bula bro...Fiji here too, also fellow selectee from OC...your case number is within what range?....sorry I hope you don't mind me asking...
DV 2018 OC Selectees
- Thread starter dilemma87
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- dv 2018 dv-2018 oc selectees
John5000
New Member
Hi Guys, I'm trying to compile a list of things to do/secure/action just before and as soon as I arrive in America (this is post-interview). These are the things I have noted:
Thanks
- USCIS fee
- Accommodation
- Employment
- Health Insurance
- Green Card delivery address
- SSN
- Register address with DMV
- SIM card
- Bank Account
- Transfer Amex
- Drivers Licence
- Evaluate Degrees
- Transfer currency
Thanks
Sm1smom
Super Moderator
Register address with DMV? There’s no such requirement.
SusieQQQ
Well-Known Member
Presumably you don’t have kids you need to enrol in school.
Some of those are kind of circular. You’ll probably get health insurance through your job, for example, and the dmv will get your address when you apply for your driver license - it doesn’t need it otherwise anyway.
SusieQQQ
Well-Known Member
The only place you need to register your address is uscis, within 10 days after moving.
Sm1smom
Super Moderator
Again you’re not “registering” your address with the DMV, there’s no such requirement. You only provide (not register) your address to them if you have a business transaction such as driver’s license, State ID, vehicle registration, etc with them, same way you’ll provide an address to a bank, a school, an employer, etc.
carolineelle
Member
Hi all,
So it's been a week since we had our interview in Sydney and sadly we were declined. For anyone interested in hearing the story, please read on, it may be a bit lengthy.
We were a couple who have been in a de facto relationship for 18 years and mistakenly entered the DV Lottery as married as we basically think of ourselves as a married couple and here in Aust have the same legal rights as any married couple.
I had read of a couple of other cases in these forums where others had make this same error, went ahead with their application and were approved so we felt encouraged to still go for it since there was a chance we could still get approved.
We also had our interview the day that the payment system was broken. Our interview was at 8am and they say get there a bit early so you have time to go through security and everything and be ready to be interviewed at your allocated time. We like to be prepared so we where there a little before 7:30am. The lifts don't even work until 7:30am, so no point getting there super early and they didn't even open the doors to the consulate until 8am so, it was pointless trying to be prepared.
By the time we got through security and upstairs and took our number in the line we were third. We were called up to provide all our paperwork and that's when we were told the payments system wasn't working, it would be back up at 9:30am so we basically had to wait until then to pay then our number would be called for our interview. I guess to keep things moving they started doing people's interviews and saying you've been approved, just wait till the cashier is working them you can pay for you visa.
By 10:30am, payments system was still not working and almost everyone who had come in after us had been interviewed and were waiting to pay. So I started to get a bad feeling. I went to check with someone that our paperwork hadn't been misplaced or something and they just said that some cases take longer than others, we'd be called up shortly.
It was after 11am before they finally started taking people's payments and at this point I was extra stressed because we had to be back at our hotel by 12noon to be on the shuttle bus back to airport. I'm now starting to stress about missing non-refundable flights, an extra night of a hotel room, purchasing new flights - all of which we didn't have the money for. The paperwork they provide says allow 3 hours to be at the consulate, so the time of our return flights should have been totally fine on a normal day.
By the time I got through the payments line it was after 11:30am and literally 1 minute later we were called up and told we were refused due to not being officially married at the time of the original entry. They didn't want to hear anything we had to say about our relationship, they didn't care about the paperwork we brought proving our relationship - they just didn't want to hear any of it.
Firstly, we were devastated. Although we knew there was a risk due to our marriage status at the time of the entry, I didn't even think we would get declined. In my mind we were already approved, they would see the little mistake we made and that were are a genuine couple and let us go through. So I was super shocked at their response. Aside from the marriage date, we are THE perfect candidates to move to the US - no criminals records, no health issues, we are young with a baby and would just absolutely love to raise our family there.
