Registration Day!

Today was the day for registration.  Yay!


According to the schedule I got, there was a department meet and greet in the Larkin Building at 1:30.  Mark and I got to the university a little after and wasted time in the wrong side of the building.  He was a dear, however, and went off to find the right place while I waited by a door waiting for some people to end their meeting.  A sign said international students needed to go there, so I did.  I didn't really.  I got my registration packet and discovered that the electives I choose earlier this month were not registered.  This isn't going to be a problem as I was able to choose two elective modules right then and there.


Apparently several members of the department knew of my Visa saga of last year.  Lovely, I already have a reputation but they seemed pleased that I have finally made it!  I know I am and I have a sneaking suspicion that Mark is too.  :)  Once my packet was all signed for I just needed to actually register.  Registration was open from 3-5 today and, as we were walking along we found that today was the day to register for a GP.  Say what?


According to my schedule that was supposed to be on thursday.  Sigh.  Not a big deal though because then we can do it now rather than much later.   So we walk into the building and there's  man who hands me a form to fill out and he asks me where I live and I tell him just off of Beverley and he goes, alright you need to talk to this lady over here.  And then she wants to know where I live so I tell her.  She doesn't know the cross streets.  So Mark had to tell her that we live next to Bull Inn and then the light went off.  And Californians have a bad reputation for stupidity.  Now, when I applied for my Visa there was a warning that said I might  have to pay for any medical costs so I was surprised when I got words that the university requires all students to register with a GP.


I gave the hospital/clinic where I am registering my information and was told they'd get in contact with me in a few days to make an appointment for a physical.  They wanted to know my NHS number, which I will be getting I am sure.  And my previous UK addies, which I don't have and my medical history which is quite brief.  So I shall be getting a physicl, which is a good thing and hopefully I can get their version of levothroid!  :D


And then we continued on to register.  We show up and there are signs pointing the way and a woman asks me if I'm here to register and I said, yes and she asked to see my registration packet and told me to stand in the middle line.  After a few mintues those who were in the Home & EU line were brought in and I was behind them.  Seeing my passport the guy who led us in took me out of line and sent me to a special registration area where they check visas.  Glad I have one.  The woman entered my information into the computer, marked the top sheet and sent me upstairs.  So Mark and I go upstairs where we are informed we need to go down the hallway, last door on the right.  


We get to stand in yet another line where eventually someone else scans my Visa and finishes my registration.  He then takes a picture for my student ID card and apologizes for it being yellow.  Finally we were done and then it gets funny.  Just outside are two girls who are obviously American.  One is from the east and the other is from CA and they weren't sure what to do next.  And I said, do you have your ID card?  They said yes, and I said, then I think that's it, you're done. And I asked if their pictures were jaundices too.  And the girl from the east, a blond naturally, goes what?  I repeated myself and she goes, I'm from the US and we don't really have that there.  And I said, your picture is yellow right?  Jaundice.  She still had no idea what I was talking about.  Surprised the child could find her left shoe let alone England and Hull.


And now we head up to IT so that I can get the laptop connected to the school's WIFI.  That took a while itself as the IT guy didn't seem to be able to speak due to his Hull accent getting in the way of proper enunciation but he was a nice guy and got me sorted out well enough.


By now I was done and I just wanted to go home.  Mark bought some DC and what looked like Whoppers.  They were similar but they didn't taste the same and they were definitely not as good.  


But my I met my master prof. who is reasonably distracted as his wife is due to give birth to a little girl here at any moment.  And Mom, I speak better than my profs- elocution wise.  :)  But then a lot of people speak in their normal regional accents and don't concentrate on speaking "well" as we'd call it.  But that's alright.  What really surprises me is that I have not yet adopted any kind of regional accent, or have lost my American one.  maybe that'll change when I start my classes, but if they're only twice a week maybe not.  I suppose we shall see.

The Saga

Nothing is ever easy for me.  I get through immigration and customs without a hitch, great.  But if that goes well I suppose I should have expected something to go tits up, as the brits say, and I am not to be dissapointed.  No matter what I do, there must be a saga.  And this is mine.


