NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!

[kiwiana 2]

Hi all!

I have been trying to send a text from usa mobile phone to a nz telecom mobile phone without any luck. I'm not sure of the correct combination of numbers you are suppose to put down. has anyone had any success at sending a text to nz from usa?

Do I put 011 then 64 then 027(for telecom) and then the rest of the nz mobile phone number? or do i have to put a 9 in there somewhere for an auckland area code? or do i not put the 0 down on the 027 number but just put 27?

I am very confused

Hi Ana

Lol I had a devil of a job getting this all sorted when I first got here, I could send texts home but couldn't recieve them for a couple of months, turns out the guy in the AT&T store hadn't set the phone properly when we got it and nobody could figure it out for ages.

But back to your problem.....to send a text you go.... 0116427 and then the rest of the number .... whether it's 027 or 021 you leave off the 0.

To phone back home is 011649 and then the number.

Hows everything else going, have you had any AOS progress?

Thanks Kim! Two months ago i bought a boost mobile phone and tried to send texts to nz but failed. (i got them to set it so i could phone and text to nz). I gave up on it after a few attempts.

But i decided to give it another shot, so yesterday i bought a verizon phone and the guy there set it so i could make phone calls and texts to nz. i tried to send a text to nz last night but not sure if it went through or not. I had been trying all kinds of combinations of numbers so who knows where half the texts end up

I am still waiting for a biometrics appointment to come in the mail. I have tried to track my file on the uscis site but it doesn't recognise my receipt numbers Can you see your file on the uscis site?

I'm wondering how long i have to wait until i get the biometrics appointment. I thought it may have been fairly quickly after they send out the NOA's.

How's your AOS going? have you heard anything?

[kiwiana 2]

Hi all!

I have been trying to send a text from usa mobile phone to a nz telecom mobile phone without any luck. I'm not sure of the correct combination of numbers you are suppose to put down. has anyone had any success at sending a text to nz from usa?

Do I put 011 then 64 then 027(for telecom) and then the rest of the nz mobile phone number? or do i have to put a 9 in there somewhere for an auckland area code? or do i not put the 0 down on the 027 number but just put 27?

I am very confused

If you are on a GSM network (ATT, T-Mobile), you can use "+64 27 xxxxxxx).

From a CDMA network (Verizon, Sprinit), You will probably use "011 64 27 xxxxxxx)

Don't ever use the "0" before 27 or 21. That is only for calls placed within NZ.

Also, you may have to call your cell phone carrier in the US and make sure international texting is enabled. Sometimes they don't enable it by default for security.

Thanks! didn't know about the + thingee

[Kim & Chris 0]

Hi all!

I have been trying to send a text from usa mobile phone to a nz telecom mobile phone without any luck. I'm not sure of the correct combination of numbers you are suppose to put down. has anyone had any success at sending a text to nz from usa?

Do I put 011 then 64 then 027(for telecom) and then the rest of the nz mobile phone number? or do i have to put a 9 in there somewhere for an auckland area code? or do i not put the 0 down on the 027 number but just put 27?

I am very confused

Hi Ana

Lol I had a devil of a job getting this all sorted when I first got here, I could send texts home but couldn't recieve them for a couple of months, turns out the guy in the AT&T store hadn't set the phone properly when we got it and nobody could figure it out for ages.

But back to your problem.....to send a text you go.... 0116427 and then the rest of the number .... whether it's 027 or 021 you leave off the 0.

To phone back home is 011649 and then the number.

Hows everything else going, have you had any AOS progress?

Thanks Kim! Two months ago i bought a boost mobile phone and tried to send texts to nz but failed. (i got them to set it so i could phone and text to nz). I gave up on it after a few attempts.

But i decided to give it another shot, so yesterday i bought a verizon phone and the guy there set it so i could make phone calls and texts to nz. i tried to send a text to nz last night but not sure if it went through or not. I had been trying all kinds of combinations of numbers so who knows where half the texts end up

I am still waiting for a biometrics appointment to come in the mail. I have tried to track my file on the uscis site but it doesn't recognise my receipt numbers Can you see your file on the uscis site?

I'm wondering how long i have to wait until i get the biometrics appointment. I thought it may have been fairly quickly after they send out the NOA's.

How's your AOS going? have you heard anything?

