I know I haven't posted in a while - I promise to be better at it in 2015!
In the meantime, I wanted to just say, thank you for following my journey this year, and Merry Christmas, Happy holidays and all that happy fun stuff, to everyone!
Thank you!
Dan.
Wednesday, 24 December 2014
Friday, 21 November 2014
What this new immigrant thinks of Obama's immigration executive order
Hello everyone,
As a newly arrived immigrant to the United States, immigration is a topic that is very close to my heart. I have been through the system and experienced the constant delays, bureaucracy and red tape, filled in a thousand forms and been subjected to interviews and medical examinations. It wasn't pretty - and I went about it the perfectly legal way!
Of course, being a fair and reasonable human being, even if I wasn't an immigrant myself, I would still think the same things I am about to discuss. It's just that given everything I've been through, it all means a little more to me that it did before. I am by no means an experienced political writer, but I wanted to at least share my thoughts on what just transpired.
Many Republicans and right wing supporters are currently up in arms about President Obama's speech last night, and his executive order to make some allowances to illegal immigrants in the United States. Many of the right wing supporters are saying this is illegal and that it's undemocratic. Well, we can't forget that two years ago Obama pledged to reform the immigration system, with a bill finally passing through the Senate on 27th June 2013, with a vote in favour, 68 to 32. However, when it got to the House, Speaker John Boehner refused to allow the vote on it! (There are hundreds of articles on the internet documenting this, just Google it, but for reference linked to just one.) The House didn't even get a chance to vote on immigration reform because one person, one, did not want it to happen - and now that person, Mr Boehner, is threatening action against the President.
First of all, if the Republicans really wanted a say in the matter, they should be demanding that John Boehner allow them that vote. Second, it was made clear in the speech that that isn't a way to allow millions of criminals to stay in the country, but in fact a way to allow millions of people who want the chance of a better life to "come out of the shadows" (as Obama said) and start to rebuild their lives in a country that they believed would give them the chance - otherwise, why would they have come here? Human compassion should be at the forefront here, not the right wing trying to make a point. An illegal mother who wants the best for her young children, who wants to work and pay taxes, should not be deported and given a criminal recored for trying to better herself. Young people who came here as children who were either brought here by others, or escaped here because they didn't know where else to turn, should be allowed to prove themselves now as adults, and be allowed to get on with their lives without fear of persecution. In my head, it simply doesn't make sense. Why would anyone want to stop these families from improving their lives? These people came to this country because they believed it could offer them more. They believed in America. Yet all the Republicans want to do is show how nasty and vindictive they can be. Thirdly, commentators are saying this could affect up to 5 million illegal immigrants. Let's be realistic here, the population of the United States is more than 316 million people. 5 million is just 1.58% of the entire population of the US. There are more people than that in New York City alone. Spread out across the nation, I doubt anybody who isn't directly affected by this order will notice a single change.
I'll leave it there, as I could go on about this all day, but one thing is for sure, Obama cannot be accused of inaction on this one. A bill was sent to the Senate, it passed. The bill went to the House, and it was blocked by one person. The President had to take action on this, and I absolutely believe he has done the right thing.
Dan.
As a newly arrived immigrant to the United States, immigration is a topic that is very close to my heart. I have been through the system and experienced the constant delays, bureaucracy and red tape, filled in a thousand forms and been subjected to interviews and medical examinations. It wasn't pretty - and I went about it the perfectly legal way!
Of course, being a fair and reasonable human being, even if I wasn't an immigrant myself, I would still think the same things I am about to discuss. It's just that given everything I've been through, it all means a little more to me that it did before. I am by no means an experienced political writer, but I wanted to at least share my thoughts on what just transpired.
Many Republicans and right wing supporters are currently up in arms about President Obama's speech last night, and his executive order to make some allowances to illegal immigrants in the United States. Many of the right wing supporters are saying this is illegal and that it's undemocratic. Well, we can't forget that two years ago Obama pledged to reform the immigration system, with a bill finally passing through the Senate on 27th June 2013, with a vote in favour, 68 to 32. However, when it got to the House, Speaker John Boehner refused to allow the vote on it! (There are hundreds of articles on the internet documenting this, just Google it, but for reference linked to just one.) The House didn't even get a chance to vote on immigration reform because one person, one, did not want it to happen - and now that person, Mr Boehner, is threatening action against the President.
First of all, if the Republicans really wanted a say in the matter, they should be demanding that John Boehner allow them that vote. Second, it was made clear in the speech that that isn't a way to allow millions of criminals to stay in the country, but in fact a way to allow millions of people who want the chance of a better life to "come out of the shadows" (as Obama said) and start to rebuild their lives in a country that they believed would give them the chance - otherwise, why would they have come here? Human compassion should be at the forefront here, not the right wing trying to make a point. An illegal mother who wants the best for her young children, who wants to work and pay taxes, should not be deported and given a criminal recored for trying to better herself. Young people who came here as children who were either brought here by others, or escaped here because they didn't know where else to turn, should be allowed to prove themselves now as adults, and be allowed to get on with their lives without fear of persecution. In my head, it simply doesn't make sense. Why would anyone want to stop these families from improving their lives? These people came to this country because they believed it could offer them more. They believed in America. Yet all the Republicans want to do is show how nasty and vindictive they can be. Thirdly, commentators are saying this could affect up to 5 million illegal immigrants. Let's be realistic here, the population of the United States is more than 316 million people. 5 million is just 1.58% of the entire population of the US. There are more people than that in New York City alone. Spread out across the nation, I doubt anybody who isn't directly affected by this order will notice a single change.
I'll leave it there, as I could go on about this all day, but one thing is for sure, Obama cannot be accused of inaction on this one. A bill was sent to the Senate, it passed. The bill went to the House, and it was blocked by one person. The President had to take action on this, and I absolutely believe he has done the right thing.
Dan.
The Social Security Number
Hello everyone,
This is a short entry just to talk about the social security number.
When you are filing your forms through the immigration process, at one point there is the option (literally a tick box) that asks if you want a social security number automatically sent you once you arrive in the US. I'm not sure why anyone would not want to tick it, since it means you don't have to go to the social security office in your home state to request one.
I had ticked the box (or more accurately, our lawyers had), and a weeks to the day after entering the U.S. it arrived in the post! One thing I have learnt here in the US is that for some unfathomable reason whenever you need ID for anything, a lot of the time they'll also ask for the original envelope that whatever it is you're presenting, arrived in! So, be careful opening your SSN - don't rip the envelope open and throw it away, keep it!
Dan.
Monday, 10 November 2014
Departing the UK and arriving in the US
Hello everyone,
In my last post I talked about receiving the visa package and the passport back from the embassy, so let's take a look at what happened next!
We booked my flight, and I spent my final 2 weeks in the UK getting my affairs in order and packing. I was able to check in for my flight with United 24 hours beforehand, which I attempted to do. While checking in I hit a bit of a brick wall. So, when you check in online with airlines, the U.S. requires advanced passenger information. The options are usually fairly limited, and I'm assuming United's system is probably not all too dissimilar from other airline check in systems. The options were for US Citizens, US Permanent Residents, US Visa holders or visitors. First of all, I wasn't yet a U.S. permanent resident, since I hadn't yet landed in the US and been admitted with the stamp in my passport. Second, I won't just be visiting, and of course third, I am not a citizen. So what do you chose? I decided to go for permanent resident at first, however, it asks for a green card number, which of course at this point I didn't have. The only other option I was willing to chose was visa holder. A screen pops up and the example visa it gives is actually an immigrant visa. Great, I thought! So I entered the information from the visa in my passport, which matched what it was asking for. I proceed to check in, and it tells me I can't as I need to present my documents and proof of onward travel at the airport. At this point I gave up. I did not need proof of onward travel. I had a visa in my passport that allows for the indefinite right to remain.
The following morning, after an emotional farewell to my family, I got to the airport and proceeded to the self service check in. I knew exactly what would happen, but it was a step I had to take. Same thing happens. Cannot check me in as I am a British citizen and they need proof that I will leave the U.S. with an onward flight. I called an agent over and was taken to a desk to see another agent who would manually check me in. She goes through the motions. She can clearly see the visa in my passport that I have presented to her. She follows exactly the procedure she should (she was actually very knowledgeable, for which I am grateful), and the same thing happened! It would not allow her to check me in because I have a British passport with no proof of residency (no green card) or proof of a return flight. At this point I was panicking slightly. How can their system be so stupid?! Anyway, this lady was what I would respectfully call "old school" and she obviously knew her stuff. She told me she was going to exit out of this current system and open up an old program that they used to use that was DOS based, not Windows based. She said that she knows that their old system never used to ask that sort of information and that it would check me in. She logs in, enters all my details, and voila! It worked!
At this point I have some observations about how ridiculous this setup is. So it would seem that anyone who has a visa to enter the US but is entering for the first time, and therefore does not have any proof of address, residency or otherwise, could be denied check in. I had a valid passport and visa. I would be entering with the right to remain, but it was my first entry, therefore I had no green card or otherwise at this stage. So what am I meant to do?! I surely cannot be the only person in the history of the world to enter the U.S. with any sort of visa that either gives them the right to stay, or is at least valid for some period that extends beyond the flight booking horizon. What if I'd been a student who was coming to study for two years? I would have had a valid visa, but you cannot of course book flights that far out. So then what? How do you prove that you won't outstay your visa? Needless to say it caused me more stress than I wanted on what was already a stressful enough day. As if leaving your family behind to move to another continent isn't enough to cause you to have panic attacks, being told you can't check in is about the limit. So, be warned. If you are entering the U.S. as a new immigrant you could face some difficulty checking in.
I'm curious to know what will happen once the DOS system isn't available anymore. Or what would happen if that agent hadn't have ever used it, or remembered how to use it, or couldn't log in for some reason. Then what? I sent an email to United about this and they apologised and said would forward it on to the appropriate department. How much good that will do I have no idea, but I did get 500 miles as way of apology from United, which is better than nothing.
After checking in and proceeding through security, I boarded my flight and was off to my new life! While on the flight they usually ask if up need to fill out a white entry form for visa holders. Although you will have a visa, arriving as an immigrant nullifies this. The only form you need to fill out is the customs form. Fill it out as though you were a U.S. resident already.
Upon arrival at Washington Dulles airport in Virginia (which incidentally is one of the most inefficient places I've ever had to fly through, which sadly I've had to do many times when visiting Jon), I headed to the immigration hall to find out what I had to do. The lines of course were huge, as always. The information person told me that even though I was entering on an immigrant visa, because I had not yet technically entered and got my stamp, I had to stand in the non-US line. Joy. After nearly two hours I finally got to the front of the line and I handed over my sealed envelope and passport to the officer. I have to say, she was very nice, which in brutal honesty made a refreshing change! She asked a couple of questions about who Jon was, but only very generic questions that anybody could have asked. She did the usual thing of scanning my fingerprints (which every visitor has to do entering the U.S. anyway. They probably have my prints a hundred times over by now!) and the usual photo. She opened the envelope, flicked through it, and didn't really say much about it. She told me I now had to go see a second officer who would process the documents and take more fingerprints. She stamped my passport through October 2016 (as I was entering under the CR1 category), and wished me luck and sent me on my way. I headed down to the end desk that she had directed me to, and only had to wait I literally a minute for the officer to be done with the guy in front of me. I was called up and have handed over my documents again. He again asked a few basic questions, but nothing taxing. I had to provide one physical ink print that would apparently be on my green card, and sign a form. That was it, I was good to go!
