Aussie in summer program Nov 2007

My accounts can't take much more. :'(
I will investigate the consulate website.

 

I can't find anything at all about an issuance fee on the consulate website (just the Post Shop and SEVIS fees) and I don't recall Trudy or Disney ever mentioning anything in any of the emails. ???
I will just go to the bank once I'm in Auckland if they decide they want some more $$$.

What time of day are you guys arriving in Orlando on the 27th? It looks like I might not be landing until 9:00pm now which is a pain but Trudy said it would be fine. By the time I get to the apartment the roommates might be in bed haha.

 

We're getting in the day before at 4pm. We didn't realise we were meant to land actually on the day when we booked our flights, so we're staying at a hotel near the airport the night before being picked up by Disney from the airport

 

You will have a full day to settle in and unpack which will be good. ;D
I wonder when all the training and stuff starts, the next day?
I hope a nice shirt and pants is okay for Traditions and stuff.

 

At least you guys don't have to wear stockings! Sigh. So very 50's oppression... (yes, feminist criminology is still kicking in my head).
Found out about the issuance fee-sydney takes cash, so I'll stick the notes into my socks or something.

@ Bryce-in trying to avoid study, I looked at the NZ website. apart from not seeing the other fee we Aussies need to pay (but don't quote me on that), I noticed that you have to prove you don't want to abandon your country. There's nothing like that for us, reckon that says anything about their perceptions of AUS vs NZ?

 

Haha what are you trying to say Lauren? :
I hope those stockings itch!

 

Hi All,

I'm guessing that Tina and I were the first ones to do our visa interviews (which were today in Melbourne). So I'll let you know what to expect.

- I assume everyone has a visa appointment time, although you get there half an hour early, don't expect to actually get seen at your time

- we got there 15 minutes before our interviews (peak hour traffic, plus flying from Adelaide!) and we waited for about 1 hour before our relevant forms were seen by one employee, were told to go to their computer and type the DS156, although the paper says it can be printed, and then take another number and line up from the beginning again. After waiting a further 45 minutes we were seen again and our papers were accepted

- Make sure you bring your postage paid envelope!! Also the issuance fee I mentioned before (for Aussies anyway) must be paid at the consulate (Melb. doesn't take cash or eftpos, so you must bring a money order or bank cheque if going to this consulate)

- Then you wait another 30 minutes until you can be electronically fingerprinted

- Then you wait another 45 minutes until they do the actual visa interview (which consisted of 'Which uni do you go to? When are you due back in Aus? And I need confirmation of your enrolment at uni and intention to enrol next year)

All up we waited for just over 3 hours before we were finished and spent about 10 minutes with actual people. It was great fun! Also don't bring anyone who is not going for an interview of their own with you, because they get kicked out of the consulate office. Our Mum spent 3 hours downstairs by herself because they wouldn't even let her wait in the waiting room!

All in all a terribly long and boring ordeal for something which should be much quicker if more than 3 people were working in the office! About 30 or 40 people tried to get through in the morning we spent there and most people were fed up with waiting!

Our visa process is finished now, we just wait for our stuff to be sent back to us. I hope that all of you guys have a much better experience than we did!

Cass

 

Wow I hope the NZ consulate is better organised.
Did they actually want confirmation that you are enrolled at uni for next year? I don't think my uni is even accepting enrolments yet!
Also did you not have to submit a DS 156 online before going to the interview?

Bryce

 

Yeah, I think so - you still have to bring a printed, typed version of the DS 156 to hand in with your other forms. When I went into the visa interview they want a form to say that you're enrolled in uni now and that you are at least scheduled (we can't enrol until Feb next year either) to go back next year. I thought that's why we sent the first confirmation of enrolment to Trudy, so that they could sort that out. I guess maybe she used them to get the DS 2019's organised. Anyway, if you don't have confirmation for the interview, we are allowed to send the forms by mail once we've organised them

 

Hi,

My visa interview is on 4th October.

The lady at the embassy gave me a checklist of what to take with me. She mentioned the $140 fee to be paid at NZ Post. She didn't say anything about the issuance fee.

Anyway hopefully things go fine.

Cheers

Steve

 

Cass, thanks so much for the heads up. I sent a copy of it out to everyone on the Aussie list, hope you don't mind, but it was really good.

@Bryce-you can borrow the stockings if you want

 

Hey All!

Just found this forum... Im also aussie and heading out to Florida in Nov! I'm working as a lifeguard and just did the visa interview... Wow that thing was crazy.. It also took me 3 hours at the Sydney Consulate my poor friend came with me and was stuck downstairs for 3 hrs with nothing to do... Anyway just thought i would say hey and feel free to add me to msn or whatever as i would really like to meet anyone else that is going tooO! : xox

Kate

 

Hey!

I have my visa interview tomorrow...I just found out that they also dont accept credit which I was planning on paying with.

Do they let you out to go to the post office to get a money order? Coz my appointment is at 9am (well 9:30) and they wont be open and I dont have a money order or bank cheque.

I have a feeling its going to be a S**t of a day...and its my b'day

 

Happy Birthday!!! Hope it doesn't suck too much. It's all for a good cause. How old will you be anyway? Old enough to rock the joint in the states?

Welcome to the party Kate! For your interview, did you have to prove enrolment at uni or anything? Cass had her interview the other day and she said something about it online.

Also, I vote we start a forum for fun on the general site. (That way we won't stuff up people looking for info here) See you there, think favourite Disney character...

Lauren

 

The number of Aussie 'gals' going is growing fast!!!

 

Hey Porcelain,

They will let you out, the downside being that you lose your place in line and have to go through security again on the way up. Then you grab another ticket and begin the wait again! Good luck with it

Cassandra

 

Hey Porcelain, how'd it go? Long wait, mega frustration? I can't wait!

@Bryce, that's right, we travel in packs. Stay away from dark alleys

 

Just put the boomerang on the ground Loz. Nice and easy.

Crazy sheilas. (However you spell it)

 

Ooh, I wouldn't start making country-specific jokes if i were you (baa...)

 

It went really well!!! it only took me an hr and 1/2, they let me out to get my money order...thank goodness I had forgotten it...otherwise I would have been on that tram derailment that happened!

I turned 25 on Monday for whoever it was that asked.

At the interview they asked for confirmation of enrollment for next year which is a bit dumb coz at Uni SA we dont do enrollments until January...I could have told them I've bought a laptop to take with me just so I could do my enrolments....but they didnt exactally seem like they had a good sense of humour.

So anyway I've got my uni to write me a letter which I faxed off yesterday...I hope they got it coz I cant find a number to confirm it...I guess i just have to wait till my passport comes back.

Good luck to everyone else who still has their interviews to go!
Luv
Carmen
PS: Has anyone started thinking about how we are going to celebrate Australia day on the 25th-26th? Hopefully we will be able to stream JJJ and listen to the hottest 100...and for those of us over 21 get drinking....maybe we could get friendly with the local bottlo manager and see if they can import some coopers!!!!