Australian Beneficiaries - Packet 3 to Interview date

[alex and astrid 38]

Hey everyone,

Finally I have some good news to share, NVC have our approved petition. YAY!!!!!!!! I'm soooo happy and relieved right now!!

My fiance received a letter from USCIS on Saturday saying our petition had been sent to NVC (we didn't get our hopes up though). So I call NVC tonight (first thing this morning US time) and they confirmed they received our petition on Friday the 13th (not such a day of bad luck for us ). I had to contain my excitement while I was on the phone, I was jumping with joy on the inside.

We still have no idea why it took almost 8 weeks to get there but I'm not concerned about that anymore. NVC have our file and that is such a weight off our minds. I guess all our persistence and harassing USCIS to locate our file finally payed off. Fingers crossed that we don't go into AP and there are not more problems for the rest of our journey.

YAAAAAAAAY!!!!

[VanessaTony 3,567]

What is the go if you an a citizen by birth - can I do the name change while I am overseas of should I change my name while I am here too??

Here's the Aussie passport name change details ---

https://www.passports.gov.au/web/namechange.aspx

This one is marriage specific ---

https://www.passports.gov.au/Web/Requiremen...geMarriage.aspx

****** news flash ******

Got my interview date Dec 1st 8 am

WOW it is so close now, I am so nervous about what they will ask and what I need to take etc it is crazy.

I am booking my flights tonight, what is the hotel near there again as I will fly down night before since it is a 8am interview time.

Jason

CONGRATS!

[VanessaTony 3,567]

**shakes fist at stupid edit function**

Attention all Aussies that are about to undertake/have already recently done AOS - what was the deal with your vaccination supplement? I read in another forum thread that we need a TB skin test done as part of that, but from my understanding, we all just had chest xrays done, no skin test. Did you have to go to a US doctor to get a TB skin test done, then have it transcribed over to your supplement. I am fairly confused.

Side note, I called QLD police HQ and it looks like I will have my police check in the next day or so. Yay!

I know that there is no skin test needed because we have had the TB test done. I believe the "skin test" is a minor test and a chest x-ray is the final "major test" so for us we just have the major test done and no need for the minor one. We need to make sure we have the vaccination record (I need to find it :S) and if you needed extra shots (say Gardacil where its 3 shots) then you need to show the supplement sheet which shows when you had the shots AFTER your initial test... does that make sense?

Woot police check!

Hey everyone,

Finally I have some good news to share, NVC have our approved petition. YAY!!!!!!!! I'm soooo happy and relieved right now!!

My fiance received a letter from USCIS on Saturday saying our petition had been sent to NVC (we didn't get our hopes up though). So I call NVC tonight (first thing this morning US time) and they confirmed they received our petition on Friday the 13th (not such a day of bad luck for us ). I had to contain my excitement while I was on the phone, I was jumping with joy on the inside.

We still have no idea why it took almost 8 weeks to get there but I'm not concerned about that anymore. NVC have our file and that is such a weight off our minds. I guess all our persistence and harassing USCIS to locate our file finally payed off. Fingers crossed that we don't go into AP and there are not more problems for the rest of our journey.

Congratulations! You're so right, it doesn't matter WHY it took so long, it only matters that it's all approved and the "fun" and busy part will start for you really soon!

Good luck for the rest, keep us posted

[Giggles 1]

YAAAAAAAAY!!!!

Congratulations! You're so right, it doesn't matter WHY it took so long, it only matters that it's all approved and the "fun" and busy part will start for you really soon!

Good luck for the rest, keep us posted

I had trouble sleeping last night because I was so excited NVC received our petition. Lol.

I booked my medical this morning, my appointment is next week.

[NewYorkSydney 0]

Hey All,

My visa was approved this morning...

It was very simple and easy and the whole thing took at most no more then 40 mins. I got there at around 10.15am for an 11am appointment. I was called to the first window in a matter of minutes to pass over my passport, receipt, pics and envelope. Then asked to sit back down for 5mins. I was then called for finerprints. The actual interview took no more then 5 mins and the questions I was asked are as follows. I was actually out of there before the 11am interview time.

- How did you meet

- Has your fiance been out to visit you

- Have you been to the US

- How long was longest stay in the US

- How are you planning on getting married

- When do you intend to leave for the US

- How many times has your fiance been to Australia

All fairy simple and then had to sign the document stating I intend to marry within 90 days and declare that all I have said is the truth.

