Phone Number: |
10/2010 The Consulate has a few general numbers.
Consulate Switchboard:
From abroad: 011-593-4-232-3570
From other Ecuadorian Provinces: (04) 232-3570
From Guayaquil and other cities within the Province of Guayas: 232-357
For American Citizen Emergencies call (04) 232-1152 (24 hours)
For information about immigrant or non-immigrant visa processes, and to schedule appointments (regardless of visa type), please contact the Visa Information Service:
1-800-010-145 in Ecuador
1-800-919-5290 in the U.S.
They require the purchase of a $12 PIN that is good for 8 minutes. Most of these 8 minutes will be spent on hold, or trying to understand the English of an Ecuadorian employee. You are obliged to call this line in order to schedule your appointment for your second interview after your fiancé (e) is refused the visa on the first visit. The English may be fairly bad, please politely ask for someone whom can speak better English if you cannot understand. Also make sure to verify all information with the representative. This pin can be purchased via the phone line with a major credit card or at any Banco de Guayaquil.
Also for cases handled by the NVC you do not have to call to schedule, as the NVC will do all of that for you. If you are unable to attend your interview, then you must call to re schedule. Always have your case number, petitioners name and DOB and beneficiary's DOB ready.
Or send an email and they generally respond relatively fast with a few hours for the most part, but within a few days if they have allot to respond to. Same thing include your case number, petitioners name and DOB and the beneficiary’s DOB and state whom you are.
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E-Mail: |
Useful E-mail Addresses:
American Citizen Services: , acsguayaquil@state.gov
Public Affairs: PAS_Guayaquil@state.gov
Federal Benefits and Social Security: fbuquito@state.gov
Nonimmigrant Visa Section: nivguayaquil@state.gov
Immigrant Visa Section: ivguayaquil@state.gov |
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Address: |
The Consulate General of the United States in Guayaquil, Ecuador, is located at the corner of avenues 9 de Octubre and Garcia Moreno. (Four blocks west of Centennial Park on 9 de Octubre, next to the Oro Verde Hotel) |
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Working Hours: |
Business Hours:
Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
( They tend to leave early! So figure 4:oopm close)
American Citizen Services:
Monday to Thursday from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the 2nd floor of the Consular Section. |
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Best Contact Method: |
You can phone to them, and press option 0 and speak with some one who can direct you where ever. Or you can email them which will get a prompt responce. With in a few hours or days. Generally for my self it has always been a few hours if I email them in the morning! |
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Approx Waiting Time for Interview After Consulate Recieves
NVC Package: |
The time waiting varries, after the NVC finishes processing a case they will then wait for the number of visas the Consulate can handle. After that you get an email from the NVC stating the interview date. Keep in mind the Consulate's website displaying the interviews is not the fastest way. Once your interview is set you will get an email ASAP. They will direct you to the NVC's site and you will have to pick ur consulate and they will give you post specefic informations. For my case I had the interview date 4 days after approval. They make the interviews the 2nd week of every month for the following month. So keep that in mind. |
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Issues Packet 3? |
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Packet 3 Contains: |
N/A |
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Issues Packet 4? |
Yes |
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Packet 4 Contents (if known): |
All the forms you have to take with you to the interview. You can download it online.
June 22, 2010- Received "Packet" 4 after two months. It was a single letter that said to download Packet 4 from the consulate's website.
