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Australia US Consulate Reviews
Average Rating: 4.4
/ 5
410 Review(s)
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| Sydney, Australia |  Review #1855 on July 30, 2007: |
valkyrieshewee
Rating: 
Click here if you found this review helpful | Review Topic: K1 Visa
My fiance arrived at 7.45 to go through security and recieved the ticket for 3rd in-line for immigrant visas. He waited around 30-45 minutes to be called back, then waited for them to look over his paperwork. Once that cleared he was asked 2 questions: "How long have you known your fiance?" and "Where is your fiance at the moment?" and was approved. He recieved his visa in the mail within 2 posting days 
| | | Sydney, Australia | Review #1836 on July 25, 2007: |
SharynY
Rating: 
Click here if you found this review helpful | Review Topic: K1 Visa
My K1 petition was approved in less then 2 hours which was great...also want to say that the two girls that checked and interviewed me were just lovely and it pays to be really polite to these guys... so you get the most information out of them as possible if something goes wrong.
****
Okay... got up at 5am and caught the train into the city at 6.15am - i got to the MLC centre at 7am, i sat downstairs and spoke to my fiance on the phone for about 20 minutes, i noticed everyone heading up to the elevator so i also headed in and got out at level 10.
Security was just opening up and off went my bag - mobile phone switched off - and walk thru the metal detector, i didnt have to take my shoes off at all.... thankfully.... lol.
i was told to sit in the front row in the waiting area - i was the only one with a K1 visa at that time. ...
then first row was filled up and asked to head to the elevator head up to level 59.... more security - the dude there - not so nice - takes his job way to seriously but he's very polite... another security check and walk thru metal detector... then head thru to the main part of the consulate and take your number... all K visas are immigrant visas.. and i was number 001 - first one obviously...........
waited about half hour before my number was called to Window 2 - lovely girl, she said good morning and i replied back and asked how she was... we got on really well... she asked for passport and receipt first off, then the rest of the paperwork. she didnt ask for the original petition but i still handed it in, i did apologise for all the copies i had made, she said it was fine, she would sort through it and take what she needed.
i forgot to reply to three questions on my biographic data - so i filled them in with her.
she then asked me to go sit down again and that she would call me back when she looked over my paperwork again to ensure she hadnt missed anything...
20 minutes later i got called back to her window and she said everything was in order and to sit down as i would be called to window 7 for my interview.
i went and sat in front of window 7, another girl, great i thought, i didnt want to deal with a guy since they're not as emotionally tied as a girl was....
20 minutes later i called to Window 7, she double checked everything, told me everything was in order and proceeded to take my prints, she then asked me some questions..
where did you meet? when did you meet? when did you holiday together? where does he work? with who does he work? do you have any photos?
thankfully i had photos - all printed out the weekend before... she looked through them and handed them back, she then looked at me and said ..
"raise your right hand" she then swore me in that i had told her the whole truth and i hadnt lied about anything....
then she handed me a piece of paper that said congratulations your visa is approved.. i looked at her and asked if that was it. she laughed and said "yes thats all, your approved"
"wow thankyou so much!!" i replied and she told me i would get the visa and my passport and other stuff in the mail.
oh and while i'm at it, if you and your fiance/e do newer letters of intent, it goes a long way for them to extend your visa.
all K visas apparently have a expiry date from peition to the actual interview and stuff and my window expired in September but because i had new letters that my fiance and i wrote out - they extended my visa to january 08....
i was all nerves but they are really lovely people and very helpful...... they are there to help you - not work against you.........
hope this was helpful in some way........
| | | Sydney, Australia | Review #1773 on July 8, 2007: |
Rings
Rating:
Click here if you found this review helpful | Review Topic: K3 Visa
Loke's Review
Okay...firstly hi everyone and sorry about the extended absence, but it has been the most hectic time this last few weeks. I know everyone said things would go quick once we were approved but I think we might have set some kind of record. From what we have been able to work out, the NVC received our approved petition on May 30, and from there it has taken 34 days to interview. The Consulate put me under pressure with my letter of appointment too, which arrived only 6 days before my interview date...lucky I found out via an email to Rings the Friday previous, or booking flights an accomodation would have been stressful.
So what happens in Sydney...
I land after a relatively painless flight (middle seat...I hate middle seats lol) and the backpackers hostel I am staying at offers free airport transfers if you stay 3 nights, which I am. So I call them to arrange the transfer and then have to call back and ask them to hold off when I find out Qantas lost my luggage. They put it on the wrong plane...
