LAND DOWNUNDER

[Cham 3]

Welcome back Kath! SOunds like you had a great time over there

Cham- nope, there isnt a special immigrant baggage allowance. The allowance for all flights to/from the USA is 2 x 23kg bags per passenger. Anything over that and you will have to pay an excess baggage fee (varies, so check with the airline you are flying with) (Qantas is the exception as they allow 2 x 32kg)

The medical is pretty standard stuff.. medical history, vaccination history, physical exam, plus x-ray for TB and blood test for syphillis and HIV.

hope this helps!

sweet that helps soooooooo much!!

You are our hero mate! Cheers!

[AussieGal 0]

Hi Fellow Aussies

Just wanted to share my good news with you all

Just been approved for the 10 year Green card, Yahhhh!!!!

This is my time line if anyone is interested to know:

3 April - Posted 1-751

8 April – Received at Nebraska Service Center

17 April Documents returned due to not filling out correct amount on cheque

18 April re sent documents and cheque

22 April received at California

25 Cheque cashed

29 April received NOA extended 1 year stay

5 May received letter for biometrics

16 May Biometrics in Albuquerque

16 May touched

18 May Touched

23 Sept RFE

14 Oct Sent RFE Documents

17 Oct Received at California

23 Sept Card Production ordered

Cheers

parys

[J_Girl 0]

Hi Fellow Aussies

Just wanted to share my good news with you all

Just been approved for the 10 year Green card, Yahhhh!!!!

This is my time line if anyone is interested to know:

3 April - Posted 1-751

8 April – Received at Nebraska Service Center

17 April Documents returned due to not filling out correct amount on cheque

18 April re sent documents and cheque

22 April received at California

25 Cheque cashed

29 April received NOA extended 1 year stay

5 May received letter for biometrics

16 May Biometrics in Albuquerque

16 May touched

18 May Touched

23 Sept RFE

14 Oct Sent RFE Documents

17 Oct Received at California

23 Sept Card Production ordered

Cheers

parys

Congrats!

[J_Girl 0]

Anyone got exciting plans for Halloween? I have yet to decide if I'm going to go out or stay in and hand out candy or just turn the lights off and pretend I"m not home

Edited October 27, 2008 by J_Girl

[kaffy 2]

LOL @ turn the lights off & pretend you arent home

I bought a bag of Halloween Snickers from Target the other week.. but I accidentally ate them all - oops! I think I will have to get another bag cos there are quite a few kids that live around here and I'm sure they'll come knocking!

At work they are doing a costume competition.. and a lot of people in my department have been talking about their costumes. I guess I'm a little shy and new to this because there is no way I'd wear a Halloween costume to work

[myperfectflaw 11]

Anyone got exciting plans for Halloween? I have yet to decide if I'm going to go out or stay in and hand out candy or just turn the lights off and pretend I"m not home

We have a regular tradition where we go to a friend's house and all the men take the kids out trick or treating and the women stay home passing out candy and getting a head start on the drinking That way, by the time the kids and the men come back all sugared up, we're all too drunk to notice!! 4 days and counting!!

Cheers!

Char

[SharynY 2]

hey fellow aussies!!

i just recieved my green card yay!!! and i had my immigration interview last week!! talk about fast!!

i have to renew it in 2 years so yay!! no more immigration headaches until then!!

[myperfectflaw 11]

hey fellow aussies!!

i just recieved my green card yay!!! and i had my immigration interview last week!! talk about fast!!

i have to renew it in 2 years so yay!! no more immigration headaches until then!!

Congrats!! I can't wait til the day that's us posting the same thing!

[SharynY 2]

THANKS!!

im so glad its over for now at least .. now i can continue enjoying life!!!

and it'll come sooner then you expect!!

[Chris & Mara 0]

Lol Sharyna bet that was much easier to say then it was 12 months ago

I hope your right though, Sadly Chris and I have already had a hard time with USCIS, no NOA1, no reciept number, and the back of our check was smugged to a black ink blot. To top it off he had to go to their office where they cancelled his appointment and give him more forms to fill out commenting that "I can't give you your NOA1 I'm not authorised, however you need to fill in these forms as you haven't proved us with enough finacial information". Talk about frustrating and only 3 months in.

I really pray that the whole process won't be like this....

