LAND DOWNUNDER

[Elle 0]

Edit: 3 hrs should be plenty. Depending on the amount of ppl who are immigrating. But I reckon it should be enough.

So...

1) Clear immigration (they may just take your brown envelope from you or direct you to a secondary interview section. In the secondary interview section, they collect your brown envelope and then take your fingerprints, make you give an autograph etc. They also asked a couple of qs like how long have u been married, where is ur husband etc)

2) Collect your luggages from the conveyor belts -- they usually have plenty of trolleys for the travellers so dont worry about dragging 2+ luggages

3) You clear customs - give your I-94 form, do you have food etc

4) In LAX, I had to put my luggages in another conveyor belt -- there was someone directing where the luggages where to go. In my case, my next stop was Chicago then Baltimore.

You will have ppl you can ask if you get confused once you land. But trust me, it'll be fine I was worrying so much about the process as well before my takeoff, but once ur there...it'll make sense!! Just start enjoying and counting down the days till u r here!!

EDIT - HIIIIIIII KATTTTTTH!!! **waves**

Edited August 6, 2007 by Elle

[SharynY 2]

ok so i dont have to go into any room or anything? i just dont want to miss my connecting flight if i only have a 3hour window........

Kath am reading where you linked me to................

[Elle 0]

Ohh and another thing, the only thing you may have to go through again is the security -- which basically is just going through your carry on stuff when you're making your connecting flight to Ontario.

I didnt have to go into another room...it was just another part of the immigration section...like at the back part. I just checked, I had 4 hrs between flights and I spent at least 2 hr just sitting around. It really depends on the number of ppl who are immigrating like you...I think Hampster posted his POE experience back in May, that might be a good read too because if I remember correctly he had quite a few ppl also immigrating...

[SharynY 2]

elle you replied just before i posted lol....

am just reading up on the United website - i can take one extra piece of luggage for an extra $85 which would be $100 or so aussie dollars............ might take that into consideration actually......... i've got too much stuff lol.......

i'll speak to the flight centre once i go and pay the rest of my ticket off.................

oh and i found my flight on the united website - all good ... she did book me into the Ontario california flight!! lol.... one girl from work was like "it would be so funny if you ended up in Canada" and i thought "i'm sure Immigration will like that!!"

[Niphredil 0]

If you're *really* worried, I'd try and find an online picture of the airport and try and find what terminal you'll be in, which hopefully should be easy since you're flying United all the way.. more then likely wont have to change terminals (unlike DFW )

http://www.flysfo.com/web/page/index.jsp

I'm guessing this is the airport you'll be going into. If it is, United appears to land in at G Terminal. United Domestic is at F, right next door to it

3 hours, being as you are going all the way on the same airline, shouldn't be much of a problem. ALSO! when leaving Australia, ask the check-in person if they can book you all the way to your destination. If they can give you all of your boarding passes, you wont have to check back in after going through customs/immigration. I regularly do that with Qantas/AA.

[SharynY 2]

thanks Niph... am on there now checking it all out!!!

terminal 3 is where i catch my connecting flight.......... wow..... i'll follow the signs and ask people... but i've got 3 months yet........... but thats me .... bundle of nerves first then on the day i get no nerves at all....

[Niphredil 0]

Thats how I get.

One time, I think it was like my 3rd trip over, I had this weird sensation over me whilst waiting in LAX. It felt like... I was going to a friends house that lived down the street.... except this street was on the other side of the world.

The first time I had no idea what I was doing, and I had flights all over the place. In LAX, I actually got on a bus to get to the next terminal I needed to go to... which was actually right next to it XD, and then later in DFW, I WALKED from one terminal to the next, which most definitly wasn't next to each other.

Your head goes all over the place. If I have an hour before my flight leaves, I *try* and relax, but I'm a bundle of nerves, but then 20 mins before we go, I'm sitting down, drinking a coffee and reading a magazine.... till 5 mins before we leave and it's a mad dash to finish the drink and make sure my boarding pass is in my pocket for the 20th time

I also have this weird fascination with Airports *shrugs* I suppose it's the thrill of seeing my hubby again mixed with fun and adventure

[SharynY 2]

my fiance is picking me up from Ontario airport............ and we're not telling anyone i'm arriving that day........

just the xcitement of seeing him again after 9 months........... its unbelievable..