So after I get through baggage services I call the hostel back and arrange the bus to pick me up, and I get there knowing I have a single room...but damn I thought the rooms in my flat were small. This place is barely big enough to fit a single bed and a chair into. But it is on Pitt St. which I know crosses Martin Place, and simplicity of travel to the Consulate is important. And it suits my budget too. Finally my luggage gets delivered by Qantas at about 10pm, which is a relief. I have all the vital documents in my hand luggage, but some extra stuff I wanted to have with me (and my nice clothes haha) are in the checked luggage.
blah blah blah all nervous and can't sleep and stuff, finally settle in and have trouble waking up because I have not slept enough haha...and begin the trek up to Martin Place....is cutting to the chase.
I knew I had to go up to the 10th floor and then go throguh the Consulate reception lobby. What I didn't know is that you have to get an elevator (they're towards the back of the MLC centre - follow the signs. I was tempted to go up the escalator but beyond that there's signs pointing you to the lifts) to the 8th floor first, then another to the 10th and then through the security check...pretty much like airport security. Show passport and letter of appointment, put your bags through an x-ray machine and don't set the metal detector off...saw a few guys in business suits walk into the interview area with their belts in their hands, I thought that was kind of funny. Then wait for the guard to take you to the elevator to the 59th floor. Then through another metal detector - they don't mess around - and finally through the door into the interview room.
Ticket machine is in front of you, slightly to the right. Tasteful wood panel (or substitute, I didn't really look closely), push the top button for immigrant visa ticket...K3 is technically a non immigrant visa but for the purposes of interview, all K visas are considered immigrant visas - they really know how to confuse people. Waited for what seemed like an hour, but was probably only 20-30 minutes for my number to come up. They processed a bunch of other visa types while I waited, there seems to be only 2 windows (1 and 2 - I got window 2) dedicated to immigrant visas and the rest are for work/tourist visas etc.
I handed all my documents to the lady, including a few she didn't want to see, and she sent me away to wait more while she checked over the paperwork more thoroughly. Then she called me back up (well, the flashing numbers did, she didn't actually say anything) and told me it all looked good, and as long as the immigration officer agreed with her then I would be approved. Told me to wait a little longer and then my number was called - this time by a real person and I was asked to go to window 7. This was the interview.
The lady there had all my paperwork in front of her and to be honest this is the bit I remember least lol. I was nervous. She asked when we married and where, and how we met and how long we had known each other. Asked how long Rings had stayed, when we first met in person and how long that was before we married. She laughed a little when I said we met 2 weeks before we married, and that settled me down a little, it seemed a reassuring laugh. She asked about both our jobs and about Rings' kids - how old, have I met them, do I get along well with them. Then it was all over. She told me I can go back Thursday to pick up my visa.
I lugged a huge amount of paperwork up the hill and up to the top of the building. Emails, chat logs, photos, letters and other documents to prove we actually do love each other. Nobody was interested in seeing any of it. I guess I should be relieved just to be approved but I can't help feeling a little disappointed that nobody wanted to see how good we look together, or how much we love each other. I might try to balance that out by handing photos out to random strangers while I wait for Thursday afternoon to come around.
oh by the way, for anyone wanting to stay and collect their visa in person, it's 3:30pm the following afternoon (unless your interview is July 3rd, in which case you wait an extra day while they eat turkey and...oh wait, that's Thanksgiving...while they dress up in ghost costumes and...no that's Halloween...while they do whatever it is for the Fourth of July...let off fireworks or something. So the 4th is out, and I am back at 3:30pm on the 5th, which ironically is actually the REAL Fourth of July, except I guess in Australia they celebrate a day ahead of their American compatriots.
WOHOOO!! I am so relieved to have got through all of this. I am a natural worrier so even though it has been nice to be able to take an active part in the process as opposed to the initial stages which involve more work from the US Citizen and I had to be patient and trust that Rings was doing it all right (and I know she had a hard time with the reversal - it is tough to not be in control of these things). But the natural extension of that is that even though I like being in control of my situation, I do stress about things...about the medical - I was so worried they would find something wrong, ro some little thing to stop me getting my visa (I do have to get one more tetanus shot when I get to America), and about the interview. But it really was a simple process. I don't think they are so worried about immigration fraud from Australia. Our country totally rocks so only crazy people would really want to leave to go to another one...actually I am surprised they didn't do psychological testing on me LOL.
