GREETINGS BYRON !!

lEIDY WILL WAIT FOR THE VISA TO BE MAILED BY domesa, they will tell you it takes 6-8 days, but for us, we received in 3 days.
once she is approved she will call the DOMESA office in bogota and ask them for her to pick it up there at the office, not delivered, saves a few days.

Than, she will have a sealed package from the US Embassy which she will give to Immigration upon arrival and they will escort her to a office there and do a quick interview and review all the paperwork that is in the sealed package, NO ONE CAN OPEN THAT PACKAGE BUT THE IMMIGRATION OFFICER AT THE POE. They took only 30 minutes for us and were strictly business, they review the passport and documents and than, keep the package the Embassy give you and put you on your way. So the 2 things she will need are the PASSPRT WITH K-1 VISA and the big envelope that is in the Embassy Package mailed to you with the visa.

I am sure you will have no problems and my advice is Dont volunteer any info or questions, let the Consular Officer ask you and Leidy the questions and have lots of documentation, photo albums, I had 3, emails, chats, phone records, western union receipts etc. and you will do fine. I walked in carrying 3 notebooks, all organized and our wedding album and 2 big photo albums and the AMerican Consular female officer just smiled at me, looked at the stack of albums I was carrying and just smiled and never asked to see anything or talk to me, She did wave good bye to me and said Good Luck after, she told YENYS, she was APPROVED

Be there at the gate of the Embassy by no later than 5:45 am and you will enter early and be done early...

ALL OUR BLESSINGS TO YOU AND leidy !!!!


BRIAN AND YENYS

Hi, I am just dropping by to say good luck SCOTT hope everything turns up well. [/size][size="5"]

Brian,
Congratulations and thanks for all the information! I am preparing for our interview hopefully in January. I believe that I am very prepared as well. What I am lacking and I believe I can obtain are all my Western Union reciepts! I have used this service for about eight months now to send Sandy $$$ as needed. The Attorney that I wasted lots of money on, originally told me that I would not need them as it would show I was more or less supporting Sandy, and that would be frowned upon at the Embassy.
My question is did they even look or ask for this information? In any event I will contact Western Union today, I believe they will have records, they can forward to me.

QUOTE(SteveSandyHill @ Dec 10 2007, 06:39 AM)

Brian,
Congratulations and thanks for all the information! I am preparing for our interview hopefully in January. I believe that I am very prepared as well. What I am lacking and I believe I can obtain are all my Western Union reciepts! I have used this service for about eight months now to send Sandy $$$ as needed. The Attorney that I wasted lots of money on, originally told me that I would not need them as it would show I was more or less supporting Sandy, and that would be frowned upon at the Embassy.
My question is did they even look or ask for this information? In any event I will contact Western Union today, I believe they will have records, they can forward to me.

Steve,

If you have the western union gold card, all your records will be available. I HAVE also heard your attorneys opinion from others. THE embassy's
job is also to protect you and they have had problems in the past with woman using the man for monetary support and wanting to come to the USA Obviously, not your situation, but has become a issue there in Colombia and elsewhere. There job is to see A VALID RELATIONSHIP EXISTS.

AS FAR AS THOSE THAT HAVE HIRED ATTORNEYS, my opinion is they waste your money and slow you down, I have close friends that have paid $2,000.00 USD for the k-1 and they did nothing for them that you couldn't have done yourself and follow all the advice in this forum is THE BEST ROUTE.

WE DID NOT USE AN ATTORNEY AND DID ALL THE PAPERWORK OURSELF (Although my wife is a abogada (attorney) and a expert in Colombian law and procedures) and we were approved first, before our friends, this is mainly due to going thru the attorney as a third party with mailings and notifications to you after they are notified. so THIS SLOWS DOWN YOUR PROCESS WITH A ATTORNEY...

Follow the procedures here and fax the embassy as soon as you know the BGT case number from NVC or DOS. That will save you 3 weeks time to get the interview. Faxes sent in before the 15th of the month will get next month Interviews. after that you will wait till the next month.

