^ I'm not sure about that one.. would assume so?

The medical exam is $235, then an extra $100 for the blood test and another $100 for the xray. Might be different for different doctors though

They gave us the same letter at our appointment last Thursday, obviously the name and date is different but the same boxes are ticked.

I wonder how close our case numbers are..

Glad to hear your appointment went well kaffy!

I e-mailed the Consulate again to see if they could give me a timeframe on the Adam Walsh check. It's been almost 3 weeks since I originally e-mailed them to follow up and 7 weeks since we filed our I-130.

Good to know about the medical appointment. I need to go look at the list of vaccinations for my husband. Hopefully none that will force him to stay here longer than necessary!

Hope everyone's having a good week!

Hey Guys! GOOD NEWS! I got home from work today and checked my e-mail. The Packet 3 was sent 1 day shy of 7 weeks after our I-130 filing.

Here is the e-mail I was sent (all form names, ie Form DS-230 etc, are clickable and take you to the forms)..

Name: David XXXX

Case Number: SYD2008XXXXXX

The National Visa Center (NVC) has returned the results of the Adam Walsh name check to the U.S. Consulate General in Sydney. The petition has been approved and the immigrant visa process may begin.

The initial set of instructions (“Packet 3”) may be downloaded from the following website:

http://canberra.usembassy.gov/consular/visas/iv/family.html

Forms required

Form DS-230 Parts I&II — Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration

Form DS-2001 — Notification of Applicant Readiness

Form I-864 — Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the Act

Form I-864A — Contract Between Sponsor and Household Member

Form I-864EZ — Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the Act

Form I-864P — Poverty Guidelines

Form I-864W — Intending Immigrant’s Affidavit of Support Exemption

Form I-865 — Sponsor’s Notice of Change of Address

A medical examination is required, for further information; please refer to the following website: http://canberra.usembassy.gov/consular/visas/iv/medical.html.

To obtain a list of the Panel Physicians, please refer to the following website http://canberra.usembassy.gov/consular/visas/iv/doctors.html . Medical forms are only obtained from the Panel Physician.

If you need to obtain a police certificate for Australia, please refer to the following website: http://canberra.usembassy.gov/consular/pol...ertificate.html. Please visit the State Department website on www.uscis.gov if you need to obtain a police certificate for another country.

Please send the completed DS230 Parts I & II forms immediately. Do not sign DS230 Part II. You should begin to collect all items applicable to your case that is listed on the following pages. Please do not fax forms DS-230 Parts I & II. The original forms must be mailed.

When you have gathered all documentation, complete & mail all applicable documentation with the DS-2001 form and checklist to the U.S. Consulate General, Sydney.

You are required to furnish the original of each document PLUS one photocopy. That office will contact you with your immigrant visa interview time. Your original documents will be returned to you at the time of your final visa interview.

Immigrant visa processing times vary. There may be unexpected ineligibilities that become apparent only at the time of your interview which require additional time and processing. For this reason, you should not make any irrevocable arrangements, such as purchasing non-refundable tickets, selling your home, or quitting your job, until after your immigrant visa is actually approved and issued to you.

Sincerely,

Immigrant Visa Unit

U.S. Consulate General, Sydney(TY)

I am SO happy that I they finally came. I'm going to do some more reading on the Packet 3 and try to get it all done in the next few days. Hopefully we can get it all in and get an appointment within the month so I can go up to Sydney with my husband before I leave for the US. Ok, that's it for now!!

this is such great news loz! happy for you that your application is moving forward.

Congrats on having your petition approved loz9!!! Do keep us updated with how your Packet 3 preparation goes!

Yay!! Things are coming together!

oh my god!



then it follows on the same as loz9's email

OMG!!!! it took exactly a week, one week!!

Thanks for the congrats guys!!



Holy cow!! That's awesome!!!! I wonder if where you file has impact on how quickly things are processed??

Ok so on form DS-230 (part I and II)...do I need to fill out one for me and one for my husband or just one for my husband? The way I'm reading it is that only my husband (the non USC) needs to fill one out. Do you interpret this the same way?

