clare83

Thankyou so much! I will wait!

My GC does not expire until August 22, 2008. I know we are supposed to file within the 90 days leading up to the expiration, but I have already completed the form and wondered if I could send it in early? I see people are having to wait a long time to get the conditional status removed, so I thought I might as well get the ball rolling early. Does anyone think this would be a problem? I don't want to send it a bit early only to have them send it back to me!

hey usaus,

I saw Dr Brian Kable in Brisbane. There is only one place in Brizzy you can get it done at- Anzac Square Medical Centre and he is one of the doctors there. I think there are 2 other male docs there that do it too. I didn't ask for him specifically, they just book you in for the closest date when you call. I called up on a Friday and was booked in for the following Fri morning, so the waiting time is pretty good. But if you aren't able to make it during "working" hours then you may have to wait a little longer. The whole thing only took about 2.5 hours and most of that was just walking time between the QML pathology for bloods, brisbane private hospital for xray and then back to the docs office. But they are all within walking distance which is great. Then you wait one working day for the blood test results and I will go back in to the docs office to collect the results next monday. Piece of cake! They usually make you come back in to collect the results, but I'm sure if your fiance is down the coast they will mail it to him to save him the trip (esp. if he asks nicely- the secretaries were really sweet!)

Thanks everyone for your advice. I sent an email to the consulate just to be sure about this question and they got back to me less than a day later which is excellent! My fiance does have to meet the 125% for all 5 members but only for the last financial year (which he does thankgoodness!) and they said that they now only require his most recent tax year, not the past 3 (their response confused me a bit because they didn't say whether that is what used to be the case (prove the threshold for 3 years) or whether they now only require his latest tax return. But the form still asks you to provide all 3 tax returns so we will take them anyway, even if they no longer need them.

Thanks for your advice Wolvendove, I actually sent them an email yesterday quite late, but had a response from them today, so I think their promptness is excellent! They told me to complete all the forms as if already married including the signature, as I guess it will all be correct by the time I get to the interview. Guess I better start practicing my new signature!!!!

P.S. Medical went well today- a few jabs in the arm from missing vaccinations, but overall quite a pleasant experience. Everyone was really nice (including the doctor!) and interested in our story! I couldn't help but laugh when a few of them commented on how all the yanks are stealing our good lookin' sheilas! So if everything else to do with this process runs as smooth as today I will be very happy

Ok, so now I'm confused! I do understand that they ask on the form to list all people living in your residence, so we are happy to put down all 5 members, but when filling out the question relating to income he then has to meet the 125% for 5 members even though none of them are dependent on him at all (except me). That just doesn't make sense. We will only be staying with them until we buy a house and then it will just be the 2 of us, so I would have thought that he will only have to prove his ability to support me- not his entire family?

Is anyone able to clarify for me whether he has to meet this 125% guideline for the past 3 finanacial years or just the last financial year? As he met it for all 5 members last year and 2003, but not for 2004 as he was living in Oz for most of it.

Thanks

We are getting married in Brizzy on the 4th Aug this year. I'm born and bred in Bris and all my rellies are here so we decided that trying to fly them all over to the US would be a nightmare and my fiance has a smaller family so we are flying them out here for it. I'm excited, but pretty stressed at the moment as I'm trying to plan the whole wedding (with the help of friends/family- gotta love em!) and I'm also working and studying part-time too! So spare time is rather scarce atm, but am enjoying all the planning so far!

Theron and I met 4 1/2 yrs ago at a bar in Brizzy! (how embarrassing ) Who ever thought you could find a decent guy in a pub in Brizzy?! Obviously he had to be a foreigner! He was out here with friends on a working holiday and we started dating. He left Oz 5 months later and I was devestated (even though I knew it was coming!) and we decided to try the "long-distance" thing, and I guess it worked! We travelled back and forth to each other for the past 4 years (expensive r'ship!) and we managed to keep a record of no longer than 3months apart from each other that whole time, which I think is pretty good! I've been a student that whole time, so Theron was keen for me to finish uni before we decided to take the plunge into marriage! We are both pretty young (me-22, theron-27) so we weren't in any hurry, but we miss each other too much, so on christmas eve last year he proposed to me on top of the Colorado National Monument (lives in Grand Junction, CO) and it was super romantic! I'm actually back at uni studying another degree now and he has a good stable job over in the US so we decided that I would move there to be with him so I can complete my studies over there while he works. But we both have our hearts set on returning to Oz one day to start a family and raise them here. But I've gotta get through the next 5 months before I can start thinking about things like that!!!

But I'm not as excited as I wish I could be- we decided that it was too expensive to fly him out to Oz now before the wedding (as he will be out here a few weeks beforehand and after while the visa is sorted) so I haven't seen him since I left the US in Jan and won't see him until July, right before we marry! Longest time we have ever been apart! But I guess we have something to look forward to- never being apart again, so if I have to suffer the next 5 months it will all be worth it in the end! (assuming the visa is granted!) I know people go much longer apart than we will have to, so I really shouldn't complain!!!

Anyway, enough of my rambling! I can tend to get carried away! I'll be happy to share my experiences as a Brisbanite, since I know how helpful it is! So far everything has been pretty straight forward (except for some confusion when filling out forms) but I am only really just starting, so I'm sure things will get interesting as I progress! I have my medical on Friday and am shaking in my boots!!! Not a fan of needles and am pretty sure I lack quite a few vaccinations! Ouch! Wish me luck!

