DV 2022 OC Selectees

[BrisOC22]

Chiming in to say that I got my 2NL yesterday too for the 14th of July, OC14XX!

I’m curious how much time I’ll need between the medical and interview, and also between the interview and getting my passport back.

Epworth Clinic says you'll get the results the next day (assuming you pay the $30 FJ expedited fee). So might get away with going to your interview the next day if your interview is in the afternoon. To be on the safe side I think its best to do

> Day 1 medical
> Day 2 collect results
> Day 3 Interview

After that, some have said they received their passport back the same day, or for most they seem to get it back the very next day. But Suva tells you 3-5 business days. So kind of up to you to estimate based on that info. Personally my interview is a Wednesday and I'm planning to fly back Friday morning, so I'm hoping to get it on the Thursday, if I don't Ill have to change my flights and book a bit longer.

Someone also mentioned Suva can post your passport back to Aus for you if you don't want to wait (though Im not sure how this works travelling without your passport or if they give you some temporary document)

 

[AusOC]

Epworth Clinic says you'll get the results the next day (assuming you pay the $30 FJ expedited fee). So might get away with going to your interview the next day if your interview is in the afternoon. To be on the safe side I think its best to do

> Day 1 medical
> Day 2 collect results
> Day 3 Interview

After that, some have said they received their passport back the same day, or for most they seem to get it back the very next day. But Suva tells you 3-5 business days. So kind of up to you to estimate based on that info. Personally my interview is a Wednesday and I'm planning to fly back Friday morning, so I'm hoping to get it on the Thursday, if I don't Ill have to change my flights and book a bit longer.

Someone also mentioned Suva can post your passport back to Aus for you if you don't want to wait (though Im not sure how this works travelling without your passport or if they give you some temporary document)

Just a note on Epworth "next day" - we had our medical at 9am and results were not ready until about 3 pm the following day - so I would definitely allow an additional day for collection to be safe.

 

[Sm1smom]

My company is aware I plan on moving, and has hired quite a few remote people in the past few months (Sweden, Brazil, Canada) so they're starting to understand the process and options a bit more so I'll discuss it with them. Their original suggestion when I joined was that I would have to set myself up as a contractor in the US and work for them that way, but I think since then they're changed to keeping people on their AU payroll (that's what they did for our Aussie living in Canada). Will discuss it more with them once I am actually approved though, I won't move for a few months until I've got it sorted with them.

And yeah Im definitely going to need some more advice on the tax and health care side of stuff, and staying under the Aus payroll kind of helps with that as we are still technically part of our Medicare system in Aus as long as we are paying tax for that year I think. After a year of being in the US though I would be removed since id no longer be a resident, so I will most likely start looking for US work once I arrive (for the health care benefits mostly), this is just kind of to help me transition. But I definitely don't understand it well enough yet, do you have any good recommended sources of info (videos or articles that discuss it?)

It’s great that your company has hired and allowed people to work remotely from other parts of the world while remaining on AU payroll. The US tax laws are most likely not like the rest of the world though, I mean US is the only country I’m aware of that requires LPRs and USCs to report on their world-wide income even if the income is not being earned in the US. As for the AU Medicare part, will that provide coverage while in the US also (treatments received in the US should the need arise)? Anyway, I do hope they’re able to help you figure all these out.

So yes, I agree you need to speak with some experts along those lines Unfortunately I do not have any recommendation for either.

 

[DV2022OC]

Sydney hasn't provided any update. So no one knows still.

For transferring, I sent this email to suvaiv@state.gov , I also included my passport/police certs/birth certificate just incase they needed it. Don't think they do but I wanted to save as many back and forth emails as possible of them requesting info.

Hi Suva!

I would like to request a transfer of my case from the Sydney US embassy to the embassy in Suva due to the Sydney embassy being closed for a long time and currently not conducting DV interviews. I have a relatively close number and have been waiting for an interview since January of this year with no movement in Sydney. I have included all of my case information below, please let me know if you need anything else from me in order to help with the transfer!

