LAND DOWNUNDER

[sugarbob 0]

oh hello everyone just popping by to say my AOS has been approved andis on its way...cheerio

[Kath 0]

WHOOO HOOOOO CONGRATS SUGARBOB...

it is a lovely thing not havin to do anything for the government for 2 years..enjoy mate..

hope everyone else is going smoothly..

take care

kath

[SharynY 2]

hi everyone!!

i got in last night - .... so still jet lagged....

immigration was fast about 10 minutes.. and the guy asked me some questions..... what ifs - go figure... anyways ..... i'm here now yay!!!

[Kelli 0]

Yay Sharyna! I'm glad that you are finally with your man!

[SharynY 2]

thanks!!

it was a long journey but i'm here now!!!

......

[TracyOz 0]

I just found this Aussie thread... HOW COOL...

YAY for you Sharyna HOW exciting to be there, and to be with your man....... I AM thrilled for you ... keep us posted on your wedding, it's only in a few weeks now isn't it??

Oh my I wish I was able to be with Steve right now... THIS process just is so horrible... I know it seems like on my time line that we haven't been in for the long haul like some of you, we have - and now that we are placed in this enforced separation due to the process and the distance, it really just is so draining - although I am not telling y'all anything that you don't already know My darling Steve is flying over to Australia for 2 weeks over Xmas, arriving here on a couple of days beforehand, in time for my birthday as well, and I CANNOT wait CANNOT CANNOT wait... I am going to need a whole box of tissues at the Adelaide airport when I meet him there, I think I will be a blubbering mess..

This will be his first trip to Australia, and finally he will be meeting my children, two of whom are moving over with me when our visa is approved .... and they are already totally "busting" at the chops - first about meeting the man that they talk to regularly and who will be their Step-Dad - "hate" that word "step" though LOL.. ... and secondly about the fact that when we move over there they will be gaining not only him as a Dad, but also a younger brother and sister, and a bunch of other family members...

They are of course, like me, quite nervous as well as excited .... but the most frustrating thing for them, again like me, is the "waiting, waiting, waiting"... one thing for us adults to comprehend the "system" but it is just so difficult for children to have to be involved in that waiting game too ... if you know what I mean.

And not just for my kids either, Steve's kiddos are also just in that same "hold" pattern, waiting for when the "rest of their family" will be arriving... Oh add to it the extra turmoil, that my house sold - LOL... thought it would take a month or two, but it only took 24 hours.... that is good/bad... I managed to delay the settlement to late January "with the hopes" that we would be through this process by then, however it REALLY doesn't look like it.... Add to that, the fact that Steve and I put a deposit down on a house in Cleveland while I was over there the other month, and CONVINCED "with difficulty" the current owners to delay our "closing" till late February, "again" hoping that the process would be over, and we would be there.... again DOESN'T really look like it... and HOW on earth can we extend them out any further...

So at this rate... My kids and I will be out of our house - end of January, and will have some huge expenses for mth. to mth. rental accommodation. Steve will be out of his house when it sells and have the same thing...

Sorry... I am ranting a bit...

Anyway that is about it for today...

oh and I forgot to take out my one "gamble" for the year on the Melbourne Cup.. so might have to make a quick trip to the TAB... don't know who is running though, so I am gonna just say "Number 23"... don't know what color it is or even what horse it is LOL... so we will have to just wait and see

have a GREAT day everyone

Tracy

[Rings 10]

Welcome to the Land Downunder Tracy!

It's always good to see a new face. We all know what you've been going through and we have all been through that time ourselves. It is still amazing and a dream to think that my Loke is home here in Colorado with me after our long wait.

I know it's hard, but once you get through it, you will never forget the fight and the battle accross the sea.

Sharyna, Hey! You are here YAY! Congrats! I hope that you get over that jet lag soon *hugs*

Kath! Happy Late Birthday!!!!!

Sugarbob!!!! WHEW HEW! I am glad to see that your AOS is approved! I wish mine would take that turn *pokes AOS*

Kelli, Hope youa re doing well and keeping your chin up

Good luck to all newcomers, old comers, people who come to just hang out and uhh.. the rest of the group lol

Edited November 6, 2007 by Rings

[sugarbob 0]

thanks, I was actually pretty impressed with the timeliness of it all (cept my ead never showed up but meh) considering everybody was expecting delays and all that due to the influx of applications to beat the rate rise...my processing time even included an rfe, and I never bothered with that whole tb skin test thingy...

I'm sure yours will be right around the corner

[sugarbob 0]

thanks, I was actually pretty impressed with the timeliness of it all (cept my ead never showed up but meh) considering everybody was expecting delays and all that due to the influx of applications to beat the rate rise...my processing time even included an rfe, and I never bothered with that whole tb skin test thingy...

