ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
whoo hooo!!!
kaffyFemaleAustralia2009-02-20 21:36:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
Oh dear.. whoever did the address update made a huge mistake. Not only did they get the house number wrong (they put 3992 when it should be 3922)... they got the entire country wrong all together!

I just found out the documents were sent to WESTERN AUSTRALIA!??!

erm.. shouldnt the 5 digit zip code and the letters "USA" tell you that it's not in Australia?

rolleyes.gif jest.gif
kaffyFemaleAustralia2009-02-19 19:34:00
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I need to rant sad.gif

In my experience DIAC (department of immi and citizenship in Aust) is faaaar worse than USCIS.

Earlier in the month I tried to contact the Brisbane office as I had a few inquiries about our upcoming second stage processing for my husband's spousal visa. I couldn't find a direct +61 7 number to dial (they only list a 13 number which I can't dial) so I sent them an email asking them to give me their direct number. They responded with some silly excuse that they could help with my inquiry via email so that I didn't have to spend money on an expensive phone call. Fine, whatever, so I emailed them the questions I had.

Now 2 weeks and a bunch of misdirected emails later I find out that some doofus updated our mailing address incorrectly on the system (I sent the change of address form to them last October) and a package of documents they were said to have mailed out to us in January went to that address (which doesnt exist). Blah! I responded back immediately asking them to correct the mistake and re-send the documents to us.. that was 3 days ago and the only correspondance I have received so far was them wanting to reconfirm my name and DOB - uhmmm.. couldnt you just scroll up the email and read it from there?!

So much for them wanting to save me money on a phone call (not expensive by the way since I have skype). The time I have had to spend chasing these monkeys up has cost me far more than ONE telephone call which could have easily resolved the issues!
kaffyFemaleAustralia2009-02-19 19:18:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
QUOTE (AnnexoxShay @ Feb 18 2009, 12:44 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Im also nervous about the police report getting to the embassy, I still havent received notification that its completed and forwarded to the embassy ... Unfortunately in Qld you dont get the report yourself it gets forwarded to the embassy on your behalf ...


Call them and they will tell you when it was completed and sent to the Consulate (i think it's a 38 something number). When I rang to inquire about mine I found out that it was finished about a week after I applied for it which is pretty quick i reckon
kaffyFemaleAustralia2009-02-18 22:14:00
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I don't know about extended stay visas in the US but won't you still have to fly back to Sydney for your interview?

I think if you asked in the K-1 forum you'd get plenty more views and responses smile.gif
kaffyFemaleAustralia2009-02-12 09:29:00
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Good luck with your job hunting smile.gif

AnnexoxShay- I was craving tinned beetroot the other day. I havent looked yet to see if they have it instore yet. If they dont I might try and 'make' it myself

And as for Milo.. I drink choc nesquik instead now tongue.gif
kaffyFemaleAustralia2009-02-11 23:11:00
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I like the food here better than in Australia blush.gif I just find that there's better variety, fresher selection of produce, better quality meats, etc

And the few things I do miss from home (meat pies, sausage rolls, etc) I can easily make tongue.gif
kaffyFemaleAustralia2009-02-10 09:22:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
haha heeey my medical was during winter.. the extra hair keeps me warm blush.gif laughing.gif
kaffyFemaleAustralia2009-02-10 00:16:00
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You can get Tim Tams here at CostPlus WorldMarket stores biggrin.gif

oh and another tip about the medical.. don't wear daggy undies because you will have to strip down to your bra and undies for the physical exam bit- i wish i had known cos I would have shaved my legs laughing.gif
kaffyFemaleAustralia2009-02-09 21:56:00
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Don't be nervous about the medical smile.gif It's really basic and straightforward... and remember to have some water before your appointment because you will have to give a urine sample laughing.gif
kaffyFemaleAustralia2009-02-09 21:24:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
QUOTE (AnnexoxShay @ Feb 10 2009, 09:09 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Do I actually need to have the medical and submit the results before I can file the DSL-1076 with all the required documents and the medical result .... or can I file the DSL_1076 and then have the medical while I wait for an interview time/date...


The results of the medical need to be submitted along with everything else. Are you getting it done at the Anzac Square Medical Center? If so they are really quick.. I called to make my appointment on Thursday and they were able to fit me in the following Monday. I had the exam, including blood test and lung x-ray and received everything back from them 2 days later (the delay is because you have to wait for the lab to do the bloodwork). My results came in an unsealed envelope and the instructions were to make 2 copies for myself and send the originals along to the Consulate. So in total it took about a week, and during that time I was able to get the other documents I needed together.