Although I know that the procedure is that you pay for your visa before your interview, it hurt even more that they basically made us wait 4 hours to pay and then 5 minutes later were telling us to leave. We sat in a hot, stuffy, tiny room for 4 hours with an 8 month old baby, with no personal belongings, no phone, no food, no water or anything. Then as soon as we handed over nearly $1000 USD we were out of there 5 minutes later. Again, I know this is how it works but just with the circumstances that day, it hurt a million times more.
We didn't even really have time to try to argue our case as we now had 15mins to get back down to security to collect our stuff, get back to the hotel, get our bags and get on the shuttle bus to the airport. They basically threw our documentation at us and just kept saying "But you weren't married at the time" to everything we said.
We are so sad, we have been trying to find an opportunity to move to the US for at least 10 years and we thought this was our opportunity. But at the end of the day, it was a risk we went ahead with. The rules are the rules and now life just goes on.
Due to the circumstances of the day, with their payment system not working it was probably the most stressful, worst day I've ever had.
Here are a few things we observed throughout the day for anyone who still has their interview coming up.
- They interviews are done at the counter right where everyone sits in the waiting area, so be prepared that everyone can hear everything that is being said, no matter how private it is.
- They did ask everybody about their financial status and asked for banking statements so take them. Even though, people who didn't bring them still got approved.
- People who didn't bring the right envelope were told to go buy one at a place within the same building, so don't stress if they tell you that you have the wrong envelope.
- The interviews took a maximum of 10 mins, the "interview" isn't an interview, you have already been approved or refused before you are called to the window.
- When you go to the first window to hand in your paperwork they kept asking everyone for the completed DS260 forms. I'm not sure of they were confused but it sure made all of us confused what they were asking for because it's all online but no one really knew how to answer that and then when we said we didn't what they meant they just kind of moved onto something else.
Good luck to everyone still to have their interview, you are all very lucky for this opportunity. Thank you also to all those who gave me advice and responded to my requests for help earlier on in the process after I had found out we'd been selected in the lottery, the few of you who are on here constantly helping people day in, day out out are just amazing.
xx
So it's been a week since we had our interview in Sydney and sadly we were declined. For anyone interested in hearing the story, please read on, it may be a bit lengthy.
We were a couple who have been in a de facto relationship for 18 years and mistakenly entered the DV Lottery as married as we basically think of ourselves as a married couple and here in Aust have the same legal rights as any married couple.
I had read of a couple of other cases in these forums where others had make this same error, went ahead with their application and were approved so we felt encouraged to still go for it since there was a chance we could still get approved.
We also had our interview the day that the payment system was broken. Our interview was at 8am and they say get there a bit early so you have time to go through security and everything and be ready to be interviewed at your allocated time. We like to be prepared so we where there a little before 7:30am. The lifts don't even work until 7:30am, so no point getting there super early and they didn't even open the doors to the consulate until 8am so, it was pointless trying to be prepared.
By the time we got through security and upstairs and took our number in the line we were third. We were called up to provide all our paperwork and that's when we were told the payments system wasn't working, it would be back up at 9:30am so we basically had to wait until then to pay then our number would be called for our interview. I guess to keep things moving they started doing people's interviews and saying you've been approved, just wait till the cashier is working them you can pay for you visa.
By 10:30am, payments system was still not working and almost everyone who had come in after us had been interviewed and were waiting to pay. So I started to get a bad feeling. I went to check with someone that our paperwork hadn't been misplaced or something and they just said that some cases take longer than others, we'd be called up shortly.
It was after 11am before they finally started taking people's payments and at this point I was extra stressed because we had to be back at our hotel by 12noon to be on the shuttle bus back to airport. I'm now starting to stress about missing non-refundable flights, an extra night of a hotel room, purchasing new flights - all of which we didn't have the money for. The paperwork they provide says allow 3 hours to be at the consulate, so the time of our return flights should have been totally fine on a normal day.
By the time I got through the payments line it was after 11:30am and literally 1 minute later we were called up and told we were refused due to not being officially married at the time of the original entry. They didn't want to hear anything we had to say about our relationship, they didn't care about the paperwork we brought proving our relationship - they just didn't want to hear any of it.
