Y&E

Good thing that you know the correct process, Nick. Hope that CO does too now!

Well, my Chinese trend continues. I am currently reading Shadow of the Silk Road by Colin Thubron, 2006.

Kathryn, if you're interested in reading more China non-fiction you should try to get hold of this: http://www.greatwalldvd.com/ (the book, not the dvd). The guy who took the trip / wrote the book was one of my law tutors at uni.

I just finished The Accidental Bestseller, by Wendy Wax, which I thoroughly enjoyed as it's an accurate description of (my ex-career) the publishing industry. I am now reading The Twentieth Wife, by Indu Sundaresan, which is about Empress Mehrunnisa - the Mughal Empress of India. I am enjoying that one too.

One question that I have that someone may be able to answer: Why do books in America that are fiction often have the words 'a novel' on the cover? Surely it's self-explanatory that it's fiction if that's the section it's in? Maybe that's just me.

Here's today's experience at the Social Security office: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/268668-dumb-stuff-border-control-does/

Congrats, Robert and Nelly!

Get well soon, Angelo!

Good luck, Caspar!

Just got back from the Social Security office. It turns out that the border control guy managed to put my name into the system as my first and middle names being just my first name. Still got my SSN but now need to deal with more rubbish at DHS trying to get that corrected. Checked my I94 and they are listed with a space as well as with a space in my passport. Interesting that they let a non-existent person into the country and allowed said person to receive a SSN!

Registry office (or equivalent) next month and then hoping to plan for a blessing ceremony in April next year. Nothing too big as money will still be tight and we thing big weddings are a waste of money / trying to get friends and relatives from all over the globe is too much hassle. Just a nice outdoor blessing and then dinner at a nice restaurant. We're looking forward to it but have not planned anything!

The weather is like HK here at the moment. So humid and hot. I thought that I'd escaped that! Good news, we got 'officially' engaged yesterday (i.e. I finally got the ring but it needs to be resized - how they managed to make it too small for my tiny fingers is beyond me) and we set a date :-)

I hope the weather clears up Terri. How can it be yukky during summer over here. That's what I hear in Britain!

Meggy, wish Angelo good luck for his op. I've heard it's pretty routine so I'm sure that he'll be fine.

Thanks Terri. I can't actually work yet, of course, but I can train there and maybe I can volunteer as a coach before I'm allowed to work. Well done with the painting. I can't wait to live in a house that we can actually do stuff to, rather than this 'magnolia' apartment.

We got a car for me this weekend, depending on the finance. I'm so happy to finally have the freedom to go places during the day. Have to sit my licence tests though, if and when my SSN finally turns up. It's been 2 weeks now so starting to worry that it's got lost or not turning up!

How are you, Caspar?

He'll need to get US size passport photos and he doesn't need to submit them until the actual interview. I think that he may need a pp photo for the medical but that doesn't have to be US size. Your fiance can download and fill out all the forms now and book his medical. All he needs is his LON number.

Good luck.

I had 2 lots of 3 months worth of travelling in Europe and trips around various parts of Asia. I just listed the year and wrote the countries that I'd visited that year - I had to use a separate piece of paper.

Good luck.

Emma

They probably won't even look at your finger and they're not going to know unless you tell them. Why pay duty on something that was a 'gift'? Don't give them an excuse to extract any more money from you!

I need some suggestions for reading material.. I want something similar to Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings or Chronicles of Narnia

Robin Hobb writes good fantasy. I really enjoyed the liveship series.

Oh yes, Im currently reading 'Under the Lemon Trees'. It's set in Cali and about Indian immigrants.

How is everyone doing? Stephanie, it must be so helpful to you that you already know the school system and can make the adjustment easier for your step-children.

We are going to Cincinnati this weekend to look at a car. Depending on finance we'll get it I think because Yuri has fallen in love with it and I don't really care as long as it's manual. I've also found a place where I can train my gymanstics and hopefully I can get some work with them (maybe volunteer at first) so things are starting to get better here.

