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DV 2015 Oceania winners

RE- police checks-
All online - had it in my mailbox in 4 days.[/QUOTE]

Hey,
At the risk of sounding like an idiot...
I gather you just need to standard 'National Police Check' not the extra fingerprint one ( which takes up to 30 days to process)

($42.00 for each National Police Check application from a government department or an individual.)

Thanks in advance...
Jai
 
Deb7a said:
Visa and passport are in my hands!!! Yay!! I am now good to go. It is nice to be able to breathe again. Thanks everyone for listening to my sometimes stressful posts. I wish all the up and comings every success and hope @EmilyW makes it through her medical in one piece lol
Click to expand...

Excellent. I was waiting for this message.

Good luck with the move in a couple of week. :)
 
jai jai said:
RE- police checks-
All online - had it in my mailbox in 4 days.

Hey,
At the risk of sounding like an idiot...
I gather you just need to standard 'National Police Check' not the extra fingerprint one ( which takes up to 30 days to process)

($42.00 for each National Police Check application from a government department or an individual.)

Thanks in advance...
Jai
Click to expand...

Yes, standard was fine.

Just make sure you select Commonwealth Purpose- code 33 Immigration/Citizenship when applying on the website.
 
GANDT-SYD said:
Excellent. I was waiting for this message.

Good luck with the move in a couple of week. :)
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Thanks @GANDT-SYD I can breathe now. I am excited to be heading off at last. When are you leaving? And @Hershal I had my pic stuck to my passport as well. It can stay there lol. I'm not touching anything. My big yellow envelope got wet and has a huge hole at the bottom.......looks like I've been snooping. I haven't. For some reason custom officials don't like me so I'm staying the night in LA to be safe. Hopefully they won't want a cavity search.
 
guestgulkan said:
Hello DV2016 applicants.

Gotta warn you guys.. I started applying in 2008 until I finally received my high-ish number. So I wouldn't spend too much time thinking about it. Just put a note in your calendar every year to remind you to apply then check, then forget about it and live your life.
Click to expand...

This. The chances of being selected in OC in DV2015 were somewhere around 1 in 20.

But:

Only around two thirds of the allocated case numbers are going to get an interview. So your chances of actually 'winning' are a good deal less: more like 35/1000.

There's probably a higher chance of getting in a car accident on your morning commute. Just putting it out there :D
 
guestgulkan said:
Hello DV2016 applicants.

Gotta warn you guys.. I started applying in 2008 until I finally received my high-ish number. So I wouldn't spend too much time thinking about it. Just put a note in your calendar every year to remind you to apply then check, then forget about it and live your life.
Click to expand...
guestgulkan said:
Hello DV2016 applicants.

Gotta warn you guys.. I started applying in 2008 until I finally received my high-ish number. So I wouldn't spend too much time thinking about it. Just put a note in your calendar every year to remind you to apply then check, then forget about it and live your life.
Click to expand...

No we are are not waiting around nor planning our life around winning the lottery lol!

Just researching options in case it does eventuate. Yep already have a reminder in the calendar when to check and when to reapply.

But it is nice to be optimistic and positive as well :):D and if it is meant to be it will eventually happen even if it takes awhile!
 
EU2015 said:
Question to those who have landed:

How difficult/easy was it to rent a house? How did you put down a deposit? Did you use foreign bank account? We haven't really got anyone we can crash with when we arrive so will need to rent ASAP in order to have an address to give at the bank, at the phone contract etc etc.

We leave in early May on an epic cruise...I suppose that will be the first challenge, getting through the POE at a Port rather than an airport terminal!
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We just got an apartment in LA and had to put down double security deposit (2 months rent) as we didnt have credit history plus 1 month rent up front. So be prepared for some initial outlay $$$!! We had set up a bank acct and transferred our AUD to USD into it - we paid electronically as our apartment block has a system to do that and e-cheques . I imagine if not that , they would want a cheque or money order.
We rented an apartment AirBNB initially for a few weeks so we had time to house hunt. Perhaps consider doing that. That way you can use that address to get a phone contract (what we did first - again had to put down a hefty deposit as no credit history) then used our phone contract with address on it to get a bank account. Also need a deposit for our electricity account set up. Seems the norm until you build credit!
Hope that helps!!
 
