LAND DOWNUNDER

[Katz 0]

Hi all!

Well, I finally got an interview date! I received packet four via email on Thursday - I was very surprised to get it so soon! My interview is on March 25th at 11:00am (the day before the original expiry date of the petition!), and I'm all ready to go. I was very lucky to get a decently-priced plane ticket and a hotel room (Travelodge on Phillip Street) so close to the Easter long weekend!

I'll have a full day in Sydney to do some touristy things, and the next day is the interview day. I'm very nervous, excited, and... nervous. LOL. I can't wait for it to be over and done with...

It should be interesting to see how long I'll spend at the consulate. I followed the new instructions that the consulate sent to me by email. I had to send all of my documents (with the exception of the evidence and originals of the police certificate, my change of name and birth certificates.) to them instead of taking it all with me.

I wonder if they've changed the way they interview people, too?

[Chicago_dreaming 0]

Hi all!

Well, I finally got an interview date! I received packet four via email on Thursday - I was very surprised to get it so soon! My interview is on March 25th at 11:00am (the day before the original expiry date of the petition!), and I'm all ready to go. I was very lucky to get a decently-priced plane ticket and a hotel room (Travelodge on Phillip Street) so close to the Easter long weekend!

I'll have a full day in Sydney to do some touristy things, and the next day is the interview day. I'm very nervous, excited, and... nervous. LOL. I can't wait for it to be over and done with...

It should be interesting to see how long I'll spend at the consulate. I followed the new instructions that the consulate sent to me by email. I had to send all of my documents (with the exception of the evidence and originals of the police certificate, my change of name and birth certificates.) to them instead of taking it all with me.

I wonder if they've changed the way they interview people, too?

Good stuff! I'll let you know how my interview goes.

Also, does anyone know if the fee of AUD$157.20 payable at Aust Post, needs to be made prior to the interview? If so, do I just make the payment out to the Consular since I don't have a bill or anything to give over the counter for them to scan?

Thanks.

[Katz 0]

Hi all!

Well, I finally got an interview date! I received packet four via email on Thursday - I was very surprised to get it so soon! My interview is on March 25th at 11:00am (the day before the original expiry date of the petition!), and I'm all ready to go. I was very lucky to get a decently-priced plane ticket and a hotel room (Travelodge on Phillip Street) so close to the Easter long weekend!

I'll have a full day in Sydney to do some touristy things, and the next day is the interview day. I'm very nervous, excited, and... nervous. LOL. I can't wait for it to be over and done with...

It should be interesting to see how long I'll spend at the consulate. I followed the new instructions that the consulate sent to me by email. I had to send all of my documents (with the exception of the evidence and originals of the police certificate, my change of name and birth certificates.) to them instead of taking it all with me.

I wonder if they've changed the way they interview people, too?

Good stuff! I'll let you know how my interview goes.

Also, does anyone know if the fee of AUD$157.20 payable at Aust Post, needs to be made prior to the interview? If so, do I just make the payment out to the Consular since I don't have a bill or anything to give over the counter for them to scan?

Thanks.

$157.20? That's odd... Mine says $150.65... O_o;

[Elle 0]

Hey Everyone!!

So it's tax season...aaargh... I received my green card when I was in Oz March 07 and moves to the US June 07...do I need to pay taxes from when I had received my green card?? Have you guys who have recently moved have your tax appnts yet??

Thank you for any info

[vylex 0]

Katz,

If you'll be hanging around Sydney, I can at least recommend good eats (in my humble opinion hehe).

1) Go to Harry's Cafe. It's an outdoor stand with really good meat pies....yummm, they don't have meat pies like that over here on the East Coast.

2) I recommend Pancake on the Rocks. It should be pretty close walking distance from the Travelodge. You get a nice scenic walk through Circular Quay into the Rocks. That place is open 24 hours and it seems to be packed for most of it!

Hey Everyone!!

So it's tax season...aaargh... I received my green card when I was in Oz March 07 and moves to the US June 07...do I need to pay taxes from when I had received my green card?? Have you guys who have recently moved have your tax appnts yet??

