Lee Thacket

Yes, that is the main point I took from the 370 pages in the book namely that labour market demand is the driver of legal and illegal immigration. (Myth 2: Borders are beyond control.) People come to work rather than commit crime. (Myth 12: Immigration sends crime rates soaring.) Using 2004 figures he makes the point there are six times more people involved in border enforcement than worksite enforcement. Prosecutions and fines are low. Jail time for employers of illegal immigrants is rare. (How Migration Really Works: the facts about the most divisive issue in politics, Hein de Haas, Basic Books, Hachette, 2023)

Hi Charlie, I was interested to read through your covering letter. It mentions including your birth certificate and passport. Is it necessary to include both? I thought just providing one was sufficient to prove citizenship. Were you advised that including the value of your retirement fund might help your case? Kind regards, Lee

Oh brilliant. I forgot to mention he has lots of videos on YouTube for those who do not want to read the book. He also had a Twitter account, but unfortunately left because of all the abuse he was getting. Migrants fleeing climate change is one of the myths he discusses in the book which I found difficult to understand. Perhaps the video will help to make it clearer for me?

@pushbrk that is a really good point. I wonder why that is the case? I compared the British and American immigration rules regarding family reunification to try to decide which one to use. The British system has changed a lot over the last decade. You can't have a joint sponsor and it is difficult to petition for anyone other than your spouse. You also have to earn quite a high salary to sponsor that spouse. The USA was rated the 63rd hardest country for family unification, that is quite good in the scheme of things. PS congratulations and thanks for the 20 years of advice you have been providing. Is there going to be a party? Here is to the next 20 years!!😀

Are you working in the marketing department of Colorado's tourism department? If so you're fired!

He talks a lot about immigration policy in The Netherlands, but also the United States.

I had evidence of three in person meetings totalling fifteen weeks. The fiance petition was approved without any requests for evidence. In person meetings count more than online chats. I did not submit any evidence of those. Your age gap is not something I can comment on. I have a six-year-age gap, but a fifty year age gap will be considered unusual. Can you meet up three or four times this year and submit a fiance petition early in 2026?

I read a really great book recently, "22 Myths of Immigration" by Hein de Haas, professor of sociology at University of Amsterdam. Each chapter deals with a different myth such as immigration and crime. He makes the point that a lot of what right-wing politicians, left-wing politicians, humanitarian organisations and journalists tell you is wrong.

I let HMRC know about my departure. It took about three weeks for the form to be processed. They sent a cheque, but it took more than three weeks to arrive. When I 'phoned to ask where the cheque was I was told it can take up to six weeks to arrive as, apparently, they don't use air mail .....

You will need evidence of meeting in person. How many times have you met face-to-face? What sort of proof do you have?

Please do stay involved with the forum and let everyone how you are getting on. I found the information above useful as I am in a similar situation to you, namely hoping to be driving and working in a few months. People might find what you say helpful even if they don't actually take the trouble to comment. I will try and send you a private message about some things.

@Dashinka thank you so much for reading through my post and taking the trouble to comment. I do appreciate it. The instructions for I-864 state you can only use assets convertible into cash within twelve months. To my mind you should be able to sell your house within twelve months. However, it says the loss of the ownership should not cause hardship to the owner. Presumably making yourself homeless would cause you harm? It specifically says you can't include your car if you only have one so why can you do so with your house? Houses and cars are discussed, but not bank accounts. I have looked through discussions on this forum about joint sponsors. It is a shame people don't always come back to say how their case went.

I am looking to adjust status to permanent resident having entered the United States on a K-1 visa in August followed by an October marriage. I have been reading through the instructions for form I-864 and also threads in this forum. My wife has a very low income due to being on SSDI. One of her family has kindly agreed to be a joint sponsor. There are no other people in the household of this relative. We are a household of three - two adults and one child - so need a sponsor with an income of about $30,000. The total/gross income lines on their 2023 federal tax return are more than twice what we need. I will ask the family member to provide an IRS transcript of their 2023 tax return. (I think I read here that they prefer transcripts to the 1040 form. The instructions say 1099s and W2s are not required if a transcript is provided.) I won't ask the family member for 2022 and 2021 transcripts so will put NA in lines 16b and 16c. The person concerned is retired with both social security and non-social security retirement pension income. So I will ask them to get copies of letters from the SSA and other pension providers to evidence 2025 income. Then I will multiply the income in those letters by twelve to get the individual annual income figure needed for part six, sections seven and twelve. Is it worth including a January 2025 bank statement to evidence income referred to in the letters? (The I-864 instructions don't ask for that.) The assets section will be left blank as I think the sponsors income is sufficient. If an RFE comes back we could potentially include the value of a house and bank accounts with a new I-864 form. How does the above sound? Has anyone else used a retired joint sponsor recently? Did you receive any RFEs?