We finally have a vacuum cleaner (I know, sad) almost. The sucky UPS guy delivered it to the clubhouse and didn't even leave a note because he doesn't like walking up the stairs in the heat! The only reason we know it was delivered is because the website said it would be yesterday and we checked the tracking. I've told Yuri to complain to UPS because this guy has done that twice now. He's #######!

Have a great weekend everyone.

Emma x

There is plenty of badly written english on here. Hopefully those people speak it better than they write it. Also, I think when people are upset or angry the don't check what they've written or think clearly when they write and they come across as ignorant or as second language speakers. But I do agree that, as in every other country with immigrants, there are many people who will try to bring all their relatives plus the rest of their village once they're granted residency . It's inescapable wherever you go.

That was on my account too... I'm not really interested in a lesbian relationship so she was out of luck

I just described my feelings to my fiance as being in limbo. I'm not 'here' in the US yet because I have not real legal status and no right to work and help to support us (just to spend money!) but I don't see myself going back to the UK or NZ. I haven't been here as long as most of you nor had the problems that many of you have faced but I can empathise I hope.

On the topic of jobs and working, I think that often our USC SO's don't understand the realities of trying to find decent work in a country that isn't our home. For one thing, with the current economy I believe that employers are less willing to hire foreign workers in skilled jobs when there are so many USCs who are skilled and out of work. Secondly, if you don't have a US degree I have been told that employers are less likely to look at you. I know that my fiance thinks that it will be easy for me to find a job because I'm highly educated and have plenty of experience in my field. Unfortunately, Indiana isn't a mecca for publishing so finding a job in this field is unlikely (I don't want to stay in publishing but that's beside the point). However, for the reasons given above I think it will be difficult.

I am lucky however that I have a very transferable skill as a gymnastics coach with international experience and I'm willing to volunteer first and work part-time to get the experience over here. If you have a sport or skill that you can volunteer in and get the US experience I think that this can be quite valuable to show US employers. The only problem that I have with doing this is that I feel that if I get stuck coaching gymnastics I will start to lose the skills that make me attractive to employers in other fields that I'm interested in. I think that this is how other people are feeling too.

I'm sorry that this is a bit off the topic, but I just wanted to empathise with the opinions expressed about jobs. I hope that everyone who is going through hard times with adjusting or simply coping with everyday life finds some way to get through it.

Not a IR1 / CR1 myself but it applies to all the visas I think. Very funny!

I had no probs with re-direction. I moved during the process.

Canadian wife is correct. You have to book your tickets in the name stated in you passport. But if you get your new passport in Croatia make sure that you take your old passport with you to prove your name and your marriage cert etc. Alternatively, you could book your outbound ticket in your maiden name and book a separate return ticket in your married name (2 one way tickets).

Sorry to butt in on MENA, I'm up early trying to deal with transferring some money from the UK to the US. But yay, problem solved and some of it has come through. It was worth waking up early.

Have a lovely day everyone x

I told my parents not to come because the ID everyone who orders alcohol law is going to offend them. I get offended and I've been ID'd all my life, the difference was it was only because I looked under 25 so it was flattering.

Mine arrived about 10 days after the interview. I stressed out too, but don't worry it will arrive!

I'm not sure if New Delhi has different requirements, but I believe that the doctor at the medical will mark that she can't have those for a medical reason and then she will have to have those things done when she sees the Civil Surgeon in the US to have her vaccination record confirmed.

Good luck.

Did you say that you send P3 in to the embassy in two stages? If I read that correctly above. In that case they may have got confused with your paperwork because sending in the checklist is what they process to say that you're ready for your interview. If that wasn't included with all the paperwork at the first instance they may not have put you into the system until they received it. As someone else has suggested, you may want to send in your paperwork again if they've still not logged you as they do manage to lose things sometimes - particularly when there is paperwork missing.

Have you followed the advice of the posters on you previous topic and called / written to USCIS to withdraw your support of his AOS application? That and beginning divorce proceedings seem to be the most logical steps for you now.