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DV 2017 OC Selectees

RI1985 said:
Well we made it!!
After all the anxiety about bub coming late and leaving our activation tripto the final date we made it. Not without drama though.

Our flight from Aus to Lax was 30 mins late into the gate and then we were at the furtherest gate possible and were bussed to the terminal. Once at the terminal we asked where to go i.e. which line and were told many different things.. eventually we ended up in the special assistance and diplomats line and were greeted by a really lovely guy. He completed most of the computer stuff and took our yellow envelopes and bubs original birth certificate but this is where it went from a good experience to a not so great one.
If you remember.. we were entering with a new born (5 weeks to be exact), so we were then escorted to "the room" the place in LAX where you are not officially on american soil.. we get there and then room is full already.. we had booked a flight from Lax to Portland for 3.5 hours after our landing time in LAX thinking that would be plenty of time but once we got to that room I started to doubt it.
Once in the room we were told to take a seat and we would be processed soon.
Well over an hour passed and we watched people get grilled about their intentions in the US and other things. There was one particular BPO that was really rude and I was hoping he wouldn't be looking after us.. and then I saw our envelopes in his hand.. he took them out back and then about half an hour later (when I was in the restroom with the baby) he came and asked my husband for our babies passport photos (which we had thankfully due to this forum) and also wanted our original marriage certificate (which we didn't have with us), he went back to the back room and surfaced again about 45mins later. When he walked out he just pointed at me and motioned for me to come to him and then basically yelled at my husband to come as well. He then grilled me asking me how long i intended to stay and made some comment about a few months and I replied saying eventually permanently but we are only here for 2 weeks this time and plan to go home sell our house and move permanently. He then says you know that it is a federal offence to lie to a federal officer to which I replied yes of course. He then said when do you plan to come back 3 or 4 months and I said no.. we plan to be back closer to 9-12 months.. then he gave me a peice of paper for bub attached to a photocopy of his birth certificate and our passports. I asked if he needed to keep the original and he really rudely said yes all originals, you'd know that if you did your research and you'd know you should have brought your original marriage certificate as well.. i didn't want to push my luck and say we had already provided it all to the embassy so I thanked him and got out of there..
We missed our flight to Portland but Alaska Air put us on the next flight and wiaved the fees..
Definitely avoid LAX.. if you aren't a straight forward entry..
I don't even know how to go about paying the fee for bub (or if I have to as he didn't provide any information).
But it all all done and dusted for now and when we immigrate permanently in the next year we won't go through LAX if we can avoid it.
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Congratulations and welcome to the US! Sorry about the not so nice POE experience.

Thanks for the info regarding the documents the IO requested. The marriage certificate is a new one for me, but now we know and can add that to the list of have on hand for others in similar situations going forward.

You shouldn't have been surprised about the baby's B/C though - I remember telling you to get an extra copy from the issuing authority if possible since they typically keep the original at the POE. You're fortunate he gave you a copy of it though, most don't IOs do not bother.
 
Britsimon said:
Sounds like the officer is either a complete a hole with Trump hand syndrome or was just having a bad day. Glad you got in though - talk about last minute.
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I immediately thought a hole!! But it's all done now and hopefully when we return we won't go anywhere near Lax.
 
Sm1smom said:
Congratulations and welcome to the US! Sorry about the not so nice POE experience.

Thanks for the info regarding the documents the IO requested. The marriage certificate is a new one for me, but now we know and can add that to the list of have on hand for others in similar situations going forward.

You shouldn't have been surprised about the baby's B/C though - I remember telling you to get an extra copy from the issuing authority if possible since they typically keep the original at the POE. You're fortunate he gave you a copy of it though, most don't IOs do not bother.
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I did remember you saying that but had hoped since we had photocopied it that they would've kept a copy.. it is easy enough to get another just strange that they keep it since all other docs processed at the embassy they give back and just keep copies.. I am just glad I took your advice.
 
Oh I should also add.. printing that letter out for the airline was also helpful. Airnz in Brisbane hadn't come across it before and without the letter they wouldn't have had any idea what to do..
 
RI1985 said:
I did remember you saying that but had hoped since we had photocopied it that they would've kept a copy.. it is easy enough to get another just strange that they keep it since all other docs processed at the embassy they give back and just keep copies.. I am just glad I took your advice.
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Nope, not strange that they keep the original. The embassy processed you and you spouse, they returned the original because they already sighted it. They did not process your baby. The IO at the POE is not a part of the office that will process your baby's GC - that office need to sight the original B/C hence the need to keep it.
 
Sm1smom said:
Nope, not strange that they keep the original. The embassy processed you and you spouse, they returned the original because they already sighted it. They did not process your baby. The IO at the POE is not a part of the office that will process your baby's GC - that office need to sight the original B/C hence the need to keep it.
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Thanks sm1smom, I didn't realise that. Good to know.
 
