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 (KimandRuss @ Dec 5 2008, 03:32 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> cdneh... i'm sorry sweetie. We know just how you feel! We weren't told immediately that we were in AP either and we received two different letters stating it would be sent ...never did get the one that said it was. All those packages we saw leave for NZ, I called every time only to be dissapointed. The petition is not lost... nvc just has no way of telling you why it was held up. The good news is that in all the research i've done and people i've asked, the security checks done at NVC don't seem to hold you up too long. We were only there for three weeks...still no clue why. There is nothing at all on either of our records... no common names... no idea. I know it's difficult but get everything settled that you can now, including your medical. When it finally does arrive they will be all ready to schedule your interview. Russell was actually interviewed before others who were actually approved before us because of our stubborness and effeciency. You're almost there hon. Soon....none of this bs will matter. I am trying not to let it get to me Kim, but failing quite miserably. She told him when he asked that she could not locate the case, that she could not tell him where it is. I don't know how this happens, how you misplace a thing like that. I won't do the medical until I hear. They refused to send me packet three when I emailed them the new case number, although they have done so in the past, so perhaps they knew, as we did not, that we were delayed, and why. I don't want a medical report turning up there with no case to attach it to given the circumstances. Once they get back to me I'll go to Remmers...it's easier. Is this the same Dr Stone as Russ? It's from the Embassy info page... AUCKLAND: Dr. Daniels (09) 524 6504 320 Remuera Rd, Remuera Dr. Stone (09) 520 1565 377a Remuera Rd, Remuera Edited by cdneh, 04 December 2008 - 02:57 PM.	cdneh	Female	New Zealand	2008-12-04 14:53:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (kiwiana @ Dec 4 2008, 09:33 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (cdneh @ Dec 4 2008, 02:15 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thanks for that! Sets my mind at rest in the event that we get that far. I won't be walking...lol....sounds like a bit of a hike for me. Thanks for all the great info, but I think there is little point in my booking at this stage.. He rang NVC back again tonight, and asked to speak to a supervisor. According to the person he spoke to, we have been in AP since November 21st, which is 3 days after the first letter was sent, and 5 days after the second letter went out. She could not say why the other people we spoke to said it was not in AP, or why they failed to see the flag. She could not say "which agency is hanging it up." She did say they will send a notice in the post. She did say she doesn't know where the case is. this just SUCKS!! how could they have first not known it was in AP and then they did and now they don't know where the case is!! just crazy!! you should have had your package arrive here by now.. can't believe you have been held up! as if you didn't wait long enough for the NOA2!! you said earlier that a package had left for NZ. you don't think they have got it ALL wrong and it is your one heading this way? it would be great if that was the case!! soo hoping that they wil sort it all out and you will get it VERY soon!!!! Oh it does indeed suck. They told us twice before it wasn't in AP, that nothing was amiss, it just hadn't been sent on. We saw DHL shipping to NZ, so that is why he rang to check, only to be told it's been in AP since the 21st. She didn't know why we had two letters saying it would go out within a week. She didn't know why the other people couldn't have seen the AP flag on the case. She doesn't know where it is. I emailed the Embassy here as Kim and Russ did, back about ten days ago or so, with the new case number, in the hopes that they would send along packet three as they did for Russ. Starting to think their refusal to do that for me might be down to them seeing the case status accurately. Edited by cdneh, 04 December 2008 - 02:41 PM.	cdneh	Female	New Zealand	2008-12-04 14:40:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (Michelle.S @ Dec 4 2008, 09:12 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> wow thanks for that kiwiana, excellent review QUOTE (cdneh @ Dec 4 2008, 08:15 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thanks for that! Sets my mind at rest in the event that we get that far. I won't be walking...lol....sounds like a bit of a hike for me. Thanks for all the great info, but I think there is little point in my booking at this stage.. He rang NVC back again tonight, and asked to speak to a supervisor. According to the person he spoke to, we have been in AP since November 21st, which is 3 days after the first letter was sent, and 5 days after the second letter went out. She could not say why the other people we spoke to said it was not in AP, or why they failed to see the flag. She could not say "which agency is hanging it up." She did say they will send a notice in the post. She did say she doesn't know where the case is. huh? so they've lost it? Well...they can't find it...so to my literal mind it's lost.	cdneh	Female	New Zealand	2008-12-04 14:33:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Thanks for that! Sets my mind at rest in the event that we get that far. I won't be walking...lol....sounds like a bit of a hike for me. Thanks for all the great info, but I think there is little point in my booking at this stage.. He rang NVC back again tonight, and asked to speak to a supervisor. According to the person he spoke to, we have been in AP since November 21st, which is 3 days after the first letter was sent, and 5 days after the second letter went out. She could not say why the other people we spoke to said it was not in AP, or why they failed to see the flag. She could not say "which agency is hanging it up." She did say they will send a notice in the post. She did say she doesn't know where the case is.	cdneh	Female	New Zealand	2008-12-04 02:15:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	I don't know what to think now. We rang them today to ask, at NVC, as DHL showed a package coming to NZ. It isn't ours. After having our case since the 24th November, and telling us 4 times it wasn't in AP...as of today it is. They can't tell us anything. They say they will email.	