e&z

Just got an update: new card is being produced. 

I'm so sorry to hear this.
I just don't understand why it has to be so difficult to travel home for a reasonable amount of time under adverse circumstances. I can't see why travelling home to see sick relatives or for any other legitimate reason would qualify as 'abandoning' your visa. Travel is something a lot of people need to do fairly frequently in the modern world and it is unbelievably frustrating to have to wait for so long to be able to. And to add insult to injury, the way we must go about applying for this seems to be so confusing and incredibly unfair. I wish that the was something we could do to have the system changed.

Great! And we have the same NOA1.
Yes, you can try that. Try to go during the hours that they are not very busy. Good luck!

Again, not true.
I heard it from the officers at the DMV this morning.
It states clearly on their website that ALL non-us citizens can drive for a year
AND
I attach the following

ETA: sorry its small but if you click on it, it solves the matter completely. Explicitly states that new residents to Kentucky are able to apply for a drivers permit or use their old home licence for a year. From DMV.com
Sorry if i've come across as short but I found conflicting info when I was researching which confused me and stopped me from driving a lot earlier than I should have been. I wanted to clear the matter up for any future new KY residents goggling the matter

If anyone's interested in the Pennsylvania driving law on this particular subject, I thought I'd share:
Can I drive in Pennsylvania with my Foreign Driver's License?
Individuals who possess a valid foreign driver's license from their country are authorized to drive in Pennsylvania for up to one year from their date of entry into the United States, or upon expiration of their foreign license, whichever comes first. International driving permits are strongly recommended, but not required.

This thread really made me smile. ETA: woahh this ended up being a long post but it's soo nice to get it all off my chest and share with people in the same boat!
I have been in Louisville KY for almost exactly 3 months now and, so far, it's been much easier than I anticipated. It really, really helps that everyone here loves 'the British', I still get comments on my accent and lots of questions and everyone is SO genuinely friendly and willing to help.
Maybe it's because i'm from the South of England so I have a 'stereotypical' English accent but I generally don't have an issue with people understanding me APART from sometimes ordering in a restaurant- usually as people have mentioned earlier when ordering water!- I think this may be because taking a drink order is the first time a waiter/ess with interacts with you, so your accent surprises them and catches them off guard.
I try to use some Americanisms just to make life easier but am stubbornly holding on to other British phrases- the loo, boot (not trunk) etc. When sending official correspondence I make sure to double check all spellings but I use an American laptop so that helps. Its not so much the language that I find challenging but, and this may sound strange, branding? I used to find it slightly overwhelming going into Target or Kroger and standing in the cleaning aisle attempting to choose products with NO clue as to what were the 'good' brands; in the UK I had my go to products that I could trust. Here I have to start all over again (My husband is 23 and a recent college graduate so asking him for advice on dishwasher tablets isn't going to be much help!). I'm getting there and our grocery shops are much quicker now!
I'm only 22 and graduated right in the middle of the whole visa process but I studied UK law, which is pretty much useless over here so I think it may prove challenging and potentially frustrating when my EAD comes through. I am so excited to actually start working though, getting out of the house, meeting people and contributing financially will really help this feel a bit more real I think.
Overall we are probably still in our 'honeymoon' phase where it all feels like an extended holiday. I am so incredibly lucky to have such a supportive husband, prior to me moving here he relocated to an area which is a 2min walk from bars/shops/restaurants and best of all a 5 min walk from a HUGE park so I can still go on my daily walks and that has honestly helped me no end- when he's working I can get out of the house without needing a car. It has been difficult relying on him for everything, he comes home tired after work and I am bored/up for getting out and doing things. It will make a huge difference when I sit my test and we buy a car- need to start practicing those parallel parks!
I do miss England, I miss the aesthetic prettiness of it all (which I didnt even think about until I left), I lived in a beautiful quaint village and here everything is BIG and functional, not necessarily attractive. I have recently started watching a few British tv shows on youtube and I laughed in a way I haven't laughed for ages- I get that humour and I get those references. I obviously miss the food, but thats no so bad as i'm the cook in this house so can sneak Shepherds pie and the odd Roast onto the menu occasionally. The hardest part for me is the distance from family & friends, I just wish I could pop home for a weekend. I always knew that would be the hardest part though and facetime, Skype, iMessage etc all make it soo much easier.
I do think that this initial period of being 'trapped' at home, unable to work, is difficult but its almost over (hopefully) for us. I would also imagine that if we decide to have children then that would be very difficult. Raising them away from my family and in a different culture will be hard for sure.

I thought it might be a good idea to start a topic for all of those who have recently received NOA2s, so we can keep track of how fast the NVC and various embassies are processing things.

Yeah, after the huge delays at TSC etc I had set myself up for a long, long wait at the NVC stage too but we were pleasantly surprised! We called mid day and hit 'redial' about 3 times, got put through and then just sat on hold.

Thank you Fabiola!
I am really happy to be approved but I'm also really annoyed to have been forced to feel such anxiety over this for the last 5 plus months. Glitches in their system, incompetence, being left in the dark, no one there able to give proper updates... it's really a disgrace!
I feel for everyone still waiting and know that it is truly coming any day now!! Best of luck to you all!

Praying to get approved this month!!!! Please !!!

That's 2 so far.
Please keep posting the updates letting us all know where your transfers went and if you have received a transfer.
Two to CSC. Keep em coming so we all have an idea of what's happening.
Good luck to all.

That doesn't make any sense at all, & going by past transfers between service centers, that's not how they're handled. Why would they mix them & cause all of us to be further behind than we would be at tsc? This is helping to even the workload. Both service centers will be able to process in a timely fashion, that's all. And we filed months ago, why mix us in with those who just sent them out? Where did you hear this from? I'm very curious.

Time will tell but I seriously doubt it. Processing time will now increase even more at CSC with an additional 1500 - 2000 petitions arriving at their door this week so to place them at the back of the line would make no sense at all. Why would you transfer for "faster processing" and then do that. Nonsense.
Don't believe it for a minute.

US doesn't care so the question is - does UK allow it. My guess based on fellow brits here at work is no - you can have both.

Yes, you can keep your UK passport. You would have to actually file a form and pay a fee to the UK government if you wanted to give up your British citizenship. They never mark you off their roles, so to speak.You will have to take an oath at your ceremony that you renounce allegiance to all others, but neither the US or UK require you to give up your passport or citizenship. While in the US, you are expected to be American and use your American passport when returning from abroad. But you can use your British passport, for example, to enter the UK or travel around the entire EU.
Oath--
"I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God."

This is what I see so far:
18 Transfers from Aug 7-8 (VJ)
NOA1 dates between 4/02 and 5/16
Country - Various
I am guessing transfers will come through for all or most of TSC filers with NOA between ~April 1 to May 31. If you are in this window and have not received a notice yet, I would not give up hope as there are probably adjudicators on vacation and yours is sitting on his or her desk. It will probably take 2 - 3 weeks to get the transfers done. I believe we are seeing the "first wave". Also keep in mind, many VJ folks don't log in every day or update status here so the number could be much higher. We are also just a drop in the bucket compared to the thousands of petitions sitting at the center. So hang in there.
One more thing...for those in April and May who do not get transferred, this should mean your time will be reduced also as there will be fewer petitions ahead of you or in the same piles (by month) so this is still good news for you
Keep those updates coming!! This is exciting.

All done