Michelle Kauffman

Hi everyone, well everything seems to be moving along quite fast. Pkt 3 arrived and all sent off and we had our medicals this past week, so really just waiting for our interview. My fiancé has been here since June so his 3m is up on the 10 sept so flying home... I am really hoping it will only be a few weeks Until i have my visa in hand to join him, as ideally don't want to live on Skype for months... My house sold and I am out by the end of the month. Thanks goodness I have parents to move I. With for as long as it takes, but really I have 15 oct in mind to be leaving here, which since I am just wait ing on interview think that is reasonable.

So yes... All feeling very real and starting to get the courage to say goodbye to my nz life for who k ows how long and ready for our next adventure.

I felt the interview was so easy, esp after I had worked myself up into a panic.

Good Luck, though you won't need it

Congratulations !!

At long last, I had mail today to say Congrats. 10 year card is in the post. As always dead last

Congratulations, that's wonderful news

Thanks Kim,

Good to know about the medical screening. I knew about them before even coming here, and I thought the only way for us to get back home would be for Rob to lose weight, good to know there might be a waiver possible.

We're still both trying to lose weight and lord knows there's enough time but a waiver may still be necessary.

Will do, and thanks, and that's why I want to keep our options open, so we can live either there or here

They filed back on March 2nd, still no word. Fred's going over there in September, maybe, hopefully they'll have heard by then and he may even be there for her interview. Who knows, we can only hope

Yes, there's certainly no rush now, esp as Kelly is expecting to be here soon (or not as Vermont is moving so slowly, I would have been happier to wait on mine and gotten hers first)

I must admit the thought of paying another $680 and jumping through more hoops isn't appealing but I'd like to keep my long term options open about where we are going to live.

I received my approval today. Not expecting it at all.

For what it's worth, their was no change to my status on the uscis website, no email or text alert.

I'm stunned. Look what Rob found in the mail box today.

And for what it's worth, no change to my status on uscis, no email alert and no mobile alert.

Now just the citizenship hurdle to go!!

I'm stunned. Look what Rob found in the mail box today.

And for what it's worth, no change to my status on uscis, no email alert and no mobile alert.

Now just the citizenship hurdle to go!!

I'm stunned. Look what Rob found in the mail box today.

And for what it's worth, no change to my status on uscis, no email alert and no mobile alert.

Now just the citizenship hurdle to go!!

Woohoo!! I have my appointment for my biometrics.

12/28/2011 in Charlotte

I've had mail. Not an RFE, but I have to go all the way back to TN for more fingerprints. They say the ones they took last week cannot be processed. :/

Why on earth do you have to go to TN?

Nope, not a word. I still can't stop smiling though

Thanks

It almost feels too good to be true. It's very strange how things work out. Just last Sunday when we took her to the airport I was inconsolable because I didn't know when I'd see her again. If the little minx had told me then what was going on maybe I wouldn't have needed so many tissues.

Thanks Guys

I'm ridiculously excited. I thought that's how it might be so I'll go ahead and tell them to start the k1 process.

As you say, we've already been through it so it will be a lot easier, less stressful anyway

Ok let's see if this works

Hey Guys,

I have a very different type of question. My daughter came over for a 2 month visit from Auckland and met the guy next door, fell in love and now wants to come back as they want to get married (Trying not to smile like a cheshire cat )

So my question is this, would it be quicker for me to apply for her as an unmarried daughter over 21 or for her fiance to apply for her k1 visa?

Or can we do both at once and see which one is quicker. It's just that I've been reading that the wait time for unmarried children over 21 can be over a year and sometimes a lot longer, while the k1 for me was quicker, about 7 months.

Well, you can apply early, like I did, but you'll be put under more scrutiny. If you're thinking about applying after 3 years make sure that you have things like joint utility bills or name on the renal/mortgage. Also make sure that you can show a bill for each year you are here. My name isn't on any of the bills and simply getting my name put on one wouldn't be enough, I had to show the three years worth.

ok, thanks, my name's not on the utility bills simply because I was at work when Rob went to have them turned on, but both our names are on the apartment lease.

If you're thinking of going for citizenship I highly recommend waiting till 5 years is up, rather than using the 3 year marriage rule. If it wasn't for my son I wouldn't have done this as early as I have.

Why wait?

It costs about $660 if I recall.

