Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Hi Everyone. It's great to see that everyone is moving forward and that so many of us are now here in the US. Nic and I have been here since August and he has finally found work in his field. Some days I think the job search was as stressful as immigration! But luckily he is a town planner and municipality always need employees even if it is hard times. So we are extremely excited because we love the city we are living in and our seasonal jobs were coming to an end and we were afraid we were going to have to move. As for the bread I never noticed it was sweet growing up but after living in NZ for three years I can really taste it now. Yuck. I try to get fresh bread when possible because it doesn't taste sweet. I think our next investment may be a bread maker. Luckily here on the east cost every grocery store seems to have a bakery though. Nic has been missing pies though so if anyone has any tips on that it would be great. Healthwise he probabably better off without them but it would still be great to find a decent substitute to suprise him.	amaciar	Not Telling	New Zealand	2009-03-26 10:36:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Hi Ivanna. I am not sure if you are looking for a lawyer but we consulted one in Auckland and she was very helpful. Her name is Barbaara J Johnson and her auckland number is 64 9 915 0891. She ended up telling us our case was easy and told us what we needed to do and who to contact. Plus she called the US embassy for us and had them call us back which i thought was good of her since she didn't make any money off of us. Good luck! I hope if you cantact her she can help you. I am sure she can.	amaciar	Not Telling	New Zealand	2009-03-01 19:44:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (Dave_n_Genna @ Feb 1 2009, 10:15 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Did anyone here use the Wellington Terrace Medical Clinic for the K1 pre-interview exam? How quickly were they able to get you in for an appointment? My husband used Dr David L Hingston from the Immigration Medical Assessment place on Terrace St. We were in within days but he took forever to process the information. We were on his case constantly and only realized later that he only works on Tuesday! So if you go way before your interview you will be fine but we went to him three weeks before ours and the medical info showed up at the embassy 20 minutes after our interview....and only did so because we called every Tuesday between the medical and the interview. If you can go elsewhere I would suggest it. Plus he didn't give shots there so Nic had to go to his doctor in Palmerston North to administer the only vaccination he needed and in the long run he wouldn't have needed the shot but the guy wouldn't take the records he brought in as prrof. So long story short he does do what needs to be done but it sounds like much more hassel than the gentleman in Auckland. We called and had an appointment the following Tuesday which was about a week away. With this gentleman leave at least 4 weeks for the info to make it to the embassy and make sure he is not going out of town anytime soon! Wish I had better news. I just don't want you to read everyones reviews from Auckland and expect the same. Edited by amaciar, 01 February 2009 - 08:28 PM.	amaciar	Not Telling	New Zealand	2009-02-01 20:24:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Monday is Martin Luther King Day. Public holiday but I still get to work :-( Kiwiana- Glad the interview went so well. I didn't doubt it they are so nice. My hubby and I had a gentlemen do the second part and he had a hardcore NY City accent. It was awesome. It was an accent I hadn't heard in a long time. Also enjoy the warm weather it was -21 degrees this morning and my car wouldn't atrt because of the cold. Yucko! Hope this cold snap ends soon.	amaciar	Not Telling	New Zealand	2009-01-16 12:42:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Any advice on phone cards in America? I have never been able to find a decent one and now my husband needs one to call home. Anyone have a good one they use? Or an idea of where to get one? I used to go to the Mobile in my old town but no such luck in this town	amaciar	Not Telling	New Zealand	2009-01-12 11:57:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	I thought of that counting backwards idea too! I was going to start at 50 though :-)	amaciar	Not Telling	New Zealand	2009-01-12 09:17:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (cdneh @ Jan 10 2009, 04:52 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> *ahem* It's over. They tell us tonight it has been sent to Auckland. I made him ring back and speak to someone else...just to double check Wooo Hooo! Glad it has finally happened. Not long now til you are all done and with the one you love!	amaciar	Not Telling	New Zealand	2009-01-10 12:32:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Seven weeks! That is just mean. Hopefully the AKL embassy will be able to move things along. They are very helpful so I if they can do something I am sure they will. Funny story about the Auckland embassy or well my husbands interview. We showed up and they were chatting with my husband and the lady said "You know you almost didn't make it to this point" we were like WHAT! Apparently when they did his police check his report came back with all sorts of convictions and not just little ones. The lovely lady said she called the police back as she was writing the "Yeah right what are you thinking applying for immigration letter" and there was a letter or number off. So long story short thankfully they checked back with the police or else I would have had a hear attack when the rejection letter came. My husbands record was clean and all was smooth after that. Yep snow sleet ice and rain in one day are the norm. Ha ha ha but you are right about the other three seasons.	