LoveMyAussie

Thanks for the replies! I was getting nervous that there was something we were forgetting to do! We just decided to wait it out as far as travel goes. We're having a baby in the spring anyway, so travel isn't in the cards anyway.

Thanks so much for replying so quickly!

Eeep, What is the "AP" that I keep seeing on people's sigs? We only applied for EAD and AOS. Is there something else we're supposed to be doing?

That sounds about right, hon. Hang in there, you're at the beginning of an interesting ride! Good luck!

I'm 13 years older than my Aussie husband (I'm 37, he's 24) and I've been divorced once with a daughter from my first marriage. We didn't encounter one single problem in regards to our age difference. It may have helped that we already had a baby together when we applied (we held off on applying because soon after we got engaged, I became pregnant. We didn't want the looooooong wait to hinder him visiting when the baby was born, so we opted to wait till after the baby was born). We included color copies of photos of us together and a few letters and emails along with 3 letters of reference from friends and family members.

Just hang onto any evidence you have, and you should be fine hopefully. Good luck!

I didn't change my name before we sent out the AOS paperwork. Is it ok to do so during the process, or would you recommend I wait until he receives his green card? How will it affect the process?

As an addendum to this question: Can we check the status of AOS like we did for our k-1? Will we get a new case number? I'm still waiting for my NOA, but I wanted to prepare myself ahead of time for things....you all know how anxiety-producing this process is, and I guess I'm just trying to keep my mind busy...

Well, we're June filers as well (sent AOS and EAD out on June 19, no NOA yet, but it *HAS* only been a couple days, I suppose we can cut the mail service a little slack )

It's great to see some familiar names from back when we were all "July filers" for k-1.

Good luck to us all! May we have swift and successful results on this leg of our journeys!

So, ssn first. Ok. As for the EAD, do you need to be married to send THAT in, or could we send it in first? See, we have a wedding date of May 1 and are really hoping to keep that date.

well - this is only what i am really sure to know:

the ONLY way to be allowed to work prior to EAD is to enter the country via JFK. the old possibility to walk into any USCIS office (via infopass) is not possible anymore.

there is confusion whether a k1 visa qualifies as working permit. fact is, that employers don't take the risk.

plus, you NEED a social security number to be able to work. so: SSN first, then EAD, then job. or: JFK, SSN, and job.

you don't need to be married for your SSN.

Yeah, I guess we'll need an AOS thread as well, but I meant specifically for getting a work permit. There are rumors you can sometimes get the stamp at the POE, still other rumors you can walk into a local office and get one...you know, something to tide you over till the actual I-765 would kick in. Does anyone here have any updated info on what can be used temporarily for working and which is the best route to take? Do you need a SSN first? And now I hear you need to get married before the SSN?

That was kinda what I meant about what order we should do things in...even before the AOS is filed.

Firstly, isn't this so exciting to see so many of our fellow July Filers getting approved and finally able to be together?!?!

Secondly, I know this has beendiscussed in other threads, but I didn't really seem to be able to really find answers in other threads. So, here goes:

My Aussie will be here in 2 weeks. What do you recommend as far as the order of what should be done when he gets here? We'd like for him to be able to work as soon as he can. Apparently they don't give a work permit at the POE any more, so what is the best route to getting my Aussie to work? Is anyone else on this list running into this issue now?

Thanks in advance!

Well, my Aussie finally had his interview on Friday and passed with flying colors! He said it went extremely smoothly! They said everything looked in order, and they didn't even snicker at my income (which is decidedly below the level they want, however apparently my assets made up for the shortfall, thank god! Go savings account, go!)

We've got a flight booked for March 20, but I'm hoping that will be moved up a couple of weeks. There's really no reason to wait that long, since I think his boss is pretty peaved off that my sweetie is leaving after only about a month or so on the job. He feels that my sweetie's training was "a waste of time". Uhhhh, my sweetie is hoping to stay within the same (international) corporation, or at least in that field of work, so it wasn't a waste! It's too bad the guy couldn't have feigned a LITTLE bit of congratulations, considering he is an immigrant to Australia himself and should have a little sympathy for the process!

