JoannaV

I-129F petition (USCIS)> wait for approval> petition approved
National Visa Center (Dept of State). A stopover, nothing you send there> file goes to London
 
London: apply for visa (form DS160), attend a medical exam, go to interview> You get a visa
 
USA: marry, get marriage certificate in hand, see a civil surgeon for new form if you didn't get shots signed off at London exam,  apply for adjustment of status > You get a receipt in the mail 
> You get a biometric appointment  letter in the mail > fingerprints and photo taken (biometrics)
> you wait months and months > Go to an interview> You get a greencard.
 
Two years later: Apply to remove conditions  > You get a receipt in the mail 
> You get a biometric appointment  letter in the mail > fingerprints and photo taken (biometrics) > you wait months and months >  You get a new greencard.
 

So summary. You need two I-864 forms
 
Yours as required sponsor. Household count of 3
Your US 2017 tax return transcript (or all pages of the return)
US domicile proof or intent to domicile
 
Mom's as joint sponsor. Household count of 2
 2017 tax return transcript (or all pages of the return)
Proof of US citizenship
Optional proofs of income if you like. 
 

Since she doesn't know English, possibly she wasn't clear at first, but in the mean time, the lawyer did have a police car pick her up, and she is now at the shelter.
 

I have seen many ppl recommend catholic charities. Check them out they may be able to help get her home asap. Also who ever that lawyer is at the shelter needs to be reported. Telling an abused women to stay in a dangerous situation is horrible. 

My husband of 8 months now is also from the UK. He has lived here now 8 months and 7 days. His parents flew over to us and stayed 2 weeks and we have a friend coming to visit as well this summer. Homesickness is something I really worried about for him as well. In all honesty, he's been okay - I know he misses his parents but we stay in touch and make visits. He's the same - happy with me, wherever we live as long as we are together.
 
He's missed his friends and family at times. However, he speaks to his mum almost everyday via our internet phone and we also have Whatsap and Skype. We stay connected with them that way. We also send cards back and forth etc. It's hard, but I think what is the best way to look at a move across the pond away from what you know, is to know that one side can probably travel to the other at least once a year. Depending on time of year, US to UK and vice versa RT flights can be very cheap. It's great that he has extended family here through yours.
 
My husband also knows my few friends and like yours doesn't have friends except one acquaintance/hangout buddy which we usual do coupled up with him and his gf - and my new friend and her husband - again coupled up hangouts. We've spoken about it together and realize it will take time to find friends - but when it's meant to be it'll be and when it's meant to happen it will and I'm sure both my husband and yours will find a nice friend or two in the not too distant future! New friends won't replace childhood ones or ones who were besties, but you will add to the friends you do have abroad here and they may become newer best friends! There is an app I used to find a mom friend as we have a 5 year old daughter and I wanted someone to hangout with/talk to relate to friend wise - it's called Patook. You can set to certain gender, interest, etc and there's even a find other couples feature. So far, no creeps on there either. It goes off distance as well. It encourages lots of writing and texting through their app for a while before it'll even let you exchange numbers which I think is a great safety feature etc. I was skeptical at first but I've made a wonderful friend through there and I'm awful at making new friends! If he's outgoing and had a lot of friends at home, I'm sure he'll flourish on the app. And maybe you two can find a nice couple looking for friends too. A lot of people on there tend to be introverted but there is also just as many who are 1/2 and 1/2 and extroverted. Give it a go if you feel comfortable!
 
I know it's hard - but try not to worry about him getting homesick too much. Make sure he knows you will listen and talk if he is homesick and make sure he's honest with you about it. Further than that, you can't do anything unfortunately. When you both come to the US, he will adjust - he will be okay - you will be his rock/friend/wife. It will be okay - I promise - speaking from experience.
 
Activities? I can suggest maybe finding a league of some sort for him to join if into sport - soccer (football) league, badminton, squash, racquetball, bowling league, etc. If he likes hiking, biking, meetup.com for finding local hiking and biking groups. With the internet, you can definitely find stuff on meetup.com nearby.
 
And what I suggested to you up there about listening etc... is what I do for my husband. He knows I'm here for anything that bugs him - big or small. He knows in a heartbeat I'll make sure he can buy a ticket home to visit (although we want to visit together for friends and family purposes). We talk about everything and are honest about it all. If he knows he can vent to you (without it making you feel bad - which it may a bit - but it in no way reflects that they aren't actually happy here - they are or they wouldn't be here - remember that for him), it'll make him feel very good as well. Right now, as we always have been, we are each other's best friend and lover all in one. However, one day, we will also have guy friends for him and girl friends for me and more couple friends. In the mean time, we enjoy each other's company and wish the best for each other in making future friends to be able to go out with on a simple hike or for food or coffee! It'll happen. Just make sure you enjoy now and enjoy your new marriage and your new surroundings together. And I can't say it enough - it'll all be okay!

