QueenOfBlades

No, it doesn't mean an Australian visa. I just checked my UK bank account and when I paid for it, I had two separate payments.

"CSC* AUS GOVT VISA US" then CD and the last 4 digits of my old debit card. This is the payment for the delivery of the visa.

You should also have one saying "US DOS VISA FEE" for the 150 pounds. Again, had the last 4 digits of my debit card next to it too. This is the payment for the visa.

You really worry about everything. I didn't even notice that when I paid mine.

Good luck Otter, may you be hotter (but not so much hotter as to disturb the doctors at KB) !

QueenofBlades, you said your husband was with you at the medical? Could he attend all parts of it with you, or did he have to wait in the reception area? I'll be able to go to Jake's medical so I was curious.....!

He had to wait in reception the entire time, he was not allowed to do any part of the medical with me.

I would just like to say a huge thank you to everyone who provides reassurance and information in this thread. Up to a few weeks ago, I thought that people often asked silly questions about the medical and interview and panicked too much. Now that mine is due I'm starting to have the same irrational worries I once thought were crazy. My latest worry was "what if I really need the toilet and there's none there"! I guess it's a sign of how strongly we want to be with our partners that the nerves get to us a little when we reach the tail end. So thanks again to all of you who make this part of the process bearable and are tolerant of the many questions those of us who have yet to complete the process have

There's a toilet there. Me and my husband both had to pee while we were waiting. They do medicals for Australian visas too and they have to provide a urine sample, so....

For the UK beneficiaries (like my fiance), who may be worried about the recent issues raised here with Knightsbridge and depression histories, I am happy to say that CorvusHeart has given me permission to tell you that her fiance passed the medical after all, after the doctor met with the panel.

Happily, this is in keeping with the trends that so many of our august and veteran VJ UK posters have suggested, so those with histories of depression and self harm, or those who are currently being treated, it looks like even the roughest medical still can go well.

(On a side note, hopefully this new information will let all sides in the recent conflict rest respectfully.)

I AM SO HAPPY TO HEAR THIS! Thanks everyone on VJ! More reports from KB to come, I'm sure

This is after her idiot lawyer told her to withdraw her petition otherwise he won't be able to visit her anymore. The same lawyer who got her an RFE. I'm glad she listened to my advice to wait and not do anything drastic until she had the facts.

This is why you shouldn't panic and make assumptions in this process until you have proof.

A denied B-2 visa will not affect a K-1 visa application. Lawyers have a history to people on this forum of messing up their application and causing RFEs or worse. This is a heavy DIY website and you'll be hard pushed to find someone who would recommend a lawyer.

As for everything else;

I just submitted my AOS package and I am waiting for my EAD. I know that I will get a job that has good salary/benefits once that is approved, but I need some insurance in the meantime. My wife is currently covered by her parents insurance.

I just called Covered California and they claimed that since I don't have a job, and my wife only makes around $15000 a year I could apply for "emergency medicare".

We used her mom as Affidavit support while filing for AOS.

Will taking advantage of this affect either AOS/EAD applications in any way? Is it safer to just go for a private insurance?

What is Covered California? If she makes $15,000 a year, you should be eligible for subsidies, not Medicare. You can also put a guesstimate as to what you will earn this year and use that on your Obamacare application as well. Me and my husband do not have an income right now but we put figures down that we guessed we would earn for this year, and we will call back when I get a job after my EAD to update our information. The amount you guess will affect the subsidy you get, but it is not Medicare.

Medicare is a means tested benefit and will affect your immigration status. Obamacare will not affect your immigration status, however you do need a "qualifying period" to be able to enroll now as open enrollment ended March 31st.

See the below links. I would also advise calling the marketplace directly so you can be correctly advised.

https://www.healthcare.gov/what-do-immigrant-families-need-to-know/

https://www.healthcare.gov/how-can-i-save-money-on-marketplace-coverage/

https://www.healthcare.gov/what-income-and-household-information-do-i-provide-when-i-apply-for-marketplace-coverage/

Wow, lucky. My ticket from London Heathrow to Columbia SC cost around 1005 GBP. XD

We pretty much played video games for a lot of it. Skype was on every second I wasn't at work, I even slept with it on with my laptop facing me every night while I slept so he could watch me and if I woke up, I could see him so I didn't feel alone. We played lots of Steam games, Orcs Must Die 2, I played games and streamed them to him. We watched movies together and had "movie nights" where we both ordered Papa Johns and watched movies on Netflix together. We just tried to do everything together that we could while living apart.

There's an American diner on the Exeter - London road called Route 303 which I'm itching to check out. American style food in the UK often fails but this place has pretty good reviews.

