movetousa2021

It says on the visa that it’s “permanent residence for 1 year.” What does this mean and what happens after that?

Hello everybody. I just thought I’d put a quick post on here to say that my visa was granted last week (should be with me today, hopefully). 
 

The interview was surprisingly laidback. A few questions about me and my wife and how we met - that kind of thing. Then some questions about why we want to move and who we’ll be staying with and that was it. All done. A lot less formal than I’d imagined it would be. 
 

Thanks again for everyone’s help. 

6 hours ago, Mia and Scott said:

I’m interested to hear more about your situation and how it played out. This woman classified my husband as a Class A risk and because of this the embassy deemed him ineligible for a visa. He had an arrest 8 years ago that was alcohol related and because he said he still drinks now, she deemed him a high risk. We were so caught off guard by this. We knew he was a healthy, normal male and thought the medical would be the easiest part of this whole process. We intend to file a complaint against her when this is all said and done so I’d love to hear if she’s causing the same heartache for other couples too. 

Hmmm. Seems a bit harsh that really. 
 

I got quizzed a lot, like I said. I told her that at the time of the arrest, I’d probably had 1 pint, 2 tops because I hadn’t been out very long, so definitely wasn’t drunk. Never had a problem with alcohol or drinking to excess and that I can take it or leave it these day. She seemed pretty happy with it. 

Hello all. 
 

I have my visa interview in London next Thursday - got pretty much all of my paperwork in order, had my medical, train is booked, hotel is booked. 
 

What sort of questions should I expect to be ask? I’ve got a couple of stepped down convictions (one caution as a minor and a conditional discharge from 13 years ago) and an arrest (no further action taken, which was 2018). I’m assuming there’ll be a lot questions about that? The doctor carrying out my medical already asked me for details on those things, so I assume the interview will mainly focus on that…

I’d be very grateful for any advice or tips on what to expect on the day. 
 

Thanks!

4 hours ago, Crazy Cat said:

So, it is illegal to be inside a pub?  Curious......

Well, no. I was arrested because a load of rival fans (the team I support and an opposing team) were shouting insults at each other. I just happened to be standing relatively close to it all and got tarred with the same brush. 

1 hour ago, TGDeano said:

Sounds like the same lady my husband had. 😡

It’s fair enough. She’s just doing her job. I just thought it was a little bit strange that she quizzed me so much on my alcohol consumption, taking into account this happened 13 years ago and as I’d told her, I’ve never had a problem with alcohol. Like I said above, I hardly even touch it these days with us having a baby!

7 minutes ago, Boiler said:

I know I had a Season Ticket hardly a game I went to home and away which did not involve a pub before the match.

Exactly. It’s part of the match day experience. Like I said, wrong place, wrong time. I was stood there my own business before I got grabbed hold of and put in handcuffs 🤷🏻‍♂️

24 minutes ago, Boiler said:

You were arrested in a Pub.

I know, it was before a football match though 🙄😂 I wouldn’t have been in there otherwise! Total case of wrong place, wrong time. 

4 minutes ago, dwheels76 said:

It's because of the arrest so she has to determine are you an alcoholic or abuser of alcohol. It happens when their sis a police record.

Fair enough! Seemed a bit strange really. Like I say, I’m practically tee total these days anyway. I’ve never had a bad relationship with alcohol, ever. Always known when to stop, it hasn’t ever interfered with my life. Seems a bit over the top to make possible assumptions of alcoholism because you’d had one or two pints when you got arrested 13 years ago!

I had my medical in London today, which was quite intense - a lot more in-depth than I actually expected. 
 

Did anybody else face a massive amount of questions regarding alcohol and alcohol consumption? The woman doing the medical asked me about details of my arrests. I was arrested 13 years ago in a pub before a football match, she asked me if I had been drinking. “I’d probably had one or two, maximum, because I remember I hadn’t been there long when I was arrested” I told her. Next thing, she was asking me all sorts about how much I drink, when I drink, all that kind of stuff. I’m

practically tee total these days. 

Anyway. Everything seemed to go pretty well, thankfully. I have my interview lined up for 2 weeks tomorrow. I’m just worried now that these arrests (none of which are live on my record, only stepped down) will have some implications on the outcome of it all.

FYI I have no history at all of alcohol or drug abuse, mental illness or any other serious health issues. 

