I'm cycling through the emotions - first of all there was initial hope: 'We've submitted our petition! Hey, that was easy!' Then there was optimism: 'The wait isn't so bad after all.' Then I started to despair a little: 'Will I get my interview in good time?' and now a little panic is setting in: 'Ack! There's so much to think about/do!'

Staying busy is definitely the best thing to do. Solo viewings of movies at the cinema are usually what I do at the weekend, too! Pity there's nothing good available at the moment that I haven't all ready seen. Getting to go out for a meal or to watch a film with Alex this Christmas was amazing; having done it as a singleton for so long I really appreciate having a date.

Work is so quiet that I'm online rather a lot - sometimes this is good, at other times it is aggravating - there's only so much you can do online, and I haven't yet learned to ignore an argument.

Hahaha - I know what you mean, I just responded to one guy on that "what does your fiancee think" thread with the neanderthal who likes to make "big decisions." I saw you posting there as well. Enjoy the arguments, they help pass the time as well.

I didn't do anything special this weekend. I went grocery shopping, did the laudry and some cleaning. And I watched several episodes of House MD (I think I'm addicted ^^). I also tried to find information about bank accounts, credit history, prenuptial agreement, and about what to do so the marriage will be recognized in France too. Though as usual, I start looking at too many things at the time and end up doing nothing.
I didn't want to spend to much time outside since I was sick last week.

What movie did you go to see, Blake?



Where is that post? (I shouldn't look for it since I'm at work and it's very busy but... I'm curious!)

House MD is a great show! That reminds me, I have A bit of Fry and Laurie to finish watching.

Wasn't so keen on season three, however. I need to catch up on season four. The first two seasons were amazing!

Cecile - this is the thread; you'll want to read the last two pages

Just dropping by to greet you guys a really good week. You guys won't probably hear anything yet but I am praying that CSC will clear up all October and November filers fast so they could work on your papers soon. I hope we'd be seeing January CSC approvals before march ends.

God speed!

Thank you!

Hi guys, i am glad to join you. I haven't even noticed these 2 months of waiting. In January i was getting ready for my sweety to come visit me , then he came (for the first time !!!) and we spent 3 wonderful weeks together. that's how it's been. but now since he is gone home i feel misarable. and only now i started to wait for my NOA2, hopefully time will fly. Though the past week seemed to be eternity for me. Nice to meet you all guys and hope we will all get our approvals really soon!

We're glad to have you, too! I'm sure in six months' time we'll all be laughing at how quickly time has flown - in the meantime, pull up a chair and join us in random chat.

(Can you tell it's another boring day at work here? )

Welcome DaMa!

So what exactly do you do? it sounds like everyday is boring where you work!

I am a lowly administrator for a small office (7 employees, including myself). My two bosses don't use computers, so I am here to do all their typing, reply to their e-mails, answer the phones, make photocopies, etc. - usual office stuff.

Apart from the above, my main job is to type up the Builders Quantities we receive - I do this for everyone in the office. However, because of the small number of staff, the number of projects we receive is small - so there are sometimes weeks when there is no project requiring Builders Quantities to be typed.

Plus today neither of my bosses are in the office, so I don't even have any random letters or e-mails to type!

Most of the time they could probably do without me - but occasionally a big project will come in and then I'll be very, very busy.

So basically, this week you have absolutely nothing to do and next week you might have so many things to do that you won't know where to start.
I guess that's quite the same for a lot of jobs. I work in IT and right now I have many things to do (release of the application tomorrow morning). Most of the time, there's always several things to do. Though I remember last summer was pretty quiet here...

Yes - that's it! Only it's more like 4-8 weeks of nothing to do and then 1-2 weeks of work.

Good luck with your work.

So have you guys started getting the next level of paperwork together? I know it may be early to begin this, but who knows what obsticles may arise in the process. I've got the Ukrainian translator lined up, but getting all the misitries to actually send the information (police reports etc.) may take a while. Rachel I'm sure you could get all your stuff done during the next 4 weeks - it beats sleeping at your desk!

Well, I've already ordered and received spare copies of my birth certificate (long form). I've not sent off for my police certificate yet, but then the new ones are only valid for 6 months, so I'd rather do it nearer the time. However, I ordered a bank statement and a provisional driving license (I need to book actual lessons) to prove where I currently live.

