OK. Now I'm confused. In looking at the K visa instructions on the embassy site, it states to fax in forms DS-2100 and DS-230 Part I. However, the Spanish version states to send in OF-169 with DS-230 Part 1 and says nothing about the DS-2100. Which forms do we need to fax to request an interview for a K-3?

Thanks,
CG

Hello Colombian Club, you guys are wonderful and I wish I had found this forum before I had started the process for our K1... You surely do make it seem like my fiance and I are not alone...

All that aside, here's where we currently are in the process. The Embassy in Bogota has received our approved petition and sent the Packet 3 to my fiance on 3/31/08. We emailed the Embassy yesterday, 4/9/08, to determine this. However, Juliana has yet to receive the Packet 3. We (when I say we I mean she) has read here on these forums that it is possible to send the OF-169 & DS-230 with a letter requesting an interview without at all receiving the Packet 3 to have our interview scheduled. I would like to confirm the ability to do this or take on any advice at all for our current situation... I've already emailed the Immigrant Visa Unit to resend the Packet 3, and pleasantly asked for a Fax # & Address (which soon after I found in the sample Packet 3, doh). Juliana and I are chomping at the bit to send it and have our interview scheduled, but we don't want to get ourselves in any trouble down the road by doing it. Hopefully someone sees this soon and can help us with our situation. Not that difficult of one, right?

Thank you!

Dan

Well. My wife faxed in the documents requesting the interview along with a simple cover sheet. She will be dropping it off at Servientrega after lunch.

What is the best way to find out the interview date? I know they publish a list on the 20th, but how soon will NVC know about the interview? Do I just call the same main phone number at NVC or do would it be better to call this "Visa Office" I've heard about?

Thanks for all the help.

hi everyone, we just got the good news.... VISA APPROVED!!!! We are going to go celebrate, but Monday I'll report how everything went at the embassy.

john

(Mountain777 @ Mar 4 2008, 07:56 PM)
QUOTE(narocks @ Mar 3 2008, 02:37 PM)
The letter we had done here in the US at the Colombian Embassy was then stamped at an address in Bogota, it was a little over a month old and allowed both boys to leave. No snags at the airport. Yes my suggestion is as recent as possible to avoid what happened to steveandsandy. I know in our case the embassy did not ask about the letter. We did have to send a notorized letter to the NVC showing that the children were permitted to immigrate to the US, this letter was from the mom as I am the USC pettioner and married to the childrens dad.



Hi narocks,

Can you tell me what letter that NVC asked for? Did they ask for the paper signed by the two parents? Because we do not yet have this paper signed by the father. He is giving us a hard time about this. We hope to have it by the time of the interview. He insists that it is only needed at the airport and refuses to sign anything until then. We tried to explain to him that it will be needed by the NVC and the embassy! Can you confirm?

Did you make up the documnet yourselves and what did it have to say besides to remove the child permantly from Colombia? How long was it valid for? Did the embassy ask to see the document? Were you required to give your physical address personal info ect? I ask cause we don't really want the him to know too much. He has been abusive towards my wife in the past and we are just trying to get him to sign this and want nothing more to do with him.

PS- Did the embassy ask the child any questions?

For applicants with children, the following is copied from another thread that hasn't been used much, but I thought the information might help someone currently in the process. If it's been covered recently, I apologize for the repetition, but I don't get onto Colombia Club as much as I used to.




I don't mean to butt in here, but we went through the same thing with needing a letter from the father. The embassy and NVC are unlikely to ask about or even care about such a letter. The only ones that will care are DAS at the Bogota airport. Permission is required from both parents for a child to leave Colombia, unless there is proof that one parent has given up legal rights to the child or is deceased. The letters, no matter how they are written, are good for one departure only. So, the next time the child visits Colombia, he/she will need another permission letter from the father to leave for the United States again.

