The first letter...

Today, I received my first letter (via email) about my Visa application.

Dear Mrs Ashley Diane Bougoure-Latchford,
 
Acknowledgement of valid application for a Partner (Provisional) (Subclass
309)
 
This letter refers to your application for a Partner (Provisional)
(Subclass 309)  visa, which was lodged at The Embassy of Australia in
Washington DC on 24 April 2012. You have indicated on your application that
you wish to be considered for the grant of a Partner (Provisional)
(Subclass 309) visa.
 
We have begun to process your application. This letter confirms that your
payment has been receipted and your application has been assessed as a
valid application.

This came very quick! Of course, all of my correspondence for Owen's Visa was done by mail and it took forever! So the process has officially started!!! Crazy crazy!!
 

$$

They have taken my money. $2000+ is now pending on my AMEX...so they have received my Visa Application which I sent on Saturday, April 21st. I will be now awaiting my letter...hoping it doesn't say I screwed something up!

Visa Application In!

It's done! It's sent! There is no turning back! I sent off my visa for permanent residency on Saturday morning. It should have arrived on Monday. They have yet to take my money, so I hope they have received it! I also hope I have filled everything out correctly! When we sent it off, Ava and I gave it a kiss for luck and fingers crossed! Now we just wait. The exciting part...waiting...

With my application, I also sent in photos from our wedding, and family photos, tax papers, pay stubs from both Owen and I, affidavits from me, Owen, Owens mum and Kelly (a good friend of ours in Australia). Also attached were birth certs of Ava and Dempsey as well as their Australia citizenship certificates. I had to send in my birth cert and Owens, our marriage certificate and passport photos.

Hoping it all goes easy from here! I'll keep you posted!

He Passed the Test!

Owen had his citizenship test this morning. We had been studying all weekend. We reviewed all 100 questions last night as well. His interview was at 7:45am this morning. Bright and early!

His interview took all of 20 minutes. They asked him 4 questions of the 100 we studied. He had to read and write out a sentence and then his interviewer asked him if he was a drunkard. Did he drink and then stagger around drunk? Really? Owen thought that was a rather random question! But in the end, he passed the test and we now await his letter informing us of when his oath ceremony is. Next step is to get his US Passport! Now everyone is a dualie but me...

Certified Copies

I am finally getting all the paperwork done and the documents I need together to send off my application. Right now, I am trying to get my vital records, marriage license, passport photos and the like certified. I have a called a few notaries but so far, haven't got much information on who can do what. Thanks to google, I did find out that a notary CAN NOT certify a vital record. In order to get it certified, you have to request one through the vital records dept of your state. It costs $18, at least in Utah. Make sure you specify that you want a Certified Document...not an original. Lucky for me, I already have certified copies, so that saves me some trouble and some money! Passport photos will get done this weekend, I will pick up my certified birth certificate from my moms house and I will be able to send off my application and my $2000. Better start looking for the 2nd job to pay for it...or start selling my plasma...