Exiting the immigration area I picked up my luggage and went to stand in the customs line. The one thing you must know is that you must go through a separate line for customs is you're an arriving immigrant, at least at Dulles. I didn't know this, and stood in the regular line, only to be told once I got to the front that I needed to go to another room. Luckily this day the line was very short, which for Dulles is amazing, but normally it is half an hour long (I've done it many times!), and so this would have annoyed me greatly if I'd waited a long time only to be told that. The secondary room has luggage scanners. Put your suitcases on, hand over your form, and if all is ok, collect your things on the other side of the scammer belt. Then that's it! You are finally free to go!
Jon and his family were waiting for me on the other side, and it was amazing to think I was finally standing there as a legal permanent resident!
Dan.
Thursday, 16 October 2014
Post-Interview Steps - Immigrant Visa Package and Fee
Hello everyone,
Following my approval at my visa interview in London on the 26th September, I had to wait for my passport to be returned to me. I was initially informed that this would take up to two weeks, however I found myself in great disbelief when I had an email from the Department of State a few days later informing me that my documents had been passed to the courier already! They will provide you with a tracking number in that email so you can see where your package is online at the website they send you. I'll be honest, I'm not exactly sure how it works if you chose to collect your documents from a depot (which is the default option unless you chose home delivery), however I would imagine you still get emailed with the specifics, otherwise there would be no way of knowing they were ready for collection.
So, my documents were delivered less than a week later, and I was now able to book my flight! Your documents will be sent (or handed over at the depot) to you in a plastic courier bag. You can open this bag, and inside you will find your passport (with the visa printed in it) along with information about how to pay the immigrant visa processing fee before arriving in the US. There will also be a large envelope in the package which contains other documents about you. This envelope states clearly on the front that you must NOT open it or tamper with it in any way. It is only to be opened by the immigration officer at the border, upon entry into the US.
As I said above, before you can travel to the US, you must visit the visa service website to pay for the processing of your immigrant visa. Only you, the immigrant, can do this. The fee is currently $165, which once converted by my bank was around £105. You can find out more information here.
Once that is paid for and you have booked your flight, you are free to travel to the US before the expiry date printed on your visa.
I'll make another post later about checking in for your flight and arriving at the US border, as there are some points worth mentioning with those.
Dan.
Following my approval at my visa interview in London on the 26th September, I had to wait for my passport to be returned to me. I was initially informed that this would take up to two weeks, however I found myself in great disbelief when I had an email from the Department of State a few days later informing me that my documents had been passed to the courier already! They will provide you with a tracking number in that email so you can see where your package is online at the website they send you. I'll be honest, I'm not exactly sure how it works if you chose to collect your documents from a depot (which is the default option unless you chose home delivery), however I would imagine you still get emailed with the specifics, otherwise there would be no way of knowing they were ready for collection.
So, my documents were delivered less than a week later, and I was now able to book my flight! Your documents will be sent (or handed over at the depot) to you in a plastic courier bag. You can open this bag, and inside you will find your passport (with the visa printed in it) along with information about how to pay the immigrant visa processing fee before arriving in the US. There will also be a large envelope in the package which contains other documents about you. This envelope states clearly on the front that you must NOT open it or tamper with it in any way. It is only to be opened by the immigration officer at the border, upon entry into the US.
As I said above, before you can travel to the US, you must visit the visa service website to pay for the processing of your immigrant visa. Only you, the immigrant, can do this. The fee is currently $165, which once converted by my bank was around £105. You can find out more information here.
Once that is paid for and you have booked your flight, you are free to travel to the US before the expiry date printed on your visa.
I'll make another post later about checking in for your flight and arriving at the US border, as there are some points worth mentioning with those.
Dan.
The Visa Interview!
Hello everyone,
So following my ordeal at the medical exam, a whole month passed and I found myself at the big day finally! Visa interview day!
Prior to attending the interview you will be required to log on to the visa service website and accept the interview and confirm the delivery option for your documents. You can chose to have them held at a specific depot "near" your home, or you can pay extra to have them home delivered by courier. I chose the courier option, as it only cost me £18, and my depot was miles away. It probably would have cost me nearly that in travel and fuel.
Jon and I had agreed that given it was such a huge day, and the fact I was likely to be a nervous wreck, that he should be in the UK. So, he booked a flight a couple of weeks before to be with me on the day. We already knew however he wouldn't be allowed in the embassy with me, but at least he could travel to London with me (which is an ordeal in itself), and be with me in line at the gate, and be waiting outside once I'm done. Then we could celebrate together, too right?...
Back to that morning, and we got up ridiculously early having not really slept well through anticipation. We got to London Charing Cross and walked the rest of the way. You have to understand, Charing Cross is at least a half hour walk at my own brisk pace (everyone always tells me I run along rather than walk), but we chose to do this in fear of getting on a tube and it breaking down or being delayed. Cautious yes, paranoid, maybe a little - but better safe than sorry, right?
We found ourselves in Grovesnor Square at about 7.15am, a full hour and fifteen minutes before my interview time - but we weren't the first ones there! There was already a line, and it started to get long after we arrived too, so bear that in mind. I'm glad we got there when we did.
A little while before the embassy opened for the first appointments of the day staff started to trickle out and set everything up. They will organise the queue line into different sections depending on your appointment time. We had to stand in a separate, second line, since my time was not until 8.30am - apparently appointments begin at 8am, so they let all those people through first. The staff at the front of the line will ask to see various documents which you must have with you. You MUST take with you:
• Your appointment confirmation - whether that is an email printout or an actual letter doesn't matter.
• Form DS260 confirmation page from the DOS website (it has barcodes on it that they scan)
• Your confirmation of your accepting the interview printed out from the visa service provider website. This is the page that basically states how your documents are to be delivered. If you have chosen home delivery it is imperative you print this page, as they will ask for it inside in order to ferry your documents once all is said and done.
Of course, any other documents may also be required, and these are specified in your appointment letter from the NVC. We had already submitted everything, and we didn't need anything else, but be aware that you may be required to take originals and/or copies of any other document, such as birth, death, marriage and divorce certificates, photographs etc. Of course, you also need your passport, too, but I would assume that goes without saying!
Once the guard has admitted you to the embassy you pass through airport style security checks. You are allowed to take your mobile phone, but NOT laptops or tablets. You should definitely avoid any unnecessary hassle by minimising the items you take with you on the day. Luckily I had Jon who would wait outside, so he could take everything I didn't need. Unless agreed by special arrangement prior to your appointment, you will NOT be allowed to take anyone - even your US spouse - into the embassy with you. While waiting in line we saw several people be told that they would not be allowed entry.
Once through the security checks there are signs telling you to proceed around the side of the building. You go up some steps and enter a lobby area. Present your documents again, and the person at the desk will give you a ticket number. You'll then be directed up the stairs to the waiting area.
The waiting area basically looks like any other waiting room - it could be a hospital for all it's worth. There is a large screen that displays the ticket numbers and which window to attend to. It took well over an hour for my ticket to be called, and there were a lot of people that morning.
Once your number is called you go up to the post office style counters and the officer will proceed to ask you a series of questions and ask for some of your documents. It was here that I handed over my document delivery confirmation page. I'll be honest, I was not at the window probably even 7 or 8 minutes. The officer asked how I knew Jon, what Jon does for a living and one or two other very minor things that didn't seem that important in all honesty. He took my passport and I was told to sit back down and that I would be called again shortly.
I literally sat back down, text Jon to let him know I'd been called up, then my number was called again! This time I had to go to the next window along. The officer there informed me that this was my actual visa interview. I was told to raise my right hand and swear that I would tell the truth. I said I would, and he proceeded to ask a couple of similar questions to the first officer. Again, I was there only minutes, and the questions were nothing taxing; all very generic, "how long have you known each other", "where is Jon right now?", etc.
After the officer was apparently satisfied he turned to me and said, "Your visa application is approved. You'll get your passport back in two weeks. Good luck!" And that was literally it! I was approved! I thanked him, gathered my things and walked away from the desk in a daze! All the panic and worry that I had caused myself over this day, wondering what it would be like, what they would as, say or do - and now it was over in 10 minutes flat!
I ran outside and met with Jon, and we spent the rest of the morning wandering London having fun, in celebration of the most excellent news!
My advice to anyone is literally, do NOT panic. I got myself into such a state over this interview and it was so easy. You have to remember that you have already been approved, you have already had the medical, you have already given them everything they could possibly want about you - this is the final part so they can just meet you and check everything over one last time before giving you the visa. I know it's easy to say that in retrospect, but my lawyer kept telling me this over and over, yet I still got worked up over it. Providing you are genuine (and I hope that anyone reading this would be), then you have no reason to worry.
I'll be making another post later about the final steps after the interview, as there are a couple more things that you must do.
Dan.
So following my ordeal at the medical exam, a whole month passed and I found myself at the big day finally! Visa interview day!
Prior to attending the interview you will be required to log on to the visa service website and accept the interview and confirm the delivery option for your documents. You can chose to have them held at a specific depot "near" your home, or you can pay extra to have them home delivered by courier. I chose the courier option, as it only cost me £18, and my depot was miles away. It probably would have cost me nearly that in travel and fuel.
Jon and I had agreed that given it was such a huge day, and the fact I was likely to be a nervous wreck, that he should be in the UK. So, he booked a flight a couple of weeks before to be with me on the day. We already knew however he wouldn't be allowed in the embassy with me, but at least he could travel to London with me (which is an ordeal in itself), and be with me in line at the gate, and be waiting outside once I'm done. Then we could celebrate together, too right?...
Back to that morning, and we got up ridiculously early having not really slept well through anticipation. We got to London Charing Cross and walked the rest of the way. You have to understand, Charing Cross is at least a half hour walk at my own brisk pace (everyone always tells me I run along rather than walk), but we chose to do this in fear of getting on a tube and it breaking down or being delayed. Cautious yes, paranoid, maybe a little - but better safe than sorry, right?
We found ourselves in Grovesnor Square at about 7.15am, a full hour and fifteen minutes before my interview time - but we weren't the first ones there! There was already a line, and it started to get long after we arrived too, so bear that in mind. I'm glad we got there when we did.
A little while before the embassy opened for the first appointments of the day staff started to trickle out and set everything up. They will organise the queue line into different sections depending on your appointment time. We had to stand in a separate, second line, since my time was not until 8.30am - apparently appointments begin at 8am, so they let all those people through first. The staff at the front of the line will ask to see various documents which you must have with you. You MUST take with you:
• Your appointment confirmation - whether that is an email printout or an actual letter doesn't matter.
• Form DS260 confirmation page from the DOS website (it has barcodes on it that they scan)
• Your confirmation of your accepting the interview printed out from the visa service provider website. This is the page that basically states how your documents are to be delivered. If you have chosen home delivery it is imperative you print this page, as they will ask for it inside in order to ferry your documents once all is said and done.
Of course, any other documents may also be required, and these are specified in your appointment letter from the NVC. We had already submitted everything, and we didn't need anything else, but be aware that you may be required to take originals and/or copies of any other document, such as birth, death, marriage and divorce certificates, photographs etc. Of course, you also need your passport, too, but I would assume that goes without saying!
Once the guard has admitted you to the embassy you pass through airport style security checks. You are allowed to take your mobile phone, but NOT laptops or tablets. You should definitely avoid any unnecessary hassle by minimising the items you take with you on the day. Luckily I had Jon who would wait outside, so he could take everything I didn't need. Unless agreed by special arrangement prior to your appointment, you will NOT be allowed to take anyone - even your US spouse - into the embassy with you. While waiting in line we saw several people be told that they would not be allowed entry.