cdneh	Female	New Zealand	2008-12-03 21:22:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (KimandRuss @ Dec 4 2008, 07:56 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> cdneh.. the Embassy told Russell to wait for his medical too. He did not. Your computer (cuz that's what I really do ) ..sounds like you have malware. If you want/need some help with that just PM me and I will send you a list of resources to try and clean it up. This is difficult enough without having no means of computer! Nice to hear from you Gnomegirl. Still crossing my fingers for those of you waiting. Justine, if you're out there...we'd love to know how you're doing! Thanks Kim..I have sent you a message If Russell didn't wait, maybe I won't either, I'd really like to get it over with ...is there paperwork you need for that though? I thought that came in packet 3....	cdneh	Female	New Zealand	2008-12-03 17:27:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (KimandRuss @ Dec 3 2008, 07:56 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> cdneh... i'm sorry that one wasn't yours. Not sure what you're doing wrong with DHL.. are you 'searching by reference' and putting a date range? Weird. So, did they tell you that you were stuck in AP??? We were only there for three weeks and when I researched AP at NVC I didn't find anyone who was there much longer than that. You do know you can get your medical done with your A#??? Not that you'd be in any rush but we were anxious to get it out of the way. QUOTE (kiwiana @ Dec 1 2008, 11:49 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (cdneh @ Dec 1 2008, 10:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Well...it wasn't us for sure... we've rung NVC and they still have it there. So..now we are waiting in an entirely different queue yep the package was mine! I received a letter from the embassy today. I made an appointment for medical on Thursday and I got some passport photos done today too. Now I have some q's: Do i have to put my name or anything on the back of all the photos i have to submit? I dont think Russell put his name but I doubt there'd be any harm in doing so. Can i just send in the forms that they want sent in now and then send in the statement form that says i have everything ready for an interview later or do i have to send in the appointment/statement form saying i have everything ready WITH the first lot of forms you have to send to them? I ask this because my fiance doesn't have his tax transcript yet and i need a little more time. But wanted to just send in the forms i have to send in first, then wait.... and then send in the form saying that i have everything ready for the interview. They don't ask for the tax transcripts and other supporting evidence for the I-134 until the interview do they? They probably just want to be sure you have them before they schedule the interview. If you know they're coming soon you can send everything back that they request to make the interview. Plus if i am having the medical on thursday, i wanted to send in something, so that they can pair the medical up with something of mine They will know exactly where to put your medical info from the doctor. They didn't even have Russell's approved petition at the Embassy at the time the doctor sent everything over. Apparently they receive electronic confirmation before they receive the I-797 from NVC. After you do send in the form saying that you have everything ready for interview, how long do you wait generally for the interview? Do they give it a few weeks ahead of time or is it sooner or later? (just like to get an idea of how much time they give you) They knew all along that we wanted an interview asap so it was only days after they got it that Russell had his interview. I think if you request a certain time they do their best to accomodate you. It seems to be about 3-4 weeks routinely for K-1's. cdneh: I was hoping that your package may have been mailed out with mine... Hopefully, they will send it out this week.Fingers crossed it will be tomorrow!! I tried that Kim...they told me I had to wait until they had the case. He rang again today. They say it is not in AP. They say there is nothing amiss. They say they just haven't sent it on. To top it off there is something wrong with our computer at home. My flatmate's desktop works fine (we share 1 computer) My desktop...well every time I try to open IE I get 54 seperate windows opening. And none of them work	cdneh	Female	New Zealand	2008-12-03 03:57:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (kiwiana @ Dec 2 2008, 05:49 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (cdneh @ Dec 1 2008, 10:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Well...it wasn't us for sure... we've rung NVC and they still have it there. So..now we are waiting in an entirely different queue yep the package was mine! I received a letter from the embassy today. I made an appointment for medical on Thursday and I got some passport photos done today too. Now I have some q's: Do i have to put my name or anything on the back of all the photos i have to submit? Can i just send in the forms that they want sent in now and then send in the statement form that says i have everything ready for an interview later or do i have to send in the appointment/statement form saying i have everything ready WITH the first lot of forms you have to send to them? I ask this because my fiance doesn't have his tax transcript yet and i need a little more time. But wanted to just send in the forms i have to send in first, then wait.... and then send in the form saying that i have everything ready for the interview. Plus if i am having the medical on thursday, i wanted to send in something, so that they can pair the medical up with something of mine After you do send in the form saying that you have everything ready for interview, how long do you wait generally for the interview? Do they give it a few weeks ahead of time or is it sooner or later? (just like to get an idea of how much time they give you) cdneh: I was hoping that your package may have been mailed out with mine... Hopefully, they will send it out this week.Fingers crossed it will be tomorrow!! Wow! That is good news! We live in hope. Be sure to let us know how the medical goes...that was a very quick appointment!	