30 days till Eric is sposed to fly over...I'm soooo overwhelmed with everything still...I love Eric but man he really sucks with paperwork, doesnt even really help with it. Im so confused with I-864 and ugh its really taking its toll on me...Ive just had my vacination so at least thats over and done with but ugggghhh...so many other things to do and fill out. Gotta remember it took me like 7 months collating infor for when we applied for I-130 and the K3...and still no results in that so thats why we are going to DCF and its like more paperwork and ###### to read and then I'm the one who looks for flights and hotels and when we go on mini vacation..and normally i dont mind but ahhhh im just so tired from work and everything else

Sorry...I just needed to vent...

**breathes**

OK i feel a bit better...

Caroline - you a fan of Polo Ralph Lauren gear? If you are going to visit Sydney let me know. I work for Oroton (its like Coach if you havent heard of it) -- I can hook you up with some Polo gear for considerable discount! We used to own Marcs and Morrissey...wish we still did as they had really cute clothes! Or if you like handbags or want some a gifts, check out http://www.oroton.com.au

Hi everyone,

you in here sound just like a nice big family... where people are getting along well
It's nice to see that.

If you look at my signature - I managed to crop it enough to fit ... you'll see that we got approved in...basically 2 days!!! We were just starting to talk more and more about eventual DCF because the whole thing got delayed "for ever" and we thought it will be too long to keep going with K-1. Anyway... now... time for next step.

Can I ask you guys about police check? I know some of you were tallking abt it over last few days. Elle was the last one to do it... I think... would have to go back to the thread to check. I've done national police check online (through AFP) but no f'prints. You all say has to be f'prints (Kath, you "underlined" that fact!). Now... I've called my local PS and asked to do it. They say I MUST have a letter from Cons!!!!! They can't charge me fee without the letter. They can't apply for national check without the fee. Anyone done it in Sydney... NSW??? And it will take 5-6 wks to get it done! So, how do I get things ready before I get stuff from cons (Packet3)?

I've gone to my GP , had blood test done for immunisation... thanks to those who said it here! now at least I know what I had.

What else can I do to start early preparations for consular part?

Thank you all so much!

Hi ausqueen,

You MUST have the police certificate with finger-prints.........no doubt about that.

Has anyone heard how David went with the sydney walk-in.....or am I missing something?

Take care everyone and just in case I don't get another chance I'll wish you all a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY 2007.

Caroline I hope you have a wonderful trip.

Susan

NSW POLICE CHECKWEBSITE

hi there
welcome to the aussie thread ausqueen...above is the link for the nsw police check...aussiewench did her check in nsw...

good on you for getting the blood tests done...dont forget to get a copy of the results to take with you at the medical..also take along the receipt the pathologist gave you when you had it done ..this will let them know where you had it done cos they have to write that down on the medical sheet...

just make sure you have all that they ask for ....in the order that is asked too.
take the originals of any photo copies sent in for your original petition...
pics phone bills emails any cards or correspondence from your fiance anything really that proves your relationship with your fiance ....intent to marry again from each of you...there is a guide also on here that tells ya what to get ready for the interview...take care kath

elle
its ok to vent in here mate... we all been through it and know exactly what your going through....the paperwork can be very overwhelming i know i felt like that filling out my packet 3 stuff....just do one thing at a time...make sure everything is filled out correctly first before moving on to the next one...
you will be right mate ...good luck to ya....

take care you lot
kath

hi susan missed ya by 2 mins... no we havent heard anything from david ...they are probably enjoying themselves lol same to you too susan
take care
kath

Hi Elle -- sorry to hear the process is getting you down. I sent you a PM -- it is tough at times, but try to keep your chin up! And feel free to have a whinge any time.

Ausqueen, sounds like you're getting the run-around from the cops! I don't know so much about NSW, as I got mine in Melbourne, but also had a lot of hassles with the Vic police. I'd suggest trying a different police station, as what they said seems rather odd. Was it because you were trying to get fingerprints from the NSW police to then get a certificate from the AFP?? Perhaps that's why they said you needed a letter -- if I remember other peoples' experiences in NSW, you can just get one with fingerprints through the NSW police, and it shouldn't take too long.

Densusan, I don't think anyone's heard from David yet...

