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Filed: Country: Ireland
Timeline
Posted

Hi guys,

Just filed the initial I-130 at the Sydney consulate today. Thanks to you guys we had all the paperwork in order and the first stage went smoothly. Here's what happened so you'll know what to expect if you are filing I-130 in Sydney.

Rob (the USC) emailed last week and made the appointment and they came back to us with a time today. We got there nice and early and passed through security where they take your purse/bags etc leaving you with just your paperwork. I wasn't expecting to be able to go through with Rob as I had read on here that only the USC goes in but they were quite happy to let me through with my Irish passport. We then got taken up to the consulate floor by security, went through another metal detector and then got to the consulate area. There we took a number and after about 10 minutes we got called to the first window. There we handed in the I-130 form, and copies of Rob's passport, his Aussie Visa, his entry stamp, our wedding certificate, 325A's for both of us and US size passport photo's of us. We also gave the attendant Rob's original passport and our original wedding certificate. As everything was in order, we then were sent to another window to pay the fee. After fee payment, the attendant called us back and took the payment receipt. Then the attendant told us to wait again and that another attendant would interview us.

We were a bit nervous at this point wondering what would they ask etc and did we have enough proof of of a viable relationship. This bit is kind of vaguely discussed so we were stressing a bit. We had brought photo's, copies of our lease and our joint bank account statement. So after another 10 minutes, we were called back up to the counter by a second attendant.

Here are the questions he asked:

To Rob (the USC):

When did you arrive in Australia?

What have you been doing since you got here-working?

Where?

When do you plan on going back?

To me:

When did you get here?

Why did you come to Australia?

When do you want to travel to the USA?

As we had come over together on the same date and in our answers we had shown that we had moved here together the attendant seemed happy enough with that. Then he asked if we had any further questions and explained again what would happen now:

Adam Walsh check, packet 3, appointment setting. And then we got our original marriage cert back and we were off out the door. The whole process took less than an hour. So we never even took our photo's or other stuff out of the 'proof of relationships' folder. Now we are just waiting for packet 3!

I've contacted the Irish police to try and get the police certificate so we'll be ready to file packet 3 as soon as they send us the email.

Thanks everyone for the posts on here. They really helped us prepare. I'll update again after my next appointment.

Started stressing about visa: From once we decided to move back to the USA

Marriage:20-9-08 :)

I-130 filed at Sydney Consulate: 9-10-08

Applied for Irish police certificate: 10-10-08

Irish police certificate received: 14-10-08

Packet 3 received: 16-10-08

Mailed DS 230 I & II: 16-10-08

Went to local doctor to get immunity levels checked:17-10-08

Made appointment for medical: 17-10-08

Medical: 28-10-08

Posted packet 3: 3-11-08

Applied for Aussie Police certificate: 20-11-08

(Bit of a delay here due to us living in a very ghetto part of Sydney. They could only take fingerprints if they didn't have a suspect in custody. Unfortunately for me, every day I went in, someone was in the slammer. Oh, the joys!)

Received appointment date: 24-11-08

Email requested extra information about husbands income in USA and Aussie police certificate. Also told me to bring US sized passport photo, passport, the money to pay and a 3Kg express post envelope

Appointment Day: 16-12-08

Green card approved but on hold until they receive origional Aussie police certificate: 16-12-08

Posted
Hi guys,

Just filed the initial I-130 at the Sydney consulate today. Thanks to you guys we had all the paperwork in order and the first stage went smoothly. Here's what happened so you'll know what to expect if you are filing I-130 in Sydney.

Rob (the USC) emailed last week and made the appointment and they came back to us with a time today. We got there nice and early and passed through security where they take your purse/bags etc leaving you with just your paperwork. I wasn't expecting to be able to go through with Rob as I had read on here that only the USC goes in but they were quite happy to let me through with my Irish passport. We then got taken up to the consulate floor by security, went through another metal detector and then got to the consulate area. There we took a number and after about 10 minutes we got called to the first window. There we handed in the I-130 form, and copies of Rob's passport, his Aussie Visa, his entry stamp, our wedding certificate, 325A's for both of us and US size passport photo's of us. We also gave the attendant Rob's original passport and our original wedding certificate. As everything was in order, we then were sent to another window to pay the fee. After fee payment, the attendant called us back and took the payment receipt. Then the attendant told us to wait again and that another attendant would interview us.

We were a bit nervous at this point wondering what would they ask etc and did we have enough proof of of a viable relationship. This bit is kind of vaguely discussed so we were stressing a bit. We had brought photo's, copies of our lease and our joint bank account statement. So after another 10 minutes, we were called back up to the counter by a second attendant.

Here are the questions he asked:

To Rob (the USC):

When did you arrive in Australia?

What have you been doing since you got here-working?

Where?

When do you plan on going back?

To me:

When did you get here?

Why did you come to Australia?

When do you want to travel to the USA?

