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DV 2016 OC Selectees

eskimokisses said:
Thanks SusieQQQ, I thought I had read that but was wondering if this was still the case for the recent interviewees. I vaguely remembered reading awhile back that the card machine was out of order and people were madly have to try and go get cash! I was hoping their machines have been working lately :)
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Well if it was out of order they may have fixed it, yes? ;)
 
Hey All,

Sorry Its been a while since I've been here!

I have a question about paying my USCIS Immigrant Fee. Im heading over next Thursday (11 Feb) to activate (SO EXCITED), with the plan on moving in june/july or later (pending on my partners work). The address that I have on my forms is my partners work office, as I don't really know anyone living in the states.

I am wondering, do I:
A) Pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee now, and have my card sent to this work address, who will then forward it on to me.
B) Wait to pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee until my permanent move and updating my address at www.uscis.gov/addresschange

Also, as the address is a business address, would this be considered my place of residence until I move and would this cause any issues and will this affect where my SS number goes to?

Thanks in advance!
 
trezonk said:
Hey All,

Sorry Its been a while since I've been here!

I have a question about paying my USCIS Immigrant Fee. Im heading over next Thursday (11 Feb) to activate (SO EXCITED), with the plan on moving in june/july or later (pending on my partners work). The address that I have on my forms is my partners work office, as I don't really know anyone living in the states.

I am wondering, do I:
A) Pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee now, and have my card sent to this work address, who will then forward it on to me.
B) Wait to pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee until my permanent move and updating my address at www.uscis.gov/addresschange

Also, as the address is a business address, would this be considered my place of residence until I move and would this cause any issues and will this affect where my SS number goes to?

Thanks in advance!
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Option B won't change where the GC is sent. It is based on the address on the DS260 address OR the address you update at the POE. Later address changes don't change the delivery.

As for the work address, it would be better to have a residential address, but if the address is a straightforward street address (like a small office) it might be OK. There has been some past discussion that official mail should only be sent to addresses that are "named" - i.e. known to the post office with at least a "Care of".

Best of luck with the move!
 
Hi All, Newbie here - just spent the last 4 hours reading all of this info and some of you are amazing humans for helping with answers etc etc...
Im 2016000009xx - where is this magical Visa bulletin that gets released to find out what they are up to? Im just in midst of getting my docs together and tidy and would love to know where I sit in the merry old land of oz... (sorry if its a repeater question)!!!
I think I may have found some info from britsimon's blog :)

Also i submitted ds 260 on 15 May 2015... does it seem a long time for the 2NL to come through?
 
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PaulyStar said:
Hi All, Newbie here - just spent the last 4 hours reading all of this info and some of you are amazing humans for helping with answers etc etc...
Im 2016000009xx - where is this magical Visa bulletin that gets released to find out what they are up to? Im just in midst of getting my docs together and tidy and would love to know where I sit in the merry old land of oz... (sorry if its a repeater question)!!!
I think I may have found some info from britsimon's blog :)

Also i submitted ds 260 on 15 May 2015... does it seem a long time for the 2NL to come through?
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The VBs are published at the link below. Your number is over the number for March interviews, so you will probably get an interview in April, with a 2NL in late February.

https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/law-and-policy/bulletin.html
 
Also - open to everyone here...
Im in a de-facto relationship of 12 years because I can't get married in Australia yet... grrr...
This means my spouse can't be named as my 'spouse' because we aren't married?! If i am successful in completion of the GC, is their any info of when he and I will be able to then marry legally in US and then apply for his spousal GC? Im lost with finding legitimate info, without having to spring thousands for a lawyer yet...
 
PaulyStar said:
Also - open to everyone here...
Im in a de-facto relationship of 12 years because I can't get married in Australia yet... grrr...
This means my spouse can't be named as my 'spouse' because we aren't married?! If i am successful in completion of the GC, is their any info of when he and I will be able to then marry legally in US and then apply for his spousal GC? Im lost with finding legitimate info, without having to spring thousands for a lawyer yet...
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It would make a lot more sense to marry prior to the DV move. However, you can marry later and sponsor a spouse as a LPR. It takes around 2 years, and you will need to show earnings to be able to support your spouse. So - that means you will be apart for most of that 2 years.
 
