The "Vegas Face"

Them "So, where are you emigrating to?"

Me "The US."

Them "Oooh, that's nice! Whereabouts?"

Me "Las Vegas!"

You often get a noise, usually a weird "wooh" type of sigh, but you always get the face - a strange look of surprise, jealousy, incredulity, amusement and, mostly, "WTF???".

I've grown used to seeing the "Vegas Face". People ask me where I'm going and, when I tell them, I'm rewarded with the "Vegas Face". I know that some people think I'm lying ("Poor guy - trying to get attention before he flies out to Buttfuck, Nebraska") and I'm stunned that some women start to flirt with me immediately (some even try to continue once I've mentioned my wife, who I'm flying out to live with) but the one constant is that I'm seeing the "Vegas Face" again.

BTW - packing continues (with Foof telling me to use a "don't know" pile to speed things up and my friend Bananas telling me that I don't have to sort through the things left at my Mum's house quite so carefully as she's guessing that my Mum will look after anything I forget to take) and I've started to send out my résumé - though I'm still at the stage of emailing it to a select group of people - I'm not at the point of sending it to every agency in the South West quite yet.

Being Brutal

Clothes, books, CDs, DVDs, electronics, "collectibles" - it's amazing the amount of stuff I've collected over my 40+ years on this planet.

I have to sort them into three piles:

Stuff to take with me on the plane. Obviously the smallest pile but, as I'm planning on everything else going into storage, I have to be clever about what to pick. I have to have anything that I'll really need in the next few months.

Stuff to put into storage. And to eventually move to the US, where I'll store it again (for a while). I have to learn to tell the difference between the things that should be in this pile and the shiny stuff that really truly should be in the next one...

Stuff to dump/give away. This is where I have to be brutal. I don't want to leave a huge pile of junk at my Mother's place. I'll bin the obvious rubbish but I want to give anyone who wants to a brief window to scavenge whatever they want of my old clothes, VHS cassettes etc. before I throw them all away.

I have to be brutal - I tried this earlier in the year, threw out a load of shit and thought I'd done a good job until I looked at what I'd saved. I shall devote an hour per day (starting tomorrow (oh dear - is that procrastination?)) to sorting through my stuff.

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Edit: This post helped me to put everything in perspective. I had previously thought of sorting through my stuff as "what I wanted to keep and what I wanted to throw away". This was a bad way of thinking as "keep" seemed to imply (at the time) (maybe some of) the things remaining in the UK.

What I need to do is just look at what I want to drag 5,000 miles with me into the desert.

And forget the rest.

Busy busy busy

I now have an interesting list of things to do, both before and after I travel.

I shall leave the stuff I have to do once I'm in the US to another post, now I'll deal with the journey ahead, the journey to my POE (Vegas Baby!).

• My flight is a fully flexible one that I shall move to the end of August.
• I have to sell my car.
• I have to sell my house .
  
• I have an endowment policy on the house that needs cashing in.
• I have to end all my financial affairs (close (or, at least, put in hibernation) bank account(s), kill credit cards, freeze pension).
• I have to arrange for my things to be put into storage, then shipped to the US (once I've passed though the POE) and then put into storage again.
• I have to sell, give away or dump any of my stuff that I'm not taking.
• I have to finish work.
• I'd like to find a job in the US.
• I have to get to Gatwick - I've pretty much decided on option two from this post.

This list is more for my reference than for yours but I will add to it if I suddenly remember/discover any "gotchas" so it may help you prospective/potential immigrants too.

And yes, I've taken my time with this (Both Foof and I are incredible procrastinators - it's amazing how far we've come in this time considering) - expect a mad panic shortly.

The End?

So, gentle reader, you have followed our journey, it's highs and (thankfully few) lows, and in six short months the process that we thought would take until about November is complete.

But not quite.

You see, I'm still in the UK.

I resigned from my job a few weeks ago but this job has a lengthy notice period so I can't actually leave for America until the end of August.

In that time I have a house and car to get rid of. I have a bank account to close, a pension fund to put into "hibernation" plus many other things to sort out.

I also have to get my stuff over to Nevada but I'll have to put it in storage as Foof's one bedroom apartment isn't big enough for her possessions, let alone my crap as well.

