Hello
Guest

Sponsored Links


Topic: Things to do while waiting for your visa decision  (Read 3726 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

  • *
  • Posts: 923

  • Liked: 210
  • Joined: Dec 2016
Things to do while waiting for your visa decision
« on: May 23, 2017, 08:06:53 PM »
As we're all waiting, it's hard to stay focused and not get out of sorts. Here's a list of what to do while waiting for the visa decision. If you can think of other ideas, please chime in!

1. Fill out your Transfer of Residence application if you plan to ship anything to the UK (besides your plane luggage): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-for-transfer-of-residence-tor-relief-tor01

Allow at least 4 weeks for UK customs to make a decision. The exemption is valid for 12 months after approval, so do this early.

2. Digitize any important paperwork/mementos, either if you need a backup copy or if you are trying to downsize for the move. My recommendation: the Fujitsu ScanSnap 1300i. Compact and portable, and it even comes with adapters for both UK and US. (I also backed up files on an external hard drive and DropBox.)




3. Visit friends and family, especially elderly/ill ones who may not make it until your next visit to the US.


4. Study for your UK driving theory and hazard perception test.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code


5. Study for your Life in the UK test:

https://www.gov.uk/life-in-the-uk-test/book-life-in-uk-test


6. Eat food that you'll miss in the UK, such as hot dogs, dill pickles, Mexican food, mac & cheese, Dunkin' Donuts, etc.

7. Visit local attractions and favorite places near you that you will miss. Even if you come back to visit, those places may change.

8. Stock up on your favorite clothing that's hard to get in the UK (such as inexpensive bras, jeans, etc.)

9. Stock up on your favorite personal items that will be hard to get in the UK (stick deodorant, your favorite shampoo, etc.)

10. Search for the GP (doctor) in your area of UK and gather information about what paperwork you'll need to get registered.

http://www.nhs.uk/Service-Search/GP/LocationSearch/4


11. Read up on UK culture, customs, and culture shock/adjustment

Some recommendations:

Very British Problems (hysterical but quite informative)
Watching the English (more serious and in-depth)
Stuff Brits Like


12. Watch British TV. This site is great for access to British TV channels:

https://www.firstonetv.eu/Index


13. Make holiday cards to send out just before you leave the US (and therefore save a ton of postage), or to leave with a friend/family member to distribute for you.


14. Go on Google Earth and get to know the neighborhood where you'll live. (I can actually see my wife's car parked in her driveway! It's lovely to feel as if I can see it.)


15. Take regular screenshots of your call record logs/email logs for future Further Leave to Remain visa applications.


16. Research UK cell phone plans to find one that's best for you. My personal recommendation: GiffGaff. Cheap, flexible, and no contract needed.

https://www.giffgaff.com/


17. Mail cards/letters to your significant other. Even if you're chatting/texting/emailing daily, it's still nice to get something tangible.


18. Make plans for your next holiday in the UK.


19. Start making a homemade gift for your loved one in the UK.


20. Take one last road trip...or two or three.


21. Do something/visit someplace you've always wanted to do/see, but didn't because it was too expensive/far away/hot/cold/inconvenient/etc.


22. Keep a daily journal.


23. Compile to-do lists for right before you leave and right after you arrive in the UK.


24. Investigate Amazon UK, Ikea UK, or whatever your favorite international store might be.


25. Cook a meal (or buy a meal) for someone you love who will stay in the US. Or go shopping together, or whatever it is that you like to do together. There will come a time when you would give anything in the world to have that chance again.


26. If you have young relatives/friends who aren't old enough to remember you clearly, write them an age-appropriate letter for them to read after you've left. Or get a toy, like a recordable book or teddy bear, for you to leave a personal message.


27. If you live in a sunny area, go outside and soak up lots of rays. You'll miss it in the UK. :D


28. Plan your first trip together, whether it's within the UK or going abroad.


29. Reach out to someone else who's applying for a visa and has questions. Offer what help and support you can.


30. Use your experience to become more compassionate and understanding of immigrants in the US. Find a local refugee or New American center and offer your help. Read up on local immigration law in the US and find out how you can advocate for immigrants.


