LAND DOWNUNDER, Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi

[Jaime and Melvin 0]

Ohh is the HPV the expensive one you needed for your daughter Tez?!! IF so, that is awesome!! Lucky you didn't get it there and then LOL.

[TerriandEric 4]

It was the expensive one -- soooo happy that Vanessa found that info!

[Jaime and Melvin 0]

Vanessa is a legend!

[TerriandEric 4]

Vanessa is a legend!

Oh most definately!! I would have been totally lost without all the info she has dug up throughout her process & shared with us all.

[Jaime and Melvin 0]

Oh most definately!! I would have been totally lost without all the info she has dug up throughout her process & shared with us all.

Agreed! You're a good help too, you've both helped me heaps ♥♥

So have a lot of other people on this thread ... I love VJ hehe.

[James&Candice 3]

Hi Candice

To help with your questions I will tell you about my own experience. I was lucky about my vaccines...I was born in South Australia, grew up in both SA and Victoria, and then while I was going through the K1 process, lived in Queensland. You are only a few years older than me (I'm 23) and I just had to do a bit of ringing around. Local council is always a good place to start. High schools and Primary schools usually do not keep records of and jabs you had while attending. Also, where ever you were born, call the hospital or district health for that area, they can usually provide your shots from when you were born. We are too old to be on the national register that exists, but at a local level there should be something But, if you have already looked and they don't have them....thats just plain bad luck

I would say, especially since we are close in age, that you would have had the majority of all the shots required, just because we were run through all of them in school. I just had to get the Boostrix shot (which HURT like a mother!) and then the HPV course. The only think I could not prove was having chicken pox, so my doctor had bloods run on me, and she checked for rubella just because she could. It's such a pain in the as$ to have it all checked, but it could come in useful, especially when it comes to getting health insurance in the States. So yeah, I think it's relevant to have your whole history!

As for the Pill - The three major times I have traveled to the US (VWP, student visa, and the K1) I have had a fair amount of pill packs with me. Never been asked about it. My brother even brought some over for me when he visited once (my mum had been taking the same brand but stopped) and he had no problem. The student visa and K1, I had a year and a bit's worth. I would get the year's worth back home, and then once you are here, just go to Planned Parenthood and you can get it for free. I've gone there several times, and it's a really good resource.

My husband is going to add me to his health insurance very soon, so once I know how much the pill costs I will share the details!

Good luck on your journey Candice!

Hi Astrid,

Thanks for the great info, your previous messages have been a GREAT help too.

I rang Penrith council (where I grew up) to see if they had any of my records and no such luck. I think it will just be easier to get the blood test. Should I be pro active and get the MMR and TDpa at the same time? I'll see what the doctor saids hopefully i'll only need the TDpa.

To those that had the blood test. Did the results get sent to you?

LOL so how many packs of the pill do you have now Astrid?

cheers

[James&Candice 3]

HI Jaimemcd,

Thanks for the warm welcome.

*waves* back

[alex and astrid 38]

Hi Astrid,

Thanks for the great info, your previous messages have been a GREAT help too.

I rang Penrith council (where I grew up) to see if they had any of my records and no such luck. I think it will just be easier to get the blood test. Should I be pro active and get the MMR and TDpa at the same time? I'll see what the doctor saids hopefully i'll only need the TDpa.

To those that had the blood test. Did the results get sent to you?

LOL so how many packs of the pill do you have now Astrid?

cheers

No problem Candice

Thats really strange that Penrith didn't have records! And annoying to say the least. I think just go ahead with the blood test...hopefully some luck will come your way and your doctor will bulk bill it! I think you could skip the MMR vaccine, as I am fairly sure there was a national program to give the MMR shot in around 1997, and just get the Boostrix shot (diphtheria tetanus whooping cough). If the MMR shot doesn't show in the test, you can just get it then....save some money hopefully! The Boostrix shot isn't too much, you can get it from a Chemist Warehouse kind of place for about $38.

For my bloodwork, I had to call my doctor three days later for the results, and then I asked for a hardcopy of the results to take to my visa medical. If you have been seeing the same GP, or even going to the same practice for all your shots lately, they should also be able to print a vaccination history for you....another useful thing to have!

Haha Candice I've only been here a month now so I still have a LONG while to go before I have to get a refill done

[VanessaTony 3,567]

Oh most definately!! I would have been totally lost without all the info she has dug up throughout her process & shared with us all.

I do because I love you all

Update for me --

I still have to wait a month or so before I can file AOS because we're moving.. which is a HUGE pain but I would rather wait so I don't risk getting stuff booked in Texas, and also because although you can change your address, sometimes it doesn't go through properly and it'll slow me down unnecessarily.

