Rafael...and anyone else that needs this info (including me)

I just found this on the embassy website...everytime I go there I seem to find either more or different stuff!!! It kind of drives me crazy!!!

Unless you have a scheduled appointment or an open appointment, you must use the Colombian mail system, the United States Postal Service or a private delivery service to send documents to the Immigrant Visa Unit.

To send us documents from the Colombia, you must use the Colombian mail system. The mailing address if you use the Colombian mail system is:

Embajada de los Estados Unidos de América
Carrera 45, No. 24B-27
Bogotá, D.C.
To send us documents from the United States, you must use either the United States Postal Service or a private delivery service (e.g., FedEx, DHL or UPS). The mailing address if you use the United States Postal Service is:

IV
Unit 5108
APO AA 34038
The mailing address if you use a private delivery service is:

Embassy of the United States of America
Calle 22D Bis No. 47-51
Bogotá, D.C.

They have got to be kidding. The Colombian mail system is horrible. Don't they realize how many people never receive their package 3 and package 4?

Thanks for the info Scott. Now I know that I have to send any documents from the US because there is no way in the world I am going to use Colombian mail.

Folks,
There are several different types of courier services that you can use in Colombia. Wendy used a next day service when she couriered packet 3 after faxing it in first. Do not worry about the slow service with Colombia's "super snail mail" system. Just use a next day or 2 day delivery courier.

Also, you guys shouldnt worry too much, because I know you will be faxing in your packets. I havent heard of a case where the embassy has not received a packet 3 via fax.

Lucho

Servientrega seems to be the most reputable one. We have used it and had no complaints.

R.

For Servientrega:

The mailing address if you use a private delivery service is:

Embassy of the United States of America
Calle 22D Bis No. 47-51
Bogotá, D.C.

(consular section - visas)
Phone: 011-57-1-315-1566.
fax: 011-57-1-315-4155.

Everytime I mentioned Servientrega to Lorena, she would only chuckle and shake her head. The quality of service may depend on what part of Colombia you're talking about. It appears that regular mail (outside the larger cities) is IRREGULAR at best.

If you want to send something from the US to Bogota and get it there very quickly and reliably, I recommend FedEx. I shipped some papers there 'overnight' and it literally DID get there overnight! Sure, it cost a ton, but it did get there. FedEx does not, to my knowledge, deliver outside of Bogota.

Charles

DHL has an office in Bogota also. I noticed it the other day when we drove by it.

Plus they do the NVC-BOG route, so they're used to handling Embassy-bound packages.

Any interview dates or NOA2's?
Scott, Has your case reached NVC?

Lucho...

I called NVC on Monday and it seemed as though I was in a recurring USCIS nightmare !!!...The person was rude...short with any kind of response to my questions and it seemed as though the person was reading from a script.
Bottom line was that they said it could take up to 90 days...what a joke!!! My question to the person helping me was...what was the average time for them to receive and process an approved petition? The answer was "it could take up to 90 days". I said "I understand that but what is the average?"....the response"it could take up to 90 days","it could take up to 90 days","it could take up to 90 days"...WHATEVERCLICK!!!

I will try again en la manyana and keep everyone posted.

No NOA2!!!! ....Tomorrow will be day 136 ....

Nothing here not even a touch.

Scott
That certainly was a script! They gave me the same script as well, no worries, just call everyday. Even twice a day if possible, early in the morning and late in the evening. Once it is there, give it another day or two and it normally gets sent out to the embassy.

Nothing, Lucho, thanks for asking. Mine is only 115 days old... so I guess I still have to wait a little longer. All I can say is it feels better when you are not alone. Thanks, guys, for posting your timelines here.

Juan Carlos, CSC has been moving very very well lately with the NOA2's ....your almost there!!

