2013 DV Australian winners

[bella8188]

I am very glad I already have a SSN! I got mine a couple years ago from working at summer camp.

I know the number off the top of my head, I just hope they don't ask to see it at customs, since I don't have it with me - it's already in the States, I left it with my partner there for safe keeping.

And with applying for a license in MA, you can't get it til you have a SSN, so another thing off my mind for that.

Check your state's motor vehicle bureau but new residents are given a bit of time to get a local license. In my case, 30 days but I need to get the car registered within 10 days of establishing residency. Before I can get a license, I need to organise car insurance first. And I'm pretty sure you need your SSN before you can get a license, but I may be wrong on that (so much to research!). So it'd be pretty mean to say you have to get a local license immediately. So much to do! I just hope they don't make me take a driving test! I get so nervous during practical tests. Written, I'm okay.

I think I might have to call the RMV and ask straight out, since I'm struggling to get a clear answer online. The whole car insurance thing is confusing too. My partner and I are planning on sharing her car for the next few months, and then I'll buy my own when I return for good, so hoping that won't cause any issues.

 

[Abbie]

It may be different from state to state, but I got a driver's licence before getting my SSN. The Visa or the I-94 number was used in it's place. (Can't remember) So take your passport along and see. Be prepared, the DMV waiting time, same as Aus can be long. Also, we have had no problems driving around the USA in a hire car using either the Australian Licence or the out of state licence.

If you have Australian travel insurance for the first few months, get the rental car coverage as well, so you don't have to purchase the OVERPRICED car hire, per day, insurance. You will then also be covered for the enormous deductables. Check every single charge - they will try and rip you off at every opportunity. Our first car hire in the USA, which was quoted and booked at around $300 a week ended up being three times the price!

 

[Abbie]

Also, you can't drive a car out of a dealership without insurance. Insurance will be expensive at first, but 6 months or so down the track, shop around and there will be fairly hefty reduction in premiums. If you have paperwork about your Aus licence or car insurance that shows you have been accident free...eg NSW gold licence, or no claim bonus, it may be good to have it with you and ask if that good driving record can be taken into account for you insurance.

BTW, take proof of your Australian Private Health Insurance if you have it, because health insurance waiting times, may be waived if you can show continuous coverage.

Good luck with your adventure!

 

[Vichel]

Also, you can't drive a car out of a dealership without insurance. Insurance will be expensive at first, but 6 months or so down the track, shop around and there will be fairly hefty reduction in premiums. If you have paperwork about your Aus licence or car insurance that shows you have been accident free...eg NSW gold licence, or no claim bonus, it may be good to have it with you and ask if that good driving record can be taken into account for you insurance.

I agree with this. We were in the US for 5 months a while back and bought a car while there. The insurance companies definitely wanted proof of driving and insurance history, especially proof of no claims or driving convictions. Otherwise, the premiums would have been sky high for us. So get these documents right before you leave Oz. Also some insurance companies will give you discounts if you insure both your car and residence. Shop around. Unfortunately there are tons of insurance companies, so it's a bit of a time-consuming hassle, but worth the savings. We found Farmer's really good. Not a name you'd automatically think of for car insurance but we liked them.

 

[bella8188]

My embassy interview is tomorrow morning.

I'm trying to finish an essay for uni right now, but it's almost impossible to concentrate, I am so nervous.

For those of you who successfully had interviews already - roughly how long did it take to get your passports back?

And another (probably stupid) question, do you have to be a US citizen to get a US passport? Or can you get one as a resident? Or do we get something different? This is one side of the whole process that I haven't looked into yet.

 

[Vichel]

My embassy interview is tomorrow morning.

I'm trying to finish an essay for uni right now, but it's almost impossible to concentrate, I am so nervous.

For those of you who successfully had interviews already - roughly how long did it take to get your passports back?

And another (probably stupid) question, do you have to be a US citizen to get a US passport? Or can you get one as a resident? Or do we get something different? This is one side of the whole process that I haven't looked into yet.

All the best for your interview! I so understand not being able to concentrate on your exam, or anything else for that matter! It's all coming to an end, all those months of preparation, so it's natural to only be able to focus on the interview.

