All this anti-immigrant stuff is scaring the crap outta me

As I move closer to the time to complete my visa and submit it, I keep reading about all these new regulations to keep immigrants out and the general hostility toward foreigners. It's not very encouraging. I just can't shake the fear of being turned down and my husband is already going to be over there and working by the time the visa gets submitted.  It's unsettling to say the least.

I agree I was feeling the same. In my case visa was sent 7 weeks ago no response yet. My husband an UK citizen is already over there and just started working we applied under or cash savings category of the financial requirement. Currently undecided About upgrading to priority


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My husband keeps telling me it's no big deal and "they will love me in Scotland" lol  I guess we'll see about that

Seriously, you have nothing extra to worry about. As long as you meet the spousal visa requirements and you send all the required documents, the visa will be granted.

It's a tick-box visa application - no personal feelings or opinions involved in the decision-making process. If you tick all the boxes, they have no choice but to give you the visa, and vice versa, if they can't tick the boxes, then they have no choice but to refuse it. As long as you make sure you tick the boxes, you'll be fine.

However, approximately 95-98% of settlement visa applications made in the US are approved, which is amazingly high compared to some countries (for example applications from some countries in Africa have approval rates of less than 50%).

Seriously, you have nothing extra to worry about. As long as you meet the spousal visa requirements and you send all the required documents, the visa will be granted.

It's a tick-box visa application - no personal feelings or opinions involved in the decision-making process. If you tick all the boxes, they have no choice but to give you the visa, and vice versa, if they can't tick the boxes, then they have no choice but to refuse it. As long as you make sure you tick the boxes, you'll be fine.

However, approximately 95-98% of settlement visa applications made in the US are approved, which is amazingly high compared to some countries (for example applications from some countries in Africa have approval rates of less than 50%).

Just to clarify you are saying that 95 to 98 % of applicants from the USA are approved for a British Visa? I know we are very welcoming here to Brits. Other than time my husbands Fiance Visa was a snap!  He was in the embassy in London (notwithstanding wait time) for less than 5 mins and he swears the only question they asked him was "does her daddy have a shotgun"

Are your fears about acceptance of you as an immigrant in the UK?  I wouldn't worry.  It's the policies coming out of parliament that are worrying.  Yes, it sucks to be painted with the "immigrants are horrible" brush.  But hopefully you can help change people's perceptions.  I do HATE when people say something about immigration and say, "not ones like YOU."  Thinking that's acceptable.  Not cool.  But honestly, if we moved to the US, my husband would be the "bad guy".  No escaping anti-immigration campaigns on either side of the pond.

"does her daddy have a shotgun"

Well we are talking Kentucky. I've watched Justified....

Just to clarify you are saying that 95 to 98 % of applicants from the USA are approved for a British Visa?

Yep - looking at the immigration statistics, it's been a pretty consistent 93-98% for the last 10 years for ALL visa types, the only exceptions being the first two quarters of 2009, where the approval rates fell to 85% and 86%. Every other quarter since 2005 has had an approval rate of 93% or above.

From what I can see, they don't have stats for number of approvals vs. refusals for settlement visas specifically, just the total number of all visas approved and refused and then only number of the settlement visas granted per quarter.

The stats can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-january-to-march-2015-data-tables

I know we are very welcoming here to Brits. Other than time my husbands Fiance Visa was a snap!  He was in the embassy in London (notwithstanding wait time) for less than 5 mins and he swears the only question they asked him was "does her daddy have a shotgun"

It depends on your circumstances. I have applied for and been granted 4 US visas in the past - 2 student visas and 2 visitor visas - and I have not always felt welcomed.

My first student visa was a breeze - all I got asked was 2 or 3 questions about my studies and the visa was granted on the spot.

However, about 2 months before I applied for my second student visa, I made the stupid mistake of getting a DUI (the only thing I have ever done wrong in my life)  Since then, I've basically been treated like a criminal by US immigration and it's been very stressful.

In order to apply for my visa, I had to make a 'special' visa appointment for people with criminal convictions and I had to get police certificates and all kinds of things. I was grilled about my conviction and the exact circumstances that lead to it and was then informed that I would never be allowed to enter the US without a visa for the rest of my life. After that, I was required to pay £250 for a blood test to prove that a) I was not an alcoholic and b) I was not a danger to society, and it was another 3 weeks before I found out whether my visa had been granted or not.

I ended up leaving the US after 8 months on my student visa, so then when I wanted to visit again a year or so later, I had to apply for a visitor visa. Which again involved a 'special' appointment, police certificates, another grilling, another £250 for a blood test (during which I was reprimanded by the very disapproving doctor for what I had done) and another 3 weeks for the visa to be granted - I got a 2-year visitor visa. The first time I entered the US on it, I was questioned, sent to the 'back room' for further questioning and then finally let into the US.

After two years, I applied again for another visitor visa - same process all over again, except that I wasn't required to have a blood test as it had been more than 3 years since the conviction. Luckily, I was given a 10-year visa this time, so I won't need to apply for another one until 2021. I'm flying to the US for a holiday in about 8 weeks and I'm already dreading going through immigration again.

Well we are talking Kentucky. I've watched Justified....

Yes I'm sure that's what fueled it.  All the Brits know of Kentucky are Dukes of Hazzard, KFC and only some of our association with horses.  Only one of those can be conceived as highbrow and even then those of us who live here know the truth about that industry or at least some of the truth. Still, I do wear shoes and have all my teeth.  Oh boy do I wear shoes...I need a second bedroom in my house for my shoes! Perhaps it's overcompensation? 