Anyway, now (just like everyone else) we have a wedding to plan, things to move, a job transfer to make for him, and all the other joys of moving someone's life from one part of the world to another - not to mention all the new paperwork we'll have to do when he gets here! (Just when I thought it was ok to take a breath, as we all are discovering, that breath is only short-lived! LOL!)

I GRADUATED!!!!!

made through JFK ok, the whole thing was a joke.

Congrats!! Welcome to USA! Let us know how it all went when you've rested a bit!

I want to use this opportunity to vent, though....

My Aussie got this nice package from the embassy. Naturally, he was excited thinking it was packet 4. Nerp! It was addressed to him on the outside, but when he opened the envelope, it was a letter to someone else!!!

So, he called the embassy, and after the run around (please press 4 if you are ready to rip out your hair...), he found out they "misplaced" one of the forms he sent in. Soooo, he just resent the form via express mail, so hopefully we'll get that packet 4 soon. *sigh* Hurry up, people! Our 9 month old son isn't getting any younger...he needs his daddy (and so do I!!)....

Congrats to those who are on their way! By the way, I'm checking in and claiming my snowflake beanbag chair, since we are expecting about 10 inches of snow tonight!

Safe journeys to all travelers! I hope my Aussie will be joining you soon!

Oh, I forgot to add that I also had bording passes in the last section. For some reason, it won't let me edit! *boggle*

(Firstly, note that I had several items notorized or made sure I had certified copies)

To organize my info, here's what I did....I took a 1.5 -inch 3-ring binder.

1. I put our names on the front, and inside I had 3 sections, separated by labeled dividers. In each section, most items were put inside clear sheet protectors.

2. Just inside the front cover, I put a letter of intent that also outlined the sections of the binder exactly as they would be found (sorta like a table of contents)

3. Section 1 was my info (I am the USC).

- I started with my financial info (letter from my employer stating my job title,

pay rate, length of employment, and stating my prospect of continued employment was good).

- Then I included copies of taxes for the last few years, w-2's, etc.

- I included a letter from my bank, stating my current balances and amount of deposits this year

- I included a copy of my bill of sale when I bought my car as well as a copy of my current

registration slip and a copy of my car insurance card (for further proof of my assets). I also included

a printout from the Kelly Blue Book website showing the current value of my car.

- I included a copy of my divorce paperwork, which shows the amount of child support I receive

(this double-dips, because it not only shows my divorce date, but also shows income from child

support)

- I ended with my Affidavit of Support form all filled out and signed

4. Section 2 was for my Aussie's info. I simply put several empty sheet protectors in his section for him to fill in with his own info and forms.

5. Section 3 was for proof of our relationship. I included our son's birth certificate, a copy of my birth certificate, letters and emails to each other, letters of reference from friends and a "photo history". For the photo history, I basically just went to my local copy store and made color copies of about 20 pics of us together over the years, putting 2 per page to save space, and included pics of us together with our newborn son as well.

After I completed the binder, I mailed it off to my Aussie so he could fill his section in with his own info and required forms, and also so he could add a few more letters to our last section. Now it's all ready for him to take to his interview with him, all nice and organized so the consolate will have no troubles finding whatever they are looking for!

I think this should be enough info to "prove" our relationship is valid, as well as enough info to prove my income (which was borderline, so I'm hoping the assets of my car value as well as money in my savings account will make up for it!)

I hope this helps you organize your info!

Congrats on things coming right up soon for you! Good luck with the interview process!!

I have a new cosponsor question. I am currently putting together my I134 in preparation to send to my fiance in Australia. I think my income will meet the guidelines, but I am not sure yet - it may be close.

If it is very close, and you have some money in the bank, will they take that into consideration?

