US Immigration from Australia

I'm an American citizen (born in R.I.) and moved to Australia in 2013 and since have been married and have 2 children under 5 . I want to move back and bring my 3 non-American citizen family members with me...how do I do it? So far I've read they have to apply for green cards, but I also have to get health insurance for them. Any help will be appreciated, also how long does it take for a green card to be approved typically?

I am in the process of preparing our ROC packet, which we will be filing next week (earliest date we can file is 10/31 so I am hoping to get it in the mail on Monday, 11/1). I figured I'd go ahead and start the November thread for anyone else who is in the same boat.

As of right now, this is the list of evidence I am including in our packet:

• Letter from our bank stating the date my husband was added to the account (because our statements only show my name)
• All statements from that same bank account from the date we were married to present (shows direct deposits from both of our jobs and all marital bills paid from this account)
• Letter from Discover that shows we opened a joint savings account on July 28, 2020
• All statements for that joint savings account
• Documentation that my husband is the beneficiary on my Roth IRA
• Our apartment leases from 2019, 2020, and 2021 (with both names)
• Water bills with both of our names
• Healthcare durable Power of Attorney for each of us, appointing the other
• Several official letters we have received with both names (such as IRS notices and the letters from the White House about stimulus checks)
• 2 verification of insurance letters from Progressive that show both of our names as drivers and lists both vehicles
• Emergency contact list from my work that shows my husband as my emergency contact
• Screenshot of our Verizon account that shows both names and phone numbers
• Membership agreement from Planet Fitness that I gifted my husband (shows his name as the member but my name and bank info for payment)
• Tax transcripts for 2019 and 2020
• Documentation of 4 vacations we took in 2020 and 2021
• 8 photos of us ranging from Nov. 2019 to July 2021
• Joint credit card statements from May 2019 to present
• Documentation that he is an authorized user on another credit card (his name isn't listed on the statements)

Also we just refinanced his vehicle in both of our names so I will add that documentation in if I get it in hand before I send the packet off.

I do have a couple of questions, if anyone has input.

1. How many water bills should I include? I have every monthly bill from May 2020 through October 2021, except for 2. I don't know if I should throw them all in or not.
2. As of now, I have not included some documentation that was provided in our AOS packet (or at the interview). Examples include photos that were already provided and documentation of trips already provided. For more context, we were married in May 2019 and our AOS interview was December 2019.

If anyone has any other suggestions, feel free to let me know. And good luck to anyone that plans to file in November

Aussie immigrants - I have created this topic to capture information regarding the following:

• News regarding the Relocation of the Sydney Consulate;
• Information concerning the Sydney Consulate reopening in North Sydney;
• Updates on the scheduling of Immigrant Interviews (either new interviews or the rescheduling of previously cancelled interviews); and
• News regarding other Australian Consulates (other than Sydney) being engaged to conduct immigrant interviews.

Feel free to provide any information you have on these topics. Hopefully through sharing we will all be better informed.

Good Evening

I was wondering how one goes about proving legitimacy of your relationship.

My partner and I met online and have been speaking for a year, we are both waiting for our divorces to become finalised (we both live separately from out ex's) and I have planned to fly over in February to spend 3 weeks with her and then flying back to Australia and then flying her out to spend time with myself and my folks over here.

Then from there we can apparently get married even if I am on a tourist visa, and then just fly back to Australia and begin the process of applying for a partner visa.

Now I understand travel and so on can be used, but I can't lease or open bank accounts or do anything like that even though I really want to, we have discussed adding me to her account and getting a card issued for me so that I can start contributing and saving together however everything that could be used as proof that we are genuinely building a life together requires a fixed address and be on a visa other than a holiday/vistors visa.

Here is a list of what Is apparently acceptable.

• Joint ownership or lease of real property (Joint deed, joint mortgage statements, joint rental agreement, etc.)
• Joint bills (gas, electric, internet, water, waste, etc.)
• Joint ownership of property (vehicle registration)
• Joint financial documents (credit cards, credit card statements, debit cards, debit card statements, joint tax returns, and bank loans)
• Joint ownership of assets (savings accounts, checking accounts, mutual funds, savings bonds, retirement, and other forms of investment accounts)
• Jointly held insurance records (application, quotes, the policy itself, bills, or account statements). This can include health, dental, disability, auto, life, home, or renter s insurance.
• Legal records (wills, trusts, prenuptial or post-marital agreements, powers of attorney, etc.)
• Importantly, if you and your spouse have children together, have birth certificates or adoption papers available that have both of your names on it.
• If you have pets together, that can also be used as evidence of building a life together.