Once through the security checks there are signs telling you to proceed around the side of the building. You go up some steps and enter a lobby area. Present your documents again, and the person at the desk will give you a ticket number. You'll then be directed up the stairs to the waiting area.
The waiting area basically looks like any other waiting room - it could be a hospital for all it's worth. There is a large screen that displays the ticket numbers and which window to attend to. It took well over an hour for my ticket to be called, and there were a lot of people that morning.
Once your number is called you go up to the post office style counters and the officer will proceed to ask you a series of questions and ask for some of your documents. It was here that I handed over my document delivery confirmation page. I'll be honest, I was not at the window probably even 7 or 8 minutes. The officer asked how I knew Jon, what Jon does for a living and one or two other very minor things that didn't seem that important in all honesty. He took my passport and I was told to sit back down and that I would be called again shortly.
I literally sat back down, text Jon to let him know I'd been called up, then my number was called again! This time I had to go to the next window along. The officer there informed me that this was my actual visa interview. I was told to raise my right hand and swear that I would tell the truth. I said I would, and he proceeded to ask a couple of similar questions to the first officer. Again, I was there only minutes, and the questions were nothing taxing; all very generic, "how long have you known each other", "where is Jon right now?", etc.
After the officer was apparently satisfied he turned to me and said, "Your visa application is approved. You'll get your passport back in two weeks. Good luck!" And that was literally it! I was approved! I thanked him, gathered my things and walked away from the desk in a daze! All the panic and worry that I had caused myself over this day, wondering what it would be like, what they would as, say or do - and now it was over in 10 minutes flat!
I ran outside and met with Jon, and we spent the rest of the morning wandering London having fun, in celebration of the most excellent news!
My advice to anyone is literally, do NOT panic. I got myself into such a state over this interview and it was so easy. You have to remember that you have already been approved, you have already had the medical, you have already given them everything they could possibly want about you - this is the final part so they can just meet you and check everything over one last time before giving you the visa. I know it's easy to say that in retrospect, but my lawyer kept telling me this over and over, yet I still got worked up over it. Providing you are genuine (and I hope that anyone reading this would be), then you have no reason to worry.
I'll be making another post later about the final steps after the interview, as there are a couple more things that you must do.
Dan.
The Visa Medical
Hello everyone,
16 October 2014: It should be noted this entry was supposed to have been posted several weeks ago, but alas life gets in the way!
My apologies for not writing in a while again. Life has been hectic as always! This entry is about my visa medical on 26th August. I didn't write earlier about this experience because to be honest, I didn't want to "relive" the day so soon again! However, I also am aware there is very little information on the internet about the medical, as I looked myself before mine, so I wanted to document it here.
The only doctors you can see for USA visa medicals are the ones specified by the US immigration authorities, which at time of writing (in the UK) are the Knightsbridge Doctors in London. My appointment was at 10.50am.
I left home very early, parking my car at a station near where I live and taking the train to London. It was raining, of course, which made things even more unpleasant than they already would be. Arriving in London at London Bridge I discovered the Jubilee line wasn't stopping at Bond Street due to engineering works, which is exactly where I needed to get off. So, I found an alternate route and got off at Green Park. I had to walk in the rain the now longer distance to the doctors, just north of Oxford Street.
When you arrive, press the outdoor buzzer, then once inside the hallway, the door to the surgery is immediately on the right. No need to knock, just enter. Once inside there are two windows at reception. Somebody will check you in and ask for your documents. I should note at this point that you will need to have already filled in the medical questionnaire before arrival (which you can find online). You will also need your police certificate if it hasn't already been submitted to the government, or a good photocopy of it, plus a US style passport photo (2 inches by 2 inches) and your passport. You will also need to provide your vaccination record, and make sure that your own surgery has given you a copy with your name and date of birth on it. As I discovered, a print out isn't enough. I gave them what I had, but had to go back to my doctor once I was home later that day, get a copy with my name and date of birth on, and email it to them. It wasn't a problem to do that, but it was an extra hassle on an already stressful day.
So, I gave my documents in, and was told to sit in the waiting area and fill out yet another questionnaire about my general health. You will be called by a nurse to review your vaccination records and determine if you need any boosters. Of course, again, nobody informed me, nor was it apparent at any point during this process that I'd need an MMR. I had already gotten my DTP booster at my own doctors surgery but now I had to get an MMR too! I was not amused, especially since their booster fee was another £45 on the £245 medical exam fee. This day was not going well! So I had the MMR there and then. As a side note, you will also need to get the one month booster from you own doctor, around a month after this first one. I had mine just a couple of days ago. You may be required to provide evidence you had it, in the future. After seeing the vaccination nurse, you have a chest X-ray to determine whether you have TB (because you wouldn't already know, right?!). I had to have mine taken twice (yay radiation?!) because the radiologist saw "a dark patch" and had to be sure it wasn't TB (like I said, like I wouldn't have already known anyway). If for some reason you are found to have TB you'll have to be treated for it and cleared again by these doctors at some later date before you can pass the medical and move to the US.
Once you've seen the radiologist you'll be called to see the panel doctor. The doctor will go through your questionnaire with you and ask questions about your general health and anything that you may have mentioned on your questionnaire that they feel needs further information, such as if you have suffered from depression or ever been hospitalised for any reason (operations, accidents, etc). The doctor will also check your height and weight, and ask you to read an eye chart (no idea why these would affect anything, and if they did, it'd be a gross violation of your rights and very discriminatory). Then, you will lay on a bed and have your blood pressure taken, and a blood test for STDs (some might call this having "blood drawn"). Men are also examined for testicular cancer.
If there is anything the doctor feels they need any more information on, they will tell you, and you might be given a form to take to your own doctor to request more information about whatever the case may be. If they don't require any more information, after everything described above, you'll sit and wait again to be called back to the reception window. Once called, pay the fees due, and you'll be on your way! If you don't hear anything from them within about 3 working days, then you can safely assume your blood test and X-ray results were fine. A few days later you will get in the post a copy of your vaccination record, but on a special US Department of State form. It is imperative you keep this form safe, apparently.
So that was my experience. Overall the actual being there wasn't that bad, but I have to say, it is not an experience I want to ever repeat. Knowing these doctors have the power to basically decide your whole life is intense, and being injected, X-ray'd, prodded and poked by strangers is not nice. On top of that, getting there is a pain, especially if like when I went train stations are closed and it is pouring with rain.
Dan.
Saturday, 23 August 2014
One Year Anniversary!
One year ago today, Jon and I got married!
Here's a collage of pictures of us from our adventures during our first year! You can click to see it larger.
Dan.
Here's a collage of pictures of us from our adventures during our first year! You can click to see it larger.
Dan.
Wednesday, 20 August 2014
Interview FINALLY scheduled!!
Hello everyone ,
I apologise for the long gap in between posts again, but until this past week we still hadn't made any further progress on our situation.
However, I say "until this past week" because there has finally been movement! Jon and I were away the weekend so I was unable to post about this, but I'm happy to report that after months of waiting and knowing nothing, we got an email on Thursday night from the NVC confirming an interview date with the US embassy in London!
To say it was an immense relief would be an understatement. We have waited a year now for this to happen, and it's felt like the day would never come!
Of course, before I can have the interview I have to attend a medical in London, which I booked yesterday for next week. This I'm not looking forward to. Prodded, poked, examined, tested and more - and for that I have to pay £235! Thankfully once it's done, it's done for good and I'll never have stuffer it again, but that doesn't necessarily make it any better.
The email we received from the NVC detailed what we needed to do next, including which documents I would be required to bring to the interview. There was also instructions to go to immigrantvisas.state.gov and complete the online registration. This is required so that you can confirm your appointment, and further select your document delivery details for once you have been approved by the consulate.
So, I'm registered on the website. I have my login and I confirmed my appointment. I actually still have to select which option I want for delivery of my passport and visa following the interview. I am going to chose home delivery, which apparently costs another £18. The reason for selecting home delivery though is easy. All the collection places on their list are a long way away and it'd cost me at least the £18 to get there, plus my own time and hassle, so I figure I might as well pay it and get them to deliver to me.
Well, here we are. In less than 6 weeks I'll have had my interview and should be waiting for my passport to b returned to I can travel to the US!
I'll update here again once I know more about the interview as we are talking to our lawyer in the next few weeks about what to expect. It's nerve racking to say the least, but it's finally here!
Dan.
I apologise for the long gap in between posts again, but until this past week we still hadn't made any further progress on our situation.
However, I say "until this past week" because there has finally been movement! Jon and I were away the weekend so I was unable to post about this, but I'm happy to report that after months of waiting and knowing nothing, we got an email on Thursday night from the NVC confirming an interview date with the US embassy in London!
To say it was an immense relief would be an understatement. We have waited a year now for this to happen, and it's felt like the day would never come!
Of course, before I can have the interview I have to attend a medical in London, which I booked yesterday for next week. This I'm not looking forward to. Prodded, poked, examined, tested and more - and for that I have to pay £235! Thankfully once it's done, it's done for good and I'll never have stuffer it again, but that doesn't necessarily make it any better.
The email we received from the NVC detailed what we needed to do next, including which documents I would be required to bring to the interview. There was also instructions to go to immigrantvisas.state.gov and complete the online registration. This is required so that you can confirm your appointment, and further select your document delivery details for once you have been approved by the consulate.
So, I'm registered on the website. I have my login and I confirmed my appointment. I actually still have to select which option I want for delivery of my passport and visa following the interview. I am going to chose home delivery, which apparently costs another £18. The reason for selecting home delivery though is easy. All the collection places on their list are a long way away and it'd cost me at least the £18 to get there, plus my own time and hassle, so I figure I might as well pay it and get them to deliver to me.
Well, here we are. In less than 6 weeks I'll have had my interview and should be waiting for my passport to b returned to I can travel to the US!
I'll update here again once I know more about the interview as we are talking to our lawyer in the next few weeks about what to expect. It's nerve racking to say the least, but it's finally here!
Dan.
Thursday, 24 July 2014
July Updates
Hello everyone,
I apologise for the lack of updates recently (again!). Life seems to be very busy and times moves too fast, and before I know it, it's the end of July and I haven't made any posts recently! Not that there is a lot to post about, sadly.
I had good intentions of posting a 4th entry, since this was the first year I was married to my American husband, which sort of in my mind made the holiday more "real" to me. As always though, it slipped my mind!
In my update from the 24th June I said that all our forms had been submitted and that we were now waiting to hear further details about my medical and interview. Since then we received some rather nondescript letters that, according to our lawyers, are standard mail-outs from the the government.
The first was a letter to say that they had "updated" my application. That's pretty much all it said, but at least they received all our documents and there were no issues. The next letter was one that I received, which was basically a printout of my details and our case number, which again, is just some standard thing they seem to do. It doesn't necessarily get us any further along, but it's some small consolation at least that someone, somewhere in the government, has looked at our file in order to generate these automatic letters.
We spoke to our lawyer yesterday, as we are growing increasingly frustrated with this epically long process, and as far as anyone knows, we should hear from the government regarding my interview "soon"... How soon that is is anybody's guess, but let's hope it's at least in the next month or two.
Once I have more, I'll be sure to update you all.
Dan.