Thank you for any info

Hey hey Elle!

NJ has a different State tax rule than Maryland but our Fed should be the same. NOTE: There are probably other ways of doing this but I considered this to be the easiest.

Basically, this is what we did (after I did tons of reading on the IRS site regarding Alien tax rules as well as a few googled answers)

1) Write a letter stating that you and your spouse wish to be treated as US Residents for the ENTIRE tax year. You must file JOINTLY. Check Page 9 of this doc under Dual Status Alien:

Pub 519

2) If you do the above, then you need to state your Global income....so you state your income from Jan 2007 through March 2007 (Aussie income) as well as your April through Dec 2007 US income. Estimate as best you can your income from the Aussie time period.

3) File a form 2555 or 2555EZ (we used EZ because all we wished to exclude was her Aussie income). This form is used to deduct your Aussie income on the 1040 form.

So for example:

Your hubby makes $USD50k and you made $USD50k (and $USD20k was from Oz and $USD30k from the US).

Your total is $USD100k. However you file a 2555/EZ and deduct the $USD20k. Your total US taxable income is $USD80k.

On your 1040 form there is a space for putting in additional income (negative) so that the adjusted income is summed up correctly.

Line 7: Your Global income...100k in this case.

Line 21: Other income...you type in 2555/EZ form and then put in ($20,000). The parentheses denotes a negative value).

Line 22: The total income and it should sum up to $80k in this example.

NOTE: The 2555EZ form will prorate the maximum allowable income you can deduct. It's about 85,700 for an entire year. If you worked half a year the max would be about 43,000. It forces you to do the math but it's straightforward.

It's not as bad as it sounds. I think we should be ok hehe. There are so many options it gets confusing during the tax season. Good Luck Elle and hit me up with any other questions should you have any. I am by no means a Tax accountant but I spent enough time reading these tax docs the last 2 years that I am absorbing it like a sponge (I hope hehe).

[Katz 0]

Katz,

If you'll be hanging around Sydney, I can at least recommend good eats (in my humble opinion hehe).

1) Go to Harry's Cafe. It's an outdoor stand with really good meat pies....yummm, they don't have meat pies like that over here on the East Coast.

2) I recommend Pancake on the Rocks. It should be pretty close walking distance from the Travelodge. You get a nice scenic walk through Circular Quay into the Rocks. That place is open 24 hours and it seems to be packed for most of it!

Thank you for the recommendations! I will definitely check them out - especially the pancake place. My flight gets in at Sydney at 6:15am, and check-in time at Travelodge isn't until 2pm. I'll eat my morning away. LOL.

[Chicago_dreaming 0]

Katz, correct it's 150.65 payable at Australia Post. There is only one American Consulate Non-Immigrant Visa 'fee' so they'll know which one you're paying for. Be sure to remember the receipt! Also, bring along a pre-paid self addressed envelope so they can post the visa to you. They didn't indicate this anywhere on my mailed letter nor email notification of my interview hence I didn't bring one. So I'll have to go back tomorrow to pick it up

Yes folks I had my KI visa interview today and was approved! In less than an hour too

What to expect (from my experience)

The Tower itself houses numerous companies, medical practices, etc so lots of people streaming in and out. Just be sure to take the correct set of elevators and not straight to Level 59. You can query the security guards at the desk in the Lobby like I did but I was simply told to go to Level 10.

Take the elevator to Level 10 where the Consulate reception is located. They'll ask you for your appointment letter. You'll have to pass through a metal detector and your belongings scanned. Only then are you able to proceed to Level 59. You'll be shown in the elevator by the lovely security guards. Upon exiting onto Level 59, you'll have to go through another metal detector before pulling on the heavy door (yank it hard!) to the Consulate.

Great views of the Bridge and harbour from the window on the left. Be sure to take a Number before you are called up. For me there was only a short wait, say 15mins. I was called up to the counter (about 11 counters in total from what I saw, enclosed like a booth but open enough for you to hear conversations happening across the counter! *cringe*) and the lady simply took a look at my appointment letter, took my documentation and found my case and proceeded to review all my paperwork ensuring I had everything for about 15mins. Then I was asked to sit down and wait.

