Loke

i can start on the police certificate now? thought i should wait till the NOA2?

and my vaccination history - god knows i wouldnt knkow where to begin with that... wouldnt your doctor be able to tell you when he takes the blood tests?.. should i start on that?....

and my fiance should start getting his affidavit of support together?..........maybe he should, he's a procrastinator most times lol....

Other people will probably know better, but I am starting to work on that stuff myself...I haven't done the police check yet but if I remember rightly it is valid for at least 6 months, maybe 12. So as long as your interview date comes before the expiry of the police check you should be okay to get it done - I'm going to get mine organised as soon as I can when I return to Melbourne.

I saw my doctor about vaccinations, and he had some details in his own records and got me to have a blood test (serology report) for others he wasn't sure about. For some that he knew I wouldn't be vaccinated against he just wrote me a prescription and I've been getting jabbed ahead of the medical to try to save some time. I'm doing a course of jabs for Hep A and B (I think) that involves 3 doses over 6 months so if you're going to have that done its probably a good idea to get started asap.

Good luck with it all, it looks like you are on a similar timeframe to us and we are getting edgy about not hearing anything too. My head tells me that we shouldn't be worrying too much just yet, but I know how difficult it is to stay composed when you have to wait so long for any sign of progress. fingers crossed neither of us are waiting too much longer.

Hi all,

thanks for all your words and thoughts, as always you people are wonderful. Thought I should share my experience entering the States, I know some of you are veterans and know all about it but for what it's worth, if it helps anyone prepare this is how it went for me:

I got letters from both my employer and my real estate agent stating that I'm employed and have paid rent until the end of June and am expected back in the country. i am glad I got those done, but as it turns out they haven't moved from where I packed them. Entry into the States through LA airport was a lot smoother than I feared it might be. Coming off the plane I was shuffled through the visitors section of the entry station, the guy there checked my passport and my arrival slip. He asked if I was here for business or for a holiday and then waved me through. I picked up my baggage from the carousel and then went and lined up at the second customs point. The lady there asked me a few basic questions beginning with my reason for visiting America. I told her up front that I was visiting my wife, and that led to a few questions about where Rings lives and is she a US Citizen. She asked me what I do for a living and when I told her she seemed to assume I would be okay because she then said "Okay, so I guess you can't really stay for too long if you have to get back to work." I agreed (what else am I going to do, haha). Then she asked if I had any food and that was the only time I even got a little nervous because I didn't want her to confiscate Rings' 850 grams of Cherry Ripe! (She's eating one now, it's the only reason I was allowed in the house when I arrived). For anyone starting to work it out that's 10 king size bars...I'm hoping to get a bite myself but not with any real confidence.

Anyway, that's pretty much it for the entry thing, they rushed me through when they realised I was cutting it fine for my connecting flight to Denver (QANTAS was a little late getting in) and I raced up the stairs to the domestic part of terminal 4 with an American airport employee standing at the bottom yelling "Run, run!" I'm glad he didn't add "Forrest", that would have killed me. And now I'm here hoping that two weeks will somehow pass like two months, even though I know it will be over in about 5 minutes. Denver is a beautiful place and I am going to love it here.

Hope you all are well and that those of you going through this process are either getting through smoothly or finding solutions to the myriad of obstacles that present themselves. We are fretting on our NOA2, but hopefully it will come without any hassle when the time is right.

I have to go, there's this sexy lady who deserves as much attention as I can give her....

Hi all,

Paul, you're flying to Sydney the same day I fly to the US. Safe travels for us both hopefully, and again for you on the 9th.

Rings only thinks she's going to hurt me. She promised the same thing last time and I'm still here and...er, functional. Three days until I fly out, I can't wait. I think I have everything sorted but I know I will worry too much until I am there. I checked out the food regulations today, Rings wants Cherry Ripes so I am going to take a box of them with me.

I hope you are all well, I am sure we will annoy all of you to death with our stories of the visit in no time, can't wait to do that to be honest. You have been warned!

Wish I could help you be organised for your departure Paul, but you're way ahead of me in the departure stakes. Congrats on getting your visa though, I hope it's all smooth sailing from here now that you're through the really tough stuff. Good luck with your farewells and safe flight to your new home

Yeah my dad encouraged me to check out a map of LA airport as he says it can be a confusing place. He was talking about having to leave one building and enter another to make my connecting flight but QANTAS arrivals are in terminal 4 and American Airlines depart from the same terminal so I'm not sure if I will have to leave the building I arrive at or not. I have had a preliminary look at maps of LA and Denver and I plan to check them out more thoroughly before I leave. If everything else fails I'll just pester everyone in a uniform that I see until I get where I need to be.

Thanks Jezz and Kath for helping ease my mind a little. I know a lot of the worry is illogical, but the thought that I could have done something that I haven't is a frightening one, no matter how reasonable. I am taking a letter from my employer Kath, that's one of the first things I thought of...and...

and no offense but ya a male .. they done think of things till the last minute ...lol stir stir

It wasn't the thinking of things that got me in trouble here, it's the last minute PANIC!!!! I think I actually have everything covered that has been suggested, and have been content for some time now that I have done everything I need...but that doesn't help when the PANIC!!!! sets in hahaha.

But thanks again for all your help, it means more to me and to Rings than we can really put into words.

Hi all,

Can you believe I got sunburnt yesterday when we went to the Garden of the Gods and it's hot here again today....the weather is just like Melbourne, so changeable!! bet Rings and Loke would agree! lol

I'm hoping I'll be qualified to agree or disagree over the next few weeks...first visit to Colorado approaching very soon.