Firstly, we were devastated. Although we knew there was a risk due to our marriage status at the time of the entry, I didn't even think we would get declined. In my mind we were already approved, they would see the little mistake we made and that were are a genuine couple and let us go through. So I was super shocked at their response. Aside from the marriage date, we are THE perfect candidates to move to the US - no criminals records, no health issues, we are young with a baby and would just absolutely love to raise our family there.
Although I know that the procedure is that you pay for your visa before your interview, it hurt even more that they basically made us wait 4 hours to pay and then 5 minutes later were telling us to leave. We sat in a hot, stuffy, tiny room for 4 hours with an 8 month old baby, with no personal belongings, no phone, no food, no water or anything. Then as soon as we handed over nearly $1000 USD we were out of there 5 minutes later. Again, I know this is how it works but just with the circumstances that day, it hurt a million times more.
We didn't even really have time to try to argue our case as we now had 15mins to get back down to security to collect our stuff, get back to the hotel, get our bags and get on the shuttle bus to the airport. They basically threw our documentation at us and just kept saying "But you weren't married at the time" to everything we said.
We are so sad, we have been trying to find an opportunity to move to the US for at least 10 years and we thought this was our opportunity. But at the end of the day, it was a risk we went ahead with. The rules are the rules and now life just goes on.
Due to the circumstances of the day, with their payment system not working it was probably the most stressful, worst day I've ever had.
Here are a few things we observed throughout the day for anyone who still has their interview coming up.
- They interviews are done at the counter right where everyone sits in the waiting area, so be prepared that everyone can hear everything that is being said, no matter how private it is.
- They did ask everybody about their financial status and asked for banking statements so take them. Even though, people who didn't bring them still got approved.
- People who didn't bring the right envelope were told to go buy one at a place within the same building, so don't stress if they tell you that you have the wrong envelope.
- The interviews took a maximum of 10 mins, the "interview" isn't an interview, you have already been approved or refused before you are called to the window.
- When you go to the first window to hand in your paperwork they kept asking everyone for the completed DS260 forms. I'm not sure of they were confused but it sure made all of us confused what they were asking for because it's all online but no one really knew how to answer that and then when we said we didn't what they meant they just kind of moved onto something else.
Good luck to everyone still to have their interview, you are all very lucky for this opportunity. Thank you also to all those who gave me advice and responded to my requests for help earlier on in the process after I had found out we'd been selected in the lottery, the few of you who are on here constantly helping people day in, day out out are just amazing.
xx
Britsimon
Super Moderator
That is really quite shocking. You were married by the time of the interview - right? I know of two other cases that were approved in exactly the same circumstances. I suggest you contact Sydney and ask them to seek an opinion on this - because others (and I can provide detail of one case for sure) have been approved after the embassies sought an opinion.
I know you are probably feeling bruised and fed up - but this is worth some emails. They have got it wrong.
carolineelle
Member
Thanks Britsimon 
Yes we were married before we submitted the DS260, just before our baby was born.
I emailed the consulate a couple days after we got back and they responded the next day but basically with the exact same answers -"US doesn't recognise de facto", "But you weren't married at the time of entry".
I emailed them back again trying to state our case again, asking if it can be reviewed further but that was a couple of days ago and I haven't had a response, so they probably aren't going to reply again by the looks of it.
Definitely feeling bruised, I don't mind writing a hundred emails if it means they change their minds lol
I just don't know what else to say to them about it to see if they will change their response or even to get someone to review it further.
Edited - At the interview I tried to mention that we knew of other cases like this that ended up getting approved and they kind of said, no they wouldn't of gotten approved and didn't really want to hear that either.
Yes we were married before we submitted the DS260, just before our baby was born.
I emailed the consulate a couple days after we got back and they responded the next day but basically with the exact same answers -"US doesn't recognise de facto", "But you weren't married at the time of entry".
I emailed them back again trying to state our case again, asking if it can be reviewed further but that was a couple of days ago and I haven't had a response, so they probably aren't going to reply again by the looks of it.
Definitely feeling bruised, I don't mind writing a hundred emails if it means they change their minds lol
I just don't know what else to say to them about it to see if they will change their response or even to get someone to review it further.
