I would also like to know about expiration dates for DAS or other documents.

I just called NVC to check if they recieved my petition (NOA 2 on Feb. 15). The customer service rep told me that it was not there, I could expect between 4 weeks and 90 days till reciept. I am thinking this is kind of like the processing times they post at Service Centers, i.e., wildly inflated to try to keep people from calling. I intend on checking back in a day or two, but out of curiousity, anyone have a similar experience?

If I recall correctly, the DAS documents are good for six months. I believe the I-134 is good for a year (should say in the instructions).

The NVC is full of it. They are just spouting the party line, just like the processing time on their web site. Keep calling. I suspect your petition will arrive soon.

Good luck.

Mike

Yes, he will bring the DS-156 (along with several other items...I am sure you know that already). We actually had two DS-156s. The first DS-156 was reviewed at the Banco, where they had marked it with a small stamp. If I recall correctly, the doctor included this DS-156 into my wife's sealed medical packet. We brought our photocopy of the DS-156 with us to the interview (as they ask for two copies total).

We did not need to provide a DS-156K or a DS-157. The DS-156K is only for K-1s (so you will ned this). The DS-158 is supposedly for beneificaries who are Colombian males between the ages of 18-45.

Mike

Let me clarify on this. The Banco Credito will place a small stamp on the DS-156. However, they will ALSO place the barcode and fee receipt (stickers) on the front of the beneficiary's passport.

By the way, don't make the same mistake I did. The bank does NOT accept U.S. dollars in payment of the $100 fee (luckily for us, there was an ATM next door). Kind of funny....the fee is stated in U.S. dollars, but they only accept pesos. The medical exam fee and blood test fee, however, are stated in the packet 4 instructions in pesos. Go figure.

Mike

With a devaluating US Dollar versus the COP (look at Yahoo Finance, for example), its funny that they don't accept the fee in USD... the Embassy is losing money by doing so.

Mike, thanks for the packets. I'll use them as practice while our friends with the more current instructions (that was really mostly what I wanted... honestly we'll wait for the Colombian mail system to follow through on these deliveries... no, I'm not smoking anything jajajaja...) get the updated forms to moi. Hopefully they will have good and better news to report soon!!!!

By the way... our I-129F left not today (2/23) from NVC to Bogotá... but on Wednesday (2/21)!! A shucks! Just when we were starting to breathe a more relaxed air of relief, they start to get ahead of themselves... uurrgghh... jajaja

My bonita will go to DAS next week anyway. I will instruct her to send in the Packet 3 paperwork right around March 21-23 if not a bit sooner... I am leaving the whole employment situation up to her... the current job I have will probably not allow me to travel a few days for this interview so I have a choice based on what she wishes... lucky me she understands my situation and will wait a couple of weeks to purposely miss the cutoff dates so we get a May interview... but I just told her that if she wants an April interview then by all means send in the paperwork by fax really soon!

One bit of questioning I have for Mike and perhaps Kathy- in the older instructions for the interview/I-134 state to bring in 3 years of 1040s/W-2s, etc... do the newer Packet supporting documents repeat this demand or has it also been scaled back to just the last year as in the newer I-134 instructions?

Thanks again

... Sigh! Actually, the I-129F is either already in Bogotá OR it will be delivered on Monday... just checked DHL...

The current packet 4 requests the tax return from the most recent year only. We actually brought three years of returns (didn't want to give them any opportunity to ask for more information), because the form that we used asked us to list the last three years of AGI. I believe the embassy kept all three copies.

So, minimum, as stated, is one year. But why not bring three years, if it's not a big hassle to get (you can always order a tax transcript if you don't have copies...if you plan to order a tax transcript, do it now....download the form from the IRS website and fax it....it might take a month or so, especially given the time of year now).

Mike

[quote name='maviwaro' date='Feb 23 2007, 11:25 PM' post='742855']


One bit of questioning I have for Mike and perhaps Kathy- in the older instructions for the interview/I-134 state to bring in 3 years of 1040s/W-2s, etc... do the newer Packet supporting documents repeat this demand or has it also been scaled back to just the last year as in the newer I-134 instructions?

