Yes, good luck to Leo. I think this should be a super positive week for interviews and starting new jobs.

I do wish we had another few weeks we could go camping when the weather warms just a bit.
And I think Turkey hunting season starts in a week or so. Lake loves fishing and hunting, but work comes first.

Jill(ChristineJames) how was your trip to JA?

Rhonda my condolences to you and Tony,happy to hear that he was able to be with his family

Happy baby news to you and your husband Sbys....I have two boys have fun

We had a great time. My mom and sis were outta control. I want to go back by myself (in June) so that I don't have to keep an eye on them all the time. You know when rookies go down there how it can be.

The weather was perfect. And Kirk was too.

Glad you all had a great time. I'm sure it won't be mom and sis's last time either.

Now more importantly....do tell

Hello Everyone! Hope Everyone had a wonderful weekend!

Rohan- finally got descent treatment at the hospital. They xrayed his hand and said his hand was broken and some bone shattered. Now this part I dont get...They asked him if he want surgery or a cast . What person would ask for a cast, but I thought you couldnt fix shattered bone without surgery. Anyway I guess he will wait till he is up here to get some descent medical care for that hand.

I have the same question as Somone, I may have overlooked but I didnt see an answer. How much is that fee the you have to pay to the professional carrier to get your visa. Will they allow you to pick the visa up?

Lets just say...the feelings are still there. As much as I try to ignore them....as soon as we're together...it feels so right. Nonetheless, can't do anything about it anyhow (banned for 3 years). So, we kind of just talking like we did before. No visa talk at all.

I just realized you are going to Jamrock on my B-day girl! Have a rum punch for me. And then some...if ya know what I mean.

SOOOO...it's been way too long. I can't begin to talk about how busy I've been.

To catch anyone up on our Tourist Visa issue for our daughter/step daughter...the embassy actually called the mother in JA and left a message regarding a reinterview...I'm hoping this means an approval!

I have a question..

Is the only number to call 876-929-4850?

She gave her name but no direct line...DAMNIT!


Let me know. I've tried calling this morning and got nothing. I'm going to take a lunch break at 1:30 and keep going...

D

Congrats Anthony




How sweet Hope everything work out

Congratulations!!

Good afternoon all




Thats weard David's good for one year.

Where is the Caribbean grocery store where you live? Do you know of any closer to Richmond? I may have to drive up there to shop. Anthony only eats fish, vegetables and pizza. I want some Ackee!



He is more familiar with the new car than I am. He drove himself to school today but I rode along until we get the insurance coverage for him driving, I can't take chances.

Good news, Squito just got the letter in the mail for his biometrics appointment. His appt is scheduled for Wedesday, April 5th at 2pm!

Do I need to go with him?

Anthony is doing very well even though he is left-handed. He drove in Jamaica and fast too. The roads and signs and drivers here are much different though.

Good news, Mrs. Squitto, wow!

No, you dont need to go, he DOES have to have the interview letter tho, and passport, etc. All they basically do is take fingerprints and picture. Have him look nice, becuz this is the picture that is on the green card, if its for his AOS biometrics. So thats the pic he is stuck with on his green card for the next several years.

Lake was very very lucky, his drivers license they went ahead and issued for 10 years. Wow. Now to just get him something to drive and put him on insurance. We were driving Mom's car, but when I suggested him learning to drive in the city and putting him on insurance, she nixed that idea, so I am stuck. So I guess I get to be bus driver/chauffeur. I was hoping she would relent after a month or so...but...that and I worry to death bout her, we used to do everything together and now she feels like she doesnt have a reason to live, I can barely get her out of the bed. Mebbe when Lake starts working, I can get her to do more, but now she says she is the "third" wheel.

Question.....What the heck is the Biometrics appointment? What do they do? How signifigant is it to the "visa journey"?

Hey everyone,
I just have to share this with ya'll, last week I sent the embassy an e-mail and this is the response I got back.

