CIUDAD JUAREZ K1 VISA APPROVED!!

[edgarmanzo0916 3]

***Dear VJers i want to thank everyone for your help in assisting me with this k1 visa process. with this site i needed no attorneys and no immigration lawyers, just helpful members such as yourselves. please feel free to email me.

Here is a recollection of events for my fiancees K1 visa process. On July 2, 2011 I took a 32 hr bus trip from Chicago to Juarez which arrived on July 4th around 7 am local time. My fiancees vivaaerobus flight was not scheduled to arrive until noon that same day so what i did was took a taxi (100 pesos) from the central camionera, where i arrived, in juarez to the airport and waited for my fiancee to arrive. news flash: taxis are expensive! a 10 min trip from the airport to the consulate area is 200-240 pesos (17-21 usd).once she arrived we took another taxi from the airport to Hotel Ibis. I recommend this brand new hotel because it is located right between both medical clinics that have to be used for her physical exams. Everything i mean everything is at walking distance. no need to take more taxis unless you plan on picking up your results at DHL in juarez and back to the airport. on this map i have posted http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AbMWzhs2ctmTm4 you can see a whole layout of what is near the hotel and consulate. this map was made in 2009 so heres a brief description of you cant see on the map: East of clinica medica internacional is where they constructed the new clinic Servicios Medicos. Just south of both clinics in that perfectly shaped rectangle is where Hotel Ibis was constructed and still under construction of a pool and sports area for guests. North of the US Consulate, where it says new shopping plaza, is Plaza Consulado. In this plaza is where 1. Sala de espera Consulado (waiting area), 2. Autobuses Paisanos office. 3. Omnibus de Mexico and VivaAerobus office. 4. A cyber cafe. 5. ASC office for fingerprints and photos. 6. Oxxo 7. Chi'hua mexican restaurant where constructed. Our first day there ended in our hotel room where we rested for her medical the next morning.

JULY 5TH BIOMETRICS APPT

woke up at 430 am considering the fact that july 4th was a holiday and applicants thought clinics were also closed we knew we needed to be there super early to get good place in line. as patients were let in to the clinic around 6am, family members who accompanied patients were led to the back of the clinic to an outdoor waiting area. where you could have a seat and wait for them to come out with a number and make line to register. K applicants DO NOT REQUIRE VACCINATIONS! so theres no need for her to get them AT ALL! once that was made i seen my fiancee go into the clinic and sit outside the xray room where they divide men and women into separate rooms. she was given a paper robe which she would utilize through the whole physical. after xrays she went to get her blood drawn and then afterward they took her to the second floor and once again divided men and women took her to a room to verify her name and appt date and time check her temperature, blood pressure height weight and vision. and then they led every single woman go into individual rooms undress completely and wait for a doctor to come in and ask her questions and look at her body. once that was done the doctor told her to throw away her paper robe and go pay the $185 for her medical. I recommend for everyone to pay in us dollars. once that was paid they told her she could go back at 2pm to pick up her results. she was out by 830 am since she was number 10. At 2pm we were there to pick up the results which are issued in a black plastic package and attached is a CD with your xrays. do not open the package.

July 6th ASC Fingerprints and Photos

This was quick and easy, arrived at 130pm her appointment was scheduled at 140pm but was let in right away as soon as she went in they asked for passport her ds260 and her invitation letter from juarez and email confirmations of her appointments. she was asked to have a seat and wait for her turn. when her turn came she went up to a window where her prints and photo were taken. she was given dhl information to read and a label was placed on her ds260 confirming her interview appt at 715am the next day and that was it. a quick 30 mins. Cool fact; that day we went to Cinepolis in Las Misiones Mall and saw Transformers 3 in 3D. Her first 3D movie. Awesome!

