Wow! That sucks. it was always $40 for us, no matter how long the wait. I crossed to and from the airport, and then we went back and forth 2 other days to the mall in El Paso.

Actually we discovered that the best way is to take a cab to the border, walk across, then get a cab on the other side. it ends up being more like $25 that way. Still expensive, and of course not fun with luggage!

WHOOO HOOOOOOO JBEABOUT!!!!

Glad to hear everything worked out so well for you and Sofia! I agree Juarez isn't that bad but it's nice we don't ever have to go back too!! The taxis can be a rip-off. My advice for all those needing to use taxis in Juarez, negotiate the price before you even get in the car.

Looks like Junari is next!! Are you filing a fiancee or spouse visa?

So Jbe...hope you are still in Mexico celebrating because it is so #$%%^ cold here this weekend in MN.

Take care all!!

MUCHA SUERTE STEVEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let us know how it all went!!

Be safe.

I wish!!! I came back thursday night and experienced severe shock when i got off the plane. now i have to wait 3 months to see my sweetie! Not fun

Looks like Junari is next!! Are you filing a fiancee or spouse visa?

We are doing a K1. but we are just starting, thanks for asking , it's really nice to feel the support.

WE GOT OUR FIRST NOA TODAY!!!! (just sharing)

CONGRATS!!!

YOu are one step closer.

Thanks tabta!!

Thanks for all the details. It really helps me relax about that day. I still have some questions, mostly for Tabta, but for anyone who has recently gone to Ciudad Juarez:

What did your husband wear to the interview? What did it seem like the "dress code" is?

Why didn't you go in with him? The packet 3 asked who would be coming to the interview, and we said I would be there, but I wonder if they have changed policy since then, and they aren't letting spouses in.

So, how much was your hotel? How close is it? and you said it was bad. How bad? Did you feel unsafe? Was it gross?

You guys look so cute in your picture! I'm so happy for you both. You must be very excited about sharing your country with your husband! I know Armando is so looking forward to meeting my family and friends! Only a little while longer!

mzswing: i know you wrote to tabta, but maybe i can help answer some questions...i know it's hard to relax about the interview. trust me I was stressed, but it's not as bad as you think it will be. First of all, Juarez is not horrible (not fun, but not horrible!). As far as dress goes, I would say something reasonably nice and conservative, but definitely no need to dress up much (for sure no suit or tie or anything!)

The consulate is no longer allowing spouses/fiances to join the applicant inside...there is a large sign on the door that says this. If you manage to get in you would be very lucky!

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express, and it was very nice. i can't tell you what the others are like, but a lot of folks stay at the Holiday Inn Lincoln as well. It's a little cheaper probably.

Good luck and don't stress too much!

Ok so here I go, hope I dont forget anything. He wore jeans and a nice dress shirt with a black suade jacket. He looked very gap in my opinion. He seemed to be better dressed than aot of the people there. The fanciest I saw was khaki´s.
As someone else stated, they now have a sign hanging on the door saying people that are applying for k 1 , k3, cr1 and IR 1 visas cant have anyone go in with them unless they need physical help (they are disabled)

Our hotel was the closest to the counsulate and it was 498 pesos a night. It wasnt so bad. THe room was okay and the location was great. The bad part was the employees. Before we went we called and asked if we could have soemthing faxed there. they said yes and that it was a free service. well when we went to get the fax they wanted to charge us 160 pesos. needless to say they still have the fax. also when i went to check in they tried to charge me for a phone call. because if you make calls on the phone it costs even if they are local. I told them I did not make any calls and I asked when it was. They said monday at 5. well we checked in monday at 9. I told them that and they still charged me for it until my husband came in and talked to them.
i hoped i have helped a bit

I hope someone here can answer a few questions for me.

My husband has his cr1 interview on march 6. In the packet it says we must bring I864 and ds230. Of course, I submitted both of these to nvc a long time ago. Are we required to fill them out again? Also, do I understand correctly, that we need to bring passport style photos with us, yet they will take another photo of him at the medical exam?