Edited - At the interview I tried to mention that we knew of other cases like this that ended up getting approved and they kind of said, no they wouldn't of gotten approved and didn't really want to hear that either.
Britsimon
Super Moderator
Thanks Britsimon
Yes we were married before we submitted the DS260, just before our baby was born.
I emailed the consulate a couple days after we got back and they responded the next day but basically with the exact same answers -"US doesn't recognise de facto", "But you weren't married at the time of entry".
I emailed them back again trying to state our case again, asking if it can be reviewed further but that was a couple of days ago and I haven't had a response, so they probably aren't going to reply again by the looks of it.
Definitely feeling bruised, I don't mind writing a hundred emails if it means they change their minds lol
I just don't know what else to say to them about it to see if they will change their response or even to get someone to review it further.
Edited - At the interview I tried to mention that we knew of other cases like this that ended up getting approved and they kind of said, no they wouldn't of gotten approved and didn't really want to hear that either.
Gonna PM you. Just compiling some ammo for you.
carolineelle
Member
Thank you, that's really nice of you.
bazsouthafrica
Member
Hi carolineelle, the person Britsimon is referring to that also declared they were married (incorrectly) but was still successful is myself. I know this is cold comfort to you, but perhaps (as Britsimon suggested) you can use some aspects of my case to get a second opinion. Britsimon has all the details, and for (obvious) privacy reasons, I won't share too much personal identifiable info on this public forum. Before I begin, let me just say you should not give up. There was a man in my year (who I corresponded with) who was denied because he was arrested years ago in the company of a prostitute (and he thus had a criminal record). He got his lawyer involved, and it took some time, but the lawyer got him a reprieve, and literally at the very last minute, he was given his visas. The point is: Don't give up, and also (and I know you may not want to hear this), perhaps it's time to lawyer up.
Okay, a little bit about me. I was eligible to enter the DV twice: Once for myself, and once for my wife. I was not officially married at the time. For my first entry (the one for myself), I entered as single. I remember (mistakenly) thinking that was not correct, and so for my second entry (for my wife), I entered as married. My entry was not picked, however my wife's entry was picked. Celebration turned into dread when I realized what I had done, and I contacted many people. A lawyer (one that specializes in green card lottery - recommended by Britsimon) told me that I had no chance because I lied, and then stopped all communication with me stating he did not want to waste his time on a lost cause. Trawling through this forum, I seemed to get some hope and I decided to try it anyways. I prepared immensely - had a photo journal, could very much prove we were in a relationship. And I did one thing extra: As soon as I found out I was selected for further processing, I got married for real (Britsimon suggested I do this - and I think this is what really helped me). And so for anyone in this situation, if you are not legally married, then please, get legally married before you proceed further.
We needed to fly quite a distance to the get to the American consulate for our interview. On the day of the interview, we had everything ready: medicals, all needed documents, and extra documents proving our relationship. After paying, I thought: Gee, this could be really expensive - flying across the country, paying for medicals, staying in a hotel, and then paying the US gov. After giving our documents, we headed for the interview. I hardly slept the night before (not because I was nervous, but instead because I am a terrible sleeper), and so I looked like a Zombie. At the actual interview, the CO was very nice, but immediately said that there was a problem with marriage. He said he would need to get a decision from some "higher-up". He also said that in his experience, this permission was normally granted with a week or two. He did not even want to see proof of our relationship when I offered it to him - he just said simply: "I believe you two are in a genuine relationship". He was about to dismiss us when I interjected asking him if he would like an explanation as to why I entered us as married. He then said yes, he would like the explanation, and I basically said the same thing as you: That I thought I was common law married, and so I should enter as married as I thought the consequences would be dire if I entered as single. He then brought up the entry for myself, where I entered as single. Now up to this point, I had forgotten about that entry, and it totally took me by surprise. All my Zombie like self could say was that I did not remember that entry. He seemed satisfied, and asked for the explanation that I told him to be written up and emailed to them. In fact, I both emailed the explanation to them, and I posted it to them via snail mail.
