Is it me or are things unusually quiet on the Brit forum?

Well the excitment of finally filing has worn off, and now I'm bored.

Anyone got any good gossip, or something to get off their chests, while we're here?

I've spent the last week and a half glued to my computer "just in case" the approval e-mail comes.

I think I'm becoming a tad obsessed.

its gone very quiet here.

Its sad that so many "regulars" have left VJ. This forum used to be hopping and lots of fun.

I think I just saw a tumbleweed roll by.......

Hello? Anyone out there?

New things in my life: FINALLY changed my name, started my new gig as a visiting research fellow at the uni here, lost enough weight to fit into a size smaller.

That's about it from the Elm City...

I have just come over to this part of the forum. I have my interview on 7th November which I am very happy about but my happiness is mixed with some worry about my mum who is in hospital at the moment. She has MRSA and I am hoping that they get it under control quickly. She has been there for 3 weeks already.

RosemarieL, so sorry to hear about your mum. I pray that she will return to full health really soon!

I confess to being a bit of a gatecrasher in this thread... I'm English but I live in NL so my K1 is going through the Amsterdam consulate. We got NOA2 earlier this week so I'm also awaiting Packet 3! CSC seem to be taking their own sweet time to pass on approved petitions to NVC... Already got my police certificate... not sure if there's anything else we can do while we wait. Any suggestions anyone?

Hi,

I am waiting very patiently for my Police Certificate to appear in the post as I now have to send it to the NVC :-(
Still upset about this...anywayz I agree this forum has gone quiet.

Nilz

Someone kindly posted an image of Package 3 from London on Visajourney so I was able to return it using that plus the forms from the Department of State site as soon as I knew the LND case number. This saved me about a week and a half as I was able to send the package back before I actually received it from the Embassy.

Maven - you came to the states, and LOST weight? That has to be a first.

Storyangel - no such thing as a gate crasher to this thread. All are welcome.

I got my police cert from the Met yesterday. Now I just got to sit quietly for a couple of months while the London Embassy sit on my application. So I check the Embassy daily waiting for them to update it, so I can figure out when mine should be done. Pity for me they only seem to update it every 2 weeks or so.

I have to say, I don't blame anyone that doesn't stop by so often when all their papers are sorted. But having said that, I really love this forum because it's such a wide variety of people who would otherwise have little to do with each other, all going through this long visajourney together. It's the fun and chat along the way that makes this whole sorry process bearable.

I just realized it's been more than a month since our NOA1.

Come on London! You had a whole postal strike to catch up with the things that were already on your desks (like my petition...)

Did you get your NOA1 by email or by post. I only got an email, I'm not sure if I'll be getting a paper one.

By the way, Rosemarie, I really hope that your Mum is much better soon. It must be very hard to think about your nice new life in the US with that hanging over you.

By e-mail. It states our filing date is September 13th.

I know of someone with a filing date of August 3rd who got their packet 3 this week, so at least they're still moving.

If you got an email I very much doubt you'll get a paper NOA1. London seems to be a law unto itself. A lot of people only here from the embassy a few months later when they get there NOA2. I didn't get a NOA1 at all, which it was actually led me to this forum as I was in a panic; there was a good half a dozen or so people who likewise hadn't received a NOA1 when they'd gone through London.

Yep, it is quiet around here. As I'm at Mum's until my visa process is complete (the missus had to go back over to the US in the summer) I'm now on cr*ppy dial-up so I don't browse as much as I normally do but when I do log-on it's amazing how few new posts there are. There is a lot of interviews scheduled in the next fortnight so hopefully it'll get busier when those approvals start rolling in.

Hee hee! I only lost weight because the boy is also on a diet, so we keep each other on the straight and narrow. Mostly. I broke down yesterday -- there's a Thai food cart right (and I mean directly!) in front of the window at work, and delicious scents start wafting in around 11.30am. So I put myself out of my misery and had a big container of drunken noodles with some slightly greasy chicken. Plus extra hot sauce. And it tasted gooooooood... And then last night, we went to see what appears to be the last showing of this year's version of "Halloween" in Connecticut before it disappears from the screen (I mean, hello? A movie called "Halloween" and you yank it BEFORE Halloween???) and ate half a hugeazz tub of popcorn. I am going to hell for that, but first I am going to the gym to see if I can head that fate off at the pass.