31. If you belong to a faith community, research it in the UK. See what options might be available.


32. Look into volunteering opportunities, in the US before you leave and/or in the UK after you arrive. My personal favorite is Silver Line, an organization that calls senior citizens in the UK who live alone:

https://www.thesilverline.org.uk/

Or the Samaritans: http://www.samaritans.org/volunteer-us

Or any of the many great causes.


33. Binge-watch Netflix. 'Nuff said. :D


34. Make sure you have enough prescription and OTC medication to last you through your first few weeks (or even months) in the UK, just in case it takes a while to get registered with a GP. (Some items that are hard to get or expensive in the UK: Flonase, Neosporin, real Sudafed, Benadryl, value size bottles of ibuprofen, Aleve, etc.)


35. Take a deep breath, and have faith. It's all going to be okay.




« Last Edit: May 23, 2017, 08:10:28 PM by AV »
Online application submitted April 5, 2017
Biometrics & shipping to UK April 17, 2017
Email confirmation from Sheffield April 24, 2017
Submitted ToR May 12, 2017
Decision email: June 2, 2017


  • *
  • Posts: 2708

  • Liked: 768
  • Joined: Jan 2017
Re: Things to do while waiting for your visa decision
« Reply #1 on: May 23, 2017, 08:12:47 PM »
Note on the Benadryl, diphenhydramine, it is only sold here as a sleep aid and available for purchase only from the pharmacist in small quantities.

The Benadryl sold here for allergies is not diphenhydramine.

But on the up side, you can buy pain meds with codeine here OTC.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk



  • *
  • Posts: 923

  • Liked: 210
  • Joined: Dec 2016
Re: Things to do while waiting for your visa decision
« Reply #2 on: May 23, 2017, 08:13:39 PM »
Note on the Benadryl, diphenhydramine, it is only sold here as a sleep aid and available for purchase only from the pharmacist in small quantities.

The Benadryl sold here for allergies is not diphenhydramine.

But on the up side, you can buy pain meds with codeine here OTC.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

What??? Wow!!
Online application submitted April 5, 2017
Biometrics & shipping to UK April 17, 2017
Email confirmation from Sheffield April 24, 2017
Submitted ToR May 12, 2017
Decision email: June 2, 2017


  • *
  • Posts: 2708

  • Liked: 768
  • Joined: Jan 2017
Re: Things to do while waiting for your visa decision
« Reply #3 on: May 23, 2017, 08:16:43 PM »
What??? Wow!!
Ikr? You have your choice of paracetamol with codeine or ibuprofen with codeine,  both with or without caffeine.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk



  • *
  • Posts: 923

  • Liked: 210
  • Joined: Dec 2016
Re: Things to do while waiting for your visa decision
« Reply #4 on: May 23, 2017, 08:18:26 PM »
Ikr? You have your choice of paracetamol with codeine or ibuprofen with codeine,  both with or without caffeine.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

Holy cow. And they restrict the sales of IBUPROFEN. Here, you have to show ID and sign a logbook to pick up a prescription with codeine.

*shaking my head*
Online application submitted April 5, 2017
Biometrics & shipping to UK April 17, 2017
Email confirmation from Sheffield April 24, 2017
Submitted ToR May 12, 2017
Decision email: June 2, 2017


  • *
  • Posts: 165

  • Liked: 79
  • Joined: Apr 2017
Re: Things to do while waiting for your visa decision
« Reply #5 on: May 23, 2017, 08:20:36 PM »
I do want to point out there are a few Dunkin Doughnuts in the UK!


  • *
  • Posts: 2708

  • Liked: 768
  • Joined: Jan 2017
Re: Things to do while waiting for your visa decision
« Reply #6 on: May 23, 2017, 08:21:18 PM »
Holy cow. And they restrict the sales of IBUPROFEN. Here, you have to show ID and sign a logbook to pick up a prescription with codeine.

*shaking my head*
I know. I worked in a US pharmacy. I was like What the? when I saw it here.

And the UK does sell meds with PSEUDOEPHEDRINE in it, also OTC.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk



  • *
  • Posts: 206

  • Liked: 75
  • Joined: May 2017
  • Location: Illinois, USA
Re: Things to do while waiting for your visa decision
« Reply #7 on: May 23, 2017, 08:31:13 PM »
I found a Taco Bell in Nottingham and apparently there's a Dunkin' Donuts in Leeds!