Hi DV2016 entrants! I wish you all the best and I have to say, there is definitely something to be said for the power of positive thinking. I just assumed I would get selected, there was never any doubt so I'm convinced that's why I was selected...but it is random, so who knows...maybe I just got lucky, like everyone else who 'won'.

Like some of the others, my advice would be that it is quite astonishing how much waiting and anxiety is involved with this process so I would definitely prolong that anxiety as long as I could....at least until I knew I had been selected. Even once you get selected there is a long 5 months before interviews start....and they are probably other people's interviews!

Look forward to seeing your journey's on this forum :)
 
CBDK said:
Thanks @DV4ROGER. Do you know if it is the exact same process as it would be if I was entering the US? Also, when I eventually get to the US (about 4 weeks later), will I just walk straight in as an LPR?
Click to expand...

I think you misunderstand. It isn't a place you can process your paperwork without entering the US. The pre-clear you - but that is done as part of your entry into the USA....
 
CBP says:

Through preclearance, the same immigration, customs, and agriculture inspections of international air passengers performed on arrival in the United States can be completed before departure at foreign airports instead.

So I think it's yes to both of your questions. Your visa will be endorsed in Toronto.
 
SuicideBlonde said:
We just got an apartment in LA and had to put down double security deposit (2 months rent) as we didnt have credit history plus 1 month rent up front. So be prepared for some initial outlay $$$!! We had set up a bank acct and transferred our AUD to USD into it - we paid electronically as our apartment block has a system to do that and e-cheques . I imagine if not that , they would want a cheque or money order.
We rented an apartment AirBNB initially for a few weeks so we had time to house hunt. Perhaps consider doing that. That way you can use that address to get a phone contract (what we did first - again had to put down a hefty deposit as no credit history) then used our phone contract with address on it to get a bank account. Also need a deposit for our electricity account set up. Seems the norm until you build credit!
Hope that helps!!
Click to expand...

That's actually way better than I thought. I kind of thought I would have to offer 3 or 4 months rent up front, so 2 plus deposit seems OK. Congrats on getting it all underway. It sounds like you've almost got it all sorted? Have you gone car shopping yet? What's the plan there?
 
Britsimon said:
I think you misunderstand. It isn't a place you can process your paperwork without entering the US. The pre-clear you - but that is done as part of your entry into the USA....
Click to expand...
DV4ROGER said:
CBP says:

Through preclearance, the same immigration, customs, and agriculture inspections of international air passengers performed on arrival in the United States can be completed before departure at foreign airports instead.

So I think it's yes to both of your questions. Your visa will be endorsed in Toronto.
Click to expand...

Yea to both above . The visa is endorsed, just before you get on the plane. All it means is you do immigration procedure just before rather than just after the flight.
 
eskimokisses said:
No we are are not waiting around nor planning our life around winning the lottery lol!

Just researching options in case it does eventuate. Yep already have a reminder in the calendar when to check and when to reapply.

But it is nice to be optimistic and positive as well :):D and if it is meant to be it will eventually happen even if it takes awhile!
Click to expand...

Good luck - maybe on May 5 you'll get to create the DV-2016 Oceania Winners thread.
 
DV4ROGER said:
CBP says:

Through preclearance, the same immigration, customs, and agriculture inspections of international air passengers performed on arrival in the United States can be completed before departure at foreign airports instead.

So I think it's yes to both of your questions. Your visa will be endorsed in Toronto.
Click to expand...
SusieQQQ said:
Yea to both above . The visa is endorsed, just before you get on the plane. All it means is you do immigration procedure just before rather than just after the flight.
Click to expand...
Thanks! Sounds like I'll get off the plane and start my holiday in Toronto as normal and then I'll go through US immigration in Toronto just before I fly to the US.
Something told me you guys would know the answer :)
 
Good tip Monkey, thanks :) - immigration queues suck at the best of times so the last thing I want is to add 'didn't allow enough time and stressed about missing the flight' to the list.
 
I'm supposed to be working but with 2 weeks left in the office and it being a Friday an' all, i'm really struggling in the concentration department. I've spent most of the day printing personal things, photo copying personal things and calling around to sort out my life ready for this trip. @Deb7a - did you resign yet? If not, how much longer at work?
 
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