Speaking of which...I'm due to fly out on Sunday and all of a sudden have hit panic mode. I have my passport, and am in the process of getting rent receipts and letter from my landlord and employer stating that they expect me back in the country after my two week stay in the States. Is there anything else I can do to try to ensure the Authorities in the States won't turn me aorund at the airport? I don't have a lease but I paid my rent two months in advance. I really couldn't bear it if I landed in LA only to find that they won't let me in the country.

I have read up on the visa waiver program and everything I have read indicates that the only documentation I need prior to traveling is my passport (it is an e-passport, which is required).

Can anyone set my mind at ease a little, or at the very least give me a valid reason for my panic? I suspect a lot of it might be unfounded but I feel awful for not panicking earlier, when it might have been useful if I have forgotten anything.

Hi Kath,

yes, I'm counting haha. Not as bad as I was last time though, I had it figured to the minute...only to find that the delay in flights threw me by 7 hours, but that's a whole other story. I can't wait just to see my Rings again, Denver will be awesome but it could be in a cardboard box in the middle of the ocean and I would still be excited to be there. Thanks for all the help and support you have given, it means more to us than we can really put into words. Hope all is well with you and that you and Rob are making the most of every moment. You're a treasure.

Elle - thanks for your wishes, we are doing as well as can be expected I guess, just getting through each step is a boost to our confidence, and each step gives us strength to tackle the next. Good luck with your packing and shipping, fingers crossed for your boat...I hear they're very good these days and most of them don't sink

I don't post here a lot but I come every day to read. Congratulations guys, I am so happy for you that you have made it through the process. Wishing you every happiness in your life together

The transfer to California is SOP now as only CSC and VSC process I-129F's now. The VSC is quicker than CSC but that doesn't always mean a really long wait. Our I-129F was approved in less than 2 months and I've seen other timelines through the CSC in that area. Good luck!

I am hoping so much that you are right. I know that we are impatient but even 3 months for this part of the process feels like a lifetime.

SOP = state of play?

Rings (my wife) filed for us on the 15th Feb, petition was received at NSC 16th Feb, we are waiting for our NOA1. For evidence we used affidavits signed by her friends and family. Not sure what to expect but we'll let you know when something happens.

The big bushfires were "contained" earlier this month, but lightning strikes have started new ones in the last few days and Victoria isn't out of danger yet, although the worst of the fires seems to be past.

Melbourne might sometimes get hotter than Sydney but my impression is that there is more moisture in Sydney, meaning more humidity when it does heat up.

Thanks to all for the support you are showing Rings and myself, this is so hard and we are going to need support. It is comforting to know there are people who have made it and who are taking this journey with us. Already you guys have helped us to make sense of things more than we could before and that means so much. Thank you.

Hi Kath,

I'm in Blackburn South, eastern suburbs...fair way from Melton but I know it. Going to be living in Denver.

I will take any hints I can get at this stage. It's all slowly coming together but I know we have a lot ahead of us. I think we're prepared for the I-130. Does it make a lot of difference at this stage how much extra documentation we supply? (my financial docs, evidence of legitimate relationship etc.) Or is that material more important at my end?

And don't worry, we will vent when necessary. Just finished a bit of that in private and she's sleeping now, I am going to spend my afternoon trying to find out about DCF and whatever else I can digest from wherever I can find it.

Hi All,

I am the other half of Rings, living in Melbourne and trying to get my head around this whole immigration thing. My heart goes out to everyone going through this process, it seems extremely awkward and complicated just to be united with a loved one. We have only been apart 2 weeks after Rings flew here for 2 weeks and we married and already it is killing me.

I am still reading through all this stuff on DCF, I am not sure if it will be a realistic option for us even if the results are positive from the USCIS, but I will continue to read and try to understand in case it does present itself as an option. Best of luck to everyone and I hope to get to know you all as our journey progresses.

Loke

Thanks to everyone for your input here, it has been a little overwhelming to wade through all this stuff but we are gradually getting our heads around the process and I for one am much more confident in my understanding since finding this forum than I had been beforehand. I'm sure we'll find ourselves with a whole lot more questions as we get further into but I think we're almost ready to file this thing now. Will double and triple check everything before we do though.

Think I just answered my own question...found some example forms that indicate the left field actually is used to indicate "wife".

Hi all, I'm the other half of this equation. We are and were aware that the forms are available free, but we want and need to make sure we do this right and we are not prepared to be apart any longer than we absolutely have to be. We bought a DIY kit for $50 just so we would have some guidance - reassurance that we are taking the right steps at the right time, sample forms to make sure we get them completely right, that sort of thing. We are becoming reasonably confident that we understand the general process (although we are still learning new things every day) but there's plenty of niggling little pedantic things. We are currently scouring every source we can find just to make sure the advice we are receiving is good (already I have some doubts about some of the information in the kit we paid for but even then, we think it is so far worth the money for the good advice we have found in it).

I am curious about one section of the G-325A form. The section requesting information about the applicant's husband/wife contains two separate fields in the left hand box (family name box).

Filling in information for my wife, the wording leaves me unsure whether I should use these two fields to enter both her married surname and her maiden surname or whether I should simply write "wife" in the far left field and her maiden surname in the next field along. Maybe a dumb question but I'd like to ask and know the answer than fill it out wrong and have to start again later. Can anyone enlighten me on that please?