yuna628

What I got him: clothes, puffer vest, trainers, coffee, blanket, tools, giant lego set & running gear What he got me: a coat, clothes, trainers, giant lego set, cookbook, a makeup bag from London (this was especially sweet as it's my favorite brand), and chocolate. What friends got us: a Japanese subscription box What we sent to the kids abroad: perfume for the eldest and squishmallows for the youngest As is traditional a few days before Christmas we head up to Longwood to look at the display and have their absolutely fantastic holiday menu. We also usually take the family out for milkshakes and ride around the neighborhood to look at the light displays. Then we celebrate Christmas, on Christmas Eve, to give everyone an additional day of rest before heading back to work. Daytime is usually reserved for guests and present exchanges, and later in the evening when most have gone is when a quieter more enjoyable time for gift giving is had. It was stressful during the day because of the person that invited themselves over, but we tried our best to make things work. We usually get Chinese takeaway for dinner and dessert by me.

The newest information I can offer today regarding this upcoming policy change is.. well, perhaps a wait and see approach for now. As it stands a new election is likely coming, but the blacklash is already beginning. There are lawsuits brewing, and this evening it seems the government has decided to take yet another reformulated and vague position. They have announced the threshold will still rise to another new figure of £29,000 ($36,700). This is classified as an initial rise with no other details as to when or what other increments will be used. Furthermore, they have agreed that these changes will only reflect new visa applicants, and not those already in the country. This figure, will still result in large number of Britons being unable to bring their spouses and children into the country. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/home-office-migrant-family-visa-thresholds-b1128603.html https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/dec/17/legal-action-planned-over-uk-cruel-income-threshold-visa-rules

In the states, cordials are considered alcoholic beverages or types of chocolates, but in the UK they are non-alcoholic - a syrupy fruit juice with sparkling added. Though you can make them alcoholic - like a Cider & Black (alcoholic cider + blackcurrant juice cordial) or a type of snakebite. My great grandma used to make cordials and they were added to alcohol like a sort of mixer at parties. I would often debate with my husband if Martinelli's Sparkling Cider or Welch's is considered a type of cordial rather than just a non-alcoholic cider or wine, but we couldn't get a definite answer. You can get non-alcoholic cordial in the US, but they are like mixers right? Layla, you got the kiplings mince pies but not the almond cakes? Man... I could eat a whole box of those right now.

If you are not intending on purchasing her a plan directly, my suggestion would be to read through this thread carefully.

You are allowed to work once you have authorization. The SSN card you will receive should say ''valid for work only with DHS authorization" on it and the EAD you apply for will be that authorization. You can remove that 'restriction' by going back to the SSA once you obtain your green card.

Over the years there's been many persons on this forum that have inquired about returning to the UK with their American spouses and children. There has always been visa requirements involved with that, which included financial requirements that for some, were too great. Based on yesterday's announcement by the UK government, they intend to increase that burden further. The old rules required that the UK citizen and only the UK citizen had a UK job and guarantied salary held for six months or more of £18,600 (roughly $23,000), or a large sum of savings of £62,500. This amount increased with each non-UK citizen child. As of yesterday and becoming effective in spring 2024, these guarantied salary amount will be increased to £38,700 (roughly $48,800). No doubt that means the amount for savings and for any additional child will also increase. If the math works out that would increase to £112,000 in savings. No joint sponsors or joint income may be used. There is also price rises in the visa fees itself, as well as significant increase to the amount you would have to pay each year under the health immigration surcharge. This was a part of additional changes and measures which will negatively affect legal immigration to the UK. This post is just for informative purposes. I've had numerous discussions with UK-based lawyers and legal immigration support organizers. I'm sure that everyone will have a variety of thoughts on it. There may be legal challenges to come and things could theoretically change in a new election. My advice is always: make sure you have your UK citizen spouse's status settled here first, before thinking of uprooting yourselves and be aware that the UK's requirements are a lot harsher than the US. For more information: https://news.sky.com/story/tougher-visa-rules-for-foreign-workers-including-ban-on-bringing-families-and-raising-minimum-salary-requirement-13022936 https://freemovement.org.uk/government-attack-on-families-as-minimum-income-requirement-to-rise-to-38700/ https://kittyfallsimmigrationlaw.com/2023/12/05/partner-visa-minimum-income-requirement-is-going-up/

Well he sounds nice. I hope he goes away for a long long time.

My husband had his Naturalization interview last week. Ironically the day after Kevin McCarthy got tossed out of speakership, so we wondered how that question could be answered correctly if it came up. It was quite a long trip for us, as we were on vacation in another state and I wasn't sure if I would be allowed in with him so he went in by himself. He arrived 20 minutes before his appointment. It wasn't too busy. There was TSA style security first, and then waiting for his appointment was about 45 minutes. You are given a number which is supposed to show up on the screen. His number took about 20 minutes to appear on the screen, so if your number doesn't appear immediately don't worry. His interview was about 10 minutes in length. The officer was very polite and no-nonsense. He asked for his NOA and asked for his US ID and his green card. My husband was very nervous and accidently handed him his UK driving license instead of his US one without realizing it. The officer was confused by this, but eventually that got cleared up, and had a laugh. He asked to confirm personal details and a few of the N400 questions. Keep in mind we had been initially nervous about tax questions, since we were unable to obtain every single tax transcript from the IRS (the IRS won't give them to you after a certain date), but were able to give them tax forms. But the officer did not want to see any of it. So I'd say as long as you have some sort of a combination of transcripts and forms this is not really an issue. He asked the six questions: 1) What is the economic system in the United States? 2) In what month do we vote for President? 3) What is the name of the Vice President? 4) Who is the Commander in Chief of the military? 5) What is one responsibility that is only for US citizens? 6) Who was President during the Great Depression and WW II? (hilariously the question that would trip him up the most) The reading was: When is Columbus Day? The writing was: Columbus Day is in October. He was informed that he had passed the test and that he needed to confirm the information that was going to be on his naturalization certificate. After showing him the Oath, my husband requested a modified oath, which was granted. He was then informed that he would be notified by mail that his oath ceremony would be scheduled. Later in the day the website updated to reflect his Oath ceremony would be scheduled, and the next morning his Oath appointment letter was uploaded. The ceremony is next week. All in all this has been a shockingly fast and easy process. Afterwards, since we were all dressed up we went on a nice date in the city before making the long trek back to our hotel. I hope this review helps others as to what to expect for Baltimore. It's a nice big facility that is not in the best area these days unfortunately. All in all the end of the journey has been the most simple experience. Thank you to all the guys and gals on VJ that has helped us through this whole process over many years.

