Melancholic Mage

No transcripts were needed.

I don't feel like I got anywhere until I wrote 'GREEN CARD HOLDER - NO SPONSORSHIP NEEDED' on my CV/Resume and also wrote 'GED Graduate - Grade Transcripts Available Upon Request' under my Education sub-heading.

I have an employment offer and I'm running through background checks and a drug test. If all goes well, I'll be starting work soon. Nothing glam, but it's a foot in the door. (I only just found out about the term 'brain waste' throughout this whole process. Look it up.)

Thank you to those users who were kind and patient with me and my personal circumstances. (You know who you are.)

Just to add my experience, I entered with my CR-1 in October. For what it's worth, I had an ESTA on the system that was still valid and Dublin was my POE.

Being with my US spouse, we asked an officer which line was acceptable to join and they pointed us towards the one for returning US citizens, as @garebear397mentioned with their own partner. At the front we notified the border official of my shiny new visa within my passport. We were then led towards a backroom where a lovely gent ran through some questions, officially stamped my visa, told me when to expect my Green Card, and off we went.

Don't worry too much @ChelseaW. There's always someone to ask. Word of advice though, make sure you leave plenty of time between connecting flights. I ended up having to run to catch my plane despite giving myself near 3 hours in-between because of the volume. Though it may have reduced at this juncture in time.

@Tesco I was looking at US Mobile as (to me personally) it seemed like the best out of the bunch I researched. The difference in pricing here compared to the UK is stunning. Wait until you look at bank account fees. 

In the end, my husband had a spare number on his US plan and we just used that after getting a SIM card from the associated store. I switch to my UK SIM when needed and use very small PAYG transactions to keep it active - I find their international bundles are cheaper. Be warned though, some UK numbers just don't connect even with a UK sim card and one of their international plans. 

SmilingStone getting a new phone was honestly the most simplest way to go and I'll eventually do the same myself. Keeping old ties is exhausting. 

This may help you.

Please note this isn't a sponsored source of VJ or its community, just a little digging I did to give you a guideline of what to do. Write a letter to USCIS, include any numbers pertaining to your case, and honestly, pay for expedited delivery. Stop her in her tracks as soon as possible.

https://www.lawfirm1.com/immigration-visas-green-cards/how-to-withdraw-sponsorship-for-immigrant-consequences-of-withdrawing-i-130-i-485/

I found this sample letter as well to help:

https://www.soundimmigration.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Sample-request-to-withdraw-Form-I-864-Affidavit-of-Support.pdf

Wow. Maybe I should have brought over my own manual from the UK, saved myself the three minutes lol.

Back to the topic at hand, the acting examiner told me when we got chatting that the DMV were hiring. Lo and behold, I checked it out and so they are. I plan to apply once I get my license in the mail as it asks for information on it. There's one big problem though: their website requests I upload education documents.

I have physical certificates of my high school grades and college degrees which I can photograph and convert into PDF files, no issue I suppose. (See first post for full details.) But whether or not they understand them is another thing. I don't want to upload them only for my application to be immediately thrown away and my chances scuppered before I even get started. In other's experience, should I just go for it with what I have or should I pay to get my grades transcribed to US equivalencies?

(Side note, but there is an extra option to upload additional job history and also additional info. I could attach a cover letter explaining I can get my grades transcribed if needed? I have no real contact information for my institutes of study since they've all since long been bulldozed/closed down, but maybe just getting them translated is enough.

And apologies as I realise I'm asking what's pretty much already been answered here by a few of you, but I'm more hesitant now that I'm faced with an upload request on an application form and can't explain in person. That considering, it would be helpful to know how others might proceed here. Thank you.)

4 hours ago, csh2020 said:

Greetings, Fellow VJers. I just posted a few days ago and I hope it is okay to post again (not the same topic).  My wife and I married in July through the courthouse after only having met two weeks earlier. I am a UCS, and she is from Nicaragua but lived in Costa Rica since she was a kid. She applied for asylum at the border when paroled on the basis of her Nicaraguan citizenship. She lived in another state about three hours away. I admit marrying that quickly was a rash decision, and I did not know or understand the parole/asylum process.  After we married, she did not want to move in with me immediately because her church told her that we weren’t really married until we married through the church (so she said). So, we had very little relations. When she came to visit my house, she would bring a friend and she and I would sleep in separate rooms. I spent 18,000 on the wedding pulled from my retirement. We got married through the church in September. It was a beautiful wedding. She proclaimed her love and even sang to me!  She moved in and then quickly went to work that took her out of the home over 15 hours a day, four days a week. I’m a pastor of a church and she conveniently worked during church time (an English-speaking church). While away, she does not text me at all. 15 hours go by with radio silence. Even when she is home, she does not text me and often is slow answering my texts. I have noticed a pattern in her behavior. In front of my family, her church, or anyone else in public, she is affectionate but in private she doesn’t even want me to put my arm around her at night. She only gives me a peck when she kisses me, and it is usually limited to one or two a day. Last week, things finally came to a head. She literally said to me that she wants to be married for the sake of the church and my kids but in private, we are not mates and even invited me to go out and fill my needs elsewhere if I need it because we are not doing anything else. When I tell her I love her, she doesn’t respond and says it is not something that she says often – though she tells everyone else, family members including my daughter that she loves them without a problem. Then I found on an old Facebook page her proclaiming love for a man in Costa Rica who she has been with for over 15 years and that was only four months before she met me. She said that one day they will be back together, and their hearts will beat as one. She is not active on that page, and I gave her the benefit of the doubt that it was a past love. I don’t want to get so personal here and air out my laundry, but many of you have seen and experienced this type of thing. I told her today that I’m thinking about a divorce based on the lack of communication, the feeling that she has avoided me since we met and the lack of affection (no touching, no holding, no kissing, very limited physical contact). When I brought up the word court, instead of taking it in context of what I meant – divorce court – she immediately assumed that I meant immigration court and went into a whole tirade about how she doesn’t need (…) papers. I am a pastor, and we live in a parsonage. I have put my whole life, my retirement and even my housing on the line for her and I am getting suspicious because the evidence is beginning to point in that direction. What are your thoughts?

 

I'll probably need therapy after this, but I know that you all are familiar with this sort of thing. Your thoughts are appreciated.

I'm really sorry to hear what you're going through, @csh2020. There's not much I can say that other user's haven't already, but I wanted to highlight what I found to be the warning signs in your own post. Frankly, it raises more red flags to me than the whole Chinese Dynasty ever did.

I'm surprised no one mentioned it, but the biggest one for me was when you mentioned divorce and brought up court, and she immediately reacted by assuming you meant immigration court. Speaking for myself, but no one in their right mind would assume that right off the bat when speaking about a divorce. I would be asking why, what I could be doing better, how we could make things work. If I was faced with what you leveraged at her with my husband, I'd be absolutely devastated. Destroyed. The last thing I would be thinking about, were I in that situation, would be my ability to stay in the country.

If anything, divorce typically makes people want to be the farthest apart from each other.

Be careful with this woman. The devil is at work with her. Unfortunately, good souls such as yourself are targeted by these kinds of Green Card cons. Have faith you can overcome this, but absolutely seek an attorney. This woman clearly has no interest in anything but her residency status and doesn't deserve you.

@appleblossom I passed today. And I think I broke a new world record by passing in three minutes. Not even joking. 

No hand signals, no parallel parking, no questions about uphill or downhill even. I left the test centre, stopped at a few Stop signs leaving the parking lot, merged onto the main road with 40/50mph traffic flow as instructed, and the examiner said my merge was 'beautiful' and immediately asked if it was my first time getting a license and if I'd driven before. 

Guess it was obvious because by the time I hit the next set of traffic lights, he said I passed. I almost lost my grip on the wheel. Unreal lol. 

I'm happy to hear this but also angry since the vaccination was forced on me to enter on CR-1.

@smilingstone Have you tried US Mobile? 

https://www.usmobile.com/

On 1/1/2025 at 10:02 PM, Lee Thacket said:

 

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.

Hello, Lee.

Since I've arrived here in October I've gotten my SSN, Green Card, State ID, joint bank account, and passed my written driving theory. This all sounds very easy but I assure you, it hasn't been. It's been grueling. Once I pass the practical driving test, I'll finally be set to apply for jobs and have the means to get there.

I'm currently getting real experience on the road as everything is essentially mirrored here and I can only practice on weekends when my other half is free from work. I'm unable to walk or do much of anything without a car. No point doing voluntary work if I can't even get to it. And no networks that I know of. I'm working on converting my UK CV into a US resume these days and gaining the experience needed to pass the physical driving test. I had a full UK driver's license which makes things easier - I know how to drive. But it's very easy to slip up on some of the unfamiliar signs and road systems.

Once I get some job offers and interviews, I may post an update or two. But frankly, my opinion of this forum has pretty much declined to really bother documenting how I'm doing anymore.