Good Luck and God Bless you and Sandy !!!!!! THANK YOU FOR YOUR WISHES FOR US-we appreciate it


BRIAN AND YENYS

BYRON,

you seem to be well prepared with everything....You and Leidy will do fine....
Relax, breath and just be patient now, Good things will come for you.
You will be successful !!!
Best of Luck and our prayers are with you !!!
Keep the Faith my brother and soon , Leidy will be here with you !!!

Brian and Yenys

Good morning, Colombia Club!

Due to several reasons, I've been away for a few weeks, but I am glad to find out I am still on time to wish Scott good luck with his interview and congratulate Byron for his interview date. What a way to finish 2007!

As for me.... well, I am still waiting for NOA2. It will turn 180 days next week, so I am getting ready for plan B (writing to Senators, calling CSC and anything else you guys suggest)

This one will be a great week for all of us!

Juan Carlos.

I am so excited! Today I called the DOS and they have our interview scheduled!
January 18th, 7:00am.
The next question I have is should I have Sandy call Dr. Gonzalaz now and schedule her medical for 2 days prior, now? Or do we need to wait until she receives her letter ?

I think you can make the appointment for the medical as soon as you have the appointment. You do not need to wait for the letter. You can also make the appointment more than 2 days prior to the interview if it is convenient for you.

Make the appointment now !!!!!

Brian and Yenys ...Thank you very much!!!!!!!!! I hope you are right and everything goes smooth!!

Juan Carlos....I got approved at day 181....Im sure you have to be hearing something soon!!! Good Luck !!!!!!

SteveandSandyHill...I too think you should make the appointment AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!!!

Leidy just got the letter 2 days ago but we already had the appointment set 3 days before!

One more question....in the embassy info page here on VJ it says that the i134 has to be notarized....Is this accurate?? Do i have to get it notarized???

Byron,
Bottom of page 2 (I-134) Yes this document needs to be notorized.
As well, is the medical exam required within so many days prior to the interview?

Yes, do notarize the Affidavit of Support. I forgot to do this in Chicago and realized it at the Airport. To avoid paying something silly at the Embassy in Colombia I asked at American Airlines when checking in for my flight... and they did it for free.

Hello Guys l have a question for you,

I am really worried about my relation with my fiance, he is a young guy 35 years old, retirement from the army, he is not working like most of you in this forum, he has plenty time to come here to see me. He came here only one time for one week and we had good conection and got engageg, our case from Vermont was already aprove, I think my appoiment is in Feb r Jan. I am realize he lives so far (California), I know a ticket can be expensive, so l looked in a website and l told him l found a good price for january so that he can see me, I have not seen him for 9 month!!. sometimes when l get sad because he did not check the link to see tickets or interesting links about the process in steps about our proces, he said that I got upset, but in fact l got sad, he say that he is worry about this relation and he wants a nice, sweet one. I admit he call me evryday in my lunch time, and we talk in skype for 1 hour or more all the single night. But when l mentiuon about his coming he mentions about expenses in USA, etc, tickets prices etc, etc. He say he loves me and he NEVER want to lose me, but when he mention about his concerns about the relation this worry me. I dont know what l should think, if he is regret about this aplication to K1 visa or maybe l am paranoic... I notice that guys here have visited their fiance in Colombia several times, for ex Byron, or at least 2 times. He has not work becuase he is retiremnt, l dont know what is wrong with him, l am sweet and VERY loyal. Is that situation normal, please help!

No, it is not required to have it done within an X amount of days prior to the interview. However, since most people do not live in Bogotá they schedule the medical about 3 days before the interview just in case something comes up, that way they'll have extra time to take care of whatever issues may arise.

If the beneficiary lives in Bogotá, then it's easier for him/her to schedule the medical and lab appointments whenever they want.