cdneh	Female	New Zealand	2008-12-02 00:30:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Well...it wasn't us for sure... we've rung NVC and they still have it there. So..now we are waiting in an entirely different queue	cdneh	Female	New Zealand	2008-12-01 22:13:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	I am a doofus... EXP 24 NOV 2008A won't even bring anything up	cdneh	Female	New Zealand	2008-12-01 18:05:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (KimandRuss @ Dec 2 2008, 11:41 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I've seen loads of packages go... do you have a date from the NVC that your petition was sent out? No...they said the first of the week, so he is ringing today QUOTE (KimandRuss @ Dec 2 2008, 11:45 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> 9492564266 sent 11/25 - delivered to Auckland 11/28 that one looks about right. If so, you should have your P3 anytime! by the way... I used.. EXP 24 NOV 2008A I was thinking that would be kiwiana..she got her approval the day before we did.	cdneh	Female	New Zealand	2008-12-01 18:02:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (KimandRuss @ Dec 2 2008, 06:30 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You can use your child support as income if it is written into your agreement (court ordered). The I-134 has no specific standards. Most Embassy's use the guidelines set by the I-864 ..which is the affidavit of support filed at AOS, after your fiance is here and you are married. At this stage (AOS) you WILL need to prove you can financially support but for the K-1 interview, however, the Embassy in NZ cares little about the financial support you can offer right now.... and more about the beneficiaries work history and desire to earn his/her own living once in the States. It was requested that Russell submit his CV/Resume at the interview. Supply all documents that are requested I-134, employer letter/paystubs, proof of child support and any other income....etc. Regarding the specific contributions question.... there are example forms here on VJ to help you fill out all your paperwork and that is what I used to fill everything out. There has since been some dispute at the London Embassy with this question.... but in NZ the answer was still 'no'. Thanks Kim..we were wondering if we'd done that right. And I must be a total doofus...but according to any search I have made, nobody has sent anything out of DHL for days.	cdneh	Female	New Zealand	2008-12-01 17:38:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (Michelle.S @ Nov 30 2008, 09:45 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (cdneh @ Nov 30 2008, 08:21 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (kiwiana @ Nov 29 2008, 09:19 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (Michelle.S @ Nov 29 2008, 03:00 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> haha although i'll admit to being slightly jealous, i am very excited for you both, i know my time will come and it's fun sharing your excitement too! I'm really hoping you will get word soon on your approval! Remember that vermont has been very unreliable lately with posting approval notices on their website. Your SO may get a NOA2 in the mail without you knowing beforehand of your approval!!! so fingers crossed!! It would be awesome if they could get cracking and get a HEAP of approvals out before Christmas!! Oh it won't be long Michelle! It will turn up in Rob's letterbox one day without warning....and then all the people you work with will get to see this... even the Inspector haha maybe even the super will hear me Maybe I will...clear across town	cdneh	Female	New Zealand	2008-11-29 18:23:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (kiwiana @ Nov 29 2008, 09:19 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (Michelle.S @ Nov 29 2008, 03:00 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> haha although i'll admit to being slightly jealous, i am very excited for you both, i know my time will come and it's fun sharing your excitement too! I'm really hoping you will get word soon on your approval! Remember that vermont has been very unreliable lately with posting approval notices on their website. Your SO may get a NOA2 in the mail without you knowing beforehand of your approval!!! so fingers crossed!! It would be awesome if they could get cracking and get a HEAP of approvals out before Christmas!! Oh it won't be long Michelle! It will turn up in Rob's letterbox one day without warning....and then all the people you work with will get to see this... even the Inspector	cdneh	Female	New Zealand	2008-11-29 14:21:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (kiwiana @ Nov 29 2008, 05:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (cdneh @ Nov 28 2008, 10:31 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> We have the snail mail letters from NVC..one to say they have the case, and the other says that "within a week the petition will be forwarded to the appropriate visa-issuing post where your visa interview will take place." I guess I can keep an eye on the DHL site next week ...I've had such a lot of practise with Igor's list I think the package that was sent this week may be for you!!! YAY!!! I see that it arrived and was signed for at the embassy here on friday at 2.50pm!!! woo hooo!!!! My SO got 2 letters from nvc today and they were sent on the 24th and 25th, so our package may be sent out next week.. hopefully.. This is very very exciting!!!! I'm really hoping that we both hear news from embassy VERY soon!!! yippee!!! Oh it is... I guess it will soon be time to start haunting the letterbox ... I think the package might more likely be yours...you are ahead of us I think?	