Part two you won't need til the interview. Hold onto it.

Thankyou

I see that a vermont july filer got approved today!! That may be the one that gets the ball rolling for other vermont july filers! You and your SO have been apart for sooo long! Here's hoping yours will be processed VERY soon!!

Hi all, well, it's a strange feeling not having anything left to do until I have to file for my 10 year card in 2 years time. I have my green card, my SSN and passed my CA drivers license. It wasn't a difficult test and I've been driving every visit so it was more just nerves to have someone in the car watching my every move, rather than it being tricky.

Yankiwi - sounds like you're moving not too far away from where I'm located, the weather here the last couple of days has been lovely though there was a bit of a heat wave last week where it was around 36 degrees celsius and I thought I might cook!

Good luck to everyone, I'm sure all those K1 approvals are just around the corner. Kim and Russ, have a great wedding celebration, after all this time, enjoy it!

It seems like forever...so let's hope!

Hi all! hope you have all had a great weekend!

Kimand Russ: not long to go now.. woo hooo!! hope you will be able to find time to let us know all the details of the occasion from what you wore down to how the weather was on the day

Kelzm: congratulations on getting your licence. that is GREAT news!! How was the test? how long did it last for? did you have to do a three point turn at all or reversing into a space inbetween 2 parked cars (is that called parallel parking? even now i still have difficulty doing that one lol! )

yankiwi: thats good news about Chris and the contract job!! Not long to go till the big move!


Grant: not long till the big move for you either. hope you managed to get everything sorted out.

Bobsagetti: has your EAD arrived yet?

cdneh, michelle.s,kelvan, amaciar, tim and chris, and others i may have forgotten. hope you are all doing well.

my apologises. i meant to say Kim and chris and lisa and tim at end of last post (got the names mixed up lol)

i'm not surprised, there's quite a few of us now

am hanging in there but going from stalking the forums and igor's list to not wanting to go near either cos it's all too depressing

and omg i never even thought about parrallel parking on the wrong side of the road, eek something new to worry about

i did go searching for the handbook for North Carolina but couldn't seem to find a free one, everyone wanted me to pay them so i decided to keep looking.

Michelle try this link:
http://www.welcometocarolina.com/nc-dmv-.asp

looks like there is a free download of the drivers handbook there.

forget that idea. just tried it and it don't work.. sorry.. i will keep looking for you

thanks for that, funny it's off a real estate website, smart of them tho.

haha i was too quick, i'll keep looking too.

it seems the main dmv site for NC (ncdot i think is what it is called) is down. Their links don't appear to be working. That is where the free handbook would be too. that sucks!
Have they all left town for the weekend and can't fix their site? LOL!

will have to keep trying their site over the coming week and see if they get it up and running again.

thanks for trying, i'll try the main site in a day or two, see if they've fixed it.

Good morning kiwi/US friends.

Things are quite hectic on the homefront as we prepare for our wedding ceremony (part 1) on Saturday. It's only close family and friends but there sure is a lot of them. We're expecting 60-80 or so people. So much for the intimate ceremony we were planning. I feel badly that Russell's family can't be there with us but that's why we're doing it again on our 6th month anniversary in April. Something more to look forward to.

I purchased a black dress with a little lace on the chest that I can wear again at some stage. I bought it online and it's not here yet so I'll have to see if it fits when it finally does come in. If not, i'll just wear something else. Funny how i'm not stressing at all about the ceremony itself. I guess that comes with age and wisdom ....but also the crazy process we've had to endure to get to this point. As long as we are finally joined as husband and wife ...well, the rest is just 'fluff'.

We should be right at peak fall foliage on Saturday so it should be gorgeous! Now if the weather will just cooperate... I'm sure there will be plenty of pictures to share.

Congrats to everyone moving forward... adjusting to life here in the U.S.... moving on to the next stage..etc.

For those left waiting, all I can offer you is my support and understanding. I know just how hard the waiting is and how very painful it can be. I am sorry you are having to endure that heartache...it's not easy. What I can tell you is that there is an end to this... and the other side is just beautiful. Stay strong, you will get there.

Kim pictures would be great. Here's hoping for good weather for you.

Kiwiana - the practical was surpisingly easy. I too was dreading a parrallel park because of having to do everything the wrong way around. I didn't have to do that but I did have to reverse alongside a curb. I looked over the wrong shoulder (my left) while doing so, old habits die hard! The things that I got wrong were my hand signals, I hadn't read that part of the guide! Also I stopped too close to other vehicles at intersections, you have to leave 6 ft between the cars or you get a mark against you each time.