Check out this link http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p_U...ToveJE2nWAbMiHw

This is the group of Feb AOS filers from here and most of them have had some kind of response after their biometrics apt, some have had their cases transfered to California, which means no interview, some have received their interview apt, some have received their EAP & AP, and some have even received their Green Cards already!!! There's only a few that like me have heard nothing.,

I still can't access my case online and when I rang to find out where it's at, I was told EAP & AP take 3 months so I should have something by the end of this month and that they're still working on Oct 08 cases.........after looking at the spreadsheet and seeing how many people have received EAP etc and also Green Cards, I think they're blowing smoke up my you know where!!!! They're absolutely full of it!!

I'll give them till the end of the month for EAP coz I need to get my CV together and shop for summer clothes etc, but then I'm going to ring them back and stick a bomb under them for the GC.

I was hoping they would transfer my case to California like some of the others, then we wouldn't have to drive the 2.5 hrs to Memphis for an interview. They transfer cases to CA to ease the load and I know some of the people, before they have been transfered, have rung up and kicked up a bit of a stink, so and the end of the month I'll give it a go...

Edited May 13, 2009 by Kim & Chris

[Michelle Kauffman 0]

Hey Guys

Long time, no chatter, i've finally managed to get my access on the forums fixed, apparently when i changed my email address something happened and i haven't been able to post or reply at all.

Things with Rob and I are going well. Rob's doing ok healthwise, more tests, more doctor visits and he will have to have a transplant, not this year and hopefully not next but we have to see how he goes. I'm so over having to deal with the pharmacy and medicare or medicaid, i still can't get it right.

We're married, I have my social security card and I got my North Carolina drivers licence today. So much sitting around and waiting, you'd think i'd be used to that by now, but i'm not. Then they would only issue my drivers licence til August 12th, which is the date the immigration officer at POE put on my visa, not sure why he chose August 12, i arrived March 14 and visa was issued Feb 20th so none of it makes any sense but i was tired of trying to reason with people.

We sent off our AOS and EAD papers but they were returned to us, seems we sent them too much money. I thought it would be $1010 for the AOS and $340 for the EAD, so we sent them one check for $1350. They told us the amount was wrong but didn't make it clear whether they were ok with one check and we didn't have to pay for EAD or whether they wanted a seperate check for both. Anyways, sent them one check for $1010 today, hopefully we won't get another RFE. Does anyone know whether they'll have checked all of the paperwork the first time around and the rest of it checked out ok or whether we may get another RFE?

I never thought i'd be itching to get back to work, i can't wait for my EAD.

Oh and i found a solution to the icky bread problem, i just buy the pilsbury italian bread in the round tin and bake it, very very yummy

[rubyred 0]

michelle,

you only pay $1010, the EAD is free when you file all those forms together.

got our NOA1 at the end of april, and i have my biometrics appointment on may 22! so far, so good!

[kiwiana 2]

Check out this link http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p_U...ToveJE2nWAbMiHw

This is the group of Feb AOS filers from here and most of them have had some kind of response after their biometrics apt, some have had their cases transfered to California, which means no interview, some have received their interview apt, some have received their EAP & AP, and some have even received their Green Cards already!!! There's only a few that like me have heard nothing.,

I still can't access my case online and when I rang to find out where it's at, I was told EAP & AP take 3 months so I should have something by the end of this month and that they're still working on Oct 08 cases.........after looking at the spreadsheet and seeing how many people have received EAP etc and also Green Cards, I think they're blowing smoke up my you know where!!!! They're absolutely full of it!!

I'll give them till the end of the month for EAP coz I need to get my CV together and shop for summer clothes etc, but then I'm going to ring them back and stick a bomb under them for the GC.

I was hoping they would transfer my case to California like some of the others, then we wouldn't have to drive the 2.5 hrs to Memphis for an interview. They transfer cases to CA to ease the load and I know some of the people, before they have been transfered, have rung up and kicked up a bit of a stink, so and the end of the month I'll give it a go...

Wow! most of the people have had progress on their cases and you are still waiting? that sucks! I don't understand how some people get transferred and some don't. If we all came on a K-1 then we should all get transferred as we had an interview in our home country before we arrived. That seems quite unfair really. It should be the same for all of us. And you would think they would look at where you live and see how far you have to travel for an interview and transfer your case to California, without question?!! Ugh! so frustrating! I hope you hear something very soon! you should at least have your EAD by now!

