LAND DOWNUNDER

[kaffy 2]

Please don't take this the wrong way but I think your boyfriend may still be a little young to file a visa petition for you.

Have you met in person before?

Edited January 20, 2009 by kaffy

[Chris & Mara 0]

You will also may find he wont meet 125% of the poverty guildlines, and finding a co-sponser at his age will be extremely difficult.

[Philzor 0]

No no no i mean he lives there BUT thats not the point lol its just i want to go to USA preferably texas (which is like 5 hours away from him) going there just for him would be totaly stupid, I have a friend in Texas who owns a company and said he would help me out with anything

[jodee 30]

You need to look at this site...

http://www.state.gov/travelandbusiness/

Look down the left hand side, and look at the section that says Visas(Foreign Citizens).

This is a marriage based immigration website only!

Edited January 20, 2009 by jodee

[Cham 3]

well you wont be able to work I do not think unless you have a job like nursing or something the states needs..

You can come visit but I do not think you could come to live. I would do some serious research. If you came on a work visa that can take a very long long time.

http://www.unitedstatesvisas.gov/business.html

http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1286.html (types of visas)

I would check out how long they last AND what kind of work he can provide..Now If I remember right he would have to make enough money to sponsor you for work (plus I believe his own family as well..something like that and there is other paper work I believe he will have to do

Edited January 20, 2009 by Cham

[Philzor 0]

Thank you all for your help

Sorry i didnt know this was just for marriage and family

[myperfectflaw 11]

Oh my gods, I am going completely insane with this waiting!! It's so disheartening to see all these October filers getting approved, yet nothing at all for us. I know we're still within the normal time frame, yada, yada, yada.... I just want Ben here already!! Tired of only being able to sleep at night because I've finally cried myself into exhaustion. Why did I have to fall in love with a foreigner?!

[Philzor 0]

Oww i feel sorry for you Hope you get your mad soon

[Philzor 0]

Sorry i ment "Hope you get your man soon"

And its hard yes even though im still young and probably couldn't imagine how any of you feel i still love someone from another country and wish it was as easy to just pack up and live there but unfortunately its not

[Chris & Mara 0]

Oh my gods, I am going completely insane with this waiting!! It's so disheartening to see all these October filers getting approved, yet nothing at all for us. I know we're still within the normal time frame, yada, yada, yada.... I just want Ben here already!! Tired of only being able to sleep at night because I've finally cried myself into exhaustion. Why did I have to fall in love with a foreigner?!

I feel for you, I am so sick of seeing September October, November filers approved and yet we are still waiting wondering if VSC has gone to sleep and forgotten about the rest of us August filers already...

I just want to go home, I watched the oath this morning and that has just made things harder, watching pictures of the city I live in and knowing that I can't be there just hurts.....

I want to be with my Chris, frankly I would just like to hear something on my visa.. something good none the less.

[kaffy 2]

Thank you all for your help

Sorry i didnt know this was just for marriage and family

I'm afraid a working visa would be near impossible to get. Unless you are working for a company in Australia that has a US base which will sponsor you for a secondment, or if you have an advanced degree in specialty occupation, etc you wouldn't qualify.

For someone like yourself I think your options would be:

1. 3 month holiday on the Visa Waiver Permit (no working permitted)

2. Foreign exchange program for a semester or two through your university (some work may be permitted)

3. Working at a summer camp or as an au pair (these come under the J-class exchange visitor visa)

[MzMo1102 0]

Thank you all for your help

Sorry i didnt know this was just for marriage and family

I'm afraid a working visa would be near impossible to get. Unless you are working for a company in Australia that has a US base which will sponsor you for a secondment, or if you have an advanced degree in specialty occupation, etc you wouldn't qualify.

