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DV 2015 Oceania winners

ozmaddie said:
Hi just wondering if anyone can point me in the right direction regarding filing taxes? I have had my green card since July last year and am about to move to the US but earned ALL of my income in Australia in 2014. I understand you have to file foreign income earned. Does anyone know what forms I have to fill out and if I can do it all online? How do they convert Australian dollars into USD? Any help would be much appreciated :)
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I agree with simon, use a consultant. Even the IRS on their website recommends this for first filing because you will be filing as part resident and part non resident. Plus there are exclusions you can use etc that you may miss if you try do it yourself.
 
Hershal said:
I do apologise, I must of misread this somewhere, There has been so much information going around that I got my wires crossed. I know it does say "or equivalent" you could assume that a uni degree would be "equivalent or better" but then again, maybe not.
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It's easy to get confused with all the info, but that's why you have to be really sure of your sources and facts and you can't even paraphrase! Especially because some people won't double check and will rely only on the advice you give of this forum.

It actually doesn't say "equivalent", at all, it says "a formal course of elementary and secondary education comparable to completion of a 12-year course in the United States". That's exact wording, which has a slightly different meaning to 'equivalent'. Nothing more, nothing less is required.
 
Hey guys,
Been stalking this forum off and on.
Just wondering if someone could answer a few quick questions for me...

My number is in the very early 2000's but it's looking like I'll probably miss this years selection, right?
Also I'm currently in the US on a B1/B2, has anyone been able to speed up the their appointment while in the US? (long shot I know)
Lastly, what are my next steps to assure I have a chance next year? I heard that if you are selected once you will usually get a lower number if you miss out the first time.

Cheers everyone and best of luck!!
 
Mino_89 said:
Hey guys,
Been stalking this forum off and on.
Just wondering if someone could answer a few quick questions for me...

My number is in the very early 2000's but it's looking like I'll probably miss this years selection, right?
Also I'm currently in the US on a B1/B2, has anyone been able to speed up the their appointment while in the US? (long shot I know)
Lastly, what are my next steps to assure I have a chance next year? I heard that if you are selected once you will usually get a lower number if you miss out the first time.

Cheers everyone and best of luck!!
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Yes I don't think we will see 2XXX on the VB. Sorry.

The selection is random, so no, you will not get a low number next time simply because you were selected before.
 
EmilyW said:
@reeko, I was thinking about how you were doing. Good on you for doing all that work, mate! If we learned one thing from that Aussie who did it a few years back, a mountain of evidence and a positive attitude counts for alot. I remember him saying that you didn't need 100% proof but a preponderance of evidence / balance of probabilities. You've certainly prepared for the battle and, IMO, you will win the war for Team OC2015!
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Thanks a lot for your support! Unfortunately I just realised a potential issue (clearly I'm not making this process any easier on myself)......

When I completed the DS-260 form I got both my parents birthdates wrong. Correct dates, but both off by a year. I'm hoping this is a minor mistake that can be corrected in the interview? It has a good chance of being noticed, as I need to produce both my parents passports and birth certificates in order to prove their NZ residency (as I'm charging my residency status to theirs).

Would you say its worth trying to clear up now with KCC via email? Or will this cause further issues or delays? (I'm current in May....)
 
Mino_89 said:
Hey guys,
Been stalking this forum off and on.
Just wondering if someone could answer a few quick questions for me...

My number is in the very early 2000's but it's looking like I'll probably miss this years selection, right?
Also I'm currently in the US on a B1/B2, has anyone been able to speed up the their appointment while in the US? (long shot I know)
Lastly, what are my next steps to assure I have a chance next year? I heard that if you are selected once you will usually get a lower number if you miss out the first time.

Cheers everyone and best of luck!!
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Did you apply for the DV2016 lottery in October last year? If not, you'll have to wait until DV2017 opens this year. You have a fresh entry each time which does not recognize or take into account entries from previous years. You might get selected with a lower number, an even higher number or not at all. Just keep trying, that's all you can do! Believe me, I've been through the pain of having a high number so hang in there.
 
reeko said:
Thanks a lot for your support! Unfortunately I just realised a potential issue (clearly I'm not making this process any easier on myself)......

