Rebster

So is this live TV only? Or is there a way to watch programs that have previously been broadcast? (I have some catching up to do! )

That's what the torrent sites are for.

http://www.uknova.com/

and

http://www.thebox.bz

Yeah, I've heard of those but I purposely have not utilized them because I was told by a friend (who works in IT security) that you can be traced when you use those sites. I'd love the freedom of the services but I'm a big 'ol fraidy cat. Can anyone explain how safe it is to use them?

We're both also missing England and if it weren't for all the money we already spent to come to the US, we'd move in a heartbeat. Planning on moving after my husband becomes a US citizen. We're still young and are looking to raise a family there. We're headed back to England for Dec and we can't wait, it will be over a year and a half since my husband's been home and close to 2 years since I've been. Missing family and friends more than anything followed by the food and the slower life style. Feel like we're always moving here.

Same story here (well, maybe not the "still young" part ) We're not doing anything until hubby has his citizenship!

It's been just over 3 years since we moved here and we are just getting ready to have our first visit back in late October. I'm so excited - we're probably going to gain about 10 lbs since we're planning our whole holiday around food. (curry, fish'n'chips, chocolate, cheese....)

film on hdi player...google it. www.filmon.com. you can watch bbc, itv, channel 4, chanel 5 in real time. bbc two sometimes, but then it asks you to subscribe . there are porn channels but they are subscription. there s also film four, eurosports bbc news ........its good.

Thanks primahen, we downloaded filmonHD and it works great for watching the basic 1-5 channels. : Now I just have to remember to tune in 5 hours earlier than I did in the UK to catch up with Eastenders and Corrie (yes, I am sad).

So is this live TV only? Or is there a way to watch programs that have previously been broadcast? (I have some catching up to do! )

Yesterday the letter arrived which stated we were approved as of September 2nd and the 10-year green card production has been ordered.

Just a note: we HAD signed up for email notification and as of this morning we have received nothing. So the moral is, if you have signed up for notifications, don't be discouraged if you don't hear anything 'cause it may arrive via snail mail!

Next stop: Citizenship!

Have you considered having Honey fly out ahead of you? You are going to be dealing with an awful lot yourself upon your arrival. You will have to go through Immigration and have your Visa validated. This can take some time dependant upon the airport/staff.

You can send her ahead and have your fiance collect her on the other end. I did this in reverse when I moved to the UK. I sent my cat via BA Cargo a few days before I came over. I didn't use a shipping company (this was in 2005) and I filled out the paperwork when I took her to BA's Cargo office at the airport. On the forms I put my (then) fiance's information so that he was authorized to collect them for me. The BA office gave me the stickers to put on her crate. I then said goodbye to her and they took her away to be put in their Kennel until departure a couple of hours later.

Then when I arrived in the UK (and had to stand in line at Immigration) I knew she was already safely at his house. I was already stressed enough and appreciated not having to deal with everything on one day.

That said, I do understand that you might want to know she is on the same plane with you. Just a thought.

As a side note, I do need to interject that the 3-year rabies vaccine is available and widely used over here. The 1 year vaccine is in fact not that common in most states anymore. You should not have an issue with keeping jabs current on the pet passport. We have had no issue.

This is the link to the USDA website.

Good luck!

I was with my husband at his K-3 interview. It just made sense as I had completed all of his paperwork and had done all the research as to which records needed to be presented at the time. If my husband had been doing the paperwork himself it would have been just as simple for him to go alone. The officer talked to me but didn't ask me anything that my husband couldn't have answered. (Except the officer called me "Miss X" and I corrected him to call me "Mrs. Y" )

I was not with my husband for his CR1 interview and it went very smoothly. But of course that one is pretty much just a formality once you have the K-3. (plus I had organized his folder of evidence with tabs for him, so he couldn't miss anything )

As long as you have all of your paperwork in order it probably won't matter if she is with you or not. I would say nearly half the people we saw inside the Embassy were without their partners.

That's one of the main sites we are looking to use, but we werent' sure if there were any cheaper places and/or if there is a shipper that wouldn't run us so much if his mum sent food over. lol

Where are you in Texas? There are a few British food shops in Houston. This one doesn't sell it online but does have bangers and rashers in their store - British Isles Online.

If you are not near here, there's a couple of websites that I have ordered from before:

Tommy Moloneys

English Pork Pie Company

I've ordered from both and can vouch for their quality. As for shipping, unfortunately they are both located on the East Coast so you have to pay for expedited refrigerated shipping which isn't cheap. I bought $20 worth of items from Tommy Moloney's and paid the same amount in shipping.

But it was worth it (you can even get cheese!)

Yes, the pet passport (PETS Scheme) is only if you intend to bring your dog back to the UK (or another EU country.) If you are leaving forever and have no intention of going back, then you do not need to have it completed. However, I would strongly suggest you do. You never know what can happen and how you will feel in a years time.

