Our first post

[Paul & Gina 1]

Hi,

So, we're embarking on this journey & are glad to have been pointed in the direction of this site.

The process is fairly daunting. You look through the pages of posts in this regional discussion & there's so much to take in. I'm getting bamboozled with all of the acronyms & the different form names!!

At the same time, we're looking to plan our wedding & are continually worried that the processing times wont fall in our favour. Our paperwork went off in January & we're crossing everything so that we can marry in July when it'll be school vacation time in the States.

Is there anything I can do at this stage in preparation so I'm ready to hit the ground running from the UK? I've already applied for my police check & I'm looking into my vaccinations at the doctors tomorrow. Can I schedule the medical as soon as we receive notification of our case number?

It'd be nice if some of you kind folk could give a basic overview of the process from the stage we're at, like what comes next, so you should do {this} in readiness for {that}, expect to receive {this} by {then}, etc.

We'd like to play our part & become part of this valuable community.

Best wishes,

Paul & Jennifer

[James And Oksana 19]

Hi,

So, we're embarking on this journey & are glad to have been pointed in the direction of this site.

The process is fairly daunting. You look through the pages of posts in this regional discussion & there's so much to take in. I'm getting bamboozled with all of the acronyms & the different form names!!

At the same time, we're looking to plan our wedding & are continually worried that the processing times wont fall in our favour. Our paperwork went off in January & we're crossing everything so that we can marry in July when it'll be school vacation time in the States.

Is there anything I can do at this stage in preparation so I'm ready to hit the ground running from the UK? I've already applied for my police check & I'm looking into my vaccinations at the doctors tomorrow. Can I schedule the medical as soon as we receive notification of our case number?

It'd be nice if some of you kind folk could give a basic overview of the process from the stage we're at, like what comes next, so you should do {this} in readiness for {that}, expect to receive {this} by {then}, etc.

We'd like to play our part & become part of this valuable community.

Best wishes,

Paul & Jennifer

Welcome. Suggest you join a group of fellow January filers in this forum. http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/289651-january-2011-filers/ . Hope to hear from you in the forum.

[Barbara J 115]

Hi,

So, we're embarking on this journey & are glad to have been pointed in the direction of this site.

The process is fairly daunting. You look through the pages of posts in this regional discussion & there's so much to take in. I'm getting bamboozled with all of the acronyms & the different form names!!

At the same time, we're looking to plan our wedding & are continually worried that the processing times wont fall in our favour. Our paperwork went off in January & we're crossing everything so that we can marry in July when it'll be school vacation time in the States.

Is there anything I can do at this stage in preparation so I'm ready to hit the ground running from the UK? I've already applied for my police check & I'm looking into my vaccinations at the doctors tomorrow. Can I schedule the medical as soon as we receive notification of our case number?

It'd be nice if some of you kind folk could give a basic overview of the process from the stage we're at, like what comes next, so you should do {this} in readiness for {that}, expect to receive {this} by {then}, etc.

We'd like to play our part & become part of this valuable community.

Best wishes,

Paul & Jennifer

If you look up the UK forum they will be able to advise better but just a warning if you have only just filed in January depending on where your petition has gone to be processed, I would not bank on July for a wedding possible September. As I see yours is in Vermont and what I am hearing at the moment is Vermont have not even processed last July filers. SO be prepared to have a lot of patience.

[Nich-Nick 3,353]

Here's a basic flowchart Visa Journey has created for the K1 process. You're on Step 3. Marriage is Step 18. K1 FLOWCHART LINK

The flowchart is very general on the embassy parts because each embassy's times and procedures vary a great deal. At Step 8 of the flowchart, it's best to jump off and get your UK specific info from the UK forum.

People always ask times, but they go up and down like a roller coaster. The time it has taken for somebody getting their interview in London today will be different from somebody just starting today.

Look at Vermont Service Center historically

Do you see how people today getting their NOA2 (approval of the I-129F petition) waited 3 times longer than those who got approvals in July? It could be better or worse for you.

So once the petition is approved, the visa has to be applied for through London. Here's how processing times have gone there.

Just guessing, I don't think a July wedding is a reasonable plan, but the roller coaster timelines could start heading down...you never know for sure.

Edited January 25, 2011 by Nich-Nick

[Damian&Kelly 16]

Hey, Welcome and good luck with your process. You can't do much to get ready for the interview until you get your NOA2. Right now you're waiting on your first NOA. Once you get that all you can do is wait for your NOA2. Right now Vermont is very slow. Once you get your NOA2, then it goes to NVC and then it's transferred to London. Once London gets it is when you get your London case number.. Starts out LND. Once you get your London case number/Packet 3 (1st packet of papers you get from London) you can book your medical, and start collecting all the paperwork: Police certificate, I-134, Relationship evidence...

Best of luck to you both!!

[Jewel-8 21]

I would send off for the police cert immediately after NOA2.

Right now it might be good to look up which jabs you will need. Getting them done now at the GP is much better than getting them done in the US.

