That sucks. Let us know on your progess with dealing with the embassy.

Our experience was generally similar to Jay's. I have a couple of comments that relate to what I have cut out of Jay's post below:

1) I agree with Jay that you can be TOO organized. Have your documents in order. Have other evidence organized, where you can retrieve it if necessary. But there is no need to bring big binds, photo albums, etc. As posted before, a lot of this stuff is never asked for and if it is, big binders and albums will not fit through the window opening.

2) I continue to believe that it is preferable for both beneficiary and petitioner to attend the interview, if at all possible. More of "dress code" later.

3) As for arriving early at the embassy....All appointments are scheduled at 7:00. From what I could discern, arriving early allows you to get at the front of line 3. This allows you to enter the embassy more quickly. It also allows you to have your documents reviewed by embassy personnel more quickly (as Jay says, the first review is simply a review of your documents...making sure you have everything, making sure they are in order....the embassy employee also highlights certain "key" piece of information on the various documents you provide).

However, I saw NO correlation betwen the order in which you had your documents reviewed and the order in which you were actually interviewed by the CO. We were interviewed ahead of some folks that had been ahead of us in line...and I also recall at least one person who was interviewed before us, but who had been behind us in the initial line. Thus, our experience was contrary to Jay's.

4) Jay and his fiancee were lucky. Our interview did not commence until after 11:00. Others on this board have not been interviewed until after 12:00. So, be prepared to be there for several hours.

5) As for dress at the interview.....I personally am glad I did not wear a suit. The seats are the embassy are not very comfortable and you are basically outside. You could be sitting around for several hours. I wore jeans and a Columbia (note the spelling) shirt. My wife looked nicer....with a skirt and nice blouse. Don't forget that the embassy folks already know all about you.....occupation, income, assets (in some cases)....so I'm not sure that dress is really going to make much difference....unless the beneficiary carries it to an extreme (e.g., looks like she just came from a job at the local casa). Honestly, the only guys I saw in suits were Colombianos....and I can remember at least one who was unsuccessful....from what my wife heard him say.

I do agree with Jay about mannerisms, composure, and how you carry yourself. I have no idea if anyone in the embassy was monitoring the cameras....or if the COs were watching any of the folks as they waited. However, I do know that my wife and I positioned ourselves so that we were directly facing the interviewers windows (we were in direct cite of the guy who eventually interviewed my wife). We held hands, chatted on occasion, and, I believe, generally looked confident and relaxed. We joked around and laughed some. When she was called to the window, I followed behind her and then stood right behind her with a slight smile on my face.

The result? As I've posted before....my wife was approved in seconds. The interviewer had no questions for her at all. He asked for no additional evidence (beyond the photos, copies of reservations, and e-mails we had submitted with our I-129F).

Mike

Hmmmmm.....2 days is pretty quick. I wonder if Lucho got lucky...or if the NVC was off on the dates. Hard to imagine that the petition arrived in 2 days AND that the packet 3 was sent on the same day at the petition arrived. Things don't usually work quite that quickly.

Previous experience tends to suggest 3 business days. If you want to know for sure, use the procedure that is well documented on this thread to track your petition through DHL.

If you have the luxury of time, I still suggest waiting a day or two after the time you believe your packet arrived in Bogota before sending the fax. Alternatively, you could do what we did.....indicating in our cover letter that we tracked the petition by DHL and know that it arrived in Bogota on XX date. That way, if our petition was not entered in the system yet, the embassy at least knew that is was there and was awaiting processing. I did not want them to discard our fax....just because the petition had not yet been processed (only speculating that this could happen).

On the other hand, if you are very close to the cut-off, you might have to wing it.

Mike

JK:

Yes, typical Barranquilla clothing will probably not look good in Bogota (not just at the embassy, but anywhere in Bogota....Bogota is much more conservative than the coast, based on my observations).

As for you (as I said in my reply to Jay), I think business casual is more than enough. Go for comfort. Just don't be a slob.

Good luck!

Mike

Lucho:

We have documents in Manila folders...one for the evidence we need for the interview....one for duplicate I-134 stuff....one for originals (birth certificates, marriage certificate, etc.)....and one for extra copies of everything. We also had a file of "proof of relationship" (additional photos, e-mails, hotel bills, phone bills, plane reservations and boarding passes, etc.). Just be organized and know where to find things, if asked. I labeled the front of each folder with the content, in order.

