DV 2018 OC Selectees

[Britsimon]

Thanks! And how long does that normally take?

Around 1 week.

 

[JoelAus]

Thanks! And how long does that normally take?

Small world, I assume you're from Coogee NSW? I am too and my number is 12XX, so interview won't be for a while. Good luck with your interview.

 

[EmilyW]

Can anybody tell me that if you are successful at your interview at the Sydney consulate, do they give you your passport back immediately and approval to travel to the States? Or do you have to wait a few weeks for further processing?

We interviewed on the Tuesday and had all four passports back on Thursday (we lived in Melbourne). I've heard of some NSW-ers getting theirs on a Wednesday and the poor, unfortunately WA-ers having to wait until the following week.

 

[coogee_]

Small world, I assume you're from Coogee NSW? I am too and my number is 12XX, so interview won't be for a while. Good luck with your interview.

Nice, I live close to Coogee Good luck with your interview too! Nice being in Sydney and having the consulate right here.

 

[RickOC]

Just wondering if things are going slowly this year.....

I noticed in the December Visa bulletin that January is 475 for Oceania compared to it being at 650 last year - what does that imply for the final OC selectee numbers? And will OC go Current?

Another question: are the numbers concurrent or are there gaps - ie if I am OC15XX are there 1,500 selectees before me in the line or a lesser number because not every number has been issued between 1 and 1,500?

 

[EmilyW]

There are gaps in the numbers (see Simon's post here: http://britsimonsays.com/the-lottery-draw-process-holes-theory-and-so-on/)

Not gonna lie, anything over 1400 is a risky number for the OC. Personally, I don't see OC going current this year as compared to previous years, because they have selected far more 'winners' than previous years.

 

[Motherly12]

Just wondering if things are going slowly this year.....

I noticed in the December Visa bulletin that January is 475 for Oceania compared to it being at 650 last year - what does that imply for the final OC selectee numbers? And will OC go Current?

Another question: are the numbers concurrent or are there gaps - ie if I am OC15XX are there 1,500 selectees before me in the line or a lesser number because not every number has been issued between 1 and 1,500?

I'm uncertain but britsimon said they have a bucket to fill and whether they fill it slowly or quickly then intent is still to fill the bucket. Have to wait and see.

 

[SusieQQQ]

I'm uncertain but britsimon said they have a bucket to fill and whether they fill it slowly or quickly then intent is still to fill the bucket. Have to wait and see.

That’s true, but ( re Emily’s response) sometimes they also have more than they need to fill the bucket.

 

[coogee_]

I had my interview yesterday and was approved Thought I’d share my interview experience as I found the others on here so useful!

My interview was at 9.50am at the Sydney consulate and I arrived half an hour early. Went through an initial queue where a woman checked that I had all the documents in the correct order listed on the checklist. I then went through security and up to the main consulate room. There weren’t many people there so I was called up almost immediately and a woman checked that my documents were correct. She asked (I can’t remember the exact wording now but something along the lines of):

Q: Have you ever been married or do you have any children?
Me: No.
Q: What is your highest level of education?
Me: Postgraudate university diploma.

Once she saw that I had a university qualifications she was no longer interested in my high school certificate, my CV or my O*NET level (although she did ask to see these initially). After she’d carefully gone through everything, I was sent to another window to pay, and then sent to another window to complete my interview. A man asked me the following:

Q: Have you lived overseas for more than a year?
Me: Yes. In the UK.
Q: And do you have a police record for this?
Me: Yes.

And that was it! He leafed through my papers some more and said that it seemed sufficient to approve my visa, which would be sent to me within a week. I was in and out of the consulate within an hour! It all felt very surreal (as the whole process has) and then I had to rush back to work, ha.

This really is a dream come true for me and I’m planning to move to New York early next year (despite feeling a little jittery about the form potential overhauls to immigration policy in the US Congress might entail before then).

Thanks to all on this forum who’ve made a strange process much more navigable

 

[Aussiemika]

I had my interview yesterday and was approved Thought I’d share my interview experience as I found the others on here so useful!

My interview was at 9.50am at the Sydney consulate and I arrived half an hour early. Went through an initial queue where a woman checked that I had all the documents in the correct order listed on the checklist. I then went through security and up to the main consulate room. There weren’t many people there so I was called up almost immediately and a woman checked that my documents were correct. She asked (I can’t remember the exact wording now but something along the lines of):

Q: Have you ever been married or do you have any children?
Me: No.
Q: What is your highest level of education?
Me: Postgraudate university diploma.

