Thanks vylex! It sounds like you and your wife are really well settled now and she has adjusted to life in the US. That's great, it is quite a transition, even when you are finally with your loved one!

I ended up visiting the social security office yesterday morning and was told nothing had been registered with them in my name from immigration. So surprise, surprise, something slipped through the cracks AGAIN and my SSN was not generated though I had requested one in my sworn statement!

Not to worry, I waited in line yesterday morning for 2 hours and have now been informed a number will definitely be in my hands in the next 2 weeks. So let's see! I have my eye on a job that I would like to apply for but they require my SSN with my application. The position closes in 10 days so I am hoping it all comes through in time!! I guess I could always try and apply without the SSN if it doesn't arrive in time, but it's a government job so I am guessing they are fairly strict about those things??

Congrats Patricia on your wedding. You are such a knock out girl! ;-) I wish you and Zach all the happiness in this world! You deserve it. Oh, I was telling the relatives last night about how much you pay for that lovely house of yours and they were all in disbelief! Hawaii is expensive compared to the mainland but I can not complain coming from melbourne prices.

HAve a great day all. HD. x

Hi,

A couple of quick questions. It seems that the K3 medical should not involve a review of the vaccinations (http://travel.state.gov/visa/laws/telegrams/telegrams_1431.html). Is this accurate?

Also, about how long did it take to schedule an appointment with either of the Sydney doctors - Millar or Waks? Finally, how long did it take to get the results?

Thanks,
Brian
PS Accidentally posted this in the main forum, so sorry about the double post.

The letter included in the packet does state that all forms/documentation should be mailed in, then they will schedule the interview. I would suggest sending the affadavit of support and supporting docs as soon as you can. Also, when he gets the packet, there is one form that needs to be returned immediately,DS-230I regardless of whether you have the police check and all that completely done or not. It allows them to start processing the case apparently. It seems that packet 3 has all the forms, and packet four is actually just the letter with your interview date. (which we are still waiting for ) Also, most of the forms can be downloaded from the consulate's website so he can start filling them out ahead of time too. We are still waiting to hear on his police check, he requested it about two and a half weeks ago, but I'm a little nervous cuz he has lived in several different areas so who knows how long it will take for them all to show up Fingers crossed... Good luck!

I called the DoS yesterday and they said packet 3 had been mailed on Tuesday. I had Liam go ahead and mail in DS-230 yesterday - but we sent the whole thing (Part I & Part II). Will that be an issue?? He also went and got his police check done last week and the lady said it would take 4-6 weeks to complete! However, the Consulate's web site says if you haven't heard anything within 3 weeks to call the station. I really hope it doesn't take that long. For QLD it's sent directly to the Consulate so I wonder if they will let us know when it's received.

Thanks so much for the heads up! I really appreciate it. I was beginning to think we were the only Aussie beneficiary going through the K1.

For the Affadavit I only included: the I-134 (notarized), Employer Letter, Copies of paystubs (since January), 2007 W2's & 2007 1040. Is that going to be enough?

I also plan on including a cover letter with our packet 3 items asking to have our interview scheduled within a specific time frame. I'm not sure that it will even be considered but we were hoping to go down to Sydney together while I'm visiting. And it would also work out the best with his crazy work schedule (which is one week on and one week off). Crossing my fingers for the both of us!!

I read somewhere that interviews at the Consulate are generally conducted on Tuesdays. I could be crazy though - can someone verify this?? Just wondering since fiance's work schedule is a mess and would like to submit an interview request letter with our packet 3 documents. Thanks.

hi ya all
liam/sam
interviews are conducted on any day actually..mine was on a friday...When you send in your readiness form also enclose a letter from the U.S. citz stating i will be in Australia between such a date and state you would like an interview while you are visiting for moral support of your fiance...We did this and we got the date we requested..our downfall was that we had it on a Friday not thinking about the weekend and stayed the weekend plus monday in sydney..so we could pick up my visa from the consulate on monday..which took 5 days out of our packing and seeing family in Vic although i stayed with my daughter in sydney. So if you can arrange it for a day where you could go back the next morning go for it.. the consulate are very obliging and try and help out any way they can..