Name: First Middle Last
Case Number: 2022OC00000XXX (Your CN here)
Date of Birth: DD/MM/YYYY (DDth of Month YYYY)
Relationship : Single, no children
Nationality : Australian
FSC : Australia (This is your country of chargability I think)
Current Interview post: Sydney

*********
Thanks a lot. BrisOC22

 

[BrisOC22]

It’s great that your company has hired and allowed people to work remotely from other parts of the world while remaining on AU payroll. The US tax laws are most likely not like the rest of the world though, I mean US is the only country I’m aware of that requires LPRs and USCs to report on their world-wide income even if the income is not being earned in the US. As for the AU Medicare part, will that provide coverage while in the US also (treatments received in the US should the need arise)? Anyway, I do hope they’re able to help you figure all these out.

So yes, I agree you need to speak with some experts along those lines Unfortunately I do not have any recommendation for either.

I don't think Medicare will cover accidents in the US, but for my unique situation its very helpful as I have expensive monthly medicine (but super cheap thanks to Medicare!), so staying in their system as long as I can allows me to go back after 6 months, and get 6 months worth then come back to the US (already discussed the legality of this with specialists dw haha). So it will help me a lot until I figure out the US healthcare system / get a US job that has good health insurance. Will have all that sorted long before I'm removed from the Aus system hopefully. Thanks for the info though, I'll definitely do some more research into it all and discuss it with them (I'm sure our smart payroll people can figure it out and let me know).

 

[Shezza85]

Just a note on Epworth "next day" - we had our medical at 9am and results were not ready until about 3 pm the following day - so I would definitely allow an additional day for collection to be safe.

Yes good to note. I have my DV appointment on the Thurs 21/7, so i've just booked the medical at Epworth for Mon 18th in the morning. The receptionist who I spoke to seemed quite nice though just took my first name down and I asked her if any additional info she needs from me and she said that's fine though I may send them an email just to confirm. I also told her i'd like within a day and she said that's fine though I thought i'd have a 2 day buffer just to play it safe. I'm planning on arriving there the night before the medical.

I'm thinking of staying at the Holiday Inn as its only a 15-20 min walk from the embassy. Mate of mine who's from there said that traffic is quite busy in Suva in the morning esp from about 7ish so for anyone that has a morning interview that's not staying close to the city

 

[Kotoko]

Epworth Clinic says you'll get the results the next day (assuming you pay the $30 FJ expedited fee). So might get away with going to your interview the next day if your interview is in the afternoon. To be on the safe side I think its best to do

> Day 1 medical
> Day 2 collect results
> Day 3 Interview

After that, some have said they received their passport back the same day, or for most they seem to get it back the very next day. But Suva tells you 3-5 business days. So kind of up to you to estimate based on that info. Personally my interview is a Wednesday and I'm planning to fly back Friday morning, so I'm hoping to get it on the Thursday, if I don't Ill have to change my flights and book a bit longer.

Someone also mentioned Suva can post your passport back to Aus for you if you don't want to wait (though Im not sure how this works travelling without your passport or if they give you some temporary document)

Important: If your case is placed into administrative processing, your passports will be returned to you so that you can return to Australia. When you get back to Australia, you can then send your passports to the Embassy via DHL or FedEx courier with a prepaid DHL or FedEx courier Airwaybill and letter of authority for the courier company to collect your return package from the Embassy for shipment to Australia.

Copied from U.S Embassy Suva

 

[AusOC]

Yes good to note. I have my DV appointment on the Thurs 21/7, so i've just booked the medical at Epworth for Mon 18th in the morning. The receptionist who I spoke to seemed quite nice though just took my first name down and I asked her if any additional info she needs from me and she said that's fine though I may send them an email just to confirm. I also told her i'd like within a day and she said that's fine though I thought i'd have a 2 day buffer just to play it safe. I'm planning on arriving there the night before the medical.

I'm thinking of staying at the Holiday Inn as its only a 15-20 min walk from the embassy. Mate of mine who's from there said that traffic is quite busy in Suva in the morning esp from about 7ish so for anyone that has a morning interview that's not staying close to the city

Hey Shezza,
The holiday inn is not that close to the embassy - like 5km and off a main road, unlikely to be a path.
Suva is also kind of dangerous - I would definitely recommend a taxi to and from your appointment.
Traffic is worse IN to town than heading out - we left at 740 and were easily there in time for 8am appointment.

