CheeseQuavers

A sheriff isn't going to help, he's in the UK with the belongings, she is in the USA. She'll need to re-establish residency in Michigan before she can file for divorce there. Michigan requires she lives there for 180 days to gain residency. You can file and agreed upon divorce, where both are in agreement with terms and sign the papers. Or you can file and get a default divorce, where he never responds. But you'll need to prove he is aware of the divorce having been filed. A registered and signed for letter should work for that. If you can't get that. then you might need a lawyer to finish the process.

I am living in Illinois. As far as I am aware, he is still living in our house in the UK and his parent's address is the same. I have looked in to serving via publication if in fact, he has managed to move both himself and his parents.

Is there some reason that he hasn't filed for divorce in the UK yet?

We were married in the USA, I am the one who started the divorce procedure, so I figured it was best to divorce here. Also, I had no means to live on my own in the UK, it took everything I had to come back to the USA where I now live with my parents again. He did not want the divorce until a couple months ago when he realized he couldn't change my mind on the matter.

My husband and I were married in Illinois in March 2005. He was the British Citizen and I, the American Citizen and we decided to move me over to the UK after our marriage. I moved back to the USA (Illinois) in the first week of September 2012 after separating from him in late June 2012. While we were separated and I was still in the UK, he changed the locks on me so I could not come by during the day time to take our other two dogs and thus, I also could also not access any of my possessions (including those two dogs that I had purchased and been the primary caregiver of). I am seeking information on filing for divorce while I am in the USA and he is living overseas. I can provide more information upon request!

Can anyone offer advice or guidance before I look into hiring a lawyer? I would be ever so grateful.

Most IT/Development Managers consider experience to be most important. However, in particular with large companies, not having a 4 year degree will make it difficult to get past the HR department. Networking is one way to get around that and get a resume directly to the hiring manager.

Does he want to focus on IT or Development? Most of the time, positions are IT or Development, not both. Only small companies really have positions that cover both IT and development.

He is probably going to be after a Systems Administrator or Perl/PHP Developer role. These three facets of IT are his forte.

If you aren't moving this month, I'd say not to make any time to worry about this -

as in 3 years time, when you ARE moving, the job market for IT will have changed dramatically, as compared to today.

CERTS and EXPERIENCE trump many things when finding a job here - he's already got that, thankfully.

If this really is of any concern, though - for now - or

if you'd like to start capturing data and datapoints on cities/markets/types of jobs

then study dice.com , once a month, for about 2 years .

You'll start to get the gist of the trends, over time, which IMO, is fricking useful.

Wow. I've been through that site and I can totally see the potential. Thank you

Remember, there are other people applying for the same job that your husband will be applying for. Having all that experience is a plus, however IMO a degree is important. Maybe your husband can do a part-time (evening classes) program and having a "degree in prgoress" on his resume might help his chances of landing a job. I am sure that your husband can qualify for financial aid once he gets his GC.

Thank you, Nina! All I have to do now is convince the OH that this is what he needs to do!! lol

That brings me to ponder about my English Degree and whether it will be worth anything in the USA? I am worried that I will get in all of this debt for nothing!

Moving to a metropolitan city would probably better his chances of finding a job. IMO, a lot of programming/IT jobs are being outsourced. Howeverer there are still some IT/Programming jobs here. A college degree will help him in getting a job here.

I am currently in University studying for an undergrad degree. We cannot afford to have both of us going to school and cannot find any decent Undergrad programs online. DH also says he is too old, too experienced etc to do an undergraduate degree in computer science or similar.

Will not having a degree significantly lower his chances of getting a job?

The education systems between the USA and UK are so very different. The UK wants less people applying for higher education and going straight into jobs from GCSE/A-Levels (think of A-Levels as the general required classes during the first year or two of college in the USA.)

DH needs to work full time, otherwise we'll lose our home, there is no other option bar getting a degree completely online.

Just a forward;

I am not looking for employment for DH, we are only gauging other's experiences finding roles with skill-sets similar to his!

Ok, so DH and I are planning on going the Direct Consular Filing route in quite a few year's time. I am the USA citizen (and wifey), DH is the UK citizen, we currently live in the UK with myself being here since July 2006 with Spouse Visa and got my ILR in 2008, now working towards citizenship.

