Englishsammy

Yesss - I know Dan from London… it makes me laugh as though there’s only 5 dan’s in England.

Black currants are actually banned here in the US, that's why you never or rarely see it here. Currants of all colors are extremely popular in Russia and it's one of those flavors that seems very "old world" since you just can't get it here. The only place you might be able to find anything with black currants would be imported from Europe, such as at an Eastern Euro or other "world foods" store. It's a shame!
https://foodtolive.com/healthy-blog/black-currants-banned-usa/
 

I just stumbled across this thread and I’ve really enjoyed reading it!
 
I came to California as an exchange student in 2005, met my now husband and got engaged. Returned to England to finish uni and applied for K1 and then came back and we got married. Fast forward to May 2007 and our first son came along and we decided to move to England to be closer to my family (he’s not close to his) and to get ourselves more established and supported.  We always planned to move back to Cali. We bought a house in England, had another baby and decided to move back in 2016 before our oldest left primary school (now it’s so weird that English kids go to high school at 11!). My husband got his uk citizenship too.
 
We moved back in November 2016 and just hit the ground running. I was pregnant when we moved (a ‘surprise’) so that was a bit stressful but we’ve settled now, bought a fixer upper and we love our life here! I personally feel my children have so many opportunities here - my oldest is 14 and an athlete, he’s been accepted at a great school (both academically and one of the best in the nation for football) and I just feel like he’s not had to grow up as quickly as they do in England. His friends from there seem to have such a different life than he does and I’m just grateful for the opportunities he has here to stay busy and focused. 
 
I missed certain things at first like walking to town to do some shopping, cheese, crisps, a good chippy but I barely think of it now, I’d for sure miss more US stuff if we went back! I dislike the amount of grape flavored things, blackcurrent is just better!
 
The health care was stressful but we opted to go with Kaiser which is a HMO and that’s helped me figure everything out and I think we get great care which is much more thorough and way faster than in England. We are healthy though so I can’t speak on it from any other angle - I just appreciate that I can go to urgent care, get treatment, X-rays, prescriptions etc and be home in an hour! 
 
American drivers are just terrible but I appreciate the big roads and ease of getting around. LA is a different story but at least you can get to it from two major freeways. I mean they just won’t let you switch lanes even when indicating in advance and they’ll just block the exit rather than let you out - what’s with that? Lol
 
I think living in both countries has been amazing and my husband knows the English culture and so do my older kids. My parents are moving out to live with us (MIL suite) within the next month so then there’s not much else to miss. In the future I’d like to buy a small flat there so we can go back more often but that’s a dream right now, maybe when the kids are out the house! 
 
Oh and everyone thinks I’m Australian because I’m Northern!

yes,  no packet for many countries  /  all information is on computers
its a good idea to have the record of all vaccinations for them / USCIS will have it on computers from the medical
but main GP here will want to know what vaccines and dates of them when they get established with  one

I just stumbled across this thread and I’ve really enjoyed reading it!
 
I came to California as an exchange student in 2005, met my now husband and got engaged. Returned to England to finish uni and applied for K1 and then came back and we got married. Fast forward to May 2007 and our first son came along and we decided to move to England to be closer to my family (he’s not close to his) and to get ourselves more established and supported.  We always planned to move back to Cali. We bought a house in England, had another baby and decided to move back in 2016 before our oldest left primary school (now it’s so weird that English kids go to high school at 11!). My husband got his uk citizenship too.
 
We moved back in November 2016 and just hit the ground running. I was pregnant when we moved (a ‘surprise’) so that was a bit stressful but we’ve settled now, bought a fixer upper and we love our life here! I personally feel my children have so many opportunities here - my oldest is 14 and an athlete, he’s been accepted at a great school (both academically and one of the best in the nation for football) and I just feel like he’s not had to grow up as quickly as they do in England. His friends from there seem to have such a different life than he does and I’m just grateful for the opportunities he has here to stay busy and focused. 
 
I missed certain things at first like walking to town to do some shopping, cheese, crisps, a good chippy but I barely think of it now, I’d for sure miss more US stuff if we went back! I dislike the amount of grape flavored things, blackcurrent is just better!
 
The health care was stressful but we opted to go with Kaiser which is a HMO and that’s helped me figure everything out and I think we get great care which is much more thorough and way faster than in England. We are healthy though so I can’t speak on it from any other angle - I just appreciate that I can go to urgent care, get treatment, X-rays, prescriptions etc and be home in an hour! 
 
