• Hello Members, This forums is for DV lottery visas only. For other immigration related questions, please go to our forums home page, find the related forum and post it there.

DV 2017 OC Selectees

MsNoonz said:
Hello everyone. I, too, am a long time reader and first time poster.

I also wanted to thank this page for all its guidance and support throughout this process. I had my interview on Valentine's Day and it was very smooth.

I work in the same building as the embassy, so it was a relatively easy morning. I dumped most of my non-essential belongings at my desk and took the elevator to level 10, about 20 minutes before my scheduled interview at 915am. It was surprisingly an efficient and relatively quick process. I was back at my desk by 10am.

The interview was straight forward. The consular official asked me basic questions about my marital status, whether I had any children, the longest time I spent out of Australia and my highest level of education. Before the interview commenced, I was asked to swear an oath that the information in my DS-260 application was true to the best of my information, knowledge and belief. I said that I wanted to take the opportunity to correct an answer, as I recently discovered that I have ancestral citizenship through my father's side of the family. The consular official just waved his hand and said "well, apart from that, is everything else true and correct?". I laughed and said yes.

I was approved on the spot and had my passport back by Friday with my visa and sealed packet.

This has been an incredibly long journey, but at the same time it feels like it is only just beginning. I have leave booked for the middle of the year and that is going to be my activation trip. The plan is to move to NYC but when that actually happens is difficult to say.

I will definitely be reading up on the other threads for all the info regarding entry, finding a job, obtaining health insurance, tax implications etc.

This place has been a God send! Thank you all so much!

Ms N :)
Click to expand...

Hi Ms Noonz,

Congrats on your approval and best of luck to you :)
 
Hey pals who are thinking of coming to NYC once their approved, I have some advice.

You need like 30x the money you think you do. Honestly.

It has taken me three months to find a job. Once I found one, I did my AMEX global transfer to kick off my credit report. Went to go get an apartment and because my report is thin, they wanted first month, last month, security and a guarantor. If I didn't have a guarantor they wanted another month! That's $10,000 for a bloody rental in Brooklyn holey moley. Safe to say I'm back to a 2 Minute Noodle diet this month haha.

So for the love of goodness, please save, save, save before moving to NY! Everything moves in slow motion here until it doesn't, but everything always costs major $$$.
 
BenCreswick said:
If I didn't have a guarantor they wanted another month! That's $10,000 for a bloody rental in Brooklyn holey moley. Safe to say I'm back to a 2 Minute Noodle diet this month haha.
Click to expand...

Ouch! Hopefully it doesn't take you too long to get back on your feet and start enjoying some of the great food around you :)

I have noticed a trend of posters on here saying they're heading for NY. I'm curious as to the reasoning. Is it because its the biggest, flashiest city? Or is it because of particular career aspirations?
 
BenCreswick said:
Hey pals who are thinking of coming to NYC once their approved, I have some advice.

You need like 30x the money you think you do. Honestly.

It has taken me three months to find a job. Once I found one, I did my AMEX global transfer to kick off my credit report. Went to go get an apartment and because my report is thin, they wanted first month, last month, security and a guarantor. If I didn't have a guarantor they wanted another month! That's $10,000 for a bloody rental in Brooklyn holey moley. Safe to say I'm back to a 2 Minute Noodle diet this month haha.

So for the love of goodness, please save, save, save before moving to NY! Everything moves in slow motion here until it doesn't, but everything always costs major $$$.
Click to expand...

Congrats on the job and finding a place!! And thanks for the heads up! I'm also intending to move to NYC if approved. How much rent should we expect to put aside per month on average?

If you have some time, it would be great if you could share your experiences on finding a place to rent, jobs/interview etc specific to NYC.

Out of interest, can you do the AMEX global transfer only after you find a job?

Good luck with everything!
 
RejectedSpark said:
Ouch! Hopefully it doesn't take you too long to get back on your feet and start enjoying some of the great food around you :)

I have noticed a trend of posters on here saying they're heading for NY. I'm curious as to the reasoning. Is it because its the biggest, flashiest city? Or is it because of particular career aspirations?
Click to expand...

For me it's because i like the speed of the city, flashy buildings, food & entertainment options, and also the industry i work in (finance/law) :)
 
BenCreswick said:
Hey pals who are thinking of coming to NYC once their approved, I have some advice.

You need like 30x the money you think you do. Honestly.

It has taken me three months to find a job. Once I found one, I did my AMEX global transfer to kick off my credit report. Went to go get an apartment and because my report is thin, they wanted first month, last month, security and a guarantor. If I didn't have a guarantor they wanted another month! That's $10,000 for a bloody rental in Brooklyn holey moley. Safe to say I'm back to a 2 Minute Noodle diet this month haha.

