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Amyyduck

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    Bank statement for interview

    in K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures

    Posted

    Ask them to format it with a business letter style heading and then have it read something like: To whom it may concern:

    John Smith opened his account with Imaginary Bank on January 1st, 2003. As of October 3rd, 2010 his present balance was in the amount of $xxxx.xx.

    Regards,

    Jane Doe

    Employee title

    Imaginary Bank

    If that's all the information you need, that's all the letter would need to say.

    July 2010 VSC filers

    in K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports

    Posted

    Hi everyone, I have viewed posts for the last 3 months. I only registered today to encourage everyone and share the good news.Vermont is rolling again!!! Whoo hoo This morning I saw on the website my NOA 2 dated 10\1\10 is in the mail. My NOA1 was July 2nd.Be encouraged! Yours is on the way.thank u to everyone who has ever posted anything! Knowing others were in the same boat has helped me maintain my sanity in the past three months! Happy dance ;)

    Wahoooo!!!! Congrats! This is great news! Things are moving! :dance: :dance: :dance:

    any updates on CSC?

    in K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports

    Posted

    Nothing here. I wouldn't be so annoyed if the CSC would at least start working on the June filers because I would know that July filers are next. The other thing that is annoying is seeing that the VSC started "touching" the July filers over the weekend while we are still sitting here waiting. I don't mind making it to the 5 month mark but I do not want to go past that. This is truly a test of patience. :innocent:

    Don't worry, despite the touching, I don't think it's anything to get too excited about. ALL of the July/August/Sept filers at VSC got a touch on 10/03. A Sunday? I doubt they're doing work, it's more likely that something happened causing them to need to move all of our petitions from storage room A to storage room B.

    Though I'm sorry you guys haven't had any progress. :( The waiting really sucks.

    K-1 August 2010 VSC filer

    in K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports

    Posted

    So I'm sitting at work and its a slow day, which is nice since I just got back from an 11 day vacation and my brain is always a bit slow upon return. But anyway I was going through different scenarios in my head of what could cause VSC to suddenly touch ALL of our petitions and on a Sunday no less. I know there are only a small percentage of us actually on VJ so we can only assume they went through and touched them all, but do you guys realize how many petitions that is? Thousands, probably!

    I'm just imagining some sad little intern being told to come in on a weekend and move ALL of the July/August/September petitions from storage room A to storage room B.

    Or maybe they got rid of all their old filing cabinets that were probably from the 60s and got brand new state of the art shiny filing cabinets. Poor intern has to move all the files from the old cabinets to the new ones.

    My hope though is that whoever is the boss of this place told poor sad intern to pass out all the petitions like valentines day cards to all the adjudicators desks so come Monday morning they'd be in for a surprise!

    Or I could be morbid and pessimistic and think that maybe their was a pipe that burst and the storage cabinets with our petitions in them started flooding and emergency staff had to be called in on a Sunday to move all our petitions so that they wouldn't get wet.

    Any other theories? No one knows really, of course, but its fun to guess. :P

    Can fiance(e)/spouse attend the interview at the CZECH REPUBLIC embassy?

    in US Embassy and Consulate Discussion

    Posted

    According to your embassy page, the USC can attend the interview See: http://www.visajourney.com/consulates/index.php?ctry=Czech%20Republic&cty=Prague

    However, that doesn't guarantee that they'll let him in. Perhaps try posting this in your regional forum, you might get some member's who've had experience with the embassy who will be better able to advise you.

    Best of luck :star:

    American men and Thai women

    in Off Topic

    Posted

    http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/25/world/asia/25iht-thai.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1

    UDON, THAILAND — The most dazzling creatures Nui Davis saw when she was a child were the village girls who had found foreign husbands, visiting in their Western finery and handing out candies to the children.

    The New York Times

    Nearly 11,000 foreigners wed women in northeast Thailand.

    “For me, they were like a princess,” she said. “And I kept those pictures in my mind, and I made a wish that one day I would like to be one of those ladies.”

    Today, at the age of 30, she lives with her husband, Joseph Davis of Fresno, California, in an air-conditioned, three-bedroom house with a driveway and basketball hoop, surrounded by flower beds and a well-kept lawn.

    “My family keeps saying, ‘You got it. You got your dream now,”’ she said.

    But unlike many other foreign husbands, Mr. Davis, 54, did not take his wife home with him, choosing instead to settle down in northeastern Thailand, a region known as Isaan.

    He is part of an expanding population of nearly 11,000 foreign husbands in the region, drawn by the low cost of living, slow pace of life and the exotic reputation of Thai women — something like a brand name for Western men seeking Asian partners. “Thai women are a lot like women in America were 50 years ago,” said Mr. Davis, before they discovered their rights and became “strong-headed and opinionated.”

    “The women now know they are equal,” said Mr. Davis, a retired Naval officer who has been divorced twice, “so the situation is not as relaxed and peaceful as it is between an American and a Thai lady.”

    It is easy to spot the foreigners’ homes, with their sturdy walls and red-tiled roofs, an archipelago of affluence among the smaller, poorer houses of their new neighbors and in-laws.