No, you only get a US passport when you're a citizen. You have to live in the US continuously for 5 years a Permanent Resident to qualify (or 3 years as a spouse of a US citizen). In the meantime, you get a plastic Green Card to use when travelling, along with your Aussie (or whatever other country you're citizen of) passport. Before you receive the plastic GC, you travel on the one they put in your passport - a colourful sticker with your photo and the details of the visa that is good for up to a year.

 

[bella8188]

My interview was successful, I was approved! So happy.

As for the actual interview: I arrived 20 minutes early, and went through security pretty easy and straight up to level 59. After getting a number, I sat and waited for about 20 minutes, and then got called up to give my documents in. I was asked to then pay the $330 fee at the cashier window, and then sat back down and waited for an hour and fifteen minutes. Got called up again to be told my documents were all in order, and then told to sit back down and wait for my number to be called for the actual interview.

Another hour later, I finally got called up, and for the interview, I was asked the following questions:

- Are you married, or have you been married before?
- Do you have any kids?
- What do you do? (school, work?)
- Why did you choose to enter the lottery?

That was it. She approved me, gave me a little slip of paper that said congratulations and to wait five days or so for my visa to be posted to me, and that was it. She actually said I was the shortest interview she'd had before, I honestly don't think it went longer than five minutes!

So my biggest piece of advice for the interview - take a book to read!!!

The second my passport comes back in the mail, I'll be booking the flights - they recommended not booking til the passport/visa is back. I am just so relieved that I have made it this far!

Vichel - thanks for that information, much appreciated!!

 

[Qewty]

Congratulations!!! How wonderful!!!

Q

 

[Petamiss]

Congratulations! Awesome news! Mine took about 5mins too Such a relief!!

They told me 5 days too but it took 2 weeks to come back.

 

[bella8188]

Well, it's only been two days since my interview/approval, and my visa just arrived in the mail! I can't believe how quick it arrived!

This means I can book my flights now, which is great. Here's hoping that they are still $1400, which is cheap for flying to the East coast.

 

[Vichel]

Well, it's only been two days since my interview/approval, and my visa just arrived in the mail! I can't believe how quick it arrived!

This means I can book my flights now, which is great. Here's hoping that they are still $1400, which is cheap for flying to the East coast.

Congratulations on your successful interview! And how nice to get your visa so quickly. Nice looking thing, isn't it?

We're busy planning our move too, which has moved up a week due to cheaper shipping rates if we leave a week earlier. There's so much to do!

All the best.

 

[Superkruz]

I just hope they don't ask to see it at customs, since I don't have it with me....

Neither customs nor Immigration asks for your SSN.

I think I might have to call the RMV and ask straight out, since I'm struggling to get a clear answer online.

What is it that you want to know? I applied for my MA license last year so maybe I can help you.

 

[Superkruz]

Argh, already have another question! So far, google has been no help.

How do you become a resident of a state? I'm still looking into getting my license done, and apparently one of the documents you need to bring with you is proof of residency for that state. Anyone have any suggestions of where to look for info about becoming a resident of a state (I'm looking into MA).

You simply live in the state - that makes you a resident. You don't have to register anywhere to become a resident of Massachusetts. When you apply for your Learner permit you must submit proof that you are a resident of Massachuseets (ie, that you live in MA). Here and here are lists of documents that RMV accepts as proof of residency. It also lists the other documents you must have.

For a car you need to apply for a Class D license. You do a written test to get a learner permit (Mass. term for learner license) and then you do a Road Test in order to get your license. There is no such thing as "P"'s over here.

A tip - You will find it hard to get these documents quickly so to get some Mass. ID just go to the RMV and apply for a Liquor ID. It costs about $30 and you don't need proof of address to apply for it. It lets you get into pubs and it is just so much easier when you whip out a local form of ID than your Aussie passport (and you don't want to risk losing your passport).

 

[chch_james]

Hey Guys... I thought I would give a quick update regarding my POE experience and green card / SSN processing time...

My POE was LAX Terminal 5 - which is only used by Delta and Virgin Australia. It looks like there aren't too many international flights coming into T5 so the processing time was actually really quick. I lined in up in 'Visitors' queue with the big yellow envelope waited about 10 minutes until I reached the end of the queue. The immigration officer asked pretty basic questions - I think just my occupation and how I got my Visa. He then asked me to sit down on the chairs beside the visitors queue - so everyone looks at you probably thinking the worst and all I could do was smile!