I'm gonna eat whatever the hell I like for the next few months, we're going to LA, and I figure if there's one place in the world where dieting is a universal pastime, it's got to be there. ha hahah

Another pint of guinness and a packet of salt and vinegar for me please !!

Yeah, I ate for Britain before I left to come here! I was seriously porky at POE. I think it was all the stress of immigration, plus I think I was trying to drink enough booze to float the Titanic. Over here, I have maybe one drink a week, eat healthily, go to the gym and am off the ciggies. When I was back for a week in London at the beginning of this month, I was back on the sauce, ate cr*p and and even smoked 2 cigs. Something about Britain makes me turn into a bad girl!

AAA! The date changed!!

"As of October 22, 2007, we are processing petitions filed on August 14, 2007."

So...maybe another month before we get packet three...hopefully.

WHY IS TIME GOING SO SLOWLY!!

I hate how slowly time passes while waiting for something that you really want! I am on day 87 waiting for our NOA2 so my fiance can wait a few more months to get to the K1 interview. It sucks!!!!

Our K-1 was approved in 7 days. 7 whole days. Filed on October 10th, approval through VSC on October 17th. So waiting a month feels so loooooong!

Hey, I've been checking it constantly and checked about 5 times already today, and I had to swear off it, cos it was really getting a bit ridiculous. And what did they do? They updated it!!!

And Oct 22 hasn't even come yet!!

Well that keeps the processing time at about 10 weeks, and about 9 of those left for me

I am also through VSC, but sadly the glory days of practically instant approvals are long gone.

Sorry, saw this post and had to rant

I have had the pleasure of being in the CSC blackhole from the beginning of their troubles 193 days from the priority date of my I130 and no touches other than to (finally) send my I130 NOA1 (4 months after they received the petition) and change the address because of a mistake they made (2 months after we asked for the address to be changed). Strangely, they made both of these changes on the same day, so they must have been sitting around twiddling their thumbs so they could do them together

Josh phoned them on Friday to try to find out more information, he was told that because it had been touched within (and I mean JUST within) 2 months that it was being "actively processed" and that we shouldn't phone again for another 30 days I don't want to see 210 days appear on my signature And if they'd bothered to send the copy receipt and address change when they should have, that touch wouldn't exist.

And I am so frustrated right now, we're seeing people who filed after us get approvals and, while I'm really happy for them, I am becoming bitter that ours is still sitting there untouched

Thanks for letting me rant, I feel slightly better now

What a nightmare!

...I just want to go home. We have a six week visit planned starting next week, only our second visit this year, and I can't wait.

I'm so sorry C and J, this process just plays havoc with our lives. Moving countries would be bad enough without all this uncertainty.

Surely you can call them again once the touch IS over 2 months old?

As this thread would indicate I have absolutley no news on my petition, and don't expect any for at least 8/9 weeks. I am due to finish my job (I work on contracts usually around 9-10 months long) at the end of Nov. and even if everything went amazingly well, I couldn't expect to have the visa in hand until Feb. So if I take on another job, I'll be stuck here till August or so next year, if I don't, I'll be too broke to live here untill feb, and to move and spend time looking for a good job, I'll have to take the first crappy shelf stacking thing I can find. I can't even begin to think about what I'd do if the thing suddenly got delayed in someone's In Tray that they were being too lazy to deal with.

Humph. That's my rant for the day.

Uh oh, looks like my job will definately finish by end of Nov. So I will have to get another one. Might end up having to wait a while to return pkt 3 just to delay the visa being issued and going past the 6 month expiry. I already have everything waiting. I could send it off today, if I needed to. Booo.

I want to be in California. I really love London, but since I knew I was leaving, it's hard to be here.

I've got the same, "I've made the decision now let's just get on with it already!" mentality. Fortunately we're going for a six week visit with my parents on Monday, so that should ease some of the waiting.

Ya - we've got the 'where to spend Christmas' question too. I know my OH would love to go home and relax and catch some sun for Christmas (and get out of this cold place), but it seems crazy to spend all that money for a week or two, when we could be moving out there for good maybe 2 months later, all going well. Dilemma!

**** tumbleweed *******

*shoos the tumbleweed away*

Our file has had 2 touches in 2 days, so here's hoping something positive comes out of it. We're starting to see approvals from filers either side of us (date-wise) so it can't be much longer

Another day, more silence. Nothing from London in my e-mail.

On the up-side, though - I am about to leave for a wedding in a haunted castle. Sometimes my job just rules.