American drivers are just terrible but I appreciate the big roads and ease of getting around. LA is a different story but at least you can get to it from two major freeways. I mean they just won’t let you switch lanes even when indicating in advance and they’ll just block the exit rather than let you out - what’s with that? Lol
 
I think living in both countries has been amazing and my husband knows the English culture and so do my older kids. My parents are moving out to live with us (MIL suite) within the next month so then there’s not much else to miss. In the future I’d like to buy a small flat there so we can go back more often but that’s a dream right now, maybe when the kids are out the house! 
 
Oh and everyone thinks I’m Australian because I’m Northern!

I just stumbled across this thread and I’ve really enjoyed reading it!
 
I came to California as an exchange student in 2005, met my now husband and got engaged. Returned to England to finish uni and applied for K1 and then came back and we got married. Fast forward to May 2007 and our first son came along and we decided to move to England to be closer to my family (he’s not close to his) and to get ourselves more established and supported.  We always planned to move back to Cali. We bought a house in England, had another baby and decided to move back in 2016 before our oldest left primary school (now it’s so weird that English kids go to high school at 11!). My husband got his uk citizenship too.
 
We moved back in November 2016 and just hit the ground running. I was pregnant when we moved (a ‘surprise’) so that was a bit stressful but we’ve settled now, bought a fixer upper and we love our life here! I personally feel my children have so many opportunities here - my oldest is 14 and an athlete, he’s been accepted at a great school (both academically and one of the best in the nation for football) and I just feel like he’s not had to grow up as quickly as they do in England. His friends from there seem to have such a different life than he does and I’m just grateful for the opportunities he has here to stay busy and focused. 
 
I missed certain things at first like walking to town to do some shopping, cheese, crisps, a good chippy but I barely think of it now, I’d for sure miss more US stuff if we went back! I dislike the amount of grape flavored things, blackcurrent is just better!
 
The health care was stressful but we opted to go with Kaiser which is a HMO and that’s helped me figure everything out and I think we get great care which is much more thorough and way faster than in England. We are healthy though so I can’t speak on it from any other angle - I just appreciate that I can go to urgent care, get treatment, X-rays, prescriptions etc and be home in an hour! 
 
American drivers are just terrible but I appreciate the big roads and ease of getting around. LA is a different story but at least you can get to it from two major freeways. I mean they just won’t let you switch lanes even when indicating in advance and they’ll just block the exit rather than let you out - what’s with that? Lol
 
I think living in both countries has been amazing and my husband knows the English culture and so do my older kids. My parents are moving out to live with us (MIL suite) within the next month so then there’s not much else to miss. In the future I’d like to buy a small flat there so we can go back more often but that’s a dream right now, maybe when the kids are out the house! 
 
Oh and everyone thinks I’m Australian because I’m Northern!

I just stumbled across this thread and I’ve really enjoyed reading it!
 
I came to California as an exchange student in 2005, met my now husband and got engaged. Returned to England to finish uni and applied for K1 and then came back and we got married. Fast forward to May 2007 and our first son came along and we decided to move to England to be closer to my family (he’s not close to his) and to get ourselves more established and supported.  We always planned to move back to Cali. We bought a house in England, had another baby and decided to move back in 2016 before our oldest left primary school (now it’s so weird that English kids go to high school at 11!). My husband got his uk citizenship too.
 
We moved back in November 2016 and just hit the ground running. I was pregnant when we moved (a ‘surprise’) so that was a bit stressful but we’ve settled now, bought a fixer upper and we love our life here! I personally feel my children have so many opportunities here - my oldest is 14 and an athlete, he’s been accepted at a great school (both academically and one of the best in the nation for football) and I just feel like he’s not had to grow up as quickly as they do in England. His friends from there seem to have such a different life than he does and I’m just grateful for the opportunities he has here to stay busy and focused. 
 
I missed certain things at first like walking to town to do some shopping, cheese, crisps, a good chippy but I barely think of it now, I’d for sure miss more US stuff if we went back! I dislike the amount of grape flavored things, blackcurrent is just better!
 
The health care was stressful but we opted to go with Kaiser which is a HMO and that’s helped me figure everything out and I think we get great care which is much more thorough and way faster than in England. We are healthy though so I can’t speak on it from any other angle - I just appreciate that I can go to urgent care, get treatment, X-rays, prescriptions etc and be home in an hour! 
 
American drivers are just terrible but I appreciate the big roads and ease of getting around. LA is a different story but at least you can get to it from two major freeways. I mean they just won’t let you switch lanes even when indicating in advance and they’ll just block the exit rather than let you out - what’s with that? Lol
 
I think living in both countries has been amazing and my husband knows the English culture and so do my older kids. My parents are moving out to live with us (MIL suite) within the next month so then there’s not much else to miss. In the future I’d like to buy a small flat there so we can go back more often but that’s a dream right now, maybe when the kids are out the house! 
 
