CONGRATS GIRL!!!!

Congratulations!!!!

Thanks guys, I'm so relieved!!!

Rafael,

The average wait for a petition to be approved, especially by the CSC, is about 90-120 days. So hopefully yours will be approved before the end of September.

Diana

Hey Chester...

This is great news that you were able to sort out the packet 4 situation...whewwww!!! I'm sure you are releived. Seems like a huge wild goose chase...thanks for the posts...they are so helpful to me and everyone reading them. Keep us up to speed on your progress.

We got a little good news yesterday...Our case was touched after 3 1/2 months!!!!!

Scott

Awsome!!!!!!!!!!Congratulations Diana and the best of luck!!!!!!!!!!!!

Scott

We had the interview this morning. We spoiled the perfect record. I will post details when I return to the US on the 24th. We did not get the visa. Interview was about 2 min long. All perfect except for one document that I did not think we needed. Bummer. The visa will be issued when we get the document. It will be 2 weeks before we get it. More later.

Oh my, sorry to hear this. What doc???

Always have everything you are asked for and them some... I hope that Buck gets the document needed ASAP so that he can spend some quality time with his lady in the USA!

Oh noooooooooooooo... what document???

But it's not so bad since you will get the visa once they receive the document, right?

Diana

Very sorry to hear this Buck...with everything else done, 2 weeks will fly by.

Buck..sorry hear the news. I have been reading your posts and following your story. When you have a chance can you tell us about this document.

Hang in there Bro.

Diana,

CONGRATS!!! on the news, Diana.

I pray that your right on that it will be in Sept.

Diana, I remember one of your post that you had mention about the vacunas; buy two shots and get the third shot free. Is this still true? and if so would Cali have the same rates?

Rafael

Congratulations Diana!!!!!!!!!!

Buck, sorry to hear you hit a bump in the road. We all look forward to hearing what document was involved, but whatever it was, it's a good object lesson for those in-process: read everything here and on the USCIS and Bogota Embassy websites, and then, prepare, prepare, and prepare. You will never have too much proof or documentation.

Charles

Congratulations to Diana and yes, to Buck also!

Buck, if someone had told you a month ago that you would have your visa in 2 weeks and all you had to do was obtain one document you would have been thrilled right? If your interview only took 2 minutes all of your preparation must have paid off.

I know you are probably a little disappointed, but just think about this. Paola is really coming to be with you soon! You´ve got to feel good about that. Now you can stop worrying about the petiton being denied and start worrying about which of your clothes she is going to make you throw away.

Now, are you really going to make us wait until the 24th to tell us what document was missing?

Oh my... I hope all is well with you Buck and Paola. I sure pray that you get it resolved as quickly as possible.

Buck...I'm sorry to hear this. I know what it feels like to walk out of their without the visa. The upside is you're only missing a document and your interview was brief, that's always a plus. Don't let this spoil your time with Paola, enjoy your time with her and get on the missing doc. Two weeks will fly by.

Dre

I'm with Bill y Bella on this one. It's a very good sign that they will give you the visa once you turn in the missing document. It could've been worse.


Rafael,

That's what the Red Cross from Cali told my husband regarding the vacunas but he ended up getting them in June in Bogotá. Which sucks because both doctors' offices told him today that thay can't be more than 8 days old. Is this true???!!! I was shocked so I called myself and they told me the same thing. How can that be when vaccines are supposed to be good for years? Those freaking doctors are always thinking of new ways to get you, that's for sure.

Diana

Diana,

I was just on the embassy website, and it looks like there is a new law that applies to the vaccines. I'm not sure what the details are, but i'd wait a bit before getting those vaccines.

Congrats to all. Hang in there Buck..only 2 more weeks!!!! Your interview was not a failure, just a slight delay.

Buck, im sorry to hear the news, but In the long run its better than getting a complete denial. After the LONG wait you have had, this is just a small bumb in the road.. Hang in there, though its very disappointing, 2 weeks is nothing!

Lucho, what new law is there about the vaccines?

Check out the embassy's website. It does not explain the new law about the vaccines, it just mentions that there is a new law.

I believe the embassy started making changes around the first week of July. Hence that is why they tell you to come back 2 days after interview to pick up the visa. That is why the Dra, didnt even ask for our DS156.