 

[Shezza85]

Hey Shezza,
The holiday inn is not that close to the embassy - like 5km and off a main road, unlikely to be a path.
Suva is also kind of dangerous - I would definitely recommend a taxi to and from your appointment.
Traffic is worse IN to town than heading out - we left at 740 and were easily there in time for 8am appointment.

Apologies and thanks for correcting @AusOC. The Holiday Inn is only a 20 min walk to the Epworth clinic for the medical.

 

[Shezza85]

Sorry I have been off this forum for about 4 weeks.

How is Sydney consulate opening progressing, any chance of it opening soon and scheduling interviews?

Can you please guide me on how you requested the transfer to Suva.

Also once Suva give you your appointment date/time via email they will ask for your DS 260 confirmation number, so be ready to provide that.

 

[Drm22]

Hello everyone,
We asked for a transfer from Sydney to Suva yesterday 10:40pm and about 4 hours later we got a reply stating they will ask for our case to be transfered and interview in August. I can't believe how efficient they are. I can't recall everyone's time frame was it about 2 weeks wait for 2NL from now?
Thanks and good luck OC.
2022OC11XX

 

[SusieQQQ]

I don't think Medicare will cover accidents in the US, but for my unique situation its very helpful as I have expensive monthly medicine (but super cheap thanks to Medicare!), so staying in their system as long as I can allows me to go back after 6 months, and get 6 months worth then come back to the US (already discussed the legality of this with specialists dw haha). So it will help me a lot until I figure out the US healthcare system / get a US job that has good health insurance. Will have all that sorted long before I'm removed from the Aus system hopefully. Thanks for the info though, I'll definitely do some more research into it all and discuss it with them (I'm sure our smart payroll people can figure it out and let me know).

Would highly advise you to at least get accident /emergency coverage in the interim then. Accidents are by nature unpredictable, and can result in tens of thousands of dollars in expenses. You don’t want to be out of pocket for that I’m sure. My husband got appendicitis shortly after we immigrated, something else you can’t predict, and the medical bills were crazy, well into 5 figures; thankfully we had insurance.

 

[BrisOC22]

Hello everyone,
We asked for a transfer from Sydney to Suva yesterday 10:40pm and about 4 hours later we got a reply stating they will ask for our case to be transfered and interview in August. I can't believe how efficient they are. I can't recall everyone's time frame was it about 2 weeks wait for 2NL from now?
Thanks and good luck OC.
2022OC11XX

For some it was a 3 week wait, for some it was a 24 hour wait. Regardless of when you requested, they seemed to process everyone that had requested in the last 3 weeks all on the same day. So if they follow that pattern you would be in the next batch in 3-4 weeks, but not sure how they operate, they might do a few here and there.

Would highly advise you to at least get accident /emergency coverage in the interim then. Accidents are by nature unpredictable, and can result in tens of thousands of dollars in expenses. You don’t want to be out of pocket for that I’m sure. My husband got appendicitis shortly after we immigrated, something else you can’t predict, and the medical bills were crazy, well into 5 figures; thankfully we had insurance.

Appreciate the advice! I've heard enough horror stories of American medical bills that it's hard to skip on this haha

 

[Fiji5]

Anyone from Fiji who received there 2nl this week....I would like to know if dates have been received as well for interviews...(only Fiji selectees) thnx

 

[AUMatt]

I'm thinking of staying at the Holiday Inn as its only a 15-20 min walk from the embassy. Mate of mine who's from there said that traffic is quite busy in Suva in the morning esp from about 7ish so for anyone that has a morning interview that's not staying close to the city

Does anyone have any idea where would be a good place to stay in Fiji for a few days / week beforehand? There will be 4 of us so I was hoping to make a trip of it.

 

[Shezza85]

Does anyone have any idea where would be a good place to stay in Fiji for a few days / week beforehand? There will be 4 of us so I was hoping to make a trip of it.

Yes I was thinking the same thing too though for after the interview. My mate from Fiji said most of the nice resorts where people stay at are on the other side of the island closer to Nadi Airport, though didn't mention which resorts to stay at. So may be a good idea if your coming to Fiji a few days before your interview to book your flight to Nadi and the return trip from Suva.

