charlottelizabeth

You need two photos for packet 3!

I had a 10am slot.. Got there at 9:30. Long line in front of me. Turns out I was the last person to be seen.. (didn't get my interview til 12pm)... AND I got there half an hour early!! So I'd say it's definitely first come/first served. Good luck

I would have them resend personally.. I do know that my fiance once sent something to me from California (with priority mail) and it still took nearly 2 weeks to reach me in Perth AU. It is pretty ridiculous. Then you have to remember its also the busiest time of year for mail at the moment (christmas etc). I hope you get it sorted out soon xx

I can't help you on the first question as I don't have any arrests but for the second Q you had - I ticked off on 'Overseas Employment/Visa' and had no issues (it is an overseas visa, after all).

Wow, I didn't even think of going to that effort! I just paper clipped mine to the form. Once I got to the interview stage, they just took the picture, smothered glue on the back and stuck it down in place... No dramas.

Yep, 3kg is plenty! And you bring it with you in person, no need to send it with packet 3 - even if you HAVE forgotten anything, they send you through a checklist with packet 4 to remind you of what else you may need to bring.

I got pkt 4 about 20 days (incl weekends) after I sent pkt 3. I am in W.A though, so about as far as you could get from Sydney haha.. I got it Sept 16 and my interview was scheduled 8 days later! It went super fast! Good luck, you're at the tail end now!

Personally, I would cut the trip short. Otherwise you're probably going to need to call/email/write to the consulate in Sydney and request an extension.. I'm not too sure how that would look, but I do know they give them out under reasonable circumstances (for example, my interview was Sept 24th, and my petition was set to expire 6 days later on Sept 30th - they said I'd be fine but in the end they had to extend it by 2 days). Remember when you send pkt 3 you are signing off that you are ready to be interviewed. Don't send it all through if you're still in the states and thus can't attend. It just wastes theirs and your time.

I sent my packet 3 on the 29 Aug, received packet 4 about 11 business days later.. My interview was set for 8 days after my packet 4 date.. And I had to fly from Perth.. So, yep, was fast for me too!

Honestly, you don't need a lawyer if you follow the guides on this website. We did it ourselves with the help of this site and we're now approved with no major issues.

I am not sure which visa you plan on applying for... But I'll share our story... My partner (USC), came to Australia in 2011 on a working/holiday visa for 12 months, this eventually got extended by 6 months, so he was in Australia living with me for 18 months total. We applied for the I-129F while he was still here. I had my interview last month and was approved, I move next week. As it is a K1 fiance visa, we are required to marry within 90 days of me arriving in the country. I don't know much about the process in reverse (marrying in Aus).. I know that when we looked at it, it was more expensive to do it that way, which is one reason why we chose to do it in the US.

To apply for the I-129F (K1 visa), you have to have met within the last 2 years, and have documents to prove this (passport stamp/s, photos, receipts/tickets).

The CR-1 you could apply for if you end up marrying in Australia but then relocating to America. However, I don't know much about that process so I can't help you there.

Good luck

You guys are fine, as you have met within two years of knowing each other. That's all that is required. You could have only known each other ONE MONTH, and you can still file so long as you have met FACE-TO-FACE and have proof of doing so BEFORE filing.

Be thankful you are still way under the 5 month wait time. The service centers have improved immensely since back when I filed. I had to wait EIGHT months before I saw my NOA2!! Patience, your time will come

I think that is a very reasonable time frame! I am in AUS, and we applied Sept 24th 2012, and my interview was approved Sept 24 2013. That was a much longer process than normal because I was unlucky enough to catch the service center at its slowest point.. It has picked up again since then.

You need to make above the poverty line (see pic dutdutout posted) to be the sole supporter. If you DON'T make this much, don't panic. The US Consulate in Australia DOES accept co-sponsors! I had one, and was accepted without issue.

Point of entry is wherever he lands first in the US. So you would write either San Francisco or Los Angeles.

Good luck!

Welcome to VJ. It's truly a wealth of information for learning what to do & how to do it. I am an Australian also, I had my interview 2 weeks ago, have my visa in my hand now with a flight booked for 2 weeks time. Very exciting, but it took us FOREVER to get here! I wish you much luck in your journey and if you have any questions, feel free to ask!

I'm in Perth, W.A but my police certificate was sent back to me within two weeks, was expecting a longer wait so it was a very nice surprise! I did that just the other month.

They received all my packet 3 docs on the 29th Aug, and I received an interview date via email today (16th Sept).. So it took them about 11 working days to get back to me.

Good luck.

Thank you so much for the responses, that makes things a lot clearer for me!

I have a little dilemma, if anyone could help me. I am filling out the necessary forms for packet 3 and I'm wondering if I need to write down my son's details as well? He is 15 months old and already an American Citizen so I'm a little confused as to whether he is still considered 'immigrating' or not? Does his name need to be included on the Affidavit of Support/s? And would he need to have a medical as well?

Thanks in advance for any help!

Thanks for the replies - entering the US isn't what I'm worried about, but rather, leaving Australia on a US passport.. Even though he is an Australian citizen. I'm getting so much contradictory information online! So just wondered if anyone had personal experience =)

I am not too sure where I should be posting this, so I am sorry in advance!

I have a bit of a complicated question.. My fiance and I currently have a i129f processing, and my son and I are wanting to go to America to visit. It's extremely short notice - we want to travel in 2 weeks time (to avoid the crazy June flight prices). Our son has full American citizenship including an American passport. He is an Australian citizen also, but does not have an Australian passport (he has an Australian birth certificate, medicare card, etc). My question is, does he need a USA passport AND an Australian passport to travel overseas?? Or would his American passport and his Australian birth certificate suffice? He is 13 months old.

The reason you get given TWO dates for the RFE, is simple.. The first date is just when they RECORDED that you will be receiving a RFE. The second date is the date in which the RFE is actually MAILED. They send these out in batches, not one at a time.

We were given close to 90 days to get our RFE's back to them, so no issues there.

We got one for a typo. I sent in the corrected from ds-230 11 days ago. I believe what happrens is they just dont get aroud to opening their mail for 2 or 3 weeks. But when you call they should be able to tell you exactly what is wrong with your file and you can get started on the correction right away. No need to wait for the snail mail. I FedEx'e our form and had it back in their mailroom within days. Now it just sits waiting for someone to open it. I know it really sucks. I miss my wife so much. Good luck

Actually USCIS will not release any info on the RFE over the phone. We tried it. All they are authorized to say is that you have a RFE being sent out on such and such date.

As for OP's question, no, your case doesn't go to the bottom of the pile. It's simply in suspense until they receive your response. Once they do, your case is opened again. From lurking on VJ, it seems this USUALLY takes a week or two.. At most, a month.

No, it doesn't start as a new case. Your case gets suspended for only as long as it takes for them to receive the reply to the RFE - then they get right back to it. It seems like most people get their NOA2's within a week or two of sending the RFE back.

K-1 interviews are done in either Vancouver or Montreal at their consulate. No. the K-1 cannot be processed within the US.

The medial and police certificate must also be done in Canada

good luck

That is true to Canadians. OP is Australian, therefore she will have her police certificate & medical in her state of residence, and her interview in Sydney.

I wish that were possible, lol would make my life easier. I have to fly from Perth to Sydney just for the interview

No. One of the requirements of submitting an i-129f, is that you have met at least once within the last two years prior to filing.

I have to travel 2445+ miles when I have my interview. I'm looking at $500 just for FLIGHTS, never mind the accommodation I will need for the night. That's just the way it goes. If you want it bad enough, you find a way.