From LA to rural Scotland: The odyssey of a bookworm

When she has to spend at least4 hours traveling by car and boat just to buy some freaking decongestant tablets, then it's a 'remote town.'

 

All I can say is...remote?  Wigtown?  No.

When she has to spend at least4 hours traveling by car and boat just to buy some freaking decongestant tablets, then it's a 'remote town.'

This entire story is such a crock.

Haha, WoadGirl, you know you've full integrated into life in the UK when you can proudly use how much more difficult something is for you to show someone up as being full of crap.  I say this with true affection as a Brit.  "Corridor?  We used to dream of living in a corridor..."

Oh! And there's this... 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2262538/Part-Three-From-Hollywood-Highland-fling--romantic-memoir-year-Jessica-Fox.html

I found this comment posted after the story very interesting:

I must confess to being puzzled. Why change his name and then use his real picture when people from the area are going to know exactly who you are talking about, especially standing in front of his actual shop? This is a real couple but I must admit that I find this all bizarre since she has portrayed the pair of them in a very different light to how those around them see them. I am tempted to buy the book to see if I can see flashes of the real story, see if the deportation drama is there, the parties, yoga and so on. Good luck to her on the sales though.

If you find bios about her from websites selling the book, these suggest she lives at the bookstore...or alternatively, divides her time between the US and the UK. But without the proper/legal visa? Huh?

 

Gah! This woman! It just irks me that she is trying to cash in on a story that is going to make the lives a legitimate immigrants more difficult. I hope her book stinks and flops, but on Amazon it has good reviews.  Only 9 though!

Every further word on this cow makes me want to vomit. She seems to think she's an adolescent, or at least she acts like one. He doesn't sound particularly fabulous either. ARGH!

Her expectations are not unlikely the many people who end up on V&C board, the only difference is that they ask here first and we dissuade them, but so many come here with "We're in love! What about romance?! Why is this so hard? We don't want to get married for visa reasons but for love! I'm not from some third world country, I'm from the US! I just want to see the world!" etc etc etc
I also see posts everyday which go something like "Well I came over and stayed for 6 months and it was fine, got straight through and I studied online, no one knows"

In her case she just lied convincingly enough to get away with it, and made everyone else's life a little bit harder, thanks lady.

From reading that last article I don't like her because she seems like a needy stalker. Wow he went to a party with an old uni mate, I must trash my flat, DO YOU LIKE HAVING ME HERE? Don't dither with me EVER.

God!


 

Actually, this 'Part Three' bit from the DM, well it sounds an awful lot like Bella from the second book of Twilight - New Moon. Just without the sparkly vampires, or the Volturi & Italy at the end. This film has already been made! With sparkly vampires.

Wow - I originally only read Part 1 and was put off by the writing style, but Parts 2 and 3 are just....ugh. Just because you dream of working in a used bookshop in Scotland does not mean you can foist yourself into a relationship with said bookshop's owner, or that being clingy/needy and demanding ultimatums and dramatic "hero moments" will actually work. Who the hell does this?! (Love the afterward that she "shares his home" - doesn't exactly mean that they're in a relationship.)

That, combined with the visa/legal issues, really makes me hope this woman doesn't sell any books. Oy.

I'm late to this thread, and I'm glad. Everyone's commentary has prevented me from reading anything about this woman and, by the sound of it, has spared me from having my blood pressure shoot through the roof. 

Well, I just had a look at the preview excerpts of her book on Google books, searching for various phrases re: immigration and visas.

It only lets you read a couple of sentences from each page, but by changing the search terms a bit and piecing it together you get a good idea of what happened:

-'"I couldn't even seek out work. With no visa, my hands were tied, and the yoga classes did little to fill my pocket or sense of ambition. My parents were worried about me, and so were my friends."'
(Guess no one told her that, as well as volunteering in a bookshop, teaching yoga classes was also considered 'working' in the UK)

- '“I've never overstayed a visa. I know you're only allowed six months with every stamp.” “You're only allowed to stay six months within a year.” “I thought it was six months at a time.” “No.” “Well,” I could hardly hear myself speak. My heart was...'

- “So why didn't you mention, when I asked you about work,that you volunteered at the book festival?” She had the tone of someone who had caught an elusive'

- '“Did you know it was illegal to volunteer without a volunteer visa?” I felt like laughing. Her bad cop was not terrifying any more but absurd. This whole thing was absurd. “I was not officially a volunteer, I just helped a friend.” “That still counts.” “So if I wanted to help an old lady cross the street, or set a dinner table for a friend, then that's illegal without a volunteer visa?” The immigration officer was silent for a moment. “How can we know if you went back to the Bookshop that you wouldn't ...'