My daughter has asked me to bring flamin' hot cheetos (I may need a ToR just for those, ha!)
Married December 8, 2007
1st Application Submitted: February 8, 2017
1st Application Decision: February 16, 2017: (refused due to missing information)
-
2nd Online application submitted April 30, 2017
Biometrics & shipping to UK May 4, 2017
UPS Tracking Delivered to Sheffield May 8, 2017
Email confirmation from Sheffield May 15, 2017
Retroactive Upgrade to Priority*: June 2, 2017
Decision Made on Tracker: July 1, 2017
Decision Made Email: July 3, 2017


  • *
  • Posts: 165

  • Liked: 79
  • Joined: Apr 2017
Re: Things to do while waiting for your visa decision
« Reply #8 on: May 23, 2017, 08:32:48 PM »
I found a Taco Bell in Nottingham and apparently there's a Dunkin' Donuts in Leeds!

My daughter has asked me to bring flamin' hot cheetos (I may need a ToR just for those, ha!)

There's a Dunkin in Cambridge. The coffee isn't necessarily the same but its still good.


  • *
  • Posts: 2708

  • Liked: 768
  • Joined: Jan 2017
Re: Things to do while waiting for your visa decision
« Reply #9 on: May 23, 2017, 08:47:19 PM »
I found a Taco Bell in Nottingham and apparently there's a Dunkin' Donuts in Leeds!

My daughter has asked me to bring flamin' hot cheetos (I may need a ToR just for those, ha!)
You can buy Flamin' Hot Cheetos in the UK now.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk



  • *
  • Posts: 206

  • Liked: 75
  • Joined: May 2017
  • Location: Illinois, USA
Re: Things to do while waiting for your visa decision
« Reply #10 on: May 23, 2017, 08:53:06 PM »
You can buy Flamin' Hot Cheetos in the UK now.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk
whaaaaaaat?!! Where?
Last I was there, I looked on Amazon and they were £12 or something insane.

Married December 8, 2007
1st Application Submitted: February 8, 2017
1st Application Decision: February 16, 2017: (refused due to missing information)
-
2nd Online application submitted April 30, 2017
Biometrics & shipping to UK May 4, 2017
UPS Tracking Delivered to Sheffield May 8, 2017
Email confirmation from Sheffield May 15, 2017
Retroactive Upgrade to Priority*: June 2, 2017
Decision Made on Tracker: July 1, 2017
Decision Made Email: July 3, 2017


  • *
  • Posts: 2708

  • Liked: 768
  • Joined: Jan 2017
Re: Things to do while waiting for your visa decision
« Reply #11 on: May 23, 2017, 08:54:04 PM »
whaaaaaaat?!! Where?
Last I was there, I looked on Amazon and they were £12 or something insane.
They are just recently available. Within the past few months. You can buy them in lots of shops now.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk



  • *
  • Posts: 206

  • Liked: 75
  • Joined: May 2017
  • Location: Illinois, USA
Re: Things to do while waiting for your visa decision
« Reply #12 on: May 23, 2017, 08:56:53 PM »
There's a Dunkin in Cambridge. The coffee isn't necessarily the same but its still good.
I'm so far up north, like an hour and a half from York. We don't even have any fast food places in the village there so I've been having a Dunkachino nearly every day since I've been back in Chicago.

Last time I was in the UK I almost cried when I couldn't find Mac and Cheese (they pointed me to a microwaveable Kraft version really excitedly but it was awful). I'm trying to eat as much American junk as I can while I'm waiting!
Married December 8, 2007
1st Application Submitted: February 8, 2017
1st Application Decision: February 16, 2017: (refused due to missing information)
-
2nd Online application submitted April 30, 2017
Biometrics & shipping to UK May 4, 2017
UPS Tracking Delivered to Sheffield May 8, 2017
Email confirmation from Sheffield May 15, 2017
Retroactive Upgrade to Priority*: June 2, 2017
Decision Made on Tracker: July 1, 2017
Decision Made Email: July 3, 2017


  • *
  • *
  • *
  • Posts: 26862

  • Liked: 3589
  • Joined: Jan 2007
Re: Things to do while waiting for your visa decision
« Reply #13 on: May 23, 2017, 09:02:59 PM »
34. Make sure you have enough prescription and OTC medication to last you through your first few weeks (or even months) in the UK, just in case it takes a while to get registered with a GP. (Some items that are hard to get or expensive in the UK: Flonase, Neosporin, real Sudafed, Benadryl, value size bottles of ibuprofen, Aleve, etc.)