July 7th Consulate Interview

So that morning we woke up at 430am got ready and left for the Consulate waiting area at 515am. they started opening a little before 6am and they asked all who had waivers 'perdones' please go up first. then all who had visa laser go to another section. then all who had interviews for Residence or IV visas at 700am to 800am go up first. she was instructed to have her passport, her letter from juarez, her appt emails, and ds260 ready and when she had everything she got a stamp on her letter and was told to wait in line by the exit door from the waiting room. we were taken by a young woman to the US consulate and we were split. she had to make line i guess for iv visas and some lady asked to see her ds260 her ds156 and ds156k and her appt letters, once she had everything in order they let her in. i was so nervous probably more than her. she was guided through security kinda like airport security. they are very strict when they mean no cell phones or large belt buckles, food, pens, etc. i saw alooot of people that as soon as they went in they were coming right back out. all for things that couldve been prevented. i took her earrings and lip gloss just to be on the safe side lol. she told me there were two different rooms inside. one with A/C one without and women were let in to the room with A/C. security told all men to be courteous and let women in. she was given a number. and as soon as her number gets called she was instructed to give up her ds260, her passport, her 2 ds156, 1 ds156k, my I-134 with income proof (knowing i didnt meet poverty guidelines i had my co-sponsor I134 but the lady told her they didnt want it, weird??) Birth Certificate with copies mine and hers, gave originals back, and copy of my passport to verify US citizenship. had her sign all forms including CDJ-402 letter of intent. then boom! first mistake the lady told her that her pictures were not the size they needed. that she gave my fiancee an attitude and gave her a blue slip to leave take the pics and come back and see her directly. my fiancee was upset because she thought she messed up and because that lady gave her an attitude. so we went got her pics taken. the guard was nice enough to let her back in without going thru security again and she went up the window gave the lady the pictures and told her to go have a seat and watch your number get called. after a while her number was called she went up to the window. she was told to place her right middle finger on the pad i guess to verify prints and that its her and started asking her questions. what my name was? how old was i? how long we been together? how we met? where i lived? and where and what i worked in? he looked at his computer and asked her if she had been illegally present in the US in 1992 and she of course said yes because she admitted to it on the ds260 and ds156 and who knows if they might have had other resources?? for what? how long? he said. and she answered. this of course did not affect her for two reasons, 1. she was a minor 12y.o. 2. The law that provides the 3 year, 10 year and lifetime bans, INA 212(a)(9)(B) and INA 212(a)(9)©, took effect in April 1997. In effect, entries or time spent illegally in the US before April 1997 do not “count” against the alien in terms of making him/her ineligible an I-601 waiver. She of course was never deported or "got caught". But everyone keep in mind, you have to be HONEST AND TELL ALL THE TRUTH! after that he asked her if i treated her good. and she said said yes. then he just told her congratulations you're visa has been approved! she saw him putting everything in a way in a folder and told her to go to dhl to setup service. which we already had. she asked him if wanted to see our pictures, emails, letters, itineraries, call logs almost 6 pounds of proof. all he said was "no we always had what we needed", she said he opened the folder and showed her all the original documents i submitted with the I129F. Woooow! i was shocked. so when she came outside. god i love her. she looked sad and told me they didnt give it to her, and i was like what! why! but she could barely keep a straight face and started crying she told me that she loved me and that she finally was happy knowing that we were never going to be separated again. so i was like, so they gave it to you and she said 'YES'. God that moment i felt such an adrenaline rush like when youre coming down a roller coaster. i was so happy i almost started crying. i was checking my pockets making sure i had everything i was like what do we do next? we both were happy and confused. so we went back to the waiting room and they told us we had already selected our DHL location in Zamora and just to wait for the visa. NEXT UP....GET MARRIED AND AOS! I WILL KEEP EVERYONE POSTED.

Helpful Tips While in Juarez for your Journey

Never talk to anyone about your case or show your paperwork to anyone. NO ONE WILL ASK YOU FOR ANYTHING IN PARTICULAR. THEY DO NOT NEED TO SEE YOUR PAPERWORK FOR PICTURES. THOSE COYOTES THAT ARE OUT THERE ARE VERY SMART AND VERY SHARP AND LOOK VERY PROFESSIONAL. ANY QUESTIONS YOU CAN ALWAYS GO TO THE CONSULATE WAITING AREA THEY ARE VERY HELPFUL OR OF COURSE HERE ONLINE. EVERYTHING YOU NEED IS ON PACKET 3 IN THE JUAREZ CONSULATE WEBSITE. DO YOUR MEDICAL AT LEAST 2 DAYS, WITH KIDS 3 DAYS, PRIOR TO YOUR INTERVIEW. ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE REPLY OR EMAIL ME.

[jkelly07 120]

WOW some story thanks, congratulations.

[TheFantastics09 19]

Congrats!!

[ateneaalexander 10]

thank you for your review and congratulations again

[KayDeeCee 4,892]

Congrats!

[staceluvyou 6]

i feel your joy, congratulations!!!!

[reymets10 5]

Congrats!

[jac_chappin 24]

Congrats to you and your fiancee Edgar.

I wish nothing but the best.

I'm sure those going to the CDJ consulate will appreciate your review!.