I apologise for the lack of updates recently (again!). Life seems to be very busy and times moves too fast, and before I know it, it's the end of July and I haven't made any posts recently! Not that there is a lot to post about, sadly.
I had good intentions of posting a 4th entry, since this was the first year I was married to my American husband, which sort of in my mind made the holiday more "real" to me. As always though, it slipped my mind!
In my update from the 24th June I said that all our forms had been submitted and that we were now waiting to hear further details about my medical and interview. Since then we received some rather nondescript letters that, according to our lawyers, are standard mail-outs from the the government.
The first was a letter to say that they had "updated" my application. That's pretty much all it said, but at least they received all our documents and there were no issues. The next letter was one that I received, which was basically a printout of my details and our case number, which again, is just some standard thing they seem to do. It doesn't necessarily get us any further along, but it's some small consolation at least that someone, somewhere in the government, has looked at our file in order to generate these automatic letters.
We spoke to our lawyer yesterday, as we are growing increasingly frustrated with this epically long process, and as far as anyone knows, we should hear from the government regarding my interview "soon"... How soon that is is anybody's guess, but let's hope it's at least in the next month or two.
Once I have more, I'll be sure to update you all.
Dan.
Thursday, 26 June 2014
The First Anniversary
Hello everyone,
A year ago today, almost to the very moment that I write this, the United States Supreme Court finally announced its much anticipated ruling on the Edith Windsor case against the United States government.
We all know now of course that section 3 of DOMA was thrown out in a scathing attack by Justice Kennedy, thus enabling thousands of Americans and their partners to finally be allowed access to vital federal benefits.
Since that day Jon and I have gone through a torturous journey to get through the immigration process so that we can finally be together, and while it's been long and stressful, it's now possible thanks to a determined lady and her fight for equality.
We are nearing the end of the immigration process now, with only my medical and visa interview to come, and to think, a year and a day ago, it simply wasn't legal.
Mrs Windsor, we are eternally grateful - thank you.
Dan.
A year ago today, almost to the very moment that I write this, the United States Supreme Court finally announced its much anticipated ruling on the Edith Windsor case against the United States government.
We all know now of course that section 3 of DOMA was thrown out in a scathing attack by Justice Kennedy, thus enabling thousands of Americans and their partners to finally be allowed access to vital federal benefits.
Since that day Jon and I have gone through a torturous journey to get through the immigration process so that we can finally be together, and while it's been long and stressful, it's now possible thanks to a determined lady and her fight for equality.
We are nearing the end of the immigration process now, with only my medical and visa interview to come, and to think, a year and a day ago, it simply wasn't legal.
Mrs Windsor, we are eternally grateful - thank you.
Dan.
Tuesday, 24 June 2014
Update on our progress
Hello everyone,
Two weeks ago I sent off for my police certificate using the premium service (£80). Documents I needed for the police certificate were a copy of my passport, two letter addressed to me and a recent passport photo endorsed by a friend I've known for more than 2 years. The certificate came back within the week and I then sent it to our lawyers in Los Angeles.
Once the lawyers received it they then forwarded it to the National Visa Center (NVC). However, I didn't know until after the fact that I'd also need a copy to take to my medical interview eventually, so the lawyers scanned a copy and sent it to me, which I printed out.
Around the same time Jon had to fill out all the forms for the I-864 Affidavit of Support and send those along with the supporting documents to the lawyers also. Documents he needed for this included evidence of income and federal tax returns statements and IRS transcripts.
Now that everything has been submitted to the NVC, our lawyers tell us that it's literally a case of waiting for the embassy in London to contact me now with interview details!
After all we've been though in this long process, I cannot believe we are finally at the stage where I am just waiting for my medical and interview!
Once we hear any more I'll of course update here.
Dan.
Two weeks ago I sent off for my police certificate using the premium service (£80). Documents I needed for the police certificate were a copy of my passport, two letter addressed to me and a recent passport photo endorsed by a friend I've known for more than 2 years. The certificate came back within the week and I then sent it to our lawyers in Los Angeles.
Once the lawyers received it they then forwarded it to the National Visa Center (NVC). However, I didn't know until after the fact that I'd also need a copy to take to my medical interview eventually, so the lawyers scanned a copy and sent it to me, which I printed out.
Around the same time Jon had to fill out all the forms for the I-864 Affidavit of Support and send those along with the supporting documents to the lawyers also. Documents he needed for this included evidence of income and federal tax returns statements and IRS transcripts.
Now that everything has been submitted to the NVC, our lawyers tell us that it's literally a case of waiting for the embassy in London to contact me now with interview details!
After all we've been though in this long process, I cannot believe we are finally at the stage where I am just waiting for my medical and interview!
Once we hear any more I'll of course update here.
Dan.
Thursday, 5 June 2014
DS-260 submitted! Welcome to June!
Hello everyone,
Well it's now June and I can't believe how the time has flown by! I started this blog late last June when DOMA got thrown out, so it's been nearly a year now!
In that year you've seen me planning for our wedding, getting married, submit our initial petition, wait forever to get approved, followed by finally get approved and now here we are at what is nearly the end of this part of my journey!
The week before last, our lawyers filled out the DS-260 for us based on the information we had provided to them previously. We went through it and amended as necessary, and last night our lawyers informed us that it had been submitted to the government on our behalf!
Of course, last time I wrote here, we were waiting for a case number in order to submit the DS-260. What is strange is that our lawyers didn't actually inform us when we had gotten our case number, and the first we heard about it was when they emailed last night to simply say the forms had been sent. The department of state website says that the DS-260 can only be submitted with a case number, so we assume that's what's happened. I don't know why the lawyers failed to be forthcoming on this part, but so long as the job gets done then I guess it's all good!
So right now, based on a fairly good educated guess, we think we have a case number, which means that we are well on the way to the final stage of this infuriatingly long process.
At some point the lawyers will need to send in Jon's affidavit of support to the government, and once that is done then my application will sent to the US consulate in London where they will contact me with a date for my medical and my final interview. Phew!
There is one thing I need to do here in the meantime. You may recall a while ago I was worrying about police certificates for when I have my interview. Well, seeing as we are now in the final stages, today I printed out from the UK police website the form I need to send, wrote the cheque and prepared to send it. I need to get my passport photocopied though and enclose that, as well as a passport sized photo signed by someone I know.
I'll be sending it all early next week hopefully, and it should take about 2 weeks to come back to me.
One final thing. You may notice I've changed the address of this blog. It seemed to fit better in my mind, so if you have it saved anywhere remember to update your bookmarks.
Ok, I think that's everything. As always when there are further developments I'll post them here!
Dan.
Well it's now June and I can't believe how the time has flown by! I started this blog late last June when DOMA got thrown out, so it's been nearly a year now!
In that year you've seen me planning for our wedding, getting married, submit our initial petition, wait forever to get approved, followed by finally get approved and now here we are at what is nearly the end of this part of my journey!
The week before last, our lawyers filled out the DS-260 for us based on the information we had provided to them previously. We went through it and amended as necessary, and last night our lawyers informed us that it had been submitted to the government on our behalf!
Of course, last time I wrote here, we were waiting for a case number in order to submit the DS-260. What is strange is that our lawyers didn't actually inform us when we had gotten our case number, and the first we heard about it was when they emailed last night to simply say the forms had been sent. The department of state website says that the DS-260 can only be submitted with a case number, so we assume that's what's happened. I don't know why the lawyers failed to be forthcoming on this part, but so long as the job gets done then I guess it's all good!
So right now, based on a fairly good educated guess, we think we have a case number, which means that we are well on the way to the final stage of this infuriatingly long process.
At some point the lawyers will need to send in Jon's affidavit of support to the government, and once that is done then my application will sent to the US consulate in London where they will contact me with a date for my medical and my final interview. Phew!
There is one thing I need to do here in the meantime. You may recall a while ago I was worrying about police certificates for when I have my interview. Well, seeing as we are now in the final stages, today I printed out from the UK police website the form I need to send, wrote the cheque and prepared to send it. I need to get my passport photocopied though and enclose that, as well as a passport sized photo signed by someone I know.
I'll be sending it all early next week hopefully, and it should take about 2 weeks to come back to me.
One final thing. You may notice I've changed the address of this blog. It seemed to fit better in my mind, so if you have it saved anywhere remember to update your bookmarks.
Ok, I think that's everything. As always when there are further developments I'll post them here!
Dan.
Sunday, 4 May 2014
Updates - May 2014
Hello everyone,
I'm sorry that I didn't post anything in April, but Jon and I were both very busy travelling and working.
Last time I was here, I spoke about our recent approval for our visa application. Well, the week after I posted that we received the hard copy in the mail, which we were of course very happy about.
We are now about half way through the next stage, waiting for our case number to come through and the go ahead to send in the next round of forms. From what our lawyers say, we are hoping that this will be by the end of May/start of June - not long to go!
At the start of April I had to go to the emergency eye clinic (near where I live here in the UK) because I was having an issue with my right eye. It's hard to explain what was happening, but it basically caused me enough concern that I went to my optician, they looked at my eyes, and immediately referred me to the eye doctor. I took my referral letter the following day (a Sunday no less) and was checked over by the eye doctor at the clinic. Although there is an underlying issue, it isn't anything to worry about right now, apparently. I have a condition developing that normally starts a bit later in life, that generally effects everyone. It's more to do with the ageing process and develops naturally as we get older. It's just for some reason, it has started earlier in me. You can imagine all the things that were going through my mind while sitting in the clinic, so I was relieved to hear that it wasn't cause for concern.
Jon then came over and we spent nearly 3 weeks together, 10 days of which were spent on a driving tour of some sights in Europe we had yet to visit together, and some old favourites along the way!
We started off by visiting some dear friends of ours in the Netherlands, in their home town of Hulst. From there we visited Amsterdam with them, and a place just over the border in Belgium, called Sint Niklaas. After 3 wonderful days in the Netherlands we headed down to Belgium, to the city of Antwerp. We were visiting good friends who live just east of the city, and again spent 3 days there. We explored Antwerp (although we had been before), and also drove over the border to Germany for a day to a place called Aachen.
From Belgium we drove to Disneyland Paris where we spent 5 wonderful days enjoying their Swing into Spring festivities.
Finally, last weekend we went to see the hit musical Wicked, in London for Jon's (belated) birthday present.
In less than 3 weeks time we are off to Tokyo for a week where we will of course be visiting Tokyo Disney Resort.
Have a great weekend everyone.
Dan.
I'm sorry that I didn't post anything in April, but Jon and I were both very busy travelling and working.
Last time I was here, I spoke about our recent approval for our visa application. Well, the week after I posted that we received the hard copy in the mail, which we were of course very happy about.
We are now about half way through the next stage, waiting for our case number to come through and the go ahead to send in the next round of forms. From what our lawyers say, we are hoping that this will be by the end of May/start of June - not long to go!
At the start of April I had to go to the emergency eye clinic (near where I live here in the UK) because I was having an issue with my right eye. It's hard to explain what was happening, but it basically caused me enough concern that I went to my optician, they looked at my eyes, and immediately referred me to the eye doctor. I took my referral letter the following day (a Sunday no less) and was checked over by the eye doctor at the clinic. Although there is an underlying issue, it isn't anything to worry about right now, apparently. I have a condition developing that normally starts a bit later in life, that generally effects everyone. It's more to do with the ageing process and develops naturally as we get older. It's just for some reason, it has started earlier in me. You can imagine all the things that were going through my mind while sitting in the clinic, so I was relieved to hear that it wasn't cause for concern.
