ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
Australia and New ZealandNEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!
Interesting to hear about people's driver licence experiences. I have to go and do that in the next couple of weeks (when my SSN arrives) in Indiana. I hope it's not as bad as the licence tests that I had to do in NZ at the end of the 90's / early 2000's!

Congrats cdneh on the job. Can't wait until I receive permission to work. I'm going stir-crazy with nothing to do and only the cat and cleaning for company!
Y&EFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-07-25 13:15:00
Australia and New ZealandNEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!

Can I just say: Go All Whites!

Yeah!! It's like winning the world cup just to tie with Italy! :thumbs: :thumbs: :dance: :dance:
Y&EFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-06-21 02:32:00
Australia and New ZealandNEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!
Just to let you know, I was approved in London last Wednesday. Painless process but a boring 4 hours waiting!
Y&EFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-06-07 05:43:00
Australia and New ZealandNEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!

Went in for my interview yesterday, and my visa was approved! I'm flying out on the 13th!


That's wonderful, lucky you!
Y&EFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-05-07 08:03:00
Australia and New ZealandNEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!

They may get priority as they are a consulate :)


That would be brilliant. Mine seems to be lost in the post due to getting stuck somewhere because of the ash, lol!
Y&EFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-04-26 04:42:00
Australia and New ZealandNEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!
Does anyone know how long, after sending consent for the police cert, it takes for the certificate to come through? Is the consent part of p3? I see that your p4's seem to come through quite quickly so I wonder if the process is quicker if the embassy requests the certificate because it took 6 weeks for the one I requested to arrive!

Thanks,
Emma
Y&EFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-04-24 06:40:00
Australia and New ZealandNEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!

Hi Emma, yep it's the same process here - the Embassy sends you a consent form thing to sign so that they can ask the NZ Police directly for it. So I'd just sign the form and give it to them, then send in the cert you requested when you receive it, maybe it'll help speed things along?

Thanks Zeddess. It's good to know that it's not just because I'm o/seas! And that's good advice about sending it in to speed things up.

Emma
Y&EFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-04-23 18:10:00
Australia and New ZealandNEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!
Hey, just wondering about the process in Auckland for the NZ police cert. I'm a kiwi in the UK so I'm going through the London embassy. I requested my NZ police cert and it's on its way (delayed by ash :)). I received a letter from London asking me to give approval for them to request my certificate directly from the NZ police and to be sent to them (the letter for the Police was addressed from the Auckland embassy). Is this the same process in NZ or do you just get it yourselves and take it along with you?

I'm just trying to work out if this is standard NZ practice or if it's just because I'm overseas.

Thanks for any help.
Emma
Y&EFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-04-23 13:35:00
Australia and New ZealandNEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!

Y&E: Hope your NOA2 arrives very soon!! :)


Thanks, Kiwiana. It did, but things at the London consulate are slow! I wish I was doing this through the NZ embassy but if that was the case I wouldn't be doing it at all since I met my Yuri over here in the UK, lol!
Y&EFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-03-13 10:58:00
Australia and New ZealandNEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!
Heya, mine's complicated as a kiwi living in Britain but it's nice to see some friendly voices from home :-) Good luck to everyone wherever they are on their journey.
Y&EFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-02-26 14:25:00
VietnamHave you learned your SO's language?
My USC has Russian as his first language! Eekk it's hard but luckily the gym that I work at has 1 Russian coach and another on their way and one of the other English coaches speaks Russian so I can try to practise.
Y&EFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-02-26 14:30:00
USCIS Service CentersThe NCSC
I fail to comprehend how the USCIS is not in any way funded by the US government when it is the first point of information and forms for Citizenship and Immigration. Those things are inherently part of government and must surely receive some funding from the government. Otherwise, how would citizenship function? Unless this is just another example of how imperfectly this government is run.

That said, I dislike calling the helpline as I find that I a) can't understand what they're saying (I spoke to Forrest Gump once) and b) have a tendency to get more angry with them than I would with a 'real' person as I can't see them face to face. Therefore, since I have the luxury of living close to my local office, I have found that making an infopass appointment is much more constructive and useful for me.
Y&EFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-01-17 14:56:00
United KingdomLondon Medical - Knightsbridge Doctors
Just wanted to make a quick note on my medical - the nurse put the wrong date for one of my vaccinations when she noted it on the form. I noticed it the next day and I emailed them with the copies of the form and the original vaccination record. I received the corrected version back the next day. So, before you leave the clinic I recommend that you check that the information has been noted correctly.