How are you getting on? I was told that voluntary work could be a good introduction to the local labor market and community. Is there a professional body or group of creatives locally you can network with? It would be interesting to hear your experiences.

(1) My local GP practice did all the vaccines I needed except covid and varicella last July (2) In August I got the covid booster (3) The local human services department did the varicella vaccine and some boosters A doctor in Minneapolis quoted $100 to update my vaccination records, but I found a clinic in the town near where I live who is going to do it for $105. I read somewhere (on here?) that doctors will often only offer the full medical. I have not found that to be the case. Just tick the box at part 1, 4(a). I think if more than a year has gone by or you have a class A medical condition you DO have to have a full medical. At extra cost the clinic will give me the last two vaccines I need. I am in a hurry to get everything done or I would wait until the next human services clinic in February. If I could do things differently I would have accepted Visa Medicals offer to provide all vaccinations for GBP 250 last April. (Sorry for the long post. I thought the details might be helpful to some one.)

I am arranging a supplementary medical to get my latest vaccines signed off. One of the questions I was asked by the nurse when sorting out the medical was whether a class A condition had been discovered at the K-1 visa medical. (If it had been you can't have just a cheap vaccine sign off.) No mention was made of class B conditions so, given the previous few posts, I guess they are not interested in them.

I did a wedding at the county court house on Monday. It was very quick and easy. The clerk even provided two witnesses - her husband and daughter - at no extra cost! No pictures were taken, but we were promised that a marriage certificate would arrive in a few days.

I got all my vaccinations bar one for free before leaving the United Kingdom. I was surprised to hear that a K-1 visa holder can get a COVID booster vaccination for free in the United States. I flew into Chicago on August 11th. It was a very underwhelming experience that was over in less than ten minutes. Hopefully, you will just be waved through. Vaccinations only become necessary when you apply for adjustment of status.

Is that common practice in the United States - having one lawyer to represent both parties in a divorce? I have never heard of that happening in my own country. Can I ask why he wants a divorce after just two months?

Okay. Just tell the doctor what you have told us here. "Past trauma has led my therapist to suspect I have X condition, though I have never received a formal diagnosis. With the help of my therapist I manage my condition well. My current course of therapy has just come to a successful conclusion. I have never been hospitalised or been required to take medication. Through all these problems I have held down a demanding job."

I got given a few forms at the end of the medical. Presumably that was one of them. I got some vaccines at my GP surgery last week and a covid booster this afternoon. I asked Visa Medicals for a new form, but they said it could not be changed after going to the embassy. The pharmacist at Boots said I could not have the varicella vaccine as I have had the MMR vaccine in the last month. I may get a second opinion on that one.

It sounds like you are managing your condition well. Going to therapy then stopping, then starting again is an experience lots of us can relate to. You could try referring yourself privately to a consultant psychiatrist or clinical psychologist. Get your notes and have an person meeting. Then ask them to give an opinion. That would give you something concrete to take the visa medical. What will your police report show any evidence mental health problems have brought you to the attention of the police?

You say you have a significant diagnosis, but you also say it has only been verbally confirmed. Is it possible to get it put in writing? What do you mean when you say you are coming to the end of a period of treatment? What happens afterwards? They like to see that problems are in the past or under control. Not ever been having hospitalised will show that you are less likely to be a public charge. Are you in long term employment? How will you take care of your medical needs and expenses once you are in the United States?

What kind of proof do they ask for? Any? Or did they just accept what you said?

Visa Medicals WILL ask you for a summary of your medical history and an immunisation record. At the end of my medical I had a short discussion with a nurse about my vaccination history. You are given documentation that tells you VERY CLEARLY what you need to do next.