Mike & B

This is a bit of a long shot but worth asking.....I am in the US on a K1 visa with my children on a K2 with me. I've received my SSN which is great and was told that my children are not eligible to get one until they receive their Greencards. However the service agent at the Social Society Office mentioned getting a number for my children for tax purposes only but he didn't go into details. Does anyone know of a way for me to register or apply for a number for my kids in order to claim for them on mine and my husbands tax return?? Any help or tints is welcome....thank you Visa Journey family!!!

I requested a personal response from the Sydney Consulate with the answers to my questions. Here is the email.

Thank you for your recent inquiry.

(1) It is essential that your children attend a personal interview at the U.S. Consulate General in Sydney to be eligible for the K2 visa.

(2) The “affidavit” provided with the Packet 3 documents regarding the custody information and signed by your children’s father; unfortunately the signature on the affidavit and his divers license (which has expired) does not match. Please have the children’s father provide current photo ID, along with child custody information (he may wish to provide a statutory declaration (http://www.ag.gov.au/statdec)

(3) Each person eligible for a K visa must pay this application fee at Australia Post.

Well there you go VJ family...they do reply and I'm SO SO grateful!!!!!

Thanks for your reply Kim, every comment is so helpful...

I just got this off the Canberra Us Embassy (regarding children attending the interview)and thought Id just post it incase someone is wanting to know this also

**Do my children have to attend the interview?

Yes, unless your children are already U.S. citizens. Children, regardless of age, who are applying for immigrant or derivative fiancé(e) visas, must attend the interview.

So now that means I need to spend MORE money on flying ALL of us down there to Syndey. I think I was truly ignorant to exactly HOW MUCH this whole process was going to cost. That might be why it takes month to sort out, so we have time to save our pennies...lol! Thanks guys!

I just thought of another question that concerns me. Do my children HAVE to attend the interview too? When I sent the Packet 3 to the consulate, on the DSL-1076 "Readiness to be interviewed" it asked if I'm attending the interview alone or with my children....I ticked alone. It didn't mention in Packet 4 that they must attend but it does have theirs and my names listed as Traveling Applicants in packet 4? I'm getting really stressed about all this now...not a nice feeling I appreciate your help my new friends....Thank you!

Sorry Barb, just saw u'r message now, that's really good advice. The parenting order is already notorised so I'm covered there. I'll look into getting a JP to do that for me too! I'm not real sure whether my ex would be willing 2 go out of his way to help me though. He's actually getting married himself this weekend so who knows how willing he'll be any time soon! I just feel like whatever I do, I need to do it soon, my interview date is in 10 days! It's on the 19th of October!

Thanks so much Carey, can always rely on you! I hope someone can help me with question (1) too!!! Fingers crossed!!

Carey, you mentioned that visa fee is applicable to all applicants, does that include my children? Will I need 2 pay that amount for each of them?

Well I'm very excited to say that we just received our packet 4 today which brings my fiance and I closer to being together again...FINALLY lol! I have questions about what they are asking for in Packet 4. Here is what they have requested-

( 1 ) CHILD CUSTODY for Child 1 and Child 2: Any minor child immigrating with a parent or who has been petitioned for on his or her own must submit custody information.

1Submit the original and one photocopy

( 2 ) PASSPORT: ( A passport must have at least 8 months validity beyond the issuance date of the visa.).

( 3 ) FEES: This fee can only be paid at an Australia Post outlet and prior to attending the visa interview.

1K Visa applicants (click on link to the left to refer to our website regarding the fees)

( 4 ) EXPRESS POST 3KG ENVELOPE: To be used to mail your visa to you when issued. Please ensure the

envelope contains your name and the address where you would like us to mail the visa.

With request (1) (and this is the main concern I have...so here's my background story) My sons live with me full time and have always done so before and since after their father and I separated almost 7 years ago. He was off the scene for many years until 2008 when he decided that he wanted to have visitation with them. We went through mediation and agreed upon a 'Parenting Order' which is now lodged at the Australia Queensland Family Courts. Basically it just states that the children live with me their mother and he can see them on school holidays, and for any long term care and welfare both parents will share equally decision making. At the beginnin of this year when i first got engaged, I need permission off their father to take the children with me to the States which he agreed upon. It said in Packet 3 that "Any minor child applying with a parent must submit custody information. This may include a court “Order of Residence” & “Relocation Order” verifying sole custody to the immigrating parent or a signed and dated affidavit from the child’s other parent advising of his/her knowledge and consent for the child to live in the United States which should include a copy of a photo ID of that parent". I don't know if our "Parenting Order" is the same thing as a "Order of Residence" and we don't have a "Relocation Order" so we went with the affidavit. So I created a document in the format of an affidavit myself stating those things which were mentioned and had their father sign it in front of a 'Justice of the Peace' to notorize the document and took a photocopy of his drivers licence and sent it off in Packet 3 to the consulate. I did not send a copy of the "parenting order lodged in 2008" though. My 'Parenting Order' is not custody papers as such but it does state clearly in point number (1) the children live with their mother. QUESTION- Is this what the consulate wants me to bring? Is it sufficent to proof of custody and is the "Parenting Order" and the "Affidavit" together enough to have the visa's approved???

