By Victoria
We have a date: August 7, 2015!
We've booked an officiant to come to our apartment and conduct a short and sweet vow ceremony, including a ring exchange. She'll then fill out the rest of our marriage license and be responsible for mailing it back to the courthouse. After 10 days, we can write in to get certified copies from the courthouse.
The next day (Saturday), we're going to drive down to my hometown of Charleston, SC and spend the weekend with my family to celebrate. This will also be pretty low-key. I'll more than likely take that whole following week off of work as well, but we haven't decided what we want to do with that time (or where we might go!).
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
Marriage License Received
By Victoria
Today we went over to the Fairfax County Courthouse and got our marriage license! This is only part 1 of being officially recognized as a married couple...next is finding an officiant/celebrant who will fill out the bottom half of the form (the marriage certificate) and mail it back to the courthouse for final processing.
The process of getting the license was actually very simple. Fairfax County has a pre-application option online that allows you to fill out the paperwork before even going to the courthouse, which saves everyone some time. For both spouses, this paperwork is just basic information like your full name, level of education, parents' full names, birth state (or other country), etc. It's only about a page in total. Once that's submitted, you receive an email confirmation and instructions to bring a valid photo ID and Social Security Number with you to the courthouse. (The pre-application expires in 60 days.)
We were a little worried by the fact that Colin obviously doesn't have a SSN since he isn't a U.S. citizen, so to be safe, we collected pretty much every form of ID he brought over with him -- passport, birth certificate, driver's license, old voter registration -- and the official K-1 petition approval from the NVC in case we needed supporting evidence in lieu of the SSN.
Our visit to the courthouse was probably 15-20 minutes total...no problem. We went through security and got to the office we needed, where the wait wasn't long because there weren't many people. When it was our turn, we handed over our pre-application confirmation for the woman to scan, along with my driver's license and Colin's passport. There's also a $30 fee to get a marriage license.
After that she looked at Colin and asked him if he had a Social Security Number; he said "no," to which she just nodded and kept typing things on her computer. So we didn't need any of his other ID information! It turns out she just left that field blank. She didn't even ask for my SSN either and used my VA driver's license number in its place. Oh well.
The last part was just reviewing the information we'd submitted to make sure it was accurate, then she had us raise our right hands and take an oath that we were truthful with our information and intentions...then there was an explanation of the next steps, she handed over our packet of papers, and we were off!
Today we went over to the Fairfax County Courthouse and got our marriage license! This is only part 1 of being officially recognized as a married couple...next is finding an officiant/celebrant who will fill out the bottom half of the form (the marriage certificate) and mail it back to the courthouse for final processing.
The process of getting the license was actually very simple. Fairfax County has a pre-application option online that allows you to fill out the paperwork before even going to the courthouse, which saves everyone some time. For both spouses, this paperwork is just basic information like your full name, level of education, parents' full names, birth state (or other country), etc. It's only about a page in total. Once that's submitted, you receive an email confirmation and instructions to bring a valid photo ID and Social Security Number with you to the courthouse. (The pre-application expires in 60 days.)
We were a little worried by the fact that Colin obviously doesn't have a SSN since he isn't a U.S. citizen, so to be safe, we collected pretty much every form of ID he brought over with him -- passport, birth certificate, driver's license, old voter registration -- and the official K-1 petition approval from the NVC in case we needed supporting evidence in lieu of the SSN.
Our visit to the courthouse was probably 15-20 minutes total...no problem. We went through security and got to the office we needed, where the wait wasn't long because there weren't many people. When it was our turn, we handed over our pre-application confirmation for the woman to scan, along with my driver's license and Colin's passport. There's also a $30 fee to get a marriage license.
After that she looked at Colin and asked him if he had a Social Security Number; he said "no," to which she just nodded and kept typing things on her computer. So we didn't need any of his other ID information! It turns out she just left that field blank. She didn't even ask for my SSN either and used my VA driver's license number in its place. Oh well.
The last part was just reviewing the information we'd submitted to make sure it was accurate, then she had us raise our right hands and take an oath that we were truthful with our information and intentions...then there was an explanation of the next steps, she handed over our packet of papers, and we were off!
Friday, June 26, 2015
Accepted through Immigration
By Victoria
Colin is flying out of Dublin, Ireland directly to the Dulles International Airport in Washington, DC (technically northern Virginia) at about 7:35 a.m. EST (in a few minutes). Dublin actually serves as a Point of Entry (POE) for immigration into the United States, which means they check your visa papers over there instead of having to wait until you land on U.S. soil. I got to talk to Colin this morning, and he's been accepted to immigrate to the United States!