Thanks again

Excellent. Actually, you can request Tax returns over the phone from the IRS. Its automated I believe. A few years back you could just go to many Treasury Dept. offices and request this in person and you'd walk out with a free, stamped printout.

Lucky me I have copies going back more than 3 years so that part will be a Xerox operation...

Oh my gosh, I can't believe I just finished reading 28 pages of K-3 info!!! Phew! My head hurts but thanks to all you fine people I have about 3 pages of notes I've written down so I can be ready for every step of the process.

First of, I want to thank all of you for sharing your stories and tips you've picked along the way. What a great pile of info!

Secondly I'd like to know if any of the documents the beneficiary has to take to the embassy have to be translated. I found the embassy info on this site and it says that any document not in English needs to be translated... even if they're going to the US Embassy in Bogota?? That doesn't make sense.

And my second question is, once the beneficiary receives his/her visa, how long does she/he have to leave the country? Reason I ask is because I'd like to go to the embassy in Bogota with my husband for his interview and be able to come back home (USA) with him as well, but I think I can only take about a week (5-7 business days) off from work. Do you guys think this time frame is reasonable?

Thanks again everybody, you're all awesome!

My responses embedded below.

I know, it's an "all in a perfect world" type of thing. The good thing is that with all the info I've gathered from all the posts here I pretty much have it nailed down, things such as the location of the DAS office in Bogota, the shots he needs and I even told him to flag the name of Dra. Maria Consuelo Gonzalez because I read that she's pretty sweet. Let's just hope everything turns out ok.

Thanks for the info!!!

One bit of questioning I have for Mike and perhaps Kathy- in the older instructions for the interview/I-134 state to bring in 3 years of 1040s/W-2s, etc... do the newer Packet supporting documents repeat this demand or has it also been scaled back to just the last year as in the newer I-134 instructions?

I'll ask Francisco tonight about the requirements. I ordered the transcripts (as I recall I received them quickly) but given the tax season (as Mike or someone said), I'm not sure if it would be as quick now.

We faxed everything Feb 20, but forgot the OF-169. So we faxed that on Feb 23. So now I'm anxiously awaiting the interview date! Yesterday I called the embassy; they had received everything and were ready to schedule the interview but had not yet done so. I called the number listed on the website (571-315-0811) and asked for the resident's office. It took about 10 minutes for me to connect to a person, but was successful; she was helpful. However, she told me to call back Wednesday to get the date.

Does anybody happen to have the list of the Dr.'s and their phone #s for the medical exam? My husband has a few questions regarding his shots and he wanted to call them ahead of time before he gets them. I know Mystery had talked about Dra. Maria Consuelo Gonzalez but I don't have her phone #.

Anybody?

Thanks!

Dra Maria COnsuelo Gonzalez 288-7629 or 245-9290

Dr. Jairo Rosa 215-1763 or 658-9366

Anexo D of Packet 4 includes the list of required vaccinations....age 18-64....Td, MMR, and Varicela.

Mike

My fiancee's application was received in Bogota yesterday. I have read al 28 pages of this thread and there is a lot of good information. Some say the Migratory DAS is required and some say no. I think the last consensus was yes it is required. I need a copy of the latest packet 3 & 4 if anyone could send it to me. If you could PM me I will give you my email. One person said that having the documents submitted in English slowed the interview process down but when I read the DS 2001 it says either is acceptable, any advice? Also how do you know which vaccinations are required for your particular case. I have noticed that some people go the health department or Red Cross to get their vaccinations. My fiancee's parent's are deceased and she has no idea what vaccinations she has had. Also she does not have her Baptismal Certificate. Is both a Baptismal Certificate and Birth Certificate required or is the Baptismal Certificate only required when you do not have a birth certificate? Where does she go to get Baptismal Certificate with marginal notes? Any help would be appreciated and I could really use those packets.

Review the US Bogota embassy website for instructions on what to do if you don't have a baptismal certificate. If you can't find the information, PM me and I will send you the link with the instructions. She has to have a sworn statement made by two people attesting to the fact that she doesn't have a baptismal certificate.

Francisco has his, so I don't know if anyone else on the thread has experience with this statement.