[jasoncerri 2]

Hi Edgar. Great review, thanks! I'm here in Juarez now going through K1 for my fiance and K2 for her daughter. I have one question from your post. You said that your fiance's photos were the wrong size. What type of photos were they? like the style they give you for a Mexican passport? also, where did your fiance end up taking the photos at? I'm thinking maybe we should take photos just to be safe, but I'm not sure where and I'd like to avoid the dirty coyotes if possible. Thanks a lot for your post!

[edgarmanzo0916 3]

Hi Edgar. Great review, thanks! I'm here in Juarez now going through K1 for my fiance and K2 for her daughter. I have one question from your post. You said that your fiance's photos were the wrong size. What type of photos were they? like the style they give you for a Mexican passport? also, where did your fiance end up taking the photos at? I'm thinking maybe we should take photos just to be safe, but I'm not sure where and I'd like to avoid the dirty coyotes if possible. Thanks a lot for your post!

hi in reply to your question ahead of plaza consulado, just a block north of the waiting area on the right hand side is a small shop for pictures, we went there they charged us 120 pesos for pictures but were the exact same size we needed. they will try to sell you other things as well, like help filling your ds260 and they try brainwashing YOU by telling you that they will help you setup DHL for 250 pesos. DO NOT FALL FOR THAT! THATS A BIG SCAM. YOU SHOULD HAVE SELECTED YOUR DHL PRIOR TO YOUR INTERVIEW. THERE IS NO FEE WHATSOEVER FOR DELIVERING YOUR APPROVED VISA! HOPE THIS HELPS. EVERY SHOP AROUND THERE ARE COYOTES. DID YOU SEE HOW MUCH THEY CHARGE YOU TO FILL EACH FORM?? 1200 PESOS APPROX. FOR DS156 DS156K DS250 I134 ETC ETC. ITS ALL SCAM AND PEOPLE THAT MAKE MISTAKES EASILY FALL IN FOR IT BECAUSE THEY ARE AFRAID OF DOING IT AGAIN.

***IF YOU BROUGHT PICTURES FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE DONT EVEN BOTHER SHOWING THEM. TAKE PICTURES THERE. OR THE DAY OF HER INTERVIEW THEY WILL LET HER OUT TO TAKE THEM BUT IT WILL DELAY HER.

Edited July 12, 2011 by edgarmanzo0916

[jasoncerri 2]

Great, thanks Edgar. We are doing ASC this afternoon so we will do the pictures while we are there anyways. I have my fiance and her daughter so I guess I should expect to pay about 240 pesos. We did already do DHL and have all forms complete so I will be sure to ONLY get photos. Thanks.

[edgarmanzo0916 3]

***Dear VJers i want to thank everyone for your help in assisting me with this k1 visa process. with this site i needed no attorneys and no immigration lawyers, just helpful members such as yourselves. please feel free to email me.

Here is a recollection of events for my fiancees K1 visa process. On July 2, 2011 I took a 32 hr bus trip from Chicago to Juarez which arrived on July 4th around 7 am local time. My fiancees vivaaerobus flight was not scheduled to arrive until noon that same day so what i did was took a taxi (100 pesos) from the central camionera, where i arrived, in juarez to the airport and waited for my fiancee to arrive. news flash: taxis are expensive! a 10 min trip from the airport to the consulate area is 200-240 pesos (17-21 usd).once she arrived we took another taxi from the airport to Hotel Ibis. I recommend this brand new hotel because it is located right between both medical clinics that have to be used for her physical exams. Everything i mean everything is at walking distance. no need to take more taxis unless you plan on picking up your results at DHL in juarez and back to the airport. on this map i have posted http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AbMWzhs2ctmTm4 you can see a whole layout of what is near the hotel and consulate. this map was made in 2009 so heres a brief description of you cant see on the map: East of clinica medica internacional is where they constructed the new clinic Servicios Medicos. Just south of both clinics in that perfectly shaped rectangle is where Hotel Ibis was constructed and still under construction of a pool and sports area for guests. North of the US Consulate, where it says new shopping plaza, is Plaza Consulado. In this plaza is where 1. Sala de espera Consulado (waiting area), 2. Autobuses Paisanos office. 3. Omnibus de Mexico and VivaAerobus office. 4. A cyber cafe. 5. ASC office for fingerprints and photos. 6. Oxxo 7. Chi'hua mexican restaurant where constructed. Our first day there ended in our hotel room where we rested for her medical the next morning.

