Progress thread for TSC filers now between NVC and Interview Stage

[wbeem 567]

That's perfect thank you! Question- are you going with the courier then or are you still going to try and pick it up? I keep leaning towards him picking it up...

At the moment I've left it as pick up. You can change your mind at a later stage (I have until the morning of the interview at 6 am to pay and have it delivered). My thought was that it is less hassle to change and pay later if I want to, rather than to try get a refund and opt for pick up. Have you ever tried to get a refund from a government department?

[JamesRenee 47]

At the moment I've left it as pick up. You can change your mind at a later stage (I have until the morning of the interview at 6 am to pay and have it delivered). My thought was that it is less hassle to change and pay later if I want to, rather than to try get a refund and opt for pick up. Have you ever tried to get a refund from a government department?

Good to know- maybe we'll go that route then. After being put through the TSC torture I feel very sketchy about having someone deliver it....about a million possible things that could go wrong have entered my mind lol. And I've never tried to get a refund from the government...I mean seeing how well they handle the most minimal tasks I would not trust them with anything at this point haha

[wbeem 567]

DX is a very reputable courier, so if it puts your mind at rest, I can tell you that we use them at work and in the 8 years I have worked for my present employer, we have yet to have anything go missing. It all comes down to practicality. Accessibility, relative to location of the nearest depot is also a consideration. It's a bit of a hassle to get to my nearest one, so I've left my options open for now.

This is my last week at work and I'm feeling a bit strange about it tonight. It's had its ups and downs, but it's been part of my routine for so long now. I know where everything is and how everything works there.

Edited May 11, 2015 by wbeem

[CheekyMonkeys154 27]

I can't decide either. It's just a tram ride away for him to pick it up from Manchester centre and if it's quicker we will so I dunno what to do lol

[yuna628 9,530]

Bit of an odd question (we mull over stuff from time to time and come up with them)

We were talking about eventually filling out the DS160, and I know that somewhere on the form it asks to list relatives in the US. I believe you can even list the fiancé as a relative (even though I technically am not yet but...). Anyway, his mom's cousin lives in America, but we don't have an address for him. Is this something he'd need to list? And do you actually need the address of the person if you do?

And does it also ask you to list every single time you've ever been to the US? We know all of the dates he arrived here for visits, but goodness knows we have forgotten how long he stayed exactly each time - over ten years of trips is a long stretch of time.

He applied for his Police Certificate today, so hopefully that should be coming back in a week or two.

[wbeem 567]

Yuna, regarding the visits, it only asks for the last five trips. I called up my I94 record on the CBP site and took the dates from there.

Lol, my phone kept changing your user name to Tuna!

[wbeem 567]

I can't decide either. It's just a tram ride away for him to pick it up from Manchester centre and if it's quicker we will so I dunno what to do lol

I think the most time you save is a day if you collect instead of waiting for delivery. Unless it arrives at the depot on a Saturday or the day before a holiday, which means it sits there until the next business day.

[JamesRenee 47]

DX is a very reputable courier, so if it puts your mind at rest, I can tell you that we use them at work and in the 8 years I have worked for my present employer, we have yet to have anything go missing. It all comes down to practicality. Accessibility, relative to location of the nearest depot is also a consideration. It's a bit of a hassle to get to my nearest one, so I've left my options open for now.

This is my last week at work and I'm feeling a bit strange about it tonight. It's had its ups and downs, but it's been part of my routine for so long now. I know where everything is and how everything works there.

That does ease my mind a bit to know that....I believe his pick up would be Manchester & I think his Dad may be able to drive him there. I'm interested to see how long it takes for you & Deborah to get your visas. I think then I'll at least have some idea. Have any of you seen or read about someone's visa taking longer than 9 business days to get to them? I know that's a pretty tough question ....just wondering what you may have come across

[CheekyMonkeys154 27]

I know it's probably only a day difference but we are wanting to try and get him here by my daughter's dance recital so he can attend. So that day may make the difference, I just don't know what to do because I can't really book a flight and I am not sure if a flight is a lot more if you book it on short notice or less. Because 7 days is on June 12th which is a Friday and her recital is on that Sunday. So it's going to be very iffy and tight as to whether or not he'll make it. I am guessing probably not. But we will see.