And hello Kath! I was just thinking about you as we hadn't heard from you in a while. Hope you're having a good weekend!

Susan, Lunamel, Kath... thanks heaps!

Kath... the link is for NSW POlice HQ! I have "strong connections" there I could just go and ask directly!!! I was expecting my local PS to send request to AFP, but if it's done at the HQ here in Sydney... that should be a lto easier!

Now... I will need that sent to my address (or picked up by me), and not directly to the cons, is that correct? I searched posts to figure out if I take that with me to the i'view, and I still don't know.
Ok... bed time... good morning to you people waking up in the US...and to the "neighbours" - hope your Monday is a good one, not too hot!

Anyone in Vic near those terrible fires? May you and all others be safe!

hi ausqueen
it will be posted out to you mine was in Vic..yes you take it to your interview..make a copy of it too for your own records ...if you have connections in there give them a ring and they would be able to help you...my local in Vic wouldnt do it because it was for immigration...

ohh dont forget to ask the doctor at your medical or the receptionist if you could get a complete copy of your physical because you will need the vaccination sheet..when i went to a doctor here they photo copied it because it was the most recent physical i had...actually the only one i had fully in years and years lol

my family is in Vic but its quite away from them i read the herald sun online to keep an eye on them...

happy monday to the aussies...and happy sunday to the oz/yanks lol...

g'day to ya lumanel
glad your feeling alot better did you go to the docs or just rode it out...we are doing fine here.. no snow as yet just flurries....robbie is working 6 days aweek so he is catching up on his sleep...cant wait till xmas he has 2 weeks off...im going to start looking for work next year because with only having one day a week together i really want these 2 weeks together....he works for jeep building them...so im rapt about the down time at chrissie..
take care
kath

Back from the land of Oz...

How did my walk in go? -perfect.

Before our walk in on Nov 30, my wife contacted Dr Millers office and spoke to Rose. She told her that we were filing the I-130 and will be back in South Australia by the following week. Rose sent us a letter with all the steps we need to complete the process and an appointment date just a week and half of filing the I-130. After the interview we got packet 3 in hand and when we got back to Adelaide, the forms from Dr Miller's office was there. We made an appointment with my wife's GP to get her prior immunizations, and set up an appointment with the Radiologist. One problem we almost ran into was that the Radiologist doing the xrays would not accept a passport with my wifes' maiden name on it, even thought we had the certificate of name change with us. She would have needed the passport that she will be traveling with to the states. My wife called the passports office in downtown adelaide and the guy said that it would take two weeks to be sent out, but by then, Dr Miller would have been on vacation. So my wife pleaded with the guy and told him the situation and we got an appointment the next day and did an expedited passport service for 73$ and we got the new passport with my wife's name on it in two days! So we still were able to keep the appointment with Dr Miller. My wife had her appointment today and once I got back to Florida she told me everything went well. So she went ahead and mailed off packet 3 and we are now ready for her final interview. My wife should receive confirmation within 5 working days of receiving the DS2001 so hopefully she can get an appointment soon! All in all... Wenchie was right... by the time you file the I-130 it should only take less than 2 months of recieving packet 3.

DCF in Ausralia is still pretty quick!

Thanks for everyone's help!

whoo hoo david..fantastic news...we have been waiting in here to hear from you..glad all went well for you and your wife...

when are you expecting the interview to be or is that anyones guess lol (i know silly question) did the photo's help find the embassey
did you enjoy your visit are you all sight seeing out lol

good luck to you two
kath

Yay David!! That's so great! I am so glad to hear it went well and that you made it through!!!! Not long now! I hope you enjoyed your time in OZ! Where did you end up staying in Sydney??? Where are you in FL again? We're in Jacksonville and it's been FREEZING!!!

Elle - Just like Lunamel said - hang in there. It really CAN get confusing. Talk to him and let him know you'd like him to be more involved and help you! He may not even know how stressed you are feeling. You'll get through it!

AusQUeen - good luck! DCF is so great! You'll be able to bypass the WHOLE AOS shindig and jump right in!! Good luck!

THANK YOU SO MUCH For the idea for the polo stuff but we arne't going to Sydney this time around Maybe next time!!!!

Keep posting everyone -this is my favorite thread!

