Things to do while waiting for your visa decision

Not quite London... but Uxbridge not too far out. Was originally going to be outside the M25 and now we'll be inside it! Happy to live in the suburbs of a big city.


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I told my fiance i would rather pay more for rent then on public transportation! I am happy I don't have to take the underground now unless I absolutely have to. Everything is in walking/cycling distance! yippee.
Last summer I would blow my nose every night and it would just be black from the tube.. blah!

I told my fiance i would rather pay more for rent then on public transportation! I am happy I don't have to take the underground now unless I absolutely have to. Everything is in walking/cycling distance! yippee.
Last summer I would blow my nose every night and it would just be black from the tube.. blah!

Oh I hate having black stuff in my nose from the tube!

We'll be 7 miles from his work and walking distance to a train station so hopefully won't be too hard for me to get to work if I end up working in central London.


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I think it's fairly difficult to get WITH a prescription

Oh, believe me, I know. Plus side is lots and lots of nerve pain meds. Still doesn't help with the sleep but it makes the rest of the time bearable.

Growing up on the west coast my whole life (not a very long history narrative), i always love knowing the history of a place.  I lived in cologne, Germany for 3 years after college and was blown away by all the little nuggets of history to uncover.

To be fair, the West Coast has just as much history. It's just not European in origin.

Ambien is fairly easy to get from an online pharmacy and have delivered right to your door.

Oh, believe me, I know. Plus side is lots and lots of nerve pain meds. Still doesn't help with the sleep but it makes the rest of the time bearable.


To be fair, the West Coast has just as much history. It's just not European in origin.

moving to central london, and am finding some nice things about the new neighborhood.

Anyone else relocating to london?

I'm moving to SE London, Blackheath (Greenwich) I'm super excited, and have been researching Greenwich history! Good ol' Henry VIII was born there

I'm moving to SE London, Blackheath (Greenwich) I'm super excited, and have been researching Greenwich history! Good ol' Henry VIII was born there

As were Mary I and Elizabeth I!

I'm moving to SE London, Blackheath (Greenwich) I'm super excited, and have been researching Greenwich history! Good ol' Henry VIII was born there

That's where my husband is from(blackheath) and we are living in lewisham so still walking distance! We just liked the new builds in the area. You will love blackheath it is beautiful, the people are lovely and it's sooooo quiet but still close to the city. If you need anything let me know

For all the newbies in or waiting to move to London we should organise a meet up!

For all the newbies in or waiting to move to London we should organise a meet up!

I agree although already here and waiting for my wife to come I think this would be awesome.

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Yes!! Meetup!

I also found a group on Meetup.com that's specifically for expat spouses- called expat spouses in London lol. It's a closed group so you have to "apply" but I did and got in so it's not hard


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That's where my husband is from(blackheath) and we are living in lewisham so still walking distance! We just liked the new builds in the area. You will love blackheath it is beautiful, the people are lovely and it's sooooo quiet but still close to the city. If you need anything let me know

Amazing! We live in the standard, so we only have the one pub hehe but we will all definitely have to meet up!

As were Mary I and Elizabeth I!

Exciting!! I think we will have to have a Blackheath Pub meet up once we are all on one continent!

As we're all waiting, it's hard to stay focused and not get out of sorts. Here's a list of what to do while waiting for the visa decision. If you can think of other ideas, please chime in!

1. Fill out your Transfer of Residence application if you plan to ship anything to the UK (besides your plane luggage): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-for-transfer-of-residence-tor-relief-tor01

Allow at least 4 weeks for UK customs to make a decision. The exemption is valid for 12 months after approval, so do this early.

2. Digitize any important paperwork/mementos, either if you need a backup copy or if you are trying to downsize for the move. My recommendation: the Fujitsu ScanSnap 1300i. Compact and portable, and it even comes with adapters for both UK and US. (I also backed up files on an external hard drive and DropBox.)




3. Visit friends and family, especially elderly/ill ones who may not make it until your next visit to the US.


4. Study for your UK driving theory and hazard perception test.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code


5. Study for your Life in the UK test:

https://www.gov.uk/life-in-the-uk-test/book-life-in-uk-test


6. Eat food that you'll miss in the UK, such as hot dogs, dill pickles, Mexican food, mac & cheese, Dunkin' Donuts, etc.

7. Visit local attractions and favorite places near you that you will miss. Even if you come back to visit, those places may change.

8. Stock up on your favorite clothing that's hard to get in the UK (such as inexpensive bras, jeans, etc.)

9. Stock up on your favorite personal items that will be hard to get in the UK (stick deodorant, your favorite shampoo, etc.)