In regards to airport arrival, be prepared for the immigration officer to not only be rude, but also not know what they are doing. Mine didn’t. He even went as far as accusing me of getting up to ‘something’ in the US on previous trips as the temporary green card in my passport had ‘212 (g) (2) (B)’ noted in the annotation section. If you have this too, you need not be concerned as it is merely a vaccination waiver. I just wish I knew that when he asked me what it was, as I only discovered it once I left the airport and hopped online. I didn’t expect a bouquet of flowers as a welcome, but could have done without the accusatory tone. I'm yet to have a pleasant experience at LAX, but then like the DV process itself, who you get at any airport is a lottery, and you may actually win:)
 
I'm breaking my long post up into smaller ones so that it will get posted. Here is some info about opening a bank account:

I arrived into the USA on Saturday 25 March and walked into a Wells Fargo bank on Monday the 27 March and within 20 minutes had opened both a checking and a savings account. I was also given a temporary debit card on the spot so I could access my funds immediately. This was all done with just my passport and the temporary green card contained within. Permanent debit card arrived within the week.
 
For those of you who are yet to undertake your interviews at the Sydney consulate, and are stressing big time about it, please read my detailed account on BritSimon’s website. Prior to me writing this I could not find a report that had much on the Sydney interview experience. Look for the post dated 26 Jan 2017 under 'interview experience stories'. The forum here will not permit me to post the direct link.
 
Here’s some additional information::

1) Green card arrived within less than a month of landing on US soil.

2) SSN did not auto generate despite me selecting so in the DS260. I had to make a trip to the SSA office in order for this to happen.

3) Currently I am in Dallas and just secured some temp work as I will relocate to NYC in September for study. As many previous posters have stated, it’s REALLY important to state on your resume/cover letter that you are a lawful permanent resident as by not doing so may get your application trashed as they will just assume you need a sponsor due to your work history not being domestic.

I’d just like to give a big thank you to everyone here who has assisted others with their experience. A big shout out to BritSimon and Emily W. For those of you that read Britsimon’s blog, I urge you to make a donation if you can. The fact that he runs that show all by himself with such incredibly quick replies to applicants questions for absolutely no charge is truly a Godsend.
 
I had some other helpful stuff to say but am being told it is spam like so cannot post it. I once again apologise for the mess I have made with numerous posts but wanted to get the information out there, albeit not in my exact words but ones that would actually post.
 
Quick survey about the American Express global transfer, which Australian AMEX card did you have and which US card did you receive after transferring?

Just curious :)
 
lottic said:
Quick survey about the American Express global transfer, which Australian AMEX card did you have and which US card did you receive after transferring?

Just curious :)
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I had the Velocity AmEx in Australia and got the Blue Cash AmEx once stateside. I had a $6100 credit limit in Australia. Credit limit was never discussed in the transfer, but I was given $2000 which is fine for me now.
 
Green (card) with envy said:
I had the Velocity AmEx in Australia and got the Blue Cash AmEx once stateside. I had a $6100 credit limit in Australia. Credit limit was never discussed in the transfer, but I was given $2000 which is fine for me now.
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Did you do the transfer online? I want to apply for one straight away when I get to the US but it requires you to have a job.
 
allabouttonight said:
Did you do the transfer online? I want to apply for one straight away when I get to the US but it requires you to have a job.
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No job or SSN is required to get the card. Speak to Amex USA whilst still in Australia and tell them of your move. They will require a US address from you however which you will have to verify with documentation, and the easiest way to do this is with a statement from your newly opened bank account.
 
Green (card) with envy said:
No job or SSN is required to get the card. Speak to Amex USA whilst still in Australia and tell them of your move. They will require a US address from you however which you will have to verify with documentation, and the easiest way to do this is with a statement from your newly opened bank account.
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Cool thanks for the heads up! Can it be an electronic copy of a bank statement?
 
Green (card) with envy said:
Speak to Amex USA whilst still in Australia and tell them of your move. They will require a US address from you however which you will have to verify with documentation
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Wait...maybe it's too early in the morning...but how do you provide documentation of a US address while still in Australia...?

Btw - sorry to hear about your experience in LAX :(
 
Late application - interview timing: I didn't send in my DS-260 until mid-late March, 2017. The reason for that was I am currently in the US on a non-immigrant visa, but had traveled out of the US at the end of last year. Applying prior to March 2017 could have suggested I had immigrant intent when I last entered the US, and, correct me if I'm wrong, that could have jeopardized my application altogether.

All numbers have gone "current" so I trust I should be able to get an interview at some point.

My question: Considering I applied March 2017 and that my number is at the very high end, what is the probability I will get an interview before September, say, June or July? Considering my extremely late DS-260 entry and very high number, is it almost a certainty my interview will not be before September?
 
kiwiinla said:
Late application - interview timing: I didn't send in my DS-260 until mid-late March, 2017. The reason for that was I am currently in the US on a non-immigrant visa, but had traveled out of the US at the end of last year. Applying prior to March 2017 could have suggested I had immigrant intent when I last entered the US, and, correct me if I'm wrong, that could have jeopardized my application altogether.

All numbers have gone "current" so I trust I should be able to get an interview at some point.

My question: Considering I applied March 2017 and that my number is at the very high end, what is the probability I will get an interview before September, say, June or July? Considering my extremely late DS-260 entry and very high number, is it almost a certainty my interview will not be before September?
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Are you applying CP (home country) or AOS (in the USA)?
 
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