Spring is here finally in Toledo .. have had some lovely weather ..5 months of cold weather just aint nice especially to an aussie lol...so were out in the garden finally organising the vegie patch and planting seeds...and tonight robbie put the flyscreens back in reason..i had the storm door open for fresh air to flow throw..and he said wrong thing to be doing kath..lol..i said why..he said racoons, squirrels, moles, deer.. gawd and here i thought he was going to say intruders..lol....

great wedding pics patrica and hd...love them..good to hear all is going well with you two..
hi ya vylex...cant wait to see the blossoms here in toledo.. our trees are just starting to get leaves back on them..i so missed seeing leaves hate bare twigs lol

no other news here..
take care
kath

Hi Everyone,

Just touching base to let you know that we have finally tied the knot. The ceremony took place here in Aussieland and we couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. Having said that, we were fortunate that a staff member at Births, Deaths and Marriages fast-tracked the registration of our wedding and so we had our certificate within 48 hours.

Now here is where the #### hits the fan.....

My hubby returned home to the states and sent off the IR1-CR1 petitions (mine & kids). I had gone over it with a fine tooth comb but had forgotten to remind him to make the cheque payable to: U.S Dept of Homeland Security and he instead made the cheque out to the address on our cover letter - U.S citizenship & immigration services. I was advised that they would indeed send the entire package back to him and we will have to start from scratch.

How long do you think this will set us back time-wise? Do they get incomplete petitions back out to you in decent time?

I was wondering whether we should just cancel the cheques now and just post off brand new petitions (we have a duplicate), rather than waiting for them to tell us the cheques are messed up.

What do you think guys?

Cheers

This happened to us too (same thing, we apparently wrote the cheque out wrong) and it took them about 4 weeks to return the package to us. But...it looked like even though at the time we thought that we had been delayed by a month, in actual fact I got my NOA2 on par with May filers.

Personally, I would probably wait til they return the forms to you (if they in fact do) and go from there. At the time my husband was in Australia with me so his parents took care of it for us and if it's just the cheque that's the issue making another one and sending it off the same day will be a breeze.

But hey, it's ultimately your call.

Good luck!

Hi again!

Packet four arrived yesterday as an email and interview date set for May 6th !!! I'm so excited!! Still have not heard anything on the police check, so I'm thinking we should call and see where it's at... For your affadavit of support the one thing you did not mention having that was specifically asked for in our checklist for the interview was a letter from your (the US citizen) bank. It cost me $25 to get it, but it has to be on the bank's letterhead/stationary with an actual human's signature on it. It should have 1) Date account was opened 2) Total amount deposited for the last year 3) Current balance of the account 4) Signature of preparer with date prepared.

As for him sending everything at once, I think it will be fine. They request that everything be sent in ahead of time anyway. If there is anything else they want to see it will be in the checklist in Packet 4, asking him to bring it to the interview. My fiance's arrived via email, not sure if he will receive a paper copy or not. The other things they asked for included the visa fee receipt (obviously ) but it also said that this must be paid before the interview and can ONLY be done at an Australian Post, as well as a self addressed prepaid envelope to mail out the visa. I'm not sure he'll need that or not because I've heard that you can just go back and pick up the visa in person the next day or whenever it is ready. He will need to bring his passport too, and they stated that it must be good for at least 8 months beyond the interview date.

If you want to schedule the interview for when you are there it certainly can't hurt to ask!! Good Luck!!

Thanks - We will just wait it out and hope they return it. I'm just really disappointed as we had put so much time into planning, only to mess up something as simple as that. I'm trying to remain positive but this is a kick in the guts.

Hi all,

I'm the USC & my wife just received Packet 3. However, she's away from OZ on business for several weeks & thus can't do the medical for a while. She's sent in her request for the police check and we have all the other documentation ready to go, save the medical.

The question is whether we can send the consulate most of the documentation they require (eg not the police checks & not the medical) and ask for them to schedule the interview? Or, do they really need all of the documentation before they'll proceed?

Is it critical to send in all the existing documentation first, or can we email them?

Finally, I've heard that they will sometimes schedule appointments around USC visits... I'm headed over towards the end of May-- will that make any difference?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Brian

Most definitely keep positive. I know it's easy for me to say now...but at the time I was frustrated too but then I realised that getting more frustrated wasn't going to get it to us earlier. This whole process is going to frustrate you about 1093574938 more times over, so it's best to just chill out as much as you can

All the best!

