LeedsUK

Dear Nick-Nich & Photomile, I hope you are all doing well,

So following our conversation from months back, I have been using my UK license. I received my EAD at the beginning of April & so decided to go get a 1 year temporary license & take the tests. I went to one of the DPS offices in Austin last week & was then told my application could not be completed because my lawful presence had to be verified once again by USCIS! Yes I took my SS card, EAD, 2 recent pay checks, our rental lease, utility bills, NOA1 & 2, passport & UK drivers license & after much inspection, all my documents were fine. The lady who served me was very professional & apologised & explained that there's nothing she can do because as soon as she put my info into the system, a message popped up saying a further check needed to be completed. I am thoroughly frustrated & am now waiting for a letter from DPS to say that I can come back & take the tests once they verify my lawful presence. I just don't get how much more proof they need! So has this happened to anyone else? I did google it & found that a new law allows TX DPS to do further checks if they want to. I am just not sure if I should wait for my letter or keep calling the DPS everyday to chase it up. FYI none of our visa journey process has been problematic, we waited a little longer than usual for my visa interview in London but otherwise everything has been fine & no I do not have a criminal record or ever been denied a visa.

In the meantime, I have bought a 2nd hand car but cannot drive it now without taking out an expensive insurance policy with my UK license or getting insurance in my husbands name on this 2nd vehicle & me being allowed to drive it. FYI I am referring to Nich's State Farm policy that allows anyone to drive one's car as long as the primary driver has given consent. We also have this State farm policy. Any helpful advice would be very much appreciated folks!

Alrighty !

Clearly my enquiry phone call was in fact a wake up call...I am pretty sure a note was put on my file which prompted re-delivery!

How do you account for this one? they allegedly attempted delivery on Friday at 9:32am but there was no one available to sign for the packet.

This is what I was told by USPS on the phone, clearly they have no idea what they are talking about

Thanks for your response but I got confirmation today that it was delivered. I didn't request a signature, just a delivery confirmation receipt. I used the USPS premium security service to ensure my packet wasn't lost or stolen

Yeah, I'm tired of cold and gray too. Hubby went to the Formula 1 in Austin in November with 2 friends that came from the UK. Beautiful weather that weekend.

Not sure about your Tdap. I know in the UK they sometimes think the P is for Polio vaccine because I think it's grouped that way maybe for children.( It's been a very long time since I was researching UK standard immunizations.) Anyway P is for pertussis here (whooping cough). Maybe you never had pertussis jab? I dunno. I had to have a Td jab the day before Thanksgiving. I sliced my finger and went for stitches at the ER. I knew exactly what Td was thanks to immigration knowledge. Arm wasn't sore at all. Ended up having surgery by a hand specialist the next week. Still hurts. Still in a splint, but get to start therapy Friday and see if this repaired tendon works. Other than that we are doing very well.

Ouch! You poor thing! I hope the therapy works...we also went to the F1 race, it was a lot of fun I am heading to Dallas tomorrow to attend some trade shows, the high should be 50 tomorrow!

Thanks for the clarification, I did indeed have the full TDAP & I feel so silly now as I do remember the nurse back in England explaining to me that it isn't Polio but Pertussis which is the correct medical term for whooping cough! Damn! See what annoys me more is the Civil surgeon here looked like she graduated school yesterday, I am not saying she's not a good doctor but she wasn't familiar with TDAP & as I was sitting on the table, she whips out her Iphone & starts googling, literally! I was thinking "Um...isn't it your job to know this stuff by heart?" I appreciate that the vaccines may have different names in the UK but I still think she should know more than me. I need to brush up on this stuff so I don't waste anymore $$ in future

That tracking response is normal. The PO box can't sign. It's waiting to be picked up and all is well. Happens all the time.

Hi Nick! Hope you're both well. I am not enjoying this freezing Texas weather we are currently experiencing! On a good note I got an email notification today to say it had indeed been delivered at 1pm! The USPS did explain the same thing to me you did but I couldn't help freaking out still but thanks for your assurance.

I also wanted to say a massive thanks for your extremely helpful Google docs AOS checklist. I stored it on my phone & referred back to it at every stage of putting my packet together so thanks again! On another note, if you remember Knightsbridge messed up my medical so I went to the civil surgeon that I found in Austin. She looked over my records & said I was missing the Whooping cough vaccine. This had not been mentioned to me by Knightsbridge & I assumed the TDAP I had from my GP in Leeds was sufficient & all I needed, but apparently not? I didn't want to argue as I assumed the doctor knew best & was not trying to con me out of an extra $60 so it got it over with (couldn't lift my arm for 3 days!)

