Thanks!

Bill

We just got "VISA IN HAND"

POE here we come!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No printer problems

ATTENTION
Seems like the embassy has gone thru some changes in the past weeks. Instead of giving the visa the following day, NOW its 2 days. This is probably better since it might avoid the "printer problem" excuse. More changes are to be noted as well. I will share a few when I get back to L.A. I do not want to confuse anyone here.

Another big WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Diana, gracias por la pista. I'll let you know what I hear. I don't think I'm going to win though. My husband wants us to stay with his cousin to save money...what a DRAG.

Lucho...thanks for the heads up on the visa. I bet it was the best feeling in the world to have it in HAND. I'll be waiting to hear the rest real soon. Remember...I'll be there in 13 days!

Dre

Dre,
I'm with ya, my husband wants us to stay with his cousin as well. Auuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuughhhh!!!!! double auuuuughhhhhhhh!!!

Lucho,
I'm so happy for you my friend. Enjoy it all the way here!

Diana

Congratulations again Lucho y Wendy!


Well folks, I'm still waiting for my case to show up at the NVC (might already be on it's way to Bogota). My fiancee, Monica, has begun getting all the documents ready. Hopefully the Certificado de Migratorio arrives with ample time for the interview.

So whenever we confirm that the case is in Bogota we will send(fax and courier)

Cover letter with BGT - case number
OF-129 - signed
DS-230
Photocopy of her passport page - optional, right?

Is the LAB and the doctor's office the same? Or are they located on different places?
Both of the authorized doctors are in the same location? Just in case one doctor may not be available at that time.

Not sure of locations but I know they're not in the same places. The doctors are in different locations and you need an appointment with one or the other. If the doctor you choose is away on an emergency on the day of your appointment, they are good about sending your information (and appointment) to the other doctor.

Certificado de Migratorio??? Where did this originate from that this document is needed? It is not listed in Pkt 4. I do not recall from the reports I have read that anyone has ever been asked for it. We are getting the dang thing, but it has taken over 2 months to get it. We still have not received the certificate. Unless you live in Bogota, it is one big pain in the rear to obtain. It has cost us over $100 US in travel fees going back and forth to Cali so far and still get the same thing, "it will be here in 2 weeks" come back then. A phone call says "oh yes we have it". Go to Cali to the office and they say another 2 weeks. As I said we are going to get it to make sure everything goes well at the interview, but I really have not seen where it is required. Maybe some who have been there can add to this. Our interview should be in August. We sent off Pkt 3 July 2nd. I am going to call the Embassy next week to see if they have a date for our interview. I do not have high hopes of Paola getting Pkt 4 in the mail in Buenaventura. At the very least getting it before the interview date. I have sent stuff FEDEX overnight and it takes a week or more for it to arrive in Buenaventura. You can track it to Cali, but no further. When it does arrive they do not notify her. She has to go to the office every day to see if it has arrived.

Buck, its asked for in the Packet 4 documentation. Whether or not a CO asks for it at the Embassy is completely at their discretion.

Much luck and relax with the issue. Having read the 80+ pages here you'd know that in Bogotá it would have taken you a LOT less time and the smaller the town, the more inversely proportional the time to securing it will be...

Buck, someone posted here that you can go to Bogotá and pick it up there. I'm not sure how that works but maybe your fiancée can call Cali to find out that if worse comes to worse, she can pick it up in Bogotá while she's getting her medical stuff taken care of.

In Packet 3 it's referred to as "carta de entradas y salidas". When my fiancee went to DAS, the official knew exactly what it was. Monica is in Buga and for the travel cost to go to Bogota to get this thing, we opted to apply early and hopefully get it in Cali.

So what is the distance between the LAB for bloodwork and the office for the Dra Gonzalez? I don't want the appointments to be scheduled too close for comfort....

The Certificado de Migratorio can be obtained in three business days in Bogota. My wife chose not to wait for the indeterminate time it would have taken to receive it from DAS in her hometown (weeks or months.... who knows?).

I can't tell you the distance between the lab and Dra. Gonzales because my wife ended up going to the other doctor. But, I would be hesitant to schedule them the same day because the lab has to send the results to the doctor's office. You specify which one.