P.S. Don't mean to scare you about the "This whole process is going to frustrate you about 1093574938 more times over" bit It probably won't frustrate you at all!

hi k3
The part about sending all documents into the consulate to get an interview date is a new thing..to me there is not much known about the rules ...

I would email the sydney consulate to verify if this is possible..there is usually a waiting time to get a medical appointment..which state your fiancee from...the consulate is very good at answering emails.. can you let us aussie's know what the answer was to your question cos it could help someone else in the same situation as you down the tracks ..thanks mate..and also on the visiting usc ..you have to write a letter explaining why you want a particular date for your interview..my husband wrote a letter stating he wanted to be with me at the interview for moral support and we got the date we wanted.. ohh one hint look at the days as well as the date when thinking up one..if you ask for a friday you either have to go back on monday and pick up the visa or get it posted out...friday's just adds to the expense of hotels flights and such...

hiya patrica
how u doing...
hello to all the others ...i know i read somewhere someone got an interview date.. congrats to you.. im on a page where if i go back to read the post i will loose everything i have typed here so do forgive me for not naming you..

hope everyone else is going well and enjoying spring...to the aussie's its your turn to freeze ya butts off ..*if ya in a cold state that is* lol
take care
kath

Ohhh I'm a very patient person Not! lol Congrats on your wedding Patricia!! You married a week before us!

Thanks! April is a very good month to get married

Hi Kath! Yes, Spring has sprung! There's all this colour and the birds are chirping and the squirrels are hiding The humidity of Missouri has hit though, which is not something I'm too used to. I'm used to dry heat, not sticky bleh heat. Oh, we'll I'm sure I'll survive.

I got my SSN yesterday - we went to the office to get it but my card is still MIA. We're collating all our AOS stuff this weekend - I know, we've been procrastinating And then we wait...and pray that I can leave the country by December 27th of this year (what are my chances?!?!). I don't know whether to apply for the Advance Parole now or just wait? Any suggestions?

I really miss my family - I spoke to my parents and siblings last night, just randomly catching up. I keep telling them to take photos so I can see them but they're all slackers (I was the family photographer), so I'm a bit bummed about that. And it's my birthday next week and I'm thinking of having an Aussie themed get together with our friends but...I can't cook anything Aussie! Do they sell those Pavlova eggs here? Lamingtons are (or might be) too complicated to learn between now and next Friday. And...no vegemite sandwiches here Got any suggestions?

Well, hope everybody's well and considering it has been quiet lately it must be everybody's out there enjoying Spring!

Take care,
Patricia

Hi Kath,

Hope all is well with you and you are enjoying the spring weather. Won't be long and you will be doing your I-751 soon and if your lucky it will be transfered to CSC because it seems they are approving in 3 to 4 months......LUCKY them! I haven't heard anything and looking at the timelines for VSC they are only processing March 2007, so it could be quite a wait buts what new.

Hi Patricia,

First of all congrats on your recent marriage! I think we all hear you about missing family and friends.......it can be really tough sometimes. Poor Kath hasn't been back at all yet and I can only imagine how much she is wanting to go back for a visit. Hugs Kath. I was lucky enough to go back last March but feels like forever ago! Check a few timelines and see how others from the service centre you are doing your AOS at are going and it should give you a rough idea of how long it will take to get your green card. I guess you are planning a trip back to Adelaide in December? I'm looking at flights at the moment to go back to Adelaide in August because I have my NOA1 extension letter now (removal of conditions), so I'm good to go. Kath will second me on this one.........I applied for both EAD and Advance Parole and all I can say is that it was a waste of money! They approved my AOS and I never heard anymore about the the other applications but in saying that I guess it depends on how quick you are approved and peace of mind I guess.

Hi to everyone else.

Susan

Hope all my Aussie/American friends are doing okay *hugs*

Hi Susan

Hmm...waste of money? I think the fee of $1010 we already need to pay for AOS, the Advance Parole is already included within it. I'm not sure if we're going to apply now...and no, unfortunately the trip in December is not to Australia. It's to the Philippines where we'll be doing our non-quickie wedding. Best thing, all the important family and friends will be joining us so it'll be like going home to Adelaide. Yeah, we get to do another wedding all over again That's why it's imperative I get to leave the country by then, or else they'll be a wedding without me

So fingers crossed...

