Juan Carlos GRACIAS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not only was it a great new year but Leidy getting the visa in practically 2 days was the perfect birthday gift for me today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hang in there Juan Carlos...trust me ..before you know it , its like a blink of the eye...the process just goes full speed ahead!!!

Just make sure you are fully prepared!!!!!!!!!!!!

Suerte hermano!!!!!!!!!!!

OK...I need a little help and advice .......Leidy's mom is in Canada and she they have not seen eachother in almost 4 years....

1. My first question is, is it possible to apply for Advanced Parole for this situation?? If so where and how do I do it?

2. If this process doesnt go though, does anybody see it being a problem driving to Canada and just asking the immigration office there to letLeidy and her mom see eachother without either one crossing to the neighboring country??

I thought it will be interesting for those of you who are having the interview soon that I also got a visit from Domesa today for the visa delivery (to bad I wasn’t in) after my Monday interview, it took them only 2 business days!!!

Hey Byron. After you marry and appy for AOS. The application also covers AP and EAD. You should get approval in 2 months or less for those. Of course you may be lucky and receive quick AOS approval from the CSC.

Great news! Our interview is Friday the 18th, and we have reservations to leave on Friday the 25th. Can you tell me, did they deliver to a specified by you location in Bogota? Or did you pick it up at a Domesa Office? Thank you.

Byron,

Congratulations once again! I know the feeling, trust me.

When you file for AOS, you will have to pay $930 plus a biometrics fee of $80, which is a total of $1,010. The form you need to submit is the I-485, you can also send form I-131 for Advance Parole and form I-765 for EAD at the same time for no extra charge. Once they approve Leidy's I-131, she can go to Canada and visit her mom.

Here is the USCIS link you'll need http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/men...00045f3d6a1RCRD

Diana

Hey guys. Thanks for all the congratulations. We traveled to San Gil right after we got approved on Monday for some quality Colombian vacations. Hadn't had a chance to get online until today, but as Byron and MV-JR mentioned, we also got the papers in the mail yesterday (Thursday, 2 business days after interview).

We'll be leaving for Miami next Thursday. I'll post details on the quickie interview when I get a chance.

Take it easy and congrats to the rest.

Nah neophi... forget posting details about the interview. Please post pictures if you went rafting in San Gil will ya? Maria and I became a couple in Barichara.

Tony, Diana...Thanks a million for the i great info!!!!!!!!

It was deliver to my house.

We are still waiting for our interview appointment. We faxed the package 3 response on Dec 27. We also sent it by courier the same day. DOS is givng me conflicting information. On Friday they said the DS-230 had been received and it was being reviewed. Today they said there was no record of receiving anything from us.

Bill,
I would call the Embassy directly as well this Wednesday. I actually got them to verify they recieved the fax, by doing the shortcuts, we where not ever even sent packet #3. Two days later DOS had our interview date! Good luck.

HOLA A TODOS, soy nueva en esto. Ya estoy dentro de Estados Unidos y mi visa se vencio el 29 de noviembre o sea los 90 dias y con mi novio nos casamos el 16 de noviembre... el se quedo sin empleo y ahora no tenemos como pagar lo de la residencia alguien me puede indicar si me deportarian por eso o si puedo meter los papeles a inmigracion en algunos meses? estoy insegura y con miedo gracias

Saludos Rocio, que pena.

Su esposo tendrá que conseguirse empleo lo más antes posible para cubrir el costo del AOS... si nó tendrá que ponerse en contacto con USCIS para evitar que le procesen como deportable. Mucha suerte!!

Hola Rocío, ya le contesté en el tema del K1 pero Maviwaro tiene razón. Uds. deben de meter la aplicación para el Ajuste de Status lo más pronto posible porque ud. ahora está "out of status" o sea que no tiene un status legal e Inmigración la puede deportar en cualquier momento.

