Dan and Lynne

i saw this one last new years eve on secret policemans ball...still gives me a giggle now...

the bus sucks...believe me, im a long distance coach driver and i wouldnt wish that journey on anyone, i did it from carlisle last week, although cheaper than the train by over £230 i really wish i had gone by the train...or even flew!! (if carlisle had a figgin airport!)

hotels...id look at shaftsbury paddington (4*)....10 minute walk across the park to the embassy and not far from bentinck street...not sure about the other doctors...hotel was cheap (£69pn for a double/breakfast,) but im sure theres cheaper.

I miss tuc crackers, decent scottish shortbread, vimto and oh my favourite......... a haggis supper!!!

A haggis is a small animal native to Scotland. Well when I say animal, actually it's a bird with vestigial wings - like the ostrich. Because the habitat of the haggis in exclusively mountainous, and because it is always found on the sides of Scottish mountains, it has evolved a rather strange gait. The poor thing has only three legs, and each leg is a different length - the result of this is that when hunting haggis, you must get them on to a flat plain - then they are very easy to catch - they can only run round in circles.

After catching your haggis, and dispatching it in time honoured fashion, it is cooked in boiling water for a period of time, then served with tatties and neeps (and before you ask, that's potatoes and turnips).

The haggis is considered a great delicacy in Scotland, and as many of your compatriots will tell you, it tastes great - many visitors from the US have been known to ask for second helpings of haggis!

The noise haggis make during the mating season gave rise to that other great Scottish invention, the bagpipes.

Many other countries have tried to establish breeding colonies of haggis, but to no avail - it's something about the air and water in Scotland, which once the haggis is removed from that environment, they just pine away.

A little known fact about the haggis is its aquatic ability - you would think that with three legs of differing lengths, the poor wee beastie wouldn't be very good at swimming, but as some of the Scottish hillsides have rather spectacular lakes on them, over the years, the haggis has learned to swim very well. When in water, it uses its vestigial wings to propel itself forward, and this it can do at a very reasonable speed.

Haggis are by nature very playful creatures, and when swimming, very often swim in a group - a bit like ducks - where the mother will swim ahead, and the youngsters follow in a line abreast. This is a very interesting phenomenon to watch.

The long neck of the mother keeping a watchful eye for predators.

This does however confuse some people, who, not knowing about the haggis, can confuse it with the other great indigenous Scottish inhabitant, the Loch Ness Monster, or Nessie as she's affectionately known.

From a distance, I'm sure you'll agree, the tourist can easily mistake a family of haggis out for their daily swim, as Nessie, this of course gives rise to many more false sightings, but is inherently very good for the tourist industry in Scotland.

The largest known recorded haggis (caught in 1893 by a crofter at the base of Ben Lomond), weighed 25 tons.

In the water, haggis have been known to reach speeds of up to 35 knots, and therfore coupled with their amazing agility in this environment, are extremely difficult to catch, however, if the hunter can predict where the haggis will land, a good tip is to wait in hiding on the shore, beacuse when they come out of the water, they will inevitably run round in circles to dry themselves off.

This process, especially with the larger haggis, gives rise to another phenomenon - circular indentations in the ground, and again, these have been mistaken by tourists as the landing sites of UFOs.

I hope this clears up some of the misconceptions about the Haggis, that rare and very beautiful beastie of the Scottish Highlands (and very tasty too).

I have included here as much factual material as possible, although there are many gaps in this subject, and some of the information has to be mere speculation.

No-one has as yet been able to ascertain the sex of captured Haggis, and partially because of this, scientists assume the haggis is hermophroditic.

This may also be a product of evolution, and does explain the logistic problems of bringing two haggis together - after all, sure footed though the beast is, if two were to mate on a Scottish hillside, it is a long fall down, and a slip at the wrong time may very well result in a reduction by two of the total haggis population.

What is known about Haggis breeding is that, several days prior to giving birth, the Haggis make a droning sound - very much like a beginner playing the bagpipes for the first time - giving rise to the speculation that the bagpipes were indeed invented in Scotland, simply to lure unsuspecting haggis into a trap. At the onset of this noise, all other wildlife for a five mile radius can be seen exiting the area at an extremely high rate of knots (wouldn't you if your neighbour had just started to play the bagpipes?). The second purpose of the noise seems to be to attract other Haggis to the scene, in order to lend help with the birth. This also gives rise to the assumption that Haggis are tone deaf.

