GDHB

Have you been to British Aisles in Nashua NH? It is a big warehouse that sells British goods. They are geared up to sell in bulk but they let you wander round and buy whatever quantity you want. It doesn't have any prices displayed tho. We picked a lot of stuff and took it back to the office and when they told us the prices we put a lot of it back.

They've moved, they're in Greenland NH now. They've changed their format too, they have a small store front that you can browse instead of the warehouse.

Moving on ... HAGGIS! We bought one from Scottish Gourmet USA last year. Very nice. We went to the NH Highland Games this year and Scottish Gourmet had a stall there. They have some great stuff.

I'm using Excess Baggage I think. They gave me a reasonable quote & I love that they take care of everything for you, from packing to delivering at your US address. Exactly what I was looking for. I was about to review them on here. I know, no shipping company is going to have 100% positive feed back but it's good to know you shipped so much & it was all intact. That's what I'm hoping

We used Excess Baggage for table, chairs, wardrobe, large mirror, china, etc. Very happy with their service, which was door to door. We shipped the goods out before the visa approval so had to pay for storage until we could fax them the visa. Our experience was that everything was in good order.

Hey friends, I'm new to here. I hope I can get some suggestion from you guys. Thanks! My situation is like this, I am currently a F-1 visa holder in my OPT period. I am going to get married at the end of August and start my green card application at the beginning of September. I guess my situation is very simple, I have every document I need except for joint accounts with my fiance. We don't have any joint account right now. So my questions are, is that okay if I don't have any joint account? Also, is it necessary to hire an attorney in my case? Thank you so much!

Whether you hire an attorney depends on your wish to pay for risk management.

When winter comes, you look at your car tires and decide "Should I buy new tires for the snow or are these OK?". Your decision depends on where you drive, how the tires look and how much money you have.

Our case was relatively simple, but we are busy professionals, not as young as many VJ members (fewer days left together), certainly able to afford the legal fees, so we chose to hire an attorney for peace of mind. We did much of the work ourselves but the application was submitted by our experienced attorney.

It's true that many VJ members are a great source of helpful advice. It appears that most VJers are successful on their own.

This great country is free and you are free to choose.

Greetings, just a quick question, i am the usc and would like to go to the interview with my wife in london when she has it, is this possible? is there anything i need to do before hand or can i just show up with my us passport and be let in, thanks zac

I was present for my fiancee's K1 interview in London. You need to apply for permission.

That page says I need my passport AND "4. another form of valid ID", which I do not have. All I have is my passport, I can't get a state ID yet and I don't drive. And the name on my passport is my maiden name...

Am I missing something?

Good question.

The VJ page says you need another for of ID, but SS-5 doesn't say that.

From SS-5:

"If you are not a U.S. citizen, we must see your current U.S. immigration document(s) and your foreign passport with biographical information or photograph."

... and ...

"You must provide a current unexpired document issued to you by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) showing your immigration status, such as Form I-551, I-94, or I-766."

I don't recall my wife needing anything other than the passport/Visa and I-94.

We were fortunate enough to have a DSS officer who knew what she was doing. Asked for the I-94 straight away.

Okay, so hold on -- I CAN get a SSN? I was told by several people that I cannot get one with a K-1 visa and that I am only eligible when I have a valid work permit, a US photo ID of some sort or a green card with my legal (married) name on it. I have no US ID of any kind or anything that has my married name on it yet. I don't drive so no driver's license and I don't qualify for a Texas state ID. The bank didn't let me change my name on our account without a photo ID, even though we brought our marriage certificate...

Also, I was under the impression that everyone had interviews, but you're all saying "if" we have one? So some people get approved without an interview? My mind is blown. How common is that?

SSN - see this VJ page - http://www.visajourney.com/content/ssn

Interviews - We had no interview, no RFE, just approval letters/e-mails and cards in the mail.

Just be careful to pay attention to the details and you should be fine.

Depending on the rules where you intend to marry, a Social Security Number (SSN) may be a requirement.

This might be a silly question but have you found a lot of trouble with videos being available in only one region but not the other? From personal experience when Jess spams me a link sometimes the video isn't available in the UK.

Some DVD players can be reprogrammed to be region-free. Particularly Philips. Google "region free DVD" and you should get there pretty quick.

We have two DVD players, one is exclusively for our UK DVDs, which play just fine. There is a slight motion artifact due to the frame rate change, but it's barely noticeable.

Amazon UK ships promptly and doesn't rip you off by charging VAT.

Don't forget, it's always possible that your medical envelope will slip down the back of a file cabinet or something other silly excuse to send RFE.

At least with AP/EAD you can travel and work while you sort out their mess.

The cost of a few extra photos is worth the peace of mind.

The question I have is ...

"Why are you looking for Marmite in the first place???!!!"

If there is any question in your mind that you should be looking for Marmite, you should read this:

So you think you're rather English?

He is shipping his fish tank and his tv.

In addition to the caution about shipping a TV [PAL/NTSC and 240V/120V (and 50Hz/60Hz)] you should be very careful.

I shipped a sofa and when it arrived the caster wheels were crushed; the container must have been dropped. Not a big deal for a sofa, new wheels are a few bucks in Home Depot. But a TV, especially a flat panel TV, may not survive. The manufacturers specifically prohibit shipping them flat for the larger screens. How will you guarantee that the shippers keep it upright?