Jon then came over and we spent nearly 3 weeks together, 10 days of which were spent on a driving tour of some sights in Europe we had yet to visit together, and some old favourites along the way!
We started off by visiting some dear friends of ours in the Netherlands, in their home town of Hulst. From there we visited Amsterdam with them, and a place just over the border in Belgium, called Sint Niklaas. After 3 wonderful days in the Netherlands we headed down to Belgium, to the city of Antwerp. We were visiting good friends who live just east of the city, and again spent 3 days there. We explored Antwerp (although we had been before), and also drove over the border to Germany for a day to a place called Aachen.
From Belgium we drove to Disneyland Paris where we spent 5 wonderful days enjoying their Swing into Spring festivities.
Finally, last weekend we went to see the hit musical Wicked, in London for Jon's (belated) birthday present.
In less than 3 weeks time we are off to Tokyo for a week where we will of course be visiting Tokyo Disney Resort.
Have a great weekend everyone.
Dan.
Sunday, 30 March 2014
The nest step in the process and police certificates
Hello everyone,
Last night Jon and I spoke with our lawyer at Masliah and Soloway, and went through what will be happening next in the immigration process.
I want to document it all here so that we can have a clear outline of what to expect after an I-130 petition has been approved by USCIS.
Our lawyers had emailed us in the early hours of the morning, UK time, on Thursday to inform us that our approval had came in "moments ago". It was around 8pm California time, which seemed odd anyway, but it was an electronic notification, and not a postal one. Since then we have spoken to our lawyer, and he said that the postal one may not arrive for several weeks yet. This makes me wonder, had we not used a lawyer, would we still be none the wiser now? Or if we had done it ourselves would there have been an electronic notification option for us, too? All I can say is, I am glad they got notified before the paper version came!
So now we have our approval, and we can move on to the next stage with the National Visa Center. First of all this involves us filling out a worksheet for our lawyer, with all the relevant information, which will then be transferred on to the actual document. The document in question is the DS-260, which is all about me.
The process should happen something like this, providing I understood it all correctly:
Jon and I fill out the DS-260 and pay our lawyers their fee and the government fee for the National Visa Center (NVC). The current government fee is $318 (US).
In the meantime our case is being transferred by the USCIS from them to the NVC. Once it is transferred, the NVC give us a case number and requests the fee from our lawyer, and the DS-260 is submitted also.
Once the NVC has received all of this, they process it all, and in due course we will get more forms to fill out, which at this stage I understand is to do with finances for the sponsor (Jon) with an affidavit of support to say he will support me. Tax returns for the past 3 years are also required, including a tax transcript which can be obtained easily from the IRS.
When those forms have been filled out, and we have our case number, we just wait to hear from them again.
To get the case number takes up to about 8 weeks currently, according to our lawyer. Once we have the case number have submitted the second round of forms in this stage, they will let us know when they move it to the consulate. Finally, we will hear from the consulate in London, which can take from 1 to 3 months.
I know that all sounds a bit confusing, but I tried to make as clear as possible. Unfortunately, as is the nature of anything to do with the government, nothing is simple, therefore explaining it can be tricky!
At some point during all of this, though, I have to request a police certificate to take along to my interview at the end of the whole process. Getting one in the UK is simple, but last night when we spoke to the lawyer, I almost had a heart attack.
He knows that I had spent some time in Canada on a work visa, and he said that I would need a police certificate for there too, since I was there for longer than 6 months. He said it should be as simple as getting one here. Of course, it isn't. When I started looking into it, there are a number of complicated procedures involved in getting a police certificate from Canada.
First off, you have to be fingerprinted. This can be done by local police in the country where you live, and fees can be high, although they are fairly easy to get. You then have to submit them electronically with you application to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. However, they only accept electronic fingerprints! They do not accept paper prints, which is what any police station would give you. Or at least if you get digital ones you must get a print out of them, which effectively makes them paper.
So, in order to get them digitised, you have to use a company authorised to scan the print out, who are based in Canada. Thankfully, they cover all costs, except the visit to the police in your home country of course, and submit your application with the digitised prints, and send the confirmation back to you. One company we looked at charged around $200 (US) total for this service.
Of course, whilst I was having a mini stroke about all this I found myself on the US Embassy in London website, looking at the police certificate requirements.
"Police certificates are required for all countries you have lived in for more than 12 months over the age of 16 years."
Basically, I do not have to get one after all!
I emailed our lawyer back, and he said that it is indeed 12 months. Of course, that was not what Jon and I heard on our call with him, otherwise why would we have put ourselves through this stress?!
My advice here is that, if you have lived in any other country continuously for exactly 12 months or more, be prepared to have to get police certificates for all those countries, and sometimes they are not easy to get. Our lawyer told us of a case where a man had lived in the Caribbean on business for a while, and had to get one from the country he was based in. Of course, being a developing nation they had no other means of doing it except in the country itself! Yes, the man had to travel to the Caribbean to get this document! Thankfully, had I needed one from Canada, I would have just used this authorised company, and paid the $200 for them to do it for me. Not ideal, but better than flying back to Toronto!
If you have any questions, I am more than happy to try and answer them.
Have a great Sunday everyone,
Dan.
Last night Jon and I spoke with our lawyer at Masliah and Soloway, and went through what will be happening next in the immigration process.
I want to document it all here so that we can have a clear outline of what to expect after an I-130 petition has been approved by USCIS.
Our lawyers had emailed us in the early hours of the morning, UK time, on Thursday to inform us that our approval had came in "moments ago". It was around 8pm California time, which seemed odd anyway, but it was an electronic notification, and not a postal one. Since then we have spoken to our lawyer, and he said that the postal one may not arrive for several weeks yet. This makes me wonder, had we not used a lawyer, would we still be none the wiser now? Or if we had done it ourselves would there have been an electronic notification option for us, too? All I can say is, I am glad they got notified before the paper version came!
So now we have our approval, and we can move on to the next stage with the National Visa Center. First of all this involves us filling out a worksheet for our lawyer, with all the relevant information, which will then be transferred on to the actual document. The document in question is the DS-260, which is all about me.
The process should happen something like this, providing I understood it all correctly:
Jon and I fill out the DS-260 and pay our lawyers their fee and the government fee for the National Visa Center (NVC). The current government fee is $318 (US).
In the meantime our case is being transferred by the USCIS from them to the NVC. Once it is transferred, the NVC give us a case number and requests the fee from our lawyer, and the DS-260 is submitted also.
Once the NVC has received all of this, they process it all, and in due course we will get more forms to fill out, which at this stage I understand is to do with finances for the sponsor (Jon) with an affidavit of support to say he will support me. Tax returns for the past 3 years are also required, including a tax transcript which can be obtained easily from the IRS.
When those forms have been filled out, and we have our case number, we just wait to hear from them again.
To get the case number takes up to about 8 weeks currently, according to our lawyer. Once we have the case number have submitted the second round of forms in this stage, they will let us know when they move it to the consulate. Finally, we will hear from the consulate in London, which can take from 1 to 3 months.
I know that all sounds a bit confusing, but I tried to make as clear as possible. Unfortunately, as is the nature of anything to do with the government, nothing is simple, therefore explaining it can be tricky!
At some point during all of this, though, I have to request a police certificate to take along to my interview at the end of the whole process. Getting one in the UK is simple, but last night when we spoke to the lawyer, I almost had a heart attack.
He knows that I had spent some time in Canada on a work visa, and he said that I would need a police certificate for there too, since I was there for longer than 6 months. He said it should be as simple as getting one here. Of course, it isn't. When I started looking into it, there are a number of complicated procedures involved in getting a police certificate from Canada.
First off, you have to be fingerprinted. This can be done by local police in the country where you live, and fees can be high, although they are fairly easy to get. You then have to submit them electronically with you application to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. However, they only accept electronic fingerprints! They do not accept paper prints, which is what any police station would give you. Or at least if you get digital ones you must get a print out of them, which effectively makes them paper.
So, in order to get them digitised, you have to use a company authorised to scan the print out, who are based in Canada. Thankfully, they cover all costs, except the visit to the police in your home country of course, and submit your application with the digitised prints, and send the confirmation back to you. One company we looked at charged around $200 (US) total for this service.
Of course, whilst I was having a mini stroke about all this I found myself on the US Embassy in London website, looking at the police certificate requirements.
"Police certificates are required for all countries you have lived in for more than 12 months over the age of 16 years."
Basically, I do not have to get one after all!
I emailed our lawyer back, and he said that it is indeed 12 months. Of course, that was not what Jon and I heard on our call with him, otherwise why would we have put ourselves through this stress?!
My advice here is that, if you have lived in any other country continuously for exactly 12 months or more, be prepared to have to get police certificates for all those countries, and sometimes they are not easy to get. Our lawyer told us of a case where a man had lived in the Caribbean on business for a while, and had to get one from the country he was based in. Of course, being a developing nation they had no other means of doing it except in the country itself! Yes, the man had to travel to the Caribbean to get this document! Thankfully, had I needed one from Canada, I would have just used this authorised company, and paid the $200 for them to do it for me. Not ideal, but better than flying back to Toronto!
If you have any questions, I am more than happy to try and answer them.
Have a great Sunday everyone,
Dan.
Thursday, 27 March 2014
Approval!
Hello everyone,
At 3am UK time today, Jon and I received an email from our lawyer at Masliah and Soloway, titled' GOOD NEWS'.
As you are all aware, Jon and I have been waiting since September to be approved by the USCIS in order to move on to the next stage of the immigration process. Initially we expected this to take around 3 months, but because of a large government backlog, it has ended up taking SIX. To say we have been on edge waiting for that notification everyday would be a massive understatement!
The email we got this morning informed us that "moments ago", LA time (UK -7 hours currently), their office received our approval notice for the immigration petition! After 6 agonising months, our application has finally been accepted! Of course this doesn't mean it's all over. But it's a start...
From here, our newly approved application is moved from the USCIS in Los Angeles to the National Visa Center (NVC) in New Hampshire where they will assign us a case number. This takes up to 8 weeks. Once we have a case number, we are required to fill out some more forms, and return them. Once the NVC receives these forms, they review our case and forward it to the consulate in the UK.
For now, we have work with our lawyer to gather all the information required by the NVC, so that once we receive our case number in about 8 weeks time, there is no delay and we can submit everything immediately.
At this moment in time that's about all the details I know. Once we start filling out these documents, I'll post more here, continuing my quest to document these procedures, in the hope that it helps someone!
Even if we still have a ways to go yet, to know that after 6 very long months we are finally able to start moving along is a huge relief.
Have a great day everyone,
Dan.
At 3am UK time today, Jon and I received an email from our lawyer at Masliah and Soloway, titled' GOOD NEWS'.
As you are all aware, Jon and I have been waiting since September to be approved by the USCIS in order to move on to the next stage of the immigration process. Initially we expected this to take around 3 months, but because of a large government backlog, it has ended up taking SIX. To say we have been on edge waiting for that notification everyday would be a massive understatement!
The email we got this morning informed us that "moments ago", LA time (UK -7 hours currently), their office received our approval notice for the immigration petition! After 6 agonising months, our application has finally been accepted! Of course this doesn't mean it's all over. But it's a start...
From here, our newly approved application is moved from the USCIS in Los Angeles to the National Visa Center (NVC) in New Hampshire where they will assign us a case number. This takes up to 8 weeks. Once we have a case number, we are required to fill out some more forms, and return them. Once the NVC receives these forms, they review our case and forward it to the consulate in the UK.
