LAND DOWNUNDER, Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi

[MzMo1102 0]

Hi All!!

I hope all of you are doing great!!!! How is everyone doing? So sorry it has taken me so long to reply! Matt arrived here safely and it was great! Now busy planning the wedding! Hope all of you are in good spirits!

Hi Annie!!!

Great to hear from you! I read your embassy review for Matt's interview...I have mine on June 9 at 8am. Not long to go for your wedding!!! Post some pics if you can

[mingus_drake 0]

As for packet IV - I sent off packet 3 via express post on April 30 so they'd received it the next day. This afternoon I have received the packet 4 and my interview date is June 9. I had emailed them yesterday asking how long it takes to receive an interview date and they advised that once your packet/documents have been received, itll take approx 5-10 business days to review - then they will issue an interview date. So as far as mine went, it takes over a month from receiving packet 3 to actual interview.

ah thanks! i should be able to send mine the end of next week or the start of the week after, so hopefully won't take too long for an interview

good luck with yours!

[kat loves matt 0]

Hope everyone is well, k-visa applicants and already transplanted aussies alike!

Only a week left until I leave for Chicago. Still have SO MUCH to pack. Eeek!

I will be glad when its all done and we're on the way.

Any suggestions for things to take with me on the flight...? (aside from mystery brown envelope and obvious stuff like tickets and passport, LOL)

Can't believe it's almost time.

[MzMo1102 0]

As for packet IV - I sent off packet 3 via express post on April 30 so they'd received it the next day. This afternoon I have received the packet 4 and my interview date is June 9. I had emailed them yesterday asking how long it takes to receive an interview date and they advised that once your packet/documents have been received, itll take approx 5-10 business days to review - then they will issue an interview date. So as far as mine went, it takes over a month from receiving packet 3 to actual interview.

ah thanks! i should be able to send mine the end of next week or the start of the week after, so hopefully won't take too long for an interview

good luck with yours!

thanks!! likewise - goodluck!

[MzMo1102 0]

Hope everyone is well, k-visa applicants and already transplanted aussies alike!

Only a week left until I leave for Chicago. Still have SO MUCH to pack. Eeek!

I will be glad when its all done and we're on the way.

Any suggestions for things to take with me on the flight...? (aside from mystery brown envelope and obvious stuff like tickets and passport, LOL)

Can't believe it's almost time.

Wow - its that time already!! How exciting!!

If you like to read - take a good book...or magazines...otherwise, you'll be good as they have inflight entertainment on most airlines....you'll have alot of time to kill....

[mingus_drake 0]

having done a lot of international flying my recommendations are eye mask, ear plugs and moisturiser!

[SCFsnoopy 0]

Yay! I can't wait to tell Jess he's allowed to the interview - maybe that will concrete his decision to come down (if only tickets weren't so much money...!)

[kaffy 2]

I need to whinge

My husband's (Aussie spousal visa second stage processing, similar to removing conditions) paperwork finally arrived at Washington DC this week. That's right, it took them 5 whole weeks to transfer a file from Canberra to DC.. I bet they slow boated it . Anyhoo my poor weekend is going to be filled with stat decs, filling out forms and gathering evidence. And I am sooooo sick and tired of dealing with visas and immigration!!!! This is round 3 now!! first we got my husband's Aussie spousal visa, then we got my US spousal visa.. now we have to remove conditions on his. Then next year I'll have to file to remove conditions on mine.. then a year later it's citizenship. I am so fed up!! Why can't they just grant us automatic citizenship?!

[mingus_drake 0]

that sucks, kaffy! you'll get there in the end though!

[kaffy 2]

such a PITA... had I known this when I married him..... nah, I would've still married him

it's just become such a chore, that's all. And I thought I'd be used to it by now being that it's the 3rd year in a row.. but no, it's still as frustrating as it was the first time

to everyone on here, after you immigrate to the US, stay there.. save yourself the trouble of doing it all over again

[jldut80 0]

Hi All, I hope that everything is going well and your visa process is moving foward.

In two weeks time i finish up my job and my house has just been sold. I thought by now i may have recieved my NOA2 but no news. Can i visit the us while we wait for the NOA2? With no house and no job, will they let me in on the VWP?

