VicAus

6 years!!!!???

Seems like only last week i was counting down the agonising wait to get to the USA lol now im counting up to 6 years to leave awwww

*cough* California *cough* haha But really, do NOT move to Michigan. I know several of this group live there, or are from there, but right now, the job climate there is TERRIBLE. Industries are fleeing the state. I used to live up by Traverse city, and that was beautiful; people were out and about a lot, true. The pay was terrible. We then moved to the Flint area (General Motors hired my ex), and it was decent until GM declared bankruptcy; then the state economy tanked. Unless you and/or your husband has a high-paying career that Michigan can handle, I'd look elsewhere. California is expensive, but the year-round activities really can't be beat!

Also, if you're leaving the country, wait until you have citizenship. That way you won't have to redo all this again should you guys decide to move back to the states. I'm very on board going back to Europe, but we need to first wait until my husband and stepson have their citizenships. So we're looking at a good 6 years.

i highly reccomend colroado.. lots of outdoor stuff to do and winter isnt "so bad".. its definately not a Vegas winter but an ok trade off for outdoor activities. My hubby wants to move to Michigan though. I would rather not.. Colorado is cold enough for me although more then likely if we move somewhere I will use my USA winter to travel back to summer Australia

Our (his) credit card bills are getting bigger at the moment as we plan our May wedding reception... Hopefully a job is just around the corner so I can begin contributing to the household. I think once ur husband (and I) gain our independence back like working etc things wont look so bad.

I think also once greencard comes we will seriously consider moving to Australia (after all our hard work here) and alot of the decision is litterally the weather. I feel life pretty much shuts down once it starts snowing but then again its only my first official winter so I will see how things go with time

Haha! Do you guys have any places in mind? We really just want to live an active, outdoor lifestyle year round. We'd love to be able to go hiking and exploring outside right now! We live close to Lake Michigan so sometimes we bundle up and go for a walk.. but it's not the same!!

Wow, isn't it crazy to think back on this time last year? We still haven't heard about interview or a waiver.. Rich has his EAD, but hasn't been able to find work yet. Hoping that something comes along soon!! We are still planning our "reception" which is happening in May.. His family and friends are coming over from Wales and they'll get to meet all of my family and friends, which will be a laugh!! We are also dreaming of moving somewhere a bit warmer.. haha Chicago winter has got us down!! But for now, we're just happy to be together.

ur life sounds identical to mine at the moment including moving to warmer climate!!!

my case update says i am schedualled for a interview for a GC and they would set the date and email a letter.. the letter should of been received nov 20.. and we are still waiting..

Still nothing yet..I sent in the e-request for missing notice and it sent me an automated reply that I should get a letter by Jan 12.. but no update on the actual USCIS website. I might call tomorrow though and see if anything has actually even been sent out yet..

Did you hear anything yet? Mine still ready for interview and I should receive notice by dec 26... But no notice to be found yet...

MINE IS STUCK TOO!

i called up and she said nothing has been mailed out yet..

so i keep waiting for a mystery letter with my interview date..

ohhhh wowwww!congratulations you two!!!thats awesome!!!

hope everyone is fine...my I-485 says: case is ready to be scheduled for interview for a while now..little anxious about interview.

anyone elses case status saying the same?

thanks!!! good to know ur experiences

@michellerenne.. you might be right.. it seems interviews are the "faster" way to go but ofcourse USCIS like to keep is in suspense.. im sure i will have lots more complaining to follow

hahah we are also thinking of moving.. to the UK (actually sometime within the next year because of a job openings at one of the unveristies for both of us) who knows...

@aruadha.. im down in Colordo.. originally landed in Michigan but we moved out west. I should update my timeline but basically we filled all AP/ EAD/ AOS August 29.. !!

