Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Welcome to the thread! And good luck with getting your application through quickly.	kelzm	Female	New Zealand	2008-08-28 15:26:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Just to add about the CA drivers license - once you are a resident of the state you need to get a CA drivers license after 10 days. To apply for your license you need to have your SSN. Here's the DMV's take on 'resident': If you take a job here or become a resident, you must get a California driver license within 10 days. Residency is established by voting in a California election, paying resident tuition, filing for a homeowner’s property tax exemption, or any other privilege or benefit not ordinarily extended to nonresidents. You can find more info on applying for a license here: http://www.dmv.ca.go...l_info.htm#2500 Like Grant I plan to get my CA drivers license asap, I'll be in there as soon as my SSN arrives. One of the big reasons is that my husbands insurance company won't insure me if I do not have one.	kelzm	Female	New Zealand	2008-08-27 16:02:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	That's awesome news Kim, i'm so happy for the two of you	Michelle Kauffman	Female	New Zealand	2008-09-17 09:37:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	That's such wonderful news Kim, i'm sure there'll be no problems at the interview and all you'll have to worry about is the wedding plans	Michelle Kauffman	Female	New Zealand	2008-09-09 14:18:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	thanks so much for that Kim, i do try really hard to read what's in the forum and on the govt websites but i just seem to get so confused, i don't know why, i'm not a stupid person, truly i'm not ; /	Michelle Kauffman	Female	New Zealand	2008-09-07 08:59:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	oh and kate i was going to ask for the recipe to that potion but then i had this vision of us standing around stirring a cauldron so perhaps you could just chuck some of those potions my way?	Michelle Kauffman	Female	New Zealand	2008-09-07 06:46:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	i checked out Igor's List for the first time, 270, 'nuff said anyways, just so i have this clear, we've already paid the initial $455.00 with the I-129F, am i right in thinking that when it gets to NVC we will need another $470.00??	Michelle Kauffman	Female	New Zealand	2008-09-07 06:25:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	haha congratulations Kim and Russ, that's wonderful news	Michelle Kauffman	Female	New Zealand	2008-09-06 06:08:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Hey Kim how did you find out that 2 packages were sent from NVC to NZ?	Michelle Kauffman	Female	New Zealand	2008-09-03 14:06:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	holding pattern.....holding pattern....holding pattern keeping cheerful with the thought that a month has gone by already and hopefully we will all receive our NOA2's as promptly as Kim and Russ still sending good thoughts your way Kim, hope you hear from NVC soon holding pattern....holding pattern....holding pattern (crikey hope i don't run out of fuel waiting)	Michelle Kauffman	Female	New Zealand	2008-09-02 19:01:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	I'm really sorry Kim, I was really thinking you were going to get thru and have Russ there with you in record time I'm sending positive thoughts to NVC for you, maybe that will help	Michelle Kauffman	Female	New Zealand	2008-08-29 09:08:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Hey guys! Just popping in to catch up. I'm in America right now on my holiday in Kansas. Going through the immigration officer check at LAX went very smoothly, though I was prepared with the various documents just incase. I've been able to hold the NOA1 hard copy in my own hands which was nice! On Monday night Evan took me out to a fancy restaurant and he gave me a ring! We haven't had any recent activity with our application but I can't be worried about that right now because I am with Evan! I'll be super sad to leave in 2 weeks. Anyway just thought I'd let you all know the reason for my lack of posting lately Edit: Hey bobsaggetti, nice name btw Thanks for the advice! I'm going to add you as a friend if that's okay cos you seem to be very knowledgeable Edited by Kelvan, 04 September 2008 - 04:38 PM.	Kelvan	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-09-04 16:37:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Gidday dlopez welcome to the thread! Kim, I hope they get it moving soon! It's like wait wait waaaaaait... You've waited long enough! lol. Good luck!	Kelvan	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-08-29 23:10:00
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!	Awesome - very well done. Its a great feeling isn't it!! Cheers Grant	gshennen	Male	New Zealand	2008-09-16 21:46:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Cool - I know Russ will have no problems at all. Your knowledge and experience of the whole process, along with being well organised will mean he will blitz it. Not long for you guys now. Cheers Grant	gshennen	Male	New Zealand	2008-09-16 15:56:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Kiwiana - as far as parking is concerned, the Downtown Shopping Centre carpark is one and a 1/2 blocks away, easy to find, easy to get into and out of and probably the most convenient. Also, we have started to send some boxes of staff (important documents, clothes, kids books etc) to the US. To give you an idea, we are using Allied Movers packing boxes, these are 45cm long, x 35cm high, x 30cm wide. They weigh between about 8kg and 12 kg when full, and