Toastbear

6 hours ago, Elrona said:

Beside just heating, have a look also at insulation and how good that is. It will be especially important if you are looking into buying your own place next year.

 

For example, we are renting a place for winter season in Colorado. It can get down to -27C in winter here but the house we live in, has single pane windows!! So obviously, its not good insulation and probably there are cracks between the frame and wall as sitting on the couch, you could feel nice cold breeze =D Already now, in the beginning of the winter with just -10C we had heating cranked up to max but we were still freezing. What we did, was just to tape bubblewrap over the windows we don't really need (we have 9 various size of windows in our living room) or use. So right now 3 windows in living room and 1 window in bedroom is covered and that has been good enough - we set the heat to the half (3 out of max 6) and now I can actually wear t-shirt and shorts inside. If it would be our own place, we would look for long term solution, but as we will move out in the end of winter, tape and bubble wrap will do. 

 

To my surprise, its not as common in US or also in New Zealand where I have lived to have a house that has all three things covered: heating, insulation and ventilation. I understand you might not need it in the areas where temperature rarely goes close to freezing but even in places with real cold weather it just does not exist!

 

TL;DR: As extra to looking at heating, see how the house is insulated, where you have the "cold bridges" and what you can do to better it. 

Oh wow that does sound bad. Thats what the most difference is in the way they build houses, the insulation kinda sucks a lot. Like brick buildings keep it better warm and cold for a longer time. And yeah the bubble wrap is a good idea for a shortterm resolution. 

And yeah about the houses having all these three things, i think building our own house would make way more sense looking for long term saving money/energy.  I just feel like that it costs more to fix that stuff in an older house than buying a new one. But i gotta look into that more once we got through all the AOS and K1 stuff. We really want to find another house next year because we pay over 2150 dollars rent for a 3 story house with 4 bedrooms. Thats way too overpriced but we fell in love with the house and were looking for a fast solution while i move to the US

29 minutes ago, hm139 said:

Radiators are pretty common in apartments in New York City. Other than that, I don't think I've ever seen them built into houses in the US. Central heating is considered more luxurious, I guess, because your whole house is warm. But yes, welcome to the wastefulness of America. And I bet if you mention this to your neighbors they will think you're nuts, because obviously the US is the most advanced! 

LMAO

yeah i noticed that with the wastefulness. Sometimes i like it because i dont need to recycle as much as i need in germany and that i dont need to bring my bottles back to the store to get money back. But on the other side its kinda crazy with all those plastic bags you get at walmart. Like in germany i go shopping with my own bag, but being in america just for a few weeks ruined that already lmfao. I went to the american lidl and since its a german store they didnt give you plastic bags... i forget this everytime because im so used to get bags at walmart etc. 

(Meanwhile you need to pay for plastic bags even in clothing stores in germany now too)

Also with the neighbors that might be true, but funny enough the lady right next to us is from germany too haha. My parents just raised me to not waste anything that costs money. Like sometimes in the bathroom when my fiance is brushing his teeth and he leaves the water on while brushing, i turn it off (of course hes annoyed by it, but i cant help myself hahahaha)

17 minutes ago, dentsflogged said:

Those types of heaters are common in older homes and northern climates.  If it snows in your area and there are houses over 50 years old, you're likely to find radiators (the wall heaters that are warmed with water).

 

Honestly I don't know if they're something you can buy brand new for newly built homes since they're out of 'fashion' now.  

I've seen plenty of gorgeous early and mid century homes in my area totally gutted and a fortune spent installing forced air central A/C and heating which seems odd given that it's never hot enough here to require A/C but radiators are much cheaper to run and IMO look far better than air vents.  The one thing I was sad about (ok, fine the second thing after the lack of a 3rd bedroom) about the home we just bought was the fact that it's forced/central air rather than radiators. 

 

One good thing about central air is that the temperature is easier to alter, whereas if the radiator is too hot, you can bump it down but it takes ages to cool off.

