cherryswife

You've been through so much. You can only move up from here. Start afresh on your own. That's what I did when I left my husband when I was fairly new to America. He too was a liar and he was a cheat. I got a place on my own and I am now 6 months into making it work for myself. Sometimes it was hard but it has been good too. You can do it alone. I wish you luck.

I have been here 9 months and my SSN is still never found in any system.

Yes, I learnt the same thing late last year when I attempted to enrol. Unfortunately I cannot afford 'international student' fees and by the start of this college year I will be about 2 months off being here one year! :/

Something I do (just like many of my fellow Swedish countrymen) is put ketchup on spaghetti and meat sauce. I love Heinz ketchup, and I think my wife thought it was a bit sacrilegious of me to waste it on pasta.

What can I say, I'm a Viking heathen. lol

I do this too! Can't have it without it.

I took GED prep classes at my local adult school for $20 (they were excellent) and have started taking my GED tests. I have done social studies so far. The test in California is $125 but I was lucky enough to get a scholarship. Well worthwhile and even a bit of fun. I'd definitely take prep classes prior as what I have learnt here was nothing like what I learnt in high school in Aus. Also, FYI, the GED test is changing in 2013, the first major change in over ten years. The test will be much harder and quite different. The teachers at my school are really pushing people to get their GED before this year is out because of this reason. Right now the test is relatively easy.

Mexi-coke!! Mexian coke comes in glass bottles and tastes like Aussie coke You can tell it's the right kind 'cause it has a white sticker with the nutritional info etc on it. I've found it in Texas but also here in Iowa at the service station. Also mexi-fanta Same thing, real sugar

Yes. As a coke addict in Aus, I was thoroughly disgusted when I tasted American coke for the first time. Then someone told me about Mexican coke. It is SO much better. Amazing in fact. I can buy it at Walmart by the bottle (98c ea) or at Big lots in a pack of 24 for $24 or at The Home Depot in a pack of 24 for $19. Expensive, but the real thing!

The only thing you would have to look out for in Australia is Medicare and centrelink. Because they are "government departments" per say, they have access to incoming and outgoing "passengers record". When I went back to America to visit my fiance, the day I returned, I ended up going to see a specialist - i went to medicare to get the rebate and I was heavily questioned about it and they knew all about my travel even though I have never mentioned it. My friend also was receiving Newstart allowance from centrelink when she went overseas, and didnt notify them that she left (pretty much so she could still collect the payments, naughty!!) and they sent a letter to her saying that her payment had been suspended because she left the country. So they have their ways......

I have also heard of stories about parents divorcing, and the mother not being allowed to take her child back to England because the father is a USC and wont allow it. But with that being said, that could just be a rumour to scare. Maybe look into insurance in the US - I will be going on my husbands insurance, and as long as I am not pregnant when I join, I will be covered - $20 gaps for obgyn visits and a one off $250 hospital payment when i give birth, which is ALOT cheaper than what I would have had to have paid with my private health in Australia.

Whoa! May I ask who your insurer is? Those are excellent prices.

Wow, thanks for the input people. Especially the medicare info, I had wondered about that.

The cost of birth here in the states scares me. I do not work and my husband just started a new job. We don't have insurance.

Getting paid to have a baby (baby bonus) vs paying a buttload to have a baby here - well it does make sense to go back. So many variables to take into consideration though. Thanks again everyone!

Hi all

my husband is keen for me to, when we start a family, have the baby at home in Australia because the baby will automatically be a US and Aus citizen.

First of all, I don't even know if I am eligible for medicare, I emigrated on CR1 to the US in October.

Secondly, we could just fill out forms for the baby to have Australian citizenship by descent (dual citizenship is important to hubby).

Any thoughts on this topic? Can it be done? Is it worth the effort? I think I would rather just have the baby here in the States.

Would love to hear your thoughts.

Thank you Vanessa; that is great advice!

And yes, Meghan, POE will be LAX. I hope I have a good experience too. We will be close by; if you are ever in the area and need some Aussie company, do get in touch.

Thank you so much! I leave tomorrow. I will be living in San Diego, CA. I am so, so excited!!

Just wanted to give a quick update - today I received my Visa. I am very happy. Thank you all for helping make this process a lot more bearable!

they can take awhile... ive seen it with a few people... took gc955 like a few weeks i think it was to even find out his things he had to send in were accepted... so just because they have responded quickly be patient (i know its hard).. i would email them again asking if it has been approved or do they need anything else??? and put ASAP in the subject to get their attention.. they are pretty slow... hope it all works out for u.. im sure it will

Oh wow... well this is good news in a way - at least it means my case is not out of the ordinary (the time it is taking) Thank you!!

