Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (yankiwi @ Jul 17 2008, 04:30 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> We just got notification of our interview date, August 19th! Hi There Our interview for me is August 19th as well. 8.30am for me. Cheers Grant	gshennen	Male	New Zealand	2008-07-17 03:24:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Oh yeah - congrats Kelzm on getting through the interview etc, and for the review of the consulate. I'm always glad, when reading the Auckland Consulate reviews, that this is where the interview takes place, the seem to go out of their way to help. Cheers Grant	gshennen	Male	New Zealand	2008-07-15 20:16:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Welcome along Lux. Congrats Ruby - must be great to finally be there. No further news our end, we are just hanging out waiting for my interview in Aug (well Brook is hanging out, I'm working like mad to make sure I have my current projects wrapped up so I can leave with a clean slate), and starting to put together a plan of the logisitcs of the whole pick up the family and move them across the world thing (especially when our kids will only be 20 months and 5 months old at the time). I have also basically finished my CV/Resume and will start the great job hunt soon. Hope everyone else is making progress, no matter how slow and tedious it may seem to be. It has occured to me how tough it must be for those of you who aren't physically together through all of this, it must be very very hard, and our thoughts are with you (we were talking about this the other night). Cheers Grant	gshennen	Male	New Zealand	2008-07-15 20:13:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Kim - that's sad about your brother, hopefully it all works out well for you and your family in the long run. Thanks for the naming of the Sattelite company (Setanta) that plays the rugby - this is something I will miss a lot. I was in the US during the Lions series a couple of years ago, and couldn't find anywhere airing the games (and Brook's parents had an endless number of channels on their sattelite provider). I had to ring home and get someone to tape the games, and I only got the results via the Web the next day. Julie and Allan - A fair majority of my work now in Commercial Construction Project Management and other services around this such as construction logistics etc), not sure if this is Allan's game at all, but I'm keen for input/opinions on approaching companies in my search for a job (we are pretty open to anywhere around the Bay Area, San Jose, Sacramento areas. I have started to create a bit of a "hit list" of potential employers. Hope all is well with everyone else, and that progress is being made. Cheers Grant	gshennen	Male	New Zealand	2008-07-06 18:34:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (KimandRuss @ Jul 3 2008, 12:59 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Grant, my brother lived in Menlo Park for quite some time while working for SUN. It's a beautiful area. Good luck with your job search! Did you try to move your interview date up? Maybe you're in no rush and don't care to. I just know others have had theirs expedited...I certainly know we're going to try! We haven't tried to move my interview date up at all. I have two big contracts that finish in late August so we are not in any hurry to make too many plans until they finish up. Good luck with speeding your one up!! Cheers Grant	gshennen	Male	New Zealand	2008-07-03 01:49:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Only update here is that I got a copy of my medical results from the Dr. in the mail. All good. This was couriered to the Consulate on Monday (by the Dr.). Just a waiting game now until the interview in August. I am however updating my CV, and starting the look for a job in Northen California (Sacramento, Bay Area, San Jose etc) now. I have identified plenty of potential employers, so will get in touch with them over the next few weeks (just getting a couple of references written for me now). Will be hard being an employee again, at the moment I work for myself in a Project Management Consultant role, but there should be plenty of work in this field as an employee. Hope everyone else is going well, and making progress. Cheers Grant	gshennen	Male	New Zealand	2008-07-02 01:27:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (GnomeGrrl @ Jun 26 2008, 09:42 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I was about to ask you which one you were talking to - if it was the blonde American ... but you wouldn't know that by email. LOL. All the staff in there are lovely, but she really stands out. This is the lady that we spoke to, and helped us with the first lot of filing, arranged my interview date and time etc. She was brilliant, so very friendly and helpful, and was able to answer all of our questions (we had a fair few). Cheers Grant	gshennen	Male	New Zealand	2008-06-26 02:43:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	The medical was all very easy. Saw a nurse who looked took my height, weight, blood pressure, measured by lung function with a peak flow metre, gave me a Tetanus shot (I had not had one for years) and sent me to the doctor who checked my hearing, and sight, checked me for hernia's and then asked me a bunch of questions (a lot relating to any mental illness or alcohol/drug abuse). I then was sent to give blood to check for vaccinations. I then had a chest Xray. All was good with no problems at all (providing the blood samples show I have had all of the right vaccinations). They said they will ring me in a day or two just to confirm that all is ok and that they have sent the forms back to the Consulate. Cheers Grant	gshennen	Male	New Zealand	2008-06-25 15:54:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (kelzm @ Jun 23 2008, 07:08 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I've got my medical on Wednesday, made an appointment with Dr Marcus Stone in Remuera Snap!!, got my medical on Wednesday as well, but with Dr Daniels in Remuera instead. Wasn't given the cost (I didn't ask either). Interesting that the pink form asks for a recent payslip with the I864 - we don't have one from our joint sponsor (they are retired, so don't have one). However we will get them to provide proof of their retirement savings and 401k anyway. What was interesting at the consulate was that we were told not to worry too much about the I864. In fact the lady we spoke to said that the equity we have in our house (even if we don't sell it - which we aren't planning on doing) was more than enough to cover the level of assets needed to not even require a joint sponsor (but we have our bases covered). We had both Brook's and her parents (joint sponsors) I864's ready to submit with the first lot of paperwork, but were told not to worry now, just bring it to the interview. They were very casual about the whole thing. Cheers Grant	gshennen	Male	New Zealand	2008-06-23 03:16:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Oh - Brook also filed a G325a as well.	gshennen	Male	New Zealand	2008-06-17 19:33:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	We went to the Consulate in Auckland today, armed with everything we could think of possibly needing to kick the whole process off. The lady behind the window was brilliant. We basically filed (with the right supporting documentation) the I-130 (Brook filed), the DS230 (Part 1), the police clearance, the DS2001. We also had to pay the I-130 application fee. We then took a seat and waited, the same lady came back with an interview letter and date and medical check information for me (19 August is my interview date), we then waited a bit longer and were called up to see a Consulate Officer who had checked all of the forms, and made Brook swear an oath and then we were able to go. Lets hope the interview stage is as easy as well. Cheers Grant	gshennen	Male	New Zealand	2008-06-17 19:29:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (kelzm @ Jun 13 2008, 03:24 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Do you have full birth certificates for both of you? Also my form for my interview stated I needed to bring in a recent payslip from my sponsor, even though they had the I-864 info on file, as well as his most recent tax return, so you may want to have something similar from Brooks folks. Thanks for your quick answer. Yes - we have both full birth certificates (and certified copies). Interesting about the recent pay slip from my sponsor. What we have it doesn't have anything about this, it asks for the latest IRS return (and if able the previous three years). We have all of these. Her parents are retired, so don't have payslips. Hopefully we don't need to provide these...however it will not be a show stopper, just a minor hold up. Cheers Grant	gshennen	Male	New Zealand	2008-06-13 01:14:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Thanks for the welcome guys. Right my first question - if you think I will get a better answer in the DCF section let me know, but I understand that each Consulate has their own procedures, so thought getting a NZ perspective might get me the best answer. We have the following forms completed and ready to file: Brook: - I-130 - G325A - I-864 (hers) - I-864 (her parents are my co-sponsors as Brook lives in NZ, and does not earn any income in the US, apart from a small amount of interest on money in the bank there) Me: - DS-230 (Part I) - NZ Police Clearance Form - G325a - DS2001 - Readiness Statement - Cover Letter We also have all of the supporting documents we need (very recent passport photos, marraige licence, proof we actually are a proper married couple - although our two kids should be evidence enough etc). Right after all that, here is my question....It is our intention to file all of these together on Wednesday. Is this what we should be doing? We have rung the 0900 number, but the person on the other end was not overly helpful, and seemed suggest I post in my documents first (before Brook even files the I-130). This seemed contrary to what the instructions on the form says. We only live 10 minutes from the Consulate, so filing them in person is easy. Thanks in advance, Cheers Grant	gshennen	Male	New Zealand	2008-06-12 22:16:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Hi All This is my first post on here, but have been reading a lot of posts etc over the last few weeks. This site seems a great resource. My name is Grant, I am a very typical Kiwi male, raised in the Waikato, but now living in Auckland. My wife, Brook, is a US Citizen, born and raised in California and has been living in NZ for about 12 years. She is a dual citizen. We met about 5 years ago, and have been married for a little over 2 years. Brook retains US Bank accounts, credit cards and a California Drivers licence etc so we will be all set to hit the ground running when we get there. We have two children, boys aged 17 months, and 8 weeks old. Our boys are both dual citizens