Diana

OK...now do I get it notarized here or in Colombia???

and what is it that they do , have me sign it in front of the notary public and just stamp it??

Yes, You most Notarized the I-134 here in The USA, usually if you do it by your BANK, they will do it for free.

Brian and Yenys

Pretty much that Byron. I think it has to be a US Notary, though... so do it in the States. Cheaper that way.

I thyink I should be able to have my management company will notarize it for me..... ....Thanks Brian and Yenys, maviwaro and Steveand SandyHill!!

Brian,
Thanks for all your advise! That being said, I have another question, hopefully you can answer.
I submitted a notorized I-134 with my 129 Application. Will I need another one for the interview? Will the Packet 4 information Sandy receives advise to additional documentation I am required to provide? I used an attorney who demanded I provide all of that prior to submission of the 129. Additionally I provided 3 years tax returns as well.

Steve,

I would go ahead and submit a new I134 if I were you. You need to submit current information. I do not know if you used pay stubs as part of support or bank statements. The supporting evidence has to be the most current.

It won't hurt your case. In fact, I also submitted a I-134 with the I-129. It was there in Bogota for the interview as I gave the lady at the paper-window the updated I-134 showing my current employment situation with everything highlighted. Do not worry about it.

Take one, even if its identical to the first one submitted, just in case USCIS throws it away along the way as "unnecessary" evidence. Also keep in mind that you are submitting paperwork to another branch of the gargantuan US Gov't.

GREETINGS !!

THE 1-134 IS BROUGHT TO THE INTERVIEW WITH YOUR K-1

PACKET 4 IS JUST THE INTERVIEW LETTER

PACKET 3 ADVISES ALL DOCUMENTS NEEDED FOR THE INTERVIEW

3 YEARS TAX RETURNS IS ALL YOU NEED

ATTORNEYS LIKE TO HAVE ALL PAPERWORK UP FRONT, ALTHOUGH THE 1-134 IS NOT REQUESTED BY USCIS AT THE I-129 APPLICATION

READ BACK ON THIS THREAD AND YOU WILL FIND LINKS TO SEE THE DOCS REQUIRED FOR PACKAGE 3 THAT WILL BE NEEDED FOR THE INTERVIEW.

BRIAN AND YENYS

Scott y Yenifer, today your day! Best of luck!

GOOD LUC SCOTT Y YENIFER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey Scott!!!!!!!! It is 9:58am PST, in Colombia it is 12:58pm.............................I am going out in confidence here................CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Go get em Scott!!!!

"WE DID IT...WE'RE APPROVED !!!"

THANKS TO ALL OF YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is how it all went down:
· On Friday we arrived in Bogota and met the driver we hired to pick us up at the airport. The drive to the apartment was about 10 minutes and is located 15 minutes by car to Embassy.

· On Monday we took a cab to the Laboratorio Clinico which opens at 7:00am until 10:00am. They do not make appointments so I suggest that you get there early, we arrived at 6:50am and there was about 20 people before us. Unfortunately the petitioner must wait outside and at that time it will be cold so dress warm. Being 20th in line she was finished at about 8:20am. (150 mil pesos)

· From the lab we took a 15-20 minute cab ride to the bank. I had the DS-156 filled out but that ended up a total waste of time because the bank required the form to be completed in Spanish and they also wanted all blanks on the form to have N/A. We finished at the bank at about 9:30am. (220 mil pesos poorer)

· The next step for Monday was a 5:30pm appointment with Dr. Roa. The cab ride was a little longer than expected (30 minutes) so we arrived just on time. It didn’t matter much because they saw her at about 6:30pm and the she was finished at 6:50pm. We waited for the documents to be completed left the office at about 7:30pm with the documents in hand. The Dr. saw her for a total of about 5 minutes, a quick exam and a bunch of questions (it was very painless and very professional). The vaccines MMR and TD were the only ones Yenifer needed which came up to a total of 37 mil pesos. Varicela would have been another 95 mil pesos but was determined not necessary because she had chickenpox as a child. (this was amazing to me that they waived this vaccine…this has got to be a first!!!) The total for Dr. visit: 135 mil + 37 mil= (172 mil pesos)

· Wednesday “interview day” 5:30am we took a cab to the Embassy to arrive outside at 5:45am. We were let in to form lines at the entrance at 6:30am where there are 3 marked lines, K visas line up in line 3.