amaciar	Not Telling	New Zealand	2009-01-08 09:33:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (KimandRuss @ Jan 8 2009, 05:06 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE Silly question time Kim...nothing seems to be going out of DHL at the moment...and now that it's the new year, I have to change what I enter under reference right? 2008A becomes 2009A? right! Hopefully they're not 'on' to us and changing how they do things! Otherwise, we'll have some work to do to figure out how they track them now. It sounds like the Embassy in AUK is as helpful as always. I know they can issue an inquiry to NVC and specifically ask for the file to be sent. That is what someone from one of my 'many' phone calls to NVC stated. Perhaps that's what they're saying... I certainly hope so! Enough is enough. Do something kind for YOU and try your best to keep your spirits up until then. Ivanna, I'm not really clear on what you're asking. As long as you each filled out a I-134 with employment info and anual income, and both included supporting evidence of income (tax papers, paystubs, letter from employers) you should be all set. If your uncle meets the minimum requirement for supporting your fiance he will not need bank statements or proof of assets. Another ice storm going on outside right now. Oui, winter in New England! You have to be semi insane to live in the Northeast really. Luckily up here in Burlington VT it is supposed to be all snow and it actually looks like it has stopped. The summer make it worth it though. Warm and there are so many rivers and lakes to swim in. Plus the scenery isn't too bad.	amaciar	Not Telling	New Zealand	2009-01-07 15:08:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (cdneh @ Jan 4 2009, 06:59 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (amaciar @ Jan 4 2009, 05:34 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (cdneh @ Jan 3 2009, 03:41 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Still there as of right this minute. I dont think I'd worry Michelle...I mean in order to move countries you kind of have to quit right? cdneh- My husband and I also thought of the Canada route and just as I was getting frustrated enough to investigate it everything fell into place. We also thought about England but it seemed even more of a hassle then US immigration. For me not for him. I keep cheking and hoping to see that your package is in NZ. I can't imagine the frustration of finally hitting NVC and having this happen. Keep strong. It will be worth it when it is all said and done. Even though all said and done seems likes forever away! Well one thing at least with Canada....they have to take me Thanks for that, and I do appreciate all the support. It's just hard to keep your chin up now and then.	amaciar	Not Telling	New Zealand	2009-01-03 16:03:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (cdneh @ Jan 3 2009, 03:41 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Still there as of right this minute. I dont think I'd worry Michelle...I mean in order to move countries you kind of have to quit right? cdneh- My husband and I also thought of the Canada route and just as I was getting frustrated enough to investigate it everything fell into place. We also thought about England but it seemed even more of a hassle then US immigration. For me not for him. I keep cheking and hoping to see that your package is in NZ. I can't imagine the frustration of finally hitting NVC and having this happen. Keep strong. It will be worth it when it is all said and done. Even though all said and done seems likes forever away!	amaciar	Not Telling	New Zealand	2009-01-03 11:34:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (kiwiana @ Dec 27 2008, 10:19 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (amaciar @ Dec 8 2008, 04:37 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yum vegemite. I do miss it. Anyone know how to get it stateside? http://www.worldmarket.com/home.jsp just been looking over this site. They have vegemite for $6.99 (picture on main page) as well as other things like cadbury roses for $1.99 (from UK). I found the site to be quite interesting. And they seem to have shops right around the USA!! I will have to have a look at that today if there is a slow time at work. :-)	amaciar	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-12-27 08:04:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Merry Christmas Everyone. Those of you still in New Zealand enjoy the warm weather :-)	amaciar	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-12-24 17:05:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	cdneh- I am sorry to hear that you are still in AP :-( Keeping my fingers crossed for you. There are still a few more days before Christmas and hopefully you will receive some good news soon. For everyone else CONGRATS! everything seems to be happening at once for everyone. You may all meet up on the interview dat in Auckland! My hubby and I are in Vermont and the weather has been nuts here like Kim mentioned. We are supposed to be getting a hug storm tonight. I am hoping the ski fields get dumped on and that there will be snow for a white Christmas. Kim hope life is returning back to normal in mass and that you only receive snow and not ice this storm!	