I have internet access now. The document we need is a certificate of police record in Panama. I read the info on Pkt 4, it said if you reside in another country for more then 6 months you would need the certificate. The time is accumilitive!!!!!!!! Paola was ther for a total of nine months over a 2 year period. She has no criminal record and was not a hooker there. They seem to think all Colombianas in Panama are hookers. Not true. She worked for a lady cleaning and caring for her house and did hair and nails for others. We have a letter from the lady in Panma stating this fact. I flew her to Panama 3 times as well as her mother before I went to Colombia. This was not a problem. The problem was the police certificate. Now I have to get her to Panama to obtain the certficate. We went to the Panama embassy here in Bogota, it would take 2 months to get it here. It will take 10 days and $4.00 to get it in Panama.
It seems she will need to have another interview now also. Bummer!!! I will not be able to be with her on the next interview. . I hope that is not a problem.
The man we had the interview with said all was good, he asked her how we met, when we met, how we communicateand how long we have known each other. That was it. He did not ask for any foto's or other evidence. He said it was not neccessary, he was satisfied we were the real deal. Talk about easy. My fear now is if she has to have another inteview it may be not as easy. The man we saw was very nice.
When we went to the window to present our docs from packet 4 we saw a lady that I am convinced has never been thankful for a breathe she has ever took. She was nasty. She was throwing papers around and looked at me in disgust. I wish I would have taken her name now. Depending on what happens next we could use that in a letter to our congressman. She was way out of line!!!
I have founf out that they can not deny anyone a visa if there is no fraud, as long as you are truthful, have your docs in order they cannot deny you. They can make your life miserable though with all kinds of delays.
The dissapointing part for me was we had gatherd all kinds of extra info and were prepared for anything. Letter from the women in Pamana, a letter from the doctor she worked for for 4 years in Buenaventura, and all kinds of othere stuff. Most of that stuff the ###### threw back at us. The man we had the interview with was very impressed. Too bad about the misunderstanding for the Police certificate. I should have been more careful. We talked about the fact t hat she was there, but decided it was not needed. STUPID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! More later, thanks for all your concerns and well wishes.

Accumulative time period? That doesn't make any sense.

For example , I have stayed in the Netherlands over the last 5 years with an accumulative stay of over 6 months. All multiple visits of 4 weeks each. I do understand what your saying Buck, but I can't put logic on it why no official 'wording' is made available by the embassy.

Now this has me concerned, but I will still push forward.

I'm sorry to hear this Buck, but it actually makes sense. She was there for a significant amount of time, 6 mos., and taking the word of the lady she worked for is not enough to CO. I hope things get resolved soon and that she doesn't have any more issues when she goes back.

Diana

Buck, I hope you get this resolved asap. Dont get too bummed out.

I think it will be OK. I am a little upset that they group all people the same. Colombians seem to get a bad rap over a lot of things. I understand the reason for a Police certificate. I do not understand why it is accumulative time and over what period of time it is accumulative. That was not clear to me. The man that has the apartments where we are staying said he has heard of several Colombianas who have been to Panama having problems gettting the visa. We seem to be ok, but at the same time we do not have the dang thing. I also see the concern for fraud with women that have been or are hookers I guess. I have heard that in some other countries it is a big problem. I don't know about Colombia.
Paola will go to Panama on Monday the 27th. She will be there for 10 days or so, untill she gets the certificate. I don't want to wait 2 months for it in Colombia. I hope that does not create a problem.
The letter was to provide proof of emloyment for her. She has had several jobs, all of them have paid her under the table, including the doctor she worked for in Colombia.
I have internet access now. I just wrote the details of the day of the interview and somehow lost it all. I will post in the morning giving an account of our experience at the embassy.

congrats diana, you're almost there.
JK

Sorry to hear that Buck, but I'm sure you will resolve that situation, don't worry too much about what other people think about colombianas, we all know that they are very good and dedicated women, just concentrate to get it done and bring home your sweetie, just be patient and don't lose control of the situation,

As for your experience at the embassy will be nice to know how it was, the more we know about the more prepare others will be, as for example your situation for not having a police report about the time Paola has spent in Panama, nobody would figure it out that it was cummulative, now I'm sure others will take that into consideration....
It's only two more weeks Buck, and Paola will get her Visa... you waited this long, two weeks should be really nothing...
Good LUck........

Luish

Buck, hang in there champ, your almost there. The process seems to "lento pero seguro"...translation (slowly but surely)

Buck, since you have a date for your wife's trip to Pamana confirmed, go ahead and schedule your next appt date at the embassy. You can always reschedule at a later date if needed. I wouldn't be too worried about a second interview. Just have Paola take everything with her again, but I'll bet they will only ask for the missing document. Good luck.