.. i got my AOS interview.............. but still no work or travel document approval. bar humbug. looks like i wont be making it home for christmas..

the AOS was the one thing i didnt mind would take a long time as long as I could travel and work...

great pics tina and abby!!!!

we had out biometrics a month ago and then got a REQUEST FOR EVIDENCE because the mr's tax returns for the advait of support are below %.. if they bothered to even look at our previous evidence they would know that prior to 2013 he lived in australia with me and worked there.. so now we gotta get all the same evidence i needed for the K1 interview but updated eg. bank letters, employer letter AGAIN which is frustrating because i couldnt get a visa in the first place without all that ####### and now i have to get it again.. so its held up my EAD and travel permit. Im at breaking point because i wanted to go back to australia for new years/ have a honeymoon with my husband...

Im not sure about anyone else but besides for the lovely fact im with my husband i feel like a prisoner here ... cant work/ cant leave/ cant apply for credit card (so cant go shopping)/ urgh.. i should be greatful but im wondering what i gave up in australia to be treated like 3rd world citizen in usa... hmpf

thanks!!

im gonna just apply with my maiden name and go for it based on ur's and tinas experience.

i tried to go for it today but there closed at 12..

We filed for Rich's before we got married. He brought in copy of I-94, birth certificate, and passport. They looked at all of them. We answered "Legal Alien Allowed to Work" but as Tina mentioned, his card states that he cannot work without authorization. I would bring in more documents that you think you need, to be honest, because I have heard many stories about people at SS office not knowing what they are doing!

If you're getting married and then filing, I would bring certified copy of marriage certificate and put the name you want to go by (assuming you are changing your name, therefore put your married name).

thanks tina!!!!

im gonna follow in ur steps and attempt tomorrow

Johan took literally no documents but his passport. Everything they need to see is in the system. For question 5, it was "legal alien allowed to work." When his card arrived a week later (5 working days), it had something along the lines of "cannot work without authorization" or something like that, written on it. He will still need his EAD card. But it was very easy. It was the day we got married, but we didn't have proof of that at the time.

hey all,

im having a little trouble getting my SSN.

For those of you who filed BEFORE marriage, what documents did you provide? and what did you put for Q.5 CITIZENSHIP 'Legal Alien Allowed To Work' or Legal Alien Not Allowed to Work'?

For those that filed AFTER getting married, what documents did you take in? what did you put for Q5? and did you put your new surname on or kept it the same?

im havign a small vegas wedding in 2 weeks and next year a giant one where all my best friends and parents from australia will (hopefully) be coming over

its a bit cheaper reception wise to have it in the USA as well. Personally I wish i could have the bigger wedding in Australia since we are having the first initial one in the USA but alas its a bigger deal for his family and extended family to attend and have a reception so hence next yr after it can be planned properly we will do a church and reception in his hometown.

Im trying to keep this inital vegas wedding as low key. for SSN and AOS and EAD reasons i will be changing my surname now, but for all other intensive purposes i will still want to be refered to by my maiden name and live in a bubble of "im still engaged - not married" until the big deal next yr.

Ofcourse my friends. his friends will understand that its beyond our control havign to get married within 90 days but that doesnt mean u dont get to have a wedding because of it whether its this yr or next yr!!!

Hello everyone!

This will be an odd question. My lovely fiance and I are getting married by his father who is a minister, on September 7th 2014.
We're having a small ceremony with just immediate family. I'll be changing my last name to his last name straight away
We're having a big wedding next year in July 2015 when we can afford it. After some feedback from some friends, we were unpleasantly surprised by a friend saying whats the point on the big wedding? For us, we want to share a big day with everyone but we were limited on time to arrange such a festivity so soon.

My question is this; For those of you having a small ceremony now, and a big wedding later, did you announce it to the world you were married already prior to the big wedding? or anything such as changing your last name on social media, emails etc?

i flew into the tom bradley international terminial then left to terminal 4 (america airlines) for domestic transfer!!

What terminal are you in? Johan and I both fly into terminal 2 next Friday from separate countries and I'm hoping the process will be quick! Congrats, btw, on landing in the USA! That's exciting!

awwww abby hopefully u hear something soon!!!

im sitting here at LAX waiting for my connecting flight which is 5 hrs away still.. i was expecting long customs lines.. was out in under 20min

POE.. handed in documents, man opened them, looked at the engagement ring receipt which was in the package and said "thats a house deposit" and said have a nice wedding.

the end..

