UK AOS 2009 Thread

[Nik+Heather 121]

It's got to be so frustrating waiting, MARM! From an outsider's POV, I think it's still too early to go ballistic though. What with the holiday this week and all...Actually, it seems like every time we turn around we are making excuses for holidays! I need to get a job with the gov-mint!!

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Case processing has not resumed, no touches, nothing...

I don't know what is the proper course of action. It has been 13 days since the USPS confirmation that our RFE response has been delivered. Should I contact my congressman? Senators? I don't know what to do, this is so frustrating

That's only about 8 working days. And the weather has been terrible. I haven't followed Lee's Summit MO weather, but I know the DOS call center was closed due to weather for a couple of days. Many flights have been cancelled, and it's feasible they've been short staffed or mail delivery has been slower than normal. They don't always update or touch. We're still pending at CSC according to the USCIS online website thingy. OK....so I probably didn't help a bit, but I was trying to think up excuses why it's taking longer than you think it should. I think it's a little bit early to panic, but you have every right to after all the delays you endured getting the K1. I guess you used up every ounce of patience you had left in your soul.

<-----MARM

[Nik+Heather 121]

I guess you used up every ounce of patience you had left in your soul.

<-----MARM

I know I probably wouldn't have been able to make it if all that mess had happened to me. You are a strong woman, MARM!!

[MARM 7]

Thanks Heather and Nich

I don't know what I would do without you ladies, I have the potential to fall over the edge these days...it is hard enough getting a job being a recent graduate, so I really know how it feels for those waiting for their EADs. I am probably thinking of going back to school for another masters degree (business management) because my psychology degree isn't getting me anywhere. I am really thankful for VisaJourney because I have people like you guys to support me every step of the way

Edited February 16, 2010 by MARM

[obbynox 0]

Sorry about the RFE obbynox, since you already have your GC, they are prob just waiting on your RFE response to issue the GC for your son.

Glad your trip went well Gemmie! I love surprises

LOL....We can dream...get this! They need ANOTHER marriage cert, a vaccination/medical doc AND ANOTHER affadavit of support complete with Pay slips etc.....

OMG, this application went in, in August last year, and they took till now to tell us? What can i say..hahahaha! (gotta laugh or i'd stampede someones face and that won't get us anywhere)

Well, gathering all that info ready to send AGAIN....fingers crossed they keep hold of this lot.

Good luck to all i hope things move better for you

Selina

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

That is insane. This is for your son's GC right? Isn't there some way to make them find the file? If they approved your green card, then the papers have to exist. What about an INFOPASS appointment? ARGGHHHHhhhhh!

I think I'm in a fight-the-bureaucracy mood today. Spent a long time at the medical center (Houston) today. Part of it was waiting forever to speak to a person face-to-face about my bill (armed with my very organized notebook and calculator). Then I find out billing is off-site and there is no way to sit across the table from someone and make the numbers match up. So I gave this man who is a "billing counselor" a rough time, in a nice way. All he could do is send a note to the billing people to audit the account and to call me when they've sorted it out. I left there wanting to write the board of directors of the hospital over some of their billing practices I consider a little bit underhanded. Hahaha...yes I'm ready to fight for the rights of the common folk today.

[obbynox 0]

That is insane. This is for your son's GC right? Isn't there some way to make them find the file? If they approved your green card, then the papers have to exist. What about an INFOPASS appointment? ARGGHHHHhhhhh!

I think I'm in a fight-the-bureaucracy mood today. Spent a long time at the medical center (Houston) today. Part of it was waiting forever to speak to a person face-to-face about my bill (armed with my very organized notebook and calculator). Then I find out billing is off-site and there is no way to sit across the table from someone and make the numbers match up. So I gave this man who is a "billing counselor" a rough time, in a nice way. All he could do is send a note to the billing people to audit the account and to call me when they've sorted it out. I left there wanting to write the board of directors of the hospital over some of their billing practices I consider a little bit underhanded. Hahaha...yes I'm ready to fight for the rights of the common folk today.

ooh god don't they drive you mad? We're not gonna bother with infopass. my sons case was transferred, mine wasn't. I'm guessing some papers have been lost in translation. The only thing nagging me is the fact that it's 2 weeks off being a year since our medical at knightsbridge in London.......i guess time will tell. It makes me chuckle that they have original marriage cert...i got an RFE for a marriage cert..and so has he. ...how many do they need LOL

Oh well, lets just hope that his case is sorted BEFORE i have to file for lifting of conditions

[KnightAndMagpie 7]

Good grief! RFE's left, right, and centre, not to mention poor MARM having to wait, and waiting in general to all... raaaaaaaaaawr!