amaciar	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-12-19 06:15:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (kelzm @ Dec 12 2008, 07:45 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Congrats Michelle! So glad it came through before Xmas for you. I do miss my vegemite. Everytime I go to the supermarket I just stare at the shelves with all the jams in dismay. Plus, the peanut butter is sweet! I did find an unsweetened, salted kind at Trader Joes, thankfully, not quite the same as ETA back home, but it'll do. My husband hated the Peanut butter here. We finally found some at Price chopper. It's orgainic and unsweetened. It is expensive but worth it not to hear him winge about the pb being too sweet. Michelle glad you are moving forward. I know it has been a long wait but it must be great to see the light at the end of the tunnel.	amaciar	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-12-11 15:25:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (cdneh @ Dec 10 2008, 05:00 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (amaciar @ Dec 10 2008, 04:14 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yeah I will have to try that website. I have definetly not seen it on the east coast :-) Crossing my fingers for all of you that are waiting and hoping at this point. Oooo..that one fits me well Still stuck as of this evening ha ha ha I do love the werewolf. it makes me laugh everytime.	amaciar	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-12-10 18:38:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Yeah I will have to try that website. I have definetly not seen it on the east coast :-) Crossing my fingers for all of you that are waiting and hoping at this point.	amaciar	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-12-09 22:14:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Yum vegemite. I do miss it. Anyone know how to get it stateside?	amaciar	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-12-08 16:37:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Kiwiana: We had our interview 2 weeks after we sent in our paperwork. We stressed out a bit because we thought we would have 3-4 weeks to finish accumulating our information. It all came together in the end though even though my husbands medical arrived 2 hours after our interview!!! I was worried they would tell us to go away and come back when we had everything done but they just kept Nics passport and stamped it as soon as they received the medical info. What are you plans? When is the soonest you could fly to the states? Good luck just a little longer to stress out til you get to be with your honey!	amaciar	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-12-02 19:58:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Crossing my fingers that everyone has some happy news this month. Hopefully the Service Centers feel a break coming on and kick it into high gear before Christmas and New Years. What better Christmas present could you get? Edited by amaciar, 29 November 2008 - 10:18 AM.	amaciar	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-11-29 10:17:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Happy Turkey Day! Yum Yum Yum.	amaciar	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-11-27 15:17:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	When we went to our interview we had our copy of the packets and an extra copy of the packet in case anything was lost by USCIS. We felt better safe than sorry. Nothing worse than showing up at the interview and having them tell you you need more information. We had original birth certificates, all old passports which we needed as well as pictures/copies of pictures, copies of bills, bak statments. We were way overprepaired but the lady saw that and was pleased. So I guess what I am saying is if you have the time get the copies.	amaciar	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-11-09 09:39:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	My husband has warned his Dad that he will need to send us over Choysa Tea every few months. Haven't found any decent tea here yet. Nic also misses pies and I miss purple kumara it only took three years to get hooked on it. Ohh and Nic is always dissappointed when he buys chocolate here. Milo is kinda light maybe you can jam a tin in one of your bags. You will eventually get the four way stops. It is kinda first come first serve Edited by amaciar, 22 October 2008 - 08:30 AM.	amaciar	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-10-22 08:28:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Congrats Kim and Russ. Great weather for a fall wedding too.	amaciar	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-10-18 14:21:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	The doctor in Wellington was very thorough. Our appointment was about 45 minutes not including the blood tests and X-Ray. He checked my husbands reflexes, eyes, made a list of all his scars asked about all immunizations and wouldn't trust that they had been done unless there was written proof and he was pretty expensive. I know I have said it before but if you the Doctor in Auckland sounds more reasonable. Ohh yeah and the doctor wouldn't give him the shots he needed so he had to make a seperate appointment when we were back in his hometown for those which was yet another step.	amaciar	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-10-18 14:19:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (Kim & Chris @ Oct 9 2008, 10:16 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Quick question before bedtime....... I've got to send off my packet 3 returns to the consulate tomorrow....I'm sure i read somewhere that DS-230 part II is not signed and i take it in with me to the interview......can someone just confirm that for me please......it doesn't mention it in the list of things I have to take in and my brains too tired tonight to rake through here to try and find the info Thanks Kim Part two you won't need til the interview. Hold