My next step is to start selling off/giving away my possessions!

Rachel, i hope you won't start selling or giving off your stuffs yet till after interview...

Pls. read this case http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...t&p=1605773

i know majority of k1 visa gets approved without a glitch and of course we will not be praying for a disaster but sometimes fate just love to tease us with its unpleasant jokes...

I do pray CSC would move a little faster for all of you. Here's a hug for all the January CSC filers.

God speed!

It's okay - no need to worry Anything I do sell now will be stuff I definitely don't mind parting with - a goodly amount of DVDs, books and games will still be shipped to the US after my interview. None of the furniture is mine anyway, so that's going to be staying here no matter what I do!

At least we're all aware that CSC is slower and can plan for that!

My fiancee and i have been talking about tax papers for the interview as it seems we need to have a joint sponsor , it will take time to find one, explain what's going on with all that and start getting the papers. Probably in a month i will start to get my papers translated here in Belarus.

Darren ordered the police certificate when we started (before we checked VJ and found out we didn't need it until the interview...DUH!!!) and we started filling out the forms we could when we got our NOA2...I've gotten my employment letter and my I-134 completed and notarised already, don't need a co-sponsor...so I guess I'm all good for now...

I am a December filer but I can't imagine my case being approved anytime before June. This literally sucks, somehow I keep trucking along.

June?
No no no...I'm sure you'll see NOA2 well before June my friend.
Stay strong and keep on truckin!!!

Your kidding right ? Csc has slowed their pace with K-1 rather than speed up lately. It seems that their priorities are much different than VSC they get 6 months to process these and it appears the current CSC policy is to use the whole 6 months. To add insult to injury CSC takes a month to even get the apps to the State department after you receive your NOA2. VSC gets them there in a few days typically. VSC FTW !!

Hoooraaay! We're starting to see some more movement out of CSC, it's good to know they are not entirely on vacation. CSC seems to be solidly in October so perhaps we are no more than three months away from approval. My estimated date for adjudication dropped another two days to July 20, which is 17 days from where I started. Hopefully this trend will continue and I can look for an approval mid to end of May. We just need a few big weeks to clean up all the old July, Aug, and Sep filers - I feel bad for them.

Is everyone smiling today?

Not really smiling... the day at work was a hard one. nothing wanted to work the way it was supposed to work. I'm still there, I have to finish a few things before I can go back home (it's 7:50pm in France).
The last four approvals of CSC enlightened my day. they seem so slow that it is upsetting, but at least they did approve some people Yeah I'm waiting for big weeks with around 40 approvals, like they did at the end of January! that would be so nice!

Whole heartedly agreed! The fastidious organiser in me wants to march up to CSC and search through all the piles for the July/Aug/Sept filers and get people to approve them there and then. The fact that things are out of order is worse for me than the length of time we have to wait.


Sorry to hear about your day at work! Days like that suck Hope things improve for you tomorrow.

I hope your home now. I'm glad that a smile did pop out when you mentioned the approvals today. There would be nothing better than to see a 40 approval week. If they did that for 5 weeks in a row we'd all be approved

Wishful thinking I know, but still.....

I hope tomorrow is a much better day for you.

nope, I'm still at work. but that's ok. Basicall now, I have to wait half an hour for the application to do its job, then I can update a few things and then I can go back home.
So while waiting, i'm making lists of what I'll need at the interview at the embassy. At least I'm doing something productive.

And about the "wishful thinking", they did it in January, I'm sure they will do it again soon

There ya go! My Olga is very very busy and has little time to chase forms around so I (Mr. Organized) have been parceling out small tasks to do to help her get this done. This last month the only job was to find the translator in her city that could "officially" translate her documents. This month it'll be filling in the forms (except for the A#), then its getting the police report, birth certificates, etc. ordered, then translated, blah, blah, blah. The idea being that when the NVC sends the paperwork to Kiev we'll be all organized and ready to set the interview at the earliest possible moment. Not sure we'd know what to do if we'd filed at the VSC and been approved in 50 days

I'm praying for that to happen for you guys...

U Rock Thanks

We have only prepared the basic papers. Ricky, have not even filed for tax return yet.. i guess he is more busy painting the house, probably making sure there is no other area left for me to paint except the roof ...