So, plenty still to happen here.

The Package...

...is a dark blue plastic bag, about A3 size, with one of the stickers from my interview letter stuck in the top right-hand corner. Below it, an address sticker (including my contact phone number).

Okay, I'm opening it...

Contents:

• Passport (a cursory glance shows the big "Welcome" sticker (from the set stuck to my interview letter) on the front of it)
• "Important Information" Letter (it's the same one that I received from the first (British) guy at the Embassy)
  
• Large Envelope (With a sheet of paper stapled to the back of it)

Okay, now we look a little closer.

The passport has something that looks a lot like this in it:

Okay, mine has a few differences, especially the fact that I'm a man (with a beard) but this is a (sufficiently blurry) example from the interwebs to be a decent illustration.

It's a (very impressive and official-looking) sticker a few pages in and it's, technically, only half of my visa.

The other half is the large envelope.
On the front it has the following:

IMPORTANT NOTICE

To be opened only by the United States Immigration or Public Health Service Officer.

This is your Visa. It must be surrendered to the United States Immigration Officer at Port of Entry into the United States.

Do not pack it - it must be hand carried.

On the back of the envelope is an "Immigrant Data Summary (this is not a visa)" sheet with lots of lovely biographical data about me on it. There is even a picture of me as well as room for a barcode and an admission stamp.

The "Important Information" Letter has details about not opening the envelope, the Green Card, conditional statuses (as I have a CR-1 visa), paying taxes (eek!) and the SSN.

Visa Las Vegas!

At 8.35am BST on 11th July 2009, I received a phone call.

From the couriers.

This was unexpected to say the least.

"Would you mind having your package early?"

"er . . . when?" I replied is a slight state of confusion.

"Ten minutes?"

So I now have a package from the Embassy . . .

Note - Shortly after this the status on the courier tracking site changed to:

Our records indicate the item has been delivered. If not received please call 0870 389 1000

11/07/2009

3-5 Working Days

The nice lady at the courier counter at the Embassy said that my visa should be processed in three to five working days and then would be couriered to me overnight.

She also told me that I should check their website, http://www.thedx.co.uk/, every evening after five o'clock to see if my visa will be delivered the following day.

So, this morning (about 5.15am), while chatting to Foof (isn't Skype wonderful?) I logged onto their website for a trial run.

Currently their website has the above tracking box on the right side of the main page. Just enter the ten digit invoice number and click the "find" button.

You are then asked to enter the post code of the delivery address.

My "Delivery Status" told me that my package was due for delivery on July 13th.

Huh?

What happened to 3-5 working days??

I shall be in from 6am - 8am on Monday morning, just in case this is for real.

After the Interview

Still feeling a bit light-headed and confused, I queued up at the courier's counter and, when called forwards, handed the lady my (pink) form.

I paid for early morning (6am-8am) delivery (you can track your package too) and ended up paying just under forty pounds on my debit card as they had no change.

The courier chatted to me and made that weird noise that I get a lot when I tell people that I'm going to live in Vegas.

I walked back to the pharmacy, retrieved my phone and called Foofer (even though it was 1:50am in Vegas). We talked for a long time, I moved to a side-street (called Red Place) as it was quieter there.

Afterwards I texted practically everyone I knew.

The Interview (part two)

You queue at reception and show them your letter - they scan the barcode, print off some stickers and stick them to your letter.

You will have a number on the stickers.
Non-immigrants will have N100, N102 etc
Immigrants (on my day at least) have I851, I852 etc.

You go and sit in the seats and stare at the screens. There is a shop and some toilets. There also seemed to be free internet facilities but there was a queue and I didn't want to get distracted. There is also a photo-booth near to the cashier.

I may have put window 11 in the wrong place.

You sit until you are called. They start calling at eight. At first the calls are in order but, as soon as people start getting called back a second time, it appears to degenerate into chaos.

The non-immigrants vastly outnumber the immigrants which mean that the (first and second) calls for immigrants are easier to follow.

On my day the non-immigrants were called first, there only seemed to be a handful of immigrants. The ratio of 7:1 held out for the first hour but then the number of non-immigrants seemed to swell.