As for the letter, our letter states basically the following (all in Spanish, of course):

I, (father's name), of legal age, with citizenship number XXXX issued in (city, state, country), by this document give permission for my minor child(ren) (child's name) identified by civil registry number XXXX and passport number XXXX to leave the country and enter the United States in the company of his/her mother (mother's name), identified by citzenship number XXXX issued in (city, state, country). This trip is anticipated in or before (month and year) and this permission and authorization is in effect from now until the date of travel.

Signature and Notary stamp

The only other option, with the father still living and wanting rights over the child(ren), is for the mother to seek sole custody through Colombian courts. This will require not only proof of abandonement or abuse, but will also take several months to obtain. I'm guessing this is not an option you want to pursue.

Sorry I didn't see this thread sooner, and I hope you already have the answer you needed.
Charles

1. You are supposed to send the OF-169 (signed), the DS-230 Part 1 (unsigned) and a photocopy of the bio page of the beneficiaries passport.

2. I would not wait. As it stands, you probably won't get an interview until June as the today is the cutoff for May interviews. Also, depending on where your spouse is, you should not need to go to Bogota for the DAS documents. Keep in mind that you actually need two documents from DAS, the Carta Migratoria(entries and exits) and the Certificado Judicial(police certificate). In some cities you can get both, but in others, you can only get the Certificado Judicial. Make sure to contact the local DAS office before going to Bogota for the documents. My wife is getting both of hers today at the local DAS office in her city.

3. According to everything I've seen, you do not sign the Part 1 of the DS-230 when sending it in to request an interview.

4. The general advice has been to fax it and then follow it with a hard copy sent through Servientrega.

Hope this helps. We just faxed in our Packet 3 forms on friday. I will be calling the embassy today to see if we have an appointment scheduled yet.

Good luck ,
CG

Also, make sure to put a simple cover letter with the beneficiaries basic info, the case number and a quick note explaining that you are requesting an interview. It seems kind of redundant, but it has been recommended by many around here.

Thank you for the response, ColombianoGringo!

Why cover letter and passport? Instructions say nothing about that at all...Where does that follow from?

As far as sending OF-169 right away, my concern is that when you sign it you certify that you have ALL the documents. If Certificado Migratorio ain't there, you are, well...not telling the truth. So if the date of the signature on OF-169 is earlier than the date on the DAS certificate, we have an inconsistency which isn't good.

Or am I making too much of this? Anyone else with an insight into this?

Buena suerte!

Diana, Could you take a look at my questions about I-134 on the previous page?

For that matter, anyone who can help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
CG

Well. My wife came back from the local DAS office and it turns out that you can request the "Carta Migratoria" anywhere, but it has to be picked up in Bogota. They had originally told her she could get it at the local office in her city. I am going to see if one of my relatives in Bogota can pick it up for us. Does anyone know she needs to pick it up herself? What a pain!

The local DAS office is getting her the "Certificado Judicial". Is the "Certificado Judicial" from DAS the only "police" document she needs or does she also need to get local police certificates from the cities in which she has lived? I am pretty sure she only needs the DAS certificate, but she is unsure and requested that I ask.

Thanks for all your help.
CG

John,

Congratulations! I know how you are feeling and it is all surreal now. I am glad that I was able to bring Carina home with me immediately, but, I must admit, the cleaning has not stopped!! In retrospect, it would have been nice to have more time to prepare for her arrival. I am very happy for you and wish you the best.

