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| Bogota, Colombia |  Review on October 4, 2017: |
seablock
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
Pre-interview
Right after the NVC finished up the processing of the required forms, we got an interview about 30 days after the notification. (good with bad, they stated they did not receive the paperwork originally, and my attorney had to send a second set of documents).
Interview
We had a 7:30 am interview that I attended as petitioner. We got there very early (it is light out at 6 am in Bogota) and had breakfast around the corner from the corner with a lot of private Visa offices. We walked out at 6:50 am and they were calling people in to the screening area. However, in the line we heard they wanted 7 am appointments but we waited and didn't matter. They organized my wife's papers (careful here as later we discovered that they confused the legal sized copies of the original documents as the originals which then given to the CO). The visa area is a covered courtyard with a cafe, bathroom and glassed interview windows. Not an DOS employee to be seen or security.just young helpful Colombian employees/guides. We then went to the fingerprint area and waited about 10 minutes to be called. Then we went to the left side of a long line of windows marked in green as Immigrant visa area. There were seats and they said they would open at 8 which they did windows, 2, 3, 4 and 5. We had to wait for about 12 people in front of us and we noticed at guy at window two who seemed to be there a long time and walked away with his passport after 25 minutes. The next people to go to this window (lady CO) were a K-1 visa applicant and her boyfriend who was quickly sent back. Window 4 had a lady and her husband and some kids and he stood at the window but also played with the kid a bit but was not part of the conversation. They were approved and we went next. I went up and my wife had her file of documents and wedding album ready but the just wanted the original documents that the helpers had selected. It was a friendly guy who spoke very good Spanish with an accent.
They questions were:
Questions :.
To swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth
Who asked you to the EE. UU
How did you meet?
Where they got married
???
How many people attended the wedding?
Your husband has been married before?
You married married before ??
Have you lived in another country ??
Have you had legal problems with the police?
The glass window had a blue tint and I could barely see the CO (wearing a headset) and I was standing at the side of my wife. He asked if I was the petitioner and she said "si." Just stood there until she was approved and given the Green Card payment information and domestic violence sheet.
We went back to our seat and the K-1 guy and girlfriend had been told to wait for a second interview (that day I assume). I am glad we got the other window as the first window was 0-2.
We left happy but not for long as you need to realize that verbal visa approval is not the same as visa in hand. The next day, Friday, my wife got a call from the embassy at noon time telling her that they did not have the original birth certificate or the wedding certificate and we would have to send those to the embassy. Ouch.
They sent an email with instructions to go on the embassy's visa page where she had an account and print out instructions. As a lawyer reading English, I had trouble following their instructions but finally printed out which appeared to be a prepaid bill of lading for DHL. With luck, out airbnb had a printer and we printed the form out. However, it had the address of the ASC fingerprint place near the airport so we hopped into her brother-in-laws car. We went to the door and showed the paper to the guard who was confused and clueless. The same went with the other ASC personnel at their help desk and we we put in a short but slow line to talk to Colombian clerks again behind security glass. Finally, the clerk appeared to know what she was doing and she reviewed the documents and stapled a cover sheet to the forms. She said the visa would be ready in 2-3 weeks. Meanwhile until wednesday the CEAC site said Administrative Processing. And any attempt to contact the consular section was met with a form email or call center employee who would tell you it was in AP and no more.
But the visa was issued 5 days later and the next day, Thursday, we were given the option to make an appointment to pick up the visa on Saturday at the earliest.
REVIEW
Having 25 years in the fed govt (1 yr in DOS), I know how both sides work. We called the clients and other interested parties, "stakeholders." . But in this case, I kind of was embarrassed that this is the best we Americans can offer. The one embassy employee I encountered was intelligent and professional but he was hidden behind bulletproof glass. The system seems to be set up to avoid the "stakeholder" as after phone calls or emails you are left saying, "wheres the beef?" Absolutely, useless. If you had a problem with the website or sending documents, there is no one to talk to or answer a question. The one area they are very efficient (USCIS and DOS) with very quick updates and information is regarding payments. Providing quality and useful information to stakeholders, no.
Suggestions:
The actual interview process was quick and efficient. Maybe have a real American supervisor visable to answer questions. It is the American embassy. .
I would suggest that the helpline IVBogota@state.gov, be changed to auto-reply it only provides canned responses and frustrates the clients thinking they might have an answer to their question. Better to be honest and use an auto-reply. .
I would think it would be helpful to find a way to answer stakeholders' questions in a general fashion about timelines and specific cases that would not obligate the embassy. For example if the CO may approve the visa but the embassy may change its mind, they should be able to give out a little relevant and helpful information without committing themselves.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #22597