So for the love of goodness, please save, save, save before moving to NY! Everything moves in slow motion here until it doesn't, but everything always costs major $$$.
Click to expand...


Hi @BenCreswick, thanks for the heads up. I've previously studied in California (6 months) and visited NY four times since then. It was a toss up between SF and NYC... the two most expensive cities in the US (lucky me). However, living in Sydney is not cheap so that has somewhat prepared me (hopefully).

I want to move to NYC because it is the most friendly jurisdiction for foreign trained lawyers. On top of saving for this move, I also have the added hurdle of studying for the bar exam!

I echo the sentiments of others on this page and hope that one day you'll write a warts n all blog post on how exxy the move to NYC is. I'm sure it will be enlightening and daunting :p

Somebody should start a thread for NYC bound selectees if it hasn't already been created! :D
 
Did anyone receive their April interview date yet (those who are current and submitted September or earlier)?
 
MsNoonz said:
Hi @BenCreswick, thanks for the heads up. I've previously studied in California (6 months) and visited NY four times since then. It was a toss up between SF and NYC... the two most expensive cities in the US (lucky me). However, living in Sydney is not cheap so that has somewhat prepared me (hopefully).

I want to move to NYC because it is the most friendly jurisdiction for foreign trained lawyers. On top of saving for this move, I also have the added hurdle of studying for the bar exam!

I echo the sentiments of others on this page and hope that one day you'll write a warts n all blog post on how exxy the move to NYC is. I'm sure it will be enlightening and daunting :p

Somebody should start a thread for NYC bound selectees if it hasn't already been created! :D
Click to expand...

Can't believe there's another lawyer here! :DI'm also planning on taking the NY bar exam prior to the move. Good to know someone else is in the same boat :p
 
It's pretty common (and often expected) for Aussies to move to LA, NYC, SF. It's like Aussies who move to England and end up in London. It's a natural path and there's lot of other Aussies to keep you company.
 
lottic said:
Can't believe there's another lawyer here! :DI'm also planning on taking the NY bar exam prior to the move. Good to know someone else is in the same boat :p
Click to expand...

Third Aussie lawyer here, living in DC. Been here about 8 months and, fortunately, don't need to take the bar exam for my job. FYI, the Law Council of Australia has a New York Chapter (and has recently started a DC chapter), which might be a good place to start networking while you're looking for a job.
 
Wingpin said:
Did anyone receive their April interview date yet (those who are current and submitted September or earlier)?
Click to expand...
Nope! Checking the inbox and ESC every morning because I am pretty sure this is the month! Keep reminding myself of BritSimon's advice: Patience!!
 
RejectedSpark said:
Ouch! Hopefully it doesn't take you too long to get back on your feet and start enjoying some of the great food around you :)

I have noticed a trend of posters on here saying they're heading for NY. I'm curious as to the reasoning. Is it because its the biggest, flashiest city? Or is it because of particular career aspirations?
Click to expand...

Always been the dream of head to NYC for a stint for me and when the DV lottery came up, it all clicked into place. Thrown in the job, collated the savings....now just need the interview and the visa ticked off!

I think NYC (or SF or LA) are the natural places to start because of all the infrastructure and 'big-city' things that mean you can hit the ground running, maximise chances of a job etc.

We aren't ruling out the idea of 6 months in NYC and then heading elsewhere...just have to see where the adventure takes us.
 
:D
2014hopeful said:
Third Aussie lawyer here, living in DC. Been here about 8 months and, fortunately, don't need to take the bar exam for my job. FYI, the Law Council of Australia has a New York Chapter (and has recently started a DC chapter), which might be a good place to start networking while you're looking for a job.
Click to expand...

Awesome thanks! Would be great if you could share your experience on how to network/find a job, how Australian law degrees/lawyers are viewed etc. There isn't much guidance out there for us unfortunately.

If you don't mind, how long did it take you to find a job? And are there many jobs that don't require the bar exam? :D
 
@NYCbound said:
Nope! Checking the inbox and ESC every morning because I am pretty sure this is the month!
Click to expand...

This is me also! lol every morning as soon as i get to work :p

@NYCbound said:
I think NYC (or SF or LA) are the natural places to start because of all the infrastructure and 'big-city' things that mean you can hit the ground running, maximise chances of a job etc.
Click to expand...

Gotcha :) to me, one of the biggest appeals of America is there a number of cities that fit this bill. I love Melbourne, but I also don't want to live my entire life here. With only one, maybe two other choices that I could consider (and they're both too warm for me hehe), I'm looking forward to more options.
 
America is a great place. It takes some adjusting to and you have to leave the biases / prejudices Australians naturally have about the place behind, but we have not once regretted the decision to move here.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top