Australian Beneficiaries - Packet 3 to Interview date

[TerriandEric 4]

Woot woot! Got everything ready for P3?

I sure do -- it is sitting here waiting for me to address the express post envelope....now if only they would hurry up & send me P3....

[Kou 0]

Hey all, just a random update from a lurker!

NOA1 on Dec 18, NOA2 on March 18. God what a wait that was! Waiting on word from Sydney now, but hey, there's the light at the end of the tunnel right?

I was curious, has anyone gotten their medical done through Adelaide, with Dr David Miller in North Adelaide? Kinda wondering as to how much of a grimace the fee will turn out to be.

Which hahaa leads me to some questions. Should I attempt to get the medical booked and done in advance, or wait for Sydney to get in contact with me first?

I'm also trying to lead the fiancee through gathering the forms and statements she needs, but I'm hitting a bit of a snag.

We're going to need a co-sponsor (her father for this case), but just how excessive should we get for evidence on the affidavit? Right now she has the bank letter (which doesn't mention total deposits, just the 6-month average balance), and is thinking of sending through the last year of bank statements to cover the 'total deposits' part.

Is it better to do this, or to get an IRS tax return for the last couple years, or both?

Ahhh the paperwork mountain never stops!!

Grats to recent approvals, also! It's been quite heartening to read the success stories through the 50+ pages on this thread! (and boy did that took a while lol)

Thanks,

Matt

[Deb+Steve 13]

Congrats to all the newly married ladies - good luck with the AOS. My package is no longer MIA and finally on its way to NVC. I am checking constantly to make sure it no longer gets lost. There goes my April interview. Best we can hope for is May now.

Terri - congrats ... hope your son is doing well.

I emailed the Consulate to ask about the maiden v married name thing. Our petition was filed in my married name but because my passport is in my maiden name, that is the name they have used. By the time my file reaches the Consulate I will have legally changed my name and a new passport issued. For anyone else who is wondering - as long as ALL your Police Clearances are done in both your maiden and married names, they will do all the changes at interview time because the visa will be issued in the name that is in the passport.

Hope you're all well ...

[TerriandEric 4]

PACKET 3 received today & mailed back this afternoon!! :dance: :dance:

[Kou 0]

PACKET 3 received today & mailed back this afternoon!! :dance: :dance:

Nice Terri!! I think I'll take your lead and see about getting all my items knocked off early as well!

[TerriandEric 4]

Nice Terri!! I think I'll take your lead and see about getting all my items knocked off early as well!

I started getting as much ready as I could while I waited for NOA2...when P3 arrived in the email this morning, I knew it was a matter of addressing the express post packet & mailing it straight back to them....here is hoping that we get interview super fast as we are looking at flights atm & there isn't many seats left for us to fly out on a weekend like we wanted too so my family could be there...but maybe it will be a good thing that we fly through the week...less tears as we leave

[rosa thomson 0]

Hey guys..so Im leaving for the USA in 1 month..and I am completely freaking out. I never imagined I would ever feel this

way when it was my dream to leave my life here and move to the USA to be with my man.but ever since I got approved I have this overwhelming

sense of fear that I making the wrong decision. I have lived for 18 months in the USA, and I enjoyed it but living their temporary id a lot different to the permanent move Im about to make. The one thing that bothers me the most is that I will never have the opportunity to move back to Australia at any point if I am unhappy as my fiance has a kid so he has made it clear from the start that he can never leave the USA, well not anytime soon. So I have to be happy there otherwise I'll be coming home alone. And Im sure all of you who are leaving Australia are aware of how good we have it here in terms of economy, healthcare, annual leave etc etc..I wont go on...and Im trying to be positive when I think about my future in the USA, but I am struggling. And the fact that Im even thinking this way is not how it should be when Im meant to be getting married in a few months. Things with Matt have been really bad, as he can tell how my attutude has changed to moving over and he is getting fed up with my negative attitude when he is beyond excited to have me back forever. The last few months I havn't been sleeping properly..the first thing I think of in the morning when I wake is this decision. It has consumed me, and I love Matt so much and I want to go over there and make a go of it, and probably things wont be so bad. We have been waiting for this moment for the last 18 months, but the way Im feeling right now is heart breaking. Friends have told me to go over and take the whole 3 months before I marry to make sure its definalty what i want, but its going to be hard to walk away then. I am an emotional wreck right now. Sorry to spill my heart out, but atleast I know you guys have some understanding of this situation.

[Deb+Steve 13]

Hey Rosa - rest assured you are not alone. I am already married and this is supposed to be the happiest time for us but mailing that final packet to NVC was hard. I've already had to give up my home and it's not helped. He can tell with me too and he is tired of the negativity. I even broached the subject of him moving here but he is only 3 years off retirement from the military and that is the decision we made.