Best,
Krys

I have visited my fiancé in the US twice now (2 and a half months per visit) on ESTA, and didn't have any problems.
 
The first time I was living on my own and had a lease but didn't even think of bringing it with me as proof, I basically just had my tickets with me, to show that I was planning on going back. I flew to Florida and the guy questioning me seemed super nice and casual. He asked the reason for my visit (I think I just said vacation), where I was going to stay (with my boyfriend) and how we met. He also said something like "Oh so that's why you're so nervous!" when I told him I was meeting my boyfriend for the first time, and made a sympathetic face when I told him that we'd be driving for about 7 hours to get where he lives.  Then he told me to have a great trip and let me through.
 
The second time I flew to Atlanta (much closer to where my boyfriend lives, thankfully) and I just had my tickets and boyfriend's tickets (he flew back with me to visit my family) as proof, no lease since I had moved out and lived with my mom at the time to save money. The lady questioning me asked the reason for my visit (to see my boyfriend), when was the last time I visited, how much money I had with me, if I had a job back home (unemployed at the time) and how I was going to live in the US (I said my boyfriend is working and I'm staying with him) and then she let me through.
 
So I was never asked to actually show any proof of ties to my country and they seemed to be fine with the long visits too, I did have about a year and a half between the visits though. Oh and I'm from Finland by the way.  

How the conversation will go depends on the individual immigration official at the border.
 
Some people can say "leisure" in response to "what is your purpose of travel", but for most people that is too unnatural. (I mean, I never felt I could say that, lol!)
 
I'd bring the apartment lease just in case. I don't think your mother is relevant, unless you will be engaging someone else to look after her whilst you are away. Ie, if you have documentation showing you are employing a caregiver whilst you are away, or that you have arranged for a variety of other people to take a week or two of their vacation time to look after her. But other than that they wouldn't be convinced, because they figure if you can leave for 77 days then you can leave.
 
No reason to mention K1 upfront, but in some conversations it might come up - if they ask what your long-term plans are then be truthful. They often don't know all the ins-and-outs of immigration so keep it simple.
 
During the year in which I visited a lot with ESTA, I was always allowed entry and never had to explain why I had the time and money to visit, nor asked for ties to the UK. (Well, my first three visits were to my boyfriend/fiance and I was never asked anything about plans/ties/intent. My other two visits were to my husband and they accepted that I was waiting for the spousal visa, although we hadn't applied at the time of my first of those two entries.) At my first visit, when asked my reason for visiting I said to visit my boyfriend and I think the next question was where or how I met him. I was then asked a few more questions but it wasn't really an immigration thing - the guy was worried that my online boyfriend whom I'd never met might be some kind of danger to me. But that's not one of the reasons they deny entry for. Lol.
 
The vast majority of the time people are successful with using the VWP to visit their boyfriends and girlfriends. But there are no guarantees and occasionally someone is denied entry due to suspicion of immigrant intent. (And occasionally due to clear evidence of immigrant intent.) But again, vast majority are successful, so try not to spend your flight anxious!

Better to be safe than sorry so don't worry about asking.  Nobody wants to have to pay a civil surgeon just because people made you feel bad for asking a question.

Ask what you need, be sure about your way forward.

Best of luck in your journey!

Mine was a combination of detailed/not. Eg. Box 1: 91 books. Box 4: 105 books, t-shirt. Box 7: Clothes, bags, towels.  Box 6:
9 plates, 6 bowls, 5 glasses, beaker, 4 tupperware containers, 18 mugs, 2 drink coasters, teaspoon, cutlery set (4 knives, 4 forks, 8 spoons), vegetable peeler, paring knife, vegetable knife, serving spoon, 2 cheese slicers, chopstcks, 7 pegs, bin bags, tin opener, corkscrew, cheese grater, 3 wooden spoon/spatulas, 2 dishcloths, oven gloves, 6 tea towels, salad spoon & fork.
(I was detailed on the kitchen one because there were knives, you know?
 
One form for the complete shipment.
I don't know about electronics: I had a couple of small radios which I listed.

Exactly!
 
I had put off applying for citizenship... until he was elected, and it spooked me.
 