I'm going to try and get the DS-230 sent off today via express post. I'm also going to schedule a medical check appointment and get the police check in either today or tomorrow as well.

Are you guys having someone co-sponsor you to move over? I'm a bit confused about which I-864 form my dad (who is our co-sponsor) needs to fill out.

I'm sure I'll have so many more questions once I start doing the other forms. We'll have to keep eachother updated.

My understanding is that only your husband has to file in the DS230 because he is the one who is intending to immigrate.

I have completed my DS-230 forms and will send them off tonight (not going to express it since tomorrow is a public holiday which means they won't get it till Monday anyway). I'm seeing my GP tonight for my immunization record and my medical exam is booked for next Monday. I will probably get my Aussie police check done tonight or tomorrow.

My in-laws will be co-sponsoring us (they completed the forms already and we will receive it next Monday). My father in law is the joint sponsor and he completed form I-864 and my mother in law, being a member of his household and also with an income, has completed form I-864A.

I hope to have all my documents ready by the end of next week... but my only "problem" is that I still have to wait for my Japanese police check to arrive.. it's only been 3 weeks since I applied for it and it's supposed to take 2 months to process >< I hope the Consulate will let me submit my DS-2001 and schedule an interview first (so that husband can accompany me), then forward the Police Check onto them later.. hmm...

Thanks for that. That's what I thought about the DS230.

I just scheduled the medical appointment for my H and he's in on July 9 at 9:15. They apparently JUST had a cancellation, so we probably got a little lucky on that.

Our 'problem' is my tax returns. I have to file (didn't know I had to) for last year and this year. I think my dad is going to help me file online. Hopefully if we can get that done in the next couple of days that won't hold us up too much with the other forms.

I hope your Japanese police check comes through faster than expected. Waiting is the worst part! Are you Japanese or did you just live there for a while?

Good luck with your tax returns! My husband tried to do his 2007 online but it got too complicated for him so he ended up filing the regular way.

I'm not Japanese but lived and worked there for 2 years (which is how I met my husband). Does your husband need to get any other police checks other than his Aussie one?

You sound so organized!!

Yea I'm hoping it's not too complicated to do online. I take our taxes to get done so I don't really know what I'm doing. I tried e-mailing H&R Block about getting my last 2 year's taxes prepared (based on my foreign income) and they told me to call a US 1 800 number...um, not very helpful! My dad offered to help, so hopefully he will be able to get it done quickly. I don't want to rush him b/c he's being nice and helping us out, but I want it done ASAP! hehe

I don't think he will need to get police checks from anywhere else. He attended school in the US, but never lived there for more than 12 months at a time. He also lived in Indonesia, but it was when he was under the age requirement, so he won't need one from there either.

I've called the police station and he can go in today to get fingerprinted. Tomorrow I will go get the money order and send the application off.

I've paid the deposit to hold his medical appointment and have all the info from them on what he needs to bring.

So much to do but I'm just so glad we can move forward now!

some would say a little obsessive compulsive

What's the money order for?

Just another clarification (I swear, immigration forms make me feel stupid)..your husband still filled out an I-864 right? So you'd have 2 - one from your H and one from FIL (with the I-864A attached for your MIL).




Hahaha. OCD. Organized. Same thing.

The money order is for the police check. It costs $127 in Victoria to process. Boo to that. Visas are so expensive!

Yup, you are right
Husband - I-864 (which I am doing now.. not sure what to write for his current individual annual income since he finished his job in May and won't be resuming work until after he finishes his masters.. so I guess $0.00.. sounds awful )
Father in law - I-864
Mother in law - I-864A

The QLD police check is quite expensive too.. about $145 The medical is the biggest shocker though.. about $450. I remember when husband had his medical for his Aussie spousal visa it cost much less than that

Kaffy, congrats on the speedy approval of your petition! Can't help but be jealous of you two!

Anyways, we just received a communication from Sydney that my husband's Adam Walsh clearance request was sent on June 23 (two weeks after we filed it in Perth). It seems like where you file the petition DOES have an impact on the processing time.

Anyways, patiently waiting and hopefully by next week we'll receive our Packet 3 too.