After about 10mins, I was called up. I was expecting a face to face interview in a room. But it was merely over the counter separated by a glass panel. First thing the Officer said to me was 'So you're getting married?'. 'Sure am' I replied sheepishly. He took a look at my documents, asked when I was going to travel, where my fiance lives, where I intend to live, have I visited before, he noted my place of employment and asked if I would seek employment with them...and then he asked if I was going to pick up my visa or not. No congrats but boy, was I pleased! Short & Sweet!~ Took about 10mins! I'd brought evidence of our relationship and was ready to launch into my spill but guess not!

Any further Qs, feel free to ask me. Was painless and quick. All the best to everyone else! As long as you have all your papers in order, you should be fine

[vylex 0]

Congrats on the approval CD! Glad to hear your processing went that quickly! We had a 2 or 3 hour wait in between the paper processing and the "interview" although ours was a CR-1. Glad you had such a painless experience!

Katz, you should be able to eat your morning away at Pancakes and then some. That place is awesome. Variety of good is excellent.

Pancake on the Rocks

I am getting really hungry just browsing through their menu again LOL.

The direction for the Rocks location should be there as well. Good luck and happy visit to Sydney!

Edited March 18, 2008 by vylex

[patriciaofoz 0]

Greetings from Missouri!

Hope everyone else is having better weather than we have had for the past 24 hours! It didn't stop raining all day yesterday. Yesterday was suppose to be the day I pick up my wedding dress from the bridal shop. Nope, that didn't happen. Couldn't risk something happening to it So hopefully it'll clear up so I can pick it up sometime this week!

Congrats on all the approvals and good luck to those all pending their interview dates, etc. It seems like such a long time ago that I did that...

Wedding plans are going good. We're 2 weeks out before the big day and the only thing left to finalise is the baker for the cake and the florist. We're meeting with the baker today to wrap that baby up. And yesterday, we got our marriage license! WooHoo!

Oh, and on Saturday, we moved into our own home! It's so cosy and perfect for the 2 of us. We both love it. Then Sunday I was thrown a bridal shower, which was so lovely. MInd you, it was attended by all of Zach's or his Mum's female friends so it was so overwhelming to get such a warm welcome and not to mention, being showered with gifts for the house! Americans are sooo nice.

Well, better get back to it. We're choosing music for our ceremony this morning plus 101 errands to run. And I'm looking forward to our visit to St. Louis on Sunday! I'll see a real big city (truth be told I'm missing the hustle and bustle of Adelaide and my skyscrapers! and horrendous traffic! Haha!)

Take care all and all the best with everybody's everyday adventures.

Patricia

[vylex 0]

Best of luck Patricia! That's really nice of your husband's family and friends. After all they are your family and friends too now.

Sounds like everything is coming along. Spring time weddings are great.

[ashleyandjonoz 3]

Gday

Long time no post on the aussie thread....I went through the K1 process last year, all the stress and the torture being away from my fiance was very worth it in the end so anyone going through that at the moment hang in there. I am in the US and in the process of AOS, this question is actually aimed at Kath, but anyone else i would love to hear from...Kath i see you got your greencard very quick, did you have many touches after it got sent to CSC?I have 2 job offers but i cant take them because i need the EAD or the permanant resident card!

Once again i love reading this thread, need more then outback steakhouse ads to keep me in touch with straya!

Jon

[hawaiiandreams 0]

hello from sunny hawaii! :-) I made it, although it seems like a miracle.

Want to hear abou the POE from hell?

Okay, so my flight with Jetstar starts like this.

Arrive in Melbourne airport at 11.30am with 130kg of baggage, 2 x boxes full of winter clothes, books, a few house things, stuff that is basically useless to me in Hawaii but never the less is my stuff!! Aside from that I have 2 very large (and heavy)suitcases including summer clothes and the things I need for day-to-day.

