20 days to go!!

had my consulate interview for the visa the other day... OH MY GOD what a ridiculous waste of my time. really. i had to take a day off work, fly to auckland, arrange to stay with a friend, get said friend to chaffeur me around... and all for a TWO AND A HALF MINUTE interview. i kid you not.

the preceding friday i suddenly realised, after leafing through a stack of papers, that i actually needed to provide 'evidence of ties to nz' for the interview. i panicked, but the examples listed seemed okay: bank statements, student loan contract, or a letter from my parents. it was too late to get the latter, but i thought i had the two former things. so just hours before i fly out to auckland, i begin looking for my student loan contract. then i realise i don't have it - my sis was down for a visit the other week and i gave her everything i'm storing to take back home to my parents place, including all paperwork such as loan contracts! i went into a huge panic. luckily i had a recent letter from IRD giving me my loan balance, and that was sufficient.

the pre-departure orientation i had to attend in auckland was better than i expected: quite informative.

still have a ton of stuff to organise, but i'm almost there!!

I was wondering about you Justine! Glad you interview went well. 20 days... you must be so excited. Please do keep us posted.

I know I am butting in here at the Kiwi thread but congrats on a quick interview!!

Mine was the same, about 3 mins and no questions asked about our marriage!! Seems as though our countries don't raise red flags.

Hi Hollywood, congratulations on your interview in Australia. I agree that the U.S. doesn't really worry too much about the folks from down under.

So how are my kiwi friends doing these days?

Justine, you must be so anxious! Don't you dare forget to give us details and pictures once you get here! I hope it's every bit as glorious as you expect it to be.

Grant, congratulations on getting the paperwork going and your interview date! Gee, wish it was that easy for us.

Kel, any news on the house?

cdneh, hows the waiting game going for you guys?

I saw Mark on the AOS forum... hope you are well and enjoying your life in the U.S.

Michelle, did you get the process started for your divorce yet?

Gnomegirl.. not even sure you're still checking in here but I was curious... in your Embassy review you stated that the officials touted dual citizenship. Any idea why that is/was?

I hope I didn't forget anyone and if I did... my apologies.

We're almost 10 weeks into this now and getting a bit anxious with the wait. There have been just two K1 VJ April approvals as of yet. One was a military expedite and the other...with the same NOA1 date as us.... was just lucky! <-- just a tad envious! March is almost done with so we should see April approvals pouring in soon.

We've seen each other just 3 weeks out of the last 9 months. After sharing everything for so long, it's just tragic having all this time apart. And it's getting harder for both of us as the days pass. Every time I check my email or login to VJ my heart skips a beat. I am a strong and patient woman but this process is certainly taking it's toll. I suppose that means we're getting closer and that is what keeps us going ....but oh how we long for that approval!

Kimandruss, I answered you via PM, but I'll add it here too.

Both the ones we talked to brought up dual citizenship and gave us examples of why it was a good idea. Some of the examples were pretty elaborate, especially for the kids. I don't know why they did it and it surprised me, but it actually eased my mind a lot about it.

Grant, and whoever else asked about the recent payslip, it wasn't noted on our forms either. I called and asked because it did mention the Affidavit of Support, which of course, had already been filed in the US, and was told to take the payslip. I was told it was because it takes a long time for the packet to get to the Consulate and things may have changed between the time it was filed and the time you're interviewed. Hope that helps clear it up a little.

Our big news is that we'll be away in around 6 weeks. Finally!!!

Hey guys, great to read everyones news and see progress. Kim and Russ - I hope you'll get some good news soon!

For me my house hasn't sold, though I do have someone interested, it's just a matter of getting a decent offer from them. My current stress involves my son and making arrangements with his school for him to stay on when I go. I'm hoping to have that all sorted by August.

I've got my medical on Wednesday, made an appointment with Dr Marcus Stone in Remuera, was given the cost of $110 for that appt. My interview is on the 7th at 9.30am, my pink form does have to bring in a recent payslip as well as a copy of my husbands most recent tax return, even though his tax returns were submitted with the I-864.