    Mixed couples are common on the streets and in the markets of Udon Thani. One street where Western men gather to eat and drink is popularly known as “Foreign Son-in-Law Street.”

    “There are villages in Isaan that are almost entirely comprising foreign houses, where the whole village is almost entirely houses purchased by foreigners for their Thai ladies,” said Phil Nicks, author of “Love Entrepreneurs: Cross-Culture Relationship Deals in Thailand.”

    Isaan is one of the poorest parts of the country, the source of most low-wage workers in Bangkok and the home of many of the women who work in the entertainment industry in the capital.

    Some of the earliest Thai-American marriages were in Udon Thani, the site of a U.S. air base in the 1960s during the Vietnam War. In the following years, most Americans left, sometimes taking a Thai wife with them. Now the presence of American and European men is growing again. “In the northeast where this phenomenon is strongest, a huge majority of the women there are looking for a foreign boyfriend or husband, and I think some of them can be quite assertive, and aggressive in their pursuing of a foreign man,” said Mr. Nicks.

    A clash of expectations strains many marriages, and more than half end in divorce, said Prayoon Thavon, manager of international services at Panyavejinter Hospital in Udon Thani.

    While the men — many of them retired and living on pensions, many disappointed in their lives and marriages at home — may be seeking an emotional connection, the women are generally motivated by economics, said Mr. Prayoon, who provides counseling for mixed couples.

    “For some ladies it is just money, money, money,” he said. “Getting married has become a business more than love. People want to improve their social status. Sometimes these ladies spend the husband’s money, use it all, then he’s cut out. There are many cases like that.”

    Even though many men are retired and living on a fixed income, they are expected to help support their wives’ extended families, beginning with a dowry of several thousand dollars.

    “When you get married in Thailand you are marrying the whole family, the whole village,” Mr. Prayoon said. “Often the lady expects that, but the man doesn’t understand.”

    There seems to be less concern about differences in age, with many bridegrooms in their 50s or 60s or even 70s.

    “Age is not a factor here,” said Mr. Davis. “In America if I marry a girl who is 24 years younger than me, all you’re going to get is eyes and bad talk, bad gossip. Here it’s not an issue. It happens every day.”

    Enlarge This Image

    Justin Mott for The New York Times

    Dennis Sorensen, 63, a retiree, his wife, Pennapa, 31, and their son, Matthew, 2. Mr. Sorensen watches American TV via satellite.

    At the age of 63, Dennis Sorensen, a retired mathematics teacher, is 32 years older than his wife, Pennapa, whom he met eight years ago on a beach. He spends much of his time watching U.S. television through a satellite hookup and cooks his own hamburgers, but he said he has done his best to keep his wife and her family happy. He helps raise her teenage daughter from an earlier relationship as well as their 2-year-old son.

    “There’s some adjustment there,” said Mr. Sorensen, for whom this is the first marriage, “and we’ve had issues where I run out of money and I cannot take care of everybody, and that has caused some crises, but we’ve overcome everything the best that we can.”

    One barrier is language, as few foreigners learn Thai. “I can’t speak English so well, but I can live with him many years,” Ms. Sorensen said, speaking in Thai. “Sometimes when he is very upset I don’t understand what he is talking about but I understand the tone and I just walk away.”

    But she added in English: “I think Dennis is good — good for take care of my family, take care of my daughter, take care of everything for me. Before, I don’t have anything. But right now I have a home, I have car, I not work and I only stay home and take care of my baby.”

    Foreign marriage has become so common that it has lost much of its stigma here in Udon Thani, and many girls share Ms. Davis’s dream of becoming a princess. “It looks pretty good and they look pretty happy,” said Rojjana Udomsri, 30, who is married to a Thai man and has a 2-year-old son. “They have money to spend and they can go anywhere they want.”

    But she said she had her doubts.

    “I don’t know if they are really happy,” she said. “There were times I wanted to have a good life like them, but I can’t live with a person I don’t love. With someone I love I can go through all the hardships of life together.”

    visiting during k1 process

    in K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures

    Posted

    My fiance arrives Friday! We're nervous but he's really prepared.

    Oh Amy, how long does it normally take him to get through when sent to secondary? I'm so worried I'll be pacing and terrified in the airport the longer he takes to get through the gates and I'll be wondering if something went wrong.

    I'm almost 100% certain he won't get sent through secondary but if he does it"ll probably depend on who else is being questioned back there at the time. If the immigration lines are long, expect it to take at least an hour for him to get through, maybe more. If you're lucky and the lines are short then less. Chris was stuck in secondary for about 20ish minutes. Most of that was just him sitting in a chair while they ran his passport through a computer. He was only actually questioned for about 3 minutes extra. I wouldnt' worry about it! :)

    visiting during k1 process

    in K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures

    Posted

    I'm a Boston UK'er too, I completed the process in 2009, so let me know if you have any questions. :)

    woohoo! boston! :)

    I went through Logan about 12 times in our 4 year long distance relationship, I always told them that I was there to visit my boyfriend or fiancee. I never had any problems getting through except one time when the trips were close together. He asked a lot about my intentions and asked to see various bits of paperwork, and I truly believe he would've sent me to secondary if I hadn't had that. My Fiance's been sent through secondary like 3 or 4 times. It sucks, and it drives him nuts, but no harm ever comes of it. They've always let him through in the end.

