yoda one for me

3 hours ago, Phil and Serena said:

Can a patient just walk into the GP's office and request the "Summary Care Record?"   Is it like a one page form or something that they can easily print/generate and then just hand it to the patient over the counter?   Is that how it works?

Pretty much, yeah.

Some surgeries do it as a self service thing - they have to activate your account but you can log onto their portal and access it yourself as a patient. Others you can have reception print it out from their system for you (obv you have to go in with ID and such for data protection reasons). 

I think mine was like a page with a few headers with nothing underneath them and a small dated record of my last visit. If your partner has some more recent history such as current medications or chronic conditions they'll be listed in there too. It is literally one to a few sheets of paper - it's not the full medical records, it's exactly what it sounds like: a summary. 

An NHS practice that refuses to give a copy of this is acting inappropriately and warrants complaints to the practice manager and local health authority, but I feel like most people just end up having to educate practice reception staff on what they want (as some assume it's FULL records and get all in a tizzy about it) rather than people being actually obstructive.

Some more information on summary care records is here on the NHS website: 

https://digital.nhs.uk/services/summary-care-records-scr

https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/about-the-nhs/your-health-records/

https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/about-the-nhs/how-to-access-your-health-records/ (this one says you can't get your summary online, so it may have changed, but ultimately the key is to talk to the practice your partner is registered at)

It may be helpful to take some of these webpages printed out to reiterate exactly what is needed. 

Best of luck! The actual record itself is going to feel very anticlimactic for all the faff it is to get it in your case 😅

Did you have the medical without taking your summary with you on the day?

Have you rung your surgery to give them a kick up the bum to get this done? Have you been in person to hassle them? It's really down to you to keep being a squeaky wheel here. You have to make it clear that this is not only extremely important they are holding things up, but that you have a right to access a copy of your information.

Do they not have an online portal you can access to get your summary care record yourself? The summary care record is a standard NHS format, you should be able to get this really easy - a lot easier than your full medical records! 

1 hour ago, WestHighlander said:

This question probably gets asked a zillion times a day in here, so excuse me if you've heard this one before: When it comes to evidence of having met up within the preceding two years, can I use printed extracts from my Facebook timeline (with photos of trips together, at the airport, etc) showing the dates they were posted? Most of our interaction when we're not together takes place on Facebook, so I'm planning to rely heavily on posts from both our profile pages as evidence of our relationship.

As Lucky Cat says, the best evidence is the 'primary' evidence: passport stamps, boarding passes, hotel receipts. This should be your priority. For a UK beneficiary situation, you don't need to supply chat logs or anything. As I understand this is usually advised to be included for countries where fraud is common and they want to see as much as possible to establish veracity of a relationship. Your evidence at this stage is proving you have physically met, per the i-129f requirements: https://www.uscis.gov/i-129f

Quote

If you are petitioning to classify your fiancé(e) as a K-1 nonimmigrant, did you provide the following?

• Evidence you and your fiancé(e) intend to marry within 90 days of their admission into the United States as a K-1 nonimmigrant; and
• Evidence you met your fiancé(e) in-person within two years of you filing your Form I-129F. If you haven’t met within two years, submit evidence that meeting in-person would violate strict and long-established customs of your fiancé(e)’s foreign culture or social practice or would be an extreme hardship on the petitioner.

So, in my case, we produced passport & boarding pass evidence and (as additional rather than main evidence) added copies of photos of us taken together during that trip (annotated with date & context). No further evidence was required and my petition was approved, and following the Embassy interview & medical my visa came through without problems.

We had been a couple for about 6 months and met a grand total of once before we sent in the i-129f petition, and had subsequent visits before interview time a few months later. Out of an abundance of caution, I took evidence of our relationship (basically more boarding passes, photos together and with family, birthday cards/gift receipts from each other, etc.) to the interview in London but this was never asked for. 

In short, don't worry too much about collecting evidence - your focus is the proof of meeting and filling out the forms correctly. 

Note that you have to provide evidence of having physically met up in the two years prior to filing, so you may want to get a move on in terms of putting together your paperwork else you'll have to wait until you're able to make another visit. You could try claiming the pandemic as hardship but given that it's going to take a while for processing to catch up you may be best just applying ASAP and dealing with the next steps as they come.