Hey folks!! I have been out of town on a biz trip. Paloa picked up her visa on Monday, no problems. I am leaving early Saturday morning to go get her. we return on Sunday. Dang phone service in Colombia seems to be on the fritz, I have not been able to get thru all day.............................Update, Paola just called, she left her phone in a car, or lost it. LOL>LOL. I now have the number for her brother to call. Lord.................give me patience. LOL>LOL.
What in the world will I do when she loses the key to the house and cannot get in?? I am a total anal dude!!!! I have never been late for anything in my life, never, not once, never missed a day of work, ever, never lost anything in my entire life. I really need patience, need to understand better. I have been accused of being a very intense person, comes from being self employed I guess. Paola is good for me, I hope I am good for her. OK.........I promise to mellow out some. Sheese, I am suffering from the reality of her comming here with all kinds of unknown about her transition. I really want her to be happy and feel secure.

Lots of patience Buck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We need it with women anyway, so even more when its such a change and adjustment for her....

Don't worry Buck. She'll have you whipped into shape in no time.

Let me know if that certificate of abandonment ever comes into play. We were not able to get one from ICBF. Because she never tried to collect support money ICBF has no records so they would not issue the certificate.

However, I asked 2 different DAS agents and the DAS information office at the airport and they all said the same thing. As long as there is no father on the birth certificate there will be no problem taking the kids out of the country and no other docs are necessary.

What are the ages of Paola's child/children? Were there any questions about the status of the father at the interview?

Thanks!

Bill

Paola's son is 13 years old. Not one word came up at the interview about it. However, not much of anything came up at the interview as far as questions go.
The fathers name is not on the birth certificate. Paola went to, (not sure who) asked for the Certificate of Abandoment and got it very easy. The father was last known to be in the US. That was a very short time after he discovered that he was going to be a father. Over 12 years ago.
I do not have the proper answear for you. However, a child always has a father....................who is he?, where is he? Does he know that you are taking his child out of the country? Does he approve? Does his family approve? My "opinion" is to get the certificate. Cover all the bases, be prepared.

Good advice but the only problem is that they would not give it to us. Maybe we'll try in Bogota the next time I am there.

And in Colombia apparently a child does not always have a father. Everyone down there says it is "perfectly normal" to have only one parent on a birth certificate and in that case there is no father. Still seems strange to me though. I think if there will be a problem it will be in the states when I attempt to adopt them.

Thanks for your help Buck.

Checked NVC this morning...nada

Buck...First and foremost...be patient and BE YOURSELF and everything with the help of God will fall into place!

Hey Byron,

You and Rafael's number are coming up very soon...just hang in there for just a little longer...

Hey guys here what she has so far

Birth Certficate
Passport
DAS Certificado Judicial
DAS Certificado Migratorio ( it took exactly a month to recieve)
W-2 04, 05, & 06
1040 04, 05, & 06
Tax transcripts 04, 05, & 06
__________________________

Still need…

10 passport pictures
Letter of baptism /declaracion juramental
Vacancies
Evidence of relationship (pictures, flight itinerary, phone cards, emails, phone bills)

Can anyone suggest anything else? Am I on the right track?

Question for those who have gone through Bogota, how much in USD did you spend
(Visa fee, labs medical what else) not including room and board. Thankfully my fiancée has family and friends in BOG where we plan to stay.

Thanks in advance,

Rafael

You will probably not like this answer, but I believe in tough love. The answers to your questions are well-documented on this thread. Believe me, you will benefit much more by reading through the thread and finding the answers to these questions....you'll also probably read answers to questions you never even thought about. Often times on this thread, we (including me) are a little too quick to provide the easy answer to someone.....because we want to be helpful, or we want to give back, or, for some, we want to show everyone just how much we know....but the reality is that we are not really being helpful in the long run. My only regret is that this thread has gotten entirely too big....because there are too many irrelevant posts or posts that would have been better handled through PM (like all individual shout-outs). I wish we could go back and delete irrelevant or inaccurate posts.

Mike

Mike,

Let me first congratulate you on completing and successfully obtaining a visa for your spouse and being able to be in the AOS stage.

You know that it is not easy going through this process in the first place. There are many things that go through your mind during this process and any support is always nice, a conversation of such, something like what you had with Peter Miami and Drea or others.

It's not that I was not trying to display a level of incompetence to the process by not reading this thread; I think that all post here is helpful one way or another. When going through this process. I have read the thread and it seems that all is helpful in one way or another. I am fairly new at this ‘forum and thread thing’ and even more so in this whole immigration process.