Good luck on the process!

[FrostyMist 1]

Hi, Paul & Gina.

Being someone who has been through this process already (I am now in the US, happily married and having just gone through Adjustment of Status) the best advice I can give you is to prepare to spend a lot of time waiting and hearing nothing. I often likened the whole process akin to throwing paperwork into a black hole and hoping for the best.

We first filed back in March 2009, and I moved to the US in April 2010. Don't freak out too much about the time - I had a massive delay with my medical (I needed a letter from my doctor to explain my medical condition, and it took them months to do it for me) and once my visa was approved (January 2010) I remained in England until April so that I could have plenty of time to get everything in order before I left. If I'd been a bit more organized about getting the medical letter sooner, and hadn't wanted to delay leaving for so long after my visa was approved, I probably could have easily left England before the end of 2009.

I'll let other members here (those that have gone through the process more recently than I have) go over the details of what to do when. Wait times and the sort tend to change a lot, so I'm sure my experiences are vastly different to what more recent applicants have had.

I just wanted to say that I know it's very daunting. When my husband (then my fiance) and I first decided to do this----well! I remember crying because it was all so daunting and scary! Yes, there are horror stories, but speaking as someone who has been through this process before, be prepared for a few hitches along the way (they say almost everyone has at least one thing go wrong at some point or another) and you'll be good.

We definitely had a major issue when I arrived in the US and needed to file for Adjustment of Status (which you do after you get married) because I wasn't up to date with my vaccinations. When I had my medical, they told me that I should get it done in the US because it would be "easier and cheaper". But they were waaaaay off. Getting my vaccinations done in the US cost us well over $100 and a three hour drive to (and then a three hour drive back from) the doctors. I almost ended up being forced to re-take the entire medical again (would have cost over $200) although I insisted I was just given the vaccination and it all worked out okay.

So, if you're not up to date with your vaccines, get them done before the medical!

I cannot stress how valuable this place here is as a resource for those going through this process. There are some wonderful members here who have a tremendous amount of valuable experience to share. My husband and I brought a book to help us through the process, but we soon found that things change so often that the book was not always up-to-date. These forums are a great place to come if you have questions, just need to vent about the stresses of the whole process, or need to be amongst those who understand.

Good luck with your visa journey!

Edited January 25, 2011 by FrostyMist

[Rob and Jill 82]

Hi Gina!

My best advice...Make sure you don't wash your passport in the laundry.

/sigh

It sounds like you are on top of things, and as long as you get it all handled in advance, you should be good to go. Are you the USC or the Brit?

[Fandango 1,439]

I personally wouldn't make any formal wedding plans until visa is in hand.

I'm dying to know...who is Gina?

[Paul & Gina 1]

Good morning all,

Thanks for the prompt responses & invaluable information. As mentioned, this is an example of how much a resource this site is.

As it stands, we received the hard copy of NOA1 via US mail yesterday. I'm visiting my doctors at lunchtime today in fact to check my vaccination records & arrange any boosters.

I'm Paul, from England (Bournemouth to be precise for the past 6 years, originally from Dudley). Jennifer/Gina is from Rosenberg in Texas. That's Christened name / family-nickname to avoid any confusion!! I think this process would be even trickier if there were three involved!! We'll stick to one of them from now on!

Have a good day everybody,

Paul & Gina

[Paul & Gina 1]

Good morning all,

Thanks for the prompt responses & invaluable information. As mentioned, this is an example of how much a resource this site is.

As it stands, we received the hard copy of NOA1 via US mail yesterday. I'm visiting my doctors at lunchtime today in fact to check my vaccination records & arrange any boosters.

I'm Paul, from England (Bournemouth to be precise for the past 6 years, originally from Dudley). Jennifer/Gina is from Rosenberg in Texas. That's Christened name / family-nickname to avoid any confusion!! I think this process would be even trickier if there were three involved!! We'll stick to one of them from now on!

Have a good day everybody,

Paul & Gina

[Rob and Jill 82]

Well hello Paul! Sorry I assumed you were Gina! Welcome to the boards!

[Nich-Nick 3,353]

I'm Paul, from England (Bournemouth to be precise for the past 6 years, originally from Dudley). Jennifer/Gina is from Rosenberg in Texas.

OMG! You will be neighbors with TBoneTX, si man! He's not from the UK, but frequents the UK forum from time to time. We live about an hour away, which is a short drive in Texas. We were in Rosenberg two weeks ago.

[TBoneTX 43,041]

OMG! You will be neighbors with TBoneTX, si man! He's not from the UK, but frequents the UK forum from time to time. We live about an hour away, which is a short drive in Texas. We were in Rosenberg two weeks ago.

Si, man -- we're in Sugar Land, just a few miles up the freeway. Rosenberg is growing rapidly and is very nice.

[Paul & Gina 1]

Si, man -- we're in Sugar Land, just a few miles up the freeway. Rosenberg is growing rapidly and is very nice.

Hello to our soon-to-be neighbours!!