Venezuelan CR1/IR1 Embassy Interviews in Bogota, Colombia

[Paco415 60]

Hello, I am a US citizen sponsoring my Venezuelan citizen spouse for an immigrant visa. Our I-130 petition was recently approved and we are now at the beginning of the NVC stage. Since the US Embassy in Caracas has been closed for over a year, I understand that the immigrant visa interviews are being conducted in Colombia. I would love to have some insight into the process of a Venezuelan traveling to Colombia for the final interview, and anyone that has been through this process personally is someone I would love to hear from.

 

In the interest of planning ahead, I have several questions:

 

1) Is the US Embassy in Bogota even open right now due to COVID-19? Are interviews on hold?

2) How much advanced notice is given for the interview date (to plan for travel to Colombia from Venezuela and from the USA since I intend on going to be there to support my spouse even if I cannot attend the interview)?

3) Must the medical exam appointment be made and completed in Colombia?

4) Must Spanish documents be translated to English even though Colombia is a Spanish-speaking country (I ask because I read conflicting information online)?

5) How long after the interview is the immigrant visa issued and what options are there for receiving back the passport with the visa in it (return to embassy, DHL)?

 

I may have other questions which I will ask later, but these are the most pressing. Thanks in advance!

 

[pushbrk 12,111]

1 hour ago, Paco415 said:

Hello, I am a US citizen sponsoring my Venezuelan citizen spouse for an immigrant visa. Our I-130 petition was recently approved and we are now at the beginning of the NVC stage. Since the US Embassy in Caracas has been closed for over a year, I understand that the immigrant visa interviews are being conducted in Colombia. I would love to have some insight into the process of a Venezuelan traveling to Colombia for the final interview, and anyone that has been through this process personally is someone I would love to hear from.

 

In the interest of planning ahead, I have several questions:

 

1) Is the US Embassy in Bogota even open right now due to COVID-19? Are interviews on hold?

2) How much advanced notice is given for the interview date (to plan for travel to Colombia from Venezuela and from the USA since I intend on going to be there to support my spouse even if I cannot attend the interview)?

3) Must the medical exam appointment be made and completed in Colombia?

4) Must Spanish documents be translated to English even though Colombia is a Spanish-speaking country (I ask because I read conflicting information online)?

5) How long after the interview is the immigrant visa issued and what options are there for receiving back the passport with the visa in it (return to embassy, DHL)?

 

I may have other questions which I will ask later, but these are the most pressing. Thanks in advance!

 

1. No, as to visa services

2. Usually a few weeks

3. Not sure but I would expect that, yes.

4. No

5. Usually a matter of days if no complication.

[DE2020 19]

Hi , 

 

I’m pretty sure  you can choose any  embassy you want since CCS, VE consulate is closed and will maintain closed as far as i know! I did on Jan an M1 Visa at Santo Domingo ,DR, embassy , I’m also Venezuelan  and it is my plan to do it again at the same consulate for the NVC stage after the  i130 is approved it was fast and they have my biometrics already on file! On top of that Bogota is more affected by COVID 19 than Santo Domingo so they might be opening sooner. I will highly recommend talking to your lawyer and see if you have any options regarding locations! 

 

Concerning the time she will get back her passport,  I’m pretty sure they will just stamp your wife passport on the same day of the interview and then she has 6 month to travel into the US. 

[pushbrk 12,111]

37 minutes ago, Darioeduardo said:

Hi , 

 

I’m pretty sure  you can choose any  embassy you want since CCS, VE consulate is closed and will maintain closed as far as i know! I did on Jan an M1 Visa at Santo Domingo ,DR, embassy , I’m also Venezuelan  and it is my plan to do it again at the same consulate for the NVC stage after the  i130 is approved it was fast and they have my biometrics already on file! On top of that Bogota is more affected by COVID 19 than Santo Domingo so they might be opening sooner. I will highly recommend talking to your lawyer and see if you have any options regarding locations! 

 

Concerning the time she will get back her passport,  I’m pretty sure they will just stamp your wife passport on the same day of the interview and then she has 6 month to travel into the US. 

Misinformation alert.  Immigrant visas are not "stamps" and are not affixed to passports on the same day.  The visa is produced in a secure way and contains the applicant's photo.

 

When a citizen of a country where there is no Embassy or no Immigrant Visa Unit, the standard practice is to designate one or two choices of places to interview.  For example Iranians living in Iran have two choices.  For Mozambique, only Johannesburg.  

Edited May 17, 2020 by pushbrk

[DE2020 19]

My bad on the stamp part! Thanks for the update 

[Claudis927 5]

To answer your question about Bogota. 3 years ago my parents arrived to US. So I am referring to how everything worked out for us 3 years ago. We had to schedule the medical with one of the doctors suggested in the packet. We choose Dr.Roa. He was great. We gave the secretary the day of the interview and we were schedule about a month before the actual interview. So my parents traveled to Bogota to do medical and then returned back home(to Cali). You do need two full days for medical as the first day you do Labs in the AM and then go to medical in afternoon. Then you have to return next day to pick up envelop with medical results(do not open packet). Then about 3 days before interview they returned to Bogota for Biometric(fingerprinting) and the interview. Fingerprinting was in a different location as the embassy and we had to schedule appointment for that. 
My conclusion for your situation is that you probably will need at least 2 weeks in Bogota. To do the medical, fingerprinting and interview. I am not sure how it will work out for her to get the visa through DHL if she is from Venezuela. My parents returned to Cali and they got it through a DHL office in Cali where they went to pick it up. I think she might be able to do that. I am sure they have DHL in Venezuela and she would be able to pick up the passport with visa in it in one of the locations She confirms. let me know if you have other questions.