1 hour ago, Wuozopo said:

You should have started all the medical prep while you were waiting. NHS can be slow, but sounds like yours is pretty efficient.

 

Some people just  have 2 pages. 
 

Sounds perfect. I think they mainly want to see if you have any history of mental illness which includes depression, self harm, and drinking or drug issues. We used to could lie and nobody knew. Now the summary to catch you out.

 

Tell them you had chickenpox. They take your word for it. No proof from a doctor required. You get a waiver for the Varicella shot. It’s marked on your vax form as “not readily available” waiver code. I told them “My Mum said I had chickenpox when I was 6 years old” 😂 Done! 
 

Note, you do need 2 covid shots since Oct 1. Got those? It’s also “flu season” since Oct 1 so you need a flu jab which is waived when not flu season.

 

I know you said to get all of this ready, and we were in the process of starting (we’ve got a lot on at the minute) but we really didn’t expect it to be so soon. That’s a very quick turn around. 
 

The stuff they’ve sent only really details a couple of phone appointments for two different and very minor issues and also my asthma medication. In all honestly, I very rare go to the doctors. 
 

I’m just worried that what they have sent isn’t enough. The wording on what the medical place sent is so wishy washy. I’ve got only services with my surgery, so I’ve asked to access my records online. Need to chase that up today. 
 

And yeah, I’ve got my covid jabs. Got my full list of vaccinations through yesterday after I called the surgery about it. 

Hello everybody. Just a quick question. I’ve received my email with a date for my interview for my visa to move to America and I’ve booked my medical - they don’t give you much time to get things sorted do they?!

Anyway, my question is regarding medical history from your GP. It says that you don’t need to take a *full* medical history with you, but a short patient summary. How short is short? My surgery have sent me a summary of the last year or two, which mainly details my asthma and prescriptions for that - how far back is it actually meant to go? I’m panicking now because my medical is next Wednesday and I need to get everything I need from them or cancel by Friday if I don’t…

Also, I haven’t had my chicken pox vaccine - you don’t usually get that in England so I’ve never had it. What happens with that? Will that be an issue?

6 hours ago, Wuozopo said:

Medical is before interview. 5-7 days is suggested because lab work has to go out and results returned to the clinic before they complete your medical report and send it on to the embassy. Your medical results have to be at the embassy before they can approve a visa.

 

So you have already uploaded police records to NVC detailing dates, charges, any fines, etc? That should do. People who have only “no live trace” on their police certificate need to order a “Subject Access Report” so the embassy has the details of the charges that have been hidden. You are not evaluated on your police record until you see the interviewer. NVC is just collecting documents and making sure you have provided everything needed for the interview. Only the interviewer decides if you meet the qualifications to immigrate to the US. 

Yeah, I’ve got everything I need. Subject Access Report, all of the required paperwork. Everything. Thank you for your help. It’s much appreciated. 

8 minutes ago, Wuozopo said:

Only the person getting the visa attends.  BTW your visa is not called an I-130 visa as you stated earlier. If you are getting a visa based on marriage to a US citizen, then it’s an IR1/CR1 visa. If you can see your name in your posts, you can click “Timeline”  and it will take you where you can fill yours out. Fill out as much as you remember. If a date was in February and you don’t remember exactly, just pick a random day for February and that will be better than nothing. If you don’t know even the month, leave blank. If you don’t know what something means leave blank or askfor help here.

 

Everything in London was delayed when the embassy completely closed last year. After reopening, spouse visas started to be scheduled at a slow pace because many had not returned to work at the embassy. That backlog seems to have finally caught up in September this year.

 

Presidential proclamations by DT in 2020 stopped other visas or prohibited travel for fiancé’s (not family members of American) so work visas, tourist visas, and fiancé visas stopped being interviewed and many just piled up at NVC. Thus those categories that have opened now are still backlogged. 
 

You might want to plan for your medical now and make sure you have all needed so when you get your interview assigned, you’ll already have all you need and can make your medical appointment quickly.. Scroll down this page to find the list of what to bring. https://visamedicals.co.uk/united-states/ 

 

 

Thanks again. My only worry with all of this is that I have 2 stepped down charges (one as a minor) and an arrest (no further action was taken) on my record. I’ve obviously declared all of this on the application and provided all of the official paperwork/documentation for it. I’m just worried that this could be a major stumbling block in the whole process. I’m not naive enough to assume that me having made it this far guarantees anything. 
 

