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If you and your fiance really want to get married, then the best thing to do is get married this year and have her petition for you to move to the US. It will take anywhere between 6-12 months for you to be granted an immigrant visa and you will be a conditional permanent resident once you have moved here. That way you will have no problems starting your job asap when you get here. You could also apply for a K-1 visa and get married here but it will take some time to adjust your status here. My wife and I got married and applied immediately. I had my interview in London after 10 months of waiting. Good luck to you both!

I have been offered a position at Google in the US and my fiance lives in the US.

I am starting work for Google in Zurich in October this year and am able to transfer office to the US in October 2014 if I can get a visa. I am open to all options right now, we are happy to marry in the US or UK if it will help, but whatever will allow me to take my job and marry my girl is perfect!

I do not qualify for the H1-B this year since I will not graduate until the July. I can apply again next year but if it's a lottery may not be granted it. I could apply for the L-1 but if I understand correctly I must wait until October 2014 until I can apply, and since I can only transfer office every year in October I'd then have to wait until Oct 2015 to move to the US.

Any help you could give would be incredibly useful!

Thanks!

I've been here for over four months and have easily applied for over 100 jobs. I've landed five interviews and I am currently waiting on the outcome of the one I had very recently. All I can say is that it depends on your job experience/educational background, and on luck. Widen your horizon and see where you can apply your qualifications as you might be surprised where you could potentially end up working. But, above all, be patient and don't give up! Good luck!

I was wondering how many applications and resume you guys submitted before getting your job. I just moved to another city and finding a job is becoming a nightmare since I don't know anyone in the area. I've already applied to several jobs... and still waiting I would love to hear your stories. They might encourage myself to keep trying.

I assume each case is different and they say it can take up to 6 months. Never the less, I had mine within 3 weeks so I would think you should have it fairly quick.

Typically how long does it take to get plastic green card in mail after entering US?

I definitely get what you're saying, and also agree with you to a large degree. On the other hand though it is difficult for me as I have no US work experience and it is tough that way. Once I have held that crucial first job, I believe it will be easier for me to find another job.

I am in New York City and have registered with numerous Recruitment Agencies, but again, to no luck. Even though the job market is slowly recovering here in the US, there is still a large number of people unemployed and the job market is extremely competitive.

If I were you I would for sure finish your degree in Europe and then consider coming here. Even then you will most likely find it hard to land a job, depending on where you're headed as local economies can differ quite a bit. Wish you luck!

I'm sorry to hear that :-s That isso strange, in Belgium you'd get hired BECAUSE there are so many college graduates vying for the same positions... they "typically" expect more pay, more benefits, etc and they tend to leave sooner as soon as a more attractive offer comes along. It's for that very same reason that I have never been without a job. Before I step on anyone's toes, I'm not saying every college or university graduate is like that but here it does seem to be a common stereotype... one that's helped me a lot in the past :-) Technically, you and I can do the same as any college graduate in the admin field, but we're cheaper. At least, that's how I hoped they'd see it :-p

I hope you have more luck in the future finding a job. Where are you? I read some people here had the most luck finding employment through a temp agency, maybe that would help?

I have been here in the US for nearly three months now and have had no luck finding a job. I do not have a college degree and back in the UK I had a decent job paying a fairly good wage. I have applied to many positions here and have had interviews as well, but no luck at all so far. In my opinion it is extremely difficult finding a job without a college degree as the market is flodded with graduates from colleges applying for admin assistants etc. Even though three months may not see such a long time, I am quite disheartened by it all. Even before I have moved here, I have decided to go to college, but I still need a job to get through life and pay bills.

hi friends

we applied I-130 on October 2012 and have received our NO1 there is a case number but it is starting with MSC*********** we still can not check our status on uscis !!!!!!!

do you think that for people like us there is no way to check our status ??????

is any one like me and got their answer ????

please give me some advise ,it is just not fair that we cant check our status like others

thaxxx

Our NOA2 (Vermont) came nearly 6 months after the NOA1, which was earlier this year. I have no idea whether their processing times are faster now but if I were you I wouldn't start checking the status right now as you're in for a bit of a wait, that's for sure. Be patient, you'll get there:) and good luck!

oh i see sorry i didnt catch that part ... soooo you are talking about the envelop that the DX handed you???? if so then you should open that cuz it has your passport in it the sealed envelop is always inside the first package .

open the first package and keep the sealed envelop safe

good luck

That's right. Well I just opened the DX plastic envelope and all is clear now. Inside it was my passport and an envelope which I am not allowed to open. Now the case is clear :) Thanks for your help!!!

