Hi everyone! We finally received some positive news. We received approval for both the I-130 and the I-129F on the same day! (This even though they were filed two months apart.)

From what I'm reading here and elsewhere, it appears that my I-130 is now on hold pending what I choose to do with the I-129F. Is that correct?

Also, my wife lives in Florencia - 11 hours from Bogota by bus. The odds of her receiving any information or packets from our government or embassy are virtually nil in that city. The NOA2 says I should wait at least 90 days before inquiring if the NVC has sent anything to the embassy. Anyone have any suggestions on this and the packet delivery issue?

Since both your petitions were approved on the same day, chances are they will approve you for a K-3 visa. If you want to pursue a CR-1 visa, you will need to file an I-824 and pay the $200 fee.

They always say that it takes about 2 months for the approved cases to reach the NVC, that's pretty much not true. You can start calling the NVC next week to see if they got it and you'll find out that it takes about 1-2 weeks. Once you get your case #, which should start with BOG#, you can then follow the shortcuts by Peter Miami to find out when the NVC mails out your package to the US embassy in Bogotá.

Now for the bad news, we can no longer contact the embassy by phone, so any questions you may have regarding your case, and this includes sending and receiving packets 3 & 4, have to be submitted by fax. I know, it sucks.

Thanks for the info. I'll check out Peter Miami's shortcuts. At this point, I'm simply happy to receive the news of approval! ;-)

That is good news. Yes, it has become typical to get approval notices for both petitions on the same day....or at least within a day or two.

Yes, you are reading correctly. The NVC will assume you are pursuing the K-3 and will hold the I-130. So, you are now solely on the K-3 track, unless you tell the NVC otherwise (by filing a form and paying a fee). It appears that IR-1/CR-1 procssing is much faster now than it once was, but I suspect that the K-3 will still be the faster method....if time is important to you.

Never pay attention to the time frames you are given by the U.S. government - they are VERY conservative. Wait for about 1 week after your NOA 2 approval date and then start calling the NVC. Tell the NVC that you want your case number. If they have the case number, that means they've received the petition from the CS and have processed it (if they don't have it, call again in 2 days). Next, ask if they have mailed the petition to Bogota (or, if not, when they plan to mail it). As soon as you know it is mailed, then you can track it by DHL (don't expect the NVC to give you a tracking number - they won't; use the tracking method discussed in this thread). It takes three business days for the petition to make it to Bogota. Once the petition arrives in Bogota, there is no reason to wait for packet 3 (especially since you are in another city). Give it a couple of days and then fax or courier the packet 3 info to the embassy. Don't know what packet 3 is? Read this thread. You can also download a copy of packet 3 from the Bogota embassy web site (this is new). Your only real concern should be with the timely delivery of packet 4...since you will NEED the appointment letter (cita). If you do not get your packet 4 within two weeks of faxing packet 3, then you may need to contact the embassy via fax.

I gave you the short of it. Now, I HIGHLY recommend that you go back to posts to this thread beginning in NOvember, 2006 and read forward. You will get a wealth of info on packets 3 and 4, how to track by DHL, how to submit packet 3 without waiting for the mailing from the embassy, the document collection process, and the embassy interview. It's all here at your fingertips.

I am speaking from my experience. I wife has been here on a K-3 since January 26.

Good luck,
Mike

quote name='parkpapa' date='Apr 14 2007, 09:17 PM' post='838768']
Hi everyone! We finally received some positive news. We received approval for both the I-130 and the I-129F on the same day! (This even though they were filed two months apart.)

From what I'm reading here and elsewhere, it appears that my I-130 is now on hold pending what I choose to do with the I-129F. Is that correct?

Also, my wife lives in Florencia - 11 hours from Bogota by bus. The odds of her receiving any information or packets from our government or embassy are virtually nil in that city. The NOA2 says I should wait at least 90 days before inquiring if the NVC has sent anything to the embassy. Anyone have any suggestions on this and the packet delivery issue?
[/quote]

1) Case numbers for the K-3 begin with "BGT"

2) I am not so sure the change in policy is bad news. In a way, I can understand why the embassy would no longer accept calls. I can imagine how often they get pestered by folks asking for verification of receipt of the petition, etc., much of which is not necessary. The average K-1 or K-3 applicant likely has no pressing reason to call the embassy. The exception might be to inquire about packet 4 if it has not arrived in a timely basis after submission of packet 3. And now the embassy still gives you the option of submitting questions/problems by fax. At least they can screen the faxes and determine which inquiries are worth answering. I don't blame them.

Thanks for all the good advice, Mike.