• Engagement-related documents (receipts for expenses for an engagement party, photos from the engagement and engagement party, etc.)
• Wedding-related (documents receipts for expenses for the wedding, photos from the wedding, wedding rings, guest list, wedding invitations, etc.)
• Evidence of travel together (car rentals, airplane tickets, hotel reservations, pictures, etc.)
• Proof of communication with each other (text messages, emails, letters, social media posts, phone records, etc.)
• Potential religious documents (evidence of marriage through the church, baptismal records for children together, etc.)

My issue is that 95% of that list requires you to already be residing in the US.

If anyone is able to offer me so pointers on what we will be able to do and setup in terms of bills and or tenancy agreements and or bank accounts etc.

Thank You Kindly

I got my green card today, despite opening my yellow "do not open" medical packet. Yes I know I am a bad boy

It all started back in November 2020 after I received my medical exam and passport/visa in the mail, it was a little ripped at the bottom but definitely something I would consider to still be "sealed". I was sure to take good care of it in order to ensure it did not get any further rips, due to the ominous warning printed on the front of the packet. I believe it was something like

Quote

He who shall gaze inside will surely die a horrible and slow death waiting for their RFE to be approved

My point of entry in November 2020 at LAX seemed normal up until I reached the desk of the CBP officer. She asked the usual questions, including strangely enough "have you entered on this K-1 visa previously", before stamping and writing over it to render it's one time use null and void. When I offered to hand her the cursed treasure she refused, saying it was not needed. I took her word and kept it with me.

After submitting my AOS packet and getting the NOA-1 I had some time to relax, yet glowing in the corner of the room in the filing cabinet was the packet. It's presence growing stronger as the days turned into weeks, I could not resist for much longer. Having such an important piece that should not be in the hands of a mere K-1 entrant was just un-natural in my mind, everything I read online said the CBP officer should take the packet as it was needed for AOS. What was a man supposed to do knowing the forbidden fruit was just a slice of a letter opener away?

So I opened it. I felt its power rush through me the moment the yellow seal broke apart and revealed what laid within, once again free to feel the outside air.

It was the usual expected stuff, my original copy of the medical report, xray CD, the original I-129F I submitted with handwritten comments of the officer who gave me my original approval. I put the Xray CD into a computer and viewed my results, they were just image files on it easily viewable with any device. I dug through and for a limited time was able to experience how the USCIS officer felt as they gave me the go ahead for an approved petition. Then I finally slept, comfortable with the illicit knowledge that I had obtained, put all my worries to rest and considered it over. But was it?

Eventually I got the biometrics interview, followed by my EAD/AP combo card, then finally the dreaded AOS interview. At this point it had been at least 6 months since I had last touched the opened yellow folder, I wasn't even thinking about it. My mind had decided that USCIS was now using a new paperless system for K-1 entries rendering the yellow packet incomplete. After all I had to be approved at my K-1 interview with that same medical examination.

The interview went normally, everything appeared to be fine until the very end when the USCIS interviewer uttered

Quote

Unfortunately we didn't get sent your medical exam so I will write you up a letter that will allow you to get another one

In this moment I sit there shocked, you mean the $700 collection of papers that I have sitting in a filing cabinet at home? Of course I did not say such a thing. I could not argue with a USCIS employee who as far as he was concerned, did not have everything he needed to approve my green card. I told him that I think I have the yellow packet at home, he asked if it had been opened, my mind panicked and I said "I don't recall". He paused for a moment before continuing and asking me to send it in, but did specifically say if the "do not open" packet could be opened. The medical exam had to be the original and not a copy, this was asserted multiple times, but nothing about whether it has to be open. He provided me with an address and the first thing I did upon returning home (and getting an "I told you so" from the wife) was located that packet and rush to the nearest post office to get it shipped to the USCIS field office ASAP.

For the next month and a half I was worried about the future, would I have to get a new medical exam? Go through the whole process again this time in the United States, pay all the fees for something that should've been completely redundant. But these worries did eventually fade away on the day I got my AOS approval letter, welcoming me to the country which I have lived in for the last 11 months.

And that's about it, the story of how I did the one thing I wasn't supposed to do, yet somehow ended up pulling through and receiving my green card.

The moral of the story? Even if the CBP officer and point of entry refuses to take your packet, make sure you still have it for the interview. Preferably unopened, as you may not be as lucky as me.