elle13

I'm going to file in california. I just want to leave already but our assets are here and there will be issues with service etc if I file from overseas. My conditional two year GC expires in May 2015. Does anyone know if I'm allowed to overstay just by a few months to get the judgment of dissolution? Or will this be a major issue for me in the future? I don't want to be on the wrong side of the law, it's just I don't want the 10 year green card, I want to leave ASAP after the divorce is final.

My husband and I got legally married in Singapore and we currently reside in the US. He's a USC and I'm a GC Holder. I want to divorce him asap and leave the country. Other than him, there is no reason whatsoever for me to stay. Should I file for divorce here in the US or in Singapore?

Well this thread took a very bizarre turn...

Cam why don't you join us for a little weekend meet up over coffee in LA? If you don't fancy making the long trip and want something local, I wonder if classes might be a good idea? Something that you've been wanting to learn, like a new language, pastry making or a new sport. I've met some lovely people that way and the main activity takes the pressure off the socializing element.

I love the idea of a meetup! Moved here last year from the UK too, it's my 15th month in the US. I've been working so that helps a little with meeting new people and socializing but it would be great to do a little meet up

Cam why don't you join us anyway? Ojai is not too far away to drive if we did something over the weekend? Would love to meet up with you ladies (men?) who've been through the same transition. A friend of mine just sent me some PG tips and Crunchies (my favourite chocs) and seeing them made me miss the UK so much. Lol! Totally irrational.

Update: we just put in an offer for a house!

I know what you mean! I never drove in the UK. Took the tube/bus/cab everywhere. Learning to drive was incredibly scary for me so I know exactly what you mean. Trust me you will gain so much independence here by learning to drive (you're in california!). If you're living in SoCal, you must must must learn to drive. If it makes you feel any better, I lived here a whole 6 months without learning to drive before sucking it up and getting my learner's permit. My husband taught me how to drive. So yes, it took me a whole 6 months to muster the courage.

I'm about an hour or two from LA. Yes, the dryness and heat are quite something. But I also spent some time in Barstow (High Desert) during previous visits and it is much worse there than my current location. That said, I'm totally with you about missing lush greenery and I've been quite glad that it's been a bit rainy and overcast over the last week or so.

I don't drive. Even though I really need to learn, I'm still putting it off. Put if off for decades in the UK. But could get away with it because I lived in London and had easier access to public transport. Might have to just get on with it and get my licence.

I'm lucky in that my career path is highly suited to home working, being able to drive might not be as important as it might be for some, but it's all up in the air at the moment as I don't have a job yet and haven't submitted the forms for EAD. I've signed up to a few job newsletters just to see what's out there. There are already quite a few positions that could be a good fit - it's on my to-do list to Americanize my LinkedIn profile and resume. Though I will probably go for the employment agency route rather than apply directly.

Yes, I really think you've hit the nail on the head with your third point. For previous visits, one can cultivate a holiday-like feeling and behave accordingly. But this isn't a visit and we're making a life together and trying to create something permanent.

Thankfully, despite having grown up in different countries and followed different life paths, my fiance and I are fairly similar in a lot of ways culturally. So much so that we can laugh and joke about the nuances. That said, I'm currently going through the "growing pains" with his family and there are many days where I'm just itching for us to move out so that we can really start making a go of it.

@landr, I moved from the UK to California too. It was a massive adjustment. I don't know about you but I moved to LA and hate that it's sooooo dry and dusty here! I miss lush greenery (sounds so stupid I know).

The first few months drove me stir-crazy. Now that I'm a lot more confident with driving, it's improved a lot. Personally, the few things that really helped get me settled were:

- Learning to drive confidently

- Finding a job

- Mentally accepting that "this is it".

The last part was the hardest. Sometimes I thought about moving back to England. I missed my family and friends. My husband and I get along but we are culturally very different. While his family has been very accommodating, we have very little in common. Building a network of friends from scratch is daunting and depressing at times, but on the whole, I'm still blessed to be with the love of my life!

Thanks I live in Southern California (LA County) - it's notoriously expensive here! Not sure what I can afford with the preapproved amount but here comes the house hunting

Thanks everyone for your advice.

I got a pre-approval today!

Thank you both above posters! I've only been working for 10 months but have the permanent employment contract to demonstrate the minimum annual income needed to buy the house. I don't earn a crazy amount of money but enough for the price range I'm looking at.