is costing between $60 and $100 to post over using international economy (which takes 2 - 3 weeks). Glad progress is going well for most of you. We are just plodding along, as I am a project manager, I have created a complete project plan for our move (it seems so complicated with very young kids), so we have it all planned out - which makes it seem a lot less daunting. Cheers Grant Whoops - Kel beat me to the parking thing. Cheers Grant	gshennen	Male	New Zealand	2008-09-14 15:45:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Here is what I have been looking at insurance wise: http://www.visitorsc...mmigrant/plans/ I spent a good few hours researching this, and this company/plan seemed to me to be the best combination of cost and coverage. I am planning on buying 6 months worth, as a starter. Cheers Grant	gshennen	Male	New Zealand	2008-09-08 03:26:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Great news Kim, how awesome for you guys.	gshennen	Male	New Zealand	2008-09-06 15:41:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Bobsagetti is absolutely right, We have bought a car. Brook's parents went to insure it, and they can only get it insured for Brook. They won't inusre me until I have a Californian drivers licence. Also, it is not worth me getting a letter from the NZ Transport Registry either, as I don't have the cleanest of driving records. However I have a perfectly clean Insurance record, so will get a letter from my insurance co before going. I will just have to hold out till I get my CA drivers licence. As far as progress for us goes, we are planning/ getting ready, and I am still hunting like mad for a job (which is interesting as I have never had any problem in NZ). Everyone keeps saying that it will be much easier once I am over there. The good thing is that their seems to be plenty of jobs around. Hope everyone else is making good progress. Cheers Grant Cheers	gshennen	Male	New Zealand	2008-09-04 19:56:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Whoops meant to add this...as far as California is concerned, you can drive there on your NZ licence for 1 year. I am planning on getting my Californian licence asap though once I get there (Brook's expires at the end of the year, so she has to go in anyway when we first get there). Cheers Grant	gshennen	Male	New Zealand	2008-08-27 15:34:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Kiwiana - I have used three different NZ bought laptops in the US, with just the cheap plug adapter from ####### Smith electronics, they all worked fine. I am pretty sure as long as the cord has an adapter box somewhere between the device and the power socket that you should be fine. This handles the voltage change for you (I just had a close look at the adapter on my laptop, and on the adapter box, it says what voltage range it can handle - in my case 100v - 240v). I just looked at Brook's (different brand of laptop, and hers also has the same range). However as Kim has suggested, I would definately get a proper US supply asap to make double sure you are ok. Cheers Grant Edited by gshennen, 27 August 2008 - 03:36 PM.	gshennen	Male	New Zealand	2008-08-27 15:31:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Kim and Russ- YAY!!! So glad that is all sorted out now! Soon you'll be in each others arms, it's so exciting! Kelzm- Glad you made it home, bet you're glad all that travel is over! ShawnandLu- You must have had the same Consulate Officer we did, she was so friendly! Have fun packing and a safe trip home! Kiwiana- Yes! CDs in the States are SO much cheaper, and books! Before moving here I would order my books used through Amazon (I think of it as shopping and recycling at the same time... ) , so I'm looking forward to being able to go back to that. I recently picked up a photography book I needed here in a local shop--almost $40 for a book I could have found for less than $10 used! *shakes head*	yankiwi	Female	New Zealand	2008-09-17 03:11:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	OMG you guys are NOT talking about shoes! Everyone I know keeps me away from the shoe section when we're shopping because once I catch that new shoe smell....well, we're gonna be there a while. I have an itch to go clothes shopping since the weather is warming up here, but every time I think of it I remember we're only here for another 4 months and if I save up now I can have one hell of a shopping trip when my feet hit US soil! Still, I'll probably pick up a few things now that winter clothes are being discounted since NZ has such good quality wool... After all, I still have no clue where we'll end up living when we move! We were in town way early, so parked in the open air parking lot right across from the train station, you can see the building the Consulate is in from there. It cost $3 per 1/2 hour, with a maximum of $15 for 12 hours. We paid $15 since we opted to pay the whole day fee so we wouldn't have to worry about the meter going over, it was so worth it IMO! Grant- Good to know about the shipping prices, that's what we plan to do before we leave here!	yankiwi	Female	New Zealand	2008-09-15 02:41:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Yay for Kim and Russ!!! It's about time, eh!? Hopefully the interview will go smoothly so you'll be together soon! Kelzm- Here's wishing you a safe flight to your honey! I know it's hard leaving family behind, I can't imagine leaving a son, but I hope these next few months go well for you both and that he'll be visiting you in no time! Leave clothes, just be sure to take your favorites. Clothes shopping is one of the biggest things I miss about the US, it's nothing like NZ. Prices are better and there is a larger variety so you're more likely to get something that fits you well. When I moved here and needed to pick up a few things I did what most women do, saw someone close to my size wearing something I liked and asked where she got it from. The answer? The US! A lot of NZ women go on vacation to the US and stock up on clothes to bring back here! We just spent a week seeing parts of the South Island. The west coast is breathtaking, I want to go back already! We rode the train over the Southern Alps, it was so exciting 'cause I've never been on a train! I have piles of pictures to sort through, why are vacations never anywhere near long enough?	