Hi everyone,

Some of you may know me from the K1 UK forum. I hope everyone is doing well since receiving their K1's & is now on a smooth path to AOS. I have just filed for AOS last week 7th Jan, along with work & travel authorisation. I sent my packet registered mail via USPS to the Chicago lockbox facility. I have been tracking the packet all week & they allegedly attempted delivery on Friday at 9:32am but there was no one available to sign for the packet. A note was left for someone to collect it at the nearest PO. Is this normal? As soon as I read this, I was alarmed as I assumed USCIS would always have someone available during business hours to sign for any mail considering the importance of the documents they receive. I hope someone can shed light on the situation & let me know that the same thing happened to them & to not worry.

I did call USPS & they said they have tried to deliver the packet correctly & it's now being stored securely waiting for someone from the USCIS office to collect it. It just seems like they would be too busy to be running to the PO to collect packets all day? I also called the USCIS customer service & although they were very helpful, they said they were not aware of the specifics when it came to how mail was received or collected. The lady assured me not to worry as most mail can take up to 10 days to be received, opened & then logged by them until I receive a delivery confirmation.

I'd appreciate any help or advice anyone has, thank you.

Being British he is obviously eligible for the VWP so don't worry about that but as Stu said that doesn't guarantee entry I'm afraid. We don't know what notes the CBP officer may get when they scan his passport.

I would gather as much evidence as I can, remember Stu's story is similar & he has been through this. Letters of intent could be good too & maybe get them notarized? Just start gathering & good luck!

Mary I am so sorry Don't worry though, like Stu said, you have plenty of time to get all the evidence together but obviously you would like to speed up this process as much as you can so start gathering asap. We all know how hard it is to be separated but if you can send the evidence in by the next week of Nov say, then you never know, they might send him the visa by Christmas. I agree with the others that it is a long shot but all you can do is try. The quicker they have evidence then the quicker he will get the visa. Plus there is the chance he might be called for a 2nd interview or that he could be denied entry to the US so is it a good idea for him to travel? I know it's hard but hang in there!

Congratulations. Sounds like a good day with a fellow VJer to share it with.

Thanks Nick, it really was I think we will be lifelong friends! I don't know why I was so nervous the weeks building up to it. It really was so easy & I felt like I was having a chat with the officer rather than being interviewed. The staff at every stage were lovely. Even had a chat with the infamous "dragon lady" who takes your initial paper work about hand bags! lol

Nick you should be getting paid!

Approved at window 15 by a lovely American guy! Sorry for the late reply & thanks to everyone for the good luck wishes & support throughout this whole process...I have no had time to post on here yet as I spent a few extra days with friends & family saying goodbye. Hoping to leave the first week of next month

Kelly also got approved & we had our interviews at the same time at windows next to each other! It was great to share this experience with another VJer in reality. I think we were both so nervous & so thankful we had each other to chat to during our wait time. Hugged, paid, went for coffee to celebrate & rang our guys to wake them up & tell them good news

I thought I should share this info below, (though I'll encourage anyone to seek a second opinion on it, this is not fully verified, but just my fiance's understanding)

Fiance says he's been informed by his insurance people that the Obamacare medical bill will be passed in a month or so (but before the end of the year), and that with it, vaccinations will now be free in the US, won't that be great?!

Also, if your partner has medical insurance and depending on what it covers, once you get married, he/she can get you listed on it, and you can use that cover to get your vaccinations in the US if you haven't already here in U.K, the bills covered by the insurance (he checked this with his insurance company and a listed civil surgeon too).

Like I said, this may not apply to every case and may also need further verification, but just said to share, might save some people a few bucks!

Thanks for this. Was aware of the insurance but not Obamacare. And yes Knightsbridge are telling everyone to just go back to their GP's to get their remaining vaccines done because they just don't care...

I'm currently in London helping Laura pack. When arriving for this trip, the guy at UK Passport looked at my travel history and then asked me point blank if I had a girlfriend here. I coughed up the info that my fiancée is here... he got all suspicious until I told him she was moving to America on an approved visa. He asked why I was coming to London if she was moving to America, and I told him I was here to help her pack for the move. Then he stamped my passport and said "tell your fiancée I'm letting you in because us lovebirds have to stick together." Go figure!

Aw glad they were nice about it. When my fiance came over last, they asked him some questions too but then wished him luck with our application

UPDATE - visa delivered today

Congrats Stu! Wow a 10 week wait, better late than never though! Good luck with everything. Have my interview on Wednesday & praying I don't get your lady!