onto it.	amaciar	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-10-09 08:58:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (kiwiana @ Sep 27 2008, 10:05 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> My heart goes out to you Lisa. I know how you feel. It is extremely hard and heart breaking. This year, i was in two minds about going to see my SO, as like cdneh said, it is just so hard, the leaving part. But I told myself that this would be the last time that we would have to do this, as we filed the 1-129f while i was there. And it's GREAT news that you have sent off your forms today!! Just keep telling yourself that soon you will be together for good!! And i have a quick question here about the interview at Auckland consulate. I know this sounds kinda lame but was just wondering to those that have been there. Is there a set dress code one has to wear for the interview? Do you think it is ok for women to wear jeans to it? or is that too dressed down? Ana I made Nic wear a nice pair of nice pants and a button up shirt...but after th interview we realized it wasn't necessary. Not sure what everyone elses take on this is? Lisa it is the hardest part about being in love with someone from the other side of the world! You are a step closer to not having to live apart. I used to joke with my husband and say that people divorce over less stressing things than this process......so if you can make it through uscis and nvc you can make it through anything.	amaciar	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-09-26 18:21:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (Lisaandtim @ Sep 24 2008, 09:24 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Hello everyone! =) I'm new to the board and wanted to say hi and introduce myself. My name is Lisa and I'm a US citizen and my love is Tim and he's from New Zealand (soo creative on the name here, right? =p lol). Our ages are 24 and 19. We are just filling out our I-129F and G-325A after getting a run around from people on how to go about this. I've cried so much over these forms let me tell you. It's been a huge stress with everything going on. But he's worth it =). This board makes it seem like I'm not alone in this. Welcome. It sounds like you have found this site early on in the process. It is great having others who know how you feel and have been there. The paperwork is intimidating but you will get through it.	amaciar	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-09-23 19:37:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (KimandRuss @ Sep 24 2008, 12:39 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (cdneh @ Sep 23 2008, 03:34 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Kim...where I am...heh..it's tomorrow! You must be absolutely thrilled ! I think i'm in shock. In 5 hours we 'chat' for the last time long distance then he'll be on his way back home. Because of our circumstances, our visa journey has been several years in the making. It's surreal to think we can finally be on with it. QUOTE After years and years of flying between NZ and Canada I will never go through LAX again going last year through SFO. So much friendlier and less stressful. One bright spot of news..I've been worried about my Canadian police clearance expiring before I even get to the interview process, now that things out of VSC are going at a snail's pace. I emailed them and they got back to me straightaway. As long as I stay out of Canada, it will be good ! Doesn't air tahiti nui fly NZ-US as well? Russell found cheaper rates for them on expedia.co.nz earlier on. you guys know there is a bus shuttle that runs constantly between the LAX domestic/international terminals, yes? With only two hours between connecting flights we're hoping Russell doesn't run into any problems. We haven't yet (knock, knock, knock) . Woo Hoo you have gone from counting the days to counting the hours! Awesome Yep know there is a shuttle but I find it a bit quicker to just go it on my feet. I hate sitting in the shuttle and having a group of ten take 20 minutes! I am a bit of a stress case with things like that. Plus my legs can use the stretch by then. Air Tahiti Nui lets you stop overnight or for a few days as well for not much money. Great if you are traveling with your Kiwi Edited by amaciar, 23 September 2008 - 09:12 AM.	amaciar	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-09-23 09:07:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (Kelvan @ Sep 23 2008, 07:34 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (amaciar @ Sep 23 2008, 12:00 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> LAX has been a thorn in my side for a few years now. There is no easy way to get to the east coast from LAX when flying from Auckland. I just wait the 11+ hours though. I have missed two or three flights and the airlines are nowhere near as accomodating in the US as they are in NZ and the united terminal is at the opposite end of the airport! And I am going to rant a bit here but I just don't understand how it can take over an hour for them to unload one flights luggage. I understand when there are multiple flights but well Auckland needs to give LAX some lessons on unloading. I had four hours between flights on one occasion and still would have missed my flight. Lucky me though Denver was under 3 feet of snow so barely any flights were getting in or out of LAX and my flight was cancelled. It was no fun trying to find a flight but since I wasn't screaming or being rude the lady i was dealing with tried for about half hour to find me a flight and it was first class! Okay rant over Hey amaciar! I fly from Auckland - Kansas a lot and I've discovered that Qantas + American Airlines is much better and easier than