Sounds great... far better than my desk job

Haunted castles and a six week trip to the states. No.... I'm not jealous.

I realised while filling out my DS-230 (I know, waaaay ahead of time) that I've only been to the states twice before (one was a 2 month road trip) and never to LA. Am I totally crazy to just jump in blind like this? Maybe it's just mid immigration blues talking.

I think that you'll be in for some culture shock, but you've dipped a toe in already so you're at least somewhat prepared. LA is a world of its own, though...be warned! Absolutely nothing like Ireland at all - you're going to think you're on another planet for a while.

Ya I know, I thought that this process would take longer at the start, and thought maybe we could go over at Christmas and have a look around. But since I realised that DCF is so much faster, it doesn't seem worthwhile.

I work in film, so LA seems like the best option. I would prefer to be further up the Cali coast, but there's no work for me there. I've already started all over again in London, but this will much further away, and I know they don't call it la la land for nothing.

Hey Poit -- we've never lived in LA before either but we're going for it too! Like you, we don't really have a choice as my husband's also in the entertainment industry (and going nuts hanging around here in Connecticut). Theoretically I could pursue my line of work in most parts of the world, but LA is one of the more difficult places to find a new job for me. Still, we have to give Hollywood a shot or we will be kicking ourselves big time if we didn't.

Bruce had only ever been to the East Coast before we went for a 2-week visit to California -- I had a business trip that was going to take me from Sacramento to San Francisco, then on to San Diego and then LA, so I figured he should come along to see if he actually liked it. He LOVED it! (Actually, he liked Sacramento best of all, go figure.) And the fact that it was like another planet was one of its attractions.

We had dinner with a friend of mine who works at NBC/Universal, and we asked him (a native of Boston's South Shore) what he thought of LA. "Okay", he said, "we all know that this isn't 'normal'. But who cares? When you wake up to another beautiful day... you can't help but feel that life is much, much better than what you've left behind." So jump into the pool of weirdness and we'll see you in LA next year!

I know your approved now C and J, so it's not so bad to say it, but I think they invented the 'touch' as a very cruel method of torture.




That's basically exactly how we feel. I'm pretty recently out of uni, really just starting my career, so we figure it's best to go now, I would forever wonder what might have been.

I find people in this business in the UK are very wary of LA, and generally think it's a god-awful place with very little artistic merit. Usually because of their experience with Hollywood studios. But about 4 separate people I know, have had to go for work recently, and LOVED it. Hahaha. Loved the sunshine, loved the sunny attitudes everyone had. Loved the city. Felt like everyone they dealt with was super professional. So go figure.

Will today be the day? We leave for the US for six weeks this afternoon. Chances are it will come while there's no-one to pick up the post.

Come on, London - I just want this over with so we can get on with our lives!

Ugh. I've also resigned myself to getting the RFE due to London's inability to change their own website and paperwork - the one about submitting affidavits of a bona fide marriage with the I-130. They're on the I-130 instructions, but London's stupid checklist says do not include anything extra and yet they're still sending out RFE's for these affidavits...for something people were told not to include...being contrary to their own instructions.

Just another thing to add time and stress to this process. *hatehatehate*

Really??? I didn't submit any more than was asked for on the checklist, therefore nothing personal, just the forms they asked for and the photocopies of passports and marriage cert.

damn. And they didn't give me any reciept number on the email NOA1, so I don't have any reference to quote if I did send in extra stuff.

Yeah, isn't it fantastic? The BEST part about that is that I included four copies of the G-325A and they sent the extra three copies back, along with the cover checklist, with the bit about not sending anything extra circled! The mis-information call centre still hasn't been brought up to speed on this, either - but check out over on Dive Into America, where masses of people got RFE's for something they weren't told to include.

I love immigration. This is so much *fun*.

/sarcasm

The LA of popular imagination doesn't really exist - yes, there are weird things but I personally find the city of Detroit to be a far stranger place. My husband thought there was no way he would like living here, and his smug British friends convinced about the crap about the city, BUT 1. The weather is great. 2. From our apartment in Venice we can go hiking in the woods in the Santa Monica mountains in 20 minutes. We climbed up skull rock yesterday in Temescal Canyon yesterday and look over the LA basin from almost deafening silence. 3. We can eat about 20 different cuisines from around the world (including better Indian food than in England) within walking distance of our apartment (yes, people really do walk in LA) 4. The beach is 5 blocks away from us 5. Almost every single film gets released here. etc etd etc etc

Wow, it IS quiet in here.