I was gonna say, why would you eat at an American diner when going back to England? Then I saw your timeline and realized you're not in the US yet . Coast to Coast is a really good American diner. I'd get most of the UK food in I can before you move! I had tried to wean myself off Ribena in the last 3 months before leaving. I wish I hadn't now, but meh . I still need to try out this place;

http://www.abritishpub.com/

Not sure how British it will be, but worth a shot. XD

As someone else said, give the boss the finger! I told my manager last year that I had a medical and a visa interview to go to, I didn't know when they would be, but the dates would be completely non-negotiable and I would NEED those days off. They were understanding and I never had any issues. They should respect how important it is to you and that it needs to be done.

I just re-read this topic XD Wow.

Nich-Nick read my thread I posted on this thread. I'm sure it will be quite the eye opener for you and might awaken you to how things work these days in Knightsbridge.

Yeah Nich Nick, read her post, you clearly don't know how things in Knightsbridge work nowadays and you don't know anything 'cause you did all this years ago!

...... Said no one to Nich in the UK forum, ever. Nor would they dare. ;p

I am lucky as I travel to the UK for business, am there now and have had bacon, sausages, chip shop chips and an Indian (all in moderation). All the bad things I know but I just have to while I am here. Do I miss any American food, nope not one bit.

I envy you. I can't wait to go back to the UK to visit. I'd love to get a job here which would let me travel to the UK regularly. Mmm, all the Walkers prawn cocktail crisps I could eat. <3

Knightsbridge can NOT deny a visa. They are contracted to perform a medical exam and report the results to the embassy. Knightsbridge is not the American government. They have no jurisdiction over visa decisions.

If something in the medical report indicates a medical condition that makes a person inadmissable, then the officer at the embassy will make the decision on approval or denial of the visa.

You have no idea unless you were present at the exam what you fiancé said or how he acted. You don't have the REAL story, only what your fiancé chooses to tell you. He could have acted in a manner that made the doctor think he was unstable. They are evaluating his demeanor, reponses, and actions from the minute he walks in the door; all the time making it sound like thay are chatting about the weather or something. When coupled with his scars, and a report from another doctor, it could have made the doctor wary of giving him a clean bill of health. You also said months ago he had no doctor that treated him for his condition or a regular doctor that knew him well. You said there was no way he could get a doctor report. If that was true, then anything he took in from another GP was maybe not convincing.

This thread and your post are irresponsible given you have no facts.

This is what me and my husband thought. This story is highly unusual and these two have been panicking about the medical since they sent off their I-129F package. He probably looked/acted incredibly nervous/shaky and it made them wary.

Also, I've been PMing her loads today telling her Knightsbridge cannot deny visas and the results are sent to the Embassy, but all I get is "Well apparently now they can".

This thread IS irresponsible as it will scare other people who have had depression and your story, corvus, is not the norm. I still think something is off with it and unless you were there, you don't know the ins and outs of what went down. My doctor told me loads of people go to Knightsbridge and have had depression before. They've not changed since my time at Knightsbridge. Only for your fiance it seems, as someone else pointed out.

Apparently now they can flat out deny. I'm thinking of making a denial thread based on mental health so people are aware of the risks they are taking.

No they cannot, and you and your fiance need to get a bit more fire in your belly and fight your corner on this, instead of rolling over saying "oh they can flat out deny now".

Based on what you've told me the past few months, he is NOT ineligible.

http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/english/general/ineligibilities.html#visa

See section 212(a), specifically these:

(I) to have a physical or mental disorder and behavior associated with the disorder that may pose, or has posed, a threat to the property, safety, or welfare of the alien or others, or

(II) to have had a physical or mental disorder and a history of behavior associated with the disorder, which behavior has posed a threat to the property, safety, or welfare of the alien or others and which behavior is likely to recur or to lead to other harmful behavior, or

(iv) who is determined (in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services) to be a drug abuser or addict, is inadmissible.

You have told me that;

a) He does not have a current physical or mental disorder.

b) The mental disorder he had before with self harm is no longer present, therefore unlikely to recur or lead to other harmful behaviour.

c) He is not a drug abuser or addict.

d) He took a signed letter from a doctor attesting to all of the above.

They cannot flat out deny him without even so much as asking for another letter or referring him for psych. Call them up.

P.S I've never heard of what she's saying either, so I'm not sure if it's miscommunication on their end or taking something the complete wrong way. I've heard of them calling up beneficiaries asking for additional info (like another chest x-ray, etc) but never Knightsbridge "denying" anything. They send the information to the consular officer and the decision is made there.

I guess a lot has changed at Knightsbridge since you've been there Queen. I can't say im surprised.

In the space of 8 months? Unlikely. The medical thread in the UK forum goes back years and this is unusual by every standard in that topic. The doctors there can't just flat out deny you for that based on the information you've told us. If it were me, I'd be calling them straight back up with some serious questions.

He didn't mention getting another note or even having a psyche exam done just said he could fail because of this and that he will hear something by friday of whats going on.

I agree with the other poster, it is highly unusual what you've told us and generally discrepancies with mental health issues are resolved by them asking for more evidence from the beneficiary's GP, or at worst, they request a psychiatric exam. They can't just deny you point blank because of past mental health issues, particularly when they have a doctor's note specifically stating they have no mental health issues at that time and they are not a danger to themselves or others, hence it isn't a Class A condition. I didn't even think the doctor's had the authority to do that anyway, I thought they sent the information to the Embassy and the immigration officer had the final say.