Snap!!, got my medical on Wednesday as well, but with Dr Daniels in Remuera instead. Wasn't given the cost (I didn't ask either).

Interesting that the pink form asks for a recent payslip with the I864 - we don't have one from our joint sponsor (they are retired, so don't have one). However we will get them to provide proof of their retirement savings and 401k anyway.

What was interesting at the consulate was that we were told not to worry too much about the I864. In fact the lady we spoke to said that the equity we have in our house (even if we don't sell it - which we aren't planning on doing) was more than enough to cover the level of assets needed to not even require a joint sponsor (but we have our bases covered).

We had both Brook's and her parents (joint sponsors) I864's ready to submit with the first lot of paperwork, but were told not to worry now, just bring it to the interview. They were very casual about the whole thing.

Cheers

Grant

The process changed a little recently as far as what was required for you to submit etc, so it's probably a pretty recent addition.

Either that or they got sick of people calling them to ask for clarification. I had the direct number too ... might have helped them add it in

Good luck for your medicals, you two!

Well we're waiting...patiently...more or less We haven't seen each other in person in ages, since October 14th when I flew out. It seems so loooooong...
We aren't anxious about waiting, but bits of the process...sigh...we can't help but think if we had not had the hold up we did, we'd be two months further on than we are now, and he's still stressing about that. But on the upside, when I tell him something now, he DOES it.

Gnomegrrl, thanks so much! Congratulations on your move! Have a safe trip!

Hey Kel, good to see you. Thanks for the well wishes. I do hope you get a good offer on your home and school settled for your son soon. How did your medical go?

Grant, your children are just lovely! How about you? How did your medical go? Ohhhh to be a DCF'er!

cdneh, I feel your pain hon. We've had just three weeks together since September. Sorry your sweetie is feeling bad. I went through some of that too because it was my ex husband dragging his feet with the divorce and I should have pushed him harder. Perhaps the process is going to speed back up again for you and you'll be waiting only 1 or 2 months instead of the 3 it looks like we're waiting. No looking back, eh? It is what it is and you're on your way now! I'm so envious of the couples that can see each other more often because they are closer. We have spent so much in travelling already that we just can't justify another trip down right now. Hopefully we'll find our approval in the next couple of weeks and we can be on with it!

I did ask earlier in this thread I believe, but did any of you get asked for the beneficiary's CV/Resume? It was mentioned in an email from the Consulate as a helpful thing to have at interview time even though my income is way above the guidelines. Just curious really.

The medical was all very easy. Saw a nurse who looked took my height, weight, blood pressure, measured by lung function with a peak flow metre, gave me a Tetanus shot (I had not had one for years) and sent me to the doctor who checked my hearing, and sight, checked me for hernia's and then asked me a bunch of questions (a lot relating to any mental illness or alcohol/drug abuse). I then was sent to give blood to check for vaccinations. I then had a chest Xray.

All was good with no problems at all (providing the blood samples show I have had all of the right vaccinations). They said they will ring me in a day or two just to confirm that all is ok and that they have sent the forms back to the Consulate.

Cheers

Grant

I wasn't asked for one, but then, different visa I guess, so possibly different guidelines. If they've suggested it'll be helpful, then have Russ take it for sure!

I also sympathize with everyone missing their honey. I haven't seen mine since December 2006 - not even a flying visit.

Thanks Grant! Glad it went well for you! The woman from the Consulate and I went back and forth via email a couple times, she was very nice. Perhaps she just suggested it as additional documentation. Russell does have his masters degree so i'm sure it will help. I was just curious as I had never heard that mentioned on VJ here before, although it makes perfect sense when I think about it.



You need to come home!! That has to be so tough on both of you!

It has been tough. Can't wait for it to be over! LOL.

It does make sense, actually, in more ways than one. The amount you need to earn to be the sponsor isn't all that high when you break it down, particularly not when you've got kids. I wasn't asked for my CV, but I was asked if I intend to work in the US and he pointed out that while Jeremy does earn more than enough for the sponsorship requirements, we would probably struggle on one wage.

