Australian Assistance re Vaccinations...

[CareBear 18]

Hi Everyone - my name is Carey and this is my first post after finding your fantastic website last night

What a wealth of information. My fiancee Ted lives in Texas and I'm currently here on the Gold Coast in Australia and this morning our K1 application was fedexed to Vermont to begin the whole process....yay very excited

So I'm going to start getting the next lot of information together now and I have 2 questions:

1) can I apply for my police checks/clearances now (I need to get from New Zealand and Australia) or is it too early as they have an expiry date? and

2) i've had all my vaccinations as a child but who only knows where those records are now - do I need to get something in advance of my medical to prove I have had them?

Thanks in advance for your answers - keep up the great work

[alex and astrid 38]

Hi Everyone - my name is Carey and this is my first post after finding your fantastic website last night

What a wealth of information. My fiancee Ted lives in Texas and I'm currently here on the Gold Coast in Australia and this morning our K1 application was fedexed to Vermont to begin the whole process....yay very excited

So I'm going to start getting the next lot of information together now and I have 2 questions:

1) can I apply for my police checks/clearances now (I need to get from New Zealand and Australia) or is it too early as they have an expiry date? and

2) i've had all my vaccinations as a child but who only knows where those records are now - do I need to get something in advance of my medical to prove I have had them?

Thanks in advance for your answers - keep up the great work

I am going to answer your first question with a question - How long will the Kiwi police check take? If it is going to take a a few months, then get started now. If it's only going to take a few weeks, I would wait two or so months to get started, as the police check (as I understand) only has a 6 month validity. For the Aussie police check, it take a few weeks, so I would go ahead and get it started a few weeks before you are predicted to get your NOA2...use the VJ timeline function to get an idea of when your NOA2 may come.

As for your vaccination records, go ahead and contact all the local councils you have lived in, as they should have your records in their health department. Though, they may not have them if you are on the older side....I am 23, and all my local councils had my records. If you cannot get your records, you can have your GP do a blood test to see what you are already immune to. Since I did not have proof of having Chickenpox, and my doctor wanted to check if I was still immune to measles, I had a blood test for that. Also, ask your Mum or Dad, they may have a childhood medical book for you that has a record of your vaccinations!

We're lucky in Australia that we get pretty much all the vaccinations we need during childhood...I wish I still had the table that I used as reference to work out what shots I did and did not need, because the CDC website has changed and I can't find it....once you get between 18-65 a lot of things are not age appropriate. I am looking ay my vaccination worksheet from my medical, and for example, I was age-exempt from needing -

DT/DTP/DTaP

Polio

Rotavirus

Hib

Hepatitis A

Hepatitis B

Meningococcal

Pneumococcal

Influenza

As a child, I already had the Measles, Mumps and Rubella shot, which was age appropriate. I had the bloodwork to prove I had Chickenpox (Varicella), and then, going by the CDC worksheet, all I was missing was the combined Tetanus, Whooping Cough and Diphtheria (Boostrix) and the Gardasil vaccine, which I got from my GP and then showed the proof to the panel doctor. Gardasil is no longer needed though. It's really useful if you can work out what you are missing prior to your medical and get the shots from your own doctor, and it can save you money.

Sorry if this post was way too long, but the vaccinations can be really confusing...it took me a good two months worth of researching while I was waiting for my NOA2 to determine what I did and didn't need.

I also suggest reading this link, it is all about going through the Sydney consulate, its a real gem!!

[CareBear 18]

Thank you so much for all that info - the link to the thread posting is awesome and the information re the police checks and vaccinations are great.

The New Zealand Police check they say is 20 working days so I think if I wait til the beginning of June to apply for both I'll be right.

As for the vaccinations I've already asked mum re my records and she has no idea. Since I'm 39 I'll got the blood test to find out what I need off the list and then immunise route.

I'm really hoping to be back in the US by 4 October for Ted and his daughter's birthday (same birth day) and from the looks of the time lines I'm hopeful of achieving that.

Thanks everyone for the positive and informative postings - you've changed my attitude from oh my goodness to happy joy in the space of 24 hours

[alex and astrid 38]

Thank you so much for all that info - the link to the thread posting is awesome and the information re the police checks and vaccinations are great.

The New Zealand Police check they say is 20 working days so I think if I wait til the beginning of June to apply for both I'll be right.

As for the vaccinations I've already asked mum re my records and she has no idea. Since I'm 39 I'll got the blood test to find out what I need off the list and then immunise route.

I'm really hoping to be back in the US by 4 October for Ted and his daughter's birthday (same birth day) and from the looks of the time lines I'm hopeful of achieving that.

Thanks everyone for the positive and informative postings - you've changed my attitude from oh my goodness to happy joy in the space of 24 hours

I'm glad we can help! This process can be really, really overwhelming so it's nice to be be able to speak to fellow Aussies who have been there, done that.

[EandR 0]

As for the vaccinations I've already asked mum re my records and she has no idea. Since I'm 39 I'll got the blood test to find out what I need off the list and then immunise route.

You'd be surprised: records retention varies by local council. I'm 31, and the council where I grew up was supposed to have destroyed my records 6 years ago. I called them anyway, just to see, and they searched the archives and found them! Some places will have longer retention periods, others shorter. If you didn't move around much as a kid, then it's worth a call to see if they can help.

I took the list to my doctor and had a discussion anyway, and we decided to do the blood test because it would be a good idea to know if it had worn off (it hadn't). We also discussed some of the other vaccines on the list, even though I know I don't need them because they're not age appropriate for me, and decided to go ahead with a HepB because it's a good idea anyway if I want to travel to exotic places in future

[CareBear 18]

Hi E&R - nice to meet you I see you filed about a month before me so we'll be going through all this at a similar time.