DEFRA requires you to 1st) microchip your dog, 2nd) get the rabies jab, 3rd) have a titre drawn to check immunity to rabies, 4th) have a physical with worming/tick treatment just prior to departure. Any veterinarian office should be familiar with the process and have no issue completing the paperwork. They have the forms so you don't need to obtain them yourself. All of these steps are to ensure you can bring your dog back into the country without having to put Honey into quarantine.

By contrast, all the USDA needs is proof of rabies jab (they don't care when it was given as long as it is still current) and a certification by a vet that the animal is healthy enough to travel. The carrier will also require the worming/tick treatment just prior to departure.

Have a look at the links above to the two agencies.

Also, make sure you have checked out the airline's policy regarding the crate you use for Honey. They have requirements for size (to prevent the animal being in too small of a crate) and materials (it must be sturdy/stackable.) And I noticed you said you thought that you had to be on the same flight - that is not true. I shipped my cat via BA a few days before I flew over.

It's a lot to sort through but lots of us have done it. So ask away and I'm sure everyone else will chime in with their experiences.

As far as her being in a crate or kennel- if it something she is not used to, I would try to get her adjusted to that. As far as food and water- I would assume the food and water may be knocked around in flight and just make a mess in the kennel.

You may also want to talk to your vet about giving her something before she gets on the plane- to relax her.

Actually you should NOT sedate your animal. Most carriers will not transport an animal that has been sedated.

As for paperwork, if you have completed the PETS Scheme you will be more than prepared. You'll have to have the worming/tick treatment done just prior to departure but everything else will be already completed. The USDA is the authority over animal transport here and they are not nearly as strict as DEFRA. Rabies jab and certification of health is all they require. (Microchipping is not required by USDA, that is a DEFRA requirement)

When we brought our dogs & cat to the US there was a USDA rep there to verify everything was in order but it was a simple process. The only thing they asked about was if their food contained meat (I guess that's a no-no) but as it was dry kibble they let us through without any issue.

We didn't fly them (we came over on the Queen Mary) but I had flown my cat to the UK a couple of years earlier. I put food in her crate as well as freezing some water in her dish (so it could melt during the trip and not be spilt during the loading.) I had started to use a transport company but ended up doing it myself through BA Cargo. The company I almost used (AirAnimal) has a great website with lots of information. Also check the airlines websites as they will give you specifics regarding required crate sizes.

Good luck and feel free to PM for more info!

Congratulations!!!

I know how agonizing it is to be waiting and see all the CSC approvals flying by us!

Fantastic news! Congratulations!

Congratulations! You're nearly at the finish line of all of this Immigration red tape.

Congratulations!!!

Could someone please add us to the list?

02/16/09.......02/23/09.......04/10/09

Thank you!!!

Um, thanks for adding me Jasminelilly but it looks like when Milesinfront updated their dates I got bumped off the list.

Can someone add me back in? Thank you!

Could someone please add us to the list?

02/16/09.......02/23/09.......04/10/09

Thank you!!!

Well it's finally time for us to send in our I-751. I'm a little confused as to how to handle the criminal history submission.

DH did have an arrest several years ago in the UK but the charges were dropped. This showed up on his police report that we submitted with his initial Visa application. As I'm reading the I-751, it seems they want not just any arrests since he received his Visa, but any in his lifetime. If that is the case then I'll need to submit something about that arrest. Is a copy of the police report we submitted for his Visa (which we obtained from the UK police in 2006) sufficient? It's the only official document we have which lists the offence and the official dismissal. Or is there something else we should be obtaining?

Thanks! I'm sure I'll be asking many more questions in the next few months.

They are looking for medical conditions that pose a risk to others.

Section 221(g ) Classes of Aliens Ineligible for Visas or Admission. (1) Health-related grounds.-

http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/ineligib...ities_1364.html

Example: the person has AIDS, or TB

They are also looking for anything that might cause the person immigrating to be a drain on Medicaid or public assistance.

My husband was initially denied because he had suffered a heart attack within 3 months of his medical. He had stents placed and was not on any restrictions by his physician, but the Embassy was worried that since he didn't have health insurance in place in the US, he might need medical care and not be able to pay for it himself.

His medical records from his doctor stating that he was "revascularized" and had passed a cardiac stress test were not sufficient. It was only after I intervened and assured them I would be adding him to my insurance after he arrived (and spoke with several people at the Embassy over a period of a week) that they finally relented and allowed him to receive his Visa. Also, we offered up proof that he had travel insurance which would cover him until he was settled in the US.

So it is not just about communicable diseases, it is also about money. Uncle Sam does not want to have to pay out for someone who has not paid into the sytem yet!

I knew I shouldn't have clicked that link.... but they had such cute stuff I just could not resist!