That's right, the case # starts with BGT#. Thanks Mike.

Also as a footnote, keep in mind that if you fax packet 3 before the 16th-20th of the month, you will get the interview for the following month. If you do it after these dates, you will get your interview for the month after the next.

The good news is that my fiancee and I had our interview on Friday April 13 and were approved with no problems. We were told to return Monday at 4:00 pm to receive the visa, which is what I have read here. The bad news is that when we got to the Embassy today the Security Guard would not let me in, only my fiancee. She waited until there were only three people left who had not recieved their visas and she still had not received hers. Then the gentleman in the window announced that the Embassy does not give out Fiancee Visas today that everyone left would have to come back tomorrow at 4:00. My fiancee spoke with one person who has been coming back everyday since last Wednesday only to hear the same message, come back tomorrow at 4:00 for your visa. Does anyone know if the Embassy only gives out K1 Visas on certain days? I have not heard of this. Any comments are appreciated because I am waiting here in Bogota and my flight leaves out Wednesday morning.

Were you carrying a bag that day? They have pretty strict security rules there. Either way... CONGRATULATIONS!!

Hopefully they won't give me a hassle given that I'll be pretty much quitting a job to go there.

Here goes what I think could be a good letter requesting a delay in the Visa Interview... in Spanish as its my fiancee will be faxing this along with the OF-169 and the DS-230 Pt 1 tomorrow...

Hopefully someone that reads Spanish can give feedback...

A Quien Pueda Interesar:


Mediante esta carta solicitamos el aplazamiento de la cita de visado K-1 beneficiando a xxxxxxxxxxxx, prometida del ciudadano estadounidense xxxxxxxxxxxxx. Entendemos que normalmente la cita sería asignada para finales del mes de mayo o principios del mes de junio según su recibo en la Embajada y por motivos de trabajo de ambos solicitamos su aplazamiento por varias semanas a una fecha mutuamente conveniente tanto a la Embajada como a la pareja- preferiblemente entre el 26 y el 29 de junio de 2007, posterior a las fechas anticipadas para la celebración de dicha entrevista dado el proceso normal de asignación de las mismas.

Entendemos su comprensión en tal asunto y con mucho entusiasmo asistiremos dicha entrevista con fecha aplazada para cualquier fecha entre el 26 y el 29 de junio de 2007. Cualquier comunicación necesaria se puede llevar a cabo mediante Email a xxxxxx@gmail.com o xxxxxxxxxx@gmail.com o directamente por teléfono con la beneficiaria al xxxxxxxxxx (celular).

Cordialmente,

BTW, she thinks its a bit arrogant and imposing on the folks at the embassy to request a delay to a particular set of days... and as a Colombian she thinks they'll use it against us during the interview. As far as I'm concerned its a bit naive to think so but you never know. The letter just states that we'd like to have the interview postponed by a matter of weeks due to work reasons... and we state a range of dates that are more convenient for us... and hopefully for them too. This should not be an issue.

The Embassy gives out VISA's no matter what type anyday, no preference at to which type of VISA. My wife had her interview and was told the VISA would be ready the next business day. She did not recieve her VISA on the next business day. She was told to return the next day to see if it was ready. We recieved it on the second business day at 4:00 p.m. This has been common procedure for the Embassy lately----to NOT issue the approgved VISA the next business day. While in line wating for ours on the two days, we found out their were many people waiting 2 to 4 days until they recieved their approved VISA's. We were told the computer was the delay in spitting out the approval paperwork. After we did not recieve it the next day, I went over to the American servivces side and a Embassy official explained that we were at the mercy of the computer.

Also, no one but the K1/K3/CR1 holder can enter the Embassy to pick up the approved VISA. They refused me entry as well. Standard procedure.

Best of luck. I had to delay our flights one addtional day due to the Embassy delay.

I guess that is just one more reason why the embassy specifically warns folks NOT to make travel reservations prior to the interview. First, you might get turned down...or asked for more info. Second, there might be a delay in processing fo the visa. I guess you "roll the dice" is you pre-arrange your flight.

Yes, I agree with ER....only the beneficiary is permitted to pick up the visa. However, I wonder why this is, especially given that the petitioner is permitted to attend the interview? Doesn't matter, I guess, because we have no choice but to comply.

Mike

Thanks to everyone for the great help and information. I am 30 days from the big interview and think I have everything ready. It seems like the pictures are number one and knowing a lot about each other for the questions are number two. I d have one question that I hope a few of you can answer.

