I know that you are well prepared Bill. Good luck and you will be in our thoughts and prayers on Friday.
Cameron & Carina

Good luck John. Preparation is the key! I agree, that this is a great forum and great people to know!
Cameron

Great news Santamarta! I know that it has been a long time in coming. Thanks for sharing with us and best of luck to you through the rest of your journey.
Cameron

Congratulations Byron! The hardest part is behind you and now you have Leidy by your side to make the rest of the trip more tolerable! Carina and I have our interview on March 31!

Cameron

Congratulations ¡!! Let me tell you that de hard part is over, I sent my AOS papers the 4th of February and have my biometrics appointment for march 13.

... upss That was for bayron

Yesterday we received package 4 ... now schedule lab and medical.

Congratulations Osita! We are still waiting for package 4, but it should be soon. Look forward to seeing you in Bogota!

Cameron & Carina

Congratulations Byron! Another one bits the dust.

Diana

Thanks! and good luck to everyone heading down.

I literally have about 10+ hours now just putting our evidence together and that is just on my end. If they question this, then we are just screwed, because there isn't much we can do to. jaja Our picture count is at 200 that we are brining.

I was just rambling; but speaking of pictures, how strict are they on these 6 that we are bringing to the interview and medical? My wife says hers measure 4.7 and her face is bigger than the specs too. I think we are going to get them done again, but I am curious about this.

John,

Here's the translator's info in Medellín that you were requesting:

CARLOS ENRIQUE GIL
Cl 49 DD 81 C-36
Colombia - Antioquia, Medellín
Teléfonos : (57) (4) 4215040


Diana

Wow lots of stuff going on... congrats to all the continued approvals, weddings (si Byron, felicidades mano!!), and future interviews. Stay strong, believe in the love you have for each other, and we'll see you AOS-side.

Hola everyone!

I have been sharing messages and emails with some of you here.
Just wanted to let everyone know that I received my NOA2 on Feb. 22nd.
I got through to the NVC this morning and they had received it yesterday.
Hopefully it will very shortly be in route to Bogota. Im keeping my fingers crossed for
a April interview.

Rainman3

I paid for 3 visas today. Ouch! The people at the bank were very nice but they made us fill out 3 new DS-156´s in Spanish (I was expecting that) and they gave themselves a very favorable conversion rate which I was not expecting. For each $131 visa I paid 275.100 pesos which I figure works out to be about $148.

Make sure you take some extra cash when you pay for the visa and also remember to take your apointment letter. That is needed also.

Good luck Bill and Bella tomorrow!!!!!

Diana

Anyone mind if I vent? hehe

I am sooo frustrated right now. I am trying to get this I-134 notarized, and I had nothing but problems. On lunch I went to my bank (BoA) and they say they can only notarize bank documents, and they send everyone across the street. I went across the street and the notary is in a meeting. As I am heading back to work I see a tax place and the notary isn't in today.

Fast forward: I decided to leave work early and to use the FedEx notary just to get this done because I want to get this in the mail today. The notary puts: "See attached" and puts his own version of the statement at the bottom stapled to the I-134. It is official and everything, but the fact that it is not notarized on the actual I-134 has got me nervous.

So anyway; I decided to say "screw it" because I need to get this mailed, and I will ask about this on the board tonight. I figure if I have to mail another then I will, but I need this packet in the mail tonight.

Long story short.... my packet did not go out because the guy working there is a dope. I made a special trip last night to get my forms so I can be ready to go. Today he changes everything he told me last night, and I miss the pickup.

This could very well be a blessing in disguise ... so what do you guys think about this "see attached"? Has anyone else had this happen?

Well thanks for listening, something tells me that you guys here can probably understand the stress. hehe

Agentes

Bill and Bella,

Good luck Friday! I know that you are well prepared and everything will go well. Just want you to feel the good vibes and know that you are in our thoughts and prayers!

Cameron and Carina

OMG!!! We've been approved!!!!!!!!! I did the RFE trick and vioala!! Min (the immigration officer) helped pushed it through for me!! OMG!!! I cant believe it!!! Now What?????? I'm drawing a blank with what I am supposed to do at this point...I just cant believe it!!!!

Congrats Diana! RFE trick still working!!!!

Congratulations!

Now your approved petition will go to the NVC where they will assign your a case # and then send it to the embassy.

You need to start reading (if you haven't done so already) the instructions on what how to get packet 3 faxed to the embassy in order to get packet 4 faster and not have them lose your paperwork.

Your fiancée can also start looking into getting all other documents ready, Registro Civil de Nacimiento, Partida de Bautismo, Certificado Judicial & Carta Migratoria.


Meanwhile you can start gathering your tax documents, letter of employment and paystubs or have your co-sponsor do so if you're using one.

Good luck!

Diana

"Congratulations" Andres and Diana!!!... your journey is about to hit overdrive!!! Gather all necessary documents to be prepared for Bogota and before you know it, you guys will be on a plane headed for the STATES!!!

