SantyAndAllie

This is immensely helpful, including the lodging information. Everyone is reminded to adhere to the boldface cautions. Congratulations to A-Bone and S-Hueso!

Annnnd our review here: http://www.visajourney.com/reviews/view-dos-cis-reviews.php?entry=17093

Hi, everyone!
Santy & I are posting our review of the GYE consulate in a minute (I will post the link), but I wanted to post the document we used to prepare to help others who may need it! I went through literally EVERY review on VJ of the consulate and tried to make clear, concise information following the NOA-2 and consulate steps.
To calm anyone's fears (since some of you veterans out there like you TBone!, had a very hard time with the consulate), the consulate and consul were incredibly nice and pretty harmless to everyone there. As long as you bring a TON of evidence, are polite and professional, and organize everything, you should do okay there! Also, bringing your fiance(e) is NOT required at this point. However, it's definitely recommended if you do not have a ton of evidence, and they can and WILL ask you to come back and bring them if they don't feel like you have given enough evidence (as past VJ-ers have shown!). I'd recommend it for shorter relationships and for people who have not been able to visit as often as Santy & I have. (We had millions of pages, pictures, itineraries, etc!)
POST NOA-2 INFO FOR ECUADOR:

Steps after NOA2:
-Contact NVC to see if received application (takes 2-3 weeks normally from NOA2)
-Once received, get case #
-Complete DS160 online (https://ceac.state.gov/GenNIV/Default.aspx )
-Call NVC to check status or if it works, check online: (right now pre-consulate receiving stages are not showing up; only when it’s ready for interview) (https://ceac.state.gov/ceac/ from here on out, you can check your status pre interview & post interview for the visa)
-Call consulate to check when received (takes normally anywhere from a day to 2 weeks to get there)
-Download Packet 4 instructions & make sure you have all the info you need for interview (http://photos.state.gov/libraries/guayaquil/231771/PDFs/pk4%20visas%20k%20span%20jul%202014.pdf )
-Download interview package & double check info (http://photos.state.gov/libraries/guayaquil/231771/PDFs/WEB%20PK4%20Visas%20K%20_April%202015_.pdf in English at the bottom!)
-Register for the visa on the Ecuador website (https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-ec/iv/users/sign_in – you will need your DS 160 confirmation number & case number; you will pay the $260 I think fee; then you will register an appointment!)
-Do medical before appointment
-Get police certificate if not done already (http://www.ministeriointerior.gob.ec/certificado-de-antecedentes-penales/ ; I recommend translating it, as well.)
-Go to appointment!
-Pick up visa at requested location
-Enter US & apply for marriage license
-Marry & apply for GC, EAD (employment authorization), & AP (advanced parole); GC takes 6 months; EAD/AP take 60-90 days
-Interview for GC
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Closest/Cheapest Hotels (These hotels can all be found & booked using booking.com - I recommend doing that beforehand!)
Cost per night ; time it takes on bus to get to/from consulate:
Hotel California $25 19 min
Hotel Galapagos $25 16 min
Hotel Flamingo $20.50 18 min
Dreamkapture Hostel $17.50 22 min
**Hotel Eloy Alfaro $17 19 min (Santy stayed in this one. It was pretty decent. TV, wifi, AC, decent area. We'd recommend it to stay the night! Check it out here !)
Hotel Nevada Guayaquil $15 17 min
Hotel USA $15 30 min
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PRACTICE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS (REMOVE SPACES):
im mi help. com /visas/kvisa/sample-interview-questions. html (for the visa)
im mi help. com/ greencard/ familybased immigration/marriage-based-greencard-fraud-interview. html (for the marriage/GC interview; won’t happen until 4-8 months after marriage)
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BRING TO INTERVIEW:
-Copy of I129f
-Police record & TRANSLATION
-Medical results in SEALED envelope (don’t open)
-I134: Affidavit of support & W2 forms (taxes, statement from each sponsor (main & cosponsor if any) about finances/work – get the letters NOTARIZED!)- make sure to have BOTH affidavits if you have a cosponsor (so my dad & I both filled out the affidavits, wrote letters, etc)
-Both of our bank statements (only really necessary for main sponsor, but good to have)
-Copies AND originals of all birth certificates AND passports, etc. (both of ours)
-Bring passport photos (at least 4 5cm x 5cm of JUST head)