For now, we have work with our lawyer to gather all the information required by the NVC, so that once we receive our case number in about 8 weeks time, there is no delay and we can submit everything immediately.
At this moment in time that's about all the details I know. Once we start filling out these documents, I'll post more here, continuing my quest to document these procedures, in the hope that it helps someone!
Even if we still have a ways to go yet, to know that after 6 very long months we are finally able to start moving along is a huge relief.
Have a great day everyone,
Dan.
Thursday, 20 March 2014
Fred Phelps Snr, My Thoughts
Today we learned that Fred Phelps, the pastor of Westboro Baptist Church in the United States, has died at age 84.
I have seen a lot of posts on Facebook with people rejoicing over his death, and saying that the world is a better place without him.
I'll be the first to admit that I found him and (continue to find) his family deeply misguided and outrageously offensive. Anyone who knows me, knows I am not a religious person, and that I can often be very critical of religion for the pain and suffering it has brought to the lives of those that are persecuted for being of an opposing faith, different gender, colour, or near enough any other reason we can think of. Religion is a freedom that everyone in this world should be entitled to, but it shouldn't mean those views are force fed to everyone else. To live in peace and harmony with everyone of all faiths, genders and ethnicity is something that someone as liberal as me can only dream will be true some day. Fred Phelps abused his religious freedom to impose his and his family's hateful views on the lives of other people, often in awful ways that caused a lot of hurt to their victims.
Filled with so much hate inside of him and a misguided passion to cause others deep harm, Fred Phelps never had the opportunity to fully embrace the joys of life, and live in peace with the rest of the world. I will not be wishing that he finds peace in the afterlife he believed in, but instead hoping that he realises the pain he caused others during his life, and understands that the harmful choices he made only made his life less enjoyable; something which I hope he eternally regrets.
I will not partake in outright name calling of him or dance on his grave like many I've seen online today, as that makes me only as bad as he. He was someone's father, grandfather and husband, but life goes on, and there is once less person in it spewing their hate. But that isn't something to rejoice in. It should send a strong message to us all that hate will never win. Love and peace will triumph, and to spend a life hating is a life wasted. Don't die with a world hating you as Fred Phelps has. We only get one chance. Peace and love, always.
Dan.
Thursday, 13 March 2014
Same Sex Marriage comes into effect in England and Wales - we're married all over again!
Hello everyone,
You may recall that last year, the United Kingdom government passed the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013. This bill passed through both Houses of Parliament in a Conservative government with the support of all three main political parties, including the (Conservative) Prime Minister, David Cameron.
Finally today the provisions of the bill came into full effect.
It now means of course that same sex couples have the freedom to marry in England and Wales - although not at Church of England churches or the Church in Wales churches; however other religious organisations can opt in to being a recognised same sex marriage provider. I believe that part, if not the whole reason, for the English and Welsh churches being prohibited in the bill to perform the marriages ceremonies is because they are national churches, and the issue faced a lot of opposition from back bench Conservative MPs in the Commons, and spiritual leaders and peers in the House of Lords. You have to understand that despite our greatly advanced political thinking in the UK, that the peers sitting in the House of Lords include spiritual leaders and hereditary peers who have inherited their titles! My point is that given the United Kingdom has a state church, of which the head of state (the Queen) is the leader, and our upper house is formed of peers and spiritual leaders, it's quite remarkable that Civil Partnerships were even passed ten years ago, let alone same sex marriage last year!
There are two other things that come out of this bill which also come into effect today. Anyone who had previously been Civil Partnered in the United Kingdom is now entitled to "upgrade" their CP to marriage status if they so chose. Anyone who was legally married overseas in a same sex marriage was previously recognised as having a CP, but now automatically are recognised as being married.
Yesterday Jon and I were recognised as married in Maryland, US, and CP'd in the UK - today we are married in both!
Same sex marriage is a devolved issue in the UK (devolved means that some issues are handled on a local government level, and not all national UK laws automatically apply). Scotland passed its own same sex marriage bill last month, which should come into effect before the end of the year. Northern Ireland will be the only part of the UK without same sex marriage. Civil Partnerships are a UK national law, and therefore Northern Ireland continues to recognise and perform them.
It's truly a milestone and testament to the progressive thinking of our government that we have come this far, and I sincerely applaud their efforts.
Dan.
You may recall that last year, the United Kingdom government passed the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013. This bill passed through both Houses of Parliament in a Conservative government with the support of all three main political parties, including the (Conservative) Prime Minister, David Cameron.
Finally today the provisions of the bill came into full effect.
It now means of course that same sex couples have the freedom to marry in England and Wales - although not at Church of England churches or the Church in Wales churches; however other religious organisations can opt in to being a recognised same sex marriage provider. I believe that part, if not the whole reason, for the English and Welsh churches being prohibited in the bill to perform the marriages ceremonies is because they are national churches, and the issue faced a lot of opposition from back bench Conservative MPs in the Commons, and spiritual leaders and peers in the House of Lords. You have to understand that despite our greatly advanced political thinking in the UK, that the peers sitting in the House of Lords include spiritual leaders and hereditary peers who have inherited their titles! My point is that given the United Kingdom has a state church, of which the head of state (the Queen) is the leader, and our upper house is formed of peers and spiritual leaders, it's quite remarkable that Civil Partnerships were even passed ten years ago, let alone same sex marriage last year!
There are two other things that come out of this bill which also come into effect today. Anyone who had previously been Civil Partnered in the United Kingdom is now entitled to "upgrade" their CP to marriage status if they so chose. Anyone who was legally married overseas in a same sex marriage was previously recognised as having a CP, but now automatically are recognised as being married.
Yesterday Jon and I were recognised as married in Maryland, US, and CP'd in the UK - today we are married in both!
Same sex marriage is a devolved issue in the UK (devolved means that some issues are handled on a local government level, and not all national UK laws automatically apply). Scotland passed its own same sex marriage bill last month, which should come into effect before the end of the year. Northern Ireland will be the only part of the UK without same sex marriage. Civil Partnerships are a UK national law, and therefore Northern Ireland continues to recognise and perform them.
It's truly a milestone and testament to the progressive thinking of our government that we have come this far, and I sincerely applaud their efforts.
Dan.
Tuesday, 11 March 2014
Love, Anger and Isolation
As you all know Jon and I have been going through the motions to finally be able settle together and start our lives. Jon is sponsoring me for an immigrant visa to be able to live in the United States alongside him. We want to have our own home and spend the rest of our lives together peacefully, as any married couple should be entitled to do.
Last week you may recall that I posted a blog entry when we received a notification from the immigration services explaining that our petition had been forwarded to yet another department for processing because of their huge backlog. At this point we have already waited six months since time of filing to even be acknowledged that we're still in the system, and that we haven't just been forgotten about in some filing cabinet somewhere. Six months of our lives wasted while the US government idly makes its way through rubber-stamping people's lives and whether they should be allowed to be together.
This form that we received last week informed us that we now have to wait a further sixty days while this next department gets its act together. Another two months of waiting added to the six we have already endured.
Almost daily Jon and I have friends ask us, "So when is Dan coming over?" Like it'll be in the next week or something. If only it were that simple. But honestly, why shouldn't it be?!
Why does it take eight months to look at our forms to say, "Yes you are approved to move onto the next stage?" Eight months of our married lives (so far) spent in separate countries, waiting day-in, day-out for that letter to arrive. Eight months of sore disappointment.
After these eight months are finally over, all we will get then is a letter to say we are approved for the next stage, where our case is then moved to the consulate, and we have to wait a further three months for them to get back to us. At this rate, we are looking at me moving over to the US in October or November. That'll be well over a year since we filed.
That isn't the end of it either. Even once our case is moved to the consulate (after the next sixty days, then the further three months have gone by), I then have to endure further insult with not just one, but two interviews. A medical interview and an immigration interview. I have to provide blood samples, and and police certificate to say I have no criminal convictions. And for this I have to pay hundreds of pounds. To be humiliated, prodded and poked.
Jon and I talk daily on Skype, and Jon has been able to make some visits over to the UK during this process, but to spend a couple of weeks here and there, in our first year of marriage is a tremendous weight to bare, and is very isolating. We both feel the need to talk on Skype daily, and actually feel like we are "together"; we miss great opportunities like this. We both sit at our desks in our respective homes for hours, wasting our lives in front of the computer, when we should be out together doing something, going places, or even just sitting at home having dinner together.
Two people should never have to go through what we're going through. As if it hasn't been hard enough fighting for equality and being a same sex married couple, and we still have to suffer even more pains to be together. There is no handbook for this situation. No amount of comforting or advice can ever prepare you for the mental, emotional challenges that being an international couple presents.
Love is one of the most powerful forces in the universe. It bounds us together and makes us stronger. Jon and I love each other and are determined not to let the daily grind get to us, but sometimes, when you've had a hard day at work, it's miserable outside, and all you want is a hug from your husband, it's the hardest thing in the world knowing that a piece of paper on a desk thousands of miles away has waited eight months to be looked at, and it's that which is the only thing standing in your way.
Dan.
Last week you may recall that I posted a blog entry when we received a notification from the immigration services explaining that our petition had been forwarded to yet another department for processing because of their huge backlog. At this point we have already waited six months since time of filing to even be acknowledged that we're still in the system, and that we haven't just been forgotten about in some filing cabinet somewhere. Six months of our lives wasted while the US government idly makes its way through rubber-stamping people's lives and whether they should be allowed to be together.
This form that we received last week informed us that we now have to wait a further sixty days while this next department gets its act together. Another two months of waiting added to the six we have already endured.
Almost daily Jon and I have friends ask us, "So when is Dan coming over?" Like it'll be in the next week or something. If only it were that simple. But honestly, why shouldn't it be?!
Why does it take eight months to look at our forms to say, "Yes you are approved to move onto the next stage?" Eight months of our married lives (so far) spent in separate countries, waiting day-in, day-out for that letter to arrive. Eight months of sore disappointment.
After these eight months are finally over, all we will get then is a letter to say we are approved for the next stage, where our case is then moved to the consulate, and we have to wait a further three months for them to get back to us. At this rate, we are looking at me moving over to the US in October or November. That'll be well over a year since we filed.
That isn't the end of it either. Even once our case is moved to the consulate (after the next sixty days, then the further three months have gone by), I then have to endure further insult with not just one, but two interviews. A medical interview and an immigration interview. I have to provide blood samples, and and police certificate to say I have no criminal convictions. And for this I have to pay hundreds of pounds. To be humiliated, prodded and poked.
Jon and I talk daily on Skype, and Jon has been able to make some visits over to the UK during this process, but to spend a couple of weeks here and there, in our first year of marriage is a tremendous weight to bare, and is very isolating. We both feel the need to talk on Skype daily, and actually feel like we are "together"; we miss great opportunities like this. We both sit at our desks in our respective homes for hours, wasting our lives in front of the computer, when we should be out together doing something, going places, or even just sitting at home having dinner together.
Two people should never have to go through what we're going through. As if it hasn't been hard enough fighting for equality and being a same sex married couple, and we still have to suffer even more pains to be together. There is no handbook for this situation. No amount of comforting or advice can ever prepare you for the mental, emotional challenges that being an international couple presents.
Love is one of the most powerful forces in the universe. It bounds us together and makes us stronger. Jon and I love each other and are determined not to let the daily grind get to us, but sometimes, when you've had a hard day at work, it's miserable outside, and all you want is a hug from your husband, it's the hardest thing in the world knowing that a piece of paper on a desk thousands of miles away has waited eight months to be looked at, and it's that which is the only thing standing in your way.