Whelp, this one is a doozy of an indictment. That's a lot of cash and gold bars laying around your house for the feds to find. Seems he was also selling secrets to the Egyptians. You can read the indictment here. It is INSANE. You could make a movie about this: https://int.nyt.com/data/documenttools/robert-menendez-indictment-document/e9ff4e956cb8dfc9/full.pdf There is a passage that caught my eye: "Third, MENENDEZ promised to and did use his influence and power and breach his official duty to recommend that the President nominate an individual as U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey who MENENDEZ believed could be influenced by MENENDEZ {....}" Was the President interviewed? What did the President know and when did he know it?

Rachel Morin told her boyfriend that she was going for a run on a popular trail in the small town of Bel Air, Maryland. When she did not return, her boyfriend contacted police. The police said they had looked through the trail and could not find her, so it was initially thought of as perhaps a kidnapping. What was concerning to me is that they allowed the public to come to the trail and search, potentially contaminating the scene. We go to the trails and woodlands in the Bel Air area a lot, and after a few very frightening incidents, our list is growing smaller unfortunately and now we do not go walking/hiking without some sort of weapon. There were reasons to be suspicious of the boyfriend. He has a past criminal history, it was a very recent relationship. There were a few other suspects too - a creepy man was seen stalking women where she worked. There is also a homeless camp at the end of this particular trail. None of these panned out. Rachel was easily found by members of the public search party, within 24hrs of her going missing on the trail in a small tunnel, that is not very well-lit, but certainly open enough I have no idea why the police could not find her initially. While the police haven't mentioned the particulars of the case, it is said to be a brutal murder and rape. This is usually a busy trail, and no one questioned is said to have seen or heard anything. A few days later a creepy man claiming to have found her, was interviewed by the news and gave many horrific but confusing details to the press. Some of these 'details' continue to be falsely written today. They did not verify his story, and ultimately the police said this man was not only a grifter but he was lying for 'fame'. Rachel's family has tried very hard to enlist the public and media's help to find her killer. They have funds set up for her children. Have asked profilers to assist, and have had many charity events and held public pleas for help. The trail is now basically a memorial, and many from the town no longer feel safe walking. Some time later the police held a conference to announce that through DNA evidence, Rachel's killer was involved in a crime LA last year. We know little about the case as it involved the rape of a minor. But there was video of the suspect from behind - he appears to be Hispanic with some distinguishing features. As the weeks have gone on, it is possible the FBI has found links to another case in Chicago - and it is for this reason the police believe the suspect to be a serial killer or serial rapist. Rachel Morin left behind five children and a family that is desperate. Her killer is traveling and could be anywhere. Here are links to the case with videos of the suspect from the LA incident. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/09/11/rachel-morin-case-updates-criminal-profiler/70825144007/ https://www.fox5dc.com/news/rachel-morin-murder-maryland-sheriff-says-suspect-on-the-loose-could-strike-again https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/community/criminal-justice/rachel-morin-memorial-walk-bel-air-PYYWZG7PPJFDJMJKMTNFRGPCJI/ https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/harford-county/detectives-pursue-leads-in-la-chicago-in-rachel-morin-murder-investigation-7Y7VTH4OEVE6XEARKOYSIK47XM/ https://www.gofundme.com/f/rachel-morin-funeral-and-memorial-fund

There's a couple reasons why I'm sharing this story. You see, I've been down the rabbit hole these past few weeks, when a relative received a mysterious package they didn't order in the mail. Inside were very expired, very tampered looking COVID test kits. I was very alarmed, so me and a few tech buddies got together and did some digging as to just who these scumbags were. Turns out the feds have been working cases like this for a while now. It's not always immediately noticeable to an individual that has Medicare if they have been/their plan has been charged for fraudulent devices. I immediately set to work tracing back months of Medicare billing to see if I could find the fraudulent charges. Not so, because a lot of EOBs and lists of charges are usually running several months behind. A call over to the OIG and federal Medicare fraud investigators, and they could see the charges from back in May, the exact timeframe when many of these packages started showing up over the US. They immediately flagged and created a case file, and unfortunately my relative's info has been compromised (the government is still investigating where and cannot comment yet) and they will have to issue them new cards/numbers. If you have any elderly relatives, or are a recipient of Medicare yourself be on the lookout for any unusual charges and or packages coming to your house. There are extensive news articles online addressing these instances from different states. I must stress in some cases many of these scams are using phishing or phone calls into tricking individuals into giving them their info - but this is a somewhat new tactic, the recipient of the fraudulent goods is unaware of anything coming to their home and never requested it.