The photos we brought were simply in a photo envelope. Don't overdue the photos. They seem to be most interested in pictures of 1) you and your fiancee/wife together and 2) the two of you with family. Also, they seem to like to see photos shot at different times in different places. 20 photos of you and the wife/fiancee at the same party doesn't do much.

Mike

Hey Jay I am happy for you! Very good description of the interview...brought back memories . My 2 cents is to dress business casual and if your fiancee is a Costenas, then bring a light jacket LOL. Be prepared to wait a long time...we got there early but was one of the last to get interviewed. 20-25 pictures together at different times and places is excellent. If you can go to the interview, then do it! I had a great time and I will remember it for the rest of my life. Well I'm off to the airport..c'yaaaaaaa!

Jay, very nice report. It really helps to have as much knowedge as possible to erase any fear's. Thanks for the tips. One of or the best report I have read here on the interview process. We are still waiting for our NOA2 but I have been sweating the interview. LOL. I expect us to be scutinized more as I am way older.
We will be going through Houston POE also. Good info on that too!!
How did you handle her airplane ticket? I can get her a round trip from the US for less then a one way or round trip from Colombia. Also I want her to be on the same flight as me and sit in the seat next to me on the way to the US. Seems the best way to go is to get her the same round trip ticket from the US as me. She will just not travel on the first leg.

Buck,

I'm in the same shoes as you. I cant seem to find a one way ticket cheaper than a round trip!!! What gives?!?!? That sucks. Any tips on how to acquire cheap 1 way tickets??

It is good that you are expecting to be scrutinized because in all likelihood you will. Be sure to bring plenty of proof of relationship and be sure that your fiancee is well versed. Age difference, from what I am told, is one of the primary "red flags."

I think you are pretty much screwed on the airline ticket. The airlines have got you. You'll pay either way. Here's what I see as the problem with your approach. If you get her a round trip ticket that originates in the U.S......and she does not show for the initial leg (which, of course, she won't...because she is in Colombia)...the airline typically cancels the rest of the ticket. So, to be sure you don't have a problem, you should book the ticket originating from Colombia. If you book her ticket and your ticket at the same time, there should be no problem getting seats next to each other on the flight back from Colombia.

Good luck.

Mike

How do you propose ticketing from the point of origin if the flyer won't be there to claim the flight? Won't that endanger the entire itinerary?
In my case I'll be using miles for her trip so it won't matter if its OW or RT. Actually I'll pay less in taxes for a OW.

Time permitting, the idea sounds great. PM me when you get the chance and hopefully all of us can meet somewhere in Zona T. Good pizza and salads at 1969.

I guess I need to bone up on the airline ticket thing. I just assumed that if you bought a round trip ticket and paid for it the seat would be available untill after failure to check in. Seems to not be the case. I have a lot of air miles built up so I can use those. I just did not want to wait and buy a ticket the day before we are due back in the US. The price goes way up for that.
We have gobs of evidence of a "real" realtionship except from when we first met. Neither of us had any idea that we would wind up getting engaged at that time, nor did I have any idea what would be expected for the K1 visa. After getting engaged and educated on the process, (thru this site) we have kept everything as well as having lot's of pics.
It sounds like if you your stuff in good order that approval is very likley. Thanks for the info and comments.

I'm so jealous you guys. You're already talking about interviews and buying plane tickets when my case is just sitting at the NVC for it to generate all kinds of stuff. Patience!!!!! gotta have patice.

Luchito, I'm going for the CR-1 visa so mine is doing the turtle walk while yours is getting approved at the embassy.

Thanks for the tip about the vacs. I'll let my husband know about it. I tell ya' those suckers are expensive!!


Wishing you all the best!!!

Diana

Cheer up....as your husband is getting the superior visa. You won't have to go through adjustment of status when you get here (including the paperwork, the fingerprinting, and the interview). Trust me, it's going to make many things easier (for example, your husband being able to travel with you to other countries without having to get a travel visa for him). In our situation, I am glad we did the K-3. But to anyone who feels they can wait the extra months, I'd recommend IR-1/CR-1.

Mike

Buck and Lucho...