All the best, everyone!

Hi all

Thanks to Kath for finding us in the K-1 forum and letting us know about the Australia thread!!!

We just filed our I-129F last week, so I know we have a long and tedious process ahead of us. My fiancé lives about an hour from Townsville and it looks like, according to the Aus Immigration website, you can only go to one or two *authorized* places for a medical, and the closest one to him is in Cairns...I'm reading the forum and seeing that some of you went to your regular doctor and got the medical, is that correct? What do you do in that process?

Also, when he receives his packet before his consulate interview, will there be a "checklist" of sorts included? I want to make sure we include everything that is needed. For example, since we have the process started, is he able to get a police report now if he wanted to? Am I able to send him the Affadavit of Support as well, or does it need to be closer to the interview time?

Ahhh, so many questions! I'm really glad this forum is here, and everyone is so helpful. Thanks again

Heather

Hi Patricia,
YEP......you are correct about the advance parole and EAD when you apply for AOS being included in the fee.....sorry. When I did it they were 3 seperate applications and 3 seperate fees and I never heard anything back that's why the comment about it being a waste of money because my AOS was approved very quickly. Maybe they found that this was happening on a regular basis and decide to include it all in one application the AOS. I'm pretty sure that Kath had the same thing happen as me but don't quot me on that.

I've just booked to go back to Australia in August and am really excited already. Wanted to beat some of the inevitable airfare rises and Qantas have quite good specials until the end of this month.

Hi Hednjimmy,
You will receive a list of the doctors closest to you but as far as I know you are unable to see your regular doctor for this medical exam. I had some of my required immunizations done with my regular doctor and then the USCIS approved doctor transferred te details to the correct forms. Yes you will get a checklist when you get the packet and as for the police check I wouldn't get it too far in advance because they are only good for a certain amount of time. Sorry I am not sure how long but someone on here is sure to know. Goodluck with the journey

Hi to everyone else......hope everyone here in the USA and back in Australia are doing well.

Susan

Hi Heather,

Welcome to the Aussie thread! I am from Cairns so I am not too far from your fiance. At first I was happy to find that we (kids & self) would be able to have our medicals completed here in Cairns and actually save money on travel. However, when I phoned them, admin told me that she decided she didn't want to perform immigration medicals anymore. They weren't able to advise me if there has been a replacement here in Cairns, so the closest may end up being Brisbane - I hope not! I will let you know.

I hope the same thing happens to us - that we get our AOS as quickly as you did. We put in the Advance Parole request anyway and I gave them 3 reasons as to why I believe I qualify. So fingers crossed! I really hope we get approved - even if it's not for December but for early next year because my older brother is having a baby and I'm going to be an Aunt for the very first time I am very excited about it. Anyway, I guess we just wait and see...

Oh, yeah, we sent off our AOS stuff this afternoon so it's on its way to Chicago. Again, fingers crossed everything in there is correct and there are no problems or RFE's. I think the waiting game is a bit different this time since I'm already in the US and with my husband. I have more patience this round

I read yesterday that QANTAS are hiking up their prices Bummer. Oh well, when going home to Australia price is not an issue when you know everyone meeting you on the other side is excited to see you back. Haha! Does it sound like I want to go back so much?

Off I go and watch the AOS threads...

Hi Heather

Some folks when to their GP to get their vaccinations done but unfortunately, all the rest must be done by an authorised doctor, as deemed by the US Govt. I don't know of anyway around this, unless there's something special for those around your area. Good luck - best to email the US Consulate in Sydney to verify.



There is definitely a checklist that the Consulate sends. But read up ahead because most of the letters/forms are on VJ (but keep in mind that the Consulate can change their checklist any time they want and the latest may not be the one up on VJ. We used VJ as a very good guide, but never as gospel. Like I tell everybody else, it's your call/judgement because it's your paperwork). My police check took a week to do so it wasn't much of a waiting game there. The one thing that did hold us up is the notarized document for the Affidavit of Support - perhaps starting to collate that is a very good idea.