Good luck!
Kathy

I cannot speak with 100% certainty for the K-1 process, but I can say with 100% certainty that packet 4 for K3/K4 visas does include the requirement of the "carta de DAS."

I do not have the latest packet 4 scanned. You might want to try Dre or Tony S. If however, you'd like a copy of the packets 3 and 4 I got from Peter in Miami, send me a PM with your e-mail address. The packet 3 they sent to him is the same as the one we got in December. The packet 4 is slightly differently (including the "carta de DAS" requirement).

Documents in English slow the interview process? I'm not sure who said this or why. We submitted everything in English (other than original documents in Spanish) and had no problem at all. The COs who do the interviewing, from what I can tell, are all Americans. Send the documents in whatever language you want. I filled out all of the documents, so I did them i English. If the beneficiary fills out the documents, then maybe Spanish is the best choice since it is the native language.

If she has no proof of vaccinations (a vaccination card), then she may well need to get her shots again. Packet 4 lists the necessary immunizations for beneficiaries of various ages (I posted about this earlier today).

If she is Catholic, she was likely baptized. If she is in Bogota, she can get a copy of the certificate from the local church. If she was never baptized, follow the advice of Kathy above. The baptism certificate is required in ADDITION to the birth certificate (unless she was never baptized).

Mike

Yes, and even if she was never baptized, I believe you need sworn statements attesting to that too!

Kathy:

I agree with you. Hope I did not mislead anyone. In addition to the birth certificate, you either need a baptism certificate or a sworn statement indicating that you were never baptized. Did not mean to imply otherwise.

Mike

Kind of hilarious they require a Church document when the nature of the process is not religious.

So yeah... tax returns are good to go... now all we need is the patience and restraint to not submit Packet 3 so as to get inadvertantly scheduled for April... a reversal of previous hurriedness- and at least at my job I am seeing signs of promise that I may not have to quit after all in order to fly down for the interview, even though its on company paper. Just need 3 days to get it done on my side down there. All very carefully planned out.

Good luck Kathy and Francisco!

Waitingforher30... looks like we're a day apart in their having received the paperwork at BOG. Go dude go! To bad I have to wait to push things through!

Just arrived home from Bogota. The interview was easy and sucessful! Good luck to Dan today!

Thanks Mike!! I told my husband which vacs he needs and then he started saying "well I thinkI had the TD one when I was like 5 and I already had varicela with dr.'s documents proving that I did, so maybe I won't need them... blah, blah, blah" So I said call the doctor so you know for sure and if they say get them all, then you get them all. I think he's scared and is avoiding getting them at all costs! Too bad, so sad.

Glad to hear it. Yeah, I am sure he is not excited about getting a vaccination. I suspect that his TD is expired. I think it is good for 10 years. My wife had to get another. Also, some of the other vaccinations are done in stages, so he may or may not have completed the panel. He should have a vaccination card (this is what many Colombians have since they must get their vaccinations at the Red Cross or other similar organizations...and not at the doctor's office like we would here in the U.S.).

Good luck!

Mike[/quote]

Thanks Mike!! I told my husband which vacs he needs and then he started saying "well I thinkI had the TD one when I was like 5 and I already had varicela with dr.'s documents proving that I did, so maybe I won't need them... blah, blah, blah" So I said call the doctor so you know for sure and if they say get them all, then you get them all. I think he's scared and is avoiding getting them at all costs! Too bad, so sad.
[/quote]

Fantastic! I am thrilled for both of you!

Kathy

That's great Tony! Congratulations! What questions did they ask you?
By the way, has anybody here ever taken "yahoo call history" as proof of communication?
Thanks!

Hi Club Colombia! I'm fairly new here -- I just mailed in the I-129F petition for mi colombiano a week ago. I asked this question under the regional heading, but I thought I'd try it here, aiming specifically at people who have completed the K-1 process at the Bogota embassy:

How important do you think it is that the USC attend the interview at the embassy? What did YOU do, and how did it work out? I'm hoping that by collating everybody's responses, I can get a fairly good idea of the best thing to do.

Hi:

One piece of advice...if you have a question about the process in Colombia, definitely post to this thread. There doesn't seem to be much action in the regional thread as it relates to COlombia. I bet most of us don't even bother to read that thread any more.

