Juarez Consulate

[nm123 0]

jmmr - since your birth occurred in Puerto Rico, here is the place to contact to get a certified copy (thegreatgate is right about the raised seal info). You should give them a call and see how long it will take (dial 1, and then the 787 number below; international calling rate applies).

Event: Birth, Death, Marriage

Cost of copy: $5.00

Address:

Department of Health

Demographic Registry

P.O. Box 11854

Fernandez Juncos Station

San Juan, PR 00910

Remarks: Central office has had records since July 21, 1931. Copies of earlier records may be obtained by writing to Local Registrar (Registrador Demografico) in municipality where event occurred Additional copies ordered at the same time by the same person are $4.00 each.

Money order should be made payable to Secretary of the Treasury. Personal checks are not accepted. To verify current fees, the telephone number is (787) 767-9120.

All applications must be accompanied by a photocopy of an of a recent, valid IDENTIFICATION OF APPLICANT.

The only way I think you can get around this is ...maybe if your parents registered your birth upon arriving in the US? I was born out of the USA, and mine was registered where I live now when my parents came here (i was born, later mother married military serviceman, we came here, he adopted me, father registered my birth abroad, later mother became naturalized, i became naturalized automatically for being under age 18). So when I need a certified copy, I can just get in touch with my state's vital records office instead of overseas where I was actually born. Hope this scenario doesn't make it more confusing to you - it is just an option that's available to me, and you can ask your parents if maybe the option is available to you where you live. Either way, I don't know how the mail system is in Puerto Rico, but ultimately, you might have to get your copy from them.

Or a bad option would be to give your original copy to your fiance, but then the consular officer MAY keep it and then you'd have to get in touch with Puerto Rico to get another one...

Edited August 11, 2008 by nm123

[웃 910]

Just to let everyone know: I am off to Juarez on Saturday morn for 2 weeks. I have waited 8 months since seeing my SO. It has been difficult but will pay off in the end. From when I met her the summer of 2006 up until December of 2007 I saw her every other month. Last time I seen her was December 22 though. When I come back from Juarez I will just have 3 more months to wait which seems like nothing to me. Can't wait until Saturday rolls around, I'll post pictures when I get the chance.

Edited August 13, 2008 by thegreatgate

[nm123 0]

Just to let everyone know: I am off to Juarez on Saturday morn for 2 weeks. I have waited 8 months since seeing my SO. It has been difficult but will pay off in the end. From when I met her the summer of 2006 up until December of 2007 I saw her every other month. Last time I seen her was December 22 though. When I come back from Juarez I will just have 3 more months to wait which seems like nothing to me. Can't wait until Saturday rolls around, I'll post pictures when I get the chance.

Have a GREAT time! 8 months is such a long time. It's been 4 months for me, but it isn't too bad, because after visiting my fiance I always get sad, so this next time that I see him will be it! We're going to meet up in a couple of weeks and have his appointment. EEEk! I'm already getting nervous.

[jmmr 0]

You guys are so lucky!! I want to go to Mexico! So bad!! I did call Puerto Rico and it will take more than 6 weeks to get my certified copy. I wasn't able to get one here in Washington state . I am going to just send Jorge my original copy and passport because they ask for it. It's fine. I will send it UPS so I can get a tracking # for it and overnight shipping What a wonderful invention.

I called CDJ today too and they said that they have not sent our P3 yet. It can take 1-1 1/2 months.. blegh. I am frustrated with the waiting. it sucks. I havent seen jorge since dec. 30.......... i'm going crazy

[nm123 0]

You guys are so lucky!! I want to go to Mexico! So bad!! I did call Puerto Rico and it will take more than 6 weeks to get my certified copy. I wasn't able to get one here in Washington state . I am going to just send Jorge my original copy and passport because they ask for it. It's fine. I will send it UPS so I can get a tracking # for it and overnight shipping What a wonderful invention.

