Rinni

Firstly, I have no idea which country you are from so it could vary depending on where you are.

Secondly, I had a similar issue but was out of the country for the first half of my I-797 (NOA2). I tried to email my Consulate to get an extension approved, to which they responded. SO, what you need to do is draft up a letter from the US Petitioner stating that you realise the notice will expire and would like to request an extension. You need to state that you are both still legally free to marry and love each other etc. This letter needs to be signed and dated. It can then be emailed to the Beneficiary who can then forward it to the Consulate/NVC which is handling your case. Remember to include your case number when contacting the consulate.

If you are unsure what the letter should look like, this is how mine looked like, roughly:

> Consulate Address <

> Date <

RE: I-797 Notice of Action - Approval Validity Date Extension

Case Number: XXXXXXX

Dear Sir or Madam,

It is my understanding that pursuant to 9FAM 41.81 N3.1 (Period of validity), the consulate can extend the I-797 approval notice for another 4 months, if my fiancé/e and I remain legally free to marry and continue to plan to marry after I enter the United States.

Therefore, please be aware:

• I and my fiancé/e continue to be legally single and free to marry.
• I and my fiancé/e love each other and plan to marry after my entrance in to the United States.
• If the I-797 approval notice has expired by the time of my interview, I sincerely request that you extend the approval notice (copy attached) so that my fiancé/e may receive the K-1 visa.

Many thanks, and kind regards,

Sincerely,

> XXXXXXXXXXX (Petitioner's Name) <

> Signature of Petitioner <

> Date <

You will need to change the parts in red to suit your case as to if your fiance/e is male or female. Etc.

Cool! Thanks Rinni. I will def talk to him about it. I know he has been to Sydney before but as far as being familiar enough, I don't think so.

Matt and I met online gaming as well btw We played WoW and Guild Wars 2 and are in ESO right now. Congratulations on your Visa!! I will appreciate any advice you have in this process.

Haha, that's awesome. We met on WoW of course, but we're currently suffering from end of expansion woes, so we've been playing a lot of Diablo 3 of late. He's getting into the Wildstar Beta so I think he'll end up playing that for a while when it is released. Haven't tried ESO yet though.

And for sure, any questions feel free to PM if you need. Most things are pretty straight forward for us Aussies. Just tell him to relax when it comes to the interview stage. Definitely nothing to be over nervous about - like I was!

We got our NOA2 just 19 days after filing, which was a surprise. This was the last week of September. I believe the consulate finally received our case the first week of November roughly. I had already paid for a 7 week visit to the US at the end of October so we had to extend our NOA2 notice. That wasnt any issue. The only thing that could slow you down is waiting for the Police certificate and a medical date. Otherwise it's very fast from now on in.

Slightly off topic: It -may- be a bit expensive, but if he's unsure about flying to Sydney, I can recommend taking the Melbourne XPT to Sydney. It will be an overnight train ride job, but at least the train will have him stopping at Central. From there it is an easy walk up Pitt street, or even George Street. It's very easy to find the MLC centre once you hit the Martin Place vicinity (take it from a country gal from Goulburn! - I dislike Sydney). Decent hike though. I only mention this as I didn't wish to drive in Sydney and found the train a lot easier. Bear in mind train tickets do fluctuate in School Holiday periods.

Otherwise, if he's familiar with Sydney, flying might be easier by all means.

I can't edit my post since I'm posting this from my phone. I'd just like to add that I am from NSW. I had my certificate sent back to me. I hope that there will be one way for doing this in the near future to cut down on the confusion.

Interesting. It's strange how there's no clear cut one way to do the Police Certificate. I had my interview April 1st and completed my police certificate in January.

For the record: What I did was have my fingerprints taken at my local police station then I took the prints and filled out for a name check on the AFP forms. I can't rememer much about it I don't think I ticked the name AND fingerprint box. But whatever they charged me in the end was fine. I just wanted it done. I think it may have ended up being cheaper in the longrun than taking a trip to the ACT like the officers at my local station suggested. I did totally confuse the hell out of them with all the forms though.

You're very welcome. I only had my interview at the start of the month so it is still fresh in my mind.

Hello, and best of luck with the interview for you two.

My emailed list from the consulate did not state for me to bring a satchel. As long as you have paid the fee on the traveldocs website (given in the email), the consulate will MAIL your passport to you once it has gone through appropriate finalisations. HOWEVER, if you paid the fee at a post office, it would be wise to bring along your own satchel just incase. I am unsure how it works if you pay via the post office as I paid online on the traveldocs website. For Australia, sitting in Administrative Processing usually only lasts a day. But all cases will and do vary. You will not get your visa to take home with you on the day as they need to print it etc.They advise you to wait a week or so. I had my interview on the Tuesday and had my passport back in my hands by that Friday the same week. I only live a few hours out of Sydney though. The TOLL service they used was overnight express however.

For my case I had to take:

Evidence of the payment to CGI Federal (The $264 AU approx fee) I took the email receipt and the traveldocs website receipt.