Oh and everyone thinks I’m Australian because I’m Northern!

Glad you got a laugh. My neighbors did too.
When I said above ‘let go of England”, I didn’t mean let go of your Britishness. 
You just have to let go of the expectation of finding a great chippy or Yorkshire puddings nearby, or Galaxy chocolate bars in every store. Or pavements or public transportation readily available. As far as the latter, I don’t grieve catching a bus running through my village. I bought a fast Mustang and drive the hell out of it. And don’t carry a chip on your shoulder that the UK is better and America is not at all the greatest place ever so you’re going to point out it’s flaws daily. This isn’t a contest between countries. They are just different. Find the good things, accept the annoying things (crazy drivers), adopt some new ways and you’ll be a happier immigrant. 

Things you have/haven't adapted to
i think I settled in very quickly. Driving on the other side of the road is a piece of cake. Your brain just “flips”.Never homesick, not even a minute. Very happy here except for the political ####### since 2020. Love to watch baseball on TV.
 
- Things you prefer in your new country
More friendly. Better customer service. Warm weather. Cheaper petrol. Lower taxes. Fajitas. BBQ. Lots of beef.
 
- Things you miss about your native country
Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. NHS free healthcare. The free part, not the lousy care.
 
- Top 3 struggles when adapting to your new life
At first it was just learning how things worked (taxes, government,  car inspections, insurance) and also where to get things…fix-it supplies, tech stuff. Felt like a fish out of water briefly. 
 
- Did your big move affect your relationship in any way?
No
 
-  What were you excited about the most (other than the obvious)?
A whole new experience.
 
- What were you scared about the most?
Nothing
 
- How quickly did you pick up the rules/laws of your state/country?
I’m a quick learner. I think I know more about how the government works and income tax than the average American.
 
- Are you still close with friends and family from your native country?
Not really, but I was older and hadn’t run with a group of mates from school for decades. I talk to Mum and my grown daughter often.
 
- How did US natives respond to you being there?
They love my accent. I am much more “popular” here than England…likely the accent. May I advise you to embrace the attention your British accent brings. It’s a compliment and a bonus. I hear so many commenting that they feel like people are making fun of them when they try to mimic how you say something. Quite the contrary. Americans LOVE a British accent and are fascinated and want to try to say words like you do. So use it to your advantage and don’t feel offended. But if you live in the south, learn to say Ranch dressing like the natives or they’ll never get your order right. Rahnch is not comprehended in Texas. Another hard one is Water. 
 
- How long did it take for your new home to feel like "home"?
About an hour. Lol. Well it did take a while to find a cheddar and bread I liked. And a source for acceptable tea bags that were cheap. I did bring a large supply of tea and cheese with me for the transition period.
 
- Have you found yourself picking up the slang/accent yet?
Yes a little. I say y’all now (and Ranch dressing in a Texas accent). And my wife has picked up British stuff too.
 
- How often do you visit your native country?
About every three years. 
 
- Have you brought any of your own culture to your new American life?
Christmas crackers. Watching British TV shows.
 
- How long has it been now since moving to the US?
13 years
 
- What made you and your partner decide to stay in the US instead of the other country? 
She thought the refrigerator was too small in my bungalow in England. 😂 We live in bloody Windsor castle here which cost the same as a tiny 2BR place in Oxfordshire.  Actually we never considered England. I wanted to move. She didn’t.

Advice for newbies: Don’t try to re-create England here. It doesn’t work. Find new things to eat, drink, do here. Dive in and make it your home…the good, the bad, the ugly. You moved, so accept new things and don’t constantly compare with “back home”. It’s different. Deal with it instead of complaining constantly that this and that are better in England.  You are starting over. It can be a great adventure if you will let go of England.

My dad was just approved this evening! So waiting for embassy contact now. Not sure what’s happening with interviews in London

We were DQ'd in May and my mum's interview is September 9th! We got the email yesterday.

Soooo happy. Interview Scheduled. Parents timeline as follows:
 
NVC: Received April 19th 2021
DQ'd: June 15th 2021
Interview email received: Aug 11th 2021
Interview Scheduled: Sept 16th 2021

My parents just had there's at the end of July and they just took the print out vaccinations from the GP and the medical summary sounds similar to what you will be taking and they were fine and they had no issues.  They just took their glasses with no prescriptions and they just used them to read the board on the wall for the vision test.  
 
I can't say much about your medical issue but the summary seems like it would be fine especially as you don't have medicine for it etc but maybe someone else can advise on that.  

