ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
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
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
LOL @ turn the lights off & pretend you arent home laughing.gif

I bought a bag of Halloween Snickers from Target the other week.. but I accidentally ate them all - oops! I think I will have to get another bag cos there are quite a few kids that live around here and I'm sure they'll come knocking!

At work they are doing a costume competition.. and a lot of people in my department have been talking about their costumes. I guess I'm a little shy and new to this because there is no way I'd wear a Halloween costume to work no0pb.gif
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-10-27 22:12:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
Welcome back Kath! SOunds like you had a great time over there

Cham- nope, there isnt a special immigrant baggage allowance. The allowance for all flights to/from the USA is 2 x 23kg bags per passenger. Anything over that and you will have to pay an excess baggage fee (varies, so check with the airline you are flying with) (Qantas is the exception as they allow 2 x 32kg)

The medical is pretty standard stuff.. medical history, vaccination history, physical exam, plus x-ray for TB and blood test for syphillis and HIV.

hope this helps!

Edited by kaffy, 23 October 2008 - 06:57 PM.

kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-10-23 18:54:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
yes and it was HORRIBLE!!! What were they thinking!?!?!

My husband and I both like the Aussie version but we found this one plain stupid
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-10-10 18:54:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
QUOTE
Just a quick question for those Aussie's that have moved to the States..............was just wondering how you all moved your belongings over there? I'm not planning on taking any furniture with me, but I hope to take my books, dvd's, cd's and alot of my picture frames, vases, knick-knacky stuff to make the place feel like home!


Packed everything we could in our suitcases (5 x 23kg bags.. airline gave us an extra bag for free) then sent the rest (4 x 10kg) via sea-mail. It's about $100/10kg and takes about 8-10 weeks to arrive. Keep in mind if you bring DVDs they may not play unless you have a region-free player. hope this helps!

Edited by kaffy, 06 October 2008 - 09:02 AM.

kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-10-06 09:01:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
Have fun!!
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-10-03 12:06:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
QUOTE (Kath @ Sep 26 2008, 05:13 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
congrats to you kaffy...hope you enjoy the new job...and make some good work mates..is the job similar to what you use to do in australia


Thanks Kath! yes.. sort of. My degree's in health science and I have some experience working in health - I was a medical receptionist and dental assistant while I was in uni. I'm at the very start of my career though and soo glad to have been hired for this job! I tried for months to get an entry-level health admin job back in Brisbane and had no luck - kept getting told I had too much education, not enough work experience headbonk.gif So yeah.. I really like it here laughing.gif

What did everyone do this weekend?
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-09-28 19:46:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
I got the job! yaay
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-09-25 13:59:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
That's wonderful! Congratulations and I hope you guys are reunited soon smile.gif

re: job interview at hospital. They have contacted my references... this is a good thing I hope!
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-09-24 09:11:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
Hi all, I interviewed this morning for a Health information tech job at one of the hospitals nearby... hope I get it!! I am soo tired of sitting around at home during the day.. I neeed a job

How long did it take you all to find your first jobs here?
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-09-22 14:51:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
Hi All

USCIS sent me three welcome notices... but they can't get my name right wacko.gif They've put my first name and middle name in different orders on my visa, my SSC and now my welcome letter. I made an InfoPass appointment because I need to make sure they issue it correctly on my green card. silly government!
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-09-16 12:16:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
LOL either that thing is huge or you are tiny tongue.gif
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-09-06 12:08:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
QUOTE (densusan @ Aug 28 2008, 05:44 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Congrats Kaffy and welcome to the USA! I've just been back to Australia for 3 weeks and I too arrived back here on the 24th August and thought just maybe we might have been on the same flight! Qantas flight 73 from Sydney to San Francisco was the one............just curious.


Hey Susan, no I don't think it was me.. I flew direct into Seattle

J_Girl- yes, it's soo lush and green here, rainy too - complete opposite to Brisbane laughing.gif
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-08-27 20:45:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
I made it! Like Kath said POE was uneventful (but a little slow). Think I was the only one of the new immigrants waiting there who spoke any English huh.gif ah well.. I'm just glad to be "home" So far am loving the neighborhood - everything here is so green and lush which makes up for the rain laughing.gif Customs officer said that my SSN would be sent to be in 4-6 weeks but if I wanted it sooner I just have to go down in person so I might try and get it done today.

kiwiana- try this link: http://www.newzealan..._clearance.html
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-08-25 07:43:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
Thanks Kath! My visa says it was issued 19 August - which means it took a whole week between my interview and when they issued it ohmy.gif Oh well.. I have everything I need now and will fly out tomorrow which is what matters!