using Air NZ + United when you have connecting flights. When you fly with Qantas to LAX, you pretty much go out the door and up the stairs to the American Airlines terminal. This is much easier than going from one side of the airport to the other as with Air NZ and United. PLUS when returning to Auckland, you arrive at the American Airlines terminal in LAX and then just go out the door and into the next building to the Qantas terminal. I found it's so much easier! Another reason why I find Qantas and American Airlines better, is that they pass through Dallas instead of Denver (which is usually banked up with snow in the Winter so there's alway a chance of a delay/cancellation). Where abouts do you fly to in the US anyway? It's nice to know someone else has been on the exact same route as me lol. I fly to upstate New York. The airport is pretty small so we have very little choice with airlines. Usually I catch the red eye to either Chicago or Washington Dulles. Unfortunately United has a major hub in Denver.....so even if you don't touch it a storm there messes everything up Thankfully we are done with the NZed flights for a while. We are hoping it will be two years baring any weddings or deaths! @ years is heaps better than the every six months I was doing for the past 4 years We will have to check out Qantas next time at least fro the LA to Auckland portion.	amaciar	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-09-23 09:02:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	LAX has been a thorn in my side for a few years now. There is no easy way to get to the east coast from LAX when flying from Auckland. I just wait the 11+ hours though. I have missed two or three flights and the airlines are nowhere near as accomodating in the US as they are in NZ and the united terminal is at the opposite end of the airport! And I am going to rant a bit here but I just don't understand how it can take over an hour for them to unload one flights luggage. I understand when there are multiple flights but well Auckland needs to give LAX some lessons on unloading. I had four hours between flights on one occasion and still would have missed my flight. Lucky me though Denver was under 3 feet of snow so barely any flights were getting in or out of LAX and my flight was cancelled. It was no fun trying to find a flight but since I wasn't screaming or being rude the lady i was dealing with tried for about half hour to find me a flight and it was first class! Okay rant over Kim I am sure your friedns and family are just as excited as you. Good idea to go on a little trip just the two of you .	amaciar	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-09-22 09:00:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (KimandRuss @ Sep 21 2008, 01:26 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You must be so relieved! Great to have that package and passport in your hot little hands? Not long now try to get SOME sleep on the flight over	amaciar	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-09-20 22:34:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (KimandRuss @ Sep 19 2008, 08:21 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thanks again everyone. We are counting down the minutes! Amy, what does nic do? Sometimes a job recruiter (aka headhunter) can help a lot. If you get close to Central MA you'll have to let us know. Nic is a town planner but he wants to get into a company dealing with wind technology. There appear to be planning jobs out there but I am not sure what they think of hiring someone not trained in the USA. It has only been a month though so we can't be too frustrated yet. Funnily enough we just looked at a posting for a job in MA it would have been right up Nics ally but they are looking for more experience than he has So the search continues We haven't thought of a recruiter. What do they do?	amaciar	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-09-18 15:50:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (kelzm @ Sep 18 2008, 03:12 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Congrats to Kim and Russ and Shawn and Lu too! Lots of things happening. Amaciar - How long did it take for Nic to get his SSN? Did he wait for it to be sent by mail or did he go into the office? I'm trying to get a good idea of the timeframes so that I know if I need to go in to apply. Lots waiting on getting that SSN! Nic has had a social secutiry number for a few years. He was here on a work visa and so he does not have to worry about that step. We called a while ago just to make sure. I would suggest going in though. Just to change a spelling on Nics name on his card he would have to send in his passport plus his green card. So as you can imagine we don't really want to let go of that little card! We did send in the SSN sheet provided from immigration and the lady on the phone at SS said they had not received anything. Yet another reason to go in I would say. Sorry I couldn't of been any help.	amaciar	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-09-18 15:44:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Woo Hoo Congrats Kim and Russ. Nic and I have been back in the states for a little over a month. Nic's not so green "green card" arrived in the mail last week. He has been showing anyone who will look at it ever since. There is a on going game to find all of the holograms on the card. No luck with jobs yet but we are waiting for Nic to find a job in New England somewhere before I can start my search. There seems to be plenty of positions but I am sure there are plenty of people applying. One site I have foudn that has been great for just general work and apartments is Craigslist.com. There are heaps of apartments added daily and many