RNkiwi

Hi just to butt in here! It has taken me 2 yrs, 10.5 months to get my visa- it still hasn't sunk in yet..... The fact that my papers were "misplaced" by my attorney several times and the horrendously long processing time at Texas SC certainly try your patience. Just to get an interview in Sydney is a 3 month wait- don't know what other consulates are like at present? Good luck if you get thru in less than 18 months- I was promised 8 months in 2002... :)

Hi all! Finally had our interview today (if you can call it that!),- signed 2 pieces of paper, raised our right hands, interviewer apologised for the delay and that was it... :balloons: Have to go back on Thursday for our passports. Have another 4 days in Sydney, Australia to relax (sold our house, car and excess belongings last week, shipped our stuff to Florida- a full-on week!). Will update when I finally get to Florida. Wendy :beer: :cheers:

Hey, you guys are lucky, we have to take our kids to the interview in Sydney- only a 4 hour flight :chuckle Got my packet 4 yesterday, interview on June 21, should be in the USA by mid July- can't believe the end is in sight....

My visa fee bill was paid in Jan-$335, got a letter from my attorney saying I had to pay another $45 when i go for interview, as fees are now $380 per person. As if it doesn't cost enough already!

Whether you are effected by retrogression would depend on where you were born. As far as I know ( correct me if I am wrong), only India, China and the Philippines fall into the retrogression catergories. All other countries are current. Does that clarify things? :)

I'm pleased for you! :balloons: Hope the rest of the process runs smoothly! Wendy

The bottle is well and truly open! Forgot to mention, the cost of the visa has risen also- now $380 USD each, $45 increase. I have my fingers crossed that things go smoothly for you Sue- for me once DS230 was requested it was only a matter of weeks for approval. Time for another wine! :)

Received my packet 4 today!!!!!! :balloons: Attorney tells me my interview will be scheduled for June, so should be in the USA in July. Roll on early May- consulate said they would call me to confirm my date and time! Just have to sell our house now! Time for a wine! :cheers: Wendy

PS forgot to mention- once you have a case number from the NVC you are able to call the automated ph number, this will tell you where you are in the processing situation. :)

I am guessing that phase 1 approval is the completion of review by the service centre (?). The paperwork is then passed onto the NVC who process it next. The visa fee bill is then requested ( about 4-6 weeks after you are entered into the NVC system ), once this is received by the NVC they will then generate packet 3, which contains the DS230 and some other papers. This is then reviewed by the NVC, once this is complete ( in my case 7 days ), the papers are then sent to whatever consulate you chose. Depending on what consulate you are using, there is now a wait for an interview ( in my case 60-90 days), I am waiting to receive packet 4, which contains info about police clearances, medicals etc. Just as an idea of time- my case was created by the NVC on Nov 2 2004, completed on March 16 2005, sent to Sydney on Mar 22 ( and is still enroute!) Hope this has been of some use to you!

Hi Sue, I feel for you! Have they given you a reason for the delay? Has the visa fee bill been paid yet? Hopefully she is giving the worse case scenario I seem to have ground to a halt here also. I called the embassy last week ($2.75/min), they put me on hold , only to tell me they still didn't have my papers from the NVC ( didn't know the Pony Express was still operating!), so I am patiently still waiting for my interview date and packet 4. Still no news 10 days later.... I think everyone who goes thru this process deserves a medal for perserverance. Personally I am so sick and tired of living in limbo, just getting an interview date would give me something to aim for! Anyway, keep in touch and let us know how you go :)

Hi there, I am currently waiting patiently (not!) :chuckle for Packet 4 and my interview date in Sydney. My I140 was filed in Sept 2003 TSC, approved Sep 2004, case created at NVC 11/04, received Packet 3 late Feb, case reviewed by mid Mar and sent to Sydney. Now have a 60-90 day wait for interview http://www.cptracker.com is a good tool to use to gauge lengths of time :) Good luck! Wendy

Hi Suzanne, trying to sell our house and having a major clean out in the process- you know fresh start and all of that!!!! :balloons: Checking out real estate in Florida ( spending the proceeds of our house sale already!)

Hi Sue, just wondering how you are going with your application? Where are you up to now? My papers have just been sent to the Sydney consulate, who inform me it is a 2-3 month wait for interviews now- can't win! Plenty of time to work on Packet 4 I guess.... :chuckle. Packet 3 was assessed in 6 days.. I see Texas is now processing papers submitted in Jan '05- wonders will never cease! Let us know how you are going! Wendy

Hi Bernadette, I have been battling my way thru the US immigration saga for over 2 years now- hopefully it is more efficient these days. :) CGFNS makes everyone's life hell- I used to call them regularly- mind you there are some total idiots who answer the phones there and have no idea what they are talking about. It took about 6 months for them to do my CES evaluation to sit NCLEX ( I didn't sit the CGFNS exam- applied for a state that didn't require it and then endorsed my licence into Florida once I had sat NCLEX), even though they had all my paper work I had to get "fresh" nursing school stuff from NZ to get my Visascreen. I had to fly to Hawaii to sit NCLEX, but I believe you can sit in Hong Kong now? The longest part of the battle was getting my application processed in Texas ( the service center area for Florida), although this seems to be much quicker now. I just checked the USCIS processing times for California- June 2004- they seem to have caught up a bit also. How long does it take for California to evaluate your nusing papers? Now I am waiting for my interview at the Embassy in Sydney ( hospital has an appalling lawyer, he has lost papers, doesn't pay things when supposed to etc etc)- hope to be gone by May- although I seem to have been saying that for years now!! Are you going thru a recruitment agency? Good luck and feel free to ask me anymore questions,, although can't help much with the California side of things! :chuckle Wendy PS are you in Perth?