· We were allowed to enter thru security/x-ray at 6:45am (cell phones are ok to bring in as long as they are turned off…yeah right…we saw a bunch of people using them) and then to area 40 where there was a person to help you to organize all of your documents in order in a folder that they supply.

· The next step is to wait for your name to be called. Yenifer was the first one called at 7:30 am to window 31 and we were the only K1 that I could see. (the woman at the window was a witch) She asked for her passport, then asked several questions: Where does she live? What does she do? What is her phone number? What is my phone number? How long have you been together? How many visits have I had? Do I speak Spanish? Does she speak English? Does she speak English very well???????(what???) After the questions she asked for the organized documents, stamped everything and asked us to go sit and wait near windows 1, 2, and 3 until her name is called.

· At 7:45am we found seats and the wait began.

· Yenifer’s name was called at 8:50am but only for finger printing…false alarm…the torturous wait continues. It at least seemed like we were making progress!!!

· Finally at 11:00 am her name was called again, this time to speak to the CO. He was about mid 40s, a little thin on top and she said he was very pleasant to speak to. He first greeted Yenifer and then asked her several questions: How did you meet? (online) How long have you been together? (9 months) Where does she (Yenifer) live? How old is he? Does either of us have kids? (no) Does he speak Spanish? (no) Do you speak English? (yes) What does he do? When was his first visit? Where does he stay when he comes to visit? Where will you live in the U.S.? Do you have pictures? (yes about 60 with us) He looked through all of the pictures and asked if that was me (I stood about 10 feet behind her). He gave me the thumbs up and said to her “ WELCOME YOUR VISA IS APPROVED”.

· We were then directed to the DOMESA booth which is inside the Embassy to pay for delivery. (32 mil pesos inside Bogota) They told us it could take 8 days but we are hoping it will be much less. We designated the office of the apartment place that we are staying to be the location of the delivery and specifically the secretary will sign for it since she is there during normal business hours and she was nice enough to do this for us so that we don’t have to hibernate in our apartment. If you designate someone, DOMESA needs full name, address, and national I.D. of that person.

Congratulations Scott y Yenifer! And also thanks for the thorough report.

So picking up the visa from the Domesa office is definitely not an option?

Well done! See in AOS!

Congratulations Scott, great report, very helpful to say the least!

Congrats!!!

Oh Scott and Yenifer: congratulations!!!! The best for you guysss….

Ok, my NOA2 dated November 19,2007 was received for Marc by mail on November 24, it arrived to NVC on December10,2007 and left today December 12, 2007…

Please note that my case was never updated on USCIS web site, it is still "received and pending", just 2 touches, no emails, no online updating, just the hard copy…


So, it is cominggg, I'm going to wait until Monday to call DOS and find out if the Embassy already received it and when in order to use the shortcut two working days later after this date… so…I think that in 15 days I am going to know my appointment day….


Thanks VJ forum for all the support you have provided us….thanks you all...


Yazz

Thanks Bill,

Can't pick it up according to todays rules but tomorrow may be different ?????????

Well done Scott, Congratulations !!!!

Ana

Congrats Scott!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now.............................enjoy Bogota, have a beer, stay away from the Augagente (sp) and RELAXXXXXXX. Say hello to Bob and Luz Aleyda for Paola and I.

READ BACK ON THIS THREAD AND YOU WILL FIND LINKS TO SEE THE DOCS REQUIRED FOR PACKAGE 3 THAT WILL BE NEEDED FOR THE INTERVIEW.