Request (2) Do they just want me to bring my passport to the interview? In packet 3 I sent photocopies of the bio page of our passports so I'm presuming that they just want me to phyiscally bring the passport to the interview...???

Request (3) What.. there's another FEE?? We already paid a fee when my fiance lodged it in America, is this another fee? And if I just go into any Australian Post Office, will they know what I'm talking about when i say i need to pay for the K1 visa fee?

Request (4) I'm good with this one...lol

So VJ Family.....please share some of your wisdom with me..especially the Aussies that may have experienced something similar from the Sydney Consulate. Thank you SO SO much!!!!!

Just wondering if anyone else from Australia who recently sent in there packet 3 has received their interview date yet? No panic just curious!!!!

Got your name now Carey...thanks again and keep intouch!

Carebear....thank you again...I'd love to know your first name....lol! Thats always nice to know. My name is Brodi but people just call me B. And yes you're right, I'm a kiwi but lived in Aussie for many years (like most of us...lol) My fiance lives in Utah which is where we'll be moving too. (We...is myself and my three boys) They are very excited. Where are you off too in the States?

I did have another question...(besides the one I'd already asked you on your personal page, so check your page if you haven't already done so.... )

I've been so focused on just getting this fiance visa approved so Mike and I could be together again but I haven't looked too much into what happens after we are married and what I need to do then. I saw you mentioned extra money for the AOS....can you head me in the right direction as to what I need to do once we're married? How much are we looking at??

Thats so helpful....thank you so much! We are hoping for a late Nov wedding but just wanting to wait for an interview date first before we set the definate date! Its been a LONG journey (being apart) but its starting to seem that there is a light at the end.....

Thanks so much again!!

This question is more aimed @ the Australian K1 filers......We sent our packet 3 back to the Sydney consulate last week and I'm just wondering 'HOW' they will let us know the interview date? Will it be by email or by post. From the start I had always thought that we would receive our packet 3 by post but both Mike and I received it by email which was fabulous!!! So now I'm hoping its the same for the interview date??

Hi everyone, we got our packet 3 and I'm about to send off the DS230I now while we wait for the medicals and other things to come in. My question is, do I only have to send the DS-230I form in for me or do I need to do one each for my children? It doesn't mention that on the instructions list but it does say on the form itself 'complete one copy for each family member immigrating with you'. I know the children need a DS-156 form each but what about the DS230I...pls help!!!

So we got packet 3 yesterday which we are really excited about...and I'm now organising my police certificate. I'm been told two different things and wondered if anyone else could help me. Is it a 'Federal Police Cerificate' that I need to get (the form is downloaded off the website & finger printing is done at the Local police station) which i then mail off to them? OR is it just from my local police station??

Also does anyone know the fee amount?

Always appreciate your help!!!

I was just wondering if its necessary to purchase a return ticket to the US on a K1 visa (once its approved), or are you able to purchase a one way with the K1?

Unfortunately you're right with that and it is at no fault then our own and we have paid for that in time. We had no really help prior and no real idea but this website with everyones advice is really very helpful and now we're moving forward, full steam ahead!

Thank you thank you, so helpful!!!

What is a RFE? Yes they are my biological children but not my fiances. They are originally listed on the I129F form when we first sent it in but we just didn't do a G325A for me and wondered if we needed to do that for my sons?

We filed the I129F form 3 mths ago and left out a few things in the orginal package so now we are finally get ourselves organised and covering all bases. I have 3 dependants that we are applying for also so I'm just wondering if we need to send G-325A forms and photos of them at this first stage also? And if so, should I sign the forms on their behalf or just leave it as 'Unalbe to Sign'??? Any help is welcomed?

We this website is FANTASTIC...thank you so much for your assitance everyone!

I'm still very new to this site and I'm just wondering how long other peoples K1 visa's from Austrlaia are taking from lodging the I129F form to getting the visa approved. My fiance is in the US and this being apart is very hard on both of us if we have no idea just how long this process is going to take...

Hi everyone, I'm fairly new to this world of K1 visa applications and I'm needing some help. My fiance filed the I129F forms on the 10th May 2010 with several photos and a story of how we'd meet. I wasn't even aware that I had to do anything at the beginning so now after 3 mths of waiting they have asked us for the additional documents that should have been sent ie- letter of intent to marry 90days, his divorce papers and my story of how we met. I'm in Australia and he's in the US so getting the orginal documents to him takes time so I'm wondering if I'm able to scan them to him to save time? Or do they need to be original? Also, how much time would this mistake have held our processing time up now?? Thanks for your help everyone!