As we had come over together on the same date and in our answers we had shown that we had moved here together the attendant seemed happy enough with that. Then he asked if we had any further questions and explained again what would happen now:

Adam Walsh check, packet 3, appointment setting. And then we got our original marriage cert back and we were off out the door. The whole process took less than an hour. So we never even took our photo's or other stuff out of the 'proof of relationships' folder. Now we are just waiting for packet 3!

I've contacted the Irish police to try and get the police certificate so we'll be ready to file packet 3 as soon as they send us the email.

Thanks everyone for the posts on here. They really helped us prepare. I'll update again after my next appointment.

Glad to hear it went well! My husband and I filed our I-130 in Melbourne and were just approved on September 30th. You should start a timeline in your siggy. It's a big help to others who are trying to plan their moves.

Good luck with the rest of the process and let us know how it goes!

April 23 2008 - Go, and fail, to file I-130. Told wrong info by Sydney consulate on filing. Must have appointment.

May 21 2008 - Lodged I-130 at Melbourne consulate. Told we are approved and to wait for e-mail from Sydney Consulate on next steps.

July 2 2008 - Packet 3 received from Sydney Consulate by e-mail!!!!!

July 4 2008 - Sent DS-230 parts I and II via express post to Sydney consulate.

July 8 2008 - Sent police check via express post.

July 9 2008 - Medical appointment.

July 23 2008 - Received police check (we were away on vacation so didn't see it til then). It was issued 11 July.

July 30 2008 - FINALLY got medical results back.

July 30 2008 - Sent off Packet 3 via expess post.

August 3 2008 - I (USC) moved back to the US.

August 31 2008 - Receive letter saying we missed our appointment?!? They said they sent original on Aug 6. the appointment was supposed to be on Aug 19.

September 1 2008 - Send request for new appointment via express post

September 2 2008 - Receive new appointment time

September 30 2008 - Final interview appointment - APPROVED!

October 2 2008 - Visa and POE pack received!

October 14 2008 - POE at LAX

October 15 2008 - Back together!

October 24 2008 - Social security card arrived

October 27 2008 - Welcome letter and green card received!

*********************

My heart is in Australia.

Posted

Good luck with your DCF! My husband (USC) and I filed our I-130 in June at the Sydney consulate and the process was really quick & straightforward - I think I had my visa in about 7 weeks.

DCF Timeline here

POE Timeline

08/24/2008 POE Seattle

08/29/2008 SSN assigned

09/08/2008 SSN (Card) received

09/29/2008 Green Card received

I-90 Timeline (USCIS error)

11/10/2008 Send I-90 to Texas service center

12/xx/2008 NOA1

01/07/2009 Card production ordered

01/14/2009 Card mailed

01/xx/2009 Card received

I-751 Timeline

06/02/2010 Send I-751 to California service center

06/04/2010 Received at CSC

06/07/2010 NOA1

06/09/2010 Check cashed

07/27/2010 Biometrics

07/28/2010 Touch

09/02/2010 Approved

Filed: Country: Ireland
Timeline
Posted (edited)

Yes, your posts were a big help. I'm so glad I found this site!

I can't work out how to display the timeline at the bottom of my posts. if I click on timeline i can see it but it doesn't seem to want to add it as a signature. :(

Edited by irishgalinabq

Started stressing about visa: From once we decided to move back to the USA

Marriage:20-9-08 :)

I-130 filed at Sydney Consulate: 9-10-08

Applied for Irish police certificate: 10-10-08

Irish police certificate received: 14-10-08

Packet 3 received: 16-10-08

Mailed DS 230 I & II: 16-10-08

Went to local doctor to get immunity levels checked:17-10-08

Made appointment for medical: 17-10-08

Medical: 28-10-08

Posted packet 3: 3-11-08

Applied for Aussie Police certificate: 20-11-08

(Bit of a delay here due to us living in a very ghetto part of Sydney. They could only take fingerprints if they didn't have a suspect in custody. Unfortunately for me, every day I went in, someone was in the slammer. Oh, the joys!)

Received appointment date: 24-11-08

Email requested extra information about husbands income in USA and Aussie police certificate. Also told me to bring US sized passport photo, passport, the money to pay and a 3Kg express post envelope

Appointment Day: 16-12-08

Green card approved but on hold until they receive origional Aussie police certificate: 16-12-08

Posted
Yes, your posts were a big help. I'm so glad I found this site!

I can't work out how to display the timeline at the bottom of my posts. if I click on timeline i can see it but it doesn't seem to want to add it as a signature. :(

Go to My Controls then on the left hand side click Edit Signature. You can then type in your timeline info (or C&P). Hope that helps!!

April 23 2008 - Go, and fail, to file I-130. Told wrong info by Sydney consulate on filing. Must have appointment.

May 21 2008 - Lodged I-130 at Melbourne consulate. Told we are approved and to wait for e-mail from Sydney Consulate on next steps.

July 2 2008 - Packet 3 received from Sydney Consulate by e-mail!!!!!