and have both NZ and US passports (crazy at their age, but that is the way things work). It was our intention to have two kids quite close together in age, and relocate to the USA once they were good to travel with. We are about to start the Immigration path for me to become a permanent resident. In fact we have all of the forms filled in and ready to file in the next few days (most likely early next week as I will be out of town on business for the next couple of days). Obviously we are going the DCF route (have actually been to and from the Consulate a lot lately getting the boys birth abroad, and passports etc organised. To date we have found the Consulate Staff to be brilliant and they go out of their way to help out. This is very encouraging. Anyway, that is enough from me. We are sure that we will not have any problems with the whole process, but I'm sure there will be times when I will ask questions on here. Once I workout the timeline thing, I will create one for us as well. Cheers, Grant	gshennen	Male	New Zealand	2008-06-10 18:48:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Hi all, Just thought I would touch base to let you know that I went and had my biometrics taken a couple of days ago. All went well. Now just waiting for my Work Authorization to come through and for the AOS process to roll on. Hope all your journeys are going along fine. Cheers, Mark	markjo	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-07-18 16:14:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Hi all, Just thought I would write a note to say I am in the US now. No problems at POE - came through LAX and it was quite quick. Lined up with Jo in the non US citizen line and the immigration officer dealt with the whole thing there and then - didn't have to go to another room or anything. He just checked through all my documents that were in the envelope. The only thing he asked for was some photos of us, as at the interview the CO gave me all the photos back and said they didn't need to stay in the file. We'll the immigration officer at the border asked for the photos - I had them all in my carry-on anyway so just handed them over to him. Did the fingerprints and photo, asked when we planned to get married and then just said to make sure we get married within 90 days and to file AOS afterwards. Was a friendly officer and didn't make it any harder than he needed too. Have bought a car, finishing touches on planning the wedding and getting organised for moving down to South Carolina in early August. Our wedding is on June 28th. KimandRuss - you asked a question about scheduling the medical. I rang up and got an appointment before I had Packet 3 - the doctors just said to make sure I bring in my passport, the photos and all documents I needed. They didn't ask for any numbers or anything. That was in Christchurch. So now we will be onto the next stages of things and AOS soon. Hope all of your journeys are going well. Best of luck. Cheers, Mark	markjo	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-06-03 10:47:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (KimandRuss @ Jul 18 2008, 02:53 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I'm born and raised in Leominster, MA. It's about an hour (40 miles) north west of Boston. I own the home my mom grew up in and my family all live within miles. We spend a lot of time together ...which is why Russell is moving here. Of course, we've known each other for 10 years and Russell has always been aware that I wouldn't want to leave here... right now anyway. I do agree tho, NZ is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Especially where he is... (opotiki)... his parents own some seaside maori land in whangarua bay as well. We'll be back as often as possible. Just a shame it's so far away. I'm actually in the IT field too but I work for myself. Small world. How neat you guys will meet up. Gee if we're approved this week perhaps we can get that Aug 19th date too! Let them know we're coming! Awww...when I was growing up I always wished we'd just live in one place with all our family around us! If things were that way I would have had a much harder time coming here. But, with growing up here, there, and everywhere, and having crazy family estranged from each other on both sides (seriously, my parents families are like soap operas) I've never been settled in one place. Problem is I get attached to the places I'm in at the moment, and every time I leave one I'm miserable for a while. I'm already moping about leaving NZ! We're plotting a few places to try and go before leaving since I won't be able to come into the country for over 2 years (since that's how long I've been here). *sighs* Why can't NZ be closer to the US?? My bank account would surely appreciate it MUCH more! It's incredible you've known each other for so long! And soon you'll be together...we'll keep hoping that August 19th interview date for him too!! I've often wondered if people in the IT industry have a higher rate of online romances than the general population. I don't work in IT, but all these couples have got me thinking that once I have my psych degrees and such sorted out online couple's therapy might be the way to go...and I married the perfect person to help me sort out the technical side of it! Cheers! Tiara	yankiwi	Female	New Zealand	2008-07-20 08:15:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (gshennen @ Jul 18 2008, 11:28 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Hi Tiara Cool - we will run