It starts back with my financial aid.  I applied, as did all university bound students, for financial aid before the March 2 cut off date.  I applied for my loans, was approved and I dutifully signed my MPNs.  This was all done by Feb. I think.  Now, once the loans have been approved and the MPNs signed they will inform the university of choice within 24 hours.  Several weeks/months later I wonder why I have not received word from the finance office that they have my MPNs so I look through my old emails and find the financial aid lady who is SG and email her.


I sent her a letter of re-introduction and asked her if she had them.


No.


Sigh.  Okay.  So I have to resign my MPNs.  I do that and I have to wait another 24 hours, which because of the time difference means 2 days instead of 1.  Whatever.  I wait a few days, just to make sure and send her another email.  Do you have them now?  Yes.  Oh good.  But now we need your 8 page SAR.  Okay.  So I call the financial aid office and request my SAR because the university requires it.  I am told it will take 7-14 days.  Really?  Whatever.  Now, this is my fault, I should have remembered that as I needed it the last time I tried to get to Hull.  No problem, this is only July, I have time.  So, eventually I get a copy of my 8 page SAR.  Sweet, if I have them then surely the university does too which means I should get a letter of proof of financials.


A week goes by and no email of confirmation.  I figure that it takes a little longer for it to get to Hull for some strange reason.  But I get nothing from the university so I email SG again.  Do you have a copy of my SAR?  No.  See, last time they got a copy, this time, apparently not.  Ok, can I scan them or do I need to mail them to you?  Scans are fine.  I scan them, email them and wait.  An email comes back saying I need pages 3 & 10.  I had somehow missed 3 & 10.  I send them and it's the end of the day.


So I get to wait for the following day.  Still though, it's no problem... it's just worryingly getting towards August... I have time.  I should be able to get it all done here soon, and I can get my visa and be good.  Nope, now I need to fill out this form.  yes, I want every penny you can give me because I want to make sure I have enough money coming in so I don't have to worry about the financials for my visa.  I email that back and I wait.


And Finally!  I have a copy of my financials.  It's now the end of July and I can finally apply for my visa.  That's the easy part.  I have my biometrics appointment the 29th and then I wait a couple of days for money to come in to pay for the expedited visa fee so I can get my visa sooner rather than later.


After more waiting and fretting and getting into the country I get an email saying that disbursement checks will come on the 20th of Sept.  Great!   So Mark and I walk the almost 2 miles to the university, go up and down stairs, go all over the place to find out that the check might be in the next day when the banks are at the school.  Fine.


So we went another 2 miles home.  And returned the following day only to find that not only is there no check but that the computers are down, there are no letters of introduction and we have to go the bank and register in person.  Granted this is just a few doors down but... annoying none the less.  We are informed that we are required to have an letter of introduction to the bank the following day.  Alright, fine, whatever.  Within nothing more we can do, we return home and have a rather large lunch.


And this morning, after doing a bit of cleaning up, as Mark would say, we got dressed and headed out.  We get to the international office to pick up our letter of introduction as required by the bank to be told that we don't need them.  Umm.... say what?  We are told that there are new protocols in place today and that because the computers are still down the banks are going to send the university the information of the students who are opening accounts with them, then they'll send letters directly to the bank at which point the bank will open our accounts.  And no, it won't help to go to the bank and talk to them, no they won't be able to tell us if they have sent the info to the university and no we won't be told if letters were sent to the bank.  The only way we'll know that this has happened is if we get an email from the bank letting us know our banking information.


We were told this could happen as early as 1 this afternoon.  I just checked my email... nuthin'.  


So Mark & went to visit SG and asked what this means about the check.  It's all out of her hands now so I need to ask someone else.  It could take several days for the bank to send me my details and it's entirely possible that I won't get a check until the 3rd.  I ask SG if I'll get an email letting me know if the check is ready and she said she doesn't know as it's all up to the guy I had to email- from whom I got no other email... great.  


So.  I have money coming to me.  Which I might not get until the third and which I have been told I should have been able to have gotten on the 20th.  I have a bank account I opened which I can't access because the bank and the university haven't figured out how to communicated with each other and I have no idea if or when my money will actually be cut.


At least I know it shall be in pounds sterling.


And registration is on the 26th.  Oh joy.