Maybe your concerns about the irrelevant post can be sent to a moderator or I could give you a name of someone that can help his name is Yordak. I think he is very helpful.

But thank you for you input. And continue success on your AOS process and future processing’s.

Rafael

Mike...

I have obviously a slightly different veiw...in my opinion by letting someone hunt for info that is easily accessed with the help of some friends is just unnessesary. This just adds to the already stressful process. Also posting that gets personal I beleive is excellent therapy and helps to build strong bonds and friendships. This thread gives people something solid to hold on to...like knowing there is a caring ear on the other end of your post that is going through or has gone through the same things that you are, and usually has uplifting advice that we all look foward to seeing in a post (even if it is short and sweet)...God Bless

Mike,
Yes, everyone should read thru the entire thread to get a basic overview of this process. However I must disagree with the rest of your opinion. It is necessary to post each and every question, concern or any slight doubt that you may have, even if it has already been answered 10 times previously. Each individual must be 100% sure in every single aspect of the process. Maybe 90% of the questions have already been answered, but as we all know the embassy does make changes, new requirements, forms, procedures, etc. We cannot truely rely on old posts, everyone needs to have the latest information even it is the same. One must not assume that a packet 3 from February 2007 is the same as one from September 2007. Asking many questions even repeated questions gives everyone reassurance that such answers are indeed correct and accurate. Also, the asking of the same questions will bring up new, never discussed concerns. I hope this community keeps posting repeated questions, and makes this post even 3 times as long. I for sure am no one to think that some posts should be deleted, I am not a moderator nor the owner of Visa Journey. This is Colombia Club, everyone here is entitled to their own opinions. They are entitled to post as many repeated questions as they choose to. The same goes for the replies, we all have the right to respond to any question posted on here, and if one doesn't choose to respond to that question, that is your right as well. It is a great feeling to know that you are helping out a tiny bit for someone to accomplish their dream. I'm sorry that repeated posts have bothered you so much. I hope you do not refrain from posting here, you always have given good advice.

P.S.
Who would be the one to decide which posts get deleted???

Scott, Luchco, I agree with both of you 100%. sorry Mike. This thread got started by someone that had a great idea. It has grown to become what I belive to be the the best forum on this site. It is because of some of the banter and non revelent post's that people have bonded togeather.
Yes, this thread has grown and gotten to the point that it is difficult to go through all the post's to obtain info. New folks arriving, asking questions, and participating is what keeps the site strong and the info easier to get.
Mike, you have been one of the most knowledgable folks here for a long time. Your past post's helped me alot. Your input has been accurate, info that one can depend on. I thank you for that, but.........................I gotta disagree with you on this one.

Buenas tardes a todos, quisiera saber si en este post puedo preguntar en español (mi inglés no es tan fluído) y si puedo preguntar por un problema que tengo con mi visa de turista B1-B2.
Gracias!

Beinvenido Lunita1327,

Que bueno que nos encontro! Aqui va encontrar como dicen colombia "Super Vacan". Sobre la pregunta B1-B2 no se muy bien la respuesta pero hay un foro que le puede ayudar que es en español.

Foro Club colombiano en español http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=78366

Chao

Rafael

Rafael...
I think this is what you were asking for before we got a little off track.

Packet 3 Contents: (If you plan on faxing and mailing early)
1. Cover letter
2. Copy of fiancée's passport (biographical data page)
3. DS-230 Part 1 (pages 1 & 2)
4. OF-169 (on page 5 of packet 3 instructions)

The cover letter should be simple and brief. Include the BGT case #
on the cover letter. "PM me and I will email you a copy of a letter draft"

Packet 4 Contents:
1. Passport
2. Baptism Certificate (Partida de Bautismo)
3. Birth Certificate (Registro Civil)
4. Police Certificate (Certificado Judicial del DAS)
5. Migratory Certificate (Carta del DAS, entradas/salidas)
6. I-134 Affidavit of Support and evidence. (3 years of W2s + 1040s OR 3 years of transcripts, 3 months of pay stubs and an employer letter verifying employment and salary on company letterhead)
7. DS-156 (2 copies) "this is 2 pages...put them front to back on 1 page as the bank may not accept 2 pages"
8. DS-156K (1 copy)
9. Laboratory/Medical exams/Vaccinations
10. Evidence of your relationship (photos, e-mails, boarding passes, etc.)
11. 6 passport style photos, 5cm x 5cm.