[quote name='parkpapa' date='Jul 11 2007, 03:04 PM' post='1040874']
The Certificado de Migratorio can be obtained in three business days in Bogota. My wife chose not to wait for the indeterminate time it would have taken to receive it from DAS in her hometown (weeks or months.... who knows?).

I can't tell you the distance between the lab and Dra. Gonzales because my wife ended up going to the other doctor. But, I would be hesitant to schedule them the same day because the lab has to send the results to the doctor's office. You specify which one.
[/quot

One way or another we will get the Certificado de Migratorio. I can have Paola go to Bogata 2 weeks before the interview if we have to. We have all the other doc's in order and are ready for he interview.
I am a very detail oreinted person and am used to doing things I am familar with, or getting all the info and understanding it way ahead of time. We are fast approaching the interview and I do not feel totaly comfortable. New for me. I'm going to mellow out some, relax, let things happen and react when they don't.........................well, I'm trying anyway.LOL>LOL. Thanks all, I hope to be all wound up soon about the AOS process. LOL.

Hello all,

Last night we made it in to L.A. Point of entry was a piece a cake. They didnt even ask her any questions. Her POE was in the same place as if she was a citizen, she wasnt taken to a special room or location. The officer opened the sealed envelope which has all the forms that we have filled out since day 1. The I129, g325a, packet 3, packet 4 etc. He stamped a couple pages, finger printed her index finger on each hand, took a mug shot and we were set to go. All in all it couldnt have been more than 15 minutes. We are happy now, finally together. No more phone cards

BTW, and no the officer did not even ask for the x-ray....surprised huh?

I am back now and can answer any questions. Sorry if I couldnt reply to your pm's sooner. Last 2 days were hectic. Who's next to interview????

I'm a lot like you, Buck. I want to know what to expect at each step and be prepared in advance. Not that I always succeed, of course. lol

In dealing with bureaucrats in Colombia, be prepared for a certain level of frustration. Their time-table is not the same as ours - and this is true of our own government, as well. Just prepare the best you can, and then try to take frustrations or delays in stride.

Lucho,
George's wife had his interview and were approved!. Tell Wendy congrats on making it to the US safe and sound. I hope she likes it. L.A. is soooooo awesome, I'm so jealous.

I also found this on the web which I thought was kind of funny. I wouldn't be surprised if they gave Jorge Celedón the same "printer malfunction" excuse.

Diana

Jorge Celedón aplaza conciertos
Fuente: Junior Pardo , 07/12/2007

Por motivos de fuerza mayor, la agrupación de Jorge Celedón y Jimmy Zambrano, aplazó su viaje a Estados Unidos y los conciertos programados para éste fin de semana en Dallas, Houston, Orlando, y otras ciudades, quedaron postergados.


La Embajada de Estados Unidos, con sede en Bogotá, informó que el visado del conjunto se entregará la próxima semana debido a los inconvenientes en el sistema de Washington que registra un colapso y un represamiento en la tramitación del documento.


Los integrantes de la Organización Musical de Jorge Celedón y Jimmy Zambrano, cumplieron con la cita de la entrevista y la entrega completa de los requerimientos para la renovación de la visa.


A raíz de esta situación, Jorge Celedón y Jimmy Zambrano, ofrecen sus disculpas por éste imprevisto y esperan la comprensión de sus seguidores en Estados Unidos.

I have been rooting for the folks on this thread from day one of my filing. It is good to see so many getting the visa. I will have to say this has been an experience so far. I think what makes it so stressful and causes worry is that as you go thu this, you never know for sure your going to get the visa. It seems like it should be a bit more reliable. I know there is fraud and all that, but man! Congrats to all who have made it this far.

It's funny how we have our significant others so close to each other, Buenaventura, Buga and Tuluá. My husband will have to go to Buga pretty soon to get his Baptismal Certificate before the interview. I told him to pay a visit to El Señor de los Milagros while he's there so we can have a little extra help on the day of his interview.

Diana...I love Jorgito Celedon, but it makes me feel a little better that I'm not the only one given a hard time at the embassy. El Binomio de Oro is playing in Atlanta this Saturday to celebrate Colombian Independance Day....I'm glad they have their visas in hand!!!!