Reportedly, it was very easy. All he had to do was hand his sealed visa packet envelope -- which he received after being approved at his London interview -- to the immigration officer. The officer opened it, looked through the papers, took a photo of Colin, and reminded him that we have to get married within 3 months. That was it! So once Colin lands in the Dulles airport, all he has to do is go through regular international customs/security.
His plane is scheduled to land at 3:35 p.m. EST!
Colin is flying out of Dublin, Ireland directly to the Dulles International Airport in Washington, DC (technically northern Virginia) at about 7:35 a.m. EST (in a few minutes). Dublin actually serves as a Point of Entry (POE) for immigration into the United States, which means they check your visa papers over there instead of having to wait until you land on U.S. soil. I got to talk to Colin this morning, and he's been accepted to immigrate to the United States!
Reportedly, it was very easy. All he had to do was hand his sealed visa packet envelope -- which he received after being approved at his London interview -- to the immigration officer. The officer opened it, looked through the papers, took a photo of Colin, and reminded him that we have to get married within 3 months. That was it! So once Colin lands in the Dulles airport, all he has to do is go through regular international customs/security.
His plane is scheduled to land at 3:35 p.m. EST!
Monday, June 15, 2015
Next Step: Legal Marriage
By Victoria
Once Colin is accepted at the border of the U.S., the K-1 Visa 90-day period to get married kicks in.
To be married in the state of Virginia, we only need to have a marriage license issued to us by the county court, have any certified officiant perform the marriage/fill out the marriage register, and have the officiant mail the form back to the courthouse. There is no requirement for witnesses, no blood test, no waiting period -- nothing like that. Easy! But there is also no Justice of the Peace at courthouses here, so we do have to find our own officiant. We can be married pretty much anywhere in the state, though...you could probably stand on the sidewalk outside the courthouse and have the officiant sign the marriage register right after you get it, if you wanted.
Given this process, it should be pretty easy for us to be married within a month after Colin arrives! There's no point in waiting, as that will only drag out the subsequent process to get his green card/permanent resident status and his work permission. (Yes, this will require a boatload of more forms and evidence, plus another months-long wait.)
As I've mentioned previously, we'll worry about having a small wedding ceremony later on, possibly a year afterward. We still plan to celebrate once we're married, though!
Once Colin is accepted at the border of the U.S., the K-1 Visa 90-day period to get married kicks in.
To be married in the state of Virginia, we only need to have a marriage license issued to us by the county court, have any certified officiant perform the marriage/fill out the marriage register, and have the officiant mail the form back to the courthouse. There is no requirement for witnesses, no blood test, no waiting period -- nothing like that. Easy! But there is also no Justice of the Peace at courthouses here, so we do have to find our own officiant. We can be married pretty much anywhere in the state, though...you could probably stand on the sidewalk outside the courthouse and have the officiant sign the marriage register right after you get it, if you wanted.
Given this process, it should be pretty easy for us to be married within a month after Colin arrives! There's no point in waiting, as that will only drag out the subsequent process to get his green card/permanent resident status and his work permission. (Yes, this will require a boatload of more forms and evidence, plus another months-long wait.)
As I've mentioned previously, we'll worry about having a small wedding ceremony later on, possibly a year afterward. We still plan to celebrate once we're married, though!
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Preparation for Leaving (and Official Move Date)
By Colin
I have an official announcement for moving: My ticket to the U.S. is booked for June 26th.
I think my final day at work will be this Saturday (5th), and the next 3 weeks will be complete bedlam with getting everything else fixed before I go.
My visa expires July 7, so my time was running down. The visa lasts for six months, but they start it at the date of your medical exam instead of the date you're actually issued the visa.
My preparations are now well under way.
I have started to sell larger things that I won't be able to bring with me. DVDs and CDs are being taken out of their boxes and the boxes thrown away. I've used the boxes that blank CDs come in to store the discs, saving a lot of room and weight. Aside from a lot of digital media, my main items for shipping are a few books and a couple of smaller electrical items. These should fit in one or two medium sized boxes.
I have also had some good news regarding the flat. I thought that under my Co-Ownership terms of agreement that it was impossible to rent, but since the flat had still not sold after a few months on the market and a reasonable reduction in price, I contacted Co-Ownership regarding my situation.