Thanks! It's funny cause I feel like once I work something out for this, something else comes up to confuse me!

As for being an expert, well I think we are all just going on our own experiences, but any advice is better than no advice at all!

It's also funny how this process makes us all so nervous and going out of our minds! I think that when it comes to love that we all go a little crazy!

I'm sure you will be approved (I have my fingers crossed for you!) and I hope your interview runs smoothly.

Good luck!

Thanks Caroline. I did recall reading Mellie's post some time back regarding the name change, but it was before I had received my pack so I didn't pay a whole lot of attention to specifics such as this! And thanks for the link, cause I had trouble getting to the archived thread- all I can find is the one attached to the pinned DCF Sydney thread. Is there somewhere where there is a link to all the old archives, not just the sydney one?

I read through that link, and it still hasn't really clarified the signature thing for me. This signature thing only really bothers me for the DS forms as they are the ones that I am sending back now, prior to the marriage. I know that I can sign my married name on all the other forms as we will be taking them to the interview after the wedding. Just feel unsure about signing a document that's dated for today with my married name, which won't be legal until after wedding in August.

I'll just hold out and see if anyone else has been in the same situation and can offer advice, otherwise prob just go with gut instinct of filling form out with married name but signing maiden name where it needs to be dated with today's date. Figure that the worse thing that can happen will be they send the forms back and ask me to fill out again!

Thanks for your help, and best of luck for your impending interview! Hope it all goes well!

Thanks Caroline. Sorry to be a pain, but I just had another question regarding the married name thing!

I've filled all the forms out with my married name but at the end of the DS230 part 1 and the DS2001 I am supposed to sign it and date it (i presume this should be the current date at which i post the forms back, and not some date in the future?) and I wasn't sure if I should sign it with my married or maiden name? I know that it will be "processed" after we are married but if I am dating the form as today's date, should I still use my maiden name for the signature? Thanks again for your help!

Thankyou! I thought that would be the case, as it doesn't really make sense to put down his family members when he doesn't support them. We don't have any kids so it would just be the two of us. So if we fill out the form as just "1" for no. of persons (related by birth, etc) living in your residence including yourself and then 1 for no. of immigrants being sponsored, we should be right? If we are wrong, will we have an opportunity to change it at the interview as we are sending in the I-864 with the DS-230 as I live in QLD and the form said to send it prior to the interview. I'm just nervous about making mistakes and then them denying me or something for filling it out wrong! Thanks for your fast reply, it is much appreciated!

My fiance and I are currently filling out the I-864 and are unsure as to whether we are filling out the household size question correctly. My fiance still lives with his parents and brother in the US but is completely independent of them and they of him. After our wedding in Oz we intend on living with his parents for a brief period (weeks/months) until we find and buy a house for ourselves. So in part 4 of the form it says "no. of persons (related by birth, etc) living in your residence including yourself"- should he be putting down his parents and brother even though they are not dependent on him and we won't be living with them for very long?

My concern is that there is nowhere on the form to explain who he lives with and that they are not dependent on him. His income for 2005 meets the 125% guideline for 5 household members (me, him + his family) but he doesn't meet the guideline for 5 members in 2004 as he spent 7 months in Aust with me so he didn't earn enough. I am confused as to whether he needs to meet this requirement for just the last financial year or the past 3 financial years since they ask you to supply the past 3 years tax returns?

It seems strange to put down his family members and then have to meet the 125% for all of them when he does not support them. But I didn't want to just risk putting the two of us down since technically we will be living with them for a brief time. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

HI VJ members,

I'm a newbie and have just started filling out my forms for the DCF/Spouse visa. I have read everything on DCF from this site and am grateful for all the help it has given me thus far. I'm pretty sure I am doing it right so far, but don't want to stuff it up so I just have a couple of questions to make sure I'm doing it all right!

Background: My fiance is an American citizen and I am an Aussie citizen. We are getting married in Brisbane in August this year and he intends to fly over here for the wedding and we will then fly down to Sydney for the interview together which we are hoping will be shortly after the wedding. We then intend to fly back to the US together after my visa is granted (here's hoping!).

Questions:

1. I read on previous threads that all my documents should be filled out "as if" already married because by the time they are filed at the interview we will be. So I am presuming that we should be filling in the DS-230 part 1 & 2, I-864, G-325A, I-130 and DS2001 all with my "married" name? Obviously my police check and medical report will have my maiden name, but am I correct in using my married name on all the other forms?

2. In sending back the forms do I send the DS-230 (part 1&2), G325ax2 and the I-864 first? I thought this was the case and that we send the DS2001 when we have all docs (inclu. police check and medical) ready for interview. Then I thought we took the I-130 with us to the interview (and all other docs required). Is this correct?

3. I've also read in previous threads that people have attached cover letters to their DS2001 forms asking politely if they could please have their interview on particular dates (i.e. close to the wedding date). I also plan to do this as my fiance will need to go back to work ASAP and can't really linger in Aust for too long after the wedding. Do you think that if I am sending back all these forms now (and planning to send DS 2001 as soon as I get all our docs together) I am being realistic in getting a date close to our wedding (5 months from now)?

Thanks for all your help,

Clare