Hello:

Unfortunately, at this time we cannot predict if your fiance will be scheduled for a visa interview in the early part of May. Once the date is determined, we will mail an appointment letter to Mr. Lindo at his local address. You could send an e-mail on or about April 2 - 4 inquiring about the date, because the date should be determined by then. If the date that we have scheduled, does not suit Mr. Lindo, then we will check and see at that time if there is a more suitable date.
Regards,


Is it me or does it seem that they have gotten nicer then in the past?????


Well anyway, I had car trouble last night and my car would not start, so I have been stressing, but today my dad came over the after about 3 hours we finally figured out what was wrong, we changed the battery but it still would not start, I was about to have it towed and we started to read the manual....come to find out some anti theft security thing shut the car down...but we reset the security system and it started right up...Thank goodness, I cannot afford car troubles right now!!!!
Well me and a couple friends are starting Weight Watchers today, so i hope I can lose about 20 lbs within the next few months????

Have a great weeek!!

Joanna

Where is the Caribbean grocery store where you live? Do you know of any closer to Richmond? I may have to drive up there to shop. Anthony only eats fish, vegetables and pizza. I want some Ackee!





Ann - the only Caribbean store I know that sells fresh saltfish, king fish and red snapper is in Hyattsville, MD. Come on up so we have all-you-can-eat ackee and saltfish at the Crossroads for Sunday brunch. Then to the grocery stores

Ditto

That is GREAT news. Congrats No, you don't have to go with him. The center in Virginia wouldn't let me sit in the lobby.



The biometric appointment is where they take your fingerprints, pictures, height, eye color, etc. It only take a few minutes.




Joanna - I also attend weight watcher meetings. Their message board is excellent. There's even a thread called "The Wedding Party" with great ideas - I used some for our reception. Good luck to your weight loss.

Yes, they seem to be a hell of a lot nicer than they used to be. Lucky you

And with regards to the Biometrics appt, I guess I'll sit this one out. Squito knows where the office is and how to get there, so he'll be aight. I hope the rest of the process goes this quickly...

That was quick....congrats!!!

Sorry Joanna, I got really busy at work and never got back on-line. I started my new shift today (Monday). I am not happy about it I start at 2:00pm and work until at least 10:30pm but most likely they work til 12:30 or 2:30am on any given day. I sure hope they don't think I'm going to be working 12 hours a day!



No kidding! What's with the smiley face but no comments??



OK Jill, spill it!!! What happened while you were down there?

I am so depressed and miserable I started afternoon shift today and I HATE it. The time is just dragging and it's only my first day back on this shift. No one is around - all my "normal" friends and family are on day shift so they're home right now. Does anyone have any advice on how to make the night go by quicker? I am the ONLY female in the whole plant on this shift. Everyone I work with are white males between the ages of 45 and 55 Not a whole lot in common to chat about! And GM calls themselves a Diverse company!

Tony is coming home tonight I miss him so much His plane just landed in Washington DC for his layover. I'm waiting on him to call me He's probably going through Immigration right now. I'm nervous cause this is his first time doing all this alone Wish him luck!!

Hey Rhonda,
Good luck on your new shift....do you keep busy at work or are there slow times...I know on my night shifts when we are slow I have a portable DVD player and I can watch movies, but I am sure you work is way different then mine....at my job if someone is not sick or thier house is not on fire and we get pretty slow...thats pretty sad that at my job I only work if someone is having an emergency...although it seems like lately we have been so busy even at 3am in the morning... Me and my friend have a joke between us, everytime when we are driving and we see some idiot driving crazy or some foolish person walking across a busy street and not paying attention..we say "OH theres Job Security"

Well I just got back from my 1st Weight Watchers meeting....wish me luck I would really like to lose 20 lbs before my wedding....although I have already bought my dress and it might be too big...thats ok though my dad said if i lose weight he would pay to have it altered to fit me, he just wants me to lose weight.

