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 : )