does the embassy help with cost to get home - stuck in the US with no help
 

Does anybody know if the British embassy will assist with the cost of returning to the UK?
I am married to a US citizen but my status expired some time ago (and so did my British passport). The marriage has been rocky from the get go with various different incidents including one where he was arrested and charged with domestic violence. The charges were later dropped by the police and we got back togethor to "work on our marriage". In the most recent incident I found a string of emails between him and women on the casual encounters section of craigs list arranging meetings. I am desperately unhappy and just want to get home at this point. As I have no status I obviously have no income and as he is the sole wage earner I have no money to pay for a flight. I am not sure if I would even be allowed to board a plane with an expired passport. I have no family to help either here or in the UK and I am increasingly desperate. Hoping somebody here can help with advice.

Re: does the embassy help with cost to get home - stuck in the US with no help
 

They will but they expect you to pay it back.

Re: does the embassy help with cost to get home - stuck in the US with no help
 

I take it you don't have a credit card, or are not listed as a card holder on any of his credit cards?

Rene

Re: does the embassy help with cost to get home - stuck in the US with no help
 

No I don't have a credit card they are all in his name.

Re: does the embassy help with cost to get home - stuck in the US with no help
 

...and you are not an authorized user on any of the cards, right?

Do you have access to a checking or savings account? Is there enough in there for a flight home?

Rene

Re: does the embassy help with cost to get home - stuck in the US with no help
 

No I have no access to anything he doesn't give me - a position he has been very keen to maintain. One of the issues has always been control. We have been married for several years and yet never filed because apparently we "couldn't afford the filing fees". I am beginning to think my best bet may be to move out to a womens shelter and try to work with the embassy from there as once I have left I will not be able to feed myself.

Re: does the embassy help with cost to get home - stuck in the US with no help
 

One thing to mention is that going home is not your only option. If you want to stay and have residency with permission to work that may also be possible. However, once you leave you relinquish that option, and will be barred from returning to the US for many years.

Just putting it on the table for you to consider.

If you're definitely going home, contact the embassy and they'll repatriate you. I'm sure they'll whine and winge a lot.....but they will get you home.

Re: does the embassy help with cost to get home - stuck in the US with no help
 

I don't want to leave the country but I am not understanding how I could stay with no income, no right to work and no access to unemloyment benefits.

Re: does the embassy help with cost to get home - stuck in the US with no help
 

This thread may help answer your questions about travelling using an expired UK PP. If you require help with repatriation I think you need to contact your nearest British Consulate office.

Re: does the embassy help with cost to get home - stuck in the US with no help
 

It might be possible to get you residency with permission to work.

You need to contact Catholic Charities if you're interested in pursuing this. You don't need to be a Catholic to get their help.

If you're interested in doing your own research on whether it may be possible, Google VAWA.

Re: does the embassy help with cost to get home - stuck in the US with no help
 

OK this is extremely helpful. Thankyou. I will contact the Catholic Charities and see where I am at. It has made a real difference to get some advice and just not to feel so alone with this.

Re: does the embassy help with cost to get home - stuck in the US with no help
 

It must be tough being in a strange country with no family to help you either side of the pond. Good luck.

Re: does the embassy help with cost to get home - stuck in the US with no help
 

You don't say where you are, but if in Boston area, well New England -

http://www.britcharity.org/About/WhoWeAssist.htm

I'm sure there are other charities who might be able to help out.

Re: does the embassy help with cost to get home - stuck in the US with no help
 

Thankyou Bob. I have emailed the secretary to see if there are any similar organisations working in my part of the US
Don't want to seem cagey about not revealing my location but I really don't need him to smell a rat any sooner than necessary and as such am remaining as anonymous as I can for as long as I can.
Thankyou again.

Re: does the embassy help with cost to get home - stuck in the US with no help
 

The consulate will help you speak to friends and family in the UK and try and get them to assist with getting you money wired here to get you home. What they won't do is give you money and say "Here you go, don't worry about it". Someone else mentioned that if they give you money, they will expect it back. In actual fact, they will require you to sign an "Undertaking To Repay" which basically entails you giving the Consulate your passport, them giving you a loan and an emergency travel document, good for a one way journey to the UK, and until you have paid back any funds you owe you will not be issued a new passport.

As others have mentioned, if you want to stay here, best to contact the Catholic Charities or read up on VAWA.

Good luck.

Re: does the embassy help with cost to get home - stuck in the US with no help
 

Hope you can figure it out, I can only imagine how you must feel.