Suppose we’ll have to get to work on gathering up all of my medical paperwork and whatnot. Does this come before or after the interview?

4 hours ago, Wuozopo said:

The NVC has been assigning spouse interviews each month around the 15th of the month. You should hear from NVC around mid November for a December interview if things continue to move as they have.

Thanks for the reply. 

Do spouse visas tend to go through quicker? Also, do my wife and daughter have to come with me for the interview or can I just go to London and attend it alone? 

3 hours ago, Wuozopo said:

Make a timeline, select your visa type, your country, etc. There are people getting work visas, parent visas, fiancé visas, and spouse visas. The answers depend on you providing more information. 

April 8th - NVC received approved immigrant visa petition from USCIS.

June 10th - Submitted DS260.

August 5th - Extra information requested. Submitted same day. 
 

October 27th - Informed that we are now documentarily qualified and that our next step is my interview and medical. 
 

This is for an I-130 visa. The visa is only for me. My wife is American and my daughter has dual nationality. 

2 hours ago, Wuozopo said:

Make a timeline, select your visa type, your country, etc. There are people getting work visas, parent visas, fiancé visas, and spouse visas. The answers depend on you providing more information. 

I don’t even know where to start. We filled everything in and submitted the application in February. Found out that we needed to submit a couple of extra bits (proof of my daughter’s dual citizenship) and that was around May. That’s about all I can tell you. I don’t know any exact dates. 

Hello. I just received my email for the NVC saying that all of our paperwork has been accepted and that the next step of the process is an interview, which will take place in London. How long does it normally take for this to be arranged after receiving the email? Thanks in advance. 

1 hour ago, Ahava said:

Approval/denial of a visa application is made by the CO at the time of the interview. The NVC just collects fees and documentations before the case is sent to the embassy/consulate. 

I am not sure on which embassy you are waiting, but you can always look for your embassy's  discussion forum.

It’ll be London for me. That’s the closest one, and that’s about 350 miles away 😭

1 hour ago, Jorgedig said:

No, not at all.   The petition approval (where you are now), simply means that the eligible relationship and all the supporting documentation have been submitted and approved.   The interview is the actual approval/denial of a visa.

Please fill out your timeline for the best info.  A lot of the information you are seeking is consulate-specific.

I don’t know the dates of when it was submitted, but we got approval of our documentation through on August 5th. The interview will be conducted in London. 

Hello. 

So, my wife and I posted our application earlier this year and have had a notification to say that everything has been accepted. The questions are now;

If it has been accepted, does that mean that everything has been processed and granted pending an interview and a medical? And also, how long will it be approximately until I receive a notification inviting me for both?

I assume that once you’ve made it to this stage in the process and you’re interviewing/having a medical, it’s basically a formality that you’ll get granted the visa?

Thanks!

12 hours ago, Peter0907 said:

Probably not necessary, but a notarized/certified letter from someone acting as a character witness couldn't hurt.

I did think about that. My in-laws are quite high up in their job roles and they both work in government type roles. And there’s also a good friend of theirs who I know well. She’s a senior manager with the local probationary department in the police force. 

Does anybody else have any thoughts or advice?

On 5/19/2021 at 1:50 PM, payxibka said:

I don't believe these qualify as "crimes involving moral turpitude."

Cheers. 

Hello. I hope everybody is well. 

My wife and I have filled in the initial phase of paperwork for our visa in order to move to the USA - she’s an American citizen, I’m English. This has all gone through ok and we’re now moving onto the next step. 

I sent off for my police record, which details offences/charges which have subsequently been stepped down. I’ve also just received my SAR paperwork detailing any arrests and/or charges. 

The picture I’ve attached is proving quite worrisome. This happened in 2008, which was obviously a long time ago. I was 22/23 at the time and I’m now 35, so a lot of time has passed. The conditional discharge passed by without any issues and I’ve only been arrested once since (on suspicion of affect in 2018), but no further action was taken as it was proven to be self defence (it’s annoying that this shows up, but it is what it is). Anyway, does anybody think that this could be something that could stand in my way when it comes to receiving a visa in order to make the move I America?

I know it doesn’t read well, but it was a long time ago. We all have a past and may have done things that we’re not proud of - this is one of mine. I would hate to think that an act of stupidity from so long ago could have such serious ramifications so far along the line.

Thanks in advance.