I'm sure yours will be right around the corner

to clarify, (since I can't edit for some reason) the rfe was for tax stuff that (accidentally) wasn't originally provided...w2's..1099's...3.14159265358979's and the like, not for the tb thing. For anyone else about to apply for aos, that extra skin test is unnecessary, although nobody seems to be talking about it anymore so it's probably already established...just a lil fyi

[SharynY 2]

thanks Rings!! so glad to be here!!

[Katz 0]

Welcome, TracyOz! Nice to meet you.

[jezz85 0]

Hi everyone!

I haven't been around for ages, I've been crazy busy, I'm sure you can ALL relate.

So what's the update? I've had my AOS approved, my Permanent Resident Card came in the mail yesterday so now I guess it's over for the next two years. Yay!

I got transferred to CSC and didn't end up having an interview. I was expecting a RFE because I didn't bother with the TB skin test thing that we were all so concerned about way back. I was also expecting a RFE because I didn't bother with going to a civil surgeon to get that immunisation thing transcribed. I just sent in a photocopy of Doctor Waks immunisation worksheet from my Sydney medical. hahaha I skated out of that one so well. I remember Kath saying she did that or similar and yours went through too. Anyway, mine did so no civil surgeon for me.

The NOA date was October 24, 2007 for the AOS.

I was really surprised that it all happened so soon. I've been here less than 4 months afterall and I was expecting it to take a lot longer.

Anyway, that's my news, back to living in the US with my darling hubby!

Wow welcome to the US Sharyna!

Congrats to you too Sugarbob! *high five*

A big wave also to Kath, Katz, Kelli, Rings, Vy, Niph and all the gang who know me.

Edited November 7, 2007 by jezz85

[Kath 0]

hi ya jezz

waving back at ya mate

congrats on the greencard good to hear that it didnt take long for you...

welcome to the u.s. cant remember if i said that already..hope all is going well and your loving being here...dont forget to post the pics of the wedding for us mate..

hi ya rings

hows things going with you two..hope all is going splendidly for ya's...and thanks for the belated birthday wishes ..had a lovely day..worked at the hosp and made a pav for them and they devoured it...so i gave them the recipe ...

hope everyone else is going swimmingly and the ones that are over here aint too homesick...this is the time of year that it affects you most ... (well it did with me)...

sorry tracyN ... dont think i did your welcome to the thread mate..within these pages gone by there is heaps of info that you might be interested in .. and i do hope its not too much longer for you...

no big news here getting colder but am copeing quite well .. havent had any snow as yet...its late lol...would love it to snow on xmas day that would be magical i reckon..but can hear my hubs complaining saying its nasty stuff lol

take care

kath

Edited November 10, 2007 by Kath

[Rings 10]

Hi Jezz! OMG I am so happy for you! I hope that everything from here on goes just as smoothly for you as it has gone! It is so cool to see some good luck going for you! YAY on the AOS approval! Eeeeep!

KATH *hugs* I hope you are doing well! I am so glad to see your icon again! It makes me smile heaps! I also hate the snow because I am so used to it here in Colorado, but Loke is really excited about it. We already got our first snow here and we made a snowman. I attached a photos for everyone lol.

Hope everything is going well Sharyna!!!!!

Welcome all new members!!!!

As for us, today Loke finally got his EAD after such a long wait. Apparently the USCIS mailed it off to the wrong address which is odd since we got the other documents here at the same place. We even got our biometrics appointment sent to the same address so I think the mistake was on their part. I am really excited to see something though because when we had called about it, they said it would still be 45 more days before they would let us know

The card was mailed October 9th and today is November 9th, so we lost a month of time over it, but I am just glad that it is finally here.

Anyway... Good luck has seemed to come our way because we got it today. Loke finally got a car and he is mobile which scares the hell out of me lol, but I guess the foreigners should be allowed to drive too

Anyway I hope everyone is doing well! We are always thinking of our Aussie/Ameirican friends!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

[Niphredil 0]

Quick question: They don't like backpacks being taken into the consulate, but I can't seem to find anything about expandable folders, and reading the reviews, it only mentions 'paperwork'.

It sounds nitpicky, but the last thing I want to do is get to the consulate and waste time dragging my paperwork out of my neatly organised folder, then hoping that I take enough paperwork up with me. As is, I've found a mistake (one in my DS-230 part 1 that looks like I spent a year+3 months in USA, and not just 3 months x.X put a 5 where it should have been a 4 x.X), so I'm taking my boarding passes and whatnot for ALL of my trips.

So... are folders doable? Or is it paper only?

and I was doing so well