That said, I am going to respond to your question...even though my wife went through the K-3 process. I think it is fairly important to attend the embassy interview with the beneficiary, ESPECIALLY is you are going for a K-1. The embassy is on hig alert for visa frauds and K-3 visas are much more conducive to fraud that a K-3 or IR-1/CR-1 (because with these visas you actually have to get married!).

As I've posted before, I attended my wife's K-3 interview and we were successful. My wife was asked NO questions. I owe that to the fact that 1) we included proof of relationship in our I-129F filing and 2) I was there. I was the ONLY gringo anywhere in sight that day. We saw K-1s getting denied left and right that morning.

So, these are one guy's opinions based on one day's experience at the embassy.....but if you want to increase the odds...you need to go. Oh, and you said "Colombiano"...meaning that you are a woman and the beneficiary is a Colombian man? If so, I think it is almost critical that you attend the interview. Review Oskaryandrea's experiences earlier in this thread.

Good luck to you.

Mike

Thank you so much Kathy. I know you will be sucessful too .

[quote name='Mike and Adriana' date='Feb 28 2007, 10:35 PM' post='751570']
Hi:

One piece of advice...if you have a question about the process in Colombia, definitely post to this thread. There doesn't seem to be much action in the regional thread as it relates to COlombia. I bet most of us don't even bother to read that thread any more.

That said, I am going to respond to your question...even though my wife went through the K-3 process. I think it is fairly important to attend the embassy interview with the beneficiary, ESPECIALLY is you are going for a K-1. The embassy is on hig alert for visa frauds and K-3 visas are much more conducive to fraud that a K-3 or IR-1/CR-1 (because with these visas you actually have to get married!).

As I've posted before, I attended my wife's K-3 interview and we were successful. My wife was asked NO questions. I owe that to the fact that 1) we included proof of relationship in our I-129F filing and 2) I was there. I was the ONLY gringo anywhere in sight that day. We saw K-1s getting denied left and right that morning.

So, these are one guy's opinions based on one day's experience at the embassy.....but if you want to increase the odds...you need to go. Oh, and you said "Colombiano"...meaning that you are a woman and the beneficiary is a Colombian man? If so, I think it is almost critical that you attend the interview. Review Oskaryandrea's experiences earlier in this thread.

Good luck to you.

Mike


Wow -- I just read OskaryAndrea's story and I have to admit, I'm kind of in shock. And yes, to answer your question, the beneficiary is a Colombian man. I am surprised that it would make a difference: what's the logic there? There is very little age difference between us -- he is just one year older. We met two years ago when he was on an exchange visa in the states and have been together ever since.

I would definitely not *mind going to Bogota for the interview and getting to see my fiance that much sooner. But the truth is, I'm wondering what my presence would prove when we already have such copious evidence of a long-term relationship. Then again, so did Oskar and Andrea . . .

The whole thing just seems so ARBITRARY.

Don't really know that there is any logic. As I said in previous posts, it seems as if there is a bit of discrimination in cases where the woman is older than the man...probably because that is not typical in a Colombian relationship. One year is not much of a difference...but the fact that the beneficiary is a man...makes me think the relationship will be looked at a little more closely. Not fair perhaps, but probably the way it is.

From what I can tell, the embassy seems to consider the attendance of the petition as a piece of evidence! So, even if you have a lot of other evidence, often being there (and displaying an engagement ring) can really help. If you can't be there, it might pay to (as others have done) provide your fiance with a letter explaining why you get be there (i.e., can't get away from work, can't afford the additional expense at this time, etc.).

Good luck,
Mike

PS - general observation...my perception had been (based on my experiences in Colombia and on this board) that the typical relationship was between an American man and a Colombian woman. Until recently, Andrea had been the exception, although she is Colombian. I have found it interesting to see recent posts by American women who are engaged to/married to Colombian men. I have read a lot about why American men have interest in Colombian women....I am interested if there are any particular reasons why American women have interest in Colombian men (or for the women, is it just the individual person...and not any traits that can be associated with a Colombiano).

Hi olafgypsy and welcome!