July 4 2008 - Sent DS-230 parts I and II via express post to Sydney consulate.

July 8 2008 - Sent police check via express post.

July 9 2008 - Medical appointment.

July 23 2008 - Received police check (we were away on vacation so didn't see it til then). It was issued 11 July.

July 30 2008 - FINALLY got medical results back.

July 30 2008 - Sent off Packet 3 via expess post.

August 3 2008 - I (USC) moved back to the US.

August 31 2008 - Receive letter saying we missed our appointment?!? They said they sent original on Aug 6. the appointment was supposed to be on Aug 19.

September 1 2008 - Send request for new appointment via express post

September 2 2008 - Receive new appointment time

September 30 2008 - Final interview appointment - APPROVED!

October 2 2008 - Visa and POE pack received!

October 14 2008 - POE at LAX

October 15 2008 - Back together!

October 24 2008 - Social security card arrived

October 27 2008 - Welcome letter and green card received!

*********************

My heart is in Australia.

Filed: Country: Ireland
Timeline
Posted
Good luck with your DCF! My husband (USC) and I filed our I-130 in June at the Sydney consulate and the process was really quick & straightforward - I think I had my visa in about 7 weeks.

Hey,

Just a quick question. how much was your NSW police check? I just went to the station and there are two options: certificate without fingerprints ($50), certificate with fingerprints ($95). I am worried that neither is the correct as it does say on the website that the cost should be in or around $175. Don't get me wrong, I would love it to be cheaper, I just don't want to spend $95 for a useless certificate and then have to spend a further $175 on the correct one!

If you could help, that would be awesome.

Thank you

Started stressing about visa: From once we decided to move back to the USA

Marriage:20-9-08 :)

I-130 filed at Sydney Consulate: 9-10-08

Applied for Irish police certificate: 10-10-08

Irish police certificate received: 14-10-08

Packet 3 received: 16-10-08

Mailed DS 230 I & II: 16-10-08

Went to local doctor to get immunity levels checked:17-10-08

Made appointment for medical: 17-10-08

Medical: 28-10-08

Posted packet 3: 3-11-08

Applied for Aussie Police certificate: 20-11-08

(Bit of a delay here due to us living in a very ghetto part of Sydney. They could only take fingerprints if they didn't have a suspect in custody. Unfortunately for me, every day I went in, someone was in the slammer. Oh, the joys!)

Received appointment date: 24-11-08

Email requested extra information about husbands income in USA and Aussie police certificate. Also told me to bring US sized passport photo, passport, the money to pay and a 3Kg express post envelope

Appointment Day: 16-12-08

Green card approved but on hold until they receive origional Aussie police certificate: 16-12-08

Posted

Sorry I don't know how much the NSW one is since I lived in QLD but you definitely need the one with fingerprints.

The Sydney consulate's website does say the $175 fee is subject to change and to check with the police for the current fee.

DCF Timeline here

POE Timeline

08/24/2008 POE Seattle

08/29/2008 SSN assigned

09/08/2008 SSN (Card) received

09/29/2008 Green Card received

I-90 Timeline (USCIS error)

11/10/2008 Send I-90 to Texas service center

12/xx/2008 NOA1

01/07/2009 Card production ordered

01/14/2009 Card mailed

01/xx/2009 Card received

I-751 Timeline

06/02/2010 Send I-751 to California service center

06/04/2010 Received at CSC

06/07/2010 NOA1

06/09/2010 Check cashed

07/27/2010 Biometrics

07/28/2010 Touch

09/02/2010 Approved

Posted

Definitely get the one with fingerprints. Can't help you with the cost though. We got my husband's in VIC.

April 23 2008 - Go, and fail, to file I-130. Told wrong info by Sydney consulate on filing. Must have appointment.

May 21 2008 - Lodged I-130 at Melbourne consulate. Told we are approved and to wait for e-mail from Sydney Consulate on next steps.

July 2 2008 - Packet 3 received from Sydney Consulate by e-mail!!!!!

July 4 2008 - Sent DS-230 parts I and II via express post to Sydney consulate.

July 8 2008 - Sent police check via express post.

July 9 2008 - Medical appointment.

July 23 2008 - Received police check (we were away on vacation so didn't see it til then). It was issued 11 July.

July 30 2008 - FINALLY got medical results back.

July 30 2008 - Sent off Packet 3 via expess post.

August 3 2008 - I (USC) moved back to the US.

August 31 2008 - Receive letter saying we missed our appointment?!? They said they sent original on Aug 6. the appointment was supposed to be on Aug 19.

September 1 2008 - Send request for new appointment via express post

September 2 2008 - Receive new appointment time

September 30 2008 - Final interview appointment - APPROVED!

October 2 2008 - Visa and POE pack received!

October 14 2008 - POE at LAX

October 15 2008 - Back together!

October 24 2008 - Social security card arrived

October 27 2008 - Welcome letter and green card received!

*********************

My heart is in Australia.

 
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