K-1 for Ecuadorian - Beneficiary mailing address?

[paciencia y fe 2]

Hi all,

I'm a total newbie here, hello! :-) My fiance and I have decided that we want to start the K-1 process to bring him over here to the US. I was looking at the K-1 flowchart and saw that in steps 7 & 8 they send a letter and a packet to the beneficiary. The problem is, my fiance lives in a rural area outside a city and they don't really get mail there. I'm not sure what to do about this. Is there some way to indicate to the embassy there (Guayaquil) that he would like to pick up any letters or forms they might have for him? Or is there a way to provide an alternate mailing address (like his work)? On the forms it looks like they always ask for residence addresses.

Many thanks!

Karen

[canadian_wife 1,802]

I used my sister's address for the process, is there a family member or friend he can use as the residence? I'm not sure if a work address will be sufficient, someone else will answer this question.

Good luck.

[TBoneTX 43,549]

Welcome to VJ, Karen!

Regarding your specific question, you should find a relative of his who lives at a permanent address in a bigger city, and use that as the mailing address. Even at that, the mail service is so unreliable that you'll likely end up downloading those forms from the consulate's website, when the time comes. (The consulate mailed my then-fiancee completely outdated forms, by the way.) Do not rely upon -- or trust -- the consulate for anything.

My heart sinks when I learn of another couple who will have to deal with Guayaquil. Please go to the Latin American subforum here and thoroughly read the entire thread that's entitled "US Consulate in Guayaquil, Ecuador." Pay particular attention to the worst reports. Do the same for Guayaquil in the "Embassy Info" and "Reviews: Embassy" (you'll see the links at the top of every VJ page). Do not believe any of the positive reports or reviews -- they are anomalies!

You are very, very fortunate that you found VJ before you have filed your K-1 petition. To get past Guayaquil when the time comes, you must prepare your K-1 filing now in a very particular manner, adding all kinds of "evidence of relationship" that many others here will tell you is not necessary. Do not listen to them! Also, and if you believe nothing else that you ever read here, hear this now: If you do not attend the eventual visa interview in Guayaquil with your fiance, there is precisely a 100% chance that his visa WILL be denied. If you have to pick up abandoned pennies at car washes in order to be able to afford to be at the interview, do it. If you are on your deathbed, you must haul your oxygen tanks with you and go. This is not exaggeration, and the importance cannot be emphasized enough.

Fortunately, you have found us in time to avert a lot of heartache and rage in advance. All of us who have suffered Guayaquil look forward to guiding you through the special steps that we had to learn the hard way.

[paciencia y fe 2]

thank you both!

TBoneTX, I'm very thankful that you and others who have been through this process working with the Guayaquil consulate are here for advice! I have read some of the reports and suffice to say I am very worried and stressed about doing things right and getting through this process.

Regarding the mailing address - I have a couple followup questions...and I apologize if any are obvious, i'm just really worried about doing things wrong. This process is long enough without having to correct mistakes I might have avoided making, you know?

So...as far as putting the relative's permanent address, that would be on form I-129F right? What about on his G-325A? Is it okay if he puts down his real residence there? And for the cover letter indicating his intent to marry, is it okay if that has his real address as well or does that need to reflect the relative's address? I ask because we already wrote and he signed that letter when i visited him last week, and if he has to send me a new one it will be a bit of a pain in the butt since you know how great the mail is there.

Also, what items are sent to the beneficiary? It looks like: 1. a letter of some sort, 2. the "packet", and 3. the visa?? is there no way that he could pick these things up from the consulate?

As far as extra evidence of relationship, what sorts of things would you recommend to add? I was planning to send lots of pictures of the 2 of us in various places at various times, phone and messaging logs, sample emails, plane tickets...but i was not sure of *how much* of each thing i should be sending. any advice would be much appreciated!

thanks all,

:-)

karen

Welcome to VJ, Karen!

Regarding your specific question, you should find a relative of his who lives at a permanent address in a bigger city, and use that as the mailing address. Even at that, the mail service is so unreliable that you'll likely end up downloading those forms from the consulate's website, when the time comes. (The consulate mailed my then-fiancee completely outdated forms, by the way.) Do not rely upon -- or trust -- the consulate for anything.

My heart sinks when I learn of another couple who will have to deal with Guayaquil. Please go to the Latin American subforum here and thoroughly read the entire thread that's entitled "US Consulate in Guayaquil, Ecuador." Pay particular attention to the worst reports. Do the same for Guayaquil in the "Embassy Info" and "Reviews: Embassy" (you'll see the links at the top of every VJ page). Do not believe any of the positive reports or reviews -- they are anomalies!