Once she saw that I had a university qualifications she was no longer interested in my high school certificate, my CV or my O*NET level (although she did ask to see these initially). After she’d carefully gone through everything, I was sent to another window to pay, and then sent to another window to complete my interview. A man asked me the following:

Q: Have you lived overseas for more than a year?
Me: Yes. In the UK.
Q: And do you have a police record for this?
Me: Yes.

And that was it! He leafed through my papers some more and said that it seemed sufficient to approve my visa, which would be sent to me within a week. I was in and out of the consulate within an hour! It all felt very surreal (as the whole process has) and then I had to rush back to work, ha.

This really is a dream come true for me and I’m planning to move to New York early next year (despite feeling a little jittery about the form potential overhauls to immigration policy in the US Congress might entail before then).

Thanks to all on this forum who’ve made a strange process much more navigable

Congratulations!
We have our interview on the 9th of January in Sydney. I’ve been going through the checklist today to ensure we have everything, surprised to see they do not ask for proof of finances?

For the medical, how long does it take? We will be heading up from Canberra for it (self, wife, 2 yr old), is it an all day thing or over in an hour or so? What’s the cost?

 

[Britsimon]

Just wondering if things are going slowly this year.....

I noticed in the December Visa bulletin that January is 475 for Oceania compared to it being at 650 last year - what does that imply for the final OC selectee numbers? And will OC go Current?

Another question: are the numbers concurrent or are there gaps - ie if I am OC15XX are there 1,500 selectees before me in the line or a lesser number because not every number has been issued between 1 and 1,500?

OC won't go current. 1500 is slightly risky, 1599 is much more risky.

 

[Motherly12]

OC won't go current. 1500 is slightly risky, 1599 is much more risky.

Brit is there a link to your site to understand what "going current" entails?

 

[Britsimon]

Brit is there a link to your site to understand what "going current" entails?

Of course. The FAQ is worth checking too!

http://britsimonsays.com/read-visa-bulletin/

 

[coogee_]

Congratulations!
We have our interview on the 9th of January in Sydney. I’ve been going through the checklist today to ensure we have everything, surprised to see they do not ask for proof of finances?

For the medical, how long does it take? We will be heading up from Canberra for it (self, wife, 2 yr old), is it an all day thing or over in an hour or so? What’s the cost?

Yeah I was surprised that there's nothing on the checklist regarding proof of finances - I took mine along just in case but they didn't ask to see it.

I did my medical in central Sydney and it took around two and a half hours all up. This involved having to walk a few blocks and back to get X-rays done. The cost was around $380 for standard medical, $80 for x-ray and $60 for pathology.

Good luck with everything!

 

[Pierre82]

Yeah I was surprised that there's nothing on the checklist regarding proof of finances - I took mine along just in case but they didn't ask to see it.

I did my medical in central Sydney and it took around two and a half hours all up. This involved having to walk a few blocks and back to get X-rays done. The cost was around $380 for standard medical, $80 for x-ray and $60 for pathology.

Good luck with everything!

Congrats on your approval and best of luck in the U.S. @coogee_

 

[PaigeKN]

Hello OC2018!

Long time reader, first time posting with CN OC11**. I know it's early days but I want to be prepared. I previously studied in US on F1 2014-2016 and then completed my OPT visa ending 2017. Will I need a police check for this time from the US? Also does this generally effect any possibility of GC success?

Also anticipating interview June/July would that be accurate? I understand this year is slower than previous.

Thanks, excited to join the bandwagon.

 

[Britsimon]

Hello OC2018!

Long time reader, first time posting with CN OC11**. I know it's early days but I want to be prepared. I previously studied in US on F1 2014-2016 and then completed my OPT visa ending 2017. Will I need a police check for this time from the US? Also does this generally effect any possibility of GC success?

Also anticipating interview June/July would that be accurate? I understand this year is slower than previous.

Thanks, excited to join the bandwagon.

No police certs needed for the USA. Your estimate is about right.

 

[Motherly12]

Yeah I was surprised that there's nothing on the checklist regarding proof of finances - I took mine along just in case but they didn't ask to see it.

I did my medical in central Sydney and it took around two and a half hours all up. This involved having to walk a few blocks and back to get X-rays done. The cost was around $380 for standard medical, $80 for x-ray and $60 for pathology.

Good luck with everything!

Huge congrats. How long before your interview did you have the medical?

 

[coogee_]

Huge congrats. How long before your interview did you have the medical?

I did mine two weeks before. Though it might be better to do it earlier due to processing times of results/sending it to the consulate - your medical centre should be able to advise what's best

 

[Dan44]

While I understand his word is far from gospel, couldn't help but reading trump suggesting there will be a government shutdown this week stemming from a disagreement on immigration policy, if this were the case how would it effect DV2018 selectees?