into each other definately. You can listen to all my interview answers at the Consulate (the interviews don't appear to be the most private thing in the world). My wife (the USC) may not be there, as we have a young baby (Clay), and it may be easier if we do not bring him (less stress and all that). Although we are umm'ing and ahh'ing whether she comes. The lady in the Consulate said there was no need for her to be there if it was easier for her to stay home and look after Clay. Yes - we went the DCF route. We are pretty experienced with the Consulate now, as we have been there a few times to register our two kids as US Citizens, get them passports etc. We filed in person for my immigration Visa (just showed up with the paperwork, and the Consulate staff were brilliant). Security is easy and quick. They just make sure you are there for legitimate reasons, xray your bags etc, take your keys and cellphones off you, and let you in. There is sometimes a queue, but you won't wait longer than a few minutes even then. 9 am is probably the busiest time, so you may want to get there 15 minutes early. Cheers Grant Hey Grant, Ah yes, I've read that interviews are just done at a window, so that should be interesting. Thankfully in NZ we don't have to deal with some of the problems I've read about at other Consulates in regards to styles of questions that are asked. If we had a baby I'd be inclined to stay home as well, but would probably feel torn about it. I'm sure you'll both make the right decision when the day comes, sometimes these things are best decided in the spur of the moment! I'm glad to hear security isn't too much hassle. We live over on the North Shore so we'll have to head across the bridge before morning traffic (6:30-7am...meh) so we'll find a cafe to chill at for a bit and then head to the Consulate. Plus, I'm all too familiar with the odd things that tend to spring up when you've got an important appointment to make, so we'll be there early. LOL Cheers, Tiara	yankiwi	Female	New Zealand	2008-07-20 07:58:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (gshennen @ Jul 17 2008, 09:24 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Our interview for me is August 19th as well. 8.30am for me. Cheers Grant Hi Grant! 9 am for us! We're sure to run into each other since I hear sometimes the process can take a few hours (or at least their notice said so). Since I'm here in NZ we'll both be at the interview. How exciting! I'm biting my nails already... You did DCF, right? I'm assuming you went in person to file, how was the Consulate? Does getting through security take very long? Cheers! Tiara	yankiwi	Female	New Zealand	2008-07-17 08:15:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Michelle- We filled them out by hand after I ended up yelling at the program for a bit. We ended up filling them out several times until everything fit nicely and legibly, sent them the originals, and kept a photocopied set for ourselves. Kim- Good to meet you too! I can only imagine what you must be feeling. I hope your approval comes fast and you guys can push up the interview date. It's amazing how much trouble people have to go through to be with the ones they love. No one I know had any clue what all goes into trying to be together when you've fallen in love with someone half a world away. They all assumed as soon as we got married we'd be on the next flight to the US. *snort* I'm glad I've gotten the chance to live here though (even if we live in constant limbo). NZ is a beautiful country and I think that experiencing leaving everything to come here has made me more aware of just how much Chris will go through moving to the US. I've already found sources in the US for Kiwi food. LOL We'll move back here at some point, just not to Auckland (it reminds me of LA). I noticed you're an east coast girl, so am I! Although not Boston (really want to visit up there though), I'm from Maryland. My dad was in the military though so I moved like every 3 years. Still want to be back on the east coast, but right now I'll take anywhere Chris finds a good job (since I'll be going to school), so odds are it'll be more like Seattle or San Fransisco area (all the IT jobs). -Tiara	yankiwi	Female	New Zealand	2008-07-17 00:12:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Hey all! Nice to see all the Kiwi/American couples posting! When I joined this site last year there weren't many around so I didn't really get into posting. I moved to Auckland in June of 2006 so we could live together for a while before applying for a fiancee visa for my partner Chris. But after thinking about it we decided to just get married here and do DCF since there was no huge reason we needed to get married in the States. Of course, after getting new passports sorted out (we both changed our names) the Consulates were not accepting DCF due to the Adam Walsh Law. So we dealt with NZ immigration to try and extend my visitor's permit in hopes that the Consulates would be accepting DCF relatively soon. Well, they did, but because I was on a visitor's permit they decided that wasn't enough, so we had to file with USCIS instead. Trying to handle all that paperwork while not actually being present in the US has been an adventure, dealing with NZ immigration on top of that has been even more fun! But, it doesn't matter really because we've been able to stay together here. We really feel for all of you that are processing while living apart. We met online and so spent time apart until I was able