Other than that I had pretty much the same experience as everyone else. Have to have another MMR despite having had 2 already due to only one date being recorded (against 2 separate vaccinations, damn NZ doctor) but my info should be at the embassy by now and I couldn't get an appointment till the week after next so I'll just have to have that info for AOS. I did have my height and weight taken and was given a lecture on eating enough and questions about eating disorders (I don't, I'm just small and have acid reflux). I noticed on their form that they have to check for things like apparent mental stability and if you're lying or not.

Not too bad a day, was in for 3.30 and out by 4.15 - it seems that the later in the day your appointment is the quicker it is :)
Y&EFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-04-24 09:08:00
United KingdomUsing XE.com for money transfers
Your fiancee should be able to get some sort of international code from their bank that can be used for you to send money. It's something like the BACS code (that's not the acronym though) and can be used by anyone to send money internationally. I've used this to send to other countries directly through my bank but I would think that XE would have a similar process. Alternatively, have they considered setting up a foreign currency account so that they could receive money directly into that account from your bank?

I hope that this helps.
Y&EFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-01-13 05:52:00
United KingdomWhat to do re vaccinations before the medical?
I got most of the vaccinations that I think that I need when I was a child in NZ so who knows if there are any records left floating around. Might get my Mum to check for me and get any records that she can the next time they go back. However, I think, from reading the chart, that the only one that I have to have is tetanus booster. My local GP said they'd do it for free if I was travelling but there's no longer a requirement to have it updated every 10 years. Brilliant! I'm going to have it done next month in anticipation of actually receiving an NO2 sometime in March and then all that will be out of the way and no need to worry about it.
Y&EFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-01-14 08:56:00
United KingdomMedical?
No offence to your friend's husband but he really needs to get over himself! We women go through the indignity of 3 yearly smear tests and whatever else undignified procedures during pregnancy! He should be pleased that he doesn't have to do that!

As the sign at my local nurse says: 'Welcome, please leave your dignity at the door'.

What's more important - being with his SO or not experiencing 10 seconds of embarrassment?

Sorry if I sound mean or harsh but there are much worse things to worry about!
Y&EFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-01-20 06:01:00
United KingdomVisa Received
Happy birthday and congratulations!
Y&EFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-03-09 04:10:00
United KingdomShipping from the UK
Most of the storage companies around where I am sell shipping / packaging supplies. If you investigate storage firms in your area you might find the same thing. :)

I'm intending to Fed-Ex everything through my fiance's work a /c because that will cost us peanuts.
Y&EFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-03-01 08:54:00
United KingdomAfter what seemed like a long wait...
congratulations :)
Y&EFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-03-16 04:40:00
United KingdomDual Citizenship- Your Opinion
Dual citizenship great. It makes travel and airports so much easier. I don't intend to give up either my NZ or British citizenship. It also means that if you choose to reestablish residency in one of your countries of nationality you don't have to pay international fees if you go to university, you have access to whatever healthcare they provide without extra fees... If you can keep both what's the reason not too. As another poster mentioned, you never know what is going to happen in life or where you'll end up.
Y&EFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-03-24 07:10:00
United KingdomWedding Planning from the UK Chat
Fianlly have time to start thinking about a wedding now. It's still all up in the air though and I don't know if we'll do our blessing this year because my best friend whom I really want to be there can't come in Sept / Oct which is when we were looking at doing it because her wedding is in November :-( I hope that I will be able to get back to NZ to go to her wedding. I would be really sad if neither of us could get to each others' weddings!
Y&EFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-06-04 05:21:00
United KingdomWedding Planning from the UK Chat

Hi Y&E

Maggiani's was lovely and the staff were great. We didnt't hire a room as it was 3:30 pm and not that busy and we almost had the restaurant to ourselves. Management gave us free champagne which was lovely. We opted for the family style meal with the light meal option. We chose 2 starters, 2 salads and 2 pastas and it came with lemon cookies for dessert. At first we didn't think there would be enough but the great thing is that they just keep bringing out food until you say you're full so we were glad we didn't go for the full dinner option...definitely worth every penny spent!
I actually went down to the restaurant before hand and chose where I wanted to sit. The staff were great and really helped to make our day more special.


Thanks for that info. We go there when we're in Chicago and we went there at New Year in Indy so I know about the portion sizes! That sounds like a similar set up as their NY Eve deal.
Y&EFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-02-28 05:42:00
United KingdomWedding Planning from the UK Chat

It sounds lovely. And wonderful that your sister could come. Do you have pictures? :) Maggiano's is great. A friend of work had their reception there as well.