Dre

Hi! I am back from Bogota. Spent most of the time seeing doctors, dentists and school directors in preparation for moving Bella and the kids to the US. Dental work costs a lot less in Colombia, so if you need some work and you will be in Colombia for a visit you might want to consider having it done there.

I flew back through Fort Lauderdale for the second time. I will try to avoid that airport in the future! The lines for customs and immigration are horrible. Each time I waited 2 hours in a line with no bathroom between the plane and the actual customs area. Miami seems to be a lot faster with much better facilities.

I received my NOA1 while I was away so now we are officially in the game. Now it is looking like it will be a long wait for the NOA2 since processing seems to have slowed significantly. I still have my fingers crossed for a pre Christmas arrival, but that is beginning to look less and less likely.

Keep the faith Buck. It sounds like the Panama police certificate is doable so you will be all set soon.

Bill

Bill, you are absolutely right about the cost of dental work. Lorena has had considerable dental work in Colombia for less than $400 that would have cost several thousand here. Her teeth look perfect!

Regarding the kids and vaccinations: if the kids are school age, you might want to check with the local school to see what vaccinations they require. Chances are that they are different than what the US Government requires for simple entry to the country. Lorena's older boy (age 11) is having to have several booster shots over the next three months to catch up to where American kids are by the time they enter Kindergarten. Shots involved for him are three polio boosters, Hep B (second and third shots), and Tetanus (second booster).

Colombia is also "the place to go" for face lifts and other plastic surgery procedures. At least the prices are low. I have no idea what the quality of the final product is like. Though I could probably use some at any price. haha

Thanks for the tip on school vaccinations Charles. I had not thought of that so I will add it to my list.

The other great thing about Colombia is that there does not seem to be a wait for medical services. The ratio of professionals to people who can afford their services must be much greater than it is in the US. In Bogota you can call Friday afternoon and get an appointment for Saturday morning.

Bella needs several implants which will cost $1,000 each in Bogota. That seemed high but I just did a quick search of US prices for implants and they seem to be much higher. Actually some of them are astronomical.

In any case, we are using a national clinic called Sonria. It might be a little more expensive than some other places but I felt a little more comfortable with a "brand name". We will probably also have all of our future dental work done in Colombia on vacations.

I wish I had more time to spend with my father in law. He's an odontólogo in Bucaramanga that has the most gentle touch these nice teeth of mine have ever come across. I wish I had known him when I had my 4 wisdom teeth taken out.

This is a great advantage for those of us that know how to spot good medical care- take it while the going is good and have your spouses help you negotiate decent, but obviously gringo, prices.

I plan on having lasik done down there at about 1/2 the total cost that it would cost a a name brand clinic here in Chicago, with special attention from my wife's friends that just happen to work at these Colombian name brand clinics. All with a trip, chorizo, and arepas included...

Can someone help me on this,

Okay I'm hoping that NOA2 is not too far from happening...so, what I was thinking to get all needed documentation now, but I don't want us to spend money on birth cert or DAS paper work, knowing that it will expire in few weeks. Is this true and can anyone offer me some insight. Thanks...

Lucho much props on the fotos of the embassy you took...

I look on the Embassy website and I was unable to find the new vaccination policy. That is another thing that I would hate my fiancé go through twice. If she gets them this month in Cali and we go to Dra. Gonzalez when it our turn does she have to get them again?

Rafael

Rafael,

I will not get into the vaccination policy or procedures. Wait until your fiance receives packet 3 and see what it says to do. The current packet 3 on the embassys website does not mention a change to vaccines. However, I did see a mentioning to a change, but for a different type of visa, not K1.

The DAS paperwork and birth certificate do NOT expire in a few weeks. The DAS paperwork is good for 1 year. The birth certificate does not expire at all.

Here is the packet 3 for k1 visas link
http://colombia.usembassy.gov/wwwfck1instrucciones_temp.pdf

Lucho.. thanx for the packet 3...

Cool, we will hold off the shots...but we should get the other stuff right...?

so what you think...do think the NOA2 will come around soon. I would really like for her to be here for the holidays ...thanksgiving and Christmas...do you think we have a shot?

Rafael

Hold off on the shots until you get NOA2. By then some people ahead of you should know whats up with the new policies if any.

And yes, you have a shot to have your lady with you by christmas. Just read up, and learn some of the shortcuts and you will succeed.

You might based on old data. Earlier this yeat it was taking about 3-4 months to get an NOA2, that seems to have changed after May.

