chartreuse

Cost Plus - World Market is pretty good too (on the international foods) - can get REAL black tea there as well as other goodies. I know there is one in the Woodlands (north of houston) - and they are scattered across the country.

http://www.worldmarket.com/home.jsp

Yes, we have one in Amarillo. Not the cheapest, but the last time I was in there, they had Marmite!

On a totally unrelated topic.........how do you get your timeline onto your profile? I've searched the Help topics but I just can't seem to crack it

Click on "My Assistant" in the light blue bar, then "Add / Edit my Timeline".

On the tax returns thing, you might want to just take all three years into the IRS at Grosvenor Square in person. They'll most likely process them while you wait, then stamp the photocopies of the 1040s that you'll bring with you (you only need the top sheet for stamping, but I usually keep the whole thing on file) and you'll be sorted.

Did I need to? Did I get that wrong? How much will this hurt our application if I haven't filed?

You'll need to file at least the last three years. The IRS has an office at the US Embassy in London, http://london.usembassy.gov/irs/index.htm

FWIW, I've always found them to be very helpful, and I strongly doubt that you're the first person in this situation that they'll have seen. I'd read up on the link above, then give them a call or pop in for a visit.

But not today

Approved! Woot!!!

There was a bunch of waiting around, but it was painless overall. Plus, the CO said that it was the best Domicile letter he'd ever seen!

And slightly off topic, but medical related. Has anybody with a recent medical been given a TB skin test at Knightsbridge or asked for proof of one to be noted in the record? That's a medical requirement now (for AOS, not the K1 visa), even if you have an x-ray. Many people who are filing AOS now and thought they had all their immunizations done and a complete medical are getting RFEs because of not having the TB skin test. So you go through all the bother of getting shots in the UK and paying a bunch for a medical thinking that will carry you through AOS with no further medical work done, only to find out about this TB test thing. It's insane. If you have a positive skin test, you get an x-ray to determine if you really have TB. But having an x-ray that shows you don't have TB without taking the skin test isn't good enough. Read the info on this link: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/men...0004718190aRCRD

That's interesting. I had my medical (IR1) about 6 weeks ago and didn't get any skin test. I'll report back if it comes up at interview.

Hi all

Just a quick update - we've got my interview, it's this coming Friday! We spent yesterday getting the I-864 finished and collating domicile evidence for SWMBO. I think we've got everything we need - an ultra conservative valuation of our assets comes to about $78K and as there's only two of us we only need to show $52.5K, so hopefully we're OK there.

I've booked the day off work as leave, the UK house is on the market (and heavily discounted) and we've already been approved for a mortgage in the US (and have even put in an offer on a place), so it's fingers crossed!

Hi chartreuse,

What exactly was in your appointment letter? It's been 4 working days since they emailed me my new appointment date and said 'a new letter has been sent to you', however the new letter has still not turned up (again...) Is it just a letter with the appointment date, or does it have any other instructions? I'm thinking i might end up having to just print out my email by way of showing the security guards my appointment!

Thanks,

Ken

Hi Ken

OK, so it contained:

- the letter, giving date and time of appointment

- Info about the interview, security arrangements etc.

- a list of forms and documents required.

- Info on photos

- a map

- DS-230 Part II.

It was about a week from the date on the letter to it arriving, so hopefully yours will turn up today or tomorrow.

Hi,

I got the return email on Monday, they've set my new appointment for November 13. I'm hoping it's a good omen because that's my birthday! Actually i just came back from the London Embassy, my wife hadn't filed any US tax returns for 05/06, so we had to fill out the 1040's and 2555EZ's and take them to the IRS section at the Embassy, in order to get them 'filed' and also get our date-stamped copy for the I864 Affidavit form... She went in at 9.10 am this morning and was back out at 9.30, amazing!!

Good luck. I called the extorsion line this morning, got told it would be another couple weeks before I heard anything. Got home from work this evening to find an appointment letter that was dated a week ago. Go figure!

So the moral of the story is, for DCF London you should receive your Packet 4 and interview date about 2 or 3 weeks after you send in your Packet 3, if you still haven't recieved anything by then, call the help line and get your secret email code so you can email the consulate.

Thanks for that Ken. We sent the DS 2001 off on Oct 10th and have yet to hear anything, so maybe I'd best call the extortion line tomorrow.

Have you heard anything about another interview date yet?

It's a lovely house, but I'm afraid you almost gave me a heart attack!