Haggis normally give birth to two or more young Haggis, or "wee yins", as they are called in Scotland, and from birth, their eyes are open, and they are immediately able to run around in circles, just like their parent.

The wee yins are fiercely independant, and it is only a matter of weeks before they leave the parent, and go off foraging for food on their own, although it is perhaps a two or three year period before they are themselves mature enough to give birth.

Most Haggis hunters will leave the wee yins, due simply to their size, but when attacked by other predators, they are still able to emit the bagpipe like sound, which again has the effect of very quickly clearing the surrounding area of all predators, and attracting other Haggis to the scene. This results in a very low infant mortality rate, with most wee yins actually making it to adulthood.

The lifespan of the Haggis is again an unknown quantity, but from taggings done in the Victorian era, we know that some haggis live for well over 100 years.

I know this might be a weird question, but what has everyone wore to their interviews etc? I know its not going to be formal but i suppose its good to make a good impression.

nope, no dress code!! Just go in whatever is comfortable, ie comfy clothes! the last 2 times i went (for other visas) i just wore trainers, jeans and t shirt

By the way, how did you get your interview so quickly?? And how did you find out your interview date??

packet four has the interview date

id say they dont really look at what your wearing...unless you turn up in a tweety pie outfit of course...everyone i noticed was casual...some too casual, like slouching dirty tracksuits. i was going to wear a suit...but after walking passed the embassy the day before i saw a suit was a bit over the top, also killing my heels on the way to the medical didnt help, so jeans, a top and trainers it was for me...i didnt notice any unusual looks for my choice of outfit...

go comfortable...you could be sat there all day. worrying about your outfit is only adding unneeded stress.

why only a few minutes to edit posts?? that sucks! i know i type epics but i do type kinda fast...

a lawyer...too late, we have one...wish we hadnt...but when we first started this process we searched all over for advise, phoned god knows how many government places and nothing was of any help...obviously we never found VJ before it was too late...we joined an expat site which when i posted a question i got bitched by someone who insisted on trying to put a downer on things...never went back there and that was when the lawyer was brought in...so we have that guy to thank for this!!

i keep telling my SO that the lawyer is a waste of time, he hasnt really told us anything except that the whole thing would take 4 months, which built our hopes up wrongly, i really dont even think he knows i have been to my interview and am waiting for the visa...i guess ill turn up on the doorstep in person before he knows...pretty useless really...i a trying to talk my SO about any further comunication with the lawyer...i will get my way on this, definatly a waste of money

im having fun trying to find a reception place too, the net is no real help here, i dont really know the area, he says wait until i get here but i feel i have to do something, he doesnt get it that a wedding takes lots of organising and short notice bookings are hard. a good old english pub would be nice, but everywhere i have found has seating for over 100 guests....kinda sucks when my family cant make it over and his is rather small...probably fill two tables in the far corner of the hall...lol

the church was a fluke...lol...when we first talked about churches i sent my SO a picture of a church in yorkshire and his reply was i would be lucky to find a church that looked like it near him...so i searched and the third one i looked at is very much the same as the one in yorkshire, but bigger, i sent him the picture and he asked where it was, he was suprised to find out it is 15 minutes away from his house!! lmao...he drives passed it all the time but never noticed it...men...

im guessing youre in NJ and your fiance is from manchester UK? oh no...youve probably got the football cravings to deal with! haha it kinda confused me because theres manchester over there and carlisle (where i am) too...lmao

my gallery (my photos link) is just under my profile pic, where you find the timeline link...nothing much in it...storage is a bit tight, i also have another one or two floating round the net, lol

google maps - Grosvenor Square, Westminster, London W1K, United Kingdom

marble arch is nearest

up bayswater road, towards marble arch, down park lane, left onto upper brook street (at the traffic lights you turn left there is a monument to animals at war, you cant miss it! see attachment)

you cant miss the embassy...big ugly building about 300 yards down upper brooke street, pic of that in my gallery

hope this helps... good luck with interview!

you forgot us (Cumbria and Monmouth county, NJ)

feeling left out

when we started the process the lawyer told us 4 months so we were looking at the last two saturdays of january...the church was available, i spoke to the reverend about two month ago and he said that things are pretty quite this time of year...lol although he was a little confused as to why i was coming from england to get married, until i explained! lol.

personally im not too fussed on a saturday wedding. so when i realised that 2008 is a leap year i jumped at that...lmao...like to be different and 14th feb we know is a busy day anyway. none of my family can make it over so it is going to be pretty much a quiet do.

going from the us embassy deciding our fate...it is now down to my dog...the weather and anything else that should be thrown in the mix! i just cant wait to have this all done with.

where in NJ are you?