What items have you been asked for that were submitted with your I-129. Such as birth certificate, passport, divorce papers, etc.? If any? I have a complete I-134 that is strong, lots of evidence with a lot of pictures. I know that this is her interview. Many of you have been prepared for anything and said you were never asked for anything. My concern is I am taking too many extra items and may miss something I really need. I am sure we all have these thoughts at this stage.

They asked me for a g325a form, i am the US citizen. I found that to be strange, so i had copies with me and just gave them one. That is all that was asked the interview was nothing. The interviewer looked at a letter i initially wrote, saying how we loved each been together for the past 4 years all that stuff and he said he wished all his cases where this simple as ours.

Just an update. We have our interview on May 7th, I leave for Bogota on May 1st!!!! It feels like we are almost there, I am pretty optimistic about things. The only thing we are missing is the Police Certificate from Aruba, but since neither of us are in Aruba, I retained an attorney there to get it for us, should have it in the next few days. Well...I will make sure that I post any updates and will post a detailed run down of the interview after we get back.

Nice! Like you said, almost there. I wish you nothing but the best and let us know how it goes.

Best of luck Jay. We are getting close to the same point (I sure hope). Any pointers you can offer will be welcome.

Leo in the house here!
I have one question n the form ds-156 there's a question regarding "have you ever apply for a visa" which in my girls case
she did apply for the turist Visa but got denied. SO my question on this one is: is it best for her to put "yes" and that it got denied, or could she put "no" instead?
thanks

Someone might disagree, but I can't imagine honesty (about something so trivial) being a bad thing. Tourist visas from Central and South America are darned near impossible for the average person to obtain. Our government knows this, so denial of a tourist visa is relatively meaningless. If she had been denied for a K-1 or K-3, that might be a different matter. I would answer the question honestly.

thanks! on that info!

On anothere note for all of you that went to the website of the US Embassy in Colombia to check if you made it to the May list for the Visa Interview and notice that your not in the list, is better to call the visas services center at (202) 663-1225.
I went to the Website and saw the list but not our case number in it, so I called and Bingo! our interview date is on May 17th!

Leo

It's no big deal. It common for denial of tourist visas for Colombians. My fiancee was denied a few years ago and it was not a problem. Just be honest.

Tony

Ditto what Tony said. My wife tried two different times to get a tourist visa to the U.S. and was denied. We had absolutely no problem getting her and my step-daughter K-3 and K-4 visas. Don't sweat it. Just be honest. Failure to include something is a problem in itself....you'd feel horrible if she got denied for failing to disclose.

Mike

Just a quick update.... Our petition arrived at the NVC yesterday and should head for Bogota soon. Since my wife lives far from Bogota, and I know the regular mail service in the country is questionable at best, what are the odds that the embassy might send packet 3 through a messenger service? We are preparing to send in all the appropriate paperwork even without receipt of packet 3, but I'm just curious.

Always tell the truth... if it doesn't come back to bite you when you are applying, chances are it could get you during AOS.

Full Speed Ahead Folks...

Have her fax her Paperwork in... it will save you some time. My fiancee received a call the day after faxing her documents to clarify a spelling issue. During the course of the call her father's Spanish Nationality came up and the Embassy Rep was "pleasantly surprised" to hear that my fiancee has a right to Spanish Nationality should she want it... that which she also clarified she was not interested in obtaining.

From everything I know and have read, the chances are ZERO. The embassy send it by Colombian mail....period. As such, use the short-cut method for packet 3. No reason to wait. Follow the instructions on this thread. Many of us have used it, without a problem. It works.

The bigger issue might be packet 4, which includes your "cita." Does she know anyone in Bogota that might be able to pick up a duplicate packet 4 if the original does not arrive?

Good luck

Mike

Yes, her best friend is an attorney in Bogota, so that might be a possibility. Thanks for the tip. Lorena is going to fax the paperwork in as well as send it by courier (Servientrega or somesuch?).

Has anyone had any success using the DHL shortcut? I've been following the information listed by Peter Miami and even with a one day shipping window the response is that there are too many shipments and I should narrow down the shipping information.

I don't think there are a lot of shipped items from DHL to the embassy. I've played around with it based on the info other people have given here and the DHL site shows 1 to 2 items sent to the embassy within the dates you plug in.

Worked just fine for me

Are you sure you used the proper zip code for the NVC? If so, yes, there are a lot of shipments out in a given day, but usually very few to Bogota. If it still doesn't work, no worries. DHL shipments from the NVC arrive in Bogota in 3 business days. So, count three business day, wait a day or two for processing...and then send it in.

Many of us have used the short-cut. I have not heard of one person having any problems.