[Cham 3]

I have a few questions if someone here can answer then

One: we have a large agegap..our relationship works just like any other BUt will the consolate see it that way?? We have so much evidence it is not even funny

TWO: We have not seen each other for 1 year 5 months due to funds..as you all know it is EXPENSIVE for a round trip ticket to and from australia. thank god for webcams and voice chat!!

I do not want this to be an issue. He was here on the waiver for 3 amazing months, BUT we felt we should save for the wedding and other things we could use once he got here (one is adoption)

do you think that will be an issue???

Has anyone just seen each other one time then filed and have a large age gap??

I am scared because I miss him so much and we cry a lot. So many take for granted what is in front of them..I sometimes get jealous when I see happy couples holding hands OR i see two people fighting and I want to tell them HOW lucky they really are to have their SO with them.

I would give up 10 years of my life to just have a minute physically with him again.

We have been busy planning our wedding though..WE CANT WAIT!! only a few months left..WHEW!!

HUGS TO ALL!

meri and kai

[Cham 3]

I have a few questions if someone here can answer then

One: we have a large agegap..our relationship works just like any other BUt will the consolate see it that way?? We have so much evidence it is not even funny

TWO: We have not seen each other for 1 year 5 months due to funds..as you all know it is EXPENSIVE for a round trip ticket to and from australia. thank god for webcams and voice chat!!

I do not want this to be an issue. He was here on the waiver for 3 amazing months, BUT we felt we should save for the wedding and other things we could use once he got here (one is adoption)

do you think that will be an issue???

Has anyone just seen each other one time then filed and have a large age gap??

I am scared because I miss him so much and we cry a lot. So many take for granted what is in front of them..I sometimes get jealous when I see happy couples holding hands OR i see two people fighting and I want to tell them HOW lucky they really are to have their SO with them.

I would give up 10 years of my life to just have a minute physically with him again.

We have been busy planning our wedding though..WE CANT WAIT!! only a few months left..WHEW!!

HUGS TO ALL!

meri and kai

also what questions did they ask you at the interview..ty ty ty

[Chris & Mara 0]

Hey Cham,

Don't stress the age gap, I have one with Chris too (10 years) and we don't notice and nobody around us really cares. However I did stress about it when I started looking at the paper work and reasons to deny someone. But after looking around here the last couple of months I have noticed that people here have considerably larger gaps and have been approved. It really is all about proving that you love each other.

The conditions of the visa is that you have seen your other half in the last 2 years. You meet that requirement, take along stuff to the interview that proves that you were both saving for bigger things (house, family, wedding etc) and they really shouldnt be able to question it too much, as horrible as it sounds, the crashing Aussie dollar helps you further here now that everything in the states is double what we have over here .

As for the only once trip, look at the philiapines, alot of them get approved and most of them have only seen each other once, and only for a few weeks, not not months. Australia is not considered to be a high fraud or high applicant country, Ive seen a handful of Aussies each month, sometimes less, sometimes none, from the forums I have been reading, therefore they are going to be less doubtful of your relationship.

I know there is a question list for the interview somewhere, if I can find it again I will post it for you, however http://www.visajourney.com/consulates/inde...&cty=Sydney is probably more helpful. From the list of questions you could assume that they want to know eveything up until and including the colour of your Fiance's underwear, however the reviews of sydney suggest that interviews are smooth and last 5mins at the most.

An idea that might be an option at the moment (thanks to our terrible dollar) may just be for you to come over for the interview if you have the cash and the time, Sadly I know its probably not an option but you may wish to consider it. I think they find it harder to not believe that when your fiance turns up for your interview that your relationship isnt real.

Hope this helps some

- Mara

[Cham 3]

Mara WE LOVE YOU!

I know kai said the aussie dollar is being a ####### RIGHT along with ours..SIGH..ALTHOUGH the good news I got gas today for 2.05!! I about fell over. I forgot I could get gas like that LOL

You are our hero..*DEEP BREATH!!*

LOL

THANKS!!

Meri and Kai

[Chris & Mara 0]

Lol glad you two are feeling much better

Gas for 2 dollars, thats impressive!

Its still about $1.30 a litre in aus, nasty stuff.

We are here to support each other and share the love, I might even run into your other half in sydney dependant on how quickly they go through August after they finish with July