My credit score is currently 730. My husband's is 765 but not sure if they'll consider his if he is not the income earner (we will be borrowing jointly)

Oh and may I ask which banks you got your mortagages from? I've been using the zillow pre qualification website but the banks showing up aren't your mainstream BoA, Chase, Wells Fargo etc

Hello

I moved to the US on a CR-1 (my husband is the USC petitioner) and my current 2-year green card expires in May 2015. We are currently house-hunting and I am arranging to see a loan officer this weekend. I am the sole breadwinner. Is this going to be a problem when the loan officer/underwriters start crunching numbers? My USC husband doesn't work so we will be relying solely on my income when applying for the mortgage. Does anyone else have any real life experience/anecdotes to share? My concern is that the lender will want to see that I at least have a 10 year green card before lending to me.

Thanks!

If you no longer wish to be represented by a lawyer, you have NO obligation to stay with your current lawyer. Clients fire their lawyers all the time. No lawyer should be telling you that you're obligated to use their services. All the file materials and documents you sent to them, or that USCIS/NVC sends to them, are yours. You have the right to request them as long as you have paid your lawyer's fees.

When she flew to the US to meet her husband, the immigration officer would have asked: What is the purpose of your visit?

What answer did she give?

It's also common for immigration officers to ask: Are you married/single? If they did ask, what did she answer?

1. Yes it is, mine had the corner edge snipped off too. It's totally fine. Whatever you do, do NOT open that package.

2. You'll be fine. I did the same but from a practical perspective you're exposing yourself to the risk of having either the package or your passport stolen in one of your many European destinations. I wouldn't recommend it for safety reasons, but from a technical standpoint, you're fine entering the US on a K-1 from any country. Just make sure you enter before your visa expires.

Hi all,

Got my K1 visa today. I would like to express my gratitude for all the help and support I've received here. You guys really rock!

Just a few more questions:

1. My sealed envelope came with one edge cut off to reveal the contents. I am assuming this is standard?

2. My fiance and I are planning to take a long holiday in Europe before entering the US. We will leave for the US from my home country and will enter 1.5 months before the visa expires.

Any advice on travelling to another country with the K1 visa on the passport?

Thanks in advance.

Does anyone have a link to the other thread:

How much money your wife gives you per month?

I'm the wife, my husband is the USC. I've been in the US slightly more than a year (moved here on CR1). I work and he doesn't.

I pay all the bills, rent etc. and he's listed as my dependent under company's insurance. I get paid in a my own account and move money to our joint account every month which he's free to use to spend on whatever he likes.

So it isn't always the case that the immigrant (or woman!) is the dependent.

And yes I'm younger than my USC husband!

Thanks for all the helpful advice here! We've been trying for a few months, no success yet but I haven't been tracking anything, so it's all a bit random. I bought these Wondfo LH testing strips from Amazon. Hopefully it helps.

I did get prenatal vits but always forget to take them...Need to start getting serious about babymaking!

Sorry guys I know this ain't babycenter.com or mumsnet but I need a forum on VJ to talk about BABIES with other cross-border couples! Besides, I browsed those forums a little and the smugness of other moms-to-be really get me down.

I'm a non-USC wife who's been in the US for slightly more than a year. We're trying to have a baby in the last couple of months but I'm totally overwhelmed by the entire US healthcare system. I moved from the UK, we have the National Health Service so everything's quite straightforward, start with your GP and they refer you. You get assigned a hospital (and hope you get the nice one!) and the NHS takes care of all your pre and post baby medical requirements too, like getting visits in your home from midwives and health visitors. Total Cost = $0

Any advice from other parents or parents-to-be on navigating the US healthcare system? We have insurance through my job. We live in LA. Should I start looking for an OB-GYN? Should I even see one before I get pregnant? Any recommendations? The babycenter forum is super overwhelming - water birth, baby spa, pregnant yoga, doulas, private hospitals...

If anyone's in the Los Angeles country region and really loves their family doctor, please let me know! I've been to see the doctor once so far and wasn't happy with the service (run down office, long wait times, consultation only lasted 4 minutes because the Dr was so busy)...

Thank you!

I was a corporate lawyer (solicitor) in the UK. When I first moved to the US, I wasn't not licensed to practice US law and so I found a job in corporate real estate for a retailer. It's quite interesting and I enjoyed it, and they didn't need any real estate management degree or anything like that, just a bachelors and the right experience. Learnt a lot and more importantly, got to know a lot of different people from various parts of the US. For me, that was important as I have no alumni or business network here in the US.

Generally, tuition fees in the US is much higher than in the UK, so do keep that in mind. A lot of jobs do not require a specific degree - business analysts, investment bankers, real estate analysts etc. come from all kinds of background. They just need stellar grades and good experience. I wasn't able to go back to school to retrain due to the fees involved so I just kept applying until I found something. I had 4 different kinds of CVs (all completely true, nothing falsified) tailored to the specific sector I was applying for. You have to really make it easy for them to tick all the boxes for you. I'm sure you're doing everything you can - just keep at it!