I attended an interview at their office and was told that I could rent the flat with certain clauses in place (permission from my mortgage lender, a legally drawn up leasing agreement with the tenant, proof that it had been on the market for a certain period of time and so on).
I'm still waiting for a form from the lender, but from what their man told me on the phone, he sees no reason that I would be turned down, which is a big relief.
If anything else of note comes up soon, I'll post another update!
I have an official announcement for moving: My ticket to the U.S. is booked for June 26th.
I think my final day at work will be this Saturday (5th), and the next 3 weeks will be complete bedlam with getting everything else fixed before I go.
My visa expires July 7, so my time was running down. The visa lasts for six months, but they start it at the date of your medical exam instead of the date you're actually issued the visa.
My preparations are now well under way.
I have started to sell larger things that I won't be able to bring with me. DVDs and CDs are being taken out of their boxes and the boxes thrown away. I've used the boxes that blank CDs come in to store the discs, saving a lot of room and weight. Aside from a lot of digital media, my main items for shipping are a few books and a couple of smaller electrical items. These should fit in one or two medium sized boxes.
I have also had some good news regarding the flat. I thought that under my Co-Ownership terms of agreement that it was impossible to rent, but since the flat had still not sold after a few months on the market and a reasonable reduction in price, I contacted Co-Ownership regarding my situation.
I attended an interview at their office and was told that I could rent the flat with certain clauses in place (permission from my mortgage lender, a legally drawn up leasing agreement with the tenant, proof that it had been on the market for a certain period of time and so on).
I'm still waiting for a form from the lender, but from what their man told me on the phone, he sees no reason that I would be turned down, which is a big relief.
If anything else of note comes up soon, I'll post another update!
Thursday, March 19, 2015
My Visa Interview
By Colin
Sorry that it has taken so long to post this -- but at last, here is a post about my visa interview experience.
I had to stay overnight in London, so I booked an evening flight for the night before, and I managed to find a reasonably priced hotel that was around 20 minutes walk from the embassy.
I didn't sleep much the night before the interview, waking up at least once and passing the time watching wrestling on television.
On the morning of the interview, I was up in good time and made my way to the embassy with the help of a map that was provided by the staff at the hotel. I didn't bring my phone, because I had read that phones weren't allowed inside the building (this rule later turned out to have been changed, and it was now only large electronics like laptops which were prohibited). I arrived at the embassy around 7:30, half an hour before my appointment as instructed on my letter. There was already a large queue.
There was a delay in the K1 Visa people getting access to the building, because the staff inside weren't ready for them on time. I didn't mind, because it was a nice enough day. People outside were talking amongst each other, sharing their experiences of the process so far and talking about how nervous they were. This part didn't help me much.
Eventually our queue started moving and we went through a security check point. I then handed over some documents and was given a number to watch for, coming up on a screen. I'd estimate there were around 100 people waiting in the room, for interviews for various visas, with a steady trickle coming in throughout my wait. My number came up and I went to a window where I spoke to a woman from the UK who gave me a form to fill in which had questions on it that I had already answered several times on previous forms. I answered them yet again. I handed over documents and my passport with some more passport photographs and sat down again, waiting for my number to appear a second time.
This was going to be the visa interview. I was in a state of panic. I'm not good in interview situations at the best of times, and especially not if it is for something as important as that was. My number was called and I went to the window. It was an American lady on the other side of the glass, with a man shadowing her. She was really nice, and her approach helped to put me at ease.
I was asked only a few questions:
Who is petitioning your visa?
How long have you known each other?
Have you visited each other?
Have you met her parents?
Why are you going to the United States rather than her coming to the UK?
I think that was all, although the whole five minutes or so that the questions took to be asked is a bit of a blur. It all seemed slightly surreal.
After I gave my final answer, the lady said that she was pleased to tell me that my application was successful. I cried. I don't think she was expecting it, and neither was I, but after going through what we had so far and spending the amount of time and effort and the weeks and months of being apart from each other, I think it was an outburst of relief that it was almost over.
After the interview, I made my way back to the hotel and sent Victoria a message to let her know. She was awake, even though it was early in Washington, but she was anxious to hear how it had gone.
In preparation for the interview, I had printed off some pictures of me with Victoria in various places over the last two years and brought a letter that she had written to me as well. I wasn't asked for any evidence at all, though.
