UK VJers Progress Update Thread

[vpalermo85 62]

Hey all!! Been a while since I've posted anything on here--it's been such a rush and a whirlwind ever since James made his POE in JFK. Last minute weddings plans and shopping for apartment needs and family demands really take a chunk of your time. Haven't had the chance to really relax and let everything actually set in. Congrats to the approvals!! I'm SOOOO happy for you Laura! Know you were waiting on pins and needles for that approval to come

[YorkshiretoAZ 12]

My passport is getting delivered tomorrow

[AMZJ 61]

My passport is getting delivered tomorrow

Thats great news

[Tricked 33]

Yea, awesome

[AMZJ 61]

Hoping this week is a better week at NVC. Bumping this thread up as it seems to be getting buried.

[AMZJ 61]

NVC finally have my case! I am calling back late tonight and again tomorrow (if they don't have my number today). I've called Knightsbridge to check availability and they have nothing for this week, so I am looking at the end of next week for my medical.

[Tricked 33]

Yay, progress. Annoying that Knightsbridge need the LND number before they let you book...

[AMZJ 61]

Yay, progress. Annoying that Knightsbridge need the LND number before they let you book...

More worried about the interview bit. Knightsbridge will be fine. Interview is cutting it thin. I need to get to the US to enroll my daughter for school. I think her school won't get her school files until September now as I won't be able to enroll her until her current school finish.

[Tricked 33]

You might be able to request an expedite on the webpage, but no idea what circumstances they'd consider for it.

[AMZJ 61]

You might be able to request an expedite on the webpage, but no idea what circumstances they'd consider for it.

Medical issues or military orders. Won't get an expedite just because my kid needs to start school.

[wbeem 568]

More worried about the interview bit. Knightsbridge will be fine. Interview is cutting it thin. I need to get to the US to enroll my daughter for school. I think her school won't get her school files until September now as I won't be able to enroll her until her current school finish.

How old is your daughter? I wouldn't worry about the school files being transferred. My daughter's school in Florida had no idea how to interpret all the files (copies) and reports we brought over and we had to sort out a mess where they first assigned her to the wrong grade. The administrators were completely confused by the terminology in the school files and reports and essentially, disregarded them entirely. Have you contacted the new school in advance to see what they need? It can be pretty stressful trying to transition kids into a new country and new school system. On the up side, they actually cope much better than we expect Here's hoping your timeline works out favorably for you, but try not to get too hooked up on dates and self imposed deadlines We started out doing that and it almost always ended in frustration, stress and disappointment.

I sincerely wish you and your daughter the very best. You will survive, even though there are moments it doesn't feel like it

[wbeem 568]

Hey guys!
Not sure if any of the old 2014 filers are still around on this thread, but we just got our AOS approval last week. I haven't visited the forums much in the last year. After taking nearly a year to get through the K1 process, we kind of tuned out and chilled once we got married, taking our sweet time in applying for our AOS. Of course, we hit another processing office which is suffering long delays so it took longer than expected, but this round and being together we had more of a "Have a glass of wine and wait for USCIS" approach It's really great to know that we are done with immigration stuff for almost 2 years before the next stage of removing conditions. I just wondered if any of the older posters are still around and how everyone is doing.

PS. Even though our medical had expired before we were adjudicated, we did not get an RFE for another one. I know some folk have been asked to redo theirs. Just posting this because it's not necessarily a given that you will have to repeat the medical if yours times out.

[AMZJ 61]

How old is your daughter? I wouldn't worry about the school files being transferred. My daughter's school in Florida had no idea how to interpret all the files (copies) and reports we brought over and we had to sort out a mess where they first assigned her to the wrong grade. The administrators were completely confused by the terminology in the school files and reports and essentially, disregarded them entirely. Have you contacted the new school in advance to see what they need? It can be pretty stressful trying to transition kids into a new country and new school system. On the up side, they actually cope much better than we expect Here's hoping your timeline works out favorably for you, but try not to get too hooked up on dates and self imposed deadlines We started out doing that and it almost always ended in frustration, stress and disappointment.

I sincerely wish you and your daughter the very best. You will survive, even though there are moments it doesn't feel like it

She's 8. I just want her to be there to start school at the same time as all the other kids. I'm sure we will be fine, I am just overwhelmed with the lack of structure in everything and having to do an international move on basically 'little notice' as such. People have done it before, I'm sure it it'll be fine. I'm just a planner and a lack of structure stresses me. I need to just accept that it is what it is and I shouldn't stress about what I can't change. Unfortunate I can't help it.

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

She's 8. I just want her to be there to start school at the same time as all the other kids. I'm sure we will be fine, I am just overwhelmed with the lack of structure in everything and having to do an international move on basically 'little notice' as such. People have done it before, I'm sure it it'll be fine. I'm just a planner and a lack of structure stresses me. I need to just accept that it is what it is and I shouldn't stress about what I can't change. Unfortunate I can't help it.

You said in one of these threads that your daughter is American, right? If you are really stressed about her starting school on time, can't you fly over with her, let her start school, stay a few weeks to make sure she is settled, then come home for your interview? Extra expense for flights, but if you really, really want her to start school on time then an option to consider.

[wbeem 568]

She's 8. I just want her to be there to start school at the same time as all the other kids. I'm sure we will be fine, I am just overwhelmed with the lack of structure in everything and having to do an international move on basically 'little notice' as such. People have done it before, I'm sure it it'll be fine. I'm just a planner and a lack of structure stresses me. I need to just accept that it is what it is and I shouldn't stress about what I can't change. Unfortunate I can't help it.

I think lack of structure stresses any parent and your'e not wrong to want to give that to your daughter. She's still very young Mine was 12 when we moved last year so she had a slightly better capacity to understand the move, but I get it. For children, they aren't always able to articulate their concerns. Their little world is much smaller than ours and school is one of the biggest factors. They ask questions and we can't answer them (and the answers keep changing in this process!) which really doesn't help at all. I wish I could say something to make it easier, but I also learned that knowing that others survived the same process does little to help you because ... well, they are not you and their kids are not your kids and it's just a difficult, emotional time, peppered with uncertainty.

Our petition was filed at the time that TSC had that terrible backlog and it languished without attention in a dusty box somewhere for 8 months before we got our NOA2. Meantime, we had moved out of our house, told the school, told work and my daughter's school friends were mocking her for saying she was moving but never leaving. It's temporary, but during that process, the temporary is all you have to work with and it's stressful.

We got here just before the end of the school year last year and decided to wait until the new school session in August to send daughter to school. It gave her some time to settle into her new home and we were able to get the answers to the questions she had - well, most of them - which went a long way to reassure her. The schools here seem to operate through the summer so we were still able to take her in for a tour of the school and to get the enrolment sorted out. Hopefully your experience will be similar. That still gives you a few months to work with. You're nearly there.

There is nothing wrong with your need for structure. It's a positive quality. Don't doubt yourself. I look forward to seeing you posting that everything is coming together.