Lucho...welcome home to you and Wendy!!! And I think I'm NEXT in line!!! I have 10 days, 13 hours and 32 minutes.. thanks to my handy dandy counter below! Is there anything else I need to be prepared for other than the long, cold wait at the embassy? I'll keep my fingers crossed on the X-Ray issue...if its in one on my moving boxes, it will be found when I move into my new house. I'm glad to hear it wasn't asked of you along the way.

Well... I have a NEW question for those of you with VISA IN HAND.....how many days do you have from the time the visa is issued to when you MUST travel to the US? is it 30 days or 90 days? My husband has to sell his apt and his moto and he refuses to put any of it for sale (THIS TIME) until he has the visa in hand (can you blame him? he had to go home in february and undo a bunch of transactions!).

Your input is appreciated.


Dre

Dre,
Thanks for the welcome!! After visa in hand, you have 6 months to travel to the USA, and once in the USA you have 90 days to get married.....I speak for K1 visas only. Dont know if there is another type of visa for fiances like there is 2 types for married couples.

Also for the embassy. Just make sure you have everything in order, all documents. Expect to be scammed, well they will try to scam you. They as in people that have shops near the embassy. Like photo copy centers and passport pictures centers. Dont listen to them, they will claim that you need to have umpteen copies of cedulas, amplified at 150% and etc. Dont try to speak to other petitioners, some will say otherwise. However, we found that the very few people we spoke to kinda made us confused. Well, almost confused. I believe with the knowledge that we have due to this thread, we should be unvincible in the process. Other couples that we met that dont go on VJ, seemed to not have a clue.

It easy to understand how you could be scammed. Thanks for the 2nd warning.
I have one question............when they give you the instructions at the Embassy, do they speak both english and spanish, or just spanish? I am going to be dinked if it is only spanish. Unless they speak very slow and clear I can not understand what they say and even then I don't get much of it.

There is only one person you need to be able to communicate with (other than the CO, of course) and that is your fiancee/wife. If you both are aware of the process and all of the potential problems, and if you trust each other, you'll be fine. All instructions given while waiting in line or in area 40 were in Spanish. The COs at the windows speak English, but your role there will be limited.

Throughout our visa process, I tried to explain to Lorena what VisaJourney was all about, but had little success (my Spanish really sucks! lol). But, I was able to prepare her for nearly every aspect of what we would go through, and she felt very reassured by the knowledge. I think that may be 90% of the battle. The paperwork itself is not really difficult, but the mental preparation and intimidation can be really tough.

You guys are doing great! Keep it up!

Don't worry..you will be fine. The lady at the lines in front of the embassy was Colombian, the lady inside explaining how to arrange the paperwork was Colombian and the rude and rather unhappy looking paper slinger at the first booth was Colombian. They will only need to communicate with your novia. The only American was the CO and in my case he didn't even speak to me.

LUCHO...thanks for the info on the K1 visa, Oscar is getting a K3 so I'm not sure that it has the same rules because we're already married...does anyone know how long you have to travel to the us on the K3? Mike...I know you know.... I read on the guide that the K3 is valid for 2 years with multiple re-entry, does that mean he can travel anytime up to 2 years?????

As far as the EMBASSY.....from my experience in February, and I am Colombian and speak fluent spanish, they will only speak spanish to you outside the gate and at the security checkpoint. thye come outside around 6:45 and put you in the appropriate lines...for K1, K3 and CR-1/IR-1....get in line 3 which is basically on the grass next to the sidewalk...do this as soon as you get there becuase most people get in the LONG line (line 1) and later have to move to one of the others. Everything else she says after that, I tuned out because it had nothing to do with us. Like Lucho said, have your paperwork in order, your appointment letter and passport in hand (that applies to everyone attending the interveiw) and be prepared to show it to the gaurds when the line starts moving. Once you go through security (don't forget to leave your camera phones at home) you will go to one of the first 4 booths. A CO will ask YOUR FINACE or SPOUSE for their passport and appointment letter...they will not speak to the USC at this point. From there they move you to the area on the far left corner in front of boots 1-8 and you will sit there and WAIT and WAIT. It is COLD inside the embassy so wear pants, closed toed shoes (I speak from experience) and a light jacket). The wait is long so you may want to bring something to read.