You are very, very fortunate that you found VJ before you have filed your K-1 petition. To get past Guayaquil when the time comes, you must prepare your K-1 filing now in a very particular manner, adding all kinds of "evidence of relationship" that many others here will tell you is not necessary. Do not listen to them! Also, and if you believe nothing else that you ever read here, hear this now: If you do not attend the eventual visa interview in Guayaquil with your fiance, there is precisely a 100% chance that his visa WILL be denied. If you have to pick up abandoned pennies at car washes in order to be able to afford to be at the interview, do it. If you are on your deathbed, you must haul your oxygen tanks with you and go. This is not exaggeration, and the importance cannot be emphasized enough.

Fortunately, you have found us in time to avert a lot of heartache and rage in advance. All of us who have suffered Guayaquil look forward to guiding you through the special steps that we had to learn the hard way.

[TBoneTX 43,549]

Your stress is normal, believe me!

So...as far as putting the relative's permanent address, that would be on form I-129F right? What about on his G-325A? Is it okay if he puts down his real residence there?

I'd be consistent on both; use the relative's address.

And for the cover letter indicating his intent to marry, is it okay if that has his real address as well or does that need to reflect the relative's address?

The address that's currently on there is OK.

Also, what items are sent to the beneficiary? It looks like: 1. a letter of some sort, 2. the "packet", and 3. the visa?? is there no way that he could pick these things up from the consulate?

This stage is a LONG way away. You will be able to monitor the status of these things (by pestering the consulate and calling the Dept. of State Visa Services unit for information). As was stated, you can (and should) download the eventual packet from the consulate's website. IF the visa is issued, you can arrange to pick it up in person or to have it sent (by DHL) to a reliable address. Again, these are not things to be worrying about just yet.

I was planning to send lots of pictures of the 2 of us in various places at various times, phone and messaging logs, sample emails, plane tickets...but i was not sure of *how much* of each thing i should be sending.

Zillions of photos. Copies of ALL of your plane tickets/boarding passes/luggage receipt tags (if you have the last)... and keep the originals in a safe place. COMPLETE phone/message logs (with a tally of the total number of phone calls, messages sent, and amount of cost if applicable) -- create a cover sheet that plays up the biggest numbers or expenses. And, keep copies of every e-mail or message that you send to each other from here on, even if it's as bland as "I'll call you tonight" or similar.

Also, include several one-page, signed statements from your people and his, in which they attest to their knowledge of your relationship and its legitimacy. When you request these letters, remind everyone of when you & your fiance met, how many times, and the correct spelling of his name; otherwise, everyone is largely free to write what they want in their own words. Attorneys recommended to me that there be FEWER letters from the foreigner's people than from your U.S. people, and that the foreigner's people should use more formal, objective, factual language. The U.S. people, conversely, are more free to say what they want. Each letter should contain the name and COMPLETE contact information of the writer, and their relationship to you or your fiance. The "ring of truth" is important -- don't try to oversell anything unnaturally.

Hard copies are best; scans of signed letters are OK; e-mails will suffice. The letters need not be notarized, but as many as possible should be signed, and ALL should be DATED. Although the letters should be sent or given to you, they should be addressed to "U.S. Consulate, Guayaquil" -- which will show those bastards there that we're on to them. I got 13 letters from my people and my Ecuatoriana got 3 from hers, which was the appropriate balance. Mine were from relatives, my boss, and a few credible friends. If anyone has past or current military connections, play this up in the letter or signature.

Karen, people on VJ routinely say that such "front-loading" of petitions is not necessary because all that USCIS cares about is that the two people have met in person in the last two years and intend to marry. The second part is true -- that IS all that USCIS cares about. The first part is NOT always true, because the embassy or consulate MAY care, LATER. It is key to remember that a consulate can refuse to accept evidence brought to a visa interview (as Guayaquil routinely does) and then claim that "insufficient evidence was submitted" (which Guayaquil routinely does). HOWEVER, if this information is INCLUDED in the initial K-1 filing with USCIS, Guayaquil cannot claim that such evidence doesn't exist, for the very fact that USCIS has seen it and has passed it on to the consulate! Too many VJ members treat the consular phase as a foregone "slam-dunk" issuance of the visa, and too often it is not that easy. This is why MASSIVE front-loading of K-1 petitions -- particularly with the letters from your people -- is crucial when dealing with Guayaquil and other lesser hellholes.

