# American citizen.. in UK..



## Sehnsucht (Nov 25, 2008)

Hi, 
I am an American citizen, but have been away from America over 20 years..

Currently i am in UK, before this, I was in Turkey.

I got married in Turkey with a Turkish citizen.

But currently we are both living in UK. (it has been a year)

I am thinking to apply for Immigrant visa for my husband, but I dont know if i can apply from UK. (since we are both not UK citizen.)

And do i need to have some assets in America? Because since I did not live there, I do not have assets.

If you have any idea, please reply.

Thanks..


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

Sehnsucht said:


> Hi,
> I am an American citizen, but have been away from America over 20 years..
> 
> Currently i am in UK, before this, I was in Turkey.
> ...


Welcome to the forum
Judging by your screen name, you a fellow Rammstein fan?


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

There is no problem applying for the necessary visa from the UK, regardless of your citizenship. The Consulates are supposed to serve the residents of their respective areas.

And the good news is that you won't need to have any assets in the US to apply. The bad news is that normally you have to demonstrate that you are "committed" to returning to the US - and that you can be responsible for your husband (i.e. keep him off welfare) while you're getting yourselves established over there. If he's the primary breadwinner for the family, this can get tricky, though you're hardly the first couple to do it.

The American Women's Clubs often have people who can help in these kinds of matters. Check here to see if there is a FAWCO group near you: FAWCO - Member Clubs
Cheers,
Bev


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Bev - she does not need assets? 

She does have to sponsor her husband or provide a co-sponsor. This means presenting documentation about available funds. Details can be viewed on the USCIS web site.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

twostep said:


> Bev - she does not need assets?
> 
> She does have to sponsor her husband or provide a co-sponsor. This means presenting documentation about available funds. Details can be viewed on the USCIS web site.


I took her question to mean did she have to have assets in the US. If she had a decent job offer, along with a lease on an apartment, chances are hubby's visa application would sail right through. That's at least what some immigration attorneys recommend. 
Cheers,
Bev


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Bevdeforges said:


> I took her question to mean did she have to have assets in the US. If she had a decent job offer, along with a lease on an apartment, chances are hubby's visa application would sail right through. That's at least what some immigration attorneys recommend.
> Cheers,
> Bev


Bev - they are in the UK and want to move to the US. Leases are liabilities and a job offer is just that - an offer. She needs proof of funds/income of sponsor and/or co-sponsor. Easiest way is a US account with the required amount.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

twostep said:


> Bev - they are in the UK and want to move to the US. Leases are liabilities and a job offer is just that - an offer. She needs proof of funds/income of sponsor and/or co-sponsor. Easiest way is a US account with the required amount.


A big, fat bank account in the US would probably be the easiest way. But they aren't the first couple to be in this situation. Most I know of were up against the issue that the husband was the chief breadwinner and in some cases the wife had never worked. But they wanted to move back to the US, based on the wife's nationality.

It might not be a bad idea to consult an immigration attorney to see what they have to say on the matter. It comes up fairly often in the overseas US expat groups. Obviously there are lots of other matters that will weigh on the ultimate disposition of the case.
Cheers,
Bev


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## synthia (Apr 18, 2007)

She didn't say she had no assets, just that none of them are in America. I assumed she was asking whether she had to establish assets in the US first, before applying.


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## Fatbrit (May 8, 2008)

Reports recently suggest that AmEmb London are screwing around with the income requirements and raising the bar. Plan for the worst would seem to be the order of the day.


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## synthia (Apr 18, 2007)

Maybe Obama will at least order immigration officials to be polite. That alone would be an improvement.


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

synthia said:


> Maybe Obama will at least order immigration officials to be polite. That alone would be an improvement.


You may want to read up on the US President's powers. He cannot ORDER immigration officials to be polite. Just FYI - neither I nor any of my friends/family all being avid travelers have had any negative experiences with immigration. People treat you the way you treat them. Have your ducks in a row, know they are doing their job and all of us are human and have an occasional bad day.


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## synthia (Apr 18, 2007)

OK, he could order the head of homeland security to tell the immigration people to be polite. It wouldn't have the effect of a legal executive order, but ...

I think it is naive to think that if you are polite to immigration officials they will be polite to you. Immigration in England has snarled at me every time I've entered, and all I ever did was hand them my passport. I never even had an opportunity to be polite. And then there was that small room in Tanzania...


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

I suppose it depends on where you enter the country, and the immigration agent you happen to hit.

When I went to the UK, I gave the agent "a little too much" information and technically he probably should have refused my entry at the time. I was tired from the long flight and nervous about my new job in the UK. He very nicely told me that he would disregard my comments and we should start over again, which we did.

OTOH, I've had agents in the US be very unpleasant when I accompany my (non-resident alien) husband through the "foreigners" line. (Though curiously enough, no one has ever asked for proof that we are married - something I only realized after I had accompanied him a couple of times in the foreigners line.)