Hope this helps!
kaffyFemaleAustralia2009-02-09 19:47:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
QUOTE (Dazza's Girl @ Feb 8 2009, 04:53 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Hi Im new to this site..
Just wondering if anyone has applied for a Fiance Visa to live in Australia...If so how long did the whole process take..
Im here in the USA just a lonely girl wanting to get to her Aussie..lol
Thanks for any replies...
Bella


Hi, my husband has an Aussie spousal visa which we applied for off shore in Japan. The process from start to finish took about 2 months - similar timeline as the DCF we did in Sydney for my US visa. I think the processing time depends on where your Aussie citizen fiance/husband sponsor lives. If they live in Australia they would apply for it on shore which can take longer than offshore applications.

Goonluka- I bought a one way ticket from Brisbane - Seattle thru Taipei. Paid about $1200 incl taxes and surcharges for travel last August. It was the cheapest ticket I could find, had a return ticket been cheaper I would have booked that instead.

Edited by kaffy, 08 February 2009 - 01:29 AM.

kaffyFemaleAustralia2009-02-08 01:28:00
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You are a PR and u are fully authorized to work biggrin.gif

I'm on a CR1 visa too (won't be removing conditions until 2010) and I've been working since last October with no problems
kaffyFemaleAustralia2009-02-04 19:42:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
congratulations Susan!! Wow 11 months.... looooong wait!

You should be able to file for naturalization soon, right?
kaffyFemaleAustralia2009-01-29 20:57:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
QUOTE (Philzor @ Jan 20 2009, 09:36 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Thank you all for your help smile.gif

Sorry i didnt know this was just for marriage and family sad.gif


I'm afraid a working visa would be near impossible to get. Unless you are working for a company in Australia that has a US base which will sponsor you for a secondment, or if you have an advanced degree in specialty occupation, etc you wouldn't qualify.

For someone like yourself I think your options would be:
1. 3 month holiday on the Visa Waiver Permit (no working permitted)
2. Foreign exchange program for a semester or two through your university (some work may be permitted)
3. Working at a summer camp or as an au pair (these come under the J-class exchange visitor visa)
kaffyFemaleAustralia2009-01-20 20:21:00
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Please don't take this the wrong way but I think your boyfriend may still be a little young to file a visa petition for you.

Have you met in person before?

Edited by kaffy, 19 January 2009 - 08:07 PM.

kaffyFemaleAustralia2009-01-19 20:06:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
Hey I noticed you're in Portland. It's nice to see more Aussies in the northwest biggrin.gif We are probably moving down to Vancouver (Washington) later this year so it will be nice to be close to the tax free shopping u guys have laughing.gif
kaffyFemaleAustralia2009-01-15 09:37:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
Congrats!!!!
kaffyFemaleAustralia2009-01-12 22:21:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
of course you can bring vegemite here! The "ban" was a hoax laughing.gif
kaffyFemaleAustralia2009-01-08 00:36:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
Congrats on the approval!!!
kaffyFemaleAustralia2009-01-07 20:26:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
Yep, you need the fingerprints one. I guess they must've raised the prices though because when I got it in July it was $146 soemthing.

The one you get from QLD police covers the whole of Australia
kaffyFemaleAustralia2009-01-06 10:02:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
here ya go... our second snow




kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-12-18 11:46:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
Brrr Cham! and here I am freezing my butt off in the 29F "cold"

The snow & ice we had from the weekend was finally gone by yesterday afternoon but we had another one overnight and this time there's about 2-3 inches on the ground. So in true Seattle style I've called in absent to work laughing.gif I might try going in midday if it's melted a bit but for now I'm staying put.

I'll take some pics later when it's brighter out
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-12-18 10:34:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
We got dressed up in our warm winter gear to go for a walk.. walked outside, made it down the street and around the corner then came right back! laughing.gif There was a thin layer of ice under the snow and I didn't want to risk killing myself.

Does it snow lots out there? If it does I highly recommend Yaktrax http://www.yaktrax.com/

When I lived in northern Japan (tonnes of snow) I wore these on my shoes and they kept me from falling over
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-12-14 21:17:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
Yay! I'm so happy things are moving along smoothly for those of you still in the visa process. Here's to hoping that things speed through quickly from now til the end!

ps- we had our first snow in Seattle last night
went to bed with this


and woke up to this




at last it's finally winter!! kicking.gif
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-12-14 16:36:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
QUOTE (annax @ Dec 12 2008, 06:10 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Speaking of which, maybe you aussies can help. I want to bring a present for my fiance's family of stuff that is uniquely american/californian, but I cant think of what! Seems that everything I can think of (napa valley wine, specialty chocolates, etc) already has an Australian equivalent that is probably better! So what sorts of things can you find in America that you cant find very easily in Australia? (that isnt gross like spray cheese)