I am getting ready to send off our AOS package, and I feel pretty good about having everything in order that I need to send (thanks to the awesome guides and posts I've found here!!! )

I just have a couple of questions.... how are people attaching their passport type photos (all six of them) to their forms??? any thoughts on how to send the package UPS/FEDEX or just priority USPS mail??

any advice would be appreciated!!

Similar to the previous poster, after following the instructions for writing name etc on the back of the photos, I put them in a ziplock bag and taped the bag to a blank sheet of paper. I did this for each of the three forms.

No RFE, no interview, just approval.

Also, will I have to declare that I suffered depression for some time and that I was on Citalopram and at one point Fluoxetine (Prozac). I just stopped taking the medication when I figured they were only making me worse if anything, since I stopped things just continued to get better.

They will not accept your self-diagnosis that you are recovered. You will need a letter from, for example, your GP.

Our situation's not typical; we're both Brits. I've been here 15 years, Fiona arrived for the first time 2 years ago.

There are things I love and miss in the UK (Family, Friends, pickled onions, affordable AND good lamb, etc) but I always look forward to coming home.

There's a great UK food store in Nashua NH (British Aisles) where you can get a lot of stuff that you might miss.

I've made my own pickled onions, even given them as gifts (British ####### label). We make our own Steak and Kidney pies, Toad in the Hole, etc. We buy DVDs from Amazon UK and watch them on a region-free player.

AIR QUALITY

My wife has a respiratory issue, but in the six months she's been in New Hampshire, never needed her inhaler once. We flew back to the south-east of England ten days ago; within a few days she needed the inhaler.

I have a good job, she will soon, we have wonderful friends. We've found a wonderful place to share our future together and will not be staring wistfully across the ocean.

Hi there

I would think very seriously whether it is worth bringing any electronic items over, the reason I say this is that the usa uses a different power supply than the uk, and electronic items are so much cheaper here, when you weigh up the costs of shipping it will probably be cheaper in the end to buy one here. Also I shipped over my computer and even had a new power supply put in but I ended up buying a new one here.

For a TV set there's more than mains voltage to worry about.

US mains is 60 Hz vs 50 Hz in the UK.

TV signals are NTSC vs PAL in the UK.

Your UK DVD player will have a PAL output which won't work with a US TV.

These problems can be solved, but if you don't understand what I'm talking about then you certainly shouldn't bring your TV.

Here we go yet again... VJ members recommending breaking the law. Follow the law.

I agree completely.

Never EVER drive above the posted speed limit and never ever make a colour photocopy of your green card while the original is locked in a safe place.

I trust that this advice will receive the attention that it deserves.

Once again, Kudos to Nich-Nick for significant contribution to this forum.

We used Healthmasters in Burlington MA.

I used them 12 years ago for complete testing and my SO used them this year for transcription only ($40).

They are very busy so I guess a lot of people choose them - you might need to wait a week or two for an appointment.

Small reception area if you have to wait a while (we waited two hours just for a transcription).

The location is an office park, which might make you think you're in the wrong place.

They get the job done.

Hello. We just got married Sunday after my husband entered on a k1 visa. He went down to the social security office today to apply for a card and they told him they need the i-20. What is this? I have not heard of it before. Thank you!

It takes about 2 weeks for the SSA to get the information from CBP about K-1 entry.

If you apply for SSN before this, they have to send out an inquiry which takes weeks to resolve.

Much better to wait until they have the entry information, might shut them up about the i-20 too.

Well, it's probably the same thing, but hers does not say "not valid without DHS authorization"...it just states "not valid for work". She has had that card for more than 12 years, so I'm assuming it's the same?

I've had my original SS card with "Valid for work with INS authorization" for 15 years. When an employer completes a W-9 they need proof of authorization - if you have that proof it doesn't matter what your SS card says.

We walked into the town clerk's office and asked. For the town/state we live in it's not a requirement.

If I were you I would just paperclip it to the documents you dont want to punch a hole in the document and then it is not readable.....good luck to you!!!!

We took a two sheets of letter size paper. We folded one then taped down three edges to the other sheet to make a pocket that we could put the envelope into.

That way it's secure, won't slip out until someone actually takes it out.

You just go through the Non USC line and tell them you're arriving with a visa (K-1 or whatever you have).

If you're lucky, the CBP will know what to do, if not it'll take a little longer while they figure it out.

There should be no problems unless you've been dealing drugs or such.

Welcome!

You can check timelines for other London UK K-1 cases and get an idea of what to expect and when:

http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/k1list.php?cfl=0&op1=4&op2=d&op3=1&op4=1&op5=10,11&op6=Vermont%20Service%20Center&op7=United%20Kingdom&dfile=No

Okay, thank you very much! How come the Department of State can give updates on the case if it is now handled my the US embassy in London? Would not have even thought of calling them, so thanks! What can I expect when I call that DOS number? wan't to be prepared, I'm not too good on the phone! lol

The US Embassy reports to the DOS, their computers are networked - one data base.

They'll ask for the LND number, when they get that, they can see everything and answer any questions you have. They've been pleasant and helpful when I've called.

BTW - you can get a good idea of what your dates are likely to be from the VJ timelines: this link

Not everyone keeps them updated but there's enough to give some idea .. as long as there's no complications ... good luck.

My thought on your target date in August is that you might need to delay entry to the US because the visa requires marriage in 90 days or less. Watch for that.