Good luck with it all!

Quick question to those of you who have filed your K1 recently (with the rules changed to - must send in all documents/forms prior to interview). The medical instructions seem outdated and still say that the examiner will hand over the results and he should bring these with him to the interview. However, the packet 3 checklist includes medical results. I told him to go ahead and jot in his medical exam date and send in the checklist with everything else. Do you think they really want people to get their medical results to send in with the Statement of Readiness or just bring them to the interview?? Just curious. We sent it in without them and are crossing our fingers it won't be an issue.

Hey guys, just dropping in too see how all are doing! Well, I have been busy with work and such, which is a good thing!!

Hey to all the new kiddies on the block! Hope you are with your loved one soon!

Hi all!

Been so busy lately with making arrangements, packing up and sorting out last minute details. I finished up with work last week, and it feels really weird... I leave in two weeks from tomorrow, so I've decided to start preparing for the AOS ordeal. I'm finding it all a little confusing... Especially this bit (from the site):

The current I-485 instructions mention a "vaccination supplement". Again as a K1 / K2 Visa holder you should have a copy of this from your exam overseas. If not you will need to make an appointment with an USCIS (INS) approved physician in your area to obtain this paperwork and/or additional vaccinations.

...But I don't. The Sydney consulate didn't give my medical exam papers back, and the doctor didn't give me a copy of that form either. All I have is a little Pocket Medical Guide (they provided me with that) with two of the shots he had given to me recorded. The full thing was recorded on the medical exam papers. I'm not exactly sure what to do. Help?

Hello all - first post here. My boyfriend sent our I-129F petition off this Monday 28th April, so now I think we are officially on the way to finally being together.

We met 10 years ago in a chatroom, and have been communicating ever since. I think we've been "together" for roughly 3-5 of those 10 of those years. We met in December 2006, and then again in July 2007, then finally, I flew over to California to spend christmas and new years with him and his family. When I got on the plane to come home, everything inside me said that I was flying in the wrong direction. Since January, we've been working on our petition, and now it's finally on it's way to the CSC.

I live in Rockhampton, in Central Queensland - and if that wasn't depressing enough! - I was feeling so down and so alone in being away from the person I wanted to be closest to. I'm so glad I found this site, it's been invaluable in giving me hope that maybe, someday, it'll be okay, and I won't have to deal with the pain of watching him walk away from me at an airport anymore.

So that's my little story, I'll keep my timeline updated as things (hopefully) progress, and enjoy learning about the progress and successes of all your petitions and applications. Looking forward to getting to know others in the same boat, too.

We just sent off our AOS stuff yesterday. The Vaccination Supplement, as we read it, was the form that you would have been given by your Doctor, filled out and certified/signed by the Dr. which says when and that you have in fact had all the required vaccinations that the US Govt. had asked for. It's just a one sided form. I really hope this is the correct one

I photocopied all the medical forms from the Dr. five times over just to be sure. Perhaps to get a copy, contact the Dr. you had your medical with and see if they took a copy for their records. I'm not sure if that's procedure for them, but in case they did then you won't have to re-do your medical again. Otherwise, ask if the AOS folks will take the medical records stating that you got vaccines done.

P.S. Welcome to VJ, MissMellie!

I just rang the doctor's office, and they're sending me out copies of my medical stuff. Thank god! Thank you for the advice.

That's great!

Well, I just checked the USPS website with our tracking number for our AOS paperwork and according to them, our file has been DELIVERED. Hurrah! Now fingers crossed everything is in order!

For those who have gone through AOS, how do we check if we got "touched"?

Well we only lost 1 week and 1 day! USCIS returned our petitions with the incorrect cheques with pretty impressive turnaround time. There were no RFE, so I'm hopeful that we are officially on our way and have everything in order! I am so thankful they didn't lose them.

Welcome to VJ and best of luck on your journey through the visa process

Hi All! Quick question about sending in the Adjustment of Status packet...

I don't understand what the VJ guide suggests for the medical report and vaccination supplement form. As a K-1er, should my fiance just send in a copy of the medical report/xray/vaccination report that he got in Sydney, or is there a separate form we need to fill out? OR, does he have to get another medical?