-Continued proof of relationship (plane tix while filing visa; wedding plans if any; etc)- BRING A LOT! Front load! Ask friends/family/etc to write letters confirming your relationship & intent to marry, all flight itineraries, Skype logs, Facebook messages, phone bills for calls, lots of pictures, etc. Better to have a LOT!!
-Bring light sweater in case (can get really cold) but could probably be hot
-Put financial stuff together in one folder (affidavit of support, bank statements, W2s from parents, joint sponsor letter, taxes)
-Watch for track of time (since can’t have cell phone)
-Paper & pens to play hangman & tic tac toe
-NOA1, NOA2 copies
-DS 160 confirmation
-Letters of intent to marry (both P & B; signed and translated into english)
-Proof (receipt) of having paid the visa fee (you can do this online with a credit card when doing the ds 160, and it’s easier that way)
*Put everything organized in manila folders; bring 2 pens; extra folders & clips (For example, Santy and I had one folder for the I129f copy, one for extra evidence, one for the Affidavit, and one for extra general documents like police cert/medical/etc.)
*Do NOT bring anything else to the interview except the documents (no purses, etc). Bring extra pen & paper to have something to do while waiting (it’s a long wait).
*Do NOT bring large albums. Only pictures small enough to fit underneath the window slit (can bring 4x6 albums but will need to take out the pics for the interview)
*Try to have everything translated to English, if possible! Especially letters.
*Notarize things if possible!
*Remember all dates & years because they can be asked!
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Questions asked to others in K1 interview (P= petitioner; B= beneficiary):
* P’s phone number
* How, when, & where we met
* Any plans for wedding, when, where
* If P has been in Ecuador
* If B’s family has visa and if they were going to my wedding
* If we have had an engagement family reunion
* If B has been to the US & if problems with law there
* Married before and any kids
* What both do for living
* Why P was in Ecuador & how many times
* Have both met each other’s families
* How we learned English & Spanish
* Where do we plan to live in US
* How many times we’ve seen each other
* Brothers or sisters?
* Write P’s full name
* Where B’s parents live
* Family in the US?
* The proposal
* How many guests in wedding
* Sometimes false questions to trip you up (like changing the year or saying you were illegal)
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EXTRA INFO FOR INTERVIEW:
-Process: Arrive & wait to be allowed in; tell them you’re there for a residency visa (immigrant visa); show passport & give them confirmation paperwork for visa meeting (tell them the time of appt); go to security guards where they check everything you have; go thru metal detector; go inside courtyard (only tourist visas need to wait in a line) & say you’re there for residency visa again; another metal detector inside building; go to back where immigrant visas are & sit down; first fingerprinting; then two interviews (first general one; second one more about questions of P & B’s relationship & for proof of relationship); then given a slip that says congratulations if approved!; shouldn’t take longer than 2 hours
-We should be getting a RED badge, which is for immigrant visas (yellow is non-immigrant)
-Stokes Interview is when they call you back later on to have more extensive interview
-Good to have US petitioner there
-Prepare for the visa to take 1-2 weeks to arrive at requested location
-Get there at least 45 min early
-Don’t wear any metal to help avoid problems with the detectors
-Pictures with family members help
-SPECIFIC answers with specific dates & times
-Triple check everything on the pdf file available at the consulate site for the K1 visa interview (see above link!)
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All in all, we were pretty happy with the consulate. Good luck to anyone's future interviews at the GYE consulado!

It happened...WE....ARE...APPROVED!!!! So many days and so many tears I can't count. If only he was awake so I could tell him...I guess we'll celebrate in a few hours. Wow, so many emotions. I'm overwhelmingly blessed, and so happy to be free of TSC!

We had our interview yesterday, and they said the only thing it affected in our case was the printing of the visa. All they did was approve us and tell us that we had to wait for the actual printing.
Also- our embassy said it was a hack. Not sure if embassies were given much more information since what we all got was so vague, but that's what ours was apparently told.