 

[kplo]

Hi All,
We finally received our visas after a long 5-week wait due to the Paris Embassy not understanding how the NZ Vetting Certificate works. Hoping I'm the guinea pig for the consulate and anyone from now on who passes with an NZ police check gets through quicker.
Thanks so much to this community, have really enjoyed following along on everyone's journeys (and will continue to do so) and I wish everyone luck with their interviews. Thank you also to @Sm1smom @SusieQQQ and of course @Britsimon for all your help and honesty.
We're off next month to settle in sunny Florida

 

[TWI]

Anyone want to travel areas of Fiji together between June 30th and July 5th?
I’m a 28yr old female travelling solo and thinking most of the activities are more fun with people

 

[OC2USA]

My company is aware I plan on moving, and has hired quite a few remote people in the past few months (Sweden, Brazil, Canada) so they're starting to understand the process and options a bit more so I'll discuss it with them. Their original suggestion when I joined was that I would have to set myself up as a contractor in the US and work for them that way, but I think since then they're changed to keeping people on their AU payroll (that's what they did for our Aussie living in Canada). Will discuss it more with them once I am actually approved though, I won't move for a few months until I've got it sorted with them.

And yeah Im definitely going to need some more advice on the tax and health care side of stuff, and staying under the Aus payroll kind of helps with that as we are still technically part of our Medicare system in Aus as long as we are paying tax for that year I think. After a year of being in the US though I would be removed since id no longer be a resident, so I will most likely start looking for US work once I arrive (for the health care benefits mostly), this is just kind of to help me transition. But I definitely don't understand it well enough yet, do you have any good recommended sources of info (videos or articles that discuss it?)

Hi @BrisOC22

I thought I’d jump in as I’m a DV2021 who moved here in October last year, and had to face these issues as my Australian company also allowed me to stay with them and work remote. There is good and bad and as advised by others you need to get tax advice from someone who knows both spaces (US Tax and Australian). What I’m telling you is just based on my own experience.

I’m still an employee of the Australian company, and everything for me is Australian based (pay, benefits, taxes etc). I haven’t had to do or set up anything special over here, but as a US permanent resident it all has to be declared in my annual taxes (recently done).

Taxes
There is an agreement between Australia and the US with regards to federal income tax, so this part is great as you won’t get double taxed, however in Australia we pay higher taxes, if you get a US job your tax rate will be better.

The problem comes with state income taxes (and in some places city income taxes). There is no agreement, so if you reside in a state that has state income tax get ready for a bill come tax time. I believe only 9 states have no state income tax.

This was a major issue for us. When we had our taxes done earlier this year (for 2021), nothing was owed for Federal income (due to the agreement), however as we settled in Los Angeles (California has state income taxes), we would normally owe an extensive amount. We kind of knew this coming, but didn’t expect it to be so much. Thankfully as we had only spent under 3 months in California for 2021 it wasn’t that much of an issue this time, but were advised if we stayed then come 2023, we would have a large state income tax bill for 2022. We were advised to either move to a state with no state income tax or find US jobs.

At this stage our wages, perks and benefits of our Australian jobs is too much to give up so we moved to Florida early this year (Florida has no state income taxes).

Health Insurance
You will need proper health insurance, people end up medically bankrupt. If you’re working remote for your Australian employer then they most likely won’t be paying for a plan for you. You will need to sort this out yourself. It’s expensive. We used a broker to find the best insurance for us, it cost us just under $1,000 USD a month (as a couple). When we moved over to Florida we had to do it all over again as your coverage doesn’t simply transfer states.

You really have to weigh up if working remote for a foreign company is worth it for you and the downsides that come with it. You’ll also still have to do your Australian tax returns.

We had to go to an expert as it was just too confusing with Federal taxes, state taxes, foreign investments, superannuation etc. and we’re thankful we did. People over here will tell you it’s easy to file on your own but they’re not in the same situation, it’s much better to have an expert do it.

We originally settled in LA as we loved it there, however having moved to Florida now it was definitely the best decision we made and it wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for the tax situation. In Florida our health insurance costs were also cheaper and overall cost of living is cheaper so can’t complain.