I think you leave it sealed and when you use your Point Of Entry (POE) they open the envelope. I don't think it contains your passport, that should have been be sent to you but double check with others who have come in from the UK under your regional board if one doesn't answer here.

But from the NVC website:

A visa allows a foreign citizen to travel to the U.S. port-of-entry and request permission to enter the United States. You should be aware that a visa does not guarantee entry into the United States. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials have authority to permit or deny admission to the U.S. Upon arrival at the port-of-entry, be prepared to present to the CBP officer your passport with visa and your unopened/sealed packet containing your documents. Travelers should review important information about admissions and entry requirements on the CBP website under Travel.I highlighted the relevant spot.

It does contain my passport, 100%, as I can also feel it floating around in the sealed plastic bag. Hence still very confused as I can't leave the UK without presenting a passport I'd think....

hello dear friend

pleaseeeee do not open anything before you are sure of what you should really do !!! i was approved a k1 visa in american embassy in London and no one told me anything on the day about the sealed envelope either and i got the same plastic envelope with no instruction on it (to do not open i mean !) so i opened it and i got myself in a big s***t ,and it resulted them canceling my k1 visa and asked us to re apply again (

i guess i wasnt the only person to get such an envelop !!

please do not open it and even if you have to take it to the embassy and show it to them and ask them what to do !

good luck to you

I am still very confused. My passport is inside this plastic bag. So my assumption is, that the plastic bag does need to be opened and I can also clearly feel another envelope inside the plastic bag. So, I would think that's the one I am not supposed to open!?!?

How else can you leave the country if your passport is inside this sealed plastic bag. I would think UK immigration would not let you pass past security without presenting your passport, or would they?

I'm a little confused. You do get a plastic delivery bag kind of beige in color delivered to you and inside is another envelope that is brown that says do not open. Your passport is floating inside the plastic delivery bag. I assume she opened the delivery bag, took her passport out and then accidentally opened the envelope? Either way I am sorry for this delay for you both just remember it was excitement that lead to this little hiccup, as frustrating as the situation is it is good to see that it seems you are being very understanding Keep us posted!!!

I was looking for something like this as I received my passport inside a plastic bag and my assumption is that inside the bag there is another envelope. Now in order to leave the UK I have to use my passport at London airport. Am I allowed to open the plastic bag?

Thanks so much. Were you doing DCF or sent them to the NVC? And do you mind me asking were your documents from South Africa?

No, I am based in the UK so no South African documents. We went through New Hampshire (NVC) and like I said they returned the file to London with all my stuff and I got it back during my interview. I do not know whether the NVC handles cases from Australia the same way?

Dear All,

Has anyone recently been approved in the UK and has received a delivery with their stuff from DX? If so, what do you do with the sealed plastic envelope? Reason I am asking is that no one told me on my day of the interview, and there is no instructions on the outside of the plastic envelope.

As for now I haven't opened anything but I must wonder how I'd be able to leave the UK if the plastic envelope remains sealed as I will be asked to show a passport upon leaving the UK I'd assume...

Any answers, especially from people with recent experience being granted a CR-1 in the UK and already in the US are much appreciated!!!

Thanks,

Josef

Same happened to us and in the end we provided NVC with the originals. At the interview I was returned the originals as the NVC has sent my file with them to London.

Hi everyone,

Has anyone ever sent their original birth and marriage certificates to the NVC? We sent certified copies, but they want the original or one issued from the government in South Africa. It is not easy to get a copy from the issuing authors in South Africa, so we'd probably need to send the originals. How do they get these back to us? At the interview?

Thanks!!

Dear All,

After nearly exactly 10 months of this ordeal I had my interview at the London Embassy this past Monday and was approved for a CR-1 Visa. Off to my new life in the US in about 3 weeks and I can't wait to be finally with my wife after three long years of back and forth between the UK and the US.