Also, if it is very close (like within $2,000 of the limit) do you think they would take your earning POTENTIAL into consideration? For example, if you have a college degree and can show you have gotten a raise each year, etc. that they would let it slide? Is is based on the consolate officer's OPINION, or are they obligated to look at the bottom-line figure and say "Sorry, you're not at the limit so you need a co-sponsor"?

Has anyone been very close to the limit and made it through?

(I'm sorry there are so many questions in this one email! LOL!)

Thanks so much for all the support!

Believe me, I *HAVE* gone through the "educating them" route. I guess they are just wrapped up in their own lives so that they don't truly appreciate how hard this whole thing is. I am so glad I found this site, where so many people support one another, because only those of us going through this could ever REALLY understand it all!

Thanks everyone! And thanks to VJ and those who put so much time and energy into making this site so helpful and wonderful!

I guess my next comment is that it makes me reconsider what I thought were good friendships, especially the people who could not even be bothered to respond when I called and left a message about it or emailed to tell them the good news!

I definately have made everyone aware of how hard this long wait has been (trying hard not to sound too much like a broken record, though...because no one wants daily updates on how much we miss our sweety)...so it would be hard to imagine that they are somehow ignorant to how hard it has been.

Have you guys noticed changes in your relationships with friends and family due to this whole process? Have you found yourself rethinking those relationships?

Hi everyone,

I'm sorry about this little rant....

As you can see by my sig, we just got our NOA2 approval. We've been apart for 5 months already during this stretch, and before that, we were lucky to see each other 2 weeks out of the year for the last 3 years. It is very hard, as many of you know. What is even harder is that this time, we have an infant. We made the agonizing decision, once we found out I was pregnant, to wait till he was born to file the I129f, because we didnt want to take the chance that things would get tied up to the point where it might have been difficult for him to re-enter the US for the birth while our case was pending. So, he's been away from his little baby for the last 5 months.

I know many of you can relate to the pain of simply being away from your sweetie for months and months on end, and I know many of you can also relate to having children separated from one parent for months and months on end.

So, here comes my rant....

After all of this, with friends and family knowing darned well how long we're always separated for, when we finally get some good news (the NOA2 being approved), we barely get any kind of response. A gentle "hey, grats" is about the extent, and some people could not even muster that much!

How can these people claim to care so much about me/us, and see me/us suffer for so long, and not seem to care that this waiting is getting closer to being over?

If people have not been thru this, they simply cannot fathom how painful it is to be separated from the one we love. What's funny is, these same people miss their SO when they go away for a weekend or a week, or they commplain when their SO works too many hours in one week...and I want to say "At least you can see your SO at some point during the week! I've been apart from my SO for 5 months, and last year we were separated for nearly the entire year!". They just cannot fathom it, or do not attempt to think about it I guess?

Anyone else get frustrated at stuff like this?

It seems to me like we need some of the same info all over again for the interview, does it seem that way to anyone else? If we already sent photos (and other evidence) along with our I129f, does that mean we won't need to produce them again for the interview?

Such a shame, the whole event is really sad. I certainly am not taking any sides, but I guess maybe in future people will consider maybe sending a note home to the parents about having a classroom vote regarding naming the bear (for example) and have the parents make suggestions on what they think would be appropriate. I guess that, unfortunately, it would be the only way to avoid the reaction that the teacher got.

Clearly the teacher was trying to do something fun and innocent with the kids - I highly doubt her aim was to upset the entire religious establishment...it's too bad that those people cannot take a step back and realize it was an innocent mistake on her part.

It seems to me they are trying to make an example of her, when really their biggest beef was with those people who were making characatures of their prophet. I suspect if they sat back, calmed down a little, and thought about it, they would realize it was not meant to offend anyone and that demanding her execution might be just a TAD of an overreaction

I have a red flag or 2. My sweetie and I are 13 years apart in age (me being older, and a more "heavy set" divorced woman with a child). One thing we have in our favor, however, is that we have a child together (who was just born back in May). I would imagine that this would sorta prove we have a relationship?? What do you guys think?