Possum

hey everyone! just wanted to let you guys know my fiance had his interview in sydney yesterday and we were APPROVED! he's booked a flight for october 5...i can't believe this day has finally come...so many times throughout this process i thought we'd never get here. much thanks to all of you and everyone on this board for all your support, i couldn't have stayed sane without you!

congrats to those getting past the last hurdle...and good luck to those still plodding through (you'll get there)!

hugs,

susie

hurray hurray!!! so happy for you!!!!

Possum, I think this is the first time I have corresponded with you. I have seen many of your posts, but it is nice to finally connect. Has anyone ever told you that you and your fiance look a lot alike On your avatar picture, you look like twins! You look like a very happy couple together.

stevi -

it must be our matching grins! we're so happy together we hardly stop smiling the whole time.

good luck with your case at the embassy..i'm not too far behind you!

hugs,

susie

wooohooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WE GOT OUR NOA2 today!!! (well yesterday, according to the email), which means we were approved in exactly 4 months, minus one day. today is the 4 month anniversary from the time we received our NOA1 on April 1, which i think is really fast...i feel so fortunate but i begged the universe to give me this for my birthday....my birthday is sunday and this was the best present ever.

now i'm off to research what i need to help my fiance gather for his sydney process...i've been so focused on waiting for the NOA2 that i haven't looked much beyond that. tips are also appreciated from those already doing it.

i'm planning on sticking around a while and watching the rest of our group get their approvals. hang in there everyone, and come on CSC!

Hi Poss

yeah its been asked before but dont worry on that stuff changes all the time...go to the embassey information at the top of this page and click on the Australian Embassey there is alot of information in there that will help you..also go to the below link to the Sydney Consulate website..on the left hand side there are listings of things you need to get for your interview...

Sydney Consulate information

the police check when i was doing it was valid for 1 year...this also went for the medical..someone who has done it recently might be able to correct me is this is wrong...also with his medical and police checks tell him to make copies of police check and ask the doctor to make a copy for his records ...also tell him to get his blood tests done by his local doctor to see what his ammunity is ..that way you dont get unneccessary vaccinations and get the results printed out you can get them put on medicare..these will help with costs at the medical..

The AOS is Adjustment Of Status...which is done within 90 days of arriving in the states and after you get married...I think you were thinking of the Affidavit of Support that you as the Sponsor has to fill out and send tax transcripts and employer letter and bank statements..

Evidence you can start collecting for him to show at the interview are photot's of you together...phone bills...letters...cards...boarding passes from trips to both of you...if you sent parcels to each other the cover...the list is endless really of what you can think of that will prove you have a relationship...engagement ring receipt...um any wedding plan receipts you might have...just to name a few...

hope your NOA2 is soon to arrive...good luck

well i have started getting my stuff together for my removal of conditions....damm that 2 years went fast...will be sending it off in a couple of weeks...

went down to kentucky for a week to see robert's aunty..didnt get good news though..was a shock to the system actually...we knew his uncle had been in hospital and his aunt is in the early stages of alhzimers....she had forgotten to ring us or anyone else around her that he died on june 2nd..we turned up at her home and the relatives and church memebers were sorting out all their belongings ...the family had put her into a retirement home ..the niece had her living with her but she kept wandering off and needed 24 hour care..so to walk into that was a big downer on the trip..we went to see her in the home she recognised my hubby but as the visit went on she was not remembering him..and she thought she had met me before which she hadn't...its about the saddest thing i have experienced over here...so now i am compiling a photo album for her to send down to her and a few other things for her...

so we didnt get the answers to roberts family tree that he was hoping to get...yesterday i discovered his father was adopted...then disappears from that family within 10 years...so the search continues..and to make things worse..the cemetery robert remembers his father being buried in told us they have no record of him being there...so we have to go over to michigan to find out for ourselves...

ok enough of the rambling of me

hope everyone is doing well..

hiya sharyna....gawd mate i still would do the info pass ...if it is close by that is..but i do hope they are able to help you with any questions you fire at them...

take care

kath

edited due to a condition they call forgetfullness lol forgot to put the link in lol

kath, thanks so much! i'll check out these links. i'm sorry to hear about your husband's aunt. alzheimer's is such a devastating illness for everyone involved.

it is a difficult process, at best. excruciating at its worst. when my honey and i first filed our paperwork, it seemed like the longest process in the world and it was so discouraging to look at the road ahead and think of all the time we would lose, being apart. but now that we're a good ways through it, it seems to have gone fairly fast, and i know it won't be long before we're together again.