I just got a case status update today of a request for evidence. I'm very frustrated right now. The rest of this process has been so simple.

It seems kinda crazy to me to be questioning it all so much now, you'd think they'd ask they hard questions at the beginning of the process, not the end.

And then if you decide to become a citizen - guess what? You have to get those biometrics done again!

I applied for mine 90 days before my 3 year anniversary of being a permanent resident. Had to pay another fistful of dollars, get biometrics done again, submit proof of marriage AGAIN. I had my citizenship interview last week. I passed my civics test and english test no problem. The problems were that my interview was a week before my 3 years were up so he couldn't make a decision then. But the icing on the cake was that after flipping through my file and muttering things like 'Can't use that', 'Nope', 'Sigh', he told me that he did not have time to review my proof of marriage and he very likely would not approve my application and would ask for more evidence. He didn't know what he would need so I'd have to wait for a letter, which he wouldn't get around to till the end of this week, if he had time.

Brilliant.

Geez,that all sounds kinda stupid. How much does citizenship cost?

Hi Guys,

Yes i'm back here for the same reason, ROC.

I'm confused, I thought we couldn't send in our paperwork until 3 months before our green cards expired.

And I'm sure I had my fingerprints taken when we did the AOS paperwork, do we have to have them taken again?.

And, do they really want $590, I was so sure I had read somewhere that it was $185 but of course last time I looked was probably over a year ago

Thanks for your help again, I know I can get the right answers here

Michelle Kauffman (Saunders)

Popping in to say hello...finally done with the home improvements

hey stranger

good to hear you're done with all that

Cindy was finally approved today for the K-1 in Auckland.

She is quite pissed off at how mean the interviewing officer was to her. She thinks he was a middle-eastern guy. Anyone else interview with that man? I can't believe how much they like to bully people just for the hell of it. They didn't ask her for any evidence of our relationship, etc. They kept pounding on her about a 'denied' entry when she was turned away in Canada trying to visit me at the end of her round-the-world trip. The officer also harassed her about having two passports (she wasn't born in NZ, she moved there as a kid). He asked her why she wants to have so many passports, and why she will need three once she has a US one. I told her she should have told the man that she has no desire for a F'ing US passport, she just wants the immigration permit.

Anyway, she should be here soon, though she is stressing POE in San Fran because every single time she encounters US officials, she is treated like a terrorist.

congratulations on the approval!!

sorry to hear that she had a bad time with the officer. When i had the interview i dealt with an older American woman first and then interviewed by a younger woman. They were both very friendly!

Hope all goes well at POE! when will she leave NZ?

Best wishes to the both of you!!

yes congratulations

I think i had the same two women Kiwiana had, my interview was very easy and friendly, so sorry to hear things weren't the same.

Hey Guys

Long time, no chatter, i've finally managed to get my access on the forums fixed, apparently when i changed my email address something happened and i haven't been able to post or reply at all.

Things with Rob and I are going well. Rob's doing ok healthwise, more tests, more doctor visits and he will have to have a transplant, not this year and hopefully not next but we have to see how he goes. I'm so over having to deal with the pharmacy and medicare or medicaid, i still can't get it right.

We're married, I have my social security card and I got my North Carolina drivers licence today. So much sitting around and waiting, you'd think i'd be used to that by now, but i'm not. Then they would only issue my drivers licence til August 12th, which is the date the immigration officer at POE put on my visa, not sure why he chose August 12, i arrived March 14 and visa was issued Feb 20th so none of it makes any sense but i was tired of trying to reason with people.

We sent off our AOS and EAD papers but they were returned to us, seems we sent them too much money. I thought it would be $1010 for the AOS and $340 for the EAD, so we sent them one check for $1350. They told us the amount was wrong but didn't make it clear whether they were ok with one check and we didn't have to pay for EAD or whether they wanted a seperate check for both. Anyways, sent them one check for $1010 today, hopefully we won't get another RFE. Does anyone know whether they'll have checked all of the paperwork the first time around and the rest of it checked out ok or whether we may get another RFE?

I never thought i'd be itching to get back to work, i can't wait for my EAD.

Oh and i found a solution to the icky bread problem, i just buy the pilsbury italian bread in the round tin and bake it, very very yummy

woohoo!!

Kate I'm so happy for you, you look so happy. Congratulations to you and Chase. I hope you had a wonderful day, sure looks like you had fun

I love your dress, you both look glorious.