US Immigration from Mexico

Ciudad Juarez Trip Report
by ***********, Petitioner
IR-1 US Citizen Petitioner, Mexican Citizen Applicant
Appointment Date: Thursday April 9, 2026 @ 7:00 AM

Arrival and Accommodations
Antonio and I flew to Ciudad Juarez from Guadalajara on Saturday April 4 two days before his medical exam. Taxis were easy to find outside the airport. We paid $550 pesos (~$30 USD) for the 20-minute ride to our Airbnb (link), which was conveniently located near a Walmart and Sam's Club perfect for picking up groceries and cooking our own meals. For all other local travel, Uber worked great: fast, affordable, and hassle-free.

Medical Exam
We scheduled our exam at Cl nica M dica Internacional (cmi-medical.com), which is directly across the street from the consulate. We arrived at 7:00 AM and were greeted in the parking lot by clinic staff, who put a bracelet on Antonio and directed us to check-in. The waiting room is enormous think airplane hangar with hundreds of chairs for patients and their families.

Antonio completed some brief intake forms and was seen immediately. The appointment took about 40 minutes and included a vision test, blood draw, and chest x-ray. He was then taken to a private room for a short interview with the doctor covering medical history, medications, and similar questions, followed by vaccines: MMR, Hepatitis B, and Tdap. Results were sent electronically to the consulate.

Costs: Medical exam $6,744 pesos (~$380 USD); Vaccines $2,574 pesos (~$145 USD). Credit cards accepted.

After the appointment, we crossed the pedestrian bridge in front of the consulate and found a lovely spot for breakfast: Pancake Paradise.

Appointment Day (Document Delivery) Thursday

The consular appointment date and time we received from NVC was Thursday April 9 at 7:00 am. This first appointment is only for document delivery. We arrived at 6:15 am and found a line of around 100 people had already formed. Only the applicant can wait in the line. I left Antonio at 6:15 am; he was done by 8:05 am about an hour inside.

The line began moving at 7:00 am sharp, and security guards grouped everyone by appointment time. He was told to have just his DS-260 confirmation, Passport, and Police Report in his hands. Next, my spouse passed an airport style security checkpoint. You cannot pass the security checkpoint with any electronic devices (phones, smart watches, etc) or belt buckles larger than the palm of your hand. They see you cowboys!

After passing security, he was directed to a short line of other family based visa applicants. In total he was asked for:

• DS-260 Confirmation,
• Passport,
• Medical Exam Receipt,
• Birth Certificates,
• Marriage Certificate,
• Police Report,
• Sponsor s most recent Tax Transcript

They did not ask for a copy of the I-864 Affidavit of support.

All the documents were returned to him in an organized packet with a blue entry pass for attending his actual interview scheduled for the following day, Friday, at 9:30 am.

Consular Interview Day Friday

Antonio arrived at the consulate with his blue interview entry pass at 8:45am. The guards were organizing people into two lines - one line for people with green entry passes and one line for people with blue entry passes. We don t know what the color system signifies, but we were team blue.

Antonio was quickly led into the consulate and joined a line of about 2 to 3 hundred applicants. He waited in line for about 3 hours. His interview started at 12:15 pm and was conducted by a woman behind a glass wall - think bankteller. Antonio gave the woman the packet of documents that were organized in his document delivery appointment. She asked routine questions - Where do you and your spouse live currently? Where will you live in the US? Have either of you been married before? Do you have children? Have you ever been to the US - legally or illegally? Do you or your spouse have any tattoos? The consular officer did not ask for any additional documents. The Affidavit of support was never requested, but we had uploaded it and all supporting documents to the CEAC system.

After the short interview, the officer told Antonio he was approved and passed him a green slip with instructions.

Receiving the Visa

During the appointment registration process in the ais.usvisa-info system we elected to receive our visa at the ASC center in Guadalajara where we live. Using the Visa Status check link provided to us at the interview ( https://ceac.state.gov/CEACStatTracker/Status.aspx ), we were informed that Antonio s visa was issued on April 13, 2026. We received an email informing us that Antonio s passport was ready for pickup at the ASC center on April 17, 2026 (7 days after the consular interview). We picked up the visa that day. From the DQ'd date, we waited 421 for our interview in Ciudad Juarez.