Your thoughts/suggests are appreciated

[MzMo1102 0]

Kaffy - that's crazy! I can only imagine the stress of having to go through all of this and its still going up until now! Im already stressed out now with alot of things thrown ahead of us and im not even in the states yet!

[MzMo1102 0]

Hi All, I hope that everything is going well and your visa process is moving foward.

In two weeks time i finish up my job and my house has just been sold. I thought by now i may have recieved my NOA2 but no news. Can i visit the us while we wait for the NOA2? With no house and no job, will they let me in on the VWP?

Your thoughts/suggests are appreciated

When were you planning on moving to the US? Sometimes it can take 6 months to a year from filing to receiving the visa. That's a very big move on selling your house and resiging from your job. It could also take 6 months to receive an NOA2 then you'd have to take into consideration the other steps after that before receiving an interview date. I went to the US twice since filing but both times I had brought along evidence of ties to home country. First time I got through with no problems then the second time I actually showed a couple paperwork such as the NOA2 notice, employment letter, etc. I guess its safe to say that you should wait it out if you can...just to be on the safe side. Hope you get your NOA2 soon.

[jldut80 0]

Thanks for your thoughts, i was thinking it was probably best to wait but wasnt 100%. I was hoping to move to the USA by aug. We filed in jan and with the recent timelines moving so fast were hoping for a quick approval. My job is highly technical and it takes a long time to find a replacement. Since i work for a small company i had to give my boss at least 4-6 mths notice of me leaving. I guess i jumped the gun but ohwell. I sold my house because of the market conditions. Houses are selling fast at good prices right now. With the economy the way it is i wasnt sure that was going to continue to be the case. I guess i just have to be patient

Edited May 15, 2009 by jldut80

[Jon Anderson 0]

Been a while since I posted. Danni returned to the US in March, and we were wed in my parents home March 22. We both flew back to Australia where I stayed for 2 glorious weeks, meeting her family and seeing the sights. Since her family couldn't attend the wedding, we shot wedding photos in one of Coota's lovely parks with all of them. We not only got our wedding announcement in the Cootamundra Herald, but they placed our wedding shot on the front page! Unfortunately the Herald doesn't put the front page online....

We'd be starting with the I-130 but for.... the economy. I've lost a couple customers and a big new customer has canceled all orders pending working out a production problem on a critical component of their new product. I won't last 3 months with this loss of income. Danni owns her home outright and has a job. She can show she could support -me- if worse come to worst here. It would kill me inside to leave my kids with my ex, but Danni's asked around and we are both very confident I can find work there quickly, and that beats being homeless here. I can always fly back to visit down the road, or even fly them down to visit us.

I have always loved Australia and having been there now, know I fit in and could easily make it my home. Yeah, some things are sure different, but I'm frankly ready for a change of pace. A slower pace. I had more than a few people tell me I'd fit right in when I said settling there was my eventual goal.

So, does anyone here know anything about Americans moving to Oz? We were told once married 2 years, I cannot be denied permanent residency, but we've only been married 6 weeks. If I have to make the move now, I would pursue citizenship, but unsure if I can stay long enough to meet that 2 year thing and if trying to move permanently prior to that might make it difficult or impossible?

My options more or less would be to:

1) Sell my whole machine shop and ship only the most important of my hand tools and personal possessions, work for someone else.

2) Sell only the powered machinery, and ship everything else. We'd rent a larger place with a good size shed and I'd look for part time work while

trying to ramp up work and buy replacement machinery.

3) Move my entire shop over, bringing the required electrical conversion gear to run my 110 powered tools, and strike right out with a business.

A few friends that have some experience with Australia have suggested there might be an outside chance the government may subsidize bringing a working business down, perhaps paying the container shipping. Seemed a heck of a long shot to me, but might as well ask!

Does anyone know anything about this, or know where I might best inquire?

As stated, I really don't want to move before my kids graduate, 3 years and a bit down the road. The one bright spot here is a high tech company moving to town in the next month or so. They have made it known they will be hiring 20+ and I have significant past experience in their field, skills that are rare up here in the mountains. If I get that job, we're back on track moving toward the I-130. But I like to have back up plans and moving to Oz is something I need to look into.

Thanks,

Jon