All in all it was pretty simple, I didn't have to go on the freeway as I live in a small town and it takes 20 minutes to get to the freeway. I had to do lane changes, show where everything was located in the car like wipers, lights, emergency light etc, and lots of driving around, with many stop signs and interseactions included. I sat my NZ license quite a while back but I'm sure this test was easier.

Kim...just wanted to wish you and Russell all the best for your big day. I hope the sun shines for you both...in every way.




And for heavens sake...we do need pictures!

Hi guys.....I have the dreaded medical tomorrow afternoon with Dr Stone.

Just a couple of questions though...... How much of the DS -2053 and the other forms do you have to fill in yourself or is it all done there with them..........Also, You keep the x-ray to take with you to the states, is that right

Been trying to find where I'd read it on here but I've run outta time....last minute being my middle name

If anyone is lurking on here through the night or what's left of this evening, I'd be grateful for any help

Cheers
Kim

We had our medical yesterday and when we gave the receptionists our form she told us what we should fill in, because we weren't sure either. We were also told we don't need the x-ray for the interview but we need to bring it with us to America.

Our medical ended up being $551 because my wife needed three shots. We are just glad that part is over though.

Yikes $551.....thanks for the heads up.....I'll make sure to take plenty of cash with me.......and thanks for the reassurance on the forms

wow dlopez and kimandchris, i had no idea you guys were so close to the home stretch, well done, i'm very envious but still happy for you

kim and russ i hope you have a wonderful and magical day and that it's everything you dreamt of and hoped for

kelzm thank you for all the info on your drivers test etc, such necessary stuff i hadn't even begun to think about

still hanging in there, no touches, i'm hoping processing at vermont and california will speed up after the election

kelzm: whew! thank goodness there was no parallel parking! Thanks for telling us about the test! It must feel strange driving on the other side of the road. Does it take long to get use to it? It's something that i haven't done over there yet.

dlopez86: Good to hear the medical went ok. Wow! it's pretty expensive eh? Do you have a date set for the interview?

Kim & Chris: Hope the medical went well. If you find time, we'd love to hear about it all.

Kim and Russell: All the best for the BIG day! Don't forget to show us a pic of the wedding!!

Yep it's expensive, she needed the Cervical Cancer Shot and that costs $170 and the other two shots were $90 for both. We were there for about two hours maybe more because the Dr. was running late. We received the X-ray today which I thought was very fast.

Our interview is November 13th at 9:30am, we are very excited/nervous but we think everything will go ok and be approved.

dlopez86: Best wishes and good luck with your interview


*************

It takes at least 3 months, from what i have read to receive EAD and i was thinking today of how to fill in time when i am over there during that time. My SO will of course be working and I probably won't be able to drive at first.

Not meaning to sound like a whiney person but I am so used to working all the time that to not work for at least three months or more is going to be very hard for me.
So i was wondering, have any of you thought about how you will fill in your time before you receive your ead (if you are planning to work that is )

I would like to do volunteer work maybe while waiting for ead, but not sure of what organisations etc are over there.

And to those that are already living there, did you find the move a big adjustment at all? What are the pro's and con's that you have found so far about the move/settling in to a different country?

The medical went ok.....Got there about 20 mins early and Dr Stone took me in more or less straight away.....the initial medical only took about 10-15 mins so I was out of there before the actual apt time....lol
The x-ray and blood test were down the road further but not that far.
$125 for the medical, $50 for a tetanus shot, $80 for the x-ray and $31 for the blood test....$286 all up.
Allowing for driving between locations the whole thing took about 2 hours.

Since you have to sign to say you have all your paperwork for the interview I thought it best not to send back package 3 yet as i'm still waiting for the forms from my SO in the U.S. Never had a problem with the post in the past, but of all times for it to take the slow route, it would have to be now , I'm sure they won't be too far off but I would def get them fed-ex'd or similar if i was doing it now.

Kiwiana: God you're good, I've worked all my life, with the exception of a couple of years off having my son. This year has been a very eventful and somewhat stressful one in part, so I'm planning on taking all my favourite dvd's and some books and having an initial period of time off to relax and recharge the batteries while waiting for EAD. With all the sorting and selling things off and everything else that goes along with a monumentous move like this, the thought of time off is about all that's holding me together right now... ..........LOL

Probably practice my driving too, drove earlier in the year when i was there, took a bit of getting used to.....lol

Thats good that the medical only took like 10-15mins. For women, does the doctor do a full medical (like breast check, cervical smear check?) or does he just do the usual checks like blood pressure etc?
I know a few here have already mentioned their medicals, but i know Grant and Russell wouldn't have had the breast/cervical checks LOL! so am just curious.

