Thanks for that VFR.
As it happens I do still have visas in place for the US school where I did my CPL/IR and their resident DPE can do CFI - the issue for me is the travel time and costs; like you say, possibly doing the EASA FI first here, and just working with the school to ensure that I have the relevant skills would cover it, then a pre-arranged trip out to the USA for a brushup and endorsment. The difference in currencies is not what it was nowadays however, so there's no particular savings in going to the USA any more - and clearly it's time consuming.
I should be exempt from FOI as I'm a qualified university lecturer, but I've also got 80% in practice tests so am not overly worried either way. I know I can pass written exams - that bit is just a case of being somewhere that I can: clearly if I need to go to the USA to do that, I do.
Thanks,
G