yuna628

It is an arbitrary value they just came up with it seems. I also wanted to inform as an addition to the first post that the UK government has clarified this evening in some articles that this new threshold will indeed apply to those spouse already in the UK that arrived under the old threshold and in the middle of the multi-year immigration process. If their UK spouse is not making the new sum by spring they will likely need to self deport.

Hey we discovered where some of the gold bars came from. Hint: they were stolen from the same guy that is involved in the indictment against Menendez. https://www.nbcnewyork.com/investigations/gold-bars-featured-in-bob-menendez-bribe-case-linked-to-2013-robbery-records-show/4919801/

Indeed we do. I have seen a rough estimate of only 65k couples returning to the UK last year - to utilize a further reduction of that seems a bit odd to me. These are after all, persons coming there legally when the requirements were still fairly strict. Some estimates have shown that an extremely large number of the British public, even those considered making a decent living in the UK, would no longer be able to bring spouse and children under the new rules. I have noticed more than a few conservative names getting angry about this, when they suddenly realize who might be affected and complaining that British citizens with foreign spouses should have more rights compared to other immigrants. Some have said this is a nonsense rule that surely they'll change - I doubt this very much. Suppose we'll see.

You have 6 months from the time of the medical to enter the US. Once you enter, you have 90 days to marry.

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/

My husband says that he used to work with a former Marine who said that kids needs structure and that whenever his kids 'sassed him' goofed off, or didn't do their homework there had to be consequences - so phone get gone, video games go, no matter how long it takes for the kid to prove themselves again. I think that's probably a good rule of thumb, but I'm sure every parent's situation is different. I was homeschooled and was considered a good student though I taught myself most of it. There was a period of time where I did start to really struggle with reading, memorization, and math. My mom would get frustrated and think I was just being lazy. It wasn't. I needed glasses and vision therapy. I got the glasses at least, and kept putting in the hard work - the reading and memory issue resolved. Math though was a real struggle and I realize that it's probably Dyscalculia related to the eye issue, and maybe if I had the help I'd needed back then, things may have been easier. It's always a challenge to know what's going on with kids, especially as they get older. Make sure that any of his issues doesn't stem from a learning disorder. In other cases there might not be a learning disorder, but maybe the kid learns better a different way than how he's been told (we all aren't cookie cutters). Other times I think it may be needing additional hands-on (I'm not sure how much you do already) on your part, or the other parent, or a tutor to see where he's having trouble in his homework or courses. Maybe he doesn't get it and feels stupid and that nothing is worth trying if he's not having fun. Maybe he does get it and is lazy. Or maybe it's a struggle somewhere. Or it's a combo of all three.

Peanut butter worked well until one day he realized and then became suspicious of any further attempts. Thankfully he's addicted to cheese. 🤪

He does as long as it is hidden in high value food like cheese, otherwise good luck getting it down him. Pain meds were needed last night, he is super uncomfortable.

Let dog out last night. It was very cold but he was bundled up. Nevertheless the old guy was in a rush to get back inside and wasn't paying attention. I hear screaming and yelping, and I'm like what on earth? Oh my gosh, so much blood everywhere. He'd somehow managed to get his toe wedged into the deck and proceeded to rip his nail straight off. There's nothing left. Many panicked moments of trying to get the kwik-stop to slow the bleeding and wrapping it in a bandage. By this point the dog has just shut down and isn't making any more noise - like he's in shock or something. I'm really not sure what to do, so we head over to the emergency vet. After an hour a tech looks at the foot and seems in awe then tells us it will be many many hours to be seen properly. We wait three, and ask any closer? Nope. By this time the dog is exhausted and we're exhausted so we decide to rewrap the foot as best we can until I can ring our vet in the morning. And by the time we get back home it's 2am. Our vet says we did a great job and that's about all we can do for it. Sent us on our way with antibiotics and pain pills. Poor little guy still seems mortified.

There is only one Napoleon to me. But yes, I've read some really bad things about this film, which is a real disappointment. Still will probably see it eventually, I want to know how good the costuming is.

If some on-sale clothing bought on Thursday/Friday gets me a pile of free stuff on Sunday once I drop the Kohls cash and additional coupons I've been saving - the girl maths works for me every year. Trick is making a list and sticking with it. Kohls is counting on someone to come in and spend extra well over the amount of free cash they have. Plus you can do store pickup and travel over the state line to avoid shipping and tax.

I kind of feel like we keep giving more and more money to the USCIS and there are never any better results. Continued slowdowns are predictable with the way things have been going, and it's been like that for ages. Things were slow as heck during Obama, slow with Trump, and still slow now. Sure I still have no idea how our N400 got processed so quickly while people are still waiting at our field office - but I don't think Biden had anything to do with that. Immigrants and their families are nothing but a dollar sign and used for political fodder. No one actually cares to fix anything.

I have ordered from British Corner before... there's also British Food Depot.. those prices though lol. Thank goodness Jolly Posh exists too. The local grocery store does have a small British section so there are usually plenty of overpriced Cadbury, mushy peas, and Jacobs. Ribena is a favorite of mine but it all has artificial sweetener in it now unless you go over to the Asian grocer (the OG one I found imported from Malaysia). Some things we will never be able to get like Stotties and Greggs gingerbread men.

Thanksgiving was successful though extremely tiring. After making most of all the food with me, my husband put up the pre-lit tree. There were many bulbs to replace. By the time I got done doing all the dishes, I was tired but thought it important to get some exercise in so we went for a walk around the neighborhood. The smell of pot permeated (ugh) everywhere outside... I guess there were some 'interesting' Thanksgivings going on. On Friday, I had multiple errands to run - the brand new pot store in town was so overflowing with cars it caused a traffic jam - so was stuck in traffic some time just to get some groceries. In fact I'd say there were more people there than at the Walmart for Black Friday. Put decorations on the tree, and while my husband worked on the outside, I finished up the last minute gardening tasks before the cold front came in. On Sunday we went on our morning coffee and walk by the water, and stopped over at the department store to see how bad it was after Friday. Surprisingly hardly any one there, and was still well stocked. Everything is also self-checkout now, which I liked. But my real purpose was to get my husband into a fitting room to try on some pants because the man hasn't had anything new in about six years and they are falling off him/worn out. But some of the male species don't seem to like the fuss of trying things on and get very flustered. Out of 7 pairs he tried on, we only came home with 1. A small victory! At least it was a deep discount. I spent an hour trying to argue with mom about making sure she wears safe slippers on her feet. How it works is you buy mom slippers, she will say they are amazing, and then a few days later say they are terrible and go back to wearing slippers that are falling apart and dangerous to walk on. Almost all my xmas shopping is done online now, and about 60% is wrapped already. Deals were poor though.

Purchase eyed: a computer, but did not buy. Simply still too expensive this year even at the membership club. Large ticket items were a fitness watch which was on sale. A lego set I had purchased back in August on sale is still being sold at regular price so I'm glad I got that early. Sneakers were on sale so a few good deals there. Amazon had good deals on blu ray and books this year and most purchases came from there. A buy of sale items from Kohls on Friday got me enough cash to have nearly free bill on Sunday. Ultimately spending more this year but getting less. Inflation clearly or retailers being greedy.

On his first trip to Baltimore, I took my husband to the inner harbor (Baltimore makes #16 on the list) and there on the street corner was a single dead roach and an uneaten orange. It was so amusing to us at the time we took a photo.. I don't remember roaches being a big problem when I was in Baltimore.. rats and other odd creatures sure. I hear bedbugs are sweeping Europe now.

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.