Hope this helps.

Scott,

Thanks

Most of the stuff we have some we have to wait like these vaccinations.

Any word from NVC yet?

Rafael

Saludos lunita1327

Adelante a preguntar como quiera. Que problema en particular esta teniendo con su visa tipo B?

Recuerde que aqui promovemos hacer las cosas bien desde el punto de vista legal...

Rafael,
I am following Lucho's suggestion to call every day and so far nada...Colombia Club will be the second to know about any good news!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NUMERO UNO

Scott, it was 206 days from the time I recieved NOA1 to our interview. A very long wait!! Hang in there. From the beginning to the end, almost exactly one year to the date from the time we started the process and Paola got the visa. We did have a "hitch" at the interview though. Your time is comming.
Side note: A bunch of Paola's friends want to have a short party when I arrive in Cali to say goodbye, sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, no such thing as "short"in Colombia. They are all meeting me at the airport. No sleep for me that night. I will be in Colombia all of 7 hours and was hoping for a little rest. LOL>LOL. One thing that I think is so cool.............in the US, never have I had more then one or two people meet me at the airport, to have 5 to who knows how many there every time I come is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay cool.

Hello everybody,

It took me a while to read all your posts since I was here last.

We picked up the visa on Monday and it was quick and painless. Then we flew from Bogotá to Miami on Tuesday. POE was a piece of cake, we went to the citizens/residents line, they looked his info in the computer then sent us to the immigration room. There was a guy in front of us and one Cuban agent processing it documentation. We waited for about 10 minutes, then he called my husband and asked us to sign a form explaining the Removing Conditions in 2 years. Then he took his fingerprint and asked him to sign a form and said that with the CR1 visa he could work immediately, get a SS card, DL, and go in and out of the country whenever he wanted. The whole process took about 15 minutes, they were all extremely nice, spoke Spanish and let me go with him everywhere.

We then went to the SS office and they entered his info in the system, he should be getting his card in about 4 weeks. The DMV said he can't get a CO DL without his SS card so we have to wait for that. Later this afternoon we have to go downtown to take an English placement test so he can start his English classes Oct. 22nd.

The whole process for us has been easy and painless, EXCEPT the whole Dr. Roa thing, but I won't let that bother me. CSC was easy and quick, same with the NVC, Embassy and Immigration in Miami. All because of all the help we got here on VJ. Thanks everybody!!! I cannot tell you how priceless all your information was to us both.

I will be here as much as I can as I did before. I'm here to answer your questions so feel free to ask. A side note though, please, please, please read all posts before asking a question because these Colombian Club is loaded with info that will help you all the way.

Diana

Welcome back Diana. Nice to hear that everthing went well for . Ihope the ones that still have to go through the process have same good fortune and blessings.

Rafael

I would like to know what the timeline means when it states "Based on timeline data, your I129f may be adjudicated as early as March 14, 2008*. ". Does this means that the K1 visa should be approved by March 14, 2008? I'd appreciate a simple and plain English explanation. Thanks.

Orestes y Patricia

Gracias maviwaro! Te cuento mi caso:

He tenido visa B1/B2 desde hace más de 20 años, siempre la he usado bien. Como turista nunca he estado más de 20 días en USA. En 2004 saqué visa de estudiante (me la dieron por 5 anos) y fui por 6 meses.
Me casé en diciembre de 2006 con colombiano, en Colombia, él vivió en USA, se casó y se separó. Regresó a Colombia antes de que se le venciera su permiso, no se alcanzó a volver residente.
El pidió renovación de visa de turista y se la negaron.
Yo pedí mi renovación y me la aprobaron, pero a los dos días recibí el pasaporte con las dos visas canceladas (CWOP) (la de turista se vencía en un mes y la de estudiante en dos años) y con una carta de "Procesos Administrativos" 221g, me dicen que me llamarán para una nueva entrevista.
Que pasó?
Porque me mandan esta carta con mi pasaporte si ya me habían aprobado mi visa?
Cuanto tardarán en llamarme?
Es posible que me la nieguen?
Porfavor... alguien que me pueda guiar????
Gracias!!!!

