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

[kiwiana 2]

It is tomorrow.. funny we've been waiting for the day for 18 months and now it's like...tomorrow?!? Already??? OMG!

We've just gone over all the paperwork, it's all there, and I am hoping it is in an order so I can get at the bits they want, whatever they ask I think I have one of

I am going to have to leave here for there well in advance of the appointment at 0930..traffic here sucks the big one in the morning. Miserable. I'd rather get there, and get one of Auckland's infamously difficult to find parking spots and get it over with. I can find somewhere to sit and drink coffee until the hour, and I won't be worried I am late.

The flatmate thought she might drive me down at a decent hour, but her elderly mum...102 she is..has chosen this particular auspicious day to become most unwell at her resthome, and the Doctor was there in the middle of the night. As a result she didn't get much sleep overnight, and we are presently waiting for the phone to ring at any time to say it's over. Stressful although not unexpected, so I am making my own way in the morning.

I will certainly be here tomorrow, either way it goes, to let you know the details. It will be a relief to have it over with. Either way.

yes the traffic definitely sucks in the morning!! I will be thinking of you tomorrow and am looking forward to reading all about it!!

(when i get home from work) All the very best!!!!!

[cdneh 3,112]

I'll let you know !

[Michelle Kauffman 0]

I'll let you know !

waiting...waiting...waiting...hehe

[Lisaandtim 0]

I'll let you know !

waiting...waiting...waiting...hehe

Ok question..

We got the packet 3 stuff. And out of the 3 forms you take to the doctor, does it have to be the parent's medical information? Or is that something totally different?

[Michelle Kauffman 0]

Ok question..

We got the packet 3 stuff. And out of the 3 forms you take to the doctor, does it have to be the parent's medical information? Or is that something totally different?

sorry i'm at work and don't have packet 3 with me, can let you know that i just rang dr stone's surgery for an appointment and they could give me one this week but i chose next monday as i still have to go see my doctor for my hep b shot

i must admit i'm getting rather excited, getting closer and closer to my honey

[cdneh 3,112]

I'll let you know !

waiting...waiting...waiting...hehe

It went well, and I'll have it in hand the end of the week. More directly!

[Lisaandtim 0]

Ok question..

We got the packet 3 stuff. And out of the 3 forms you take to the doctor, does it have to be the parent's medical information? Or is that something totally different?

sorry i'm at work and don't have packet 3 with me, can let you know that i just rang dr stone's surgery for an appointment and they could give me one this week but i chose next monday as i still have to go see my doctor for my hep b shot

i must admit i'm getting rather excited, getting closer and closer to my honey

Well it's the 3 forms you have to take with you to the medical, if that helps.

[Michelle Kauffman 0]

I'll let you know !

waiting...waiting...waiting...hehe

It went well, and I'll have it in hand the end of the week. More directly!

woohoo, omg that's so great, tho i knew you wouldn't have a problem, so when do you hand in your notice at work?

[amaciar 0]

Did anyone here use the Wellington Terrace Medical Clinic for the K1 pre-interview exam? How quickly were they able to get you in for an appointment?

My husband used Dr David L Hingston from the Immigration Medical Assessment place on Terrace St. We were in within days but he took forever to process the information. We were on his case constantly and only realized later that he only works on Tuesday! So if you go way before your interview you will be fine but we went to him three weeks before ours and the medical info showed up at the embassy 20 minutes after our interview....and only did so because we called every Tuesday between the medical and the interview. If you can go elsewhere I would suggest it. Plus he didn't give shots there so Nic had to go to his doctor in Palmerston North to administer the only vaccination he needed and in the long run he wouldn't have needed the shot but the guy wouldn't take the records he brought in as prrof.

So long story short he does do what needs to be done but it sounds like much more hassel than the gentleman in Auckland. We called and had an appointment the following Tuesday which was about a week away. With this gentleman leave at least 4 weeks for the info to make it to the embassy and make sure he is not going out of town anytime soon! Wish I had better news. I just don't want you to read everyones reviews from Auckland and expect the same.

