visa...oh my

so i got my visa petition thing through today and all i can say is oh dear, i dont understand half of what im meant to be doing! im sure im gonna annoy the folk at the embassy with all my silly questions...ah well, roll on july!xxx

 

i think if you look at it with the stuff michele e-mailed us it makes it a lot less complicated...although i'm scared about what they said on the yellow sheet...i'm sure when i arrive in florida the last thing i'm going to want to do will be to ensure that all that is hunky dory!

 

I'm off round my sisters tomorrow to use her phone to call the Embassy. No chance of me calling on my mobile

I think it's pretty straight now i've read the info michelle sent. Phone up, quite some numbers on the paperwork we just got and pay $131 over the phone for the meeting.

 

probably about £1,000 in phone calls later...booked. 23rd june. not allowed to take our mobiles in, what's that all about?!

 

Haha no

but take a book or a magazine or a newspaper, maybe all three - to keep you occupied, no electronics, you have to take your belt off

if your not stopping nearby, then you can leave some stuff in lockers in the pharmacy around the corner!

 

How long were you on the phone for Matt? I'm dreading this bloody phone bill than anything right now

 

I was at the american embassy this morning to get a passport and I overheard a couple people talking. They didn't know that cell phones aren't allowed. One of them hid theirs in the bushes, the other gave hers to a random lady to hold.

 

ah that's good to know about the pharmacy michelle! cheers for letting us know.
lee, i'm guessing it was about 10 minutes or something, i didn't really time it i'm afraid.

i tried filling out that DS 156 or whatever form out last night...that was lots of fun :-\

 

Was anyone able to pay the $131 fee with a Visa Debit card? Just reading up and it says no debit cards?

It also says about VISA applications need to be filled out online (DS-156) and men also need to fill in a DS-157. Do i need to do this 1st or was any of this done already by Yummy Jobs?

I have no ides what to do ???

 

i paid with my mum's mastercard, but she had to be there to give all her details - i wasn't allowed to do it on her behalf.
the forms can be done after you book your appointment. i've only done the DS-156, not the DS-157 yet.

 

This is all giving me a headache now ;D

Do i fill the forms in then print them off and take them to the embassy with me?

Now got to find someone with a bloody credit card.

EDIT. The Yummy Jobs email actually says i can use a Credit or Debit Card. Thank God

 

Also, can i make the embassy appointment for whenever i can or has it got to be within 30 days of flying or something?

 

yeah the yummy jobs email does say that but when you call you can only use a visa (not visa electron), american express or something else (cant remember what) card. its a real pain in the ass! had to get my dad to come stand next to me so he could pay...ah well its $131 less for me...now i have a question i vaguely remember reading that if your appointment was at 8 you should turn up for 8 tere was no point in coming along early but does that mean you have to be in the queue to get in for 8 or have to be physically in the building for 8? does that make sense? ???

 

no, karri. no it does not ;D neh i think i get what you mean...i think as long as you're outside for 8 you should be fine.

i thought i had read the earliest you can start queuing is half 7 anyway (half an hour before the appointment)
and lee yeap you do (fill them in, print, take to the embassy)

i put that my employers (and the address) were "Walt Disney World (Epcot), Orlando FL" for the DS-156 form...i hope that's not too vague, i did e-mail michele haha

 

Blimey! What a kurfuffle all this is!!
My mum's phone bill came in yesterday and the phone call to the embassy came 2 £8.20!! My mum went bonkers cos i didn't tell her it was £1.20 a min, whoops!!

It took me ages to fill in that form online, and to remember all the dates I have previously visited America! Not sure why they need to know that, I rekon they are just being nosey!

Matt I put the exact same address on the employers bit, shouldn't be too vague, I mean, who doesn't know where DisneyWorld is right??

 

Got my embassy meeting booked. May 21st which is a week today. I think it went as it should. They asked for a couple of numbers (which i did struggle to find) from the paperwork we just got, gave them my passport number and bank details and that was it. Got my email conformation which i need to print off

I got 8am too which is not ideal but at least it's booked. I'll email Yummy Jobs later to let them know (need a cup of tea and some food first)

 

I'm hoping they'll let me have mine next week, if not I'll be waiting a while before I can get my appointment. Does anyone know if we can change the date after we've booked it, will there be a fine for that? When is everyone getting theirs? xXx

 

I got the impression that one a date is made you have to be there otherwise you loose your $131 and will have to rebook

 

i was tempted to put "that thing that looks like a giant golf ball" but refrained. michele said what i put was fine, as you say i'm sure it's not like if you were working for "bob's bait bazaar" or some crazy tiny shop

as i understood it, and i could be wrong, you can reschedule within 12 months without a fee, but it can't be transferred to another person without paying, and if you just cancel/don't turn up etc you lose it too.

 

You cant change your date, otherwise you loose your money, and then have to pay it again!!! it sucks, i know

I just had to explain to my manager, if not i was going to pull a sickie, what can she doooo? sack me? haha im leaving in 2 weeks =]]

yayy

take a good book, magazine, perhaps a really realy long book, take your belt off, dont have any electrcals, etc etc