Welcome Week Day 2

Day two and the International Office was having an open house for banks.  Mark & I had already gone online to check out the bank options in town and decided on the Graduate account with Lloyds TBS which was to start at 12:30.  We were a bit delayed getting there because mark's friend came over to do some laundry and we sat and had a nice chat... that is until his friend tried to tell me that traditional Mexican guacamole never has tomato in it.  Then we had an argument as I took exception to some brit whose idea of mexican food is taquitos.  Really? 


Once he was gone Mark and I headed out and arrived at the International Office where we stood in a very long line to talk to banks.  A woman came out asking for our attention and asked if anyone there was for Lloyds.  Several hands raised and she said that we could just go to the bank office, they've been told to expect an influx of students and that we don't need letters.  So with a canadian girl and an exchange student from WA we went to Lloyds and waited in yet another line for the two harried tellers to get us all settled.


When it was finally my turn I was told that the graduate account is only for residents but that they had foreign student account, at least that's what it sounded like as I couldn't quite hear her over the noise.  So I signed the papers and she said I could bring my letter of intro the following day.


So Mark and I stopped at a bakery, bought a loaf of bread and took the long way home through Pearson Park.  We then stopped off at Tesco's Express, bought a few things for supper, came home, had lunch and we have not been hungry since.


So tomorrow I guess we'll return to the school, get my intro letter, get the bank account active, send that info to the guy who will be sending me my disbursement check.


So not much happened today and I don't think much is going to happen tomorrow either but such is life.

International Office Welcome Week Day 1

I received an email from the financial aid lady telling me to email someone with my particulars, being, when I am going to arrive, do I have a UK bank account and am I living on campus.  I emailed him yesterday saying, arrived, no and no... though in not so few words.  That email also said that funds could be received as early as yesterday.


So yesterday Mark and I worked on making a shopping list of things we need to get and do.  One of the most important items on that list was real coffee.  My dearest has been living off of instant coffee and while he'll drink it, he doesn't really like it.


This was our plan for the day: Go to the school and get my reimbursement check-which will be in pounds sterling and bless the financial aid lady she hoped that was okay with me... uh yeah!  :)  And then we were going to go to staples, get me some school supplies, head to the post office, mail off stuff that people are going to be needing (such as mom's ATM card), return home, pick up Mark's hand held shopping cart and then head to Tescos (sorta like a super wal-mart) and buy food, diet coke, real coffee and everything else that was on our list.  I had planned on getting up at 8 to do all of this.


Instead I wake up at 4 and my brain begins to work.  Mark wakes up and bless him, he adds the item I had just thought of to the list and sits and chats with me, suggesting I take some benadryl to get some sleep.  I do and while I am waiting for it to kick in I decide to check facebook where my loved ones are still awake and ending their day.  I was back asleep by 5 and didn't wake up until 10:30 at which point Mark comes in with a cup of coffee and a DC.  he had gone to the tescos express across the street and had bought me 2 6-packs.  It must be love.


We were soon out the door and went to the campus.  I don't have pictures yet because his camera holds about 4 pictures and that isn't very much.  Once we have a better SD card, I shall do what I do and bombard you with them.  :)  We see a sign that said International Office and hey, we decided to go inside and have a look.  Good thing we did.  They were glad to see me and told me I needed to fill out this yellow form so they know I have arrived.  And no, I had no idea this was needed.  They were quite relieved when I said, no I am not living on campus, yes I do have housing and no I don't need help getting settled in.  I have a Marcos.  :)  They also had a bag for me with nasty fruit cake biscuits, "milk" in pack, instant coffee in a similar pack, tea and a schedule for the international office welcome week.  And no, I did not know they were going to have that, so I am glad we decided to stop in and have a look.


We then went to the campus itself and went to the Financial Office in the Venn building and, after waiting in line for half an hour, were told to go to the student union, second floor.  And after standing in line for half an hour or so we are told the computers are down but I'll check.  We are told then to go to the top floor of the Cohen Building (right next to the Venn building-same building) and ask for Robert.  We go there and we walk to the top of the building-these people don't seem to believe in elevators.  We are then told Robert is at the International Office.  Great, so we go back and are then told he's not in but to leave a message and he'll call back.  So we decide to pop off to a pub for some fish and chips.  