My passport.

My 2 US size passport photos.

An Aus Post 3kg express satchel --- NOTE: I only took this as I was uncertain if I would still need it or not. I can now confirm that you should definitely not need to bring your own satchel if you paid online.

I also took my entire K1 folder and any supporting relationship evidence I thought I may need to aid my case. I was not asked for any extra evidence so I didn't need to. But I like to be well organised for these types of things.

I cannot add any comment for the join sponsor part of your post as my fiance was the sole sponsor for me.

Again, best of luck and I hope I could calm any concerns you both had. Remind him to relax. I was a nervous wreck for no reason at all.

EDIT: Woops, wrong thread!

Also got mine today but they made a mistake on the visa and put the wrong passport number on it (check it folks). I'm assuming they'll need to reissue it but have to wait for them to respond to emails as they don't take calls (I tried).

Double checked all my copies of paperwork and the travel docs profile and it's all correct there so someone has made a one keystroke error that completely messes us around. Not happy.

Oh no! I'm sorry to hear that. Keep us posted as you get in touch with them. Hope it doesn't take forever to hear back from them.

I used wire transfer from Australian to US bank account. There are fees at each end, but they are not too bad.

I realise this is a bit of a bad/late thread bump (Sorry!) but I'm curious as to what kind of fees you had between bank accounts? I am with St. George here and would possibly be transferring to a Bank of America account. I've read this thread and am trying to find the best ways to transfer money over when I sell my car.

I'm not necessarily opposed to using the money transfer websites, but I know it'll take a hefty amount of explaining for my Dad who isn't very up to date with technology, concerning internet banking. He's unsure what to do with those sites so I think he would prefer sending between bank account.

The building itself is easy to find. Just walk in and ask someone or wander around until you find some elevators (thats what I did and ended up arriving 45 mins early because I had the same thoughts as you)

Once you are on level 10 its impossible to get lost because there is security everywhere.

Yeah I found it fine last Tuesday. You're a touch late to the thread but I know how daunting Sydney can be so I wanted to make sure before I went. I much preferred sitting in the Lobby waiting to take the lift up, than down below in the food court area.

The feeling of relief was surreal - I started to well up with tears as soon as I got that piece of paper And I was nervous too!! I also had nothing to be nervous about, but it's just all very exciting and I guess the 7 month build up doesn't help!!

And I bet that schnitzel tasted good

Now just the wait for the physical visa.. I've already booked my flight so hoping the visa comes within the next week!!!

Kate and Dan, my visa arrived today from TOLL And finally I get to admire the famous mysterious yellow envelope. Oooo. Hoping yours arrives today too.

Hey I was there on 1st of April too!! Congrats we made it!!! Only the wait for the physical visa to go .

Thanks! And congrats to you too. I sat there with my blue folder feeling too many emotions at once. I heard some poor man getting drilled by a lady at window 3. I was secretly hoping I didn't get her after he finished his interview for fear of her being in a bad mood. Hah!

But I ended up getting a different lady so I was happy. I think I was there around 10:15 - 11:30am. My stomach was in knots all day, not that I needed to be nervous of anything. It felt so good to head back up to the George St Pub for a good ol' Chicken Schnitty for lunch afterwards.

NO! DO NOT WAIT TO GET THEM DONE AT THE VISA MEDICAL! If you do, you'll pay a lot more than at your GP. I'm in Sydney and here's what I did: a few weeks before my visa medical appointment, I went to my doctor and he did a blood test for immunity to see if I was vaccinated against measles, chicken pox, rubella, mumps, the heps and also a blood test for syphilis, as I knew that I'd be tested for that for the visa so wanted piece of mind. My results came back about a week later.I was immune to everything except the heps and I was negative to the syph (yay!). Also, I'd had tetanus shots five years prior relating a previous injury, so the GP printed out that evidence.The GP will then give you the vaccinations, if needed, and print out the records of immunisation evidence, which you will then present to your visa medical doctor. It's so much easier to do it that way. And cheaper!

OP, Definitely follow this advice. It costs a lot as is without being able to claim anything on Medicare. Depending on your age will depend on what the Dr will check you off for as well.

I made sure I was up to date with:

- MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella)

- dTap (Diptheria, Tetanus, Pertussis (Whooping Cough))

And

- Blood Test for immunity of Varicella (Chicken Pox)

You will get an email from the medical centre stating what is and isn't needed. It does state that you need blood immunities if no records are present. If you're like me and have your Blue Book from when you grew up, and kept all your school records, you should be fine.

I did not go ahead with the blood test for Syphillis prior to my visa medical so I paid for them to do my blood test. Think it was around $30.

Also

- Hep A and Hep B are optional from what my personal doctor told me. The visa medical Doctor, Dr. Waks (Sydney) checked me off as not needing it but I might pursue it for my own benefit later.

------

To those asking where the OP is at, double check which forum you are in. This is the Australia and New Zealand sub forum so other vaccines may/ may not apply.