Sorry for so many questions, just want to make sure that I'm getting it right!!


sandy

Ok, I hope I can help. We submitted our afadavit of support in july. When we went for our interview we had one prepared but they didnt take it. THey did take the ds 230. Also 2 passport sized photos is what they asked us for. Also as you pointed out they take a picture at the medical exam. good luck on your interview

Congrats to those who are moving along!!

We are glad to see some progress!!!
Best of luck to those still waiting for the K1.

OK It's been a very long time since I have posted here. My timeline should be in my sig. My husband is still in Mexico and I don't know when he will be able to come back. We are waiting for the waiver to be approved right now. I think it should be any day now. Some people who filed their waiver just 2 days before us got their waiver approved on 2/21. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed and will call the DHS Monday 2/27.

Amanda...I wish you much luck calling DHS next week. I am sure you will be hearing soon on your waiver and soon your husband will be making his way home. I think I read somewhere that DHS asked for more information. When did they send this request and when did you return it? When you call, you might want to make sure they have received it and placed it with your file.

Keep us posted.

************

STEVEY....I hope all went well this week at the medical and interview and be sure to let us know how it all went.

Take care.

good luck amanda, hope it comes soon

Well, so far we have not received the SS card, but we got the I-551. As we have been married less than 2 years I assumed this would be conditional status for 2 years, but it simply says permanent resident and its expiration date is marked as 10 years. does anyone know if this means I won't have to file for removal of conditions in a year and a half, or if I need to inquire with DHS? thanks!!

I would inquire with them just to make sure. You wouldn't want to do nothing and then something happen and you find out you should have removed conditions. You may just be lucky and reap the benefits of an immigration mistake. If so, good for you. It doesn't happen often.

Oh, quick note: anyone doing DCF, remember how you probably checked the box at the consulate that says:

Do you want the Social Security Administration to assign you an SSN (and issue a card) or issue you a new card (if you have an SSN)? You must answer "Yes" to this question and to the "Consent To Disclosure" in order to receive an SSN and/or card."

(Or of course to anyone in the future, please take note )

Well, of course we checked that and were told to wait about 3 weeks for the card to arrive, which we did. Today my husband went to the SS office to inquire if his number had been issued and sent yet. It was never issued! So now we will wait 1-2 more weeks for the card to arrive. Luckily we aren't in a huge hurry - an income would be nice but my parents have been great through all of this. Anyways, I just thought I'd let you all know to be ready to probably have to go to the office anyways. Have a great week everyone!

Oooh, I know this is a double post and I already answered somewhere, buuuut. Look what I just found in the old I-751 forum:

Did USCIS give me a "wrong" green card?, 10-year card instead of 2...
http://www.visajourney.com/forums2/index.php?showtopic=56576

We have also recieved the permanant resident card but not the SS card

We checked the box also on the DS-230 but decided to go into the local office anyway since we'd been waiting on immigration about 3 years already. I was not too optimistic that they would get it done. Good thing we went in too, because they hadn't ordered one. So we got our card due to us going in to the office.

I'd say definetely be proactive on this one. Otherwise you might be waiting forever. Hope his card comes soon, Mel.

hola ppl!

sorry i haven't been stopping by to help lately.

i just sent sandy a pm explaining our experience in juarez. and since i hadn't posted it here, i am pasting the bulk of it now.
//begin
October 4, 2005
ok, to recap, we went on a k3 interview appointment. once there, the i130 was ready and they switched us over to that process.

Hotels:
We stayed at the Fiesta Inn. it is about a 12 minute walk, or by taxi, 5 dollars.
It is a nice hotel, not the cheapest. We stayed there to get frequent milage in my mexicana account. it is a business type hotel. restaurant on premises. near a mall and other restaurants. clean. nice bed. helpful staff.


Tuesday:
Went to clinic, the one across the street from the consulate. We arrived at 8:20 am. show guard appt letter. in bld, give papers to receptionist. (take mexican passport! )
had shots taken, and paid bill. 141.75(no credit card accepted. cash only. dollars or pesos). done by 10 am.

Went to Banamex and paid $100 K3 visa fee.


