Peru: "No appointments available" and other woes. Bribery? Help!

[Pawstruck 1]

Hello again VJ crew; let me just say first a huge THANK YOU to all the users of this website who have helped me and many others along the way. You're awesome.

Now on to it... first, the TLDR version:

1. My fiance and I broke off our original engagement, but the application was approved (NOA2 received, etc.). Now we're getting married for sure, but I tossed the documents. I'm told we won't need them. Confirm/deny?

2. We filled out the DS-160 and now only need to make an appointment for her in Lima, Peru. However, website constantly says "no appointments available - check back in a few days" (we've been checking for a month). What do?

3. My father is driving me crazy, harping on me saying we should have gotten a lawyer, because they would know "which palms to grease along the way." He insists this would have resulted in a faster visa. Any possibility this is true?

The long-er-ish explanation:

1. So we got our NOA2 and the application was sent to the consulate in Peru... this was back in 2015. However, we never heard anything from them (she never received anything by mail at all), and we broke up shortly after that. I had called USCIS to ask them what to do at that time to "cancel" it, but they said (predictably) that it was no longer under their purview and to just not worry about it. So I tossed my whole packet - yes, I regret it a LOT now - including my NOA's and all the other important acronyms. However, I do still have the WAC number, and that was enough to allow us to complete the DS-160 form online.

Some people are saying you need your NOA2 for the interview, but I've heard many more people say "all he asked to see was our pictures" and things like that. Most folks seem to agree that we probably won't need it (I think a replacement is like $400+?!?). What do you guys think??

2. This is driving me nuts. I've called the US Department of State's Appointment Service for Lima, Peru and she said "Yep... I see here that they don't have any appointments available. Just keep checking the website." Sooooooooo what... is this gonna take 10 days or 10 years?? My fiance called the US Consulate in Peru and they basically gave her the cold shoulder, told her to send an email with any inquiries (which I did today). I'm at my wit's end here just because we've done everything and are now left completely in the dark, without any estimate of how long this should take just to make a stinking appointment. I'm really worried that we're just sitting here wasting time, and obviously we want to be married ASAP.

3. Pretty much above.

Bonus round: My fiance has suggested that I simply go to Peru and get married to her there, and then apply for a brand new visa as a married couple. I pretty much think this is a horrible idea and possibly visa fraud, so I'm disallowing it for now. Am I right?

Thanks!!
-Matt

[Pitaya 2,576]

~Moved from K1 Process to MLSA Regional Forum~

~Inquiry is embassy-specific!

[EM_Vandaveer 2,368]

You can get married and file for CR-1, it's perfectly OK, but it takes a year.

[Pawstruck 1]

You can get married and file for CR-1, it's perfectly OK, but it takes a year.

*jumps off a cliff*

[Boiler 43,430]

Yes you can certainly marry and file.

[f f 725]

do not try to grease any palms it is illegal to even offer a bribe.

[Pawstruck 1]

Got it.

What about the fact that she never received a package from them? They even called the residence to ask if [My fiance's name] lived there, and her sister confirmed it. When my fiance called them, though, they literally said "What, you think you're the only one? Just wait and it will come." (That was over 6 months ago.) Any ideas on that?

[lacolinab13 86]

When was your I-129f approved? It can only be valid for a max of one year after approval, so make sure you're not running up against that deadline.

As I'm sure your fiancée knows, mail is notoriously unreliable in Peru. She can email the immigrant visa unit in Lima for the letter that lists all the docs she needs to bring. The address is on the embassy website. They reply within a few business days, and no, they do not take any phone calls for visa inquiries, only emails.

Has your fiancée paid the fee at the banco de la nacion? She won't be able to make an appointment until she does. If she has, Keep checking back for appointments. I've heard of this happening at various consulates, where appointments get booked up for a while. I would check every day so that if appointments open up, she can snag one.

Just asked my now husband and he's not sure if they ended up looking at the petition docs. But you are supposed to submit a copy of your NOA2 for AOS. I think I've heard of other people losing them and it being ok. I'd make an info pass appointment at your local office to ask if you need to have it replaced.

[Pawstruck 1]

When was your I-129f approved? It can only be valid for a max of one year after approval, so make sure you're not running up against that deadline.

As I'm sure your fiancée knows, mail is notoriously unreliable in Peru. She can email the immigrant visa unit in Lima for the letter that lists all the docs she needs to bring. The address is on the embassy website. They reply within a few business days, and no, they do not take any phone calls for visa inquiries, only emails.

Has your fiancée paid the fee at the banco de la nacion? She won't be able to make an appointment until she does. If she has, Keep checking back for appointments. I've heard of this happening at various consulates, where appointments get booked up for a while. I would check every day so that if appointments open up, she can snag one.

Just asked my now husband and he's not sure if they ended up looking at the petition docs. But you are supposed to submit a copy of your NOA2 for AOS. I think I've heard of other people losing them and it being ok. I'd make an info pass appointment at your local office to ask if you need to have it replaced.

So an appointment opened up for October 3rd just a few minutes ago, and I selected it. We haven't payed the $300 non-refundable fee yet, though, due to expiration concerns.

It was approved July 22, 2015. So it's been just over a year ago.

I think we're screwed.

[lacolinab13 86]

You need to write to the immigrant visa unit in Lima asking if your petition is still valid, but I would assume that it isn't at this point. They are usually valid for four months, renewable in four month increments for up to a year total validity period.

I'm surprised you were able to make an appointment for a K-1 visa without paying first. Sounds off - when we were scheduling in March we could not see any appointments before paying.

If your petition is no longer valid, you will need to start over with another K-1 or a CR-1. Getting legally married in Peru is not that easy and requires a whole set of documents. Doable, but it would take time for you to gather what's needed and you need to do your research well.