Congratulations Andres and Diana!!!! I am very happy for the both of you. I have been having a rough time getting these papers done, but seeing your approval brought back good memories and it changed my day too.

God Bless!

Good news! We were approved. The interview was a breeze. I will post the details later. I am trying to book flights now.

Thanks to everyone who wished us luck!

Ohhhh yeah

Congrats Bill... have an Aguila, Bohemia, and then a CLUB COLOMBIA on all of us!

"AWESOME"!!! CONGRATULATIONS BILL AND BELLA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FELICITACIONES!!!!!!!!!!!!

CLAUDIA

Congrats Bill!!!!!

Congratulations Bill!!!

Diana

CONGRATULATIONS!! Im soooo happy for you Bill! Please do go out and Celebrate!

Great news Bill.

CONGRATS ANDRES & DIANA...I wish God Blessing for you both now and forever more.

GOD BLESS!!!

That is wonderful news...Congratulations!!!

I pray God continue to shower you both with his love, blessings, and grace.

Outstanding news

GOD BLESS

Congratulations

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Great things keep happening at Colombia Club!

Congrats Diana. I am sure you and Andres are flying high tonight! Everything is lightening speed from here on in, so tighten your seatbelt. I am very happy for you.

Bill and Bella, great job. I knew it would be a breeze for you. You have always been well prepared. We are happy for you and look forward to your complete report!

Cameron & Carina

CONGRATULATIONS BILL AND BELLA

Here is the summary of the interview today.

• We arrived at about 6:30. There were a lot of people in line 1 but only about 20 in line 3 which is where the K1´s line up.
• Shortly after we arrived two embassy employees (who spoke english only) worked their way down the line.
• The first one seemed to be affiliated with Domesa (the delivery service the embassy uses to deliver the visas). He added a sticker to the passports and gave us the Domesa forms to be used later.
• The next employee inspected the interview letter and applied green stickers to our shirts. From this point all of our stops were identified with green signs.
• At 7:00 we were allowed to pass through the first gate. We waited inside the gate for just a few minutes and then we were sent through a security check point where they screened bags etc. If you have something they don´t want you to have such a cell phone with a camera you can check it there and pick it up on your way out.
• After that we continued down the sidewalk to the next checkpoint where they looked at the passports again.
• Next we came to the gate for the interior covered embassy courtyard where all the interviews take place. You will never actually enter a building throughout the entire process. As we passed through that gate we were directed to an area where we got in line at booth 40 (which is actually more of a cart than a booth) to receive the folder for our documents. They asked for the appointment letter again before they gave us the folder. The folder has the order of documents attached which is slightly different than the one that is provided in package 3 and package 4. Since we were applying for 3 visas (Bella and 2 kids) we were given 3 folders. We were told to enter all the required documents other than proof of relationship in the folder without any clips holding the pages together. They also said not to insert any extra copies which confused me because the I-134 evidence requires duplicates. I put the duplicates in the folder anyway. After we asked, we were told that the DS-223 & DS-156 should not be signed until we were told to do so. We had not signed ours so I don´t know if it is a problem if they have already been signed or not.
• At 7:45 Bella was called to window 30 (picture a ticket window with a solid pane of glass and a telephone for communicating). Here a clerk that Bella described as ¨serious¨ inspected the documents, had her sign the forms, asked a few minor questions such as how long have you known him?, how do you know him? and what is my work? Next she returned the documents that she did not want. I was surprised to get all the DS-230´s back but at least they did not ask for any documents that we did not have.
• This process took about 15 minutes for them to review our 3 document folders.
• Next we were told to wait near windows 1, 2 & 3 for Bella´s name to be called.
• At about 8:50 they started calling people up to be fingerprinted. Bella was called at 9:00.
• At 9:25 Bella was the first one called for an interview. I was heading for the cafeteria with the kids when her name was called so I had to hurry back. When I got there Bella was already at the window and I was told that the officer (female) wanted me to stand near Bella which is what I did.
• Bella was asked the following questions in Spanish:
  

• Do you swear to tell the truth?
• How many times have you been to the US?
• How may times has Bill been to Colombia?
• Does he know your family?
• After that she asked to see the proof of evidence. She looked at it for about 30 seconds and then said that we were approved. She never asked to speak to me but did give me a wave and a smile.
• The entire interview lasted no more than 5 minutes.
• The next stop was the Domesa booth to make arrangements for the visa delivery. Before you get into the line find a Domesa employee that will be outside the booth and have them check your forms. If everything is OK you can then get into line to pay for the delivery.
• We were all finished and out of the embassy by around 10:00.