Loz, it might be worth looking at camistanbul's comments re: taxes and tax forms on this link:

However, I still haven't confirmed whether a photocopy of the tax form will be sufficient, or whether an official IRS statement is mandatory. If an official IRS statement is not necessary, then life will be a lot easier. Fingers crossed on that one. Because IRS told us that my husband will not be able to backfile online, and it would take approx 3 weeks to process.

Kaffy, did you have to make an appointment for the Aus police check? Seems like there's always a long cue just to get your fingerprints done here in Perth. We called to make an appointment last week (just in case we will need it), and the earliest I could get was for the 2nd week of August!

Anyways, sorry if my thoughts are scattered here. Busy at work with boss needing speedy outputs, but also excited to see you guys are moving forward!

OK as soon as I sent my last post, I received the email from SYDNEY!!!

We just got our PACKET 3!!!!

I'm so EXCITED!!!

Hi Faith, I went to the police station a few weeks ago to enquire about the process and as far as I am aware I don't need to make an appointment. I just have to fill in the application form, get fingerprinted at the local police station and then they will forward it onto the relevant people for checking. I remember they said it takes about 2-3 weeks to process and they will directly send it onto the Consulate.

I hope that your approval comes soon!!



yaay congratulations!!

Looks like we might all be going to Sydney together

Thanks!

Yeah, would be awesome if we actually have our visa appointments at the same day!!!

Did you find out if you needed an Aussie police check? If you do I hope you can get an earlier appointment!

ps- I am SO NOT looking forward to getting poked with a needle, exposed to high dose of radiation and peeing in a cup on Monday (which happens to be my 1 year wedding anniversary!)!

I think I got the same generic Packet 3 email. So yeah, I will need an Aussie police check as well. I believe my husband was told that we can go to our local police dept to get my fingerprints. So that shouldn't be a problem. Glad I don't have to worry about my Philippine police clearance, as I've already got it earlier this year when we were initially thinking of applying for PR here.

I hate medical exams! It's never comfortable... and I try to act like a big girl, but I'm really scared of needles. But hey, if that's what it takes to be with our spouses... Although, I still need to get varicella vaccine (more needles!). So I might have to wait to finish all doses before i can get my medical exam. Will still need to call and inquire on that.

This is crazy!! We really may all end up being in Sydney at the same time!

Congrats Faith! Thanks for posting that link to the tax stuff. From what I've read on that link it seems like just a copy will do. That does give me a bit more hope knowing that I won't have to wait for the actual returns and that copies will be ok.

Kaffy, I know what you mean about the medical. Ours is going to cost $310.35 total. My medical exam for my Aussie visa cost over $400. It's painful. They don't actually DO that much either. Just an xray, minor bloodwork and an exam really. Overpriced. Oh well. It's a necessary evil I guess.

For the police check, we wrote to send it directly to us. Is that wrong? I thought we had to bring it with us when we have the interview. Same with the medical stuff.

You should be okay Loz, according to this: http://canberra.usembassy.gov/consular/vis...ate.html#return

it says that only QLD and NSW residents will have their Police certificates sent directly to the Consulate.

Immigration stuff can be so confusing to understand... I think I would be so lost without this forum!

Thanks kaffy! I'm hoping one day soon immigration will stop confusing me. *sigh*

Have any of you started transfering money back to the States yet? The TT rate for ANZ today is pretty good (0.9535) so I might send some money tonight

I haven't yet. It's probably a good idea though. I need to open another bank account in the US though. I think I closed all my accounts when I moved over here.

Hey all, I'd like to jump in here since I have a question about taxes and you mentioned them earlier in the thread. I also did not file the last two years because I haven't made ANY income here or in the States, and so I was going to just write a letter explaining that, but now I wonder if they need me to file anyhow? Our interview date is in less than a week! Could I possibly get that done in time?

Hi Rissa Welcome to the thread...

Now... TAXES...

Loz and Rissa, you might want to look at this. Page 8 of Form I-864, item 25. Federal Income Tax Information, last paragraph.