I'm in ewing, near princeton/trenton. I didn't realize it was a leap year. Upto Feb, there should be free days, but surprisingly march i getting booked....arrrrrrgh...I hope we find out about BG's interview date soon.

Getting the k1 is probably the harder part in my opinion cuz of the separation. The rest is also annoying but more tolerable.

lol...youre about half hour away from us...my SO drives to princeton/trenton nearly every day...

i agree the visa process takes too long, (im glad this part is done)...this time of year doesnt help. our church is in Perrineville, theres a pic in my gallery.

(our lawyer hasnt got a clue...and doesnt know that i have had the interview and i 'have' the visa! lmao)

i cant wait to get on that plane!

good luck

Thanks for the info.

Waiting- i noticed ur local office is in NJ. I'm also in NJ. WHen u planning for the wedding? I was hoping for march/april but don't know if there's anything available, maybe sundays/fridays are free.

when we started the process the lawyer told us 4 months so we were looking at the last two saturdays of january...the church was available, i spoke to the reverend about two month ago and he said that things are pretty quite this time of year...lol although he was a little confused as to why i was coming from england to get married, until i explained! lol.

personally im not too fussed on a saturday wedding. so when i realised that 2008 is a leap year i jumped at that...lmao...like to be different and 14th feb we know is a busy day anyway. none of my family can make it over so it is going to be pretty much a quiet do.

going from the us embassy deciding our fate...it is now down to my dog...the weather and anything else that should be thrown in the mix! i just cant wait to have this all done with.

where in NJ are you?

i also thought that this might be a future problem for myself, i asked my doctor what happened to my notes and if they would be transferred to america...he said no...they belong to the state and are sealed and put into storage, he said if i wanted i could have a copy of my notes but to his knowledge they are not needed...lol...

during my visa medical i was given an updated vaccination sheet which i was told to take with me to america and hand to whoever would be my doctor there...

as to dentist xrays...im guessing that would be one of the first thing a US dentist does when you first visit one.

congrats!! Continued success!

Feels good to have this part over and done with ehh?

it sure does! we are looking at mid january flight...but this part is all down to my dog and the airline. i get to see my mum once more before i leave here, she comes over from france on jan 4th. and we think a feb 29th wedding would be funny.

at least i know now i will soon be with my SO and i soooo cant wait!

Congratulations!!!! :dance:

I thought in London they put the visa on the passport that day....can't remember where I read that

Oh and is their credit card machine working? Can u pay by check or in pounds?

hi, they probably do, but i had my medical the day before my interview as i could only afford one trip to london (i only wanted one trip to london too! )

although i am approved, my visa is pending medical results, i knew this would happen so to ease my worry i had the blood test at my local hospital weeks ago and the results were ok, i couldnt have the xray done locally and this was the part which bothered me as you never know whats lurking inside you! lol but, i quizzed the lady who took the xray, as she showed me it, and i also quizzed the doctor, both said that there didnt look to be a problem. my medical interview went fine, and the doctor assured me i have nothing to worry about, on the outside...lol...i know the blood test will be fine, its just the xray.

the card machine? for the visa? i never saw one, i took dollars. for the courier i did pay by card, it worked fine, a little slow and isnt chip and pin...you have to sign.

Congrats! We welcome you across the pond!!!!

