missy_antha

There will be enough time after the interview to get AP approved before September in the event that you don't get immediate approval of permanent residence at the interview. Wait and see if you are approved.

I will wait and see what happens then. Thanks for the advice

I was just about to send off the I -131 (AP) When I got my interview date for 31st May.

How long after the interview will I get the Greencard in my hand and once I do have it, does that mean I can leave the country for short vacations and won't need the AP after all?

I am going back to England in September and I would rather save the money than spend it on an I -131 application however if you advise me to still apply for it then I will send it off but they do say it takes at least 90 days before you receive it.

Also why do some people have to go for interviews and some people don't???

I entered the country on a K1 visa on 31st Dec 2006. Got married 17th January 2006. Filed for AOS and EAD the end of Feb.

I have my biometric fingerprinting Monday 10th April.

My problem is my family in England have planned a big belated Wedding reception for my husband and I in May and we intended to fly out of the country on May 6th.

However I have just found out that I need a visa to let me out of the country.

Can anyone tell me what I need to do to get this visa and what I can do to get it in time to leave the country.

Please help as my parents have 80 people going to this party and I really hope they won't have to have it without us.

I did make an infopass appointment. When I came through Houston I had to wait for over an hour to see the immigration officer - and missed my connecting flight to San Diego - when I finally saw the officer I was so releaved to be on my way I just took my paassport whichg he gave me back and went on my way.

This is so frustrating as its really messing me up and it isn't even my fault

I entered the USA on a K1 visa on 30th Dec 2006.

For some reason or another the US Immigration who checked me in never put my I-94 into my passport. I didn't even realise this until I applied for a social security number which they couldn't give me without it. They told me to go to my local immigration office.

They told me to fill in all my forms I-485, I-864, I-765 and just include a covering letter saying I didn't have an I-94

I'm filling the forms out now and it asks for the I-94 number in a lot of different places.

I was going to include a copy of my flight ticket showing date of entry. as my visa was valid from 12/06/06

What should I write in the covering letter saying why I don't have an I-94 and also what should I write in each space on the forms asking for the number.

Any help would be much appreciated as I'm starting to freak out!

I've only been here a month but I'm really missing my friends already. I'm also missing my lovely house so much. I've owned it for 12 years and slowly refurbished and decorated it to exactly what I wanted

New kitchen put in a year ago with a big American fridge - and a Tennant now is living in my lovely house in London!

Me -I'm here in the USA, in rented accommodation - with the smallest fridge possible!

Renting is very depressing - however would I give him up and go back to all those home comforts. No chance!

Also there is no such thing as free health care not only did I pay more tax in the UK than here - even in California!!! - But the National Insurance (Which pays for the the National Health Service in the UK.) that I paid every month was a massive amount and if you were to take the amount I paid each month to that compared to how much a Health care policy here costs I think I would find that it would cost me less to pay for the Health insurance here. I also had BUPA in the UK which meant I was taxed for having that and still paid my NI payment towards the NHS which I never used.

Here I'm on my husbands policy so it doesn't cost me anything.

So no such thing as free health care in the UK unless you were unemployed and didn't pay NI.

Just thought I would write this as it might be of help to some people.

I spoke to American Express in the UK yesterday as I wanted to give them my new address here in the USA, as I still planned on using it until I got myself a Credit Card here.

They asked me if my move here was permanent and I told them it was. They said that in that case I was eligible to change my UK AMEX card to a US AMEX card. Not only that but they would also report my UK credit history with them, to the Credit Bureau's here. This is great as I always used the card in the UK and therefore have an excellent credit history with them in the UK but I'm starting at zero credit here.

Just wanted to let any other VJs who had an AMEX card in their home countries know this.

Hi Kaiser,

I moved here from the UK on 30 December and my friends and family came over for my wedding on 17 January. My parents flew back to the UK yesterday and I cried. I'm really shocked at how emotional it made me feel!