Basically DH is a programmer/sysadmin type. He never went to University but does have his GCSE's (with really good scores) A+,N+,(almost has his CCNA), Linux/Linux+ etc. He works predominantly in PHP (zend framework)/MySQL, Perl, Jquery, Javascript, Xhtml/Css, Apache, Linux/Unix, Cisco, networking, back-end development etc.

He's been in IT practically since he was out of diapers. His first job was 4 years as a Field Engineer (pc/network technician). He then moved into a programming position that lasted three years (actually he was basically Head of IT for this company; Systems Administration, server maintenance, developing new software applications, controlling purchasing within the company, debugging and rewriting all of the other software written by the other IT guy etc). He left this role in December 09 (we are currently embroiled in a constructive dismissal suit against his boss) and was picked up in January for a PHP-development role. He is quite happy with his current job; his boss provides his employees everything from Plasma tv's to a foozball (table football) table and basket ball court!

We do know that our first location in the USA will very likely be in the midwest.

Can anyone give me some insight on the current job market for someone like DH in the midwest?

Kindest regards!!

CJ & DJ

Its really not that big of a deal compared to getting into the USA! My hubby and I got married in 2006 (march) and we flew back to the UK to "set up shop" and have a mini honeymoon, and I flew back to the USA in June to apply for my visa. I filled out the forms online back in March, took me half a hour or so, paid my fee, which was around $500 at the time. I had flown in on the 1st of June and my Visa interview was on the 9th. I walked away that day with my visa in hand, and I was totally kicking myself in the teeth after, because I wasn't scheduled to fly back home to new hubby until the 30th!!!

Also please consider what sort of breeder you are getting this puppy from. Do they health test? Can you give me the parent's hip scores, eye test results? How many instances of epilepsy are in this dog's pedigree? Have the parents been vWD tested? What about Dilated Cardiomyopathy? All of these illnesses are ingrained in the majority of GSD lines. I have many friends who have had to part ways with their dogs before the age of 3 because they developed DCM, this disease is utterly devastating.

I do not think that shipping a 3.5 month old puppy is a wise idea. My dogs are 10 and 7 months of age now both should be 10-12 months when we leave, they just had their microchip and rabies vaccinations yesterday and Buckles was microchipped. In 3 weeks they will have another set of rabies vaccinations, then 3 weeks after that they will require a blood test. This whole process will cost me around £350. Is your crate IATA approved? They are very strict about this, if the dog does not fit perfectly within the crate, they will refuse to fly the puppy, you will have to purchase another crate.

This would be a lot of pain and trauma to inflict on a puppy at such a young age and you should avoid doing this if at all possible. If you can tell me what area in the USA you'd be moving to I would be more than happy to help you find a good quality breeder who health tests and also is really active within the breed. I have quite a few working breeders as friends/contacts.

Also, please be aware that the GSD dog when not bred responsibly can be vulnerable to many neurological and behavioural disorders/temperament issues. Puppies go through various fear periods and if your puppy were to experience a traumatic event (such as the ~8 hour flight, locked up in a crate) during one of these fear periods, there could be extreme consequences throughout the pup's life. It can take years for behavioural problems to crop up, so I really would not recommend getting a puppy until you are 100% settled in your new home.

Also if you end up renting, you might run into a problem with landlords or managing/housing assosications. Most rentals will only allow pets with certain limitations, ie no larger than 30lbs full grown weight etc.

I wouldn't bother. Its soooo stressful on young puppies, the only real reason would be because you wanted a dog to show or work from specific lines.

I am worried enough about my two and they will both be at least 9 months old when we move to the USA. I am bringing along a show prospect/breeding female young adult from some of the best lines in the UK, but from here it will cost us around £2000 for getting just the two boys out there safely. You need to make sure you have certain things ready, such as the rabies vaccination, which is very important and also can be deadly when administered inappropriately to a young puppy. The risks totally outweigh the benefits. Its too much of a traumatic experience for a young puppy.

It would be much cheaper and easier to buy once you're in the USA. You will need to make sure you're settled down in your home before you decide on a breeder and litter of puppies.

Where did you read that DCFs were slowing down for Bangkok applicants? I suppose an overload of IV applicants at the Bangkok embassy could also cause a slowdown for DCFers, but the question remains. If the tickets have a reasonable change policy and the OP has found a significantly low price, then I don't see the harm in buying the tickets ahead of time. I probably wouldn't do it, but I'm not the OP. Also, what do you mean about the embassy frowning upon people who purchase tickets in advance? I haven't heard this either. I doubt they care either way since it's not their money, but if you can cite a situation where this has caused a problem, please list.

