DV 2012 Australia Winners - Post Here

[TamaraM]

Congratulations Leahsmg!!!!!!!! I was so hoping you'd get drawn this year! And what a fantastically low case number You were so much help last year - I hope you don't mind me following your journey on here??

Our interview is on the 17th (2 weeks tomorrow and counting), and as you can imagine, we are beside ourselves waiting for it to be over and done with! While our high number has allowed us lots of time to research everything before the big move, the wait until the interview has been a killer, lol...

Congrats again! Any ideas where you'd like to move to???

 

[Zootfish]

Congrats to all of the Aussie DV2012 winners! Enjoy the feeling and try and stay calm while you're waiting.

 

[Vichel]

Congratulations Leahsmg!!!!!!!! I was so hoping you'd get drawn this year! And what a fantastically low case number You were so much help last year - I hope you don't mind me following your journey on here??

Our interview is on the 17th (2 weeks tomorrow and counting), and as you can imagine, we are beside ourselves waiting for it to be over and done with! While our high number has allowed us lots of time to research everything before the big move, the wait until the interview has been a killer, lol...

Congrats again! Any ideas where you'd like to move to???

Hi Tamara, good luck with your interview. You must be so excited and nervous and everything else! Good to hear you have a high number and still get processed, that's what I wanted to hear! And yes, please do follow us on our journey and feel free to pipe in anytime with advice or suggestions. I'm really needing support with this! On top of everything else, we're moving next week to another house so everything is crazy around my house now. I've got a nice glass of Barossa Red to calm me down a bit this evening ... lol! When (if) we get the DV, I'll certainly miss big Aussie reds.

Congrats to all of the Aussie DV2012 winners! Enjoy the feeling and try and stay calm while you're waiting.

Ha ha ha ha! I wish! But thank you for dropping by with your nice words. I felt a bit calmer earlier today but now I'm all frantic again. I hope it's just a temporary spike in emotions. I think it doesn't help with coming home to a house in chaos due to our move next week. Once we're in the other place, I hope to stay calm.

 

[Zootfish]

Ha ha ha ha! I wish! But thank you for dropping by with your nice words. I felt a bit calmer earlier today but now I'm all frantic again. I hope it's just a temporary spike in emotions. I think it doesn't help with coming home to a house in chaos due to our move next week. Once we're in the other place, I hope to stay calm.

I don't know about anybody else but for me the hardest thing was the waiting. Waiting for my number to become current, waiting for the 2nd NL, waiting for the interview. I was so desperate just to have it all over with in the end. But all the waiting is worth it in the end. There's nothing quite like the feeling when the interviewing officer says "Congratulations".

 

[Vichel]

I don't know about anybody else but for me the hardest thing was the waiting. Waiting for my number to become current, waiting for the 2nd NL, waiting for the interview. I was so desperate just to have it all over with in the end. But all the waiting is worth it in the end. There's nothing quite like the feeling when the interviewing officer says "Congratulations".

Yes, the waiting would drive anybody crazy! I'll have to educate myself with this "number becoming current" thing and how to check that. I've read about the whole DV thing for several years but not indepth, only with a mild curiosity.

A question if you don't mind: when I send in the initial forms along with the two photos and the barcode page to Kentucky, do I just use regular mail? What did you do? Did you FedEx it? I think the worry for me would be that they get the forms ... what if it got lost?

 

[Zootfish]

A question if you don't mind: when I send in the initial forms along with the two photos and the barcode page to Kentucky, do I just use regular mail? What did you do? Did you FedEx it? I think the worry for me would be that they get the forms ... what if it got lost?

I wouldn't recommend using regular post. I sent our forms back using Australia Post's Express Courier International service. The great thing is that you can track it all the way to delivery from the AusPost website. Looking at the receipt I can tell you that it cost us $42.45 on 15/7/2010

 

[TamaraM]

Yes, Zootfish, we are getting *desperate* to finally hear those words!!!