You didn't keep specific dates? Lol. Like.. Your noa1 &noa2 are really the important ones pre-interview. Then you deleted the emails, threw out NVC letters, etc? At least estimates would be helpful. Essentially you posting about your timeline is confusing because no one knows your timeline!
Besides that, it looks like it's the clearances & visa printing post-interview that's the issue here.

A month long for what? NOA2? Bad luck??? You were lucky! Can't see your timeline (you should fill that out so the data can help others), but if you were at CSC, you didn't have bad luck! A lot of us had to wait at 6+ months being at TSC just for a NOA2. Still others who are at 8 months with no NOA2. How we'd love to have gotten it within a month! We're at 8+ months now and have our interview Monday, but with this, who knows when we'll actually get our visa?! So yeah, we got the crappiest luck of the draw here!

Congrats Allie and Santy!!!!!! Ride the high and forget about the visa issuing problem. Santy will get his passport back before you know it!

They aren't printing ANY visas right now. Pretty much every consulate is saying the same thing because it's not their issue; it's the DOS'.

We just got approved!!! Ahhhh I hope they start printing visas today! Hahah

Thank you guys! Our consulate told us they don't see it being more than 12 days to fix, so we'll see! at least the hardest parts are over!!!

YAY!!! Congrats!!!

Yay, A-Bone & S-Hueso!

yay! that is so exciting! I am crossing my fingers for you guys the printing starts back up really soon :-)

If anything Allie I'm more encouraged that this is a DOS problem rather than the USCIS at this point. At least they are being up front in giving notice and seem to be working on it.
It will be over soon. It will. You'll be with him soon.

Allie, I can only imagine how heartbreaking this is. But I can almost guarantee that DOS is throwing all sorts of resources at this problem. This goes beyond just issuing visas. I don't think this is being taken lightly. They will be working tirelessly to check their systems and confirm they are safe. I am hopeful that this won't be a long lasting issue. They will of course have to dig out of a backlog but I bet the consulates throw extra resources at that, too.

We just got approved!!! Ahhhh I hope they start printing visas today! Hahah

We just got approved!!! Ahhhh I hope they start printing visas today! Hahah

Guys, can we cut the political banter and criticisms? There are both liberals and conservatives (and those who are neither) on this site; there's no need to slander either side on this particular forum. Even though the OP started the political chatter, let's make this forum about the issues with the DOS, shall we?
To the post above mine.. I doubt that the consulates have any idea. Ours didn't. Where'd yours get that information?

Yeah, I have been a little confused about if this is really because of the hack or if it is just a software glitch. I guess it doesn't matter, either way the result is the same... Idk, I kind of think it'll be resolved soon, but I can't say why... I just have a good feeling about it, which I know doesn't really meeeeeean anything..... and it may suck to get our hopes up.... but idk... if it's just a glitch, I think we can reasonably assume it won't take weeks and weeks!

Thank you!! Isn't it crazy that, at this point, we're not even super concerned about the interview but about the unknown afterwards?!

Guys, can we cut the political banter and criticisms? There are both liberals and conservatives (and those who are neither) on this site; there's no need to slander either side on this particular forum. Even though the OP started the political chatter, let's make this forum about the issues with the DOS, shall we?
To the post above mine.. I doubt that the consulates have any idea. Ours didn't. Where'd yours get that information?

It will affect when your visa is to be issued aka after your interview.

It will affect when your visa is to be issued aka after your interview.

Yep, like I said, hit or miss with NVC! Sometimes they're helpful, and sometimes they're a pain. I never got transferred, though. That's so annoying
Get this, guys... I've received 10, count them TEN, letters from NVC. All saying the exact. same. thing. I keep forgetting to call because, well, I don't feel like being on hold for an hour just to tell them to stop wasting paper and mailing me this stupid approval letter.
Anyways, so no luck getting an earlier interview. Santy's interview is on Monday. So we're hoping to have him over here next week! Finally excited for the visa process to end.
And congrats to new NOA2-ers like you, MissPearls! Waiting to see everyone from Oct here