Finally heard back for our interview date, but I was extremely suprised to find that it was scheduled for November 15th considering we submitted packet 3 in late August. We had already planned a wedding for November 23 and family have bought plane tickets assuming that this process would be long over by then. We never thought that the interview could be scheduled almost 3 months after we submitted the last of our materials to the embassy considering what others have experienced on this website. Does anyone have any experience/success moving up their interview date? Thanks!

Congrats on your interview date. I know when it's further down the line than you expected, it can be disheartening. I felt the same but then it was just a massive relief to have a date & no longer be in the waiting boat. I submitted my packet 3 in late August too, they didn't honour my provisional wedding date & my interview is next week so that's a whole 9 weeks since they received my packet 3 but we have all heard of the delays & even though I was told my packet had been received & logged within a week of me sending it, we can't predict all the checks & admin they do until they assign an interview date. We have made no concrete wedding plans as we know how risky it is so we have pushed our wedding forward now but still have made no plans until I am safely in the US with my fiance. Good luck

Yeah, I had a feeling that might be the case, which is why I breathed a huge sigh of relief when I saw his name on the list LOL. Hopefully though, a faxed copy of my updated immunisation record to Knightsbridge Doctors will mean everything sorted before I eventually get out there.

Yes that should be fine. I am glad they haven't ripped you off like they are doing with so many others. I was so nervous that I forgot everything I had read on here & believed the vaccine nurse when she told me to go back to my GP to get my TDAP shot. Just make sure your record is complete & you'll be fine. Very handy having your future father in law as a USCIS approved physician. Good luck

Fanbloodytastic. The docs are holding my results until I forward the results of my 24 hour blood pressure results (whenever that may be). I'll see about getting my first MMR jab when I get the blood pressure monitor fitted and see about getting a record faxed to the medical guys to be added to my record as mentioned earlier then. Worst case scenario, my father in law to be is a GP over there, so hopefully won't be a major issue. Really hacked off they've put this whole process on hold for me because my blood pressure was a bit high due to nerves. Now it seems they are giving out blatatenly wrong information!!!!!

Good that they are holding it for you so now you can get everything sorted. If you do need to get anything done in the US, it has to be by a USCIS approved Civil Surgeon I'm afraid. There is a list on their official website.

I was given duff info at the medical then. I was told that if I attatched my vaccination record from my GP showing I had recieved the MMR, that would be sufficient. Also my medical sheet was given to me and I was told to hold on to it until I'm ready to fill in my AOS. It wasn't retained to be sent to the embassy, unless they have a duplicate.

I had my medical back in August, I was missing TDAP & they fed me the same lies & told me to attach my vaccine records from my GP for AOS. This is complete rubbish. Listen to what Nick told you. I actually phoned up & complained twice because I was so furious to be given the wrong information. They took no responsibility for giving the wrong information to patients & did not care that they were taking peoples' money & not delivering a service. Basically the medical results that you paid £227 are now absolutely useless to you for AOS & unfortunately it can cost a lot to get another immunisation record in the US, often they ask you to re-take the medical. If your results have been sent to the embassy already then it's best to read through this entire thread & try & find a civil surgeon in the US in the city you will be living.

I have been checking in occasionally on the visa line and still have not been assigned an interview date. We sent our Packet 3 including the DS-2001 to the London Embassy delivered August 24th, so at this point I am a bit worried it is taking so long. Is there anything I can do to speed along the process or make sure things are progressing? Thanks!

I know this wait is the hardest but don't worry it will happen soon. I sent mine shortly after you but I didn't get an interview date until last Monday. Just keep calling the DOS everyday to check if they have assigned you a date. You will get one when you least expect it! I don't know how they assign the dates. I know a lot of people who submitted their packet 3 the same time as me or a few weeks later & they got their interview dates way before me. Who knows how they decide who goes when. It's best not to think about stuff like that or we'll all get paranoid. Hang in there

Congratulations! My interview is 2 weeks today

Yes u will! I have found Kelly from Southampton who is an hour before me so we're meeting outside at 7:30

Hopefully! They wont have any questions to ask us if they are!

Lets hope not! Thanks Ben

That's cool. This morning I didn't know anyone with my date either! I'm sure there will be lots of others with your date but maybe they aren't on VJ. Is she a K1 or K3?

What a rip off! Im going to call this week too, i was charged a similar amount. We paid enough already!

I know of somebody else on a different site who has an interview date the same as yours! I will try to persuade her to come over here

Yeah do! I found another interview buddy, posted on my wall this morning