Immigration-Agitation

Interrogation Preparation!

2004-11-29T11:48:00.000-07:00

Woo, we are here in our hotel in London, about to explore the area near the medical/embassy and going to have an early night because the interview is tomorrow!!! I will take copious mental notes to report back to you. Hopefully all will be well.

- Hoopla and Xavier

jab/poke

2004-11-15T17:14:00.000-07:00

Xavier had his vaccinations today and is too whingey, erm, weak to post to the blog. He had Measles/Mumps/Rubella and Tetanus/Diptheria today (2 shots total). This is apparently all he needs, though I was under the impression he would have to have about 10 shots! I am actually really confused about all that and just hope it works out, heh.

Meanwhile, I finally called the courthouse to see if they will give me a letter to the effect of: "Hear ye, London Embassy: Hoopla and Xavier have booked a wedding with us on SomeDate" but all I could get was voice mail systems, and am waiting for a call back. We have the choice between Romantic Courtroom 1A (5pm weddings) or the Magisrates Lobby, um, of Eternal Love (noon weddings). The Magistrates Lobby is supposedly somewhat decently... attractive, and is on the second floor, so I think we're aiming for that. We don't have the money for a big, fancy wedding now, so this will have to suffice for a year or two until we can have the fancy, exciting, wedding-y wedding in England, hopefully. It'll be alright, though, as our most important people will be there with us at the courthouse, and we're all going to enjoy a fancy "reception" dinner afterward. It will be a memorable day however you look at it.

We will not have seen each other in 417 days by the time I go to England, which is phenomenal to me, but not long to go now!

-Hoopla

The Post Which Shall Remained Un-named

2004-11-13T18:08:00.000-07:00

Okay, nothing much is happening. The most, err, exciting thing is when I go outside on break at work, there are some stepping stones and each day I stand on the one which represents how many more days there are until I go to England. Yes, I know I have no life. Nothing is happening! There is one weekend left until my trip and we plan to use it all to make sure we have every item needed for the interview (I think we already do, but we're just double-checking). And stuff. Other than that, I have been working alot of mandatory overtime and just generally being brain dead (as evidenced by this post) *smile* I'm sure things will get more lively and exciting as the days and stepping stones wear on.

- Hoopla

P.S. Your pregnant sister probably does not want you to make a list of Elvish names for her unborn child. Just a pointer. Take it from me. :)

Xavier Makes Historic Post!

2004-11-04T13:07:00.000-07:00

Wait. No. It's Hoopla as usual :P

Xavier continues to sell most of his earthly belongings. We have a flat booked for some of my UK visit. I want to go out and buy an interview outfit as soon as I get the chance. Xavier is set to have three of the vaccinations he needs pretty quick here. That's about all that's going on really!

"W"oe is us...

2004-11-03T13:46:00.000-07:00

So I have to live out my _entire_ twenties under our idiot of a President. I feel very sorry for those of you who are coming to live in this country. Only half of Americans suck, so try to keep that in mind at least. And we don't have to line up to get bread. Yet. And I'm going to England in three weeks.

So I got woken up at 5am by some guy saying something about some "Packet 4" or something. Some people!

2004-10-22T17:21:00.000-06:00

Just when I rolled over, looked at my alarm clock, and saw I had two whole more hours of sleep to revel in, the phone rings and Xavier tells me Packet 4 came today. Which made it an even better Friday than usual *grin* It feels tremendous to finally know when the visa interview will be (November 30th). I'm not sure if we got that date by chance, or if they really honored the request we put in that the interview be anytime during that week (as I will be in the U.K. then), but it is the most perfect date we could have hoped for in our situation. I am sososo glad I get to be with Xavier for moral support and, hopefully, celebration... though I am not sure whether I will be allowed into the actual medical/interview or not (I have read conflicting reports from people). Anyway, I am already trying to decide what to wear :P and where we should stay in London the night before, and how many bags I should bring to England to haul some of Xavier's stuff back in. And me being the Supreme Planning Nazi, already discussed with Xavier which route to take from Dr. Phelan's to the Embassy. In my early-morning delirium I also recall suggesting that we go to Speaker's Corner after the interview and either curse immigration or do some sort of "We got the vissssssssa, oh yes we diiiiddddd" dance, but luckily was talked out of both. See what all this does to you... I mean, honestly. The other day I also had delusions of staying at The Dorchester ("It's right by the Embassy!"), but that too was quickly snuffed as a one night stay costs more than my international plane ticket. Woe.