The prices may have as much to do with where you are flying to as where you are flying from. I use expedia.com for booking flights and by far the cheapest one way flight from Bogota to Miami is through LAN (Chilean airline). They are almost a third less than anyone else.

As with you, there are times when I check and a round-trip ticket is the same or less than one way, but not always. Frankly, there doesn't seem to be much method to the madness on ticket prices.

You guys may want to check Farecompare... it gives pretty decent info on current and future prices on a rolling basis... its a web browser plug in, too.

Glad the info was helpful.

As to the documents, we carried two manila folders. The first had all the documents, already in order, from the instruction in Packet 4. The second folder had all the additional documents (mainly proof of relationship, all the chat history documents, and additional photos than what we submitted in the 129F application). The photos themselves were in the envelope they came from at the Kodak place. We had about 15 photos, total with about two from each different place they were taken. They were loose in the envelope and on the back of each was written the date, place and a brief description of what they were pictures of (for example, May 2, Bogota, Catherine and Jason at Museo de Oro). I agree with Mike and Adriana about the most important part being that you have your documents organized). Remember, the proof of relationship is not turned in, you only have it if they ask to see it during the interview.

About the timing of when you are interviewed being dependent on where you get in line. All of this is speculation, but for us, everyone who was with us in line was interviewed within a few minutes of each other. My suspicion is that the important part is when you sign for your folder. After that (again, just my hunch) I imagine that they divide up the work among the "document review" representatives. So, for example, if there are 5 reps, the first rep probably gets number 1,6,11, and so on in order of when you signed up. The second rep gets 2,7,and 12. Once the first cohort of 5 is done, it seemed like all of us in that first group all were called for the interview in roughly that order. The variation would come if there is a longer interview before you. But we tracked our progress against four other couples, and we moved through at roughly the same time. Like I said, the only reason why I think this matters is for getting the visa the next day. I saw two couples who had to come back on the second day after the embassy stopped issuing visas on the first day after the interview. Both those couples were well behind us. Not that it matters that much, another days wait is not that bad, but I can tell you for us, psychologically having that visa in hand was a great relief. Plus Catherine then could call her family and tell them she had it. I don't think she relaxed until that point. jajaja.

As to dress, I don't mean to suggest that a suit is required or that you won't get approved without one. I think the dress has two factors that make it important. The first is the image you project to the consular officer. You won't go wrong with a suit, but business casual is fine and you won't get denied because of this. I work for the federal government, and I know that in my offices at least, appearances of the people we deal with matter. The second factor is how your dress makes you feel. To me, I thought of this like going to a job interview. I wanted to look my best, so in wearing a nice suit, I know I felt more confident. I also felt like I wanted to give us every edge we could, so I erred on the side of caution. But, Mike is correct in that the majority of folks who did wear a suit were Colombians. If your packet is messed up or missing something, your clothes won't matter. But, in my mind, projecting a good image makes the CO less likely to have questions and may make the interview go quicker. However, there were many approvals for folks wearing jeans and a collared shirt. I wouldn't freak on this one, just thought I'd add my perspective.

Catherine is from Barranquilla, too. She was cold most of the time in Bogota, so, I agree, a jacket is neccesary.

As far as flights, I booked mine round trip from Texas to Bogota. I booked Catherine's round trip Bogota to Texas even though we will not use the return trip anytime soon. I booked hers that way because one way tickets were about a third more than round trip. I booked by telephone to ensure we could get seated together. One factor to remember is that it is not unusual to have to wait more than a day after the interview to get the visa if approved. I booked our flights for three days after the interview. If you can do that, it may be a good idea. Will give you some more time to see Bogota together, too.

Jay,
Thank you once again.


Anyone know how long will it take for us to know the date of our interview after we have sent packet 3?

I would give them until Monday or Tuesday and then you can call the Visa Services number. I think I listed it a page or two back from here. If they don't have a date when you call, try the next day.

This may seem like an odd question but most of you who have gone through the interview process already keep saying that you were in there for about 5-6 hours. Do they have any snack/eatery type of thing in there? I tried to picture the day of our interview and if I have to get up at 4AM to get there at 6AM I'll be starving by 10AM or so.

I obviously haven't been there yet, but I believe the embassy's website says they have a snack area close by. (I'd be hungry long before 10!!! haha)

Yes, there is a small area where you can buy coffee, gaseosa, and some snacks. Not much, but enough to get you by. It is in the compound, over near the restrooms.