Re: does the embassy help with cost to get home - stuck in the US with no help
 

Wow, for once I'm actually proud of you *****les and the support you're giving. Good luck, OP. It'll work out.

Re: does the embassy help with cost to get home - stuck in the US with no help
 

Oh you poor thing, sounds like an awful situation. That website that Bob mentions looks promising though.

Re: does the embassy help with cost to get home - stuck in the US with no help
 

I know of someone who was in your exact situation a few years ago. She lamented that she hadn't taken advantage of the VAWA at the time. She tried to "work it out" but then got stuck into a 4 year divorce battle. If you'd like to PM me, I could put you on to her. Good luck. :fingerscrossed:

Re: does the embassy help with cost to get home - stuck in the US with no help
 

I am sending you a personal message. Thanks again to all of you.

Re: does the embassy help with cost to get home - stuck in the US with no help
 

Another organization that provides free/low cost Immigration help is the International Institute. There may be one in your area. Each one seems to have its own website, so I can't really give you a link. I would just Google "International Institute (your city or state)".

Good luck.
- Eric S.

Re: does the embassy help with cost to get home - stuck in the US with no help
 

If you are posting from a computer that he also uses ... be very careful.

Re: does the embassy help with cost to get home - stuck in the US with no help
 

My computer with sole access. Running vista incognito and clearing browser history on exit and manually clearing cookies and temporary internet folders twice daily.
You make a very valid point but if there's one thing the last couple of years have taught me it is to be very careful.
If/when I make it through all this and can actually work again I may well consider becoming a private investigator!

Re: does the embassy help with cost to get home - stuck in the US with no help
 

It's sad that these threads come up more often than we would like. Perhaps we need a sticky or wiki entry that lists refuges, charities and the like that can help people (it's men as well as women) who are in abusive situations like this. As well as perhaps a check list of things to do, grab ID, papers, get out.

Mods, anyone?

Re: does the embassy help with cost to get home - stuck in the US with no help
 

:)

Don't put a priority on anything before your own safety. Good luck.

Re: does the embassy help with cost to get home - stuck in the US with no help
 

It's what the wiki is for....and anyone can start one, so if you've got suggestions on putting one together, I'm sure others could help contribute :)

Re: does the embassy help with cost to get home - stuck in the US with no help
 

There's this one for peple trying to get back to the UK :)

Re: does the embassy help with cost to get home - stuck in the US with no help
 

Smart arse :-)

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Domestic_violence

It's a very rough outline right now and I would appreciate it if people could contribute names or organizations, websites, help lines etc.

Re: does the embassy help with cost to get home - stuck in the US with no help
 

Excellent :)

The "Who Can Help" section should include domestic violence shelters.

For women in the Dallas area:

http://www.genesisshelter.org/

They consistently serve at-risk women regardless of nationality, citizenship, or immigration status.

Re: does the embassy help with cost to get home - stuck in the US with no help
 

Great start!

Added the link Leslie posted :)

Re: does the embassy help with cost to get home - stuck in the US with no help
 

Excellent. :thumbsup:

Re: does the embassy help with cost to get home - stuck in the US with no help
 

Thanks Bob :wub:

Genesis is a completely professional and confidential shelter for battered women. And they do not ever, under any circumstance, concern themselves with immigration status.

Re: does the embassy help with cost to get home - stuck in the US with no help
 

Must be a complete life line for many women. Thank heavens for places like that.

Re: does the embassy help with cost to get home - stuck in the US with no help
 

Especially if you're living in a foreign country and your husband is threatening you with deportation. I'm not saying that's happening in this case but we have had members who have been in that situation.

Re: does the embassy help with cost to get home - stuck in the US with no help
 

Thanks Bob, Leslie and everyone else.

Re: does the embassy help with cost to get home - stuck in the US with no help
 

Women in abusive relationships feel isolated even without the cloud of deportation, so I can only imagine how foreign born women must feel.

Being in a border state, obviously, what often happens is that both the abuser and the victim will be illegal and the abuser uses this fact to further isolate and control the victim. The victim is afraid to go to authorities because they're afraid they themselves will be arrested and deported.

It's not just Mexicans though, frequently men working over here on legitimate visas, whose wives who are completely dependant on them for everything, use similar tactics.

It's pretty sick.

Re: does the embassy help with cost to get home - stuck in the US with no help
 

http://www.baddteddy.com/abuse/abuse...tennessee.html

Given that we don't know the location in this case hope this helps and can be posted where you are trying to set up your help page.

Re: does the embassy help with cost to get home - stuck in the US with no help
 

Added PA Domestic Violence resources to the Wiki