Phoebe and Georgi

Justo:

Have you read the entire Embassy review posted by Ricardo? I am going to see if I can paste it below because I went through the entire thing and organized it in a way that would be helpful to me step-by-step:

AT THE EMBASSY: INTERVIEW DAY (PRE-INTERVIEW PROCESSES)

I. GOING THROUGH SECURITY & INTO THE FIRST WAITING ROOM ETC.

When you first go into the embassy you have to pass through Airport types of security measures.

§ Once you are inside they have a waiting area for a preliminary screening process where they ask you questions regarding your visit and then they inspect your paper work to make sure they you have everything you need before going into the Actual Main waiting room for your visa interview.

§ Since we were late to arrive there wasn't to many people ahead of us.

§ From what I witnessed in this preliminary screening process they did not reject anyone from going to the Main Interview waiting room.

§ When it was our turn to get attended during this prelimary screening they saw that we were late for our K-1 interview and did not ask us any further questions and they quickly proceeded to escort us to the main interview waiting room.

§ We passed another group of people in an outside waiting area (I think these were people who were there applying for a regular Tourist Visa)and

§ Then we had to pass another type of Airport type of security before they actually let us in to the Main Interview waiting room.

II. INSIDE THE MAIN INTERVIEW WAITING ROOM

§ Once we were inside they told us to take a seat and our name would be called.

§ The people that worked at the embassy were behind a glass window. The embassy had about 8 or so windows that were attending visa request (4 for Non-Immigrant visas (tourist visas) and 4 for immigrant visas (i.e. K-1).

§ We waited for about 2 hours before we being called up to a window.

III. DOCUMENTS THAT THE STAFF WILL ASK FOR BEFORE INTERVIEW

The lady there had our case in hand and told us to hand over to her our papers.

o First the DS-156 & DS156k Forms

o Then my fiancée’s birth certificate (We had gotten her birth certificate from our town's Mayor's office and the lady at the embassy told us that she needed a birth certificate from the Managua National Center. Luckily they let us submit the birth certificate that we brought). NICE PEOPLE!

o The medical exam results

o Police Records

o Proof of our relationship—

1. We submitted some pictures

2. E-mail records

3. Telephone records and

4. Some of my passport entry records from my prior visits)

o Finally our I-134 packet (with all the items mentioned above).

§ The lady reviewed all of our paper work and told us to take a seat.

THE ACTUAL INTERVIEW IN THE EMBASSY; )

SOURCE: VISAJOURNEY.COM EVALUATION OF MANAGUA EMBASSY

We again waited for about 1 1/2 hours before being called again, this time at a different window and by a Man.

§ When he called us up to the window he simply asked me in English several easy question about our relationship:

o When and how did when meet?

o Has either of us ever been married?

o Do either of you have any children?

§ After answering his question he gave us a card/slip, which is for the Nicaraguan Mail Service and told us that our case was approved!!!

§ He also said that her passport would arrive in the mail with the Visa inside.

§ With the card that he gave us we went to a table that is for the Nicaraguan Mail Service that was setup inside the waiting area.

§ We handed the lady the card and she told us that we can pickup her passport along with the packet 4 at the Juigalpa Post office in about 4 days.

§ She gave us a pickup slip and told us to present the pickup slip and her I.D. along with the equivalent of $8.00 in order to pickup her items at the post office.

Basically the interview process at the embassy is pretty straightforward. If you have all your papers in line then I do not see a reason why you should have any problems. The hard part is just gathering the paper work. I did not give it a 5 rating because the waiting time at the interview is pretty bad.

Note: We noticed that almost everyone applying for a immigrant visa was approved (out of about 30 cases I think only 2 were denied).

GOOD LUCK ON MONDAY! IT'S MY BIRTHDAY AND I'LL BE THINKING OF YOU ALL!

PHOEBE

P.S. IS IT NECESSARY TO GET THE POLICE RECORD ETC. TRANSLATED?

Hello everyone!

I'm new to this forum so, I thought I'd introduce myself and say "hi". I'm a USC and also a Nicaraguan Resident living in Granada, Nicaragua. We just got our visa and we're planning to move to the States at the end of May. Previously I was at the Direct Consular Filing forum (DCF). What should have been a cake walk for us to get our visa, turned sour. We filed our I-130 on January 8, this year, everything was approved and we were scheduled for our final interview on January 25 and to pick up our visa, a total of just 18 days from start to finish. I had a sister in the States that dying from cancer, we were on a fast track to leave so we could be there before she died. However, we were blind sided by the Adam Walsh fiasco and didn't make it. I still have hard feelings about that. Anyway, we final received our visa on the 23rd of March or, a total of 75 days from start to finish. Not bad considering all the problems we encountered.