My hugs go out to you all (warrior Mamma Nich, too!). I shall have to bite someone before there are any more delays!

Magpie.

[obbynox 0]

Just got off the phone with USCIS regarding my son's RFE medical from I-693, they advised me to put a cover letter in and return explaining he doesn't need another medical as he already had one in the UK........i really don't mind sending in copies of our marriage cert again (annoying as it is as they had an ORIGINAL..lol) but i begrudge sending him for another full medical...will see what happens

Good luck to anyone and everyone here on VJ....

Selina.

[Gemmie 142]

I think the snow has put a damper on a lot of work, Marm. I understand you must be feeling so so cautious after your awful K1 experience, but I'm sure they'll resume processing the RFE response very soon. I thought it took an average of a couple of weeks usually? At least you're together while you wait.

I can't BELIEVE they lost your stuff, Selina. I seem to be hearing more and more about this lately. At least they probably won't need another medical done as it's not your fault that the medical is almost a year out.

As for me.. Yesterday was a ####### day at best. I tried to take my permit test for the forth time (had trouble with someone getting me there, the office being closed, etc), My MIL and I waited 90 minutes, and got denied due to my SSN on hold since I changed my name. They told me to come back when I got the new card, so hopefully fifth time lucky next time. Also, there were 2 other immigrant women there in front of me, one who didn't speak a word of English and the DMV woman told her to come back with a translator... and proceeded to yell at the other woman who failed the test, asking why she would think those answers and if she even tried studying. The woman actually cried!

Then I came home to find a rejection letter from Meditech. I waited 2-3 months for this application process and even my referral said she was positive I would get in, so I'm gutted. That means we're no longer moving out next month as it depended on me getting that job. I'm feeling craptastic about that. I've applied to some other jobs, and am thinking of going to a career fair in Boston next week, so see if anything comes of that, but needless to say, this has really pissed in my cheerios.

[Lisa and Ian 7]

I think the snow has put a damper on a lot of work, Marm. I understand you must be feeling so so cautious after your awful K1 experience, but I'm sure they'll resume processing the RFE response very soon. I thought it took an average of a couple of weeks usually? At least you're together while you wait.

I can't BELIEVE they lost your stuff, Selina. I seem to be hearing more and more about this lately. At least they probably won't need another medical done as it's not your fault that the medical is almost a year out.

As for me.. Yesterday was a ####### day at best. I tried to take my permit test for the forth time (had trouble with someone getting me there, the office being closed, etc), My MIL and I waited 90 minutes, and got denied due to my SSN on hold since I changed my name. They told me to come back when I got the new card, so hopefully fifth time lucky next time. Also, there were 2 other immigrant women there in front of me, one who didn't speak a word of English and the DMV woman told her to come back with a translator... and proceeded to yell at the other woman who failed the test, asking why she would think those answers and if she even tried studying. The woman actually cried!

Then I came home to find a rejection letter from Meditech. I waited 2-3 months for this application process and even my referral said she was positive I would get in, so I'm gutted. That means we're no longer moving out next month as it depended on me getting that job. I'm feeling craptastic about that. I've applied to some other jobs, and am thinking of going to a career fair in Boston next week, so see if anything comes of that, but needless to say, this has really pissed in my cheerios.

Sorry about your license... At least it's only a technical thing and not because you have more to learn. I have yet to get Ian out to get his license. The car wipers needed to be fixed first, and then I think we just ran out of steam to get one. Soon, though, I hope.

I hope a nice job opportunity comes along for you soon. I think you'll find some interesting things at the careerfair.

Good luck to you!

[MARM 7]

I think the snow has put a damper on a lot of work, Marm. I understand you must be feeling so so cautious after your awful K1 experience, but I'm sure they'll resume processing the RFE response very soon. I thought it took an average of a couple of weeks usually? At least you're together while you wait.

I can't BELIEVE they lost your stuff, Selina. I seem to be hearing more and more about this lately. At least they probably won't need another medical done as it's not your fault that the medical is almost a year out.

As for me.. Yesterday was a ####### day at best. I tried to take my permit test for the forth time (had trouble with someone getting me there, the office being closed, etc), My MIL and I waited 90 minutes, and got denied due to my SSN on hold since I changed my name. They told me to come back when I got the new card, so hopefully fifth time lucky next time. Also, there were 2 other immigrant women there in front of me, one who didn't speak a word of English and the DMV woman told her to come back with a translator... and proceeded to yell at the other woman who failed the test, asking why she would think those answers and if she even tried studying. The woman actually cried!