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Forms to Consulate? |
None. Everything is taken with you to the interview. ---
(UPDATED 11 Feb 2009:) Since Spring 2008, the consulate has frequently refused to accept evidence that is brought to the interview, and then issues 221(g) papers on the basis that "insufficient evidence was brought to the interview." It is crucial that "you" be part of what is given to the consulate. It is MANDATORY -- MANDATORY!!! -- that the U.S. CITIZEN ATTEND THE VERY FIRST INTERVIEW!!! The consulate will NEVER state this, and may deny it, even when you ask directly. Treating this MANDATORY REQUIREMENT casually for any reason carries the nearly 100% certainty that your visa application will be REFUSED or that 221(g) evidence will be requested... and the latter may NEVER be enough. Furthermore, you (the U.S. citizen) may well be ORDERED to attend a joint "marriage" interview -- on your time and your dime -- to have a prayer of receiving the visa. There will be nothing "joint" about this interview -- it will be a Stokes interrogation, likely not even with an American. Therefore, even if you are on your deathbed, ATTEND THE FIRST INTERVIEW with your Ecuadorian fiancee/spouse! There is NO EXCEPTION, and NO EXCUSE in the eyes of the consulate! (End 11 Feb 2009 Update)
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Other Forms (if any)? |
( October 2010) If the NVC has processed your case, they will require all the civil documents, they would have already collected the payments and everything required, so you will need to only bring a few documents with you the rest will be sent from the NVC to the Consulate. Make sure you bring the interview letter with you, and any original documents that you submitted copies of. The I-130 requires the copy of marriage certificate. The consulate will require to see the original on the day of the interview.
The visa service fees have all went up , for the most up to date information view their website.
As of October 2010 a few of the fees are:
Immigrant Visa Processing Fee for I-130 Family based petitions- $404.00 (Old price $400)
Non Immigrant Visa Processing Fee- $140.00 (Old Price $131)
http://guayaquil.usconsulate.gov/visa-services-fees.html
(End of October 2010 Update)
Birth certificate, Marriage Certificate, divorce certificates. Police certificate only for the countries outside US and Ecuador where the person had lived a year or more since the age of 16. 2 photos 5cm x 5cm full face, white back, passport valid for at least 6 months, the visa fee payment certificate.
In Packet 4, you will receive a letter from the Consulate. You must also present this letter on the day of your interview.
Update June 8, 2009: Forms DS 156, DS 156K, receipt from Banco de Guayaquil ( you have to deposit $131), Affidavit of Support and attached supporting evidence.
Visa fee increased June 2010 to $350 instead of $131.
If your cases were handled by the NVC, make sure you bring all originals The I-130 Only requires a copy of the Marriage Certificate but the consulate will want the ORIGINAL!
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Direct Consular Filing Offered? |
Yes |
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If DCF Allowed: For all or only US citizen lawfully resident in country?
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All |
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Can fiance(e)/spouse attend interview? |
Yes |
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Visa fee payment "same day" or "in advance"? |
Advance |
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Did embassy schedule interview or could you walk-in? |
Embassy Scheduled |
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Visa issued same day? |
No |
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If not what's the waiting period? |
(PREVIOUS INFO) 4 days sent via DHL to home or to the DHL office nearest your home. (EP-KO added comment: For us the interview was on a Thursday and the passport/visa arrived on the following Wednesday.)
*** bring $8 cash to pay for the DHL delivery after the interview you are sent to the DHL around the corner to pay the $8.
(UPDATED 11 Feb 2009) Whatever promise the consulate makes regarding issuance can be considered faulty. If your visa is not in your hands on the day promised, call incessantly to 011-593-4-232-3570 (see above) and pester the native employees. If the response is that the file is "on a consul's desk," insist that it be retrieved and processed. KEEP PHONING until you are given a DHL tracking number (have them repeat it to you) and the date on which the visa has been SENT OUT. Worst case is that you may have to e-mail IVGuayaquil@state.gov with "For Section Chief Linderman" in the subject line. Philip Linderman has been the most recent Immigrant Unit Section Chief at this infernal consulate. (End 11 Feb 2009 Update)
June 8, 2009: for us it was about 1 week after the interview |
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Is the Medical exam same day as interview? |
Prior to Interview |
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Cost of Medical Exam? |
June 22, 2010: Medical Exam costs $110 and results from Aurelio Andrade's office can be picked up in the afternoon. They told us to come back after 3pm the following day. And a sealed letter and Xrays were issued. |
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List of doctors? |
(UPDATE OF 11 FEB 2009) Not all of the doctors below are still on the list. Ignore the Packet 4 mailed by the consulate and look on the consulate's website for the current list. (End 11 Feb 2009 Update)
QUITO
HECTOR AGUILAR, MD
MEDICENTRO
6 de Diciembre 4697 y Pasaje Turquma, 2do Piso
Tel: (02) 2453-530 or (02) 2448-315
Horario: 8:00 a mediodma and
15:00 a 18:30 (con previa cita)
JORGE PIZARRO, MD
Vasco de Contreras 116 y Rumipamba
Tel: (02) 2452-089 or (02) 2258-488
Horario: Mediodma a 13:00 y
15:30 a 19:00 p.m.