Congrats David -- sounds like you're going to be through in no time at all! Let us know how the rest of the process goes.

Caroline, I'm jealous you're heading back to Melbourne so soon! Say hello from me. And I hope you're right about the Ashes tickets as your present! I'm planning to go down to the Australian pub on Christmas night to watch the beginning of the Boxing Day test -- perhaps we'll see you in the crowd!

Hey all!!!

I know I havent been around for a while but Ive been busy!! Im a mommy again!! I posted this in off topic but thought that I would put it here too. Her name is Mia Grace and shes BEAUTIFUL if I do say so myself. Love to all!!!

Sorry that was so huge!!! lol

And Caroline, whats up with the name change thing. In fact, there are quite a few people that have changed their names!! Oh so confused.....

So jealous of your upcoming trip by the way. We would love to go, but now have to save enough money for FIVE tickets.... UUUGGHHH!! Going home will cost a small fortune, but we are shooting for next year.

Hope you and yours are doing well!!

She really is beautiful! How are your girls dealing with a baby sister?? Has Scott found a good teaching job??

I miss you and Sean!! Things are the same here! I am sticking around to continue to inform people about DCF - like you did for me Saved my life!

Congrats Mellie! Want me to bring back some Cherry Ripes for you???

Hey ladies, missing you too. We're going back to Oz probably around October 2007. Maybe later. Good stuff. Maybe I'll start job hunting...ha. Not yet.

Well, Scott tried to do the teaching thing at the beginning of last school year, but he didnt have all of his degrees verified or whatever yet, so we are looking at him starting that next year, but he IS working and happy, so life is good!!!

YES bring me back some Cherry Ripes, if you dont mind!! I will even send you money for them just email me your address!!!!

I didnt save your life girl, you saved mine!! You were the one who convinced me to do the DCF, and Aussiewench, It just happened that I went before you!! So in essence, you saved me, and then Sean saved us both with his treasure trove of DCF knowledge, and then I HELPED you with what I knew.... however much that was... lol

hey there mellie

was thinking of you the other day to how you were going..also checked if you had posted anything anywhere else..she is so gorgeous i just wanna pinch those cheeks on her...and what a lovely name too...how is the new place going all settled in now..love that wedding pic of you guys on the beach too....

it was so good to see you in here again...keep in touch with us please we do miss you...

i think we are all jelous of those who are going home for a visit...we havent even talked about it yet..but would love to see the family an friends again...

hi ameriaustralian...good to know your still kicking too...

it is good that the thread is still going after all this time and with new members too...smiling big time here to some of the oldies back in here....

say hello to melbourne for us caroline ...hope scott is doing well mate..

take care and as caroline said keep posting...
kath

Funny thing happened last night, which coincidentally brought me back here actually, aside from missing you all of course...

I had a dream last night that all of a sudden we had to lift conditions on Scotts Visa and I hadnt even started yet and they made him go back to Australia..... NNNOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! lol

I know we are a ways off yet, but Im already thinking about it. though I guess now it would be hard for them to say that we didnt have a legitimate relationship... lol.

Kath, yes the picture helped. We actually just walked there (consulate) from our hotel in Darling Harbor. We stayed in the 4 Points Sheraton... apparently it was a quiet week for them and they upgraded us to a suite with outdoor balcony looking down into Darling Harbor, I swear, the aquarium was right below us. We were on the 14th floor on the left and the 15th was the highest, so you can guess how high we were. It only took us 2 minutes to walk down to Darling Harbor. From our hotel, it took about 10-15 minutes to walk to the consulate... and after the interview we just decided to walk down to the Opera House and view the Harbor Bridge. After that we took a fairy back to Darling Harbor to get a view of the entire area. We walked through the Aquarium but didn't want to go into the Zoo to view the animals. My wife told me that she'll be taking me to Cleland Park in South Australia where you can actually pet the animals.

From there, we went to visit some friends in Melbourne... got to see almost all of it, all the way down to Portsea and on the ocean side of that peninsula. We even stopped by Just Fine Food and had Sorrento's famous Vanilla Slice, it was delicious, the area was really nice. Downtown Melbourne wasn't as large as Sydney, but still a pretty big city. Our friends even drove us down to The Great Ocean Road. Before we got to the 12 Apostles we stopped by this rainforest where you walked down some wooden steps to this view of a waterfall, it was beautiful... the ferns were huge too! If you've never seen the 12 Apostles, it's a really gorgeous view. We only drove down to Port Campbell and didn't get to see what's left of the London Bridge. We were too tired to go any further. We left at 630am and got back in Melbourne by 7pm.

