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Yes, very strange, as well as very frustrating.

Part of the problem I'm running into has to do with the condo association. Due to the real estate collapse, the association was unable to sell all the units at the price they wanted (the ones like mine were being sold for $270k, which is what the lady who currently lives in the one I'm buying bought it for). Anyhow, since they were unable to sell the at the price they wanted, and they didn't want to take a loss by selling them cheaper, they decided to rent the unsold unit out. This resulted in something like 40% of the people living there are renters, which means those doing the mortgages (Freddie and Frannie Mack) view the area as unstable, and thus won't give FHA mortgages for those wanting to buy in there.

What I'm trying to do now is go through Chase since my parents hold a mortgage with them and are offering to co-sign if it will help. I'm also going to try to get the current mortgage holder to just let me take over the payments for the place (but, of course, at the new price/rate I'm getting the place for). With the cost of the place, and the amount I'm paying as a down payment, my mortgage should be approximately $350 per month. Heck, I can pay that just by working a part-time job, so I don't know what the big deal is.

It's all very confusing and time consuming. Hopefully it will work out in the end because the place is extremely nice and in an ideal area.

It's not PART of your problem. It'll be the ENTIRE problem. Ignore your credit score, income etc, as that has absolutely nothing to do with you getting a mortgage for a condo in that particular development.

As you are finding, banks tend to have blanket policies regarding developments with less than 60% owner occupancy. The deal is that renters drive down prices. You may think you already have a steal on your hands - but what if the price plunges further after you buy? That's the banks' concern. Also what happens if you need to move, but can't sell due to the same restriction on lending in the development?

We put our condo on sale last year (45% owner occupancy in the development), and only found one bank that was willing to lend (BBVA Compass). So we pushed that bank like crazy to prospective buyers. Fortunately we ended up with a cash buyer, but we were fearing a nightmare trying to sell it.

I went from absolutely no credit in December 2009, to an 800 FICO score and a mortgage just 18 months later.

It's simple really:

• If (and ONLY if) your spouse has good credit, get yourself added as an authorized user on their cards.
• Build slowly - don't apply for too much credit too soon. Too many applications in too short a period will reduce your score.
• NEVER miss a payment. ALWAYS pay on time.
• Pay your balance in full every month
• Don't borrow more than 40% of your credit limit at any one time.

Some disadvantages in remaining an LPR include tax implications with regard to out-of-country inheritances, etc.

I also have a vague recollection of things like the death of the USC spouse and social security benefits. (Sorry I can't be more specific. I'd saved all the data on my desktop and the motherboard just fried. )

And if you ever move back home with US citizenship status then you will enjoy a lifetime of reporting to the IRS.

Nope. Makes no difference.

As long as the deceased person was not a U.S. citizen, or U.S. resident for tax purposes, and as long as the asset being inherited was not located in the U.S. at the time of death (say a vacation home in Florida) then an inheritance from someone living back home is not taxable in the U.S. - whether you happen to be a USC or an LPR.

http://library.findl...n/1/130523.html

What about owning guns? Is that only a USC right?

Most LPR's can own a gun. But there are some exceptions. I understand that Missouri is one state that only gives permits to citizens - not LPRs.

Hopefully you are just a victim of the public sector, where HR departments are notoriously slow. I work for the State and my (work) partner abruptly quit in April. 2 months later we are barely a third of the way through the recruitment process to find her replacement, and the first round of interviews (that we hoped would have happened by now) still haven't been scheduled.

Point scoring can be an issue, but (here at least) it only tilts the decision towards Vets. Hell, I'm a white, right handed, straight, male and the closest I got to military service was being a Sixer with the 72nd St Andrew's Cub Pack. Yet I breezed into my job - past 64 other applicants (mostly women) of various races.