For someone like yourself I think your options would be:

1. 3 month holiday on the Visa Waiver Permit (no working permitted)

2. Foreign exchange program for a semester or two through your university (some work may be permitted)

3. Working at a summer camp or as an au pair (these come under the J-class exchange visitor visa)

In addition to the above information, go check out www.iep.org.au ...here they have information on all types of exchange programs including a couple in the US. If you are a full time tertiary student, deferred or a recent graduate, you are eligible to apply for the 'Work USA' option which is for 12 months. Other than that, you can go on another work exchange program through IEP which has no education requirements but is mandatory for you to work with a ski lodge resort (something like that)...check out the website for further information otherwise, there really isnt any other option to obtain a work permit for your situation..

[whisper2me 0]

Grats Annex!!!!

To say Im jealous atm the moment would be an understatement!

Anyhow hoping to get some advice here.

I know that I need to get a police check (Fingerprints thingy) and medical before I can get approved at my interview, and that they are both vaild for 12 months once they occur. I haven't gotten my NOA2 yet but if we have no more carrying on from USCIS and DISCO we should be on track to our notice in the next couple of weeks.

Should I head down to the local Police station next week and do the police check (should take 3 weeks for the results right) and then book the Medical once the NOA2 arrives?

I am really hoping on a quick turn around at this end of the scale because my current situation (living with my parents/sister, working in a job i should have been out of when I got my degree, having no car to go and visit mates or do anything and generally not being able to do anything thats helping me go forward) is driving me nuts.

I have a draw of stuff that I will take with me as proof to my interview, will be starting to print them off next week, what is the best way to display them? In a folder sorted into sections or just bundle them in groups with paper clips?

Also Chris is planning on Scanning me our orginal submited package (he has posted it 3 times to no advail) can he scan the documents I need to take with me to sydney as well or do they need to be posted/the orginal copies ?

Any suggestions?

- Mara (Stressing beyond belief down under )

Hang in there!!! You're on the home stretch!

I just rocked up to the Police Station and filled out the application for Police Cert. with fingerprint check. All you need is your Drivers License as I.D and $153.70. On the form it has capacity for the documents to be forwarded direclty to the relevant Embassy. In my case with the IR1/CR1 Visa, I need to post it back with my application to the NVC in the states, so I left that bit blank so they would mail it to my home address - At least they better! lol They said it will take 2-4 weeks so definitely apply now.

Thanks heaps whisper I think ill be much better once I hear word of that litttle piece of paper, USCIS has had the whole of our package back from DISCO since the 29th, thats more then ample time for them to hit it with the approval stamp and send it on its way....right?

Looks like ill be heading down to the local police station on Monday morning to see if I can get my fingers inky and spend some more money lol.

On the positive I feel like we are moving forward again in life today, Chris and I choose our reception venue and wedding date today, he is ringing Friday (US time) to book it and put forward the deposit, which is only $1000 and comes off the total bill, I was happily suprised that they didnt want my right arm and left leg at time of booking, apparently that just comes later... lol

Just letting you know that my Police Certificate only took 2 weeks to arrive on my doorstep :-)

[Breezie54 2]

G'day EVeryone,

Am sitting here in the throes of putting the final touches and sorting documents for our I-129F submission, taking it to work Friday to make 2 copies so Leo and I have one each, and will then post the original to Leonard to submit as soon as he gets them, so please keep your fingers crossed for us, weve known each other for over 4 years, been engaged since September 2007, but have spent six months together last year, me three months in the States ane Leo three months here meeting each other's families, and just "Living Together", since he had to go home as his 3 month aussie visa ran out this past November, life has been pretty miserable, so we are hoping we have dotted all our i's and crossed all our T's and that things go smoothly, has anyone heard of what the processing time is of late?, i read in an earlier posting that some were still waiting, however some in Oct/Nov/Dec 2008 had received notices.. Anyone got a rough idea..

Hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year and that we can be with out loved ones asap..

Cheers Breezie

[Chris & Mara 0]

Im an August filer and Im still waiting, we hit 5 months since sending it in last friday.

At the moment you can expect to be between 5-6 months with Vermont, CSC is much fast atm, if you call USCIS they will tell you 6 months.

Best Idea is to send it in and say that in 6 months you will hear something, then anything sooner is going to be a huge suprise and treat.

On the positive Chris goes to USCIS today, hopefully when I get up in the morning I will have exciting news to share *crosses fingers*