I loved it every time I've been there but that's because I always knew that I would be returning home. I used to think well everything is disposable except him and the rest is just stuff so I can live without it if we have each other. It's scary and it's overwhelming. I am glad I am not the only one who feels some measure of doubt. Not about him but the move and losing what I hold dear. I guess I have to think about what life is like without him and what it will be like with him to share it. That is what keeps me relatively sane at the moment.

[alex and astrid 38]

Hey all, just a random update from a lurker!

NOA1 on Dec 18, NOA2 on March 18. God what a wait that was! Waiting on word from Sydney now, but hey, there's the light at the end of the tunnel right?

I was curious, has anyone gotten their medical done through Adelaide, with Dr David Miller in North Adelaide? Kinda wondering as to how much of a grimace the fee will turn out to be.

Which hahaa leads me to some questions. Should I attempt to get the medical booked and done in advance, or wait for Sydney to get in contact with me first?

I'm also trying to lead the fiancee through gathering the forms and statements she needs, but I'm hitting a bit of a snag.

We're going to need a co-sponsor (her father for this case), but just how excessive should we get for evidence on the affidavit? Right now she has the bank letter (which doesn't mention total deposits, just the 6-month average balance), and is thinking of sending through the last year of bank statements to cover the 'total deposits' part.

Is it better to do this, or to get an IRS tax return for the last couple years, or both?

Ahhh the paperwork mountain never stops!!

Grats to recent approvals, also! It's been quite heartening to read the success stories through the 50+ pages on this thread! (and boy did that took a while lol)

Thanks,

Matt

Hi!

My medical was done in Brisbane, and it was a bit under $500. I did not need to have any vaccinations though, as I made sure I had any missing ones through my GP...much cheaper! Expect to pay at least a few hundred.

Go ahead and book your medical and get the police check started now. Since you got your NOA2 nearly a week ago, call the NVC and get your case number - it will start with SYD2010********. You must have that to complete your medical. The police check can take a few weeks and it is one of the things that slowed me down in returning packet 3. A tip too, when you receive your medical results, make a few copies of everything you get. That way, you can have a copy of your medical in case you need it once you get to the States.

As for the Affidavit stuff, don't worry about being too heavy handed. My husband gave a HEAPS of paperwork to show how much he made it and was way too much. He gave me the actual Affidavit, a letter from his employer, 6 months worth of pay slips, the last two years of tax returns, a letter from him bank, a years worth of statements, and the deed to his car. Really, all he needed to give me was the Affidavit, the employer letter, a tax return, a months worth of payslips, and the bank letter. The woman who interviewed me said that once they can see that they make over the amount needed, they don't care about anything else. So really, I guess the tax return proves that. Don't stress about having too much info!

Rosa - I'm sorry you are feeling conflicted about the move. It's okay to feel like that though. It's a BIG DEAL to pick up your whole life and go, and sometimes our husbands or fiances don't understand that, because they haven't had to do that. They have gotten to stay comfortable in their homes, jobs, etc while they wait for their fabulous partners to arrive back. I even had a few times when I was thinking, "Am I really doing the right thing?" even though I had already been living in the US, and with Alex for nearly three years. Saying that last goodbye to friends and family is hard. But, it will be okay once you get here. And you have the three months to really cement everything. As sad is it is to say, people do realise that things are not going to work and go back home. But at least that is an option. Be positive and think about to great it is going to be back with Matt

[VanessaTony 3,567]

Hey guys..so Im leaving for the USA in 1 month..and I am completely freaking out. I never imagined I would ever feel this

way when it was my dream to leave my life here and move to the USA to be with my man.but ever since I got approved I have this overwhelming

sense of fear that I making the wrong decision. I have lived for 18 months in the USA, and I enjoyed it but living their temporary id a lot different to the permanent move Im about to make. The one thing that bothers me the most is that I will never have the opportunity to move back to Australia at any point if I am unhappy as my fiance has a kid so he has made it clear from the start that he can never leave the USA, well not anytime soon. So I have to be happy there otherwise I'll be coming home alone. And Im sure all of you who are leaving Australia are aware of how good we have it here in terms of economy, healthcare, annual leave etc etc..I wont go on...and Im trying to be positive when I think about my future in the USA, but I am struggling. And the fact that Im even thinking this way is not how it should be when Im meant to be getting married in a few months. Things with Matt have been really bad, as he can tell how my attutude has changed to moving over and he is getting fed up with my negative attitude when he is beyond excited to have me back forever. The last few months I havn't been sleeping properly..the first thing I think of in the morning when I wake is this decision. It has consumed me, and I love Matt so much and I want to go over there and make a go of it, and probably things wont be so bad. We have been waiting for this moment for the last 18 months, but the way Im feeling right now is heart breaking. Friends have told me to go over and take the whole 3 months before I marry to make sure its definalty what i want, but its going to be hard to walk away then. I am an emotional wreck right now. Sorry to spill my heart out, but atleast I know you guys have some understanding of this situation.