I was called to window 14, given my x-ray from the medical, asked a few simple questions (non-interview mainly) and gave my fingerprints. The guy checked my documents were all there (thanks NVC), said the fee was already paid and had some fresh photos from me.

I sat back down.

An eternity later I was called to window 16 where a friendly American gentleman checked my fingerprints (to see if it was really me) and asked me to raise my right hand and swear an oath to tell the truth.

He then asked:

"How many times have you been to Vegas?"
"What's the longest time you've stayed in the US?"
"When did you get married?"
and
"How did you meet?"

He then asked:
"If I was going to approve your visa, when would you be travelling?"

Then he told me to go to the courier and arrange delivery of my visa. I stood there dumbfounded. I was sure I'd misunderstood.

I asked him if that was all . . . he answered "Yes, your visa is approved!"

Yay!!!

The Interview (part one)

I was at Goulds chemists at 7.30 when it opened.

I stored two mobile phones there for the massive sum of £3.

I walked towards the Embassy, crossed the zebra crossing and joined the smallish queue ahead of me.

You're called forwards and asked for your interview letter.

They ask if you have any electronics on you or metal. Those with electronics are sent up to the chemists while you are given a clear plastic bag for your metal (keys, change, belt).

You then join another queue where you will get called forwards to show your passport.

You then join another queue where you will get called forwards to go through a metal detector and put your bag and papers through an x-ray machine.

You then walk around to the North of the Embassy which is where the visa entrance is.

You queue at reception and show them your letter...

Preparation

Okay - http://www.metcheck.com tells me that it shouldn't be raining while I'm standing outside the embassy.

http://www.tubeplanner.com/ is a simple way to show me the best way around the Tube through I also check http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/livetravelnews/realtime/tube/default.html to check for delays (and there are a few today).

I'm also putting together a checklist of things to take:

• Passport
• Interview letter
• Money
• Passport-sized Photos (I'm taking three)
  

I'll also have the following:

• More relationship evidence
• Birth & Police back-up certificates (& 2 copies)
• My mobile phone in a bag, ready for the pharmacy drop-off
• Train tickets
• Hotel reservation
• Tube route (see above)
• Door key (I must remember to leave my car keys at home as they are banned from the Embassy)
• 2 cards (1 credit, 1 debit)

And while we're at it - deodorant, battery shaver, toothbrush, toothpaste - all to be thrown away at the hotel so I haven't got any baggage. I'm wearing an old shirt now and underwear/socks I won't miss. I'm taking a (plastic) bag with underwear/socks and a nice shirt to wear on the day.

Medical Notes

Amersham Station.

If you don't know your way here it can be tricky to find. The station itself is small and cramped with ticket booth #2 well hidden.

View Larger Map


Finchley Road.

Yes, it is simply a case of crossing over the platform but, remember, the train you're leaving is a tube train. It's doors don't stay open for long. A large group of people on the train with me were chatting and joking as they were getting off and seemed not to notice the "doors closing " alarm. Some got stuck on the train (and I'm guessing had to swap for the Jubilee Line at Baker Street instead - a much more complicated step).

Bentinck Street

No, I didn't find it first time - I was distracted by Hinde Street Methodist Church (it was surprising to see a church wedged into such a tiny area) and didn't notice that Hinde Street turns into Bentinck Street.

Waiting Room Advice

Have your medical form filled out with as much information as possible. There was one guy there who didn't know what a case number was (I repeat - it's not that he didn't know what his case number was, he didn't know that you were given a case number by the NVC - he had to phone his fiancée for advice (not the last time he had to do that too)). Be prepared. Read all the immigration forums/blogs you can (example). Have your £180 in a little bundle/envelope, ready to pay.

Other Advice

• Always get there early and do some scouting (applies to the medical and the interview).
• So far Foof & I have had no major hiccups, that's mainly because we keep planning ahead and we check and re-check each other's paperwork.
• These people are all just doing a job. If something goes wrong it's better to ask their advice than to give your opinion.