to move here, but I'll never forget the feeling of being separated like that. We just got notification of our interview date, August 19th! A friend of ours in the States is handling Chris' side of things but she didn't receive any medical forms and we probably won't see my set of forms from NVC for another 3 weeks. I'm debating on whether we need to contact the Consulate for the information on the medical check since we don't have any of those forms and mail between here and the NVC has been anywhere from 3-5 weeks for some odd reason. I've heard some Consulate horror stories but from the reviews I've read of the Auckland one the people there seem to be pretty efficient and helpful for the most part. I hope that's our experience too! *crosses fingers* Hope everyone is staying warm, or cool, depending on which side of the equator you're reading this from! Cheers! Tiara	yankiwi	Female	New Zealand	2008-07-16 23:30:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Hello, Was reviewing the site again for the next step in our process. Alan is from New Zealand and has been in the states for 18 months now...soon coming up on 2 year change of status. All is been going well for us...we have settled into married life in San Jose, Ca (my home town). I work for a non-profit in Palo Alto and he has his construction business. Yes, when he arrived here and was waiting for his work permit he took the General Contractor exam. Once he got the job permit, which took about 3 months after arriving in the states, so now he does projects for residential and construction companies. Of all the things Alan misses his Rugby (so signing up this week for Setanta sports via Satalite TV) and the summer time of Australia (he was living there when we met). Planning on trip back to NZ next year if we can get good prices on airfare. Oh yes he also has a side business...looks for classic cars for NZ folks who want to export. Loves the hobby since he is into 1960 car styles... You can email us if you want to know about the area... Bye for now Julie & Alan	AJ and JJ	Male	New Zealand	2008-07-04 00:58:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Hey everyone! Wow, lots of news and updates for everyone. Kim and Russ, I hope you guys hear soon. Kel, how'd everything go for you with the house? For those about to be interviewed, GOOD LUCK! We are very lucky in NZ. Our Consulate people are awesome! For my part, I'm wandering around my house trying to figure out how to fit everything in 2 suitcases. I have to figure it out quick, cos we're flying out August 10th! I don't know who's more excited ... me, Jeremy or the kids! LOL.	GnomeGrrl	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-07-18 06:41:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	It has been tough. Can't wait for it to be over! LOL. It does make sense, actually, in more ways than one. The amount you need to earn to be the sponsor isn't all that high when you break it down, particularly not when you've got kids. I wasn't asked for my CV, but I was asked if I intend to work in the US and he pointed out that while Jeremy does earn more than enough for the sponsorship requirements, we would probably struggle on one wage. I was about to ask you which one you were talking to - if it was the blonde American ... but you wouldn't know that by email. LOL. All the staff in there are lovely, but she really stands out.	GnomeGrrl	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-06-25 16:42:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	I wasn't asked for one, but then, different visa I guess, so possibly different guidelines. If they've suggested it'll be helpful, then have Russ take it for sure! I also sympathize with everyone missing their honey. I haven't seen mine since December 2006 - not even a flying visit.	GnomeGrrl	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-06-25 16:00:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	The process changed a little recently as far as what was required for you to submit etc, so it's probably a pretty recent addition. Either that or they got sick of people calling them to ask for clarification. I had the direct number too ... might have helped them add it in Good luck for your medicals, you two!	GnomeGrrl	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-06-23 03:21:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Kimandruss, I answered you via PM, but I'll add it here too. Both the ones we talked to brought up dual citizenship and gave us examples of why it was a good idea. Some of the examples were pretty elaborate, especially for the kids. I don't know why they did it and it surprised me, but it actually eased my mind a lot about it. Grant, and whoever else asked about the recent payslip, it wasn't noted on our forms either. I called and asked because it did mention the Affidavit of Support, which of course, had already been filed in the US, and was told to take the payslip. I was told it was because it takes a long time for the packet to get to the Consulate and things may have changed between the time it was filed and the time you're interviewed. Hope that helps clear it up a little. Our big news is that we'll be away in around 6 weeks. Finally!!!	GnomeGrrl	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-06-22 17:20:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Thank you ana, I appreciate your kind words. Justine!! Thanks! Are you having the time of your life???? So i'm quite sure my love will be calling Dr. Stone in just a matter of days. Hopefully he can fit him in next week and then we'll be able to expedite the interview! How very different it all feels now!	