JonathanC13

Hi Jonathan,
I'm afraid that as a UK citizen you aren't entitled to all the benefits of the NHS as you are no longer resident. "If you are moving abroad on a permanent basis, you will no longer be entitled to medical treatment under normal NHS rules. This is because the NHS is a residence-based healthcare system."
I can't find evidence that UK citizens have any other health privileges (but I could be wrong on that), but I do know that visitors are entitled to free A&E treatment as well as at sexual health clinics.
I would check with your work regarding their healthcare coverage to see if that covers international travel, I believe that is the case with my american fiancee's family's insurance. If that does not cover it I would strongly recommend getting some travel insurance to be on the safe side.
There is some more information regarding the nhs for non-residents at these links:
http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/wales/healthcare_w/healthcare_help_with_health_costs_e/nhs_charges_for_people_from_abroad.htm
http://www.nhs.uk/nhsengland/aboutnhsservices/uk-visitors/pages/accessing-nhs-services.aspx

Are you ok for a pen?

I moved to the UK when I was 22 and lived there for 12 years. The first three years were hard -- this is back in the stone age with no Skype, expensive phone calls and no texting, heck, no real cell phones. I was often frustrated and sad, even though I was with the man I loved. I went back to school for a Master's about 18 months after I settled, which helped quite a bit because I was able to make my own friends and have a life outside of my husband.
Still, it took a long time to feel like home. It was probably in my 4th or 5th year, when I was really used to the rhythms of life and the general demeanour of people, that I stopped thinking about the US as home and instead as the place I grew up. It takes longer than two years for many people to stop feeling "what the eff was I thinking?" regarding their move abroad. Homesickness may not even be in play -- instead it's the feeling of being just a little off, that you don't quite fit in no matter how hard you and the others who care about you try. It's pretty normal.
I don't have much advice to give except to keep slogging away if the US is where you'll be for the foreseeable future. If you're open to change (which it sounds like you are) it makes it somewhat easier. The experience of living between and across two cultures has proven invaluable to me in my personal and professional lives. It has given me flexibility and perception I did not have in my early days abroad. Embrace this time for what it is -- amazing and weird and occasionally frustrating, but there is so much newness to every day.

To be perfectly fair, if you're from the Black Country he probably didn't understand a ###### word you were saying anyway. Yam-Yam.

Did he eat all of his crayons?

Did he eat all of his crayons?

No shower curtains in Sochi and no paper and pens in the UK.
We certainly are blessed here in the US !!!

Did he eat all of his crayons?

If he lacks a pen, does he perhaps have a pin, with which he can stick himself? Signing the documents in blood might impress USCIS and the embassy.
When he goes to FedEx, he can look for a photocopy machine and take a sheet of paper from the paper drawer, or he can look in the trash can for a discarded sheet that's clean on one side. This is what we often do here in the Colonies.
Seriously, the advice given earlier has obviously been pretty good.

Did he eat all of his crayons?

Did he eat all of his crayons?

Did he eat all of his crayons?

Did he eat all of his crayons?

Here we go again. This has been discussed and debated to death in years past. First, you are looking at the SSA which is a different government agency than the USCIS. For the purposes of being able to get a SSN in the US, a K-1 visa holder is classified as an "ALIEN ALLOWED TO WORK" so you can apply for a SSN assuming you get a properly trained SSA employee. However, your SSC will have printed on it the following: "NOT VALID FOR WORK WITHOUT DHS AUTHORIZATION." So you need DHS authorization in order for your SSC to be valid for employment. What is that DHS authorization? The GC or EAD card obtained from the USCIS. Another thing to consider is that your prospective employer must complete the I-9 form for you in order to hire you. Which forms do you currently have in order for them to complete the I-9.
Basically it comes down to you need a single LIST A document or 2 of the LIST B documents. EAD and GC as well as a US passport fall into LIST A. SSC and state issued DL fall into LIST B. If your SSC has the restriction on it than you need a LIST A document for the SSC to be valid. So as a K-1 visa holder you need to apply for your SSC and have your EAD or GC in order to legally work in the US.
Dave
P. S. Here is another thread where I actually found the law governing this little issue: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/279237-employment-authorized-written-on-back-of-i-94-form/?hl=%2Bworking+%2Bk%26amp%3B%2382081+%2Bvisa+%2Bauthorization#entry4248078

Enjoy a chuckle!
This is from BBC America http://www.bbcamerica.com/mind-the-gap/2013/11/22/8-instances-when-you-should-play-up-your-britishness/
There are some links for others too, like 10 signs you won't move back to the UK.