Vichel, regarding the postage, I remember getting my knickers in a right old knot at the P.O. trying to decide which service to use, lol! In hindsight, I would be happy to use any of the envelopes that included some sort of tracking or confirmation - we opted for the confirmation which may have been slower from memory, but provided piece of mind that the KCC signed and returned a slip to us...

 

[leahsmg]

Hi TamaraM! So great to hear from you! And congratulations to you as well I bet you have been counting down the days until the big interview. Please let me know how it goes, I'd love to hear all about your journey. And feel free to follow mine anytime! Maybe we will meet up in the US at some stage!!!

Actually when I was unsuccessful last year I ended up deciding that I would take a vacation to the US instead (for the very first time) so this February I embarked on a six week trip - LA, San Francisco, Seattle, Vegas, New York, Orlando - it was absolutely amazing! I'm going to move to LA (even though New York was the highlight of the trip) and I always knew that's where I was headed (actually ever since I was a child if you wanna go back that far ) I got the chance to look at a few apartment complexes that I had narrowed down in all my research pre-DV2011...I figured I may as well have a look just in case! And it looks as though "just in case" payed off.

Where are you headed and do you know when you want to make the big move?

xo

 

[leahsmg]

Hi Vichel,

Just an update... due to the fact that the Department of State selectee website was not updated with any 2012 info during business hours, I am going to go ahead and use the current forms. The forms won't change regardless and I have the feeling the website won't yet either as 2011 selectees still have the opportunity to return paperwork for several more months.

Once I have organised my paperwork & photos I intend to print out an address label (not handwrite) and mail the documents to the KCC using a 500g Express Courier International envelope - which is the only service that can be fully tracked online (as stated by Zootfish )

I hope this helps!

 

[Vichel]

Hi Leah,

Yes, that helps immensely. Our photos will be ready this morning and I'll fill out the forms and mail it off today, using that trackable method - it'll be much easier on the mind knowing the envelope's whereabouts.

Funny about the wrong date, probably just an error. I hope!

Vichel

 

[leahsmg]

It's not a wrong date on the selectee website. It's just the same website as used for DV-2011 winners and since the visa processing for DV-2011 doesn't finish until September 30th 2011, the website is still available to them. There shouldn't be any reason why things should change for DV-2012 anyway, otherwise they would have adjusted the site prior to referencing it in the DV-2012 letters.

I have everything ready but since I'm working 12 hour day shifts until Friday I am unable to get to a post office until then

Glad to hear you're organised Vichel!! Exciting!!

 

[leahsmg]

Also, make sure you check the "YES" box for questions 43a & 43b on the DS-230 Part II - that way you will be assigned an SSN and issued a card automatically and won't have to go through the dramas of applying for one and waiting for it upon arrival in the USA

 

[Superkruz]

Also, make sure you check the "YES" box for questions 43a & 43b on the DS-230 Part II - that way you will be assigned an SSN and issued a card automatically and won't have to go through the dramas of applying for one and waiting for it upon arrival in the USA

Good luck with that. It seems like that option is a bit of a hit-and-miss situation.
If you tick that box, the Immigrantion people sends you information to Social Security offices once you enter the US with your Diversity Visa. Only then do they process your application for a number. That takes a few days (about 10) for it to happen.
I found it is actually quicker to just go to the Social security offices and apply for a number the day after arriving. I did this and received my card within 11 days of applying in LA.

 

[leahsmg]

Hi Superkruz! Great to have your expertise here this year to assist us 2012 winners

Just a quick question for you... I notice you had your interview in Sydney back in early September 2010. Is there any particular reason why yours was scheduled so early? I only wonder as I thought interviews began in October. Did you send your paperwork in extremely early? I'd love an early interview so I'd love to hear how yours worked out to be in September!

Thanks!

 

[Superkruz]

Just a quick question for you... I notice you had your interview in Sydney back in early September 2010. Is there any particular reason why yours was scheduled so early?

