Jessa & Liam

I gave a good explanation of this to you in the current thread posts 132-136.
Let me ask you a question Robert. If somebody was giving you a letter to verify their income, what kind of information would you find useful to see in the letter? And I know you haven't bothered to read the I-134 instructions or you wouldn't be asking.
Somebody else take this one because I've answered it the best I know from my experience before in this thread as well as here:
http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/341012-question-11-of-i-134-confusion/page__p__5035801#entry5035801
http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/323011-i134-help/page__p__4827470#entry4827470
http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/323011-i134-help/page__p__4826983#entry4826983
http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/312666-i-134-i-intend-or-do-not-intend/page__p__4698237#entry4698237
http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/288338-question-11-on-i134-please-help/page__p__4373630#entry4373630
http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/271782-how-does-london-prefer-the-co-sponsor-answer-10-11-on-i-134/page__p__4160375#entry4160375
I don't mean to be grouchy , but people can't spoon feed the same answers to you personally over and over each time it pops in your head. Hire a lawyer to do your paperwork If it's beyond what you're able to get from the embassy website, Dept of State website, the instructions for the forms, and from this thread.

It still has to go to the House of Lords who can vote it down. Then it could be amended and reintroduced. As well as that I'd imagine that it would be very likely that it would be tested in Court - likely on Human Rights grounds and it having a disproportionate impact on the right to family life.
The media's coverage of it has been pretty poor, especially on the details and the potential impact.

Absolutely! If your doctor verifies you have a medical condition that precludes you from having an immunization, then you are eligible for a blanket waiver. Your sheet will be marked "not medically appropriate" and you are excused from the shot. That is one of the acceptable reasons.
A blanket waiver is one you do not apply for. The officer who reviews your medical sheet at AOS time just grants it. The one Penguin is speaking of is a waiver sought on religious or moral opposition to immunizations in general. You don't need that kind of waiver.

??? The OP is K1.
That was some early speculation when they suddenly started requiring it. But it seemed to come about when the new guidelines for mental health (including addictions, alcohol/drug abuse) went into effect. The panel physician instructions sorta puts the charge to the doctor to gather evidence to make a valid decision. A police certificate with charges of substance abuse, alcohol related brawls, driving under the influence would give the doctor a hint to ask more questions when evaluating the new mental health guidelines. (Not super new now, but newer than most of the other medical guidelines.) If you're informing the OP, that's very thoughtful. I'm done helping that person and won't be answering anymore of uktousa's questions. He has been pointed to helpful information over and over and over, yet keeps asking without trying to help himself. At some point a person has got to read the instructions provided by the Embassy website, form instructions, and threads created to help K1s going through London with further tips and explantions. Somehow my evil twin inside is chuckling if he takes the first random reply from a Canadian about London specific procedures. We can only spoon feed a person for so long. There are lawyers who get paid for that purpose. ::gets off soapbox::

I received my passport and package back a week to the day after my interview and it may have taken slightly longer as I live in Northern Ireland.

Illegible for treatment?
The writing must surely be on the wall.
Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Embassy Review is now up - http://www.visajourney.com/reviews/view-dos-cis-reviews.php?entry=9483
Apologies for the wall of text

Yep,Yep, that is correct in Dublin they have already a POE into the US so everything is done there so when you get to the US you don't have to go through Immigration!

