Anybody know the best place to stay in Darling Harbour, my wife wants to do some sight seeing after the interview... and does anybody know how far Darling Harbour is from Martin Place (US Consulate)

Hi David!!

We stayed in the Marriot Sydney HArbor - right by Darling Harbour. (the second provided link) It was great. A TAD further away from the Consulate - the other Sydney Marriot is closer - and the aforementioned travelodge is even CLOSER.

This...is where we stayed before the interview. We got it for 149 a night on hotels.com. It was a REALLY nice hotel and TOTALLY worth it. We turned our trip to Sydney into a pseydo "second" honeymoon so it was nice.

The next night we switched hotel...(long story short here. We had planned to go to Sydney for a friend's wedding...and booked the hotel at the harbor as we took a ferry to her wedding. We LATER decided to file the same trip - tried to book extra nights in that hotel and it was full so we switched to the first one I linked you to.

THIS... hotel was REALLY nice and also about 150 a night per hotels.com. It was HEAPS nicer than the first one -but further from the consulate. This is the one at Darling Harbor) Most the hotels arond that area are dearer because of the location. Try priceline or hotel.com for cheaper rates. I did priceline, requested my own price and requested a 4 or 5 star hotel!

Hope this helps. I can verify that BOTH of these are super nice. i'm kinda a hotel snob (much to Stewart's dismay).

Hi all

Just got back from our honeymoon in sunny Queensland, after my boy Toby and I got married in Melbourne two weeks ago (I'll have to stick a photo up soon, I'm on a borrowed computer at the moment). Sounds like we got married at about the same time David -- congrats to you too!

I've got my medical and police check sorted out, and we're heading to Sydney this Wednesday for Toby to do a Thursday walk-in and file the I-130. As I've got my medical and police check done, I'm going to see if they'll let me file my forms then too so I can get an interview date ASAP. I guess we're the first ones to be doing the new DCF there, so I'll post more info about how it goes. I've been re-reading the posts about people's Sydney consulate experiences, but does anyone have any specific advice/hints you think is worth knowing before we head in??

Chris

What you read is pretty much spot on.

We got there about 7:15 - real early - and hung out in the lobby. (As you can't go up til 7:30...). People are cut throat!! It's crazy! We got jostled around.

Definitely pee before you go up...and don't drink anything once you get up there.

Only take what you need - they take your cell phones, cameras etc...

Be TOTALLY prepared. Have ALL your docs in order. Don't worry....even if you get "Rose" which when I was going through all the talk was how tough she was...she's great - just be prepared.

Other than that - it's a piece of cake Oh and also TAKE ALL YOUR PROOF - pics, emails, whatever. We took ours and they didn't even ASK For them. I said, "Aren't you going to look at my photos?" and they said...if you bring 'em - we don't ask for them.

Someone who had gone through before me HADNT brought ANY proof and sure enough -they asked.

I'm so excited to see how it goes for you! I know it will be "Easy peasy" as Sean says!! GOOD LUCK and keep us posted

hi there lunamel

good to hear from you..glad all the medical an police check worked out for you...

i didnt put in a review of the experience cos to me an my hubby it seemed a waste of time and money...

but one thing i would keep an eye on is the way they do the call numbers... if i remember rightly it was window number then you number prob wasnt confusing for anyone else but it was for me lol i read it the wrong way once and i went to the window an it wasnt even me...also take some lollies with you and something to read..

where abouts in melb did you get married ..an do post some pics in the gallery too would love to check um out mate..

well on thurs i go do my biometrics thingy...so will be glad to get that over an done with...

well good luck in sydney mate an let us know how u went...
take care and enjoy oz
kath

p.s. forgot this...when u go into the elevator wait till last to enter cos you will be getting out first an your then first in line..although we were first to sit down we got to the back of the elevator an i was so annoyed about it...hell i arrived earlier than these lot i should be first inline to get a number kinda attitude i had...i know i was bad that day ...im not usually that way inclined lol

hi ya all

was checking the status online checking today and i got a notification that our case for the I-485 was transferred to California...
on the 5th October..took um 4 days to let me know lol

so now just another waiting time...hopefully this means i dont have to have an interview..
take care
kath

Congrats Lunamel my wife and I just set up our hotel. We'll be staying at 4 Points by Sheraton on the Business District side, only minutes away from the MLC Centre, with a harbor view. Kind of costly but my wife wants my first time experience in Sydney to be worth while and memorable.

Lunamel, keep my updated on the things we might need to submit the I-130. Since I wasn't able to get my hands on all the forms before the new changes, I'll have to wait until Sydney sends them to my wife.