Mike

Hello all,

I have a question on packet 3.

On page 2 of packet 3. It states this...

D. Solicitud de Visa No-Inmigrante DS-156 (2 por persona y en español)

We have already filled out a DS-156, but in english. Would you advise to do it in spanish? Also, where can i find the ds-156 form in spanish? I have searched, but only come up with the english online version.

Thank you

Lucho:

You are fine. You can use the English form or the Spanish form. You can complete it in English or Spanish. It does not matter. The Egnlish form is on the web; the Spanish form is sent to your fianceee in packet 4. If you've already completed one form....don't waste your time re-doing it. We used the English version of the form and completed it in English (well, I completed it in English and had my wife sign it).

Mike

Thanks Mike!!

I-134
The sponsor must submit in duplicate evidence of income and resources, as appropriate:

Does the above mean.....
Do I need to take two I-134 forms?
Do I need to take duplicates of the supporting evidence? e.g. bank statements, tax transcripts.


If so, can it be simply photocopies?

thanks!

I only submitted one I-134. I did not submit my evidence in duplicate (I don't have my packet 3 handy, but I do not recall having been asked for anything in duplicate). At the interview, I submitted one copy of my 2006 Income tax return, a copy of my w-2, and a letter from my boss detailing my salary and years of employment. If they are asking you for duplicates, I would only submit original and a photocopy, retaining a second copy for my records.

Lucho:

Yes, that's what it says....but the wording is confusing. As Jay says, you need only submit one I-134 (although keep a copy for yourself) along with a letter from your employer and copies of the tax return (including W-2). The form asks for one year of tax return, but I provided three. Seems there has been a lot of discussion about whether the Bogota embassy requires one or three years (sometimes the embassies have additional requirements). I tell everyone three, although it looks like they were satisfied to receive only one year from Jay. I just wanted to be safe.

Mike

I am providing transcripts for three years, also. I think that the idea of three years may actually come from the I-864 requirements (as part of the C1 or AOS process). But, it's better to have too much than not enough. At least it's there if they ask for it.

I toyed with submitting three years, and I had a copy of those years with me at the hotel. But I decided it wasn't neccesary becasue I have a long job history at the same job, work for for the federal gov't. and my income was well above the poverty guidelines. I would say having three years would be important if you are self-employed or income is near poverty guidelines. But you are right, having more proof doesn't hurt.

Thanks guys.

But do I make copies of all the supporting documents since it says in duplicate??

You will submit the I-134, the tax transcripts, and the original letter from your employer. Make a COPY of the I-134, the tax transcripts, and the letter for yourself. You will NOT need to submit two copies to the embassy.

Thanks, now I understand.

Also,

How hard is getting the statement from the bank? Do I just walk in and let them know I need a paper that states the day I opened my account, current balance, and total deposited from the past year? I have Washington Mutual. Anyone know if they do this for you for free?

I don't really think it was this couple's attire that cost them the visa. I think it was the fact that they were obviously not speaking to each other. We waited with a full blown biker couple with tattoos, piercings and the guy had a vulgar tee shirt. The girl was wearing very few clothes at all and they were approved in about 10 seconds. We were dressed reasonably well and got the third degree. I don't think they are there to judge fashion. They are trying to determine if the relationship is real. The suit only says that you have money. They will be much more interested in the I134 about that.

Hola señores! gracias por su ayuda, ahora ya tengo más certeza de lo que haré cuando me toque el turno de llenar mis papeles.

Hay algo que estaba pensando ahora mismo, y pues queria consultarlo con ustedes.... exigen vacunas para la K1? Es que veo que para la k3 si las exigen entonces me imagino que es lo mismo...

Gracias a todos por sus respuestas.

Nydia

Nydia,

Si exigen vacunas para K1 visa.

Son 3 vacunas.

Td
MMR
Varicela

Creo que Td son 2 vacunas. Pero en differente dias. Por ejemplo 1 vacuna hoy y en 2 o 3 semanas te dan el segundo. Disculpa mi ortografia.

la mmr se llama la triple viral y puede recibir todas al mismo tiempo, osea la td, mmr y varicela
JK

Jedi,

Have an interview date yet?