    So although it's a small percentage that are returned to the UK, the risk is there. Just come prepared and most importantly, act calm and comfortable.

    visiting during k1 process

    in K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures

    Posted

    When they ask me what I'm doing in the UK, I always reply with: I'm here on holiday. They're asking you what you're doing in the UK and they're basically looking for 3 categories of answers to know where to go next. 1. Vacation (thats you) 2. Business 3. In transit (flying into London then taking the train to Paris for example)

    You can certainly reply with "I'm here visiting my fiance" right off the bat, I just like to keep it as simple as possible.

    visiting during k1 process

    in K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures

    Posted

    That is great! Very inspring since having read everyone's horror stories. I hope that I get a nice officer! Someone on yahoo answers told me this:

    Contrary to what many others may tell you, you do run a risk of being bounced back to the USA. Many people in your situation do get into the UK for a brief visit, however many are stopped and questioned and then returned. The simple fact that you are engaged to a British citizen is enough of a reason for you to be considered an overstay risk, and be bounced.

    When you travel to the UK, make sure you have with you in your carry on a letter from your employer stating your employment details, and they know you are going on this holiday and the dates. If you go to school, try to get something from the school showing your enrollment. A copy of your rental agreement/mortgage. Basically as much evidence as you can produce showing strong ties to the USA.

    American women head the list for people being bounced from the UK. So just remember that, and take precautions.

    Donna

    I am so worried, should I be?

    Well whoever wrote that yahoo answer is technically correct. You absolutely can be denied entry into the UK. I definitely question where this person got their statistics though. "..however, many are stopped and questioned and then returned." Many? How many? Obviously it does happen, but this sounds to me like something they made up. I did read on here about one woman who was denied entry into the UK, I can't remember her name but it was because she was young and didn't know any better and didn't have ANY ties to the US or a return ticket. She was successfully able to visit later though, even after the previous denial.

    Don't be worried about visiting, I'm living proof you can do it. I'm sitting in my fiance's bed right now and this is actually the second time I've visited him in the UK since we filed. Since I was here for about a week in August and then again for another week only a month later, I made sure to prepare myself for the grilling I was sure to get at immigration. The CBP officer didn't really seem to like the fact that I was here AGAIN after only a month. Our exchange went something like this:

    CBP: Hi there, so why are you here today?

    Me: on holiday

    CBP: ah, it looks like you were just here in August, is that right?

    Me: yup

    CBP: who are you staying with at this address in Sheffield? (he read it off the immigration card)

    Me: my fiance

    CBP: your fiance, eh? Is he British?

    Me: yup

    CBP: How did you two meet?

    Me: Actually we met in elementary school, in California, where I grew up.

    CBP: And is he a British citizen?

    Me: yup

    CBP: And who does he live with at this address?

    Me: Some housemates that he went to Uni with.

    CBP: and what does he do?

    Me: he just graduated so he's working at a coffee shop until he can get something better

    CBP: What'd he study?

    Me: Biomedical science

    CBP: *looks through my passport for a solid few minutes*

    CBP: You sure do come to England a lot, I thought Americans didn't get very many holidays, how do you get so much time off?

    Me: Well my boss is an orthodox jew and owns his own practice so when he takes time off for the high holidays, of which there are a lot, he shuts down the entire office

    CBP: mmph, do you have a copy of your return ticket?

    Me: hands him the copy

    CBP: and when are you planning on getting married?

    Me: Next June, pending his US visa approval.

    CBP: ok *stamps my passport, FINALLY*

    I don't usually get so many questions, but since I"d JUST bene to the UK a month before and because my passport has like 10 other entry stamps from UK visits in the past 2 years, he was very thorough. But as you can see, he didn't ask me anything particularly scary, and he didn't make me go anywhere weird, this entire exchange took place right at his desk. And he let me go straight through in the end. I may have posted this already, sometimes I forget what I've already said, but if not, check out this thread: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/67796-yes-you-can-visit/ its predominantly about foreign fiance's visiting the US, but it really goes both ways.

    So definitely don't worry, there's a 99.99% you won't have a problem, as long as you don't do anything stupid. Just make sure you're well prepared. Don't panic, answer all their questions honestly and as briefly as possible. Don't bring up anything extra unless they ask. Make SURE you have a copy of your return ticket, and if you have a layover or a train to catch, just make sure you give yourself enough time to get through immigration. Also, if you can, fly into London. They're generally the most friendly there and they've heard it all before so if you're honest and your visit seems straightforward (as it should) you should be fine. I've heard immigration at Manchester is a complete hassle so try to avoid it if you can.

    Best of luck! :luv:

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