When I completed the DS-260 form I got both my parents birthdates wrong. Correct dates, but both off by a year. I'm hoping this is a minor mistake that can be corrected in the interview? It has a good chance of being noticed, as I need to produce both my parents passports and birth certificates in order to prove their NZ residency (as I'm charging my residency status to theirs).

Would you say its worth trying to clear up now with KCC via email? Or will this cause further issues or delays? (I'm current in May....)
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That is not an issue - don't worry about it - correct it at the interview.
 
NZLDNNY said:
Hi HaydenS,

We'll also be having our interview in London (kiwis living in London) but still waiting to current. Would love to hear how your experience goes and any tips you have from a London embassy perspective. Good luck!
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We had our interview in London a couple of months ago and it couldn't have gone better! (story write up on another thread)
 
eskimokisses said:
Hi alwaysrose123 I am also new here although have been lurking for awhile reading the adventures of the DV OC 2015 winners as they go current :) We have applied for DV 2016 and are waiting, waiting... lots of waiting and hoping positive thoughts. We also have the same concerns and things to think about eg homeowner, pets, kids, careers etc but are looking for an adventure and the opportunities that this would open up for our family.
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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.
 
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!
 
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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This may depend on where you are, but we found that many landlords/rental agents wanted to see a credit check (which most immigrants can't do as they won't have a US credit record). We found a couple of agents willing to substitute with proof of a certain number of months rent in a US bank account. I had opened one before we moved - see if you can do that.
 
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.
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Couldn't agree more. We got selected 2nd time around. Since we were busy living our lives and moving on I even forgot to check the results until 6 months later. Personally I would be happy to have the option of a green card after the interview but if it doesn't come thru for whatever reason then I'd get over it in a day. One shouldn't plan lives around winning lotteries anyways
 
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.
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My Wife had been applying for 10 years and never got selected once. She was going through the EU group though, so I guess a lot more applicants. I started applying on my second year (OC). So its completely random. We totally forgot about it and were planning an interstate move to QLD. That quickly got put on hold for 10 months until we had this finalised. Now little move to QLD, is a move across the globe. We didn't stop our lives or anything as its not a guarantee. To some degree once we got selected e didn't stop our everyday lives as we were not 100% sure we were going to get the green cards.
 
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
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Its a nice feeling isn't it when you get that yellow envelope on your doorstep! Silly questions, but our passports came back with our photos still taped to the front, I am assuming we can take them off yes?
 
Hi All,

Sorry if this question has already been posted. I think I may have landed a job in NYC and the employer is asking when I will have my social security number. Is the fastest way to obtain this to go into a social security office after POE and apply in person?

Thanks
 
Hershal said:
Its a nice feeling isn't it when you get that yellow envelope on your doorstep! Silly questions, but our passports came back with our photos still taped to the front, I am assuming we can take them off yes?
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I found my passport photos inside my passport when I got it back, they just fell out, so I think its fine.
 
ozimattskey said:
Hi All,

Sorry if this question has already been posted. I think I may have landed a job in NYC and the employer is asking when I will have my social security number. Is the fastest way to obtain this to go into a social security office after POE and apply in person?

Thanks
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If you ticked (checked) the option in your DS260 to get them to issue a SSN it may be in the works the moment you enter through the POE. However, all too often that process seems to fail, so the advice I generally give is to wait a few days after entry and then pay a visit to the nearest ssa office. Just apply for the card. If you tell them it might have been applied for by USCIS they might not let you apply, so just keep yer gob shut and apply. If your application is duplicated - so what - they will figure it out. THe staff in the SSA usually tell people they need a week after POE to be able to find you in the system. THat isn't 100% true - but the SASA are not known for superior "going the extra mile" type service.

Also - when you apply, ask the SSA rep for a receipt to say you have applied - that is all you need to be able to start work. The actual SSN should arrive within a week to two weeks after you apply.
 
Aucklander said:
Couldn't agree more. We got selected 2nd time around. Since we were busy living our lives and moving on I even forgot to check the results until 6 months later. Personally I would be happy to have the option of a green card after the interview but if it doesn't come thru for whatever reason then I'd get over it in a day. One shouldn't plan lives around winning lotteries anyways
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I use Outlook / Google calendars to run my life, so license renewals, CC payments, DV lottery. Every October.. bing up pops the reminder, then in May another. This way I never need to remember anything.
 
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