I was also one semester short of an undergraduate degree, in a college where all degrees are signed by the president of the United States. When he was elected, I went to my registrar to ask if my 100+ credits would still be valid if I put off my education for 4 years (and possibly 8), because I had no intention of taking home a degree signed by that individual. I ended up almost killing myself taking independent study courses (in addition to already existing courses for Fall 2016 semester), in order to meet requirements that I had planned for Spring 2017, and graduate in December 2016. But it was worth it, my degree has the 44th's signature.

I *think* that for the months before you came to America you would put the exemption code C (which applies to various kinds of citizens living abroad and noncitizens, including dual-status aliens in the first year of residency). Then you had a short gap of coverage which is less than 3 months so comes under exemption code B. (If you had coverage for even one day in October you are considered covered for that month.) I'm assuming you can use the short gap exemption if your previous non-covered months were exempt, but I might be wrong on that. ;-) I'd guess the tax software would know though, in that it'll either let you use B after C or won't!

Not all countries count pregnancy from date of conception, some count from first missed period.   So... she would be 5 weekish from conception.

UPDATE EVERYONE 
 
My fiancé scheduled an appointment with a GP the following morning after his medical, they gave him the needed vaccine and they faxed it back to Knightsbridge and Knightsbridge said that they would update it and email him the updated copy.
 
i hope they do it soon, With the correct wording that he is completely OK to apply for adjustment of status and has completed all the necessary vaccines. Because that is the truth.
 
Thank you so much for everybody who took the time to read and give me your thoughts and ideas on this one.

That is really weird that they wouldn't give it to him; normally they want the money! Are you sure his last shot was long enough ago? (I'm assuming yes, but it's so weird I want to double-check...)
 
If it's possible to still get it signed off by Knightsbridge I would, as having to see a civil surgeon in the US can be a huge pain and expense. Boots, or even find a GP. The latter isn't necessarily impossible, although it might be that the expense of Boots is worth the ease and speed.

Ditto to what others have said about the NHS. My old GP is too aware of my family to let me get away with pretending to live in the UK, lol.
 
Other than wanting to be with your family, do you have any particular worries about birthing in the US?
 
I solved the "familiar surroundings" problem by having three home births. ;-)

Follow the London checklist. :-) No beneficiary birth certificate needed, you'll provide that later at the interview stage. The passport photo page is all you need right now.

If she has never filed a tax return due to not needing to, include a short letter stating that.

We chose CR1 and don't regret it at all. Fewer steps in the process, cheaper overall for us. Some of the downsides of the K1 would not have affected us: I wasn't working or driving anyway, and we would have known to avoid things such as needing to get vaccinations in the US.
CR1 meant we could start our married life sooner; I was able to spend a lot of the waiting time in the US using the VWP.
At the time that I applied the CR1 was the quicker option. And then I was extraordinarily lucky and had my I-130 approved super quickly.

That would be our case exactly, except at the naturalization interview it was still no problem. 

If the visa hasn't been issued yet then it now won't be issued.
 
Reading the text of the proclamation, the only bit of hope would be that waivers are available on a case-by-case basis, and for those wanting to come to the US to reside with a close family member it says if "the denial of entry would cause the foreign national undue hardship". HOWEVER my assumption would be that this would be a rare event with "undue hardship" = something the world media could make to look really bad. I don't know if they've actually developed any guidance on this yet or not, so we really don't know yet how the waivers will work.

Well, let's see. I'm a USC married to a Brit and presently a resident in England under a spousal visa which runs through July 2019. As a condition of approval for this extended stay I was required to register with NHS and pay a 500 GBP surcharge - about 800 USD at the time - for all service I received during my stay.  There are no other charges levied. No co-pay. No deductibles. Nada. This includes all medicines for me, since I am over 60. Again, no additional charges. That works out to about $28/month for healthcare that is in every sense comprehensive and, based upon my personal experience, readily and immediately available. My spouse, a British Citizen, pays about 20 GBP a month to participate in NHS. She gets the same services I do except that she must pay 8.5 GBP per prescription for any medicines she is taking - she is under 60.
 
