Regarding medical exam and interviewing in a different country

[Emhage2 0]

Hi everyone,

The information I've found on this site has been so helpful! I was soo stressed out when I first started this process because the information we receive and what's provided on the government websites are often vague and confusing. Now I really feel like I have a community of people going through the same thing to help me along!

My questions:

1) My fiance went to his medical exam yesterday (in Guatemala) and when he admitted to having smoked marijuana before, the doctor told him that he has to see another doctor. Is this a psych eval that they're wanting to do? They didn't do a urine drug test and I know that either way he would test negative since he's not smoked in quite a while and has probably only smoked a few times since I met him years ago. They didn't tell him any information at the exam and didn't talk to him about having vaccines, so I'm confused as to whether or not this is another exam or just a supplement. Unfortunately, I'm not able to be there to support him and he doesn't have much experience with asking the right questions. Has anybody else been through this type of experience? I've read others who say that even admitting to having smoked mj can mean a 1 year ban with drug testing and I'm a little bit worried.

2) My fiance and I met while I was working for a non-profit in Guatemala. He's actually Honduran, but is still living in Guatemala (but not a resident) with our cat and dog since I moved to start a new job in the US last fall. He's been keeping his passport stamped and even paid some fees when he forgot to leave before the three month period, but he is there legally as a tourist. Because he's living there, we scheduled his interview in Guatemala. I couldn't find anything on the government website saying this is NOT ok, but I saw someone else in a post here say that if you have an interview in a country where you're not a citizen, you should be a permanent resident. Any advice on where I can find official information stating that? Also...what do I do if that's correct and he can't interview in Guatemala, but has to change the interview to Honduras?

Thank you all so much for your help! Having the VJ community has been so helpful and made the process go so smoothly up till now.

I appreciate all of your helpful comments!!

[Cody and Daisy 373]

Have you tried contacting he embassy and asking them directly?

[TBoneTX 43,057]

*** Thread moved from K-1 Process forum to the Embassy/Consulate forum -- topics involve that phase. ***

[Emhage2 0]

I contacted the Guatemalan Embassy through the email provided with the interview confirmation, but no reply yet and it's been two days :-(

I'm kind of disappointed that I'm only just now being made aware that you have to be a permanent resident in the country you're interviewing in. There was nothing explicit about this in the petition application. My fiancé is legally in Guatemala as a tourist...I was legally in Guatemala on a tourist visa volunteering for a non-profit for 3 years. That, to me, is residing somewhere legally. They need to be more specific and say that someone has permanent residence there instead of just "residing". I'm waiting to find out from the embassy if we for sure have to switch to the Honduras Embassy, which appears to have a much longer (3 month) wait time for interviews. I'll be so sad if we have to give up our interview this Friday because the government has to have its instructions written in riddles.

Also, my fiancé called the other clinic on the medical panel and they said that it's not correct that they should send him to a $500 (Q3,800) psych eval just because he admitted to having smoked pot before. They said that is reserved for people who have been arrested for it or who show some sign of substance abuse problems. I guess the upside if we move our interview to Honduras is that it's way cheaper...just $35 for the medical instead of $150 (which we've already paid in Guatemala anyways). I think they're all just out to make money off of us poor souls trying to be with our soul mates.

*feeling disillusioned*

[Emhage2 0]

I just wanted everyone to know...I received a reply to my query to the Guatemalan US Embassy whether my Honduran fiancé needed to be a permanent resident to interview in Guatemala. The answer:

"Thank you for writing to the U.S. Visa Service Desk.

Please note that any person who is legally present in Guatemala may apply for a visa in Guatemala City. However, applicants should decide where to apply based on more than just convenience or delay in getting an appointment in their home district.

There is no guarantee that a visa will be issued, nor is there a guarantee of processing time. If refused, there is no refund of the application fee.

For further information please visit our website www.ustraveldocs.com.

Sincerely,
U.S. Visa Service Desk."

So...NO! He does NOT need to be a permanent resident. Which is a big relief since it looks like the wait times for Honduras are much much longer than in Guatemala.

Feeling so grateful right now!!

Elizabeth :-)

[TBoneTX 43,057]

That's good news. Thanks for the update.

[Emhage2 0]

I wanted to provide another update on this topic...

After having the corrupt doctor try and get my fiance to pay $500 for a psych exam because he has smoked marijuana before (if they had done any tests, they would have seen that he has not used in years), he made an appointment and went to the other doctor on the panel (had to pay another $130, but way better than $500). That doctor said that unless he tested positive or had been arrested before, there is no problem. He passed the exam with flying colors and had to get about 5 vaccines, costing total around USD$550. So, don't get cheated into paying hundreds of extra dollars to corrupt doctors, it makes it more likely that the next person will also get cheated! Hold these guys accountable for what the regulations actually are!

Good luck everyone!

~ <3 ~

Elizabeth