And here is my take on the Grey Mare.  No diet coke, just pepsi, diet pepsi and what they call clear lemonade which is just like sprite without the lime.  So I had that.  I wasn't impressed and with such limited choices in caffeine, I have decided I am not interested in returning.  The fish was more like a whale on a plate but quite good, the fish was obviously fresh, though the fries were obviously cooked from frozen and not really good at all, a bit cold in the middle to be exact.  The peas were untasted by me as I don't eat peas.  Mark does and was not impressed with them.  We then get a call from Robert telling us to talk to the financial aid lady.  So we go back to the financial aid office and talk to her.  She said all was clear and good and that I can get my letter of introduction tomorrow for the banks and that it's possible I'll get my check tomorrow but it's also possible it won't come through until the 3rd.  So I am going to assume that I am getting it on the third but by then I should have a bank account and I can email the guy, give him the particulars and it will be automatically deposited into my account.


There is also welcome week for post-grad students next week and each department has a day for their welcome, for which I don't the date.  The financial aid lady suggested we go to the Larkin building (humanities) and ask a certain person about it.  I decided that I'd rather go home, email my master prof. as they are doing construction on some of the buildings and I really didn't want to bother with it.


We took a different route home and stopped by a different grocery store called Lidle and bought a chicken, potatoes and some olive oil.  I cut up the chicken into its separate parts, cooked a pot of rice (we so need a rice cooker), chopped up a single chicken breast, added some soy sauce and poured that and a thin bit of "sauce" over the rice for dinner.  It was the worst thing I think I have cooked in ages but Mark seemed to think it was good.  He ate everything I put into his bowl at least.  And yes Elizabeth, one can buy a bag of frozen chicken breast, which I will most likely do from now on.


It is now getting quite late and the bank reps are going to be at the office at 10 tomorrow and I want to get an early start.  We still need to go the post office and we need to figure out where I am going to bank so I shall bid you all a fond goodnight and goodmorrow.

Day 1 in Hull

Tuesday, Sept. 20

I came to Manchester and despite my fears, anxieties, paranoia and trepidation it could not have been a more positive experience for me.  The plane landed a bit early at 8:25 rather than 8:40.  We disembarked and were transported along the flight deck to immigration.  Those with British & EU passports were allowed to go through one lane while the rest of us went through another.  They were fairly quick though and we were serenaded with the sound of stamps on passports.  I was just hoping I would get the same thing.  I got into the line about 9 and was through about 10:30.  As a student to Liverpool said while we stood in line, "It's like Disneyland, only not fun."  Heh, tell me about it.

Well, finally it was my turn and I approached the immigration agent who actually smiled at me.  I handed her my passport with my landing card and she said something about students and I said I am a student and she said, Oh!  Okay!  very nicely and then she proceeded to ask if I had my offer letter, instead I gave her a copy of my CAS which told her what I'm studying and we chatted about the problem they're having with "students" who are enrolled in fake universities.  She knew of Hull and even said it was a good school so, bully for me eh, wot?

I was feeling pretty good, my heart rate went down and I was thinking, alright, we can do this!  She asked me about my previous rejection and I told her that I didn't know what I was doing, didn't really know about the CAS, financials or anything and I was just trying to be pro-active.  She was following me and she seemed to like my answers and I was feeling very good until she told me to have a seat while she checked out the rejection.

oh. crap.

But she came back and told me she didn't realize I had come and had been sent back so I told her about that and she knew that one can't get a visa in Philly.  She then smiled and said to me, "Well, you don't need to worry about that today." And she grabbed her stamp and I cannot tell you the smile of relief that cross my face.  And then she said that she's taken care of that rejection notice on my file and I could have sung her praises!  She said I shouldn't have to worry about answering about that now and I asked her if I needed to have my CAS or financials next time I came through and she said I might need to have the CAS but I shouldn't need the financials.  I think I'll just keep them all on me just in any case.  Better safe than sorry.

So I came up to customs and I stopped long enough to ask them if I needed to declare 4 bottles of wine.  The guy I asked thought about it and said, nah you're ok and so I went through and the first thing I saw was Mark and he had something to say so I told him to hush.  I saw that there were some people from Hull there and I ignored them as I walked right to Mark and gave him a huge hug.  It was only until 4 in the morning that I thought of them but Mark said that they were there for a host of students and not me.  Oh, good.

