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DV 2017 OC Selectees

TwilightGal said:
Hi, may I ask where you got the Data Summary Sheet?

After the interview, the consulate didn't give us anything. When they mailed our passports, they came together with sealed envelopes. They also emailed us the instructions to pay the Immigrant Fee. So, where can we find our "Immigrant Data Summary?"
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Sorry, silly me. It is attached to the sealed envelopes.
 
KieranW said:
Hey Sam,

I received the email informing me of my interview date on October 15 and my interview was scheduled for December 1st - 45 days notice.

I submitted my application on June 1st and my case number was 117. As @Britsimon says, early on there is a back log and as you submitted two months after the draw, you would have been pushed toward the back the queue. I'd say you'd just have to be patient for another month or so probably. This whole process is an exercise in patience! Try not to worry, you will get the email - it will come eventually!
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Thanks man, believe it or not I got the notification today and my interview is for Feb, stoked to have a date finally set!
 
One super quick question for the recent DV winners who interviewed in Sydney- did you do your police check with or without fingerprints?
 
Some updates for y'all. The AUD/USD is going straight down the toilet. Speculation that things may change due to market volatility around the inauguration on 20Th of Jan.

Also, I don't have to carry my passport around anymore, my GC arrived today. They're pretty nifty, with a glittery eagle, my fingerprint and a hologram of myself. Oh and I have a job interview on Manhattan that's not a pyramid scheme!

What a week. I can't wait for my other OC buddies to start their experiences too! Happy holidays :)
 
Happy Holidays BenCreswick (and all the other forumers too)! So exciting your GC arrived!

I have (another) question - interview in less than two weeks (Auckland), I have a question on financial/bank statements, what should I be showing them? I am an university-educated individual, in a fairly in-demand line of work, and will be hopefully be getting a transfer with my company if I am successful in passing my interview. I currently do not have a decent amount of savings (took one too many holidays this year), but will be able to save enough before making the move. How will I prove I will not be a burden on the state? Should I be also taking my earnings for the current year and current salary?

Thanks in advance.
 
chelsjo said:
Happy Holidays BenCreswick (and all the other forumers too)! So exciting your GC arrived!

I have (another) question - interview in less than two weeks (Auckland), I have a question on financial/bank statements, what should I be showing them? I am an university-educated individual, in a fairly in-demand line of work, and will be hopefully be getting a transfer with my company if I am successful in passing my interview. I currently do not have a decent amount of savings (took one too many holidays this year), but will be able to save enough before making the move. How will I prove I will not be a burden on the state? Should I be also taking my earnings for the current year and current salary?

Thanks in advance.
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From other OCers previous experience (in both Auckland and Sydney), the CO doesn't tend to ask for proof of savings etc.

BUT, it never hurts to be prepared. We took a document which we called 'Personal Financial Statement - Mr Emily and Mrs Emily'. There we listed all our assets and liabilities in AUD and, at the end, showed the conversion to USD. Backing that up, we had a copy of the most recent statements / proof for each asset (e.g. superannuation statement, bank statement, house appraisal, mortgage statement). I also took a letter from my employer showing my salary at the time, to prove I was working and that I could support our family.

It was absolute overkill but, if nothing else, I wanted to make sure the CO knew we had prepared and considered everything. We didn't need it in the end, and I was kinda disappointed because I put alot of time into preparing it!
 
Congrats BenCreswick! Finally!

Chelsjo, we did our interview in Sydney. They didn't ask anything about our financial situation. They only asked about my husband's job. Hope that helps
 
chelsjo said:
Happy Holidays BenCreswick (and all the other forumers too)! So exciting your GC arrived!

I have (another) question - interview in less than two weeks (Auckland), I have a question on financial/bank statements, what should I be showing them? I am an university-educated individual, in a fairly in-demand line of work, and will be hopefully be getting a transfer with my company if I am successful in passing my interview. I currently do not have a decent amount of savings (took one too many holidays this year), but will be able to save enough before making the move. How will I prove I will not be a burden on the state? Should I be also taking my earnings for the current year and current salary?

Thanks in advance.
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I just went into the bank and asked for a print out of all my account and credit card balances. They were happy to do so, and put a rubber stamp on it so it looked all official. I don't think it would hurt to include a bank statement that highlights your incoming salary. Auckland requires you provide them with the financial details, but I wasn't asked any questions about it, nor did I see the interviewing officer look at it. Don't overthink it! :)
 
BenCreswick said:
Does anyone have any tips on avoiding wire transfer fees? I'm now with Chase who wants to charge $15 per incoming transfers, which I think is absolutely, completely, totally ridiculous. I understand charging for outgoing ones, but incoming, pull the other one. Anyhow, now that I've got that off my chest, I need to find a solution to avoid this sort of fee. I see that Discover Bank offers a free incoming transfers, but have no physical locations, which sounds a bit nerve wracking. I could take everything out of the account at at BofA ATM as they allow Westpac withdrawals fee free, but I'm sure I get stooged on the exchange rate. I've never used anything like Western Union, but that just sounds like a money trap too. I know in the long term $15 is just a drop in the ocean, but I find it so difficult to stomach...
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Hi Ben, I have a Premier Checking Account with TD Bank. Provided you maintain a minimum balance of $2500 (I know, it's a lot!), there are no incoming wire transfer fees, no monthly account fees and they'll refund any charges incurred at any ATM, including those ridiculously expensive ones in convenience stores. I did some shopping around and they seemed to be by far the best bank for my purposes. The only downside is the need to maintain the $2500 balance, which means that if you drop below that, you'll immediately get stung for a charge, but it's also a pretty good way of ensuring that you've got a nest egg in reserve.