[Kym 0]

I'm just popping in to try and catch up with the posts, say HI to everyone and seeing the progress everyone is making!

I have been super busy this last week trying to make all sorts of arrangements for our wedding and getting the house cleaned (and decluttered) for when Darryl arrives, all of that has been so exciting. But the bittersweet part of this is that my daughter leaves for college in a couple of weeks. This is a huge step for her and she is so excited so we have been doing lots of 'dorm room' shopping and starting to pack her up. I know the house it going to seem so empty when she is gone. But on the other hand, I am so happy and proud of her!

I will have 2 weeks alone and then Darryl arrives! Perfect timing, huh?

Wishing you all the absolute very best with whatever stage you are in right now.

Kym

[jezz85 0]

Good luck Kellie! Everything will be great I'm sure! Have a safe flight!!!

Jodee - Enjoying your DH's R&R time!

Yay for booking your flights Sharyna! I bet it's all starting to seem real now! I went through San Francisco the first time I went to the US (my POE for visa was LAX though). It was pretty quiet and really relaxed. It is a pretty good airport on the whole. Good luck with your transfers! POE should only take 5 or 10 minutes at most. Just don't look suspicious

Hi Kym! Good luck with all the packing away and cleaning and seeing your daughter off to college! Lots of things happening for you at the moment

Hi Niph, Kath and Elle! *waves*

******

EVERYONE

Don't forget to enroll as an overseas voter! Time is quickly running out to stay on the electoral roll and have your say in the upcoming Federal election.

http://www.aec.gov.au/Enrolling_to_vote/Going_overseas.htm

You have the option of mailing, faxing or scanning and emailing your enrollment form!

******

[SharynY 2]

hey jezz!

yeah i'm not thinking about it lol...

the enrollemtn form thing... i emailed it to the electoral office - i told them i'd prefer really to be removed as i may not be able to or want to vote lol....

[jezz85 0]

I miss NORMAL bacon! *sob* Have your fill before you leave ladies and gentlemen

Anyone know where I can get some more meaty bacon short of slaughtering my own pigs?

Edited August 9, 2007 by jezz85

[Rings 10]

LOL bacon.. you are killing me.

Anyway I can't stay long because I am on my way to work, but I wanted to drop a line to you guys to let you know that I'm sorry we haven't been around much. You would think that after all the immunizations that Loke got, he would be a walking shield, but he has had a terrible cold lately

He was doing much better last night and he is sleeping now (I dosed him up with Nyquill so he slept good for the first time in awhile I think) Anyway we are thinking of all our Aussie friends *hugs*

We still haven't gotten an NOA1 and I am worried because they haven't even cashed the checks yet, but I think that is probably due to the overwhelming amount of filers before the rate increase. I will let you know if something happens.

We hope everyone is doing well!

[jezz85 0]

Hi Rings!

I hope Loke is feeling better soon! We haven't got our NOA1 yet either but I'm not worried for the same reason you mentioned. They probably have heaps of them to wade through at the moment. We sent a money order so we have no idea if it has been touched yet. What I do know is they have received it because we sent it certified mail and got the green slip back a while ago. It was stamped with July 25th as the date received by USCIS, we mailed the package only a few days before that. Never fear, I'm sure they have yours too!

[Loke 0]

Hi all,

Loke is feeling a little better today. This is the dumbest illness in the world though, its not like a cold I would get in Australia, I have had very little sneezing and nasal congestion, but this annoying persistent cough that would not go away. I have always developed a healthy cough to go with my stuffy head before, but this is the first time it has ever kept me awake all night. As a result I feel like ####### all through the day because I haven't had enough sleep but I have been trying not to fall asleep in the daytime in the hope of it helping me to sleep better at night...the end result has been that I am totally thrown off balance both day and night and I am just glad that it is starting to get better. Just as well too, I have reached the stage where my stomach muscles hurt every time I cough now...great exercise but not much fun.

Anyway, enough about me and my Colorado lurgy...I hope everyone is going okay and I will try to drop in and catch up properly soon when my head is clear enough to actually absorb information...at the moment I am reading and it is going in one eye and straight out the other....or something...