In States I am a Medicare recipient - single payer for geezers. Medicare is also a paid service for recipients. It varies by year but this year it's running about 120 USD/month. I'm also a Social Security recipient so this amount is deducted from my SS allotment each month. I, like the vast majority of Medicare recipients (and all current wage earners), contributed to it over the course of my working career. It's a little more expensive than NHS and a bit more complicated what with it's various benefit partitions and the separate drug areas that are at additional cost. Too, I know of no Medicare program that covers 100% of the expenses incurred although some come close if you're in a position to take advantage of them. For one VA Medical Services are generally free except for co-pays. VA bills Medicare for the services it renders to Medicare recipients. If. like me, you are eligible to receive VA services it's a way to avoid using Medicare Part D - Drugs. Prescriptions are available through VA at (presently) 8 USD each. There are also now vision and dental benefits available. The other situation I am aware of is Kaiser Permanente Southern California. I lived in Los Angeles prior to moving to UK and was a member of the Kaiser HMO. In SoCal - but not everywhere in CA or other Kaiser Service Areas - there is no member premium for Medicare recipients. There are nominal visit and prescription co-pays that for me averaged about 35 USD/month. I have nothing but good things to say about both the VA and Kaiser services I received.
 
Based upon my personal experience in my now year here in UK I rate NHS as comparable to any of the services I received through VA, Kaiser, and, over most of my life, the private healthcare system in US. One can find horror stories anywhere, including in the most exclusive medical units in my former neighborhood in Beverly Hills. But the fact is that the more people who are covered by healthcare services the healthier they are. The Brits are a healthy lot and certainly no less so than their American cousins. Seems to me the big difference is that the citizens here are not held financially hostage to the pharmaceutical industry or to private medical practices and health insurers. The cost/benefit profile of NHS  (and, I suspect, nearly all single-payer systems around the globe) is significantly more positive than that of the US private healthcare system.
 
I'm not certain what we're going to do when we migrate back to US. Our monthly healthcare costs will skyrocket even though the service we receive will not in any manner change. So far as I'm concerned that's a travesty.

Also bear in mind that certain residents are not required to take the English test (known as the 50/20 and 55/15 rules). Some can also take the civics test in their native language. 
 
I am already working through the civics flash cards with my husband. We do a few questions each day. 

Personally, I would come at Christmas but make it a short trip.
 
I spent 197 days out of 303 in the US on the VWP, over 5 trips. (This was in 2009.) Obviously not recommending that for your parents' situation. ;-) The immigration officials seemed okay with me visiting so much given that I would soon be receiving an immigrant visa. When I arrived on my 4th trip, which was for 89 days, the official warned me that if I kept visiting so frequently I might be denied entry in the future. That made me more anxious about the traveling thing so after that trip I spent a whole five weeks back in the UK, before returning for my final six week trip. I can't even recall that entry, there was no trouble at all and no extra questioning. So in that case the warning did not mean increased scrutiny on future trips.

The advantage of living in the UK is that, if for some reason you need to move to the US relatively fast, there is "direct consular filing" (DCF) in London. That means that if you are both living in the UK, you can get a spousal visa in like 2 or 3 months, whereas the normal process if you are apart or in a country that does not have DCF (which is most countries) it takes 12-14 months. 
 
Also, take into consideration that for kids below 21 the process to come to the US with the father takes 1 year (if you file as a US citizen). If they are over 21 it would take more than 7 years. That is something to remember if the children would like to go to college in the US, for instance, and live with you guys if you are in the US while they go to college. I know you said it is a long time but these are things to remember just in case.

I do like the questions you ask and appreciate posting a question of that nature in this forum.
 
We are a in a somewhat similar situation although it is still different. I am the mother of a ten and seven year old and until mid 2016, I did about 80% of the parenting/child caring all by myself. It become pretty clear, pretty soon that my now husband and I were really serious with each other. It also became pretty clear that my kids were not happy with the situation - they like the US but love their much greater independence over here. They have access to their biological dad and their grandparents and would prefer to stay here. Don't get me wrong, both say that eventually they may like to come to the US but right now? No. I was devastated and sad and felt the kids should love me more... but then we understood. Their biological dad plays an important role in their life and after some back and forth we tried out to decrease my parenting/caring and increase his share... by now we are close to 60:40 and will try a 50:50 model in which I will commute AND get the kids for every longer school break - (so effectively I still have the kids for more than 50% of the time but less than 50% of the year in Europe) but allow the kids to maintain their familiar environment.
 
I could have pushed the kids and influence the heck out of them and I chose not to as I think BOTH biological parents play an important role. I received my fair share of criticism. I heard some say that if thats the case I should have never married my husband. Others argue, I should have just taken the kids with me. We are trying for the happy medium and compromise but I happily report back in 1-2 years and let you know if the model still works for us.
 
And again, nothing is set in stone. If it doesn't work out - it doesn't work out and we will have to reconsider all positions. Even moving back to Europe for a while is not off the table.