Ok did they say they would accept an email copy of your hubbies tax's? As this is not usually the case as in you would have had to get your hubbie to express post the tax's over to them at the consulate address. You need to keep emailing to make sure they have accepted the email copies. We had this with a divorce decree and they would not accept the emailed copy they had to have the certified copy by mail before I could get my visa. Keep emailing them ok

Hi Barbara, yes, he said I could email it and gave me the email address.

i know how you feel this hole process sucks i have my interveiw novemeber 1st and im getting anxious and thinking the worst. Bringing all the evidence i can so they dont say i dont have enough evidence and then i have to wait again. Just give it some time. I saw another Aussie have to wait a month to get his visa and passport back cause he didnt have enough evidence but approved him on the day , then said he didnt have enough evidence when he brang it with him on the day of the interveiw.. I just hope it goes all smoothly. I hope emailing helps they usually pretty helpful. And it says 5 working days after approval at interveiw .. but doesnt say how many days if u need to submit more evidence.

Good luck Pamela. It is such a stressful time. I thought all my stresses were over! Oh well. It is good in a way to hear it took someone else in my situation a month because that means i should not panic about them not have processed mine yet. Good luck at your interview.

Thank you everyone. I don't know what I would do without VJ.

Thanks people, I feel comforted by your responses.

Souleymon, I have not booked my flights, I stated I plan to travel on the 20th. I have not paid for or booked my flights and this is not the issue I have.

I am growing increasingly worried about the status of my application.

long story short...i had my interview in sydney on 27 Sep (for Cr1)- the guy said he was happy with everything but needed to submit my husband's taxes for 2010 then I will be approved. We did just that - sent in the proof by email on 5th October expecting the visa to be processed not long after. It is now 9 days later and regular checking of the aus post tracking site yields no results. I emailed yesterday and got the most unhelpful reply - in fact, they didn't even really answer my question (see below). I am so worried - I don't know what the hold up could be - could there be a problem at this late stage? Do they usually take so long doing in these circumstances?

I have not seen my husband in 1.5 years; I have given notice to my job, my apartment, and I have had 2 going away parties! Everyone knows I am leaving. I am so ready to start my life with my husband. And now I just want to cry. I feel like our life is at the mercy of the Sydney Consulate ((

Emails.........................................................................

Dear Consular Office,

Last Friday we received your email giving confirmation of receipt of the tax documents that you required (see below). I assume these are all in order and my Visa is getting ready to be processed. I am wondering if you would kindly confirm this as I am getting anxious about travel dates.

My interview was on 27th September. I plan to begin my travels on 20th October and being all the way in North QLD, delivery of express post is not overnight, it generally takes a few days.

Would you kindly give an idea of the timeframe I can expect to receive/have my visa processed? I note in your email below it states 5 working days. It has now been 7 working days since we submitted the 1040 form you requested.

I am most grateful for your assistance.

Mrs Cherry

------------------------------------------------------------------

Reply:

Thank you for your recent inquiry.

If you are referring to the below “Generally, it will take 5 business days to print your visa and prepare your document package after your interview” this is only if your visa is approved on the day of your interview.

Kind regards

Sydney IV

U.S. Consulate General, Sydney

-CC-

**** Please include your case number in all correspondence ****

Note: You should never pay for travel arrangements (e.g., airfare, hotels) without having a visa in your possession. The U.S. Consulate General accepts no responsibility if you do so. Generally, it will take 5 business days to print your visa and prepare your document package after your interview; however, we are unable to guarantee the issuance of a U.S. visa before a fixed travel date. You risk significant financial losses if you ignore this advice.

The U.S. Embassy in Canberra and the U.S. Consulates General in Perth and Melbourne do not process immigrant or K visa applications. All immigrant visa categories and K visa applications are processed at the U.S. Consulate General in Sydney.

This email is UNCLASSIFIED.

Well.... still no movement on the aus post tracking site...starting to get anxious as to what the hold up is and whether or not I'll be able to begin my travels on 20th as planned :/

Thanks guys, I appreciate it. Pamela, yes I could get someone to forward it to me but I think I need to sign for it? I might email them again. THANK YOU!

Hi all

I had my interview on 27 September. It was approved pending submission of my husband's taxes. We have done the taxes and emailed the 1040 on Wednesday. They acknowledged receipt of the email on Friday (yesterday). I did plan to go to Melbourne on October 20 and spend a few days there before leaving for the states. I am getting anxious my visa wont come in time before I leave for Melbourne (I don't want to come back just to collect it)!

I seem to remember seeing on this site, multiple times, but I cannot remember where now and a search yields nothing, but I remember people talking about what days the Sydney consulate processes its visas. I think it was one day of the week and then on the Friday they are all mailed out, or something like that. Does anyone know?

I did try and call them but was told the immigrant section does not take phone calls. I'd be grateful if anyone can help with this info and hopefully relieve my anxiety. What I am worried about is that thursday or friday is the cut off day for the week and I might miss out by just a day or so. I am in Cairns so even express mail takes around 3 days to arrive.