I am kidding. America is a cool place too, I am sure. I really like what i have seen of it. But I do get the impression they are okay with accepting Australians more than some other nationalities. It certainly was nowhere near as stressful as some of the other stories I have read about people being denied for not being able to prove a legitimate relationship.
okay...I think I am done for this post...if anyone needs to know anything more I guess I am just about qualified to answer questions now. Unless its about police certificates from Uruguay...I have no idea about those...
| | | Sydney, Australia | Review #1657 on June 2, 2007: |
hollywood79
Rating: 
Click here if you found this review helpful | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
We arrived in SYDNEY the day before our interview. We landed at the airport and took the train into the City. Trains are located one level down from the baggage claim. It costs about $12.20 and because we stayed at the infamous Travelodge on Phillip St we got off at St James station, about 15mins ride from the domestic terminal.
We took the Elizabeth St exit, turned right onto Elizabeth St and then right on King St and then left on Phillip St. It is about a 7min walk from St James station to the Travelodge. There is an entry on Elizabeth St, but it really is for the pokies. You can take this exit but will be walking through the bar and pokies with suitcases!
The Travelodge is a 3 star hotel. We were there for 2 nights and got a centre room. These rooms overlook a fake painted Italian Villa courtyard and the other rooms on the opposite side and there is no access for guests. This hotel is good for 1 or 2 nights but not really anthing longer than that. It costs $155/night. The price is good and the location was excellent as it is only 5 mins to the consulate.
The consulate address is Martin Place. It is the MLC building, the tallest white building around. We took the back entrance and this is slight closer by about 1min. From the hotel you exit on Phillip St turn right on King and head towards the intersection of King and Castlereigh (wrong spelling?). Yuu can't miss it. There are escalators to the elevators of the building and it clearly says MLC above the escalators. This entrance is also opposite the Channel and Louis Vuitton stores. There are toilets located on the lower floor. Walk around the elevators and take the escalators down one level. The toilets are hidden behind the escalators.
To get to the consulate you need to go to the 10th floor where the reception and security is located. Unfortuntely the elevators for the 10 floor won't operate unitl 7.30am. Once at the 10th floor we had to wait outside the door for about 5mins for the guards. Stand to the left of the door and form a line. We were third in line. The security here is like that at the airport. Take only what you need. They only let you take up to consulate your wallets and paperwork. They kept my handbag, and unlike the consulate in Melbourne they do not issue you a locker, they just keep your bag in open shelves and give you a number to claim it later. Once past security we got on the elevator and went up to the consualte. There is a second security check point here. You then enter the consulate and take a number. We were 001 for immigrant visa's and were seen at 8am which was our appointment.
The view was great and beautiful clear day. Shame you're not allowed cameras!!
The first lady who took the paperwork was friendly, especially to our small son but was going to recommend a refusal to the interviewer because I didn't have a Japanese police certificate. Even though I was advised by the consulate after much discussion before my interview I would not need one. SO, I debated with her a bit and explained that this problem had been solved 2 weeks ago and then gave up. At this point my husband told her we will disccuss this with the US Consular Officer. He said this because we are sure she was not a US citizen and was low in the payroll she probably wasn't 100% competent with the regulations.
We then waited about 10mins for the interview. The lady was very nice. Didn't ask questions about our marriage just about our son ie. How old is he? I then signed my ds-230 part II form and swore under oath. She then asked about my stay in Japan. I told her the exact days she flicked through my passport, didn't really check the dates, she would have had to look for them amongst all the other stamps, and said that was fine and that we should receive it all in the mail early next week.
Actual interview lasted 3mins, total stay in the Consulate was about 30mins. Pretty easy!!
Other hotels close by to the consulate are The Westin about 2mins walk or the Accor which is in the same MLC building. If you need to go to the Post Office there is the GPO at the bottom end of Martin Place. It cost 20c/page for photocopying and we also bought a Platinum Express 3kg satchel. It is about $5 more than the ordinary one but it has guaranteed delivery and online tracking. Also requires a signature upon delivery.
Also, for those with small children, you are allowed to take strollers up to the consulate and there is a small area with toys for them to play with. However, do change the nappies/diapers before you get to the consulate, there are toilets there. And if you need anything from a supermarket there is a Coles Express on King st and Woolworths/Safeway on Pitt st. Ask your hotel for directions.
| | | Ireland | Review #1601 on May 17, 2007: |
aussie girl
Rating:
Click here if you found this review helpful | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
The Interview all went great with no hiccup. The US consulate personnel and consul officers are friendly, professional and respectful. All instructions I received were very clear. I was only asked minor questions even though my USC husband and I brought a big suitcase full of evidence of our marriage and ongoing relationship. It did take us up to 4 hours. It was a very happy experience overall.
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