"If you were required to file a Federal income tax return during any of the previous three tax years but did not do so, you must file any and all late returns with IRS and attach an IRS-generated tax return transcript documenting your late filing before submitting the I-864 Affidavit of Support. If you were not required to file a Federal income tax return under U.S. tax law because your income was too low, attach a written explanation. If you were not required to file a Federal income tax return under U.S. tax law for any other reason, attach a written explanation including evidence of the exemption and how you are subject to it. Residence outside of the United States does not exempt U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents from filing a U.S. Federal income tax return. See"Filing Requirements" in the IRS Form 1040 Filing Instructions to determine whether you were required to file."

I panicked when I read this, coz I was counting on just providing photocopies of my husband's tax forms. But based on my understanding of this clause, it seems like my husband IS required to provide an official IRS statement. When he called the IRS a couple of weeks ago, he was told that back files cannot be done online, and it normally takes longer to process, compared to on-time taxes.

Ok... now is the time for any or all of you to tell me that I am mistaken by my understanding of that paragraph. PLEASE?!

Going back to the link I sent earlier... it appears to me that camistanbul sent the photocopies of her 1040 with their petition application, but in our experience the tax documents are not even required for the petition (unless it's different in Turkey).

Taxes are annoying aren't they For my application I will be submitting a photocopy of my husband's 2007 1040 form, and official IRS transcripts of his 2006 and 2005 tax returns. He requested them a few weeks ago and they were mailed to his parent's house soon after. I'm not sure if they have processed the 2007 tax return yet or not so I'll just send the photocopy first

So this:

If you were not required to file a Federal income tax return under U.S. tax law because your income was too low, attach a written explanation.

Would probably refer to me? Because we've already done this, not that it was difficult.

Hi Rissa! I would think you are right on this. Do you know what the income limits are for needing to file? Good luck at your appointment! It's next week right?

Yep, and thanks! It's next Tuesday. We figure that we're just going to bring what we have with what we understand and let them tell us what to do from there. We don't have a set schedule, just sort of a "hope to leave by," so if we have extra documentation to give them it wouldn't be a huge deal, I'm just worried that with this whole domicile issue we may have to be separated.

Good luck at your interview Rissa!

I'm getting my medical exam done tomorrow... will be having my 3rd chest x-ray in as many years How many times do I have to prove that I am TB free?!

Good luck at your medical appointment kaffy! Let us know how it goes!

Hi all, just reporting back about my medical

I arrived at the medical center a little early so the receptionist went through all my paperwork first and also asked for my urine sample. Unfortunately there was no restroom in the surgery so I had to go up three flights of escalators and use the restrooms in the Sofitel lobby. I felt rather awkward carrying a urine sample around in public but I'm thankful they gave me a brown paper bag to put the jar in I quickly returned to the doctor's office, had a small wait then got called in to see the doctor.

First he went through the list of required vaccinations with me using the Immunization summary I obtained from my GP. He determined I needed a MMR booster shot and luckily it was covered by Medicare so I wasn't charged. Next the doctor went through a list of yes/no questions to me. I.e. Do you smoke, take drugs, suffer from diabetes, have heart disease, etc. Fairly standard medical questions. Final step was the physical, again fairly standard. Girls do require a breast exam though, I'm not sure what the male equivalent is?

That was it for the medical exam. The doctor gave me referrals for my chest x-ray and blood test so I went and got those done next. Both were fairly quick but there was a bit of a wait on the x-ray results so I went and ran some errands in the meantime. I collected the film as soon as it were ready and returned to the doctor's office. The receptionist took out the findings letter, told me everything was normal, then gave the x-ray back to me and said that although I don't have to take the film to Sydney for my interview, I do have to make sure it comes with me to the States when I move. My blood work results will come back in about 2 days and after that I'll be able to pick up all my results and forms.

Total damage of the day
Medical examination $253.00
Chest X-ray $99.00
Blood test $91.35
TOTAL $443.35

Turn your head a cough??

Glad to hear it went well, kaffy. When do you think you'll send the DS2001 to tell them you're ready to proceed? I wonder how long it will take to get an interview. Rissa, how long did it take from the time you sent DS2001 to your interview date?