I was about to ask you which one you were talking to - if it was the blonde American ... but you wouldn't know that by email. LOL. All the staff in there are lovely, but she really stands out.

This is the lady that we spoke to, and helped us with the first lot of filing, arranged my interview date and time etc.

She was brilliant, so very friendly and helpful, and was able to answer all of our questions (we had a fair few).

Cheers

Grant

Justine, you are getting so close!!!!

cdneh... hope you're hanging in there.

We're trying to be patient but grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr it's been 11 weeks already... gimmie!

Kel, any luck yet?

Hope all my other kiwi buds are doing well.

We are hanging in there...just

Still waiting on the actual noa1 so far...sheesh...

9 days till i arrive in the US!!

the woman at the consulate: young american with long straight blonde hair? that's who i had. really lovely.

Only update here is that I got a copy of my medical results from the Dr. in the mail. All good.

This was couriered to the Consulate on Monday (by the Dr.).

Just a waiting game now until the interview in August.

I am however updating my CV, and starting the look for a job in Northen California (Sacramento, Bay Area, San Jose etc) now. I have identified plenty of potential employers, so will get in touch with them over the next few weeks (just getting a couple of references written for me now). Will be hard being an employee again, at the moment I work for myself in a Project Management Consultant role, but there should be plenty of work in this field as an employee.

Hope everyone else is going well, and making progress.

Cheers

Grant

Still playing the waiting game myself! Interview on Monday so I'm looking forward to getting that out of the way and knowing that I'm all approved. Then I just have to get the rest of my life (House, sons school) sorted! I've never known time to seem to move so slowly its frustrating, yet at the same time so fast I'm worried how I'm going to get everything done.

I really hope that July will bring good news for you Kim and Russ, and you as well cdneh. I found the USCIS wait the worst because there's just no information coming from them.

I have to admit though I've also been looking around through job sites and starting to think about getting my CV into some kind of order. Seems like a few of us are going to be inhabiting Northern California.

cdneh.. it's coming hon. Stay strong!

Justine, i'm so excited for you! Don't forget to keep us posted!

Grant, my brother lived in Menlo Park for quite some time while working for SUN. It's a beautiful area. Good luck with your job search! Did you try to move your interview date up? Maybe you're in no rush and don't care to. I just know others have had theirs expedited...I certainly know we're going to try!

Kel, thanks for the well wishes. We've been at uscis 11 weeks as of today. I thought we'd be on our way by now but ...not to be. Hopefully we hear something in the next couple of weeks and then we'll be on to the Consulate too! We're quite excited to get to that point because we know Auckland will try accommodate us as much as possible and that once we have some dates in mind it will be easier to plan some things out. Right now just feels like we're in limbo... it's felt that way for years now so we're so ready for it to be done with! I do hope this month brings you much luck as well! Good luck on Monday and please let us know how it goes.

It does appear many of you will be on 'the left coast'... too bad... I would have loved to host a party for our kiwi/us couples. Maybe some day.

keep checking in folks!

Kia kaha

I won't be on the 'left coast'...have a party and we will come ...from Virginia

We haven't tried to move my interview date up at all. I have two big contracts that finish in late August so we are not in any hurry to make too many plans until they finish up.

Good luck with speeding your one up!!

Cheers

Grant

Thanks Grant.

cdneh... i'm on the right coast! Boston girl... well, 40 miles NW of Boston actually...but still a part of 'title town!' and a huge sports fan! We wont be too far away from each other.

Hello,

Was reviewing the site again for the next step in our process. Alan is from New Zealand and has
been in the states for 18 months now...soon coming up on 2 year change of status. All is been going
well for us...we have settled into married life in San Jose, Ca (my home town). I work for a non-profit in Palo Alto and he has his construction business. Yes, when he arrived here and was waiting for his work permit he took the General Contractor exam. Once he got the job permit, which took about 3 months after arriving in the states, so now he does projects for residential and construction companies.

Of all the things Alan misses his Rugby (so signing up this week for Setanta sports via Satalite TV) and the summer time of Australia (he was living there when we met). Planning on trip back to NZ next year if we can get good prices on airfare.