You can absolutely DIY this process (we did!) - no need for lawyers. Also, iirc I've seen on here a few people who have a long way to travel to get to London have tried to schedule medicals & interviews to take place on the same trip, which does work ok!, it just means there's a delay as the Embassy has to wait to receive your medical results before they can issue you a visa.

Also I'm another person who visited for several 1-week visits on the ESTA while my K1 was processing. I just took copies of documents proving my ties to the UK incase I was asked - so things like docs for my mortgage and my car finance, my time off as booked with work, and of course my return flight details. I did also mention that I had a K1 visa in progress (with an interview scheduled) at one time when a CBP agent was trying to figure out what my deal was ("wouldn't you like to stay longer?" leading questions). 

What you want is your 'summary care record' - that's the NHS-wide terminology. You might be best served giving a copy of these pages to your GP/surgery receptionist for reference, but basically it's a short-form record of your recent treatments, any long term conditions, etc. It's not your full medical records.

https://digital.nhs.uk/services/summary-care-records-scr

https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/about-the-nhs/your-health-records/

https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/about-the-nhs/how-to-access-your-health-records/

I was able to just get a printout of my SCR from the receptionists at my GP surgery once they understood that a printout of that record was all I needed. Mine was very short, (a lot of the headings had nothing under them) it just had a note about a prescription i had for a couple of months and no longer on there and basically nothing else but my name and DOB if I recall correctly.

Note that if you have any chronic conditions you'll likely need a letter from your GP about it, but also if you've ever had any mental health issues you should get a letter stating that you are not a danger to yourself or others - even if it was a long time ago and you are well now, they just need that bit of documentation.

edit: some districts & surgeries let you access this online (through a web portal you have to get a code from them to register at) so you can print it yourself, while others do not. It's very regional, but that may be worth asking about.

I did not want to risk losing my green card by mailing it out so I insisted they give me an appointment.

The SSA website actually says (albeit under benefits) that you should NOT mail lawful presence documents (ie your green card!) to them and should instead get an appointment.

Quote

I am a non-citizen and Social Security says they need to see my DHS lawful presence documents to pay my benefits. Should I mail them to my local office?

Date: December 22, 2020

No. Do not mail any DHS lawful presence documents to SSA. If they are needed, your local office will contact you to possibly schedule an appointment to review and certify your original documentation.

As for consequences of not having your green card if a situation comes up and you have to show it... well... the law itself says 

Quote

(e) Personal possession of registration or receipt card; penalties

Every alien, eighteen years of age and over, shall at all times carry with him and have in his personal possession any certificate of alien registration or alien registration receipt card issued to him pursuant to subsection (d). Any alien who fails to comply with the provisions of this subsection shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall upon conviction for each offense be fined not to exceed $100 or be imprisoned not more than thirty days, or both.

I don't know what the other risks are in different scenarios (perhaps detention while they validate you're legal?).

You'll also want to consider that it'll cost $540 to get a replacement green card if it's lost, and you could be waiting months for a replacement to arrive with only your receipt letter on hand to prove your status.

Honestly I'd just go for the appointment. Following my appointment my new social security card was in my mailbox in less than a week. I was only parted from my green card and other documents for like 5 minutes while they made their own copies within my sight.

And another update: my new social security card arrived in the mail today - complete with correct updated name, and no more "valid for work only with DHS auth" restriction on there. Hooray!

Hopefully this is a bit of reassurance for anyone in the same boat.

Just to update things from my end, after taking on board some of the advise in this thread I called SSA again and used the "i need the name corrected because i need to file taxes" reason to get my card updated. These were indeed the magic words. A week and a half later I was called back and offered an appointment. I also had to confirm that I had no covid symptoms or been in contact with covid positive people. The appointment was for the following week. I showed up with all of my documents ready plus the application form all filled out and signed. The lady at the window took my information and made their own copies of my docs for reference, printed out a sheet for me to confirm all the updated details were correct, and took my old SSN card. She gave me a receipt for the corrected card and told me it should be with me in 7-10 days but electronically it updates in the system within 24 hours.

So, confirmed that you say 'need this to file taxes' and it should do the trick. Also don't be afraid to call back at another date/time if you get a really unhelpful agent on the phone! The second person I talked to was extremely understanding and made sure they could escalate me for an appointment by taking a lot of information. 

