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DV 2022 OC Selectees

travellingrolo said:
CEAC visa status got updated to ISSUED today! Not long now till I have my passport and visa in hand :D

It's been a long and sometimes nerve-wracking journey from start to (nearly at the) finish and I want to thank everyone on this forum that took time out of their day to read and reply to my posts, as well as provide information for others which helped me out overall. It's also been a pleasure to read up about all your experiences of the process as well - it definitely makes me feel like we are all in this together! A big thank you to @Britsimon @SusieQQQ and @Sm1smom for their expertise and assistance not only for DV22, but previous and subsequent years too. You are invaluable to this forum and all lottery winners past, present and future.

I'm planning on sticking around to see how it all goes for the rest of you lovely people in DV22 and will probably be nosy when it comes to DV23 as well! Best of luck to all winners who have their upcoming interviews/medicals etc!

Q: Are there any facebook groups/telegram groups for OC winners who are in the US? Would be nice to connect with some of the other DV22 winners, especially as I won't know anyone in the US when I make the move!

Thanks y'all!
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There's a WhatsApp group which I asked @Dv22melb to add me to. I believe it's mostly Aussies (I'm Kiwi) but still a lot of interesting topics and discussion.
 
BrisOC22 said:
Unfortunately not in my case, my family is very... honest, they would never let someone put their address as their residential address if they weren't living there :p Ill do some more research on the weekend and see if I can find a way and will update if I find anything. When it comes to renewal time how do they know to not just auto send out a new one?


I don't think there's any specifically for OC winners but there are a few for different areas based on where you are living. Aussies in LA, Aussies In NY etc if you are looking for a way to meet other Aussies over there in general (of course within those groups you'll find some DV winners). Where were you planning on moving to and when? Best bet would just be figuring out who else is going to be in your area and connecting via DMs/WhatsApp :) Im heading to LA in October (Majority of us that I met are like a 50/50 split between LA/NY).
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Ahh - that makes sense. I was thinking FL, but my company has a branch near DC in VA, so was thinking it could be easy to transfer over there. I guess there will be FB groups I can find, since I'm not planning of moving to either NY or LA, though I'll probably do a bit of travelling and might find my way over there at some point. Thanks for the reply! :)
 
Getmeouttahere said:
Once your LPR is activated through a US port, and you return home to tidy up your affairs, how long do you have to re-enter the US permanently - is it one year from the date of departure?
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Yes. FYI the lawyers all get a little nervous about absences over 6 months, but we have seen plenty of cases where a <12 month absence was fine, especially considering the point about tying up loose ends before the big move.
 
Britsimon said:
Yes. FYI the lawyers all get a little nervous about absences over 6 months, but we have seen plenty of cases where a <12 month absence was fine, especially considering the point about tying up loose ends before the big move.
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There’s some technicality about applying for readmission after 6 months but I’ve never seen a case where it was real issue - might be a few more questions at entry but as long as you’re not planning a short stay and another long absence it’s fine. The official time at which you are deemed to abandon residence is 12 months.
The main issue with a longer than 6 month absence that people should be aware of is, for those planning to file for citizenship down the line it resets your 5-year clock to start the next time you enter.
 
thanks both. The plan is to spend 2-3 months setting up things like bank accounts, phone plans, credit card, insurance, place to rent etc, return home to tidy up affairs for 6-9 months (like sell car, rent home, finalise job requirements) before finally moving across.
 
Getmeouttahere said:
thanks both. The plan is to spend 2-3 months setting up things like bank accounts, phone plans, credit card, insurance, place to rent etc, return home to tidy up affairs for 6-9 months (like sell car, rent home, finalise job requirements) before finally moving across.
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Just out of curiosity, why would you be setting up phone plans, insurance, place to rent etc if you're then leaving the country for 6-9 months? You'd just be paying insane monthly fees while not living there?

Bank account + credit card make sense (and if its just those 2 you could be there for like under 2 weeks then back to Aus to tidy up).
 
Hey Everyone, I hope you are going well. Odd question: We are flying over to LAX on the 25th for a few weeks to check out before we make the big move. Do we still need an ESTA or now we have the DV, this is now waived?
 
Hi gang, I just wanted to reach out and say a HUGE thanks to everyone who has contributed valuable information big and small on the DV process in this forum. I discovered you all just 6 weeks ago and am so grateful for it.

