Derek & Cece

My status updated to the same as yours back on March 6th and we are still waiting. It can take many months even under the best of circumstances, and with COVID I would expect a lengthy delay unfortunately.

My wife had an issue getting her DL in Arizona before she got the combo card, which makes sense in hindsight, but once she brought that with her there were no problems.

1 hour ago, markandoliv said:

Thanks for the info.  I hadnt really considered that the unexpired ead would be cancelled but it does makes complete sense. Heres to hoping the interview goes well

We're rooting for you! Good luck and let us know how it goes! Out of curiosity, when did you file for AoS?

59 minutes ago, Naes said:

It is rather easy on TurboTax it will lead you after you finish entering information.

 

for the amount of Income you can use the ratings on IRS website.

 

the only thing I’d advice is don’t forget to print it out and send it by mail (adding your w2 along )

it will give instructions for both federal and state return.

you need to send by mail in order to count your wife as resident for tax purposes, so add that paper with your returns when sending it in.

So wait, I can't e-file? It has to be printed and mailed in? That's weird, Jackson Hewitt didn't tell me that, they said I was fine to e-file.

3 minutes ago, Pooley said:

I was just using the Turbo tax and entered earned income 

I used Jackson Hewitt and I had to manually have the tool show me all forms and the 2555 was under the Foreign section.

2 hours ago, geowrian said:

How much they withheld doesn't matter for US tax purposes. They just need a number for how much was earned (gross).

Assuming the FEIE applies and the earned amount is under ~$100k, I wouldn't be too worried with the exact amount as it will all be excluded anyway. This doesn't mean don't do you due diligence to get the best number possible, but don't freak out if it turns out not to be exact.

As far as I understand FEIE does apply, so I'm filing that way and I'm doing my best to make her information as accurate as possible, even though her income will be excluded from taxation. She's lived in AU for 5 years, including most of 2019, so AU qualifies as her tax home. I filled out the 2555 and my refund amount looks to be what I expected, nearly $2500 between federal and state.

32 minutes ago, Duke & Marie said:

It keeps all years... even if unemployed... the government auto transfers all figures paid to ATO.. she could also go Centrelink page if she was unemployed or a student at uni... they keep a copy in there under document requests, printable in PDF 30 days after tax year ends

All we can find on there is the return she filed for 2018-2019 and how much her refund was. There is nothing for the income she made from July 1st, 2019 until October 29th, 2019 when she left. We can guess, but if it's wrong I assume that's just as bad as not reporting her income at all.

Just now, Duke & Marie said:

Tell her to log into her “My Gov” account then press”My Tax”  and “Past Returns” links.. her tax transcripts for the last 5 years are stored in there by the ATO..

 

shell have an account, it’s needed to submit returns so she should be able to print them off no problem

That will only cover her up to June 30th, 2019 because that was the last tax year she filed.

Just now, geowrian said:

No pay stubs (or contract)? Odd, but idk the norm in that country.

Assuming she was paid via direct deposit, it shouldn't be too hard to add up the deposits.

If she was paid via cash, then it becomes more difficult to track those down to get a proper number.

I get the impression from what my wife has told me that her boss was a little shady when it came to taxes. She was paid via direct deposit though so we can probably figure out how much she earned, but as far as how much they withheld that become more difficult.

14 minutes ago, geowrian said:

You must report her entire worldwide income for the entire year. She can calculate it herself. No proof of foreign earnings is required at the time of filing - retain the records for at least 3 years in case you get audited (just like you would a W-2).

She should see if she qualifies for the FEIE so all that foreign income can be excluded from actually being taxed.

The problem is her former employer never furnished her with any payslip/stubs that break things down month to month on her earnings and withholdings. While we are reaching out to try and get that information, as for proof to retain in the event of an audit, we wouldn't have complete records to provide.

I know there are a lot of these topics and I tried to read through them to find the answer to my question but I didn't see this situation so here goes... My wife came to the US from Australia in OCT 2019 on a K-1 visa. We were married in NOV of 2019. Her tax year runs from July 1st until June 30th and she already filed taxes for that fiscal year in Australia before she left. Now I'm preparing to file my taxes and from what I understand, I can either file separately and treat her as a non-resident alien in which case she wouldn't need to file taxes at all since she hasn't earned any income in the US,  or we can file jointly by having her treated as a resident for tax purposes in which case I need to report her income in AU for 2019. The problem is that because of when her tax year is, she only has documentation from her work that covers the period of July 1st, 2018 until June 30th, 2019. It doesn't separate her 2018 income from 2019 on that form. She won't get her 2019-2020 W2 equivalent until July or August of 2020.

My question is: Am i expected to calculate her total earnings and what taxes were withheld from her in 2019 via her paystubs (assuming she has/can get them all), do I need to file an extension and wait for her 2019-2020 tax documentation, or do I just report what this paper shows even though I know she earned income from JUL-OCT of 2019 that this documentation does not reflect?

Thanks in advance for your help!

On 9/10/2019 at 3:33 AM, Hank_ said:

Not necessary to update the DS-160 (you can mention the address change to the CO, but it isn't vital). 

 

Updating your profile/dashboard on ustraveldocs was the important one. < 

You were right. Thanks for the info. Everything worked out for us

3 hours ago, fewstee said:

Hi Derek, we're in a similar situation just a different country. Was she able to get the police check #2 from abroad? Through the embassy? We were looking at trying in Vienna or Nur-Sultan. 

Her local Vietnam Embassy was able to help her know what to send and where to send it but every country is different. If you have an embassy in Australia, I would start there.

Hello there! My fiance completed and paid for her DS-160 back in July but she has since moved and her interview is in about 3 weeks. We went onto US travel docs to update her address for where her visa and passport should be delivered. Do we have to do the same for the DS-160? The DS-160 application can't be changed, the only option it gives us is to create a new one but then the confirmation number for the DS-160 and the payment will be different.