Today I logged in to start my I-130 filing process and was kind of surprised to see that instead of going through the guided online process, I could just upload a completed I-130 pdf.

Ive never seen anyone mention you could do this. Every time someone mentions filing online they seem to mean the guided step-by-step method.

I know the guided method helps you along and "error-checks", but other than that is there any reason not to do the pdf upload? Is everything else the same, like upload directions for passport/marriage cert/I-130A, and then Additional Bonafide evidence? Do you still get the instant receipt?

Ive read about glitches in the guided system but ultimately chose to file online because I didnt like losing control of how things would look if I sent the paper version for scanning. Now that I see you can upload a completed I-130 pdf, I wonder why no one mentions it. Seems like the happy medium between paper filing and the full guided online system.

Thanks for any advice!

My daughter in law was DQ d on July 1,2025 and is still waiting for interview email from Ciudad Juarez. Any idea when she might reci3ve email?

Hello all, Ive just joined and started a timeline. Im in the pre I-130 stage and have a couple questions. My wife and I were married in Mexico and we will be going for Consular Processing in Juarez when the time comes.

Specifics:

Me: Petitioner, USC, retired, currently residing in Mexico with my wife. Its a border town with very easy access to US, and I maintain a US mailing address as well as all other financial close ties, including ownership of a rental house.

Spouse: Mexican citizen, with no work/financial ties in US (other than a new-ish joint bank acct.). Has a long history of B2 visas and holds a current B2 visa (issued 2024) and has Sentri approval (for what that's worth)

We have been together since 2015 and have no children, police records, overstayed visas, or any other complicating issue, so I feel like I could do this process myself. However, my Wife is understandably concerned about the process and in the interest of marital bliss, I went to interview with a person who prepares visa packages.

When I mentioned to her that my current physical address is in Mexico, she immediately stated that I couldnt do that and if I didnt have a US address on the I-130, that it would be rejected. I felt sure that this wasnt accurate but just in case there was some mis-communication, I stated that I know I would need to put a US address in the Part 4, q.12a regarding the address where the Beneficiary INTENDS to live, but that I didnt need it for current physical address.

When I explained I owned a rental house, she said I should use that address. When I explained that the tenants paid all rent and utilities and that I wouldnt have the gold-standard utility receipt with my name on it, she said I would need to create a lease document showing I could still live there by occupying some room or other part of the property. (Do what , now??)

At this point I ended the interview. I am absolutely not going lie on any form in this process. Now, do I know with an absolute certainty that we will move to my rental house when the time comes? No. We may choose another place. But it is a viable option and I dont think it would be deceitful to list that address in the "Intent" question listed above, as it is the current default.

My questions are:

Is there any prohibition about starting the I-130 process while temporarily living with my wife in Mexico while the process plays out? Would it be advisable in the additional info section at the end to state that I am living abroad temporarily during the process and note my option of moving back to live in my rental house, or, would the fact that I already listed it under Part 4, 12a, Beneficiary Intent, remove the need for that?

PS. I know, that in the post-NVC, Pre-Interview timeframe that I would have to have the US address locked down with adequate proof (utilities or lease agreements).

Thank you.

I'm a retired us citizen sponsoring my spouse for a permanent resident visa (IR-1). I am seeking confirmation or advice on how to represent my income/assets on the I-864.

In my initial I-864 submission, I reported my annual adjusted gross income which exceeds the requirements over the past 3 years, but all of my income is from interest, dividends, and capitol gains on my savings. I don't have a salary. The NVC accepted my documents but said "The income reported as stated on form I-864 is insufficient to overcome the public charge grounds of inadmissibility for visa issuance". They invited me to submit an updated I-864 with other income and assets.

I updated my I-864 to report all my financial assets that bear the interest and dividends on which I support myself. I also included all my real estate (primary residence and two vacation homes). I provided account statements and property valuation/tax records as my supporting evidence. Have I gone about this correctly? Is this how a retired sponsor should complete the I-864?

How does the state department determine the sufficiency of a sponsor's assets when they don't have a salary income? If there is still concern about my affidavit of support, will the contact me and tell me what additional evidence they need before my spouses consular appointment?