yuna628

K1s are still a process that works for some people. We certainly did it. Not sure I'd have done that knowing what I know now, but hey it is what it is. Anyway this does seem like a postmaster issue, so I'd head over to your local post office and see what they'd suggest. I always get very confused by people saying they need to have their name on the post box - in all the years I have lived on this rural route we only have the house number on the box. Now of course our mail service has always been terrible (bunch of knuckleheads that can barely pay attention on a good day), but they never lost, misdelivered, or rejected any official documents and certainly not a USCIS item. BTW, I'd suggest the OP sign up for informed delivery - that shows you what's coming, which means you can see when the postman 'forgot' to deliver something.

My husband and I met when we were teenagers. I knew from that moment that he was the one for me, but we also knew that we were young and a lot had to happen to get from point A to point B. Financial independence was a big part of that as well as finishing education. You are both young and have a whole future ahead of you. I'd suggest making sure your lives are stable with good financial backing first before jumping feet-first into immigration matters. Take time to visit more and develop your relationship together. We did not marry until I was nearly 30, so as you can imagine, not a lot of people can wait that long nor am I suggesting it. I'm only suggesting that once you start on an immigration journey you need to be well-prepared for it. Financial requirements, insurance, getting your degrees will all help to secure that future you're dreaming of together. But also learning about your families, and each other will be important before you leap.

I think there is a lot missing to the story. The barn owner is saying that they have religious objections that keep them from celebrating the union (what does this mean or entail?) but that it is fine for the couple to get married there? So what is the problem? Well, the barn owners were pretty petty here by mentioning it in the first place. So the only thing I can guess is that they would allow them use of the barn, but would not provide other things such as an on-site coordinator (which would be important), and other items which is included in their wedding package you pay for. So I went to their site and for a fee (which is far cheaper than venues I know about around these parts) they'd give a couple an amazing services package for that price. You're talking catering area, cleanup, decor, bridal room, and more... anything you can think of. So if I take the article at face value they basically said "well you can use the barn... if you pay us the money but you aren't getting anything else because that would mean we're celebrating it". So I'm thinking this couple saw a dream location for an affordable price, with dream services, had their heart set on it and then got very disappointed. That could have been avoided if the location was unashamedly honest to begin with. Man I wish I could have dropped a cool few thousand dollars and gotten all that for my wedding. By the end of my wedding I wanted to toss the venue coordinator off a cliff from the amount of stress and idiocy she caused. Anyway while this made a news report, and I blame the incomplete reporting of the local publication, it sounds like this couple has other options that will hopefully provide them a good experience. I know the disappointment when a venue tosses "surprises" can be crushing for any bride.

I'd suggest visiting off and on for a few years to see what America is like. America is a big place and honestly, it will still not give you the big picture of what truly this country is like, but it is a start. You're young and have a life ahead of you. Make connections here by finding friends and who knows, there might be a special someone out there eventually. To be able to visit, visa free, is a special privilege not many get, so it's wise to never do anything to jeopardize that. I know someone that grew up absolutely loving the US, but as an adult he certainly kept on with his education and job in the UK. Chance would have it he met an American lady in a pub one day, and the rest was history.

I came up with the name of an attorney who supposedly is very good. I won't say he's junkyard though, as I'm not sure this young father is looking to be nasty. What he needs is guidance and protection. I just don't think he's going to listen to us though. Perhaps I need to suggest that if his wife will not seek therapy, that he needs to talk to someone himself, for his own mental health. You know I asked my dad what he thought of that appointment today, and it suddenly occurred to us that the flow of the conversation with the PA was so odd and he seemed so confused to the point we both believe he was actually hungover.