I will keep everybody posted as far as the vaccines. My husband called both offices back in June and they told him that he would be fine if he got them, so he did. Then last week one office told him they had to be not more than 30 days old, the other office said they would be fine. THEN I called myself and Dra. González's office said they had to me not more than 8 days old (one week) and the Dr. Roa's office said that the doctor himself would make the decision on whether the vaccines were still good or not.

Bottom line is, I feel like these doctors are trying to get more money. Vaccines are good for years after you get them and if they ask you to get new ones at their office even 3 months after you got them at some other place, that means they're trying to get more money out of you. But what can you do?

Diana

Sounds like a plan...thanks champ. I just have to hang in their, it is rough man. I don't how all you have done it..I hope she will like it over here when she gets here. How is you wife, Wendy adjusting to the change? Has it been hard for her? I really want to get prepare for that too.

Yeah most definitely we will use the shortcuts...I used the one you gave to Byron about the RFE..and they did not tell me anything different they just told me your case is pending ...

Diana,

Hope all is well. I just had a question about the change since May. Have NOA2 been coming faster or slower?

Drs. Roa and González along with their Immunologist friends... vs... the CDC in Atlanta?? I just find it hilarious given the fact that some of the vaccines used are the same ones given in the States made by the same pharmaceuticals (Aventis, et al). This may seem interesting, indeed, unless someone at the State Department, the CDC, or at USCIS can clarify what these new vaccine regulations are all really about, we will have plenty of speculation and continued demands for more vaccines than may be actually unnecessary.

Then again, Byron's girl won't be eligible for a couple of the shots since she is pregnant... unless that also gets changed in Bogotá as well...

Someone should seriously file a complaint against these MDs if it turns out that they're milking us for extra cash given our collective situation to not protest for fear of not having our loved ones with us at home in a timely manner. Be the matter that this is Colombia is not an excuse for corrupting the system, and even though there is no needed implication that the procedures are prone to corruption, the fact on paper and logic is that if strict demands are placed on applicants and petitioners towards the goal of completing these medical steps, then so too should the actual medical processes be held in strictness cleanliness to avoid any further corruption.

We all know how much the Embassy loves receiving Congressional inquiry into these matters. I think I may be contacting Barack Obama's Senatorial Office soon to inquire. Any other takers? I'll be hopefully working on this soon!

Maybe birth certificates do not expire, but they can get to the age where the translators will refuse to translate them. I had several refuse so Bella had to get a new one. Her "old" one was dated in 2004. It annoyed me, but what can you do?

The embassy accepts documents in spanish or english. So, translations shouldnt be an issue at this point. A translated birth certificate into english is needed for Adjustment of Status. If you have trouble finding someone to translate the birth certificate, I can help you translate it for free. No special certification needed to do the translation.

Buck,

Did you have any vaccination issues come up? I'm asking you since you are the last one to go thru the interview process.

Diana,

Hope all is well. I just had a question about the change since May. Have NOA2 been coming faster or slower?
[/quote]

Rafael,

Just to let you know...USCIS just mailed me a hardcopy of NOA1 08/20/07 after receiving our petition on 05/03/07...I hope this is not a relection of the speed of the remainder of our petition!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Scott

Thanks for the offer Lucho.

I was not preparing specifically for the K1, but instead for later down the road with schools, drivers licenses etc. Who knows what translation requirements we will run into so I wanted to have multiple copies of "officially" translated original birth certificates in case they were needed. I even have one set with the apostle or apistle or whatever the hell its called, just in case someone demands one of those.

I must say the an original Colombian birth certificate is not very impressive. It is a very poor quality photo copy with a difficult to detect raised seal. It took a while for Bella to convince me it was an original birth certificate.

As to the vaccinations, I think Charles makes a good point. If there are kids involved, find out the school requirements and have the kids vaccinated to that standard while they are still in Colombia. Presumably it is a more stringent requirement. Also make sure you keep the doctor's records so you can document the immunizations.

Good luck Nydia on your interview tomorrow!!!!

Muy buena suerte Nydia!

Sam y Nydia,

I hope all goes well in the interview today. Let us know how it went when you have a chance. Thanks

Rafael

Lucho, a question.....My girl has only been out of colombia once, and it was only for 5 days, when we went for a vacation to peru, I know she has some kindher papers from the police, it's like a card with her fingerprints, now does she need the DAS record for out/in from colombia??, the embassy will ask her for that?, or will they just look at her passport and not ask her for that document, we still have time, because her interview is for September 10th..,