cdneh	Female	New Zealand	2008-11-29 01:24:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	We have the snail mail letters from NVC..one to say they have the case, and the other says that "within a week the petition will be forwarded to the appropriate visa-issuing post where your visa interview will take place." I guess I can keep an eye on the DHL site next week ...I've had such a lot of practise with Igor's list	cdneh	Female	New Zealand	2008-11-28 22:31:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (kiwiana @ Nov 27 2008, 04:42 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> well i am sittiing here thinking hmmm wonder how many people in NZ are waiting for packages to arrive from visa centre. I looked at earlier dates on dhl and there are lots of packages going around the world but none to NZ. so let's hope they only have TWO packages to be sent out this week to NZ!!!!! Let's hope	cdneh	Female	New Zealand	2008-11-26 23:02:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (kiwiana @ Nov 27 2008, 04:30 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> SNAP!! I was JUST going to post and say that there is a package heading to Auckland right now!!!! oooh it is soo exciting looking at the dhl site!!! Kim and Chris: VERY best wishes to you both. Almost there!!! That will be yours I bet you anything!!!	cdneh	Female	New Zealand	2008-11-26 22:34:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Oooo I wonder....lol..there's a 1lb package on it's way to Auckland now....	cdneh	Female	New Zealand	2008-11-26 22:23:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	It's just lovely to hear from those who are now in usa with their loved ones! Kelzm: Sounds like you are settling in just great! Thanksgiving in Hawaii?!! woo hooo! fantastic!! How long does it take to get there by plane? oooh would love to go there!! And your first Christmas with your husband? How wonderful!! Let's hope that it does snow, so you can experience that as well for the first time! And with your son visiting soon too, just perfect!! Kim&Chris:That was a pretty good deal on the plane ticket! And even with the stopover,it still arrives much earlier in LA than other direct flights to LA from here. It's good to know that you arrived there without any problems whatsoever. I too, was wondering where they send your envelope when you give it to them at POE. So it's reassuring to know from Kim (kimandruss) that there is no need to worry about it now. be sure to let us all know your wedding plans and how you go with getting your SSN!! yikes! -5 temperature!!! At least you have someone to warm you up in bed now!! LOL! JK!! best wishes to both of you!!	kiwiana	Female	New Zealand	2008-12-06 02:15:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (cdneh @ Dec 6 2008, 01:25 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (KimandRuss @ Dec 6 2008, 08:44 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> i'm sorry sweetheart. Like I said, believe nothing they tell you. I know it's hard to get in a festive mood with all of this hanging in limbo. Unfortunately, we too spent many a Christmas like that. Just try to keep focusing on the fact that, even tho it feels no closer, it really wont be much longer now. Thanks Kim. cdneh: Just want to say that once the embassy does receive it, everything is going to go extremely FAST! (And as you have everything ready) You could have visa within just a few weeks after embassy contacts you. The docs (for the medical) seems to get you in pretty quick for that. And you would be sending all the forms off to embassy el pronto, with the form that says you have everything ready for interview!! so it will be All Systems Go!!!!! I am still waiting for my fiance to send me some things, so that will be a good few weeks yet and am not forseeing an interview until January sometime. But for me, it is giving me some breathing space as i have been racing around like a dog chasing it's tail this week and need to chill out a bit!! (already i am concerned about this tb test that one has to do when we get to AOS stage. I am hoping by then, KimandRuss and others would have sussed out what it is all about and how to proceed with it )	kiwiana	Female	New Zealand	2008-12-06 01:42:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (cdneh @ Dec 4 2008, 02:53 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I am trying not to let it get to me Kim, but failing quite miserably. She told him when he asked that she could not locate the case, that she could not tell him where it is. I don't know how this happens, how you misplace a thing like that. I won't do the medical until I hear. They refused to send me packet three when I emailed them the new case number, although they have done so in the past, so perhaps they knew, as we did not, that we were delayed, and why. I don't want a medical report turning up there with no case to attach it to given the circumstances. Once they get back to me I'll go to Remmers...it's easier. Is this the same Dr Stone as Russ? It's from the Embassy info page... AUCKLAND: Dr. Daniels (09) 524 6504 320 Remuera Rd, Remuera Dr. Stone (09) 520 1565 377a Remuera Rd, Remuera I don't know if it is stress from all of this process but i feel rather deflated today. I asked my fiance last night for the case number from nvc as i was thinking this was our case number. Then by coincidence, today when i get home from work there is a message on answer machine from receptionist at Dr Stones office for me to contact them. I did and she said that she wanted to know our case number. So i quoted the one from NVC. But now i have read Kims post that it was the first number that was given to us for NOA1 which is our case number!!! *sigh* I just can't be bothered to phone them back and quote another number!! Surely they will be able to match my file up with my name and address on the forms?? aaaargh!! i just want to scream!!! And why didn't the embassy here send me a case number when they sent packet 3 to me? nothing!! just photo copied pages of the forms and instructions of what to do!! And my heart soo goes out to you cdneh I know i said it before, but I still can't understand how they can blunder with your approval the way they have. They have either let it go through ok or they haven't.. what is all this yes we have, no we haven't, now we don't know where it is stuff??? unbelievable!!!!!!!! *taking a deep breath* ooooooooook............................... kimandruss: yes, the docs is the same one that russ went to. I printed out his post he wrote about the medical. And would like to thank him soo much for that. It was a great help!!!! LisaandTim: Sorry i can't help you with your q. Kim (kimandruss) will probably be able to help. Kim? And i just want to take a moment too to thank Kim sooo much for everything she does here on vj. I don't know where we would be or what we would do without you!	kiwiana	Female	New Zealand	2008-12-04 23:27:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (Michelle.S @ Dec 4 2008, 03:12 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> w ow thanks for that kiwiana, excellent review Thanks Michelle! hoping you guys will get your approval soon! it would be a wonderful, if you were able to get it before xmas!! (fingers crossed!)	