NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!

[kiwiana 2]

It's been a long day! I only got about 3 hours sleep last night and got up at 4am. I was out of the door by 6.10 and the traffic flow was relatively good, which surprised me. Got to city after 7am. went to customs street east to find the embassy which was easy. The flag is sticking out of the side of building and flying, so you can't miss it. I looked up and down for a blue P sign (parking) but i was either too nervous or just plain blind but couldn't fnd any. so i drove up to the civic centre parking to find that half of the building is closed for repairs but managed to grab a spot there.

As I was early i sat down in mcdonalds and grabbed a hot chocolate. Then i decided to slowly walk down Queen street.

I turned into the queens arcade and looked around and then sat down and looked through the three folders i had on me for the interview (one was for the originals certificates, one was copy of 1-129f package and one had all the new stuff in it)

Walked out of queens arcade turned right and the embassy is just a little way down.

I walked into the entrance of the citibank building around 8.40 and to the right side are the elevators. Got in and I pressed for 3rd floor. Once there,the door opened and i was met with a security guard standing by an xray machine. He took the pink slip from me (i noticed he held it at some distance to read it - guess the pink WAS a little bright for him )

He told me i wasn't allowed to take handbags into the embassy. He then put my handbag through an xray machine. Then said he would lock it away and gave me a card with a number on it (for me to collect my bag afterwards) he said to go to window three.

I then walked through a door and turned left. There were two guys/customers sitting, waiting by the US CITIZEN and IMMIGRANT VISA windows. i walked up to window 3 (immigrant visa) and pressed a button. Very shortly, a woman with blonde hair (tied in a pony tail)with american accent came to the window.

She was just soo friendly and polite. First thing she said was that i had been approved. She opened a folder and said 'here, we don't need these" and handed me the evidence i had given to them in the original 1-129f package along with the photos.

she explained about how the visa works.. only to be used one time and have to get married within 90 days etc

i gave her my passport with the receipt of visa fee attached to it.She then told me that she would give me copies of the vaccination records as i will need them for AOS. she did two copies for me and stamped them with the embassy stamp. I asked her about the 1-693form and the need to get a civil surgeon over in usa to transcribe the vaccination record and to get tb skin

test and she shook her head and said no. "All you need to do is send this vaccination record along with your adjustment of status form"

So i'm not too sure now what the procedure is. She noted that i was very well organised and seemed to know everything i needed to know about all the forms etc (i thought to myself.. yes only thanks to VJ and members! )

she asked me for my birth certificate, divorce cert,1-134 form ( we didn't get the tax transcript in time but it didn't matter as she didnt ask for it) and she asked for the letter from SO employer. I showed her my SO pay stubs and she said no, this is sufficient for the moment. I also gave her evidence of my funds. And the courier envelope.She didn't ask for my cv though.

After she photocopied the vaccination records and went through the paperwork to make sure she had everything, i then had my fingerprints scanned.

She then handed me a form and i had to write my SO name on the bottom of it but i was NOT to sign the form.

She told me that i would have an interview which would be in 30 to 40 mins and would i like to get a coffee while waiting. But i thought of going back through security check etc and thought it would be best to sit and wait.

An hour later , a young American girl with blonde hair called me to another window. She asked me several q's. How long have we known each other. Why haven't we married in the ten years that we have known each other? When will we get married. Who does he live with? Will i work? will we stay at his parents place or get our own place eventually? She noted that places to rent in california are expensive.

She then looked at his 1-134 form. I showed her his most recent pay stubs and said he had earned more money this last year, as well as getting a wage rise. (still below poverty line though) She then glanced over my funds. Didn't say anything but seemed happy/satisfied.

she asked me if i had any evidence of our earlier meetings. so i took stuff out of the 1-129f package and showed her hotel receipts dating back to 2000, 2002, 2004 etc. She then asked for recent photos and that was about all the evidence she asked for.