TIA

How very thoughtful of you!

I am another foreigner who absolutely loves all things Wal-Mart! In fact, I was surprised at Americans' reactions when I happened to express my amazement of Wal-Mart. I have since learnt it is best kept secret. So I will put my hand up in support of your Wal-Mart idea.

Love the idea of luxurious soaps/shampoos and fluffy towels. Make it be a shower he remembers forever.

Enjoy!

Thanks everyone - such quick replies! And informative, too.

No real red flags apart from a previous denial (now rectified hopefully by using a cosponsor). There are just so many ways one can make a mistake without knowing due to simple misinterpretation so that is what scares me. I have a buttload of evidence and whatnot so I just hope we got the particulars right.

All going well I will be back with good news very soon!

Thank you for all your support

Good luck!! I sent off my packet 3 today (For K1 visa though) so hope I get mine soon. I hope it's straight forward, I'm nervous already about it! Lol

And good luck to you, too!

Hi VJ people,

After almost 2 years in the making, I finally have my interview (CR1 spouse visa) in Sydney in 2 weeks. My main question is - can I get excited at this stage? Can I safely determine that the application was approved pending interview results? At which I have to just prove it is a genuine marriage? Am I right or am I off track?

I am so excited but it has been such a long process I am scared to get my hopes up. Do I have a proper understanding of where things are at? Please correct me if not.

I so badly want to make plans for my move. If my only hurdle left is proof of relationship I can breathe easy.

Also, they have my original birth and marriage cert. Do they give those back to me some time?

Thanks all

P.S. It occurs to me, upon further investigation, that the AR 11 applies to aliens in the U.S.

AR-11, Change of Address

* Download Form AR-11 (370KB PDF)

Purpose of Form :

To report the change of address of an alien in the United States. If you are subject to Special Registration, see Form AR-11 Special Registration.

You may also change your address online.

I am even more confused now as to how a beneficiary, not in the states, changes their address! I should not have moved!

Hello

I am very confused! Here is a brief overview of my story:

I am Australian. I live in Australia. My husband is American. He lives in America. He has filed an I 130 so that I can join him. He received I 797 - notice of approval for our I 130 in his mail - sent 14 March, 2011 (Yay).

Problem is - I have moved house - to another location in my same city in Australia. On the original I 130 application my address is my old address. The I 797 states: The NVC will contact the person for whom you are petitioning(beneficiary) concerning further immigrant visa processing

. So - I need to change my address with USCIS. Information online seems to be a bit contradictory. When I go to change my address online, it seems to assume I am already in the United States - the form asks the question "I am in the U.S. as a" and gives the options - other,permanent resident, student, or visitor. It also asks when my stay expires. It also asks which state I am in and gives no overseas options. So, is there a way to change my address as a beneficiary who is outside the U.S.?

I am so worried that they will send me paperwork and I will not receive it. I have a mail redirection in place but I have seen no sign of any paperwork at my new address. And regardless of that, I know they must need my new address somehow.

I did call the USCIS this morning and the man on the other end did not seem to understand what I was telling him - he told me to simply fill in the AR 11 online (though he had to put me on hold to find this out) and did not seem to realise that is only for people within the U.S. I did not want to push the issue with him - I am scared of getting anyone in that office offside as this is so important to me! I have searched the forums and cannot seem to find an answer specific to my enquiry.

I would be so grateful for the assistance of the members here.

Thank you in anticipation.

Hi there... I wonder if anyone could help me in answering a couple of questions? I want to get this right.

A bit of background: I am an Australian who married an American in 2009. We married whilst I was on vacation in the US on the visa waiver program. We applied to adjust my status (I-485) and after a few months received a "notice of decision" stating that my application was denied because my husband did not meet the financial requirements. I was given 30 days to leave and did so. The letter said that they were not initiating removal procedures at this time. I am now back in my country and am about to re apply (have sorted out the finance issues).

My questions are:

- Page one, q16 asks "Has your relative ever been under immigration proceedings?" - does my notice of decision/denial count as immigration proceedings?

- Page 2, q17 asks "list husband/wife and all children of your relative". Does my husband list me (his wife) or just leave this blank? (neither of us has children)

I am most grateful for your responses =)

Good luck in your application!

They care about current income, so the 2009 tax returns being well above the poverty line should get you your approval (asuming that there are no other problems in your application). If I were you, I'd make sure I also provide proof that this income is ongoing, because 2009 may be the most recent tax year, but we're already in the second half of 2010 - you get what I mean. So it's a good idea to prove to them that this is still the level of your income by submitting documents such as W2, recent pay stubs, a letter from your spouse's employer etc. etc.

Thank you kindly and great idea!!!