Whether, I get the visa earlier or not, my scheduled flight to US is still early or mid August, just in time for my kids to be able to start school and also enough time for the k1 visa to be valid till the wedding on Oct. 3. Some of you CSC January filers might even be with your SO's earlier than me... but I'm not really rushing, I still want to bask in the sun here and eat all the Filipino foods that will not be available there in the US. I'm stuffing up and exercising at the same time, but with the rate my hips and waist are expanding, i guess I am stuffing myself faster than I am exercising .

I'm hoping and praying there will be more movement at CSC before the week ends.

I hope you're prayers come true. I've got some distinct time pressures - particularly for Olga's 6 year old son who will need to be starting school in September. Can you believe that I'm going to a school registration meeting on March 13? In a perfect world I would have filed at the VSC, been approved in 45 days, had Olga and her son here by June 1, so that he might have an easier transition into his new language and home. But..... well you know that story

I believe in working late - ok staying at the office late - going home, reading a few pages of a book and having a nice single malt. Keeping busy is my key, not necessarily productive. Where I am dbears, there is no sun to bask in - lots o snow, so I hope yuo enjoy the days you have under the palm trees. I have always said that life can't really be all bad when you can look out your window at a palm tree.

blake:

i know exactly how you feel...my son is 14 and going to be entering grade 10 in a new country...if CSC had the same standard of service as VSC he would entering the US during the summer and being able to acclimatize to the new "life" as it stands we wont be there until the new year because it would be unfair to take him out of school before christmas...he would miss exams therefore lose that part of his school year credits.

dbears:

you are living the perfect VSC life... must be nice... if i had my chance i would give up everything at the first chance to be with the man i love... i wouldnt wait to "bask" and "stuff" the thought of the "jackpot" was intended as "fun" as such from what i read from your last posts... how would you feel if the shoe was on the other foot? and you were with CSC and watching the VSC approvals wiz by..i guess a lot of praying would make you feel better but it wouldnt make it happen any faster.

Are all schools in the US need to have very early registration? Ricky & I have been assuming that would still be July or August... Our school year here starts june and ends in March. I would still be enrolling my kids for june and july so they will have something to do while waiting to go there and also for them to be able to say goodbye to their friends in school.

Philippines is a tropical country and everytime Rick and I talk about the weather temperature in N.C. it just make me wonder how I am ever gonna get use to it... i'd probably be wearing jacket and thick pants when all other people around me are wearing sleevesless and shorts. My kids will get use to it fast, they cant sleep without the aircon in their room turned full blast while me, i can't stand the cold.

Why? Do you expect me to tell you all our personal reasons why we have to leave by August and not earlier? Do you honestly believe that we would intentionally wait till august without a valid reason? I would give my arms and legs to be with him again even for just one day.. how much more a lifetime?! It's not all "bask" and "stuff" dear, we have deeper and more serious reasons which you are not entitled to know.

And if you think your negative and hateful comment can turn me into a negative person like you. I'm sorry to disappoint you, I have been through a lot in my life already and the only reason I am still surviving is because I chose to stay positive and not let my trials get me down, and you definitely won't be a reason for me to start loving misery now.

Being negative won't help anybody, that will only foster frustration more, and I believe Blake wanted to help other's combat those frustrations in a positive way by positive interaction with others on the same boat. And if having a positive outlook is really hard for you, pls do give blakes thread the respect it deserves because so far, Blake and other wonderful people in this thread have managed to keep it as positive as possible, in case you haven't noticed.

Goood luck on your journey.

How would you feel if you are a VSC filer and just watch other VSC filers wiz you by? And in case you are not aware, I am not approved yet... Is filing in VSC 100% assurance that all VSC filers get approved fast? Take a look at these timelines.. you can even click on the names so you can see the actual timeline.

Kenneth & Loshiel
service center: VSC
sent I-129F : 2007-8-25
NOA1 : 2007-8-28
NOA2: NONE YET

Jorge & Nohemi
Service Center: VSC
sent I-129F : 2007-07-28
NOA1: 2007-08-23
NOA2: NONE YET

Adam & Carrie
Service center: VSC
sent I-129F : 2007-06-05
NOA1: 2007-06-08
RFE: 2008-02-21
NOA2: NONE YET

these 3 don't post much but their accounts are still active, their timelines are also recently updated due to RFE.. Now, tell these 3 couple how perfect the VSC life is and complain to them that prayers won't make CSC approval any faster.. take note, october CSC filers are getting approvals already while these so called lucky VSC filers are still waiting in limbo...