Congrats on the interview date! Do you guys have Made in California stores down there? We have Made in Washington and Made in Oregon gift shops up here in the northwest and they're great for finding nice gifts for out of town guests. I recently sent my parents their christmas package and filled it with some food, tea & coffee I got from the Made in Washington store

otherwise do they like chocolates? Ghirardelli is one they can't get in Australia and a lot of my Aussie friends who have been to the States always take lots back with them. Don't worry if there is an Australian equivalent.. to them it's still different and new and something to be excited about
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-12-11 20:13:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
um.. I don't like vegemite either

that's two strikes right? laughing.gif
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-12-05 20:55:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
haha I don't drink beer. How un-Aussie like of me tongue.gif
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-12-05 09:52:00
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Yup! I am just across Lake Washington in Kirkland. Love it here biggrin.gif I havent met any other Aussies around here though so I am totally up for a meet as long as someone can bring Monte Carlo biccies and BBQ shapes!
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-12-04 20:17:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
Congratulations Chris!!! Told ya it would be easy tongue.gif They didn't question the genuine-ness (sp?) of our relationship either and we had only been married 1.5 yrs. I was totally expecting to be interrogated but o well

If Idaho borders Washington (my geography sucks) then I'm your neighbour too.. but am out in western Washington. Good luck with your move
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-12-04 10:04:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
congrats Kath!! how soon till you file for citizenship? (if you plan on doing so)
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-12-01 21:02:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
Hey ananx- I submitted everything on the checklist to them by mail with the exception of one item (my Japanese police certificate) which I didnt receive back until the day before the interview so I just took that along with me.
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-12-01 11:54:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
Don't stress about it. Everyone at the Consulate is really lovely. The questions they ask aren't even really questions, more like chit chat. Also, during my interview they didn't ask to see a single bit of supporting evidence that we were a genuine married couple - I was a bit disappointed after I had spent hours gathering documents and photos together and carrying them all the way to Sydney (twice! once when we filed the I-130 and a second time when we had my interview) but it doesn't matter, it just goes to show that they Australia isn't a high fraud country and because of that they aren't a difficult Consulate to deal with.

If you click on the 'My Timeline' link under my name it should take you to a review of my interview.

Have fun in Sydney!
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-11-25 09:55:00
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ohh lamingtons are YUM!! do you have a recipe?

Day before Thanksgiving I work till 3 and then we're going to drive down to Vancouver. I am hoping/praying that we don't get stuck in traffic but chances are we probably will.. blah! Gonna spend Thanksgiving down there with his family for a few days. I'm REALLY excited cos it's going to be my first American thanksgiving biggrin.gif
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-11-23 18:47:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
Hi all! What's everyone got planned for Thanksgiving? biggrin.gif
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-11-23 12:32:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
QUOTE (annax @ Nov 15 2008, 05:24 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (kaffy @ Nov 14 2008, 06:58 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
You can specify on the form which address you want it sent to. Whether his or the consulate's- it's his choice. I had it sent to them just so it would save me trouble on mailing it.. but if you want to get it done ahead of time go ahead and have it sent to him. Just make sure he doesnt open it or else it becomes invalid. He should receive it back after/at his interview because they returned both of mine to me (Aus & Japanese police certificates)


does it come in some special packaging or something? what shouldn't you open exactly that would make it invalid?


It comes in an envelope. Not sure about the Australian once since I had it sent to the Consulate, but the Japanese one I picked up myself in person and it said clearly that "Japanese Police Certificates are sealed. If the seal is broken, the certificate is no longer valid. Do not open the certificate prior to submission to the Embassy/Consulate."

I guess they don't want the results to be tampered with, etc
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-11-14 21:11:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
You can specify on the form which address you want it sent to. Whether his or the consulate's- it's his choice. I had it sent to them just so it would save me trouble on mailing it.. but if you want to get it done ahead of time go ahead and have it sent to him. Just make sure he doesnt open it or else it becomes invalid. He should receive it back after/at his interview because they returned both of mine to me (Aus & Japanese police certificates)
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-11-14 09:58:00
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^ You have to get the one with fingerprints and when I got mine in July it cost about $149, the cheaper one is for the name check only.
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-11-14 01:12:00
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I had to collect my medical results from the doctor's office and mail it along to them.
The (Aussie) police check was forwarded directly to the Consulate.. this is the case for QLD and NSW but I think for other states it gets sent to you first.

The medical results took about 2 days to process as they had to wait for the blood work to come back from the lab
The police check took about a week. I think you should be able to send in your readiness once you have done them both
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-11-11 20:34:00
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Annax - I suppose you could re-schedule if you really needed to but they give you plenty of notice (they notified me 3 weeks in advance before my interview date) and I think it's really something worth making time for.
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-11-09 13:57:00