As far as being scammed....I'm colombian and PAISA ... its pretty hard to scam me.

Dre

Dre,

I am a huge vallenato fan and boy what wouldn't I give to go see El Binomio de Oro, but no one ever comes to Denver.

I remember when I went to the Registraduría to get my cédula last December and we were just hounded by all these guys trying to get money out of us. But yeah, it's very hard to scam a paisa, we're the scammers not the scamees.

Diana

THIS IS A TIP FOR EVERYONE:

When you POST A REPLY make sure you scroll ALL the way DOWN and select FAST REPLY or ADD REPLY. This will prevent your post from copying the ENTIRE last post. If you want to QUOTE something from another post, highlight it and select QUOTE under THAT post and what you highlighted will be copied onto your post. This will make for cleaner and neater posting.

THANKS

We did miss our scheduled interview for july 10 but the embassy gave us a new interview date of aug. 16. The embassy has been good to us so far with a few changes that we asked for by fax ... last name change and now new interview date. Lucho said that he was given a return of two days for their visa ... interview thurs. and visa pickup on mon. Is everyone having the same 2 day wait for visa???

Hey,

The only people that have had interviews in the past few weeks from VJ are Jediknight, Cartagena and myself. I know for sure that Jedi and myself had to wait 2 days to get visa in hand. Not sure about George (Cartagena). This 2 day wait is a new rule. I believe it may actually be better to wait 2 days. I think that the embassy finally realized that they probably can not punch out visas in 1 day, mmmm the printer problem.

Well now.......I called the Washington DC office to inquire about our visa. We sent Pkt 3 off on July 2nd. They could not tell me if Pkt 3 had arrived. They did say that some documents were sent off to Paola in May and were returned as un delieverable. Thye did not know what docs they were. I assume it was Pkt 3. since we are using a lawyer I guess thye must have decided to send them Pkt 3 as that is how I recieved it. I then spent the $16.00 and called the Embassy in Bogota. I got thru and the man I spoke to was trying to be helpful. His english was very bad and he directed me to the Embassy website. I believe our appointment should be in Aug and those dates are not posted yet. So as f now I have no way of knowing and can not find out if they have gotten Pkt 3. No one seems to have the info. As far as Paola getting mail.............that is a no brainer, it is not going to happen. I stressed this to my lawyer, no help. Paola sent off Pkt 3 by DHL, they have a tracking system, but you can't track it. The same happens when I FEDEX stuff to her. I can track it to Cali, but once it leaves there, it dissapears. I am not sure what to do now. My lawyer is no help in this matter, no help fron NVC and no help from the Embassy in Bogota. I do not have a clue as to how to find out if they have received Pkt 3. I am not sure how long to wait. How long do you wait for something that you don't even know if it is comming. Paola only has a cell phone, the carrier for FEDEX or DHL will not call a cell number to notify her that the package is waiting to be picked up. Does she just go to the office everyday for who knows how long, hoping for Pkt 4, when we don't even know if it has been or will be sent. If I sound a little frustrated, it is cuz I am. LOL>LOL. Our application expires in Sept. 07, I guess we cn just wait and if we do not here anything, apply for an extension and do Pkt 3 all over again. If that is the caase I think I wi;; buck up fly Paola to Bogota and hand deliver the Pkt. Request that Pkt 4 be picked up by Paola in person. That is a bit spendy, airfare is about $250.00 round trip. Plus food and lodging. I want to thank those that have sent me a PM and relpied to my previous questions. All info has been good so far. I have not read where anyone has had this issue though. Thank you.

Buck,

Maybe I'm coming in late on this one, but WHY are you waiting for PKG 3 to be delivered to Paola. If you need the contents of it, many of us have a copy (including me) and all she has to do is fill it out and fax it to the embassy and follow the fax with an overnight package by SERVIENTREGA. As far as pkg 4, since delivery to HER is an issue, she can either pick it up herself in Bogota on Thursdays between 12-2pm or authorize a friend or relative to pick it.

