REALLY could use some expert advice on removing children and forms required, if any

[qwerty1974 11]

Hi, I'm sure I have done all I could have done but need some advice. I am due to start filing packet 3 and excitedly moving onto interview/medical stages. My question is this;

I have two children aged twleve and fifteen who are travelling with me. I employed a solicitor to deal with expediting gaining evidence of allowance to remove them from the country. ,My sons father has writtena letter giving consent, signed it and my solicitor has stamped/;notarised it. I m hoping this will be fine along with copies of my solicitors confirmations of action. The trouble if for my fifteen year old. The less said about her father the better, which already says enough I hope, but suffice to say they have had no relationship for the past twleve years nor does he pay child support. My solicitor has written to him twice at an address we know for sure he lives at (he is sometimes on TV filmed being IN it, so hes there for sure), once he was written to in May and then again last week. He has also been emailed by me informing him of intent to remove his daughter from the country. He simply has not repsonded to anything. My solicitor says as long as we can show he has been given due notice and time but refuses to engage, aligned with the fact he has no ongoing relationship with his child, that this evidence of legal attempts to engage him will be enough. Is this true?

[Kirsten UK 2]

I had a letter from a solicitor too and that was not sufficient at my interview, I was sent away and told to get a sworn statement from a Notary Public as well. I also had proof that I had parnetal responsibility. I posted all this in detail a few years ago when it was still fresh in my mind. The Notary Public thing is definitely what they want though...you basically go to one and tell them the truth regarding your relationship with the father and whether or not you have sole parental responsibility and any other pertinent information. if I can find this thread i'll bump it back up again for you to read.

[qwerty1974 11]

Thank you. I'm not sure what a notary public is? I'll have a look into it, any links would be gratefully received

[Boiler 45,518]

They do not have them in the UK.

Quite often you have to have someone countersign legal documents, I do it at the bank. Somebody on reception will be a notary. They look at your Drivers License, you sign the document they witness your signature. Basically a waste of space but that is the way it is done here.

[Kirsten UK 2]

They most certainly do have them in the UK as I was TOLD to see one by the US embassy! Some solicitors are also Notaries, you can find a local one in your yellow pages. Heres a link to their society:

http://www.thenotariessociety.org.uk/

[Kirsten UK 2]

MAD1974....see the thread on the UK forum "Parental responsibilty info"...I bumped it up for you, it may be helpful.

[qwerty1974 11]

Thanks VJers!! Have made an appointment to have the documents witnessed by a notary in two weeks. They charge one fee for up to four documents which is great and just as I made the appointment the solicitor rang saying the absent father finally sent the signed consent form back....weird to say 'yay' about that but 'yay' anyway it seems!! I ll get both consents signed and stamped to be on the safe side. VJ is so amazingly great for help like this, I really DO appreciate all the comments above

[Boiler 45,518]

They most certainly do have them in the UK as I was TOLD to see one by the US embassy! Some solicitors are also Notaries, you can find a local one in your yellow pages. Heres a link to their society:

http://www.thenotariessociety.org.uk/

Have you ever used one in the UK.

Do you know anyone who has ever used one in the UK?

XCan you go into your local UK Bank and get a document notarised?

[Kirsten UK 2]

Have you ever used one in the UK.

Yes

Do you know anyone who has ever used one in the UK?

Yes

XCan you go into your local UK Bank and get a document notarised?

I have no idea!

Notary Publics have been around in the UK forever. If you follow the link I posted above to the Society of Notary publics in the UK i'm sure it can give you more information. I was told to use a Notary Public by the US Embassy officer at my interview. I had already got a letter from a solicitor and that was not good enough apparently. And this was in the UK.

[qwerty1974 11]

Not sure about going to a bank. I called my solicitor and found noone there is an official public notary, so not ALL solicitors are. I then google 'public notary' in my area and lots of places came up, within two phonecalls I had booked an appointment The fee is £70 but for that they will witness up to four separate documents.

[Robert&Karen 264]

We found the father and said he can sign for the kids leaving the UK or we will file for 60,000 pounds back child support. That put a fire under him and he signed right away.

You need leverage.

[qwerty1974 11]

Oh, the CSA have been trying to get back child support for him for ten years, he's got THAT game all sewn up already, so sadly it wouldn't work. As it is, he eventually signed the solicitors consent form...now I have to write up an affadavit stating this is as close as we're going to get for anything from him and explaining why being in the same city as him, let alone room, would be good for noone, and then have it notarised. Fingers crossed!

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

I'm kind of with Boiler on this--what good is a notary? A notary witnesses someone signing a document after checking their ID. They don't verify you are telling the truth about what is signed. It's more like, "I saw Mary sign this paper and know it was her." I could see it being useful if you had to mail the documents off somewhere, but you are going in person to the embassy. They will know it is "Mary". I could see it useful if the father had his signature notarized since he won't be present. Then they would know the applicant didn't forge it. What am I missing? A notary doesn't verify the truth of the document, only that he saw it signed in person--by the same person that will be interviewing in the flesh so no doubt about her id and signature by embassy officials.

And what about Twinkies (in that other thread) who was provided an affidavit by the embassy saying there were no custody cases pending. Surely the solicitor's documentation of attempts to get a response from the father is more evidence than "Mary" telling a stranger (notary) her story and he witnesses her signing. Even the solicitor summarizing his attempts at contact and having his signature witnessed would make more sense. I don't get it.

[Kirsten UK 2]

I'm kind of with Boiler on this--what good is a notary? A notary witnesses someone signing a document after checking their ID. They don't verify you are telling the truth about what is signed. It's more like, "I saw Mary sign this paper and know it was her." I could see it being useful if you had to mail the documents off somewhere, but you are going in person to the embassy. They will know it is "Mary". I could see it useful if the father had his signature notarized since he won't be present. Then they would know the applicant didn't forge it. What am I missing? A notary doesn't verify the truth of the document, only that he saw it signed in person--by the same person that will be interviewing in the flesh so no doubt about her id and signature by embassy officials.

And what about Twinkies (in that other thread) who was provided an affidavit by the embassy saying there were no custody cases pending. Surely the solicitor's documentation of attempts to get a response from the father is more evidence than "Mary" telling a stranger (notary) her story and he witnesses her signing. Even the solicitor summarizing his attempts at contact and having his signature witnessed would make more sense. I don't get it.

I thought it was a waste of time too, but it was something the embassy demanded from me. A Notary in the UK is a legal representative of some sort and basically they take a sworn statement from you and witness it. Its a legally binding statement that is used by foreign states which can be used against you if its discovered that you lied! Its basically the same as a police statement used in courts of law. I'm sure not all of the officers at the embassy would ask for one of these, you just have to wait and see on the day if you're lucky or not!

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

I thought it was a waste of time too, but it was something the embassy demanded from me. A Notary in the UK is a legal representative of some sort and basically they take a sworn statement from you and witness it. Its a legally binding statement that is used by foreign states which can be used against you if its discovered that you lied! Its basically the same as a police statement used in courts of law. I'm sure not all of the officers at the embassy would ask for one of these, you just have to wait and see on the day if you're lucky or not!

Well that makes some sense if it could be used in court. I wonder if the've eased up some since 2009 when you went. I remember it was often an issue people discussed and affidavit was also on the checklist. Somebody (Pandora?) also got the run around. But 2010/2011 we hardly ever hear it discussed as a problem. And Twinkies just signed an affidavit at the embassy, which was new to me and very easy. I dunno.