I read this week in the thread that a few people had ordered their Australian Federal Police Check selecting purpose of check ’35 - Overseas Visa - Supply to a Country other than Australia’, when in fact ’33 - Immigration/Citizenship - for supply to the Department of Home Affairs’ was the correct purpose to select. I believe I have selected 35 and am now wondering if I need to reorder the police check.

Can I ask to all Australian’s who interviewed in Suva, did this requirement matter? Has anyone been asked to resubmit the police check based on the purpose of check?

It seems there are a few of us on here with interviews in Suva on 1st September! I look forward to seeing you all on the big day x
 
TOOTS11 said:
Hi gang, I just wanted to reach out and say a HUGE thanks to everyone who has contributed valuable information big and small on the DV process in this forum. I discovered you all just 6 weeks ago and am so grateful for it.

I read this week in the thread that a few people had ordered their Australian Federal Police Check selecting purpose of check ’35 - Overseas Visa - Supply to a Country other than Australia’, when in fact ’33 - Immigration/Citizenship - for supply to the Department of Home Affairs’ was the correct purpose to select. I believe I have selected 35 and am now wondering if I need to reorder the police check.

Can I ask to all Australian’s who interviewed in Suva, did this requirement matter? Has anyone been asked to resubmit the police check based on the purpose of check?

It seems there are a few of us on here with interviews in Suva on 1st September! I look forward to seeing you all on the big day x
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I don’t know if anyone who has gone to Suva with the incorrect version but you should absolutely be re ordering it, at this point they have seen hundreds of us so know and code 35 is the incorrect document to have.
 
AusOC said:
I don’t know if anyone who has gone to Suva with the incorrect version but you should absolutely be re ordering it, at this point they have seen hundreds of us so know and code 35 is the incorrect document to have.
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Thank you so much for coming back to me! You're a star. I will get on to that asap today.
 
AusOC said:
I don’t know if anyone who has gone to Suva with the incorrect version but you should absolutely be re ordering it, at this point they have seen hundreds of us so know and code 35 is the incorrect document to have.
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Even embassies which don’t see hundreds of Australians will know, because embassies will refer to the reciprocity by country pages (same place the DV instructions refer selectees for police certificates https://travel.state.gov/content/tr...ersity-visa-prepare-supporting-documents.html ) and it is clearly stated there. https://travel.state.gov/content/tr...and-Civil-Documents-by-Country/australia.html

so yes regardless where you interview, make sure you have the right one, especially when you’re running out of time in the fiscal year.
 
TOOTS11 said:
Hi gang, I just wanted to reach out and say a HUGE thanks to everyone who has contributed valuable information big and small on the DV process in this forum. I discovered you all just 6 weeks ago and am so grateful for it.

I read this week in the thread that a few people had ordered their Australian Federal Police Check selecting purpose of check ’35 - Overseas Visa - Supply to a Country other than Australia’, when in fact ’33 - Immigration/Citizenship - for supply to the Department of Home Affairs’ was the correct purpose to select. I believe I have selected 35 and am now wondering if I need to reorder the police check.

Can I ask to all Australian’s who interviewed in Suva, did this requirement matter? Has anyone been asked to resubmit the police check based on the purpose of check?

It seems there are a few of us on here with interviews in Suva on 1st September! I look forward to seeing you all on the big day x
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Hi- I was in the same position as you a couple of months back (had a 35 but didn't know if I should order a 33). I ended up ordering a 33 just be to sure. When I interviewed at Suva at the start of the month, I handed both the 33 and 35 to them. They handed back the 35 and said they couldn't use that one (I think its been a common mistake). I would order a 33.
 
Larora said:
Hi- I was in the same position as you a couple of months back (had a 35 but didn't know if I should order a 33). I ended up ordering a 33 just be to sure. When I interviewed at Suva at the start of the month, I handed both the 33 and 35 to them. They handed back the 35 and said they couldn't use that one (I think its been a common mistake). I would order a 33.
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Thank you for this! The new cert is on the way :)
 
Getmeouttahere said:
sorry, should have explained more clearly, won't be signing up for all services right there and then, I was implying that I'll be checking out plans available etc
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Just a tip from someone who's been here for 5 years. If you can, try to get an Amex card in Australia (or if you have one already, DO NOT CANCEL). Once you're in the US, you can call them up and request a profile transfer - essentially, they will use your Australian credit score in lieu of not having a US credit score and provide a non-secured card. I was able to open an Amex Gold as my first CC within a month of my move. This will also allow you to get a step ahead with generating your US credit score.
 
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