Oh yes he also has a side business...looks for classic cars for NZ folks who want to export. Loves the hobby since he is into 1960 car styles...

You can email us if you want to know about the area...

Bye for now

Julie & Alan

Hey Guys and Gals

Just an update, we're waiting on my divorce papers, which will be final 14 July, i have never, not ever, not even when i was 8 months pregnant, known a month to pass so slowly.

Been sort of avoiding the forums cos i know we still have a long wait and we're both finding this really really hard, I thought after meeting Rob in person it would be easier because there would be no doubts at all but it just seems to be harder cos we want to be together.

Anyways, as soon as I get my divorce papers i'll be sending them off to Rob so he can send in the petition.

It's good to see some people seem to be making progress

Looking forward to updating with good news soon

Michelle - I hope things pick up for you soon, waiting is awful, I know.

Julie and Alan - welcome to our little thread and nice to hear of another Kiwi/US couple. I'll be not too far from San Jose when I make the move. I'd be really keen to hear how Setanta sports works out for you. I'm a rugby and rugby league fan and not getting to see any games would be very very sad.

Michelle, my heart is with you girl. We waited over 2 1/2 years for that &^%$#@* divorce decree. I sent out our petition the very day I was able to pick it up from the courthouse! Now, here we are close to 3 months after sending and ...still waiting. Yes, the wait is hard but stay busy, stay positive and you will manage. Keep us posted.

Hello Julie and Alan, great to have you posting with us. Russell was already in the states with me for over a year and i've turned him on to all our sports teams here in New England but he took me to a Rugby match NZ vs AUS not too long ago and we already know we'll be switching over to Sattelite to catch his All Blacks. We also lived in AUS with him for the summer of 2006. Small world.

For all of you moving to or living in San Jose/Palo Alto, I wonder if I could ask you to look at a flyer of my brother. He disappeared from his Menlo Park home in 2003 and has been 'missing' for more than 5 years. He loved going into Palo Alto, it's where his mail was delivered, and his doctor was at Stanford. He loved the grounds there as well as the parks in San Fran. He is a Harvard graduate, worked for SUN and loved the Bay area. He does suffer from depression and was pretty critical when he went missing but our family believes strongly that he is still out there. Perhaps still in the Bay area. He had mentioned 'walking away from his life' as he felt he was a burden on us, his family. About a week after he went missing, I flew out there and drove around in his porche boxter looking for him. Part way down to Half Moon Bay we stopped at a McDonald's and the manager ran out and told us that he was certain he had been there not 4 hours earlier....explained him in detail, what he was driving and even what he ordered. I'm also certain it was him. It is a very strange story and I wish I had the time to explain it all to you here but he is very loved by his family, who are all here in Massachusetts....most in the same city even. He moved to the west coast because of his depression and 'SAD'. We want him home. I'd appreciate it if you could have a look. Thanks so much.

Kim - that's sad about your brother, hopefully it all works out well for you and your family in the long run.

Thanks for the naming of the Sattelite company (Setanta) that plays the rugby - this is something I will miss a lot. I was in the US during the Lions series a couple of years ago, and couldn't find anywhere airing the games (and Brook's parents had an endless number of channels on their sattelite provider). I had to ring home and get someone to tape the games, and I only got the results via the Web the next day.

Julie and Allan - A fair majority of my work now in Commercial Construction Project Management and other services around this such as construction logistics etc), not sure if this is Allan's game at all, but I'm keen for input/opinions on approaching companies in my search for a job (we are pretty open to anywhere around the Bay Area, San Jose, Sacramento areas. I have started to create a bit of a "hit list" of potential employers.

Hope all is well with everyone else, and that progress is being made.

Cheers

Grant

wow, that's sad about your brother kim

i'm back in my hometown with my family now (monday) and fly out to sf on thursday. i feel like the next few days will be the slowest of my entire life. my parents don't have broadband so i can't call jordan on skype. i miss seeing him. but just a few more days!!!

Kim - as others have said, very sad about your brother, thanks for sharing the poster though, hopefully someday it'll have a positive effect for you.