Dan.
Friday, 7 March 2014
Processing Delays
Hello everyone,
Next week will be a full six months since Jon and I filed our forms with the US government for our immigration petition. Having initially been told by our lawyers that it would take about three months for our approval notice, we got to about four months wondering what was going on. When we asked our lawyers earlier this year, we were told that cases are currently taking up to six months to process. So we waited some more.
As I said above, next week will have been a full six month since our application, and today we finally got a notification from the immigration services, "Form I-797C, Notice of Action", which explained that due to a large backlog, our case was being forwarded to another processing centre as not to be further delayed. In our case, our papers are being forwarded to Los Angeles. The processing at the Los Angeles centre should take no more than sixty days from the date of the notification (which is three days ago), and should we not hear anything we have a number to call and our lawyers will able to file a follow up query form. Hopefully it won't come to that!
There are multiple sides to this. I have so far been disappointed that it has taken such an extraordinarily long time, but having gone into this knowing that the US immigration services do not rush themselves, I had low expectations. I am annoyed slightly that we have to wait a further sixty days, but on the flip side this does mean that we are now guaranteed to hear sooner rather than later. Committing themselves to sixty days gives us a finite timeframe in which to expect our approval notice and move on to the next step of this ridiculously long process. Sixty minus the three days since the form was sent means we have a maximum of fifty seven left to wait for our approval. A fifty seven days I will be counting almost to the minute, no less.
Jon and I are actually just relieved to hear something, period, and be acknowledged, and know now that we haven't been lost in the system, and that someone somewhere is still working on our case.
We spoke to our lawyers today, once we got this notification, and they have informed us that they received a large volume of them at their office this morning. There had indeed been a lot of cases that had been waiting a long time, and the transferal of our case to another office should now speed things up greatly and we should hear soon.
Fingers crossed!
Have a great weekend everyone,
Dan.
Next week will be a full six months since Jon and I filed our forms with the US government for our immigration petition. Having initially been told by our lawyers that it would take about three months for our approval notice, we got to about four months wondering what was going on. When we asked our lawyers earlier this year, we were told that cases are currently taking up to six months to process. So we waited some more.
As I said above, next week will have been a full six month since our application, and today we finally got a notification from the immigration services, "Form I-797C, Notice of Action", which explained that due to a large backlog, our case was being forwarded to another processing centre as not to be further delayed. In our case, our papers are being forwarded to Los Angeles. The processing at the Los Angeles centre should take no more than sixty days from the date of the notification (which is three days ago), and should we not hear anything we have a number to call and our lawyers will able to file a follow up query form. Hopefully it won't come to that!
There are multiple sides to this. I have so far been disappointed that it has taken such an extraordinarily long time, but having gone into this knowing that the US immigration services do not rush themselves, I had low expectations. I am annoyed slightly that we have to wait a further sixty days, but on the flip side this does mean that we are now guaranteed to hear sooner rather than later. Committing themselves to sixty days gives us a finite timeframe in which to expect our approval notice and move on to the next step of this ridiculously long process. Sixty minus the three days since the form was sent means we have a maximum of fifty seven left to wait for our approval. A fifty seven days I will be counting almost to the minute, no less.
Jon and I are actually just relieved to hear something, period, and be acknowledged, and know now that we haven't been lost in the system, and that someone somewhere is still working on our case.
We spoke to our lawyers today, once we got this notification, and they have informed us that they received a large volume of them at their office this morning. There had indeed been a lot of cases that had been waiting a long time, and the transferal of our case to another office should now speed things up greatly and we should hear soon.
Fingers crossed!
Have a great weekend everyone,
Dan.
Sunday, 23 February 2014
Updates etc
Hello everyone,
I'm sorry it's been a while again, but honestly I haven't had a lot to talk about just recently. I had good intentions of making regular blog posts about anything I saw in the news regarding equality; I wanted to make this blog not just about my story, but the struggles and victories of the LGBT community everywhere, but to be honest I lost momentum with it as of late.
I really do want to be more active on here though, and share more of my thoughts and opinions. Maybe I'll find the motivation again in the next few weeks, and I can start my regular ramblings again!
Just so you all know, Jon and I are still waiting to hear back from the US immigration services about our petition. According to our lawyers, we are still well within the timeframe we can expect to wait, so there's really nothing we can do. It's frustrating at best, and on some days, when you're feeling down and missing each other, I can assure you it feels like an absolute eternity.
Dan.
I'm sorry it's been a while again, but honestly I haven't had a lot to talk about just recently. I had good intentions of making regular blog posts about anything I saw in the news regarding equality; I wanted to make this blog not just about my story, but the struggles and victories of the LGBT community everywhere, but to be honest I lost momentum with it as of late.
I really do want to be more active on here though, and share more of my thoughts and opinions. Maybe I'll find the motivation again in the next few weeks, and I can start my regular ramblings again!
Just so you all know, Jon and I are still waiting to hear back from the US immigration services about our petition. According to our lawyers, we are still well within the timeframe we can expect to wait, so there's really nothing we can do. It's frustrating at best, and on some days, when you're feeling down and missing each other, I can assure you it feels like an absolute eternity.
Dan.
Tuesday, 4 February 2014
Congratulations to Scotland on Passing Marriage Equality!
Hello everyone,
Although it was inevitable, this evening the Scottish parliament passed equal marriage in Scotland, 105 to 18!
Although the United Kingdom has Civil Partnerships which afford practically the same rights as marriage (and has done for many years now), full marriage equality is a devolved issue, meaning that it is up to the UK constituent countries to pass its own laws on. England and Wales passed their own equal marriage legislation earlier this year, which is due to come into effect in March. This means the only region of the UK that will not have full marriage equality will be Northern Ireland, although they continue to have Civil Partnerships though, as that is UK law.
All in all, very good news!
Dan.
Monday, 27 January 2014
Disney's 'Good Luck Charlie' Lesbian Couple
EDIT 30/1//14: After I had posted this blog, I had realised that perhaps I wasn't entirely accurate with my assumption that no gay character had ever featured in Disney media, so I took it down. After a few days of debating this issue with myself, I decided I should just go ahead and repost this anyway, as it's still relevant, even if not 100% accurate. The point of the gay characters featuring on the Disney Channel is still significant. One last thing, the edit in the entry below was an edit made right after I posted the article, and therefore is part of the "original" article, before I took it down.
Hello everyone,
Last night the Disney Channel in the US aired the latest episode of their popular show, 'Good Luck Charlie'.
The episode broke new ground for the network, which is primarily aimed at children, as the show featured the first openly gay couple ever to feature in a Disney Channel production.
Being the big Disney fan that I am, I was trying to think about whether this actually extended past the Disney Channel, to all Disney media. I can't think of another openly gay character to ever appear in a Disney animated feature, live action feature or otherwise. I am mainly talking about Disney branded productions here, so we can exclude their more adult orientated brands such as Miramax or Touchstone.
It's a huge step for children's entertainment, and I'm sure the more conservative parents, and organisations such as American Family Association and One Million Moms, will be attempting some sort of boycott of Disney now, but you know what? Who cares?! It's a very welcomed move from Disney, and I really hope that more and more family programming sees gay characters appear in them.
I for one say bring it on! Children need to know that love is love, regardless of what form it takes. To some children watching that show last night, they would already identify with having two parents of the same sex, and I'm certain that there were some who sat there who were moved by the fact that their family group had finally been recognised. They were no longer "different", they were on a TV show on the Disney Channel.
EDIT: I realised that Modern Family on ABC has a regular gay couple, but again, maybe this doesn't count as regular Disney programming, or even family viewing, as some themes can be more adult (for Modern Family I'd say it's more a guidance/discretion thing than actually being adult, as it rarely offends). The basis of the argument for Good Luck Charlie's big news is more to do with the fact it is on a children's channel, and is considered part of the mainstream children's and family viewing.
Just my thoughts. Please, please leave your comments below. I'd love to know all your views!
Dan.
Hello everyone,
Last night the Disney Channel in the US aired the latest episode of their popular show, 'Good Luck Charlie'.
The episode broke new ground for the network, which is primarily aimed at children, as the show featured the first openly gay couple ever to feature in a Disney Channel production.
Being the big Disney fan that I am, I was trying to think about whether this actually extended past the Disney Channel, to all Disney media. I can't think of another openly gay character to ever appear in a Disney animated feature, live action feature or otherwise. I am mainly talking about Disney branded productions here, so we can exclude their more adult orientated brands such as Miramax or Touchstone.
It's a huge step for children's entertainment, and I'm sure the more conservative parents, and organisations such as American Family Association and One Million Moms, will be attempting some sort of boycott of Disney now, but you know what? Who cares?! It's a very welcomed move from Disney, and I really hope that more and more family programming sees gay characters appear in them.
I for one say bring it on! Children need to know that love is love, regardless of what form it takes. To some children watching that show last night, they would already identify with having two parents of the same sex, and I'm certain that there were some who sat there who were moved by the fact that their family group had finally been recognised. They were no longer "different", they were on a TV show on the Disney Channel.
EDIT: I realised that Modern Family on ABC has a regular gay couple, but again, maybe this doesn't count as regular Disney programming, or even family viewing, as some themes can be more adult (for Modern Family I'd say it's more a guidance/discretion thing than actually being adult, as it rarely offends). The basis of the argument for Good Luck Charlie's big news is more to do with the fact it is on a children's channel, and is considered part of the mainstream children's and family viewing.
Just my thoughts. Please, please leave your comments below. I'd love to know all your views!
Dan.
Sunday, 26 January 2014
2013 in Pictures
Hello everyone,
As we head into the last part of January now, 2013 seems but a distant memory, when in fact it was less than 4 weeks ago!
I wanted to share with you all some of my memories of 2013, but it's nearly impossible to pick the best moments, so instead I am just going to post the links to my Flickr sets from last year, which you can browse at your leisure.
We started the year at the Disneyland Resort in California, finishing up our extended Christmas and New Year trip there.
Flickr set for California Christmas/New Year is here.
A few days later we drove from Virginia to Philadelphia, where we saw the Disney On Ice show, Rockin' Ever After, and met with some old friends of mine who now live in New Jersey.
Flickr set for Disney On Ice is here.
In February we were in Disneyland Paris for Valentine's, and had a wonderful time with friends.
Flickr set for Disneyland Paris Valentine's is here.
At the end of March/start of April we were in Walt Disney World for Easter.
Flickr set for Walt Disney World Easter is here.
On the 10th April I met with friends of ours in London, and we attended the Disneyland Paris Shareholder's Club Round Table meeting.
Flickr set for the meeting is here.
Then, at the end of April, we travelled to Hong Kong to begin our epic around the world adventure!
Flickr set for Hong Hong is here.
Our trip to Hong Kong led us into May, where we travelled to Tokyo, Japan to visit Tokyo Disney Resort.
Flickr set for Japan is here.
From Japan we flew across the Pacific Ocean to Los Angeles, California, to visit the Disneyland Resort.
Flickr set for California in May is here.
After California, the next stop was Walt Disney World in Florida, where for the first time ever, I celebrated my birthday at a Disney Park!
Flickr set for Walt Disney World in May is here.
Finally, after Florida it was off to Paris, where we celebrated the grand finale of our world trip at an amazing gala dinner show at Disneyland Paris!