There are several people in ColombiaClub (from Cali and Cartagena specifically) that have NEVER recieved their PK3 and PK4. Go back in the thread and you will find their posts. They all took the route that Mike and I took. If you go back in this forum to about November, you will find detailed explinations of these steps from myself and MikeandAdrianna.

I hope this helps.

Dre

Buck,

Drea is right. Packet 3 is available on the embassy website. It is identical to what your fiance will receive. She does not need to wait for packet 3 to come to her. She can download it from the embassy. Packet 3 does NOT include anything personal to her. Everyone receives the same packet 3. Packet 4 is a different story, since this packet has the appt. letter that is personal to her.

Packet 3 link for K1 visa
http://bogota.usembassy.gov/wwwfck1instrucciones_temp.pdf

After filling out the require forms and signing the OF169, have her fax that in to the embassy. After faxing it in within
a week or so, you will be scheduled for an interview.
Hurry and do it NOW if you have hopes for an August interview. If you wait a few more days, you might not get an August interview.

QUOTE......Maybe I'm coming in late on this one, but WHY are you waiting for PKG 3 to be delivered to Paola. If you need the contents of it, many of us have a copy (including me) and all she has to do is fill it out and fax it to the embassy and follow the fax with an overnight package by SERVIENTREGA. As far as pkg 4, since delivery to HER is an issue, she can either pick it up herself in Bogota on Thursdays between 12-2pm or authorize a friend or relative to pick it.

I guess in my frustration i was not clear. We have faxed and sent in Pkt. 3. I called because I thought that since they received Pkt 3, or should have recieved it on July 2nd, that we would be able to obtain the status of the Pkt 4 and interview date. After calling NVC and the Embassy in Bogota, no one was able to give me any info. They could not even tell me if they had recieved Pkt 3. The only info they were able to tell me is that some document was returned as undelieverable that was sent to Paola. They could not even tell me what the document was. I assume it was Pkt 3 cuz it fits the time frame failrly close. No matter on that now, as we have completed and sent in Pkt 3 on July 2nd. The problem with picking Pkt 4 up at the embassy is that I have no idea if there is one there for her as I can not find out if Pkt 3 ever made it to the Embassy. Sorry for the confusion.

Trust me I'm cracking out about this printer problem... But yeah, its probably better to just tell people 2 days rather than 1 to have them come back. It makes the process look that much more professional when you deliver when you promise...

I need to rephrase, the lady that I spoke to at the NVC was very nice. She was polite and asked many questions and pulled up my case number. There was not any info from the US embassy in Bogota. I then Called the US Embassy in Bogota. The man I spoke to was also very nice and tried to be helful, I just could not understand him very well and he had some difficulty understanding me. The only negative thing was he would not look up my case number, which I find odd.
My lawyer, which I hired prior to knowing about visajourney is about useless after the case leaves the US. My contract with them is good through out AOS process, maybe they will be of some help then. Sorry for the rant and not so clear post's.

Buck,
Sounds like they haven't received your packet 3 yet. It is the 13th, and if you faxed it in on the 2nd, you should have received an interview date by now. Which NVC should know that date. After we faxed our packet 3 in, it was only a few days later and we received our interview date. Maybe try faxing it in one more time?

Buck,
Try faxing it one more time and please, please, please mail it to them as well using Servientrega. If you do both, it will be a sure thing that the embassy will receive packet 3. Do not rely only on faxing it, you should also mail it.

And since today is the 13th already, there is a big possibility that you won't get an August interview, so it will probably be for the first weeks of September. I could be wrong though and luck my be on your side on this one and end up with an August interview.

Diana

I have just finnished talking with Paola. She is going to the office on Monday to see where the heck the docs were recieved. I was mistaken before. Part of the language barrier I guess. Since I am not there I can say for certain what exactly was done and not done. She told me before that a man at the internet cafe faxed the docs. When she went to the cafe the internet was down and he said he would send them later. I assumed they were sent, as did she. Now I am beginning to wonder. It is possible that if the docs were not faxed that they have not reviewed them yet. We have photo copies of Pkt 3. Can we Send those or do we need to fill out new forms? She will fax them again on Monday. Something seems a miss here Whatever the case is we will repaeat it.