Yeah i mean we live in virginia, which is not that cold for a long time but central heat seems just so wasteful. Like at most i only want my office and the bathroom warm, but instead i need to turn them on for the whole house. I honestly dont even know how much higher electrical and gas bills are in america compared to other countries. Like i get that with the A/C for cooling because thats something you definetely need in virginia, even though i always think my fiance makes it way too cold in the house haha. Luckily his office is on the third floor, so i can just leave my ac on my floor off.

and yeah i agree with the easier altering of the temperature, its something you get used to tho. like for example i know when to turn off or down my heater before it gets too warm

59 minutes ago, databit said:

Wall heaters are only found in older houses; newer houses have central heating. Unless the house is made of brick (not common in more temperate areas of the US) wall heaters can be fire hazards. 

 

 

wow that sucks. so america is kinda behind i guess. I mean i noticed that with bathroom stuff like in germany its common to hide the watertanks for toilets in the wall etc. 

Also wall heaters arent fire hazards. They run with hot water here and every room has it. So you can decide indiviually which room should be how warm and also you dont have this weird blowing warm air into your face.

My dad already always makes fun of me about moving to america for giving up solid brick houses for what we call in germany "paper houses" 😂😂 and now this. Like i get when you guys suggest mobile heaters but thats kinda ugly and just a temporary solution. I guess we need to look into building a house instead of just buying one. Especially since most houses dont have hot water tanks either, so you never have instantly unlimited hot water. 

God... thinking about what i just said might sound "spoiled" for you but its just a standard for me. America really has its pro's and con's, like i like that most new technologies and services are first in america, but i feel like with standards in houses and food is america kinda behind.

Edit: i just researched a little bit and im apparently not the only one that finds this kind of heating weird and wasteful 😂😂

3 hours ago, Michael2017 said:

Ok, so I would change my European license within the first 30 days, and it is legal to drive 30 days, If I get all this right in Nevada.

 

Yeah but sometimes they take your German license too. Which I wouldn’t let them do that!

3 hours ago, hm139 said:

We call what you're referring to "central heating." And yes, it is very wasteful to heat a whole house when you only really need 1-2 rooms heated at a time! You can get portable space heaters, use candles, drink tea, wear warmer clothes if your fiance wants to keep the temperature cooler than you like. Maybe set it on a timer so the house is warmed up right when you get home from work and again when you wake up in the morning.

Yeah I didn’t know it was called central heating.

and yeah I get that with the mobile heaters, that’s gonna be the solution for the next months. 

Is central heating very common in America or are there other solutions aswell ? Like me and my fiancé want to buy a house next year and I would love to have normal heaters like I’m used to from Germany. They are wall heaters and work with water. Is this something you can find in houses or would we need to build a house for that? 

I mean sure you might Not be able to give me a perfect answer, but have you seen other solutions than central heating?

thank you to both of your answers 

3 hours ago, randie19 said:

So I know someone at this moment that when to Chile and is not able to enter Chile. They het she needs a visa to enter. She is a us citizen, o don’t understand why they not letting her in. Please any suggestions.

I just googled this and i found this website:

https://cl.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/entry-exit-requirements/

as you stated with her being an USC, she should be able to enter the country with her normal passport. Does she already have her passport?

9 minutes ago, JonSho said:

Is the “No Status” kind of irrelevant on the nonimmigrant link, .... even after having attended the interview? 

you dont get a status there because you picked the wrong option. You need to check your status with the "immigrant" option.

Sorry for asking the same question but thats something im confused too, because idk when I will be counting as a new resident (since im coming on a k1 visa).

Quote

 

Non-Residents

If you are a non-resident temporarily living in Virginia, you may drive with your home state or country driver's license and license plates for no more than six months.

New Residents

Within 60 days of moving here, you must obtain a Virginia driver's license. 

 

 

Like which of those are right?

I dont really know anything about your visa, but if you have a greencard etc you definetely count as a new resident im guessing.

Hey!

This might be a dumb question, but I am wondering how you guys (americans) handle winters with houses that only have AC (means heating and cooling). I am from germany, and we have those wall heaters in every room. 

The last time i was in our house in virginia it started to get cold, but it was also not cold enough to keep the heater running the whole time. I just wish certain rooms like my office or the bathrooms would be warm? Like how do you guys do it, do you let the heating ac run the whole day on a certain temperature? We also have a 3 story house with 2 ac units, which doesnt make it easier. Idk i just miss this warm, homy feeling when i come home and its cold outside. My fiance is kinda used to having his house cold over the year, but for me its just too cold. 