as for getting through the tough spots, different things work for different people, but i'll share what has helped me and my fiance get through this:

1. first of all, don't let anyone give you that ####### about being "strong" and not being sad, this is my number 1 pet peeve. sure, you have to live your life, but being "strong" doesn't mean you don't feel sadness and heartbreak. let yourself feel those things, don't be hard on yourself for them, know that it does get better in time. the first few days after the separation are like walking through a sick, dark fog. but it eases. "positive thinking" is a process, it doesn't just instantaneously happen, and it certainly doesn't happen by avoiding feelings of pain and pushing them aside without acknowledging them. that's just denial. and as for this ####### about "getting used to it"....i've found that the separations themselves don't usually get easier, because the more time you spend together the closer you get, so the harder it is to be apart. people who haven't been through this have no idea what it's like, so try to take their misguided (even if well-intentioned) words of advice with a grain of salt.

2. on that note, find people who DO understand, talk about it and get support. which you have done by posting here.

3. as others have said, find ways to keep busy. remind yourself what used to make you happy or keep you busy before, and do those things again. it helped me to play music at home (preferably something upbeat! lol), so it's not so quiet. and sometimes you have to force yourself to see friends/family and go out socializing, but i've often found i felt better when i did, even though i didn't want to. for the first few days after we're separated, i usually don't want to do anything or see anyone except him. but it does help to get back out into the world.

4. this is a sticky one and i mention it tentatively, but it helped me to remind myself how much worse it could be. he could be going off to iraq and living in a war-zone where he has no access to phones and i wouldn't know if he was alive or dead every day...expecting him to be gone for a year or more, and then possibly having to leave again...that's a torture i don't think i could bear. like another poster, it helped us to think of it as him going overseas to work and coming "home" soon. using that language somehow that makes it feel less dramatic. lots of people have to go away on temporary work assignments, and they come home at the end of it, and life continues. sometimes i would envision him going off to war and imagine the heartache and internal hysteria that would accompany that, and let myself feel the agony of that scenario (one that IS real for so many people), then when i came back to reality and saw our situation, i actually felt really fortunate. i say it's "sticky" to do this because saying to someone "you should be happy, it could be worse!" is really dismissive of their feelings and is not generally really helpful, but if you can do this mental process for yourself without belittling yourself for still being sad, it can be a useful tool. does that make sense?

5. think of the process in small, manageable chunks instead of trying to take in the whole road ahead all at once, which can be overwhelming. i tell this to my cancer patients...break the process into chunks and deal with them one at a time, and celebrate when each goal is met. getting to your filing date is one milestone you can get to, and pass. then getting the NOA2. then getting packet 3, etc. baby steps and before you know it you'll be almost there.

6. talk to your lovey as much as you can...plan for the future, talk about the happy times that are ahead. helping yourself to focus on how amazing and wonderful your life together will be when this is all over will remind you that every bit of heartache you go through will be SO worth it in the end.

7. it helps me to have lots of his things around. instead of being a painful reminder (although it does hurt to see them, at times), it helps me to think of him as being temporarily gone, soon to return. his shoes by the front door. his pajamas by the bed. some of his cologne in the bathroom. if he hasn't lived with you (i forget what your original post said) this might not be as effective but find ways to make him a tangible presence in your daily life.

8. recognize that some moments, or some days, nothing will help you to feel better. this comes with the territory, and it doesn't represent failure. it's just part of the process. let yourself feel miserable, remind yourself it won't last, and do what you can to get through it.

well, that's all the wisdom i have to share at the moment. besides, it's almost time for my daily meltdown about how much i miss my boy. LOL just kidding! sort of.

hang in there, it gets better!!!

hugs, susie

Your husband will get a chance to change his name when he is going through naturalization process (getting his US citizenship). They will ask him at the interview if he would like to change his name and if he does they do it for him through a judge.

i see. however, citizenship is years away. we wanted to do it sooner, if possible.

hi everyone,

quick question. i've found info about female visa recipients changing their name after marriage, but this is about my fiance (male). we've filed the I-129F and are waiting for our NOA2.

to make a long story short, his mother changed his surname to his stepfather's name when he was 11, against his will. he would like to take back his biological father's surname and would prefer to do so before we get married so that his original surname is reflected on our marriage certificate, etc. this is very important to him, but we also want to do this when it will cause the least amount of hassle and/or delay. he is planning on asking this question when he gets to the embassy in sydney, but i wanted to run it by you all as well. i would imagine that changing his name before being issued his visa will delay the process, and we want to avoid that so he can get here as quickly as possible. but is it possible for him to change his name AFTER he gets here without causing an inordinate amount of hassle with his paperwork, or is it even legal for him to do so? if it is, would he go about it like anyone else, by filing paperwork with the courthouse, or is that option only for residents/citizens? or, can we both just do it at the time of our marriage?