A couple of tips and observations:

1. We were one of the few couples there with kids but it did not create any problems. Actually I think it helped us. They jumped us to the head of the line entering the embassy and I am sure that me being seen holding the baby did not hurt the interview process any.
2. You can use the waitng time to go ahead and fill out the Domesa form they will give you at the beginning of the process. To do this you will need the beneficiary´s passport number which you will no longer have by the time you get to the Domesa booth. Fill out the forms before you turn in your documents or write down the passport number. There are instruction sheets for filling out the forms on the tables near the Domesa booth.
3. By the way, it seems that the number in a Colombian passport that is called the passport number is not the passport number. Why am I not surprised? There is a small unidentified number in red that is near the bottom of a page at the front of the passport. This is the number they want on the DS-156 as well as the Domesa forms.
4. They are not kidding when they say it is cold while you are waiting. I had gone outside at about 5:30 this morning to check the temperature and I thought that we were dressed warmly enough. However, it must be about 10 degrees cooler in the embassy courtyard so the baby got Bella´s sweater, the boy and Bella huddled under my coat and guess who was freezing?

That is all I can think of right now. Bella and I appreciate all the congratualtions and we hope everyone´s interview goes as smoothly as ours.

Thanks Bill for the excellent recap. It will be helpful to all. Congratulations, and I hope it is noon and you have a headache from the celebration when you read this!! Jajajajajja

Cameron and Carina

Congratulations and thanks for taking the time for the write up. That was a great!

Wow Bill that was very descriptive. It took me back to our interview

Just don't forget to get that CLUB COLOMBIA for all of us je je!

Congrats Bill!!!!!!!!!!!!! I remember freezing too! LOL>LOL. Same thing, I gave my coat up to Paola.

Bill and Bella again Congrats. Just an update my 2 step sons made it to JFK Satuday morning and it was a BREEZE for them, I guess cause they are kids. They did not ask any questions at all. Also my husband brought a paper back that said it the applicates were under 18 a Social security card is not sent, so this morning we went and applied. No problem what so ever they were both in the system should receive card in 7-10 days. The only thing the lady said was she would do one today and the other on Wedensday so the numbers are no close together. Go figure. I appreciate this site and this forum in particular. I read and read and learned so much. Good luck on everyone's journey.

Hi everyone,
I called DOS and Margarita has her interview April 11th. I am so excited!!!! I allready reserved the apartment in Bogota


john

"CONGRATS"...JOHN AND MARGARITA!!!!

Hi everyone,
Here is my plan. Please let me know if you think I am missing anything or if something doesn't sound like a good idea. Tuesday April 8 John flies to Bogota from US, and Margarita and Daniela fly to Bogota from Medellin. Meet at the airport and go to the apartment. Wednesday Margarita goes to the lab at 7 am. After the lab, go to DAS to pickup Migratorio report (she ordered it at the DAS office in Medellin and it is ready for pickup in Bogota). Lunch, and if time allows pay for the Visas at the bank. Both Margara and Dani go to doctor Gonzalez in the afternoon. Assuming no problems, Thursday is a day of fun. In the event of some unforeseen problem, Thursday is available to remedy the problem. Friday morning the interview. Friday evening celebrate (hopefully). Also, does anyone have any ideas for a fun day Thursday or Saturday? Something fun for the whole family. Daniela is 8 years old and loves rides. Margara and I are both unfamiliar with Bogota, but I'd love for the 3 of us to go to a theme park if there is one there.

thanks

john

J-

That is fantastic news...I wish you all of God Blessing for your interview and your new life together.
The theme park is not far from the airport in Bogota it is called "Salitre Majico" it is a lot of fun. The rides are great the food is good (try the hot dogs gooooooood). I went with Dayfenix's nieces and nephews and had a wonderful time, and it is very inexpensive. You can make a full day of it.

Contrats...and God Bless

Eric

Question for all the people who already received their K1 visas. Did the CO or the people at the embassy ever ask you for Part II of the DS-230? I know last year they were asking all SO's to sign it in fron of the CO but it doesn't seem to be the case anymore. Can anyone please clarify?

Thanks!

Diana

Salitre Mágico is a great place to take an 8 year-old child. You can also try the Tren Turístico on Saturday that leaves early from Bogotá to go to a small town to spend the day and then it comes back in the afternoon. It's really fun and you have a choice of different routes to go on. Here's their info:

Dirección: Estación de la Sabana, Calle 13 No. 18-24, (Estación de Usaquen, Calle 110 con Carrera 10), BOGOTá
Teléfono: (57) 1 257 1459

Diana

Thanks Santa and Diana,
Wow Diana. You even give the address. You're the best

john

Hi everyone,
I have a kind of silly question. If I am going to the interview with my Margara,do I need to write a new letter of intent? I assume that my presence at the interview should demonstrate my intent, but I never know when it comes to this process. I have one more question. Do we need to bring a notarized letter signed by Daniela's father to the interview? I know we will need it when they leave Colombia, but I am not sure if the embassy requires it before they will grant Daniela a K3 visa. Margara and Daniela aren't coming to the US until October or November, so we will need to get a letter from Daniela's father in September either way.

thanks

john

Not only did they not ask for Part 2, they returned Part 1 after the intial document review. They still say that part 1 is required for all applicants but don't seem to know what to do with it. I get the feeling that the document requirements are in the process of being changed but the package 3 & 4 instructions have not caught up yet. I would still recommend filling out the DS-230 Part 1 until the instructions say otherwise but Part 2 is not necessary.