Also what do you guys do over the night? Like im used to sleep with open windows to have fresh air in the bedroom? This isnt a problem in the summer, since we are running ac cooling. I tried to just switch the fan to "on" (without cooling or heating) over night. 

But yeah idk, im kinda confused and my fiance isnt a big help with this either because he likes it cold.

So how do you usually heat your house over the winter days? Like should i just leave the downstairs heating ac on and hope it reaches upstairs? I dont want to waste a lot of gas/electricity either.

Looking forward to your answers!

9 minutes ago, AnnaYT said:

Can I get the medical right now? Or will it expire if it takes too long? I just want to make sure. 

Yes you can. I was at the medical even before i had my pack 3 letter.

The only thing you need is your casenumber!

I think the medical is valid for 6 months and the results also take some time until they arrive at the embassy.

I was at the doctors in frankfurt because they have walk ins every monday, tuesday and thursday. I started driving at 3am and was there at 7.45am and was the second person there. They are really nice and the woman that takes your blood is so fast, i was so impressed. 

Here is the list of what you need for the medical in frankfurt: https://www.internisten-im-westend.de/medical-visa/

Also important is, that you check your vaccination history. Like in the wintermonths they requiere the flu shot, so i was at my normal doctors 2 days before to get that one done too. I didnt have the "windpocken" vaccination because i had it as a child, they are fine with you telling them that (no proof required).

Edit: the documents you need are listed under the immigrant-visa section, you dont need a conviction history. 

You will get pack 3 via mail from the embassy. The only thing you can do right now is gathering the documents and doing the medical. So when pack3 arrives you can send it out real fast. 

You can get the checklist here: 

https://de.usembassy.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/21/Instructions-for-IV-and-K-Visa-Applicants-1.pdf

also don’t send anything out until you receive the letter from the embassy because there is a paper in there that you need to fill out!

I sent the required pack 3 documents to the embassy in Frankfurt last Thursday. The wait now drives me nuts because I wanted to be in America for Christmas . Sadly we had some trouble to get the tax returns earlier. The nvc case tracker told me yesterday my case was updated and today it was updated again. I wonder what they are doing lmao. 

24 minutes ago, Tschennel said:

wie toll 😄😄

in welcher Gegend wohnt ihr denn? Wir wohnen direkt am Sandy Bottom Nature Park 🙂

Bist du rüber geflogen nachdem ihr NOA2 hattet? Überlege über Weihnachten auch nochmal rüber zu fliegen, je nachdem wann ich den Interviewtermin bekomme. 

Hab aber angst, dass sie mich nicht rein lassen 🙈 

 

Ich wär auf jeden Fall dabei 😁

Wo genau möchte ich gerne ungern öffentlich sagen, aber wir wohnen im nördlichen bereich, ungefähr 20 minuten vom park!

Ja ich bin rübergeflogen 1 woche nach noa2 für die 7 wochen über Washington Dulles Airport. War absolut kein Problem! Die haben nicht einmal den Impfausweis von meinem Hund angeschaut lol.

Hatte natürlich ne menge an beweise mit (immatrikulation etc), aber wurde nach nichts gefragt. Der officer hat mich nicht einmal angesehen.

On 11/19/2018 at 9:15 PM, Tschennel said:

 

Ja genau Newport News! 

Wie toll 😃😃

 

LOL, alle deutschen gehen nach newport news. Ich "wohne" da auch. Wir sind im August in unser Haus gezogen und ich bin dann anfang september nochmal für 7 wochen rüber geflogen und hab meinen Hund dort gelassen. Warte jetzt gerade auch nur noch auf meinen Interviewtermin und dann gehts wieder zurück nach Newport News. 

Wie die liebe TearsOfBabylon schon sagte, wohnt sie in williamsburg und wir haben uns im oktober auch schon getroffen. Also wenn das so weiter geht können wir dann hier ne Mädelsgruppe gründen und gemeinsam Dinge unternehmen in NN und Umgebung 😂😂

4 minutes ago, SJ_Ulloa said:

Would this have also effected the US embassy's in other countries? I would assume so but you never know. 