On 11/4/2024 at 12:55 AM, SL2024 said:

 

Can your husband add you to a utility bill? And sorry to hear that you might not post updates on this. I do find your posts informative and helpful.

Thank you @SL2024. It's nice to know my efforts aren't entirely wasted. We are saving for our own home and don't have ownership over bills where we are, hence our personal circumstances being more complicated than others and older folks on here quick to judge. I'm sure we're not the only ones reliant on kind family as a stopgap. 

In the end, in the mess of everything, it turns out we didn't pay our fee for my green card when we thought we did. USCIS sent us a payment notice, and it was the proof of address we absolutely needed to get everything rolling. We have a joint bank account now, I now have a State ID, and I've passed through my US driving theory yesterday all off the back of it. Mistakes into miracles. 

I would suggest anyone in a similar position getting set up this way not to pay the green card fee until a notice is sent. It doesn't even delay the green card, which I also now have. 

Regarding HMRC I reported not having my P45 and explained why. They will ask at the end of the form if you go through it online regardless of the warnings. It took some time and an error on their part making me resubmit the form again, but I got a message on my online account a few days ago saying the tax has been calculated and they owe me half a grand. They should be sending a cheque in the post. (Here or within the UK remains to be seen.)

It all got sorted out in the end. But they didn't make it easy. What happened with my employer refusing to give me my paperwork, who's to say. I can't say I care anymore. 

@Zikaengee It's definitely two years as stated above. 

I thought you might like to look at this official USCIS calculator to remove any doubt: just pop in the date on your Green Card and it will tell you the earliest date you can file within the 90 day window. Good luck!

https://www.uscis.gov/forms/when-to-file-your-petition-to-remove-conditions

Following up my last post, I received my Green Card today and it's the two years conditional as expected. So more evidence pointing to USCIS error if you have an expiry date outside your filing restrictions. 

Any update OP? 

@laylalex I finally put on some make-up! 

Did it for Thanksgiving. It looked okay I think... had some nice smoky eyeshadow in the corners of my eyes that bled to silver, with a few hiccups here and there. (Some mineral powder that went, well, everywhere. I'm learning.)

But... I ended up looking like a panda at the end. Not sure if it was too much mascara dusting from my lashes, or the eyeliner smudging? But I ended up having black sleep in the corners of my eyes and it just... blotched. Very attractive. And no, I didn't rub at my eyes at all. 

Only grace was I had glasses on to hide the worst of it, but pretty much hid the rest of the night once I noticed. Also had sister-in-law try some weird nail dip varnish on me and it's all terribly chipped after a few days. Because I'm a heavy-handed working woman who doesn't go give a flying duck about my nails at the best of times: I have a job to do, I do it. And now I can't get this blasted stuff off. 

Don't think I'm cut out for this stuff. Suggestions going forward? 

I'm still waiting on my green card and entered around 5 months before my 2 year anniversary. If I get a USCIS slip up 10 year green card, I'll update here. 

I personally think this is an error however. Your lawyer shouldn't be so flippant about your worries. It's hard to say what USCIS will do - they may just let the error slide or they may pin it on you if left unreported. I would try and contact them for clarification. 

What happened to others users may not fall in the same way for you. 

2 hours ago, terence85 said:

Hi all, I'm 38 year old male from the UK who's just been scheduled a visa interview date for the IR-1 visa, and looking to arrange the medical examination before I attend the interview, which will take place Jan 2025.
When checking the vaccine requirements with my local doctor, he seemed unsure what I'll need exactly as he said the list is too generic. This has left me at square one and quite confused.

When cross referencing this link with my vaccine records, it appears I'll need the following:

- Covid

- Influenza

- Hepatitis B

- Tdap/Td (last time I had the DT/Polio booster was Apr 2000)

My question is, does anyone have recent experience with the medical examination, including which vaccines are absolutely required regardless of how young/fit you are? i.e. how case-by-case basis is the decision on each required vaccine? For instance, Hepatitis B in the UK is only recommended when travelling to a high risk country, have liver disease, HIV, or a job that puts you at risk. Is this not the case for the US?

 

Hoping someone can give me some insight so I can be as prepared as possible.

 

Thanks!

I compiled my entire experience of the visa medical in London here, along with vaccination requirements. The influenza jab is seasonal, so since it's around flu season you may need this as opposed to my own experience. 

I had to pay for Covid vaccinations at Boots, and paid for my Hepatitis vaccinations on the day to be administered. I hope this thread helps:

My heart goes out to all other ladies diagnosed with PCOS. I've never been slim and was diagnosed six years ago to have PCOS. Since meeting my now husband I'm doing a lot better in terms of my diet. My condition has improved drastically but the hirsutism is sadly irreversible (and very annoying not to mention harmful to self-esteem). 