i thought i would post this here for you all to read...
My appointment was for 9.30 and after leaving my bag (£3) and my mobile (another £3) at Goulds pharmacy I joined the queue outside the embassy at 8.45. It is all quite simple really and all the staff including the security guards and armed police are friendly and helpful.
I went up to a group of ladies in bright yellow jackets and after checking my name off the list I was sent to join the queue. It moves quite quickly and 30 seconds later an older gentleman checked my passport, MRV fee receipt, and my appointment letter and told me to stand outside the security hut. You are called in to security four at a time and you place all your belongings including your belt if wearing one in to a tray which is x-rayed as you walk through the body scanner. Collect all your stuff, exit the security hut and follow the building round to the right, up some stairs and in to reception where a lady will book you in and attach a sticker to your appointment letter. I was number I912. You then go up some stairs and in to a large room full of seats and TV screens across the middle.
“I” numbers are few and far between so listen to the announcements and watch the screens so you don’t miss it. After about 45 minutes I was called to window 1 where I was greeted by a quiet speaking Chinese lady... she was nice and polite but I really did have to listen carefully to what was being said. I was asked for my birth certificate and copy, my police certificate and copy, passport and 2 passport photos, and then the I-134 from my sponsor. The only evidence she took to go with the I-134 was Jenni’s letter of employment... no wage slips and no tax returns etc where asked for. I gave my fingerprints, took the DXsecure delivery form and went and sat back down.
2 ½ hours later I was called up to window 15 for my interview where I was met by a friendly American guy who took my fingerprints and had me raise my right hand (don’t worry he finds it amusing when you raise your left hand by mistake lol) and say I do for the oath part. He started flicking through my file and asking questions which where all related to the previous question so it made it seem quite informal and not at all like an interview.
How did we meet??
How did our relationship progress??
What was it about this girl that made me want to marry her after only spending a short amount of time together in person??
Did I know she was previously married??
What did I know about her ex??
How old where her 2 children??
What kind of things where they in to??
He then asked about why I had ticked yes for question 38 on form DS-156 “Have you ever been arrested or charged with an offence...”. I was done for driving without insurance about 15 years ago and I told him and he just said it is fine. I got the impression that he was impressed by my honesty as he said it was something that most people tend to “forget about” as there is no record of it on the police certificate or on a subject access request. Next he asked me about Jenni’s income as it falls slightly short of the requirement as she works hours to suit the children. I told him she would go full time when I got there but I had a co-sponsor anyway if it was needed. He took the co-sponsors I-134, looked at it and said “thats fine... we just like to have it on record”. He didn’t take any supporting evidence whatsoever. I then signed form DS-156K. He then looked at me and said... “all there is left to do now is congratulate you on your visa... you can stop being so nervous now”
He handed me back my original documents and a CD with my chest xray on it, explained about the “do not open” envelope and POE, and then I thanked him a million times before I went and paid for delivery of my visa.
Job done and all in all it was painless and a lot easier than I thought it would be.
What I took with me which was actually needed on the day...
MRV fee receipt.
Appointment letter.
Passport.
2x passport photos. Can be done at Goulds pharmacy or in the embassy for £5.
Birth certificate and copy.
Police certificate and copy.
Sponsors I-134 and financial info which was just the letter of employment.
Co-sponsors I-134.
What I took that wasn’t needed on the day...
Subject access and copy (only possibly needed if you tick yes to question 38 on DS-156)
Sponsors financial info... tax return, W2, pay slips.
Co-sponsors financial info... tax return, W2, pay slips, employment letter.
Updated letters of intent to marry.
Spare copies of all the DS forms submitted as part of “packet 3”.
NOTE: I did not take any evidence of ongoing relationship, nor was I asked for it.
Things I noticed others have a problem with...
No matter how many times people outside where told not to take anything electronic in to the embassy, people were still being asked to leave security and dispose of things... mainly headphones. Goulds pharmacy is 2 minutes away and is relatively cheap (£3 per bag and £3 for any number of electronic items) and it seems secure.
Pay the visa fee BEFORE you attend the interview as you need the MRV fee receipt. A guy was allowed in without it but the lady doing document intake was seriously pissed with him and I noticed that his actual interview was over within 2 minutes and he left the building without paying for delivery of his visa.
My advice to everyone else...
Read through the embassy reviews on VJ and get a feel for the questions you will be asked. They are things you really should know the answer to but I found it helpful to know basically what questions where coming next as it seems like each interviewer has their own list that they ask from.
If there are any issues that you know of then do your research and be prepared for them by obtaining extra documents.
Be prepared to spend 4-5 hours in the embassy so take a book or something... oh and a pen to fill in the DXsecure form. You also need a credit/debit card to pay for the delivery of your visa.
RELAX