What followed was an 8 month wait (so much for a week or 2's wait). During this time, there was absolutely no communication from the US to myself. Then mysteriously, three days before we celebrated our wedding (yep, we got married again so friends and family could attend), we were told we needed to do our medicals. I wrote back immediately and said we already submitted medicals, but they replied it had expired. After hearing this, Britsimon congratulated me as he said: We had just been given permission. And this was correct: After resubmitting (and repaying) for our medicals, we were requested to submit our passports for visas shortly there after.
Here are some take aways/advice (these are from my own perspective - Britsimon or Mom or ???, please feel free to chime in)
Okay, a little bit about me. I was eligible to enter the DV twice: Once for myself, and once for my wife. I was not officially married at the time. For my first entry (the one for myself), I entered as single. I remember (mistakenly) thinking that was not correct, and so for my second entry (for my wife), I entered as married. My entry was not picked, however my wife's entry was picked. Celebration turned into dread when I realized what I had done, and I contacted many people. A lawyer (one that specializes in green card lottery - recommended by Britsimon) told me that I had no chance because I lied, and then stopped all communication with me stating he did not want to waste his time on a lost cause. Trawling through this forum, I seemed to get some hope and I decided to try it anyways. I prepared immensely - had a photo journal, could very much prove we were in a relationship. And I did one thing extra: As soon as I found out I was selected for further processing, I got married for real (Britsimon suggested I do this - and I think this is what really helped me). And so for anyone in this situation, if you are not legally married, then please, get legally married before you proceed further.
We needed to fly quite a distance to the get to the American consulate for our interview. On the day of the interview, we had everything ready: medicals, all needed documents, and extra documents proving our relationship. After paying, I thought: Gee, this could be really expensive - flying across the country, paying for medicals, staying in a hotel, and then paying the US gov. After giving our documents, we headed for the interview. I hardly slept the night before (not because I was nervous, but instead because I am a terrible sleeper), and so I looked like a Zombie. At the actual interview, the CO was very nice, but immediately said that there was a problem with marriage. He said he would need to get a decision from some "higher-up". He also said that in his experience, this permission was normally granted with a week or two. He did not even want to see proof of our relationship when I offered it to him - he just said simply: "I believe you two are in a genuine relationship". He was about to dismiss us when I interjected asking him if he would like an explanation as to why I entered us as married. He then said yes, he would like the explanation, and I basically said the same thing as you: That I thought I was common law married, and so I should enter as married as I thought the consequences would be dire if I entered as single. He then brought up the entry for myself, where I entered as single. Now up to this point, I had forgotten about that entry, and it totally took me by surprise. All my Zombie like self could say was that I did not remember that entry. He seemed satisfied, and asked for the explanation that I told him to be written up and emailed to them. In fact, I both emailed the explanation to them, and I posted it to them via snail mail.
What followed was an 8 month wait (so much for a week or 2's wait). During this time, there was absolutely no communication from the US to myself. Then mysteriously, three days before we celebrated our wedding (yep, we got married again so friends and family could attend), we were told we needed to do our medicals. I wrote back immediately and said we already submitted medicals, but they replied it had expired. After hearing this, Britsimon congratulated me as he said: We had just been given permission. And this was correct: After resubmitting (and repaying) for our medicals, we were requested to submit our passports for visas shortly there after.
Here are some take aways/advice (these are from my own perspective - Britsimon or Mom or ???, please feel free to chime in)
- For anyone in a situation where you are not sure that your outcome will be successful, do not do the medicals pre-interview - wait until you are actually accepted (however, if you do not have the luxury of time, you may be forced to do it pre-interview). The reason I say this is because either you will be successful immediately (in that situation they will ask you to submit the medicals ASAP), or you may be successful later or denied. For the last two possibilities, you could waste money on doing the medicals, even in the second case when you will be eventually successful, it could take so long that your medicals become invalid.
- For anyone in this situtaion, get married legally! Be legally married by the time of the interview. In fact, the sooner you do it, the better.