In spite of all this, I still really have not come to terms with the fact that I am finally going to England again (I got tickets yesterday), and that we actually have an interview date (do I write too much stuff in brackets?) *smile* Each and every little milestone in this process has made my happiness soar, but knowing the interview date is really satisfying. I do feel a bit bad because our website leaves much to be desired. Ie. it has no content *grin* But we still have a ways to go, plus AOS is coming, and we all know THAT takes years, plus I really want us to have a website.

Hmmmm, not sure if I should reveal this to the K-1 Visa Public At Large, but Xavier suggested an amazing wedding song to me last night - "Andrea Bocelli - Con Te Partiro" - the lyrics seem extremely fitting for our situation and, even before I knew their translation back in the day, the song usually made me nearly cry, hehe. I really want to try to incorporate it into our wedding, and it has become sort of the theme song of all this K-1 culmination (sp?) for me. You can hear a clip of it at CD Now by clicking this link, and I'll leave you with the lyrics. Sorry for the length of this post!

When I'm alone
I dream on the horizon
and words fail;
yes, I know there is no light
in a room where the sun is absent,
if you are not with me.
At the windows
show everyone my heart
which you set alight;
enclose within me
the light you
encountered on the street.

I'll go with you,
to countries I never
saw and shared with you
now, yes, I shall experience them.
I'll go with you
on ships across seas
which, I know
no, no, exist no longer;
with you I shall experience them.

When you are far away
I dream on the horizon
and words fail,
and, yes, I know
that you are with me;
you, my moon, are here with me,
my sun, you are here with me.

Nothing to see here... move along!

2004-10-19T18:28:00.000-06:00

So, my days are filled with hallucinations of Packet 4, which has yet to come. This is slightly annoying, but I guess is a good thing as we really want the visa interview to be when I am in the UK. If I don't get to be there for it, I have demanded Xavier visit Dr. Phelan's toilet and report on the crazy x-ray guy (it took some work, by golly!). It's like, the law, of K-1 Visa Interview experiences, I tell you!

Meanwhile, I am still not doing much immigration-wise. I have thoughts of dragging out the AOS forms and getting a head start on them, but they are extensive and daunting, and there is alot (not at the MOMENT) to do before that time. That is gonna be one hell of a project, but there is nothing really to do at the moment but wait to see when Xavier's interview will be, and find out whether it will be when I am in the UK or not. These sort of doldrums are agitating in themselves.

I guess that is all for now!

Ho Hum...

2004-10-11T13:16:00.000-06:00

So Xavier sent off his Packet 3 response on Oct. 8th, and now we are waiting with bated (sp?) breath for fabulous, coveted Packet 4, which may arrive on Friday, or may take like two weeks. Who knows. Didn't do anything immigrationy all weekend and felt guilty and somewhat lost without anything to work on! Everything is just so hingey at the moment, depending on something else to see what can be done next about the first thing.

Application Reception!

2004-10-06T08:48:00.000-06:00

Oooh, what's this on the doormat? Looks official!

Oh my, it's Packet 3!! Yayy!

Well that was pretty quick! Although it gives us even fewer reasons to be agitated (grr!)

Anyway, if anyone is interested, it contains the following;

Page 1 - Introductory letter
Page 2 - IV15 - Checklist
Page 3 - IV15 - Information on dependents
Page 4 - IV15 - Declaration
Page 5 - IV15a - Information on birth and police certificates
Page 6 - IV15a - Information on the new photograph requirements
Page 7 - IV15b - Information on public charge / affidavit of support

Then it includes Forms

I-134 - Affidavit of Support
DS-156 - Non-immigrant Visa Application
DS-156K - Non-immigrant Visa Application Supplement
DS-157 - Non-immigrant Visa Application Supplement
DS-230 Part I - Biographic Information

The versions of the forms are all the same as the ones on the US embassy website, even though they claim to be out of date. This was a big weight off my mind (I have already printed all the forms and was somewhat dreading new versions of them all arriving in the mail).