The problem with the vaccination records are that I moved so much as a child and in New Zealand that Mum really isnt 100% sure where they were done so I figured the blood test route was the easiest way to sort it all.

Thanks for the information though - I appreciate it.

Regards and good luck

Carey

[Deb+Steve 13]

Hey there - not sure what's going on with the CDC site but I had this link saved for the 2010 vaccination schedule. Hope it helps. Not sure how old you are, but if you're born after 1966 and need the MMR then it's free. It's the only one I didn't have to pay for.

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5901-Immunization.pdf

Best of luck ...

[CareBear 18]

Deb - you are a legend thank you

I'm 39 so I'm thinking (based on the table if I'm reading it right) I need TDP, Varicella and MMR if my blood test doesnt show immunity.

Which is great - apart from the fact I'm a needle phobe!!! Oh the things we do

Thanks again

Carey

[Deb+Steve 13]

I'm 38 and I had to have Boostrix (Tdap) and the MMR. I will be having the swine flu shot next week (while it's free) and I'm thinking of doing the Hep B as well. Seems it would be cheaper and easier to get it all done here.

[bextavaz 4]

Thank you so much for all that info - the link to the thread posting is awesome and the information re the police checks and vaccinations are great.

The New Zealand Police check they say is 20 working days so I think if I wait til the beginning of June to apply for both I'll be right.

just as an FYI, I recently requested my nz police check. Express international posted on February 4, received it back dated 24th of march (I think I actually got it a few days after though)...

Good luck!

[CareBear 18]

just as an FYI, I recently requested my nz police check. Express international posted on February 4, received it back dated 24th of march (I think I actually got it a few days after though)...

Good luck!

Wow that long??? thanks for the heads up I think I'll be applying for that one earlier then - slack kiwis!!! Oh wait I am one I dont see anywhere on the form that we have to pay a fee which I found slightly unusual - am I right about that? And is it valid for 6 months or 12 (if you know).

Thanks in advance

Carey

[VanessaTony 3,567]

First - HI! And congrats on starting the journey.

Also, Aussie police checks are valid for 12 months. Here's a link that references us: http://policeclearancecertificate.info/ down the bottom somewhere it mentions it.

This is the police check for aus link: http://canberra.usembassy.gov/obtain_police_cert.html just click on your state to get directed to their info.

For NZ I found this link, http://www.police.govt.nz/service/vetting/criminal-record.html that directed me here: http://www.justice.govt.nz/services/get-a-copy-of-your-criminal-record/obtaining-a-copy-of-your-criminal-record/ then to here: http://www.justice.govt.nz/services/get-a-copy-of-your-criminal-record/application-forms/ then FINALLY on to here: http://www.justice.govt.nz/services/get-a-copy-of-your-criminal-record/documents/request-by-individual.pdf (wow they like to hide it!!) and none of those pages mentioned a fee involved. Which is a happy bonus 'cause the Aussie one is over AU$100.

As for validity of the NZ one.. perhaps it will say on it but typically they're accepted up to 12 months.

[CareBear 18]

First - HI! And congrats on starting the journey.

Also, Aussie police checks are valid for 12 months. Here's a link that references us: http://policeclearancecertificate.info/ down the bottom somewhere it mentions it.

This is the police check for aus link: http://canberra.usembassy.gov/obtain_police_cert.html just click on your state to get directed to their info.

For NZ I found this link, http://www.police.govt.nz/service/vetting/criminal-record.html that directed me here: http://www.justice.govt.nz/services/get-a-copy-of-your-criminal-record/obtaining-a-copy-of-your-criminal-record/ then to here: http://www.justice.govt.nz/services/get-a-copy-of-your-criminal-record/application-forms/ then FINALLY on to here: http://www.justice.govt.nz/services/get-a-copy-of-your-criminal-record/documents/request-by-individual.pdf (wow they like to hide it!!) and none of those pages mentioned a fee involved. Which is a happy bonus 'cause the Aussie one is over AU$100.

As for validity of the NZ one.. perhaps it will say on it but typically they're accepted up to 12 months.

Thanks Vanessa - I'm going to send my New Zealand one off today as another member stated it was over a month before getting back so I may as well get that one underway now.

As for the Australian one I read this on the link you provided...

"Return of police certificates for NSW and Queensland residents

For NSW and Queensland residents, your police record will be sent directly to the U.S. Consulate in Sydney by the police department, and the Criminal Records Section will notify you that this has been done. If you do not receive this notification within 3 weeks of your application, we strongly recommend that you ascertain the status of your records by contacting the Criminal Records Section, Parramatta or the Information Bureau, Brisbane."

Since I'm still awaiting my NO1 let alone my NO2 would I be correct in the assumption that there's no point doing this just yet as if they are sent straight to the Consulate the Consulate at this stage will not even know who I am?

Advice would be appreciated

Regards

Carey

[bextavaz 4]

Wow that long??? thanks for the heads up I think I'll be applying for that one earlier then - slack kiwis!!! Oh wait I am one I dont see anywhere on the form that we have to pay a fee which I found slightly unusual - am I right about that? And is it valid for 6 months or 12 (if you know).

Thanks in advance

Carey

Yeah - the NZ one is definitely free... but then its also not a fingerprint check.. it's only a name check.

I think it was actually 3 months, but silly me forgot to take a copy of it before sending it off (for my Aus Citizenship)...

Amusing though, because after 21 years I decide to go for Aus Citizenship, and the same year it looks like my Visa will become available to leave for the US...