Sounds like Maggiano's is the place to go. I was considering there too. They have private function rooms which is great. And Indianapolis just seems to be the back of beyond for good restaurants. Unless anyone knows anywhere?
Y&EFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-02-26 10:29:00
United KingdomWedding Planning from the UK Chat

I need that special someone to agree to a wedding date. Difficult to do! He says we will plan when he gets here in Feb. As of right now I have two spreadsheets on Google Docs that I wish he would help with. One is the wedding budget with a column for priorities and the other a guestlist with different sheets for us to add people to based on if we will invite them to our UK bash next year or our US reception this year.

I am liking the idea of a civil ceremony and a party a couple of months later because I was raised religious and don't want to live together before marriage.

Since I do not have a date I have been printing off ads and websites and putting them in a binder. There are 2 wedding venues I like. One is an indoor pavillion in a park that has a fireplace, kitchen area, tables and chairs for about $400 for the afternoon. The other is a community arts center in the next city. That goes for $110 an hour since I am not a resident of that city. Both would be perfect as I want to have more control over my wedding and keep the entire budget under $2k.

My dress has been in the closet since about 6 weeks after he proposed. It is a Maggie Sottero I bought off of alocal online classified site like craigslist. I got it for an insane price. I love that I bought it used and don't feel bad because I know I won't use more than once.

The dress has beading that is slightly lavender and is a unique one strap cut. I was originally going to go very modest, but when I saw this online I decided to go meet the seller and try it on. First one I looked at and I bought it on the spot. My sister said that if I dont get my weight back down and need to buy another dress she would GLADLY take this one.


What is everyone thinking about for invitations?? I haven't found anything I really love yet. Also, are you planning to serve any foods that are traditionally UK? I have been joking around with Dave that we should serve Irn Bru. :D


Sounds like you're doing what I'm doing in the way of costs and spreadsheets that haven't seen the light of day at the US end!

I got my :star: beautiful :star: dress made for me when I was visiting my parents who live in HK. I bought the silk and had the dress made for about £300 all up. I used a pattern that I found in vintage vogue patterns years ago and just kept in case I ever got married. I'm so pleased with it. It's just what I wanted and totally unique. I also had a silk jacket made to go with it just in case we end up having to wait until Autumn or Winter to do the wedding.

We were talking about doing a registry office legal thing and then having a wedding, but now I've got the dress I'm keen just to do the wedding. It will be small and intimate anyway to save costs and since most of my friends/family are in NZ or the UK I don't have many guests and Yuri's family is still mostly in Russia so he's in the same boat. Would be helpful if I could really start to plan but don't want to get ahead of myself in case the visa process is delayed.
Y&EFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-02-26 10:09:00
United KingdomHelp my language please !!!
I hate it too, but I've learnt to view this as just another dialect. I moved to Yorkshire from NZ and if I hate that they can't use present tense, i.e. 'I was sat' rather than 'I was sitting', so I just learnt to get over it. Nothing you can do to help people if they can't speak properly.

naked is very un-naturalastic

did you mean unnatural?
Y&EFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-06-08 08:42:00
United KingdomWedding Planning
Hi, there's a wedding planning from the uk chat going, if you're interested: http://www.visajourn...at/page__st__60
Y&EFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-06-07 05:20:00
United KingdomMy WEdding cake.
it's lovely. What did you watch / read for inspiration?
Y&EFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-07-18 15:15:00
United KingdomRoyal Mail Redirection
I had no probs with re-direction. I moved during the process.
Y&EFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-07-27 15:56:00
United KingdomHow long does it take to issue visa???
Mine arrived about 10 days after the interview. I stressed out too, but don't worry it will arrive!
Y&EFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-07-26 11:54:00
United KingdomHow long is it currently taking UK people to get their P3?
He'll need to get US size passport photos and he doesn't need to submit them until the actual interview. I think that he may need a pp photo for the medical but that doesn't have to be US size. Your fiance can download and fill out all the forms now and book his medical. All he needs is his LON number.