Good luck, folks

5 minutes ago, yellowtowo9 said:

the medical is not yet sent off to the embassy, as they have requested my medical reports from my GP. my gp is very rude and has told me by requesting these things such as a letter, that i am wasting nhs resources. I also have had a chance to email the medical examiners and ask to add additional information onto my medical report such as the add diagnosis. 

This is absolutely not a waste of resources! Your GP surgery should have a procedure for requesting official doctor's letters - there was a small 10 GBP charge for me to have one made up from my GP surgery - i went through the reception staff for this, not the GP themself though. What I did was write a letter asking them to review my records and write a letter confirming that i was not a danger to myself or others and that I was not currently in treatment for anything etc. It took about a week before they called to say I could pick it up. This is absolutely a service that your GP surgery will provide - this is not an unusual request at all and if they refuse you should submit a formal complaint to the practice manager.

Did you take your patient record to the medical? Are they requesting full records from your GP in addition to that? 

Yeah I'm a filed Dec 2019/NOA Jan 2020 and they cancelled my interview last April and issued me the green card anyway. Seems like sometimes people get lucky and just get issued. I would expect an interview for ROC in a couple of years.

Did you get all your vaccinations signed off at the K1 medical? Do you remember whether they made you see the nurse for any shots or if they told you you were up to date based on the records you brought them? It doesn't matter what your personal doctor in the UK said, only what the doctor authorized by the Embassy put on your form at the time the visa was issued.

If they signed off on you having had all the appropriate vaccinations and you filed AOS within the timeframe (as it appears you did), you shouldn't need a new medical unless they lost your medical report which has, unfortunately, happened to quite a few folks. You'll be told if this is the case at your interview and they won't be able to make a decision until you get a new medical done here and sent to them. Be aware that you have to go to an authorized Civil Surgeon for any new vaccinations to be certified or a medical examination to 'count' for USCIS, rather than going through your own doctor.

Wisconsin DMV wouldn't issue me a learner's permit or a state ID until the name on my SSA record matched my green card but you may have more luck. DMV said they have the power to do a once-in-a-lifetime override but that won't work for a first issuance, only if I'd gotten a permit in my maiden name previously. I wish I'd gone and done that, now, but hey ho. 

SSA already refused me an appointment due to Covid (apparently getting a license and a job aren't the 'dire need' the agent said they would consider) so I'll try the tax filing argument next.

2 hours ago, ccass410 said:

Hi everyone! So happy to see so many approvals and interviews and MOVEMENT!

 

I have a very quick question. My greencard is in my maiden name and I would like to switch over to my married name. My passport is also in my maiden name and my country are not accepting new passport applications at the minute (thank you COVID/BREXIT). Do my greencard and passport need to be in the same name? If they’re different will that cause trouble at customs/ will I have to carry my marriage certificate? I’m not travelling anywhere but would just like to know whether it’s worth changing it now or waiting until my passport expires (in two years) 

Yeah, you'll want to carry your marriage certificate with you if you travel, and also make sure you book your plane tickets in the name on your passport for international travel. In terms of local/US-based ID, your green card becomes the best thing to use now and I believe that's the ID you'd be able to use for flying within the US.

I don't think there's any need to rush into updating your passport, or worrying about updating it. I've got about 7 years left on mine and I'll probably get around to it once I can finish converting everything to my married name - covid really threw a spanner in the works - and want to visit Blighty or something. 

I got a 'case closed, benefit received by other means' sort of message a month or so after I got my green card, as I ended up with that first. I treated that as being as good as an approval message for the sake of VJ numbers.

As someone else said I'm pretty sure when I renewed mine in 2018 I could upload a photo taken on my smartphone and it allowed me to crop it per regulations directly on the website. You have to obviously follow the guidelines for background colour, being well lit (but no flash) and not having anything covering your face & head (unless religious exemption), but it was really simple process as I recall.

Yep, I did this. On the website as part of the process I nominated a family member to receive the cheque and they popped it into my UK bank account for my as it was a little while before I was organised enough to get a US account. Super easy to sort it all online and well worth doing.

55 minutes ago, Sarasota said:

I used the website transferwise

Same.

