DCF in London - January 2020

[Morgan5698 58]

23 minutes ago, The4Sands said:

When I'm lying in bed at 3am, not-sleeping and stressing about the situation, I've wondered if we've like... fallen through the cracks, us last few DCF cases.  I'd like to think it's just alarmist, stressed-out nonsense, but it's hard for it not to feel that way sometimes.

We've definitely not fallen through the cracks. Easy to think those thoughts but there's too many of us all in the same predicament. Literally nobody here who received NOA2 after 16th March has had anything back. Better none than some for security, as we know it's a process that has been put on hold, for whatever reason. 

 

26 minutes ago, The4Sands said:

I just got word that the experimental treatment my mom was undergoing hasn't been successful.

It will happen soon. I am not aware of your specific circumstances but at some point soon those LND numbers will have to come through and maybe you can expedite your interview if there is a delay. 

 

10 minutes ago, Stuwoolf said:

I agree that the apparent lack of movement and the helplessness attributed which is further complcated by not being able to speak to someone at the embassy. I had a similar situation when applying for my USC wifes UK Spouse Visa. It was so difficult no one was available to help. Until this pandemic came along it was clear that the US Visa process was much more transparent.....until Lockdown. I guess that is the primary cause of the delays we are all experiencing.

Likewise, we had the same when my USC wife came here. Such an automated chuck it into the void process and wait and see. Whereas this way around seemed it had more human intervention, then this happened! 

[The4Sands 67]

9 minutes ago, Morgan5698 said:

We've definitely not fallen through the cracks. Easy to think those thoughts but there's too many of us all in the same predicament. Literally nobody here who received NOA2 after 16th March has had anything back. Better none than some for security, as we know it's a process that has been put on hold, for whatever reason. 

Thanks.  I know you're right.  I just have a lot of feels about it right now.  And I know it's not just me, we're all in the same boat together. 

 

9 minutes ago, Morgan5698 said:

Likewise, we had the same when my USC wife came here. Such an automated chuck it into the void process and wait and see. Whereas this way around seemed it had more human intervention, then this happened! 

Yeah, that sounds incredibly stressful.  I had no idea it was so hard to come here as a family member till recently.

[Morgan5698 58]

2 minutes ago, The4Sands said:

Thanks.  I know you're right.  I just have a lot of feels about it right now.  And I know it's not just me, we're all in the same boat together. 

In the same boat so we all know it's not a one off fallen through the cracks type of deal. But I would prefer you to get a response ASAP given you have personal urgent reasons. 

3 minutes ago, The4Sands said:

Yeah, that sounds incredibly stressful.  I had no idea it was so hard to come here as a family member till recently.

The UK process is expensive, time sensitive (very!) and like a black hole. You have no hope of speaking to anyone of use once it's sent off. Anything goes wrong or missing =  rejected, no refund. Oh and then you have to keep doing it again every 2.9 years (twice!).  You can appeal if it goes wrong, but the appeal takes over a year. So just apply again, and pay more money! I wont miss that process. 

[The4Sands 67]

Just now, Morgan5698 said:

Anything goes wrong or missing =  rejected, no refund

Oh man, I had no idea.  That is #######.  We were torn about me getting citizenship because of the cost but decided to bite the bullet.  That seals it.  I really had no idea the process was so rigid. 

[Robyn-n-Kris 72]

3 minutes ago, The4Sands said:

Oh man, I had no idea.  That is #######.  We were torn about me getting citizenship because of the cost but decided to bite the bullet.  That seals it.  I really had no idea the process was so rigid. 

We literally just went through the hoops of the UK Spouse visa last year (we moved over here in May). The amount of paperwork, hoops, red tape and NO ONE who is accountable is insane. The cost is huge and often. The US system (for all of its stress currently) is much more straight forward, and really, much more transparent for the most part compared to the UK system.

[Morgan5698 58]

39 minutes ago, The4Sands said:

Oh man, I had no idea.  That is #######.  We were torn about me getting citizenship because of the cost but decided to bite the bullet.  That seals it.  I really had no idea the process was so rigid. 

If you have even the slightest chance of moving back one day, and you can do it, then I would. Also the UK citizen has to be in the country earning a salary for 6 months before they can sponsor (unless you have about 65k sitting in the bank). 