As far as proof of relationship, let me know how much of that proof I would need just to submit an I-130 or is that something (proof) my wife will have to bring when she goes for her final interview?

Thanks for all the hints guys. And good luck with everything Kath -- hope everything gets finalised for you soon!

David, I'll let you know what they ask for in terms of proof. The checklist for filing the I-130 says to bring proof of the relationship, so looks like we have to do it both then, and when I have my interview. We're taking in photos, wedding photos, our lease, bank account statements etc. Wish us luck!

It may have changed now. Stewart and I took a HUGE box of our letters over the past 5 years. We took hotel receipts, photos with date stamps (only had about five of those...the rest had no date but we took them anyway), wedding photos, emails, call logs...

and they didn't ask for a single piece!

David - we saw that hotel and it looked really nice - we even commented we should stay there next visit!! It's worth the extra money in my mind - cause we wanted our trip to be special too!

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE I am so excited for everyone!!!!

hi there
well completed the bio appt today..arrived 8.50am out by 9.12am

got hoem received NOA that CSC received our case and emails also..

and today we had our first snow flurries i thought it was hail stones until i opened the sliding door an it didnt hurt lol...so took some pics to send home i just stood at the window watching the flurries and got caught up in watching the different air drifts of the snow falling down....arhhhhhhhhhh sighhhhhhhhhhhhh winter is coming....
so thats my update for the day now we will just sit tight an wait for news from them...
take care
kath

Heya Ppls,

Okay Kath, warnin ya right now. If you jump ahead of me again in this visa debarkle I will screeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaammmmmm. hehehehe j/k

You are already ahead of me, you got your SSN, where I got a dumba$$ who didn't know her job.

And, this really bites, CSC actually let you know they got your file. No touches on either the EAD or AOS since September 9th now for me. hmmmmm The CSC and I just don't mix well, me thinks. They were the ones that held us up big time for the K1.

Oh well, Sh!t happens.

hi mate

if i send ya a sweet email would that help ya lol....an u are right ya know i have been ahead of ya for the whole process mate...but u beat me on getting here an getting married lol

i cant understand how they cant tell ya over the phone that they have it ...this reminds me of the melly debarkel ..remember...

god i hope ya hear something soon even if it was a damm touch it would tell ya something huh ...we will send some postiive thoughts your way mate..
you take care mate an fingers crossed
kath

Mojo Mojo Mojo

Toucha Toucha Toucha Touch me, I wanna feel diiiirrrrtttyyyy.

hehehehe I am loooosing my mind...

hey guys

just booked this for our one year anny


Sooo excited.

hi there

ohh that looks so nice caroline....i remember those wine tours in vic ...the sipping the tasting the spitting lol...enjoy mate an take plenty of pics so ya can make me homesick for melb lol

hi kaffykat
your not loosing it ya lost it in the K1 journey lol..(jk) im not at that stage yet...wish there was something else we all could do to help this process easier for us all ...

ok hands in....sing approval .. approval.. approval...yaaaaaaaaaa aussies!!!!

now see what ya done kaffy...im taking your loosing it side lol...
you keep ya chin up mate ...
ohh by the way we were touched for AOS today (13th)

take care
kath

oh shuddup you....

My cat has gone on heat, so now all she wants is to be touched too, just like her mummy.. ain't that sweet??

Hey Kath

thats good news being transfered to california Hopefully you will get approved with out an interview,

angela

hi ya angela

how you doing mate
goin good here..an yeah getting touches but nothing telling me anything lol...its quite frustrating when u see u have been touched but they dont put a footnote at the bottom to say what they were doing on your case

take care
kath

Hi everyone

Just thought I'd let you know that everything went smoothly when we went to file the I-130 last week! We got there really early, and managed to be the first ones to get a ticket, so we were out of there by about 10am -- thanks for the lift hint Kath! We got Rose, though she was super-nice to us, and even thanked us for being so organized. Toby filed the I-130, and she also let him file his I-864 given we had it with us. I filed my DS-230 parts 1 and 2 and DS-2001, and she managed to squeeze me in for an interview on 31 October!

Thanks for all the tips guys, they made the process so much easier. I'll let you know how the interview goes (and hopefully get those photos up soon -- though at least I've added a timeline).

Chris

YAY Lunamel!!! A Halloween interview! That's so great. I'm glad it worked out so far...

I got good news too!! Stewart's leave was approved for our Dec. holiday so it's official

That was the one thing I was worried about, that they wouldn't let him take that much time from work, but no worries

Congrats Lunamel... So who gets to DCF the new way?

hey chris

congrats an glad to help mate u know that...wow an interview day before my birthday whoo hoo you wont need any luck mate and im glad all the steps have gone smoothly so far for you two...cant wait to see the pics....ohh by the way what has changed at sydney ....
no news here just waiting on news from CSC ....

take care
kath

Thanks guys! Glad to hear that your holiday plans are all working out Caroline -- it's been abnormally warm over here so far this spring, so you're probably in for a hot summer when you visit.