I read it on the embassy website just before christmas. It said something to the effect of delays due to larger numbers of applicants in the recent months? I troll various country's embassy websites for fun sometimes.

OP made it sound like he was buying static tickets, ones you cannot change the date on. This might be seen as intent to enter the country with thoughts to stay and adjust status or similar. That was the response I received when I asked the London embassy about purchasing tickets before being granted the visa. If you can get a good change policy/open ticket, then you'd just mention that at the interview and I don't think there'd be a problem.

Ok, we're filing in London, but I have a mate who is going through this with me as well, she too is the USC, with a British Hubby.

Her husband is incredibly weird about the medical. He wants to know exactly what is involved with it. He freaked out when he was told that the panel physicians will request to see his "privates". I wanted to ask whether or not this is true? My friend is worried now that she and her husband might never be able to move to the USA as he's got this weird "knob-complex" as she calls it. She's also not internet savvy, so I'm going to help her set up an account on VJ this week and show her how to use it!

I'm sorry if this question is out of line, mods-feel free to amend any of this!

I have read that timelines are slowing down as of late. And also that they frown upon people who over-anticipate and purchase airline tickets before they are given the visa?

I would've thought it would have been safer to get the visa, then buy the airline tickets, because its a lot of money to waste if for whatever reason, your visa is not approved in time.

I filed separately from my British Hubby and after putting his name in the spouse name box, I put "NRA" in his SSN box as he is a "Non-Resident Alien" at the time or around the time of filing.

This is what they told me to do when I phoned the IRS in Philly (Int'l office) with my questions, it is also what was recommended to me by another VJ member!

I recall other VJ members going through the London embassy who needed to file past returns used the IRS services at the London embassy. According to those posters they were able to file the I-864 using the copies of the returns rather than the required transcripts.

Contact the IRS office at the embassy >>> http://www.usembassy.org.uk/irs/index.htm

Thanks guys! I emailed the IRS in london, as I have never gotten through via the phone and I live too far from London to merit a day trip for this.

I hope I can just make copies of my tax returns as they are! DH and I were just about to file I-130 this week! I don't want to be stuck waiting for my transcripts to come through!

Ok, so I only just realized less than a week(ish) ago that I had to file my Tax Returns in the USA, despite living abroad... (why don't they include that information in a handy little packet when you move out there?! It'd have made this sooo much easier!)

Anywho, the I-864 requires a transcript of the last 3 years tax returns (I didn't have to file for 2006 or 2009 as I didn't make any money), but my question is...What is a transcript? How long will it take for me to receive a transcript of the taxes (2007 & 2008 being sent) once I file my tax returns?

We are actually filing for "DCF" but I was told I might get more advice over onto this board. We have the I-130 petition filled out and ready to send off, but we don't want to send it in if we'll be delayed in sending the next step off because of the tax return transcripts!

Any advice would be much appreciated!

Sounds brilliant to me! Can't see anything missing, really, though make sure you've filed your tax returns for the past 3 years as you will need them for the I-864. (I only learned about that the other day!)

If you're doing married filing separately you have no need for an ITIN (source: horse's mouth at the London IRS office). As you did, you simply write "NRA". Don't worry about the ITIN -- pain in the behind you don't need, involves getting things notarised (which is a lot more expensive and difficult in the UK than in the US -- I had almost qualified as a notary back in the UK by the time I left and had I stayed it would have been a nice little earner), and takes time because it has to be filed for and THEN you have to wait for the ITIN to be issued to you. Forget it!

And keep a hold of that husband -- one who will file taxes for you is worth his weight in gold and Mint Viscounts. Mine will just about hand over his W2s and 1099s, and everything else is up to me since I'm the USC and am supposed to know how to do this as part of my birthright, apparently.

Those little mint biscuits are GORGEOUS!

Should I file for 2006 and 2009 even though I didn't make enough ($1200 in 2006 and $1700 in 2009)? I also am unsure about the "transcript" that I'll need for my I-864. I know I have to send these off to Austin TX, but is there any way of knowing when I'll get that transcript back? Also, what is a transcript? Is it a receipt to say that one has filed one's taxes?