Flickr set for the Paris finale is here.
After all that craziness, we had a rest in June and July. I should point out that it was in June that we finally found out the US Supreme Court decision on DOMA. It was that decision that led us to do what we would do in August (finally!... see below), and spurred me on to create this blog!
You can read my very first post I made on this blog, here. It's quite long and detailed, and gives you a good insight into my life, and how Jon and I met.
As I said above, August was a big month for us, as it was the month we finally got married at Jon's parent's house in Maryland! Surrounded by friends and family, we had a truly wonderful day.
My Flickr wedding photo set is here.
After that, we visited some dear friends of ours in New York. I don't have any public photos of that, as I wanted to just enjoy our time there, and not be bogged down with my big DSLR camera, like I usually am.
Later in August we attended the Disney Junior Live! Pirate and Princess Adventure show, in Charlottesville, VA.
Flickr set for Disney Jr Live can be seen here.
Shortly after that, we flew back to Disneyland in California, where we had some late summer fun, which led us into September.
Flickr set for Disneyland September is here.
September came and went, and October arrived. We visited Disneyland Paris with Jon's family, who were in Europe on a cruise.
See my Disneyland Paris Halloween Flickr set here.
In November my childhood heroes, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were visiting a mall near where I live, so I just had to go see them!
My Turtles Flickr set is here.
Finally December arrived, and we were back in Disneyland Paris for Christmas and New Year, where we rang in 2014 with our good friends.
My Disneyland Paris Christmas set is here.
So there we have it! My amazing year in pictures, or links, I guess!
Have a great Sunday everyone.
Dan.
As we head into the last part of January now, 2013 seems but a distant memory, when in fact it was less than 4 weeks ago!
I wanted to share with you all some of my memories of 2013, but it's nearly impossible to pick the best moments, so instead I am just going to post the links to my Flickr sets from last year, which you can browse at your leisure.
We started the year at the Disneyland Resort in California, finishing up our extended Christmas and New Year trip there.
Flickr set for California Christmas/New Year is here.
A few days later we drove from Virginia to Philadelphia, where we saw the Disney On Ice show, Rockin' Ever After, and met with some old friends of mine who now live in New Jersey.
Flickr set for Disney On Ice is here.
In February we were in Disneyland Paris for Valentine's, and had a wonderful time with friends.
Flickr set for Disneyland Paris Valentine's is here.
At the end of March/start of April we were in Walt Disney World for Easter.
Flickr set for Walt Disney World Easter is here.
On the 10th April I met with friends of ours in London, and we attended the Disneyland Paris Shareholder's Club Round Table meeting.
Flickr set for the meeting is here.
Then, at the end of April, we travelled to Hong Kong to begin our epic around the world adventure!
Flickr set for Hong Hong is here.
Our trip to Hong Kong led us into May, where we travelled to Tokyo, Japan to visit Tokyo Disney Resort.
Flickr set for Japan is here.
From Japan we flew across the Pacific Ocean to Los Angeles, California, to visit the Disneyland Resort.
Flickr set for California in May is here.
After California, the next stop was Walt Disney World in Florida, where for the first time ever, I celebrated my birthday at a Disney Park!
Flickr set for Walt Disney World in May is here.
Finally, after Florida it was off to Paris, where we celebrated the grand finale of our world trip at an amazing gala dinner show at Disneyland Paris!
Flickr set for the Paris finale is here.
After all that craziness, we had a rest in June and July. I should point out that it was in June that we finally found out the US Supreme Court decision on DOMA. It was that decision that led us to do what we would do in August (finally!... see below), and spurred me on to create this blog!
You can read my very first post I made on this blog, here. It's quite long and detailed, and gives you a good insight into my life, and how Jon and I met.
As I said above, August was a big month for us, as it was the month we finally got married at Jon's parent's house in Maryland! Surrounded by friends and family, we had a truly wonderful day.
My Flickr wedding photo set is here.
After that, we visited some dear friends of ours in New York. I don't have any public photos of that, as I wanted to just enjoy our time there, and not be bogged down with my big DSLR camera, like I usually am.
Later in August we attended the Disney Junior Live! Pirate and Princess Adventure show, in Charlottesville, VA.
Flickr set for Disney Jr Live can be seen here.
Shortly after that, we flew back to Disneyland in California, where we had some late summer fun, which led us into September.
Flickr set for Disneyland September is here.
September came and went, and October arrived. We visited Disneyland Paris with Jon's family, who were in Europe on a cruise.
See my Disneyland Paris Halloween Flickr set here.
In November my childhood heroes, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were visiting a mall near where I live, so I just had to go see them!
My Turtles Flickr set is here.
Finally December arrived, and we were back in Disneyland Paris for Christmas and New Year, where we rang in 2014 with our good friends.
My Disneyland Paris Christmas set is here.
So there we have it! My amazing year in pictures, or links, I guess!
Have a great Sunday everyone.
Dan.
Thursday, 23 January 2014
A Broken Toe Can Bankrupt you
Hello everyone,
It's that big elephant in the room again - healthcare!
Last weekend I broke my toe, falling down the stairs at home. I went to the hospital, where I spent 2 hours in the emergency room, where I was attended to by 3 nurses. They checked my foot over, bandaged it up, and told me if I had any other problems to come back and see them. For this, I paid nothing. Literally, nothing.
I saw this (below) posted by the page 'Being Liberal', and it really brought home to me the ridiculous difference between US healthcare and the socialised healthcare of most other nations of the world.
http://beingliberal.tumblr.com/post/74291527927/kirkwa-and-this-is-why-you-shouldnt-get-sick
I have no reason to doubt the authenticity of those images, and even if some are staged, I know that they aren't far from the truth. One of those posts includes someone who had a broken ankle, which cost over $80,000. I'm shocked and disgusted, $80,000?! I realise my toe is not as major as an ankle, but I dread to think what the cost would have been!
There will be some people who will come back and say, "But you will have good healthcare", and I won't deny that since Jon has a good job, and I intend to work, too, that healthcare won't really be an issue for me. Having said that, the potential is there for exorbitant healthcare bills, and insurance itself is higher (much, much higher, in fact) than what our taxes are for NHS services anyway!
All those who have a problem with socialised healthcare, you need to get a grip and start seeing how other countries look after their citizens. I am dreading the US healthcare system when I move there. It terrifies me to think I could have done the same thing in the US, and it could potentially bankrupt me.
Dan.
It's that big elephant in the room again - healthcare!
Last weekend I broke my toe, falling down the stairs at home. I went to the hospital, where I spent 2 hours in the emergency room, where I was attended to by 3 nurses. They checked my foot over, bandaged it up, and told me if I had any other problems to come back and see them. For this, I paid nothing. Literally, nothing.
I saw this (below) posted by the page 'Being Liberal', and it really brought home to me the ridiculous difference between US healthcare and the socialised healthcare of most other nations of the world.
http://beingliberal.tumblr.com/post/74291527927/kirkwa-and-this-is-why-you-shouldnt-get-sick
I have no reason to doubt the authenticity of those images, and even if some are staged, I know that they aren't far from the truth. One of those posts includes someone who had a broken ankle, which cost over $80,000. I'm shocked and disgusted, $80,000?! I realise my toe is not as major as an ankle, but I dread to think what the cost would have been!
There will be some people who will come back and say, "But you will have good healthcare", and I won't deny that since Jon has a good job, and I intend to work, too, that healthcare won't really be an issue for me. Having said that, the potential is there for exorbitant healthcare bills, and insurance itself is higher (much, much higher, in fact) than what our taxes are for NHS services anyway!
All those who have a problem with socialised healthcare, you need to get a grip and start seeing how other countries look after their citizens. I am dreading the US healthcare system when I move there. It terrifies me to think I could have done the same thing in the US, and it could potentially bankrupt me.
Dan.
Thursday, 16 January 2014
New Year, New Concept
Hello everyone,
The last few days, I have found myself getting quite fired up over some political issues that have featured in the news. I try to refrain from posting my views over the various social networks I belong to, as I don't want to create any unease or tension with my friends, family and contacts. I understand that not everyone has the same views and opinions, and I respect that. On the other hand though, I can be quite opinionated, and like to be quite vocal about my views!
With that, I have decided to spice up this personal blog into something more encompassing, something that will be an outlet for my views and opinions, so I can freely share them without fear of indadvertedly causing offence. Of course, I am for freedom of expression and freedom of speech, and you might think I wouldn't care if I posted my views and someone didn't like it, but, I am also anti-confrontation. If I can avoid an argument, I will. I don't mind debates (bring them on, I say!), but an argument because of something I've said on Facebook has caused offence, is not my intention.
Over the next few days, I will be changing this blog around to accommodate the new format, and will also come up with a new name. Eventually I will set up my own domain name, and probably move the entire thing to a personal website that Jon will set up for me, and will be hosted on our own server (we won't need a new one, we have a lot of space on our Character Central one already!).
Our journey through the immigration system will still feature heavily on here, for as you well know, that is a chapter of our lives that is far from over, and is what brought about this entire blog in the first place.
It's Friday tomorrow, so have a good weekends everyone!
Dan.
The last few days, I have found myself getting quite fired up over some political issues that have featured in the news. I try to refrain from posting my views over the various social networks I belong to, as I don't want to create any unease or tension with my friends, family and contacts. I understand that not everyone has the same views and opinions, and I respect that. On the other hand though, I can be quite opinionated, and like to be quite vocal about my views!
With that, I have decided to spice up this personal blog into something more encompassing, something that will be an outlet for my views and opinions, so I can freely share them without fear of indadvertedly causing offence. Of course, I am for freedom of expression and freedom of speech, and you might think I wouldn't care if I posted my views and someone didn't like it, but, I am also anti-confrontation. If I can avoid an argument, I will. I don't mind debates (bring them on, I say!), but an argument because of something I've said on Facebook has caused offence, is not my intention.
Over the next few days, I will be changing this blog around to accommodate the new format, and will also come up with a new name. Eventually I will set up my own domain name, and probably move the entire thing to a personal website that Jon will set up for me, and will be hosted on our own server (we won't need a new one, we have a lot of space on our Character Central one already!).
Our journey through the immigration system will still feature heavily on here, for as you well know, that is a chapter of our lives that is far from over, and is what brought about this entire blog in the first place.
It's Friday tomorrow, so have a good weekends everyone!
Dan.
Thursday, 9 January 2014
Happy New Year! I'm still here... Updates!
Hello everyone!
First of all, Happy New Year! Welcome to 2014! Second, apologies for not being on here for so long, but honestly, there hasn't been too much to report.
Jon and I welcomed the new year in at Disneyland Paris (where else would you expect us to be?! LOL!), and had a blast as we always do.
Other than that we haven't been up to too much.
We still haven't heard any more on our I-130 petition. We have been in contact with our lawyers as recent as last night, and they informed us that at the moment the processing for applications is taking around 5-6 months (argh!), which means that where we expected to already have our approval notice by now, we now have at least another two months! Eurgh! But, I have to admit, it put our minds at ease, as we would rather the whole thing be taking longer for everyone, than it just be us - otherwise we might start to worry there was a problem!
Of course, there is no reason to worry, and both of us are very regular people (well, as regular as you can be, but anyway!), with nothing that would potentially hold our application back, so I guess it's just a waiting game. Having said that, when it's your entire future hanging on one piece of paper, it can be quite nerve-racking!
Anyway, I thought I would share with you just a few pictures from my favourite moments from 2013.
Enjoy the photos!
Dan.
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