Kath, hope you get some news soon... And happy birthday in advance, in case I forget with my visa excitement when the time comes!

Hi everyone,

I don't post here very often at all but find myself always having a look just to see how all the aussies are doing and seems like for most it's been smooth sailing. I certainly relate to the discussion about being homesick but the phone is a wonderful thing! Just thought I would let everyone know about a great calling card which is only 2 cents a minute to OZ ( if you don't already know). The website is www.pennytalk.com and as I said before the rates are very good.

I am in upstate New York and so far I haven't found any australians in the area, so if anybody out there is close by just yell. I'm originally from the Adelaide Hills.

That's about it from me......goodluck to everyone.

Susan

Pennytalk is great... been using it to call my wife in Adelaide all the time!

thanks for that den.... i use IDT you get it from Krogers here...that is 1.9cents...i get 18hrs for $20

im in toledo den... dont know of any near new york...ohh hang on yes i do...whats her nick.. luamel is from new york ..she was there as a student an is back in melb at the moment ....will have to find the email where she told me where she was at...will let you know den

ohh congrats on the greencard too den just looked at ya time line.. you came out here 4 months before me.. have you settled in ok an got a job yet???

take care an post more lol
kath

Thanks for the congrats Kath. I'm not working at the moment and don't plan to until sometime next year.I have 2 of my son's coming to visit just after xmas for 4 weeks so wanted to make sure I could spend every minute with them.
I am sitting for my NY state drivers license on monday and will be happy when that's over with. I just hope it doesn't snow all day like it has today but then again I better get used to it huh!
Good to hear everyone has been able to find cheap calling to Australia.

Bye for now,
Susan

ok i got a question for ya's

how do i call a mobile in oz...

i know i dont have to put the 0 infront of the mobile number but do i have to put the state dialing code in there

if anyone knows will ya let me know ..i keep getting this busy kinda signal when i try..
and i want to ring my boy for his birthday on tuesday...well monday actually lol
good to hear your kids are coming over to see you susan...good luck for the drivers licence on monday too
take care
kath

To call a mobile in OZland, you do the international code 011 then the country code 61 then the mobile number less the leading 0 - so if the mobile number is 0143 123 456 then you would dial 01161143123456.



I see ya there, sneaking around......

hey there kaffy
thanks for that mate will try again on the weekend...

hey was wondering has your ##### cat got touched lately mate hehehehe


I see ya there, sneaking around...... [i]

i dont sneak i lurk mate...

hope ya doing well mate..

kath
EDIT... OMG I WAS EDITED ON MY WORD.. FILL IN THE BLANKS.. KNEW YA GOT SENSORED IN CHAT BUT NOT ON HERE...NOW THERE IS A FIRST HUH LOL ME OF ALL PEOPLE GETTING CENSORED LOL

Better make sure I watch my Ps and Qs too, Kath!

Hi Susan, yep, Kath is right -- I'll soon be living in New York again -- though New York City, not upstate. How far upstate are you? Hope you get used to the snow soon -- it's been four years for me, and I still hate the winters as much as ever... but at least most places do a good job of indoor heating. Just make sure you get a good coat and pair of boots!

Hello fellow Aussies!!!

Thought I'd make an appearance in here...I think this is where everyone was talking about.

Newbie here, so new our I-130 petition hasn't been filed yet..still waiting for my USC to arrive here in January...

Our wedding date has now been set - 21.01.07... So, much to plan/organise...

Susan: was wondering if that website pennytalk.com is good for calling mobiles...?



Priscilla

hi priscilla

welcome to the aussie thread mate...an so good to find another melbournian in the group...i lived on the west side...melton..where abouts are you

good luck with you petition an your up coming wedding..looking forward to talking to you on here more
take care
kath

we used pennytalk.

it's a GREAT card but nothing is going to be cheap to call mobiles.

Hi Priscilla,

Yes the pennytalk card is good for mobiles too at a rate of 27 cents a minute though and so far I haven't had any luck calling a mobile in australia. Like Kath said I seem to get a busy kind of signal. I still have an australian phone card with credit (Gotalk) to call my grandson but it costs a small fortune but thankfully he is only coming up 3 years old, so the conversations are short, LOL.