- If you get denied, have a lawyer who is used to dealing with the US consulate you are dealing with take up your case for you. This may be expensive, but I have seen it work. This lawyer would essentially petition the consulate on your behalf, which may make a huge difference because you petitioning the consulate means your are just another email coming to some clerk. That clerk can easily destroy your dreams.
- Always be super polite to the Americans - I am sure you are polite always, but I know sometimes it can get frustrating, specially when so much money is on the line. Getting angry will get you nowhere.
- Try to get some offer of employment in America (easier said than done). I was lucky because I worked for a huge fortune 500 company based in America, so essentially I had a job waiting for me. But proving to the Americans that you will not be a burden will help you (this is actually general advice - but I feel it did help me).
- Get ready to fly back to the consulate last minute. If you are given a reprieve at the absolute last minute (like the person I mentioned at the beginning of this post), you won't have time to rely on the postal system or even private courier. His only chance was to fly up and deliver things personally. He also had to fight to get the medicals done in record time. So take this into account. I feel (and this may be incorrect - Britsimon may know better) that reprieves are normally given last minute. What I think happens is that there are still some visas that they have to allot, and absolutely no time to do any further processing. So, they are more apt to forgive minor digressions at this point.
- Lastly, try to prepare yourself emotionally for not winning. I know this is tough, but it will protect you going forward.
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mrajkumarfj
Member
around 1500 OC. but i guess not lucky this time around. thou keeping fingers crossed. how about urself
Minnesota Fiji
New Member
That's great. I hope it works out for you
And no September submission won't be late.
I myself got selected last year as well and only submitted my DS260 in March this year. And I got my 2nl on April 25th and my interview scheduled for 7th June.
So your number of 9xx shouldn't be a problem
I also got selected this year with my case number being 10xx. Will see how this interview goes. If all goes well then I won't need to pursue this year and if not I'll try again
Great news about you upcoming interview date. My niece is scheduled for the Jun 6th interview in Suva as well. I have been applying for several years for many friends and family and luckily every year at least ONE person wins. I am living in USA for 24 years. I read the forum all the time as find this place very informative. Would like to connect with folks who have interview experience in Suva. Inbox me your experience. Thanks
Hello. Pleased to say I got interviewed last month and 2 days later got back my passport with my immigrant visa. So planning my activation trip now to happen within the next 6 months. In my case, the interview was a breeze, the photo was never mentioned (thank God for that!) and there were only 3 basic questions:
- What were my academic qualifications?
- Explain what I currently do in my profession
- What is my intention when I get to the US?
Mixed emotions right now, I am so looking forward to building a new life in the US, but sad too to be leaving behind family and friends. Kudos to the volunteers that keep these forums going and special thanks to @Britsimon @SusieQQQ and @EmilyW for your advices along the way.
LucyTheNerd
Member
Hi all,
I had my medical this week, prior to my upcoming interview at the end of the month. There doesn't seem to be a lot of info out there about the medical process, so I thought I'd post a quick recap which might help others to prepare! (Or put peoples' minds at ease, hopefully).
There are two visa-approved doctors in Sydney. I used the one in George St. For reference, I am a young, healthy 29-year-old woman with no diagnosed medical conditions and a surgical history that consists only of removal of wisdom teeth a few years ago. So, it's likely that I had a fairly straightforward medical experience; I obviously can't guarantee that everybody's experience will be like mine.
Arrived and checked in at reception. The receptionist took my passport, express envelope, 6x passport photos (Australian sized as requested by the practice; cut out individually and each one signed on the back), and vaccination records. In return, she handed me an empty specimen jar for my urine sample. Not a fair trade in my opinion! Filled out some paperwork (basic personal details - name, address, etc) and was then shown to the bathroom to provide a urine sample. They provided a specimen jar to pee in, then a sealed sterile bag to put the jar in.