Hey Rosa. I hope you're feeling a bit better as I write this.

I wanted you to know that you're not alone. Like you I was worried about "what if this is the wrong decision" but I kept focussing on how happy I would be to be back with Tony.

It's hard to really put in words how it felt but I'll try I worried a lot about what I don't/didn't know. Like employment laws in America are different, road laws, laws in general really I don't know about their health care except that there's no real public system and you have to have private care. I don't know about what wages are typical. I don't know about buying a house, opening bank accounts...

I was worried that if this didn't work out I would be heart broken and that my "big move" would make me a laughing stock. That I'd go back to Australia with my tail between my legs and I'd feel pathetic. That I'd given up so much to GET to the US that I'd have so much to do to get my life back on track in Australia.

Mum was constantly upset and crying. She wasn't able to come to the wedding, she would cry a bit before I left, and then any time I call (now that I'm here) she will often hang up the phone with a tear in her voice so the guilt gets bad sometimes.

BUT, given all that I start to think about how I'd feel if I didn't make the move to at least TRY. If it didn't work out (which thankfully it has ) it would be incredibly sad but I could at least say I tried. I think I can understand how your guy must feel if he feels like he's losing you. I'm not going to lie and say it's easy because it's often not (being unable to call family was the hardest part when I used to talk to mum every couple of days at least (usually every day 'cause I lived with them before I left)... I recommend MagicJack) but I have to admit that the main thing I've noticed is that I don't feel like I'm in a different country. I feel like I'm in another state in a town I've never lived in. Bank account opening was suprisingly easy and that was the first thing that made me feel like I was getting settled. I don't have my greencard yet (for several reasons) but once I get a job i'm sure i'll start to feel a bit more "assimilated". Once I'm able to drive and have my own car I'm sure i'll feel the same.

Try that, try not to think of this as a major country move. Whether you were in Australia or in the US your relationship may or may not last, the chances are just the same. All that changes is you need to find a place to live (done), you need to open a bank account (easy), get a job and get a drivers licence. All things that are very possible and just dependant on the greencard. Yes it is a huge decision but when you look at "go and be with Matt" and "don't go and never be with Matt" I think the decision gets easier. Plus, there's nothing stopping you from coming to Australia for visits, or when his child is older you guys moving to Australia and the child making his own choice to be with dad, or visit dad in Australia.

Most of all I want you to know you're definitely not alone in thinking like this. In fact just last night I was feeling like I had no control over my life right now because I don't have the greencard yet (so make sure you have that money saved is my advice. We had it but some surprises popped up :S) and we can't file till we move which is THIS Saturday at which stage I can at least start looking at getting what I want most of all right now.. a puppy!

[lyekka 5]

Sorry that you're going through these emotions Rosa. But that is the whole reason as to why you can wait the three months to make sure its right for you. I know after three years of being apart with Damo there is no way I could live without him in my life. I have three kids with my former husband, and that is the reason Damo is coming here and me not there. I understand what you are feeling, even though I'm still in my same country, I moved to Seattle over 3 years ago, leaving my family and friends behind 2600 miles away. I knew no one here, but came here in the hopes to save my marriage. I kept thinking that if it didnt work I could always go home, well I didnt. I stayed cause I ended up loving it here so much. So I stayed here by myself with no friends and no family and carved a life out for me and my kids. Home is where you make it, its not a certain place or a certain building. Things can be replaced, but love now thats a different creature in itself. True love cannot be replaced easily, or if ever found again in this lifetime. I know that I would never find anyone to love me like Damo does in this life that I have left. Im very fortunate to have him. His POE is this friday, and for the first time in 3 years I wont be missing him. When I come over to visit him its bittersweet cause I'm missing my kids, and then when I get home I'm happy to see my kids but missing him. Finally that all will be over. I have been away from my family for long enough to not miss them, and find true happiness when they visit and be ok when they go home. Try not to dwell to much on the negative, its not your responsibility to make your family happy, but it is your responsibility to make you happy. Do what you feel is right, dont live with any regret, life is to short for that. Grab happiness with two hands and everything will work out the way its suppose to.

Sorry if this was long winded but at the moment Im on cloud nine that I get to see my sweetheart this week, and we have a bright loving future ahead of us!

Hugs!

Jules

[alex and astrid 38]

Hi!

I posted this in the Aussie chat thread, but I think it's pretty pertinent to the ladies still in Australia who are getting married. I wish I had known this kind of stuff before I flew out, because changing my name sure would have been easier while I was in Australia. Of course, I would have been changing my name by deed poll and not marriage, but still a change none the less. I hope it helps you out!