 

35 minutes ago, Robyn-n-Kris said:

We literally just went through the hoops of the UK Spouse visa last year (we moved over here in May). The amount of paperwork, hoops, red tape and NO ONE who is accountable is insane. The cost is huge and often. The US system (for all of its stress currently) is much more straight forward, and really, much more transparent for the most part compared to the UK system.

Completely agree with this. the US system (especially in DCF as we're lucky to have) is definitely better IMO. We're sadly caught in this Covid trap which is what's making it feel like a serious headache, in the absence of that we'd probably be well on our way to interview/approval by now. 

[Robyn-n-Kris 72]

37 minutes ago, Morgan5698 said:

If you have even the slightest chance of moving back one day, and you can do it, then I would. Also the UK citizen has to be in the country earning a salary for 6 months before they can sponsor (unless you have about 65k sitting in the bank). 

 

Completely agree with this. the US system (especially in DCF as we're lucky to have) is definitely better IMO. We're sadly caught in this Covid trap which is what's making it feel like a serious headache, in the absence of that we'd probably be well on our way to interview/approval by now. 

Yep. We were lucky in the first visa as we had the savings to meet the UK's requirements. We are lucky in the second sense as hubby has earned enough quarter credits with social security for us not to have to be required to fill out the I-864. Right now it is just everything that has been held up due to the virus/lockdown.

[os306 103]

1 hour ago, Robyn-n-Kris said:

We literally just went through the hoops of the UK Spouse visa last year (we moved over here in May). The amount of paperwork, hoops, red tape and NO ONE who is accountable is insane. The cost is huge and often. The US system (for all of its stress currently) is much more straight forward, and really, much more transparent for the most part compared to the UK system.

Agreed. We went through a lot of unnecessary anxiety with the UK spouse visa process in 2017. The UK Yankee Forums were a big help during that time. Miraculously, after we submitted the application, our visa was approved in about 4 days (which seemed unusually fast). However, at the time of submission, a news article had just been published that criticised the UK Home Office for the excessive processing times for spousal visas, so we suspect they may have been trying to get their act together!

[Stuwoolf 44]

Off topic, I know but we decided there was no way the UK were getting anymore money out of us. The original application cost around £2.5k. 1st renewal would cost circa £2.8k and the final ILR at todays price would be at least another £1k (with increases running at around £300 per year it may be closer to £1.5k). I have no family in UK and my wife has loads of family in US so our minds were set.

 

Anyway, back to the plot, with the report on here earlier today regarding the embassy perhaps getting back into "production", maybe it wont be long now. At least to see some getting a little progress would mean a lot to me and, I am sure, many others.

[The4Sands 67]

Okay, so, I got an email from the Consular Info Unit at the embassy asking me a series of questions about my application and situation:

 

If you are applying for an immigrant visa as the spouse or child of a U.S. citizen (IR-1, CR-1, IR-2 or CR-2) or for an E-3 visa, or writing on behalf of someone applying for such a visa, please answer the following questions: 

1.       What is the full name of the visa applicant(s)? Please provide the name(s) in the format SURNAME(S), Given Name(s). 

2.       What is the full name of the petitioner? Please provide the name in the format SURNAME(S), Given Name(s). 

3.       If you are not the visa applicant or petitioner, please confirm your relationship to the applicant and confirm if Form G-28 has been filed.  

4.       What is the immigrant visa case number, if known? (typically LND followed by ten digits) 

5.       Was the petition filed with the USCIS Field Office in London or with USCIS in the United States? 

6.       What date was the petition approval notice received? 

7.       Is the case currently with the National Visa Center (NVC)? 

8.       If you have been notified that the file has been forwarded to the Embassy in London, on which date was it sent? 

9.       Has the visa applicant electronically submitted the application Form DS-260? 

10.   Has the visa applicant gathered all the applicable supporting documents? See https://uk.usembassy.gov/visas/family-immigration/required-documents/ 

11.   Has each visa applicant undergone a medical examination with the Embassy's panel physician in London? 

12.   Has an interview appointment been booked for you by NVC or through the Visa Appointment Service? Please briefly give details of any booked or cancelled appointment dates. 