Arkansas sounds different to Colorado though - my form asked for my last 3 jobs (like yours) but also asked for detail about my achievements and transferable skills. We then had to do numeric and verbal reasoning tests, then a first interview (very much "what would you do in these situations?" - all directly related to the vacant position). After that there was a second interview, where I talked for 90 minutes about my previous work experiences and how they could be transferred and applied to the open position.

If you are unsuccessful with this application (and obviously I hope you will get it), DON'T give up. Public service can be incredibly rewarding - just as I'm sure your charity work was. It's also frustrating as hell - despite the popular national opinion, resources (especially staffing numbers) at state level are awful, and the tide of work can be overwhelming; but going home knowing you've made a positive difference to people's lives is a fantastic feeling.

Thanks everyone - will give Bose a call.

So here's the thing. I have a (UK model) BOSE Soundwave CD player/ radio. Anyone whose owned one of these will know that they are beautiful machines - the sound they generate is something else, but aren't exactly cheap. I really don't want to have to replace it with an American model if at all possible.

So being a UK model, it operates on: 220/240 volts, 50-60 hz, 60 w max.

I lugged it over here 3 years ago, and bought a transformer. The radio plays beautifully but I've never been able to get the CD player to work properly. It works for a few seconds, but then the music stops, skips, or slows - I'm guessing the motor that turns the CD isn't getting the right amount of power?

Any ideas on how to rectify this? Are some transformers better/ more suitable than others?

Thanks in advance.

Outside of Central Government the situation you describe is rare.

I appreciate that career breaks are very rare with certain sectors, and even when they are available most people won't be able to afford to take one.

But there are still more people taking them than you may think. Don't forget, 20% of the UK workforce are public servants.

And given the thread topic, and other posters' comments (which match experiences of my family and friends), the opportunity to take career breaks certainly isn't rare in the financial sector - another huge part of the UK economy.

However, you are proposing (or someone from the UK is proposing) to abandon their job for several months..which, in this economy, does not seem wise....and since that same individual is coming to the US, where in our culture extended vacations are rare (except for our congress!!), well, our CBP folks have the final say...

Why is it not wise? You don't just have an informal chat with your boss, pick up your passport and head to Heathrow. Everything is formalized in writing, you are guaranteed your job back when you return.

Employers win as it's basically an extended furlough. And they can count on retaining the employee's experience and knowledge when the employee returns. The UK isn't the US. British employees don't chop and change jobs so much, so UK employers are more willing to spend a LOT of time and money training their staff. Why waste that if they don't have to?

The employee wins as they get to stay away from work for a while and have a life experience - that could be going to university, volunteering for a third world charity, spending a few months in the US (as this thread is about) - or backpacking round the world - which many of my former colleagues at HMRC have done in the last couple of years.

Would it surprise you to learn that government departments give career breaks for up to three years? That's what I'm STILL on. If I decide by July 4 this year that I want to move back to London, my job is still there. Still open. I'm currently at my desk in Denver. But I could be back at my old desk in London in 48 hours.

Given how common career breaks are in the UK, I'd be amazed if US officials were so oblivious when considering granting visas for UK citizens. And even if they are, if you bring the paperwork showing that you have a job to return to, what could be the problem?

I did not know that Uk banks offered their employees 5 months of paid vacation.....or maybe they don't....if she has been camping out in the US on the VWP for 2-3 months at a time, our border officials will wonder what sort of job she really has....after all, who gets to work 25% of the year for a full salary? (just our Congress!)...I suspect she will have a hard time explaining this plan with a straight face....

Noah, mate. I know you are naturally suspicious of intent, and I do understand where you are coming from - but we have explained to you before, that unpaid career breaks are quite easy to obtain for many, many UK workers - especially those in the financial and government sectors. Many companies actively encourage them. Please try and remember that in the future.

Union Jack = being away from work for months on end isn't necessarily suspicious.

Most of my experience is connected with working with children. I have a bachelor's degree in teaching, but honestly, i would love to do something different. I applied for all kinds of jobs. I got nos even from Macy's and Office Depot, which r always hiring. I would like to get some customer service or administrative experience. And i live in Denver South. Thanks for your replies!!!