Diana

Así mismo Diana... uno lamentablemente tiene que seguir a pie de letra las estipulaciones que provienen de USCIS o si nó se pierde el tiempo y el dinero en lo de la visa que no es permanente y debe ser ajustada de lo más pronto posible al haberse casado... fíjese que se tenía desde noviembre para envíar los papeles...

I have one quick question...Leidy and Daniel will be traveling tonight, there is a tax that has to be paid...anyone know how much it is???? an is it per person??

Shoot I can't remember but we had to pay it for my husband when we left Bogotá. I can't remember if it was $50USD or $50.000 pesos. She needs to pay for this before joining the line at check in; otherwise, they'll tell her to go pay it and she'll have to wait in line again to check in... again. (It happened to us )

So as soon as she gets to the airport, the first thing she should do is pay "los impuestos de salida", that's what they're called. And yes, it is per person. They'll either give her a receipt and/or stamp their passports.

Diana

Hi Byron just called information and they said for 2007 (they didn't know about 2008)

Impuesto de salida 55,000 colombian pesos or 26 USD

Tasa aeroportuaria 67,000 colombian pesos or 32 USD

around 60 dollars per person. You should check the tickets sometimes part of the taxes are included, have Leidy call the airline just to make sure.

I hope this will help.

Saludos,

Marcela

Yes, the Tasa Aeroportuaria should be included automatically in the fee/taxe price of the tickets. The DIAN exit fee is payable pre-check in, and is per-person. BON VOYAGE!!!!

Diana...mavi....marcela....as always thank you for your help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know somebody that's gonna be reeeeeeeal happy tomorrow morning!

I second this happening to me. It's kind of the last thing you really want to happen. You definitely want to check it first. Not all airlines include it. COPA always does and I have been strictly flying them the past 3 years going to Colombia. Before that, I took American and they didn't include it. (But that was 2003)

Thanks everyone!!! I called my travel agent and he said that the taxes were included in the tickets...but i still had to pay the " tasa"


mavi...you are RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I will definately be one happy person tomorrow morning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congrats buddy!!

Revel in the moment... tonight we celebrate 6 months as husband and wife... and she has no clue I'm taking her out to dinner...

Thank you.


Seeking more advice...

In reading about the whole process and posts here, I've learned the importance of the baptism certificate. My fiancee was born in a rural area and a birth certificate was not registered until she turned 18 and needed one for her CEDULA. Her baptism, however, was recorded shortly after her birth. The problem is that on her baptism certificate, her second name (middle name) is different than on her birth certificate and passport. She was not happy with her second name when she was 18 and decided to change it.

What is the best way to approach this discrepancy? I assume I should list the full baptismal name on the I-129F and G-325A as other names used, but I imagine doing so will cause additional delays or an RFE. If I don't, we could be accused of providing incomplete information, which could be catastrophic. Either way, we will have to account for the difference in some official fashion. I will be in Colombia again next week to go over all the paperwork with her and get her original signatures on all the initial documents, so I'm trying to find a solution rather quickly just so the initial packet is in line with everything else that will happen over the next 6+ months.

Her Registro Civil de Nacimiento (Birth Certificate) should show her full legal name which is what she needs to use on all of her forms. Once she takes her Baptismal Certificate to the embassy she can explain what happened.

Diana

Bella has a similar situation. Here is how we are dealing with it:

1. I listed the original name as an "other name used" on the I-129F & the G-325A. It did not cause an RFE or any delays. I think that it is imperative that the other name be disclosed from the beginning to avoid any claims that you provided false or incomplete information on your petition.
2. We have change of name documentation from a notary. Bella actually obtained this a long time ago when she decided to make a change in her name. It was not difficult to obtain. Basically she paid the fee and changed her name. We recently went back to the notary and obtained a "fresh" copy of the document because in Colombia documents without expiration dates can still be considered "too old". It is always best to obtain fresh copies of all documents including birth certificates.
3. The baptism certificate refers to the name change in the margin notes. Bella obtained this very recently. To obtain it she took the name change document from the notary to the place where her baptism certificate was issued and requested a new one. They would not change the name on the baptism certificate but they did add a reference to the name change in the margin notes.