KimandRuss	Female	New Zealand	2008-08-13 19:52:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	APPROVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Look out Auckland......... here we come!!	KimandRuss	Female	New Zealand	2008-08-13 18:28:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Tiara, I know alot of people with SAD ... one of the reasons my brother (who's missing) moved to California. So I understand your concerns with New England and our long, cold winters. They are beautiful... but they're not always easy to live with. It is an amazing and beautiful place to live, tho. I hope you can find somewhere good for you body and soul. Kel, Russell will be calling Dr. Stone if and when we're ever approved! We contacted the Embassy in AUK ages ago about the AUS police cert. I want to say that NZ will handle that one too but i'm not 100% so i'll need to talk to Russell and ask him. Will let you know. You need one from each Country you've lived in for an extended period of time not every town/city. Well today is day 120 for us *sigh* ... how hard is it to approve a 10 year relationship, really? Getting frustrated!	KimandRuss	Female	New Zealand	2008-08-13 07:54:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	good Monday morning kiwi friends. sorry some of you aren't feeling too good. I've had something going on for a full week now too...not quite sure what it is. I'm going to blame it on the stress of waiting! Yeah Kel..the waiting has been hell. It's been more than 6 months since i've been in his arms and my body feels like it's just aching now. cdneh, you're probably already immune to almost everything. The very best to you Amy and Nic!!!! Please do keep us posted! Tiara, how exciting for you. Glad you're not having to part with anything you really love or invested in. I can't believe how much it costs to ship just a few small boxes! So you don't even know where you will be settling in the States yet? wow! You know, Massachusetts is quite nice. Chris.. I appreciate your well wishes and kind thoughts. We sure have had a long, hard road but we're getting there. I do try to be patient and optomistic because I don't really see the sense in letting it take more from me... but my blood pressure is telling a different story. When I think about that moment he's back in Boston and in my arms..I can barely breathe. I know it's coming.... So, it's the start of another week. I'm in touch with the couple next to us on Igor's list...same sent date, same noa1 date..same touches. We have been convinced we are in the same box all along and that our adjuticator was on vacation for a week or two and would be back today. Well, they were touched today!!! Perhaps our theory is right and we'll find our approval very soon. I sure hope so! We keep going over how long it will take to get our new case number, schedule the medical and how quickly we can expedite an interview to get him home! I wonder if it has to take two days to get the visa or if you can request that be expedited as well.... I wonder if they'd mind him camping out at the Embassy??? By the time he gets home it will be an entire year he's been gone. We're going to have 10 years to make up for! No problem!	KimandRuss	Female	New Zealand	2008-08-11 08:59:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Right before the fee increase last year they moved all I-129f's to the two centers (Vermont & California) only. Because they are funded by our petitions, after the influx, they hired and trained many new staff. There is also a new director and we know because of IMBRA and the Adam Walsh Act, there are new database checks. We can only really speculate on how the process will change from here but it seems to be evening out the time it takes at both centers at the very least.	KimandRuss	Female	New Zealand	2008-08-10 16:37:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Yeah, it does help but it's those months between NOA1 and NOA2 that can make you... While we were waiting to file it was taking 6+ months because of the influx ...then in January, Vermont was taking less than a month!!! Slowly, the time increased...and now we're going on 4 months of waiting...and this after 3 years of waiting just to file! So yeah... getting a bit much at this point. The good news is that hopefully with the new staff, new director and perhaps new procedures set up, Vermont will start speeding up again for you folks! I hope so!	KimandRuss	Female	New Zealand	2008-08-10 09:46:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	ahhhh time to pull up a chair and grab a stiff drink ladies... you're going to need it!	