When we finally got to Adelaide, she warned me of how tiny it was compared to Melbourne and Sydney. It's still actually bigger than Pensacola, Florida where I'm at right now (if that answers you question Karo). We went up to Mt Loftey and Cleland Park. Cleland Park was my favorite because I actually got to hang out with some kangaroos. They ate off my hands and one of them actually kissed my wife while we were taking pictures. The big red kangaroos are very intimidating too but as long as you don't try and scare them, they're very approachable. The reds are so solid when they're lying down and have their arms crossed infront of them... you can just see their muscles. We had a chance to pet the Koalas but didn't actually get to hold them. If we stayed a couple of hours we could have but it was getting too hot. When I was in Adelaide, the temperatures were around 100F or 40C and very dry!

On a different note, Kangaroos do taste good by the way... and so does Vegemite! They didn't think I'd like it, but I actually did. I'll post some pictures of the trip.

One last thing... I know I've posted this before but lost the information on this site...

Anybody from South Australia ship anything to the states, boxes, etc... My wife wants to get her things ready. I'd like to know which shipping company to go with, there were quite a few in the phone book.

PM me if you can, I'd really appreciate it!

Nevermind, I found it!

Here are some of my recent pictures... couldn't post anymore than what you see here.


The view of Sydney from the flight in...


View from inside our hotel room.


View from the balcony of our hotel room.


View of the MLC Building from the Sydney Tower.


The start of the Great Ocean Road.


View of a few of the Twelve Apostles in Port Campbell.


Photo infront of the Twelves Apostles.


My new buddies at Cleland Park, South Australia.


"Wake me up and I'll kick your a$$"


Granite Island in Victor Harbor, South Australia

OMG DAvid - that hotel is Sydney is the same one we stayed in!! ISn't it nice!! I think that was the one I actually recommended to you!! Your pics are great!! Stew and I did all the same things Ocean Road, 12 Apostles, etc etc!!

Mellie - Don't stay gone so long this time!! This place misses you!@ AND YOU TOO SEAN! Remember - we have to all plan our return at the same time so we can all be there together! That was the plan!

To everyone else - I have to run to work, but I'll be around later! I love this thread! It makes me all happy!!!

oh and I forgot to tell you, David...that rainforest place...was where Stewart officially "proposed" - at the top of the highest place!! It was sweet.

I was looking for the photos, but they aren't on this computer.

Ok off to work for real.

Hi guys,
could someone please send this to aussiewench, or ask her somehow to come and look in here! I tried to PM her but the site tells me my mailbox is full, which is bulldust since I've deleted all but last 9 msgs I have. I am getting a bit desperate here, getting ready to fly out on Fri and working till last minute! Thank you!

"hi aussiewench,

sorry to budge in like this. I was hoping I will see you in aus thread but no luck last few days
But you are such a helpful and smart sweetheart of VJ... I had to chase you! LOL

Can you plese help me with police check from NSW?

I've been talking to my local PS, even to a Sgt from HQ. They tell me I will have to wait for the letter from the cons before I can apply for police check and it gets sent directly to us cons, not given to me!!!
Everyone else in our thread done it before hand, and took it themselves to interview but they all seem to be from Melb. Couldn't get anyone there tell me of their Syd/NSW experience. Someone told me you did yours in Syd.

If you get a minute, could you pls tell me how it goes? I am here another 2 days before my trip for Christmas, I was hoping to apply for it before I go.
Also, wish me luck at the SF airport on Friday!

I'm taking letter from my boss, letter from real estate agent (I'm renting) and payment ledger - paid up to end Jan '07, plus 2 bank statements to show I have some money here! Enough? Hopefully they won't look even at that

Have a nice day over there, sydney got a "cold shower" yesterday, looks like it's gonna be fresh today as well. But it's only 6am now. Gotta get ready for work, leave in half hr!