people appear to be adding jobs on the site as well.	amaciar	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-09-17 09:51:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	We send money from Nics bank to mine. You need to have the routing number and a few other details for the account the money is going into. Both banks will take a bit of a fee but it is safe and relatively easy. When you do send money try and send a larger sum so that the fees don't feel as bad. Good luck! I know that from BNZ and Kiwibank you and do international transfers online and there is no need to go to a bank.	amaciar	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-08-24 15:32:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Sounds like those were two successfule interviews. Congrats Kelvan- Great to see that your packet arrived. You must feel relived Nic and I have just arrived in upstate New York. We bought tickets the day his passport arrived in the mail and it was go go go from then til now. Nic said that the process in customs was a formality really and all they did was open his packet to make sure all the detaisl were there. Then he was fingerprinted. It took about 20 minutes and when he was finished I was still waiting for our bags. Now it is time to get on with out lives til we need to remove the conditions of residency in two years	amaciar	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-08-19 18:42:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Hi Everyone Nic had his interview yesterday. It was probably the strangest hour of my life. The lady we spoke to first was great. She was cheery and was impressed with the way we had put our forms together. We had each set in their own bundle clearly labeled. Basically what happened was we had our case switched to the NZ consulate once the I-130 was approved so we needed all the documentation you usually send to NVC ready and organized. Then after the lovely lady made sure all our forms were in and the correct evidence was there we sat down and waited to see an officer. Now I was thinking here comes the grilling and the intimidated feeling! Nope the gentlemen asked us when we wanted to leave for the US and we answered ASAP and he asked what our plans were. Which we told him and then he explained what would happen once they approved us. So in total we were at the consulate for an hour. The majority of the time we were being told what we needed to do once we entered the US! So Nic was cheeky at the end and asked if we could go have a celebratory drink and the kind man said everyday is an excuse for a celebratory drink He dodged the question but when we arrived back to Palmerston North today we checked to see if our Courier Bag that we gave the Consulate had been sent......sure enough it was picked up today at 2:30. So we are hoping that means all is well and his passport will be back tomorrow with a shiny new stamp on it. Our theory is they wouldn't send out a request for more evidence in our Courier Bag. So the Consulate was heaps better than i thought. Now sure if it helped that I was there with Nic or not but I hope everyone has the type of experience we did. Hopefully tomorrow I am not back on here crying because they sent us some horrible request notice. RubyRed- I know exactly how you feel but in reverse. My first year in NZed was not always the easiest but by my second year I was feeling like I was home. Just don't let the bad times get you too down and enjoy the differences. Kim- Great news. Not long now til you are Stateside. Everyone looking for jobs Good Luck. Nic and I will starting that process near the end of September. We hope to be home in about 1.5wekks and then spend some time with my family. I feel like I haven't seen them in forever! Anyone found any good job search websites?	amaciar	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-08-14 03:37:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Nic and I are on our way to Auckland tomorrow. His interview is on Weds and I am ready to have the interview done with so we know when we can go home. The process sounds like it is a little less overwhelming in NZ and that the ladies are looking to help you. So we are just hoping we have all the info we need as they are processing our I-864 at the same time. Will let you know how it goes. There are a few people with interviews next week aren't there?	amaciar	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-08-10 23:46:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Congrats Michelle How is the job hunting going Gshennen? My hisband and I are starting to feel the stress a bit now. Our interview is next week and there is no reason we shouldn't sail through but the little things are starting to stress us out. The doctor we went to is not helping the situation. At the moment I can't remember his name as my husband has been dealing with him mostly but we found out today he only works one day a week! We thought it was a bit strange when we went in that he said the medical may take 6 weeks. And then today we called up to have my husbands vaccination requirements faxed to his family doctor and we learn he won't be in the office til the day before the interview We should have known when he said that it was no big deal if the paperwork made it after the interview and "whats a few extra weeks really"!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now I am sure you all know what a few extra weeks is in this whole stressful experience. But we are being positive and hoping the medical makes it in time. So I guess what I am trying to say is don't go to the doctor in Wellington that is listed on the Imigrations list! Vent over	amaciar	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-08-06 01:39:00