they wont even let you past security with a CD

hey guys, thought id write a little about my day today,
first a little back story..
in january i checked my blood pressure, I was like.. holy... so I decided I would do something about it, in preperation for the process ahead. so far I have lost 2 stone 4 lbs,
checked my blood pressure last night, and it was 130/85. alot better,
and now on to today..
Took the fast train from North Wales down to Euston, arrived in london about 12.30, my appointment wasent till 2:50pm so I figured I wouldnt rush, took my time getting on the tube, and joined the victoria line to oxford circus, changed over to the central line and took this to bond street.
once at bond street, took me ages to figure out I needed to go up a floor to get out, came out on oxford street, pulled out my little map and headed in the direction of bentnick mansions.
after about 10 min of walking, I finally found the place, looked at my watch and saw that it was only 1:40, figured id have time for a coffee, ( decaf of course, )
found a costa coffee, ordered my drink and aksed where the bathroom is,,, she said down the street.....lol..ok.. finished my latte and headed in the direction of the public convenience,, by which time I was pretty desperate, once I got there, to my dismay.. it was closed!! doh..
decided I would just go to the doctors, headed back, went in, handed over my docs, and asked to use the lav.. lol..
by the time I had completed my questionarie it was only about 2pm. I was only there for maybe 10 min before I was called by the inoculation nurse, she asked me if I had ever had chicken pocks, and noted it down that I have, she then informed me that I needed an MMR booster, and that I needed my flu jab, I was aware of the MMR booster, but was a little shocked by the flue jab, I had been under the impression that it was not requiered, but she told me that it was a new requirement for my age group, .. ok a needle in each arm. not too bad, altho I hate the darn things.
Immediently post sticking, I was directed into the x-ray room, a very nice and chatty man said that I looked nervous, he said there is nothing to worry about, and once I had my xray he told me that it looked ok, and directed me back into the waiting room.
a few mins later, the doctor asked me to follow her, she was very polite and professional, we went through all the papperwork, sign here, sign there, ect, and then onto the examination... gulp
first was the height and weight, I asked her if me being overweight was an issue, , but she told me that although I am overweight, its not by much, and its not a problem with the visa.
then the vision test, cover one eye and read the line with the arrow.. that was fine.. untill she told me to cover the other eye.. I then realised that I had been pressing to hard out of nerves.. and couldnt see anything as it was blurry, lol. few seconds later, I still had trouble focusing, she told me to read the line above, which I did.
we then took my blood pressure.... when she told me I almost died, 160/100!!! I told her I was very nervous and stressed, she told me it is to be expected, but will take it again after completing the examination.
she then told me to take off my clothes, and lie on the bed.. I did as was instructed, she proded and proded my belly and chest, lifted my boxers and asked me to cough, asked me to sit up, and such... you know the usual.
after she had completed this, she took some blood, told me to get dressed and lie on the bed so we can do the blodo pressure again... after ten mins of lying down she took it again. no change... gulp
we sat down, and she told me that she was going to write a note that I could take to my doctor to review my blood pressure, and if needed, any treatment, then fax the info back over to her, she told me that she couldnt pass the medical onto the embassy without this, but once the surgery recieve the info they will send it to the embassy within 48 hours,
she told me that having high blood pressure wasent serious, and that it wouldnt stop me going to be with my wife and kids, but she just needed my gp to fax her.
went back to the reception. got all my docs back, proof of innoculations.. the letter to my dcotor, and then paid £268,
made an appointment to my local gp tomorrow am!
gl to you all!

Your right I wasn't asked for a thing!!! So the panic was for nothing i suppose!
But im glad i was prepared 'just in case'. The lady on the desk asked me what was the purpose of my visit, i said to visit my fiance who is on r and r from the army, she asked how long it had been since we'd seen each other and i explained he'd been deployed for 7 months... her response was to stand up shake my hand and ask me to pass that on to my fiance and thank him for fighting for his country!!! I nearly welled up infront of her, and so did his Mom when i told them the story! One very proud fiancee !

There's been many similar threads started in the last week with the topic I got my NOA2--Now what?? If all the questions are in one thread, people may find the information they need more easily. I'll start off with some general information specific to London K1s.
Advance preparation for the London part of the K1 process
When your NOA2 is near, it’s a good time to start your preparation.
Petitioner:

Order your tax transcripts. Only the most recent tax return is required, but you can order three years at a time for free from the IRS. Tax transcripts are summaries of your whole tax return provided free by the IRS. They can't be faked because it's a copy/summary of your whole tax return picture, basically certified by the IRS because it's issued by them. That's why you don't have to include any 1040, Schedules, W2s or 1099s if you send a transcript. They are free from the IRS. Transcripts take the place of sending a complete tax return.
If you call 1-800-908-9946 (the transcript line) , there is an automated system for ordering transcripts. You'll have to enter your Social Security number and the numbers of your street address. It will generate an automated request to mail your transcripts. You can also order online on the IRS website http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=232168,00.html
Start filling out the I-134 Affidavit of Support. It will have to be signed and mailed to the UK the slow way. Get familiar with the form. When the NOA2 is received is a good time to finalize it with the supporting documents and get it in the mail.
Don't obsess printing Skype logs, emails, photos, or Facebook status. London does not want to look at that. Really they don't. London does not want to see a copy of your I-129F petition or NOA2. They got that in the file from NVC.