yankiwi	Female	New Zealand	2008-09-13 04:22:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Welcome dlopez! I hope you're filing DCF, things will go MUCH faster for you! Kim- I'm so sorry to hear that! It's Monday here in NZ, I hope you hear something from the Consulate soon and that they can help speed the process along. I'll send my positive thoughts along with everyone else. You guys have waited long enough! Kiwiana- If you're not looking to have a job ready as soon as you land, and you're really just looking for a job to keep you busy, I'd say your best bet is to move over there, enjoy the few months waiting for your work authorization and get to know the area. Then when you're ready to find a job, odds are you'll know someone who knows someplace that is hiring, or you'll at least have an idea of where you want to work and where you don't! LOL Networking is better than job boards IMO, almost every job I've had I got because someone I knew either worked there, or knew someone who did.	yankiwi	Female	New Zealand	2008-08-31 20:58:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Wow, y'all sure have been chatting up a storm! Welcome Dave n Genna and ShawnandLu! Kiwiana- Good job sites? What sort of job are you looking for and in what area?? I know there are some great industry specific job sites out there, just depends on what industry. Kim and Russ- Glad the medical went so well! I really think Dr. Stone is the way to go for people in the Auckland area. Here's hoping that interview date comes soon so you can be on your way home Russ! I never thought about the driving record though, I gotta add that to the "to do" list, thanks for mentioning it! Kelvan- Have a great visit!! Grant- Well, I wasn't entirely sure if we'd get the "special envelope" or not, but since we've not received it I'm assuming we won't get it 'til the passport has the foil in it. I bet they have some form stating the date it was issued that has to be included in the file. When we do get it I'm seal it in a giant ziploc bag to protect it from any fluid damage, add the copies of all our documents to it, and try to hide it out of sight so I'm not tempted to touch it! She didn't formally say "You're approved" or anything, she just reiterated what we'd need to do when we were ready to travel, and closed the folder and smiled. So I said "That's it?" and she said "Yes, everything is in order" and I said "So, we're good?" and she said "Yup!". So yeah, I guess they just don't formally say "You're approved!" LOL Both the woman at the beginning and the consular officer reminded us Chris would be able to apply for citizenship after 3 years, but they didn't overly stress it. I think that was because they were focusing most of their effort on explaining why we should wait 'til after our anniversary to enter if it was at all feasible. I'm so excited for you guys, all your plans sorted out, flights booked, and even a car purchased! Lets hope everything sells on Trade Me so you have less to store. How's the job hunt going, any bites yet? Some places accept applications for weeks before anyone hears anything... We transferred money to my bank in the US several times from our bank here (ASB) with no issues, just a small fee, and we did it all online! Lu-I don't know if the rules for the K-1s are different, but we didn't take the x-rays to the interview, just the radiologist's report, which they already had a copy of with the medical certificate so they didn't ask for ours. But, you may want to email the Consulate to double check just to be sure. I just can't imagine them needing it for anything.	yankiwi	Female	New Zealand	2008-08-28 05:00:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Thanks everyone for the welcome. I am doing dcf, although I am having a bit of trouble finding out what to send for the petition. My mom who has just done said I don't need to send very much at all, just the I-130 form, 1xg-325a form, ds-230 part 1, and they will ask for the rest of the stuff when we go for our interview. But because this site says I need alot more stuff it's confusing me. Does Auckland do it different than other countries? I emailed the consulate but because it's an american holiday they didn't work today.	dlopez86	Male	New Zealand	2008-08-31 21:33:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Hello everyone, just thought I would post in here since me and my new wife are living in New Zealand and plan to move to Colorado in the coming months. We are sending the I-130 off Monday and hopefully we will be moving around Thanksgiving or Christmas.	