Quick question....your timeline says you filed a K-1, but in your interview review you said that you handed AOS papers??? did you mean the I-134 and all the visa papers (DS-156, etc)?? Also, you said that you paid $200.00 at the interview? I thought it was $100.00 (going up at end of Jan to $131.00) plus the courier fee of course. Thanks for posting your experience and answering my Q's!!! It helps to learn from others

hi,

sorry, i never had much time to type, i was in an internet cafe in london and the keyboard i was using was kinda strange...kinda multi lingual, and there was some guy talking to his freind on the pc next to me, very loud and distracting, so i posted and left the internet cafe i went for a coffee and then i decided to call back for another hour and check my post over, i never noticed this mistake...i was too busy giggling about the thong! yes, it was $100 not $200! sorry!

the courier fee was £14.50 (i have a £ sign on my keyboard! lol) there are different courier fees for different things, but i chose open delivery (no specific time or date)

i did log in on my phone when i was on my way home on another horrendous bus journey, but i couldnt post a reply, sorry.

the AOS, is the affidavit of support...not adjustment of status...it is a K1 fiancee visa we applied for...the DS156 etc i didnt have to hand over as they were sent back with packet 3, i just had to sign them there, i guess they have you sign there so they can check the signature against a previously signed document.

now i am glad all this is over...so far...and i am sat in my own home...as cold as it is...with a decent cup of tea!! looking forward to my returning passport and visa around jan 2nd

hope this helped.

just reading back...they didnt take my thong...lmao

a horrendous journey on the bus from carlisle to london victoria, but was cheaper than the 275.00 quoted by the trains, i arrived in london yesterday morning, my medical at 1510 at bentinck street,i had some time before my medical so i thought i would find the embassy and the doctors prior to going, just so i knew where i was going, the taxi driver who took me to the hotel (shaftsbury paddington) kindly took me passed the embassy and told me to get there early as they start queuing at 5am...

after finding the embassy on foot i thought i would go to where i thought the doctors was...so, after going in the compleatly opposite direction, because i saw a bus with oxford written on it i went in the direction it was going...towards oxford and not oxford street! after getting to the wrong side of hyde park i realised i had gone wrong and retraced my steps back up bayswater road, and back down towards the embassy where i headed for where i thought the doctors was...i was wrong...lmao...i was on berwick street, i think, with no doctors to be found DUH! so, i headed back to the hotel...giving up...i still had a few hours before my medical so i talked the hotel receptionist into letting me in my room before 2pm,she did, at no extra cost, which was good, ( excellent hotel btw)

i made the mistake of wearing heels for my medical, and walking to bentinck street (after i googled it in my room) BIG mistake...dont wear heels in london!!! after arriving there the receptionist was very plesant and helpful, she gave me a form to complete which was basically the same as the form in packet 3, took one of my passport photos, and asked me to take a seat...the building is beautiful! a lady came and asked me to go into a room which had the xray machine, gave me a gown and told me to strip my top half and remove any jewlery, stood me against the machine and positioned my arms on my hips and took the xray, then told me not to get dressed as the doctor would only want me to undress again, she left the room and came back a few minutes later, showed me my xray, which she said was good, and then told me to go into another waiting room to wait for the doctor.

i sat there for about 10 minutes admiring the light fitting...lmao...the doctor came and asked me to follow her to another room, she was american and very plesant and informative, although she couldnt get over my giggles...she asked me why i was in for the medical, i told her i was getting married, she read through my questionaire and then took my height and weight, somewhere i lost 3cm...haha...she told me i smoked too much and that i should consider stopping as i have smoked since i was 11. she asked me about chickin pox, do i remember having it, i told her i didnt remember but my mum said i had it when i was a child, i didnt need any injections as i had previously had them at my own doctors (very much recomended!!) she took blood, checked my breathing, pulse, eyes, ears, nose, and throat. and basically that was it...she wasnt impressed with the plasters on my toes...like i said...dont wear heels!! i was then asked to dress and directed back to the main waiting room where the receptionist told me how long i would have to wait for my notes and xray to go to the embassy, she said because of christmas it would probably be about jan 2nd, and then asked me to go back out into the entrance to pay her the 200.00. that was it...medical done and dusted!!

i headed back to the hotel, feet and legs killing me from all the walking, tip: internet relationships dont do good for legs, lol

in my room i logged into msn and told my SO my news...he was over the moon!! just the interview to get out of the way now.

i fell asleep at 7 (i cant believe that!!) and woke well early for my interview. collected my paperwork together and headed for the embassy, now i knew where it was and how long it would take, i got there just after 8am, there was about 15 people infront of me and the lady asked me to go into the queue for 8am, i told her my interview was at 9am she said not to worry, sooner in...sooner out...she was right too! they put my phone and hotel key in a bag and i joined the queue, went through security, the paperwork and my bag going through an xray machine and i stepped through the big machine like they have in airports, they took my phone and gave me my thongs back giving me a tag with a number on so that i could reclaim my phone after the interview.