I love it when I get up before dawn to get my dad all the way over to a doctor's appointment in time, and then the doctor (well... the PA...) doesn't even know what he's doing there for. I don't love it when the sword wielding scary guy I've noted for many many many months on the street corner (I won't say begging.. because his sign is not asking for money.. I can't say protesting either because the sign is gibberish.. but I'd absolutely say he is a danger to others) and warned the police about, actually did pop off over the weekend and go into local businesses threatening people while naked. If only they like took it seriously before. My husband tells me his friend is getting a divorce. Was quite a shock. I feel for the guy and I feel for their kids. But he also tells me the situation and I think these two people need serious counselling (she has huge baggage that needs therapy she can't expect her husband to fix). Unfortunately she's the one requesting the divorce, wants pretty much everything, and is demanding to just use one attorney - hers. So both my husband and his friend asked what I thought. I thought it was a terrible idea, recommended the friend find some representation, because it sounds as if he continues to let her dictate all terms of divorce in this way she will clean him out. He's made some mistakes that I don't think any reasonable woman would find that objectionable, but this breakdown is in no way his fault. His way to be amicable without really agreeing to the divorce in the first place, is to let her have what she wants because he still loves her. I've had some female friends get themselves into serious issues in this way when their relationships failed, this is the first time I've seen a guy follow this pattern. Not sure he's going to take my advice. But what can you do?

Well guys it looks like our options for ordering such delicacies is smaller now. British Corner Shop is going into administration. This is the second time it's happened. https://anglotopia.net/anglophilia/anglophile-deals/british-corner-shop-is-no-more-bcs-has-gone-into-administration/

Accordion folder, organized, and labeled. Also don't be like a certain someone who told their then-fiancé that they had misplaced their passport, had a panic attack, and spent hours tearing apart their house before needing to drive down to London very early the next morning. 🤣🤪 Bottom line know where everything is and have it ready. You'll be just fine.

If you bring her here on a K1 and you marry, she cannot return to Canada to as you say "have that all process while she is finishing her last semester". She would have to remain in the US with you. K1s can only work and enter/exit the country when they are authorized to do. The wait on that authorization process is growing ever longer and I expect that to continue. There is nothing wrong with visiting (proof that the person intends to return from wherever they came), marrying in the US, her returning back to Canada, and applying for a spousal visa for her. You do not need a K1 to do that. Marriage is in the domain of the state, so people are allowed to freely travel and marry in the state they choose. However, the person must return home and apply for a spousal visa. K1s are for those couples who cannot otherwise travel to the US to marry (they were previously denied entry, or they want to get married in the US and have no intent on returning home, or they don't want to be apart as a married couple). The question will be timing, and if she is still committed to finishing school in Canada then applying right away may not be prudent. Remember green cards, which she will have at the end of a spousal visa, are for staying in the US, and typically people will want to have their plans in other countries wrapped up. The plus side about spousal visas are instead of having to adjust status as a K1 and be in limbo for a long time to do anything, no adjustment is needed and the person can work immediately. But again, green cards are for living in the US, and she'd want her Canadian commitments finished. You will also need to have met and have established good evidence. Other things to consider will be: do you make enough to fulfill the financial sponsorship requirements whichever path you choose?

Happy New Year to all! Yesterday was spent drinking punch and cider of the non-alcoholic variety, making up a seafood platter, chicken salad sandwiches, and cheese/crackers for snacking, watching movies with plenty of popcorn, and playing Scrabble-Monopoly - a new mashup of the two games. Dessert was a Smith Island cake by me. Briefly watched Anderson Cooper get silly drunk for a while. Today is traditional pork and sauerkraut.

I wanted to give a little update to this old thread. I passed a good deal of information that I was able to dig up involving individuals in this case to the relevant authorities and to some alternative sources. I hope that it provided useful info that the feds could use against this specific criminal. I am pretty ticked off though that the FBI let this guy flee the country.... while they recovered some of the stolen taxpayer money, $1.5 million is a drop in a bucket. and this was another guy I tried looking into. The FBI's court filing is here: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/67594550/1/united-states-v-syed/

New immigrant short term insurance is what some use. I can tell you though you'll pay a premium and not actually be covered for much if at all. Of course finding a doctor that actually accepts it will be another challenge. In the end, you'll pay for peace of mind that's not really peace of mind. Of course plenty of people still do it. Absolutely get signed up for real health insurance asap.

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.

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 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.