Aside from those 3 people above, there are still september VSC filers who have not been approved either, as well as october, november and december filers. Yes, there are a lot of January filers who got approved but there are still 43 of us who have not yet received approval... Will your apparent grudge towards VSC filers ensure us that we will all be approved next week? Will it be a 100% assurance that no one among us will be left behind like some of the VSC filers before us?

On a personal note, you have one son, I have two kids whom I have raised on my own without any child support from their father, not a single dime. With all the hardship I went through, I have all the reason to hate their father and teach my kids to hate him as well. That's what bitter and negative people do and I have every reason to be negative and bitter. But would that help my kids? Definitely not. So, I chose not to say anything bad about their father to them. I taught my kids to pray for their father wherever he is, I taught my kids to praise and give thanks for all the small things we have instead of complaining about the things we don't have. They were both toddlers when their father abandoned us, my youngest barely one year old that time.. now, they are 10 & 8, respectively. Both are very sweet and happy kids who are always praised by their teachers and other parents because they know how to extend help and give support to others in need. And thankfully, both have a very positive outlook in life, there's not a trace of negative effects of parent's separation in them. Both, have a good sense of humor and both can laugh out loud without care. They are my treasure and they are my living proof that I made the right choice when I set aside my bitterness and all my complains and focused on what I can positively do for my kids and all counted my small blessings instead of complaining for all the things I lack. And no, my SO did not assist me in raising my kids, I was already a single working mom when we met. And my kids are already the way they are, happy kids with laughter and humor in their eyes.

You're in Canada where English is the primary language, so your son will not have problems with that.. my kids will be facing language barrier when they get there which means a tougher adjustment period for them. You are in Canada where it just takes a few hours to get to US or your SO can freely go there for you... I am in the other side of the world where it will takes over one day of travel time (one way) to get here and cost thousands in airfare. Without adding our personal private reasons for waiting till august, tell me now who between us have more reason to complain? Do you think I also don't want them to be in the US earlier to be able to adjust before school year starts like you want your son to?

Complain about the system if you must but pls don't ever hold grudge and be negative towards other people just because they happen to file in the faster service center, which is in fact not even an assurance that these people will really get approved any faster than you. Pls remember, it is not our fault that we filed at VSC and none of us are happy that you CSC filers have a longer waiting period than we do. I have made friends here in VJ, some of them CSC filers from previous months and it breaks my heart that they are still waiting up to now.

Now, about jokes and taking all this things lightly. My life is already full of drama since I was a kid, long-distance relationship are already full of drama, visa processing is already loaded with frustrating drama... what helped me in my own personal struggles have been prayers and laughters and the same thing have sustained me and my SO's relationship... well, prayers may not have helped me get the fastest approval but it did help me wait for the right time with a more joyful heart... and yes, prayers do make me feel better always, especially since there is really nothing we can do here but pray for each other.

this won't help you get noa2 tomorrow or next week but I am still hoping and praying we will see movement among CSC filers. It honestly adds to my joy to see my friends names moving up Igor's list.

God speed.

I agree with you dbears, negative thoughts will not help anybody. No, the K1 process isn't all joy and happiness. Yes it is probably hard for everybody to be far from their lover. Yes, we would all prefer to be together again without having to wait. But we can't help it. We do have to wait several long months. That's why positive thoughts are better. How can someone go through this process while being angry?

I prefer to think that I am less sad than before the process. Because the past years, we couldn't know when we would be together again, and the time we spent together always had an end, which made everything even sadder. But now, even though the process takes some time, at least next time we'll be together, it will be for years! even decades! a lifetime! So why would anyone be sad or angry?
If there's one thing that makes me sad sometimes, it's the fact that I'm going to leave my parents behind.

Of course one part of me feels a little upset when we see many more VSC approvals everyday. But what can we do? Are we going to cry because some other people are going to be approved before us? Are we going to tell them not to show their happiness? That would be cruel. A lot more cruel than them wishing us good luck.