(By the way...... the way she asked the questions wasn't an interrogation or anything. Just casual talk as she looked through the paperwork. She was very friendly and it was just like having a casual conversation with someone.)

I had to raise my right hand and swear an oath and then i signed one of the forms.

From what i can recall that seemed pretty much all that was asked as far as questions go on her behalf. She said that monday was a public holiday (where is it a public holiday??) and that i should get my passport and envelope by wednesday or thursday and she gave me back my original copies of certificates.

It is quite strange too how the interview is conducted at the window. There is glass separating the both of you and you have microphones on each side of the glass as to be heard. Of course, this means that everyone else in the room can also hear your conversations LOL!!

When i left i gave the security guard the card with my number on it and he gave me my handbag. I walked to queens arcade and sat down trying to take everything in. (by the way, there are toilets on the top floor of the arcade, go up

the stairs from the ground floor (by the water fountain display), follow the stairs to the top and the toilets are the first turn on your right)

I text family and friends and told them the news. My daughter met me in the city and we had a hot chocolate/coffee.

By the time i reached civic centre carpark, it was 12.10. It cost $24 to park there!! but was worth it!

The staff at the embassy are just wonderful and friendly and put your mind at ease. I must have looked a bundle of nerves when i first went to the window .The older american lady with the blonde hair (tied up) just made me feel so welcomed and relaxed.

cdneh you are next!!! woo hooo!!!!

Edited January 16, 2009 by kiwiana

[kiwiana 2]

hi everyone,

does anyone know when you get your visa does it have to be a round trip ticket or a one way..like on the vwp it has to be round trip...we were just wondering..

It can be a one way ticket!!

[kiwiana 2]

I packed my xray in my check in luggage.....I hadn't read anywhere that they required it at POE and to be honest I had way to much other ####### to cart with me as hand luggage. They never requested it at all.

Got the marriage licence the other day so now we're rearing to go B)

Thats so good to hear. Didn't fancy having that huge thing flapping in my hand while trying to struggle with all the other luggage AND the envelope from the embassy

woo hooo! you have the marriage licence!!! have you decided on a date yet??

[cdneh 3,112]

Thanks for all that! I am sure I will be as nervous as on the day, but reading your post makes me feel a little less terrified about it all.

Did she give you back your original divorce certificate? I've been wondering about that, as I will need the original to get a license there.

ETA: I shouldn't try and make sense after a night shift..heh...I forgot to say Congratulations!!!

Edited January 16, 2009 by cdneh

[kiwiana 2]

Thanks for all that! I am sure I will be as nervous as on the day, but reading your post makes me feel a little less terrified about it all.

Did she give you back your original divorce certificate? I've been wondering about that, as I will need the original to get a license there.

ETA: I shouldn't try and make sense after a night shift..heh...I forgot to say Congratulations!!!

yes before the interview was over. i asked the lady if i could have the original certificates back and she told me that she was doing just that while looking through the papers.(sorting the originals out, to give back to me)

[Michelle Kauffman 0]

Congratulations Kiwiana and thank you for such a detailed account of your morning

as always i'm a little confused, it looks like she started off your interview saying you were approved, am i reading that right?

i'm so nervous just reading your post i have no idea how i'm going to cope with my own interview.

[Michelle Kauffman 0]

She said that monday was a public holiday (where is it a public holiday??)

isn't the presidential anauguration on the 20th??

[Kim & Chris 0]

Well done Kiwiana....believe me, I know the relief you're feeling right now....lol...... but hold on to your hat as everything will just fly by really fast now and before you know it you'll be on your way

It's funny, I spent alot of time in downtown Auckland city over the years, working/shopping, and never knew the U.S. Embassy was there, never even noticed the flag until I was approaching the building for my interview. I actually took a pic of the outside of the building with my phone, including the flag, and sent it to SO before I went in. He said he found it quite moving.....