And then Uncle Phil dropped us off, wished us well and headed home.  Mark and I just chatted and ordered pizza of which I ate 1 slice and declared I was no longer hungry.  We chatted and talked and laughed and we eventually had a short nap.  We woke up, ate a bit more pizza and went to be at 9:30 when I simply could not stay up any longer.

The rest, my dear friends, shall be expounded upon in another post.  As it is now, it's almost 6:30 and I should get supper started before I get hungry and will botch the whole thing.

Packing Up

I hate moving.  I hate packing up everything I own, I hate cleaning up, I hate loading boxes onto trucks, I hate moving the boxes into new houses and I hate unpacking.  I just hate the entire business of it.


Packing up one's bedroom, clearing it out so that nothing of me remains behind is vastly different.  All my clothes are either in a huge duffle bag for my sojourn in England, in Goodwill bags or staying here because I know my sister will get some use out of them.  I'm not leaving one bedroom for another, I'm leaving it all together.  I no longer have a room, I have to find another, a new space, one that won't be crowded with the reminders of my past-just of my future.  


It means taking a good, hard look at all those little bits of odds and ends that I've held onto because I can need to go somewhere.  I have always used moving as a time to get rid of stuff I don't need anymore and I am once more plagued with indecision.  Do I really need to keep the pogs?  I never really played with them all too frequently when I was a kid... are they really that important?  What about the stickers?  Or that first year clarinet music book from which I learned basic fingerings?  It's probably a good thing I no longer have the Fussel book or else I'd agonize about that too... and I hated that book.  I was never good with those exercises anyway.


But I'm not just moving and clearing away things, I am, in a sense, moving onto a different phase of my life.  When I return next fall I will need different things.  Do I really need that silly mask my roommates and I wore at the Mardi Gras festivities the Commons hosted that first year in 2005?  Oh but those were sweet memories.  The beads from the night adorn my headboard.  I also have the child size Home Depot apron a friend and I begged off of the Home Depot table at the Walk for Life in 2006 in Merced my Senior year at UC Merced.  It was silly but it has my name on it.


Even as I write this I know the answer to all these questions and the answer is-yes.  I don't need them but they are reminders of a very happy time in my history, when I was on the verge of change, when I had been changed.  No, I won't bring them with me as I shall be returning home and yes, it's clutter but I get a smile whenever I see them.


But the biggest sign of change is my bed.  I love that bed.  I bought it the start before my senior year of college.  It's green and it cost me $100.  Yeah, it was a steal.  The store I bought it from in Merced said that it was discontinued and there were only two left and he just wanted to get rid of them.  Score for my roomie and me.


It has been supporting me for the last five years (2006-2011) and I am very fond of it as it is a reminder of a great time in my life.  But there is no room in the house for it as my sister will be bringing in her bed.  Nor is there going to be any room for it in the garage as it's full and gonna get fuller with my sister's stuff here soon.


So I need to say goodbye to my bed and find a good home for it.


There are some memories we can hold in our hand and keep for a lifetime and some memories we have to keep only in our minds and hearts, an allow the physical to move on.


And yes, this has been a post about my bed and my reluctance to give it away.  As I said, I love that bed and I really wish I could keep it.


Have I mentioned how much I hate moving?

Getting a UK Tier 4 Student Visa-General

Having just written the previous post I realized that my two readers (hi mom!) might not be fully cognizant of what it entails to get a Tier 4 Student Visa from the UK. If you know the pains I've been through, then you know it's a bitch and a half, but you don't know what is required well... I'll tell you. After 3 times at bat, I think I have it down now.

And if you are an American looking to cross the pond for school... here's a few questions and answers to help you on your way.

First of all, if you're getting a visa, you need to know which one you have to get. For me I had to get a Tier 4 Student Visa-General. How did I know I needed that one? The UKBA website made that fairly obvious. Although you can get a bit nervous when the online application asks you what kind of Tier 4 Student Visa you're getting because it has options. If you don't have a scholarship and you either have student loans or Mommy & Daddy have the money in their bank account and you're over 17... you're a general student.

So I know what visa to get, what documents do I need?

