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Visa success - Sydney consulate. Happy to answer questions :)

A

adsy

Registered Users (C)
Hi guys,

I have officially just been granted the Visa along with my wife!! So excited, it's been a very long journey. Awesome to see your passport have a US Visa Page in it :)

Happy to answer questions, if I can. Remember though my experience was through the Australian Sydney consulate.

Some advice:

- Any and all questions, you should email the embassy first. They really are great at getting back to you with answers, it just takes about 5 working days for them to respond.
- Interview is nothing to stress about, even if you don't have all the documentation, they allow you to send it in later. I didn't have my police check, so they said just mail it in when you get it.
- Changing interview dates is not a problem, we had to due to being Married after our initial interview. We postponed the interview date to 5 weeks after our wedding...again, was not a problem at all.
- Read and re-read and re-read again all the instructions on the US Visa website. Also make sure to read any info specific to your consulate. There is a link to it on either step 3 or 4 on the website. For example, the Sydney specific conditions state you must bring a 3kg Express post bag to the interview.
- I was asked no questions what so ever about where I am going to live, how I am going to support myself or how much money I have. This is something that is only very specific to other countries, not Australia. BUT it doesn't hurt to have an answer prepared. They won't want to see proof of it though (remember it says no where on the instructions that you will need it...again, Sydney only though)

Any other q's please ask, this forum was such a great help to me the past 8 months.

Adsy
 
Congrats, you must be really happy. A quick question. After your visa interview, how long did you wait to receive your visa and have your passports back in hand? Thanks
 
I had the visa sent to me 2 days after the interview. They confirmed to me on the day that I had the visa as well so I didn't have to wait around nervously.
 
Hi Adsy! Tevolo has been very helpful, but it is good to hear from someone else!! I have a couple of questions - my police check and medical are both being sent directly to the consulate - how am I to obtain photocopies for the interview if I do not have them to photocopy - did you come across this at all?
Also approx how long did the whole process take?
Did you take your expired passports?
thank you!
 
pru said:
Hi Adsy! Tevolo has been very helpful, but it is good to hear from someone else!! I have a couple of questions - my police check and medical are both being sent directly to the consulate - how am I to obtain photocopies for the interview if I do not have them to photocopy - did you come across this at all?
Also approx how long did the whole process take?
Did you take your expired passports?
thank you!
Click to expand...

-Don't stress about taking photocopies, they can do them on the spot. Do what you can of course, but don't worry. I forgot to photocopy my Year 12 cert and they just did it themselves.

-My appointment was at 9:00am and I was finished by 10:30am. Depends on how busy they. But I would recommend getting to the interview early, just so you are first in the queue. Got visa's sent to me in the mail 2 days later.

-I did not take my expired passports, but can't hurt to have them with you so take them if you have them.

Hope that helps :)
 
adsy said:
-Don't stress about taking photocopies, they can do them on the spot. Do what you can of course, but don't worry. I forgot to photocopy my Year 12 cert and they just did it themselves.

-My appointment was at 9:00am and I was finished by 10:30am. Depends on how busy they. But I would recommend getting to the interview early, just so you are first in the queue. Got visa's sent to me in the mail 2 days later.

-I did not take my expired passports, but can't hurt to have them with you so take them if you have them.

Hope that helps :)
Click to expand...

I think we did stress a bit more than necessary. In the end, our interview in Sydney was very quick and we got our passports/visas 2 days later. However, we have children, born in different countries, have lived in the US before and also lived in other countries - so we had a lot of documents we had to bring - just in case. Also, US immigration has mistakes on our visas before. We had to take previous passports because they had previous US visas in them and our children hold multiple passports. Hence, what to take to the interview partly depends on individual/family circumstances.
 
tevolo said:
I think we did stress a bit more than necessary. In the end, our interview in Sydney was very quick and we got our passports/visas 2 days later. However, we have children, born in different countries, have lived in the US before and also lived in other countries - so we had a lot of documents we had to bring - just in case. Also, US immigration has mistakes on our visas before. We had to take previous passports because they had previous US visas in them and our children hold multiple passports. Hence, what to take to the interview partly depends on individual/family circumstances.
Click to expand...

As you have lived in different countries before I have a question about your police checks. Did you have to get them from all the countries you lived in?