Entonces, Gracias por tu bienvenida!
Ya escribi en ese foro mi pregunta pero no me ha contestado nadie aun......
Un saludo!

Hola Lunita,

Lo que pasa es que acá la mayoría tenemos experiencia con visas CR1, K1 & K3. Me imagino que hay varios que saben todo el rollo de las visas de negocios, turistas y estudiantes. Con mucho gusta la ayudaría pero de eso no sé ni papa, sólo que la embaja niega y otorga ese tipo de visas cuando les da la gana y no dan explicación de lo que hacen.

Suerte con todo!

Diana

I hope to get a "Cuban agent" when Patricia and I come thru Miami. I am Cuban too even though I lost my Cuban accent.

Anyway, welcome back Diana. I am sure Patricia will wish you the best in your future life as I do too.

Good luck and keep on helping us here. Thanks

Just recieved our packet 4 today and interview date of 11-2. This site has been a great help. Thank you all who post !!





I-129F Sent : 2007-03-23
I-129F NOA1 : 2007-04-24
I-129F RFE(s) :
RFE Reply(s) :
I-129F NOA2 : 2007-08-07
NVC Received : 2007-08-25
NVC Left : 2007-08-27
Consulate Received :
Packet 3 Received : 2007-09-14
Packet 3 Mailed to Embassy 9-19
Packet 4 received 10-5-07
Interview date 11/02/07

That information is based on the "average" length of time the USCIS is taking for ALL visas similar to yours, based on your submission date. When we were going through the process I would check this same information about once a month and the "as early as" date would be different every time because the "average" changed from day to day. Just be patient and don't get too wrapped up in this bit of info. The only date that really will make a difference if your application takes a long time is the date shown on the USCIS website for THEIR average processing time. You won't be able to get an answer from them until after THAT date has passed.

Charles

hello, my date is the same day yours!!! november 2.. excusme my english.. where is your girlfriend in colombia??
i am in this foro but in spanish-. I' d like to know your girlfriend before interview if you want, my email is: indytu@hotmail.com

quote name='mikenmeibel' date='Oct 5 2007, 09:43 PM' post='1239288']
Just recieved our packet 4 today and interview date of 11-2. This site has been a great help. Thank you all who post !!





I-129F Sent : 2007-03-23
I-129F NOA1 : 2007-04-24
I-129F RFE(s) :
RFE Reply(s) :
I-129F NOA2 : 2007-08-07
NVC Received : 2007-08-25
NVC Left : 2007-08-27
Consulate Received :
Packet 3 Received : 2007-09-14
Packet 3 Mailed to Embassy 9-19
Packet 4 received 10-5-07
Interview date 11/02/07
[/quote]

Mike, Scott, Lucho, and Buck...

I agree with all of you - to some point or another. The thread is getting awfully long for anyone to read through, even if "just" from last November. On the other hand, that is the best way to get a real understanding of the complexity of the process. Also, it can be rather tiresome to read what appear to be the same questions over and over. However, what I gather from reading everyone's concerns is that there are no two cases exactly alike, and sometimes, after having your eyes glaze over after reading a month's worth of posts, it is really easy to miss a key word or phrase that might have answered the specific problem you are having.

I tend to think of this forum as a school where many of the new students will quickly graduate to become professors to more new students. Lucho, for example, has gone from being a exuberant freshman to graduate level professor in rather short order. Others will follow.

Knowing the history of the journey through Bogota to the US is very important. ("Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.") But things change - so history tends to change as it grows. Comparing the visa process to computer science, if I were starting on this journey now, would I want to learn only from a tenured professor who learned using FORTRAN, or from a relatively new prof who is familiar with FORTRAN but really learned his/her stuff recently on the front-lines of technology? Sure, I'm sure Bill Gates has forgotten more about computers than we'll ever know, but I'd rather learn from one of his hot shots creating and using the latest and greatest.

Enough with metaphors. There IS a lot to learn here and none of the history should be ignored because YOUR answer may be there. But with all the changes in the visa process, fees, etc., and with more undoubtedly to come, it's good to ask the same old questions because the answers may well have changed.