I called CDJ today too and they said that they have not sent our P3 yet. It can take 1-1 1/2 months.. blegh. I am frustrated with the waiting. it sucks. I havent seen jorge since dec. 30.......... i'm going crazy

OMG, please don't send your passport! Just copy all the pages and mail that with your birth certificate. At least it's easy and cheap to get another copy of your birth certificate, but with your passport... you gotta treat your passport the way you treat your SSN...

Edited August 14, 2008 by nm123

[nm123 0]

jmmr - I forgot to add that I think you'll probably get your Fiance Packet the first week of September, just based on the time it took for ChazAZ and me to get ours (about 5 wks after CDJ received)!!! So really, if you have Puerto Rico send your birth certificate to you, you'll probably have about 2-3 wks from the time you receive the Fiance Packet to the time you receive your birth certificate, which will be just about the time your fiance will be in CDJ, so you could just send it via DHL to him. :dance:

Geez, I spend way too much time on here....

[jmmr 0]

You guys are so lucky!! I want to go to Mexico! So bad!! I did call Puerto Rico and it will take more than 6 weeks to get my certified copy. I wasn't able to get one here in Washington state . I am going to just send Jorge my original copy and passport because they ask for it. It's fine. I will send it UPS so I can get a tracking # for it and overnight shipping What a wonderful invention.

I called CDJ today too and they said that they have not sent our P3 yet. It can take 1-1 1/2 months.. blegh. I am frustrated with the waiting. it sucks. I havent seen jorge since dec. 30.......... i'm going crazy

OMG, please don't send your passport! Just copy all the pages and mail that with your birth certificate. At least it's easy and cheap to get another copy of your birth certificate, but with your passport... you gotta treat your passport the way you treat your SSN...

I KNOW!!!!!!!!!! I don't want to send anything but I just keep getting told that he has to have ALL originals, even passport and certificate. I asked the dude if a copy of passport is fine, he said "no ma'am it has to be original."

[jmmr 0]

Geez, I spend way too much time on here....

me too...................

[nm123 0]

Yeah, initially I was going to let my fiance hold onto my passport when he has his interview, but when I told my dad, he quickly reprimanded me! So I'm going to just sit outside the consulate with my passport & certificate of citizenship in case they really want to see the originals (but usually it seems like the only originals they ask for are divorce decrees). I know what you mean though about being worried about what to bring. There are lots of crazy scenarios that could happen, but I think we often worry more than we need to. I need to stop doing that.

Ok, time to sleep!!

[jmmr 0]

OK I think i've already made up my mind that I would just send him my birth certificate. But i have another question. I am in the process of preparing the rest of the documents for Jorge to go to his interview:

DS 156

DS 156 K

I 134 affidavit of support (mine)

Fiance letter of intent to marry

FIancee letter of intent to marry Mexico citizen

I'm also going to get a letter signed by my supervisor stating that i make above poverty level for support.

Does jorge need ALL orginals? I mean the receits that I brough home from Mexico and my plane tickets and things like that? I did turn in copies but I am wondering if he has to present that they are originals.....

-- am i missing anything else? Do we need to send more pics?

[nm123 0]

OK I think i've already made up my mind that I would just send him my birth certificate. But i have another question. I am in the process of preparing the rest of the documents for Jorge to go to his interview:

DS 156

DS 156 K

I 134 affidavit of support (mine)

Fiance letter of intent to marry

FIancee letter of intent to marry Mexico citizen

I'm also going to get a letter signed by my supervisor stating that i make above poverty level for support.

Does jorge need ALL orginals? I mean the receits that I brough home from Mexico and my plane tickets and things like that? I did turn in copies but I am wondering if he has to present that they are originals.....

-- am i missing anything else? Do we need to send more pics?

Hi jmmr,

Don't forget the DS-157 and 1 extra copy of each of the DS forms. Also sign your Letter of Intent, but keep his unsigned (he'll sign it with the DS forms - it'll show at the bottom of the DS forms which ones he shouldn't sign until the interview). Also, don't forget your tax transcripts/W2s/1040s (I put all that, depending on what you're sending), 3 recent paystubs and your I-134 notarized (you mentioned you have a coworker who's a notary, so she can notarize that). And your letter from your employer should be on company letterhead, have your start date, position title, and salary.