My case is simple, although I visited the US often, up to 6 months at a time but not over, I will only need my Australian check. My husband is Canadian, worked and lived in the US for a dozen years or so, then moved to Austalia almost 3 years ago. What checks does he need? He obviously hasn't lived in Canada for a long time now. And how current does his US one need to be (he got one prior to moving to Australia) as he has not lived there for a while now too.

Just a bit confused on that.

Many thanks

Q
 
Qewty said:
As you have lived in different countries before I have a question about your police checks. Did you have to get them from all the countries you lived in?

My case is simple, although I visited the US often, up to 6 months at a time but not over, I will only need my Australian check. My husband is Canadian, worked and lived in the US for a dozen years or so, then moved to Austalia almost 3 years ago. What checks does he need? He obviously hasn't lived in Canada for a long time now. And how current does his US one need to be (he got one prior to moving to Australia) as he has not lived there for a while now too.

Just a bit confused on that.

Many thanks

Q
Click to expand...

Canadian and Australian checks. If you currently live in Australia, then getting Canadian police records in time before interview can be tricky - you have to go through a private company, unless you are willing to wait 3-4 months. According to US immigration website, anywhere you have lived ongoing as an adult for 6 months or more you need police records. Although, it is interesting that at the interview they only asked us for police records for where we had lived for 1 year or more.
 
tevolo said:
Canadian and Australian checks. If you currently live in Australia, then getting Canadian police records in time before interview can be tricky - you have to go through a private company, unless you are willing to wait 3-4 months. According to US immigration website, anywhere you have lived ongoing as an adult for 6 months or more you need police records. Although, it is interesting that at the interview they only asked us for police records for where we had lived for 1 year or more.
Click to expand...

That's what it says on the travel.state homepage....you only need a police check if you lived in a different country for a year or more.

Although as an Aussie now living in Canada for about 8 months, it is not clear to me if I need a police check for canada or not.
 
josh000 said:
That's what it says on the travel.state homepage....you only need a police check if you lived in a different country for a year or more.

Although as an Aussie now living in Canada for about 8 months, it is not clear to me if I need a police check for canada or not.
Click to expand...

The things is, that if you enter the US after having lived in Canada for 1 year, then they may ask for Canadian police records at the port of entry. Alternatively, you could be issued a DV visa at the interview which only has an entry period that last no more than the time left for you to reach 1 year in Canada. I would get the checks just in case. Or, email the consulate where your interview will be and ask.
 
Hi

adsy said:
Hi guys,

I have officially just been granted the Visa along with my wife!! So excited, it's been a very long journey. Awesome to see your passport have a US Visa Page in it :)

Happy to answer questions, if I can. Remember though my experience was through the Australian Sydney consulate.

Some advice:

- Any and all questions, you should email the embassy first. They really are great at getting back to you with answers, it just takes about 5 working days for them to respond.
- Interview is nothing to stress about, even if you don't have all the documentation, they allow you to send it in later. I didn't have my police check, so they said just mail it in when you get it.
- Changing interview dates is not a problem, we had to due to being Married after our initial interview. We postponed the interview date to 5 weeks after our wedding...again, was not a problem at all.
- Read and re-read and re-read again all the instructions on the US Visa website. Also make sure to read any info specific to your consulate. There is a link to it on either step 3 or 4 on the website. For example, the Sydney specific conditions state you must bring a 3kg Express post bag to the interview.
- I was asked no questions what so ever about where I am going to live, how I am going to support myself or how much money I have. This is something that is only very specific to other countries, not Australia. BUT it doesn't hurt to have an answer prepared. They won't want to see proof of it though (remember it says no where on the instructions that you will need it...again, Sydney only though)

Any other q's please ask, this forum was such a great help to me the past 8 months.

Adsy
Click to expand...

Congratulations on your success....how many members were you in the family and how much did you show in your statement?
 
Actually I have a pretty big question. What school records did you obtain, and what ones are you actually asked for?

I am just trying to get my year 10 certificate and university transcripts. Did you end up getting more than your year 10/senior certificate?

Did you get transcripts from the different highschools you attended if more than one?

Did you go as far back as primary schools?
 
josh000 said:
Actually I have a pretty big question. What school records did you obtain, and what ones are you actually asked for?