Thanks for all your help!!

hey everyone, just wanted to drop in and say hi and give you all a bit of an update...

've applied for the aos and while they are still processing they have approved my request to be able to work which is really good...

also to let you know that i'm almost 3 months pregnant - so thats also good news that has hit us this month and april....

to everyone that is going thru all the visa paperwork in sydney - dont despair, be positive and everything will go perfectly fine .... the american embassy are really nice people and very helpful...

oh and my husband is ordering me pies and sausage rolls lol cause i miss them so much, if only i could get a pavlova mailed over now huh?....

talk soon!!

Just wanted to provide a quick packet 3/packet 4 update to any Aussie K1 filers with questions (there is a tiny handful of us out there):

We received packet 3 a couple of weeks ago and mailed it back in immediately with all supporting documents except for the medical records (the police cert was mailed directly to the consulate). I was a bit worried about this since they're requesting all documents prior to the interview now. But we just received our packet 4 instructions and interview date via email. They provide another checklist and mark what is still needed. For us it is: medical records, passport, pay fee at Post before coming to the interview. So in case any of you were wondering. They must have already received the police cert since it wasn't on their final checklist.

And a quick note to herself to see how the interview went today!? I'm sure all went extremely well and am sending congrats way too early.

Jennibeni - There have been some discussions regarding the issue in the AOS forum. No additional medical exam is needed. However, some people send in exactly what they received from the medical exam in Australia and others send their records to a civil surgeon in the US to be transcribed to a specific form. Some people receive RFEs and some don't. I guess it really depends on who is adjucating your file and how picky they are. Double check the AOS subtopics and I'm sure you'll run into it. Sorry I can't be more specific/helpful.

Jennybeni

When i did my AOS i sent in a copy of the medical records .I had made copies of everything before i handed them in at K1 interview for my own records.
On my cover page listing what was in the package i put copies of medical records ( originals handed in at customs on entry to usa ) I did not receive a ref and got approved rather quicky. Thats not to say it works all the time. I figured as you dont have alot of time to get married and everything organised i would risk the chance of a ref, then if need be get it re done by a doctor in USA. I think you have about 6 weeks to return a REF but am not sure on the one.
some people get approved without redoing the medical some dont it just come down to who is reviewing you case i think.

angela

Just a note for others doing K1 when you have your medical done ask the doctor if they can provide you with a copy of all the paper work for your records, even if they send the original to the consulate ( some doctors do some dont ) they just might give you a copy. it could save you some time later on doing AOS

For those of you who have been in the US for a bit - were you added to your SOs car insurance policy? I'm thinking of changing providers and I want to take into consideration Liam as a secondary driver when he gets here and I know not everyone accepts foreign licenses. I think that Progressive does and sometimes State Farm but it depends on the state. Thanks for any info!

My husband was able to add me (not that I'm driving yet) and we're with State Farm. Same with my life insurance policy, it was finalised this week without any major issues.

P.S. We're in Missouri.

We had our AOS cash checked yesterday and today, our 3 NOAs (for AOS, EAD & AP) were received in the mail. I hope I get my EAD soon-ish - it turns out I'm not much of a homebody afterall

How is everyone else going? Oh so quiet...

I added Loke to my car insurance without a problem. They did say that we had to pay more until he got a Colorado license, but it was like $20.00 more a month or something so it wasn't bad. We are on Progressive.

Nice to meet everyone and it's cool seeing all new faces. I hope you are all doing well!

~Rings

Hi all! Happy to say that our visa was APPROVED on May 9, after a bit of drama. My fiance's packet four letter said his interview was scheduled for May 6, but when he arrived they said it was closed and they were not doing interviews that day!! They claimed they sent out an email that morning but he did not receive one. He also never received an explanation as to why they had closed for that day. I guess everyone must have called in sick or something...grrrrr..... Thankfully, he was able to reschedule rather quickly. He had a very short interview (5 min) and was approved on May 9th!! I'm so excited to see him again when he arrives next Monday morning!!

congratulations to both of you. now you can start planing for the wedding.

angela

WHOA! CONGRATS SHARYNA!!!

Hope everyone else is doing well!

It's been pretty quiet in here. Just thougth I'd pop to let you know we received NOA1 for our I-130 petitions. Unfortunately we are going through the Vermont Service Centre so its gonna be quite a wait for NOA2.