Some people already know I've been here a while and are probably wondering WHY I've waited so here's why:

My husbands from Iowa originally so he has his other vehicles there. So if I got my greencard so I could get a drivers licence... I wouldn't be able to drive here in Houston because Tony has the car for work, and also because Houston traffic is pretty bad and I'm still not comfortable driving on that side of the car so I want somewhere quieter to practice. Tony also suggested that as I need to take all the tests (driving, eyesight and written) that I not risk failing (at least the driving part.. houston is scary :S) esp as i can't even drive yet!

Driving opens the door to the work question. Tony MIGHT be a little bit of a worry-wart but public transport in Houston is... well scary. Walking down the street we're on.. scary because we're NEAR (not in) an area where they find a lot of bodies... I'd rather not risk it. So, as Tony has the car, the only place I could work is the place downstairs for our complex and they're not looking. Also as we're moving it would be a temp job and I really truly hated leaving one of my other jobs when I came to visit Tony because I really loved it and liked the people (they wouldn't give me much time off... my position was too crucial).

So even though I'm sitting here "out of status" I don't use public transport and we're not super dooper close to borders so i'm not too worried about ICE (also they can't DEPORT me, but they could make me apply for AOS sooner, and cost me more money and just generally hassle me). If I had my greencard yeah it means I could apply for ROC sooner but we didn't really have the money (thanks to the wedding and dodgy housemates :S) to apply for it just yet but now we do!

So when we get back to Iowa it's like my time here and my life REALLY starts. We'll be moving into "our place" (this has always just been an apartment, never permanent or "ours"), and we're considering buying a house in around 6 or so months too which is exciting. I'll have an address that lets me apply for my greencard, I'll have access to a vehicle so I can get a job and we'll have an actual backyard (hopefully) so I can get a puppy!! (I didn't realise how much I'd miss my dog ). When I have a job I'll be able to save money for our flights back to Aus (less that $3000 for the two of us!) and we'll be able to buy stuff to keep where right now we can't buy anything too "permanent" because we have to move it back to Iowa.

So now I properly start the AOS stuff (also 'cause my dodgy housemate is gone I don't have to worry about him looking at personal stuff) so I'm looking at getting another folder because the one I have is stuffed almost to bursting! I need to go have more pics taken, buy a stapler (weird but we don't have one ), go see a civil surgeon (just to be sure about my vaccinations) and get it all ready to go. It's exciting.. mostly because soon, I won't have to worry about USCIS for a while

So there you go, my update Hope you're all doing well

Edited February 28, 2010 by Vanessa&Tony

[alex and astrid 38]

Thanks for the update Vanessa...I'm so happy that you get to have your own little life for real so soon...There is nothing like being able to settle into a new home and really make it your own!

An update for me too...Got the wedding pictures today and our wedding certificate yesterday. It's all official now

Here's me and my amazing, gorgeous HUSBAND

[VanessaTony 3,567]

Thanks for the update Vanessa...I'm so happy that you get to have your own little life for real so soon...There is nothing like being able to settle into a new home and really make it your own!

An update for me too...Got the wedding pictures today and our wedding certificate yesterday. It's all official now

Here's me and my amazing, gorgeous HUSBAND

Aawwwww you guys look so cute!! hehehehe husband!

[Jaime and Melvin 0]

Beautiful Wedding photo Astrid, you both look so happy! xx

[TerriandEric 4]

Absolutely Gorgeous photo Astrid!

[Bacon 0]

Thanks Bacon,

I was going to go with Millar. How much did Ham pay if you remember? And what was it that he had to have (vaccination) and did he have any records of his previous records with him?

cheers.

candice

He said it cost him about 400 total for the appointment and the shots. He just decided to talk all the shots again rather than do blood work to see what he's already had.

He didn't have any of his previous records. About the only thing he actually had since the start of this whole thing was his birth certificate. Everything else he lost.

[RifleEyes 0]

Hi guys!

My husband, an Australian citizen, is finally on the NVC side of things. He has not yet received his package (package 3, I think?), but is attempting to prepare the required information (immunisation, police certificate, etc.) before this time. He's in Melbourne, and so will be filing his application form for a police record check with the Victoria Police Public Enquiry Service. The police record check can be done without a fingerprint record check for AUD30, or with a fingerprint check for AUD131. We were unsure as to which would be required or preferred by the US government to be filed by him; hopefully the former, though, obviously. Does anyone know whether the fingerprint check is necessary or if the standard police certificate is sufficient?

Thanks in advance.