Boricuba

On 8/17/2018 at 12:57 PM, B&Ovi said:

Congratulations!! sorry I can not help  you with your question.  your journey is almost over.  what hostel did you stay at?

Thank you! Our journey is over! We entered the USA yesterday without any issues.

As for the hostel, I suggest searching AirBNB for Blue View Double Georgetown. The host is Margaret and has 2 other homes under the same profile - Blue View Kingston Georgetown and Blue View Georgetown. The place is walking distance from the embassy and also the hospital that does the exams. It has wifi, TV, kitchen, and A/C in the whole house.

I also suggest using a taxi service called Unity Taxi Service. It’s open 24 hours and they charge you 300 Guyana dollars ($1.50 USD) to take you around most of Georgetown. Their number is ‭+592 227 1200‬. Of course for airport trips just ask the owner of the hostel.

Also one more tip: I suggest getting your representative in Congress involved if you have issues. My wife’s visa was available a day after the interview as posted on the CEAC website despite being told to pick it up a week later. After being told of more delays I asked my congressional liaison to ask the consulate about the status. The Embassy responds much quicker to congressmen. It was “suddenly” available for pickup the same day.

16 minutes ago, Rachy & Manolo said:

Congratulations!!! Did you register to pick up the passport at the CSRA center  prior to the interview ? When you received interview notice ?

Thank you! I registered immediately after getting the interview email. My wife had the confirmation page with her during the interview but they just gave it back. Maybe that was a mistake on their part and they thought she wasn’t registered?

Hey everyone. So my wife was approved! She received instructions on paying the USCIS immigrant fee and a sticker saying to go back to the Embassy to pick up her visa in 7 days. As of today, the CEAC page says visa has been issued and printed.

I'm a little confused though. Most people are picking up their visas within 1-3 days at a separate office called the CSRA document service center. Anybody have a clue as to why my wife needs to go directly to the Embassy to pick up hers?

2 hours ago, poetiknayture said:

So it took 7 months from.case complete to interview..is that normal processing time? 

Not according to the NVC, no. The case complete letter from them said she should have received a letter within 3 months. But with the Embassy in Havana being closed it’s hard to gauge what’s normal these days...

Hello. Just wanted to share my experience so far...

My Cuban wife has her interview this month in Guyana. We received notice from the NVC of her case being complete in January 2018. My daughter (her step-daughter) and I are currently with her. I originally did not purchase a Havana return ticket for my wife because the US Embassy says not to make any flight plans until after the interview. However, the airport agents in Cuba forced me to go online and purchase a return ticket on the spot stating that the US government requires Cubans to depart for the USA from Havana and not another country. I confirmed with the US Embassy that this is false but regardless you will need a return ticket to Havana or they will not let your Cuban spouse leave the country. Let's just say it was an unpleasant departure but thank God there was wifi in the airport.

Taxis in and around Georgetown are around 500 Guyana dollars (less than $3 USD). It starts getting dark around 5:45pm and I do not recommend walking around at night. It's not safe. There's also not much to do anyway but if you have kids with you there is a playground on the second floor of Mario's Pizza on the corner of Middle and Camp St. You can get lunch and let the kids run around while you prep for your interview. Definitely bring a streaming box and some cables to connect it to the TV to relax in the evenings. One big thing: make sure you pick a hotel or the right AirBNB to stay in. Georgetown streets are surrounded by what seems like open aqueducts and standing water which makes a terrible mosquito situation at night. I had to change where we were staying because my daughter was getting eaten alive.

The medical checkup is as the OP says. They also accept USD so no need to worry about changing currency for that. The medical checkup will take all morning. My wife was scheduled for 8am, arrived at 7:45am, and left at noon. I'll post an update after my wife's interview. Good luck to everyone else.

15 minutes ago, Khallaf said:

the average times from the scan date at NVC is about 8-14 weeks....so I would contact them get the exact scan date, and then start counting....if it is getting close to that time, you can call and ask them how much longer it might take.

 

good news is NVC is much nicer then dealing with the service centers customer service.

I received a rude person when calling the NVC yesterday so I guess I'll have to try again and ask for the scan date. The person told me that the Bogota interviews were seriously delayed already so I was hoping someone here could give me a more definitive timeframe.

Hello everyone. I’m new to the forums and have lurked for about a year now off and on depending on my level of anxiety with US immigration.

I would like to know if there are any Cuban applicants who have already gotten their interview dates for Bogota and about how long it took to receive the date after NVC confirmed receipt of all necessary documentation. 

I sent all documentation for my wife to the NVC on Dec 1st, 2017 and they confirmed no other documentation was needed in January. It’s been about 3 months now since they received everything. I would just like to know when I can expect to bring my wife home...