We have just finished getting getting the visa stage of our journey, and now we are here, "Moving Here and Your New Life in America" forum. I don't have a clue about this part of our journey, but I am looking forward to finding out.

captainButch

Butch,

I am just so sad to hear about your story. That you were unable to see your sister before she passed? Oh my goodness, I can imagine that you must have a lot of resentment towards the system over that ...geez, how absolutely tragic. Anyway, my heart goes out to you. By the way, your member profile picture of you and your wife is just adorable! Talk to you soon, Phoebe

Greetings to the VJ community,

I am writing to ask about the issue of vaccinations. Clearly this is a controversial topic and not one that I want to debate here. However, for personal and spiritual reasons, I am opposed to vaccinations.

A parent can obtain a religious excemption for his/her child to avoid the child being vaccinated in order to attend school: "A religious exemption is for anyone who has a sincere religious conflict with vaccination. A religious objection may be expressly implied by religious denomination or it may be based on an individual’s own moral/spiritual conscience to live God’s Word." http://www.know-vaccines.org/exemptionFAQ.html

Does anyone know if there is any way to obtain an exemption for the visa process? I know that this answer is probably no but I wanted to look into it.

2. Also, has anyone had problems with the photographs being really closed scrutinized. Georgie's photograph is not EXACTLY a 2 x 2, it is actually 1.9 x 2.1 inches when I measured it. Should I be concerned?

Thank you, Phoebe

John,

I read a report today on another list where a pre Adam Walsh I-130 (non residency case) was approved TODAY in Kiev.... The only issue (change) was that the I-864 was now required to have his 2006 tax returns submitted.

Thanks!! Its good to hear that. I been trying to get an anser out of Kyiv, but no response as of yet and I am about to buy airline tickets.

If you read it, its sounds like it does not apply, but who knows! LOL As far as the 2006 tax return, I already put mine together just incase and did a new I-864 that I had notorized, just in case! LOL I have learned off this site to OVERKILL and its saved us so far. Thanks again.

dont forget your employment letter notorized should mentioned ur name ur fonction since when u working and ur annual income, ur tax return 2005 and 2004 with the W2 copy, and bank letter says how long u have been menber and ur account balance, thoses documents should be the accompany the I-864

ive been in the same boat but i got my interview the 15 march. i dont think u ll any problem.good luck.

Greetings. Do you know anyone who has done the DCF in Nicaragua? I am now looking into it since the recent regulations seem to open up the possibility of doing it at the Consular Officein Managua.

Thank you! Phoebe

Greetings to all Spouse VISA-ERS OUT THERE:

I hope that everyone's process is going well. I have three questions about filing the I-130 petition:

1. Name Change: My fiance and I got married on March 8th. I would like to change my name to take his last name--Cayasso. However, I am afraid that this is going to complicate our visa processing because I will have one name on the application and a different name on my passport etc. (my original name). Can anyone advise me on the pros and cons of that? Thank you!

2. Photographs: There is no way that the way that they complete "eye-balling" method used at the photo place we went to in Nicaragua is going to meet the specific requirements laid out in the 4-page description on the u.s.c.i.s website. I mean, to me it looks like a normal passport photo ...but do I really need to actually get out my ruler and see if it meets the specifications? Should I take a picture and try to post it for you to see?

3. Filling out I-130 Form/G-325A Biographical Form: Is it preferrable to fill it out on-line within the actual Adobe Acrobat software or is it ok for him to just sign the form, send it to me and I can fill it out with black pen (HE HAS TERRIBLE HANDWRITING)!

Thank you all for any advice you can send my way! Phoebe

1. I would wait after the process is complete for a name change, it complicates or delays everything. I don´t see the need to do it now. My wife has told me she will change her first name (spelling, she keeps her last name).

2. I would really need to see the picture. All I can say is that most phto places in Nicaragua are familiar with passport type photos. But if it becomes an issue at the US Consulate or the NVC, they will let you know and probably ask for a new one.

3. Ask him to sing the form and send it to you. You then fill it out. That´s what I did.

Good Luck.

My Case is on its way to the US Consulate in Managua. It should arrive this week.

