Jessica & Karl

Hi all, got our visa approved yesterday in London.  So relieved.  Hope to see you all over on the AOS threads.

@Greenbaum Just wanted to say a quick thank you for keeping all this running and your patient support, your guidance and experience was invaluable.  

Hi all, just a quick update.  We just got our interview date for London, UK.  January 12th.  We are also an original plaintiff in the Milligan case. 

The Embassy set our date, we didn't have an option to choose it.

6 minutes ago, Boiler said:

This I find extremely disturbing, basic stuff.

To be honest, when we asked it was in relation to the effect of the overstay on the K1 visa not the B2.  So I assume I have got my wires crossed.  Lots of lessons learned.

Sorry wrong screen, just saw the admit until date. Yup, stupid me, I overstayed.  Thanks for all the help.  Just have to patiently wait for the K1 now I guess.

Just checked this morning, it doesn't say anything specific.

Thanks for all the replies.  I guess my final hail mary here is to check did I overstay.  How do they calculate the 6 months?  Is 26th June to 26th December, 6 months or 6 months and 1 day?  The visa stamp just says B2 no date until.

3 minutes ago, HRQX said:

You're not inadmissible but you'll need a new B-1/B-2 visa.

Ok so that is a dead-end.  Is an ESTA still possible?

We are closely following this thread.  We are booked for 15 days in Mexico (September 5th). Jessica (USC) is joining me there then we are both flying to the US together and are looking to visit until the New Year.  Totally writing off 2020.  I don't really expect the K1 processing to start again so soon.  I have a B1/B2 visa but I am slightly worried as I accidentally overstayed by 1 day last year. Was in the US from the 26th June till 26th December thinking this was 6 months, but this it was actually 6 months and 1 day.  Our lawyer says it shouldn't be an issue as my previous record was always good,  but as Boiler mentions above I won't cut it so close next time.

11 minutes ago, ohcoffeeeyes said:

What kind of questions were asked at the border? My missus is coming in the next few days.

They only asked for her quarantine form, checked a few details, who she was visiting, how long was she visiting and purpose of the visit.  She said she was visiting her fiance. No real trouble at all.

Oh and just in case here is the link for the form and details, you can only fill it out 48 hours before travel. https://www.gov.uk/provide-journey-contact-details-before-travel-uk.  She said there were lots of folks on the plane that didn't have the form and were struggling to complete it on their phones in the queue.

@remotercharm I was just wondering if you managed to get travel insurance for Mexico and your following visit to the US.  All the insurance companies I've used before or even new ones I've checked are not offering any cover to countries that the FCO "advises against all but essential international travel" (both Mexico and the US).  I hope your trip is going well and no more murder or montezuma issues 

13 hours ago, Flux Capacitor said:

Out of interest, when are you flying? A friendly word of warning that my Gatwick > Cancun direct flight has been cancelled on two different dates (The original on August 15th, the second booking on August 17th) and BA aren’t offering any alternate/connecting flights online, so I’ve had to outright cancel my booking and ended up paying quite a lot more to fly with KLM via Amsterdam and Mexico City. It might be worth having a Plan B in mind just in case the same happens to you.

We've booked for 5th September. Thanks for the heads up, I'll keep a very close eye on that, any delay getting out would definitely  impact the 14 days out of UK and ongoing flight to the US.  

Keep us updated about your trip too, and how you get on.  Are you flying to the states after for a visit?

Here are 2 other threads I know of of people going via a 3rd country:

and for the UK guys/gals:

On 7/28/2020 at 4:03 AM, remotercharm said:

 A man was gunned down and murdered a block away from our flat at the corner store I go to everyday and I saw the pool of blood in the parking lot.

OH WOW!  I hope you guys stay safe out there!!! 

We just booked our flights and hotel for September... 😱

On 7/26/2020 at 4:21 PM, theballaam96 said:

Has anyone found a different route from the UK to the US that doesn't cost so much?

We are going via Mexico next month for 15 days.  LGW > CUN, then CUN > MIA > LHR.  Flights with BA are only £500 odd.  @remotercharm is out there now for a month.  Keep an eye on the mexico covid map though to make sure you're not flying into trouble.  Baja and Cancun area are about as safe as the UK, but Mexico city looks to be having some trouble.

I'm meeting Jessica in Mexico, so even if things change last minute and I can't get into the US, we still would have got to spend time together. As @Luckycuds says, anything can change in a day, so just keep fingers crossed.

On 7/23/2020 at 2:05 PM, remotercharm said:

We met here in Mexico a few days ago and everything went smooth.  Enjoying the riviera maya now.

Awesome. How is it there?  We’re debating either Mexico, Barbados, or Dominican Republic. The prices aren’t actually that bad for an all-inclusive for two weeks. 

9 hours ago, FM Beauty Bar said:

where did she fill out the form? I booked a flight. will be there in a few week. want to make sure i have everything.

Hi, the form is here: https://www.gov.uk/provide-journey-contact-details-before-travel-uk.  You can only fill it in 48 hours before you leave, but it's pretty straight forward.  Today is the end of our 14 day quarantine, so we are going outside! Yay!

16 hours ago, BC97 said:

Out of curiosity, how did she find the flight/airport experience? Was the flight itself busy? And was it expensive/what was the route like? That’s the only thing my fiancée is anxious about really

She was due to fly from Charlotte direct to London. The flight was changed to go via Chicago as most international flights now are going through the "hub" airports https://www.dhs.gov/coronavirus/protecting-air-travelers-and-american-public.  It looks like both Fort Lauderdale and Miami are both in the list, so you should be able to get a direct flight from Florida.