My parents and I lived 250 miled apart in the UK and saw each other only every couple of months however now that I'm here in the USA with only my husband it really made me realise how totally alone I feel - even though I'm soooo happy to finally be married to Jonathan.

The point I'm trying to make is even if your mother wasn't ill you would still really miss her and feel guilty for leaving her. You have to realise that when you first arrive you will miss all your family. So as you will be leaving tomorrow is this not perhaps the time to not be the baby of your family but the most mature. Pick the phone up to your siblings and strike a conversation. Let them know that you are moving half way around the world and you do not want to leave with so much unsaid? You don't know when you are going to see them again and if anything happened to them and you couldn't get back to the UK wouldn't you feel better knowing that you had at least been the bigger person and healed your rift with them before you leave?

If you have children you would want them to know that they have aunts and uncles in the UK wouldn't you? And not have to explain that yes they have relatives but you've lost touch with them?

Also I think you need to perhaps point out to your siblings that they will need to be there for your mother in the future as you can't be. Unfortunatly, if they have not been great at keeping in touch with your mum up to this point, relying on you to be there for her, they may need someone to point out to them that now as you are gone, they are now going to need to step up to the plate!

Also you might need to let them know how angry your mother can get but it is only due to her illness.

Remember you can choose your friends but you can't choose your family however luckily you only get one of them!!

Good Luck and I really hope that you find the fact you will need to stand on your own two feet truly liberating!

Samx

Had my interview on Friday and paid to have my passport delivered before 8am but I was told the earliest I would get it would be Thursday.

Amazingly ay 7am this morning it arrived!

Where did you find that flight?

It's a great offer especially as it cost me about £45 to send itcash via Western Union when I sent £400 earlier this year. LLoyds bank were going to charge even more than that.

So the fact it's such a good exchange rate, no charge for sending it and they have no minimum amount I think it's a real winner

At the Embassy today on the form I filled in it did say thet delivered on a Saturday.

However the prices pinned on the wall them only gave

£13.50 for visa delivery

Then extra for

Before 8am - £20 = £34.50 altogether

Before 10am -£10 =£24.50 altogether

Before 12pm can't remember

It didn't have a price for Saturday. I was going to do Saturday but then went for before 8am

Thank you all. Very excited

Mags is that your two cats on the picture of the Christmas tree and if so what type of cat are they?

Had my interview this morning and passed!

Must say if you are going to London be prepared to wait in the cold outside though.

My interview was at 8.30 this morning. Got there at 8.25 but didn't even get sent through to the Security Gate until 9.40 and didn't get into the actual Embassy until 10am

Got quite a grilling as to why I had overstayed on my B2 visitor visa by 3 months. Explained that I wrote to CSC in January 2005 requesting an extension as my visa was due to expire in March 2005.

They wrote to me in April 2005 denying the extension. I then left the US in June 2005

I had to show copies of the letter I sent requesting the extension. The letter they sent to me denying the extension. A copy of my boarding card showing I did leave in June 2005 and also email confirmation showing the booking date of my ticket. If I hadn't had all of these details I really think he would have denied me. He was questioning me for about 20 minutes and I honestly thought it was going to be a denial.

Anyway I passed and will be leaving at the end of December. Hurrah!

Mine took exactly 40 days

Always from the UK. Nearly double the price for a single

Hi Lisa,

They have no minimum amount. So I transfered some cash today and got a rate of $1.92 but the monthly payments from February was a seperate transaction but there is no minimum amount for that either.

I will set up a monthly standing order from my UK bank account to Interchangefx and it then takes 3 working days to hit the US bank account.

The best thing is that it I'm with Lloyds who are rubbish as they only offered me $1.84 for the cash transfer I did today. (would have given me $4600 compared to the $4821 I did get.) They also charge to transfer money to a US bank account.

So not only will I not have to pay a fee for tranfering that money every month but they guarantee to give me $1.90 on that £1200 monthly transfer until December 2007 even if the exchange rate goes down!