ANIBAL SOSA, MD
RODRIGO SOSA, MD
Alemania 144 y Eloy Alfaro
Edificio MEDICAL 5toPiso
Tel: (02) 2525-102 or
(02) 2909-777 or
(02) 2560-715
Horario: 08:30 a 12:30
15:00 a 19:00
Sabados: 8:00 a 12:00
GUAYAQUIL
AURELIO ANDRADE, MD
Antepara 921 y 9 de Octubre, 1er Piso
Tel: (04) 2320-342 or (04) 2320-343
Horario: 7:30 a 17:30
Clinica Panamericana
Panama 616 y Roca 2do piso, Oficina 206
Tel: (04) 2304-218 or (04) 2309-405
Horario: 8:30 a 17:30
TELMO FERNANDEZ, MD
L. Urdaneta 1401 y Garcia Moreno
Tel: (04) 2294-515 or (04) 2291-840 or (09) 9778-719
Horario: 7:30 a 19:30
Sabados: 7:00 a Mediodma
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How many Passport Photo's Required for the medical? |
2 |
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How many Passport Photo's Required at the interview? |
2 |
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Estimated waiting time at the consulate on the day of interview? |
(UPDATED 11 Feb 2009) As of Spring 2008, appointment TIMES were being set, at least in some instances. Cell phones and other prohibited items can be checked (for a fee) at a small business across the street. The U.S. citizen's presence IS MANDATORY at the FIRST interview (and all others). Should the native guards outside try to refuse you entry, state that the consulate is U.S. soil and that you have every right to be there. If necessary, ask "How am I wrong, sir?" Play the "American" card as above. ---
You will not be interviewed over a public loudspeaker, but if you are sitting in the ground-floor waiting area, you may be able to hear other interviews. The second-floor waiting area is out of earshot and can be very cold, so bring a sweater if you might need one. Ecuadorian natives will collect much of the information that you have brought. It is imperative (IF you are lucky enough to be interviewed by an American consul) that you hand over the items or groups of items that PROVE YOUR RELATIONSHIP and verbally state what they are. (All interviews are audio- & video-recorded.) This is so the consul cannot deny that such evidence has been presented. IT IS EVEN BETTER IF YOU INCLUDED MUCH OF THIS EVIDENCE (from earlier, of course) IN YOUR I-129F PETITION, SO THAT USCIS HAS SEEN IT AND THE CONSULATE CANNOT DENY ITS EXISTENCE. If you are told to sit down, state (politely yet firmly) that you wish to remain by your fiancee/spouse's side to ensure that all evidence BROUGHT is evidence ACKNOWLEDGED & CONSIDERED, and to ensure that no questions will be asked that are illegal in government or in the private sector (such as harassing questions about the frequency and nature of your intimate relations). If anyone objects, pleasantly mention that it further confirms your commitment to your fiancee/spouse. ---
Besides preparing for the "not enough evidence -- go away" tactic, you should also prepare for the "too much evidence -- go away" response. If you receive the latter, pin the consul down by asking WHAT further information could possibly be desired, WHAT could possibly be unclear about what has been brought and said, WHAT red flags have not been addressed to the consul's complete satisfaction, and EXACTLY WHEN the visa will be issued -- the DATE CERTAIN. ---
Overall, be prepared at this consulate for opaque policies, promises made & not kept, illegal interview questions, and the need to FOLLOW UP constantly and incessantly. At best, this consulate has been described as "the worst DMV office imaginable," and at worst as what you don't want to imagine. PROOF OF RELATIONSHIP is foremost on their minds. Be prepared, and BOTH of you MUST ABSOLUTELY BE AT THE FIRST INTERVIEW if you want a prayer of having your visa issued. (End 11 Feb 2009 Update) ---
LT&GH experience at Embassy:
5 hours, thwy treat you like cattle, all persons for imigration visas (not tourist but family visas) are herded in at 7:15 am. then they are called one by one to hand in their packet4 and everyting else. then returned to their seats as Ecuadorian citizens impute all the data in to the computer system. then they start to call the applicants one by one up to a window where there is a USC embassy employee who starts to interview you in front of everyone over the loud speeker that is in the bulletproof glass. the interview takes about 5 min. and he tells you you are aproved right there.