Cameron and Carina



Hi everyone,
Sorry it took me so long to post my embassy experience. I arrived in Bogota Tuesday night at 7:30, and Margarita and Daniela were waiting for me (they arrived at 7:30 also). We took a 10 minute taxi ride to our apartment (apartmentinbogota.com). The apartment and Don Alberto were great. 3 berdooms, 2 bath, kitchen, and nice diningroom. 24 hour a day doorman. It was super close to the embassy and the banco de credito is right across the street at a mall that has a couple of restaurants. I highly recomend the apartment. Wednesday morning we went to the lab and Dra Gonzalez. The lab was pretty quick. We got there at 7:00 and Margarita was 5th in line. Daniela and I had to wait outside, but Margarita was out of the lab by 7:35. We went to Dra Gonzalez office and had to wait 45 minutes because she was running late. The 45 minutes was no big deal when we found out that they didn't need more vaccinations. They got their's like 6 weeks ago, but the Dra said it was fine. We then went to the Banco de Credito to pay for the visas. Thursday we went to Salitre Majico. It's a theme park and it was pretty fun. Friday morning we got to the embassy at 6:40. Line 4 was super long, but in line 3 there were only like 20 people ahead of us. Young women walked through the line and asked to see our papers. they then pt green stickers on us. Just after 7 we were called to the front of the line and let into the embassy. We were then sent to get a folder. The folder has a list of the documents and the order that they need to be in. We wiated another 20 minutes until Margarita was called to a diferent window. She turned in the folder and we were sent to another area. 25minutes later Margarita was called to another window where they took her fingerprints. Maybe 45 mintues later Margarita was called to another window. She was asked for our proof of relationship and the interviewer verified that everything from the folder was correct. The interviewer then called me to the wndow and asked me just a few questions. When and how did you meet? How many times have you visited and what did you do on the visits? Did you meet her family? When will you get married? Who are the people in this picture? (it was a pic of me with Margarita's family) Then the interviewer sent me away and asked Margarita the same questions. The interviewer called me back up to the window (Ithis time with Margarita) and told us that our visa has been approved. We went to the Domesa area and paid the delivery fee, and were out of the embassy by 10:30. The whole experience was pretty easy. They actually do a good job of making it go smoothly. I was super nervous, but everything worked out well. The only thing that struck me as odd was that nobody ever asked me for my passport or any other type of ID. I just thought that was strange. I'm so relieved that we have the visas for Margarita and Daniela, but the wait isn't over. Because of my strenuous work schedule, they aren't coming until October. I work 7 days a week from May through September. We think it will be better for all of us if they come when I have more free time. At least I have plenty of time to prepare the house and buy them clothes. They live in Medellin and found Bogota to be very cold. I loved the weather in Bogota. I never wore a sweter or jacket. Next winter in Wiisconsin is going to be rough on them. Maybe it was 45 or 50 in Bogota, but it gets below zero (not counting the windchill) here. Thanks so much to everyone for your help. I can't imagine how things would have gone if I hadn't found Visajourney.

john

So what should the turnaround at NVC be using the online payment? They processed and forwared our K-3 around in 2 days. Still, if the difference was only an additional week or two, it would be worth the wait.

Question...
How do I add new posts directly into Colombia Club and not have it appear in the general "The Foreign Embassy and Consulate General Discussion" board?

Thanks
Susan

Paola's son, Elvin is here in the US now, the POE, Houston, was a cake walk for him. Paola did have a small problem. We were given 2 copies of her AP, she only took one to Colombia. They wanted both copies. After some talk between them, searching on the computer, they decided to let her return. WHEWWWWWWWWWWWWW. Her GC interview is the 30th. Hoping all ges well there too.

Paola's son, Elvin is here in the US now, the POE, Houston, was a cake walk for him. Paola did have a small problem. We were given 2 copies of her AP, she only took one to Colombia. They wanted both copies. After some talk between them, searching on the computer, they decided to let her return. WHEWWWWWWWWWWWWW. Her GC interview is the 30th. Hoping all ges well there too.

Hello Everyone...


I want to say thank you to all of you for the kind words, support, and information.

We got approved on April 17th, and she got her visa delivered on Tuesday 22 at her apartment in Bogota.

I have been trying frantically to get all the travel arrangements moved around since my injury. The Dr thinks I will be able to travel by the end of May.

Thank you all...God Bless you all

I feel like the luckiest man in the...WORLD

I appreciate you all

Eric & Dayfenix

CONGRATULATIONS FOR YOU AND YOUR GIRL. .
IT´S NICE TO KNOW THAT YOU ARE GETTING BETTER.