Thank you so much, it will be great help if you manage to write back!

ausqueen... or
vik"

hi ausqueen

i sent your message to aussiewench for you....im wondering if a copy of the actual police check instructions would surffice for you...it has all the police details on it...

david what instructions did your wife get from the consulate about the police check..did it have a newr listing for the police check...if you could ask her it might help ausqueen....

i know how you are feeling at the moment ausqueen its frustrating when you know what you need to get but they wont do it for you for some reason or another...

well if you dont get it done before your trip..enjoy your holiday..and you will be fine im sure going through SF...safe journey...

kath

David your pictures are GREAT! I am an Adelaide girl and it made me very homesick looking at them but put a smile on my face too.........thanku. My husband loved Cleland but thankfully it wasn't 40c when we were there!

I used Allied Pickfords to ship my things. It was extremely expensive because I had some furniture shipped too but they are very good. I have a friend in Adelaide that deals with shipping companies I will email her and see if she can make some suggestions.........it's been 10 months since I organised mine so I don't remember who else she suggested to us.

Take care everyone.
SUSAN

Congrats Mellie -- she is a beautiful baby! And glad to hear you like vegemite David -- you'll can be an honorary aussie now, I think!

Ausqueen, I'm not sure if this is going to help you, but if you're having trouble with the NSW cops, have you thought about going through the AFP again? That's what I had to do, as the Vic police repeatedly told me they don't do police checks for immigrant visas. I asked the consulate what I should do, and they said just get it from the AFP, as the information is the same. I got my fingerprints done by the Vic police, though you can also make an appointment to get the AFP to do them. I then sent them off, together with the relevant form, to the AFP, and I got it back within 2 weeks, no trouble at all. You can find the AFP info here. PM me know if you want any more info.

see this is what this thread is all about ...helping each other through this damm process and keeping in touch to help the newbies going through what we had..just love it that we can do this for our fellow aussies....

david we had the same pic taken at the apostles but with the one fallen still there..robbie was devestated when i told him the news of it falling...will show him the pics tonight when he gets home..and yeah you made another aussie homesick for Vic...

hi lunamel how you doing you working or still studying over here...

kath

Hi All!

ausqueen - I have to run to work but I will read your msgs more when I get back -- with my police check i got the fingerprint done. It was $175. Make sure you get a money order or cheque as they don't take credit and my local police station (Blacktown NSW) preferred not to take cash. I basically had filled out the form, bought in 3 forms of ID (@ least 1 needs to have your pic - passport - which ended up getting wet ugh lol - my medicare and licence). I called them to book an appnt, they told me just come in whenever when its not busy so sometime after 6pm...so I did and then I was told they only do them on sundays!! I begged and pleaded and told the copper ive been to the station like three times and was told by someone to come in whenever after 6pm. He checked if anyone else (ppl getting booked and what not) was in the fingerprinting area and since no one was there, he had another cop take me there and take my fingerprints.

So after all that, the guy said it gets processed elsewhere (im assuming the federal police) and then they send me the copy. It takes about 3 - 4 weeks he said.

Have you printed the form? On there it has a spot where you can write down which address you want it to be sent. Maybe try another police station??

Oh Man,..David those pics were great. I'm a born and bred Sydney girl, and those pics made me homesick. I had also been to the Apostles, and didnt realise one had recently fallen, thanks Kath,..

The trouble with these police reports is a bit disconcerning to me,.. I originally applied in Darwin, NT for mine, which was meant to be the AFP nation wide check, along with fingerprints which were taken. And it was sent directly to the Consulate to put on my file. ON the day of my appointment, they said there was a problem with the way that it was processed. Apparently, the nation wide search had been done, and there was a match to a NSW record, but the record for my name matching was never pulled. That was the only reason on the day that I did not get my VISA but instead the dreaded blue form. Even though I had a copy of the court documents and a supporting letter from the lawyers on my case, saying I was found innocent and case was admonished (mind you, I was 14 when I had my lil run in with the law), that wasnt enough.

I marched down from the MLC centre to the Police station at The Rocks,( a five minute walk at the most) I was furious, and ready to fight. I explained my situation to them, they took me in, had another set of prints taken, and the paperwork was filled out and sent away, along with another $100 at the time. Less than 3 weeks later, It had been rectified. They had sent a copy of the NEW police record for NSW to the consulate, and one to me, in case the consulate lost theirs. The Consulate sent me my passport with VISA inside, back less then a week after that,..so I was delayed by 4 weeks in total.