UK beneficiary:

Get some passport photos taken. You will eventually need
2 US sized for the Embassy
1 UK sized for the police certificate
1 either size for the visa medical exam.
(and for AOS in the US, 6 more US sized photos)
You can take your own and size it using this uploader tool from the Dept of State. Scroll halfway down the page. http://travel.state.gov/passport/pptphotoreq/pptphotoreq_5333.html Save the jpg file and print at home or at a photo place. Also available at Snappy Snaps, Photo-Me booths, Jessops, Gould's Pharmacy (by the embassy), near the Bond St Tube station (Oxford St) which is closest Tube to the medical exam.
Go to your NHS doctor and get the immunizations you will need for Adjustment of Status. You can get a K1 visa without having any shots, but you will need them before AOS. It’s really wise to take care of it before getting to the US so you can aviold civil surgeon hassles and $$$. Many NHS doctors will do them for free, but they are not obligated to do so for immigration purposes. If you had these shots as a child, Tdap/Td must be no longer than 10 years ago or you have to do them again. Get the shots documented by your doctor to take to your visa medical exam. Here’s the shots needed for 19 through 59 years of age:
Td or Tdap - Maybe not available in the UK, so get DT, DTP or DtaP and it will be accepted for AOS
MMR (if born in 1957 or later) Get a second shot 4 wks later if you have time
Varicella – Not routinely given in the UK ; a history of having chickenpox excuses you from the shot. They take your word for it at the visa medical exam.
Influenza - During flu season only, October 1 through March 31. This was a new recommendation dated November 2010 for all ages over 6 months. Older lists will say flu shots for over age 50. It changed.
Order your police certificate. It takes some preparation because you need a passport photo signed off on by somebody officialish who’s known you two years. Here’s the application. Read the instructions. A police certificate is good for 12 months. Must take it to medical exam. http://www.acpo.police.uk/documents/Application_Form.pdf
Look at your passport and make sure it will have 8 months remaining after visa issuance. If not get it renewed now. If you've damaged it or gotten it wet, it will need to be renewed.
Study the list of original documents London wants you to bring to the embassy and get those in hand or ordered. http://london.usembassy.gov/application_documents.html
Make photocopies of any document you want back. They will verify the original and file the photocopy.

Ready, Set, Go!! - Ask your questions or post your tips...........

YES throw it away.
Part 2 is stuff for spouse visas.
NO you do not need it.

Hey, VJ community.
This post is specifically for those people who will carry out their visa medical at Knightsbridge doctors in the U.K for the K1 and k2 visa's.
Okay, it's quite an informal affair, so please do not get yourselves as worked up as I was until I arrived. You will hand over your paperwork to the receptionist (which should consist of your medical questionnaire, passports, U.K sized photo's, police certificate(s) and immunization history) DO NOT panic if you have not yet received either your police certificate(s) or the immunization records as these can be forwarded on to the doctors at Knightsbridge once you have completed and paid for the medical. If you decide to wait to have your immunizations at the AOS stage then that is AOkay. You just need to identify how up to date you are with your medical records and then have them done in the U.S. Once they doctors have your results and paperwork it generally takes 4 working days for the Embassy to receive them.
Once you have gone through all of that you will be asked to sit in a waiting room. Then you will be called for your chest Xray. You will de-robe and wear a robe and then your Xrays of your chest will be taken. Once you have done this you will see a nurse about your immunizations where she will explain about you having your shots in the U.S at the AOS stage if that is what you wish to do. Back to the waiting room where you will see a doctor. Once in the room with the doctor she will ask you to fill out a few more questionnaire type forms with the same kinds of questions that you will have answered on the one you printed out and took with you.
She will weigh you and measure your height, next she will do an eye test (one hand over each eye one at a time) and ask you to read out the letters from the 2nd to last row from the bottom. Now she will take your blood, which I was informed by her is to test for syphilis ONLY. They only test for drugs if you have a criminal record related to drug or alcohol offenses. Next she checked my lower abdomen and asked me to cough, looked over my skin, checked my breasts and armpits and lymph-nodes areas, and then listened to my lungs. It was all over in about 30 minutes. Obviously, this is from my perspective as a woman, but my 16 year old son reported the same apart from the fact that she looked over his genitalia area to identify if there were any abnormalities.
It was pain free and quick and easy. They will tell you that if you don't hear from them in 2 - 3 days time that that is good news about your results. No news means good news!!!
I hope this helps!
Vicky

No problem. I was brought up not to be sectarian by my parents so I have a very low tolerance for it.