Recon

Very useful map
(click it for a more legible size)

So, while I was waiting for my appointment at the doctors', I wandered down to the American Embassy to do a little reconnaissance for my interview on Friday. As there are many exits from Bond St. tube station I haven't tried to draw a route on the above map, I've just provided some shops to use as references to get your bearings.

Points of note are the chemists:

View Larger Map

and the embassy itself:

View Larger Map

What's Up Doc? Part 2

So, once you've come back from your x-ray (mine was done in a back room by a very friendly gentleman) you will wait in the waiting room again.

Eventually you'll get called for your examination - the doctor will come for you personally (or at least greet you at the door of the examining room).

As this will be different for everyone I shall just go over what happened to me:

First, a chat. This showed that the form you bring in is, essentially, a waste of time. The doctor sat down with me and filled in another, more official looking, form. She went over anything unusual in my medical history and double checked my vaccinations.

Then I was measured. Weight (I was 2.5kg heavier than when I'd weighed myself earlier that week - oops), height (at least I hadn't shrunk/grown) and, moving me over to stand by the examining "couch", my eyesight

As I was standing by the examining couch... I removed my shirt, sat on the bed/couch and breathed as an ice cold stethoscope was pressed against parts of my torso. I had my blood-pressure taken too. At some point she checked my ears too.

So I might as well lie down... Now I had various parts of my body pressed upon as my lymphatic system was given a thorough MOT.

And while I'm relaxed... My jeans had to be opened up and I had to turn my head and cough (really!) - also, if they need to look at any part of you that's still covered up, (operation scars, extra testicles etc.), this is when they'll ask.

Bloodshed, literally Finally she took a blood sample (for HIV and syphilis) and informed me that, pending results from my blood test/x-ray, I'd passed and that my details would be sent to the US Embassy next week. If there were any issues they would call me immediately. I had the correct vaccinations (yay!) and immunities (I'd had chicken pox as a kid) and went back to the waiting room while they wrote up the bill. I started to bleed again and got taken to a store room where I got patched up.


A short while later I paid my £180 (in cash as it seemed the quickest way to do it) and I was off, back towards Bond Street and a long journey home...

What's Up Doc? Part 1

View Larger Map

That's the door, the doorbell is on the right.
Press the button and you'll get buzzed in.

Once inside, walk forwards and head right.

Reception is just through the next door and it has two hatches.

You'll hand in your passport (which they'll photocopy and give back) your medical form (plus any additional sheets) and any vaccination records. They'll then send you around to the waiting room (straight on, turn right - I'll hack together a bad floorplan and include it in the second part of this post).

Once in the waiting room they'll surprise you with a quiz. It will be mostly the stuff from your medical form, just answer the yes/no questions on the top half of the first page and sign the HIV disclaimer on the last sheet.

Hand the forms back and sit in the waiting room until they call you for your x-ray.

Amersham

I arrived in Amersham at 9am and parked in the multi-storey car park that's just to the east of the station.

I paid for parking (£5) and walked to the station where I paid a further £9 for a return ticket to Bond Street (zone 1) which turned out to be an "off-peak day travelcard".

The train pulled into the station as I approached the platform (as this is the first stop the train was empty) and it left (with me on board) at 9.20

At Finchley Road station I stepped off my train, walked across the platform and stepped onto the Southbound Jubilee line train that would take me to Bond Street.

I arrived at Bond Street at 10.20, headed north (I had a tiny compass on my £5 backpack) from Oxford Street into Stratford Place and then realised that this was a dead end and had to come back. I wandered up Marylebone Lane until I saw the church at Hinde Street and knew I was at the doctors'...

View Larger Map
If you're looking at the church from this angle, you have your back to the doctors'

Jabbed!

As you may (or may not) recall, I decided to have some vaccinations prior to my medical to save some money as the NHS will give me them for free. I needed the MMR for measles, mumps and rubella and the Tdap for tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (whooping cough).

So the nurse gave me my two vaccinations, the first being the MMR (a live vaccine apparently). The second, she explained, had been for tetanus, diphtheria and polio. Sorry? Polio?

It turns out that the NHS don't do the Tdap.

So I'm a little confused as to what happens next.

Logically, as the Tdap is not a live vaccine, I can have that on Friday but who knows.

Stay tuned...