The first thing you need is what is called a CAS from your sponsor-which is the university itself. The CAS is the Certificate of Acceptance for Studies, or something like that. It's a document that the university sends to the UKBA to let them know you're coming to their school. They should email you a copy. The University of Hull does, at any rate. I would recommend that you save this email... you need all the information of of it for your application.

What does it take to get a CAS?

I think it depends on the University. For Hull I had to apply. I thought it was the easiest application process ever. And it was. Once I was accepted I got a Conditional letter of acceptance which meant I needed to send them a few things before they'd send me my CAS. They needed official transcripts, 2 letters of recommendation and a copy of my diploma. Once they had those and processed them I was sent a CAS, which was also sent to the UKBA. You will get the CAS 4 months before the start of term. You CANNOT apply for a visa any sooner than 4 months start of term. You CANNOT enter the country on a student visa any earlier than 1 month prior to start of term.

I have my CAS now what?

You need money, and lots of it! The website will tell you that you need to have enough money to cover your tuition and enough money to cover what they call your maintenance fees. These fees are what the UKBA requires you to have so that you will have money for things like books and housing and food so you won't try and get onto their version of welfare. They have to different rates depending on where you're going to school. Because I am outside of the inner London Boroughs I only needed 600 GBP for 9 months which is 9800 GBP total. That's over $15,000 so yeah, it's a lot of money. If you don't have $40,000 wasting away in the bank and neither does Mommy or Daddy, make sure you apply for financial aid before March 2... you're going to need every dime you can get your hands on.

Once you've done that- go to your university's website and see what they require from You and what they require from your loans. The University of Hull requires you to send them the 8 page SAR. When ordering it make sure it can get to the university and if it doesn't, you might have to mail it. Ask to see if you can't email scans instead. Hull's been great about accepting scans of all my stuff... thank God!

So I have my CAS and the university is awarding me $40,000, now what?

Make sure you have a copy of their award letter. A print up of the email saying you have it is okay, though they university will probably send you an official copy of the award letter. And double check the amount. The people in the office are only human and there is a huge difference between a $20K award letter and a $40K award letter! The UKBA needs every single piece of paper the university gives you saying how much money you're getting so if the university sends you 5 sheets, make sure you give that to the UKBA with your visa packet. If there's only 1, make sure you send that. If you're going to Hull, you should have 2.

Alright already, can I apply for my visa now or what??

Yes. Make sure you have a copy of your CAS in front of you as you will be referring to that to answer the questions on the visa application. This is really easy and straight forward so don't sweat it. It also doesn't take very long. And all the questions they ask are either things you know (such as your mother's name, birthday, birthplace, same with dear old dad) and things you might not know (do you qualify for NTI?-your CAS has the answer for you). Once you are finished, GO Over Your Answers!!! At one point, I noticed that I had somehow checked that I was male. I'm not. So do be paranoid about your answers.

And Make Sure you have the RIGHT GW number (visa application number) and the right passport number!!!

Once you've finished that pay for it and schedule a biometrics appointment. This will be with the DHS immigration services building in the closest city to you (If you're in Sacramento this is on Reed Ave just off of Harbor BLVD and across the road from Ikea). You'll be given a date and time for your appt. but I'll give you a hint, you might be able to get in early, like a day early. You never know.

But you have 2 weeks from your biometrics appt. to send in your application packet so don't sit on it!

Do I need to worry about my biometrics appointment?

No, this is easy and painless and should take no more than 5 minutes. At this point I would suggest that you have a manila envelope or something to hold all of your visa application documents in. If you're at the point where you're getting your biometrics done then you should have the following printed up and on hand:

1. Copy of your CAS printed from your email.

2. Copy of your visa application.

3. Copy of your biometrics appointment (both of these will have been printed from your online application site) 4. Copy of your proof of financials.

5. Official transcripts (can be opened) or whatever proof you sent to the university to show you already have a degree and

6. YOUR PASSPORT! If you don't have all of these things together, stop what you're doing and get them together.

Now!

Okay, so I got fingerprinted and my picture taken now what?

You're almost done. Did you know that you need an auxiliary sheet?

Say what?

