Stock Take

September 3 2004 -

Great news today, yet again!! Sara and hubby made it through their interview no problem and even had a really lovely night at their hotel in London. Theyre planning on heading out to the US after Chrimbo this year. We wish them all the best in sorting out their move - what a great christmas prezzie!! On other news, Jules spectacularly hid their interview date from me but let the beans spill in a post earlier today, so Ive updated the list.

Take care everyone,
Sarah



Up-to-date List as of September 3 2004

MarsBar & Big Ridge - Green Card in hand, SSN sorted via Embassy in London, still in UK selling house.

Missy_jx2 - Green Card in hand, SSN sorted. Moved and HAPPY!

KingBeast - Green Card in hand, SSN sorted. Taking the USA by storm!

BruinBrooke & Laurie - Temp Green Card Stamp sorted, SSN is a stumbling block, but otherwise soaking up the sun!

MelanieB - UPDATE: Visa approved! POE: HOU (I think), Date of Departure: ??

Kellie8yearsinUK - UPDATE: Visa approved! POE: Chicago, Date of Departure: 08/09.09/04

Marlespro -  UPDATE: Visa approved! POE: ??, Date of Departure: After Chrimbo 04

Greengaard - UPDATE: Interview on September 15 2004!!!

Jules - UPDATE: Interview on September 17 2004!!!

Emmy - I-130 set, DS-230 and checklist sent. Waiting for I-130 NOA.

New-Dawn - Havent sent anything yet. Just filing back taxes at the moment and assessing the situation. SSN already sorted.

Well as you probably know, Chrissy and I are in the US, greencard in hand, social security number in hand, mounting debt in hand... Come on someone, hire me! 

Hugs Sarah!!! And I am sending hire vibes to you Kingbeast!
Kev and I arrived in California on May 9th. He applied for his SS card on the 11th. We received it a little over a week later. He took his written exam for a drivers license, passed, and has been allowed to drive with his temporary license and will have the *behind the wheel* exam this Thursday. The second week we were here, a company hired Kevin and the lucky bugger got a company vehicle!  I started my job last Monday  **cheer**  love it, love it, love it Kevin got his green card about three weeks after we arrived - but the stamp in his passport was enough documentation for him to be hired.  Things are rocking and rolling for us. We placed a priority on finding a house - even before jobs. We found our dream home and it is being built as we speak Thank goodness too - the prices are jumping up by the tens of thousands faster than you can blink!

Wow Missy...I want YOUR life! 

That is all fantastic and you are definitely right about property prices! We're just preparing to buy my Mom's condo whenever my hubby Laurie gets here, but it keeps going up the more time goes by (come ON you blankety blank blank visa!). And in the meantime he and I are about to lose our minds from being apart!

Sarah, I hope things get better in the house sale, but just think of how great it will be to have a big chunk of change exchanged into dollars! I know how frustrated you must feel though...BELIEVE me I do! Hey, please look for Laurie at the 4th of July extravaganza...he'll be the handsome devil looking depressed.  I want him to have a chance to thank you in person for all your awesome advice!

And Rob, good luck with the job hunt and I hope all is well with wife and coming bundle of joy! She must be thrilled to be home and near family while expecting!

I keep my fingers crossed for ALL of us! 

Great idea Sarah!

We've supplied all of our paperwork and are now just waiting for an interview date. I have to fill out my I-864 yet (need to make a call to the IRS because I didn't know that I had to file in the US even though I lived here all of 2003), but that's all. I'm heading to the US on holiday on the 30th with my son - husband isn't going since it jeopardizes the process. :/ Waiting to hear from his company about our official offer, like if they'll help with shipping, what his salary will be etc... just waiting waiting waiting!

Well it seems that Brooke and I can sure sympathize with the whole "waiting, waiting, waiting" ordeal Sara *sigh*. But sure nuff, when moving day actually arrives it'll feel oh so good

Brooke, Mart and I will hunt him down and put a smile or two on his face Sorry you cant tag along. We'll make sure Laurie eats lots of cake on your behalf.

Hi everyone,

We are still at the filing US Tax returns stage before sending hubby back ( he is the USC) to get him settled first whilst I remain in the U.K with a steady income coming in to cover our outgoings.  He will move in with his Mother , buy car and (fingers crossed) get a job and we will apply from there once we know what he will be earning and what impact that will have on any sponsor needed and so on.

Our situation is a little different in that having been in the US before for 2 years waiting for the employment authorisation/SSN etc to come through and not being able to work, I am not willing to rush back until hubby is gainfully employed with insurance! We can also survive a 6 mth separation if necessary to get where we need to be in the long term.

Having said that, I am finally looking forward to returning and we desperately need the fresh start.

Thrilled to bits for you all, best wishes to all of you waiting and waiting and..........thanks for updating and sharing - gives us all hope!

Sheril
x

Good news for Brooke and Laurie - they've got their I-130 approval. So now theyre just waiting for their interview date.

Just wanted to update this thread

Thanks Sarah (and oops on me for not updating this thread as well!)! COME ON INTERVIEW DATE!!!

And hi there Sheril! 
Just wanted to tell you that what you have planned is pretty well along the lines of what we did. I agree with everything you've said about willing to wait in order to be where you want eventually. And FAR be it for me to tell others what is right for them...believe me!