As for receipts & things, it's a good idea to just go ahead and send the originals to Jorge just in case (but the only "original" things they want for sure are official documents). And pictures & letters from the time you submitted the I-129F to now.

There was a situation awhile back where a couple were together for 6 or 7 yrs, and only showed photos and letters from the past 2 yrs, but at the visa interview, the consular officer wanted a photo/letter from the very very beginning of their relationship before he approved the visa. So if I were you, I would just send Jorge everything, just in case he gets a wacko consul (and this situation was at CDJ - their story is somewhere in this thread, from 2006).

I think that covers it, and don't forget to look back at that list I posted a few wks ago.

I'm going next week... getting nervous!!

[joey_77 0]

I'm going next week... getting nervous!!

Don't sweat it! I went to CDJ back in June and the ONLY thing that delayed my K1 was my fiance US Birth Certificate but the LONG version...the IO said that it was because she was from a border town in Texas and there's a lot of fraud with birth certificates so just be prepared.

by the way, I just presented a PHOTOCOPY of this birth certificate and my K1 Visa was approved the same day!

Easy piece japanese!

[joey_77 0]

Thanks again for taking the time to respond. A number of other people also suggested immigrate2us.com. I'll check it out soon, and report back my findings. Have a nice week.

Regards,

Marty

jmmr - No, you would need a certified copy of your certificate, not a notarized copy. Please refer back to that link for your state's vital records office, and it'll probably cost under $20. And the apartment sounds great!

Marty - I'm only somewhat familiar with the waiver process, but I think you should start visiting immigrate2us.net regularly and post some questions there about your situation to see what they recommend. There is a member named Laura Fern (she's one of the moderators of the site and is going to start law school in the fall), and also an immigration lawyer named Laurel Scott. I answered one of your lasts posts about the weekly chat they have there.

I only used a PLAIN PHOTOCOPY of my fiance US Birth Certificate and they gave me my K1 Visa the same day (June-05-08). For some reason I'll always remember that day!!!

[joey_77 0]

"How to add 2 months to the K-1 process" by Brian.

As some of you know, my K-1 was approved on July 3rd. I received an email on July 22nd, that my case was under further review. Then on July 26th, I get a NOA saying the earlier approval was overturned, and an RFE. Apparently I did not answer the Sec. C military section completely. So, I answer question 2, and send it back. And the RFE, said a decision would be forthcoming by August 26th.

I take responsiblity for the mistake. Though I still see why I made it. What makes me mad, is that if I had received the RFE on July 3rd instead of an approval, my file would be in Juarez by now. Instead, an extra two months has been tacked on.

Just venting. I made the mistake, and I will live with the consequences.

Brian

Brian, just to get the terminology right, your K1 hasn't been approved, but it will until you go to the consulate interview. Your approval was referred to the initial I-129F Petition for Alien Fiance.

oh and this is me with my actual K1 Visa on June-05-08 about to cross the border to El Paso! think it would be nice to see MORE of this pics soon!!!!

[jmmr 0]

Thanks again for taking the time to respond. A number of other people also suggested immigrate2us.com. I'll check it out soon, and report back my findings. Have a nice week.

Regards,

Marty

jmmr - No, you would need a certified copy of your certificate, not a notarized copy. Please refer back to that link for your state's vital records office, and it'll probably cost under $20. And the apartment sounds great!

Marty - I'm only somewhat familiar with the waiver process, but I think you should start visiting immigrate2us.net regularly and post some questions there about your situation to see what they recommend. There is a member named Laura Fern (she's one of the moderators of the site and is going to start law school in the fall), and also an immigration lawyer named Laurel Scott. I answered one of your lasts posts about the weekly chat they have there.

I only used a PLAIN PHOTOCOPY of my fiance US Birth Certificate and they gave me my K1 Visa the same day (June-05-08). For some reason I'll always remember that day!!!

THANKS!! THAT'S GOOD TO KNOW!!!