It is 3 weeks now since i applied for my ssn into my married name and nothing! still waiting! I thought about inquiring into getting my cali drivers licence but am hesitant as i fear i will just have the same hassle and head hitting against the brick wall saga as i have had at SSA. *sigh*

Anyway, on a good note, i text my son and daughter in nz yesterday and they received them!!I was soo happy. Good to know it works!! yay!!

[kiwiana 2]

Hey Guys

Long time, no chatter, i've finally managed to get my access on the forums fixed, apparently when i changed my email address something happened and i haven't been able to post or reply at all.

Things with Rob and I are going well. Rob's doing ok healthwise, more tests, more doctor visits and he will have to have a transplant, not this year and hopefully not next but we have to see how he goes. I'm so over having to deal with the pharmacy and medicare or medicaid, i still can't get it right.

We're married, I have my social security card and I got my North Carolina drivers licence today. So much sitting around and waiting, you'd think i'd be used to that by now, but i'm not. Then they would only issue my drivers licence til August 12th, which is the date the immigration officer at POE put on my visa, not sure why he chose August 12, i arrived March 14 and visa was issued Feb 20th so none of it makes any sense but i was tired of trying to reason with people.

We sent off our AOS and EAD papers but they were returned to us, seems we sent them too much money. I thought it would be $1010 for the AOS and $340 for the EAD, so we sent them one check for $1350. They told us the amount was wrong but didn't make it clear whether they were ok with one check and we didn't have to pay for EAD or whether they wanted a seperate check for both. Anyways, sent them one check for $1010 today, hopefully we won't get another RFE. Does anyone know whether they'll have checked all of the paperwork the first time around and the rest of it checked out ok or whether we may get another RFE?

I never thought i'd be itching to get back to work, i can't wait for my EAD.

Oh and i found a solution to the icky bread problem, i just buy the pilsbury italian bread in the round tin and bake it, very very yummy

Good to hear that everything is going well!! I'm not sure if they check everything as soon as they get the package. But from what i have read from others that receive RFE, sometimes it may be two months after they sent off the package that they can receive one and sometimes it is straight away. There don't seem to be any rhyme or reason at times with USCIS ,on how or why the order is of their processing etc.

[Dave_n_Genna 0]

Hey all.

Good to see most of us here are happy together with our SO's now.

Genna and I have gotten married, received her new SS card, added her to my insurance, and are now working on the AoS package. I basically had to raise riot at the SS office to get it put into her married name, but I succeeded!

What exactly are we supposed to send in for the medical part??? She got a medical in NZ for the K-1... and now we have her X-Ray and this one page Vaccination worksheet. Is that what we are supposed to send in? This is the only unclear area for me.

Also, If we dont get the package sent in by the time the K-1 expires... what can happen? Is it real risky, as in she can be sent back?

Edited May 22, 2009 by Dave_n_Genna

[kiwiana 2]

Hey all.

Good to see most of us here are happy together with our SO's now.

Genna and I have gotten married, received her new SS card, added her to my insurance, and are now working on the AoS package. I basically had to raise riot at the SS office to get it put into her married name, but I succeeded!

What exactly are we supposed to send in for the medical part??? She got a medical in NZ for the K-1... and now we have her X-Ray and this one page Vaccination worksheet. Is that what we are supposed to send in? This is the only unclear area for me.

Also, If we dont get the package sent in by the time the K-1 expires... what can happen? Is it real risky, as in she can be sent back?

Great to hear that things are moving along wonderfully for the both of you! The medical part is a little confusing to me. I have read on vj that some people only sent in the vaccination record while others sent in the I-693 form and got a TB skin test done too.

I went to a civil surgeon in my area that was on the uscis list of civil surgeons that you could use and he transcribed the vaccination record onto the I-693 form. He then put it in an envelope. sealed it and gave it back to me.(it has to remain sealed, you aren't allowed to open it) I included it in the AOS package BUT i didn't get a tb skin test done. I already got the tb xray done in New Zealand , so thought i would chance it and not get it done here. so i could very well get a RFE for not having it done.

I'm not even sure if uscis themselves know what the correct procedure is, as some vjers get approved with just sending in the vaccination record only while others get RFE for not including I-693 or the tb skin test.

sorry i haven't been much help! Kim&Chris and Kim&Russ have sent in their AOS package. Hopefully they will be able to tell you what they did.

I don't think Genna would be sent back if they don't receive the package before her K-1 expires.

[KimandRuss 0]

Hey folks... sorry i've been mia lately!