The police check (for us) should take 10 days, but I've heard that Victoria's usually pretty quick when it comes to processing, so maybe quicker? MH went and had his fingerprints done today so we will be sending off the forms tomorrow. I'm hoping to have my taxes taken care of and everything ready to send off by the time we get back from Bali on the 23rd. Do you guys think that if I include a letter with a copy of my flight itinerary (I'm leaving on Aug 3rd for the US to get ready for school) that we may be able to get an appointment in Sydney quicker? I'm worried that by the time my husband can get an appointment that I will be gone. I really want to go with him. I know it's not necessary, but it would be a 'nice to have'.

Faith have you made and progress on your packet 3 yet??

Hope everyone's well. Bye for now!

Hi guys!

Thanks for relating your medical exams experience kaffy. What's the MMR booster?

I haven't really made much progress with my Packet 3. Haven't even sent my DS-230 yet. But thanks for asking loz I'll have my fingerprints taken on Wednesday though, so I guess that's progress. Still can't make an appointment for my medical exams since I don't have the Varicella vaccine yet. I'm seeing my GP on Wednesday re getting the required shots. As I read from the link Kaffy posted, the 2nd dose is administered 4-6 weeks after the 1st one. So I might have to wait 4 more weeks before I can get an appointment. Hmmm...I wonder if I could get my medical appointment after the first shot.

We're still somehow stuck on hubby's taxes. He's not filed for quite some time, so that might take forever to process. Hopefully we can work something out so we don't get separated. Hope your hubby's visa gets approved soon, loz, so you can go to the US together. Same on your visa too kaffy! Really wishing hard that none of us gets separated. Btw, which state would you guys be in?

Anyways, it's almost midnight, and my mind's getting foggy. Hope you guys are doing well.

Good luck on your visa appointment Rissa! Do let us know how it goes.

Will keep you posted when I make any more progress.

Hi Faith, MMR is the measles mumps and rubella vaccine. I had my first shot in my teens and now the federal government recommend that those in their early 20s receive a booster shot which is why the doctor gave me one. Have you had the chicken pox before? Because if you have, you won't need to get the varicella vaccine.

We're moving to Seattle (Washington). How about you guys?

Loz- I actually sent the Consulate an email asking if I could submit my DS-2001 to them now, receive an interview date, then forward my Japanese police check to them once I receive it. I asked for an interview date around 18 August because I should have my police check before then and it'll be before my husband flys back to the US. Hope they are kind to both of us

Ohh I may have to e-mail them and ask them the same thing..Let me know what they tell you!

We are going to be in Alabama. Should be interesting. We'll only be there for 2-3 years when I'm in school. We'll probably move to Florida (where my family is) after that.

Alabama eh? I'll have to look at a map (I am terrible with US geography ). Has your husband started applying for jobs yet? I want to start applying but think it might be a little early still since I won't be ready to work there until about mid-September.

Hi again guys, we're still not sure where we'll be moving. Depends on which job my husband accepts. It could be Pennsylvania or Missouri.

Anyways, I have some tax questions. Loz, you're the USC right? When you filed your US taxes, did you file a joint return with your husband as a nonresident alien? What about you kaffy? Did you have to apply for an ITIN and file jointly with your husband as well?

Sorry, I'm just starting to get frazzled again with all this tax stuff.

Hi Faith, nope I havent filed taxes with my husband. We'll begin doing that after we move over.

Cool I received a response from the Consulate!



I'm going to try and submit my DS-2001 (minus my Japanese police check) to them by Friday

Hey Kaffy,

We used to live in Alabama - in Birmingham! And now we're living in Perth and will probably have to do what you guys are doing if we ever go back to the states (it would be for the 2nd time for us though!). Anyways, which part of Alabama are you moving to?

Oh good news for you! 2-3 weeks huh? Looks like I won't be able to go with MH to the interview. That's ok though. At least I know that we will only be apart for a couple weeks or so. My parents have FedEx'd the I-864, so we should get that in a couple of days. My dad is doing my taxes for me tonight, so hopefully we'll be able to complete our I-864 within the next couple of days. The police check is submitted. MH had his medical appointment today. It went well. He apparently needs to get one immunization, which we will try to get by Friday this week then he has to go back and pick up the results. They said Monday he could come back, but we are going to be in Bali so we won't be able to pick them up til Wednesday 23.