*trips over tumbleweed*

This is what happens when everyone moves to the States and gets jobs, no more time for VJ! Best of luck to everyone still waiting; I've got everything crossed for you all!

I'm moving there, so you don't have to convince me. I can't wait for the beach and the sun, I've already been very impressed by the National and State Parks throughout the country, and there's a real concentration of them nearby. I've heard people say that LA is expensive, but I have looked around, and it does not come close to London. I still can't quite believe that we're going. Sounds like heaven.

If you like National Parks, LA is a perfect location - you are within a weekend break of Joshua Tree, Death Valley, Sequoia, King's Canyon and Yosemite. The beauty and variety in those 5 locations is astonishing! Plus all the local state parks for day hikes (if so inclined). Southern California is perfect for outdoorsy stuff. Myself and husband are learning to rock climb.

As for cost of living, well - I have had this debate many times, although the dollar was a lot stronger when we made the move and were most aware of the differences. I didn't necessarily find an appreciable difference because housing in SoCal is stupidly expensive. The cost of running cars and CA state income tax does put a dent in your finances. Eating out and consumer products are generally much cheaper, of course, but certain grocery items are not (I still find it staggering that a lemon costs about the same when I can grow them in my back yard).

Yes - I've seen lots of the debates on which is more expensive. Let me qualify that.

I've only been looking on the internet, so I know that my info isn't as good as it would be if I was actually on the ground. BUT in London I have been repeatedly shocked at what will pass for habitable accomodation. Finding a flat in London has to be one of the most depressing enterprises I have ever embarked upon.

From my cursory searches on the internet, I have seen almost no apartments I couldn't live in . And even at the cheaper end of the scale, I know we will have a choice of places to live. And that's within a short drive to the beach, and all the other good stuff that comes with the city. If you find a good flat here, you jump on it the second you see it, they are few and far between (unless you got shed loads of cash). Even if the actual amount of money that you end up paying is similar in both cities, I think that the quality of the apartment/house is far better in LA.

It will partly depend on where you want to live - if you want the West side and the beach, you will pay for it! There is also a LOT of competition for good places - because I had been in England for many years and had a crappo credit score I lost out on few I really wanted


Where I live (Venice) the overall quality is generally better (newer buildings) but the size is pretty small - most of the 1 beds around the $1500/month mark are about 500-600 square feet and probably no outdoor space. In Hollywood, you seem to get much better square footage for your dollar. The Valley is generally cheaper still. The places I have seen in Silverlake are similar to Venice and kinda expensive and kinda small.

All depends on where you work - you want to avoid a commute that involves the freeway if you can. If you get a job in Burbank or Studio City, I'd rule out living near the beach because the commute would really, really suck.

I've decided to start doing things a little more proactive than just staring at the page on the embassy website that says where the processing's at. I know they only update it every 2 weeks or so. I'm just torturing myself.

So I've decided to learn spanish. Visiting Miami has shown me that it's a very good thing to have a little spanish, and I have absolutley none. French, German, Chinese even Irish, I speak enough to get by, and this language I would have the opportunity to actually USE.

Got to be better than looking at property rental sites etc.

Adios!!

Yup -- I appear to have been the first London DCFer on VJ to get an RFE under this new regime -- lucky me! I submitted what turned out to be an I-130 that had expired 10 days before submission because I was stupid enough to use the one on the Embassy website (thanks London for being so up-to-date!), so of course there was NADA on it about affidavits, but lots about not submitting anything extra. When I got an RFE for affidavits I nearly had a coronary. It only added a few days to the process but it still ticked me off. I also had to submit a statement as to how the boy and I met, and when and how (can you believe it, how!?!??!) my former marriage broke down. So nice to tell Uncle Sam all about my marital breakdown, and to think of them judging me on it. Awesome!

As the Smiths said, "I can smile about it now but at the time it was terrible." Actually, no, it's still terrible and still burns me up that I had to justify why I got married so quickly after my decree absolute FINALLY came through, even though I hadn't been with my ex for nearly 2 years at that point.

(grumbles and stalks off to listen to the Smiths and sulk a bit)

On the day I was about to send away my I-130 package I noticed that the form had gone out of date. I was so annoyed cos my OH was away for a few days, and I was so impatient I reprinted it, and signed it for him!!!

What kind of things do they ask for in an RFE????