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

[KimandRuss 0]

That's great news Justine!

Kel... can you track your package with DHL the same way we can once it leaves the NVC???

[kelzm 0]

I'm not sure about tracking packages... I guess so?

I still have quite a process to go through to get it to leave there though! We're still waiting for them to receive it, once they have they'll send out two more bills, and want to collect the biographical info before it's all sent to the consulate. Looks like that part of the process is taking about 3 - 5 months for most people.

You must be counting down the days Kim. It's March now, just a month more to go!

[KimandRuss 0]

Hi Kel, wow I didn't realize they held it up for that long at the NVC for you folks. Well after what needs to get done gets done.... you might find this thread usful in tracking it with DHL to the consulate. For us K1's, at VSC anyway, it seems to be in and out in just a couple days. CSC looks like they're still sending to the NVC in bulk shipments so it takes a little longer.

Justine, still waiting on those pictures.

So we've finally decided on our plans for a wedding ceremony but it's kinda hard to plan when you dont know when the 90 day window will be.

[kelzm 0]

Ohh wedding plans. Are you going to share or keeping them secret for a while?

[emma&sammy 0]

justine, i'm glad things are happening for you! Is there someone you could email to find out where the interview is? $35 is a lot better than $500! If we weren't broke enough from all the travelling over the last 3 years, we certainly will be after this whole visa business is done with! Do your folks even know that you're planning on coming to America? btw...Russell and I were thinking you and Jordan should have a photoshopped image of you both together. Let us know if we can help you with that.

emma&sammy.. great to see you here. You guys seem to be in that last lot of older petitions at VSC! Makes you wonder just how they're getting things done over there. Not too fair with all these January filers being approved but i'm sure your time is just around the corner. I hope you can take some comfort in that and in the fact that the NZ consulate is so effecient. Where will you be in the U.S. once you're here? I'm in Massachusetts.

Kel, nice to see you. I'm not sure if the consulate works at the same pace for the CR-1's (would imagine so) but if they do you should be hearing from them very soon. Did you put your house on the market yet?

Hi Mark, nice to see you over here too! I'm so excited for those of you who are so close to 'the end' of this, the most arguous, process of it all! You also look like you're about 'ready to pop' out of the CSC very soon! We'll be keeping our fingers crossed for you! Are you, or your SO in Chicago? Good to know i'm not the only one freezing my @ss off!

btw..any of you lived anywhere else for 6+ months and need a police clearance from that country? Russell worked in Australia for close to a year and we were wondering if the NZ consulate would handle that police clearance as well.

I'm not sure if he will need a police clearance, I lived in the UK for 9 months and the longest I stayed in the US at one time was 9 months, so i'm not sure if I need to get police clearances for either of them? I'm going to call the AKL embassy tomorrow so will let you know.

[KimandRuss 0]

emma... Russell has already contacted the consulate regarding this and this is the response he got....

You require a Police Clearance from your country of Nationality, and Residence, when you have resided there (ie NZ) for 6 months or more. And from any other country you have resided in for 12 months or more. So if you only lived in Australia for 9 months, and are not an Australian citizen, you won’t need to obtain one from there. (of course, if there was any conviction, you would have to obtain the court records!)

>

> This office obtains the NZLD one for you, once we receive your approved petition/case file.

>

[KimandRuss 0]

Kel... happy to share our plans with you

Russell and I have been waiting so many years for this! We always had this image of a very intimate (he, I & my children) and comfortable ceremony barefoot on the beach at sunset. I did the big expensive wedding thing with hundreds of people and just knew it wasn't what I wanted. I wanted it be all about us. Thankfully, he agreed!

However, we learned on my trip to NZ last month that members of his family will be travelling to the U.S. for the ceremony. I'm thrilled that they will be there to share this with us! But it did put a little crimp in our initial plans! You have to know that I come from a very large family who has lived in the same city for generations. We all live within a few miles of each other and see each other often. We are surrounded by so many people who love and care about us! Although we still want a small ceremony, we also want his family to meet all the people here who we love and who already care so much about Russell. Since he lived here for over a year already he's already been 'adopted'. So, we've decided to stick with our idea for a small ceremony...only a little larger than we initially intended as we'll have his family members and my close family members and friends with us. We plan on a couple nights in a resort hotel with our family and friends and a ceremony at sunset on a Friday. We'll drive home on Saturday to a large informal 'bash' with all of our family and friends! Best of both of the worlds we think.

How about the rest of you????

[kelzm 0]

That sounds great Kim. Even though it does change your plans a little it's nice to see that Russell's whanau are making the trip to see the two of you finally able to be married. Plus a big bash with all the family and friends sounds fun, I'm sure the kiwi contigent will love it.

For myself, my wedding was very intimate - just the two of us and our two witnesses. We got married in California so my son wasn't able to be there, I'd promised him some other kind of ceremony that he could be at later on down the track.

Now I'm not so sure about that, however my son is still quite adamant that he wants us to do something, so we'll have to have some more discussion around that idea at some point!

[KimandRuss 0]

Good morning/evening friends!

I was going to wait for Mark to come in and share but in case he doesn't... they were finally approved yesterday!

CONGRATULATIONS!!! Funny how excited I get for another NZ couple! Cracks me up! How wonderful for them! I hope they keep us posted.

Kel, how sweet that your son wants a ceremony for you.

Well the countdown for us is 5 weeks and 5 days! Hopefully the approval will take less than a month and the Auckland interview even less! So here by early June? Think that's too much to ask for?

Edited March 6, 2008 by KimandRuss

[kelzm 0]

Congrats Mark! That's fantastic news.

Kim I think June is on the cards, will keep my fingers crossed that it happens for you both. Not long now at all!

[KimandRuss 0]

Nice! He is the master of photoshop!

What a lovely couple! I think you each need to take one straight on the same distance from the camera like you're leaning in to each other.

[rubyred 0]

jordan doesn't have a digital camera anymore - he got robbed a few months ago (after months of defending his move to oakland to people who were constantly bagging it out as the worst/most dangerous city to live in, it was pretty heartbreaking for him to end up a victim). but i love this photo, and i sent it to jordan (who had no idea about what we were up to) and he loved it too - he thinks we make a 'handsome couple' and i have to agree that we look damn good together!

[KimandRuss 0]

Yes you do! I'm glad he liked it. We're always told how much we look like we could be brother and sister with our dark features and extremely curly hair.

Doesn't he have a webcam? You can still shots with that. Just a suggestion anyway.... the best one will be when you are really together!

[rubyred 0]

yeah i kinda think we look a lot alike too! i thought the webcam shots might be too fuzzy but if they'll do then we'll give it a try

i've already warned jordan that i'll have my camera out about 15mins after we've met, getting some stranger to take our first photo.

[emma&sammy 0]

emma... Russell has already contacted the consulate regarding this and this is the response he got....

You require a Police Clearance from your country of Nationality, and Residence, when you have resided there (ie NZ) for 6 months or more. And from any other country you have resided in for 12 months or more. So if you only lived in Australia for 9 months, and are not an Australian citizen, you won’t need to obtain one from there. (of course, if there was any conviction, you would have to obtain the court records!)

>

> This office obtains the NZLD one for you, once we receive your approved petition/case file.

>

I got it! we got approved on the 05th! i'm so stoked, but now I have to wait to receive packet 3. I have a question... Do I have to wait til I receive pkt 3 for the I-134 or can Sammy print it off line and then send it to me? That's the only form that he needs to fill in now right? the rest is up to me?

Thanks guys!