KimandRuss	Female	New Zealand	2008-08-09 20:10:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (gshennen @ Aug 8 2008, 01:22 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (KimandRuss @ Aug 8 2008, 02:07 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Grant, what is it that you do?? Do you think a headhunter would serve you well??? And no.. not the tribal kind! Hi Kim This is what I do: www.greatriver.co.nz (I am Great River Consulting...) Basically project consulting, based it seems towards Building Assets in the public sector i.e. schools, hospitals, higher education facilities etc. However I was an IT Project Manager for 3 years, so hve a good understanding of IT as well. Once I have had my interview on the 19th, I will apply for actual jobs, but in the meantime have been sewing the seeds with a few companies I have identified as potential employers (with some possibly positive results so far). Cheers Grant Hi Grant, I think you may have actually touched on this in the past. Forgive my ignorance. What an interesting carreer! How fun it would be to lead and follow through on those large scale projects to completion! Good luck with that! I'm in IT...dabble in all areas of it... and almost wish I wasn't! Nice website btw. QUOTE (Kelvan @ Aug 8 2008, 03:28 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (KimandRuss @ Aug 8 2008, 12:07 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Kelly, i'm pretty sure I told you this already BUT because you have proof that your original petition was received by VSC you have a valid reason to expedite your case. It is one of the criteria listed on the uscis website. I'm sure they'd never tell you..but I sure will. Here's the link and phone # to call. They will (should) honor the first sent date. good luck with that! btw.. CSC is going faster now than I have seen them go in the last year. It's VSC that has slowed way down. Hey Kim! Yeah thanks for the advice! We wrote on our cover letter explaining the situation and requested that they honour our original filing date. We still haven't heard anything from them, no check cashed or anything. I can't help but worry that this package might also get lost I really hope it makes it through this time *crosses fingers* Kelly, I'm not so sure they do it without a formal request for expedite as it goes through different channels so do follow up on that. You deserve it! I completely understand your concern considering what happened to you guys but try not to panic just yet.. it's still early. keep us posted. QUOTE (kiwiana @ Aug 8 2008, 04:52 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Hi Kim...yes, i arrived back in auckland. When i got on plane at lax i was a total mess (emotionally). Saying goodbyes is soo hard for sure! But it is a small world, so to speak, as i discovered the lady on the plane next to me was canadian and she was going to Auckland to see her SO, who was a kiwi. She hadn't seen him in TWO years! so i felt very fortunate in that aspect that the separation from my partner is yearly and not more! Thank you so much for the sample of what a touch looks like. I registered at the website, and it gave a date of 28th july. so my first touch!! i realise it probably meant that they just took the file from a desk, put it in a box and stored it away with the other 100,000 applicants, but it was quite exciting to see that! Every time i visit vj, i hope that i will see a post from you that says that you have received your noa2! It's going to happen very very soon!! And i just want to say.....many thanks to EVERYONE for all the wonderful advice given to newbies like myself . (I will certainly try and get the doctor at remuera for the medical when the time comes! awwww I just hate goodbyes! After all you have been through this will be nothing. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the process at both centers really speeds up for you all like it was for vsc at the beginning of the year!	KimandRuss	Female	New Zealand	2008-08-08 08:09:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Kelly, i'm pretty sure I told you this already BUT because you have proof that your original petition was received by VSC you have a valid reason to expedite your case. It is one of the criteria listed on the uscis website. I'm sure they'd never tell you..but I sure will. Here's the link and phone # to call. They will (should) honor the first sent date. good luck with that! btw.. CSC is going faster now than I have seen them go in the last year. It's VSC that has slowed way down. cndeh, congratulations!!!! Tiara, my guess is that you are not going to find anyone to ship anything for a decent price. As I stated earlier, we moved most of Russell's things way back in 2006 and ended up selling most of the larger items because the cost to ship them was more than what they were worth! We ended up taking extra suitcases and paying the fees. Thank you for your well wishes.. yes, we're in pacing mode alright. I so wish this part was done with. Having to wait 3 years to file and now being stuck in the VSC slowdown.. just doesn't seem fair. Oh well.. i'm sure it's coming! Grant, what is it that you do?? Do you think a headhunter would serve you well??? And no.. not the tribal kind! Michelle, so glad you're finally on your way!! I remember all that waiting just to send.. getting the petition off was such a relief. Now pull up a chair, grab a good strong drink and join us in the waiting room! amaciar... what a *)$&&% !!! Well, the worse that can happen is that the medical comes in after the interview and they post your visa to you a little later. Hopefully it will be there in no time at all. Hi Chris... so glad you came to post with us!!! I'm sorry you had to part... jeeesh I hate that! Did you go trough Auckland??? If so, they're pretty used to our breakdowns! I know.. not funny...but you gotta laugh or you'll lose your mind really. Yours is quite the story and, like us, you're so used to the waiting game. I know you'll do just fine! It's great to see you are on your way! Congratulations! In case you didn't get a thread in which I answered.. here's what a touch looks like. So, we're still waiting. We're trying to be patient but grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr almost 4 months with VSC?... really! Some jack@ss stole Russell's cell phone the other night as well (it was from the states) so now we're having to deal with that disrupt in the little communication that we do have. Oh well...such is life... and it goes on. Nice to see you folks moving along ..hoping for good things on the 13th and the 19th!!! Do keep us posted!	