As odd as it may sound, this may actually be working against you (as shown by the rejections from Office Depot, and Macy's). Certainly with customer service, most Americans have tons of experience (look how many high school kids and university students have retail jobs). So you are up against that when you apply. Unless you can compete, you won't get looked at.

You may have to spin the work experience you have, to demonstrate your background in customer service and administration (after all, interacting with "customers" - be they children or their parents is still customer service). Once you've spun your experience and highlighted the transferable skills, that will help you get your foot in the door.

Have you thought about state or city jobs? Check the state's website and those of your local cities and counties. Many cities and counties post on Craig's List too. Being in Denver there will be MANY opportunities for you. And you don't have to be a citizen for the vast majority of local government jobs in Colorado.

Yep, as the others have said we need way more details to help.

Along with the questions already asked, where in CO are you? Front Range? Western Slope? Eastern Plains?

Anyone know how to call UK cell phones cheaply from the US? Preferably nothing that charges a heft connection fee?

We have Ooma's VOIP servive, and calling a UK landline is great. But calling a UK cell phone requires a second mortgage.

Most of my relatives are elderly, so still have landlines - but my friends in Britain generally just have cell phones these days (and are rarely in their houses anyway) so being able to (affordably) call their cell phones would be fantastic.

Angelina's rape did not occur on the first day or second, it was after a week of arriving to the States. You can imagine the shame, embarrassment, hurt and confusion she must have felt, especially after putting her trust in a man who was supposed to love and protect her.

What's more evident by reading the comments here on vj, are the cultural and social mores surrounding sex, love and marriage. Some members believe that Angelina and Bob had sex before because after all, that's OBVIOUSLY what couples do when they are in a pre-marital relationship. And there are others who have the belief that sex happens once a relationship is consummated (i.e., marriage). Wherever your views/beliefs may lie on this issue, I think one thing we can all agree on is the importance of understanding and respect for the different beliefs that individuals have on this issue. To inject your personal beliefs and make biased statements doesn't help to address the issue.

Now I've got a question for all of you vj forum members who successfully petitioned for a K-1 visa and are now happily married (presumably): were the consequences of not getting married under a K-1 visa explained to you and your foreign spouse during the process? How important were these ramifications stressed (or not stressed) during the entire process?

Firstly, I just want to say I'm ashamed by some of the comments in this thread. It's a reminder why I sometimes drift away from VJ. Your second paragraph here is spot on.

Now, to answer your question....

YES. At the Embassy In London I was told specifically that if my K1 visa was granted, I would have 180 days to enter the U.S. and then 90 days after entering to marry Annette. If we didn't marry within those 90 days I'd have to come home to London.

Then at my POE (Houston), I was sent to a back room when I arrived at the immigration desk. In the back room I was told repeatedly that if I didn't marry Annette within 90 days I had to leave the U.S. And when I say repeatedly, I mean repeatedly. The officer must have told me that a dozen times - and every time he did, he asked whether I understood. I was actually taken aback by this - it was a simple concept to understand, but he labored it so much, it made me wonder if he thought I was a bit simple.

When he let me go, he even shouted "YOU'VE GOT 90 DAYS. YOU MUST MARRY ANNETTE WITHIN 90 DAYS" as I exited the room!

USPS is not taxpayer funded.

Aside from the $96 million or so paid every year from Federal Taxes to the Postal Service Fund, which pays for:

Mailed ballots from US citizens living overseas.

Free mailing for the legally blind

Providing addresses and other information to state and local child support enforcement agencies.

Annette refused to move to "grey, damp" London. She's been over there dozens of times and claims she's never seen the sun.

So here we are in Colorado with its 300+ sunny days a year. Not keen on the bitterly cold, dry winters. But aside from that, I can't argue with her weather choice.