You see, we're about to try to sell our UK place, so I looked at the thumbnail and the first thing to register was "Reduced 69%"

Good luck, Chartreuse! Keep us informed of progress The Embassy rang me at home yesterday and booked me in for an emergency interview....so I'm off on Tuesday!

Yay! Good luck for Tuesday and let us know how you get on

What Welshcookie said! Hope you've settled in, Catgirl, if you're reading this from your new home

Sent my DS-230 Part 1 today. Next thing is to get all the bits in order over the weekend, then mail the next bit on Monday.

And we got Packet 3 today! So I get to spend a fun weekend filling in forms while SWMBO is in Texas

Hooray! Congratulations, Catgirl

PS: You might like this: http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/kittycat

Congrats, welshcookie! We're still waiting for our packet 3, but no post today...

Good luck for tomorrow Catgirl. I know what you've forgotten - you've forgotten to be confident that you haven't forgotten anything

Congratulations! You'll get your case number in your packet 3

This morning we received a new interview date yaaay. It's next week on Friday the 22nd of August instead of Sept 18th so this makes a very speedy DCF, 3 and a half months from the day we sent the petition. Well..this is providing everything goes well at the interview of course :0)

Thanks

Woot! The Friday before the Bank Holiday - with any luck they'll be keen to get you processed and go on leave

Fingers crossed for you, sure you've got nothing to worry about.

Hi Anthony

This is based on research, not experience (you're still a week or so ahead of us!) but:

OF-230: A google suggests that OF-230 is the old name for DS-230 and you should be OK with the latter.

2: Your wife ticks box (a), your MiL ticks box (d).

I'm pretty sure that Penguin is right on 1 and 3, but ISTR reading something about how you're meant to put in your current employment but then show zero for income, or something. Can't find the reference right now though.

Good luck

I have been out of town for some days, just got back to find our RFE waiting ...think it arrived yesterday from the postmark....so busy, busy, busy for the next few days...

good luck!

Good luck to you too! I think, on recent experiences, we'd better expect an RFE ourselves and start preparing the affidavits now!

Apologies for quoting myself, but.... I was wrong!

SWMBO got a lovely white envelope this morning, containing a letter that says our I130 is approved! Hooray!!

There's no File Number on it though - is that normal? Also, might it be worth doing the affidavits anyway, just in case they ask for them later?

I guess we wait for packet 3 now. Off to update our timeline.

Thanks to everyone for their kind comments!!

Chartreuse - we're moving to the Dallas/Fort Worth area, hopefully around Weatherford - we have friends there and I have a job already sorted in that area.

Still waiting on the pack - will keep updating!

Oh well, at least it's not Houston - where everybody else in TX seems to be!

I asked as we're moving to the Amarillo area, where the in-laws are, and I had vague hopes of not being the only Brit in the area

It's been going on for over a year, but seems to have become more frequently requested over the past 6 months or so. I seem to have been the first UK DCFer on VJ to have received the RFE, and that was back in April of last year.

Well, that puts the kibosh on my tentative theory that it was a new development arising out of new con-offs turning up and doing things their way...

Just my two pennies...

Which are worth as much as anybody else's

Congrats! Incidentally - where in TX are you moving to?

It seems a lot of people going through London are getting the same RFE. I wonder if there's been a change of policy there?

I have been out of town for some days, just got back to find our RFE waiting ...think it arrived yesterday from the postmark....so busy, busy, busy for the next few days...

good luck!

Good luck to you too! I think, on recent experiences, we'd better expect an RFE ourselves and start preparing the affidavits now!

Nope nothing yet for me....You should be done and dusted soon tho!!

Now processing May 28th, as of a few minutes ago! Have you heard anything yet?

I think we're about 2 weeks behind you. In theory, they could get round to us by next Monday...

Approved YAY

Congrats! Took about a week then - that's not too shabby!

I think the answer to that is. It just Does. Ive been reading this thread with interest as i filed in April and have only last week sent in my packet 3 and June filers seem to be sprinting ahead. But then it varies from country to country and case to case

I reckon you're right, Red Baron. I'm a little late to this thread, as I've been following the London May filers, on the theory that whatever happens with them, we can expect a month later. Probably not strictly accurate, but maybe close enough.

Anyway, we filed beginning of June and, as of today, the embassy site says processing 20 May (quite a jump from 8 May, where it was last Monday). So, according to our timeline, we could hear any day now or by 12 Aug. Who knows, SWMBO might even call me today to say that a letter has arrived.

But it the end, it takes as long as it takes is probably the way to look at it. Judging by the experience of some of the May filers who've been posting recently, we're probably likely to get an RFE for affadavits!

PS - Congrats, Penguin!