KimandRuss	Female	New Zealand	2008-08-07 09:07:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Amy, congratulations on your interview date. We're so hoping to join in on one of these August dates! Keep us posted! Most of the time it's only a few weeks to the appointment in Auckland so i'm not sure why the doctor was so surprised. I hope you told him to just make sure it's there on time! Do you know when you're flying 'home'? Tiara, thanks for sharing the news about Chris's medical. I think Russell will be calling that doc soon too. No approval yet but lots with our NOA1 date are getting approved right now so we're keeping our fingers crossed that it's any day now. Kel, you had a wonderful day yesterday! So happy to hear your good news! Congratulations! Michelle.. i'm sure you're anxious to file. hope it's soon. So, as I said..we're hanging on every email around here and i'm trying hard to keep busy and stay off the computer (not an easy task when it's your work!). We are so hoping to hear something in the next couple of days. Will keep you posted!	KimandRuss	Female	New Zealand	2008-07-29 14:59:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	I think I mentioned this earlier but we originally brought all of Russell's stuff home with us in 2006. We looked into moving all of his things here as well... yeah, ridiculous! So we sold what we could, gave away what we could and stuffed all of our suitcases full. Thankfully we had the kids with us as well so we were allowed more. We had to go through AUS first, then NZ. I remember repacking everything in the airport and weighing each bag until each was right up to the allowance. The worker's got a kick out of us. We did pay for extra bags as well but it was well worth it compared to having it shipped over. I did hear something about extra bags being sent but perhaps not on the same flights? Can't remember where.	KimandRuss	Female	New Zealand	2008-07-27 08:15:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	I didn't know that about visiting NZ... interesting. If I was divorced in 2005, I could have married Russell in NZ then. There was no Adam Walsh Act and therefore, DCF was as simple as a visit and a marriage. *sigh* After the Adam Walsh Act was enacted last year DCF kinda went away for a while and then came back with a 6 month rule. We contemplated getting visas and me coming to NZ and waiting the 6 months but I have two teenagers so taking them out of school to homeschool them at this point in their lives seemed a little too much trouble. So we are where we are... waiting. Hopefully we hear something by the end of the month. Luckily, i've not needed a shrink just yet. May have to re-think that after this process! j/k .... I have been through an awful lot in my life... loss of a child, loss of my dad at just 51, i've had to lose 200 pounds, my brothers been missing for 5 years... there's a post somewhere in this thread with a link to that. But i've just always had the support I needed to pull me through it. I'm really the type that shrinks the shrink. I don't think I need anyone telling me how to feel..which is why I didn't do too good with the classes. I don't think that should be the job of a psychologist. My brother (who suffered from depression) lost his shrink (whom he loved and had faith in) not long after my father's death. It was very difficult for him. He found a new one at Stanford U and used to record his conversations with her then take them home and analyze them and talk to me about them. When I went to go meet her she noted I seemed very much the same in that I was analyzing her as much as anything. She was right. You're right in that it just comes naturally to some and I am surely one of those people. I'm always the shoulder...always the rock.. I tend to see clear when vision is clouded and i'm not afraid to say what I think. It's just always been so easy for me. Russell's sister has her phd in psychology and her and I get along famously. She thinks I should be one too. Too much schooling and too much pill pushing! Perhaps i'll find someone I will enjoy taking the lead from someday.... I wish you a lot of luck with it. The world needs good people to talk to. Michelle, you'll be fine. Use the guides like I said...and use the example forms for reference. One thing at a time. I think many of us felt this sense of worry while putting the package together. Especially me since I had everything stored on my hard drive and ready for printing...and my hard drive failed the day before we were to file. I know! Sucked! I had to put it all together again on one of my laptops... was not fun. Here's a picture of our packet. What a nice feeling to get it sent out though!	KimandRuss	Female	New Zealand	2008-07-23 07:46:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	I've heard some rumors about them going to, or needing, only one page but we all know the problems rumors can start! Because your fiance is filing with the uscis here in the States and the process is a bit different I'd still send all 4 pages (signed originals). If you fill the first page it will repeat the information for you.	KimandRuss	Female	New Zealand	2008-07-22 17:40:00