Good luck with your I-751 process! Hope it all goes well for you!
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-08-20 17:45:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
nevermind, finally got it! don't know what the delay was but I don't care.. just glad that it's over tongue.gif
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-08-19 23:25:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
*sigh* still no passport or response from the Consulate...
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-08-19 02:12:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
Nothing came on Friday and when I rang Australia Post today to enquire if the package had been sent they said they have no record of it sad.gif

I sent the Consulate an email last night but I'm not sure when they'll get back to me.. and I tried to call them before but they said the information is not available over the phone and I need to contact them by email or post

I am starting to panic because I fly out in 4 days!
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-08-17 17:47:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
Hi guys, just wondering how soon after your interview was your visa posted to you?

My interview was on Tuesday and the letter I got said it should leave their office within 2 business days of the interview.. meaning it should have been sent out Thursday.. and assuming the Express Post envelope is an overnight one, I should have received it by today
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-08-15 00:10:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
thanks Kath! Here's my review copy & pasted over from the Aussie thread in the DCF forum

My appointment was scheduled for 9am and so I got to the Consulate at about 8.30am. There was a minor hiccup at the security check since my interview letter was in my married name and all my ID was in my maiden name. But in the end she let me in and I made my way up to level 59(?). I took a ticket (#11 and it was only 8.35 - busy day there), sat down and waited. It took about an hour before I was called (the other IV applicants there seemed to have some problems with their paperwork and so it was taking a while to process theirs). Anyway I eventually got called to Window 3- friendly lady. I handed over the documents that my Packet 4 asked me to bring (marriage cert, passport, one photograph, Japanese police check). She took them, and asked me to head over to window 8 to pay the fee. The Packet 4 letter said it was $AUD460 but when I got to the window the lady asked for just $440 so I happily paid that and walked away with an extra 20 bucks in my pocket. I returned to Window 3 and the lady returned some of my original documents to me and handed me a 4-page "Pre-Departure Notice for Conditional Permanent Residents" document which she asked me to read. She said it looks like everything is in order and asked me to sit down and wait to be fingerprinted. I sat back down and waited.. she spent about 10mins or so reviewing my documents and making sure everything was in order before passing my file onto Window 5. Lady in widow 5 was busy juggling IV fingerprinting and NIV applications so I had a 10 min or so wait before I was called. Fingerprint was easy and she asked me to sit down and wait for my interview. Another 10min or so wait, then I got called to Window 6. Friendly officer, he asked a few general questions.. if I can remember they were:
1. How long have you been married for? almost 2 yrs (haha I made a mistake.. it's actually 1.5yrs)
2. Where is your husband? flew back to the States on Sunday
3. Where are you intending on moving to? Seattle
Is your husband from Washington? yes, he was born in Port Angeles
4. Have you been to the US before? yes, twice
5. Did you study there? no
6. How long have you been in Australia? been back for less than a year
7. Where were you before that? Japan
8. Did you get married in Japan? yes
um.. I think that's it. I was all prepared with my supporting documents (which I brought for the second time to Sydney!) but he didnt ask to see anything. I even offered to show him my photos but he said no, he didn't need to see them because it sounds like we have a genuine relationship. Anyway I wasn't going to argue with him on that and he handed me the 'Instructions for Receiving Your Immigrant Visa' letter, congratulated me and said my visa will be issued in a few days (I heard 24-48working hours from the other Consular officers).
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-08-14 03:08:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
Sorry, just another question about the interview - will it be a problem if my husband (USC) doesnt attend the interview with me? It was always our intention for him to accompany me (like how I went to the I-130 appt with him) but we are having trouble with flights right now and at this stage it looks like he'll have to fly out of Oz a few days before my interview
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-07-23 22:45:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
QUOTE (Liam and Sam @ Jul 24 2008, 12:15 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (kaffy @ Jul 23 2008, 05:41 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Hey guys what time is the Consulate in Sydney open from?

