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

[rubyred 0]

wow, that's sad about your brother kim

i'm back in my hometown with my family now (monday) and fly out to sf on thursday. i feel like the next few days will be the slowest of my entire life. my parents don't have broadband so i can't call jordan on skype. i miss seeing him. but just a few more days!!!

[kelzm 0]

Kim - as others have said, very sad about your brother, thanks for sharing the poster though, hopefully someday it'll have a positive effect for you.

I had my interview today, I'll post a review very soon about that. It was all pretty simple. They did ask for my sons birth certificate though, which I didn not have with me, I hadn't received any information before that mentioned bringing it. I actually had it out last night and debated taking it with me but since I have not applied for a visa for him yet decided against it. I have to mail that in to the consulate and once they've verified that they'll issue my visa and send my passport and package back to me.

Not too bad, nearly 11 months in process.

[KimandRuss 0]

Thanks for all the kind words everyone. We do miss him dearly and hope he comes home to us soon. We've already been on TV and in the papers and even had contact with John Walsh... 'America's Most Wanted'. I've hosted my own website for over a decade and have thousands of members all over the world who have posted the flyer for us. It's been 5 years of looking and I don't plan on stopping... well... ever. He did love the area so many of you are settling in so I figured i'd at least put his image in your heads. Thanks for having a look.

Grant.. we have a couple different Sattelite services here in New England that carry sports from all over the world. I don't think you'll have a problem getting your games in. I'm not sure how the construction business works but you'll probably want to contact a few headhunter's with your CV/Resume as well.

Justine! How excited are you?!? Oh my goodness how I wish I could be a fly on the airport wall when you first leap into his arms! You better make sure you get back here to give us details! Have a safe trip hon.

Kel, I was thinking about you and wondering how it went. Sounds painless. I'm happy for you. Congratulations. Now if you could just sell that house and buy your ticket home!

Well today marks 12 weeks that we sent out our petition. Never did we imagine it would take this long to be approved but it is what it is I suppose. We're finally seeing some early April approvals so hopefully it's not much longer for us. We do know some folks who moved their interview up in AUK so we're hoping that if Russell schedules his medical as soon as we're approved it will arrive at the consulate shortly after they receive the approved petition and he can then expedite the interview. 2 days later he should be able to drive back and pick up his visa and fly home to me. He'll be staying with his aunt in Auckland as he waits for them to print it out. Yes...he's desperate to get back home!

[KimandRuss 0]

Just thinking of you Justine!

[cdneh 3,112]

I was just thinking about you Kim...you must be getting close!

[KimandRuss 0]

You know, you would think so anyway!

It was 3 months yesterday that they received our petition in Vermont but they're just now approving the beginning of April so it's looking like a couple more weeks. Never know with this process, though. I'm trying hard to stay strong. At least I have my work and kids and home and family to keep me busy. Russell has his family all around him but he's basically just wishing the days away. So my current status is being 'the strong one'.

This is just an assumption on my part, although I have studied these darn timelines for close a year now, but I see vermont touching (usually two days in a row and certainly not everybody) a lot sooner after filing day than they were last month. So, people are receiving their touches sooner than I did. Make sense? I know it's a stretch, but these are the things that have kept me going. So, even though we've had to wait so long, perhaps it means they are speeding up now for you folks! I hope so. Waiting is hell.

Thanks for thinking of me hon.

[amaciar 0]

Hello Everyone

Good to see there are some NZ/US couples out there. I just found this site and was pleased to see this thread. My hubby and I are both in New Zealand at the moment. I have been here for three years and I feel like we just finished getting me residency and now we are moving on to Nics US residency because the US is where we want to be for. Must say that the New Zealand process was much much much easier! It took 7 months and only involved one payment and one packet. Ohhh well if it was easy everyone woudl do it.

It hs been great reading everyones stories and feeling like we are not alone in our frustration and excitement.

[KimandRuss 0]

Hi amaciar, i'm glad you found us.

I'm a bit curious why you're not taking the DCF route?

[amaciar 0]

DCF route? Sorry I don't know what that stands for. I am really new to this. In truth we have done the whole process the wrong way. When we sent in our packet way back in November I was in the states. We were going to wait it out but when we realized the process was going to take almost a year I couldn't take it and moved back to be with my hubby. Would have been done by now if we had realized we could have filed in Auckalnd. Problem with this process is you aren't an expert til it is done!

Edited July 12, 2008 by amaciar

[KimandRuss 0]

DCF is direct consular filing. Up until last year, when the Adam Walsh Act was enacted, it was a lot more common. In many Country's, as long as you both are free to marry, it was as simple as marrying and applying for a visa at the foriegn Consulate. That process was much quicker.

The new laws now state that, in most Country's, the USC must reside in said Country with a valid visa for (usually) a minimum of six months. After which you can apply for DCF which goes much quicker than most other processes.

Perhaps the CR1 is just as quick from NZ, though. As Grant just brought his papers to AUK in June and already has his interview for AUG.

There will always be those 'what ifs'. Russell and I have been together for years but my ex would not sign the divorce papers (even tho we get along fine) so we were forced to wait. We lived together both abroad and here in the U.S for a year and a half because we just couldn't stand being apart anymore. We depleted all our savings travelling all over the world ...and Russell (who has his master's in Geology) has been out of work for two years now because of all of this. If I had been divorced when I first travelled to AUS in early 2006 (where he was working) we could have been married in NZ and he'd be home with me now (no Adam Walsh law then). Instead we had to wait another couple of years living in limbo, new laws enacted, new fees set...influx of petitions..etc. Now we've been apart for 10 months as we wait this out... and of course, the process is taking even longer now. it's arduous to say the least.

But, it is what it is and there is no looking back.. just forward. We'll get there and we'll be even better because of all we've had to endure to be together. So will you!

[amaciar 0]

I have been saying since this began that Nic and I are lucky. I have my resideny here so at least we can work and be together while immigration takes its time. It has been hard coming back to NZed after i thought i was finally going to be home and around my family. It is amazing the amount of money you spend trying to keep a marriage together when you are from different sides of the globe!

I have seen so many beautiful places and am counting the small blessings. Well thats when i am not crying cause i am frustrated and want to start having kids and a house. ha ha ha. My husband has a lot on his plate

Your time will come and you will hopefully come out stronger as a couple because of it. Thats my minute of positivety for the day. I will now spend the rest of it telling people not to fall in love with a foreigner. He he he should have listened to my mom 4 years ago.

[KimandRuss 0]

Oh but those kiwi's are some special people, aren't they?

You are so lucky that you can be together as you go through all of this. I'm happy for you.

How was it getting residency? Russell's family owns quite a bit of land on the Bay of Plenty and we'd love to spend as much time there as possible in the future, so once we're through all of this we'll start looking into that process.

[Kelvan 0]

Hi everyone I'm new! I've been in a long-distance relationship for 7 years now. We met when I was 17 and he 15 back in 2001. So now we're finally applying for the K1. I'm from Auckland and he's from Kansas. Good to know there are other Kiwis doing the same thing

[KimandRuss 0]

Glad you found us Lux.

[rubyred 0]

I'M HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

am INSANELY HAPPY (even though i look tired in the photo - we had just hiked about 3 miles, some of up a very steep hill) :)