It took about 30ish minutes before another immigration officer called me up to another desk where he took my finger prints (with ink!) and I signed in a small box. I was then asked to sit down for a few more minutes (no more than 10) while he processed my pack. I then was called up finally and he gave me my passport back said "Welcome to the United States!" From there you collect your baggage and processing thru customs. In total my whole POE experience took about 1 hour from exiting the plane to leaving customs. So easy!

My SSN card arrived a week after my POE. My welcome notice (I-797C Notice of Action) arrived after ~12 days and contained a receipt number (SRC-xx-xxx-xxxxx) which can be used to track the green card production at https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/Dashboard.do. My green card arrived exactly three weeks after my POE! Wooooooohooo!

 

[bella8188]

You simply live in the state - that makes you a resident. You don't have to register anywhere to become a resident of Massachusetts. When you apply for your Learner permit you must submit proof that you are a resident of Massachuseets (ie, that you live in MA). Here and here are lists of documents that RMV accepts as proof of residency. It also lists the other documents you must have.

For a car you need to apply for a Class D license. You do a written test to get a learner permit (Mass. term for learner license) and then you do a Road Test in order to get your license. There is no such thing as "P"'s over here.

A tip - You will find it hard to get these documents quickly so to get some Mass. ID just go to the RMV and apply for a Liquor ID. It costs about $30 and you don't need proof of address to apply for it. It lets you get into pubs and it is just so much easier when you whip out a local form of ID than your Aussie passport (and you don't want to risk losing your passport).

Thanks so much for your information, that is a HUGE help! Can I ask, were you allowed to use an Australian driver's license until you were able to get you MA license? And were the theory/practical driving exams pretty easy? I've been driving in Australia for about seven years, and for about a year cummulative in the US, so feel pretty confident. Do you know if I can do the theory and practical on the same day?
And if I am going to be using my partner's car, do I need to have personal driving insurance or anything? She is insured for her car.

GREAT to know about the liquor ID. I will definitely be getting that done when I arrive. I've been refused service at a couple places for alcohol when I've only had my Australian ID (not my passport), as I hate bringing my passport around, so that will make life much easier.

Hey Guys... I thought I would give a quick update regarding my POE experience and green card / SSN processing time...

My POE was LAX Terminal 5 - which is only used by Delta and Virgin Australia. It looks like there aren't too many international flights coming into T5 so the processing time was actually really quick. I lined in up in 'Visitors' queue with the big yellow envelope waited about 10 minutes until I reached the end of the queue. The immigration officer asked pretty basic questions - I think just my occupation and how I got my Visa. He then asked me to sit down on the chairs beside the visitors queue - so everyone looks at you probably thinking the worst and all I could do was smile!

It took about 30ish minutes before another immigration officer called me up to another desk where he took my finger prints (with ink!) and I signed in a small box. I was then asked to sit down for a few more minutes (no more than 10) while he processed my pack. I then was called up finally and he gave me my passport back said "Welcome to the United States!" From there you collect your baggage and processing thru customs. In total my whole POE experience took about 1 hour from exiting the plane to leaving customs. So easy!

My SSN card arrived a week after my POE. My welcome notice (I-797C Notice of Action) arrived after ~12 days and contained a receipt number (SRC-xx-xxx-xxxxx) which can be used to track the green card production at https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/Dashboard.do. My green card arrived exactly three weeks after my POE! Wooooooohooo!

Thanks so much for that info. Happy to hear it was a really smooth process for you!

I've just booked my flights, I fly out in three weeks and three days, on the 28th April. I am flying to LAX, with a five hour layover there - I purposely booked it that way in case processing would take longer than expected! Then onto Detroit for a 45 minute layover, before finally landing in Boston. It will definitely be a long day.

Quick question, if anyone knows. Once I arrive in the US, and have my temporary green card, am I allowed to leave the country, or do I have to stay until my permanent green card arrives? I want to go to Europe for a couple weeks towards the end of May, as I've been invited to a wedding in England. Is it fine to keep using the temporary card in my passport?

