Logistics

In the last couple of days Warren and I have talked in some detail about the timeline we will need to follow once his extended visa is in place. This will involve selling our car either first or last, depending on how things pan out time-wise. We really need to re-pack our storage locker...at least the last 1/4 of it as we add the possessions we currently have with us. We also want to visit family in Whangarei (a good 5 hrs drive north from where we currently reside) and plan a family gathering on the North Shore, Auckland. We have a couple of special friends we want to share a meal with  and spend time with our elderly parents before we depart. We don't know how long we will be gone, so the latter is especially important.
There are, of course, the details of where to stay in Auckland while we complete our various last minute tasks. Renting furnished apartments rather than Motel/hotel rooms works best for us, we find. It is also considerably less expensive for the most part, means we can cook and visit our friends and family without taking up space in their guest rooms. We like to be independent.

I have been searching online for airfares, but there is nothing we can book...yet. It is good to know I can also book United Airlines Mileage Plus Award Travel, having enough miles to get both of us one way from Auckland to Houston, TX. It just means we wont have the ability to visit with our family in two different US states. This is unfortunate, but the budget wont allow for it at this stage. Lets hope they can come and spend some time on the boat with us.

We have been in a holding pattern for the past five months. We applied for Warren's visa at the beginning of December 2012. Just prior to that he received a 6 month US visa, but leaving NZ and returning every six months over a ten year period (the life of the visa) was not going to be economically possible. Other issues come to bear on this also...see below.
Because of this we have made the decision to stay in NZ until his 2 yr visa is approved and then move to the USA. We can apply for an extension for that visa before the 2 yrs is up, from the USA.

The big challenge with a 6 month visa is that when you need to renew, you have to leave the environs of the continental USA. You cannot go to Canada, the Bahamas, Mexico etc and then try to re-enter the US and expect to get a further 6 month extension, too many times. We know of others who have been turned away at the border regardless of their visa. You are expected to leave the USA for a min. period of 15 days between visits.
With all this in mind, and not wanting to take the risk of being turned back at any time, we are sitting tight in NZ. It is easy to get disillusioned throughout this whole process, though.

Two years ago, the US Embassy in NZ used to process the whole of the Visa application and issue it from Auckland. Now, they only conduct the final interview and process the NZ Police record form. The rest of everything is couriered at great expense to mainland USA. Not only is this superbly inefficient, it just doesn't make any sense. It isn't centralized and the different departments don't appear to share information. We know, we asked!

We signed up for e-notification from the National Visa Center (NVC), and have learned to expect mail from them on a Tuesday (being Monday in the USA) which sends a shiver down our spines because there is usually a request for more information or money. This of course cannot be E-mailed back to them. It has to be couriered! Then we wait another week to 10 days to be told that something isn't right, more information is needed or they couldn't process our fees! aieeeeeeeeeeee~! Mucho frustration!!!

We have not heard from them  (NVC) this week and are holding our breaths until next Tuesday morning when we hope we will hear only the good news that Warren can go and get his Medical certification and a date for his interview in Auckland. If we don't hear from them, we will call to make sure they have everything they need. This of course means we wait on the phone for at least 30 mins. to be connected to a real person. Said person rarely knows much more than what is on their checklist of documents they should have in our folder.
I have to say, it would be VERY helpful if the applicant received a checklist at the beginning of the process so that we could send everything at once. We thought we had done that with the initial application, but apparently that went to a different department and the NVC was not given that information...hence the need for additional copies, fees etc etc. I do wish they would learn to share!