JULY 5TH BIOMETRICS APPT

woke up at 430 am considering the fact that july 4th was a holiday and applicants thought clinics were also closed we knew we needed to be there super early to get good place in line. as patients were let in to the clinic around 6am, family members who accompanied patients were led to the back of the clinic to an outdoor waiting area. where you could have a seat and wait for them to come out with a number and make line to register. K applicants DO NOT REQUIRE VACCINATIONS! so theres no need for her to get them AT ALL! once that was made i seen my fiancee go into the clinic and sit outside the xray room where they divide men and women into separate rooms. she was given a paper robe which she would utilize through the whole physical. after xrays she went to get her blood drawn and then afterward they took her to the second floor and once again divided men and women took her to a room to verify her name and appt date and time check her temperature, blood pressure height weight and vision. and then they led every single woman go into individual rooms undress completely and wait for a doctor to come in and ask her questions and look at her body. once that was done the doctor told her to throw away her paper robe and go pay the $185 for her medical. I recommend for everyone to pay in us dollars. once that was paid they told her she could go back at 2pm to pick up her results. she was out by 830 am since she was number 10. At 2pm we were there to pick up the results which are issued in a black plastic package and attached is a CD with your xrays. do not open the package.

July 6th ASC Fingerprints and Photos

This was quick and easy, arrived at 130pm her appointment was scheduled at 140pm but was let in right away as soon as she went in they asked for passport her ds260 and her invitation letter from juarez and email confirmations of her appointments. she was asked to have a seat and wait for her turn. when her turn came she went up to a window where her prints and photo were taken. she was given dhl information to read and a label was placed on her ds260 confirming her interview appt at 715am the next day and that was it. a quick 30 mins. Cool fact; that day we went to Cinepolis in Las Misiones Mall and saw Transformers 3 in 3D. Her first 3D movie. Awesome!

July 7th Consulate Interview

So that morning we woke up at 430am got ready and left for the Consulate waiting area at 515am. they started opening a little before 6am and they asked all who had waivers 'perdones' please go up first. then all who had visa laser go to another section. then all who had interviews for Residence or IV visas at 700am to 800am go up first. she was instructed to have her passport, her letter from juarez, her appt emails, and ds260 ready and when she had everything she got a stamp on her letter and was told to wait in line by the exit door from the waiting room. we were taken by a young woman to the US consulate and we were split. she had to make line i guess for iv visas and some lady asked to see her ds260 her ds156 and ds156k and her appt letters, once she had everything in order they let her in. i was so nervous probably more than her. she was guided through security kinda like airport security. they are very strict when they mean no cell phones or large belt buckles, food, pens, etc. i saw alooot of people that as soon as they went in they were coming right back out. all for things that couldve been prevented. i took her earrings and lip gloss just to be on the safe side lol. she told me there were two different rooms inside. one with A/C one without and women were let in to the room with A/C. security told all men to be courteous and let women in. she was given a number. and as soon as her number gets called she was instructed to give up her ds260, her passport, her 2 ds156, 1 ds156k, my I-134 with income proof (knowing i didnt meet poverty guidelines i had my co-sponsor I134 but the lady told her they didnt want it, weird??) Birth Certificate with copies mine and hers, gave originals back, and copy of my passport to verify US citizenship. had her sign all forms including CDJ-402 letter of intent. then boom! first mistake the lady told her that her pictures were not the size they needed. that she gave my fiancee an attitude and gave her a blue slip to leave take the pics and come back and see her directly. my fiancee was upset because she thought she messed up and because that lady gave her an attitude. so we went got her pics taken. the guard was nice enough to let her back in without going thru security again and she went up the window gave the lady the pictures and told her to go have a seat and watch your number get called. after a while her number was called she went up to the window. she was told to place her right middle finger on the pad i guess to verify prints and that its her and started asking her questions. what my name was? how old was i? how long we been together? how we met? where i lived? and where and what i worked in? he looked at his computer and asked her if she had been illegally present in the US in 1992 and she of course said yes because she admitted to it on the ds260 and ds156 and who knows if they might have had other resources?? for what? how long? he said. and she answered. this of course did not affect her for two reasons, 1. she was a minor 12y.o. 2. The law that provides the 3 year, 10 year and lifetime bans, INA 212(a)(9)(B) and INA 212(a)(9)©, took effect in April 1997. In effect, entries or time spent illegally in the US before April 1997 do not “count” against the alien in terms of making him/her ineligible an I-601 waiver. She of course was never deported or "got caught". But everyone keep in mind, you have to be HONEST AND TELL ALL THE TRUTH! after that he asked her if i treated her good. and she said said yes. then he just told her congratulations you're visa has been approved! she saw him putting everything in a way in a folder and told her to go to dhl to setup service. which we already had. she asked him if wanted to see our pictures, emails, letters, itineraries, call logs almost 6 pounds of proof. all he said was "no we always had what we needed", she said he opened the folder and showed her all the original documents i submitted with the I129F. Woooow! i was shocked. so when she came outside. god i love her. she looked sad and told me they didnt give it to her, and i was like what! why! but she could barely keep a straight face and started crying she told me that she loved me and that she finally was happy knowing that we were never going to be separated again. so i was like, so they gave it to you and she said 'YES'. God that moment i felt such an adrenaline rush like when youre coming down a roller coaster. i was so happy i almost started crying. i was checking my pockets making sure i had everything i was like what do we do next? we both were happy and confused. so we went back to the waiting room and they told us we had already selected our DHL location in Zamora and just to wait for the visa. NEXT UP....GET MARRIED AND AOS! I WILL KEEP EVERYONE POSTED.