I also asked how much time should I allow at customs in LAX as i will be heading to NY and she said that I should allow atleast 3 hours to do the other set of interviews at POE.

What a relief this is all done now.. I will be heading to the US towards the end of feb 10

Good luck to all those that have interviews coming up

Carol

[VanessaTony 3,567]

My visa was approved this morning... :dance:

I also asked how much time should I allow at customs in LAX as i will be heading to NY and she said that I should allow atleast 3 hours to do the other set of interviews at POE.

Congratulations!!

They are right of course, the longer you leave the better, but if you check out my timeline (the official one on the left) it should link you too my POE experience which was at LAX. My actual "interview", if you want to call it that, took 5 minutes. The longest part of the whole process was the waiting in line to HAVE the interview, and then even worse, the line at customs where I had to take my bags off the carousel, stand in line, progress through customs then put my bags on another carousel thing to be put back on my connecting flight.

Good luck and congrats again!

[Warren and Cindy 6]

Hey All,

My visa was approved this morning...

It was very simple and easy and the whole thing took at most no more then 40 mins. I got there at around 10.15am for an 11am appointment. I was called to the first window in a matter of minutes to pass over my passport, receipt, pics and envelope. Then asked to sit back down for 5mins. I was then called for finerprints. The actual interview took no more then 5 mins and the questions I was asked are as follows. I was actually out of there before the 11am interview time.

- How did you meet

- Has your fiance been out to visit you

- Have you been to the US

- How long was longest stay in the US

- How are you planning on getting married

- When do you intend to leave for the US

- How many times has your fiance been to Australia

All fairy simple and then had to sign the document stating I intend to marry within 90 days and declare that all I have said is the truth.

I also asked how much time should I allow at customs in LAX as i will be heading to NY and she said that I should allow atleast 3 hours to do the other set of interviews at POE.

What a relief this is all done now.. I will be heading to the US towards the end of feb 10

Good luck to all those that have interviews coming up

Carol

Grats!!

[lyekka 5]

Hey All,

My visa was approved this morning...

It was very simple and easy and the whole thing took at most no more then 40 mins. I got there at around 10.15am for an 11am appointment. I was called to the first window in a matter of minutes to pass over my passport, receipt, pics and envelope. Then asked to sit back down for 5mins. I was then called for finerprints. The actual interview took no more then 5 mins and the questions I was asked are as follows. I was actually out of there before the 11am interview time.

- How did you meet

- Has your fiance been out to visit you

- Have you been to the US

- How long was longest stay in the US

- How are you planning on getting married

- When do you intend to leave for the US

- How many times has your fiance been to Australia

All fairy simple and then had to sign the document stating I intend to marry within 90 days and declare that all I have said is the truth.

I also asked how much time should I allow at customs in LAX as i will be heading to NY and she said that I should allow atleast 3 hours to do the other set of interviews at POE.

What a relief this is all done now.. I will be heading to the US towards the end of feb 10

Good luck to all those that have interviews coming up

Carol

Yay! Congrats!!! So happy for you guys!

Damo just left his medical! Had it with Dr. Charles in Melb. They did the initial check up and gave him his immunizations and sent him out front to check out! He had to tell the lady behind the desk that he still needed his xrays and all his measurements taken. They were like oh right! lol. Then the nurse proceeded to scold the Dr that he didnt tell her she needed to do those things, so funny. Thank goodness for this forum or we wouldnt have known everything they needed to do. Thanks alot you guys for putting up the discriptions of your medical visits on here, you saved us! That was our last bit! He is picking up his medical in the next few days, and he should be getting my packet by the end of the week, it was sent express 2-3 days shipping today. So hopefully p3 will be sent back to the consulate by friday or early monday morning. yay!

[alex and astrid 38]

I booked my medical this morning, my appointment is next week.

CONGRATS Carol!

Giggles, which Dr. are you seeing? Are you seeing Dr Yates, like I did? I am interested to see if he has you strip down for almost the entire medical like he had me do, like I said before, it seems very odd.

