Work permit dependent visa question - help!

Hi all,

So, after months of waiting my husband just got issued his work permit to head over to the UK. We're all excited and scheduled our flight and rented a flat and now are trying to figure our visas out. He really wanted to go to NY to apply in person so we filled out the online form and scheduled an appointment for him and everything. But I'm really confused about how I should present my application to go over as his dependent.

On the website it says that either:

A) He can submit my application for me during his appointment, but I would not be allowed into the consulate as I don't have an appointment and wouldn't be able to answer any questions.

B) I can schedule my own appointment separate from him.

Which do you think is better?

Also, I read on an earlier post that "certified copy" actually means "notarized copy" is there anyone who can personally confirm that after having taken a notaried copy of a passport or work permit to the consulate? If we choose option B and schedule our 2 appointments for the same time slot I have to provide "certified copies" of his passport and permit.

I e-mailed the NY consulate this question but who knows if they'll ever answer me.

Thanks,
Linmei

You will actually need to bring your original passports and the original work permit to the consulate.

I can't help with info on on-line applications I'm afraid.  However, they really wouldn't need to interview a work permit dependent.


Victoria

Thanks Victoria,

I knew that we would need to present our original passports and my husband's original work permit. I was just confused as to whether if we scheduled our appointments separately we would need certified copies and originals (two sets - one for each appointment.)

But I guess all I really needed to know was whether it was important for me to be there in person and if you think that they won't need to ask me any questions then I'll just have him present my application along with his at one appointment.

I think I'm just making mountains out of molehills because it's been such a long wait for the permit that it makes me paranoid.  I guess there are a lot of people on this site who feel that way though.

In any case, thanks,

Linmei

Don't worry - it's not as big a deal as you would think.

I can tell you how it worked in Chicago.  We were told that we could either a) make 1 appointment and the work permit holder goes and applies for both, or b) make 2 appointments and we could both go in.  Under no circumstances are you allowed in if you do not have an appointment.  I was a bit paranoid so I made the 2 appointments and we both went in.  However, they didn't ask my husband any questions and I'm sure I could have just done it alone (I was the work permit holder). 

Re: notarized copies.  If you both go to the appointment, you only need the original work permit.  We both went and did not have any notarized copies of anything.  I think that refers to if the work permit holder cannot go to the consulate with the dependant and thus the dependent doesn't have that person's permit or passport (does that make sense?).  So no, you just need the original stuff - passports, work permit, bank statements, etc.  In Chicago I think they wanted the employment contract too.  I just brought everything!

Hope that helps!

Yay! We got our visas!!   

We drove up to New York from Baltimore yesterday at 2 AM  and arrived at 5:30 AM just in time to witness the aftermath of the blizzard of '06. Luckily the roads weren't so bad and I know how to drive in the snow since I'm from the mid-west. Anyway, after we hung out in the bagel shop next door for two and a half hours and spent another hour in an awful "waiting room" in the building next door DH went up to submit his work permit app and my work permit dependent app for me. We decided to go for just one appointment and have him submit both of our applications, whcih meant I had to hang out in the "waiting room" with our cell phones while he went up. He got up to the window right away since the other people who were scheduled for 9 and 9:15 didn't make it in because of the storm. He said that he didn't even really know the application process was occuring until the lady at the counter handed him a receipt and told him to come back in an hour to pick our visas up!! He was distractedly answering her few questions while watching "The Office", which was playing overhead, expecting that this was just the pre-interview or whatever, and next thing he knows he's all done! 

We had brought up so much paperwork, which I'm glad we had just in case, but she only asked for our passports, his work permit, and took a glance at our marriage certificate. Didn't ask to see any of our bank records, or our lease, or anything! Pretty cool.

I'm so happy to have this whole process over and just get down to packing for our Sunday flight.

Anyway I just wanted to add this to the visa chronicles so that if another work permit/work permit dependent comes along they'll know how we did it. Also, I can highly recommend the bagel shop that's a block south of the Consulate, Ess-A-Bagel. Great food, pretty good coffee, and they tolerated us hanging around for two hours pretty well. It's crumby the consulate doesn't have a waiting room upstairs. They were being quite strict about letting people upstairs only when it was 15 minutes before their appointment, so when we left there was a pretty sizeable crowd outside waiting in the cold to get to go upstairs. They direct people to this lobby-like area in the building next door, but it's pretty horrible over there.

Anyway, thanks for all the help and advice. I've learned a lot reading the various posts on here and I'm sure I'll be back on once I get over and need to get a car, or file taxes for the first time. 

Thanks!

Linmei

Yay! We got our visas!!   

Linmei

Glad it all worked out for you!  It's nice to hear when people actually get it done WITHOUT hassles!