As for "who is moving as soon as they have the visa in hand / who is going to wait several months more?" everybody's life is different. I'm planning to move maybe two weeks after I have my K1 visa. The only constraints I have are a 3 month notice for my job (to tell them I'm quitting) and the same for the apartment I'm renting. That I will give them at least 2 months before the interview (and if it finally takes longer, my mother will be happy to let me come back home). the people who decide to wait longer (like dbears) have more responsibilities: they have children, or their own company to take care of, or many other things they won't tell us because, well, it's their life! if they decide to wait more, they have good reasons to do so.

dbears, I like you a little bit more with every post you make!

You are completely right, and I am in a similar situation - if I were approved tomorrow, I'd also be delaying my entry into the US until late August/September. For me this is because both Alex and I need to save up as much money as possible, and because we have given late October as a tentative wedding date to our friends and family. That does not, however, mean that I don't miss Alex terribly and it's a little insulting to have it insinuated that I don't love Alex as much as I could just because I am trying to be practical about the whole visa situation.

I am glad that you are not allowing yourself to be beaten down by anyone; I really appreciate your positive outlook on this forum and you've been a tremendous help to so many of us. I have no doubt that you're an amazing mother to your children.

Thank you very much Cecile & Rachel,.. and of course, thank you to Blake who have actually started both this thread and the other thread and for also being one of the most positive person in the whole visa forum....

My kids are adorable, they are actually doing a good job turning me into a good mom

here's my kids:
the gift of a daughter

the gift of a son

and the crazy mom

I'm just sharing pics so you would also share some pics of your hometowns or your family and Blake could also share pics of him and Olha.

Questions:
how is it living in your country? and what are the things you will most likely miss most?

Your kids are so cute!! and you're very cute too!
And the Phillipines look great. I don't really like when the temperatures are very high, but it makes me dream to see these wonderful lanscapes! Sand, sea, trees,... so beautiful!

Your children are beautiful! And I love the crazy mom page - that's made me giggle.

I do love the UK.

Here's what I'll miss:

The Peak District (just outside of Sheffield. I never tire of the views!) There are many photos in that directory - most of them were taken by me - I couldn't possible choose a favourite! England is lovely and green; there's no other country that quite comes close to the same shade of green that you'll find in fields and gardens here.

My family - of course! I don't actually see them all that often (3-4 times a year) but we're still quite close-knit. On the other hand, sometimes my family is best kept at a bit of a distance - I love chatting to them on the phone but visiting them can grow tiring after a while! I look forward to taking my parents on trips around the US, too.

The convenience of living in an inner city - England is a little too cramped, sometimes - but it's not always a bad thing! America doesn't quite get the concept of 'local' shops and a pub! It's great being able to walk into the city centre and the big entertainment complex is easily reached via the city trams. I've never needed a car here.

My friends - it's taken me years to form some very solid friendships, and I know it's going to be hard to start afresh! I have a wonderful housemate and another friend here in Sheffield I see nearly every day and I'm not looking forward to leaving them behind.

NHS - it's always been good to me, and I'll miss my free birth control and being able to get a doctor's appointment almost immediately with no additional costs incurred. Alex made an appointment the other day at his doctor's and not only does he have to wait a month for a free slot, he has to pay $75.

Food - Jaffa Cakes, decent chocolate, so many curry houses, my mother's Sunday Roasts...the list is endless! On the other hand California has eggnog and Trader Joe's.

Easy access to the rest of Europe - thanks to plenty of holiday time and cheap flights I've had plenty of opportunities to visit other European countries. My dad often takes one of us on a weekend break to a European city.

Now for some photos!



My current house. My housemate owns it, and has decorated it very nicely! It has new windows now and she's also done a tremendous amount of work in the garden.



My parents' house in my home town. They live by the sea.

My dad and three of my brothers and sisters walking the dogs in the local woods. I love those dogs - they're so utterly stupid and completely adorable.

A clearer photo of my sister and one of my grandfathers with his legendary eyebrows.

My littlest brother and sister - they're twins, and they're so cute.

My sister and the family cat. That's as big as he'll grow - he has a disability that restricted both his physical and mental growth - he's not quite all there. But he's as adorable as the dogs - very affectionate.

Wow - you guys are pretty amazing. Susan tells you how she feels and not only do you slam her, you pat each other on the back for slamming her. We have tons of reasons to want to be together as soon as possible, and its inconceivable to us that anyone would want to delay their entry into the US. Of course everyone has reasons for this and that, but she never asked you to reveal anything - if anything your response was negative and hateful - you dont know her at all so making those kinds of assertions is just that. If you read the post you will see its railing against frustrations we all feel as others who submit at the same time as us or even after us get approved simply due to the luck of the draw.

