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Originally posted by robmcintosh:
Hi all,
Well I thougt id let you know I'm here, I made it :) .....
I'm just taking a few days out before starting the next stage, we're getting married next week, yeah !!
I entered the US (Dallas) on my K1 on the 8th Sept,
no problems at the airport (POE)...
I completed an I-94, handed in my "brown envelope".
The envelope was opened, my passport stamped (admission stamp), the "tear off part of I-94" attached in my passport.
I was then given the opened envelope and told to go into an adjacent room for "processing".
Here the guy was very nice, he took the contents of the "brown envelope" (yes it appeared to be just the stuff we'd orig sent in with the petition).
Asked where my Fiance was .. "Collecting our baggage" I said.
Asked when we were getting married .. Sept 21st I said.
Said that was fine as I should understand I have 90 days to get married.
He then said that the contents of the envelope would be forwarded to the INS and I'd need the I-94 (now in my passport) when I applied to adjust my status once married.
I then asked "I hear that there may be a chance that you can stamp my passport so that I can work ?" he replied "well we used to do that but since "the events of last year" we dont, I'm afraid" .. "I understand" I said.
I didnt ask but I never got issued the big hat, a pair of levi's, or a horse so I guess I have to find my own :)
... and that was that, I met Yvette collecting our bags and am now here :)

Next ... getting married, AOS, and a job !!
So if anyone has any contacts in Texas who may be able to help a highly experienced web application developer ...
PLEASE let me know !

Thanks to all on this forum (you know who you are), we'd of had a hell of a job getting this far without the help and support !!

Timeline ...
15 Jan 2002 - submitted the application to the Texas INS centre.
(including the I-824 form / cabling request, which is supposed to speed things up between US and UK)
Feb 2002, i downloaded "my" forms from the UK embassy web site, filled them in and sent them off to London.
7 March 2002 - Yvette received the approval from Texas INS (this was quicker than we thought)
After 8 weeks (from Mar 7) I wrote to the Embassy in the UK as I had been told (by the INS helpline - 0906-1500590 -it's expensive) that i should have heard from the UK embassy in 4-6 weeks. I was getting worried !!! But this appeared to prompt some action (maybe)
.... as
17 May - received (packet 3) from the UK embassy, filled out and returned IV15 (only one of "my" forms outstanding as i'd filled out them in Feb)
5th June - rang the helpline again and was told that my "file" had been updated yesterday and it'll now be an 8-12 week wait for an interview.
18th June - Packet 4 received with interview date of June 24th.
24th June - K1 medical / interview and approved !!!
8th Sept - Arrived in US on K1
21st Sept - gonna get married
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The "official part" of this post done ... I'll now share the story of how I "gotchya'd" Yvette on the trip over for anyone interrested in a good story :) ...
To start with Yvette was comming over to the UK for a last visit last week, I told her that I wanted to get a few days after she'd gone beck to do the final last min stuff as I wanted her to enjoy the visit and not be packing ..etc for me.
Well that was my intension to, to start with, but when I went to book the flight, I thought "sod it" it would be nice to fly back with her, and even better if she didnt know !
So, sfter checking there were seats availale on her return flight, I rang American Airlines to see if they could sit me next to her, the guy there was really cool about it and booked me in the seat next to her there and then, he also put a note against our bookings to tell the airport checkin not to say anything when we checked in.
OK so far ?
Well next step was to get my bags and hers to gatwck without arousing her suspisions.
I "created", and sent to Yvette, an e-mail confirmation from BA saying I was booked on Mondays flight, telling her that it was a bargain flight on Monday which I couldnt turn down, and saying we'd both travel down to gatwick, then id stay over the extra nihgt then join her on Monday.
I hired a car from Kennings, theyd run out of escorts so they gave us a Volvo S60 (leather everything, and very fast .. nice start), and we stayed at the travel-in gatwick on Sat night.
Sun morning I got up "to take the car back to Kennings" and left Yvette getting ready for her flight.
On the way back I checked my bags in for the flight, had a word with the check-in staff. A note here is that a mate of mine has a brother who works for American and she'd rang him to see if they could upgrade us to Business. I asked politely if there would be any chance of an upgrade but they said "sorry the flight was full" (oh well, would have been nice!).
Next back to Yvette, I checked her in and sent her into departures, saying goodbye at security. Then I returned back to check in and asked what the latest time I should go through, as I wanted to avoid her for as long as possible. 12.50 was suggested, the flight will have been called by then and I should get down to the departure lounge by 1.15.
So I went through and got down to the lounge on time, the tricky bit here is that I had to walk past the lounge where she was sitting to get to the final check in. I made it and one of the women who had checked me in grabbed me and shuved me behind a screen at the bottom end of the lounge !!
When she'd checked that Yvette had boarded she got me out and said I should take a seat and they'll put me on last, so I sat down for a while. Then she came up again and said, "right this is what we'll do next ... We'll get you on and sit you in Business then I'll go and get Yvette from the back and bring her forward to you".
So I sneaked on and took a seat ... She then found Yvette and said "Miss Withers, we're upgrading you to Business if you'd like to follow me" ...
You should have seen her face when she found me sitting there waiting ... gotchya ... success !!!
And a free upgrade to Business (very comfortable) !!
So thankyou American Airlines.

Rob.

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