kiwiana	Female	New Zealand	2008-12-04 03:39:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (cdneh @ Dec 4 2008, 02:15 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thanks for that! Sets my mind at rest in the event that we get that far. I won't be walking...lol....sounds like a bit of a hike for me. Thanks for all the great info, but I think there is little point in my booking at this stage.. He rang NVC back again tonight, and asked to speak to a supervisor. According to the person he spoke to, we have been in AP since November 21st, which is 3 days after the first letter was sent, and 5 days after the second letter went out. She could not say why the other people we spoke to said it was not in AP, or why they failed to see the flag. She could not say "which agency is hanging it up." She did say they will send a notice in the post. She did say she doesn't know where the case is. this just SUCKS!! how could they have first not known it was in AP and then they did and now they don't know where the case is!! just crazy!! you should have had your package arrive here by now.. can't believe you have been held up! as if you didn't wait long enough for the NOA2!! you said earlier that a package had left for NZ. you don't think they have got it ALL wrong and it is your one heading this way? it would be great if that was the case!! soo hoping that they wil sort it all out and you will get it VERY soon!!!!	kiwiana	Female	New Zealand	2008-12-04 03:33:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	I went to the medical today in Remuera. I left two hours before my appointment as i live an hours drive from there and don't know Remuera at all. I passed the main shopping area and parked in Ascot Ave (turned right at the lights) where there were plenty of parking. I walked around abit getting my bearings, then found the docs place (next door was Remuera Pharmacy). I went in there and gave receptionist my name etc. she handed me some forms and pen and told me to fill them out. As i sat there, she said to me.. you do know you are early? I said yes and started to look over the forms. The first one was just general stuff weight, height, any operations?, medications taken, occupation, smoker? etc. I then looked at other forms she gave me and it was asking q's about canada. i told the lady and she was like .oops! i gave you the wrong ones.. Then she said, do you have your own forms? I said yes. so she said to just fill out the first one that she gave me. Shortly afterwards the doc called me in.. He is a very nice person. Makes you feel at ease. He took my forms from me (that the embassy sent to me) and said.. oh? you have to fill the top part in yourself. I felt a bit silly about that as i didn't know. But he was like.. it's ok,no worries etc. He filled out the parts of forms that he had to do, all the while just talking casually to me. he asked me where i would live in the USA. The he asked me if i had had months, chicken pox and measles.. i had.. he then told me what he was going to do next.. so i had to take my top off and he gave me a cover to hold up against me and then he checked my breathing and on my back too with stethoscope. He checked blood pressure. He then got out his little hammer.. hehe and checked my reflexes on my knees. My leg went SHOOTING up in the air.. Made me giggle. He said, that's good you have great reflexes. He told me that i seemed to be in good health. We then sat back down again and he picked up the vaccination sheet. I asked him about the TB test and he said at this stage, all that he does now is satisfactory for later on (AOS). He then looked at the vaccination work sheet and said to me.. where did you get this from?? I said the embassy sent it to me.. He said really?? I said yes. He said, well they have sent you the wrong form. He said this is an old one. So he went to reception desk and found the right one and filled it out. They photocopied it and gave me a copy. I was then given a tetanus shot and he handed me a form for blood tests and instructions on where to go for xrays and blood tests. And was told to bring the xrays back to the doctors when i had finished. As it was a nice day, i thought i would do what russell did and walk to the radiology place!!(101 Remuera Rd) Half way there i was thinking that maybe it wasn't such a good idea. It took me around 20-25 mins to walk it (russell is probably more fitter and definitely much younger than i ) I got to the radiology place and there were like 8 people waiting. I told the woman at desk why i was there. she took my money and forms and passport and told me to wait. Looking around the waiting room i was thinking.. wow! this is going to take AGES. I was just about to get up and ask the lady at desk if i could have my passport back so i could get blood tests done while waiting, when a lady called my name. I went straight in to a small room. took my top and bra off. put on this white top and then had the xray done. she asked if i was going to wait for xray and i told her that i would go and get blood tests while waiting.. I asked her for my passport and the form that they each have to sign and took off to the laboratory which was just around the corner at 12 St marks Road. The lab is right next to a womans clinic. They were really FAST in there. Now on the instructions from embassy they say to pay in cash which i had done for docs and xrays.. so i layed out the money on the counter and the lady said to me.. do you have eftpos? I said yes of course. she said ahh good as we don't accept cash here at all. They signed my form. I was in and out of the lab in like 4 mins!! no kidding! it was soo fast. They told me the results would be sent to Dr Stone. I walked back to xray place and the xrays were ready. I noticed that the radiologist who had signed the form hadn't dated it, so got the lady at desk to do it. I looked at my watch and it was 2.25pm, so i tried to put my feet into turbo. I was walking so fast my jandals were burning rubber!!! By the time i got to docs (2.55) i had blisters on the underneath of my feet!! i was hobbling. Inside the xray sleeve there was the form from embassy that the doc had written on and 2 letters from the radiologist saying that my xrays were normal etc. The receptionist took the two letters and form and gave me back the xrays. I said to her do i have to have one of the letters? and she said no..