I have a 9am appointment for my visa and want to arrive a little earlier



We had a 9am appointment for our K1 visa but went early. We got there at about 7:45 and they let us through. We actually did our interview long before our appointment even started. I think officially they open at 8am.


Great thanks! I fly in at 7.30 so I might just head straight there from the airport
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-07-23 16:29:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
Hey guys what time is the Consulate in Sydney open from?

I have a 9am appointment for my visa and want to arrive a little earlier
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-07-23 05:41:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
Hi Aussies just checking in biggrin.gif So far things are progressing along quickly with my DCF. I hope to receive my interview notice soon since husband is scheduled to fly to the States on Aug 10 (or 15 if a seat opens up) and I don't want to be apart from him for too long. Wish me luck!

How is everyone else doing?
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-07-17 05:45:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
Depends if she is still an Australian resident for tax purposes. Info here:
http://www.ato.gov.a.......mp;st=&cy=1

I left Australia myself in 2005 and lived and worked overseas for 2 years. I did not file tax returns for the time I was away because I considered myself a non-resident (I was removed from electoral roll, I had no intention of returning)

Edited by kaffy, 11 July 2008 - 08:39 PM.

kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-07-11 20:38:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
Just checking in with some good news! My I-130 petition has been approved tongue.gif which means it took them exactly a week to process the Adam Walsh check
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-07-02 19:05:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
QUOTE (Kath @ Jun 23 2008, 07:35 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
hi kaffy
not sure on what the dcf for sydney is doing now a days..you could always email the consulate to give you a rough idea of the waiting time...you will do fine im sure...


I spoke to them on Thursday and they said the standard processing time is 2-4 months.. so now we wait yes.gif

QUOTE (k32007 @ May 22 2008, 09:02 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
My wife has not changed her name yet but wants to do so. She has her interview in Sydney on May 27th. Can we request that they add an "additional alias" to the visa (eg with my last name) so that if she gets a new passport with my last name that things will "pass muster" when she shows her old passport with the visa along with her new passport with the new name?


I'm not sure if I saw the same lady as everyone else because the (American) lady who processed our paperwork for our I-130 was very nice to us. Anyway all my formal ID (passport, drivers license, etc) is in my maiden name and I havent been able to change it yet due to silly QLD residency requirements. I included a letter in my paperwork explaining this and she read through this quickly then offered to have them issue my green card in my married name, with a reference to my (official) maiden name. (And depending on how quickly my visa gets processed I will either change my name officially here before I go, or after I arrive there.)

Edited by kaffy, 01 July 2008 - 12:00 AM.

kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-06-30 23:57:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
^adding to the above post

Husband (USC) has his I-130 appointment in Sydney this Thursday. I will fly down with him we'll do some sightseeing while we are there. He's starting grad school in September - very last minute decision, believe me had I known we'd be moving back this August I would have started the DCF process months ago. I've booked his air ticket already for 22 August but I havent booked my ticket yet as I don't know how long my visa will take to process. I am hopeful though that if I am organised enough and the Consulate is kind to me that I can make it over there by early/mid-September. Am I being realistic or is it just wishful thinking?
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-06-21 03:04:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
Hello all. Anyone else here doing DCF through Sydney at the moment?
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-06-21 02:23:00
Asia: East and PacificLAND DOWNUNDER
Hello all, newbie here!

I am cross-posting this from the DCF forum, hope u dont mind

QUOTE
I am a dual Australian-Taiwanese citizen.
I moved to Japan in August 2005 for work and met my husband (USC) there.
In February 2007 we were married on paper in Japan (wedding ceremony was held in July in Hawaii)
In March 2007 we applied for his Aussie spousal visa through the Tokyo embassy and it was a fairly quick and painless process, if I remember correctly we received his visa around 8 weeks after filing.
In August 2007 we both finished our work contracts in Japan and he moved to Australia with me.
We initially wanted to settle here, raise a family, etc but have now decided we would like to be closer to his family and so we're looking at applying for my US spousal visa and moving over there.
My husband will obtain his Aussie PR in May 2009 so we would be looking at moving over sometime after July/August 2009.