My parents just had their interview in London.  They were asked when I moved and why, if I had kids and do they live with me, they asked who my husband was (they used his name and said who is he), when was the last time they saw me/visited, how often do we communicate (they didn't ask for evidence) and when they planned to move.  My parents said everyone was very friendly and it didn't seem like they were trying to catch them out.  

My parents were able to get in for a medical within a few days - they received the email on 13th July stating their interview would be on the 3rd August. They called the medical place and were even offered a slot the next day so hopefully it should be ok for everyone. 

My parents were able to get in for a medical within a few days - they received the email on 13th July stating their interview would be on the 3rd August. They called the medical place and were even offered a slot the next day so hopefully it should be ok for everyone. 

My parents were able to get in for a medical within a few days - they received the email on 13th July stating their interview would be on the 3rd August. They called the medical place and were even offered a slot the next day so hopefully it should be ok for everyone. 

I would give it a try! Include everything you can - maybe emails from daycare providers stating they are full etc and make a case that it would greatly assist your family in terms of emotional and financial. Of course it is not a work visa but family support really helps and financial hardship is one of the reasons and this ties in.  I would just send as much as you can with a clear explanation.  The worst they can say is no...
 
My mom was Dq'd in Jan and my dad in March and we received their interview yesterday for August 3rd.  Just for info if it helps at all.  It seems a lot of marriage ones got interviews with similar DQ times as my parents.

Hi, we had our IR-5 approved by NVC in June 2020. 
We have just received letters from NVC advising us of our interview date which is in June and our medicals are booked beforehand. Have a slight issue getting an updated Police Certificate though (the previous one had expired)..and had to pay an extra £40 each to get them expedited or they would not arrive in time for medical! 
The Embassy seem to be getting through the applications quite quickly now, especially since the tier system was introduced.
I'm sure you will get an email soon. :)

Hi everyone. Long time no see 😊 I hope yall are well.
My mom and dad had their joint interview at the HCMC consulate on April 19, and I was asked to resubmit my i-864, which I uploaded to the NVC portal on the same day. We patiently waited for a couple weeks, and got the good news today from the consulate (they called my parents): "Your immigrant visa applications are approved. Please mail in your passports for visa issuance." 🎉
I was quite surprised on how fast their applications moved. I wish everyone a pleasant visa journey as well.
 
-Thao
 
 
 

Cheers ... ordinarily this is quick since we got it expedited due to the diagnosis. Just feels like it's dragging for us. 
 
Hope yours is smooth and quick. Still kicking myself over birth certificate snafu. 

Congratulations 🎈🎊 

He has a criminal record and was sentenced to more than 3 years in prison. The UK is very harsh with criminal records and there are no “waivers of ineligibility” as there are here for foreign spouses with criminal records. And there is no time limit either. My husband committed his crime in 1990, more than 20 years before I even met him. If he lived to be 100 he still won’t be able to travel to the UK, not even to visit, under the current laws. 
 
Whether you have citizenship or not through your mother will depend on when you were born as there was a change in the law regarding citizenship by descent. 

Sorry to hear your story. Moving across the world is complex and everyone is different mentally and emotionally. Are you not able to spend some time visiting her out there? Whatever happens, I hope your can move forward with your life. 
 
We actually moved back to England in 2008 (I was an exchange student in 2005, moved as a K1 in 2006) luckily before they changed the U.K. immigration laws so my husband has his U.K. citizenship. After about 5 years there we realized we wanted to return to California for good and we moved in 2016. I think living in both countries and each spending time in each other’s homelands really helped us as a family blend our cultures and traditions. I mean he’d never trade fish and chips for an In and Out burger but he does miss England too. 
 
I still say we don’t do that in England lol but I love it here and so do our kids - they are so invested in school and their sports which their peers in England don’t seem to be (just my experience and seeing friends kids etc, I’m sure this isn’t the case for everyone). We are in our own fixer upper now and have applied for my parents to move over!
 

Sorry to hear your story. Moving across the world is complex and everyone is different mentally and emotionally. Are you not able to spend some time visiting her out there? Whatever happens, I hope your can move forward with your life. 
 
We actually moved back to England in 2008 (I was an exchange student in 2005, moved as a K1 in 2006) luckily before they changed the U.K. immigration laws so my husband has his U.K. citizenship. After about 5 years there we realized we wanted to return to California for good and we moved in 2016. I think living in both countries and each spending time in each other’s homelands really helped us as a family blend our cultures and traditions. I mean he’d never trade fish and chips for an In and Out burger but he does miss England too. 
 
I still say we don’t do that in England lol but I love it here and so do our kids - they are so invested in school and their sports which their peers in England don’t seem to be (just my experience and seeing friends kids etc, I’m sure this isn’t the case for everyone). We are in our own fixer upper now and have applied for my parents to move over!