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DV 2015 Oceania winners

And, don't forget, if you fall into the catchment for the school, they take you - regardless of skills, extra-curricular activities, family background etc.

Part of the reason for us choosing the area of Charlotte we have chosen is that the elementary, middle and high schools are all fantastic, well resourced and well regarded. Even in terms of picking where to live, we've been very clear about the areas we will and won't settle on the basis of the surrounding schools.
 
EmilyW said:
And, don't forget, if you fall into the catchment for the school, they take you - regardless of skills, extra-curricular activities, family background etc.

Part of the reason for us choosing the area of Charlotte we have chosen is that the elementary, middle and high schools are all fantastic, well resourced and well regarded. Even in terms of picking where to live, we've been very clear about the areas we will and won't settle on the basis of the surrounding schools.
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So many factors to consider - affordability, crime rates, school reputation / quality. It's almost as daunting as the DV process itself!!
 
MattWatt said:
So many factors to consider - affordability, crime rates, school reputation / quality. It's almost as daunting as the DV process itself!!
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There is generally a direct correlation between property prices and desirability of school district as well as the other factors you mention...
 
Absolutely @MattWatt. We literally came up with a handful of places after taking into account all of the factors you mentioned (and then some) and what we were prepared to trade off. If it were just the husband and me, our options would have expanded considerably.

The truth it, like any country I guess, there are sh*tty parts of the US and some really nice parts and it's a matter of finding the place that ticks the most boxes on your list.
 
SusieQQQ said:
We also moved in the middle of the U.S. school year, and like much else it turned out to be a lot of stress about nothing! Especially if your kids are young. They will place them in an appropriate class, either a bit ahead or a bit back probably at that stage mostly dependent on age, all their new friends will love their accents, they'll take all of about a week to adjust to the new system and then you'll wonder what you were ever worried about :)

We had one put "back" (but she was still technically younger than allowed for that year so she could not have been put into the next grade) and one put ahead. The older one they wanted to see some school reports and do some testing. Make sure the school knows the grade equivalency, don't expect them to know or investigate the different grading system. I think the most important thing is to make sure you end up somewhere with decent schools where they will take care on these things, but I can't imagine anyone from Australia plans to move to a 5 or 6 school area surely... Check the rankings on greatschools, ideally 10, if you are going below 8 then think hard about it. My 2c.
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May I further ask if your kids had their respective school year in Oz completed when you moved?... and whether such certificate had any impact at all?
I am afraid that I won't be given certificates for the entire year if we request them at the beginning of Nov. Thanks.
 
Hi all, just wanted to do a quick check before I shoot off for my POE visit
1- What's required at POE is the yellow sealed envelope and receipt proof of paying the $165 USCis fees ?
2- Bank of America would let me open a bank account without a SSN ?

Appreciate the help
 
Aucklander said:
Hi all, just wanted to do a quick check before I shoot off for my POE visit
1- What's required at POE is the yellow sealed envelope and receipt proof of paying the $165 USCis fees ?
2- Bank of America would let me open a bank account without a SSN ?

Appreciate the help
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You don't need proof of paying the immigrant fee, many people do it only after they land. Your envelope and obviously passport with visa is what you need.
Don't know about BoA.
 
Just wondering if anyone knows the lead time on the green cards being sent out, I re cd mine on our activation trip, only 4 weeks from entry but my hubby's and daughters still say in progress on the uscis website, I have tried emailing a month ago with no success, does anyone have any suggestions they have been in progress since 2 nd February , thanks in advance:)
 
CC1 said:
Just wondering if anyone knows the lead time on the green cards being sent out, I re cd mine on our activation trip, only 4 weeks from entry but my hubby's and daughters still say in progress on the uscis website, I have tried emailing a month ago with no success, does anyone have any suggestions they have been in progress since 2 nd February , thanks in advance:)
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Yeah, that's way too long, I'm pretty sure something's gone wrong - same happened to one of ours. Who did you email? The contact form on the ELIS website is what we used if I recall correctly. You maybe want to call their helpline or schedule an infopass to chase up.
 
SusieQQQ said:
Yeah, that's way too long, I'm pretty sure something's gone wrong - same happened to one of ours. Who did you email? The contact form on the ELIS website is what we used if I recall correctly. You maybe want to call their helpline or schedule an infopass to chase up.
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Thanks, what's an info pass?
 
SusieQQQ said:
An appointment to meet with uscis.
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We are back in Auzzie until the end of the year, my daughter and I both had to finish university degrees so I will call, I presume it's a stuff up since mine was sent really quickly, thanks again :)
 
Has anyone been asked for their financial records or I-134 during their interview at the Sydney US Consulate General?
 
Hi everyone!
I apologise in advance if I am cutting in here with something that has already been discussed but since my case number for DV2015 is 17XX (the XX being low figures) I pretty much gave up hope that I'd be getting an interview. However, I just checked the Visa Bulletin and noticed a bit of a jump for September (to 1490) and wanted the pro's opinions on here if you think I still have a chance, with one month to go after that for interviews? Or... am I going to miss out by a few hundred (which, if so, is devastating!)
Thank you! :)
Kellie
 
Kellie said:
Hi everyone!
I apologise in advance if I am cutting in here with something that has already been discussed but since my case number for DV2015 is 17XX (the XX being low figures) I pretty much gave up hope that I'd be getting an interview. However, I just checked the Visa Bulletin and noticed a bit of a jump for September (to 1490) and wanted the pro's opinions on here if you think I still have a chance, with one month to go after that for interviews? Or... am I going to miss out by a few hundred (which, if so, is devastating!)
Thank you! :)
Kellie
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There isn't one month to go - the 1490 is for September interviews - so the 1490 is the final number - and yes, you missed out.
 
Britsimon said:
There isn't one month to go - the 1490 is for September interviews - so the 1490 is the final number - and yes, you missed out.
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Agh, that's a real shame. Thank you for confirming! And congratulations to everyone who made it through.

I'm going to try my luck with the J1 visa.
 
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