I love the way most people in face to face support groups are allowed to vent their frustrations, but in online support groups are required to keep everything light and positive. Thats just not reality, sisters.

And then you guys start sharing pictures, like wow - we agreed with each other on slamming someone and now we are buddy buddy? You remind me of the soccer moms at a gymnastics class I used to take my kids to, where the they got together to talk about how their husbands were idiots and how work was overrated, comparing pedicures etc.

The post title is "How are you doing" Susan told you how she was doing and she got slammed. Nice.

Sounds lovely. I hope you could share some pics.. i can only dream of visiting France while you live there. I honestly envy you.




Are you serious? including his mental growth? You cracked me up with that one

The peak district is simply AMAZING! It's sooo beautiful! How could you leave such a place? Ahh, LOVE

Your brothers and sisters are all good looking and the kids are soo cute... are they all your siblings or cousins? it seems there are so many of you in the family... and your granpa, are those eyebrows real????

There is nothing wrong with venting frustration but I don't see why you have to bash others at the same time. Susan made assertions and assumptions of her own - dbears is not living the perfect VSC life - she has not been approved yet - and to suggest to any of us that we are wrong to not want to be with our other halves immediately is very hurtful.

If you agree that bashing others is not good, then why do you did you do it? And I don't think she was bashing her specifically, it was venting frustration that others will get speedy approvals and will be able to take their time and be all leisurely about coming to the US, when others of us are desperate to be together.

The other thing we hear is about all these people getting their approvals so fast that they aren't prepared to move. To those people I say - I'll trade places with you any day.

What it like living in you country and what will you miss most:
Lets see:
- the cost of living was so high that we needed two paychecks to survive
- the socialized health care was "free" but cost a tons in taxes, both personal and sales
- the weather was hot and humid in the summer and tons of snow and horrible storms in the winter
- the only things I miss are the rest of my family and some of the foods I can't get here, and some of the Greek culture I used to enjoy in the Greektown in Toronto

We will all miss something about where we came from, but unless you embrace the good things about the US you wont be happy. No socialized medicine, but health care quality is better etc... I know two kinds of immigrants, those who move and embrace the culture and people of the country they move to, and those who spend every day pining for their homeland - trust me the latter are never happy. When you move, its not just to be with your love, its also to embrace the country and culture that they live in, otherwise you will never be totally happy.

I don't believe that I bashed Susan - and if she thinks I did, then I am very sorry - I just said I was glad that dbears was not allowing anyone to pull down her sunny disposition. Susan's post was specifically aimed at dbears and I think dbears was right to say what she did; perhaps we read the posts a little differently from each other.

There is plenty I love about the US and there is also plenty that I won't miss about the UK - if I thought that I could not bear to leave the UK I would have asked Alex to move here, instead. I don't think there is anything wrong with acknowledging what you may miss, though - it helps to be realistic; life is not always a bed of roses and I don't expect my life to suddenly turn perfect once I am in the US.


I'm serious - I can't think of the condition he had, but it was related to a growth on his head - he needed an operation to turn his eyelids the right way out when he was a kitten, and he has a very domed head. My dad is a vet and the one who operated on him and after that decided to adopt him.

He's a bit vacant and not very cat-like - my mother cheered when he first killed a bird because it showed that he was developing better than they'd hoped for. He has the cutest, tiniest meow and he'll allow anyone to pick him up.

I know - I shall miss the Peak District, but California has some lovely forests and parks, too, and I must admit it will be nice to have a little more sunshine - England's not nearly as warm or as sunny as my photos would have you believe! The last three times I have visited the Peak District it has been all foggy and grey.

I joke that I'm the short, ugly one of the family - seriously, though, the twins will probably grow up to be taller than me and my sisters are very, very good-looking. I'm 5'7 - the women are all 5'8 or taller, and the men are all above 6' in my family. I'm taller than most of Alex's relatives, however

The kids in the photos are all my siblings - three brothers, two sisters. My grandfather's eyebrows are very real, and a bit of a family legend.

Since when have I become the system? You read her post, isn't that specifically attacking me? So you mean it is ok for you and susan to be saying not so nice comments directed to other people but it is not ok for those people to react? WOW! and you cry fairness???? GEE!!!