I had my interview today, I'll post a review very soon about that. It was all pretty simple. They did ask for my sons birth certificate though, which I didn not have with me, I hadn't received any information before that mentioned bringing it. I actually had it out last night and debated taking it with me but since I have not applied for a visa for him yet decided against it. I have to mail that in to the consulate and once they've verified that they'll issue my visa and send my passport and package back to me.

Not too bad, nearly 11 months in process.

Thanks for all the kind words everyone. We do miss him dearly and hope he comes home to us soon. We've already been on TV and in the papers and even had contact with John Walsh... 'America's Most Wanted'. I've hosted my own website for over a decade and have thousands of members all over the world who have posted the flyer for us. It's been 5 years of looking and I don't plan on stopping... well... ever. He did love the area so many of you are settling in so I figured i'd at least put his image in your heads. Thanks for having a look.

Grant.. we have a couple different Sattelite services here in New England that carry sports from all over the world. I don't think you'll have a problem getting your games in. I'm not sure how the construction business works but you'll probably want to contact a few headhunter's with your CV/Resume as well.

Justine! How excited are you?!? Oh my goodness how I wish I could be a fly on the airport wall when you first leap into his arms! You better make sure you get back here to give us details! Have a safe trip hon.

Kel, I was thinking about you and wondering how it went. Sounds painless. I'm happy for you. Congratulations. Now if you could just sell that house and buy your ticket home!

Well today marks 12 weeks that we sent out our petition. Never did we imagine it would take this long to be approved but it is what it is I suppose. We're finally seeing some early April approvals so hopefully it's not much longer for us. We do know some folks who moved their interview up in AUK so we're hoping that if Russell schedules his medical as soon as we're approved it will arrive at the consulate shortly after they receive the approved petition and he can then expedite the interview. 2 days later he should be able to drive back and pick up his visa and fly home to me. He'll be staying with his aunt in Auckland as he waits for them to print it out. Yes...he's desperate to get back home!

Just thinking of you Justine!

I was just thinking about you Kim...you must be getting close!

You know, you would think so anyway!

It was 3 months yesterday that they received our petition in Vermont but they're just now approving the beginning of April so it's looking like a couple more weeks. Never know with this process, though. I'm trying hard to stay strong. At least I have my work and kids and home and family to keep me busy. Russell has his family all around him but he's basically just wishing the days away. So my current status is being 'the strong one'.

This is just an assumption on my part, although I have studied these darn timelines for close a year now, but I see vermont touching (usually two days in a row and certainly not everybody) a lot sooner after filing day than they were last month. So, people are receiving their touches sooner than I did. Make sense? I know it's a stretch, but these are the things that have kept me going. So, even though we've had to wait so long, perhaps it means they are speeding up now for you folks! I hope so. Waiting is hell.

Thanks for thinking of me hon.

Hello Everyone

Good to see there are some NZ/US couples out there. I just found this site and was pleased to see this thread. My hubby and I are both in New Zealand at the moment. I have been here for three years and I feel like we just finished getting me residency and now we are moving on to Nics US residency because the US is where we want to be for. Must say that the New Zealand process was much much much easier! It took 7 months and only involved one payment and one packet. Ohhh well if it was easy everyone woudl do it.

It hs been great reading everyones stories and feeling like we are not alone in our frustration and excitement.

Hi amaciar, i'm glad you found us.

I'm a bit curious why you're not taking the DCF route?

DCF route? Sorry I don't know what that stands for. I am really new to this. In truth we have done the whole process the wrong way. When we sent in our packet way back in November I was in the states. We were going to wait it out but when we realized the process was going to take almost a year I couldn't take it and moved back to be with my hubby. Would have been done by now if we had realized we could have filed in Auckalnd. Problem with this process is you aren't an expert til it is done!

DCF is direct consular filing. Up until last year, when the Adam Walsh Act was enacted, it was a lot more common. In many Country's, as long as you both are free to marry, it was as simple as marrying and applying for a visa at the foriegn Consulate. That process was much quicker.

