The Robinsons

I haven't used it myself but I've came across them before. Sounded interesting to me too but it seems nobody knows them so it makes me wonder how credible it is.

how did they know (costums) if the bags are fake......im just curious....i have a lots collection of louis vuitton bags and wallets its all original but i didnt know where the certification of all my bags and wallets now.ofcourse im going to bring it all with me....what if they told me that is fake coz i dont have proof,,,but i know in myself its all original coz i bought that in louis vuitton shop.....now i start be worry....

There are plenty of ways to tell if a designer bag is the real thing or not. Quality, label etc. Agreeded some fakes are better than others. But for example.....almost all LV fakes have white stitching. The orginals have yellow (if I remember correctly). Gucci fakes have a different colored label on the inside than the originals. You need to know what to look for but you can tell a difference. So if your bags are the real deal don't worry about it. They'll know.

We had some of the same questions when we had to file. My husband had been living in Denmark for almost 3 years. All he showed to prove U.S. domicile was his drivers license.

As for his tax returns he hadn't filed during the previous 3 years. The last year because his income was too low. He just attached a statement saying he didn't have to file the previous year and because we had a co-sponsor they didn't ask about it at all.

For us finding insurance has been just as much trouble as getting my visa. My husband's car insurance was about $45 per month with GMAC. I've had a Danish license for years but once I got my NC DL they wanted to carry the rate up to $180 per month!!!!!! Progressive, Statefarm, Nationwide, Geico and State Beaureu all wanted $130-180 per month (and that's the down to the bare minimum coverage). The high rates are because they won't recognize my Danish license so they qualify me as an inexperienced driver!! It's was only Direct Insurance (over the phone - not at the office) who would acknowledge me as exprience.....so we currently pay $60 and some change per month with them.

Health insurance........impossible to get on our income. Thinking about becomming a CNA so I can get it through work.

It seems you're not the only one who's been told to get it. I've seen other posts up here lately where the women had to get it. So whether they've added the HPV vaccination to the list of required vaccinations? Who knows........

Yes ALL immigrant visas require vaccinations started but not complete before getting the visa.

http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/info/info_1331.html

Typically for most it is:

• Mumps, Measles, Rubella (MMR)
• Tetanus and diptheria toxoids
• Varicella (AKA Chicken Pox)

Yeah I know you need vaccinations. My question was has the HPV vaccination been added to the list for all countries?

Hi everyone,

I was just curious. In some of the other forums they were talking about the vacinations needed before getting a visa (the ones you usually get at your medical). And they mentioned one that definitely wasn't required when I got mine last year. It's the Gardasil HPV vacination. Which done the right way takes up to 1 year to complete. I can't see no reason why they would require you to have that one since you can't pass on cervical cancer (the other vacines they require you to get are for deseases you can pass on to others). So has anyone in here had their medical lately? Or does anyone know for a fact that it has been added to the list?

I'm not from France but to me that sounds crazy. Gardasil is a vacination for cervical cancer. It's still a very new vacine and I highly doubt they'd require you to be vacinated for cancer. Before my interview in Denmark I had to be vacinated only for deceases that I could pass on....like the deseases you get as a child, hepatitis etc. Definitely not cancer. Anyway, the embassy will send you a list of vacination you'll need once you get your interview date. (I promise you it will all be ones you can get in one day)

The 3-6 months timeline is for DCF filers (Direct Consular Filing). If you file at a Service Center in the U.S. the timeline doubles.

I agree....if you live in Canada and you're already married then do DCF. It's ALOT faster than filing with a service center in the U.S.

I LOVE going to Ikea. I'm more interested in the food market than the furniture though I always stack up on Marabou chocolate, lingonsaft, pärlsocker (for baking), vaniljsocker (for baking), vaniljsås etc. Can't get al the good stuff that cheap anywhere else here.

Marabou About my favorite chocolate in the world!! Why oh why dear God is there not an IKEA in North Carolina??!! I love IKEA by the way. Back home my entire apartment was straight out of IKEA.