the building is ugly, very much like what the jobcentres used to be like, nothing like a bank, theres about 25 windows where you have your interview, and about 200 chairs, there was already about 100 people in there, lots going for non imigrant visas, i was ticket 5008 (by the time i was leaving there was only 5015 left to go) i sat for about half hour then my number was called, directed to window 14 which was round the corner, and i saw a plesant american who wanted to see my interview letter and passport. then he asked for the AOS and all documents pertaining to it, he wanted copies rather than the originals, and then asked for my birth certificate, when he saw it in shreads (age) he asked for a copy, i gave him everything he asked for, he then directed me to the cashier to pay my $200 and then he asked for my finger prints, an electronic scanner was next to me, took four fingers at a time and then the thumbs, he gave me a red for and asked me to go and sit back in the waiting area and complete the form, it was for the couriers, this part of the interview took about 10 mins, i sat for about 20 mins and was called back to window 15...well...i went to 14...lol...i was greeted by another american who took my passport and swore me in and asked me to sign the forms i had sent back with packet 3. he asked me a few questions: how did we meet, when did we meet, had i visited USA, how many times had my SO visited the UK and what did i do in my job...that was it, he said that so long as my medical was ok my visa had been granted! weeee...i could have hugged him had it not been for the wall between us!! he told me to pay for the courier and i was free to go, my passport and visa would arrive early in the new year. this part took minutes!

the paperwork i took (the copy of the original petition) was not needed, as i was leaving he laughed at the size of the box and i said 'i could kill our lawyer' im not sure if that was a good idea...but after lugging the thing to london and half was across the town i feel like slapping the lawyer! lmao!!

so all in all it has been a good two days though i still think london sucks! my nerves have completly gone...they have had the hell shot out of them these passed weeks...all i can say is that there is really nothing to worry about, so long as you have followed your packet instructions to the letter, turn up on time and be pleasant, then you have nothing to worry about...

im soooo glad this is over with...im still stuck in london, cant wait for a decent cup of tea and to get back infront of the screen and see my SO!

into embassy at 8:18 out at 10:28

well...its here...i set off to the bus station in less than an hour...arrive in london hopefully at 7am...traffic permitting...

my medical is tomorrow...and my interview on wednesday...i am so bricking it...ive never felt like i do now...anxious and petrified and a lot more all rolled up together...im fit to burst!

my suitcase weighs a ton and thats only because of the 1200+ sheets of paper which is our petition (thanks to the lawyer!) ...i packed light...for a change...

so far everyone here has been a great help with our journey, i just want to say thankyou!

the hotel has broadband internet...gratis...so ill still be near my yank ...in a fashion!

i hope my bad feelings of embassy rejection disappear soon ...and i dont get prodded too much by the doctor...

i know we will continue to use these forums as they have been a great source of information...so i guess youre pretty much suck with us!

good luck to everyone else!

THANKS

hi

its a bit late in the day but i just found out that fingerprints would be required...does this get done at london embassy? how much does it cost?

also, why dont the police take fingerprints when a police certificate is requested? (or did i get the wrong certificate ) surely this is the best way to find out if someone has a police record.

i asked for a quote from excess baggage last week and since then i have had 5 emails and 7 text messages at all hours telling me different prices...not sure if a confused company is a good idea?

sounds like a breeze...

congrats on your wedding...bonny chapel

hi

ive just received confirmation of the rabies blood test, my dog passed, now the vet is asking what kind of certificate i need for customs? i have no idea, is it a letter or some kind of form which has to be got from somewhere maybe like DEFRA?

please?

I can't believe that you got your interview date so quickly!!! Congratulations!!!

Did you put an estimated travel and a wedding date on the packet 3 forms when you sent them back?

Oh god, I hope mine goes that quickly!! Hopefully I can get my medical scheduled for the 20th of this month... I am really hoping for a January interview :D

yes, i put in wedding date at the end of january, the priest has saved the last two saturdays of jan and the first two of feb so maybe this rushed things along!?

im absolutly petrified....im terrible with interviews at the best of times...this one it the mother of all interviews for me and at the same time the interview of my life!

thanks to everyone here so far, and im sure ill have more questions in the months that follow...