Are your fears about acceptance of you as an immigrant in the UK?  I wouldn't worry.  It's the policies coming out of parliament that are worrying.  Yes, it sucks to be painted with the "immigrants are horrible" brush.  But hopefully you can help change people's perceptions.  I do HATE when people say something about immigration and say, "not ones like YOU."  Thinking that's acceptable.  Not cool.  But honestly, if we moved to the US, my husband would be the "bad guy".  No escaping anti-immigration campaigns on either side of the pond.

Well, first of all I'm scared of being denied the visa but after that it's the acceptance thing.  I am concerned about getting a job offer, being a foreigner and my age may work double time against me and yeah, it's just not comfortable to not be liked because of my ancestry (gee I know no one else knows what that feels like    Here though, in Louisville, my husband has met 0 negativity.  People LOVE him.  If I had a penny for the number of times people have said "I could listen to you talk all day" to him I'd be a wealthy woman. Not to mention the patience it has taught me on how to keep my hands to myself and not rip other women's hair out of their heads for openly flirting with my Scottish husband when I am sitting/standing right there!

Yep - looking at the immigration statistics, it's been a pretty consistent 93-98% for the last 10 years for ALL visa types, the only exceptions being the first two quarters of 2009, where the approval rates fell to 85% and 86%. Every other quarter since 2005 has had an approval rate of 93% or above.

From what I can see, they don't have stats for number of approvals vs. refusals for settlement visas specifically, just the total number of all visas approved and refused and then only number of the settlement visas granted per quarter.

The stats can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-january-to-march-2015-data-tables

It depends on your circumstances. I have applied for and been granted 4 US visas in the past - 2 student visas and 2 visitor visas - and I have not always felt welcomed.

My first student visa was a breeze - all I got asked was 2 or 3 questions about my studies and the visa was granted on the spot.

However, about 2 months before I applied for my second student visa, I made the stupid mistake of getting a DUI (the only thing I have ever done wrong in my life)  Since then, I've basically been treated like a criminal by US immigration and it's been very stressful.

In order to apply for my visa, I had to make a 'special' visa appointment for people with criminal convictions and I had to get police certificates and all kinds of things. I was grilled about my conviction and the exact circumstances that lead to it and was then informed that I would never be allowed to enter the US without a visa for the rest of my life. After that, I was required to pay £250 for a blood test to prove that a) I was not an alcoholic and b) I was not a danger to society, and it was another 3 weeks before I found out whether my visa had been granted or not.

I ended up leaving the US after 8 months on my student visa, so then when I wanted to visit again a year or so later, I had to apply for a visitor visa. Which again involved a 'special' appointment, police certificates, another grilling, another £250 for a blood test (during which I was reprimanded by the very disapproving doctor for what I had done) and another 3 weeks for the visa to be granted - I got a 2-year visitor visa. The first time I entered the US on it, I was questioned, sent to the 'back room' for further questioning and then finally let into the US.

After two years, I applied again for another visitor visa - same process all over again, except that I wasn't required to have a blood test as it had been more than 3 years since the conviction. Luckily, I was given a 10-year visa this time, so I won't need to apply for another one until 2021. I'm flying to the US for a holiday in about 8 weeks and I'm already dreading going through immigration again.

Wow that is a tough road Ksand and I'm sorry you had/have to deal with that.  It's like so many things in the US and the world at large I guess. Some things pull more focus than others and that business about drinking and driving is like a mortal crime...truth is I don't think there's a person who drinks alcohol who at one point in their lives didn't drink and drive and were just lucky not to get caught.  There are much worse things than a DUI.

It is scary.  The press focus a lot of immigration policies, just as they do in the US.  The good news, just like in the US, it doesn't seem to filter all the way down to the common person.  At least not if you're from a Western country because we aren't real immigrants...or so I'm told 

I thought it was anti-immigrant when I moved here in 2006 and continued getting visas and citizenship through 2009.  I know it's much harder now policy and rule wise, but you'll be fine when dealing with most people.  Numerous acquaintances and co-workers went out of their way to help me adjust and practice with job interviews, etc so that I'd know what to do here.  It's not just the Scots in Louisville who have nice accents 

99.999% of people will be nice to you, because as wrong as it is, you're the "right kind" of immigrant.  I've only had one bad experience with someone who was disgusted that I was moving here and was thrilled to hear that my fiancé and I went through so much stress and anxiety to be together, but that was a rather nasty exception.  You'll hear a lot of, "We're a tiny island we're running out of room!"

Throughout history around the world immigrants have often been the scapegoat for a country's woes.  This time is no different.

Throughout history around the world immigrants have often been the scapegoat for a country's woes.  This time is no different.

Absolutely.

I have a Scottish husband, too, and most Scottish have been very welcoming to me. I lived there for three years and I'm about to move back after 2.5 years back in the U.S.  The only persistent (and rather significant) problem I experienced in Scotland was on the job front. The sentiment I got was that they wanted to hire Scottish first (understandable), after that it was general British, then Europeans, and after that, everyone else - including us "Septics." At my job in Edinburgh, I was passed over for praise and advancement even though I was performing at the same level as Scottish colleagues. And no one would hire me full time; it was temp and contract positions only. I'm hoping to have better luck this time.


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