I have information regarding fun post marriage things - specifically, changing your name back home in Australia and getting a passport. Sorry if this information is widely available, but from what I have gathered, requirements are always changing and it's nice to be up to date. Plus, a nice long post will help keep my boredom at bay until my husband gets home

So, info about me. I am a resident of Queensland (since August 2008), born in South Australia, but have not lived in SA since 1997. According to Queensland Births, Deaths and Marriages, you must be born in Queensland, or have been born overseas with 12 months QLD residency to be able to file a name change there. So, to South Australian BDM I go! So, it's pretty much safe to assume that if you were born in one state, but have residency in another, you have to go back to your birth state to file the name change. Victoria and South Australia let you do it if you have at least three months residency, though.

When you do a South Australian name change via Marriage, they will issue you two documents - an amended birth certificate with your maiden name on it, as well as your married name, and then a Certificate of Name change. These two documents have to stay together to be valid. The cost to do all this in SA is $187.50 AUD. They do take credit card, so it will be a bit cheaper by paying in USD! Another thing about the name change in SA - they do ask that you surrender your original birth certificate, and you cannot send a certified copy. Being that I am pending AOS, there is no way I am going to give up my birth certificate in case I need it! According to SA BDM, I can just request a new birth certificate along with my name change application for them to use, and just include a letter stating why I can't give my original up. It sucks, but I would rather pay $39 and get a second copy than risk getting into strife with USCIS! You may, however, send certified copies of everything else.

So, once you get the certificates back and you finish admiring them, it's time to get your passport with your nice new name on it! I spoke with a lovely woman named Carla at the Los Angeles Consul-General (she really was lovely - if only more people in government were like her!) and she informed me that, yes, we must have both the Australian Name Change/Amended Birth Certificate and the US Marriage Licence in order to get a passport. It used to be that you could do it with just the US certificate, but that changed about five years ago. The other documentation needed is your old passport, another form of ID (Aussie/US drivers licence for example) and then something that shows your current US address on it, like a bank statement. If you are lucky enough to live near a Consul, you can get an appointment to get your new passport. This is a good thing, because it means you are not missing your old passport while you are waiting for the new one!

I think this is a well know bit of info, but if you have more than two years remaining on your passport, you can get your new one free. I have six years remaining on mine, so I will be taking that option. If you so choose, you can also pay for a new, 10-year one.

So overall, this is an annoying, but must-do process if you eventually want to get a new passport. I am fairly certain that the information given to me by the LA Consul-General would be correct for the rest of the Consuls across the US, but of course, always check! I hope my day of research can help everyone out...there is certainly some conflicting information out there so it's nice to know what is what.

[VanessaTony 3,567]

Hi!

I posted this in the Aussie chat thread, but I think it's pretty pertinent to the ladies still in Australia who are getting married. I wish I had known this kind of stuff before I flew out, because changing my name sure would have been easier while I was in Australia. Of course, I would have been changing my name by deed poll and not marriage, but still a change none the less. I hope it helps you out!

It's awesome AND speaking of the name change process, as promised (like I spoke to Astrid about on FB ) here is a thread i started re the name change process: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/248400-australian-passport-name-change-process/ for Aussie females on their passports etc.

Hope this helps as well as Astrid's post

[rosa thomson 0]

Thanks ladies for your words of encouragement, it means a lot. And it definatly helps hearing personal stories from you guys

as we are all in the same boat. Im going to work on staying positive for the next few weeks, and hopefully when I get off the plane and see

Matt it will all be worth it. and as it starts to get colder in the mornings in Melbourne, I remember last winter waiting at the tram stop freezing saying that I cant wait to get back to Las Vegas and have 40 degreees and sunshine everyday! well for most of the year!

[TerriandEric 4]

Rosa, I read your post from yesterday & all the responding posts and it really hit home for me too. When I mailed Packet 3 back to the consulate (even sealing it with a kiss for luck LMAO)it really hit home hard that OMG I am leaving Aus! Admittedly I did have a cry & a slight panic attack BUT when I told Eric how I felt & read him these posts he told me that he understands that it is not easy to leave everything I have ever known to move there...but Vanessa he gives you credit for saying what you did about it being like moving to a new town...he then reminded me of when I moved to Maitland 10 years ago and I didnt know a soul....that made me feel much better. He also offered to post pone our wedding from June 5th until closer to the 90 day cut off if that would make me feel better. What ever it is I did to deserve this man I am forever grateful for it.

I guess what I am trying to say (in a long winded fashion lmao) is that as hard as it is going to be to leave (especially since 3 of my children are staying in AUS) I can not wait to embark on my life with Eric & my daughter Rebekkah there in our gorgeous home in Ohio. I know there will be times when I will want to be back here but that will be normal I am told but it is all part of the adventure that lays ahead.