Wednesday:
go to consulate. in line at 6:35am. facing the consulate, the line that goes to the right. no electronic equipment, no mirrors, etc. only applicants allowed in. Ana enters consulate 7:35am. Once inside, she goes through the process. the officer informs her that the i130 is ready and hands her a form to fill out, tells her she needs passport color photos, and a pass to come back in. Accross from the consulate are all kinds of business to assist in any kinds of needs. so, passport photos easily gotten. oh, also needed some vaccinations, went to clinic, got those. another 102 dollars. The form, it was the ds260. We simply filled it out by hand. the copies of all our other documents came in handy for reference. Ana returned to consulate. inside, she had to pay 45 dollars. i think it was the difference from we paid the immigrant visa fee earlier and what it is now.

After that, there were system failures and all around mess that made us wait till friday morning to actually get the residency thingie into my wife's passport.

after that we took a cab to cross the border at the indicated Point of Entry. cost us 60 dollars. he took us from hotel to border. walk across with us and directed us exactly to the place to get in line. they took ana's paperwork, asked some more questions, took her picture and fingerprints. approved it all. taxi took us back to hotel.

Ciudad Juarez is cold. take layers of warm clothing. there is a pay phone inside the consulate. buy your husband a payphone card. he can call you at your hotel whenever there is a need to coordinate anything and you don't have to wait outside. there is a snack bar inside. it helps to tide you over. nothing great though.

if they ask you to come back the next day and hand you a pass, line up in the line that goes to the left.

feel free to ask any more questions!
//end


Daniel

Just got back from mex the other day and all went well. My finacee got her visa!!!!!!!

Arrived tuesday night and went to the medical then next day at 6. Waited on line outside for 5 mins.... inside for 15... she was called for a picture, then to take blood, next the x ray and exam. We were done by 7:30. Went back for the results at 2 and were out of there by 2:15. It was the blue med center across the street from the consulate.

Consulate Thursday
Arrive at 5:45
Inside at 6:45
Fiancee gives in all required papers (she was asked fro my tax papers even though i am NOT self employed)
She is interviewd at 10:30 - lasts about 10 mins
All the interview questions were generic (same as the ones mentioned here before). We had TONS of evidence for proof of relationship and all they looked at were the pictures i sent with my 129-F. I also had tons of evidence for finacial support and all they took was my letter from my job, letter from my bank, and some pay stubs.
Received here visa at 12:30

Congrats!!! Ca t wait to see wedding pics

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!

and much luck in the future!

Woo hoo! Congrats! The Mexican / U.S. couples are on a roll!

that we are. all i have to say is its about time

I am curious to know if there is anyone on here who went through Ciudad Juarez who had a prior arrest record, and how that went in the interview. My husband had a car wreck almost 10 years ago, and has an arrest related to that. He wasn't drunk or anything, just driving a little fast. We have all the records (some pages are hard to read, due to poor quality copies and thin transparent paper, but they bear the official seal, and the most important parts of the expediente are readable, like sentence, fine paid etc...) So, any experience anyone could give me, I would greatly appreciate. It's making me a little nervous.

(this is a double post, since I accidently posted first in the wong place and couldn't find a "move post to forum X" option. sorry for the repeat.)

No doubt!

Did you see at britishexpats that cherrey finally got his 'speedy' Mexico DCF completed... in one *year*.
What a shame that it's so backed up there... hang in everyone!

Thanks for the info. I had been wondering.

hey all, just a quick note:

we are here in ciudad juarez. we were with my husband´s family in merida for a week first (where we found out we are expecitng!

Last night we flew from merida to mexico city to juarez. the juarez airport was a nightmare. when we got off of the flight, we went through some sort of security and even though it was a domestic flight they wanted to see my passport and my migracion card. Then we got the luggage which all had to be scanned and finally made it to our hotel (holiday inn-lincoln). We went for the medical exam today to the clinic beside the consulate. He had a female doctor and said she was kind of cold, but it went well. She examined him, asked questions about alcohol, drugs, tattoos, piercings, and asked him how he got a scar that he has on his leg. Then he got his vaccines (he needed mmr and varicela - would have needed tetanus, but he got it a week ago in the states. He paid 236 usd and we were out of there around 9 am. We came back to the hotel and ate at the breakfast buffet which was nice but pricey.