Hey VJers!
I wanted to share some data that I'm playing around with. I took 300 of the latest petitions that were approved (NOA2) according to updated timelines, and created a graph to show trends for each service center and where they are as far as approving our petitions. I removed all petitions from the Philippines and any that were blatant expedites (at least to my eye and from doing some research in the forum), and this is what I came up with:

Out of the 300 latest approvals, 200 were "normal" petitions. There were just a couple of outliers (1 approval in Vermont and 4 approvals with NOA1s before February).
Also, one thing to consider is that some people have not updated their timelines to show what service center they were transferred to, but they did update their NOA2 and it will show as an approval at the NBC.
Some other small details... there were a total of 4 petitions that were reported as originally going to a service center instead of the NBC, and were approved in their original service centers. There were 4 petitions that started out in a service center and transferred to NBC, and approved at the NBC.
Let me know if you guys have any questions!

Edit : Is that a self carve tattoo you were talking about or is that being put on by some professional tattoo artist?

It was a good cry since you said that it sounds like I'm prepared for the trip and then you wished me good luck. :')

He doesn't need to seek a psychiatric exam from his doctor. A GP is not really a a psychiatry specialist. If his doctor knows him well, he can visit with him and tell his teenage story and that he needs a note so he can immigrate to America. Doc will write a note saying in his opinion, he has never known fiancé to have any signs of depression or self harming in the years he has treated him and that he does not consider fiancé to be a threat to himself or others now or in the future. If he doesn't have a doctor that knows him pretty well and will write a letter for him, then he just has to tell his story to Knightsbridge. It will be obvious it was many years ago. They could advise an exam with a specialist, to confirm he's fine now. In that case, there will be a delay waiting on that exam and report. Then they will send all his medical results to the embassy.
It is not a case of...you abused once, or took drugs, or got arrested...that means you are out of luck on a visa. The doctor considers when it was and discusses it and how he is now. Yes there is a medical questionnaire to fill out before the medical and it is taken and turned in on the day. And they hand you another to fill out when you get there. Both ask about depression or similar. Forgot exact words.
What he doesn't want to do is lie on the questionnaire, then the doctor sees scars and knows it is inconsistent with the story he is making up about an animal. That would be misreprentation in order to obtain immigration benefits...a very serious offense to the US immigration authorities and one that could result in never, ever getting a visa or using VWP. Be truthful and they can forgive a long ago issue as long as they know he is fine now and "no longer a threat to himself or others.". This isn't something he did last week they might need to worry about.
Did you read QueenOfBlades experience discussing her attempted suicide and last year's bout with depression at her visa medical exam? She had a note from her doctor and it was a non-issue. She is already in the US.

Participants: Please think twice before painting entire groups of people with a broad brush (stereotyping).
VJ Moderation