To clarify the medicines available in the UK (I worked in a pharmacy for 9 years):

- Flonase is sold as Flixonase in the UK and is readily available over the counter, though you can probably get bigger bottles on prescription

- Neosporin is prescription-only in the UK because it is an antibiotic

- real Sudafed (pseudoephedrine) is EASIER to buy in the UK than in the US - you can purchase 12 tablets (720mg total) over the counter without filling out any forms or anything (which I believe you have to do in the US)

- Benadryl in the UK contains acrivastine and is non-drowsy

- US Benadryl is diphenhydramine and is sold as Nytol sleeping tablets only. You cannot buy it for allergies

- You can buy paracetamol (acetaminophen) and ibuprofen tablets with codeine (either 8mg or 12.8 mg) over the counter, but you are limited to 32 tablets only

- if you are buying ibuprofen off the shelf, you can only purchase a maximum of 2 packets of 16 tablets (32 in total). However, you can buy bottles of 100 ibuprofen over the counter.

- if you are buying paracetamol off the shelf you can only purchase a maximum of 2 packets of 16 tablets (32 in total). You may be able to get 2 packets of 32 from the pharmacist, but I'm not sure of the up-to-date regulations on this.

If you want to know whether medicines are OTC or on the shelf or on prescription:
- medicines available on the shelf have a 'G' inside a square on the back (for General medicine)
- medicines available OTC from the pharmacy counter have a 'P' in a square on the back (for Pharmacy medicine)
- medicines only available on prescription have 'POM' on the back (Prescription Only Medicine)


  • *
  • Posts: 297

  • Liked: 92
  • Joined: Jul 2012
Re: Things to do while waiting for your visa decision
« Reply #14 on: May 23, 2017, 09:43:42 PM »
To clarify the medicines available in the UK (I worked in a pharmacy for 9 years):

- Flonase is sold as Flixonase in the UK and is readily available over the counter, though you can probably get bigger bottles on prescription

- Neosporin is prescription-only in the UK because it is an antibiotic

- real Sudafed (pseudoephedrine) is EASIER to buy in the UK than in the US - you can purchase 12 tablets (720mg total) over the counter without filling out any forms or anything (which I believe you have to do in the US)

- Benadryl in the UK contains acrivastine and is non-drowsy

- US Benadryl is diphenhydramine and is sold as Nytol sleeping tablets only. You cannot buy it for allergies

- You can buy paracetamol (acetaminophen) and ibuprofen tablets with codeine (either 8mg or 12.8 mg) over the counter, but you are limited to 32 tablets only

- if you are buying ibuprofen off the shelf, you can only purchase a maximum of 2 packets of 16 tablets (32 in total). However, you can buy bottles of 100 ibuprofen over the counter.

- if you are buying paracetamol off the shelf you can only purchase a maximum of 2 packets of 16 tablets (32 in total). You may be able to get 2 packets of 32 from the pharmacist, but I'm not sure of the up-to-date regulations on this.

If you want to know whether medicines are OTC or on the shelf or on prescription:
- medicines available on the shelf have a 'G' inside a square on the back (for General medicine)
- medicines available OTC from the pharmacy counter have a 'P' in a square on the back (for Pharmacy medicine)
- medicines only available on prescription have 'POM' on the back (Prescription Only Medicine)

Which Benadryl do you prefer/think is more effective? I like the idea of non-drowsy but if it isn't as good I'll stock up...my kids and husband are always getting bitten or allergic it seems.
Application: April 5 2017
Biometrics: April 13 2017
Received: April 19 2017
Decision email: June 6 2017
Decision: June 8 2017 -- APPROVED! 😊
Arrived in UK: June 24, 2017

FLR(m): Applied standard - 20 Dec 2019
Biometrics done - 13 January 2020
Approved for FLR(m)!  Feb 2020

ILR Applied Super Priority - 12 July 2022
Biometrics (got a cancellation!) -13 July 2022
APPROVED! - 13 July 2022

Next up - Naturalisation application!


Sponsored Links





 

coloured_drab