Well, we expected a good (general) 6 month waiting period between NOA 1 and NOA 2. However something happened and we were approved in 20 days. It completely threw Tony and I off since I had already planned to visit him around the time the NVC/ US Consulate here would receive my case. Naturally, I had to apply for the NOA 2 extension, which went smooth and they actually didn't comment on it today when I had my interview.

I'm very happy to be approved now and I'll fix up my timeline in my forum signature so you can see the dates of our case.

My suspected comical reasoning behind getting approved in 20 days (NOA 2) is - Someone dropped the pile at the CSC office and ours made the shuffle to the top. Haha!

There is a security desk on the first floor, I asked them and they directed me to the elevators. Once you reach lvl 10 there are signs leading the rest of the way good luck!

Thankyou very much charlottelizabeth, this helped a bunch! One less stress off my shoulders. I know we have nothing to be nervous about but still, we've waited a long time for this :D

This may come across as a silly question, but I'm from a rural town and am somewhat out of my element when it comes to Sydney. My question is about the MLC Centre. I know the Consulate Security/ check-in is on Level 10. Now what I'm unsure of, is how easy is it to find the place? When I take the lifts up to level 10, will I be right there, will I be on a random floor with some searching to do, or is there a reception that will point me in the right direction? Little unsure about it.

Silly question but if I can get these little stresses out of my way, it might help make the day smoother. So if anyone could shed some light about where to go to get to the right place, that'd be loads of help. Thanks!

We had the same questions, but we did what darin & josh did and just paid it online and saved the receipt. We were able to email the consulate and change our interview date for a few weeks later, and received a confirmation email from them a few days later. Good luck!

For you, and those who filled in their details online. Did you still take a Prepaid Satchel for them to send your passport back to you in? I have triple checked my email and I know of past cases which required you to bring your own, but mine does not stipulate to bring one along with me. Should I take one just incase or do they automatically send it back with their own mail service nowadays? Sorry to half hijack the thread.

where does it state that I need this? I don't see it on the I-134 form

http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/files/form/i-134instr.pdf

Read under General Instructions for Supporting Evidence:

Part B: Statement(s) from your employer on business stationery stating:

- Date and Nature of Employment

- Salary paid

- Whether the position is temporary or permanent

Interesting to see they're cutting down on time nowadays. Feels like I must be one of the last few that went through Packet 3. The only slight annoyance I see here is a lot more cases going through to Administrative Processing due to insufficient supporting evidence. I know I'm pretty OCD about making sure EVERYTHING is there. Hope this doesn't make too many people's lives go on hold. On the other hand, much faster if you have everything ready and to their satisfaction. No stressing about sending original documents in the mail. (Something I really didn't want to do.)

I'm cant say much on the interview scheduling side of things, but if all else fails, when it comes to sending in the extension letter from your Fiance/e, put [uRGENT] in the email Topic (along with your case number). They will generally respond to it quicker. I had my NOA2 expiring on the 29th and got my extension letter sent through on the 26th. The shifty thing is they don't confirm that they have extended it- instead they will only contact you if it is rejected.

"If your request for revalidation is approved your application will automatically be extended & you will not be notified, however, if it is denied, only then will we contact you within 5 business days to you to advise you further."

But definitely get it ready and signed. Just save for when you need to input the date.

I sent my Packet 3 in of the 26th Feb and received Packet 4 on the 5th of March. If that gives any inclining of how long, but I guess delays could very well happen. Two to three weeks seems average though.

Anyone else have an interview on April 1st? (April Fools day of ALL days- c'mon really!) Hehe.

That's about how it went for me too, medical clinic called me back a week after and got the appointment 3 weeks after. So a month to get appointment. I also got Dr. Waks and only have good things to say. If I was stressed out before the appointment, it was all gone 5 minutes in with him. That's one doctor that you know loves his job.

Definitely. I really loathe going to the Doctor and I too was a nervous wreck hoping I didn't have to pay more than what I expected. Dr. Waks was very friendly and professional. I had a bit of a chuckle when we were doing balance checks - felt like some crazy yoga exercises.

The hike to the X-Ray place was -fun-, and if you're not too familiar with Sydney, Dr. Waks will likely give you a map. So it was easy to find. It's a MUCH easier walk back to the Medical Centre (It was all downhill!). I really hope I have a positive interview experience too now. Waiting for packet 4 currently.

As others have said, definitely go ahead and schedule a medical now before your interview (unless travelling to Sydney is a pain for you). Sometimes the George St Medical Centre in Sydney is a little backlogged - When I called, they took my name and number and called me back at the end of the week when they knew they could get me an appointment. The appointment was i think 3 weeks later? I can't really remember.

Dr Waks is very good by the way, just make sure your immunisation details are up to scratch well before the medical. (And a blood test to check for Chicken Pox Immunity if you have no recorded proof of having it - you can get this done at your local doctor and claim it on Medicare. NOTHING at the medical is eligible for a rebate from Medicare so take this into consideration when boosters/ shots are extra at the Medical)