And yes I found my way afterward to the toilets on the top floor of the Queens Arcade.....a path well troden by many a nervous interviewee I should imagine....lol

[Kim & Chris 0]

hi everyone,

does anyone know when you get your visa does it have to be a round trip ticket or a one way..like on the vwp it has to be round trip...we were just wondering..

ivannnaloveskiwi ....... The K-1 allows you to buy a one way ticket. I flew on one, the travel agent just asked to view the K-1 in my passport.

I flew Air Tahiti. It arrives in L.A. earlier in the day than Qantas which gives a bigger window if it should be needed before any connecting flight. Didn't need it as it turned out, but i didn't want a repeat of the drama caused by missing the connection last time.

I also found Air Tahiti to be a cheaper fare for both return and one way, and the service was still good. I bought the one way fare because i prefered to keep more money in my pocket to last me over the time that I can't work. ......lol

[amaciar 0]

Monday is Martin Luther King Day. Public holiday but I still get to work :-(

Kiwiana- Glad the interview went so well. I didn't doubt it they are so nice. My hubby and I had a gentlemen do the second part and he had a hardcore NY City accent. It was awesome. It was an accent I hadn't heard in a long time. Also enjoy the warm weather it was -21 degrees this morning and my car wouldn't atrt because of the cold. Yucko! Hope this cold snap ends soon.

[Kim & Chris 0]

woo hooo! you have the marriage licence!!! have you decided on a date yet??

Probably 4th of Feb, just gotta get my you know what into gear and get it sorted. I want to make it special, but part of me just wants it done, no fuss etc.......

P.S. For any of you heading into the cold, bring real Kiwi sheepskin Ugh Boots....lol......best investment I made before I left home

[Kelvan 0]

Hi guys, I'm busy filling out all my forms for the NZ Embassy now from Packet 3.

For the party on the DS-230, for the 'list all educational institutions', do I have to include normal schools as well as universities? I.E, college, intermediate etc.

Also, for the employment section, do you have to leave no gaps as in the g-325a and state 'unemployed' if you were for a short time?

Thanks in advance

[kiwiana 2]

Congratulations Kiwiana and thank you for such a detailed account of your morning

as always i'm a little confused, it looks like she started off your interview saying you were approved, am i reading that right?

i'm so nervous just reading your post i have no idea how i'm going to cope with my own interview.

yes as i was relaxing last night, I went over the events of the day in my head.And i thought it was strange that when i first went to the window, the lady said i had been approved.. THEN she got me to sit and wait for an interview?!?

At the interview though, the second lady did look through my paperwork again and asked me for older evidence of our relationship and gave me back my original copies of birth certificate etc. And she wanted to see the most recent photos of us together. so i guess even though i had been approved they wanted to know that they had all the right documentation needed???

I have to say though, that out of the three folders that i took. They wanted to see very little of what i had with me. I had taken marrriage certificate (from previous marriage) which showed my maiden name on it. I offered it to them but they weren't interested. They didn't ask for cv or tax transcript, or SO birth certificate.

But it does pay to have everything with you as i guess you just don't know what they will ask to see.

I had to laugh to myself: When i first arrived at the window and the lady asked for my passport and birth cert etc. I went to pick up one of the folders and just hand it to her.. THEN i realised the glass between me and her went all the way down and there is little slot/tray on the bottom of the window that you can slide papers under. but just big enough for like one paper at a time!! lol!

The folks at the embassy are just soo nice and put your mind at ease. You will be fine at the interview . It's not like an interrogation at all. It's all done in a casual manner. And the most time taken for me was waiting for the interview but apart from that. I was maybe 5 mins at the window in the beginning and maybe 5 mins at the interview at the most.

[cdneh 3,112]

Isn't that interesting? I sure hope she says that to me! *nervous twitch*

I wonder what is up with that tiny little window and the microphone ...after all the secuirty measures? We may all be stressed, and a bit nuts, but I don't anyone bites

Thanks for taking a lot of the mystery of the 'unknown' out of it for me. I'm sure I'll still be a bag of hammers on the day....

[cdneh 3,112]

Oh! When are you flying out?