Anyway, I should be finishing the forms tonight and then hopefully mailing them tomorrow!

Documentation Computerization

2004-10-05T10:05:00.000-06:00

PDF files are an amazing thing.. turning printed documents into usable computer files, they make life much easier and simpler. It now takes mere seconds to complete and send off important documents. Well, at least it should only take seconds..
Today I was using the US Embassy's fillable visa forms to prepare all my documents for when Packet 3 arrives and I learned all too quickly that PDFs really aren't too good at all! I ended up with only being able to fill-in about half the boxes electronically and having to write the rest in by hand. Mostly this was because adobe reader will only use one font, Times New Roman, in super-jumbo size, allowing for only a very small number of characters. I'm sure there are many towns with names with more than eight letters.. god help you if you live in Wales! You would think with today's modern technology, they would develop a system so that if you need more space, it could make the font smaller so that it would fit.. is that so much to ask??

But many of the forms also have bugs and problems.. take DS-230. When you type the parts of the United States that you have been to, it fills the same data into a different box about what places you have worked in! So now it looks like I once worked at a supermarket in St Louis, Missouri! not so good really!

DS-156 is just as bad, and one of the more important forms, as it actually sends your answers to the embassy and creates two special barcodes for you and all your answers.. so you really want to get this right and not have to write in extra info. No such luck if you happen to be using Firefox, as it automatically checks the "My visa has been revoked" box! - Is using an alternate browser grounds for automatic refusal of visas? cos they really ought to mention that!

So yes, don't assume that because they have electronically fillable forms, it will be easier, because I'm really not sure that it is.. best just to stock up on biros!

sniff

2004-10-04T17:44:00.000-06:00

Have officially not seen each other in a year now.

Four score and... nope, just four years ago.

2004-10-02T10:05:00.000-06:00

(A quick note: I couldn't figure out how to explain to my niece, who is three, about immigration so I said, "Guess what!!! Auntie got a letter that says Uncle (Xavier) can come and live here!" and she was thrilled. So now when I am on the phone to my sister and sometimes talk to my niece, she asks me, "Are you at Uncle (Xavier's) house to pick him up?" which, I guess, is toddler-speak for, "So, how's the whole immigration thing going?" *grin*)

Well, today is our fourth anniversary and I am sitting here wearing a Liverpool/Budweiser parody shirt and tracksuit bottoms, working with Xavier (over the internet) on a "Pretty Please Can We Have The Visa Interview When Hoopla is in the U.K." letter for the embassy. It sure beats dinner and a movie, I can tell you! *sigh*

We first met in person four years ago on this date. My sister and I were late arriving at the aiport to pick Xavier up, and I first saw him as he was riding down an escalator. I got about a thousand times more nervous than I already was and kept painfully elbowing and whispering to my sister (probably along the lines of, "Oh my god, there he is, oh my god, what do I do, oh my god, oh my god, that's him") and somehow eventually quietly shouting his name in his general direction. He now claims he saw us first, but when I was calling his name, he was nervously looking at any random object but us. We were blocking the bottom of the escalator so he had no choice but to be confronted with us in the end. We hugged nervously - by "hugged", I mean put your hands on the other person's back for no longer than one second while trying not to touch any other part of your body together and, in the process, manage to knock the other person's glasses off, get a wad of their hair in your mouth momentarily, and try to keep your bag on your shoulder, but end up dropping it nearly off your arm. I don't remember what we said exactly as it was all a blur at the time and still is. The only thing I can remember is I kept saying, "It's YOU!" and pointing, over and over again, probably for the first hour, and commenting, "You really DO have purple Doc Martens!" and being mind-numbingly nervous (and overjoyed!) and just giggling and over-analyzing my every move for the first three days. We went to find his baggage and were alone for the first time, and I remember, like, staring intently at the baggage carousel (my eyes probably burned a hole in it) and making extremely boring, half giggled comments about the bags. We got back to my house and drank some vodka and strawberry soda ('cause I am classy, you see) and sat on the back porch and talked about who knows what. Luckily, we had my super-extroverted sister as a distraction from akward silences. After a while, we all went to bed and I could hardly sleep all night, and woke up at 4:30am and went out to the living room where my sister was sleeping on the sofa and woke her up and babbled nervously at her until Xavier got up the courage to venture out from his room at about 9am.