It is VERY slow here at work on this shift. I am the only supervisor here, but you never know when/if one of the bosses is gonna pop up unexpectedly to check up on me! I don't know if I could get away with the DVD player! I may have to bring in a book or magazine though. I am so bored. I'm leaving slightly early tonight to go pick up my boo from the airport He is grumpy and cranky from travelling all day and hungry cause he had no time on his layover to get food Should be fun

Good luck with the weight loss I know how hard it is to lose weight My sister used to be in Weight Watchers and then she even worked there for awhile as a consultant. She thinks it's one of the best programs out there. Some restaurants like Applebees even have Weight Watchers items on the menu that tell you how many points a meal is!!

Squitto -- Lightening fast!! Congratulations!!!

Joanna -- Sounds like the Embassy is softening......good luck with Weight Watchers. It is the very best!!

Squitto...It's all coming together!

Which biometrics appointment was it? EAD or AOS?

Make it on April 16th and I will join you



Ditto that



Weight Watchers is great. I did really well till I had to stop going. Trying to play a good Mom and gave my son my car, so I won't have transpo for at least a couple of months, then I will join again. I really liked those meetings. So hang in there you'll do good.

[quote name='woogietail' date='Mar 28 2006, 10:18 AM' post='97852']
[quote name='sjb1221' post='96472' date='Mar 27 2006, 02:39 PM']
Where is the Caribbean grocery store where you live? Do you know of any closer to Richmond? I may have to drive up there to shop. Anthony only eats fish, vegetables and pizza. I want some Ackee!





Ann - the only Caribbean store I know that sells fresh saltfish, king fish and red snapper is in Hyattsville, MD. Come on up so we have all-you-can-eat ackee and saltfish at the Crossroads for Sunday brunch. Then to the grocery stores
[/quote]


Make it on April 16th and I will join you





That's great. See 'ya on the 16th

Good morning VJ family

Congratulations Squitto. They are on the ball. Did you see a touch on the e-mail? Maybe they feel bad that they messed up your paperwork.

just popped in for a sec....Squitto and richie have the same date and time for their biometrics... see yah there!.

Congrats to popcorn on Richie's biometrics as well, same day as Squitto's, thats somethin!

Leoschampion, how did Leo's job interviews go yesterday and today?

Lake has his school interview this afternoon. He was lamenting the fact that it was a guy doing the interviewing, he prefers gals cuz he can "charm" them more. Hmmmmphhh!

Here's a good one.....Roy wants to go to driving school because he is bored sitting at home. I have seen him on his bike -- don't think I am looking forward to seeing him behind the wheel of a car. I called the school and I am very thankful it won't be my car he is driving

That's is great Popcorn Good to see you.





I just found Damien a driving school. My heart can't take his driving anymore

I let Roy pull the truck into the garage.....not a good idea. He almost blew the back wall out.....he blamed it on him never driving the truck before. Guess his first time should have been in a parking lot

After hearing all "your" driving horror stories. There is no way I could do this by myself. Let someone else take the brunt of his Jamaican "spirit."

it's for AOS, does he have to do another one for his EAD?

and how to I sign up so that I can see the "touches" via email?

I'm still waiting for them to cash the check that I sent back last Tuesday, if I get another rejection notice, we'll be trying to get an infopass appt.




That's wassup, looks like we're on the same timeline!! I don't know if I'll be attending the biometrics appt tho. Maybe you can walk Squito through it in my absence!




No I haven't signed up for touches via email, how do i do that?



I'm thinking of joining WW for the next 4 months to slim down before my big wedding, let us know ur progress!! Good luck!

Squito...

to watch your applications do the following.

1. go to uscis.gov
2. click on case status and processing dates under hot topics.
3. Under the Case Status Portfolio with Updates via Email Section click on create a customer profile.
4. accept the agreement and enter your info.
5. then you can see when they've "touched" your file and recieve emails when they have approved things.



we had 2 biometrics. one for AOS and one for EAD. Our AOS one showed up first.