Anyway,it's great to know that the medical all went well and that you only needed a tetanus shot. The fees do seem to vary with everyone, depending on what shots are required etc.

It certainly sounds like you will need a well deserved rest once you get there

The driving part for me will also take a bit of getting used to, as i have never driven over there
I can imagine my SO will want to get a megaphone to alert upcoming and oncoming drivers that there is a KIWI loose on the road!! LOL!!

My wife said that they only did breast check and did an external check on the genital area. She made sure to get a Women Dr. cause there was no way she was gonna see a male for that kinda stuff.

External check on the genital area? wha?? really?

I went and saw Dr Stone in Remuera as Russell's review said he only took about 10 mins or so and he was reasonably priced....and he was right. I also read on here that someone who went to one of the medical centres in town had a thorough going over including checking out down below and i couldn't be bothered with all that.

He just asked about any existing medical conditions etc, he tested my reflexes, blood pressure, checked my throat, listened to my chest, lungs etc, and just pressed on my abdomen to feel for anything amiss. I mentioned that i'd recently had a smear and he said they're not really interested too much in that. That was about it.

Luckily enough I'll be in a smallish town for a while so driving isn't so bad, but we're hoping to move to San Franciso in the northern spring. We were there checking a few places out in April just gone and there's no way I'd want to be driving there without a heck of a lot of practice under my belt....lol

The doctor in Wellington was very thorough. Our appointment was about 45 minutes not including the blood tests and X-Ray. He checked my husbands reflexes, eyes, made a list of all his scars asked about all immunizations and wouldn't trust that they had been done unless there was written proof and he was pretty expensive. I know I have said it before but if you the Doctor in Auckland sounds more reasonable. Ohh yeah and the doctor wouldn't give him the shots he needed so he had to make a seperate appointment when we were back in his hometown for those which was yet another step.

Congrats Kim and Russ. Great weather for a fall wedding too.

amaciar: yikes! your doctor was pretty thorough!

Will definitely try and see Dr Stone when the time comes. Not sure what this 'checking down below" is all about? Are they making sure you are a woman? It's going to be nerve wracking as it is to go to the medical, so you really want a doc that is going to make you feel at ease and not more stressed out.

I know one can't take the timelines here as gospel but was pleasantly surprised this morning to see my timeline has jumped ahead once more. The estimated time is now nov 31st! It was anything up to December 19th . So am hoping it will stay on that path!!

Big day for Kim and Russell today! Best wishes to you guys!!!

I was just thinking todays the big day for Kim and Russ !

Hi All

Been a while since I have posted, so I thought i'd catch everyone up with our progress.

Firstly congratulations to Kim and Russ.

I also hope that everyone else is making progress as well.

Today we moved out of our house and into a hotel for the last few days. We have now sold all the bits and pieces that we wanted to sell on trademe (the remaining bits will be picked up in the next day or so). We have 80% packed anything we wanted to keep into storage, with the remainder to go in tomorrow and tuesday.

I am also unemployed for the first time in my life (I finished up my last two projects on Friday) - although have a bit of freelance stuff I can carry on with for a couple of clients here, once I am in the US.

It is hard to believe that we are only three days away from leaving. Brook's father has come over to give us a hand for the last few days and will head back with us, makes it easier with the two kids.

It is has not been all that easy getting prepared. Last weekend the remaining car we kept hold of broke down in the middle of nowhere up the Coromandel with us all in, and in the end had to get back to Auckland on a tow truck (also with the auction on trade me closing for it last Tuesday). But got it fixed and sold without too much drame.

Also Brook got hospitalised in the early hours of this morning with severe food poisoning. They kept her till about lunchtime pumped her with fluids and she seems to be on the mend. Made for an interesting and stressful morning, as the house was getting emptied (my mates were brilliant and took care of it all for me without me lifting a finger in the end, and left me to look after Ash and Clay). So again, very stressful all round, and the last thing we needed, but we have come through the other side.

Anyway, it must be my bed time, again hope everyone is well, and making progress.

I may not post again before we arrive in CA, but will update everyone then.

Cheers

Grant

All the best Grant, I hope the trip goes well

Hi everyone,

It's been a busy past few weeks so I've only just checked back on here. Congrats to all of you who are making progress and also to Kim and Russ who are probably married by now.

Yes the EAD finally arrived about three weeks ago. Less than a week later Jasmine got offered a job in Virginia so we've just spent 10 days driving across the country and are now settling in here. I really like being close to DC as there's lots to see and do. They sure do have real winters though, not like southern Cal where we've been.