Here are my two cents on red flags..
Let's separate two important things here - what a "red flag" is, and what it is not.
A red flag is a metaphor used for peculiarities in a particular case. By peculiarity I mean something that might make a USCIS adjudicator, or consular officer decide to look a little closer at the case. Since this is a K-1 thread, I'm only going to discuss marriage based cases. To understand why your case might stand out, it really pays to look at your case from an outsider's perspective, rather than seeing it from your own biased view. I do not mean to offend anyone by saying biased, but let's face it, we are all all biased towards our own case because that is the only case we are not seeing from an outsider's point of view. No matter what evidence you have, no immigration officer will ever feel what you feel. They can only see the facts as they are presented to them.
An immigration/consular officer's job is to make a subjective opinion, often in a very short amount of time, based on the facts presented before them. Marriage based cases differ from other cases in that they are not presented with firm evidence such as a birth certificate or DNA to show a family relationship. Rather, they are presented with a certain set of (somewhat relevant) facts and evidence on which to make the decision of whether a legitimate family relationship exists. These officers generally go through multiple cases on any given work day. Naturally, certain things will stand out more than others. That's the essence of what a "flag" is - something in your case stands out from the other cases in the pile.
What makes the flag red is when the peculiarity, the thing that stands out, actually makes your case either seem less probable, or, that the flag is in the form of a motive for why the person would potentially want to marry someone whom they do not love.
A red flag is not an automatic denial. No one can be denied a visa because of a red flag. A visa denial comes from a complete package of evidence and facts weighed up against one another. A red flag is not an immigration officer's bias against you or your spouse, it is not an attack so to speak against you. It is simply a fact that makes your case stand out, and in the eyes of the immigration officer, makes your case differ from the norm, thus prompting any experienced officer to take an extra look. Keep in mind also that what might be a red flag to a consular officer in Morocco, might not even be worth a second look to a consular officer in the Philippines. This is due to certain facts being common in one country, while it might be socially unacceptable in another.
Here are some common red flags:
1. A large age gap.
I see this one a lot, and there is a multitude of good reasons why immigration officers take a second look at some cases. This one also depends, as all other red flags, on the country and culture in question. A prime example: For example, a relationship where a 50 year old American male marries a 25 year old female from the Philippines. While the age difference is 25 years, most of these cases are approved, and I wouldn't even consider the age gap a red flag. However, if twisting it around and applying to another country, it makes a huge difference. A second scenario: A 50 year old American woman marries a 25 year old Moroccan man. This is absolutely a red flag, not because the consular officers are biased, but because it is simply very uncommon to see in Morocco.
2. Vast ethnic, religious or cultural differences.
Again, there is nothing illegal under US law about about interracial or inter-cultural marriage. It is socially acceptable in most places in the US, and for the most part, an interracial marriage will not be a red flag at all. However, to use an example: An American new-age hippie marries a practicing religious orthodox from a strictly religious culture. While completely legal, it raises questions as to the bona fide nature of the marriage because it is uncommon, maybe even socially unacceptable in the beneficiary's culture. So the consular officer's question will be "why is this person marrying someone who might actually get him/her disowned by their family?"
3. The beneficiary is from a high-fraud country.
This is guilt by association. Some consulates see a lot of attempted fraud. Some consulates see very little. If you are an immigration officer at a consulate where attempted fraud is a frequent occurrence, you will naturally be more suspicious.
4. The couple got engaged/married after a very short time of meeting.
It is uncommon in the US for couples to get married within weeks or even months of meeting one another. Why? Because marriage is a lifelong commitment, and two people generally aren't expected to know each other well enough to make a lifelong commitment after a very short time. In addition, it is easy for fraudsters and scammers to set up a fake marriage, but it is difficult to forge a scam to last a significant amount of time.
5. The couple have only met in person once, or on very limited occasions.
While the USCIS and State Dept are aware that online relationships are more common today than before, couples are still expected to have spent some time physically together before committing to a lifetime together. It is uncommon in the US to marry someone you have only met once, so the USCIS and State Dept views it as unlikely that an international couple would do the same. However, they are mindful that international travel can be difficult for some. The thing to keep in mind here is that you aren't trying to show then how hard it is to visit - you are trying to show that a bona fide marriage exists.
6. The beneficiary sends money to the petitioner.
I see plenty of people asking "should I show that I send my American husband/wife money?" - The answer is, only if you want the US State Dept. to believe that you are paying them for a green card. While it is normal to support your spouse here and there, this only looks good if you're helping out with shared expenses.
7. The beneficiary is in removal proceedings (for AOS cases).
A major red flag in an adjustment of status case is where the beneficiary is in removal proceedings, especially if the marriage itself happened after removal proceedings were initiated. The first thing on the USCIS' mind will be that the marriage is just a last ditch effort to stay in the country.
8. Substantial language barriers.
Very rarely will you be able to convince a USCIS or consular officer that you are in a bona fide relationship or marriage if you cannot communicate in a common language, be it English, Swahili or sign language. You are expected to be able to communicate with the person you are engaged or married to.
As I stated earlier. None of these alone are grounds for a denial, but the more individual red flags, the higher the burden of proof is. Also, these aren't "set" factors that will end your case up in some list, they are just factors that will make your case stand out from the norm. Certain factors, such as age difference, may be a huge red flag in some countries, but might not even stand out in others. To figure out of your case has any red flags, be honest and look at your case from an outsider's perspective - Is your case somehow abnormal? If you are the beneficiary, is your case abnormal in your country/culture? If you are the petitioner, would the average Joe look at your case and think "how did that happen?" Don't be biased and overly defensive about your case, because the best way to defend your marriage is to know what you're up against.

You don't like my words to you? Ok dokie !!!!
This was the question I was answering:
My question is due to the age gap between us will this cause a problem for the USCIS processing and the nvc, interview at the embassy.
It's on you and yer lass to overcome the prior pattern. You aren't responsible for the prior pattern, but you have to do more stuff because of the prior pattern.

Consular Officer. (the interviewing officer) And I wasn't saying YOU 'rented' people to be family members, but I'm just saying CO's will question everything if there are any red flags. Unlike the court system where you are innocent until proven guilty...with this embassy you are basically guilty until you can prove innocent...you feel me? Frontload the petition with all your evidence, don't wait til you show up at the embassy for your interview. In most cases the CO will already have his mind made up about your situation before you even open your mouth. Very rarely they will ask to see evidence at the interview. Whatever you haven't sent with the petition, send when your case gets to NVC. Then everything will get sent to the embassy in Lagos before you sit down for your interview. Spouses are not allowed into the interview, but I've read some rare situations where they have asked to talk with the USC. But even them knowing that she's there (outside waiting) will be a bonus. You could take her passport inside to show them proof of that. Send all chat logs, phone calls, etc. To offset the age gap, your best bet at getting approved is face time. The more time she can spend with you there, the better. It's good that she added you to insurance policies and things like that, you're doing all the right things...I don't believe in things "being in God's hands"...it is all in YOUR hands and how you present your relationship. I wish you both the best!!

Do you have a job offer somewhere? Work visas begin with a job offer from a US sponsor, then a new petition then a visa application.This is likely not a good option, particularly if you only want to obtain one for the purposes of immigration.
Move the wedding (or have it be a party, not a wedding) and immigrate on the K1 in a couple of months.
Or, get married on your schedule then end up immigrating a year later because you had to start over.
What's more important? Your wedding date or living with your partner ASAP? That's the real question you need to answer for yourself.