WE GOT NOA2!!!

This is probably the biggest hurdle in the entire visa process and we got in a record 49 days! It’s not unusual for it to take 4-6 months for people to get it, so I was very pleased [...]]]> So, a ton has happened in the last month since I (Justine) last wrote. First off…

WE GOT NOA2!!!

This is probably the biggest hurdle in the entire visa process and we got in a record 49 days! It’s not unusual for it to take 4-6 months for people to get it, so I was very pleased and happy when I got the text message from USCIS. My days of obsessively checking their website were over…

And instead, I called the National Visa Center (where the petition went next) every day. I was told that the mail could take 90 days for it to arrive and to call back then. Haha. Nope. It’s their job to answer the phone, so while I was oh-so-nice-and-polite, I did call every day. We were lucky enough that our names didn’t show up as the same as some mass murderer…

My name is very unique…but I was sure there were some other “David Wood” miscreants running about. Apparently not.

Then the NVC forwarded our petition to the U.S. Embassy in London where they took more than two weeks to open up their package and file us in their system. That was quite annoying, but it also gave me something to do, which was calling the Department of State (a local call, since I live in D.C.) and being unfailingly polite, but persistent in calling every day.

At this point, David has gotten a copy of the long-form of his birth certificate and has sent off for a police report. He will schedule a medical exam to confirm that he doesn’t have HIV, syphillis, or tuberculosis (TB). Want to know a small part of why healthcare costs so much? At the medical exam, he has a chest x-ray to confirm no TB in his lungs. Later on down this visa process, he has to get a skin TB test. You might remember it; a nurse would have injected some fluid on your forearm causing a bubble to rise. Sure, it’s fine and all. By itself. But a chest x-ray is so much more diagnostic of TB, that a skin test is literally a waste of money. It’s irritating to someone who knows about this kind of stuff.

Anyway…he’ll also have the doctor confirm that he is a male. Haha. I don’t envy him for that one.

We’re shooting for an interview in mid-February to mid-March. Since the United Kingdom is a low-fraud country (i.e. everyone and their brother isn’t trying to get into the U.S. illegally), all the embassy really cares about is that I have enough monies to support him, 125% of the poverty line for 2 people, which is about $23,000. Definitely can cover that.

Wedding plans…we have two caterer interviews set up for February right after we get back from the Engaged Encounter . Catering is ridiculously expensive! We couldn’t believe how much the various companies were asking. We’re still within our budget, but it’s starting to get tight. Hopefully since we have all the major expenses (venue, photographer, dress, catering) estimated with real figures, everything else should be fairly doable.

I’m seeing David this weekend which makes me very happy <3 I’ve also booked my December flight and will spend 4 days in the UK and 2 in Italy with my little sister who is studying abroad in Florence.

Off to sleep! Just finished working my 5th 12 hour shift in a row! Gotta pay for those flights : )

We’re getting [...]]]> Well, it’s been just over 6 weeks since I sent off the I-129F form for the initial petition to get David over here. No news yet, but the Vermont Service Center (the other center being California) has started approving petitions earlier than usual, so hopefully we should hear something within another month or two.

We’re getting information together now that we’ll need once the application passes through USCIS and the National Visa Center, like David’s police report, immunizations, and my IRS tax receipts. You have to have made at least 125% of the poverty line (or have a co-sponsor) to ensure that the immigrant doesn’t end up on welfare, which is actually a good idea, in my opinion. I also found out that on one of the future forms that David will have to fill out, he has to list all the countries (including dates) that he has traveled to in the last 10 years, or since he was 13 years old. Wow. Being European, he’s been to Spain, France, the U.S., Canada, etc. many times. I won’t envy him trying to remember all those times : )

Once David adjusts status (to get a green card, ability to work, and ability to leave the U.S.), our visa journey will be far from over…in two years after we get the green card, we’ll file for “Removing Conditions” so that he can get a 10 year permanent resident green card. Three years after we adjust status, he’ll be eligible to file for U.S. citizenship, taking the test and everything. He’s pretty much decided he’d like to do that (becoming a dual citizen) because this will allow us to travel around the world without worrying if he has spent too much time out of the U.S. but that also means we won’t be going on any extended trips outside the U.S. for awhile.

On the wedding front, my dress has arrived! I can’t try it on (or see how “white” it is since I got that instead of the ivory posted on facebook) because it’s at home in Seattle, but I’ll be getting it fitted in February when I go home to visit with David. While there, we’ll be interviewing caterers, working on wedding invitations, have our engagement party, and go on what’s called an “Engagement Encounter.” This is a retreat required by many Christian religions in the U.S. and is a weekend away with other engaged couples to talk about marriage, implications, the future, how to handle arguments, etc.

I just got back from seeing David about a week ago where we went to a London opera, found The Leaky Cauldron (as according to Steve Vander Ark), and went to one of the oldest pubs in London, more than 400 years old. I also got to see the Tower of London where they house the Crown Jewels–the scepter and crowns and coronation gowns, etc. Amazing and gorgeous! Definitely highly recommended. We also spent a couple of days in Rotherham (David’s home) and I got to meet David’s grandmother again along with one of his aunts. They’re both lovely ladies and I enjoyed hearing about their families.

Can’t wait until November when I see David again for Wrockstock, which is a weekend away at a YMCA camp where about 20 bands will play Wizard Rock, music about Harry Potter. It’ll be my third year going; I’m on staff this year and will be a “welcome” person to answer people’s questions and getting them settled in. Fun times!

Hope you are all doing well!

-Justine

We’ll be using Tom Ellis, who I’ve admired from afar for a long time back in my days of wedding fantasies with no boyfriend that lots of [...]]]> In the past two weeks, I’ve been able (with David’s approval, of course) to put down deposits for our wedding reception site, a photographer, and paid for my dress!

We’ll be using Tom Ellis, who I’ve admired from afar for a long time back in my days of wedding fantasies with no boyfriend that lots of women do. He has very reasonable prices AND lets us keep digital rights to the photography which is what I’m most keenly interested. I’m going to try my hand at digital scrapbooking in the next few months; I’ve done conventional handmade scrapbooking in the past, but it takes forever and a day to do trying to lay everything out and writing everything down.

The reception site will be at the Environmental Service Building in University Place. I had also done a lot of research on different reception site areas and this was very cost-effective and absolutely gorgeous, with views overlooking Puget Sound.

Oh yeah, the date? September 11, 2010. A few things about this date: It had to be after Labor Day since as a nurse with little seniority, I can have 1-2 weeks off during the summer and I already planned that time off for our trip to Florida for another (can you guess?) Harry Potter conference. It also had to be on a Saturday to be kind to people’s schedules and our friends still in school. September is the month where the weather starts getting to be iffy in Washington state and I didn’t want to push the date too far back. So, 9/11? After talking with David for his agreement, I decided this day also because it’s not a memorial day that my country chose to honor those fallen in battle or for some heroic acts. It’s a day that was taken away from us and really, from the world. The world will never be the same after it…and yet David and I will be taking it back in part by deciding to celebrate our love and vows to each other on this day.

…

I’ve been able to get all our vendors so far to agree to push the wedding date forward in case the visa hasn’t come through yet (normal processing is 6-9 months and it’s more than a year ahead now), although another scenario may be that David gets his visa too soon and will be “forced” to enter the U.S. early and then us having to get a court legal wedding before the visa expires. Unfortunately, we really have no control at all in this situation…so pray for a swift visa, but not too swift?

We love you all!