Oh by the way I did my driving test this afternoon and I PASSED

Lunamel we are between Lowville NY and Watertown NY, right on the edge of the Adirondack Park. Beautiful place but yes lots of snow! I spent 6 months here before we were married which was a whole winter so I pretty know what to expect. Friday when we had the snow storm was the first time my dog ( brought her here from OZ) had seen snow and she was quite entertaining.

Thats about it from me for now,
SUSAN

hi all,

seeing all this talk of phone cards, i thought i'd put in my 2c. go to this website masterbell and see what cards are available. we use the champion card as it is the cheapest for calling an australian landline that doesn't have a maintainence fee. if you don't mind the fee, one of the other cards is about 13c per minute to australian mobiles. also, most of the cards are rechargable with a credit card, so you don't have to run to the shop to get another one.

hope this helps you guys.

matt

Hi Kath,

Thanks, I'm in Elwood (next door to St Kilda). The weather's a gorgeous 29C today. (As I work indoors ) It's going to be a hot summer here, they say. Thanks for the well wishes.

What a shame about the phone cards. I thought as much, which is why I've been calling him instead of him calling me. My Ozecall card works out at about a dollar an hour...SAME RATE FOR MOBILES!!! Which is great cos we're usually on the phone hours at a time....I ask him why USA doesn't get with the rest of the world and produce decent phone rates...hehe....he says who'd want to call Australia...?....cheeky bastard..lol.

Congrats on passing your driving test Susan...

well hello there Matt how are things going with you two...ltns...

hi ya prisicilla
yw ...ohh elwood is a nice place...ya know i use to say the same damm thing to robbie about the "get with the program" statement lol robbie use to say i guess its alllllllll squeezing money out of us dals..lol

we had a few more rain flurries here today not much didnt even make a mess on the ground lol...29c mmmmmmmm nice.....

no news here to report havent been touched since 16th oct...
ohh by the way i actually got through to my boys mobile to wish him happy birthday ... he lives in brisbane and he was going fishing ... so hopefully he will remember he promised to ring me when he got back..get this..with my phone card i had $21 or so ....to call a mobile i had 1hr 14mins of talk time..i nearly died cos 21min to land line gives me around 17 hours ....just shocked me lol

well hope all is well with everyone an ya all happy
kath

not much happening here...just working and watching chanin growing.

she had a doctors appoinment today and apparently everything is going well. not much more to add except it's already too bloody cold and i can't wait till spring!!

matt

well hey there matt

glad all is going well for you an your wife an the little one on the way...and yeah it chilly but not too bad.. your a softy mate..lol...i hate it when i see the aussie temps at the moment an were in the low numbers for our daytime temps lol

take care mate
kath

awesome!!!

hi girlfromoz
how are you welcome to the thread ...can i ask you what was awesome lol

whats ya story an where are you in oz an going to in the states..im in toledo doing my AOS at the moment

take care
kath

can i do the happy dance ....



I HAVE JUST HAD MY AOS APPROVED... !!!!!!

SIGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

ohh kaffy kat am i in for a spanking for beating you....

im happy but sad also..there are so many waiting for approval from CSC

im so glad i dont have to go for that long trip to cleveland for an interview...

talk to you all soon
kath
shame i cant ring robbie.. he asked me last night cos i was so rapt he came home early an he said you miss me ..i said yes he said ohh i thought u had news on your greencard for me ..will he be surprised tonight when he gets home...

wow congratulations to you both

being transfered to california was a good thing you must be so pleased not having to worry about an interview i know we were

angela

Congrats Kath now u can relax and forget USCIS (just for a while at least)

Cheers

Congrats Kath!!! I'm glad the wait is over for you -- you must be so relieved!!

I'm off for my interview on Tuesday! I'm sure it will be ok, but I'm still a bit nervous. And it's a good reason for me to head up to Sydney and visit some of my mates too. Wish me luck, and I'll let you know how it goes!

congratulations kath!!! no interview either, you sure beat my time.

matt

GOOD LUCK LUNAMEL!


LET Us know how it goes

thanks everyone for all the congrats.. an year it was fast huh matt..

lunmel .. you have probably been for ya interview by now mate...how did it go...

post soon looking forward to hearing your results mate..

take care
kath
p.s. do you like the pumpkin i card the other night.. it my first time i ever done one .. look way cool with the candle in it ..lol

Goodness, typical to Melbourne style we've just experienced a whole lot of lows after such a good start to Spring...no wonder I caught the flu...

A belated congrats Kath..!!! Robbie sounds like a darling. It must be hard being away from your boys, will they be joining you soon..?

Congrats Matt on the bun in the oven....a sis of mine just had one and another sis has her first on the way...how exciting...

Goodluck Lunamel...hope it all went well.....