-Justo.

I can strongly recommend you to wait with the name change after the process. It will be easier, plus you will have no chances to get under a prolonged FBI check.

I changed my name during the process and got to deal with a lot of difficulties. I am still afraid that this will cause some complication in the interview. Anyway, it is better to put the last name that you have right now in any petitions that you file.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE ADVICE! PHOEBE

Dear Justo,

You have no idea what a relief it is to meet you. I feel so 100% overwhelmed by this entire process. Just knowing someone who is doing this same thing in Nicaragua makes me feel so much better. I will read all of your postings before I ask you anything but thank you in advance for answering some of my questions and wishing you all the most, best, of all luck in the world during this phase! Phoebe

Hi friends,

My wife is not going to be able to get her passport changed to her married name until June, because she cannot travel to Manila to take her CFO class (a Philippine requirement) until her job ends at the end of May. Meanwhile I am ready to send her DS-230 and other documents to the NVC, except we have been waiting for her to get her passport changed. I am wondering if this is necessary. Can we send her papers to NVC with her maiden name in her passport still? I know all the other documents will have her maiden name, except the marraige certificate. Does anyone have any thoughts or experience with this? Thanks a lot for responses.

Gary

HI GARY: I AM A TOTAL NEWBIE HERE ...BUT I HAD NO IDEA THAT THE WOMAN WOULD NEED TO CHANGE HER NAME ON THE PASSPORT BEFORE CONTINUING WITH THE PROCESS. HAVE YOU FOUND MORE INFO ON THIS TOPIC? GOOD LUCK! PHOEBE

I applied for my AOS in my married name and all my id was in my maiden name. I did bring my marriage certificate and tried to show it to them at the biometrics appointment, but they didn't want to see it (which I found odd), but it's probably a good idea for anyone with a name change to bring it with them.

HELLO--FOLLOW UP QUESTION: What exactly do you mean when you say you applied for your AOS ...what about your G-325A and your I-130? Did you also use your married name? Do you know of any other resouces on this topic?

Like for example, I've heard that it does actually give a good impression to do the name change because it gives some credibility to the relationship. I want to do it eventually but I'm thinking about working on it now if it would contribute to giving a positive impression to those reading our visa application. On the other hand, I do not want it to complete things. Thank you! Phoebe

Greetings to all Spouse VISA-ERS OUT THERE:

I hope that everyone's process is going well. I have three questions about filing the I-130 petition:

1. Name Change: My fiance and I got married on March 8th. I would like to change my name to take his last name--Cayasso. However, I am afraid that this is going to complicate our visa processing because I will have one name on the application and a different name on my passport etc. (my original name). Can anyone advise me on the pros and cons of that? Thank you!

2. Photographs: There is no way that the way that they complete "eye-balling" method used at the photo place we went to in Nicaragua is going to meet the specific requirements laid out in the 4-page description on the u.s.c.i.s website. I mean, to me it looks like a normal passport photo ...but do I really need to actually get out my ruler and see if it meets the specifications? Should I take a picture and try to post it for you to see?

3. Filling out I-130 Form/G-325A Biographical Form: Is it preferrable to fill it out on-line within the actual Adobe Acrobat software or is it ok for him to just sign the form, send it to me and I can fill it out with black pen (HE HAS TERRIBLE HANDWRITING)!

Thank you all for any advice you can send my way! Phoebe

Hello again my friends,

Well, yes, this is exactly our plan as well as for exactly the same reasons! We love that life in the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua--the values, the land, the simplicity. Not that life is perfect there because there is lots of drama in the community where he lives but overall, big picture, that is the life that we want. So, yes, I can understand fully your life plan! Sending you many blessings, Phoebe and Georgie

Hello friends out there,

This is Phoebe, on behalf of myself and my Nicaraguan husband! We just got married last week in Nicaragua and now I am back in Virginia ..feeling sad to be away from him but trying to just stay strong.

Anyway, I was hoping that some of you more experienced folks could help me out with a couple of questions:

1. Does that G-325A bibiographical information forms: a. Do they have to be filled out in black ink also (I forgot all about that rule and he filled them out in blue ink while in Nicaragua); b. Does he actually have to fill them out himself or can I do it and then he can sign it?

2. The translation of the marriage certificate: How do you proof that it is a translator who is certified to translate? Is there some kind of stamp or something? I take it that not just anyone can translate it?