dlopez86	Male	New Zealand	2008-08-28 06:13:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Congrats to Kim and Russ on your latest news! I hope things go smoothly from now for you guys. Kiwiana: yeah health insurance is a big challenge (including for lots of Americans) and very confusing at first. It took me months to work it out when I was studying here (and I was doing a class on health economics!) It's not compulsory and you can certainly do user pays. That should be fine if you're healthy but won't cover anything catastrophic. I looked at Southern Cross's options (https://www.scti-onl.../wo/public.aspx) but think the link Grant posted is much better for any emergencies (at first glance anyway). A few more considerations: depending on your auto insurance your medical bills may be covered if you have a car accident (one of the most likely causes of serious injury). Also, once you're married if your spouse is working often you can tag on to their health insurance for a small amount. Finally, it's not uncommon to have a 'stand down' period once you start work whereby your health insurance doesn't kick in for three to six months, so that's something to keep in mind. As for EAD, grrrr, longer than I'd like (and you all thought the waiting would be over). It seems that there are two paths once you send in your AOS: you either get transferred to the California Service Center or it goes to your local office. If you get the CSC then things seem to move much faster. For instance people who filed at the same time as us and were transferred are already getting their EAD. Needless to say we haven't been transferred and I'm still waiting (it's only been two months but it feels like longer because we took a while to file). I'm hopeful that it will arrive within the next three weeks. That seems to be a more common time line (2-3 months).	bobsagetti	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-09-08 14:16:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Hi everyone, I just discovered this thread and it reminded me of all the stress of getting the K-1. I thought I'd add a few insights from someone who's here already. For those of you wanting to get your Cal driver's license you probably won't be able to get it just based on your I-94 (entry card). Or if you can get one it will expire on the day your visa does (i.e. within 90 days) so it's probably a waste of money. You can use your NZ license for a year no problems. As soon as you have your EAD you'll be able to get a proper license. Another tricky thing you might encounter is insurance for the car. Lots of places won't insure someone with an overseas license or will charge you ridiculous amounts of money for the privilege. We hunted around and found State Farm were a good option - we're paying about US$650 for six month's worth (sounds awful I know but not bad by Cal standards). If you can show a clean driving history for up to seven years you'll be able to save money so it's definitely worth getting a letter from your NZ insurance company or the NZ Transport Registry Centre before you leave. If you're planning on filing your AOS quickly you can do all the paperwork while you're waiting for the marriage certificate to come through. We were a bit slack (read: recovering from all the wedding preparations) and didn't really get going until the certificate arrived, which slowed us down by a couple of weeks. As has been said, most laptop power supplies are multivoltage so you'll only need a plug adaptor, not a voltage converter. And yes, waiting for the EAD does get tiresome! At least the wait has been during a southern California summer (I feel for all of you who will arrive in winter). Good luck with your applications.	bobsagetti	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-09-04 14:00:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Oh, I'm so happy for you and Russ, Kim! It does feel good to hold the passport and brown envelopes in your hands! Thanks for all the congratulations everyone! Well, I am already here! And it feels great!!!!!! It is such a relief being here and know that you don't have to leave again! In fact, can't leave again at least until AP. I wish Russ a safe trip home, and hope you can rest a little on the plane. I'm usually pretty good at sleeping on planes, but I came on Qantas and they have some kind of service through almost all the flight so it was very difficult to get any rest. So, if anyone is coming on Qantas, get some sleep the night before if you can! I just wanted to warn you guys that when it comes time to book your flights, it is better to have a long layover in LA. My flight was supposed to get in at 10:45am but was delayed in Auckland for 1 hour, so I got to LAX when the peak busy period was starting! I was supposed to have a 2 hour layover and now I had to go from terminal 4 to terminal 1, get my boarding pass and go through security in 1 hour. Needless to say, I didn't make it, but was booked on another flight. Things are a mess at LAX, the airline agent told me to ask the TSA agent if I could be expedited through security but told me it was unlikely, I asked one TSA agent and they told me I had to go to the end of the line, which was outside the terminal and halfway to terminal 2!!!! At the end of the line, I spoke to another TSA agent and she told me to get someone from the airline to escort me through security. When I went to talk to the airline, they told me to just go by myself, but I told them they had to come with me. So this guy reluctantly escorted me through the first half but left me at the end of a big line closer to the x-ray! So I talked to another TSA agent and she let me through! I got to my gate just as the guy was closing the door!!!! So, the lesson here is, if you are having some kind of problem just ask as many TSA agents it takes until you get what you want!!! hehehe Oh, about POE at LAX. It was pretty painless. I got the impression that the guy who 'interviewed' me hadn't dealt with many of these before as he seemed to have to think about what he had to do next (he almost forgot to put a validity date on my I-94). Nevertheless, he only asked a few basic questions (when did you meet, what does he do, when is the wedding) before stapling the I-94 on my passport. The only thing that has me concerned is that when I asked him where he was going to send the brown envelope, he told me that it stopped there. He wasn't sending it anywhere! That after the wedding we had to send new information to USCIS for AOS!!!! Does anybody know if this is right? I've been trying to find info on the forums but no luck! Edited by ShawnandLu, 21 September 2008 - 08:44 PM.	