Missy

Just found a company called www.interchangefx.co.uk tel 0207 723 1800. Ask for David Marsh.

They give a great exchange rate. I have just tranferred £2500 to american bank account and they gave me $4821.50. Also they do not charge a fee. It will take 3 days to hit the US bank Account

I have also sorted sending £1200 a month from Feb 2007 to Dec 2007 and they have guaranteed to pay this into my US Bank Account at $1.90 for each of those payments giving me $2280 per month. Once again no fees charged for this.

Just thought I'd let fellow VJs know about this as if you are about to tranfer money over to USA I don't think you will get a much better offer than this

5 beds!!!!!

If you have a row forget sleeping in a different bedroom. You'll be able to sleep in the West Wing while he sleeps in the East Wing!

Glad to hear you arrived safe and sound

Missyx

He paid all of his debts off in May 2005 which was 18 months ago.

So I don't understand how when he got his latest credit score about 3 months ago it was the same as before he paid it all off - it didn't appear to have moved upwards at all.

That's not right is it?

He paid his debts off in May 2005 which was 18 months ago.

What I don't understand is that when he got his latest credit score about 3 montrhs ago it was the same as May last year. It hadn't gone up at all.

That doesn't seem right does it?

A little harsh Ed, but reading some of the horror stories on here and how some people are taken for a ride I can see where you are coming from.

He lost his job a few years ago and got himself into debt, it can happen to anyone. However he's the one who will have to support me not the other way around, as I won't be able to work when I first arrive. He doesn't even have a credit card now.

Also he is the one who has just inherited $50,000 not me!

Pucklechurch I just want to say what a lovely person you sound and send you a big well done for taking in abandoned and rescued cats and a dog!

If only more people were willing to do that rather than buying kittens and puppies

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas.

Incidentally how is the english cat settling into the neighbourhood? Is he getting beaten up by the local cats or totally holding his own?

He has been told that he may as well have not paid it off as it doesn't make any difference.

If you are saying that a bankruptcy takes 7 years before it goes away, doesn't it seem very unfair that if you make the effort, clear your debts and thus owe no one, you are still classed in the same bracket as a bankrupt who may owe thousands in unpaid debts which will never be repaid?

So he might as well have not paid any of that off. Used the $6000 to get himself some secured credit cards and just started rebuilding his credit up that way?

This seems crazy that there appears to be no benefit what so ever for actually paying it all off!

I will probably do that in a couple of years when I know that I definitely want to stay in the States, but if I wanted to go back to the UK it would be impossible to get back on the housing ladder in London.

This way it's like my insurance policy and makes the big move not so scarey knowing we could come back if I hated it. Also it gives me an income each month even when I'm not working.

Do you think most men are much worse with money than women?

My fiance (He's the american citizen) had awful credit. About 4 different credit cards that he had maxed and had then just been paying the minimum payment. This had affected his credit rating so much that no one would give him credit.

18 months ago I lent him the money to pay back his debts approx $6000 so not a huge amount.

My credit in the UK is fantastic, I am a bank managers wet dream, however my fiancee and I decided that as he then got his dream job earlier this year, that I should move to the USA.

My question is that since he paid back those debts and has now been earning a good wage since April of this year why is his credit score still the same?

When I move over in January I would like us to buy a house but I'm worried whether we will be denied a mortgage. as I will have no Credit History and his is still rubbish. We have also been told that even if you pay all of your debts off they still effect your credit rating for the next 10 years!!!

His mother died a few months ago so he has $50,000 coming from her any day now, plus I own my house in London outright which is worth approx $550,000. I am going to rent that out which will give me a monthly income and sell it in a couple of years if we decide to stay in the USA. So we are quite well off but it seems that this low credit score will really effect our future plans.

Can anyone tell me if these bad debts will stay with him for 10 years and also perhaps recommend someone or somewhere that he can go and speak to, to try to sort his credit score out.

Any help that anyone can offer with this problem will be hugely appreciated.