The next few weeks will be absolutely hectic, but I think the very worst part is over. New adventures await.
Sorry that it has taken so long to post this -- but at last, here is a post about my visa interview experience.
I had to stay overnight in London, so I booked an evening flight for the night before, and I managed to find a reasonably priced hotel that was around 20 minutes walk from the embassy.
I didn't sleep much the night before the interview, waking up at least once and passing the time watching wrestling on television.
On the morning of the interview, I was up in good time and made my way to the embassy with the help of a map that was provided by the staff at the hotel. I didn't bring my phone, because I had read that phones weren't allowed inside the building (this rule later turned out to have been changed, and it was now only large electronics like laptops which were prohibited). I arrived at the embassy around 7:30, half an hour before my appointment as instructed on my letter. There was already a large queue.
There was a delay in the K1 Visa people getting access to the building, because the staff inside weren't ready for them on time. I didn't mind, because it was a nice enough day. People outside were talking amongst each other, sharing their experiences of the process so far and talking about how nervous they were. This part didn't help me much.
Eventually our queue started moving and we went through a security check point. I then handed over some documents and was given a number to watch for, coming up on a screen. I'd estimate there were around 100 people waiting in the room, for interviews for various visas, with a steady trickle coming in throughout my wait. My number came up and I went to a window where I spoke to a woman from the UK who gave me a form to fill in which had questions on it that I had already answered several times on previous forms. I answered them yet again. I handed over documents and my passport with some more passport photographs and sat down again, waiting for my number to appear a second time.
This was going to be the visa interview. I was in a state of panic. I'm not good in interview situations at the best of times, and especially not if it is for something as important as that was. My number was called and I went to the window. It was an American lady on the other side of the glass, with a man shadowing her. She was really nice, and her approach helped to put me at ease.
I was asked only a few questions:
Who is petitioning your visa?
How long have you known each other?
Have you visited each other?
Have you met her parents?
Why are you going to the United States rather than her coming to the UK?
I think that was all, although the whole five minutes or so that the questions took to be asked is a bit of a blur. It all seemed slightly surreal.
After I gave my final answer, the lady said that she was pleased to tell me that my application was successful. I cried. I don't think she was expecting it, and neither was I, but after going through what we had so far and spending the amount of time and effort and the weeks and months of being apart from each other, I think it was an outburst of relief that it was almost over.
After the interview, I made my way back to the hotel and sent Victoria a message to let her know. She was awake, even though it was early in Washington, but she was anxious to hear how it had gone.
In preparation for the interview, I had printed off some pictures of me with Victoria in various places over the last two years and brought a letter that she had written to me as well. I wasn't asked for any evidence at all, though.
The next few weeks will be absolutely hectic, but I think the very worst part is over. New adventures await.
Quick Updates
By Victoria
1. Visa Arrival
As mentioned in the last post, visas are issued pretty quickly after the embassy interview. The visa packet with Colin's returned passport arrived in Northern Ireland about a week after his interview in London in February. You can pay more for them to deliver it directly to your home, but Colin decided to pick it up from the airport facility where it had arrived and was being held. He doesn't have to do anything more with this except bring it with him when he makes his immigration flight to the U.S.
2. Selling the Flat in NI
The major piece of business Colin needs to close out before he moves to the U.S. is selling the flat (apartment) he currently lives in over in Northern Ireland. As of last week, it is now on the market...so now it's matter of seeing how quickly someone makes a good offer and a deal can be closed. We want to make sure this is taken care of before he immigrates because it's obviously easier to conduct this kind of business when you're still in the same country.
That's it for now.
1. Visa Arrival
As mentioned in the last post, visas are issued pretty quickly after the embassy interview. The visa packet with Colin's returned passport arrived in Northern Ireland about a week after his interview in London in February. You can pay more for them to deliver it directly to your home, but Colin decided to pick it up from the airport facility where it had arrived and was being held. He doesn't have to do anything more with this except bring it with him when he makes his immigration flight to the U.S.
2. Selling the Flat in NI
The major piece of business Colin needs to close out before he moves to the U.S. is selling the flat (apartment) he currently lives in over in Northern Ireland. As of last week, it is now on the market...so now it's matter of seeing how quickly someone makes a good offer and a deal can be closed. We want to make sure this is taken care of before he immigrates because it's obviously easier to conduct this kind of business when you're still in the same country.
That's it for now.
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