None of the stores around here really sell anything Scandinavian. Except Danish cookies which are kinda nasty. Oh well I once saw 'Danish' cheese at a Sam's Club but we don't have a membership so.....

Oh and yes drivers over here SUCK! I'm tired of people pulling out in front of me on the highway and hitting my car!

As for the religion part. I married into a family with not 1 but 2 preachers. Needless to say I miss people keeping their religion to themself - what ever little they have in Denmark.

Young drivers here have their driver seat so far back you can hardly see them. I really dont know how they see to drive , plus the music is so loud there windows are shaking.

I'll admit I'm quilty of the loud music when driving in our tiny little town or on the highway. Turn it down a bit when I'm driving in the city......

And people drive over from Alabama and they don't have to have car insurance there, so watch out!

WHAT?!!!!!!!!!

You know what ticks me off? Having to purchase mandatory insurance to cover me against drivers who don't HAVE insurance. So, in effect, I am buying their insurance so they don't have to. Unbelievable.

I know first hand about that. Last month we were hit by an illegal mexican with no insurance - of course. He pulled out in front of us and then just left the scene before the police came. Despite the fact that we have uninsured motorist coverage and are covered for a hit and run accident there was a BIG catch. You need to PROVE to the insurance company (GMAC!!!) that the other driver didn't have insurance (police report is not evidence). My question is how are you supposed to prove the driver didn't have insurance when it was a hit and RUN accident???!!!!

Well I NEVER have a problem getting hold of a real person. I just follow the instructions - already filed --> case approved --> been 30 days, no GC --> no receipt number --> USCIS customer service rep. Voila!

Ok so I had my DL in Denmark for 3 years, driving all the time and only had 1 near accident (caused my someone else).

Then I move over here...................just in the last month I've been in 1 hit and run accident (thank you GMAC for not EVER covering hit and run accidents even though you claim you do!) and 1 very VERY close call.

It seems to me that maybe just maybe americans are not the best drivers in the world. They drive the most, no doubt about it. But could they benefit from some professional driving lessons and an attitude change???

I say hell yeah!

Or is it just me?

If she's never had a DL before - in her country or elsewhere - please make sure she gets professional lessons.

I'm so tired of all these people over here who can't drive all because they did the bare minimum when getting a DL. Twice this month have I had someone pull out in front of me. 1 actually hitting me, smashing up my car and speeding away leaving me to pay for a new car myself. 1 coming 2 inches from hitting me - both hit the brakes and came to a hault right next to each other, so close I could see his girlfriends bad weave.

So again PROFESSIONAL lessons. But I'm sure she'll do fine and it will be a good way for her to meet people.

If you live in a bad neighbourhood you can sit and stare out of the window to make sure all the hood rats that run up and down the street don't steal the rims off your car....

I know by now you've most likely found an answer to your question. But this is what we were told. If you're married to a U.S. citizen you must file and pay taxes in the U.S. even if that means you pay taxes in the U.S. and France. You can however claim the foreign earned income tax credit so you don't pay double tax.

If the non-U.S. citizen doesn't have a SSN he/she must file for a Tax Identification Number. You can file for an extention in hopes that she'll get her visa and thereby SSN in time to go on the tax return.

Either way no matter what she does, she must file a tax return in the U.S. for 2007. (unless her french income falls below the filing requirements).

As a note: this is what IRS in London told us. We were facing the same problem for 2006. Thankfully my income was below filing requirements so my husband (USC) was the only one that had to file. On the return he just put 'married filing seperately'

Hi everyone,

Been posting on VJ for about 1 year now....never really noticed this forum until now. I'm just curious...to those who're already in the U.S. what do you miss most about back home??

Here's my list:

Rundstykker

Real cheeses - I'm sick and tired of cheddar

Real butter

Chocolate that doesn't taste 'fake'

Free healthcare and education

People that can actually drive

People that doesn't think Denmark is the capital of Sweden!!

Tine

I complete agree with everyone else. It all varies by state. We live in NC and this is how it goes down in this crazy state.