Well, it appears that the embassy never received our fax My fiance is going to go to the place where he sent the fax from and try to figure out what happened. Meanwhile, our (couriered) packet should have arrived at the embassy by now . . . so hopefully we will get an early July interview

Now I'd like the vets' opinions on the photos that we will take going in to our interview: we have a couple of photos of the two of us together from when he was in the U.S, but there is nothing in the background that indicates where they were taken. We *do have a photograph of the two of us from my college graduation, where I'm in a cap and gown with my diploma. From graduation we also have a picture of me, him and my sister. Then we have a 3 or 4 pictures of the two of us together on our trip to Cartagena, and then the photos we had professionally taken in Bogota when we got engaged (2 of those, from the same place). But all told, it's only about 12 pictures. Is that going to be enough? I guess we could also take some pictures of me with his family and him, when we get there . . . it still doesn't seem like enough . . . other people are saying 25 - 30. I think the most we can scrape together is about 15.

nothing lucho, although it is still early. as much as i want to call everyday and get a date, it's to our benefit that it not happen so soon since i won't be there until july. if we get a mid july to early aug date that would be ideal, which is what i'm anticipating, we'll see. they usually give you about a months notice, so i expect to know by the 2nd week of june, i hope.
JK

Based on what I've read here, if you have time to get at least a handful of shots with the two of you with his family, it would be a good idea. I'm guessing, from other comments here, that there is no "magic formula" that will guarantee success, but if you cover as many bases as you can and remain committed to each other, you will more than likely be successful.

Lucho,

Have you received your tax transcripts from the IRS yet? How long did it take? I ordered mine last week.


Thanks pal!
Diana

Lucho:

I got such a letter from my credit union, but it took time. A big bank may take more time because they mayhave to send it off to some other place for handling....and it may cost you.

HOWEVER, if you are using your income as the basis for your I-134, the bank letter is irrlevant. You only need the bank letter is your are using your assets to qualify. From what I can tell, you are not doing that. So don't bother getting the bank letter.

Mike

Diana,

Yes I received them already. Took about 2 weeks give or take a few days.

Mike,
No I wont be using assets for the support...have no house yet. I will be using my income which is more than enough to reach the 125%.

So what I have officialy for the I-134 are...

I-134 notarized
Tax Transcripts for 2004, 2005, 2006
1040 & W-2 for 2004, 2005, 2006
Work letter on company letterhead stating salary, permanent employee, hired since 2001.

Enough evidence??
Thanks!

Thanks Lucho!

That's what I figured. The asset test is only a fall-back for those without enough income.

Sounds like you have everything you need.

Mike

Olafgypsy, we only submitted a total of 26 photos. That includes 15 for the original application and an additional 11 for evidence at the interview. They were mainly just shots of us together at various places (in Cartagena at a bar called El Buarte, at a beach in Cartagena, in Barranquilla at her aunt's house which included her cousins, photos at the hotel pool in Barranquilla, in Bogota at a restaurant, walking in La Candalaria, at a town outside of Bogota called Sopo.). The only evidence of where we were at was my handwritten description on the back. I agree that there is no magic formula. But it sounds to me that you have enough. It is unfortunate, but conventional wisdom here says that older couples or couples with a age discrepancy get scrutinized harder (as do couples where the USC is a woman) than male USC bringing their fiancee to the US. If you don't fall into one of those categories you probably have enough. Especially if you have phone bills, chat history, or e-mails showing relationship.

lucho, I wouldn't bother with the bank statement since you are going on income not assets. Also, I only submitted my copies of my tax return (in addition to employer letter, direct deposit statement, and W-2's), not transcripts. If you are looking to get interview faster (sorry, I didn't follow if you were waiting for all documents before scheduling interview) I would fax your stuff to the embassy sooner rather than wait.

Thanks Jay,

We faxed in our packet 3 last week and mailed it in this week. Just playing the waiting game. I hope to find out some time next week when our interview date is. So I can purchase my planet ticket and prepare hers. We faxed it on the the 18th and snailed it in on the 22nd. Hopefully we get a shot at a very late June interview, if not early July will work as well

I believe we will get the interview the first week of July.

Well, hopefully not because then you'll have to deal with the embassy not being opened on July 4th. An extra day of waiting.

True, hopefully we can get the interview the day afther the 4th. Sucks that today they are closed too!! I'm trying to find out if they have scheduled us yet...urgggggggh