Britsimon said:
It would make a lot more sense to marry prior to the DV move. However, you can marry later and sponsor a spouse as a LPR. It takes around 2 years, and you will need to show earnings to be able to support your spouse. So - that means you will be apart for most of that 2 years.
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Because Australia doesn't recognise 'marriage', but the US does, if we were to get married in Cali, would this be recognised in the interview because it was on US soil and not here in AU... its a super tricky question and prob needs a lawyer... but I figure id ask first...
 
PaulyStar said:
Because Australia doesn't recognise 'marriage', but the US does, if we were to get married in Cali, would this be recognised in the interview because it was on US soil and not here in AU... its a super tricky question and prob needs a lawyer... but I figure id ask first...
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What do you mean 'Australia doesn't recognise 'marriage''? Are we talking about a same-sex marriage?
 
PaulyStar said:
Because Australia doesn't recognise 'marriage', but the US does, if we were to get married in Cali, would this be recognised in the interview because it was on US soil and not here in AU... its a super tricky question and prob needs a lawyer... but I figure id ask first...
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If you go anywhere that (presumably same-sex) marriage is legal and get married, the US embassy will certainly recognize it. Doesn't matter what soil. (You could go to South Africa too for example.) If you can present a legal marriage certificate it will be fine. **

I didn't realize until now that Australia still lags on this matter!

** because it would be marriage after selection you'd need to show proof of a proper relationship to prove that it isn't just a "green card marriage" but you should have plenty of that.
 
Here's the official stuff:

Q3: My spouse and I were married in a U.S. state or a foreign country that recognizes same-sex marriage, but we live in a state that does not. Can I file an immigrant visa petition for my spouse?
A3: Yes. As a general matter, the law of the place where the marriage was celebrated determines whether the marriage is legally valid for immigration purposes. Just as USCIS applies all relevant laws to determine the validity of an opposite-sex marriage, we will apply all relevant laws to determine the validity of a same-sex marriage. The domicile state’s laws and policies on same-sex marriages will not bear on whether USCIS will recognize a marriage as valid.

https://www.uscis.gov/family/same-sex-marriages
 
PaulyStar said:
Because Australia doesn't recognise 'marriage', but the US does, if we were to get married in Cali, would this be recognised in the interview because it was on US soil and not here in AU... its a super tricky question and prob needs a lawyer... but I figure id ask first...
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Yep - As Susie said go somewhere where that marriage is legal and get married - anywhere will do. New Zealand is probably closest.

Now then, if you want to save yourself from 2 years of hassle and expense - I would suggest you do this immediately. Email KCC and unlock your form. By unlocking you will delay your interview, because otherwise you will be scheduled in a week or two and that makes it more difficult. So - you unlock to delay things to get time to get married. Once married, you add your spouse to your case by altering your DS260 and creating a second DS260 for her. Resubmit and your paperwork will be processed within a couple more weeks, and you would then be scheduled in the next batch of interviews. There is NO danger that visas will run out while you do that because OC is underselected this year. At the interview you should be prepared to show evidence of the relationship having existed prior to the DV selection. The approval of your case as a couple will then be a no brainer.
 
Hi all, we are moving over in April, woot woot!

Whilst we look for a rental apartment, we are planning to stay the first 30 days in a hotel or airbnb

My question is, will it be ok to have the green card sent to my friends address while we are in the hotel? Or is the 'address' that you advise USCiS of when entering considered residential rather than postal?
 
Hey, how long did it take for everyone to get their passport back after getting approved? I got approved a week ago and I'm still impatiently waiting. Ahh.
 
EmilyW said:
If you interviewed in Sydney, it should only be 2-3 days.
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It was in New Zealand, they did say 7-10 working days. It's been 7 flat out days but there was a public holiday this week so maybe it'll take a bit of time. Hopefully this week. When you activate your green card, you can move in your activation trip right?
 
You won't get your physical green card until you activate and enter the US and have paid the USCIS fee for the card.

On that first entry to the US, you activate the visa in your passport. That serves as proof of your permanent residency until the green card itself arrives (takes around six weeks).
 
EmilyW said:
You won't get your physical green card until you activate and enter the US and have paid the USCIS fee for the card.

On that first entry to the US, you activate the visa in your passport. That serves as proof of your permanent residency until the green card itself arrives (takes around six weeks).
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Okay thanks. So it should be okay to stay in the US on the activation trip right?
 
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