So now that we're settled I'm ramping up the job hunting and hope to get something this side of Xmas.

Good luck to the rest of you who are still waiting.

Grant: Have a safe, trouble free trip! All the best!!

Bobsagetti: It didn't take too long to receive the EAD. Wow! 10 days driving! Would never be able to drive for that long,going one way in NZ!! (would run out of land ) Hope you are settling in Virginia ok. Good luck with the job hunting!

Hi all, been a little while since I checked in but good to see everyone is still coping with the process and some of you are moving forward. Grant, must be exciting to be just about on your way. No news from Kim and Russ I see, here's hoping they're having a fantastic time after the wedding and we'll get some pics soon.

For those of you that are worrying about driving over here, I think that once you've been doing it a little while it feels fine. It's actually not that scary driving on the other side of the road, because you sit on the other side of the car, so that still feels right. What I have the most trouble with is turning, at first I was muttering 'stay right' under my breath as it's tempting to want to turn over to the wrong lane. The four way stop signs always give me a shudder too. But I'm getting used to the 'whoever gets their first goes first' rule. I've even driven up to San Francisco which is about an hour and a half from where I live.

As an update, I too was planning a life of leisure and looking forward to some time off but I soon found myself going stir crazy. I've got a two week temp job as a secretary/receptionist just to fill in time and give me a little bit of extra money. I'm going to start my serious job searching after that. I'm looking at a commute though which after living 10 minutes from my workplace is going to be tough.

I've had a few moments of homesickness, and I've definitely started to notice differences between NZ and the USA. I've visited many times but living here is just different.

That's good that you have got a temp job. Like you, i KNOW i will go stir crazy if i have to be idle for 3 months or more waiting for an EAD! So it looks like volunteer work will be the option for me.

Thats pretty good that you have driven up to San Fran. It certainly sounds like it didn't take long to get the hang of it. Those four way stop signs always baffle me when i am in my fiances car and he approaches them. I am like.. how on earth do you know... who gives way to who? But everyone always seem to be courteous and it all works out ok ...

What differences have you started to notice between USA and NZ? One thing that i still can't get my head around, no matter how many times i have been there is their currency.

I kind of wonder who on earth invented their coins? The five cent coin is bigger than their 10cent. While the 1c coin should be put out to retirement!! And their notes all look the same to me. The shopkeepers definitely know i am a foreigner when i purchase anything.

Have you missed any foods from NZ yet?
I haven't seen milo over there in the shops and I am going to miss not being able to drink it when i move there and will probably get withdrawal symptoms

My husband has warned his Dad that he will need to send us over Choysa Tea every few months. Haven't found any decent tea here yet. Nic also misses pies and I miss purple kumara it only took three years to get hooked on it. Ohh and Nic is always dissappointed when he buys chocolate here. Milo is kinda light maybe you can jam a tin in one of your bags.

You will eventually get the four way stops. It is kinda first come first serve

Hi folks.

Thank you all for the warm wishes and congrats. It means a lot to us. Our day turned out just beautiful. Gorgeous fall colors and the bright sun kept it pretty warm. The ceremony was quite short but Russell and I wrote our own vows which made it very special to us. Our group of 20 turned into about 60-80 throughout the day and night but it was nice to share our special day with many of those we love. Russell's family got up to toast us at 4am (sun nz time)...very sweet we thought. We're quite glad it's over... well, until we do it again in 6 months anyway.

Grant, I do hope you arrived in the U.S. safe and sound and that your wife is feeling 100% again. That sounds like a lot of stress just when you didn't need it. Hopefully everything falls into place for you once you're here.

Kel, good to see you. I'm sorry you're missing home.

You can get MILO here in the States (forgot where) but Russell (big MILO drinker) just uses our instant 'hot chocolate'. If you google it, you'll probably be able to find pretty much anything you're looking for. I only know this because my love is a fantastic cook and many of the recipes he uses (many from Edmonds) calls for things normally found in NZ. We have found most things here with a little looking.

We're headed to Social Security tomorrow and I need to go renew my license and change my name as well. I suppose we'll be dishing out the cash for AOS soon enough too.

Well, happy thoughts to all. Will try to get some pics online sometime soon.

Congratulations Kim and Russ! I can't wait to see your pictures. Glad the day went so well for you

Hi folks!!
Hope you are all having a lovely weekend (a long one if in NZ with Labour day) It's pretty much windy city here in Auckland today!