Good luck!

Also good luck to everyone getting their transfers to Suva, it’s nice to read.

 

[BrisOC22]

Hi @BrisOC22

I thought I’d jump in as I’m a DV2021 who moved here in October last year, and had to face these issues as my Australian company also allowed me to stay with them and work remote. There is good and bad and as advised by others you need to get tax advice from someone who knows both spaces (US Tax and Australian). What I’m telling you is just based on my own experience.

I’m still an employee of the Australian company, and everything for me is Australian based (pay, benefits, taxes etc). I haven’t had to do or set up anything special over here, but as a US permanent resident it all has to be declared in my annual taxes (recently done).

Taxes
There is an agreement between Australia and the US with regards to federal income tax, so this part is great as you won’t get double taxed, however in Australia we pay higher taxes, if you get a US job your tax rate will be better.

The problem comes with state income taxes (and in some places city income taxes). There is no agreement, so if you reside in a state that has state income tax get ready for a bill come tax time. I believe only 9 states have no state income tax.

This was a major issue for us. When we had our taxes done earlier this year (for 2021), nothing was owed for Federal income (due to the agreement), however as we settled in Los Angeles (California has state income taxes), we would normally owe an extensive amount. We kind of knew this coming, but didn’t expect it to be so much. Thankfully as we had only spent under 3 months in California for 2021 it wasn’t that much of an issue this time, but were advised if we stayed then come 2023, we would have a large state income tax bill for 2022. We were advised to either move to a state with no state income tax or find US jobs.

At this stage our wages, perks and benefits of our Australian jobs is too much to give up so we moved to Florida early this year (Florida has no state income taxes).

Health Insurance
You will need proper health insurance, people end up medically bankrupt. If you’re working remote for your Australian employer then they most likely won’t be paying for a plan for you. You will need to sort this out yourself. It’s expensive. We used a broker to find the best insurance for us, it cost us just under $1,000 USD a month (as a couple). When we moved over to Florida we had to do it all over again as your coverage doesn’t simply transfer states.

You really have to weigh up if working remote for a foreign company is worth it for you and the downsides that come with it. You’ll also still have to do your Australian tax returns.

We had to go to an expert as it was just too confusing with Federal taxes, state taxes, foreign investments, superannuation etc. and we’re thankful we did. People over here will tell you it’s easy to file on your own but they’re not in the same situation, it’s much better to have an expert do it.

We originally settled in LA as we loved it there, however having moved to Florida now it was definitely the best decision we made and it wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for the tax situation. In Florida our health insurance costs were also cheaper and overall cost of living is cheaper so can’t complain.

Good luck!

Also good luck to everyone getting their transfers to Suva, it’s nice to read.

Thanks so much for this, super helpful information! Already spent 14 months in LA before so I have paid federal and state taxes before (but was working for US companies at the time so was so super straight forward). I had heard of the tax agreements between the US and Australia but didnt realise it only covered the federal one. I'll most likely stay in california for at least the first year since my partner lives there, so has all of her family ties there as well but might look into moving somewhere cheaper once I build up a credit score.

Judging my timeline I would probably be moving in September/October, so I shouldnt have too much state tax to pay, and that should also give me a few months to find a US job. I'm not too attached to staying with an Australian company (although I love the job I'm at now) the benefits of a US job definitely outweigh working for an aus company is terms of salary and the health care benefits that a lot offer, so will most likely be the approach I go. The remote Aus job (intentionally took a remote job that was okay with me moving for this reason) was always just to help with the transition period for the first few months, a lot of the companies I'm planning to apply at only take hire US residents so it's tough applying for them before being in the country and without a guaranteed moving date (since we dont get the GC til we've actually been approved at the embassy ).

But all this info is definitely pushing me to find a US job upon arrival quicker!

Anyone want to travel areas of Fiji together between June 30th and July 5th?
I’m a 28yr old female travelling solo and thinking most of the activities are more fun with people

Ill be there from the 3rd-9th (So the Sunday and Monday you are). Will be free on the Sunday since I arrive early, but will be working the next day for most of the day so only free at night