BRIAN AND YENYS
[/quote]

Hi Brian and Yenys this goes to Scott and Yenifer too.

I'm very happy for you guys, you're finally together, especially in this time of the year when everything goes around God and family.

I know it's too soon for me to be asking this since our appointment won't be until January the 14, but since I paid a lawyer who "work" in our petition, and I was the one who ended up doing all the follow up, I decided I won't make the same mistake, I want to get ready and this time I want to work on the AOS by myself and hopefully with the VJ help, which by the way had been "the best friend" through all this process.
Also I can save an extra $1,500, which is what they want to charge me plus the $1.050 fee

Anyway, I was wondering if you started filling out the forms for the AOS, and all of us who are getting appointments these days, where we'll be meeting for the AOS support, since it won't be a Colombian issue anymore? I won't be able to do it without you guys.

Congratulations Scott!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You're going to have a wonderful Christmas together!

Diana

Congratulations Scott & Yennifer.

Congratulations!!! Now relax and enjoy Bogota, I recommend Expoartesanias...
An update, as expected I haven’t received packet 4 so I go to the doctor or do anything yet!! Anybody with a December 31 interview got it by now?

Just a quick note to let everyone know that Bella and I received an approval on our petition from VSC today.

It is probably too late to get a January appointment but maybe we will get lucky. If not, February is not that far away.

SCOTT CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



IM NEXT...IM GETTING NERVOUS!!!!! :wacko:

Congratulations to Scott and Yenifer

Read our previous post, Picking up at the Dmesa is what we did and got it in 3 days, SO YES, its not only a option, But was done by us !!!!

Good Luck !!

Brian and Yenys

Great news Scott, Congratulations!

Great news, Scott!!! I was sure you guys would do well because you were so well prepared. Looking forward to your further success in AOS.

Charles

So who's next? Is it the Dec. 31 people?

Diana

IM NEXT!!!!! IM A NERVOUS WRECK!!!! :wacko:

We are not until the 18th of January, we are very well prepared, yet I find myself going to sleep at night wondering what I am forgetting???? Sandy and I are arriving in Bogota on Sunday the 13th, lab and medical on Monday the 14th (Dr Gonzalez). Sandy's 18 month old daughter is not required to have lab work, yet has to have a medical exam (of course additional fee). Dr Gonzalez informed Sandy she could have her vaccinations done at the Red Cross in Barranquilla prior to arriving in Bogota no problem.

In reading Scott's note after his interview (thank you again Scott!) He stated that the bank required the DS-156 in spanish? This is not what the Embassy told me on Wednesday when I called? My forms have all been completed in english including the N/A in all fields not applicable. I guess I will make an additional copy in Spanish, no problem.

I do not speak alot of spanish, and Sandy speaks little English, is this a potential problem in the interview? We have loads of photo's together, from my trips to Colombia, including the Baptism of her daughter Barranquilla, vacations together in Cartagena, Isles Rosario and Santa Marta. Many e-mails in spanish as I have translation software on my laptop. Phone records, money tranfer reciepts etc.

So in short, I am hoping that there is no major red flag here due to the language barrier that we are working rapidly on to improve!

I do not think the language will be a problem. My novia and I speak Spanglish. We speak to each other in a huge mash of the two languages, me focusing on Spanish, her English. We communicate very well together. I have met many people that speak NO SPanish and their spouse speaks NO English. They got their visa ok. I'd try not to worry about it.

Did you alrady set your appointment with Dr. Gonzalez? We have our interview date on Jan 16 and we were told they were not making medical appointments for January yet?! Was I given bad info? Since our interview is on Wednesday, we are trying to get the medical for Monday. However, we were told to wait untill after the holidays for making the appointment. I have not booked the flight yet since we do not know when the medical is! This whole process is a domino effect! Can't book the flight without the medical, can't book the hotel without booking the flight! I'm going INSANE!!!!

Oh yeah.............Congrats Scott

Bundy