Interesting observation Mike. Yes, when I first started reading the thread, I noticed all the information was skewed toward a Colombian fiancee. To answer you, for me, it was just the man, who happened to be Colombian. My brother and his girlfriend (who is Colombian) live in Bogota; last year I went to visit them. We spent some time in Armenia, and Francisco was our personal tour guide. I didn't realize then that I had met my future husband...I just knew I had met someone very special that day. (I remember laughing when we had to pay him. We all had such a good time together, I forgot that he wasn't part of our family!) He emailed me a few weeks after I was back in the United States, and I don't think we've missed a day since. I have since gone back to Colombia twice to see him and meet his family. So I hope that's enough (along with my cell phone bills, daily chats, letters, emails from my parents/siblings to him, photos, receipts from his visits to interent offices) to prove we have a bona fide relationship! (I too included proof of relationship in the 129F packet.) I don't have an engagement ring, because frankly that's an expense we don't need to incur just yet.

And, olafgypsy, I will attend the interview. We are scheduled for April 2. I have followed a mantra in this process of "nothing beats effort." And besides the obvious benefits of me going (more favorable impression by the consular officer as well as getting to see Francisco in just a few weeks), I don't want him to have to go through this very stressful time all by himself. I may as well be with him while he waits...I would be useless in Indianapolis during the interview anyway!

I have found this group to be very supportive and very willing to answer questions. So really, thanks to everyone for your encouragement and kindness!

Kathy

Well at the first window, she was asked:

1. What is your profession?
2. How did you meet your fiance?
3. When did you meet your fiance?
4. How long you did you live with you ex-husband? ( my fiancee is divorced )
5. When will you go to America?

At the CO window she was asked:

1. How did you meet? ( Don't worry those of you who met online or through a agency...doesn't matter )
2. When did you meet?

That was all! Did not ask to speak to me. But please read on. I will give my opinion in the thread below.

In my opinion, if you the time and money to attend the interview, then do it! I noticed that approval rate for Colombians there alone was about 50%. Now this may not be very accurate but just from my observations. There were about 5 couples there, including myself....we were all approved in 3-5 minutes. In general only about 3 questions were asked and only once was the USC asked to speak. He was asked one question, " How did they meet?" and was approved in 5 minutes l. I noticed that if the applicant was at the window for 10-15 minutes then most likely they were not getting approved. In my opinion, the success if for a couple of reasons. First of all, if you are going to take the time, money and effort to come to a interview that you are not required to attend, then mostly you are a real couple to the CO. Second of all, the USC that feels is very important to attend the interview, is most likely the kind of individual that researched the process and made sure everything was done correctly. Some of the girls that was not approved were sent away and asked to come back with more proof. One had boyfriend that had only been to Colombia once and she had just 7 emails. Another girl only had the dates of the emails and did not include the body of the messages.

So this is what I think and it has been said before in the Colombia Club.

1. If you can go for the interview then do it! Bogota is a big city plagued with the issues all big cities have but I had a blast and did not feel unsafe. I feel the experience brought us even closer together. We did some fun things and this helped us both relax in what can be a stressful situation.
2. More information is better than too little. I suggest 30-50 emails but if the CO feel good about you, then most likely they won't even look at them.
3. I suggest 10-30 pictures. They seem to be VERY INTERESTED IN PICTURES! We had about 25 and the CO looked at all of them.
4. Phone records, but again if the CO feels good about the couple then most likely he/she won't look at the records.

I echo Tony and Mike's suggestions to be at the embassy.

Lucky me I got my girl a ring down there while we lived together for nearly two months. I think that is a double whammy of evidence in case they look at the extra evidence since filing the I-129f. Pics? Sure... the 25 from the I-129f, plus another 25 from this last trip. Lets see... you can't stage all the different ecosystems we have joint pics of in a couple of fraudulent days... Providencia and San Sandrés, Bucaramanga, Bogotá (a self respecting CO should recognize commercial sites in and around Bogotá), parts of rural Santander... FAMILY PICS with all of us posing together, friend pics in group... ETC. Hmmm... plane tix, ring receipt, hotel receipt, Decameron receipt, and etc.

Possibly a contact sheet listing emails in GMAIL going at a rate of about 4 messages a day since last year.