A comment about my medical, actually. I called Anzac Square Medical Center today to follow up my results, since the girl on reception told me when I left my appointment on Thursday, that the results would be ready in two days, which should have be Monday, maybe Tuesday. So I call and inquire of my results were ready to be picked up, and the woman on the other end rudely asks "Have we called you?" And I said no, that I just wanted to follow up, since I was told two days by the receptionist I had spoken to. She was pretty much just a huge ###### to me, saying that the results could sit on the Doctors desk for AGES and it was up to them to process it. Pretty much the message "why should we hurry for you?" Fair enough, it's up to the doctor, but I know my results are fine, the Dr. said I was fine, and the xray tech said my chest looked clean. Why the reason for the rudeness? She could have just said that my results were not yet available, and gotten the Dr. to give me a call when we was ready. She clearly has no grasp that by the time we get to a medical, we have been waiting for months and we need to get to the consulate as soon as we can? AND, visa applicants pay them an exorbidant amount of money for quite simple tests? Really, she just gave me the shits.

Also, I get home from work today, to find a bill for bloodwork from the local pathology company, even though I paid for the blood tests through the Dr. Guess who is going to get a pointed phonecall tomorrow morning? I have the proof I already paid, as if they are going to charge me $100-plus TWICE.

Vanessa - So when you file for AOS, you are just going to submit your medical and nothing else additional? Can you let us know if having no skin TB test gives you an grief?

[NewYorkSydney 0]

Thanks everyone for your well wishes..

Just a note to Vanessa - so when you arrive into LAX are we required to queue in the US citizens line with our paperwork and not the visitors queue??

[Deb+Steve 13]

Hey everyone,

Finally I have some good news to share, NVC have our approved petition. YAY!!!!!!!! I'm soooo happy and relieved right now!!

My fiance received a letter from USCIS on Saturday saying our petition had been sent to NVC (we didn't get our hopes up though). So I call NVC tonight (first thing this morning US time) and they confirmed they received our petition on Friday the 13th (not such a day of bad luck for us ). I had to contain my excitement while I was on the phone, I was jumping with joy on the inside.

We still have no idea why it took almost 8 weeks to get there but I'm not concerned about that anymore. NVC have our file and that is such a weight off our minds. I guess all our persistence and harassing USCIS to locate our file finally payed off. Fingers crossed that we don't go into AP and there are not more problems for the rest of our journey.

Yayyy - fantastic news! Fingers crossed ...

[Deb+Steve 13]

****** news flash ******

Got my interview date Dec 1st 8 am

WOW it is so close now, I am so nervous about what they will ask and what I need to take etc it is crazy.

I am booking my flights tonight, what is the hotel near there again as I will fly down night before since it is a 8am interview time.

Jason

Congrats Jason ... can't wait for the reviews so I know what we're in for ... !!

Astrid - you lived in LA. How much (and how long would it take) for a cab ride from LAX to downtown? Thanks.

[alex and astrid 38]

****** news flash ******

Got my interview date Dec 1st 8 am

WOW it is so close now, I am so nervous about what they will ask and what I need to take etc it is crazy.

I am booking my flights tonight, what is the hotel near there again as I will fly down night before since it is a 8am interview time.

Jason

Congrats Jason ... can't wait for the reviews so I know what we're in for ... !!

Astrid - you lived in LA. How much (and how long would it take) for a cab ride from LAX to downtown? Thanks.

I have never driven from Downtown to LAX, only from the San Fernando Valley to LAX. According to Google, it can take anywhere between half an hour and two hours to get there by car. I would suggest skipping the Taxi and just taking the FlyAway, it's a bus service that is four dollars one way, I think, and it runs half hourly from LAX to downtown, Brentwood and Van Nuys Airport. They do pickups and drop offs and each terminal. It will drop you at Union Station, which is in down town, and you can just get a cab from there to where you need to go. A Taxi from LAX to the city is a huge rip off.

[Deb+Steve 13]

Hey All,

My visa was approved this morning...

Completely missed this earlier .... congrats Carol ...

Astrid ... thanks for that. I have an 8 hour layover and LAX is my least favourite airport ...

[alex and astrid 38]

Hey All,

My visa was approved this morning...

Completely missed this earlier .... congrats Carol ...

Astrid ... thanks for that. I have an 8 hour layover and LAX is my least favourite airport ...

Yup, I can hear you on that. I'm g;ad I have never had to stopover there, LAX is always the end of the road for me Just out of interest, why downtown? There is diddly squat to do there, or see there. You could try and go to Santa Monica or something instead? Unless you are meeting someone there, you can just go ahead and ignore my nosiness