I hope that's helpful!
 
BenCreswick said:
Does anyone have any tips on avoiding wire transfer fees? I'm now with Chase who wants to charge $15 per incoming transfers, which I think is absolutely, completely, totally ridiculous. I understand charging for outgoing ones, but incoming, pull the other one. Anyhow, now that I've got that off my chest, I need to find a solution to avoid this sort of fee. I see that Discover Bank offers a free incoming transfers, but have no physical locations, which sounds a bit nerve wracking. I could take everything out of the account at at BofA ATM as they allow Westpac withdrawals fee free, but I'm sure I get stooged on the exchange rate. I've never used anything like Western Union, but that just sounds like a money trap too. I know in the long term $15 is just a drop in the ocean, but I find it so difficult to stomach...
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@BenCreswick My friend uses Transferwise which apparently a charges a modest service fee for smaller amounts. I'd always recommend people check the exchange rate versus the live exchange rate to see if they're getting a decent transfer rate. It will never be the live transfer rate, however, some money transfer services take a larger cut of the exchange rate as their 'hidden fee', even if they say they're fee free.

I also have a Citibank Plus debit card ( which charges no monthly fees and no % transfer fees for international transactions. Whenever I withdraw from an ATM in the USA, I notice I get close to the live exchange rate. Note however that the bank whose ATM you're using may impose a fee (about $3), Citibank doesn't charge fees on their end. I use ATM withdrawals for small amounts.

I hope that helps.
 
EmilyW said:
From other OCers previous experience (in both Auckland and Sydney), the CO doesn't tend to ask for proof of savings etc.

BUT, it never hurts to be prepared. We took a document which we called 'Personal Financial Statement - Mr Emily and Mrs Emily'. There we listed all our assets and liabilities in AUD and, at the end, showed the conversion to USD. Backing that up, we had a copy of the most recent statements / proof for each asset (e.g. superannuation statement, bank statement, house appraisal, mortgage statement). I also took a letter from my employer showing my salary at the time, to prove I was working and that I could support our family.

It was absolute overkill but, if nothing else, I wanted to make sure the CO knew we had prepared and considered everything. We didn't need it in the end, and I was kinda disappointed because I put alot of time into preparing it!
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Thanks Emily for your response, would you think it is a good idea to include my student loan balance as well?
 
I don't think it hurts to include everything. But I always err on the side of caution, sometimes ridiculously so!
 
Hi guys. May be a dumb question, but tax related things baffle me no end. I've got a Green Card activation trip planned for March 22 for only one week - Going to Hawaii, which is not where our contact address is and not where we plan on settling (LA - hopefully by the end of the year/start of 2018). I see that this is before the USA tax cutoff date of April 15. Does this mean we'd need to file a 2016 tax return? Obviously we're not going to be working during this one week trip - we won't have SSN - or even our green card during this trip. The tax year is the previous calendar year, right? So given we weren't in the states in 2016, I'm hoping the first time we'd need to file tax would be April 2018 for 2017?
 
Gharrison said:
Hi guys. May be a dumb question, but tax related things baffle me no end. I've got a Green Card activation trip planned for March 22 for only one week - Going to Hawaii, which is not where our contact address is and not where we plan on settling (LA - hopefully by the end of the year/start of 2018). I see that this is before the USA tax cutoff date of April 15. Does this mean we'd need to file a 2016 tax return? Obviously we're not going to be working during this one week trip - we won't have SSN - or even our green card during this trip. The tax year is the previous calendar year, right? So given we weren't in the states in 2016, I'm hoping the first time we'd need to file tax would be April 2018 for 2017?
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You'd need to file a 2017 return next year. The tax date you mention of April 15 is for submission; the US tax year is indeed the same as the calendar year.

Incidentally you become a permanent resident as soon as you land and pass through the border, so you technically do have a green card (just not the plastic version) once you've activated your immigrant visa.
 
SusieQQQ said:
You'd need to file a 2017 return next year. The tax date you mention of April 15 is for submission; the US tax year is indeed the same as the calendar year.

Incidentally you become a permanent resident as soon as you land and pass through the border, so you technically do have a green card (just not the plastic version) once you've activated your immigrant visa.
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Thanks, I was hoping as much. I guess I've got a year's reprieve from the fun of filing tax in two countries.
 
Flying to Sydney shortly for my interview on Tuesday and I'm reaching peak paranoia. The copies of our documents don't need to be certified, do they? Just regular photocopies?
 
littlechia said:
Flying to Sydney shortly for my interview on Tuesday and I'm reaching peak paranoia. The copies of our documents don't need to be certified, do they? Just regular photocopies?
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No, just the copies and the originals as per the checklist they would have emailed you. I really wish I knew beforehand how straightforward the interview would be, and that I didn't need that sleepless night in Sydney! They really just check over your paperwork and ask a few basic questions and that's it. The guy just asked my husband and I if we were married previously and if we had any kids, and that's pretty much it. Nothing about what we were planning to work as over there (although I heard others asked this one). If your paperwork's all collected then you should be fine.
 
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