thanks in advance.

hey everyone! haven't posted in a while so i don't know if this has been discussed, so sorry if this is repetitive. my aussie and i are hoping to get our NOA2 soon and we'd like to get a jump on whatever we can start doing now, to reduce the wait time from this point forth. I have a rough idea of what's in packet 3, but i don't know if it's different for each country, so if anyone can tell me exactly what the embassy in sydney asks for and what we can start gathering now, that would be great. like, does he have to wait to get the police certificate, or can he get it now, or is it just a form he has to get filled out? and the AOS from me (from my employer, i'm assuming), can i get that now, or do i need to wait until he gets his instructions so that it's dated after our NOA2?

thanks guys!

Congrats everyone!!!

wow, hey everyone! i didn't even know this thread was here...i've been posting (sporadically) on another Mar/April filers board that is seriously neglected, hardly anyone posts there. anyway, i'm on the fence for Mar/April....sent our petition on March 27 but got our NOA1 on april 1, so i guess i'll hang out here with you guys.

congrats to everyone who's been getting approvals in the past couple of weeks....i'm SO encouraged about CSC's sudden burst of speed...let's hope it continues!

hugs,

susie

robert,

i am so sorry to hear about your grandmother, and i'm sorry i wasn't able to offer condolences earlier because i only logged on today after being AWOL for a while. i hope that the past month has brought some relief from the intensity of your grief. you're right, there is a cost to this process, and sometimes a cost that can never be undone. i'm so sorry for your loss.

stevi, i also wish our thread were more active...personally i have just been trying to keep myself busy so i don't dwell on how long it's taking. not that it isn't on my mind every second anyway!

anyway, looks like a few of us march people are actually getting through...we're april 1, so i hope we're not too far behind!

now that we're getting to the final stretch, let's check in and give each other some support!

hugs,

susie

congrats!!!!! so happy for you both!

CSC keep 'em movin!!!!!!!

yep, add me to the traveling-overseas-and-spending-money-i-dont-have-while-we-wait-endlessly-for-CSC-to-move club. it's especially not a budget trip for me, as tickets to australia this summer are running upwards of $1700. oh well, what can you do...

i know this will all be worth it in the end, but sometimes the days are just so long and the excruciating process of checking the list to see where we are, only to find we're further back than we were yesterday (presumably because those who applied before us are entering their data late)...i've just been feeling so discouraged. it hasn't been that long for us, but since we'd already been living togetherfor 6 months, our lives have been disrupted so much by this.

but, i know this is the same old VJ song that everyone else is singing. glad we have this board...definitely makes me feel less alone.

hi robert...good to hear from another basement baby! i've decided that's where our petitions are, holed away in a ratty box somewhere. anyway, i couldn't help but notice on your timeline that they were able to cash your check in a timely fashion, but not issue the NOA1! lol...typical bureaucracy, right?

no clue about when they put it in the "box" (i.e. basement). our petition was touched a week or so after my NOA1, and not since, which was the date of our banishment to the dungeon, i'm sure. anyway, glad your trip to venezuela went well...i'll be going to australia in july to visit my fiance, break up the time a little. i can't go often because of the expense and time off work, but we're hoping it will go fast. yeah, those words are a dime a dozen around here, thats for sure.

hang in there...and keep in touch!

susie

well...took me a while to find this thread, seems like it's dead already!!!

is anyone out there? (out there...out there...out there...)

anyway, i sought out this thread cause i'm looking for a little bit of commiseration...feeling ####### today about this whole waiting thing and about the process in general...just having a winge about it i suppose...my NOA1 was on April 1. sure wish i were filing with Vermont...

anyway, April fliers keep in touch...nothing wrong with a bit of support through all this, yeah? *sigh*

hugs...

Anytime your last updated date changes it means your case was scanned or handled somehow. Might mean something might not but at least it moved. ) It doesn't say touched, that is a VJ term people use for a change in the last updated date. If the date changes even though it still says case pending. Your case has been touched. Its that simple. Yes you will receive an email saying your case has been updated. Don't go blind like the rest of us watching a date that doesn't move. Just wait for the emails. Ciao!

djaedi, thank you!! your answer also cleared up the point about the emails, which wasn't clear (at least to me) from the pinned thread. oh, and sad to say i'm already joining the ranks of the blind and obsessed. see you at the support group!

