NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!

[Michelle Kauffman 0]

grats kiwiana, i think it's great it's all moving along so well

[KimandRuss 0]

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.

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!!

[amaciar 0]

Kiwiana: We had our interview 2 weeks after we sent in our paperwork. We stressed out a bit because we thought we would have 3-4 weeks to finish accumulating our information. It all came together in the end though even though my husbands medical arrived 2 hours after our interview!!! I was worried they would tell us to go away and come back when we had everything done but they just kept Nics passport and stamped it as soon as they received the medical info.

What are you plans? When is the soonest you could fly to the states? Good luck just a little longer to stress out til you get to be with your honey!

[GnomeGrrl 0]

I'm such a slack bunny not updating, but in my defense, it's taken a while to catch up with hubby and his lot after being separated for 20 months!!

Anyway, we're all settled in to the new house, the kids are in school (only part time, going for their GED's) and things are pretty good. I'm very grateful to be heading in to winter ... it was averaging around 45 degrees (celsius) when we first arrived. That's painful for most New Zealanders, but for a Southland girl? LOL.

My experience at the POE was interesting. We were held up there for close to 3 hours, just waiting and waiting and waiting. One of my teenagers is a smoker, as am I, so you can imagine the thin ice we were skating on! Anyway, we were told to go in to the visitors line (I did try and argue with the lady, to no avail), but they'd just opened up a new counter so we snuck in to that and were escorted by the officer to secondary. A woman took our papers, told us to dump our carry-on and told us to sit. I think that was the most frustrating part. There were officers there wandering in and out, and she was unwrapping our MBE's in between receiving others rather than just hand it off to someone else. It was horrible watching her. She'd start to open one of ours ... process someone else in to secondary, open their packet, go back to ... no, someone else at the desk ... After about an hour and a half, she finally came and took my fingerprint. 20 minutes later, she did my oldest ... 15 minutes later, the youngest ... then she told us to wait ... again. LOL. In the meantime, other officers were wandering off, two and three at a time.

Eventually, an officer I hadn't seen before (and I was watching them all like hawks) came in, picked up one of our packets and wandered off. 10 minutes later, he came back, handed me my passport, said "There's 2 more, yes?" and disappeared again without waiting for an answer. It was only a few minutes (although it felt like a lifetime!) before he came back and handed me the boys passports, ran through the line about going through the residents/citizens line in future and how the stamp was proof of our residence until we got our green cards, and waved us on our merry way. We weren't asked any questions nor taken in for an interview.

Our bags had been set aside for us so our only issue after that was the customs guy that threatened to close down the airport because I had 6 jars of marmite in my suitcase. I can laugh at it now, but at the time I was far too stressed.

After I finally caught up with Jeremy outside, I discovered that the official that had finally stamped our passports had been pulled aside by him. He'd seen him wandering through and asked him about secondary inspection, telling him we'd been in there for more than 2 hours already and he was really worried. The officer told him it could still take a while, but obviously came straight through and dealt with us. He was a very unusual looking man, so there's no doubt it was him. If I bumped in to him today, I'd undoubtedly give him a big sloppy kiss. LOL.

Anyway ... hope everything is going well for the rest of you. I'm thinking about you all and sending very positive thoughts your way!

[kiwiana 2]

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!!

[cdneh 3,112]

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.

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

[KimandRuss 0]

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!

[Michelle Kauffman 0]

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

[KimandRuss 0]

Yes, the co-sponsor is suppose to be able to meet the income requirements alone.

Read this for more info on co-sponsors.

As stated previously, there are no laws binding the co-sponsor with the I-134 which is why NZ isn't as concerned with it as some other Consulates are. It is the I-184 (at AOS) that is legally binding. Maybe explaining this to your co-sponsor would help them?

In your case, I would contact the Embassy directly, explain your situation and ask them what it is they'll require from you to get this sorted.

[cdneh 3,112]

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....

[KimandRuss 0]

yeah there is some paperwork that comes with p3 and the Embassy did tell russell he'd need it but when he called the doctors they said it was all good...then when he got to the doc's office he found that they had the same forms and they wanted him to fill out theirs anyway. Not only that, but once you fill in all the info, the doc puts it into the computer and throws it out. You may want to check with others who have been through the process with the same doc to be 100% clear tho as this is just coming 3rd person... I wasn't there.

[cdneh 3,112]

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.

[kiwiana 2]

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.

[cdneh 3,112]

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.

[Michelle Kauffman 0]

wow thanks for that kiwiana, excellent review

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?