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DV 2015 Oceania winners

EmilyW said:
The requirements were updated back before I had my interview in April but there was conflicting information. The consulate talked about state checks whereas the state.gov site asked for the AFP check with full disclosure.

Make sure it is full disclosure as the standard one will exclude spent offences and they want the check to include all offences, if any.

I'd send an email to the consulate once you send them the police check, letting them know it's on the way. That way, they will know to expect it.
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I just sent off for my AFP check, but I didn't see and code 33 area to make it full disclosure?
 
reeko said:
Can anyone please recommend the best way to set up a credit card/account in the US?

I’ve heard from friends over there that it’s extremely hard when you’re new/foreign, and to set up with an international bank like HSBC or similar before moving over there.

Or does that not apply to us lucky Greencard holders?
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guestgulkan said:
It doesn't matter how awesome your job is or how much money you have, you're going to get denied or a $500 limit when you start in the USA because you have no credit history at all.

Get an AMEX card in australia now, then do a global transfer in the USA. You need 6 months of australian AMEX history. I've done it myself and can confirm. btw someone told me it only applies to the official AMEX cards not the bank AMEX cards, not sure, so better off getting it direct.

Citi and HSBC may have similar programs but I can't speak for them.

After six months the AMEX card will give you an ok-ish FICO score (that's the official credit score used by lenders) and you can get another visa/mastercard.
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Some people have reported good results with the Amex card as you suggest. You can also open a secured card before you have a credit limit. THe credit limit matches your deposit which they hold for about a year.
 
We are with HSBC and were able to open a US bank account and credit card in Oz. You do need to be a premium customer to gain access to that though.

During our activation trip, we were able to open a basic checking account with Bank of America without a SSN.
 
Hi guys, i activated my Green Card in Hawaii without issues, a very simple process. Now i'm at the end of my activation trip. Can any one advise on the procedure through customs on the way out of USA for Green Card holders? What do i put on the exit forms? Leaving temporarily? Do i exit as an American resident now or as a tourist? I of course plan to come back within 6-12 months...
 
james mathers said:
Hi guys, i activated my Green Card in Hawaii without issues, a very simple process. Now i'm at the end of my activation trip. Can any one advise on the procedure through customs on the way out of USA for Green Card holders? What do i put on the exit forms? Leaving temporarily? Do i exit as an American resident now or as a tourist? I of course plan to come back within 6-12 months...
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There are no exit forms for the U.S.
 
Anyone else have a problem with their visa being slowed down due to the global issues at embassies. I am still waiting on my passport to come back!!
 
SusieQQQ said:
Uh, yeah, everyone since 9 June...
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Sorry should have said anyone who went for their interview around the same time as me ,which I knew was a few people from here and wether they had received their passports back as I do know est delay is 3 weeks from what the embassy said .
 
Aucklander said:
Sorry should have said anyone who went for their interview around the same time as me ,which I knew was a few people from here and wether they had received their passports back as I do know est delay is 3 weeks from what the embassy said .
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I did respond to your previous post pointing out it was a global issue (hence, "everyone"). You may have missed some further posts on the matter:

http://travel.state.gov/content/travel/english/news/technological-systems-issue.html
 
As a follow-up on my previous posts... my wife's PCC, listing her maiden name by AFP, is due to be delivered today to the Sydney consulate by Express post. There would still be 7 working days left for this month, do you think there is a chance our case to be finalised by the end of June?
 
Hey All, just a quick update. I have landed safe and sound in Austin, TX. Process through LA was quick and extremely simple. "Welcome to America" they said. It was great. Now just getting things in order, Bank account, mobile phone, a place to live.. All very exciting. Good luck to all new applicants and to the ones that haven't quite got there yet.
 
Kiel said:
Hey All, just a quick update. I have landed safe and sound in Austin, TX. Process through LA was quick and extremely simple. "Welcome to America" they said. It was great. Now just getting things in order, Bank account, mobile phone, a place to live.. All very exciting. Good luck to all new applicants and to the ones that haven't quite got there yet.
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Congrats @Kiel. Would be interested to hear your tales of setting up life in the US.
 
EmilyW said:
We are with HSBC and were able to open a US bank account and credit card in Oz. You do need to be a premium customer to gain access to that though.

During our activation trip, we were able to open a basic checking account with Bank of America without a SSN.
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Emily, do you mean HSBC Premier account is needed? If so, quite high requirements.
Has anyone tried Citibank for this? Seems they have competitive offering to HSBC.
 
This may of been said before but there's a lot of content to scroll through lol. If I need to unlock my DS-260 to change something? Do I just call the KCC and since I became current in August with an expected 2NL on a few days. Will this cause any delay?
 
bronco89 said:
This may of been said before but there's a lot of content to scroll through lol. If I need to unlock my DS-260 to change something? Do I just call the KCC and since I became current in August with an expected 2NL on a few days. Will this cause any delay?
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You can't unlock anymore once your number is current. Just tell the CO what changes you need to make at the interview.

[Would it be churlish of me to point out it is "may have" and not "may of"...? ]
 
Permutation said:
Emily, do you mean HSBC Premier account is needed? If so, quite high requirements.
Has anyone tried Citibank for this? Seems they have competitive offering to HSBC.
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Yes, that's the one. It does have high requirements so it is prohibitive in that respect.

Citibank is easier. And they have more branches.
 
Hi all! Only a few days until our interview in London and feel pretty confident about all our paperwork. The only thing that makes me nervous in the proof of funds element which is required for London interviews. I think we have enough funds split between our NZ and UK bank accounts (I think someone on here said $10k per person).

Just wanted to check if that was correct - 10k each? What kind of proof have other people taken who have had to prove funds - are bank statements okay?

Not sure if @HaydenS, @EU2015 can help at all?

Thanks :)
 
We were not asked but I did prepare for the proof of funds element. I created a Personal Financial Statement one pager that had assets and liabilities listed. For each asset and each liability, I had both an original and copy of the statement (so, for example, for our house I had our bank's valuation of the property and a copy of that valuation.

I included things like bank statements, superannuation statements, redbook values for our vehicles, my engagement / wedding ring insurance details, insurance statements for the contents of our home. It was absolute overkill but I felt alot better overdoing it as then I knew I couldn't do any more.

I'm happy to post a template of the Personal Financial Statement in our dropbox if people are interested.

There is no formal guidance re the amount per person. $10000 is a rough estimate of what it would cost you to get set up in the US and NOT find yourself in poverty (although I think it's pretty low still).
 
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