OP: I am familiar with government sector recruiting and honestly, if you're making it to interview stage, I don't think you're being overlooked just because you're an alien. If they needed US nationals and citizens only, it would be clearly stated on the job description (due to security clearance issues - totally legal) and even if it wasn't stated in the ad, you wouldn't be called to interviews if the job was for citizens only.

Sorry you're having such a hard time, but you didn't specify how long you've been looking? If since end of Feb, 3.5 months isn't actually very long at all. I know it seems like an eternity, but moving to a new country without a job lined up is going to have its challenges. You sound like you've had some good experience, so I'm confident you'll find something, and in the meantime, it wouldn't hurt to network and keep plugging away. I moved from the UK too, and had a wonderful job there before I left. I'm now in a job that's one title lower than my previous job so I had to settle for a less senior role. The things we do for love! No regrets!

The "sweet spot" for overall credit utilization is 1-20%.

As for the age old question "How long does it take to build a credit history?", it took me 7 months in total to go from non-existent to a score of 706. My score took a dip in month 8 when I signed up for a new credit card and car lease in one month. Now 12 months on I'm floating around 720. There are all kinds of methods to pull your credit score up, but as with many other aspects of being a new immigrant patience and consistency are your two best friends.

If you're flush with cash, a credit score probably doesn't make much of an impact, but for most of us regular folks, a good credit score is very important for all major purchases - home (buy or rent), car, equipment, furniture etc. These days, some employers run credit checks too! The good news is, it didn't take as long as I thought it would to get to a healthy score.

Sure, why not? Can never be a member of too many FB groups

BTW, I found a group of Singaporeans who are based in Seattle on meetup.com that I plan to check out with my fiance once I arrive...there might be a similar group of Singaporeans or Malaysians based in LA on that site that you might be able to connect with. I did a quick search, this is the nearest I could find: http://www.meetup.com/SFSEAexpat/

Hi! Thanks for that, although the Bay area is very far away from me. Yes I found a group of Singaporeans based in LA too. I'll set up a "Visajourney" group and post here.

How's your process coming along? Seattle sounds fantastic.

I would! Although I think we'll be on opposite sides of the country

Why so far laaah!

Calling all Malaysians and Singaporeans!

I'm testing your interest in a closed, private Facebook group for Singaporeans and Malaysians who are in the process of working out their visa, or have recently moved to the US. Would this be something you'd be interested in?

I moved to LA about 9 months ago and am loving it so far but I have yet to meet ANY Malaysian or Singaporean Californians. Not complaining because my transition has been fairly smooth but I would love to get in touch with others in the same boat.

Mods: Not sure if this violates any of the VJ ToU but feel free to delete this if it does!

you'll be moving to California right?

I also moved to California and I can promise it definitely helps that California is gorgeous and has amazing weather. I moved here two months ago and although there have been ups and downs it beginning to feel like home, I get bored ofcourse not working yet but theres so much to do here! For example Im sitting here wasting my morning on my laptop so have decided to go on a hike in the mountains overlooking our town.

Have you spent any time here previously?

How has the move been for you? I moved to LA from Manchester and the gorgeous weather does make a huge difference! I miss my friends in the UK, and still can't get over how vast California is. It takes a lot of effort to meet up with people. We moved temporarily to a slightly rough neighbourhood while we find our feet. I feel like a complete outsider, which is why I'm really motivated to move. If you don't mind, may I ask where you're living right now and how you like it so far?

Personally, the most challenging aspect of the move is learning how to navigate my new city in a car. I never drove before I moved here. I know it sounds completely ridiculous and silly because driving is a basic adult skill! I drive to work and back (about 50 minutes each way) and every time I get into the car, I say a little prayer.

cheers.

I found my first job shortly after arrival and while I first thought the salary would be sufficient, I'm finding it difficult to get on the property ladder. My husband is still in full time education so we might need to wait until we are both working! Am on $55K + bonus at the moment, and believe me I am grateful to find ANY job in this market, but affording a house in a nice neighbourhood (not posh, just nice) seems impossible.

I'll look into the areas suggested above. Any other suggestions are most welcome!

Thanks for the recommendations (and please keep them coming!!) I'm totally lost on the job hunt front now. We just moved from the UK after having lived there for 8 years.

I work in LA (downtown) so am trying to cap the commute time.

By the way my fellow new Angelenos, how much annual income does one need to live comfortably in LA?