Edited February 2, 2009 by amaciar

[Michelle Kauffman 0]

Well it's the 3 forms you have to take with you to the medical, if that helps.

sorry no, doesn't help at all, i need to be looking at the papers, i'm a bit of an airhead that way, sorry

[cdneh 3,112]

I'll let you know !

waiting...waiting...waiting...hehe

It went well, and I'll have it in hand the end of the week. More directly!

woohoo, omg that's so great, tho i knew you wouldn't have a problem, so when do you hand in your notice at work?

Been there done that

[Lisaandtim 0]

Well it's the 3 forms you have to take with you to the medical, if that helps.

sorry no, doesn't help at all, i need to be looking at the papers, i'm a bit of an airhead that way, sorry

It's no problem. He figured it out, well that one anyways lol.

But if anyone can answer these, it'd be wonderful. Sorry so many, he wants me to ask and all the forms are so confusing for us. =(

- With the form DS-156(K): Do I need to send in Evidence of financial support as well, and what qualifies as evidence or is it another form to fill out and attach?

- With the form DS-156 Question 26. "How long do you intend to stay in the US?" What should I put here if I intend to marry and adjust status to live there permanently?

-With the form DS-156 Question 32. "Do you intend to work in the US?" What should I put here if I intend to work after I'm adjusted and legally allowed to work?

- I'm asked to obtain a "Photo copy of all valid passports biographic data pages". Is this just the front page with my picture and details of the passport, or does this include any pages with stamps on it too?

- I'm also asked to obtain "Evidence of financial support (Form I-134, Affidavit of Support from your US citizen sponsor)". Is this really required, my fiance'e is in USA and I'm here in New Zealand, this would take some time to get?

- Once receiving the package in my own country it asks me to send forms back, do I need to wait for any confirmation from that, or can I go ahead and schedule medical exam and then do interview to obtain visa?

[cdneh 3,112]

Approved !

Goodness ..the relief when you walk out of there

I did get a good night’s sleep, to my surprise, I think working nights Friday and Saturday, and sleeping a bit on Sunday meant I was tired enough last night. I was up at 0500..but I’m used to that. I got in early...traffic being what it is in Auckland, and parking can be hard to find once the office workers start going in. Down Queen to Customs, and from there the first right at the corner by the Post Shop onto Commerce St. Right ahead there is a parking lot, which is actually on Fort St. Parked up by 0700.

Course my appointment was ages away, but I hiked up Queen to Starbucks and sat in the window there for a bit watching people going to work, droves of them. Man the sights you see when you haven’t got a camera…I couldn’t work out whether some of them were on their way to work or to a party…one woman in a black dress so tight you could see what she’d had for breakfast, and the most shocking pink highest heels I’ve ever seen. I dunno how she gets around in those.

Back down the street to the Queens Arcade, which was open by then, and straight upstairs to the ladies…right by the water feature as described I realize I did that out of the usual order…heh…but then I had a bit more time and so had room for more coffee. I found a very nice little place right on the right side of the Arcade, and sat in the window and did a little more people watching. It got to be 0900 quite soon, and so I headed back to the Citibank. I did take a pic of the flag, and sent it off to my SO…he knew that when I sent that I was on my way in. He said afterwards he saw that flag and went..wow…she’s there.

You’d think you were boarding a plane once you step out of the lifts…what with the bag screening and the walk-through scanner. He asked me if my cell was off, and put my bag in a locker, and gave me the ticket. All I took in was my paperwork files and my glasses …(middle-aged-eyes) He sent me to window 3, and said to buzz, but there was a lady sitting there already and she told me to take a seat and said she’d let them know I was there. I only waited for 10 minutes or so. Hard to tell though, I’d left my watch home, and was using my cellphone clock, but of course you can’t take that inside…

I think I had the same two ladies that Kiwiana had, first the older lady, who did NOT tell me I was approved, but did say she would recommend they keep my passport, and then the younger blond lady.