Left my money in my UK bank account which I just administered online for a few months until I had a US bank account set up. Used TransferWise to move from UK bank to US bank as it was cheaper than a direct bank transfer from my UK bank. It was pretty hassle free.

edit: I also left my UK bank account open with a small amount of money for when we return to visit. Figured it'd be easier than having to convert $   Also, I had a UK pension which can only be paid out to a UK account once it becomes payable - if you have a similar situation it's worth keeping an account open. 

2 hours ago, Erika Z said:

Hi all, 

 

I am looking into buying the Visa Tutor step by step course for applying for the I-129F. Has anyone used this service? Is it worth $147?

 

If not, have you used something else? 

 

Thanks! 

Just read VisaJourney and the instruction sheets USCIS provides for the forms.

It's really easy to do this yourself (especially with a UK beneficiary - the whole process is practically easy-mode for Brits), there is absolutely no point adding needless extra expense to an already expensive process.

15 hours ago, Thistletongue said:

Anyways, obviously we can't schedule an interview and everyone is talking about interviews being scheduled out until August of next year (on Reddit mind you but...).
So to make a very long story short should I just move to the UK and take up citizenship there? Should we get married somewhere else and apply for a different Visa here?

Don't read reddit and assume the same applies to your case, all embassies run a bit differently and the UK embassy moves in a very specific ways. In my experience Reddit immigration communities are very heavy on Canadians and various Asian nationality folks and especially those on work or education visas. All very different scenarios to a UK K1.

If you marry in order to do a CR1 spouse visa you start over from scratch and have fresh fees (no refund on the K1 you void either) and at least a year of repeating the whole waiting process before you get to interview stage, so you lose the current advantage spouse visas have in embassy interviewing. There are other advantages to CR1 over K1 but you guys are right at the finish line and it seems silly to start fresh now and pay another buttload of money just to wait and wait and wait again.

Just wait for K1 interviews to be bookable and you (well, your UK fiance) will be able to jump right in - as Wuozopo said they open bookings for the month ahead so once you can book there won't be much of a delay at all. 

8 minutes ago, Pooley said:

This is true. My hubby loves his family but was never super close with them and his friends weren't the greatest of friends either and had trouble saving money (pretty much since he was never tough to manage it well in the first place). He had it tough so since coming here, my family has welcomed him with open arms, he's finished his schooling by getting his GED, quite smoking, started the job he set out to get (an electrician) and is also in college for apprenticeship, has made super close friends and we just bought our first house together so he's what he calls "chuffed" lol.  

Wow, that's an amazing set of achievements - well done him! Chuffed to bits, I bet!   

15 hours ago, Zsazsa said:

You got that right. 

Honestly it's stories like yours that keep me coming back to this & the December thread to check up on folks. I want to see you guys get through all this and have some good news! 

8 hours ago, hannahjsf said:

Has anyone done this with Lloyds Bank?

I'm looking to keep mine open, especially as I'll be moving before I technically finish work (through using up my annual leave) and will be getting paid into that account. The only thing is I want to change my address to the US because my family will likely be moving soon so I'd rather the letters come to me.

I've looked online and found nothing. I don't want to go into branch and ask in case it causes problems and they try to close my account.

Lloyds support told me I'd have to take all my documents to go and sort this out in-branch, and my local branch told me it wasn't allowed to have a bank account in the UK with a US address (even though I found some of their online help documents that said it was!) and the account would be terminated, so I just went online and changed it to my mum's address in the UK. They were useless and rude about it, so in the end I actually sent in a complaint and was glad to be moving the bulk of my money away from them to the US anyway.

I've considered looking at something like Transferwise's Borderless account but since I only have a bit of cash in there to cover occasional UK expenses like gift orders and a play fund for when we visit, it's just sitting there.

Not unusual. I didn't get an update on my EAD case after biometrics until I had my green card in-hand for over a month.

But is your status 'ready to be scheduled for an interview' or more like 'interview has been scheduled'?

If it's the former, expect a long wait where you may indeed yet get an EAD/AP update before it changes to 'interview has been scheduled'. This status just means you're in the queue at your local office and you don't actually have an interview yet. 

If it's the 'interview has been scheduled' status, congrats, you have a very speedy local field office