We continue to be here for you. Go git them letters from yer kinfolk now, si man!

[paciencia y fe 2]

Your stress is normal, believe me!

So...as far as putting the relative's permanent address, that would be on form I-129F right? What about on his G-325A? Is it okay if he puts down his real residence there?

I'd be consistent on both; use the relative's address.

As was stated, you can (and should) download the eventual packet from the consulate's website. IF the visa is issued, you can arrange to pick it up in person or to have it sent (by DHL) to a reliable address.

again, thanks muchly! But i confess i am still confused about the whole address thing. If he is able to download the packet and arrange to pick up the visa when it is (hopefully!!) finally issued, why wouldn't i just put his real address on all the forms? Does it really matter if he can't receive mail there? It seems like it would be better to put his real residence location if at all possible yes?

[TBoneTX 43,549]

Does it really matter if he can't receive mail there?

Sure it matters! The question is its own answer.

[DanKorn 0]

Does it really matter if he can't receive mail there?

Sure it matters! The question is its own answer.

thanks again for all of the info on this post as well. I have alomost complketed compiling all of my evidence as well. I think it will end up being about 100 pages or more.

I read the reviews of the guayaquil consulate and all of the recommendations. I have a friend who went through this process in Guayaquil in 2006 and the process was seamless. Is it now harder at the interview becuase of Correa?

I seem to think that if you prepare enough evidence it won't matter if the American is not at the interview.

Tbone, were you lacking in evidence? What is your specific story? When did you meet your fiance?

We have been visiting each other since 2006 when we met and just got engaged. I am being cautious, but hearing you write always scares me. Could you give memore background on your specific case?

[DanKorn 0]

Also, I emailed my congressman to alert him of the situation. I basically said that ISCIS policy is different than what is being practiced regarding the onterview process. I asked him to xlear up the situation or to at least provide me with a letter to put in my file concerning the saying the american does not have to be at the interview but then being denied when the american is not there. maybe if everyone does this it will help. it only took 5 minutes by going to my congressman's website and filling out the webform. I should get a written response shortly.

[paciencia y fe 2]

Does it really matter if he can't receive mail there?

Sure it matters! The question is its own answer.

okay so, i now am in possession of his aunt's address in the city, which is able to receive mail. here's my follow up questions. you mentioned (i think!) keeping the address the same on both the 129f and the g-325a. does that mean also we have to put that address in the area where you are supposed to list your last five residences? does he put this one *instead* of his current address? will that get him in trouble if he doesn't actually live there? and will they ask him about his address in the interview (and will he have to give his aunt's address?)

sorry for all these questions. i guess you could say i'm a bit paranoid of doing something wrong and screwing this whole thing up! ;-)

many thanks!

k.

[TBoneTX 43,549]

I emailed my congressman to alert him of the situation. I basically said that ISCIS policy is different than what is being practiced regarding the onterview process.

The consulates are under the Department of State, not the Dept. of Homeland Security as USCIS is.

provide me with a letter to put in my file concerning the saying the american does not have to be at the interview but then being denied when the american is not there. maybe if everyone does this it will help.

Complete waste of time and completely ineffective, perhaps even counterproductive. Attend to the consulate's track record -- no exception will be made for you under any circumstances.

[TBoneTX 43,549]

I have alomost complketed compiling all of my evidence as well. I think it will end up being about 100 pages or more.

Make it more, and be sure to include the letters from your people and hers.

Is it now harder at the interview becuase of Correa?

It is harder because of the Immigrant Unit Section Chief, who had a cushy job in Washington with the OAS (traveling the world and speaking about anti-human-trafficking!) until he was yanked away for another consular assignment (Guayaquil, hardly a garden spot). His bias is obvious, and he is probably resentful, too.

I seem to think that if you prepare enough evidence it won't matter if the American is not at the interview.

Dan, quit talking like an idiot! If you are not there, the visa WILL BE DENIED. Have you not understood a word that has been written by me and by others about the 100% certainty of what will happen?

Tbone, were you lacking in evidence? What is your specific story? When did you meet your fiance?

Read the signature under this post. The problem was that I was not at the FIRST interview!

hearing you write always scares me.

Then heed what I and others have written.

Could you give me more background on your specific case?

Si, man: I was NOT AT THE FIRST INTERVIEW WITH MY FIANCEE! Do people need any harder of a sledgehammer to be cracked over the skull with?