You have your frustrations, vent away, nobody is stopping you. Say all the nasty things you can say about your system, about your government, because after all, that is your government BUT do not direct it at other people who are also in the process like you.

And now, your taking offense to even our way of passing time? Why? what would be more productive then? To spend our time venting and venting and venting and venting? Get a life!

First of all, I think every path is an individual path and no one person can really judge another here. Susan, dbears, Chris, Cecil, and me are all trying to make it through this process the best way we can. I know for myself and for Olga the complexities of moving a child around the world where there is a new language, new surroundings, and new culture are taken very seriously. It doesn't matter if one is moving from Canada or from the Ukraine, or from France - there's a lot involved here. And as parents we all feel a special responsibility for our children or children of the person moving. There's a lot of anxiety in this process, and we all feel it. So I think the best process is one where we keep our eyes on our own prize, while at the same time we reach out to support others as they journey to theirs.

My initial intention was to file in early December so that Olga and her son would be able to arrive in July - not only for her son's acclimation, but also so we could all spend long evening hours together doing activities that are best done during the warm summer months. It is hard to play tennis with a gale blowing in off Lake Michigan ya know. But in the words of Robert Burns...."the best laid plans of mice and men...." My filing didn't take place until the end of January, so here I am in a scramble - watching approvals closely and trying to figure ways to shave days off the process once it gets past the NVC stage. Although I'm not sure how long it takes dBears' SO to get to her, I'm sure it is a difficult and expensive process. For me to travel to see Olga takes at least 20 hours, some of which are spent in airplanes from the Kruschev era - it's also very expensive, and only getting more so. I love the fact that wherever you look, there are so many different flags underneath the profiles of posters - it points out to me that we are all different, yet we are all the same.

What each of us would do, given the chance to be in someone else's shoes, is kinda irrelevant. We all have our own realities to deal with, and if we look back to when we filed - we each probably had an expectation that this process would take a certain number of days or months. If the VSC has stepped up the approval process, great, does that change the expectation that I had when I entered this process, no it does not. Honestly, I am sometimes envious of the rapid approvals of some of the VSC filers, but that still doesn't change the rules of the game I signed up for.

Having run face to face support groups, I know ythat being able to vent frustration is important. But even there, there are rules...the individuals should only talk about their own feelings, and not direct them at other members of the community. Nothing breaks down a group faster than when the word "You" replaces the word "I". The reason why I started this thread was so that we could all talk about and deal with the frustration that Susan, Chris, and so many others are experiencing, and to receive support from other January filers, regardless of which service center they are applying to. I would like this thread to continue to be one of support and productive conversation.

Rachel - those are the most amazing eyebrows I've ever seen! Can you get those bronzed? You'll also be happy to know we do have cities and neighborhood pubs
dbears - your kids are beautiful, how are you planning to work with them to prepare them for a new language and a new school?
Susan - moving a teenager must be a whole different adventure, how is he dealing with the prospect of leaving all his friends behind?
Cecil - Why do you have to give three mos. notice? Is that a legal requirement, or just your contractual obligation? Does giving that much notice put you at any risk of just having your contract terminated?
Chris - On another thread you talked about your frustrations with the whole immigration process, and your history in dealing with this subject. I'd be interested in knowing how you've dealt with the frustrations in the past- any strategies you might have could help me and perhaps others?

One thing that strikes me is how many thoughtful and articulate people there are involved with VJ, getting to know some of you has made a big difference in how I've been able to manage my own personal journey.

No problem with registering in July or August - people move all the time, and normally the children move with them (if they are behaving well ) You should be fine, but make sure you have all your kids vaccination paperwork translated (if they are not in english) because this is a precondition for enrollment.

Yes its the legal requirement in France, for work, for rent...

I will have to do the same.

Its one of the big point for me. I wait for the NOA2 to notice my employer i will leave 3 months later. I can't do that before, as i can't take the risk to stay some weeks without money and the same for my rent. If i was alone maybe, but i have my daughters with me.

And by the way, as i have and agreement with my daughter's father, i have to take care about that she'll have to spend Christmas with her father. So between the 3 months for work and rent, and the obligation that my daughter have to be back in France for Christmas. I really hope to get the NOA2 in june...