I think my favourite is the "Legal British Immigrant"!

Congratulations!!!!!!

And welcome to the US!

We've done it!!!!!

Yesterday morning Richard had his interview at the London Embassy. His appointment was at 8:30 but he was there by 7:45 & they ended up letting them in early as it was pouring down rain. He was first in for the Immigrant Visa (#001) and was seen at the first window within 5 minutes. After they first said they could not find his medical records (deja vu from his K3) all was sorted and they took his paperwork. They asked for the birth certificate, marriage & prior divorce certificate, police certificate and DS 230 Part II. They did not ask for his I-864 or any additional financial info. He sat back down and waited 20 minutes or so & was called up to the next window. The man he saw turned out to be the same one we dealt with in July when we had such issues with his K-3. He actually remembered Richard! He said "Oh, I thought it was you." Anyway, he then said "I have no questions for you. Everything is in order." Richard signed the DS-230 (did not tick the box for the SSN so we can do that ourselves when he comes back) did the fingerprints and swore that everything was true and was on his was to the courier's desk. He was in & out in less than 45 minutes!!!!

The courier arrived at 7:30am in Leeds this morning to deliver it to his parents house. (he had paid the £35 for expedited delivery but then ended up giving him a partial refund and only charging him £13.50 as he did not require a Saturday delivery)

So now he has his passport and mysterious brown envelope and is ready to come back home!!!!!

Thank you all for all your guidance and good wishes - we definitely could NOT have done this without VJ!!!!

Our case was received at the Embassy on Nov 13th & our interview is tomorrow. Hang in there - you should be getting your interview letter ANY day now!!

By the way, the last email I sent came back with an auto-reply stating it had been deleted without being read as they did not accept unsolicited emails???? It's very frustrating!

I understand about the nerves...my husband has his interview tomorrow at 8:30am (he'll be the tall nervous chap queueing up at 7:30am ) and even having been through the K-3 interview this past summer we still are worrying ourselves silly! I can't count the number of times we have been through the paperwork "just to be sure." I'm on tenderhooks until he calls tomorrow to tell me the news.

Good luck!!

Here is a company that you can use to handle the details for you:

http://www.petsonthemove.co.uk/

However, you can do everything yourself instead. You can contact the airlines to find out their regulations - be careful because it will soon be warm weather here and you will run into restrictions shipping an animal via cargo.

We ended up abandoning our plans to fly our boys (pugs) because of the health hazards and instead came over on the Queen Mary 2 since they have onboard kennels.

As for government regulations, all you need to do is find out the requirements of the state you will be moving to. Essentially all you need is proof of rabies vaccination and a form filled out by your vet there stating the animal is healthy to travel and certifying worm/tick/flea treatment 48 hours prior to travel. Easy-peasy!! (unlike when I came to the UK with my cats.....)

Good luck!

That's very helpful - thanks so much for posting it!

So - was there anything about the forms they sent in packet 3 that made them look different from what one might download and print from a government website? Any magic pencil scratchings or codes on them?

I'm wondering if there's any reason one couldn't amass all the materials, have the forms put together so that the second one receives word that the file has arrived at the embassy - those bad boys get popped straight in the mail and poof! magically arrive while the packet 3 they mail out is still on its slow way . . . .

AND: I think it would be great if the community - as a whole - kept its collective eye out for changes in the packet checklist and/or forms and posted examples later on for us to see. For instance - I note this upload is dated "June 2005" in the corner - so if anyone sees a later date on another form they get later - let us know!

All of the forms that came in the packet were precisely the same as you can find here on VJ or on the Embassy website. The only unique form is the checklist itself. I had already filled out and printed the forms just as you are suggesting. It was so frustrating because the only thing missing was that bloody checklist & I couldn't find a current copy anywhere! Once I had that checklist signed I was able to pop the packet into the post on the following day. It would have saved a few days if we had been able to do it the way you suggest though!

As my posting date suggests, we received the June 2005 version of the checklist in our June 2006 packet. They may have updated it since then but I know that is what they were using this past summer. You make a great suggestion - hopefully someone who has recently received their packet 3 could post & let everyone know if there is a newer version. It is such a tremendous help to have this site as a resource!

I just arrived home to find that beautiful brown envelope in the post!

Our interview is set for February 28th at 8:30am!! Thank goodness!!!

Now we start all the worrying about having everything we need. But at least we've been through this once before with the K-3, so this should go pretty smoothly.

A question to those of you who did the K-3 first: did you have to do anything regarding your medical results for the CR/IR 1 interview? We didn't receive copies of anything but the immunization sheet last time, so we don't have a copy of the medical to give them.

I'd also like to thank those of you who have helped us out so much over the last year & a half! If it weren't for this forum I doubt we would be where we are today.

THANK YOU VJers!!!!