My opinion plus 4 or 5 dollars might get you a latte at Starbucks.

Charles

Saludos lunita1327

Al parecer esto definitivamente es un tema mas complicado por cada una de sus situaciones pertinentes...

1. Se le nego la visa de turista en base a que previamente estuvo en EEUU y no estuvo el tiempo necesario para adquirir su residencia. Esto levanta banderas con el gobierno pues demuestra que el matrimonio anterior pudo haberse llevado acabo por motivos opuestos al que la inmensa mayoria de los foristas en estos foros reclaman tener. No obstante, le toca justificar y justificar al momento de su entrevista adecuada para convencer a quien le toque. Asi de sujetivo puede ser. Toca ser lo mas honesto posible.

2. En el casu suyo, el tema de haber obtenido mas de un tipo de visado es POSIBLE que haya levantado alguna bandera en la embajada donde algunas veces y por razones desconocidad, algunos representantes del gobierno estadounidense deciden hacerse lo maximo de vigilantes ante individuos que obtengan mas de un visado- por sencillo que fuese como lo seria en su caso personal. Mi recomendacion es acudir a tal entrevista con mente clara, relajada, y si le dicen que debio haber tomado ajustes de estatus a otro tipo de visado pues que le conteste claramente que no debio haber representado inconveniente legal la obtencion de a) un visado pre-existente turistico B y un visado estudiantil cuya aprobacion conllevaria ciertos requisitos que se debieron haber cumplido. Por lo tanto, la cancelacion o anulacion de dichas visas estaran pendientes su apelacion por escrito con la embajada tanto como los resultados de su entrevista. Importantemente debe mantener la calma cuando habla con los representantes de la embajada para no demostrar irrespetuosidad porque tales individuos en sus momentos mas debiles son capaces de "cerrarle el libro" en cuanto a sus viajes a EEUU.

Suerte!

Hi Lucho,

I am reading the following link taken from the web page of the US Embassy placed in Bogotá (Dated September 2007):

http://bogota.usembassy.gov/root/pdfs/k1-k...ionseng-_2_.pdf

I am confused regarding to the DS-230 (sorry but some times they do a good job confusing us, don´t they? , could you help me with this queries:

1. Do we have to fax the complete DS230 (part 1 and 2) or just part 1? signed or not signed?? the Embassy says: complete and sign...

2.Do we have to submit the complete DS230 (part1 and 2) the day of our interview again? or just part 2

Please confirm if this is the right DS 230 we have to fax (taken from Us Embassy web page, part 1 and 2):

http://bogota.usembassy.gov/root/pdfs/wwwfcds230en.pdf


How does this form work?? may be I have a lot of information in my mind respect to this process and as they are changing of instructions all the time (at the beginning I had other packet3 instructions taken from the US embassy web page as well but it was updated recently)

Thanks a lot Lucho for your support...

Yazz

NEVER EVER send anything inside Colombia using regular mail, (even regular mail from the U.S. is very risky) Servientrega is the best your going to find in Colombia, it's inexpensive and reliable. In 12 years of sending documents around the country and back to Bogota we have never had a problem. BUT, as a precaution, anything your sending to the Embassy, make sure you keep photo copies.

Because it's getting close to xmas and I know how everyone is going to send their fiance a nice xmas gift: you can send the gift with a Co. called Avianca Express in Coral Gables FL for less than half of what UPS or EedEX will charge, same with sending documents. Overnight mail to Colombia can be 3 days to some cities, even with UPS & FedEX, even those guys use agents, they are not actually employees.

You will need to send the package to Coral Gables using priority mail, they will take it from there, you can call them for all the details as far as paying for their services and the 16% duty tax. (unless you want your fiance to pay the tax. Their No. is 1-800-591-9112.

They also have a website at: http://www.aviancaexpress.com , for those of you that don't speak Spanish, just do a Google search for "Avianca Express", when the search pops up, just click "translate website", however, they do speak English when you telephone them.

Avianca Express
2351 Salzedo St.
Coral Gables, FL 33134

They will take a check for their services and for their service and tax, they actually even may tell you to under value everything.