naturalize, but only because germany leaves me a loophole. i can keep my german citizenship (just some more paperwork and another couple of houndred dollars).
we are hoping to move to europe for a couple of years, and greencards become void if you leave the country for more than one year. plus, the fee for applying a new greencard every 10 years....geeeee! i don"t think i would ever be able to feel fully integrated in the US with the whole greencard renewal all the stupid time.
but i would NEVER EVER give up my german citizenship. in my heart i am german.

Just catching up after a couple of days away rushing around like a blue-arsed fly trying to get the last bits of paperwork/evidence together.



Grrrr at them messing you around like that! Thank goodness you had your wits about you. This process is so stressful at times that even the most confident and relaxed people might have lost it faced with that scenario. Congratulations, I am so pleased it all worked out for you! Safe trip home together



*raises unibrow*



Me either, particularly when I read on a thread here that once a USC you pay taxes to the US govt for life regardless of which country you reside in. I didn't look into it beyond reading that so I'm not entirely sure how that works. Sufficient to convince me that I'm gonna stay a Brit abroad I think.



It's all happening. I guess that late April interview may well be possible. Don't worry, I'm sure she'll accept chocolates, flowers, shoes...any manner of gifts when you apologise for being wrong You still have time to be right, but I do hope you're wrong

Well when we included all our evidence, we literally included anything and everything we could think of (including proof of ongoing relationship which after 6 years was a lot of stuff) and all originals because whenever we have dealt with institutions like this in the past they require original docs - so all our memories and things are in that I-129f packet We didn't even duplicate anything - we just didn't know we were meant to until we found this place...



Hahahaha - good for you! I am sure I would be the same!! I have to sit out my interview on my own though which sucks - boo



Yeah - I think providing I don't denounce my UK citizenship then I can have dual citizenship when I naturalise... Hadn't heard anything about paying US taxes while abroad though... will defo have to look into that I can't imagine really settling down having to renew my GC every ten years either though - I would prefer to feel like I could settle down at last...

Yep, that's the downside; dealing with USCIS forever more. I'm not worrying about it right now or making a decision, the tax thing I caught sight of here but I would want to look into it further before making a decision either way.

Defo - I can't see that they would want you to pay tax to them as well as another country but who knows?!?!

Have decided on UK wedding reception venue:

http://www.shortwoodlodge.com/

oh, I see

it would be a long shot, but why not contact them now and ask about it? at the interview they wanted ONLY the documents I'd been specifically instructed to bring; I know it's a different issue, but if you could talk to someone before the packet's all sealed up perhaps they could separate the stuff that's NECESSARY and the stuff that isn't? even if they wouldn't allow you to make copies of anything, at least you'd get some stuff back that way...?

that is, of course, assuming they still have it; I guess it's possible anything that wasn't directly pertinent to the petition was discarded way back at initial adjudication

I'd call them... what do you have to lose?

Hmm - I can't see them digging out my file and filtering through stuff - I mean it gets opened at POE anyway doesn't it? I figure I could always ask about it at AOS - I mean they might need some of the stuff from it and tbh I think it is highly unlikely they will sit there photocopying ticket stubs just so I can get some bits of paper back

I meant just asking them about the possibility... you could maybe even do it yourself, in the presence of the consular official, at the interview, if you arranged it ahead of time

it's just a suggestion

Heh, well you just mentioned her favorite 3 things in the world. I hope I'm wrong too, I won't mind coughing up the apology gifts at all! We talked on the phone today, and I think whatever happens, and assuming her interview date doesn't fall outside the norm, we're going to aim for a late May arrival in the states. zomg that's only 2 1/2 months!!

I know!! Isn't it amazing how fast things move (unless you are weird like me) after NOA2?!

Part of me can't believe I have had packet 3 for over a month... part of me can't believe I am only moving over in June... 11 months after filing... just over actually!! BUT I also can't believe that it is only 3 months and 3 weeks until I move - how scary is that!? I changed my little ticker as I am sure that it is more relevant than a stab-in-the-dark- legal wedding date that really means nothing to me anyway

Hello July people.

It's been a really long time since I posted here. But I've always been here reading, and there are so many congratulations due to so many people, I couldn't begin to list you all individually. It's just nice to see a lot of happiness and forward progress after all these months.

On the tax note, technically you owe the US gov't taxes for life, but there is more to it than that. I'm not an accountant so I couldn't say specifically, but what I can say is that I lived in Canada for a year and a half and paid Canadian taxes during that time. When it came time to file my US taxes, I did not actually owe the US government any money, b/c I had been paying the Canadian gov't, and somehow that all worked out for me. I did still have to file the forms though.

So, IMO, naturalizing is convenient in that it gives you options to live in your home country or the US and not risk losing that green card that you've spent so much time and money trying to get. However, I can understand not wanting to become a USC, as my SO has absolutely no desire to do so. You do have to swear an oath renouncing allegiance to your home country (NOT the same as renouncing your original citizenship, that depends on your country and their rules), and that is something he will not do, which I have to respect.

Anyhoo, hello all. Nice to see you again.

So yesterday I performed at the Performing Arts Center here It was awesome Me and other girls danced and there were lotsa cool musicians playing really well. The event was sold out (about 300 places) and it was a lot of fun:D

well that´s no fun giving them all the originals....i guess you have to say bye bye to those

You only have to pay taxes to US government if you actually earn money in US. If you live outside US and have for example a US bank account with lotsa money on it, then you have to pay taxes from the interest profit, or if you own a land or rent something in the US. If you don´t then you have nothing to pay taxes from. Me thinks

Does that mean you are having the next wedding in UK?

Well of course we want pictures from that wedding too! Also, since you've already got 2 weddings, we want a third VJ wedding. Actually, you really just need to take the show on the road. Swing up through Norcal and i"ll definitely buy a ticket. Make it after May and I'll buy 2 tickets!

By the way ladies, today is International Women's Day. So call and harass guy for not sending you flowers. It'll blow his mind. (Kevin, you have ***NO*** excuse!) )

Take it as vows reneawal

Nice to see you back

Welcome back Rachel! Good to see you post here again. Hope things are going well for you

They are -- so much better. Thanks for the welcome. I am happy to be back. Really, really happy.

...15 more days!...



*sorry*

Welcome back!! Pull up a bean bag!!



Sounds awesome!! How did you get involved in that? Join an amateur dramatics society or something!? Sounds like great fun



Yeah I am thinking this might be the case - ah well, gives us an excuse to make more memories



Well we are having the evening reception in the UK with the first dance and all that because we didn't do that in the US - we will get another (cheap) cake and have a disco and things

Cool So when is your husband flying over again?


I do belly dancing No drama

Oooh - you are braver than me!! I think I would scare people away with my belly dancing!!!

Jeremy is coming over... sometime...?! We haven't booked anything yet as we have no money right now!!