I was then taken through to a different room by a nurse. I handed her my urine sample. Lucky her. The nurse then proceeded to do a basic assessment and take some measurements. This included height, weight, temperature (probe in ear), vision test, heart rate, and blood pressure. After a short wait, I was then called through to another exam room, to be seen by the doctor. The doctor first verified my identity, then returned my passport to me. She then asked a whole bunch of questions - I can't remember the exact wording, but they were mostly centred around personal medical history (any major conditions, what prescription medications do you take, any history of hospitalisation or surgery), drug use, sexually transmitted infections, and mental health. The physical examination involved stripping down to underwear (bra and undies stayed on throughout). She asked me to do some basic movements (reaching forwards, up, side to side) and a balance test where I had to place one foot in front of the other, close my eyes, and hold my balance for as long as I could. She listened to my lungs using the stethoscope. And finally there was a basic abdominal exam, which just involved the doctor pressing down on various parts of my belly. There was no breast exam, and no gynaecological exam (the doctor said that you only need to have a full gynaecological exam if your blood test comes back positive for gonorrhea).
I then went to the pathology place to have blood taken for the blood tests. This was in the same building, just down the corridor. After that, I had to go the radiology place for the chest xray. This was a few blocks away - about 5-10 minutes walk from the doctors' surgery. Finally, once the blood test and chest xray were done, I came back to the doctor to hand in all my paperwork, and have one vaccination (I was missing one of the required vaccinations). And then I was free to go!
The entire process - including paperwork, medical exam, pathology, and xray - took about 3 hours. It was easy, and painless (both physically and emotionally). There were no problems flagged, as expected, so I now look forward to my visa interview at the end of the month.
I had my medical this week, prior to my upcoming interview at the end of the month. There doesn't seem to be a lot of info out there about the medical process, so I thought I'd post a quick recap which might help others to prepare! (Or put peoples' minds at ease, hopefully).
There are two visa-approved doctors in Sydney. I used the one in George St. For reference, I am a young, healthy 29-year-old woman with no diagnosed medical conditions and a surgical history that consists only of removal of wisdom teeth a few years ago. So, it's likely that I had a fairly straightforward medical experience; I obviously can't guarantee that everybody's experience will be like mine.
Arrived and checked in at reception. The receptionist took my passport, express envelope, 6x passport photos (Australian sized as requested by the practice; cut out individually and each one signed on the back), and vaccination records. In return, she handed me an empty specimen jar for my urine sample. Not a fair trade in my opinion! Filled out some paperwork (basic personal details - name, address, etc) and was then shown to the bathroom to provide a urine sample. They provided a specimen jar to pee in, then a sealed sterile bag to put the jar in.
I was then taken through to a different room by a nurse. I handed her my urine sample. Lucky her. The nurse then proceeded to do a basic assessment and take some measurements. This included height, weight, temperature (probe in ear), vision test, heart rate, and blood pressure. After a short wait, I was then called through to another exam room, to be seen by the doctor. The doctor first verified my identity, then returned my passport to me. She then asked a whole bunch of questions - I can't remember the exact wording, but they were mostly centred around personal medical history (any major conditions, what prescription medications do you take, any history of hospitalisation or surgery), drug use, sexually transmitted infections, and mental health. The physical examination involved stripping down to underwear (bra and undies stayed on throughout). She asked me to do some basic movements (reaching forwards, up, side to side) and a balance test where I had to place one foot in front of the other, close my eyes, and hold my balance for as long as I could. She listened to my lungs using the stethoscope. And finally there was a basic abdominal exam, which just involved the doctor pressing down on various parts of my belly. There was no breast exam, and no gynaecological exam (the doctor said that you only need to have a full gynaecological exam if your blood test comes back positive for gonorrhea).
I then went to the pathology place to have blood taken for the blood tests. This was in the same building, just down the corridor. After that, I had to go the radiology place for the chest xray. This was a few blocks away - about 5-10 minutes walk from the doctors' surgery. Finally, once the blood test and chest xray were done, I came back to the doctor to hand in all my paperwork, and have one vaccination (I was missing one of the required vaccinations). And then I was free to go!
The entire process - including paperwork, medical exam, pathology, and xray - took about 3 hours. It was easy, and painless (both physically and emotionally). There were no problems flagged, as expected, so I now look forward to my visa interview at the end of the month.
kb's quest
Active Member
@LucyTheNerd thanks for the rundown of the medical process.