So I have to check in at Qantas and fly to Sydney first to connect with my ongoing flight. Lucky me, I picked the day after Grand Prix so the airport was mahem. On top of that the baggage handlers had taken industrial action and were on strike. So after checking in, I had to take my own bags down to this room where they would be collected by someone.

I board my flight, it's running almost an hour late but that's not too bad.

I arrive in Sydney and reach the room to board the bus that goes to the international terminal. It's full and there doesn't seem to be any busses taking passengers. I wait half an hour looking at my watch and my flight is due to leave in just over ONE hour and I still need to check in at the Jetstar counter before clearing customs.

The bus eventually loads people up and we get there. I run to the Jetstar counter and move quickly through customs. I get to my gate right in the nick of time..

Jetstar board all passengers and the plane sits on the tar-mack for 2.5 hours full of people while they finish loading the bags and sort out some 'technical difficulties'. We finally take off 2.5 hours late! At least we are in the air.

Lucky me, I got an entire row of seats to stretch out on, I don't think I have ever slept so much on a flight before. I arrive in Honolulu at 9am feeling wonderful and ready for my POE! :-)

I meet with the immigration officer at the special counter and everthing goes smoothly. She takes my finger prints and she asks me to sign a few documents. Then she asks me for my x-rays. They're in my checked baggage, just as the letter from the consulate instructed. It specifically said that x-rays would not be required but should be taken to the US for my "own personal records". I show her the letter, she shrugs and says "well we need to see them, so I'll get someone to escort you to where you can pick up your bags and open them". While I'm waiting for that someone to come along, I try to call my husband to let him know that's going on. An officer snaps at me and says "no phone calls".

okay..

So I am collected by a nice lady representing jetstar/qantas locally. She takes me to the bag pick up.. after a long wait I see my 2 boxes. But no suitcases. The belt stops as though there is nothing else coming and I ask an airport guy who confirms everything has been taken off my flight. I try not to panic.

I tell the lady who has escorted me to the bags what the situation is and we go to missing baggage. I fill out a claim form as I freak out knowing that my lost bags require my x-ray which is required for immigration.

After about 2 hours of messing around, I am taken back to immigration where I again explain that my x-rays are in my missing baggage. The lady was VERY kind and saw my eyes welling up with tears. "Don't get upset honey", she said. "I'm sure they'll show up". She stamps my passport and processes my papers and says I am free to go but I have to return with my x-rays once my bags have been found. She even gave me a "congratulations and welcome to America".

I walk through customs, baggless, with my two boxes of winter clothes and into the humidity.. hubby is waiting for me with a lei and my very excited 5 year old neice!!

For a long moment there, my missing bags didn't matter too much! My husband then took me shopping to buy the things I needed that were in my case.

We have managed to giggle about it - at least we are finally together!!!

So my POE was nothing I expected, but I guess that is life! I got a call this morning about collecting my bags from the airport, they came in on a flight this morning. So i'll go and pick them up and finish the immigration process!

Today is a new day!

Edited March 18, 2008 by hawaiiandreams

[densusan 0]

HD so sorry to hear you had such a rotten time getting to the USA but I bet you're smiling now and very happy the journey is over.Enjoy finally being with your husband and enjoy that beautiful weather. I have never heard of anyone having to show their x-rays..........did they give you a reason as to why they needed them?

Goodluck with the interview Katz but you will be fine! Have a wonderful day in Sydney and enjoy the views from the top of the tower.

Went for biometrics last friday for removal of condtions......2 hour drive for ten minutes Oh well! Going by the vermont timelines it should be about 6 months before I hear anymore about it

Have a very Happy Easter everyone

Susan

[densusan 0]

Hey Patricia, Glad to hear all the wedding plans are going well and will keep my fingers crossed for you on the weather! Hopefully in 2 weeks time the sun will be shining for you

I miss Adelaide too..........might be a small city but it's a great place!!!!

[aussie angel 0]

Hey Jodee hows it all going

I havent been on much but still check on everyone when i can

you must be pleased about heading back to the states at long last it would be good to catch up again if you get back here to cal c

angela