American vs. British Fiancee/Spousal visas

Hi Tamsin,

What a pretty name!

Thank you for sharing your story. There are so many people in the same situation as us, each unique in their details.

I wish you the best of luck from my soul. Please keep my up to date with your situation, as I will here on this sight. It is nice to release my thoughts and opinions to everyone here.

Much love, Alisha 

Ny I know you have tons of advic eon this, but just to let you know... I did the US version and basically through the Vermont Center (you can look up processing times on the Homeland website) they got it in September and he got his appointment in January and he was in the USA by January 29th.  Mind you ... I had to get my Senator and Representative involved and the local INS office to get anything.  They sent it back to me after I raised hell requesting even more information and proof of relationship (bunch of BS if you ask me -I think they just needed a reason as to why it had sat on some yobbos desk). 

So we did the quicky ceremony in Febuary and then planned our church wedding and reception later.  You can always plan a second formal wedding if that stupid deadline is looming.

Best of luck.. INS is not my favorite organization but they will eventually work it out.

Hi Vnice!

Yes, we also went thru the VT processing center. We sent in our American fiancée form, a covering letter, a color-photo copied 'collage' of different photos of us together over the last 2 years, a statement of intent to get married within 90 days of the fiancée visa activation, an "evidence that we have met" statement and of course, a money order, a copy of my birth certificate and 2 passport photos each of Andy and I. {I think that was it.....}

Within 10 days we had a receipt from VT stating they received our package and our money.

After another 10 days, we received another receipt from the VT saying our petition was approved and was being sent to the Dept. of State Nat'l Visa Center in NH.

2 weeks after, we received another receipt saying that the NH office again approved the petition and now the case was being forwarded to the American Embassy in London.

Within a week of that time, Andy's parents received the package of forms he must fill out. He is currently working on those, getting his police record and will hopefully receive word soon after of when his interview & medical exam is.

Our wedding date is July 28, 2005 here in Westhampton Beach, NY {Long Island.} After he received his visa, he will have 4 months to 'activate' it and once it is activated, he has 90 days to marry. We're keeping our fingers crossed that the time-span works in our favor!

It is extremely frustrating to be without him.  He left for England Sept 28 and we have exactly 10 months from then until our wedding date. All we are doing now is working and saving money... Keeping busy and hoping the time flies. I will see him in England at Cmas and he will come here in early spring for a visit, but that's it... Grrrrr. 

I cant believe they wanted even more info from you!!!!!!! We were so nervous after we sent the original package in... Felt like dummies really- sending a collage of photos in too. I hope we have luck on our side since Andy already has a social security number {he lived and worked here in America for one year.} Clean record, no arrests. We've never been married before and do not have children. Hoping these silly details will make the process a bit smoother for us. We'll see!

Thanks; keep the advice coming. 

You wouldn't believe the pile of photos we sent in with our initial application.  I had hear that other people got them back, but we never did. 

It was funny, when we went in for his green card interview the agent was flipping through the file making sure he had everything and stapled in the back was all of the pictures we sent.  I guess they are now a permenant part of the file.  Thank goodness for double prints. 

LOL, we color photo copied ours at the local Office Max. We also printed out some of our "statements" from a floppy disc there too as my printer was under the weather. Andy and I had a great laugh with the 2 kids working behind the desk at Office Max muttering about the situation. The next time we went in there to print out some photos for Andys mom before he left, the same 2 kids were there and asked how our visa was coming along!

Thank you ny_2_uk, it's a Cornish name (my Mum's from Cornwall)! I believe Lisa Simpson will be doing a piece on Cornish rights on Christmas Day here in the UK, lol! (But I don't know when it will or will have been aired in the U.S)

Wow, this whole idea of a photo collage is a persuasive argument. I wish I'd thought/heard of that previously. I think we sent everything else BUT that! All but the kitchen sink, including letters from the council regarding "digs". 

I think it's ridiculous how we are made to feel like we're marrying out of convenience and such, and how we and/or our husbands/wives-to-be are interrogated over when we last saw one another, and asked to provide evidence of contact! Though I know stringency has to be applied. But it seems ridiculous when here in the U.K, immigrants are being allowed to slip in "unnoticed", just like that! And the US and UK are allies, no? Where's the sense?  *Tamsin bites her lip, steps down off her pedestal and walks away silently, as not to make a scene!*