The first lady, the older one was very nice and quite chatty. She didn’t ask for much, our previous divorce paperwork, my long form birth certificate, my Canadian police certificate, his I-134 and my proof of funds. She had a checklist with boxes highlighted in yellow she ticked off. She did manage to misplace the receipt for the visa fee though…she took it off the front of my passport and never found it again. She said not to worry, she’d SEEN it…and so we went through everything I’d given her and she’d given back. As it happened I had the customer copy in my file, so she copied that and was happy.

The second lady, quite a lot younger was very nice. She had me swear the oath that everything in there was true, and I signed that bit of paper you do when you are there. She went through our petition, and said…’oh…I see you were stuck at NVC in RANDOM checks for quite a while..!” Good grief….random! She had about half an inch of paper there she was looking at with little boxes all checked..I was desperate to ask if I could see it, but decided not to tempt fate. She redid a single fingerprint and that was all.

I showed her some pics I’d taken from the webcam when she asked, as we hadn’t sent any of us together with the petition. We didn’t have any. Who knew? She laughed out loud at some that showed the grandchildren mugging in front of the laptop…not realizing I was watching them , and one where the youngest was showing me his pet snake, I think in an attempt to startle me. Didn’t work. Monty Python doesn’t worry me.

She said it was all in order, and that I should have my passport back at the end of this week. Perhaps 15 minutes with her all up.

I went back out through security, got my bag back and went back outside. I was half way back to the car when I actually realized what had just happened…good thing the car knows where I live because I think I was on auto-pilot. I must have looked quite mad…grinning all the way home.

I called the boss and handed in my resignation, and we are looking at flights for the end of the month. It’s all go!

[Michelle Kauffman 0]

Approved !

Goodness ..the relief when you walk out of there

I did get a good night’s sleep, to my surprise, I think working nights Friday and Saturday, and sleeping a bit on Sunday meant I was tired enough last night. I was up at 0500..but I’m used to that. I got in early...traffic being what it is in Auckland, and parking can be hard to find once the office workers start going in. Down Queen to Customs, and from there the first right at the corner by the Post Shop onto Commerce St. Right ahead there is a parking lot, which is actually on Fort St. Parked up by 0700.

Course my appointment was ages away, but I hiked up Queen to Starbucks and sat in the window there for a bit watching people going to work, droves of them. Man the sights you see when you haven’t got a camera…I couldn’t work out whether some of them were on their way to work or to a party…one woman in a black dress so tight you could see what she’d had for breakfast, and the most shocking pink highest heels I’ve ever seen. I dunno how she gets around in those.

Back down the street to the Queens Arcade, which was open by then, and straight upstairs to the ladies…right by the water feature as described I realize I did that out of the usual order…heh…but then I had a bit more time and so had room for more coffee. I found a very nice little place right on the right side of the Arcade, and sat in the window and did a little more people watching. It got to be 0900 quite soon, and so I headed back to the Citibank. I did take a pic of the flag, and sent it off to my SO…he knew that when I sent that I was on my way in. He said afterwards he saw that flag and went..wow…she’s there.

You’d think you were boarding a plane once you step out of the lifts…what with the bag screening and the walk-through scanner. He asked me if my cell was off, and put my bag in a locker, and gave me the ticket. All I took in was my paperwork files and my glasses …(middle-aged-eyes) He sent me to window 3, and said to buzz, but there was a lady sitting there already and she told me to take a seat and said she’d let them know I was there. I only waited for 10 minutes or so. Hard to tell though, I’d left my watch home, and was using my cellphone clock, but of course you can’t take that inside…

I think I had the same two ladies that Kiwiana had, first the older lady, who did NOT tell me I was approved, but did say she would recommend they keep my passport, and then the younger blond lady.