I think if the CO denies us it will be for evidence overkill... but again, that is grounds for a valid appeal since people read when they are officially directed to do so.

Then there's also the touchy-feely part of the waiting process. You can bet your bottom dollar that a happily engaged couple waiting for hours and hours won't be sitting reading books- especially if the future spouse has to probably fly back to the USA for work reasons the next day. At the minimun hugs, kisses, and good talk are in order there. God I miss her.

So my husband calls the doctor this morning and they told him he has to get all 3 shots (TD, MMR & varicela), needless to say, he's not a happy camper. I don't know why I'm enjoying this so much.

Anyway if anyone is interested, the Red Cross of Cali told him that if he gets the TD and varicela shots with them, he can get the MMR for free. Just a little FYI for those of you who live close to Cali and need to have that done.

To answer your question Mike, and to echo Kathy, I think that in my case it was just the individual person (or rather, two individual people) who happened to be people that could fall in love very easily That being said, in my case, a lot of what drew me to my fiance were things people might associate with a "typical" (if there is any such thing) Colombiano: love of life, optimism, cheerfulness, and a little bit of irreverence, or refusal to take life too seriously. It was definitely a case of opposites attracting: I am a fairly serious person. I find that we balance each other well, and some of that might be *because* of his "Colombian" traits. But then again, beyond his family I don't know too many other Colombians, so I can't be sure.

Looking at the posts in response to my question, it seems I should plan on attending the interview. Luckily I'm a student and the interview will likely be in May or June, so no problems there. Mainly I am worried about the cost of the plane ticket. I'm guessing I probably can't write that off on my taxes

BTW, I love this website, and particularly this thread. Everybody is so helpful!!

Tony,
I noticed that in your reply you stated not to worry if you met online or through an agency. Could you expand on that a little bit. I met my fiancee through a prominant marriage agency in Bogota. I have seen some posts, I do not remember if it was in this forum or the K-1 forum, but the comment was made to not tell immigration that you met through a PAID service. I am pretty sure that The USCIS knows that virtually every IMBRA required the member to pay a fee so I am not sure what the intent is here. I feel that my fiancee and I love one another just as much as couples who met in other ways do. I have plenty of phone records, pictures, emails, and other documentation to show proof of our relationship. I have been to Bogota twicw and we have kown each other for almost 1 year. I just don't think giving the Embassy false information is a good idea for anyone. I am for just telling the truth. Does anyone have any comments or ideas?

Tell the truth. Using an agency is not a big deal. You had to meet somehow. It's not better or worse than meeting on-line or on the street during a vacation to Colombia, IMO. I have not seen any evidence from posts on this board that it makes any difference in success or failure. On the other hand, it one lies or withholds info...and gets caught...that's a whole other problem.

Way to go mike on the aos,you are flying.jerry

Can somebody email me the most recently scanned packets 3 and 4? I know somebody has them, but can't remember who . . .

My email address is posted on my profile.

Just trying to be prepared

Thank you in advance!

Very well said. I have seen on some forums where they felt that meeting online or through a dating agency may be a problem. In my experiences and talking to people at the interview, it was not a issue at all. No matter how the couple met, the number one thing is to prove the relationship is real.

Can Francisco pay the nonimmigrant visa fee at any time prior to our interview? I saw the list of Banco de Creditos; Pereira is close to his home. Will he need to bring any other documentation besides the DS-156/DS-157?

Thanks!

Kathy:

As far as I can tell, you can pay the fee at any time prior to the interview. They will place a small stamp on the DS-156...and then attach a barcode sticker (with printed info as well) on the passport. When we paid the fee, we provided the DS-156 (which the bank reviewed and entered some information into the computer) and her passport. The DS-156K and DS-157 did not apply to us...but I believe you need only bring them to the interview, not the bank.

Now...here's the only thing we experienced that was a little strange. If I understand my wife correctly, the doctor took the DS-156 at her medical exam and placed it in the sealed envelope with the results of the exam/blood test. I was not prepared for that to happen.

So, you may want to plan to pay the fee BEFORE the medical....even though I don't recall seeing anything in packet 4 that says you need to do it that way.