Each port of entry has its own reputation, too. Boston is usually pretty good (at least in the US citizens and permanent residents lines). New York has its reputation, and I found Cincinnati was just plain nasty (though that was shortly after they first acquired international airport status, so maybe it was the fact of being new).

I suppose it doesn't help that most folks are arriving after a long flight and are generally pretty tired and grumpy themselves.
Cheers,
Bev


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## synthia (Apr 18, 2007)

I'm surprised they let you go through the foreigners line, because I don't think they are supposed to do that. You should go through separately. They used to even try to separate babies from mothers, if the mother was a citizen and the baby wasn't.

And I've been thinking about it FatBrit, and exactly why is it that the president can't order immigration officers to be polite. Certainly CEOs in some service industries insist that their people be polite and friendly. And if they aren't, they lose their jobs.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

synthia said:


> I'm surprised they let you go through the foreigners line, because I don't think they are supposed to do that. You should go through separately. They used to even try to separate babies from mothers, if the mother was a citizen and the baby wasn't.
> 
> And I've been thinking about it FatBrit, and exactly why is it that the president can't order immigration officers to be polite. Certainly CEOs in some service industries insist that their people be polite and friendly. And if they aren't, they lose their jobs.


There are lots of us 'Merricans married to foreigners who go through the Foreigners line with our spouses. On the customs card, they say to only fill out one card "per family" - which makes it tricky for the person without the card if you have to split up to go through the lines. (I've gotten away with telling them that my husband has the card in the other line, but I would never leave him without the card.)

In fact, the reason I've done it in the past is to see how they are treating the furriners on entry.

I've asked (on occasion - not every time) and generally have been told that it's ok to stay with DH in the foreigner's line. DH doesn't come back with me to the US much any more, so it's kind of a moot point at the moment.
Cheers,
Bev


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## synthia (Apr 18, 2007)

They must have gotten nicer. I know someone who got into a major battle with them when they tried to take her six month old son away from her and make him go through the foreign line while insisting she go through the US citizens line. But then I suspect they treat people from Colombia differently. Her mother was American, so she had citizenship, but her son was born in Peru, and didn't.


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## bullajabbar (Dec 2, 2008)

*Confused*

So is it best to go through the forigners line with your UK hubbie or not? I am traveling for the first time back to the States WITH my UK husband, so have not had to think about this issue before. Do you think it is different for each city?

Sorry to continue this topic which has gone in a totally different direction than was intended.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

synthia said:


> They must have gotten nicer. I know someone who got into a major battle with them when they tried to take her six month old son away from her and make him go through the foreign line while insisting she go through the US citizens line. But then I suspect they treat people from Colombia differently. Her mother was American, so she had citizenship, but her son was born in Peru, and didn't.


They were going to make the six month old go through the foreigners' line on his own!!?? Sounds like some immigration agent was getting a bit too far into the "role."

I suppose it depends on lots of factors - where you're entering the US, where you're coming from, how high a state of alert they are on any particular day, time of day, where the other planes unloading at the same time are coming from, etc. 

When all else fails, the best approach is to act all innocent and ask if you can go through the line with your foreigner husband "since we only have the one card" (the customs card - which says quite clearly to only fill out one "per family"). If they say no, then you have to split up. (If you do, give you husband the customs card and just tell the agent your husband has it in the other line because they said you couldn't go through the line with him.)
Cheers,
Bev


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## synthia (Apr 18, 2007)

The customs card goes to customs. You can go through immigration separately and still submit the same customs card, since you go through immigration first, collect your luggage, and then go through customs.

The baby thing was ridiculous, but she had to throw a fit. I think it finally occurred to them that they would be in big legal trouble if anything happened to the child. I doubt that the fact they were being ridiculous would have occurred to them.

They do a lot worse things than the ridiculous, including detaining people for days without allowing them phone calls or any outside contact.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

synthia said:


> The customs card goes to customs. You can go through immigration separately and still submit the same customs card, since you go through immigration first, collect your luggage, and then go through customs.
> 
> The baby thing was ridiculous, but she had to throw a fit. I think it finally occurred to them that they would be in big legal trouble if anything happened to the child. I doubt that the fact they were being ridiculous would have occurred to them.
> 
> They do a lot worse things than the ridiculous, including detaining people for days without allowing them phone calls or any outside contact.


At Boston, at least, they stamp the customs card in the immigration line (to prove, I suppose, that you went through that step). I got away with saying my non-resident alien husband in the "other" line had the card, but I would NEVER send him through alone without the customs card. They tend to be nicer to returning US citizens than to arriving foreigners. (Especially foreigners with beards. My husband has had no end of difficulty, apparently because he has a beard.)
Cheers,
Bev


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## synthia (Apr 18, 2007)

Good grief. Do government agencies have whole programs devoted to making us look as stupid as possible? It reminds of the old days when Singapore treated any male with long hair or hippie clothes as if they were drug dealers. Until they figured out the drug dealers were flying in first class, wearing Armani suits and $100 haircuts.


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