Early??? Far from it, my interview was very late! You are correct when you say that interviews start in October. Remember that they last for 12 months and end in September, which is when I had my interview. You entered DV2012... mine was DV2010 - interviews started in October 2009 and finished September 2010, which means I virtually sneaked in while they were about to slam the door shut! It would be similar to you having your interview in September 2012. My number was 73xxx.

 

[ajk]

Also, make sure you check the "YES" box for questions 43a & 43b on the DS-230 Part II - that way you will be assigned an SSN and issued a card automatically and won't have to go through the dramas of applying for one and waiting for it upon arrival in the USA

Mmm...that's an interesting topic. I think many have selected 'Yes' (like myself) and not gotten anything! For a short 'activation' trip i suggest it could be a better idea just to go into social security and get your card yourself instead, that way you know you have it.

If you are indeed migrating on your first trip, it could save some needlessly waiting also.

This is all just my opinion though.

I will be working into Social Security in the next day or so which i believe should be a relatively straight forward few hours at most hopefully, as the card never arrived as per request on the DS230.

It's a pain as a SSN is *generally* required for other things like declaring taxes, getting credit cards etc, which i could have made better progress on while abroad if it arrived as expected.

Some do get it strangely.

AJK

 

[sb143]

1. Is there any significance of the serial number 2012EUXXXXXXXX incase of visa processing? there are only 50000 visas, if anyone have a serial number less than that does it mean he gets priority?

2. can anyone from previous years winners let us know the stages we face? I sent forms 122 and 230 with photo to KCC. what happens next? when they ask for fees?

thanks

 

[Superkruz]

1. Is there any significance of the serial number 2012EUXXXXXXXX incase of visa processing? there are only 50000 visas, if anyone have a serial number less than that does it mean he gets priority?

2. can anyone from previous years winners let us know the stages we face? I sent forms 122 and 230 with photo to KCC. what happens next? when they ask for fees?

thanks

Your number is simply your position in the queue. They start with number 1 and work their way up. The lower your number, the sooner a visa will be available for you (this means you will have your interview earlier than a person with a higher number). You can follow the visa bulletins to estimate roughly when your interview will be. Not everyone will apply/qualify for a visa which means even people with numbers higher than 50 000 will get a visa. Assuming that every single person applies and qualifies, only numbers 1 to 50 000 will get visas.

The next step in the process in clearly explained on the dv selectee website. You should read the requirements there. By sending the forms to KCC, you have confirmed your eligibilyty (Step 1). You must now read step 2 to step 4. In short, you must now get all your civil documents ready and watch the web for your interview notification. Once you get the notification, you attend the interview, armed with your civil documents. You pay the application fee at the interview.

 

[sb143]

Your number is simply your position in the queue. They start with number 1 and work their way up. The lower your number, the sooner a visa will be available for you (this means you will have your interview earlier than a person with a higher number). You can follow the visa bulletins to estimate roughly when your interview will be. Not everyone will apply/qualify for a visa which means even people with numbers higher than 50 000 will get a visa. Assuming that every single person applies and qualifies, only numbers 1 to 50 000 will get visas.

The next step in the process in clearly explained on the . You should read the requirements there. By sending the forms to KCC, you have confirmed your eligibilyty (Step 1). You must now read step 2 to step 4. In short, you must now get all your civil documents ready and watch the web for your interview notification. Once you get the notification, you attend the interview, armed with your civil documents. You pay the application fee at the interview.

Thanks a lot for your kind reply mate.

 

[Powka]

Hey mates,

I'm not from Australia, and I was wondering - do you really want to leave your country that bad? I mean, I've never been there, but it's a place that I always dreamed of going. My impression might be wrong, but it looks great, and I would love to live there if I had any friends or relatives, and definitely choose it over the USA. I'm just interested of the reasons why people choose the USA over Australia. Because it's definitely can't be the same as for Eastern Europeans, Indians, Chinese, Pakistan, etc. where we all know what the reasons are.