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| Bogota, Colombia |  Review on February 22, 2015: |
MFJC
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
We had our interview today. We don't live in Bogota, so we stayed at the Tryp hotel across the street from the embassy. The interview was for 8:30 am but we arrived by 7:30.
After we got through security, we were given number 26. The numbers are for a preliminary interview by a Colombian employee of the embassy. They were on 14 when we arrived so maybe it took an hour for them to get to 26. The waiting area is outside. There is a roof, but you get sun and the cold. At the preliminary interview, they asked a couple of questions about my husband's previous visits to the US. Then we waited for a couple of hours.
Around 10:20 am we got called up by name, and the state department employee, an American diplomat, asked us a couple of questions: when did you get married? have either of you been married before? how did you meet? The guy was friendly, and then he told us we were approved. He said it will take about ten days to get the passport with the visa back. We were done around 10:30 am.
When we were approved, they gave us a form with an "A" number on it. We later realized that this number was incorrect. The number is supposed to be A plus eight or nine digits. Ours had ten digits. You need the number to pay the green card fee online, so we couldn't pay right away. We had to wait until we got the visa the following week, which had the correct nine digit A number on it. So check the number before you leave.
There is a sign outside the embassy that say no camera phones, but it must be an old sign because they let your bring in cell phones. They didn't let me bring in my kindle, though, which is weird. They put it in a little cubby and gave me a number to claim it when we exited.
This process has been very nerve wracking and stressful, and this visajourneys website has been so helpful, making the process a little easier to handle. I am so glad that it is available as a resource, otherwise we would have had no idea what to expect. Thank you to whoever is in charge of this website. I really encourage everyone to put as many details as you can about your case on this website. It is so helpful to know how the system works, since the government doesn't really tell you anything.
(updated on February 27, 2015)
(updated on February 27, 2015)
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #16293