EP-KO experience at Embassy:
We arrived to the Embassy at 6.45am on the day of our interview. There was already a line that had started forming, but it wasn't nearly as long as I had expected. There are three different lines that are labeled at the head of the line- Resident visas first visit, Resident visas second visit, and Tourist visas. The majority of people were standing in the first line for the Resident visas first visit. At 7am, a guy came through the line asking for the Interview letter (this came as part of the Packet 4). My fiance and I presented that letter, and his name was already on the list that the man had. My fiance was given a yellow piece of paper that said "7am" written on it. Okay after they went through the line, they started to let people into the gates where security guards searched everyone. No cell phones, cameras, electronics, nada. They didn't even let me in, and I am the U.S. citizen. Only my fiance could enter, and the only he had with him was his paperwork. I waited outside. Inside, my fiance had to submit all of his paperwork and proof to an Ecuadorian woman at the counter. He submitted everything and was told to take a seat and wait. He waited until 12pm when they let everyone leave for a lunchbreak. People had been called alphabetically to the window, and finally his name was called after lunch. He was first asked if he wanted to speak English or Spanish during the interview. He said he could speak English, but not perfectly. The man continued the interview in Spanish. He asked my fiance where we had met, and why he wants to come to the U.S. Also he asked my fiance where I currently work. The questions lasted only abotu 5 minutes, and then my fiance was told that his visa was approved and he was given a piece of paper to take to the nearest DHL office. My fiance entered the Embassy at 7.30am and was finished by around 4pm with an hour lunch break.
June 8, 2009: We got out of there in 4 hours. |
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Vaccination requirements? |
IMPORTANT NOTICE TO IMMIGRANT VISA APPLICANTS CONCERNING VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS
United States immigration law requires immigrant visa applicants to obtain certain vaccinations (listed below) prior to the issuance of an immigrant visa. Panel physicians who conduct medical examinations of immigrant visa applicants are required to verify that immigrant visa applicants have met the vaccination requirements, or that it is medically inappropriate for the visa applicant to receive one or more of the listed vaccinations:
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis B
Influenza
Influenza type b (Hib)
Measles
Meningococcal
Mumps
Pneumococcal
Pertussis
Polio
Rotavirus
Rubella
Tetanus and diphtheria toxoids
Varicella
In order to assist the panel physican, and to avoid delays in the processing of an immigrant visa, all immigrant visa applicants should have their vaccination records available for the panel physician's review at the time of the immigrant medical examination. Visa applicants should consult with their regular health care provider to obtain a copy of their immunization record, if one is available. If you do not have a vaccination record, the panel physician will work with you to determine which vaccinations you may need to meet the requirement. Certain waivers of the vaccination requirement are available upon the recommendation of the panel physician.
Only a physician can determine which of the listed vaccinations are medically appropriate for you, given your age, medical history and current medical condition.