Charlotte airport was a little quieter than normal, but not much. The flight from Charlotte to Chicago was pretty normal for a domestic flight in the US at the moment, relatively busy and everyone wearing masks. 

Chicago airport was very quiet, and the flight from Chicago to London wasn't at all full, she had an entire row to herself. Food and drink service was normal. Only difference was having to wear a mask for the duration of the flight, apart from eating and drinking.  Top tip, get a comfortable fabric one!  

Arriving at London was easier than normal, she was out of Terminal 5 in about 25 mins as the passport queue was so short.  They only asked for her quarantine form, checked a few details and she was good to go.  Here is the link for the form and details, you can only fill it out 48 hours before travel. https://www.gov.uk/provide-journey-contact-details-before-travel-uk

Expense, it wasn't any more expensive than usual.  Jessica paid with air-miles but the cash equivalent was normal for a US to UK flight.  

I hope that helps!

24 minutes ago, BC97 said:

Just be conscious, I’m not sure how they check that she’s self isolating but if they checked and found it’s going to be a £1,000 or £3,200 fine, depending on the situation 😬

Definitely.  She's not left the house at all, neither have I, I had assumed I would need to self-isolate too. Anyway we don't want a fine, or worse a black mark on her immigration record, and problems if she wants to visit again.  We'll stay put till next week, have that picnic in the garden instead.  She's here for 3 weeks, so we can at least get out and about a little after the 14 days. 

12 minutes ago, remotercharm said:

I read on the gov.uk website that you are not supposed to leave your house or flat, even to get groceries, unless you can prove that you can't get groceries or medication delivered for some reason.

Yup you are right.  I just checked the gov.uk website: 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-how-to-self-isolate-when-you-travel-to-the-uk/coronavirus-covid-19-how-to-self-isolate-when-you-travel-to-the-uk

Although it is strange that they say the person you are staying with doesn't need to self-isolate.  So I guess I'll be going to the drive-in on my own 🙁

2 hours ago, BC97 said:

Wouldn’t she have to quarantine somewhere other than my house for 14 days? Especially given that’s it’s referred to as self isolation? Does anybody know how this is supposed to work?

Jessica (USC) is here now, "quarantining" at my place.  They just asked her to fill out a form and give an address and phone number to contact her on.  It's been a week so far, no call, no visit, nothing.  Also self isolation is just keep away from busy places, you can still go for walks (socially distant of course), maybe even a picnic to a nice quiet park or something.  We are going to a drive-in cinema this weekend, isolating in the car.  I hope that helps and you get to see your fiance soon!

8 minutes ago, BC97 said:

Thanks for the responses guys, but Mexico wouldn’t be suitable as I have to return to the UK and my work has me back in the office now.

 

I need to find somewhere that has direct flights from anywhere in the UK to the end destination; is on the travel corridor list on the government website, and allows Americans to travel there without quarantining there or on return.

 

If this place doesn’t exist, that’s fine, but was wondering if anyone knew!

Have you considered her just visiting in the UK?  Otherwise Barbados sounds lovely! That IATA link above says you'll need COVID tests but otherwise no restrictions on returning for either of you by the looks of it.

We're looking at Mexico.  Would have to "quarantine" when you get back to the UK, but almost no restrictions to getting into Mexico at the moment, and there are some very good deals.

You can check the IATA website for entry restrictions around the world.  https://www.iatatravelcentre.com/international-travel-document-news/1580226297.htm

Otherwise heard good things about Bermuda.

We're looking at Mexico too. The IATA seems like a good source of information for restrictions and regulations in each country:

https://www.iatatravelcentre.com/international-travel-document-news/1580226297.htm

On 6/29/2020 at 2:14 AM, Emily Booth said:

In march my family visa was approved stating that I can move to the UK to be with my husband who I married in September 2019 in Michigan. My flight was supposed to leave on march 7th to go to the UK and pick up my visa but, unfortunately, that is when Covid started and my flight was canceled and i havent been able to go there since. I am just curious if there is any way for my husband to come here or i go there with the current travel restrictions? I have tried multiple websites and none of them are able to give me the answer that I need. Any information will help! 

Emily, just to update you Jessica (USC) is currently visiting me here in the UK now.  Flights are open and apart from a short form there was no problem coming over.  She is quarantining with me for 14 days but is staying for 3 weeks, so we can still get out to visit a little.  I hope that helps!

On 7/12/2020 at 4:06 AM, laylalex said:

So my (UK) fiance is thinking about going home to the UK for a visit (not my preference but he is his own self). Am I correct that even as a UKC he would have to quarantine over there, and then on the way back to the UK, he would need to quarantine again on his way back into the US? I mean, I guess he doesn't have to stay in the UK for the entire 14 days, he could always leave before, but is it right that he would have to stay in quarantine while he's there because he would be entering from the US?

 

I am trying to figure out the logistics here to minimize the time we are apart. If he doesn't have to quarantine at all in the UK, he would be able to visit the people he wants to see more quickly before coming back to the US. 

From what I understand he will have to quarantine once he gets back to the UK, but the problem would be to get back into the US?  Anyone who has been in the UK or Europe in the past 14 days is not permitted to enter the US at the moment.  You mention he is your fiance not spouse, so the immediate family member exemption doesn't apply.  I'm in the UK and want to get out to visit Jessica (USC) this year as our K-1 doesn't look like it's going anywhere anytime soon.  We are thinking of going to Mexico for 2 weeks to get around the 14 days in the UK restriction.  There is a thread here that people are saying that works.