(I'm not sure how one is going to walk onto a plane holding those xrays! they are huge!! I had got instructions previously from google maps on how to get home and they were WRONG. so i had to stop and ask a lady at a chemist how to get onto the motorway.So all in all a very eventful day. At docs. It cost $125 for the medical and $50 for tetanus. The xray cost $80 and the blood test cost $31. Total of $286!! I had to phone in sick today at work, so i could go. Not sure what they will think when i hobble into work tomorrow with a sunburnt face cdneh: you could phone Dr Stone and ask them if they supply forms. I gather they do as the receptionist handed me forms to fill in even though they were for Canada. Just to add too that on the information i had to fill in. it said A#? i didn't know what it meant so i left it blank, so hope that was ok. As i don't know what my case number is from nvc as the embassy never quoted any number to me at all when they sent out packet 3.	kiwiana	Female	New Zealand	2008-12-04 00:23:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Thanks guys!! I guess i am stressing out over this tax transcript thing.I don't understand the workings of the tax dept over there but apparently my SO was waiting for a refund from them, and he was going to ask for a transcript once he received the refund ( i have no idea why or how or whatever lol) but now i have told him that packet 3 is here, he said he will phone them this week and ask for a transcript. How long that takes i have no idea. So i am kind of juggling in my mind the best time to send back the forms to the embassy with the appointment form so that the transcript is here with me in NZ when they give me an interview date. I guess i am worried that if the interview date arrives and i don't have it. They might deny me. As amaciar said, they thought they'd have 3 or 4 weeks and found out to only have two. I can imagine your panic!! As yet, I have no set date as to when i will head over there. I am taking it one day at a time until after the interview and I want to spend Christmas here with family too. But at same time, i want to be with my SO as well.. lol!! I have been looking on dhl and it does seem that nothing comes up after around 26th nov, so cdneh you are not the only one who is having trouble with it. Let's hope some more packages go out very soon and more specifically ONE to NZ!!! Michelle S, Kelvan and others!! hope you guys get approved very soon!!	kiwiana	Female	New Zealand	2008-12-03 03:24:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (cdneh @ Dec 2 2008, 12:30 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Wow! That is good news! We live in hope. Be sure to let us know how the medical goes...that was a very quick appointment! . yes i was surprised too at the appointment for medical. The receptionist said Thursday and it took me aback a little so i said what days would be available next week and she said what days would you like? Then she added that the appointments for medicals for Canada and USA are between 12 and 1pm. So i thought hmm let's get it over with so made it for the Thursday. I asked her if i would have plenty of time to get the blood tests and xrays done and would I have to wait long for them. She assured me that I would be straight in for those, so no need to worry on the time frame. So i guess they have a set HOUR to conduct the medicals for each country? whether it's a new thing they have introduced, i'm not sure. will be interesting when you make an appointment for yours what they say. I have to admit I am very surprised at the speed everything is going.. I NOW wish it would slow down!! (oh my! did i REALLY say that?? after all this waiting to be approved and now its just zooming along and i can't keep up with it!. I'm not complaining but just out of breath keeping pace with it ) so soo hope your package arrives this week!!	kiwiana	Female	New Zealand	2008-12-02 01:40:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (cdneh @ Dec 1 2008, 10:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Well...it wasn't us for sure... we've rung NVC and they still have it there. So..now we are waiting in an entirely different queue yep the package was mine! I received a letter from the embassy today. I made an appointment for medical on Thursday and I got some passport photos done today too. Now I have some q's: Do i have to put my name or anything on the back of all the photos i have to submit? Can i just send in the forms that they want sent in now and then send in the statement form that says i have everything ready for an interview later or do i have to send in the appointment/statement form saying i have everything ready WITH the first lot of forms you have to send to them? I ask this because my fiance doesn't have his tax transcript yet and i need a little more time. But wanted to just send in the forms i have to send in first, then wait.... and then send in the form saying that i have everything ready for the interview. Plus if i am having the medical on thursday, i wanted to send in something, so that they can pair the medical up with something of mine After you do send in the form saying that you have everything ready for interview, how long do you wait generally for the interview? Do they give it a few weeks ahead of time or is it sooner or later? (just like to get an idea of how much time they give you) cdneh: I was hoping that your package may have been mailed out with mine... Hopefully, they will send it out this week.Fingers crossed it will be tomorrow!!	