Jodee

I'll let my wife know... what part of Adelaide is this company from, my wife would like to use a company near the Port Adelaide area, since Adelaide is pretty spread out.

To Ausqueen, I actually have the instruction letter from the consulate with me... Obtaining a police certificate from each state differs from each other slightly, according to this instruction letter. I'll type out exactly what it says for NSW...

"If you reside in New South Wales"
Make and appointment, and then appear in person to be fingerprinted at your local police station. You must pay the fee of AUD 175 (subject to change, pleace check the current fee with the police) and complete an application form, which the police will forward to: NSW Police Department, Criminal Records Section, Level B3 NSW Police Headquarters, 1 Charles St, Parramanta, NSW 2150. Tel: (02)8835-7888.

Please find further details on the New South Wales Police website at:
http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/.

There is nothing on the instruction letter stating that you need to receive a request from the US Consulate to get a police certificate. But each Police department functions in different ways I guess... but for NSW, they do send the report straight to the US Consulate, they do not hand it to you. That's all it says, hope this helps you a little. For South Australia, you actually pick it up yourself and take it with you to the appoinment.

I actually don't get how some police certificates cost more than other police certificates in other states. In Queensland its 142.60, NSW is 175, ACT is 130, Western Australia is 43, Victoria is 120.40, Tasmania is 120, Northern Territory is 100, and SA is 140. Maybe it has something to do with population?

I thought I'd add a few more pictures to remind some of you of home...

David,

Allied Pickfords are situated at Regency Park which is north of Adelaide and not that far from Port Adelaide. I lived in the Adelaide Hills and it didn't make any difference that they were way across town. They do have a website too which is as follows www.alliedpickfords.com.au . They figure it all out by the cubic footage and not weight.

More pictures to remind us of home........they are great!

Kath,

Certainly is a wonderful thing aussie mateship

Thanks for the PM Kath Sorry guys, I really have been run off my feet of late.......I do a quick round of the board and thats all I have had time for.




Vik
They are feeding you crap. They tried to feed me the same crap. You need to ask to speak to someone that knows what they are talking about and stand your ground. You do not need the letter from the Consulate for immigration to the US. They don't see too many of these so in general they really don't know what they are talking about. Just complete the form etc as Elle posted. Once the police station sends your fingerprints and form off to Parramatta, Parramatta will then forward the Police Certificate to your address, NOT the consulate.


hahahaha I had similar problem getting mine done. In the end I called a police station out of my area cause bankstown was always chockers full in the lock up so they couldn't do my fingerprints. Had to do a little sweet talking of an officer in order to do so as they prefer to only do those living in the area.

Oh Mellie, Mia is absolutely gorgeous CONGRATULATIONS guys. I was actually going to start a thread the other day to see if anyone had heard from you as I knew it was around the time you were due. I am sooooo happy for you both.



Gosh there is so much in here that I have been missing, so I'm just going to wave hello and say congrats to all on their progress, approvals etc, and hang in there to those that are still muddling through this process.

Lorelle

You people in here are unbelievable!!!

Thank you so much for helping me out! Kath, thanks for sending my msg to wench! Everyone else... thanks for replying and sharing info.

Elle... you in Blacktown!? I am in P'matta - 10 mins walk from the police... both local and the HQ Maybe I could take fingerprints to HQ myself! I said I have strong "connections" at the HQ, but I can't have the fingerprints taken there, has to be at the station. Have to read more of your posts. I remember "Watermelon juice on Passport" story... but didn't realise you are actually here now, ie in Syd. I will PM you.

I have printed the form (P799) off the police site and will just call them to see when they are free (I 'm prepared to go any time of the night if need be... just let me do it!). My boss even told me to go and do it from work... just to check with them when I can turn up there. That's nice!
Will have to see if P'matta takes cash (maybe I can go tonight?!). If not... make money order tomorrow at lunch break... huh... I feel much better.

David, thanks for copying part of your letter... I will go with what others said in regards to having it sent to consulate or myself (suits me better, LOL).