But I can't help but give you a rundown of what we've been through...

We lived in London for about a year and a half and then while visiting home for Thanksgiving '03, I happened to get an excellent job offer that we couldn't pass up. I was due back to work in the US on 1/2/04. We decided to send me on ahead to work and thus be the sponsor, and our thinking was that I would have us well settled by the time my hubby Laurie got his visa.

I filled out the DCF forms while back in London, then moved back here to San Diego 12/28/03. But suddenly we were hit with the completely shocking news of my father's pancreatic cancer diagnosis. So instead of filing right away, I decided that I needed to have Laurie come out here (since you can't enter the US while your visa is pending) first. He had never even met my dad, to whom granted, I was never exceptionally close, but I still found that it affected me far greater than I would ever have imagined. So we postponed filing until Laurie could make two visits.

Now we're in April and FINALLY we get everything sent! Looking at everyone else's timelines, we assumed it would all be a done deal in a few months. But as you can see, suddenly now there's a backlog, and the I-130 ALONE has taken over 2 1/2 months!

At least you seem to be far more realistic in giving yourselves a six month gauge, but we have just been FLOORED at how horrible this has been on us. We were only just married 4/29/03 and spent our 1st anniversary 6000 miles apart.  :\\\'(

I guess I just wanted to say that I hope you guys have some better luck than we have, and if you ever find yourself losing your mind over the waiting...well we're here to say we understand and you'll have our support!  This site is an AMAZING place!!

Much love and luck to all! 
Brooke and Laurie

Ooops! I missed updating this one too.. Thanks Sarah 

Well Brooke has brought you up to date with what we have done so far and where we are in the repat process.

So our timeline so far is:

Fri Apr 23: sent in all docs (I-130s, DS-230, etc)

Tues Apr 27: credit card debited

Fri Jun 30 : Received Notice of Approval (NOA) for I-130

Congratulations Brooke & Laurie, I am thrilled for you! (especially now I know a little more of your story - thanks Brooke, was good to read and I do hope things go smoothly from now on, as well as VERY quickly!)

You're so right, thisis a great site, one of the friendliest I have been to and for me, provides some reassurance that I am not alone, however awkward our situation is. The first time around when given some particularly bad advice about staying in the US to marry and then filing nearly destroyed a new marriage before we had even started, I was isolated, didn't drive, lived with in-laws and got into a lot of debt just trying to keep our heads afloat (worked 3 under the table jobs) and a young, enthusiastic but naieve hubby didn't help.

8 years later, life has certainly thrown a great deal of the brown stuff our way, so we just take a deep breath and step back and do it the best way we can.  Life generally has it's own timeline and no amount of trying to force it has ever helped me! - having said that, the small issue of a car in very good condition, although old , being given to us as we heard today, might be a real breakthrough a very unexpected one too!

We are hoping that Hubs can go back, I will move into a smaller/cheaper place than we have now (we already are in a 1 bed, studio type place) to save money and cut our outgoings as much as possible, then he can establish as much as possible before we file our paperwork and if it takes 6 + mths from there, then my income will still be coming in if there are any problems Stateside.  Baby steps, but necessary ones.

And of course, absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that! I guess I am pretty unusual, being a creature who likes her own space, I like our breaks from each other, reminds me what we have and what often gets lost in everyday life.

I  am sorry to hear of your Dad's condition- I wasn't close to my Mother either - then I lost her and realised we were closer than I had realised, so these things are terribly important and you did the right thing

*We* hope we have some better luck too this time around, but thank you for wishing that for us- it's very encouraging and I will keep watching your progress. Good luck to both of you and I hope you are happy in your new job

Hugs
Sheril
xx

A big welcome to expected repat Kellie8yearsinUK. I just wanted to update this thread with her info.
They've just filed the I-130 and are waiting for their police certificate so they can send in the checklist for the DS-230. Dont know if they've sent the DS-230 yet. Maybe Kellie8yearsinUK can update us?

Sheril...you are so sweet and thank you for your kind words! 

And welcome Kellie8yearsinUK!! Let us know your progress!

I guess we're all just making it through this the best we can, right? As every lonely day has gone by, I just keep thinking there HAS to be a reason this is taking so long. I try to really believe everything happens for a reason, so although that may sound somewhat simplistic, I hope all the best for you guys!

Through all of everyone's frustrations, whether it be waiting for a house to sell, or waiting for the NOA, we can try to hold on to the hope that there's much, much better out there for us in the long run! (It's just the patience part I SUCK at... )

Update: MelB and hubby have received their I-130 NOA!! Lets all hope they get their interview date v v soon.

btw, New-Dawn - you might want to consider sending in your paperwork before your hubby goes back to the US.  DCF is only really avalible to residents of the UK. Your post made it sound like you were going to wait til he got back to the US and got settled before sending in your papers which is why Im mentioning this. I know Brooke is back in the US at the mo, dont know when they filed (before she left or after). But if they find out that your hubby filed while not living in the UK they might insist that he file through the US service centers and those applications are taking close to a year last I knew. Anyway, having him settled in the US when you file isnt going to make your application any better so you might just want to get it started ASAP. If he's in the US and has a good job by the time he has to do his affidavit - great! He can use that US job on the affidavit. But for the I-130 and DS-230 it makes no difference. Best get in there if you havent already.

Sarah