Then I came home to find a rejection letter from Meditech. I waited 2-3 months for this application process and even my referral said she was positive I would get in, so I'm gutted. That means we're no longer moving out next month as it depended on me getting that job. I'm feeling craptastic about that. I've applied to some other jobs, and am thinking of going to a career fair in Boston next week, so see if anything comes of that, but needless to say, this has really pissed in my cheerios.

Sorry about your horrible day, but as Snowbunnies said, it's a technical glitch, nothing to worry about on your end (which ironically, is the case with most gov. procedures *sigh*). I too have gone through a couple of job interviews and then I am left hanging...are they interested in me or not interested...so I have decided to go back to school. Oh and I am the USC, so we are both trying our best to hold it together as my husband still has not gotten his EAD yet.

[n1dom 0]

As for me.. Yesterday was a ####### day at best. I tried to take my permit test for the forth time (had trouble with someone getting me there, the office being closed, etc), My MIL and I waited 90 minutes, and got denied due to my SSN on hold since I changed my name. They told me to come back when I got the new card, so hopefully fifth time lucky next time. Also, there were 2 other immigrant women there in front of me, one who didn't speak a word of English and the DMV woman told her to come back with a translator... and proceeded to yell at the other woman who failed the test, asking why she would think those answers and if she even tried studying. The woman actually cried!

I hope you get your licence sorted, I've had five trips to the Braintree RMV now for a liquor ID (twice), the permit test, the road test and paying for the licence. I've now finally got my licence and felt like there was another bit of the jigsaw completed!

I took my road test at the RMV yesterday and the examiner asked me if I had a UK licence. When I replied I did, he said that the test wouldn't be a problem as "you guys can drive anyway" and promptly started talking about Top Gear. Then off we went on a drive; we left the RMV drove 200 yards, made a left turn, pulled over and reversed 50 feet, did a three point turn and drove back to the RMV. The test lasted three minutes!!!! The worse bit was having to go back to the RMV today and queue for nearly two hours for a one minute transaction to pay for the licence and test!

[MonkeyJuice 3]

Just checkin in as I haven't posted on here in a while.

MARM: Sorry to hear you're not having an easy AOS process so far. At least the hardest part is over & you guys are together, right?

Gemmie: Sounds like your are having an even harder time. The DMV place sounds awful. Keep trying with the job search, something will turn up. If it makes you feel any better, I may be quite a few years older than you but I also have a degree which I found is useless over here. I've applied for a zillion jobs & so far I've only had scam replies from Craiglist! I've applied for all kinds of jobs in relation to my degree & also general admin & office work but to no avail :-(

Lets keep battling on!

Hope the rest of you get your approvals soon;

[Gemmie 142]

Sorry about your license... At least it's only a technical thing and not because you have more to learn. I have yet to get Ian out to get his license. The car wipers needed to be fixed first, and then I think we just ran out of steam to get one. Soon, though, I hope.

I hope a nice job opportunity comes along for you soon. I think you'll find some interesting things at the careerfair.

Good luck to you!

Thanks. It's such a big step to get him his license, I kick myself for not hurrying up with it when I was sitting around for 6 months waiting for paperwork, cause maybe I would've had it by now. I never realised how important it was to personal feeling to be able to drive.

Marm, are you going for your MA? I've considered it, as like with you and MJ, my degree in Psychology seems to be getting me nowhere! I found a lot of jobs require or prefer one, so I wonder what is holding me back. I think experience is the key. What kind of experience do you have in the field?

I took my road test at the RMV yesterday and the examiner asked me if I had a UK licence. When I replied I did, he said that the test wouldn't be a problem as "you guys can drive anyway" and promptly started talking about Top Gear. Then off we went on a drive; we left the RMV drove 200 yards, made a left turn, pulled over and reversed 50 feet, did a three point turn and drove back to the RMV. The test lasted three minutes!!!! The worse bit was having to go back to the RMV today and queue for nearly two hours for a one minute transaction to pay for the licence and test!

Sounds nice and simple. Congrats on passing your test and getting your license.

MJ, it's so hard isn't it? I'm stuck between two mindsets; do I keep pushing for a job that will make me happy, or do I just surrender and do as my MIL advises and work at the local coffee shop... to be honest, it's not even about the money, it's about the level of income (we need to make 30K to sign for the apartment) and job satisfaction, as I need something satisfying to fill my life at the moment. I hope you find something soon as well, have you gone for any interviews? How are you looking? Everyone keeps suggesting sites like monster.com but it feels useless?