Buck

I'm glad that we're getting clearer on the issues. And I can completely understand your frustrations. Here's the good news...the embassy's cut-off date for setting interviews falls between the 16-20th of each month, so if you can get the fax done on Monday and mail NEXT day by SERVIENTREGA..you'll be right on time for an August Interview. You can try calling the embassy on Wed, the 18th, but they will likely not have your fax registed in the system just yet, unless you get lucky. Try waiting until next Wed, July 25th and then they should be able to give you the interview date over the phone.

Now, as for PKG 4, once you KNOW the date of the interview, you can program your fiance to arrive in Bogota the Thursday BEFORE the interview and she can pick up PKG 4 in person. I've seen other VJers do this when they had similar issues. As far as the docs in PKG 4, one of us can provide you everything BUT the appointment letter so that you can have her put it together before the interview.

Best of luck.

Dre

Diana and Dre


I had to ask my wife what a paisa was ...she said " Oh from Medellin...they are experts at selling things!".

Tony,

I think your wife was being very nice. Paisas are experts at EVERYTHING!!! That's why I said that it would be hard to scam me, I've heard it all before. HAHAHAH.

Dre

Yes Dre, I think she was saying excatly that in her wonderfully incomplete english . I guess any "Hotlanta" scammer doesn't stand a chance. They are mere amateurs! On another note...got NOA today for AOS...so another step done....wow seem like life is moving fast. Feel like yesterday when I first found VJ and was uneducated about the immigration process and feeling overwhelmed. " How ya like me now!"


Tony

Tony that's great news about your AOS process. I agree with you...we've earned our stripes here on VJ. I bet there are quite a few VJers who know more about immigration law than most immigration attorneys. I sure feel like one of them after all I've been through!!! I'm just happy to give back after all the support I've gotten here.

Dre

Tony,

A paisa is pretty much anyone who is from the coffee region, this includes Antioquia, Caldas, Quindío & Risaralda. BUT the most famous paisas are from Medellín, we are known for being ahead of everybody and not getting stuck on any situation. We're kind of like New Yorkers but not so rude. Hehehe, my apoligies to the New York peeps.

Diana

My fiancee went to the SERVIENTREGA office this morning and checked on the status of Pkt 3 delievery. It was recieved by the US Embassy on July 5. When I called last week to NVC and The Embassy in Bogota they did not have any info. I am going to call later this week and see if there has been any update on the interview date. Since I have no faith in the mail system we will most likley go with others advice on gettig to Bogota on the Thursday before the interview. Thanks for all the advice.

TONY! Congrats on getting the NOA! As you know, we both started about the same time last year, so I use you as a benchmark to see how I'm doing. They received our AOS packet on July 6th, one week after they got yours, so I'm guessing we'll have our checks cashed at the end of this week or early next week.

Deleted.

What's up everybody...well here is another Colombian into the club...my process is fairly young but already stressing the hell out of me..i sent out my I129f on May 18th...they recieved it on May 24th and sent me the NOA1 on May 28th...Online it says that the last time touched was on May 30th...thats the last i heard...im a little worried because of some things i have heard..i met my fiance on Feb 19th and have been back to Colombia 3 times since..im worried that they might think that it is all too soon and might reject me because of it..Im keeping all my calling cards i have used to call her since we met ( and i have over 150) all the e mails we have written back and forth ( over 200 ) and have a lot of pictures and videos from times we spent during my trips back...i ust want this process to go smooth and as fast as possible....i have a connection with an atoorney general in Bogota, Colombia, im hoping her influence helps me in any way...well ifanyone has any advice or any comforting for me i would appreciate it!!!! ...by the way, ever since i found this website i have been a little more calm...it helps to see that there are cases going through and that i mightbe there eventually...

Hello Byron

Welcome to da club and you are in good hands here. There are some very nice and knowledgeable people here. We all share a common goal. There is more than enough information here to get you through and the sucess rate is very high. On the other hand, I do think you need to make some calls. The Vermont Service Center does not normally take so long to approve applications. If it was the other service centers I would not be so concerned. Maybe earlier this year, there was a big increase in applications submitted to beat the big price increase but I'm just speculating.

TonyS

Tony thanks...i have been wanting to call but those people are so rude that i dont want to lose my temper with them...by the way ..what number do i call