I'm planning on flying over to the U.S for 3 weeks holiday in Sept. and taking my grandmother with me. It will be her 80th Bday on the day we fly out and she has never been overseas. It will be nice to have company during those long hours on the plane. I have already warned her that because our petition is in, that there is a slight chance they may not let me in.

I intend to show the following documents as proof of return to Aus:

1. Letter from Employer showing holiday leave dates and return to duties date.
2. Return ticket & travel intinerary
3. Travel insurance document for same period as return ticket.
4. Copy of petitions and original NOA1 (and hopefully by then NOA2). These will be for myself and 2 children to show we are following the process.
5. My children's birth certificates and custody documents - to show they live with me and I am responsible for well being.
6. Rental letter from Landlord
7. Insurance periods for car, work etc

My grandmother's intinerary and travel insurance will also match my own.

Sound ok?

Hidie Ho all...
just wanted to give you a bit of an update about what has been going on...
A crazy couple of weeks have gone by, I was in the USA until the 6th May and flew back to Adelaide - MAN I was missing my kiddos SO MUCH by then.
We packed a bunch of stuff up and then headed to Sydney for the interview - they had emailed me a couple of times about what extras I need to bring (and my boys each had to have another vaccination before the interview) so no dramas.
Interview set for the 13th May 11.00am... We all go in, wait wait wait.... and then this really MEAN woman behind the counter called me up - started shoving papers at me under the glass and said that there would be a problem with my youngest two as their birth certs. didn't match their passports... I totally froze and then tears streamed down my face - as I got out "ummmm what are you talking about and why hasn't someone mentioned this to me before now.... like they found missing vaccinations in my huge pile of stuff - but something as GLARING as different names didn't raise a flag with them".... she curtly told me "I just work here and prepare the documents for your interviewing officer - and from what I see you will NOT be issued visas"..... The kids and I sat back down in total shock WAITING for the interviewing officer (Brad).....
Finally called up to him - and with my tear stained face I just looked at him as he went through everything, I told him that I thought that they would be asking me questions about mine and Steves' relationship - he said ummmm there was no need as they have no doubts about the validity of that ... (so that is a good start).

But the big problem is that my kids have their fathers' names on their birth certs, but in their passports they all have my maiden name as their surname - and there isn't a legal paper trail for that . I told him that they have been commonly referred to as that for over a decade and that OBVIOUSLY the Australian Government aren't going to just issue Passports "willy nilly" unless they are satisfied about the identity of the person and that my kids have each held 3 passports (2 expired) over the past decade and all are in the same surname, and that medically and school wise and in all personal aspects they use this surname (I also had included affidavits from various people including their father) which stipulated this.
Brad suggested me going and organising a Change of name via Deed poll - UMMMMMM hellooooo that takes weeks - and the fact that their Dad was in Adelaide - how on earth could I do that being we had flights booked for the 16th May... PURELY BECAUSE OF THE PREVIOUS EMAILS from the Consulate that had advised me that I didn't need anything else at my interview and that there wouldn't be a problem.

I also informed him that "common usage" of a name was legal both in Australia and also in the USA as long as you weren't doing it for fraud or illegal things...

He ummed and ahhed and finally said that while he would approve our visas (YAY) there was no guarantee that we would actually get through POE in LAX on the friday and that it would be entirely up to the POE immigration officer and whether or not he picked it up when going through our envelopes.... or whether it would be an issue.

So we left - feeling good but flat if you know what I mean?
We went back the next day and collected our passports with the visa stamps in them, along with our "envelopes".

Boarded our plane on the Friday - I had used points and upgraded the kids and I to business class - which I thought would be a nice way for that long journey and a nice way for "me" to just stress until we got through POE at LAX.... Great flight and all the staff were wonderful with the kids especially when they heard my story and where we were going etc...