This is asked so often that the answer is pined at the top of the K-1 forum.

SEE: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=300

alright, my bad...i knew i had read something about this somewhere but wasn't sure how to find it again.

SORRY! my apologies to anyone who felt exasperated and inconvenienced by being rudely and thoughtlessly subjected to a thread that had already been answered somewhere else.

all jokes aside about how that topic title sounded, i have kind of a dumb basic question. how can you tell if your case has been touched? i just signed up for an online account with USCIS so now i can log on and see a table with my case number in it, rather than just the general screen with "we've received your petition and it's pending" type of thing. now i can see a field that says "last updated" with a date. does that mean it was last touched on that day? or would it specifically say, "touched"? *scratching head*

also, now that i've signed up for email updates, will they tell me when it's just touched or will i only be notified for big exciting events?

Thanks all!

hi kim!!! just dropping in from the CSC twilight zone to say CONGRATS!!!!! so glad you're among the ranks of the anxiously awaiting...hope it isn't long for you!!

hi kath (and others)!

good idea about finding some way to make the aussie forum a little more apparent...i seriously only found it by accident cause it came up under a search topic that was totally unrelated! i'm so glad to have found it...i wonder if there are other aussie/US couples floating around that haven't found us yet....

glad to be here!

USCIS makes sure all the requirements are met for filing with all the documents, signatures etc etc. Then they investigate the petitioner.

When the petition gets to NVC, the beneficiary is investigated.

Then when the petition gets to the embassy, the relationship is scrutinized to make sure its real.

Chris

wait, i think i've been confusing the NVC with the embassy. they investigate him at the NVC before it goes over to sydney?? i thought if we dealt with it at the embassy maybe it would be ok at that stage...then again, shouldn't it be? i can't imagine them wanting to investigate him under a name he hasn't used since he was 11...

You can do a fresh I129 and add the 'missed' info and then tell them at the interview what happened and give them the corrected form - many people have done this to correct errors in names/dates etc. I would assume that there should be no real issues - since your fiancee is also submitting or will be submitting police reports. Good Luck

good idea; we will type up fresh forms to take to the interview along with copies of the documentation. thanks so much! *relieved*

I don't have the I-129 form in front of me as well as it's instructions; we followed the Cr-1 path, with the I-130, the petitionner's form to beggin with, it's then we completed with an additional sheet. On this status, I-130 is mostly checks of the petitionner where the beneficiary, beyound the G-325 form that is asked with it, it's not asked any documents (but I still sent a copy of passport as proof of identity on my part); I forgot to sign of the 4 sheets, and worried all the months that i'll receive an rfe or not about it, and thinking of sending another sheet but i was adviced by one of the specialist in paperwork here at that time not to send another or additional info because they it can be lost in the huge amount of papers they receive; I didn't and didn't get any rfe...

Then at NVC level, with the Ds-230 form called the immigrant application form (the beneficiary's) they ask original documents or certified copies. This step is when they do more background checks of the beneficiary (from the original documents we sent). I believe (and if i'm wrong someone correct me) that the 1st step is to check on the petitionner.

Now, where is the documentation as proof ? can you get at least a certified copy?

Maybe you can make corrections with the next step, writing a nice additional paragraph completing the info you wanted. And oh we also did a cover sheet enumarating all the documents, in the order they ask on the instructions. All in all to make the paperwork more easy for them to reach.

I hope it helps a little bit.

that does help a lot. as for the documention of his name change, it's packed away in sydney, so we DO have copies of it all, but we won't have access to it until may when my fiance returns to australia. so i didn't know if it would be best to send it to USCIS in may (possibly delaying the process or getting lost), or just waiting until the case went to the NVC to deal with it then. from your post, i imagine it would be fine to deal with it at the NVC level, and when he sends in his checklist and prepares for the interview, we can just maybe send copies of everything along with a paragraph explaining it, like you said. that would probably be best. thanks so much for your reply!

My hubby was in the same situation (the petitionner) we didn't know exactly what to do but the instructions say we can add info on additional sheet, this is what we did and we had no rfe, etc...Just stick to basic facts in very short version of what you just explained. Good luck in the process!

thanks! so you added the info when you sent the I-129F, yeah? i failed to do that (and don't have the documentation right now to send, either), so i don't know whether it would be ok to just deal with it at the interview...?? thoughts, anyone... *sigh* maybe this sounds like a simple problem, but it's really stressing me out...