I have been craving a lot of food lately. I really miss Prawn Cocktail crisps (walkers) and pot noodles. And Ribena. Cadburys chocolate mousse yoghurts. D=

Were you charged with any extras?

Nope. X-ray, blood test etc is all included in the main price.

Well provided it isn't hereditary and he has it also, they shouldn't.

His medical exam is tomorrow. And the doctor covered a lot in the note. So hopefully they won't request another.

I know it's tomorrow, I can't wait for him to get it over with . You said they have the magic words "no threat to himself or others" and states he has no current/ongoing mental health issues so it should be fine. Also the medical isn't the most deciding part of the process, the visa interview in London is. The IO will be the one who reviews his medical info as well as all of your submitted documentation/his supporting documentation he brings with him, and will judge whether he gets a visa or not. The interview to me felt a lot more "real" and daunting than the medical.

The medical mainly stressed me because of the "what ifs", my depression/self harm history and the fact my dad had a heart attack the December before we applied (we filed Jan 2013) and they said it could be inherited and I had to take a lot of his info to my doctor who got it reviewed by a cardiologist and the hospital did an x-ray to check my heart. And an ECG on my heart, and I also got myself an STD test and blood test before the medical also because that's how much of a worrier I was. I needed to eliminate all possible issues they could find at the medical. It really wasn't that bad though, and the majority of posts I've seen in the past year all say it was pretty easy. The bad ones are more uncommon than the "sooo easy" ones. Some people say it was unpleasant because of having to get their crown jewels out. My doctor took my note ASAP and pretty much dismissed the depression stuff, even saying at the end "I don't know why they (USCIS) make such a big deal of it". I spent most of it being more like "... lol, awkward.. =D" as 90% of seeing the doctor was fully naked.

Saying all of that though, the interview wasn't difficult, we just had the serious American guy in the tie and he asked us a lot of questions and it took a while. K1 visa denials from London are extremely low. I hate interviews in general anyway, though. I'm on the fence about whether I want one for my AOS, because although it would get my green card quicker and if they print my name wrong (the USCIS woman put my name in wrong at my biometrics) I could talk to them about it, I just HATE interviews. D=

I would suggest having his debit/credit card and taking the base fee for the medical (235 pounds) as well as some money just in case. It's never good imo to not have spare cash, especially in London. If he does need an extra shot, food, or there's a problem with his transport, he'd be lost without cash. Coming back from mine, we took the coach from Marble Arch, and it was about 20 minutes late and we were scared it wasn't going to turn up and we were gonna have to fork out 100 quid + for train fare to get home.

Also, everything you need is included in the medical unless he needs extra shots to make his vaccine record complete or they need to do drugs tests (which aren't normal, only if they suspect he is a drug user). I only planned for the base medical fee, but I still made sure I had plenty spare just in case.

That's true because Queen was my favorite worrier.

Back to your original question. It's all grammar.

In the English language when there is a sentence with a list--

"Bring me apples, oranges, AND pears" means bring all three of them.

"Bring me apples, oranges, OR pears" means you choose any one fruit to bring.

They need to see photo identification so choose one of the suggested IDs because they use the conjunction OR.

That's what I keep telling her XD. If I'd have PM'd asking as many things as she has, I think you'd want to strangle me by now. I was a huge worrier about my medical but I always worried about what if they make an issue of my depression and how to answer. Eventually I got to a point where I realised it wasn't going to change anything, so I read the instructions over and over again and reviews on here and covered myself for everything possible. When I went, there were people in there who didn't even have the right ID or papers. Regardless of what happens, he will be ok, provided he hasn't taken drugs. They'll accept the note he took or request another one, but the one you have done should be fine provided it says what you've told me.

It would have stated "Passport and Driving License or Photo ID" if it meant what you were suggesting. You're over-thinking this.

She overthinks everything. My PM inbox is almost full with PMs from her asking every single thing under the sun that everyone else doesn't even think about. I've practically begged her to book the medical to get it out of the way and so she can stop fretting over every minute detail.

What name did you apply in? We're in a similar situation. My marriage certificate shows my maiden name and the court told us that is the only way they do it in our county. I applied in my married name (New middle name is old maiden last name and new last name is husband's last name) and the woman at our biometrics put my maiden middle name in, saying we should have a court order for it. The probate court and everywhere else (SS office, DMV) said that's B.S and the name change should be fine with the certificate I have. I applied in my new name and my NOA1/biometrics appointment letter all has the right name on it, and a Tier 2 IO at USCIS told us we should be fine and what she put in her system wouldn't matter as it's all right on their end.

Also previous poster is incorrect. What you can change varies state by state and the marriage licenses vary state by state also. Some would require you to get a court order.

We filed not long after you in Feb and no update on ours either. Just have to be patient.