KimandRuss: how did it go at social security? Did Russell get a ssn? hope it all went smoothly.

cdneh: I have an appointment on tuesday at central police station for fingerprints for Aussie police check. Do you have to pay a fee for the fingerprints?

amaciar and Kim: thanks for the tips with milo. I guess i could take a tin of milo with me when i leave At least they do have hot chocolate over there as a substitute. All the hassles and stress we all have, going through K1 process and i am worried about MILO!!

Hey guys

I know they sell milo at walmart in statesville nc, saw it there when i was visiting Rob


and..... we're 227 on Igor's list, hehe, i am excited, taking into account cdneh's calculations of duplicates and dormants that makes us 199 hehe

silly how excited i am over that and how depressed i'll be if/when we head back the other way.

It shouldn't be too long now. I see that a lot of June filers are getting their NOA2! I ,too get excited over igors list when it moves UP! silly isn't it? but it's in anticipation that maybe one day we will get that NOA2 notice!! yay!!!!

Kiwiana - don't worry.....With all the red tape and processes we've been going through over the last few months, I've still managed to be worried about my fave foods I'm going to have to do without, and trying to find out if i can get them there.......lol...how will i live without twisties


Anyway.........I have a more immediate concern.....my interview is on Tuesday morning at 9.45......

I received a phone call on Friday morning from a woman at the consulate kind of telling me off for not sending back my paperwork sooner!!!.....I would have sent it straight back if it wasn't for the small matter of having to sign a declaration stating that i have all my paperwork for the interview......which I didn't as Chris' papers took 20 days to arrive....gotta love the postal service ....I really didn't feel comfortable saying I had them when I didn't. If I'd sent them straight back and had gotten an interview reasonably quickly...I would have been in deep you know what....lol

Anyway .....she was more concerned that the police check was going to take 2-3 weeks .......so I'm to have the interview and then will have to wait for the police check before i can get the final yes or no. I have a flight tentatively booked on Nov 28 so it should still be in plenty of time so I'm not stressing about it.

ALL my paperwork is gathered and up to date ..............so I'm raring to go.......lol

Isn't it just the way that when you are waiting for something important to arrive in the mail, it takes forever to come!! Arrgh!! Even more added stress for you but am so glad to hear that it finally arrived in time

Good luck and very best wishes for the interview!! Let us know how it all goes


(mmmmm twisties...... drool! drool! )

Awww so nice to see so many of you getting closer. Such a good feeling!

Both of us had a very easy time with the social security office. Just a matter of filling out a quick form really. They are pretty used to seeing visa's of all kinds so they knew just what to do. We should be getting our new cards this week. We'll be sending out our AOS this week as well. It will be so good to be done with US immigration at least for a couple of years!!!

Hello All

Just wanting everyone to know that we made it. I have been without internet access for a few days, but have that sorted now.

We had the flight from hell, our 21 month old refused to sleep on the plane, and cried and screamed the entire flight (we weren't very popular amongst the other passengers). But we made it eventually. Customs was a breeze (we flew to San Francisco). I was the only person in the New Immigrant line, and I told the guy that the screaming kids at the other end of the arrivals hall were mine, he took pity on me, and I was processed very quickly and welcomed to the USA. The fact that I also was covered in baby food from head to foot probably helped me get more pity as well.

As we had so many bags (we had 8 large over sized and weight bags...which were all accepted by Air NZ), a SF airport official arranged a porter to take all of our bags for us - this was a lifesaver. We seemed to bypass everything and next thing we were through and on the road south. We stayed in a town called Gilroy for a night, and then travelled to Brook's parents the next day.

We are currently in Coarsegold, CA, where Brook's parents retired to. It is in the foothills of the Yosemite Mountains, about 40 minutes NE of Fresno. It is quite remote, and their place has wild deer and quails wandering through the yard. The weather is magic, and after 5 days we are all pretty well aclimatised (it was hard to get the kids aclimatised and back onto schedule - however today went like clockwork).

However tomorrow, I have to start the job hunting proper. We are still looking at either the Bay Area or Sacramento.

Hope everyone else is doing well, and making progress.

Cheers

Grant

good to hear you all made it ok and safely. It is a long journey for young ones and there isn't a lot of room to move around on the plane. I notice that parents of young children are usually put in the front of the middle section of the plane. I always 'feel' for the parents when you see them trying to calm their young ones through a 12 hour flight. Very stressful indeed!

it sounds that one good thing from the unsettled flight is that you managed to get through customs a bit quicker
Did you have to pay excess baggage fees to take the 8 suitcases on board the plane? if so, was it very expensive?

it sounds lovely where you are staying at the moment. Hope all goes well with job hunting! Best wishes!!