He is back at the clinic now, went at 2 to get results, but the system is down so he is waiting for who knows how long.

Any suggestions of things to do here, since we are trapped here for the weekend?

sandy

p.s. thanks daniel for your help!

you can still go to El Paso as long as he doesn't have the visa if you want! I don't know about any clubs, but there is a sushi restaurant (Kinsui) nearby that is great. It looked like there were a lot of bars/clubs when I was there, but it was the middle of the week so we didn't go. Good luck!

Gringitalokita: Glad to hear everything is going well for you thus far!! CONGRATS on the baby news too! How exciting!!

Well we were stuck in Juarez over the weekend too and bored out of our minds. It was also 108 outside so there wasn't many places we wanted to go besides being huddled over the AC at the Holiday Inn. We went to the mall a few times but that gets old fast. We contemplated going to a movie but didn't do that either. So we mainly hung out in the room watching tv or drinking beers out by the pool (though no beer for you for a while ). We didn't go out anywhere farther than a few blocks, not because of fear but more because I was pretty sure we would melt.

When again is his actual interview? On Monday? When are you planning on returning? Take care!!

************
Mzswing: My husband had a prior arrest record for disorderly conduct. It was when he was a minor but we still brought the certified court records with us to the interview. They asked some questions about it and were pleased we brought the records...otherwise you might get delayed so they can order them. It didn't seem to affect our case much. His arrest happened more than 5 yrs prior to the interview and he was a minor. I think since your husband's happened more than 10 yrs ago and he wasn't drunk then it should be o.k. But I'd take the records you have in case they want to look at them. But I am no lawyer so I really don't know, what I wrote is just what we did and it seemed to work out...... (the waiver we had to file wasn't because of the arrest, it was because he entered and stayed in the US illegally).
good luck and DON'T STRESS!!

mnmex,
yes, our interview is on monday. if all goes well, we will cross the border to el paso monday night and we have flights booked back to florida for tuesday. i have to go no matter what because i have to work on wednesday (we have been in mexico for almost 2 weeks now). If he doesnt get the visa on monday for any reason, then he will stay here an extra day or however long necessary. Thankfully Paolo got in touch with an old friend of his who lives here in Juarez now and she took us to a mall today called Las Misiones. It is very nice and I highly recommend going there for movies, restaurants, etc, if you are looking for something a little nicer than Plaza de las Americas here by the Holiday Inn.

cant wait to get home....

sandy

SUERTE A TODOS LAS PAREJAS DE MEXICO!

Just wanted to send out a quick holler out to all the couples headed to/currently in/just back from Juarez and say GOOD LUCK and there's lots of people pulling for you, even if we don't all stay active on the boards. Great to see some of the recent successes!

Good luck all!

Amy and Luis

GOOD LUCK TOMORROW SANDY & PAOLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and AMYANDLUIS AT THEIR INTERVIEW ON FRIDAY!!

thanks everyone for thinking of us today!

We got to the consulate at 5:30 am this morning and there were maybe 80-100 people in front of us and about 20 in the other line with the blue papers (return visitors I think). Paolo got in at 6:30 (I think they started letting people in around 6 or maybe a bit earlier) and I came back to the hotel. At 6:30 when I left there probably close to 150 or more people still in line and more coming. Now I´m here in the hotel hoping for the best!

sandy

I’ve got my fingers crossed for ya!!

I have a question about required vaccinations. We are trying to get them all done ahead of time to avoid high costs at the medical centers, especially since my husband gets them for free through his Seguro Social.
I found a list that says immigrants are required to have:

Paperas (mumps)
Sarampion (measles),
Rubeola (rubella),
polio,
Tetanos,
toxoide difteria (given with tetanus),
influencia tipo B (HIB),
hepatitis B,
tosferina (whooping cough),
varicela (chicken pox),
neumococus (does anyone know what that translates to?),
and influenza.