 

[Iamsuzyn]

Weighing in on things to look out for

I crossed over by vehicle into Sweet Grass MT on March 12, 2013, no problem with activating the visa, that took roughly 10 minutes. The issue was the registration of my vehicle for importation. I had the 3 forms they indicate on the border security site you need (although they have blank ones there you can fill out). What I did NOT have and did not find indicated on the site, was a letter of compliance from the maker of my vehicle. If you are importing a vehicle it is a must to get this. You call the vehicle corporate headquarters for it. As a result I had to go back over the border, spend the night in a shady little motel, make the call and get a fax by the next afternoon (I was crossing over in the afternoon the day before and the head office was in Eastern Canada so with the time difference the office was closed, hence the overnight stay). All of this set me behind my driving schedule by 2 days, so just a heads up.

I also had a glitch with my SSN - it didn't arrive. So today, as per instructions on the SSN site, since it has been 3 weeks since the visa was activated, I went to my local office and applied for a SSN. They said I would have it within 2 weeks... stay tuned. Just to say that that part of the process seems to vary - some get it, some don't.

Oct 18, 2011: applied
May 01, 2012: Status checked & selected
May 04, 2012: 1 Forms emailed to KCC
Aug 17, 2012: 2nd email to check account – interview scheduled
Sep 18, 2012: passport done
Sep 18, 2012: criminal records check received
Sept 28, 2012: Medical done
Oct 01, 2012: divorce cert picked up
Oct 04, 2012: interview in Montreal – SUCCESSFUL!!
Oct 09, 2012: passport returned
P.O.E: Sweet Grass MT, on March 12, 2013
Residing: Maryland
March 27, 2013: received Green Card and action letter
SSN: did not receive, went into local SSN office and applied April 3, 2013 - 3 weeks after arrival, as they indicate you should on SSN the website.

 

[Superkruz]

Quick question, if anyone knows. Once I arrive in the US, and have my temporary green card, am I allowed to leave the country, or do I have to stay until my permanent green card arrives? I want to go to Europe for a couple weeks towards the end of May, as I've been invited to a wedding in England. Is it fine to keep using the temporary card in my passport?

You may leave the same day if you want - no need to wait for the 10-year Greencard. The temporary I-551 in your passport is good for 12 months and you can use it to enter the US for 12 months. Enjoy the wedding!

 

[Superkruz]

.....were you allowed to use an Australian driver's license until you were able to get you MA license?

As a tourist you may use your Australian license. However, as a resident you must immediately get a Massachusetts license and there is no grace period.... sounds crazy, I agree! As you will become a resident upon arrival it means that you may not drive in Mass. using your Australian license.

And were the theory/practical driving exams pretty easy?

Theory test was quite easy - you definitely have to study for it as they focus heavily on penalties for speeding/drink-driving etc. The study booklet can be found here - study it during your looong flight. The Road test is easy if you are an experienced driver. I would strongly recommend going for a driving lesson with a driving school as they give you tips on how to pass the test and they also tell you exactly what to look out for during the test.

Do you know if I can do the theory and practical on the same day?

You must make an appointment for the Road test online (you can do it here). When making the online appointment, you need to enter a learner permit number, which means that it is not possible to do it on the same day. When I tried to make an appointment I would have had to wait several months for an appointment but the driving school with which I had a driving lesson could arrange a Road test appointment within a week - another reason to go get a lesson with a driving school.

And if I am going to be using my partner's car, do I need to have personal driving insurance or anything? She is insured for her car.

As far as I know you don't need personal driving insurance, but I'm not sure about it. Take a look a this link to get up to speed on the vehicle and applicant requirements for the Road test. I used the car of the driving school. They arranged the Road test, provided the car and also acted as my sponsor - it cost about $80 I think. It was very convenient and made the whole process very smooth and easy.

Good luck.

 

[Vichel]

Congrats chch_james! Wow, you had a smooth & quick POE experience! Lucky you. And you've got your SSN and GC too, amazing! All the best!

 

[Vichel]

Thanks for writing about your POE experience, Iamsuzyn! Good to hear because we'll be doing the same - driving across, although at the BC/WA border crossing. You must have come down from Calgary? We know about the compliance letter for our car, although it's great you mentioned that, for those who don't know. We actually bought our car in the US in 2011, imported it to Canada 5 months later, and will be bringing it home Back and forth!

We also did our interview in Montreal, in March. Planning to move to the US early May. All the best!