All of you who are in the midst of this process and at times feel frustrated and depressed because things might take longer than expected or get delayed, all I can say is, hang in there and everything will turn out just all right. In the end all of you will eventually get there, some faster than others, but there is nothing one can do about it. Good luck to all of you VJers!

Josef

Hello everybody,

My wife and I received our NOA2 not too long ago and I am slowly but surely preparing for matters with regards to the physical move of my personal belongings. Since I have quite a bit that will need to be moved stateside I was wondering whether anyone can suggest a good and reliable UK based removal company that does removals to the US. I have googled my query and have found quite a few entries and have contacted one company but I am rather looking for people that have already made the move and have either had a positive or maybe a rather negative experience with a company. Any suggestions are welcome and good luck to all of you that are hanging in there in the last stages of this process!

Same here, still waiting, received NOA1 January 4th, and all we keep hearing is we should be hearing something soon. Well, how soon is soon? For the longest time I was being very patient but now I am really starting to wonder what's going on. Anyhow, hope we all get to hear some good news soon:)

I thought police certificates were valid for one year? If you're already a month or two after getting NOA1, maybe coordinating it now would be a good idea?

You could be right. I was told to wait until I am told to get one but it seem like I could apply for it rather sooner than later:)

It takes about 3 weeks to get a Police Certificate in the UK. Normally they are valid for 6 months but for US immigration purposes they are accepted up to 12 mths after issue. http://www.acro.police.uk/police_certificates.aspx

Thank you for this, much useful! I had another site bookmarked but this is really what I will need!

You seem to be on the right track!

For the English one, do you know how long it typically takes? What step are you in the prcoess? Rather than waiting until NVC requires it, you might want to apply right away when you receive NOA2, so that when it is time to send your civil documents with the visa application form, you have everything ready.

Hello and thanks for the answer! Good to know I seem to be on the right track:) I don't know how long it will take for the one here in England but it's too early to apply for that one as we've only received NOA1 so far. I was advised to apply for the swiss and canadian ones since I lived there in the past meaning I can apply for those straight away to have them ready. I've only started to look into all of this in order to try finding out how long everything will take and when I should tackle what in order to speed up the process as good as possible.

Hello everybody,

I've been reading VJ topics for quite some time and have recently gotten married. My wife has started the immigration procedure in the US and we were told that since I've lived in Switzerland and Canada for more than a year after my 16th birthday I will need police certificates from those countries. I am living in London and am wondering if anyone here has had a similar experience. I've applied for the swiss one and that seems fairly straight forward. The canadian seems less straight forward and any information or confirmation would be much much appreciated.

The way I understand it is that I will need to go to a police station here in London to have my fingerprints taken. I have found information where that can be done (see below):

http://www.met.police.uk/scd/specialist_units/fingerprint_services.htm

Once I have my fingerprints taken I will need to send the information to Canada and for this I have found the information below:

http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cr-cj/fing-empr2-eng.htm

If anyone could tell me whether I am on the right track, again that would be much appreciated.

As for the English one we were told to wait until I'm told to get one as I am living here unlike with Canada and Switzerland where I am not returning to live.

Thanks a lot and good luck to you all!

Hello everyone,

Thanks to all of you that have posted valuable information with regards to the possibility of DCF being eliminated. I have been following the developments with great interest as it is something that might impact my future wife and myself. She's in the US and I am in the UK. Fact is though that she holds UK citizenship as well and could easily move here, spend some time here and we would file at the Embassy here.

Question remains though whether that could be taking a high risk by having her move here just to find out that DCF is being eliminated and probably having to go back to square one. I'm just trying to figure out the best possible way for us not to be separated for too long and having her here for some time would be the ideal thing to do but we're afraid that in the end she'll have to file in the US and her time here would not have brought us the results we desire. Any thoughts on this are appreciated.

Hello everyone,

I read somewhere on this website that travelling to the US during the IR-1 procedure might not be permitted. Could anyone fill me in whether there is any information out there pertaining to this as I'd like to know more about this so that I and my future wife can be prepared better.

Thanks a lot in advance!