kiwiana	Female	New Zealand	2008-12-01 23:49:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (ivannnaloveskiwi @ Dec 1 2008, 02:51 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> hi, i have a question....i'm afaid i dont make enough money...its scaring the hell out of me...i do get child support and social security for my children will they count this? and a question about that I-134 form....it asked if i intend or no intend to make specfic contribtions to the support of person named in item 3... what the heck would i check? what would be the best answer? i'm so cunfused and the thought of coming this far and be turned down becasue i dont make enough money idk what i'd do...any help would be great...ty I emailed the embassy here in akl regarding the 1-134 form as it was worrying the heck out of me as my fiance probably won't meet the guidelines. They said there is no specific monetary requirement for the I-134. And if i have sufficient funds of my own, the interviewing consular officer may not require any further evidence of support. But we can still provide a co-sponsor if we wanted to, showing current income, last year's tax return and ID (birth certificate or passport) They also said that they go more on looking at the sponsors (petioners) pay slip and current rate of pay more than looking at their year's tax form. They said that, with the 1-134 form and the beneficiarys own funds may meet their requirements. So if you feel you don't earn enough and your fiance may not have much funds to show the embassy then you can have a co-sponsor. Kim (kim and russ) will be able to tell you more about this Kim?? On the 1-134 form, on the example here on vj. It says to leave the boxes blank and write in the space below: N/A ( k1 visa process for permanent residence)	kiwiana	Female	New Zealand	2008-12-01 03:15:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (ivannnaloveskiwi @ Nov 29 2008, 03:33 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> yes it would be nice...still waiting patiently.... Hi ivannaloveskiwi!! Didn't mean to not acknowledge you when you first posted here (Just read through last few pages and I see that i was in the midst of "OMG! with my approval notice" bit,when you wrote the first time, so i missed your threads lol! ) CSC has kinda got into gear the last few weeks, so let's hope they can continue pumping out approvals!!	kiwiana	Female	New Zealand	2008-11-29 03:57:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (Michelle.S @ Nov 29 2008, 03:00 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> haha although i'll admit to being slightly jealous, i am very excited for you both, i know my time will come and it's fun sharing your excitement too! I'm really hoping you will get word soon on your approval! Remember that vermont has been very unreliable lately with posting approval notices on their website. Your SO may get a NOA2 in the mail without you knowing beforehand of your approval!!! so fingers crossed!! It would be awesome if they could get cracking and get a HEAP of approvals out before Christmas!!	kiwiana	Female	New Zealand	2008-11-29 03:19:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (cdneh @ Nov 28 2008, 10:31 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> We have the snail mail letters from NVC..one to say they have the case, and the other says that "within a week the petition will be forwarded to the appropriate visa-issuing post where your visa interview will take place." I guess I can keep an eye on the DHL site next week ...I've had such a lot of practise with Igor's list I think the package that was sent this week may be for you!!! YAY!!! I see that it arrived and was signed for at the embassy here on friday at 2.50pm!!! woo hooo!!!! My SO got 2 letters from nvc today and they were sent on the 24th and 25th, so our package may be sent out next week.. hopefully.. This is very very exciting!!!! I'm really hoping that we both hear news from embassy VERY soon!!! yippee!!!	kiwiana	Female	New Zealand	2008-11-28 23:45:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	QUOTE (amaciar @ Nov 27 2008, 03:17 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Happy Turkey Day! Yum Yum Yum. Hope everyone had a happy thanksgiving. To those that experienced the day for the first time, how was it? Did you have a fairly quiet day or a large family gathering? I haven't had thanksgiving over there yet, so am interested to hear how everyone spent the day.	kiwiana	Female	New Zealand	2008-11-28 14:02:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	well i am sittiing here thinking hmmm wonder how many people in NZ are waiting for packages to arrive from visa centre. I looked at earlier dates on dhl and there are lots of packages going around the world but none to NZ. so let's hope they only have TWO packages to be sent out this week to NZ!!!!!	kiwiana	Female	New Zealand	2008-11-26 22:42:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	SNAP!! I was JUST going to post and say that there is a package heading to Auckland right now!!!! oooh it is soo exciting looking at the dhl site!!! Kim and Chris: VERY best wishes to you both. Almost there!!!	kiwiana	Female	New Zealand	2008-11-26 22:30:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	Hi all, been a while since I checked in and I've been busy reading everyones posts to see where they are up to. It's great to see some folks have made progress. Cdneh I really hope your packet gets shipped out to the embassy soon, Michelle - I'm certain your approval is just around the corner. Dr Stone in Remuera is the same one that Russ went to. I took my car from the Dr's to the X-Ray place, it's not a long walk, but it is around 15 - 25 minutes depending on speed. I then just walked from there to the blood lab and then back to collect my car. Hard to believe that I've nearly been in the US for 3 months now. I'm still unemployed. I've been applying for a few jobs but have been pretty selective so far, I'm thinking that I need to branch out of my own field and cast my net a bit wider. Other than that, like Gnomegrrl said I'm glad that winter has come along as the temperature in spring was reaching 40 degrees celsius and I felt like I was melting. Now it's a little chilly but not too cold and I'm liking it just fine. I spent my first Thanksgiving in Hawaii, which was fabulous. We didn't have a traditional Thanksgiving meal, so I've still got to experience that, but instead we enjoyed a bbq cooked poolside after a day of swimming and relaxing. I'm looking forward to my first Christmas spent with my husband, we're planning on visiting friends in Washington State so there's a chance that I may experience a white christmas, which would be a first for me too. Today my son turns 15 and not being with him is the only downside to this whole great adventure. He'll be coming over early January for a few weeks though so and I'm busy telling myself that my husband and I managed to keep a relationship going across the ocean, so surely I can do the same with my son. I hope