The first lady, the older one was very nice and quite chatty. She didn’t ask for much, our previous divorce paperwork, my long form birth certificate, my Canadian police certificate, his I-134 and my proof of funds. She had a checklist with boxes highlighted in yellow she ticked off. She did manage to misplace the receipt for the visa fee though…she took it off the front of my passport and never found it again. She said not to worry, she’d SEEN it…and so we went through everything I’d given her and she’d given back. As it happened I had the customer copy in my file, so she copied that and was happy.

The second lady, quite a lot younger was very nice. She had me swear the oath that everything in there was true, and I signed that bit of paper you do when you are there. She went through our petition, and said…’oh…I see you were stuck at NVC in RANDOM checks for quite a while..!” Good grief….random! She had about half an inch of paper there she was looking at with little boxes all checked..I was desperate to ask if I could see it, but decided not to tempt fate. She redid a single fingerprint and that was all.

I showed her some pics I’d taken from the webcam when she asked, as we hadn’t sent any of us together with the petition. We didn’t have any. Who knew? She laughed out loud at some that showed the grandchildren mugging in front of the laptop…not realizing I was watching them , and one where the youngest was showing me his pet snake, I think in an attempt to startle me. Didn’t work. Monty Python doesn’t worry me.

She said it was all in order, and that I should have my passport back at the end of this week. Perhaps 15 minutes with her all up.

I went back out through security, got my bag back and went back outside. I was half way back to the car when I actually realized what had just happened…good thing the car knows where I live because I think I was on auto-pilot. I must have looked quite mad…grinning all the way home.

I called the boss and handed in my resignation, and we are looking at flights for the end of the month. It’s all go!

I am so happy for you, it's been a long time coming, haha now just a few weeks to finish everything up and you'll be away.

Ooh you must tell me the flatmates reaction

[cdneh 3,112]

Well it's the 3 forms you have to take with you to the medical, if that helps.

sorry no, doesn't help at all, i need to be looking at the papers, i'm a bit of an airhead that way, sorry

It's no problem. He figured it out, well that one anyways lol.

But if anyone can answer these, it'd be wonderful. Sorry so many, he wants me to ask and all the forms are so confusing for us. =(

- With the form DS-156(K): Do I need to send in Evidence of financial support as well, and what qualifies as evidence or is it another form to fill out and attach?

You take those things with you from under the heading "THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS MUST BE ATTACHED IN ORDER TO APPLY FOR A FIANCE(E) NONIMMIGRANT VISA"

Even though it says attach, you take them to interview

- With the form DS-156 Question 26. "How long do you intend to stay in the US?" What should I put here if I intend to marry and adjust status to live there permanently?

I put Permanently

-With the form DS-156 Question 32. "Do you intend to work in the US?" What should I put here if I intend to work after I'm adjusted and legally allowed to work?

That is what I answered.

- I'm asked to obtain a "Photo copy of all valid passports biographic data pages". Is this just the front page with my picture and details of the passport, or does this include any pages with stamps on it too?

I sent them all the pages with the picture and details and any pages that had stamps

- I'm also asked to obtain "Evidence of financial support (Form I-134, Affidavit of Support from your US citizen sponsor)". Is this really required, my fiance'e is in USA and I'm here in New Zealand, this would take some time to get?

It certainly is required. It's a must have. He sent me mine my DHL, but you can send it any way that you can track.

- Once receiving the package in my own country it asks me to send forms back, do I need to wait for any confirmation from that, or can I go ahead and schedule medical exam and then do interview to obtain visa?

From the letter with packet three...there is a heading FIRST you can complete and return those things at once.

Where it reads SECOND

once you have all the things on that list, you sign the second letter that you get with the packet and retunr that to them. Then you can get an interview scheduled.

You can schedule the medical once you have your ACK number...they give you a new case number at NVC. I had my medical before my petition arrived here, weeks before.