They may let you do both when you are at the office...you have to ask. They didn't let us in Providence, RI but had we been in Boston they would have let us....grrrrr.

Thanks Darah!! I'll do that tonight when I get home as all of the pertinant info is in my "immigration binder" (i sooooooooo can't wait to throw it in the recycling bin! )



USCIS doesn't seem to be very organized or efficient, why on earth would they require someone to do biometrics twice?? Jeez

thanks for the info tho

Ms. Squitto, dont be TOO quick to throw it in the recycle bin, I think you need some of that in order to lift conditions in two years! You can narrow it down a lot tho.

Oh and if you get the NOA for the EAD, hopefully you will be time he goes in...show that to them and like Darah said, they MIGHT process them both. EAD card comes very quickly after you do the fingerprints for that one usually. You usually have to show both APPOINTMENT letters tho. And even then, sometimes they dont. Depends on the local office. Crazy system.

That is just so stupid to make you come in twice for the exact same thing.....DAH!!

Congrats to Anthony









Thanks




Thanks




Wow!! That was fast - congrats




Thanks Nyseness




Congrats to you too Popcorn - and good to see you again

Good news, Squito just got the letter in the mail for his biometrics appointment. His appt is scheduled for Wedesday, April 5th at 2pm!

Do I need to go with him?
[/quote]

That was quick....congrats!!!

[/quote]


Oh my that was fast Congrats

darn it


lol

I hope everyone has a good week.

We are all doing fine. We were able to get our vaccinations at our doctors office, now were are waiting for the supplement form to come in the mail. Should I send our only certified copy of his birth certificate. Will they accept a copy? I hope we don't get into too much trouble for filing late. David went out driving by himself for the first time to a Soccer match last night, this morning he went to his GED class, found his way back without problems He came back asking me how to work problems that I can barely remember how to work, he was somewhat disappointed. He feels he needs to go. Sometimes I want to tell him not to bother with it, cause he's so hard on himself, but I guess it should be his decision to make.

Later Denise

Dee, lol, I know what you mean by trying to help work problems you barely remember how to do yourself. I probably couldnt pass the GED test now myself without a little touching up. And darned if I havent forgotten some of the easy 3rd/4th grade crap too, like action sentences, telling sentences. action verbs, telling verbs, adverbs, etc. Frankly he remember that stuff better than I!
And darn, I had forgotten how to make fractions into whole numbers, I THOUGHT I knew, (and I did) but wanted to make sure before teaching someone the wrong thing!
American history will be a killer if they make him learn a lot of that, just becuz he studied NONE of it before. I am not sure they require that, you would think world history would be important, but not Am history. He has learned some as he has been here, and I explain to him stuff when we have watched movies and etc, but I wouldnt know zip about another country's history if I moved there recently, it would take me quite a while.

Well, the school interview went well, but its a sit back and wait game, for something to open up. Then we have to put in an interest form. blah blah. The guy told him just be patient...well he wants to work NOW!
Hmmmm. What to do, what to do...

Oh and Dee, all you need to send is a COPY of the bc, keep the certified for when you do the AOS interview.

JAMIE THANK YOU SO MUCH!

I just spoke to Denise @ Occuhealth and she is soooooooo nice! They told me to fax the form to and they will send us the doc forms in the mail - so I should have it by next week to send off the forms for AOS

Quick question: We only submit I-693 supplemental - not I-693 right?

I guess I got luck with my Jamaican, because other than driving a bit too fast, he's a pretty good driver He didn't have to go to driver's school or anything and he passed the written test the 1st time and the road test the 2nd time. (1st time he failed at parallel parking ) My biggest problem is trying to keep my mouth shut while he's driving I'm a bit of a control freak when it comes to that



Tony only had ONE biometrics appt. I've never heard of having 2 seperate ones?

My husband had his interview today and he said the fee was 400 or 500ja. They will allow you to pick up the visa in Kingston but i am not sure on the cost. He jhad the courier service deliver the visa to MOBAY

Hey Joanna, I see you down there