Gotta go call them now. It's after 8pm but then again... they are there all night!
Love to you all, and many many thanks. Back soon!
vik

hey vik!! -- yessums im at btown -- but i grew up in parra...go tha eels!

Anyhoos, yeah call Parra station and ask em if they take cash or not. I had mine processed on the 29/11 - will let you know when i receive it.

Currently trying to find Eric flight to Syd. Its unusually high prices...higher than the norm, considering he has visited Syd around this time for the past 4 years. But at this point I told him, lets just eat the money -- cant take being apart anymore!!

Wherabouts in Parra do you work?? I love Parra. We are wanting to stay at Westport Parra again this yr...

So are you gonna do the DCF too? Or is this for the K1?

Q about the federal income tax return for I-864 -- is the W2 the same thing as the tax return? Eric said he has the W2.

David - great pics!! Makes me wanna visit Melbourne again and do the ocean drive this time.

What a cutie bubs Mia is!

Hello Everyone,

I'm Lyndel, been around for about 5mths now. Moved from Melbourne to Canberra to stay with family until I go the US.

I didn't think anyone used this forum, talk about slow I only checked it out today lmao

I just did the Police Check there is a website that has all the info about it. It's a national AFP check for the visa, just google Australian Federal Police. You don't need anything from the Consulate. Just go get your finger prints taken (i needed an appointment), then they are supposed to send the application form, finger prints and money order off to Criminal History here in Canberra.

Hi everyone - it's me again!

I just want to say that I feel like a selfish btch.... focusing so much on my "problems" and what I have to do... I totaly ignored other people's posts... joys and sorrows... or at least a bit of whinging

Let me just say to all together: I get goosbumps from reading your posts, hearing abt things going on with you all, looking at your pics (little Mia is more cute than Mia Hewitt!) and reliving with you some great memories (David's pics from Syd and SA).

I look forward to every new post in here, and keep checking it, even if I don't have time to log on... I just quickly see if there is any news.

So, I guess I want to apologise for being so self-absorbed and self-focused and want yo uto know that I appreciate everyone in her very much!

I'll let you know how I go with police check tomorrow, and then will hopefully be logging on from SF over Christmas!

vik

Oops!

above post went in before spell check... clicked the wrong button but I know you smart guys will manage!

Sign of the times (of the day) - good night everyone!

Cleland... LOVED IT!! Thats where I got to hold a Koala!!

Ok, sorry so short, will be back, baby crying!!

oh and Mellie - cherry ripes are on the house

Bless your heart woman!! Scotts parents sent a box of "favorites" from australia a few weeks ago and I hijacked all the little cherry ripes out of it... hehehehe. I left poor Scott with the Time Outs and the Flakes and stuff. Just give me Cherry Ripes and Crunchies and Im a happy woman!!!

Sorry Im so in and out today. I have my son home sick from school and the baby just doenst want to nap today!! Tomorrow we are off on a field trip to the museum so hopefully Friday will be a good online kinda day!!

lol. We finally found a good place here in town that makes proper meat pies. Stewart loves it. We go there sometimes for a proper brekkie too!! No cherry ripes though!! Stewart loves violet crumble...BLECH.
And flake - I just don't get it...ick.

Yum, cherry ripes. My favorites are Tim Tams though -- especially the double coated ones!

Hi Lyndel/girlfmoz, and welcome! I'm glad you've joined the aussie chat, it seems to be a lively place in here lately! Hope your process is going smoothly enough -- whereabouts are you up to?

David, I used a guy called Roy at a place called Freightbiz for my shipping. I first contacted a couple of movers, but I didn't have enough stuff to make it worth their while, so they put me on to Roy who does smaller shipments. He is based in NSW, but I got my stuff picked up from my parents' house in Melbourne, and I think he's got arrangements in other cities too. The cost was $350 per cbm for seafreight, plus insurance/port charges/customs at this end. (1 cbm is quite a lot bigger than I thought -- I had 20 boxes and it was only .6 cbm!) His email is freightbiz@bigpond.com if you want a quote.

Hi Elle,

We only sent W2's and didn't get any requests for further information so I would assume that they are ok. Also we sent in a bunch of payslips and it satisfied there requirements. Maybe others have had a different experience but that was ours.
Hope this helps.

Susan