August 2008 fillers

[HYENA 4]

Hyena and I are still waiting in the wings in some dimming hope that one of us will be approved soon.....

Yes, it is very difficult to keep my head up...the economy is BAD, I just got back from Thailand without my sweetheart and it's difficult to save enough because I feel I need to go back to bring her here. I can only do my best in a bad economy. Everyone's losing their jobs!

Malicant--thanks! That's a good idea. I only did a keyword search here and it seemed the best route to get her on the road soon rather than waiting a year or however long it takes for the green card....maybe 5 years at this rate.

I'm not getting any answers; dealing with this take a number and die government runaround can test the most patient person's nerves. I haven't heard from the white house or my senators yet but I sent another round of emails to them all yesterday. I also mentioned it's inexcusable for a developed country to give the runaround with NO accountability and NO transparency wasting money on some call center when all that money could be put towards hiring more adjudicators.

[HYENA 4]

Hello my people,

simply wanted to update you guys that Irum has arrived in USA. The immigration was smooth at Washington Dallus airport. All they asked her was if she knew the wedding date and she simply replied that the plans are still not final.

I hope you guys are doing well.

I am open to all types of advice, where should i begin, what should i apply for next.

Thanks,

shan.

WOW, that's great! Congratulations! I think this round I'll avoid Dulles airport since regardless of what anyone declared, they went through everyone's bags taking a minimum of 30 minutes a person...a LONG wait (BWI airport waives you through if you have nothing to declare...for citizens at least). I think it will be worth adding the 4-5 hours onto the trip to have a more pleasant non-gestapo like point of entry (at least BWI is more consistent). I've heard some harassing stories at point of entry depending on the airport (like the fiancees haven't been through enough and like they haven't passed all the scrutiny only to be interrogated by some glorified rentacop )! OK, not rentacops but there are a few stories where they grilled them for no reason (even asking the wedding date--if it was required questioning vs pleasant asking--if it was required, at least it stopped there and all went well). I jsut worry and trust our overzealous government very little these days. Sorry for sounding so negative.

Hey, congratulations for passing the interview! i don't look forward to our interview. Thailand is apparently brutal nowadays. I can only pray we get through it. I did learn to get 2 originals when it comes to hospital and police since they play games and say thery're not in yoru file (I've heard a good 50 stories already from the Thai numbskulls doing this so I'll make sure she's prepared & can whip them out when the assistant lies).

This is all so frustrating...and only to have some assistant lying to your fiancee saying tax forms, pictures phone lovgs aren't in there. One guy I flew back with went through this same thing with this same asistant but he blew his top, breeeched security and forced them to open the darn folder then yelled at him for making her cry (they call fiancee's names during the interview)...a full fledged #######! (and I thought our govt was on our side)! I'll be so happy when this is all over!

Edited April 23, 2009 by HYENA

[Stinkerpotsam 6]

Hi Guys...tomorrow is his big day in London...will let ya'll know how it goes!

Edited April 23, 2009 by Stinkerpotsam

[Hell0W0rld 10]

Hi Guys...tomorrow is his big day in London...will let ya'll know how it goes!

wishing you best of luck!!

[maliciant 7]

I'm guessing you hit a bad day to fly, that there was a reason they were checking everyone's bags... I think most the time if you declare nothing you get waived through... but hey, it wouldn't be security if they didn't cause some kind of delay some of the time.

[Chris & Mara 0]

Hyena,

Being the foreigner in all this I can honestly say in all the times I have flown in and out of airports in the states, whilst it was one of the more annoying thanks to the little busses, I have never had any sort of a problem getting in and out of Dulles. Actually the Customs people I got there when I cleared security actually treated me like a person and it was much quicker then say LA where i spent like an hour or something actually waiting to get to a customs officer.

[TeeKol 0]

Hi Guys...tomorrow is his big day in London...will let ya'll know how it goes!

Best of luck! Its very straightforward, get there as early as you can, be prepared for a boring wait. Dont forget, if you are taking proof of ongoing relationship (which I did and for my interview it wasnt asked for) dont take cards that when opened they play music. These show up on the x ray machine and they wont let you in with them so you have to put them in the rubbish

You will be fine! BRING BACK THAT VISA APPROVAL

[Badgerella 5]

Stinkerpotsam, good luck!

Leo and Lioness, congratulations!

In case I managed to miss something... I congratulate you, too and/or wish you all the luck!

I'm back. Which, unfortunately, means that my fiance is not here in Croatia anymore. He left this morning and, according to the internet, his plane landed just a few minutes ago. I'm sitting here waiting for a call. He was here for three weeks, but it felt like, I don't know, maybe a few days at the most. Now we get to deal with almost indefinite separation again. I mean, I know my visa has an expiration date and I will most certainly get my a*s to the US before Oct 7th, but.. still. I have four more exams to take (and of course pass) and then there's thesis, too. Along with all kinds of other things that need to be done/finished/completed/organized/etc. before I finally leave.

As for other news, my wedding dress is being made and we bought a suit for the fiance as well - it somehow found us while we were walking around Zagreb the other day, browsing some stores, looking for absolutely nothing in particular, let alone an actual wedding suit. I guess that's something, considering the fact that, uhoh, we don't have a date set yet. Or any other plans, for that matter. All we know we're getting married someday.

I hope everyone's doing well. Good luck to everyone who's still waiting. For, well, whatever you're waiting for.

[Badgerella 5]

And, finally, I just submitted the Embassy review, whee!

[Bulgarican 0]

[Badgerella 5]

Second page? Uhoh.

[Cuchita 1]

Happy friday!!.

Congratz Dani and Badegrella

Good luck to stikerpotsam!.

Finally my best wishes to you and your soon to be wife Shan.

Freddy, Hyena, Mara and all the rest still waiting for some sort of procedure just hang in there and enjoy somehow with your honeys either by phone, mail, webcam etc. Take care!.

I am setting everything up for our wedding next week, we got the licence!. They requested two IDs, I gave them my passport and my DL, he gave them his passport and translated BC (they didn't keep it). I had to write a letter stating he lives with me at such and such place since such ans such date, and had it notarized!. (they kept this letter but gave me a copy, which was useful cause with the copy we went to the Public library and he was able to get a library card).

Hynea: Like Freddy said, the Drivers licence varies by state, in New Jersey, you need to gather some points like passport, proof of residence and green card. Also if you have driver licence from your original country is much easier cause they just give you a book to study and when you are ready you take a computerized test, if you pass they give you the driver's licence right away. That's what I did when I first came to USA, and that's what my So is doing, he has his drivers licence from Chile.

NOTE: If your SOs don't speak english and they want to learn, go to your state's Board of education website and find the different public libraries and Schools that have programs to study ESL for FREE!!!.

Just my two cents

[Badgerella 5]

I have a drivers licence here and before I leave, I'll pick up the international version of it. Will they still have me take tests, or do those things just translate to an US drivers licence?

[Cuchita 1]

You must take a written test here! actually computerized, so you SO should have brought you the book to study ahead of time!. Make sure your licence from your country doesn't expire for a while it must be valid after you get your green card!. You must show it to them so yu do't have to take the road test.

Edited April 24, 2009 by Cuchita

[Badgerella 5]

You must take a written test here! actually computerized, so you SO should have brought you the book to study ahead of time!. Make sure your licence from your country doesn't expire for a while it must be valid after you get your green card!. You must show it to them so yu do't have to take the road test.

My licence expires in 2042. so I'm more than safe.