- 'Look, Euan hires people from our community to work in the Bookshop. As I said, I have work in the States. I'm not taking anyone's job, nor do I plan to, if that's what you're worried about. ” “That's not what I'm 'worried about'.” Her face looked as if ...'

- "I remained silent and stared at the floor. “You're lucky you and your boyfriend's answers were the same. Things could have been much worse for you.” Her tone was struggling to be sympathetic. “We'll be holding onto your passport, of course.'

- 'The month had been filled with constant trips to a visa “expeditor”, who had promised to get anyone a UK visa in three days ... I'd quickly discovered, however, that visa expediting was a questionable business and the guarantee was not for obtaining it in three days, but for the service of submitting the papers on your behalf in that time.Two failed visas later the company was still “expediting” my applications. My first application, for a simple visitor's six month visa, had failed, despite the Glasgow immigration officer's assurance that it wouldn't. I was disappointed, but not surprised. They claimed I had been in the country too often to be considered a visitor.'

- 'My second application, for an extended stay visitor's visa, also failed because of the evil looking black stamp that the immigration officer had placed...'

- 'When I got the second rejection I had sat in the office of the visa expeditors, my head buried in my hands. My choices ... Every time I applied for a new visa, it cost me a small fortune in fees that I did not get back even if my application was rejected.'

- '“We could try to get you a small business visa, if you felt like expanding the company to the UK.” “Yes!” I nearly jumped out of my chair. This could be the perfect solution. Two weeks later, despite great efforts on the part of the woman from the embassy, we ran into a snag. I was a sole trader, and by expanding to the UK, it would not be expanding the company, but moving the company. This was a big
difference.'

- 'I just heard news that my visa was rejected...” I breathed a deep belly breath that my yoga teacher would have been proud of. I needed to ground myself. The officer patted my arm. “Go home.” He took the paper from my hands and stamped it'
(sounds like maybe she tried to apply to switch from a visitor visa in-country?)

- 'Name: Jessica Fox Type: work no funds Status: 6 month working visa Expires: January 2011 It had arrived. I found myself touching the visa and flipping it over in my hands to make sure it wasn't an apparition. There was a large sticker with my ...-

- 'They were granting me a six month working visa, and I now held it in my hands. In less than 24 hours I would be once again in Euan's arms, sitting in our home above the Bookshop in the best,biggest, little town in Scotland: Wigtown. It felt too...'

- 'Name: Jessica Fox Type: work no funds Status: 6 month working visa Expires: January 2011 It had arrived. I found myself touching the visa and flipping it over in my hands to make sure it wasn't an apparition. There was a large sticker with my ...-

- 'They were granting me a six month working visa, and I now held it in my hands. In less than 24 hours I would be once again in Euan's arms, sitting in our home above the Bookshop in the best,biggest, little town in Scotland: Wigtown. It felt too...'

So exactly what is this six month working visa?  I don't recall hearing about it previously.  It sounds like the perfect solution for American women in search of that elusive 'Let's Shack Up' visa.

Good detective work, ksand24!  Makes me mad when I think of all the hours and hours I have spent keeping on top of visa rule changes and the thousands we have spent to ensure we could stay together, and here is someone swanning in with nothing more than a sense of entitlement and determined ignorance of the law.

Yes, I wonder what this 6 month visa is?  In the book (I seem to be able to read a few paragraphs at a time) she hints at some strings being pulled by 'Euan's contacts', but that is pure speculation on her part, and I would imagine highly unlikely.

Also, dilemma: don't want to spend time or money reading the book, but want to know the full story.  So conflicted right now...

So exactly what is this six month working visa?  I don't recall hearing about it previously.  It sounds like the perfect solution for American women in search of that elusive 'Let's Shack Up' visa.

I have no idea what type of visa she got  .

The only potential visas I can think of that would only be valid for 6 months and would allow a US citizen to work here are either a BUNAC Intern in Britain visa (but to qualify you must be a current university student in the US, or have graduated from a US college in the last 12 months, and you must have a specific internship secured, with company sponsorship, as it is a Tier 5 visa), or maybe a Tier 5 Temporary Charity Worker visa.... but that would require sponsorship as well and would limit employment.

Looking through what I found from the book about her immigration situation, I think 'refused re-entry into the UK on a visa technicality ' is putting it somewhat mildly  .

Heheheh I love this forum.