Copied from the State Departments website: http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/info/info_1331.html |
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Cheap and good hotels near the Consulate? |
We stayed at Hotel Alexander- $30 a night, but much cheaper than the Oro Verde which is the closest to the Embassy. ---
(UPDATED 11 Feb 2009) Hotel Rizzo, downtown, is pretty good (mid-$30s/night). Hotel Ramada is very nice (high $80s or so per night). (End 11 Feb 2009 Update)
June 8, 2009: for those of us who live in Ecuador or who don´t have a lot of money to throw around, Hotel Chile on Portete and Avenida Chile (right in front of Plaza España) was clean and very cheap: just $7 a night per room! No AC but the fan cools you off fine.
June 22, 2010: Hotel Velez is clean and cheap as well; Velez 1020 and Avenida Quito, one block from Parque Centenario. You can ring them at 2530 292 or 2520 311. Rooms range from $9 w/fan - $12 w/AC.
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Additional Info? |
LT&GH info:
there is a trick to make things go faster:
I emailed the conculate in guayaquil after finding out from the NVC that the packet was sent to the conculate. the conculate in guayaquil told me that if the packet 4 is not recieved in an acceptable amount of time...I can download the packet 4 from there website (http://usembassy.state.gov/guayaquil/wwwfivk1p4.pdf) fill out and complete all instructions, purchase pin and call to make my appointment when all is ready.
So when the file was sent from NVC to the conculate i then had the GYQ case number. with that we were able to do the medical the same day :-D . got the medical results 3 days later, in these 3 days got the birth certificate (photocopy fron registery book with seal on it) and the police record. when we recieved the medical report I called the conculate number from the packet 4 using the pin I bought for $12 via visa over the phone. they asked if we had received the packet 4 yet...I told them no but had received an email stating i could download it from their website and that we had everything ready now...we had everything done and got our interview date for 2 weeks later without yet receiving the packet 4 (which showed up 2 days later LOL ).so from NVC sending out the case to the conculate till our interview date was just 2 weeks. lot's faster than the usual 3 - 4 months :-)).
Also you will notice the packet 4 says to do the medical 2 weeks before the interview date...it's wrong!!! they will not give you the inteview date until you have already done the medical exam, so as soon as you have everything ready and the case no. from the NVC do the medical, pay the $100 at BofG and you can make your appointment over the phone!!
EP-KO Info:
I tried the trick that LT&GS described above, and it didn't work for me. Once our NOA1 was approved and I knew that the NVC had sent out paperwork to Guayaquil, I called the Embassy in Guayaquil to make an appointment for the interview. However, they didn't let me do that because although I had my case number, the case number hadn't been received by the Embassy, so they told me I had to wait. I checked the Guayaquil Embassy website constantly to see if our case number had been sent packet4 yet, and soon (2 weeks from the NVC send date) our case number appeared on that website. Once our case number (GYQ2007...) was on that website, I called again to make the interview (I had to buy a second PIN number)and there were no problems. K1 visa interviews cannot be done on Fridays. The earliest possible interview date was 2 weeks later. When I called for the interview date, we hadn't yet received packet 4, I only knew taht the Embassy had sent it to us (based on the website). She asked "what is the last thing you've heard about your case", and I told her that we had received packet4 in the mail, otherwise she would not have let us make the appointment yet.
Anyway, while we were waiting for our interview date to come, the Packet4 arrived and it included older versions of the forms that we had already filled out. We filled out all versions just to be sure.
June 8, 2009:
Don´t CALL the Consulate using a PIN to see if your I-129F has arrived. You should EMAIL them instead, it seems the best way to get a good response. About 2 weeks after you know your I129F left the NVC, you can email them and ask about your petition. They should then send an email saying you can download Packet 4 and call to make the appointment as soon as you have everything ready. Another number to call: (from Ecuador:) 042323570... they answer the phone but always seem underinformed and annoyed so it´s generally better to send an email. |
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