13.   Does the visa applicant have urgent need of travel to the United States? Please give brief details.  

 

We will begin reviewing your request as soon as we receive this information. While we appreciate the urgent nature of your request, we cannot give a timeframe for the review nor offer status updates while the review is in process. We process cases as expeditiously as possible. Rest assured that we will inform you of the outcome by email as soon as we can.   

 

It was in response to the email I sent on Monday, so maybe things are actually moving over there  Here's hoping this is the beginning of progress for all of us. 

[os306 103]

29 minutes ago, The4Sands said:

Okay, so, I got an email from the Consular Info Unit at the embassy asking me a series of questions about my application and situation:

 

If you are applying for an immigrant visa as the spouse or child of a U.S. citizen (IR-1, CR-1, IR-2 or CR-2) or for an E-3 visa, or writing on behalf of someone applying for such a visa, please answer the following questions: 

1.       What is the full name of the visa applicant(s)? Please provide the name(s) in the format SURNAME(S), Given Name(s). 

2.       What is the full name of the petitioner? Please provide the name in the format SURNAME(S), Given Name(s). 

3.       If you are not the visa applicant or petitioner, please confirm your relationship to the applicant and confirm if Form G-28 has been filed.  

4.       What is the immigrant visa case number, if known? (typically LND followed by ten digits) 

5.       Was the petition filed with the USCIS Field Office in London or with USCIS in the United States? 

6.       What date was the petition approval notice received? 

7.       Is the case currently with the National Visa Center (NVC)? 

8.       If you have been notified that the file has been forwarded to the Embassy in London, on which date was it sent? 

9.       Has the visa applicant electronically submitted the application Form DS-260? 

10.   Has the visa applicant gathered all the applicable supporting documents? See https://uk.usembassy.gov/visas/family-immigration/required-documents/ 

11.   Has each visa applicant undergone a medical examination with the Embassy's panel physician in London? 

12.   Has an interview appointment been booked for you by NVC or through the Visa Appointment Service? Please briefly give details of any booked or cancelled appointment dates. 

13.   Does the visa applicant have urgent need of travel to the United States? Please give brief details.  

 

We will begin reviewing your request as soon as we receive this information. While we appreciate the urgent nature of your request, we cannot give a timeframe for the review nor offer status updates while the review is in process. We process cases as expeditiously as possible. Rest assured that we will inform you of the outcome by email as soon as we can.   

 

It was in response to the email I sent on Monday, so maybe things are actually moving over there  Here's hoping this is the beginning of progress for all of us. 

Glad to hear they got back to you. Obviously, some of these questions don't apply because you don't have an LND number yet (e.g., number 4, 9, and 11) but hopefully once you respond to the other questions you'll be sent your LND number (fingers crossed!)

[Gaz1a 22]

I got that list on Monday morning (early) after my incessant emails last week. I responded on Monday morning and waiting to hear back... 

[Morgan5698 58]

40 minutes ago, The4Sands said:

Okay, so, I got an email from the Consular Info Unit at the embassy asking me a series of questions about my application and situation:

This is great news. For you so you can get moving soon and some security knowing you haven't slipped beneath the cracks! And the rest of us that at least some form of admin is actually being done, by a human! 

[The4Sands 67]

8 minutes ago, Gaz1a said:

I got that list on Monday morning (early) after my incessant emails last week. I responded on Monday morning and waiting to hear back... 

I have pretty low expectations about when I hear back, because I know the backlog must be immense.   But it is a good boot up the backside for me to make sure all my paperwork is in order, at least.  Here's hoping you hear from them soon 🤞

[Morgan5698 58]

3 minutes ago, The4Sands said:

I have pretty low expectations about when I hear back, because I know the backlog must be immense.   But it is a good boot up the backside for me to make sure all my paperwork is in order, at least.  Here's hoping you hear from them soon 🤞

I thought that too. But then I thought no K-1 Visas are being processed (sorry anyone reading this!), no tourist visas, limited business visas under recent proclamation. I mean it's literally just immediate family based visas of USC. How many of those can their possibly be in the UK at any given time? That's just a theory, but it may not be as bad as we think.