IF Armando was vaccinated against polio as a child there is no record of it, and the clinic here says they only give it to kids, and same with whooping cough and mumps. Also they are telling us they only give the flu shot to senior citizens... so I am wondering, WHICH vaccinations do they really require there at the medical centers in CJ?

Thank you to everyone who has been helping us out. It's such a comfort to talk to people who have been through the same thing.

Christine and Armando

Christine,

My husband just had his medical on friday and he required the following vaccines
1. Tetanus (he actually got the Tetanus-diptheria vaccine in the states prior to interview
2. Varicela
3. MMR (measles, mumps and rubella in one vaccine)

He didnt have any vaccine records from childhood and that didnt seem to be a problem. You only need flu and pneumococcus if you are over a certain age.

These three vaccines were the only ones listed at the consulorio for the ages of 25-38, so if your husband falls into this age group you should be safe with these.

Also, they might require hepatitis b if your husband has any risk factors, but mine did not.

hope this helps!

sandy

We got the visa!!!

He made it back to the hotel at 11:45 am with visa stamped (for lack of a better word) on one of the pages of his passport. It is valid for 6 months and by then he should get the real one in the mail. They also took away his tourist visa. He says, they didnt really ask any hard questions. The first woman just took his paperwork and confirmed name, address, etc. Then he went to a different room and was questioned by another woman at window 25. She had him raise his right hand and swear to tell the truth. She didnt ask for any of our evidence,never looked at the pictures or anything. She asked him what I do and seemed pleased with his answer (according to him). She asked if he has been in the states, if he has ever been illegal, if he has had problems with immigration or police. She asked how often we have been able to see each other and he explained that I used to come to mexico one week per month until we bought our house and that after that he has been to see me twice using his tourist visa. She told him that everything looked good and to go back to the waiting area. After 2 more hours, that is when they gave him the visa.

We just had lunch, now we are going to take a nap and then cross the bridge! We will stay in el paso tonight and we have our flights home in the am!!!

Thanks for all the support and if anyone has questions, please feel free to ask.

sandy

dont know what happened....those were supposed to be two separate posts...oh well!!

sandy

Sandy, just so you know, that is the permanent visa. He won't get another one. The fiance/marriage visas are not cards like the tourist visas. It basically is only used to cross once..if you leave the country prior to getting the green card, you would need to get an advance parole letter from USCIS to accompany your visa.

Sandy!!!!


wwoooo hoooo!!!!!!!





we are soooo happy for you guys!



ummm which visas did you guys get after all? the k3 or the cr/ir?


Daniel

CONGRATULATIONS SANDY & PAOLO!!!!

Have a safe trip home and good luck with the rest of your life!!!

Wow, and I thought I was the only person going through this process! I just received the NVC snail mail letter and am a bit confused about the I-864 and I-134. I was reading on the consulate website that they do not require this information but reading through the old thread, for K1 Visa petitioners I read that they sent the I-134 and it was okay'd for the K-1. The I-864 is for relative/AOS? Not sure. And do I send the completed packet to my fiance to present during her interview or to the consulate directly? Thanks for the help!



I-129F
NOA1 - 11/21/05 (CSC)
NOA2 - 02/22/06 (CSC)
NVC letter of sending to Cuidad Juarez - 3/2/06


Cheers

you technically don't need either the I-864 or I-134 for the interview in Juarez, although from many people's experience, it is wise to fill out the I-134 and take it. When my fiancee went they didn't look at the financial info, but that is not always the case. YOu definitely don't need the I-864 until you do AOS after marrying in the U.S.

You don't send the packet for a K1. Your fiancee with take it with her, so either you can join her (although you can't actually enter teh consulate), or you can mail your information to her.

Good luck!!!!

I don't know what visa Sandy's spouse went for, but neither of the spousal visas would require Advance Parole.
The K-3 is multi entry for 2 years.
The Immigrant Visa (CR-1/IR-1) converts to Permanent Resident status at entry and a Green Card is mailed to the immigrant. The Green Card is valid for re-entry to the US.

Gringuitalokita......Congratulations

thanks much for the clarification...i thought she went for a K1, but i checked and was mistaken!

Si, bueno.

May weddings rule!!!