We called the office of one of the other Panel Doctors in Perth and they quotes us $600 instead so needless to say we will be making our appointment there. Cece was able to get her bloodtests done for free by seeing her normal doctor and found out there was only a few she didn't have which she already got so she's all good on her vaccinations. Thanks for all your help everyone!

Bad news is that her K1 interview ended up being scheduled for October 1st which is so far awaaay! Lots of time to prepare I suppose.

We called the office of one of the other Panel Doctors in Perth and they quotes us $600 instead so needless to say we will be making our appointment there. Cece was able to get her bloodtests done for free by seeing her normal doctor and found out there was only a few she didn't have which she already got so she's all good on her vaccinations. Thanks for all your help everyone!

My fiance and I are in the same situation, though dealing with the Sydney Embassy in Australia rather than Kaubl. I have no idea how far out they book appointments, but I am hopeful that they will open up some new slot at the beginning of next month. Maybe someone who can been in this situation before can answer better as I am just speculating. Just wanted you to know that you're not alone. Hang in there!

2 hours ago, Eagleburra said:

As I stated above, Medicare will NOT cover the visa medical or any associated costs (eg. Pathology/XRay). I was referring to her seeing a regular doctor prior to the medical to get tested for immunities, and then getting vaccinations if required. I did this only a few weeks ago, and the blood test did not cost me anything, so I assume it was covered by medicare. But I could be wrong, but just offering my recent experience. 

 

Either way,  "up to $1200" with vaccinations being extra does seem extreme. For that kind of money, I would hope the visa doctor could tell them a bit more about the itemised costs. Maybe just give them a call @Derek & Cece and see what they can tell you. 

Sorry to clarify, the $500 for the blood tests to determine what vaccines she already carries was a quote from Lagoon Medical Centre in Yangebup WA. She made an appointment with a different doctor, the regular one she sees, and we hope that he might be able to help get these blood tests done without it costing so much. It probably comes down to how it's billed. Lagoon said 'because this is for immigration, Medicare won't pay' and it shouldn't have been billed that way because finding out what vaccines she has is something she could be doing just because she wants to have records while it will save her from doing the same during her Medical Exam it's not something she's required to do in advance.

We intend to ask them when we call to book the medical appointment to break down the costs for us so we have a better idea of what to expect for the Medical Exam costs.

Just now, Brent2019 said:

Yeah you're probably right, sometime in September, early October at the latest I hope. Ouch that is a lot of money for the medical! Can she get her records from her doctor to see if she already has some of the vaccinations and stuff?

She's originally from Vietnam and doesn't have any records. She had a consultation and they referred her for some tests but they wanted $500 just to see what vaccines she had, not counting the cost of actually giving her the vaccines! At this point I'm not sure if it's less expensive to just get it all done during her medical exam since I know they'll be doing blood tests anyway and I hope they won't price gouge her but honestly I have no idea at this point. Sucks that medicare won't help pay for any of the costs.

8 minutes ago, Brent2019 said:

We just heard back after paying and filling the DS-160 and got put on a waitlist for our K1 through the Sydney consulate, wondering ourselves how long it takes from waitlist to an actual date. I guess they must be pretty busy.

We actually just heard the same thing a couple days ago. We are so sad because it means that we probably won't be interviewed until September since I've seen people being scheduled for August already. Maybe I'm wrong but that's my current theory. Hang in there though! We should all have our visas soon

A larger concern at the moment is what while we can get started on the medical and everything while we wait, the cost we were quoted here in Perth was "up to $1200.00 + GST for an adult. This fee depends on the number of blood tests required. Any vaccinations that are required are NOT included in this fee." Considering my fiance doesn't have her vaccination records I shudder to think what the total cost will be when all is said and done.

We just got our an e-mail from Dr Sinclair in Perth for the medical exam and it says that "the cost for a US Visa Medical is up to $1200.00 + GST for an adult. This fee depends on the number of blood tests required. Any vaccinations that are required are NOT included in this fee." Will it really be so much? $1,200 sounds like a lot especially if it doesn't include whatever vaccinations she might need >_>

The e-mail we got from Dr Sinclair in Perth says that "the cost for a US Visa Medical is up to $1200.00 + GST for an adult. This fee depends on the number of blood tests required. Any vaccinations that are required are NOT included in this fee." Will it really be so much? $1,200 sounds like a lot especially if it doesn't include whatever vaccinations she might need >_>

Hello there! My fiance is originally from Vietnam but has been a permanent resident in Australia (Perth, WA) and doesn't have any of her vaccination records. I understand that she can get all of the required vaccines during her medical exam but I heard it is more expensive than if she gets them in advance. She doesn't have a regular doctor that she sees so she isn't sure where to go. She contacted a doctor's office near her work (Lagoon Medical Centre) to inquire about a blood test and they said she needed a referral from a doctor's office. Would it be easier to just do it during her medical exam? Is the price really that different or am I mistaken?

Bittersweet update. We finally got our reply from them but they said: 

"Our office has received all requested documents to schedule your appointment, however, appointments are fully booked at this time. 

You have been placed on a waitlist to be scheduled once new appointments are released. We thank you for your patience and hope to get back to you at our soonest."

So tragic! 😢

21 minutes ago, Eagleburra said:

Haha, yes all for naught, sorry to inform you! I'm not sure what the deal is, but it must have something to do with the K1 visa being unique and a hybrid of sorts between immigrant/non-immigrant, and that you don't actually book your interview through the traveldocs website like other visas. Thank god for Visa Journey, I would have no idea what was going on without it! 

I wholeheartedly agree! Visa Journey FTW! ❤️