We sent our AOS on 4/12 (noa1 for all 3 on 4/20). Russell had his biometrics on 5/14 in Boston. We were transferred to California last week, I think.

We did not have the vaccination record transcribed and he did not have the TB test. We also sent it 3 months after the expiration of his I-94!

We're rebels! hahaha

[Ed+Cindy 1]

Cindy was finally approved today for the K-1 in Auckland.

She is quite pissed off at how mean the interviewing officer was to her. She thinks he was a middle-eastern guy. Anyone else interview with that man? I can't believe how much they like to bully people just for the hell of it. They didn't ask her for any evidence of our relationship, etc. They kept pounding on her about a 'denied' entry when she was turned away in Canada trying to visit me at the end of her round-the-world trip. The officer also harassed her about having two passports (she wasn't born in NZ, she moved there as a kid). He asked her why she wants to have so many passports, and why she will need three once she has a US one. I told her she should have told the man that she has no desire for a F'ing US passport, she just wants the immigration permit.

Anyway, she should be here soon, though she is stressing POE in San Fran because every single time she encounters US officials, she is treated like a terrorist.

[kiwiana 2]

Cindy was finally approved today for the K-1 in Auckland.

She is quite pissed off at how mean the interviewing officer was to her. She thinks he was a middle-eastern guy. Anyone else interview with that man? I can't believe how much they like to bully people just for the hell of it. They didn't ask her for any evidence of our relationship, etc. They kept pounding on her about a 'denied' entry when she was turned away in Canada trying to visit me at the end of her round-the-world trip. The officer also harassed her about having two passports (she wasn't born in NZ, she moved there as a kid). He asked her why she wants to have so many passports, and why she will need three once she has a US one. I told her she should have told the man that she has no desire for a F'ing US passport, she just wants the immigration permit.

Anyway, she should be here soon, though she is stressing POE in San Fran because every single time she encounters US officials, she is treated like a terrorist.

congratulations on the approval!!

sorry to hear that she had a bad time with the officer. When i had the interview i dealt with an older American woman first and then interviewed by a younger woman. They were both very friendly!

Hope all goes well at POE! when will she leave NZ?

Best wishes to the both of you!!

[Ed+Cindy 1]

sorry to hear that she had a bad time with the officer. When i had the interview i dealt with an older American woman first and then interviewed by a younger woman. They were both very friendly!

I think the man she interview with was new (she said he seemed like he was fresh off the boat from training in the US. He was very loud and rude - like an army sargent, something most people who work in NZ are not).

Once Cindy has her GC, I am actually going to complain to Dept of State about the interviewing officer. It was unnecessary for a consulate somewhere like NZ. I did not expect that from Auckland.

The older lady (B?) was very nice to her. We have been emailing her for a while and she is always nice.

The young lady you interviewed with was probably the same person Cindy interviewed with for a B visa in early 2008. She was nice too.

[Michelle Kauffman 0]

Cindy was finally approved today for the K-1 in Auckland.

She is quite pissed off at how mean the interviewing officer was to her. She thinks he was a middle-eastern guy. Anyone else interview with that man? I can't believe how much they like to bully people just for the hell of it. They didn't ask her for any evidence of our relationship, etc. They kept pounding on her about a 'denied' entry when she was turned away in Canada trying to visit me at the end of her round-the-world trip. The officer also harassed her about having two passports (she wasn't born in NZ, she moved there as a kid). He asked her why she wants to have so many passports, and why she will need three once she has a US one. I told her she should have told the man that she has no desire for a F'ing US passport, she just wants the immigration permit.

Anyway, she should be here soon, though she is stressing POE in San Fran because every single time she encounters US officials, she is treated like a terrorist.

congratulations on the approval!!

sorry to hear that she had a bad time with the officer. When i had the interview i dealt with an older American woman first and then interviewed by a younger woman. They were both very friendly!

Hope all goes well at POE! when will she leave NZ?

Best wishes to the both of you!!

yes congratulations

I think i had the same two women Kiwiana had, my interview was very easy and friendly, so sorry to hear things weren't the same.

[kelzm 0]

Congrats to Ed and Cindy.

Ed - tell Cindy not to stress too much about POE. San Francisco is really good, I've never heard of anyone having any problems there.

Once, on a visit to the US I did get pulled through to secondary processing where I was asked some questions but even there they were very nice and polite, and I was never worried that it would turn out badly. I'm sure that Cindy will get through POE no problem at all.