It's true. They need additional information from you. This is something you print up and fill out in blue or black ink. This lets them know how much money you owe the university, how much money you've paid, how much money they require from you total and how much money you can get your hands on to support yourself. They have changed their website and so you should be able to get this form once you've started your application. If not, make sure you scour the UKBA site for it!! and make sure you're filling out the right one. If it doesn't say Tier 4 general student visa on the top right hand corner, you've got the wrong one.

Anything else?

Yes. They want 1 passport picture of your pretty face. You can send them both but they'll just return the one they don't need. Make sure you don't smile. A Mona Lisa smile is okay but really, all they want is a mug shot. Don't smile.

Can I mail it already?

yes but check off these items to make sure you have them.

1. Printed Visa application

2. Biometrics appt. stamped and verified

3. Auxiliary information sheet (the one you had to find)

4. Evidence used to obtain your CAS (transcripts)

5. Copy of your CAS

6. Copy of your proof of financials

7. 1 passport photo of you Not smiling no older than 6 months old

8. Your Passport + any old passports you might have on hand

Got them all? Good, now you're ready to mail them.

There are 4 places in the continental 48 to take your application, the British General Consulate in LA, NYC, Chicago & DC. Your appt. sheet tells you where you're supposed to send your application.

So how should I send this?

If you have never applied for a visa before, your application should be easy and shouldn't take too long. If you have managed to get all of this done 4-2 months before start of term, put the documents into an express envelope and spend the $5 to get it there priority. It should arrive in 2 days. And it should take them a couple of weeks to approve your visa at which point they mail all your documents back to you.

If, however, you got a month to go and you're worried about getting to the UK in time for start of term, do a search for their expedited services. They have two options: You can either spend $100 for their expedited fee or $150. The $100 is one in which you make an appointment in either LA, Chicago, NY or DC to walk and get your visa in the same day (you can hope). The $150 fee is for NYC only. You pay worldbridge $150, write Priotrity Service on the outside of your envelope (spend the $20 to get it shipped overnight w/ express) and mail it in. You can only mail it in after 24 hours have passed since your biometrics appointment. Once you've paid for it, you Have to include that receipt in with your whole visa package. They will send you an email letting you know each stage of the game.

At no time should you even Think of buying a plane ticket until you have your visa in your hot little hand. I have learned this the hard way. You might have to pay a few extra scheckles to get your plane ticket with little advance warning but you could end up spending a Lot more in the long run. Trust me, I learned that the hard way.

Once you have your travelling papers in order, get in touch with the university and they'll probably have a welcome team to pick you up from the train station/bus station/whatever that is closest to the university and help you get settled in.

All I can say is good luck.

They Like Me!

I am not a fan of the UK Border Agency. Their website isn't clear, it suggests one thing while saying something else, it doesn't give you all the information you need in one place and you can't get any help with anything without paying a company a ton of money, and even then, they're not UKBA agents.

In September of 2010 I tried to head to England for grad school.

That was a fail- they didn't like my lack of visa-even though the site suggested I could get one in the UK. Boy was I wrong. Never mind the fact that school started on the 27th, I flew out on the 21st and got my CAS a week before that. I can get vet a visa in 3 weeks... of course I can... suuure.

So I spent an additional $330 to get a visa so I could go back! Aaaand that took so long I extended the school's 4 week allowance for international students Plus the 2 weeks they allow for extreme cases like mine. I got the visa back 3 days too late to do me any good.

So I had a pretty piece of paper glued to the inside of my passport. It's about as effective as a nerf paperweight in a tornado.

And so now it is 2011 and I am making my second attempt to cross the pond and successfully enter England-land (yes I know it's really England and the addition of land is redundant-that's the point people). My CAS arrived on time in May. For the University of Hull you need transcripts, two letters of recommendation and a copy of your diploma ( I think) to get the CAS (certificate of acceptance for study). I had already turned mine in last year so they just bumped it all up to this year's application. Thankfully!

But I got an email from the UK Visa office in NYC and my visa has been approved and my visa is on its way! WOOOOOOT! I've been very excited since I got the email this afternoon. It's hard to believe!!

Now all I need to do is pack, clean out my room so there's nothing of mine in it and get ready to go.

I will miss my dog but she's going to stay home with Grammy and Aunt Libbie so she should be okay without her mommy. Plus Grammy gives her doggie treats, not Mommy.