Mike

Thanks Mike. I called the NVC this morning and the lady said my packet was leaving today for Bogota. I will tell my wife to get the packet ready early next week and send it in.

Does anyone know how I can contact the embassy in Bogota? According to their recorded message, they are no longer taking inquiries about immigrant visa applications. The problem is that the NVC sent out my petition on March 21. Over a month later, my fiance has received no packet 1. So I really need to contact the embassy, but I have tried 3 different numbers and none of them are working. The NVC told me I had to contact the embassy directly, the woman on the phone at the embassy switched me to a pre-recorded message that said something like, "This number is not taking inquiries," and the number THAT message directed me to didn't ring through at all. I'm really frustrated . . . what should I do?

My fiance and I decided to wait for Packet 1 to arrive at his house because we were waiting on some documents anyway. But the fact that it has not arrived makes me think they have the wrong address. We don't want to send them the packet 1 materials, even knowing that they probably have our petition already, and risk the Packet 2 never arriving, especially because at this point we don't know if we will ever be able to get ahold of a human being who can help us fix the problem.

Not sure where I read this, but I'm thinking that the only way to contact them is by fax. If I were in your shoes, I would go ahead and fax AND deliver your packet 3 to the embassy. Then contact them by fax and tell them you will come by to pick up the packet 4, or if that won't work, at least reconfirm your mailing address by fax.

We will face a similar situation since it is almost guaranteed that my wife will not receive either packet, since she lives 10 hours from Bogota.

Does your fiancée live in Bogotá? If he does, then he should make an appointment with the embassy to pick up packet 3 or maybe authorize someone else to pick it up for him.

If neither of those two options work for you, then all you can do is fax them in your questions. As of the beginning of the month they stopped taking phone calls, unfortunately.

Hi olafgypsy,

You can fax inquiries to the embassy: (571) 315-4155. Try that route to see if you get an answer. You might also consider calling the Department of State in the US. People have had luck getting interview date information from the DOS help line; they might be able to assist you in getting to a person in Bogota.

Kathy

Yes, I think it's a good idea to just fax and deliver the first packet and then fax a correct address. My fiance lives in Bogota, which is why it's so strange to me that he hasn't received it after over a month . . . At least he'll be able to pick up the next packet himself.

Unfortunately I don't have ready access to a fax machine and neither does he; wish they had an email address or something. Somebody made a comment about how faxing was easier for them because they could sift through the inquiries and decide which ones to answer . . . the same would be true for email, no? But now that I think of it, internet service is unreliable in Bogota, so maybe that's why they insist on faxes. Oh well . . .

Go ahead and fax packet 3 now. You can go ahead and follow up with a hard copy by courier, but it's not necessary. Perhaps on your cover letter you want to include his address and indicate that he wanted to verify that it was correct.

I have personally witnessed the way they deliver mail in Bogota. It does not necessarily surprise me that he did not get it.

You can find a fax machine in Bogota, you just have to pay. Have him go to Exito. He can send a fax and also send the papers by courier, if he wishes. Actually, we found the courier was CHEAPER than sending the fax, although we did both anyway.

Good luck,
Mike

An update, I will fly to Bogota on May 1, our interview is on May 7th. Most everything is almost done, Catherine has her appointment with Dr. Gonzalez on May 2. The police certificate from Aruba arrived at the lawyer's office today, so they will DHL it tomorrow. It looks like everything is going smoothly, even though the last few weeks have been a little nerve wracking. I am getting really excited, will have 10 days in Bogota and if everyting goes well, we will return together through Atlanta. Will update after the interview, of course, with any helpful details.

As far as not getting mail from the Embassy, Catherine lives in Barranquilla and we found no problem with receiving mail. Packet 3 and 4 came through quickly without a hitch. I received a copy from the Embassy within 10 days of her reciept, so even though I have heard that mail can be spotty, I have not had any problems with this. It may not help those who haven't got their mail, but I wouldn't say it is impossible to get mail from the embassy.

It seems like a long time as you go through the process, but once you are there, it does not seem all that bad. Good Luck to everyone!!!!!

Hello,
I am patiently waiting for my NOA2 for k1 visa. I should be getting it very soon. I am not sure what is next. If I receive my NOA2, that is forwarded to NVC.

Where does these packets 3 and 4 come into the picture? Can I obtain them now? If so, where?
Thank you all

There are a couple of folks who will share copies of packets 3 and 4. I don't recall who they are without looking around some. You can get a good idea of what is in packet 3 from the Bogota embassy website. It is made up of two or three forms that your SO will need to complete and you will need to provide some financial documents also. You should take a look aroung visajourney to get more info. And you'd be wise to read this thread from early November on to this point in order to get more info. Pretty much everything you need to know can be found here somewhere....and looking for it and finding it will actually be good for you! The reason I say that is because you will learn about things that you didn't even know to ask about in the first place. Happy hunting and good luck in getting your visa!