that good news comes for all who are waiting and that everyone enjoys the holiday season and manages to share it with their loved ones in some way.	kelzm	Female	New Zealand	2008-12-05 12:15:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	I too have been reading posts and catching up on what everyone's been up to. Good to see things moving for some of you and I'm sure things won't be far off for the rest I've been here in the States for about a week now and have really spent most of that time catching up on sleep and trying to get rid of the sinus infection I had for about a week before I travelled. I def do not recommend flying with bad sinus, but when you've been waiting all that time, nothing was going to stop me The trip was pretty uneventful. I bought a one way ticket with Air Tahiti with a connection on NWA to Memphis. It worked out to be the cheapest option. $1669 all up. I did contemplate an open return ticket but to me it was more important to spend less right now and have more in the bank to live on for the next few months till I can work. The flight leaves at 3pm and it's a 5hr trip to Tahiti. Once there you leave the plane via the old fashioned airplane stairs, and then walk across the tarmac to the main building. Even at 9pm Tahiti time, stepping out of the plane was like walking into a sauna. The main building is all open and only has ceiling fans so there's no respite there You line up to have your passports inspected and then go around the corner and get on board a different plane for the rest of the 8hr flight to LA. All in all we were lucky to have been there for not much more than 30 mins. Once we landed at LA I decided not to try and keep up with the hoards charging off for customs and immigration. I made that mistake last time I did this trip as I only had a 2hr window for my connection, (which I missed coz the flight was late leaving Auckland), and I felt like I'd just run a race....all hot and bothered. The good thing with Air Tahiti leaving Auckland at 3pm instead of Qantas that leaves at 7pm is that it arrives in LA at 8.15am, giving a 4hr 20min window to get all the POE sorted and still get my connection.......so I let the hoards pile on the first bus across the tarmac to POE and sat quietly with the remaining straglers in the 2nd bus that was waiting for the crew. By the time we got over to POE everyone else had processed and I was as fresh as a daisy, well almost....lol. I waltzed straight through POE with the guy just asking the odd question in conversation while he opened the MBE, took my finger prints and took my photo. Barely took 5mins I nipped around to terminal 2 with my bags and checked them in, then with 3hours or so to spare I sat myself down out in the LA morning sunshine to enjoy the fresh air after all the hours couped up on the plane. Everything else went without a hitch and the flight was even a bit early getting in to Memphis where Chris was waiting for me I was the most wonderful thing to fall into his arms again And that was my trip. I do have one question for Kim (Kim and Russ) though. I asked the officer at POE which USCIS office my paperwork will be sent to as per the instructions, but all he told me was that they will be sent to the main POE sorting office there in LA and will be forwarded on from there. Even asking again saying that I'm supposed to find out at POE and why... got the same reply, which I'm assuming meant he had no idea. So now I'm a bit worried about where to send the AOS paperwork to. Is there some other way of finding out at all? Kiwiana: I packed my x-rays in my check in luggage, could be wrong but as far as I am aware they're not needed at POE and I wasn't asked for them at all. Well I guess my next move is to plan a wedding, which is something we never gave much thought to earlier as there was so much else to sort out.....and to get my SSN sorted out next week. I'm loving the cooler weather too, even spring was getting too hot for me at home and I am indeed hoping for some snow around christmas time. We've already reached today's high of 3deg and the overnight low is supposed to be -5 It's been a journey but it's been well worth it....	Kim & Chris	Female	New Zealand	2008-12-05 14:43:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	wow thanks for that kiwiana, excellent review QUOTE (cdneh @ Dec 4 2008, 08:15 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thanks for that! Sets my mind at rest in the event that we get that far. I won't be walking...lol....sounds like a bit of a hike for me. Thanks for all the great info, but I think there is little point in my booking at this stage.. He rang NVC back again tonight, and asked to speak to a supervisor. According to the person he spoke to, we have been in AP since November 21st, which is 3 days after the first letter was sent, and 5 days after the second letter went out. She could not say why the other people we spoke to said it was not in AP, or why they failed to see the flag. She could not say "which agency is hanging it up." She did say they will send a notice in the post. She did say she doesn't know where the case is. huh? so they've lost it?	Michelle Kauffman	Female	New Zealand	2008-12-04 03:12:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	hey guys i have yet another question trying to work out the requirements for a co-sponsor (cos unfortunately the one we had lined up is having second thoughts) Rob does have an income but not enough, we're looking at other family members and friends but i'm now confused, does the co-sponsor have to earn the entire amount required for sponsorship or do we count Rob's income into the equation somewhere? our other option is not to get a co-sponsor and just use Rob's income plus bank balance of $30k (difference between what Rob gets and 125% poverty level x 5), does anyone think this is a good idea? i think it's the easiest option but don't wanna take it in case they turn us down, also the $30k would come from the sale of my house here, would that be a problem? i'm sure the answers are in here somewhere but my neck is out and my head is killing me and i'm terrified i'm not going to be let in	Michelle Kauffman	Female	New Zealand	2008-12-03 14:56:00
Australia and New Zealand	NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!	grats kiwiana, i think it's great it's all moving along so well	Michelle Kauffman	Female	New Zealand	2008-12-02 02:24:00