10. Search for the GP (doctor) in your area of UK and gather information about what paperwork you'll need to get registered.

http://www.nhs.uk/Service-Search/GP/LocationSearch/4


11. Read up on UK culture, customs, and culture shock/adjustment

Some recommendations:

Very British Problems (hysterical but quite informative)
Watching the English (more serious and in-depth)
Stuff Brits Like


12. Watch British TV. This site is great for access to British TV channels:

https://www.firstonetv.eu/Index


13. Make holiday cards to send out just before you leave the US (and therefore save a ton of postage), or to leave with a friend/family member to distribute for you.


14. Go on Google Earth and get to know the neighborhood where you'll live. (I can actually see my wife's car parked in her driveway! It's lovely to feel as if I can see it.)


15. Take regular screenshots of your call record logs/email logs for future Further Leave to Remain visa applications.


16. Research UK cell phone plans to find one that's best for you. My personal recommendation: GiffGaff. Cheap, flexible, and no contract needed.

https://www.giffgaff.com/


17. Mail cards/letters to your significant other. Even if you're chatting/texting/emailing daily, it's still nice to get something tangible.


18. Make plans for your next holiday in the UK.


19. Start making a homemade gift for your loved one in the UK.


20. Take one last road trip...or two or three.


21. Do something/visit someplace you've always wanted to do/see, but didn't because it was too expensive/far away/hot/cold/inconvenient/etc.


22. Keep a daily journal.


23. Compile to-do lists for right before you leave and right after you arrive in the UK.


24. Investigate Amazon UK, Ikea UK, or whatever your favorite international store might be.


25. Cook a meal (or buy a meal) for someone you love who will stay in the US. Or go shopping together, or whatever it is that you like to do together. There will come a time when you would give anything in the world to have that chance again.


26. If you have young relatives/friends who aren't old enough to remember you clearly, write them an age-appropriate letter for them to read after you've left. Or get a toy, like a recordable book or teddy bear, for you to leave a personal message.


27. If you live in a sunny area, go outside and soak up lots of rays. You'll miss it in the UK.


28. Plan your first trip together, whether it's within the UK or going abroad.


29. Reach out to someone else who's applying for a visa and has questions. Offer what help and support you can.


30. Use your experience to become more compassionate and understanding of immigrants in the US. Find a local refugee or New American center and offer your help. Read up on local immigration law in the US and find out how you can advocate for immigrants.


31. If you belong to a faith community, research it in the UK. See what options might be available.


32. Look into volunteering opportunities, in the US before you leave and/or in the UK after you arrive. My personal favorite is Silver Line, an organization that calls senior citizens in the UK who live alone:

https://www.thesilverline.org.uk/

Or the Samaritans: http://www.samaritans.org/volunteer-us

Or any of the many great causes.


33. Binge-watch Netflix. 'Nuff said.


34. Make sure you have enough prescription and OTC medication to last you through your first few weeks (or even months) in the UK, just in case it takes a while to get registered with a GP. (Some items that are hard to get or expensive in the UK: Flonase, Neosporin, real Sudafed, Benadryl, value size bottles of ibuprofen, Aleve, etc.)


35. Take a deep breath, and have faith. It's all going to be okay.

Just replying to AVs post here to make it reappear, as i am reading how much distress and stress people are experiencing having made plans according to the information they/ we had and adjusting to personal consequences of the wait. 

I found a Taco Bell in Nottingham and apparently there's a Dunkin' Donuts in Leeds!

My daughter has asked me to bring flamin' hot cheetos (I may need a ToR just for those, ha!)

Neither are the same but they do the trick (not been to the Taco bell myself, just basing that off of other's experience and the fact that they don't serve all the items in the US over here like Baja Blast). The donuts at DD are comparable to Krispy Kreme (at lest the one in Cambridge that I tried) and don't expect to go in and order an iced coffee like you would in the US, but it's good enough and makes you feel closer to home so it's worth it if you're nearby! 

5. Study for your Life in the UK test:

Only thing I would say about this is to be careful as I imagine it will change at least once from the time of your initial visa until the time you're ready to take it. Don't be discouraged if you take practice tests and are rubbish either haha my English husband even has trouble passing those practice tests! It can't hurt to study, just don't worry about making it a priority as you'll still have a ways to go before needing to know that info (some of it I found easier to remember once I moved strictly because I was now "part of it" if that makes sense?)

Anyone else relocating to london?

Not London but in Berkshire which - depending on where you're going to/from, can take 30 mins to an hour to get to. We end up in London a bit for gigs and stuff. Not a hard trek for us to make at all (we've started parking at Westfields as well so we don't have to worry about doing the whole "CRAP WHEN'S THE LAST TRAIN!?" thing)