Since regulations and procedures in Colombia are not always consistent and frequently change, my suggestion is to first contact the office that issued the baptism certificate and ask them what is required to note a name change on the baptism certificate. Once you know that you will know what steps to take next.

I hope this helps.

Hi all. I had a mistake when emailing out the list. Here is what was sent to the consulate. They are going to reply shortly:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...t&p=1476589

Hey Capt Ewok.

Since the Colombia club thread has gotten so massive and is used a lot. I was wondering if it might be possible to add a Colombia Club sub-forum to the Foreign Embassies forum. This might help "Colombia Club" to be a little more useful and help avoid having to peruse a few hundred thread pages to find a particular topic.

Thanks,
CG

We are still waiting for an interview appointment. Our package 3 response was received by the embassy on Dec 28. Did anyone who sent in their response at about the same time or later receive an appointment yet?

Thanks!

Bill and Bella,

I don't know what kind of resource you're using to check the appointment, the only way I know and for a fact is the fastest is for you to call everyday the NVC, they will know the same day the embassy assigns the appointment, after the 15 you can also check this link, it's hard to be patient when you see the day closer, just call everyday and when you least know it they'll give you the good news.

http://bogota.usembassy.gov/iv-appointments.html

Good luck........ Ana

Thanks Ana. I call DOS once a day. They are easier to talk to than NVC and they have access to everything the embassy enters into the system.

I sent my pack 3 in dec 27th. I have my appointment in feb 4. My fiance called to DOS. But I have not got my pack 4.

Hello everyone! Haven't posted in a while. Great to see so many approvals! Paola's interview is next Wednesday and she flys out Sunday for Bogota. Medical on Monday, shopping on Tuesday, cita on Wednesday! She went yesterday to buy a jacket for herself and daughter because living in Cali, they never really needed one. She is so nervous about the interview. We have waited so long for this moment and we just want the visa so bad! Congratulations on all who received their visas and good luck in all your future endeavors! Hopefully I will have some good news to post next week!!!!

Bundy

Chiqui78

What city are you from? My husband is from Medellin and he never received package 4, he called the embassy and they told him to send a notified letter and have someone to pick it up for him in Bogota, this person then went to the embassy on a Thursday (only day the embassy allows the package to be pick up) and sent it to my husband by Servientrega, he received it the next day, my husband is in Bogota already, his appointment is on Monday Jan. 14 and he never received the package, so just be careful and don't leave it for the last minute, also, on Wednesday when he went to the laboratory to have her blood text and X-ray done, he was talking to a couple of people that had received the package on Monday andt their appointment was set for today.

Thanks to this website, and all the posts, we were able to make it to have everything ready, 'cause the lawyer just charged his money and didn't care for anything else.

Good luck ..... Ana

hello everyone...congratulations to everyone who has been approved or has made it to the next step in this long process!!! I am posting because we have our interview on the 14th and maybe can give some information that could help others out who are in the same or similar place as my fiance and i...if you plan on going to the lab exam with your boy/girl friend bring a book an ipod or something that can keep you occuppied for more than an hour...you will not be allowed to enter the waiting room with him/her and therefore have to wait outside for who knows how long...we got there at around 730 am and i have to wait a good two hours outside...also bring a jacket!! Again if you plan to go to the phsical appointment with him/her you will be allowed in the waiting room which is nice..haha...you both could be in for another long wait...just so everyone knows...lets see what else can i offer for advice...know that the day after you have your physical you will have to return to that doctors office to pick up the results from both the physical and the xray blood test...that is all i can offer for advice for the time being i think...i will make sure to post what happens at the interview as soon as possible...hope this helps some of you who are so eagerly awaiting the next step!! Also, if you are looking for a place to stay in bogota as posted earlier-www.bogotacolombialodging.com is a wonderful site...i am staying in a guest house for 20 dollars a night the room is clean and perfect for a quick few days in bogota..there is free internet and free calls to the us and hot water!!! It is close to the airport and to the docters and embassy...we went to doctor gonzalez and it was less than a 10.000 cab ride from the hotel..i didnt think that was too bad...let me know if there is anything else at all that i can help you with or answer for you...good luck to everyone!!!!

