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DV 2017 OC Selectees

RejectedSpark said:
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 :(
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Thank you:)
Once you arrive in the US you just need to provide them with proof that you do in fact reside at the same US address that you provided to them when you liaised with them in Australia. And the easiest way to do this is with documentation from the bank account you just opened. Amex called me to advise that the documentation from Wells Fargo that I provided was insufficient as it stated I had only applied for an account, rather than stating one was actually open. This was no biggie as they said that with my consent they would call Wells Fargo and if they'd confirm the address was the same, I’d be immediately approved. Well a few minutes later that is exactly what happened after Amex, Wells Fargo and myself had a three way conversation.
 
Green (card) with envy said:
Thank you:)
Once you arrive in the US you just need to provide them with proof that you do in fact reside at the same US address that you provided to them when you liaised with them in Australia. And the easiest way to do this is with documentation from the bank account you just opened. Amex called me to advise that the documentation from Wells Fargo that I provided was insufficient as it stated I had only applied for an account, rather than stating one was actually open. This was no biggie as they said that with my consent they would call Wells Fargo and if they'd confirm the address was the same, I’d be immediately approved. Well a few minutes later that is exactly what happened after Amex, Wells Fargo and myself had a three way conversation.
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So this wouldn't be possible for people that won't have a US address until they move over ... did you use a family/friend's address?
 
Hi all,
Just wanted to thank folks on here for all the amazing advice - particularly when I was freaking out after getting dodgy advice from a clueless person on Facebook. We had our activation trip to Hawaii last month and it went totally smoothly. The officials there were so nice - guided us off to the side and even made sure we had time to freshen up before the officer started her shift to talk to us. The officer was incredibly patient with us too, when we didn't have our US friend's phone number handy and I had to try to get my new phone SIM to connect so I could find a message with this info (note - make sure you have this on you). We were basically exhausted and I imagine any other officer would've lost patience with us. But the Honolulu immigration seems to be relatively chill. So much so that we're thinking we'll re-enter permanently through there to hopefully avoid someone giving us a grilling.
Speaking of re-entering permanently - just wanted a bit of advice on this. Our physical green cards arrived with our pal in the US yesterday (so quickly!). Would it be preferable for us to retrieve this from him when we head over there in person - or have them sent by FedEx (if that's even safe to do)? Also, when do we absolutely need to be moving permanently - is it one year from the stamp in the passport we got on our activation trip, or one year from when we were granted the initial visa? Of course we're keen to get over there as soon as possible. But I'm quite conscious of the expense of the move, and just want to ensure we can save as much cash as possible so we have enough to last us while we settle in, and don't feel stressed about things.
 
We had our GCs sent to us via FedEx. We made sure we got the quickest shipping, with full tracking and insurance, just in case anything went wrong.

You have 12 months from the date you left the US. But don't leave it too close to the 12 months and make sure you continue to fulfill your responsibilities as an LPR (such as filing taxes).
 
lottic said:
So this wouldn't be possible for people that won't have a US address until they move over ... did you use a family/friend's address?
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Yes, I used a friend's address and made it quite clear that it was one as they were mentioning lease agreements and utility bills being appropriate documents to verify the address. As I had none of these (and still don't), the bank statement was my only option.
 
EmilyW said:
We had our GCs sent to us via FedEx. We made sure we got the quickest shipping, with full tracking and insurance, just in case anything went wrong.

You have 12 months from the date you left the US. But don't leave it too close to the 12 months and make sure you continue to fulfill your responsibilities as an LPR (such as filing taxes).
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Ok, cool. I'm hoping we'll be in a position to head over there for good by Feb next year at the latest (or toward the end of this year if we possibly can). Hopefully that's not pushing things. And I realise that we'll still need to file taxes for 2017 so I'll make sure we're on top of that when next tax time comes around.
 
Hi all, can anyone confirm
that the interview given in the 2nl is set in stone for Sydney? I also received a email to reply with in 7 days to say you are attending and I did and got a reply saying something on the line of "thanks for confirming you interview date, print the checklist below and bring supporting documents" . This ustraveldocs website is doing my head in because it's for booking a interview but there is nothing on that site to book for dvlottery interview. If someone can help it would be much appreciated.
 
@Dapper J Nah don't stress. The interview instructions explain that the online portal won't show your interview time. It won't let me post the link but go to the travel gov website to download them.
 
Dapper J said:
@samfromaus

Did you have to book interview with ustraveldocs or was the interview time and date the same as your 2nl? Thanks for your time.
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For me, I didn't really do anything with the ustraveldocs website, apart from register. The time and date of your interview is set by the 2NL; the ustraveldocs website seems to be just a way to register your email address for communication...? Not sure. But this was the steps that I went through:

Received 2NL
Registered with ustraveldocs
Received email from consulate asking to confirm attendance
Responded to consulate to confirm I would attend

And that was it.
 
Probably a minor detail, but is anyone else annoyed at the price of one way tickets? I'm watching some Qantas flights, and they have a sale on at the moment where it actually costs more to fly one way than return.
 
RejectedSpark said:
Probably a minor detail, but is anyone else annoyed at the price of one way tickets? I'm watching some Qantas flights, and they have a sale on at the moment where it actually costs more to fly one way than return.
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So buy a return ticket and let the return leg lapse unused. There are a few airlines who do this stupid practice of one-ways costing more than return.

By the way when you get to the US... the term used will be "round trip" :)
 
SusieQQQ said:
So buy a return ticket and let the return leg lapse unused. There are a few airlines who do this stupid practice of one-ways costing more than return.

By the way when you get to the US... the term used will be "round trip" :)
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haha thanks, i'll have to get used to that :)

yes, that's an obvious option, but with the fiance with a re-entry permit, i don't want to risk it looking like he's not making a permanent return.
 
RejectedSpark said:
haha thanks, i'll have to get used to that :)

yes, that's an obvious option, but with the fiance with a re-entry permit, i don't want to risk it looking like he's not making a permanent return.
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So print out the price quotes to show the CBP officers if they ask about it and say it was bought because it was cheaper...
 
RejectedSpark said:
Probably a minor detail, but is anyone else annoyed at the price of one way tickets? I'm watching some Qantas flights, and they have a sale on at the moment where it actually costs more to fly one way than return.
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One way from Aus to US?
If that is the case and you are on the east coast you should look at buying a ticket to HNL with Jetstar and then one from HNL (with a US airline) to wherever you need to go. This often works out much cheaper than a direct one way ticket to LAX . Bear in mind that you will be flying a budget airline to HNL though.
 
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