So anyway, four years on, we are getting married and he's moving to America, and we stare at immigration forms instead of baggage carousels, and it will soon become a case of, "YOU DO REALIZE YOU LEFT YOUR DOC MARTENS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HALLWAY, YOU KNOW!" We've waited a long time to be real people... *grin*

- Hoopla

London Calling?

2004-09-29T10:15:00.000-06:00

Well, today our application should be on its way to London, if it isn't already there! Tick tick tick.

Immigration Hyperventilation!

2004-09-25T11:31:00.000-06:00

Ahhh! After months of glacially slow happenings in the world of immigration, everything is now moving at a lightning pace! Cant keep up! So much happening! Must sit down for a minute! Eek!

A clean bill of health for Hoopla!

2004-09-25T11:25:00.000-06:00

"Can I transmit citizenship to my spouse? - No, a United States citizen cannot transmit citizenship to a spouse." --- U.S. Embassy London Website.

Well, that's good because I've been U.S. Citizenship (USC) Positive for twenty-some years now, and finally medical research proves that it is in fact a non-communicable disease! FOILED AGAIN! Nonetheless, it does make for a hearty laugh every time we read that bit of the embassy's website. Phew.

Right, well I just got a letter from the NVC saying they have assigned us a case number and our petition will be forwarded to London within a week. I looked at people's timelines and expect Xavier will receive Packet 3 quite definitely around October 1st. Which puts us ahead of expectations. Again. And that is not nice when you run a website called "Immigration-Agitation," but I expect I will get over it. That said, we are debating whether to respond to Packet 3 immediately or to delay our response in hopes of getting a visa interview during the time I will be in the U.K. Yeah, so waiting for Packet 3 is about all that is going on as we have pretty much got the embassy forms ready already (heh).

- Hoopla

Mmmmm, English Boys

2004-09-17T18:17:00.000-06:00

Hoopla : you're hot when you sound english
Xavier : ok, I'm writing that down by the way
Xavier : and maybe I will get it written onto a little laminated card that I can carry with me always and flash at you when you smirk at me when I say "Tackoes" (tacos) or "Loss Anjalees" (Los Angeles)

Teeheeehee :)
Well, NVC in New Hampshire just received our petition TODAY, grrrrrr, and said 2-4 weeks to process, so October 1-15ish they will be sending to London. We are a bit more behind than we expected, but that may mean his interview will be when I am in the UK in late November. Kay bye!

Un-criminalisation Confirmation!

2004-09-15T08:37:00.000-06:00

Ooh, look what came in the post this morning!

So, is this evidence of me being a good law-abiding citizen, or evidence of the British police force being unable to catch me for my many, varied crimes?

Simple Pleasures

2004-09-12T13:17:00.000-06:00

Xavier: america has lots of foods on sticks.. that makes me happy

America, And Stuff

2004-09-11T09:42:00.000-06:00

Well, I received NOA2 in the mail on Thursday, sent off I-134 to Xavier on Friday (notarized and all), and just when I thought we had sort of accomplished something, the AOS (adjustment of status) forms I ordered arrived. Man. Those are some forms alright. It is an enormous pile that makes a threatening thud when you drop it on a table, and seems to be a in-depther and more daunting task than everything I have done so far put together. Woe.

Tried to call the NVC yesterday (long distance, might I add!) and they do not seem to have any kind of automated information, so I am just gonna hang around for another week and see if they mail me anything, and then attempt to call if necessary.

Meanwhile, Xavier is in the process of getting his new passport and his police clearance (supposing I'm not Marrying an Axe Murderer *smile*) and all that other stuff. We think his interview will probably be during the last two weeks of November, which is when I plan to go to the UK, if my work will let me have the time off (we are moving buildings around then, so I'm sure I will end up with some desk in a dark corner all by myself, but such are the tribulations of love!).

