robertcrew

Sorry, I don't know how long after it was issued the Consulate will accept it. The Certificate itself has no expiry, it just states the date it was issued, and the date the search was conducted, which were both after my interview. I've worked with universities that require these certificates for their students in certain courses, and they require new ones to be issued every 12 months.

I'm sure you're probably right that I'll only be required to answer that question if I apply for a visa - I wasn't asked at my PoE (DFW). However it was made quite clear to me by the staff at the Consulate in Sydney that with a 221(g) refusal on my file, if I ever get that question, and I lie, or forget, and say I haven't been refused, I will be in a "world of trouble" - their words - for committing "immigration fraud". They said as long as I remember to answer "yes" it will never be an issue. I don't know why they would have stressed that point so strongly if I could expect to never get the question, hence my advice to apply for the NPC as early as possible and avoid the drama.

From memory, it took less than a week to get our police certificates from the AFP.

Mine took 8 weeks, so your mileage may vary.

Tom, don't wait to apply for the National Police Certificates. The process is so back-logged, that if you waited until the interview was scheduled, you probably won't have them in time. If you do not have them at the interview, that won't stop your application from going forward but you will be given an "administrative refusal" letter, which means when US customs asks you in future if you have ever been refused a visa, you will forever have to answer yes and explain yourself, or face penalties. You also will not get your passport back until you provide this.

You will have 6 months from the date of interview, or until the expiry of your medical (also 6 months), so if you have the medical a month before the interview, but wanted to leave over 5 months past the date of the interview, you would need to do the medical again. You can book the medical to be a day either side of the interview - make sure you get the authorised list of panel physicians, so book the medical as soon as you know the interview date, so you know they can give you an appointment for the right days.

Last year my number was 5xx, and I was interviewed in January this year - and I arrived in the USA two weeks ago, yay! To subscribe to the monthly visa bulletin, send an email to listserv@calist.state.gov, with "Subscribe Visa-Bulletin" in the message body. You will get a monthly email that lists the cut-off numbers for that month and the following month. When next month's number is higher than yours, you should expect to be booked for the interview shortly.

Congratulations!

Based on my experience (5xx for Oceania in 2016), if the numbers remain the same you should expect your visa interview to scheduled around February/March next year in Sydney. If you haven't already, send an email to listserv@calist.state.gov, and in the body write "Subscribe Visa-Bulletin" without the quotes. They'll email you a regular bulletin which lists the diversity visa cut-off number each month, when next month's number is higher than yours, that's when they'll email you to let you know when to come to Sydney.

You have to travel to the US within 6 months of the interview/medical assessment, if you don't go within 6 months of the interview, you lose the visa forever, and have to reapply another year, if 6 months have passed since the medical you will need to go back to Sydney and do it again which is a major expense. Once you arrive in the US they stamp your visa for unlimited entry for 12 months, so you can go for a little trip first and make the big move later if you want.

Another tip is to make sure you have all your paperwork ready in advance before your interview. In my case the AFP took months longer than normal to prepare my police certificate, so I didn't have it at the interview. What this means is you get a "221(g) administrative refusal letter", and the embassy holds on to your passport and ID papers until you post them the missing document - no big deal - but for the rest of your life when entering the US, and they ask you "have you ever been denied a visa", you must answer "yes".

A couple of other things you might not have picked up on yet is that you need to register for and pay US tax on your global income - if you still have any Australian income you will have to pay US tax on it, but get a deduction for what you paid in Australian tax. If you stop doing this they consider that you have renounced your green card. As a permanent resident you will be free to enter and leave the US as you wish, but if you leave for more than 6 months you should get a reentry permit first, and if you leave for more than a year they might cancel your green card.