LandS	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-09-21 20:41:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Hi everyone, I had a virus on my computer and could not log onto VJ. My God, I missed a lot. Kim: I am so sorry your process was delayed again. I know how it feels! I am glad it's finally all moving and a hope it all goes smoothly tomorrow for Russ. I just had mine last week and it was a breeze. So tell him not to worry too much although I know it's hard not to. I was so anxious and excited the night before, I was only able to get 3 hours sleep. But it was ok as my adrenaline was running high!!! I stayed with a friend who lives in town, and parked on the corner of Beach St and Te Taou Crescent. It was $7 for the whole day (they only accept cash), and a 10 minute walk to the consulate. The parking lot that Kim mentioned is very close to the embassy and there is also the foodtown parking lot that is a couple of blocks away but I'm not sure how much it is. There's a post shop right underneath and a coffee shop in case any of you get there too early. Make sure you take a large courier envelope with you (I almost forgot about the sealed envelope that had to come with the passport). I was the only one there for my interview at 9 am. It was only after 9.10am or so that other people started arriving for non-immigrant visas, so I still had the window all to myself. I rang the bell but the lady did not hear it, so I waited a few minutes until she saw me sitting there. She gave me some things back that she no longer needed, and just got my birth certificate and the affidavit of support. She also gave me a stamped copy of my vaccination records to present for AOS if they ask for it. She told me it would take ~20 minutes for the immigration officer to call me. The immigration officer was really nice, and just went through the paperwork with me. The only question she asked was how we kept in touch, and asked if I had any photos of the two of us (the consular lady had given it back to me). The rest felt a lot more like a conversation than an interview! At the end she told me that they would process it the next day (Friday) and would send it on Monday. And I just got it this morning!!!! So now, I am finishing my packing. It really is hard packing it all into 3 suitcases!!! But I'm almost there... flying out on Friday!!!! Grant: Good luck with the packing! Kiwiana: Make sure your vaccinations are up to date (you can check with your doctor), and when they send you package 3, make sure you have the vaccination form (it was missing from mine so I downloaded it from the net). The doctor/nurse will go through it and see which ones you need and which ones you don't. I took my vaccination record so it made things a lot easier. I had Shawn's birth certificate with me, but they didn't ask for it. Bobsagetti: Hope you get that EAD soon! Kelzm: Hope you had a safe journey! And for all waiting for their NOA2s: I hope those timelines start speeding up! I'll let you know how the POE went!	LandS	Not Telling	New Zealand	2008-09-15 19:09:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Hello my kiwi friends. Welcome Kim & Chris, good to have you with us. We're still flying high and really feel as though we were never apart. Our big day (part 1 anyway) is just over a week away now so we're busy trying to get the house ready for a small(ish) party with our family and friends. Can't wait! Nice to see some of you still moving along. Wont be long now, eh Grant?	KimandRuss	Female	New Zealand	2008-10-06 11:44:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Lisa, congratulations on getting the petition sent out. Sorry you're in a bad place... leaving is soooo hard. Hopefully the process will go quickly for you. Russell posted about his attire for the interview. He wore a dress shirt and tie and felt quite overdressed. Apparently the folks in there were dressed in mostly very casual clothes. I wouldn't worry about it too much. Congratulations on your GC Mark!! Wonderful news! Ana, the GC is good for 2 years. Grant, I hope you get some good news on the job front soon! Well, after much drama and added expense, my man is finally back home where he belongs! It's been a whirlwind since he's been home but we are extremely happy to be together again. It's almost as though the past year never happened. We meet with the JP Wednesday night. We're planning a short, sweet ceremony on October 18th ...and then a bigger party in April when Russell's family comes from NZ. Can't wait!	KimandRuss	Female	New Zealand	2008-09-29 09:07:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Russell just called me from LAX! His next flight leaves in 40 minutes... I sure hope he makes it!	KimandRuss	Female	New Zealand	2008-09-24 14:20:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Ummm yeah so apparently Russell accidentally booked a flight for Monday... last monday! Oooops! It's so not like him...and I didn't even notice it on the itinerary. This whole process just has us in a mess. He just text me from the airport and informed me that he had to buy a new ticket. Expedia wont even give him a break. $1800NZ more to have him arrive an hour and a half earlier... we best make that extra time good, eh? Ahhhh perspective... he's coming home!	KimandRuss	Female	New Zealand	2008-09-23 21:21:00