Mike

Hi Folks,
Sitting here in the Avianca lounge in Bogota waiting for my flight to board back to NYC, and this is the first chance i've had to update our journey. I apologize, and so first, without further delay...Silvia's K1 was approved on Wednesday and picked up the visa without incident on Thursday! We're both so thrilled, and many shoutouts to the people on visa journey, especially here in Colombia Club for all the invaluable help that kept us ready and prepared for whatever came our way.

We arrived at the embassy at 5:30am and there were probably 5 people infront of us. including 1 K1. By 5:45 there were 50 people in line, by 6am there were maybe 250. They split us up into the 3 lines at about 6:10 and we were the second K1/k3 couple, and there were maybe 10 others in the line. (so majority were there for other visas).
We were handed a folder with the instructions to put everything in order (as noted before by others). Have everything in the order noted on the pckt 4 docs, and you'll be ready to go. After about 30 minutes, Silvia was called to the window for her prelim interview and to review the docs.
The woman began to review the docs and said, "How many times has your fiancee been married?" Silvia replied, "none".
The woman said, "your fiance has lied to you, he's been married twice before" Silvia said, "I don't believe that" and looked back at me standing 20 feet away and I waved and smiled unknowingly. The woman said, it says right here, "divorced twice" and passed the papers to Silva. Her heart dropped and she took the paper to review....which had someone elses name on it!!! "Senora", she said, "my name is not xxxxxx". QUE PENA! the woman said and they started fresh with our correct documents. Well, at this point from the distance I saw them laughing and thought things must be going well. (this was the prelim interview, so the US Citizen is not at the window. She asked her when we met, and very basic questions.

We then sat down together and waited. There were three other K1's with gringos with them. The rest were there solo, including one older (50's) colombian man solo.

we were called to the window for the interview at 10:30am. The woman was actually very nice and pleasant.
Questions were:
When did you meet?
How did you meet?
Does he know your parents?
Have you travelled together?

She then asked to see the photos and nothing else. We had calling card records, emails for a year, msn messenger transcripts, boarding passes, hotel receipts, etc... but she only asked to see the 30 pictures we had arranged in a plastic small album.
She then asked to speak to me..
The woman asked me to sign the I-134 which I did.
Then she asked-
What trip that we took together did I like the best?
Has She met my parents? (no, she can't come to the US and they didn't come to colombia) the woman agreed it was kind of a silly question.
how many sisters does she have? Now this was a trick question, and thanks to Andrea, I was prepared. She two older brothers which I know. But her father also has a 6 year old registered child with another woman which is kind of a hidden story. I've never met, no one talks about her. But, the US consul KNEW about it, and i was ready with the answer.
She then said, this relationship looks real to me, gave us a paper and said come back tomorrow at 4pm to pick it up. We were done by everything by 10:40am and were on our way out the door. It pays to get there early. also it's cold in the morning, bring a coat.

Back the next day, we saw who was approved and who at least appeared to be not approved by lack of presence.
5 solo women were approved. 2 other couples besides us, (one couple was not there). the older colombian man was not there.
Don't know what more to say about that. I really suggest going to the interview if you want to help things along.
Feel free to ask me anything about the whole process. Silvia will finish up her stuff in colombia and come to NY in about a month!

All the best to everyone.
Dan

Congratulations Dan and Silvia! That's wonderful news!

Dan:

Congratulations to you and Silvia , and thanks for sharing such a great report!

Awesome Dan! Felicidades to you both.

We will be in the same situation, Mària and I, when we eventually get to the interview. Hopefully due to work reasons it will all go down in May and then by June I'll be picking her up in Bogotá.

Hola a todos! I'm fairly new to VJ and just today found the Colombia Club. I hope I can join in the festivities (especially the festivities of having my bride's visa approved soon!!!).

VJ has already been a valuable guide to me, I've tried to read most, though not all, of the posts here at the club, and I'm sure I'll be asking some of the same questions that have already been covered. Please bear with me.

If I did things right, my timeline should show up below. If not, someone may have to clue me in.

Welcome! Your timeline is missing the I-129F info by the way.

Took me three trys to figure it out, but I think I finally got it. Thanks!