I just cut out carbs where I can. I didn't try any kind of fad diet or doctor's advice. (UK doctors are useless to be frank.) I don't eat rice (cauliflower rice is my substitute now), chips/fries, or crisps/potato chips. I drastically slew my chocolate intake which was the biggest kicker for me. 

On occasion I'll have some mash, or a few choc-coated blueberries, and I can't help but have some bread here and there. (Texas Toast is a favourite discovery of mine!) But the difference I feel is noteworthy since I altered my diet. And (sorry T-Bone) but my time of the month isn't nearly as heavy as it used to be, which is common with PCOS. 

Also look into myo-inositol supplements. They have some online/on Amazon specifically for PCOS sufferers. 

10 hours ago, icyparsnip said:

 

Opinions please

 

This year I visited the US 5 June-6 July and 16 Sept-14 October. I am sending off K1 petition next week and I want to visit on an ESTA 31 December - end of February/early March. 

 

Possible red flag? Would this trip cause issues at CBP? Is it too long?

I had a similar experience and visited the US for months at a time to see my spouse. I was questioned by CBP officers why I had stayed so long in the past.

The biggest one, the max three months ESTA allowance for Thanksgiving and Christmas, was mainly on account of myself and my husband receiving a no-fault eviction notice and losing our flat in the UK after 4.5 years there. We did nothing wrong: landlady wanted to sell so we got kicked out. Simple as that. Lovely UK government does nothing to protect honest tenants.

With no room at my parents for both of us and too little time to find somewhere new given minimum notice, and with us awaiting a visa interview appointment to boot with no possible way of knowing when it would be, we had to split ways. Stressful isn't the word. 

Of course, this was too long-winded to explain. I got the second degree until I told the CBP that I had an interview scheduled with the embassy for a visa - at this point it had processed through. They didn't let up until I showed them the confirmation letter/email. Nearly made me miss my connecting flight. 

Be as honest as possible: bring payslips, car payment statements, anything that shows ties to your home country. Just incase. Expect scrutiny, and for them to ask the purpose of your stay and why you're visiting so frequently. 

Honesty is the best policy. 

I paid £5 to my old UK provider for an 'add-on' of 50 international minutes. Calling my bank twice and running through security checks with the fraud team ate through 30 of them. 

I had to make two transfers due to daily transfer limits. All together, with a flat £3 fee each time, it cost me £6 to move over all my funds. Add the extra £5 in minutes with my phone plan, it cost me £11 in total. 

Transferred my money through Atlantic. It got to my husband's bank account in the three working days advised, with a base £3 fee that was automatically taken off the transfer since no payment required, and also locked in the exchange rate. (Since GBP has crashed from 1.29 down to 1.26, I was lucky I initiated conversion when I did following US election results and UK budget announcement.)

Had to go through extra verification for a higher transfer limit, and also pay for international minutes as my own bank withheld my payments thinking possible fraud which was a slight headache, but otherwise smooth. All money accounted for, exactly as specified, and on the day quoted. 

Way cheaper than Wise. Hundreds of pounds cheaper. Cannot recommend enough. 

I had someone personally argue that illegals are actually needed to take the jobs that U.S. Citizens won't. That the economy would collapse if deportation should happen. As if this justifies all the possible drug mules, unvetted criminals, child traffickers, and cartel members pouring into the United States. 

There is no reasoning with these people. An open border is bad news for anyone lucky enough to be born here, or who have the privilege of being here legally. It's all scaremongering for those who lack skills in critical and objective thinking. Scream in the echo chamber loud enough and by golly it must be true. 

I can't offer much in the way of advice as I'm less experienced compared to others on this forum, but I just want to offer my condolences.

I'm so sorry to hear your husband passed shortly after you went through the grueling immigration process to get in the USA to begin with. It sounds like you've went through a hellish time, but I'm sure your husband would be happy to hear you're settling in his home country and making a good life for yourself here. You sound like such a strong person and I hope things continue to look up for you.

Just a curious question for others related to the topic: I thought when you took US Citizenship you had to make a pledge of allegiance and denounce any loyalty to any other country other than the USA. Is this just a formality and the US isn't bothered should you wish to keep dual-citizenship? Also, any children born in the USA between a US Citizen and legal immigrant, would they be allowed to take dual-citizenship or not? 

Don't believe what you read or hear via the media. The unbiased and on-point observations made here make things quite clear what is actually happening on 'ground level'.