K-1 Interview process-Mexico

[egospiers 0]

Hi All, Just joined VJ, what a great resource!! I'm hoping the VJ community may be able to help me with my question, I am pursing a K-1 visa, trying to bring my Mexican Fiance to the US, here's my current dilemma:

She lives in Monterrey in Norther Mexico, there is a US consulate in Monterrey, however they do not process K-1 visas at this location, and she cannot complete the interview in Monterrey. On the US consular website, it states that the consulate in Juarez is where these visas will be processed for her location and she will have to go there to conduct the interview. In case people aren't aware, Juarez is now the most dangerous city in the world, with the highest murder rate of any city in the world, my fiance refuses to go to Juarez to conduct this interview (she is a Mexican Citizen and she won't even go there) for safety concerns, and I obviously don't want to send the woman I love into a war zone to conduct this interview. Does anybody know if we can request this interview to take place at another consulate in Mexico citing security concerns? or does anybody have any other solutions for this dilemma? any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks All!!

[rodceasar 34]

No advice on this question and sorry to hear about your concern! You are right in deciding not to send your fiance there and her unwillignness to go there. Unfortunately, it is probably the most dangerous place in the world right now...

[Kimchimex 8]

Hi! We are going thru the same thing & the same feelings. Sorry to say Cd. Juarez is the only US Consulate in Mexico that can process visas of any type. I wish they did them at ALL the consulates since it would be much safer!

Here is our situation;

I am friend of the couple helping with paperwork (good organiser!)

He is US citizen, She is Mexican citizen from Cozumel Island (probably the most safe place in Mexico LOL!) she has 2 young boys ages 9 & 13 who will also need to travel to Cd. Juarez.....yipes! Kids will take extra 4 days in Juarez so we need to stay over a week in the city!

We were very scared at first to travel thru Juarez however I have done my research & we have checked out hotels across from the consulate, and are feeling good about the safty of the area. We are going along with them to Cd. Juarez. Possibly you would want to go to Mexico & fly to Juarez with your fiancee so she is not alone in the city!

Feel free to contact me as we go thru this process since we are already at the NOA1 (notice of action 1, basically a note from the gov't saying they have the petition in their hands!) Now we wait about 5 months for the approval & then go to Juarez, most likely in March!

I did a bunch of research on juarez if you want to know anything else, plus I suggest you read the Embassy reviews here...it will make you both feel better & more informed!

Kim

Edited October 19, 2010 by Kimchimex

[icarolina 1]

Ah, it's good to know we're not all alone in this. My fiance and I also find ourselves in this dilemma. He's the US citizen and I am the Mexican citizen, we're both relatively young and have never been in a border city so it's an understatement to say we're nervous about going there. We just received our NOA1 yesterday and we're hoping to be able to plan everything effectively for when the date of the interview comes. I hope to stay in touch with you all so that we can help each other in this issue.

Edited October 20, 2010 by icarolina

[Kimchimex 8]

Ah, it's good to know we're not all alone in this. My fiance and I also find ourselves in this dilemma. He's the US citizen and I am the Mexican citizen, we're both relatively young and have never been in a border city so it's an understatement to say we're nervous about going there. We just received our NOA1 yesterday and we're hoping to be able to plan everything effectively for when the date of the interview comes. I hope to stay in touch with you all so that we can help each other in this issue.

yep lets all keep in touch as the time approaches! Maybe we will all be in Cd Juarez the same week LOL! We can have a get together party while hiding in the hotel...scary but thats how it goes! I for one would like to keep in touch!

Kim

[Danilu 11]

Hi! Unfortunately, k-1 visa interviews are only in Ciudad Juarez consulate.

There's a thread here in VJ untitled "Juarez consulate" in which you can find many posts about hotels near consulate, clinics for medical exams, recommendations and more information. Good luck!

[egospiers 0]

Hi All...Just got back into town from seeing my Fiance, we're both really excited to start this process. Glad to hear I'm not alone in this, and that others have the same issues. It sounds like I'll be the last one to actually go through the interview process since we're just starting to get the paperwork together, but I definitely want to stay in touch and get some perspecitive on this. We're both still nervous about going to Juarez for the interview, but if others have an alright experiance that will definitely ease the nerves. Hard to believe the Consulate is even still open there, and I'm kind of shocked that this is where visas are processed. Thanks for the responses, and I look forward to staying in touch.

[corazónENparaguay 46]

Stupid question...or maybe not so stupid considering the circumstance, but...is hiring private security to transport you to and from your appointments an option? Or at least something to consider?

[TBoneTX 43,058]

[...] we [...] have never been in a border city

Almost all of the Mexican border cities are safer than often-overly-hysterical U.S. news reports cast them. In general, you'll be fine if you stay in the business or tourist districts during daylight hours and stay healthily alert to your surroundings. This is advice from CBP agents. In fact, it's good advice to follow in larger U.S. cities, too. I've been to most of the border cities at least once, and I've never felt unsafe or uneasy -- in fact, I've loved visiting.

An example of a truly victimized city is Nuevo Laredo, which has a terrible reputation if one believes the news reports. On one visit, I had a long chat with a young businessman who spoke excellent English. He was righteously (and rightfully) frustrated at the bad press. He said, "YES, there are drugs here, but there are drugs in most U.S. cities, too. YES, there are murders here, but they occur 10 miles that way & that way & that way," and he pointed in an arc toward the southern areas of the city. "The police take CARE of the tourist area. Just watch -- they circle the blocks every 10 minutes or even every 5 minutes." After I left his company, I paid attention to this, and doggoned if he wasn't right. In two instances, heavily armed soldiers on trucks waved at me. The short answer is that the local businesspeople are the victims in most of these places, and not of crime, but of the hysterical U.S. news media, who scare American tourists away.

Right now, it's prudent to visit Cd. Juarez only when necessary (common sense). Of the border areas farther southeast (from El Paso down to Brownsville), the only one to avoid completely is the crossing at Fort Hancock, Texas, into the tiny villages on the other side (El Porvenir is one). When I inquired, the CBP agents there explained that the Mexican army doesn't always cover the smallest towns, and that those villages were "completely lawless." I didn't visit those towns years ago when I had the chance, and now I'll let discretion be the better part of valor and not go, until things change.

As a matter of personal policy before visiting, call the local CBP port (find it under www.cbp.gov and "ports of entry") to ask about conditions. Surely the CBP agents at the El Paso POE will be happy to tell you the recent safety issues (if any) around the U.S. consulate.

Edited October 26, 2010 by TBoneTX

[sanfran2418 1]

not sure how much really changed since 2008 for the Juarez consulate. I petitioned my wife and her child and we had to go to the Juarez consulate. If anyone needs any pointers feel free to message. We are at the AOS stage now. Good luck.

[payxibka 10,044]

question relates to a specific consulate ... moving topic to consulate forum

[Kimchimex 8]

Here is a video of the process at Cd. Juarez

I have this in Spanish as well...

Makes you feel better to watch it..

I will try to post the other videos on the medical & the waiting area outside

here is the consulate process at Cd. Juarez in Spanish