May ask you for proof that you paid your fines that will result in a delay. Yes & yes.

and not quite satisfied just to show them you still have a drivers' license. In practically all states, if you don't pay those fines, they take that away. But then you are dealing with idiots.

Unless you are subsequently stopped by a cop and have it confiscated, how exactly are they going to take it away? Send a swat team round your house, and seize it? There's a very good reason why USCIS won't be satisfied, just because you can show them a license.

Even if they do monitor VJ - it would only be useful in a tiny percentage of the applications they receive.

Take K1 alone - USCIS grants over 2,000 visas every month.

Yet for my most recent step (ROC), just 48 other VJ users applied in the same month as me.

$595 for the N-400, plus $85 for the biometrics, so $680 altogether.

Then figure another $150-ish for your passport book and card, depending on your expidation options, if any.

And that is it! No more immigration shakedown after that!

I've heard people say on VJ that if your ROC biometrics was within a certain time period before applying for citizenship, then you don't need to do biometrics for the N-400.

So my questions are:

a) Is that true?

b) If so, what is the time period?

c) If you are exempt from the biometrics, do you still need to pay the $85 fee at the time you file the N-400?

$595 for the N-400, plus $85 for the biometrics, so $680 altogether.

Then figure another $150-ish for your passport book and card, depending on your expidation options, if any.

And that is it! No more immigration shakedown after that!

I've heard people say on VJ that if your ROC biometrics was within a certain time period before applying for citizenship, then you don't need to do biometrics for the N-400.

So my questions are:

a) Is that true?

b) If so, what is the time period?

c) If you are exempt from the biometrics, do you still need to pay the $85 fee at the time you file the N-400?

Good things? Steak,booze,hot summers,barbeques.

Bad things? Holy moly! Paying health insurance,anything medical,a lot of taxes,job limitations,building credit,arrogant drivers,going to school and putting yourself in a lot of debt and end up with a low paying job,amongs other things lol.

Get lucky and get a job if you can find one that pays good and does not need a degree,and you will be set.

Huh? How can anyone from the UK think that American taxes are higher?!

In the UK:

I paid way more in Income Tax than I do here

I paid significantly more in Council Tax (than I do here with Property Tax)

VAT is 20%

Gas is $9 a gallon

Road Tax was far more than I'm charged here

We were very comfortable on two incomes..... before we had a baby.

Not so comfortable these days!

We don't struggle - but we don't have the same cushion that we used to.

Wondering if my husband should carry his GC around anymore. He now has a OH DL, so I am thinking that should be enough for ID purposes. I hear the replacement card is $400 and well he has put his passport in the washing machine before

Of course if we wanted to travel he would need the GC, but is it possible for him to be detained or something within the US with just a DL? We're trying to avoid extra costs but more importantly safety.

Thanks for your help!

I carry mine. It's tucked away in my wallet with my drivers' license, and as a result I've never lost it, thrown it in the wash etc.

Page 9 of this guide states that if you are an LPR aged 18 or over you must carry proof of your immigration status:

http://www.uscis.gov/files/nativedocuments/M-618.pdf

In an ideal world, a drivers' license should suffice as proof, but I guess that technically, a license only proves that you demonstrated your legal status at the time the license was issued. Not since.

I wouldn't want to run fowl of any cop or ICE agent that considered a drivers' license to be insufficient.

My POE was almost three years ago, (so things may have changed) but I had a 4 hour layover in Houston and was glad I did. Just getting from the plane to the immigration desk took about an hour (most of that was waiting in line in the immigration hall). Then I spent another 50 minutes or so in the back room waiting to be processed. Then I had to go through customs, go back through security, find my way to the departure gate etc.

For anyone using Houston as a POE, I'd recommend a 3 hour minimum layover.

Currently at a daytime high of 17c.

Been a mad, mad week in northern Colorado:

• Hit 30c last Sunday.
• Snowed all day Tuesday.
• Hit 27c yesterday.
• Then struggled to hit 17c today (lovely and sunny though - as always).