No problem. I was brought up not to be sectarian by my parents so I have a very low tolerance for it.

No problem. I was brought up not to be sectarian by my parents so I have a very low tolerance for it.

You mean physically? Like growing roots into the ground like trees??
(kidding btw)

I think the Republic of Ireland would pay to off load him at this point

I think the Republic of Ireland would pay to off load him at this point

So micmac, you're moving to America. Jump forward two generations. Would you feel irritated if a grandchild or great grandchild of yours had heard stories about you and wanted to know more about you and maybe the town where you came from? It's just a curiosity about one's roots.
America is a land of immigrants. My roots are German. Many German immigrants settled in rural Texas and married other Germans and so on for generations. I have many relatives still living near the same area. It was interesting enough for me to go to the town in Germany where the families originated, so tiny somebody had to lead us there. We walked around the church and grounds where they had lived as children. There were gravestones older than America. We were invited in to a gathering next door that happened to be the town museum. I smiled when I saw all the men outide eating together, while the women ate separately. It was so much like my childhood memories of my kinfolks in rural Texas. Herr Mueller gave me a lovely book and showed me on a map where my paternal ancestor's land was. It was a lovely day. I don't speak German or like German food or think Germany is all cuckoo clocks and beer steins and bratwurst. But like it or not, my ancestry is German.
And the really weird thing I experienced while driving all over Europe--- I felt this sense of comfort in Germany that I didn't feel in other countries. I'd see old ladies that reminded me of grandma and and my great aunts. And the German accent felt oddly familiar. Guess it just recalled nice childhood memories of lovely people with German accents who baked cookies.
We Americans can't go back very far without running out of Americans, so we have to jump the pond to know the rest of the story. Don't take it in an offensive way.

It's just an American thing. For the most part almost everyone living here came from somewhere else (even if it was many generations ago) and to claim that as part of your identity is part of our American cultural heritage. Outside of the US it sounds silly to claim you are "Dutch" or "Irish" or whatever when you have never been there but here it is very common if that is where your ancestors came from. Think about Italian Americans ala Jersey shore and their perceived connections to their Italian heritage. In my state we have a large Scandinavian population who claim similar ties to their 'mother land' and have traits that they identify as being from their 'Scandinavian' roots.
It's a concept that, as Americans, we are raised with (growing up I knew the 'heritage' of all my friends from school and they knew mine) and it probably stems from the fact that many immigrant population came over in waves and would stay in their given communities until over the generations they became more enculturated into American society. The pattern still continues to this day. Think about more recent immigrant populations from Somalia for example. There are 1st gen kids that have never been to Somalia but of course are going to identify as being Somalian. Over the generations the further removed they are going to become from their 'homeland' but most will probably still identify as being Somalian to some extent.
You can get upset but it's normal for them, and they are just trying to bond with you. Although I do think claiming famous people in your lineage is a little silly. Who really cares.

I wouldn't joke too much, Thanksgiving is only a few weeks away and then we are in the mouth of Christmas

This issue has been covered so many times onthis forum before. USC's who want the positive aspects of a relationship to a non USC but who aren't willing to accept the ramifications if their situation doesn't work out.
The bottom line is that marriage is a serious decision. It takes 2 mature and consenting adults to make the comittment to sacrifice for each other and each makes sacrificies in their own way.
The non USC gives up their lives as they knew it, their jobs, families and their support system to go to a strange land where they TOTALLY rely on a person that they are still geting to know.
The USC agrees to support the other person on the off-chance that their relationship will fail, the non USC will not have a desire to pull their own weight and might receive a benefit from the US government.
I believe the sacrifice of the NON USC is higher than the sacrifice of the USC in these cases, especially if you enter a marriage in good faith, have love and communication with each other and an uinderstanding between each person of what life here in the USA is really like.
If the OP has these doubts now, I would recommend he take a long hard look at the process before filling out the I-129F or any other document. I think he owes it to himself and to his fiance to think this one through.
Personally, my I-134 is completed, signed and ready to go and I'd gladly sign any other document if it meant geting my loved one here with me - where she belongs.