Yes, you are correct. You receive the NOA 2 (quicker notification if you've registerred for e-mail delivery). Then it goes to the NVC...then to the embassy. The embassy actually send out the packet 3 after receiving the petition, but, of course, no need to wait for them! Use the shortcut that has been chronicled in this thread many times. Once you submit packet 3, the embassy will send you packet 4 with you appointment and instruction. Packet 3 is now available on the embassy web site. Packet 4 is not, but some members have a scanned version that they can send you. I have a scanned version from April, 2005, but it is slightly out of date.


As parkpapa has learned and now advised you, go back to November on this thread and start reading.

Lucho,

Here is the link from the embassy where they list the documents included in packet 3: http://bogota.usembassy.gov/wwwsck1instructions.shtml

If you want to get the ball rolling you can find all those forms here on VJ here http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...p;page=examples

Once the embassy receives the documents your fiancée needs to send them, they will mail her packet 4 which contains the interview info.

Diana

One question that has been popping up a lot recently is how to contact the Bogota embassy. Here is a link to the embassy's website that explains exactly what to do and how to do it: http://bogota.usembassy.gov/wwwsccontactiv.shtml

Thank you all so much. I will start reading tonight!! Thanksssss!!!!!!!

Good idea, my friend. Also, be sure to focus on information related to the K1 process - the process you are in. It is easy to become confused by reading information about the K3 or CR1 processes. While there are similarities, there are also many important differences. Don't start preparing forms unless you are certain they apply to your specific visa. Best of luck!

I'm thinking that this is an idea for a new topic, but I wanted input from the Colombia Club members first. I am the type of person who tends to think sequentially - at least it helps me keep things straight - and to that end, I would like to see a comprehensive listing of links to specific topics. For example, a lot of the same questions get asked over and over about "what's in packet 3?", "what's the timeline for process X?". If we could compile a list of those common questions with concise answers or links (preferably), I think it would be really helpful to newcomers. Current members could place a link to that list (as a topic link) in their 'signature'.

An example or start for such a topic page might be as follows:
US Embassy in Bogota - http://bogota.usembassy.gov/wwwsmane.shtml
Immigrant Visas General Information (including K1 and K3) - http://bogota.usembassy.gov/wwwsmane.shtml
Consular Section FAQ (the people who will handle the visa request) - http://bogota.usembassy.gov/wwwscivfrequen....shtml#currency
Interview Appointment Schedule (Bogota only) - http://bogota.usembassy.gov/wwwscappointmentlist.shtml
Visa Process for CR-1, K1, K3 - http://bogota.usembassy.gov/wwwschowtobeginvisaprocess.shtml
Packet 3 Contents for K3 - http://bogota.usembassy.gov/wwwsck3k4instructions.shtml

There are certainly other links to be included. Those with more experience here would know those better than me, but at least this list might be a start. Agree or disagree????

Nothing wrong with the idea. It appears the embassy website is better now, but still not perfect. There was information on there that conflicted...or that wasn't updated in certain areas (for example, when they changed the place where you pay the interivew fee, in some places they changed it to Banco Credito, but in other places it still listed the old bank). So, having the links would be a start, but I would STILL encourage every person who is getting a K-1 or K-3 through Bogota to go back to November posts to this thread and read forward. It may take a lot of time, but you'll get some great info...and it might actually que someone to ask a question that he or she never thought of. I encourage people to take notes. Some folks on here are simply not willing to read...they ask a question (that's been covered a million times) and want instant reponse. Some other folks keep asking the same things, even though they've gotten the same reply from several other folks...seems they just can't believe what to do. I guess you just can't help those folks. But if the average person is willing to put in the time and is willing to believe those that have gone before him or her....this thread is very helpful.

My two cents,

Mike

PS - it's also good that folks who have benefitted from the info in the past stick around long enough to help the new people....that perpetuates the "goodness" of this thread. For me, I got a lot of help in last fall....and I've tried to give back ever since. But it gets tiresome and I, like many (for example, Peter who started this thread), get tired and need to move on. So hopefully folks who are benefitting now will stick around for a few months or so to help those who come after them.

Excellent oberservations, Mike. You certainly have more experience here to know what people look for. I guess I'm responding to my own weaknesses and preferences. I can see where it get tiresome answering the same questions over and over. That what I was hoping to avoid.