[FoamoftheDaze 4]

Congrats to those who have gotten their interview dates! If I have read correctly that for some of you your status did not change on CEAC to show they have sent the interview letters?

[CheekyMonkeys154 27]

Correct

[wbeem 567]

I know it's probably only a day difference but we are wanting to try and get him here by my daughter's dance recital so he can attend. So that day may make the difference, I just don't know what to do because I can't really book a flight and I am not sure if a flight is a lot more if you book it on short notice or less. Because 7 days is on June 12th which is a Friday and her recital is on that Sunday. So it's going to be very iffy and tight as to whether or not he'll make it. I am guessing probably not. But we will see.

Oh, I wasn't trying to make light of the difference a day makes. Apologies if it came across like that. It was really just reaffirming my own reality check in the situation, because we are trying to do something similar, but also accept that we need to be aware that there are no certainties regarding time frame in this process (preaching to the converted here - a fellow TSC war survivor!)

Regarding flight prices, it depends. I booked flights for last June and found that if you get out before around the 20th, you get better prices. They spike considerably in the week in which the first of the Scottish schools break for the summer.

In March this year I picked up a last minute round trip flight, including connections from Scotland, for £360 less than a week before departure. Weekend departures are usually more expensive, particularly Saturdays, but it all depends on seat class availability at the time so it's another field of the unknown all set up and ready to mess with your stress levels.

I'm frustrated at the moment because most of the scheduled airlines have started their sales and I can't book for at least another two weeks so I hope that the decent prices I see now are still going to be available when we can book.

I have already told William we are not going anywhere on vacation where we need to apply for any kind of visa. Ever.

[CheekyMonkeys154 27]

Oh, I wasn't trying to make light of the difference a day makes. Apologies if it came across like that. It was really just reaffirming my own reality check in the situation, because we are trying to do something similar, but also accept that we need to be aware that there are no certainties regarding time frame in this process (preaching to the converted here - a fellow TSC war survivor!)

Regarding flight prices, it depends. I booked flights for last June and found that if you get out before around the 20th, you get better prices. They spike considerably in the week in which the first of the Scottish schools break for the summer.

In March this year I picked up a last minute round trip flight, including connections from Scotland, for £360 less than a week before departure. Weekend departures are usually more expensive, particularly Saturdays, but it all depends on seat class availability at the time so it's another field of the unknown all set up and ready to mess with your stress levels.

I'm frustrated at the moment because most of the scheduled airlines have started their sales and I can't book for at least another two weeks so I hope that the decent prices I see now are still going to be available when we can book.

I have already told William we are not going anywhere on vacation where we need to apply for any kind of visa. Ever.

No way I totally didn't take it the wrong way. Just wanted to explain the situation a little more, etc... and we understand that it may or may not happen so we are just going to see what we decide and roll with it. Due to the last flight fiasco we have a voucher good for 600GBP that we can use toward the flight but the flights were around 600 from Manchester to Atlanta (I normally get about 450 but not in summer lol) obviously until this last week and they have went to 800. But I think if I move the return day further out since we aren't using it I got it down to 650 lol But we just do a direct flight in to Atlanta thankfully and I make the 2 hour drive that way he doesn't have to do a connection lol So we will just see if he picks it up and see if we can get a flight that we can afford quickly or not and wing it. Best we can do in the situation. It's my daughter's last recital of this particular kind so he was really hoping to see it. So we will just see what happens. But hey around the time he is flying you are getting married! YAY! I think we are looking at July 17th for us. Maybe. lol Then all those AOS papers, I don't even want to think about yet. lol But yes girl I agree, never going anywhere we have to get a visa for. Bleh forget that. lol I am ready to get the interview over and get him on a plane and have some down time. I'm so exhausted as I know you are as well.

[dizzdemey 31]

Scott had his medical today at Knightsbridge. I feel like things are finally moving!

[yuna628 9,530]

Hardcopy came today Man, it finally feels like stuff is moving

Is it bad that the neighbor eyeballed me strangely, considering I was squealing with delight as I was getting the mail?

Edited May 11, 2015 by yuna628