Yes they were closed too. I got an email from the embassy in frankfurt (germany) today and they mentioned that the embassy was closed yesterday.

On 10/29/2018 at 12:56 PM, runninggirl said:

Ours is still at NVC too.

Fingers crossed they are sending our petitions out tomorrow or the day after!

That just means you can start to collect all necessary docs for packet 3 (the consulate in Frankfurt is going to send you packet 3 as soon as they receive your case)

 

You were right, today the status changed to "in transit"

6 hours ago, runninggirl said:

Mal eine Frage bzgl. aller Impfungen  

Ich finde nur eine "recommended" Liste nach Alter.

Aber nichts was irgendwie Pflicht ist 
Weiß jemand zufällig ob man wirklich mehr braucht als das normale: MMR, Tetanus/Dipht, Pertusis, Grippe und Windpocken

Ja das würde mich auch mal interessieren

4 minutes ago, runninggirl said:

Ours is still at NVC too.

Fingers crossed they are sending our petitions out tomorrow or the day after!

That just means you can start to collect all necessary docs for packet 3 (the consulate in Frankfurt is going to send you packet 3 as soon as they receive your case)

 

thanks for the fast answer. Yeah I mean I am not in a hurry since im still here visiting but I was just afraid i might have forgot to do something etc :D.

Hey,

I called NVC last monday and got our NVC number for our K1 petition. I have been checking the website multiple times in the past days and the status says "at NVC", so I was googling about that and apparently that means I should have gotten like a list with documents I need to submit? I just asked my mum, because im currently in the US and she said there hasnt been anything in the mail yet.

Can anyone explain me what the next steps are?

Cheers,

Darline

Hey,

I was planning on using Air canada as the airline to come with my approved k1 visa to the US. Now im researching and seeing that while traveling through canada they have their own ETA and also that you clear US costums right in toronto. Does that mean i need to plan in more time for my connecting flight because they are gonna check my k1 visa in toronto?

Has anyone expierence from traveling from international via canada to the USA with an approved k1 visa?

Cheers,

Darline

1 hour ago, americaninlove said:

Thanks. I have informed delivery so I’ll know if something comes but will have no idea what it is. Could be “you’re denied.” Who knows. At this point knowing that people are still waiting from October only just makes me cry more. Not exactly hope-inducing to know we could be we could waiting another 4+ months when people who filed the same date as us already have an interview scheduled. And to see people with approvals who filed in april. Ouch. I honestly can’t imagine a worse process for two people trying to start a life together. To say I’m jealous of all of you who’ve moved on is an understatement. If we ever do move on I couldn’t give a ####### how long the rest of this takes (and it seems the longer our NOA2 takes the longer the rest will take as times just keep getting longer and longer) so at least there’s that. 

 

I wish i could to back in time and never have met him. This has been so horrible that I would absolutely take it all back if I could. The whole thing just totally sucks. 

I was thinking about you the past days, because I even checked the forum to see if there was anything new from you.

Reading all this just makes me sad too. Like sure we have our NOA2 and stuff, but I know how it feels to not know whats going on and wondering about whats taking so long. I really wish you guys a lot of luck and that everything will work out in the next few days. 

Also I get that Uscis is getting a lot of calls, but with your processing time they should be a little bit more understanding.

9 hours ago, Rayapig said:

I have received a response from one person so far on how long it took to receive a response from the USCIS after sending their paperwork for the RFE. Can anyone else tell me your experience with sending your info after sending the RFE-- and how long it took for approval/to receive your NOA2? Also did everyone that received an RFE also get a response back from the USCIS when they received your corrected/updated paperwork for the RFE? I am just wondering if I should expect to hear from them once they receive my paperwork.

We got our rfe in mail on September 5, then send it back 21st, they got it on 24th and approved 28th. Means approved in 4 days. We didnt get any response from them but they changed the status on the old website to received and then to approved. 

Hey i know we are almost in october, but we got approved today Sept 28!

Can anyone help me with the next step for the embassy in germany? I am so excited.

3 minutes ago, americaninlove said:

They requested another intent to marry letter from the beneficiary, which we included in our original application. Sent back the same day that we received the RFE (my fiancé was here visiting). They received it on September 6. No reply 22 days later. 

Wow I would be mad and sad too! Not even your fault