Anyway, I am not much for politics or blatant patriotism, but as it's September 11th I have been thinking about that sort of thing a bit. There are plenty of things I don't like about America (*cough*Bush*cough*), and I know we are wasteful and overweight and generally not as concerned about the environment as other countries, and too many people feel the need to own guns, and the average person doesn't know very much about other countries or what is happening outside U.S. borders, etc etc. There are alot of people in this country, and there are plenty who are not like that. There are bad people and bad aspects of every country, race, religion, and boy scout troop. In just the same way, there is also good. America has beautiful, vast, and varied landscapes. There are people who are concerned about the environment, who have never owned a gun, and who are interested in and concerned about other countries. We are by no means all a bunch of, "Yeah, go git those damned I-raqis! That'll teach 'em to mess with Texas!" snivelling bastards.

If you are reading this, you are (likely) a person who has fallen in love with an American and is willing is move to America to be with that person. That says something for our character (and yours) right there, though the famous quote:

"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free"

seems to relate more to the ordeal of filing immigration papers these days than anything else.
*grin*

- Hoopla

I-129F Petition Approved

2004-09-04T16:29:00.000-06:00

I was grumping around work, checking the aila.org processing dates every ten minutes for about three days straight when lunch time came and I checked my e-mail and just about fell backwards because there was a message from the USCIS and all I saw was "This case has been approved" and I started shaking uncontrollably without even reading the rest. I wanted to burst out of my chair and scream and stand on the desk and yell "WE'RE APPROVED!!!!!!!!!!!!" (yes, with that many exclamation points), but I ended up going for a cigarette and just about skipping down the street, and then couldn't function at all the rest of the day (or eat my lunch, heh). So yay, NOA2 is in the mail and I expect I will receive it next week. Meanwhile, we are about three weeks ahead of what I expected and I have spent all day today working on I-134 stuff to get notarized and send to Xavier next week. We expect his interview to be during the last two weeks of November, which is when I am hoping to visit him in the UK anyway, so that works well!

The poor boy is going to have to get his, like, ten vaccinations at once soon. Alas.
In other news, I am the proud owner of a ladle (and a toaster and some Tupperware and, er, steak knives, etc). I have been romping through stores acquiring stuff we will need for our apartment.
It's weird to think that someone actually picked up and looked at that thing (I-129F) I worked on for about six months, read through it all, and approved us! It was way faster than I expected, too, especially being the Nebraska Service Center. I hope that will give high spirits to whoever is reading this - Nebraska seems to have come a long way - the increased fees and whatever improvements they are making are proving themselves. Don't know what is up with the lack of updates on the AILA processing dates page, though; it is enough to make you pull your hair out.

- Hoopla

Application Fruition!

2004-09-03T12:45:00.000-06:00

YAYYYY!

AS the Nebraska Service Center has been gaining momentum, with regards to their processing times, of late, and knowing that the time when they would dust off our application and actually look at it was getting ever closer, we have been particularly excited to see this week's AILA Processing-Times Update. However it is currently 2 days late, so we were getting even more agitated than normal.

Well anyway, we were waiting and waiting and whining about their lack of updateyness and had been checking the website about every 2 minutes.. when Hoopla received the following email;

Application Type: I129F , PETITION FOR FIANCE(E) Current Status: This case has been approved. On September 2, 2004, an approval notice was mailed.

We're approved!!! (at least in Nebraska we are)!! - Here we were worrying about how long it would be before they began working on it and they've actually looked at our case, processed it and forwarded it to the National Visa Center!! So yay, NOA2!!

This puts us nearly a month ahead of where we had thought (hoped?) we were!

And with that, I had better get packing!

Bah

2004-08-31T17:39:00.000-06:00

I wrote a nice long entry, but was dumb and should have written it in Word first, and it got lost when I tried to publish it *sniff* So I will try again tomorrow when we find out what the new processing dates are.

- Hoopla

Have not seen each other in 325 days! Sent I-129F 83 days ago!

2004-08-24T17:39:00.000-06:00

Congratulations to my good friends Mo (Ireland) and Michelle (Texas)

whose wedding I attended on August 14th!