The new laws now state that, in most Country's, the USC must reside in said Country with a valid visa for (usually) a minimum of six months. After which you can apply for DCF which goes much quicker than most other processes.

Perhaps the CR1 is just as quick from NZ, though. As Grant just brought his papers to AUK in June and already has his interview for AUG.

There will always be those 'what ifs'. Russell and I have been together for years but my ex would not sign the divorce papers (even tho we get along fine) so we were forced to wait. We lived together both abroad and here in the U.S for a year and a half because we just couldn't stand being apart anymore. We depleted all our savings travelling all over the world ...and Russell (who has his master's in Geology) has been out of work for two years now because of all of this. If I had been divorced when I first travelled to AUS in early 2006 (where he was working) we could have been married in NZ and he'd be home with me now (no Adam Walsh law then). Instead we had to wait another couple of years living in limbo, new laws enacted, new fees set...influx of petitions..etc. Now we've been apart for 10 months as we wait this out... and of course, the process is taking even longer now. it's arduous to say the least.

But, it is what it is and there is no looking back.. just forward. We'll get there and we'll be even better because of all we've had to endure to be together. So will you!

I have been saying since this began that Nic and I are lucky. I have my resideny here so at least we can work and be together while immigration takes its time. It has been hard coming back to NZed after i thought i was finally going to be home and around my family. It is amazing the amount of money you spend trying to keep a marriage together when you are from different sides of the globe!

I have seen so many beautiful places and am counting the small blessings. Well thats when i am not crying cause i am frustrated and want to start having kids and a house. ha ha ha. My husband has a lot on his plate

Your time will come and you will hopefully come out stronger as a couple because of it. Thats my minute of positivety for the day. I will now spend the rest of it telling people not to fall in love with a foreigner. He he he should have listened to my mom 4 years ago.

Oh but those kiwi's are some special people, aren't they?

You are so lucky that you can be together as you go through all of this. I'm happy for you.

How was it getting residency? Russell's family owns quite a bit of land on the Bay of Plenty and we'd love to spend as much time there as possible in the future, so once we're through all of this we'll start looking into that process.

Hi everyone I'm new! I've been in a long-distance relationship for 7 years now. We met when I was 17 and he 15 back in 2001. So now we're finally applying for the K1. I'm from Auckland and he's from Kansas. Good to know there are other Kiwis doing the same thing

Glad you found us Lux.

I'M HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




am INSANELY HAPPY (even though i look tired in the photo - we had just hiked about 3 miles, some of up a very steep hill)

Welcome! I am in Auckland as well!

Awwwwwww Justine... so happy for you guys. What a cute couple. Have a great time and do keep in touch with us.

Welcome Amaciar and Lux

I know how relieved I was to find this site, it's such a daunting prospect and even with all the practical and emotional support I'm still finding it a very stressful process, I'd hate to think how I'd have managed if we had to do it alone.

Anyways...now that my divorce is final I've thought of something else to worry about.

Rob needs a lung transplant and is on disability, we do have a financial sponsor but I'm worried they'll deny our petition because Rob is so sick and probably won't be working for some time to come. I do intend to work as soon as I'm allowed but I'm still worried.

Does anyone have any ideas? or opinions?

ooh hey ruby, i see you there

so happy for you, it's so good to hear that you've made it and are happy

can't comment on your photo cos it won't display on the work computer, but i'm sure you look very happy

ooh another question, I need to get copies of my divorce decree and birth certificate notarised (?) can i use a justice of the peace to do this? i was looking at notary publics on the net but they charge like a bull and money is a bit tight.

cheers
michelle

You shouldn't need anything notorized until the interview stage....

A copy of your certified divorce decree is needed with the initial petition. You will also want to include a copy of your marriage certificate to prove legal name change. <-- lots of people forget this.

A certified birth certificate (this just means a copy with a raised seal) for the foreign fiance will be needed at interview stage and that is when you can take the rest of your original documents.

I 134 is the only thing that needs to be notorized at the Consulate stage (unless there is translated documents) but this is the responsibility of the USC/sponsor and/or co-sponsor.

The Guides will serve as an invaluable resource to you!