Thank you again, I probably would still be crying at my 1040's right now if I didn't have your help!!

Ok, what about ITINs? My DH is so amazing that he's doing these taxes for me, as I'm just useless at it!

He's come across this ITIN dealio, does he need one? I put it in as filing separately, because he's a British Citizen and therefore is not required to pay taxes in the USA. I put "NRA" (non-resident Alien) in the space for his (non-existent) social security number.

Do you have any valid reasons to feel this way about your Husband? The trust in a marriage is really what holds a couple together, without it, marriages are highly unlikely to work. Being together begins to become a battle of who's doing what, when, where etc and you're constantly spying and you'll end up always having this niggling feeling in the back of your mind about each other. I would seek marital advice or counselling.

Could you not have some of his family members over to visit you instead? I understand the cost involved on their part may be a bit much, but I would certainly think this could be a great compromise at least while the child is young and is totally dependant upon you. Maybe, you could even help fund their trip out here?

The only other option would to never let the child out of your sight/hands while you are there. I can understand why someone would feel this way, I was almost abducted as a child, its a scary thing.

I voted no. I believe that the K-1 fiance visa should only be applied for once you are sure about your engagement and future wedding. Weddings are difficult to plan and only having 90 days in a country to put one together, well that's just a nightmare that most brides would HATE to think about. I personally got married in a small (just me, DH, my mother and two younger sisters) civil ceremony at the County Court in 2006 and now we're planning a 5 year anniversary hooplah. Renewing our vows, the big white dress..etc, and to be honest, I think going this route really helped us avoid a huge debt at the start of our marriage. We didn't actually take on any debt until our Mortgage a year ago, so 3 debt-free years of semi-bliss were well worth it for me!

What I did was put the address for wherever I was living on 31 December of the year in question. So for 2004 taxes, I put I was living in Greenwich (I also had to put down my ex-husband's name in the spousal area since he had yet to drop the bomb on me that he wanted a divorce -- but that's another story altogether!). On 31 December 2005, I was living near Marble Arch in my bachelorette flat, so that's what went down on the 1040. As of 31 December 2006, I was up near Archway with my husband, so I put that down.

You need to submit 2007-09 taxes, so for each year, put down the corresponding address where you were living on 31 December of that year. Confusing, yes! And yes, for 2007 and 2008 you would put down address 2, and your current address for 2009.

You know, when I was 16 I told my parents I wanted to be a tax attorney. (God knows why.) Maybe I did indeed miss my true calling!

Hah, maybe you did! I think I'd be consistently suicidal if I tried to be a tax advisor!! I started doing this..hyperventilate laugh-cry when I first opened a 1040 to try and do them myself a few days ago! XD

You have been like the most helpful, awesome person ever! <3 Thank you soooo much!

Ah! You are brilliant! My parents are sending me some tax software to help me out. I don't actually think I've made enough except during 2007-2009 to be required to file...but we are going to call the IRS London again on Monday, I've been having millions of issues getting through

Ok, but I do have another question; when filing for previous years, should I use my current address or should I complete the forms as though I'm in 2008 filing my 07 tax returns? I've had three addresses in the UK, though I've already filed my 2006 tax return from the USA when I was 17. I lived in my first UK address from July 06 - March 07. I lived in my second address from March 07 to January 09. I have lived in my current home since Jan 09.

So for instance, for the tax year 2007, would I put down address number 2, as that was where I was living at the time, or should I put my current address on them?

This is so confusing Why do they have to make it so difficult?

Here's the forms page for 2008: 2008 forms

And 2007: 2007 forms

2009 stuff is here: 2009 forms You'll need to search the database for the correct forms for 2009 (unlike for 2007 and 2008). If you don't have particularly complicated financial lives, you'll probably need only the 1040 and the 2555-EZ. Make sure to download all the instructions as well! I did three years of back taxes over Easter Bank Holiday weekend in 2007 -- took probably 8 hours all told. It's more mind-numbing than difficult. What is REALLY irritating is that (of course) the US and UK tax years are different, so working out what I made in calendar year 2004-06 involved some arithmetic instead of just pulling a number off a P11. Grrrrr.

Good luck and come back with more questions!

Ah! You are brilliant! My parents are sending me some tax software to help me out. I don't actually think I've made enough except during 2007-2009 to be required to file...but we are going to call the IRS London again on Monday, I've been having millions of issues getting through