I am just trying to get my year 10 certificate and university transcripts. Did you end up getting more than your year 10/senior certificate?

Did you get transcripts from the different highschools you attended if more than one?

Did you go as far back as primary schools?
Click to expand...

The only record they 'officially' want is a Year 12 certificate OR equivalent. Your year 10 certificate they won't want (but again, it will never hurt to take it with you)

They also would like to see any University Degree Certificate's if you have them, because this 'builds' on your case. They aren't required, but it's a good idea to get the certificate from your Uni if you can.

BUT the bare minimum is the Yr12 Cert or equivalent. YOU MUST HAVE THIS.

I had a Year 12 Cert, and a University Degree Cert. I had the grades from UNI, but not from School. They didn't care about the grades, just the official cert.

This is an exact transcript of what they want to see:

Required DV Qualifying Education or Work Experience
The principal diversity visa applicant must have a high school education, or its equivalent, OR two years of qualifying work experience in the last five years.

Education: Submit to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate at your interview, a certificate of completion equivalent to a U.S. diploma, school transcripts, or other evidence issued by the person or organization responsible for maintaining records, which specifies the completed course of study. The diversity visa selectee must have completed a 12-year course of elementary and secondary education in the U.S. or a comparable course of study in another country, sufficient in itself to qualify a student to apply for college admission. The following are not acceptable:

Equivalency certificates (such as the G.E.D.) are not acceptable.
Vocational degrees that are not considered a basis for further academic study will not be considered equivalent to U.S. high school education.
Work Experience: Submit documentation to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate at your interview demonstrating that you have two years of qualifying work experience in the last five years immediately prior to application. Qualifying work experience must be in an occupation that, by U.S. Department of Labor O*Net Online Database definitions, requires at least two years of training or experience that is designated as Job Zone 4 or 5, classified in a Specific Vocational Preparation (SVP) rating of 7.0 or higher. (See Step 1 for information about using O*Net Online.)
 
adsy said:

The only record they 'officially' want is a Year 12 certificate OR equivalent. Your year 10 certificate they won't want (but again, it will never hurt to take it with you)

They also would like to see any University Degree Certificate's if you have them, because this 'builds' on your case. They aren't required, but it's a good idea to get the certificate from your Uni if you can.

BUT the bare minimum is the Yr12 Cert or equivalent. YOU MUST HAVE THIS.
Click to expand...

Thanks, but this isn't true for me. I don't have my year 12 certificate (I didn't finish year 12), however I have been assured by the embassy that I am still eligible as I have a bachelors and masters degree.

So, I plan to obtain my year 10 certificate and my university transcripts. Just wondering if I should get the transcripts for my different high school years or not, but going by your answer just showing completion should be enough.
 
josh000 said:
Thanks, but this isn't true for me. I don't have my year 12 certificate (I didn't finish year 12), however I have been assured by the embassy that I am still eligible as I have a bachelors and masters degree.

So, I plan to obtain my year 10 certificate and my university transcripts. Just wondering if I should get the transcripts for my different high school years or not, but going by your answer just showing completion should be enough.
Click to expand...

Yeah a Bachelors and Masters is much better than a Yr 12 Cert :)

I would not bother getting transcripts from below yr 10.
 
josh000 said:
Thanks, but this isn't true for me. I don't have my year 12 certificate (I didn't finish year 12), however I have been assured by the embassy that I am still eligible as I have a bachelors and masters degree.

So, I plan to obtain my year 10 certificate and my university transcripts. Just wondering if I should get the transcripts for my different high school years or not, but going by your answer just showing completion should be enough.
Click to expand...

If they assured you by email I would print that reassurrance email and take it to the interview. I have read of people getting denied even with Uni degrees because they did not have high school certificate. However, it probably depends on the country. The Sydney consulate may be more lenient than say a consulate in a 3rd world country, where no high school certificate may raise some questions. I had my year 12 certificate, year 10 and degree certificates - but Sydney consulate only wanted to see the year 12 certificate.
 
That is actually great advice, print out EVERY email conversation you have had with the consulate. I did this as I had many issues regarding marriage, changing interview dates and incomplete civil documentation. All the emails I had back from the said everything was ok.

But on the day of the interview you just never know, so best to print out every conversation.
 
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