Kaffy, are you just going to submit the documents on the DS2001 checklist (Marriage license, birth certificates, I-864s, med test results, police checks, etc) or are you going to include stuff like proof of cohabitation, joint bills, bank account info, photos, etc. too? I'm torn on what I should do. I always think that too much info is better than too little, but the less for me to organize at this point, the better. I'm so busy with finishing up work, the holiday and moving!

Sweethomealabama, it's actually me (us) who's moving to Alabama! We are going to be very close to Birmingham! Anything you suggest we see/do while we're there? Any good local restaurants? I want to explore once we get there!

We'll be moving to Virginia, where my family is, and staying in that area until we've paid off our debts, then hopefully we'll know where we'd like to go next; there are many places in the U.S. that the two of us want to live!

Anyway, the interview went spectacularly, much better than I expected. Very long wait, but well worth it! We arrived at the Sydney Consulate at about 9:25, half an hour early for our appointment. I saw someone get turned away for being there an hour early, and told to come back, so you should only come about half an hour early. The security guard took our bag and checked our IDs and appointment letter, then sent us to wait in a waiting area for about 3-5 minutes. Then they escorted us to the elevators all the way up to level 59 (very speedy, too, my ears were popping), and we came out and had to stand in a line of a few people to be checked by security for weapons, etc. They checked our IDs, sent us through the metal detector, and we were told to go through a door into the next room. The room was packed! Apparently they were backed up that day, and I definitely recommend allowing for the full three hours they tell you to, just in case. We had to take an immigrant visa ticket and sit down to wait for our number to be called. This was our first long wait, I can't remember how long for certain. They finally called us up to the window and asked for our appointment letter and documents we were still supposed to provide (in our case it was his passport, the envelope, the fee, and my I-864), and we were told to go on down a couple of windows to pay the fee, which was $460, get the receipt, and bring it back to her right away. After she had taken all of this, she told us to sit down again, so we waited again for another long period of time, and then we were called up for Rob to get digital fingerprints taken. That took about thirty seconds, and then we were told to sit and wait again. Finally, after another 20-30 minutes we were called up for our final interview, where we were asked where we were moving, how long we'd been married, etc. You hardly knew you were being interviewed because it seemed so much like just chitchat. That only went on for a minute before he told us that we were approved and that the visa would arrive in the mail by the end of next week! After all the worrying I did over domicile and my tax returns, they didn't even ask about any of that or for any evidence of the relationship at all - just approved us then and there! In total we spent just over three hours there.

Hope this helps all of you who still have the final interview coming up. I have one last question - how much have all of you paid in fees? Do we pay one ($355) for the petition and one ($460) for the interview? I just wanted to make sure we weren't paying the same fee twice!

I'm only going to submit what is requested on the DS2001 checklist. The other stuff I will bring to the interview.

Sounds like things are coming together for your husband's visa Hope you have an awesome time in Bali! I just realised yesterday that we will be moving in 6 weeks (he is, and I will be too assuming my visa comes through in time).. eeek I had better start packing!

Rissa- Congrats on your interview and your visa approval!!! What was the $460 fee for? We paid a US355 fee for the petition and I thought that was a one-time fee that covered everything? Please correct me if I am wrong!

Thanks! See, that's what I thought about the fees as well, that the $355 USD we paid at the petition was it, and we were somewhat blindsided by this new $460 fee that they only let us know about when they sent out us our appointment letter/email. Then on the receipt we got yesterday I noticed that it said 1 31 IV Application was $355 US + 1 37 Surcharge was $45 USD, adding up to a total which converted to $460 AUD. So, $355 AGAIN? Coincidence (or deliberately chosen fee amount to charge again) or was there a mistake? Luckily we have kept both receipts in case something went wrong.

Edit: Ah, I've just looked at my initial petition receipt again and I've noted that it says 1 81 DHS I-130 Petition for the amount, presumably indicating that the fees are for two different things. Thus, not a mistake. However, that should let you all know to be sure and have that extra $460 around for the second set of fees on your final interview dates!

Thank you for the heads up!