How early would I need to start the application process? and is there anything I can begin preparing now?


thanks in advance!
kaffyFemaleAustralia2008-04-08 18:01:00
Asia: East and PacificNeed help
http://tokyo.usembas...tacs-7114a.html

Note the US Embassy can't perform or register the marriage but they can provide him with a document he needs to enable him to do so - the Affidavit of Competency to Marry.
kaffyFemaleAustralia2009-03-05 15:06:00
Asia: East and PacificAussies Going or Gone through IR Process
Hi Corinne, have a look here:
http://www.visajourn.../filterlist.php

Search for CR/IR1 and set the beneficiary country to Australia
kaffyFemaleAustralia2009-03-18 17:54:00
Asia: East and PacificPhone Card to call Australia
Try Skype

kaffyFemaleAustralia2009-03-21 23:38:00
Asia: East and PacificName Change
Hi Susan, I don't know what the rules in SA are like but in QLD they refuse to accept an overseas (outside of Australia) marriage certificate as a valid evidence for (free) name change and instead I'd have to lodge an official name change application and pay the fee. My situation was complicated further by the fact that I was not born in Australia and so I had to resume residency there for 12 months before submitting my application (soo stupid that they would not consider my past 11+ years of residency). Anyway I moved to the US exactly one day before my 12 months was up so I was kind of screwed. Luckily I found out from the Aussie Embassy in Washington D.C. a few months ago that I could use my overseas marriage certificate to change my name on my citizenship certificate first, then use that to update the name on my passport using the PC8 form. The name change for the citizenship certificate is $AU55 which actually works out cheaper than the BDM fee of $AU130. I'm going do to it in a couple of months once my husband's Aussie spousal visa second-stage-processing (similar to CR1->IR1 removal of conditions) is complete and can post my reviews later if you like.

kaffyFemaleAustralia2009-06-01 14:37:00
Asia: East and PacificShipping Company Reccommendation from Japan?
Friends of ours had 2 small children, furniture, piano, etc (basically enough stuff to fill half a container) so they used an international removalist service. We didn't have quite as many belongings and found it easier just to pack everything in boxes and send them via sea mail through Japan Post. I think we sent about 10 or 11 of the largest size JPost boxes. Price is calculated based on weight and the service is reliable and the boxes arrived within the given timeframe
kaffyFemaleAustralia2009-06-01 19:14:00
Asia: East and PacificAustralian Police Checks
^ if your fiance is not Australian he is not required to obtain an Australian police check unless he has been in Australia for over 12 months
kaffyFemaleAustralia2009-07-06 12:04:00
Asia: East and PacificAustralian Police Checks
Yes, you must have the fingerprint check. My Packet 3 was sent via email and they linked me to this page on their website:
http://canberra.usem...ertificate.html

The instructions for every state say that you need to be fingerprinted. The link also says that the listed feess are subject to change and to check with the local police office for the most current fee
kaffyFemaleAustralia2009-04-28 07:58:00
Asia: East and PacificMelbourne medical...
Link to my Brisbane medical: http://www.visajourn...p;#entry1991680

And a general information post I later wrote: http://www.visajourn...h...t&p=2918945


kaffyFemaleAustralia2009-07-16 08:00:00
Asia: East and PacificReturning to Australia with Family
adding - 5 years is not necessarily a bad thing because by then, you and your husband will be married past the 5 year "limit" and he will automatically be granted a subclass 100 permanent resident visa for australia, he won't need to get the temporary first then 2 years later do second stage processing

edit to add- also found some possibly good news for you in the VJ FAQ page

QUOTE
If you came to the United States on a K2 visa, you can apply for citizenship 5 (five) years after approval of Adjustment of Status, as only spouses of US Citizens are eligible to apply for Naturalization after 3 years. However, if a K2 is very young, it is possible that they may be naturalized along with the parent, if the parent becomes naturalized before the K2 turns 18.


http://www.visajourn...ralization.html

Edited by kaffy, 18 July 2009 - 01:39 PM.

kaffyFemaleAustralia2009-07-18 13:36:00
Asia: East and PacificReturning to Australia with Family
It's not when she arrived, it's the fact that she isn't the spouse of a US citizen.. it says that it takes 3 years for spouses but 5 years for everyone else
kaffyFemaleAustralia2009-07-18 13:30:00