3. What is the file number question asking for on the G-325A form? It is like the 5th question.

Thank you so much! Phoebe

K3 is a 2 year, multiple entry visa. However, if your husband enters the US with a K3, then immediately leaves again for several months at a time, he may have difficulty re-entering.

The purpose of the visa is to settle permanently in the US, with allowances for short vacations, not to go back and live in his home country. He will need to be in the US in order to apply to adjust status, and will need to be here to go for biometrics appointments and the AOS interview.

Hi, thank you so much for responding. I've decided to see if we can just wait out the I-130 process which I hear has sped up so tha we can skp the k-3 visa and just have him come in as a permanent resident so that he can travel with that. Do you think that sounds like a good option?

Can you tell me a bit about the biometrics appts. and the AOS interview?

Thank you so much! Phoebe

I would believe K-3 would be best in that situation, if you marry outside of the USA. With K-1, you would need to marry in the USA.

I'm also doing the K-3 process since I married outside the country. I'm awaiting my wife's passport pictures to submit for filing with form I-130 at the Vermont Service Center. I miss her so much ! It's a test of patience, and perserverance indeed.

Hey ...good to here from you. From what you have read, will your wife be able to travel freely once she comes here? Good luck with everything--I know JUST how you feel! Phoebe

Hello VJ Community: I hope everyone is doing well, keeping the faith and keeping hope alive that it will all work out!

So, I am pretty sure that we are going to go with the K-3 visa process for two main reasons (and I'm hoping you folks can give me a bit of feedback):

1. We may need to spend up to 9 months/year outside the U.S. in the next years because of our work ...we work together leading trips in Nicaragua (educational/cross-cultural trips).

From what I have read, with the K-1 fiance VISA, he will need travel authorization to leave the U.S. and there is also a limitation on how much time/year he can be outside the country until he gets his greencard (which is generally in 3 years, right)?

2. Since we are totally excited to get married ASAP and it would be really nice for his family and his community if we got married in Nicaragua, I'm thinking that we should go ahead with the K-3 VISA since I've gotten some feedback that it's actually about the same amount of time.

It seems like a lot of folks are averaging about 6 months total for the whole process ...K-1 and K-3 ...would you say that's right?

Unity, love and blessings to all of you out there! Many thanks, Phoebe and Georgie

I am sooooo.....excited after waiting my wonderful husband finally has an interview date. His interview date is April 23, 2007, so please fellow Vj's pray for us.

African Queen: We'll be praying for you!

There are lots of things to consider beside how soon you want to be together. There is immigration after togetherness and some of the 'hassles' of that process can be avoided if you can find patience at the front end of your journey.

I like this little chart that I don't often see referenced.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...mp;page=compare

Ah ...yes, what a helpful chart! Thank you so much. It's true--my main concern is that we can spend at least 6-9 months out of the year in Nicaragua because that is my employment ...I lead educational trips there and we want to be able to keep doing that together.

So, given what the chart implies ...maybe we should go for the spouse k-3 visa since travel is not restricted.

Thank you so much Rebeccajo! Phoebe

ManuNSam-Thank you so much for your lengthy reply ...wow ...I am completely in shock ...wedding attendees and their identification? Wow ...I don't even know what to say. At any right, thank you for giving me another perspective and I really hope that it works out soon. God Speed! Phoebe

As from what I know and from what several timelines show here, the K1 really is the quickest option, especially when your Service Center is Vermont. I was approved within only 14 days (also Vermont) and had my visa within 3 months. However, I would say that it might take anywhere from 3 months to 6 months to get approved. The K3 Visa usually takes longer than that AND you would have to separate after the wedding again.

Rob and Melinda: Thanks for that information. So, when did you all file the I-130 petition and how long did it take before you applied for and then had the K-3 VISA goes through? Thank you so much! Phoebe

Thank you so much for responding. When did you go through this process? Thank you, Phoebe

Hello everyone. I wanted to first introduce myself! I am a new member as of 5 minutes ago! I am still working on uploading a picture.

My fiance is from Nicaragua and I am from Virginia. We are trying to decide if we should proceed with the I-129F petition or the I-130 Alient Relative petition. If needed, I could go to Nicaragua so we can get married ...we really don't have a preference ...Virginia or Nicaragua.

I would be filing at the Vermont Center. Is it true that the I-129 F Fiance VISA is processed faster than the I-130 meaning he could come over to the U.S. sooner? What kind of timeline are we talking about here?

Thank you for any advice you can give me! Phoebe