Ana.
I am from Bogotà, Yes you are right l should not leave this for the last minute, l think if l dont get my pack 4 this week l should pick it up asap. I am very grateful with this web too.
Good Luck and PLEASE dont forget tell us how was your inteview. Good Luck!!!!

Hmmmm. That is the same day I sent our response. How long have you known about the appointment? Ours is still not scheduled. I call DOS once or twice each day.

I just wanted to say that this is what they told us too, but our contact went on a Monday. She did not get it on Monday because the line was too long for her to wait, so she went back on Tuesday, and they gave it to her.

This is just an added note. If you end up going to Dr. Roa's office, you will not be let in the building, so plan to stay outside while they're getting thei physical exam done.

Diana

Erika, Good luck on Monday! We are arriving on Sunday to the same apartments, our interview is on Friday! We are nervous, after such along wait Good luck to all of us as I know there are several interviews coming up this week!

Diana,
Yenifer had her appointment with Roa and I was allowed to sit and wait with her the whole time...we were there a little over an hour.
I guess it just depends on the mood they are in that day???

Thank you!!!! The same to you and all the upcoming people with interviews! Are you staying in an apartment, bed and breakfast or the guest house??! If you are staying in the guest house we will surely meet-how crazy would that be! Let me know-i would love to meet you and talk about any information that we could help each other with!!

Hello Colombia Club!!!

Just wanted to say congrats to all the people who have gotten their Visas! YAY for you guys!! I was soooooo excited when I saw this website a couple of weeks ago...I am just awestruck by the amount of support everyone has given each other through out the whole visa process.

I have to say that this is my first time posting and that I want to be part of the club.

It took me forever to read the post on this forum ...to tell you the truth I only got to page 181...(sorry my eyes went kaput after that ).. But I think I have the general gist of the process...I have my notes all filled out with just about everything and there are some great tips out there! Especially the short cuts.

I do have questions though...several pertaining to my personal situation. I hope you guys could answer these for me and help me through the long wait that I have in store for me!

Thanks again!

Lots of love and Good luck to all seeking a happy ending!

Diana B.

P.S. yeah...another Diana with a hubbie in Colombia! I'll put my last initial (which hopefully in 6 months or so will be changing to M!! ) just so we can differentiate between the two Diana's.

Ups! that is weird, my fiance called to DOS in jan 8, That day we knew about our appoiment day. After 12 days.

Thanks for the information. Hopefully there is no problem and we will have our appointment soon.

It looks like you might have waited to receive package 3 from the embassy before you requested the interview. I sent in our request as soon as I knew our packge had been received by the embassy. I hope they did not change the package and we are missing a document.

We sent Part 1 of the DS-230 (signed), the OF-169, ID page of Bella's passport and a cover letter. All were in English. Did I miss something?

FERNANDA'S VISA WAS APPROVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She said her interview only lasted about 5 minutes. The only thing they asked to see as evidence of our marrige were our wedding photos. She said it was very easy. Arrive early to get at the front of the line. Fernanda was there at 5:30 and was done by 10:30.

Congratulations to all of the approved visas today!!! I know several people were going today. I hope everyone's interviews went smoothly!

Congratulations Matt,

I fell your happiness, my husband went today and got approved too, he got there very early but he told me that it took forever for him to be called, and they did ask lots of questions, we had been married for almost 3 years already, so I think it all depends on the agent who does the interview, they didn't ask him for any proofs or anything else, just questions.

I'm almost ready for the new journey with the AOS, I just hope it goes smoth and painless.