(already had an approved visa when I arrived - just waiting to get GC in mail)

1. SSN

2. Bank Account - need SSN to open

3. Buying car - I forgot if it was because I didn't have a DL or SSN that they wouldn't put me on the title

4. Auto Insurance - I'm required by law to be on my husband's insurance even when I didn't have a valid DL

5. DL - can only be obtained with GC in hand, foreign license only good for 3 months

Just a little update.....

My husband and I applied for a credit card with RBC oh about 3 weeks ago now. Turned out my husband used to have a line of credit with them before he moved. So that should help get an ok......or so you would think. It's been 3 weeks like I said and no word from them. I called the loan officer at the bank (it's a small bank and they all know us very well). She said she would call be back later that day....that was over 1 week ago. I'm calling them back tomorrow and if I can't get an answer I guess it's on to Capital One or who ever.

Note: **** RBC Centura!!!

Wow I see some of you guys are definitely alot better off than we were. When we first moved here I was able to work but it took me 8 months to find a job due to the area we live in. I don't have a degree in anything. All I have is a 3 year business certificate. But it seemed that because my resume wasn't the typical american one and it looked funny on the application the big corporations steered clear of me. I couldn't even get a job at walmart, not even a call back despite working in retail since I was 15.

It also took my husband over 2 months to find a 20-30 hr a week job. And he is a certified fitness professional. He's been working that same job ever since we got over here so our finances were VERY limited. It has helped out alot now that I finally got a job even though it's minimum wage.

But for the 8 months I didn't work since we didn't have any money to spend I had to get creative. Thank God we live with his family so there would always be someone around the house. 3 days a week they would babysit his niece's new born son. So I would help out with him as much as I could during the day. Other than that I would jump at every chance to go to the store every day to pick up one or two things, go with his family members places...even if they just had to go pay bills.

We live in NC so summer time there's no way you can do anything outside. So I was confined to the indoors. After cleaning our room, doing laundry, sorting CDs in alphabetical order, reorganizing the closet (this case my suitcase doubles as my closet) every few days, polishing shoes, ironing towels, doing my hair and make-up...all there was left was well the computer (VJ!!!) and TV. I can tell you want comes on when on what channel every afternoon....(don't worry we don't have cable so it's only 5 channels).

In the end I've ended up setting up a little 'business' if you can call it that. Once his family found out I could do hair and braid they started paying me 5-10 dollars to do their hair. They save money and I make money. Now it has extended to friends and friends of friends.

But all I can say is I'm sooooooooo greatful to be working now. Even though it's not a very good job it's better than sitting at home being bored. Not saying that if my husband gets a good paying job and we have some kids I wouldn't want to quit or cut down my hours.....because I might.

I'm also planning to go back to school this summer to become a CNA. It's fast, cheap, the job you get pays just a little bit better but the benefits (read: health insurance) are awesome.

In NC you're only allowed to drive 3 months on a foreign or international license. And it's a hassle to get an NC license without a GC in hand.

Also we found that Direct Auto Insurance was the only company willing to accept that you are not an inexperienced driver when you hold a foreign drivers license. Therefore also the only company willing the give us a 'normal' insurance rate.

I received a letter from the embassy in copenhagen along with my visa. The letter had the DHS symbol on it and it stated when to remove conditions. The letter also stated that this was my reminder to remove my conditions and that the USCIS will not be sending a second reminder.

This was an interesting read! I particularly found it informative to read their criteria for assigning a "fraud grade" of A - C and for scheduling interviews in the Removal of Conditions cases:

Once the fraud level is determined, the adjudicator enters the case in the MFAS data base. The district office assigns a percentage to each fraud level. All fraud level A cases are interviewed. The responsible officer (usually the ADDE) in the district offices may choose to interview between 30% to 100% of all fraud level B cases; and between 10% and 50% of all fraud level C cases. After the case is entered in MFAS, the adjudicator enters the fraud level and the computer determines if the case will be sent for interview depending on the percentage of cases the district office wants to interview.

(from http://www.uscis.gov/propub/DocView/afmid/...ite=#0-0-0-608)

And what happens to those who are not interviewed?? Are those the ones that receive a letter asking for more evidence?