Good luck.
Y&EFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-08-02 16:04:00
United KingdomPossibly "helpful" info re: London Embassy
Did you say that you send P3 in to the embassy in two stages? If I read that correctly above. In that case they may have got confused with your paperwork because sending in the checklist is what they process to say that you're ready for your interview. If that wasn't included with all the paperwork at the first instance they may not have put you into the system until they received it. As someone else has suggested, you may want to send in your paperwork again if they've still not logged you as they do manage to lose things sometimes - particularly when there is paperwork missing.
Y&EFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-07-25 18:18:00
United KingdomPossibly "helpful" info re: London Embassy
The timeline that he gave you is extremely conservative. When I was waiting some people were getting their interviews within 30 days of sending in packet 3. I think it depends on the time of year. Once you've got your interview day the time will seem to speed by! Just try not to stress too much, at least you know that they have your information.
Y&EFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-07-23 14:26:00
United KingdomDumb stuff Border Control does

It just gets dafter

The people who process this stuff must be on sleeping pills and affirmative action for uneducated people who are long term unemployed

I once took a job and I got issued with a dyslexic data entry guy.
On the first day he said he was nipping out to the shop for some 'semi-skilled milk'

I used to give him a lift home sometimes but I came to work on my motorbike one day. He said 'I am not going to get on your pavillion' (pillion)

It was all day long and he had us in stitches - the boss just told me to forge the results at the month end coz the data was such garbled junk. it was local govt so it didnt matter


At least he made your workday amusing :)

The actual test is laughably simple - short and sweet

a UK test is 65 billion times harder

book a test centre out in the sticks - no traffic - I did


That's what I'd heard. That's not the hard part - I'm still on my K1 trying to get the licence - I've heard that's the hard part! But since I live somewhere that one HAS to drive I have to get the licence or drive uninsured :(
Y&EFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-08-10 11:44:00
United KingdomDumb stuff Border Control does

It's crazy how often they mess these little things up.

When I went to get my SSN sorted out, they said they couldn't find me under the K1 status, and that when I went through border control, the guy processed me under a Student visa. I have no idea how this happened, because we had a lengthy talk about my visa. So I made an infopass appointment to get my status changed back over, but when I got there, they told me I was entered under a Tourist visa (B2). They said they couldn't do anything about it, because they were "immigration" and not "border control". So I had to go back to the airport I entered at, and get them to change it on their systems, and then wait 2 weeks and go back to the SSO.

:bonk:


I hope that you live somewhere near your POE! That would be such a hassle if you didn't! At least my issue only took a phone call (fingers crossed). Now the trauma of trying to get a driver licence begins!
Y&EFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-08-10 11:39:00
United KingdomDumb stuff Border Control does
Maddness!
Y&EFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-08-10 11:11:00
United KingdomDumb stuff Border Control does

My husband has no middle name on his Social Security card (for the reasons given above.) It had no effect on the AOS process. He applied with first, middle, last like the forms ask for. His AP document has all three names. His green card has First name, Middle initial, Last name.


I didn't think that it would be a problem, but I think it's an interesting issue because of how 'security' conscious they are over here. You'd think that ALL documentation would have to carry a full name or at least the exact same name.
Y&EFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-08-10 09:50:00
United KingdomDumb stuff Border Control does
Got to love US bureaucrats! I managed to get in touch with Customs and Border Control and I just have to fax the relevant pages of my PP / Visa and I-94 and they're going to fix the system.

Yes, I did put First, Middle and Surname but I had a space between first and middle. I take 'given' name to mean your full given name as I take 'christian' name to be the name I was christened with. I guess that I'm not up with the play when it comes to US bureaucratic conventions. I would have thought the I-94 should reflect the info given in your PP / Visa though. The guy at SSO said to me, is this your first name or first and middle? I told him first and middle and he didn't have an issue with it. I went back in to get my number and that's when the District Manager told me about the mistake. I'd never have known otherwise.

Do you think it's an issue for AOS since all that paperwork asks for your middle name as well? If you're SSN doesn't have a middle name doesn't that make it easier to use one fraudulently? It would be interesting to pose this to someone in charge. I harassed the poor guy at USCIS on the phone about giving a SSN to a non-existent person and letting the non-existent person into the country :)
Y&EFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-08-09 21:31:00
United KingdomDumb stuff Border Control does
Good thing that you know the correct process, Nick. Hope that CO does too now!
Y&EFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-08-08 12:18:00
United KingdomDumb stuff Border Control does
Just got back from the Social Security office. It turns out that the border control guy managed to put my name into the system as my first and middle names being just my first name. Still got my SSN but now need to deal with more rubbish at DHS trying to get that corrected. Checked my I94 and they are listed with a space as well as with a space in my passport. Interesting that they let a non-existent person into the country and allowed said person to receive a SSN! :thumbs:
Y&EFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-08-06 15:23:00
United KingdomSending back P3
I used special delivery and there were no problems. It is going straight to a person, not to a PO Box and has to be signed for.
Y&EFemaleUnited Kingdom2010-08-12 12:32:00