Helpful Tips While in Juarez for your Journey

Never talk to anyone about your case or show your paperwork to anyone. NO ONE WILL ASK YOU FOR ANYTHING IN PARTICULAR. THEY DO NOT NEED TO SEE YOUR PAPERWORK FOR PICTURES. THOSE COYOTES THAT ARE OUT THERE ARE VERY SMART AND VERY SHARP AND LOOK VERY PROFESSIONAL. ANY QUESTIONS YOU CAN ALWAYS GO TO THE CONSULATE WAITING AREA THEY ARE VERY HELPFUL OR OF COURSE HERE ONLINE. EVERYTHING YOU NEED IS ON PACKET 3 IN THE JUAREZ CONSULATE WEBSITE. DO YOUR MEDICAL AT LEAST 2 DAYS, WITH KIDS 3 DAYS, PRIOR TO YOUR INTERVIEW. ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE REPLY OR EMAIL ME.

***Just confirmed today 7/12/11 that DHL has given me an Air Waybill Number on the CSC website and my fiancees visa is en route to Morelia. Only took 3 business days from approval date for visa to be shipped.

[edgarmanzo0916 3]

Great, thanks Edgar. We are doing ASC this afternoon so we will do the pictures while we are there anyways. I have my fiance and her daughter so I guess I should expect to pay about 240 pesos. We did already do DHL and have all forms complete so I will be sure to ONLY get photos. Thanks.

No problem. Dont let all bad activity around Juarez stop you from going out to movies or eat. it is not as bad as ppl say. am i right?

[Gus&Cole 4]

Thank you so much for writing all this, it was such a big help. My fiance has his interview there next week and I'm so nervous since I won't be there to guide him lol! I have one question, well 2! Did she only need a COPY of YOUR birth certificate or the ORIGINAL? Also, what exactly are the requirements for the photos? I am so happy for you guys! This is the one place we can come to and actually get away with saying "I know how you feel". We are all excited to be in your position! When does she plan to make the big move?

[edgarmanzo0916 3]

Thank you so much for writing all this, it was such a big help. My fiance has his interview there next week and I'm so nervous since I won't be there to guide him lol! I have one question, well 2! Did she only need a COPY of YOUR birth certificate or the ORIGINAL? Also, what exactly are the requirements for the photos? I am so happy for you guys! This is the one place we can come to and actually get away with saying "I know how you feel". We are all excited to be in your position! When does she plan to make the big move?

I'm glad this is a big help for you, now in regards to your first question? either one of them is ok, as soon as they see it they will hand it back to him, but if you have a copy and original they will keep a copy. its better to make copies of all documents just in case they need a copy. i gave them a copy of my passport also with all DHS stamps from when i traveled to and from Mexico. its just so they verify that you are a USC. For pictures it is better for him to get them taken there no matter what, they know when you get them there (trust me). there is a place just 1 block north of the consulate waiting area where he can take them, the cost is 120 pesos for two pictures. Thanks you cant imagine how happy i am. Well shes picking up her visa tomorrow from DHL and her flight is scheduled for July 21st. it is not that hard to get around there, make sure you tell him not to talk to ANYONE ABOUT ANYTHING! for his safety. people seem nice around there but you never know who you are talking to.

Edited July 14, 2011 by edgarmanzo0916