Got to LAX - ummmm so did about 10 other flights at the same time LOL... the immigration area was packed (and I mean PACKED) it took about an hour before we even got close to the front of the line and then we were directed to this officer (who appeared gruff) he unceremoniously ripped open our envelopes - all the while I am just holding my breath and holding back tears.... we were with him for about 35minutes or a little more while he went through everything - then YAY YAY YAY - he stamped our passports, drew a line throuugh our visas, put all of our paperwork into a pile - reminded me that I have to marry within 90 days and then "welcome to america".... I was so relieved you have no idea.
We went to baggage claimed our 8 bags LOL.... put them on the transfer belt and through the glass window I could see my fiance Steve waving to us - MAN OH MAN what a wonderful site (he had flown from Cleveland to meet us and fly back to cleveland with us)..... I literally fell into his arms (great to see him and yes I missed him, but I think the tears of relief that waved over me was the main reason).

We then continued on with our extremely long day - flying to Chicago and then Cleveland - arriving here at home around 35 hours after getting to Sydney airport.... and now we are all just getting over jet-lag and the (cold/flu) that my daughter and I managed to pick up...

So onward we go - the wedding is on the 31st and SO MUCH to do between now and then LOL...

there you have it in a nutshell
now I must go and have a coffee
have a GREAT day folks
Tracy

Congrats TracyOZ!!!! Sorry to hear the drama and anticipation! Glad you and your kids are here now!

Also was that mean lady some big Samoan looking lady? If so I know who you're talking about! She seemed like a bitter lady! When my wife was issued her visa they added additional alias note at the bottom that worried us because it misused my wife's middle name as her last name. We were worried it would be an issue at POE. Anyhow, we emailed the consulate and they asked us to come back the following day. When we did come and eventually got called up to the booth, that bitter lady was really curt..."where is your appt. You can't come here without an appt....blah blah blah..."

I shoved the visa and the printed email asking us to come back. Everyone else was very nice though, especially the interviewing officers.

Anyway glad that you made it through! Luckily we had no issue with the misprinted note at POE at LAX. The folks there were nice to my wife so I was happy.

Welcome to the US, Tracy and kids!

I think I had the same lady at the Consulate. She wasn't mean to me but it sounds like she's the keeper of NAMES because she picked up that I had my Mother's maiden name on my passport but not on any other documents - so she added it to my Visa. She said she just did this to "be sure". She was really nice about it though.

Enjoy the wedding planning and get over your flu!

hehe that "Keeper of Names" was probably the same one for us then. The first time we saw her she was nice but seemed like she could be a handful. She also clarified the (middle) name with my wife although she proceeded to screw that up and make her middle name the last name as a second alias. Oh well luckily that annotated section was really minor.

I've got a question for you all that relates to the "Keeper of Names" comments.

My wife has not changed her name yet but wants to do so. She has her interview in Sydney on May 27th. Can we request that they add an "additional alias" to the visa (eg with my last name) so that if she gets a new passport with my last name that things will "pass muster" when she shows her old passport with the visa along with her new passport with the new name?

Any gotchas regarding K3 interviews @SYD?

Hi all

i'm new here and trying to make sense of everything. I read on another thread that Australia is one of only a few countries where there weren't any residency requirements for the the USC!

I take it that's changed again? I'm in such a pickle as i try to call the consulate in Sydney and they say there's no one I can speak to over the telephone!

Okay okay, slow down, here's my deal.

I'm Australian, living here and my Fiancee is American, living in LA. We're not married (obviously!) but as per above, we found out that when we're married, we can do a direct consular filing... only now, it appears we cant because he's not a resident here!

Basically, we got told by an immigration lawyer in December that i didn't need a fiancee visa as we're covered under the visa waiver program, but they warned me to not mention getting married when i entered the states. the way it was explained was believeable! However, the more we've looked into it and the closer our wedding date gets (sep 19th!!) the more we started doubting what we'd been told. Turns out it's a load of **** and I either need a fiancee visa (which I think takes 8 months currently) or we get married then file a spouse petition (another 8-12 months) before I'm allowed in!

Finally I think I've seen the light and found out about the DCF, only to find out that we NOW have residency restrictions?? Is this correct?

We were so organised getting lawyers involved so early (we only announced our engagement a month ago as he hadn't met my parents yet) and were planning for a September 19 wedding in Hawaii... now looks like the laywers were wrong and we're going to miss our wedding date :-(

Can anyone help or give advice on what the hell we should do now? how long has it taken recent ppl to get their fiancee visa through? are we really looking at 8 months??

help?!