To Sydney?

It should be quick from here. I waited about 2 weeks from NOA2 to get my interview. Mind you, the interview was in 2 months time...

You guys know that your visa is only valid for the length of your medical right? So if your interview is in 2 months you will only have 4 months from that day to adjust status in the USA?

incorrect..

i had my medical 2 months prior to my interview since i was worried i wouldnt get an appointment in time etc. i was a bit of an eager beaver doing everything ahead of time. Got my visa on monday after having an interview the week before. My visa expiry is 6 months from the date it was issued.. so end of december.. not 6 months from when my medical was

the seal the results in an envelope which they tell u not to open

but dont be worried about anything its just stuff about your vacinations lack of an std and TB lack of mental problems etc.. everything they ask u during the health check.

as the doc told me when i picked up my results .. if there was a problem we wouldnt be forwarding them or giving them to you.

so if they are sent to the consulate or your told to pick them up there will be no problems with it!!

im so silly i forgot they have my passport. they wouldnt of taken it if they didnt plan on returning it sometime soon.

im being paranoid about admin processing for nothing..

hi.

anyone who had their interview on tuesday 24 and were approved..

what is ur status on CEAC.. are you on administrative processing? something else?

Did you actually know that one? If so, I bow to you...I don't even know my own Mother's number

LOL I was thinking something very similar!! I don't even know my daughter's number by heart.

i knew it off by heart but his stern face behind the counter made me think otherwise, so as a precaution i asked to be excused, left the place, went back downstairs to where my phone was in storage and confirmed it. phew.

Good Luck to VicAus tomorrow!!!

Upcoming Interviews

June 24th- VicAus

July 18th- CjBryan19

good luck VicAus!!! Let us know how it goes.

Abby, I will likely make it back to the Midwest sometime in the near future. I love Chicago!

thanks abbey and tina and everyone else who has helped along the way!!

due to supposed crazy weather predicted for sydney this morning i got to my interview 3 hours early. I was asked 2 questions "whats your fiances mobile number" (and that was just by the guy photocopying my papers) so not officially part of the interview and the other actual interview question was 'how did he propose?' (my fiance and i worked together in australia for 4 years) and that was that. 2 min later i was done.

The interview experience was actually very strange. the rudest people at the consulate were all aussie staff and the young US man behind the bank teller - like booth was respectful and striaght to the point when interviewing.

All in all i probably stressed over it more then I should of. I had been having nightmares the past 4 weeks ranging from my friend and i going on a crime spree the night before my interview to a death nightmare invovling a a cliff fall.. Sub conscience?

Now im going to start preparing my wine list purchase for when I POE into california followed by a list for michigan. And I suppose sometime in between ill get planning a wedding. Estimating my arrival in 2 weeks..

Then i can start on the next ventue of "Feb Fillers- AOS"

Thanks Tina! I needed that I made Andre scan the 221g and send it to me so I could read exactly what it says. The top is kind of scary like We are refusing the visa..blah blah blah but the bottom is nicer and says Please send in the following document so that your visa can be issued immediately if the documents are satisfactory and then lists the divorce decree so that made me feel a little better.

Now my only worry is if they will accept the certified copy with the seal. It says to please submit the original, but my original does not have a seal and looks very unofficial. Ugh, I should have sent it anyway just to be safe.

abby its not to late.

tell ur partner to hold off sending the certified copy and when he has both the original and the certified copy send them in and put a sticky tab on both refering to which is which. the best advice everyone including u have given is.. its better to have too much then not enough evidence.. so send it too!! its never too late!!!

i wont be satisfied til everyone on this feb filler thread has their visa in hand!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i dont get to wear a dress until 1 year from now so jealous. we decided that our "real" wedding will be the white dress one and not the filling out of papers. he didnt want me to miss out on the whole wedding planning/ bridezilla moments that every girl should experience

Its horribly unromantic to have a wedding dictated by forms and government stamps...

our wedding anniversary years will be hela confusing but its a very small price to pay for the one yer love