And thanks to the Dallas area test program, Mo almost has his green card and EAD already, and has only been in the USA for a month and a half! Woe is us, but at least the NSC is looking at applications they received on May 13th (we're June 7th) - so another 2-3 weeks and they will have ours in their grubby little hands.
I am finding myself really overwhelmed will all the things I have going on lately - all the million aspects of filing immigration forms, the waiting, the costs, plus I am looking for an apartment, working overtime, learning to drive and will soon get a car, preparing for Xavier's family to visit in February, Xavier's move here, probably going to the UK in November for a visit and to look at rings and meet Xavier's grandparents, etc etc etc, plus I will have a new nephew practically the same week Xavier moves to the USA! Oh, the humanity!
Currently, Xavier is ready to send off for his police clearance to submit to the embassy in London in about October or November, and is about ready to get his passport renewed (it expires in October). I spent all day Sunday going around and scouting out apartment complexes, and am about to put in a request to my employer for the letter I need as part of my I-134 submission (my current immigration project). Xavier has been researching pubs/bars in our intended new neighborhood *grin* He told me what he'd miss the most about living in the UK would be pubs and good Indian food. I don't even live there, and those are way up there on the list of things I miss as well :) We are also coming to the slow and dim realisation that Xavier will be a British Expatriate! Weird!
Am also never finding time to work on the website, which is annoying because I have been looking forward to having this website for quite some time. But I shall keep trying!
Yeah, I guess that's all I got for now *grin* Hope your experiences are going well, to whoever may be reading this.

- Hoopla

Immigration Anticipation!

2004-08-16T15:41:00.000-06:00

Yay, the AILA Processing Times reports website has updated the current processing dates for the Nebraska Service Center and they are now on May 13th! So just one month left before they begin processing our application! (Which makes it a fairly short 150-180 days!).. A quick extrapolation still suggests a late-January/early-February wedding, but it's encouraging to know that they are progressing! Yay!

See Hoopla update the blog. Update, Hoopla, update!

2004-07-25T16:57:00.000-06:00

Yes, it's a long wait until our next dealings with the USCIS, and there is no end to the number of ways you can fill that time. Ooh, dinner... But I shall return!

Application Acception!

2004-06-20T17:59:00.000-06:00

As Sting once sang:

I'm an alien, I'm a legal alien
I'm an Englishman in New York

Well, I'm not yet a legal alien and I'm not in New York, and I don't much care for Sting... but I do feel like singing!

Check it out!

Only 150-180 days left till the next reason to celebrate!

Received NOA1 - Yay!

2004-06-19T09:18:00.000-06:00

It took 15 days, but I received the first Notice of Action yesterday! I was waving it around and "woohoo"ing all the way from the mailbox and throughout the house. After I read it (over and over), I sat it on the couch next to me and just eyed it for ages, biting my thumbnail (it's here on the desk right now and I keep eyeing it as I type). It was weird to think that Xavier already has an Alien Registration Number, and that the number will be attached to him on his green card for the next several decades!

Anyway, I can now feel free to check our case status online as often as I want, to absolutely no avail, for the next six months or more! Our application is sitting in Nebraska, gathering dust, and won't even be looked at until November or December at least *sigh* So now I have many blank months before me in which to do non-government-related "move" stuff like looking for an apartment and buying stuff to put in it and, uh, other stuff as well!

Will try to work on the website more this weekend.

- Hoopla

Still no NOA, I tell you!

2004-06-17T10:13:00.000-06:00

But I did have a thrilling conversation with myself on break at work in order to convince myself that Elves really did exist.

Still waiting for NOA1

2004-06-14T18:40:00.000-06:00

Yes indeed, I sent K-1 off on June 3rd, and 11 days later I am still waiting for NOA1 (gathered some of those days were weekends, and one was when government/post offices were closed because of the Reagan thing). According to this website (which is very handy, by the way):

http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/stats.php

the average days between sending the application and receiving NOA1 (for Nebraska Service Center) is supposed to be 9 days, and today was technically day 10, so I will continue to wait and start worrying once 2 weeks have gone by, and get really worried at 3 weeks. But maybe it will come tomorrow!

That's all the (non) news for now!

- Hoopla

Application Frustration

2004-06-03T12:08:00.000-06:00

It's Sent!

Hoopla has sent off our K-1 Application along with reams of biographical information, letters of intent, G-325a forms, ADIT photos and an entire rainforest of proof of relationship stuff.. plus the substantial ~~bribe~~ application fee.

Hopefully we will recieve our first NOA (Notice of Action) within the next week or so and then begins the fabulous waiting game: Six months, or more, of catatonic despair!