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comanda

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    US Consulate in Guayaquil, Ecuador

    in US Embassy and Consulate Discussion

    Posted

    I want to post a review of our interview that took place Feb 12, but when I try to do it through the embassy reviews, the page tells me I need to register. As far as I know I AM registered, so I will just post this here, since I know there are a few people with upcoming interviews in Guayaquil.

    Our interview was scheduled for 8:30am on Tues Feb 12. We both arrived in Guayaquil on Sun Feb 10 (I by plane, Johnny by bus). Monday we stopped by the clinic where he had his medical exam done a couple of weeks ago in order to pick up the sealed envelope with his results and his x-ray. We also had to go to the police department to pick up his police record (don´t even get me started as to why this wasn´t done before!!! Let´s just say that the laid-back nature of Ecuadorians translates over to getting their papers ready for their US visa interview... at least for my fiance it does!). We are staying in a hotel called ´hotel velez´a couple of blocks away from the consulate. There are tons of hotels in the area, but this one fit nicely in our budget ($11 a night).

    Tuesday morning we woke up early, assuming we needed to be in line at the consulate early (not sure why except that i got this impression from reading about other people´s interviews - not necessarily specifically about the consulate in Guayaquil). Johnny´s interview appt was 8:30am, and we probably got in line around 6:30am. There was absolutely no reason to do this. They started checking people in around 7am, but told us we were too early for our interview time and to come back around 8:20. We went down the street to the cafeteria at the Hotel Oro Verde and had some breakfast before going back to the line around 8:10, at which point they let us check in. They took Johnny´s folder with all his required documents and passport, pics, receipt for paying, etc, and then we had to wait until 8:30 to actually go in. They searched my purse and took my gum and my water and threw them away. We went back to a waiting room and waited to be called.

    The first time we were called to a window was by a younger woman, very nice, who was looking through his papers, and told us we had to leave and fill out his DS-156 on a computer, print it out, and attach one of his passport photos to it. He was never told this previously. She gave us a yellow sheet that would let us back into the consulate Luckily, there´s a cybercafe across from the consulate, where we got that done quickly and came back to the consulate. At this point it´s around 9:30am. We waited to get called up by the woman again (although we were confused about how she would know we were back, but she did), and she took the document we had printed. Then we sat down, waited more, got called up for finger prints, sat down and waited more... By the time the IO called us up I think it was close to noon.

    He called us up, had us both raise our right hands and swear, and told me he would ask Johnny questions in Spanish and me in English, but that if I didn´t understand anything to let him know. He was very nice. He first asked Johnny to describe how we met. He asked me some specific questions about the circumstances that I was studying in Ecuador, but nothing difficult at all. He asked me a little about my financial documents, but nothing hard. He asked Johnny where he would be living in the USA (Madison WI) and advised him that it would be very cold. ASked us both if we had been previously married or had any children. Asked JOhnny if he had been to the US before. Asked Johnny his profession here in Ecuador. Asked if we had pictures. We pulled out about 15 pictures to show him. Asked me how many times I had been back to visit since the summer we met (2 not including this time). And I believe that´s all the questions he asked. He gave us back a bunch of documents from our I-129 petition and from what I had submitted with the affidavit of support (didn´t keep any of my pay stubs, but I had also submitted tax transcripts from 2004, 2005, 2006, letter from employer, W2 from 2007, and a copy of my taxes I submitted this year.) He then said he was going to approve the visa, and he started explaining where DHL was to go pay to have it delivered. I interrupted him, said I was leaving to go back to the US on Saturday, and would there be any way for us to come back to the consulate to pick up the visa instead of sending it so that we could fly back together. He said that would be no problem, and we are to go back at 3pm today to pick it up (he apologized that we couldn´t pick it up the same day but they have to do some sort of checks overnight in Washington). So that´s in about an hour here - hopefully there are no issues picking it up.

    I had brought lots more evidence of our relationship with us to the interview, but they never asked to look at anything except the pictures. I had emails, phone logs, plane tickets, passport stamps, etc etc. Better to be overprepared than underprepared though I imagine.

    Anyway, I hope this proves useful for someone. And I hope that it´s not too long for those who probably don´t need to know these details!

    Good luck to everyone in the visa process... we´ve been waiting since the beginning of June last year - and I can´t believe we are finally to this point and that everything went smoothly for the most part. You will all be in our shoes soon...

    Question about affidavit of support

    in US Embassy and Consulate Discussion

    Posted

    Hello all,

    My fiancé has an interview scheduled on February 12th at the consulate in Guayaquil, Ecuador for his K1 visa. I have had documentation prepared for the affidavit of support for quite a while now. My question is what if I haven't filed for income taxes for 2007 by that point? I do have transcripts from 2004, 2005, and 2006 for as evidence for the affidavit.

    Also, come to think of it, I had my form notarized in November - will that be too old in February? My letter from my employer stating my salary was also from November.

    I'm grateful for any opinions you all may provide me.

    Thanks!

    Sarah

    June and July Filers - NOA2 to NVC

    in K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports

    Posted

    Yes, I did...everyday for the last 2 weeks! I don't think I will be receiving my letter tomorrow when they have no record of it tonight. Boohoo.

    we got approved a day after u and we had no touches since then and when we called csc they told us nothing either....finally called today and nvc said they received it on 21st and sent it to the embassy the same day...so try calling nvc instead hopefully your petition already went through them too :D:thumbs:

    I called NVC earlier today and they still did not have any record of my case. So I don't think mine has come and gone. In fact, it hasn't even come yet according to them. I really hope to hear some good news on Monday. Do they work on Saturdays? Congrats on your petition getting through so quickly.

    kellyc - i understand how you are feeling. nvc still has not received our file either. this is so frustrating - after waiting so long for the noa2, i was hoping this part would go faster. csc says they show our approval as being 10-21, so its been about 35 days now that we have waited. and they can't tell me whether it's been sent or not either. grrr!!

    I-129F June Filers

    in K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports

    Posted

    Our NOA2 was issued tonight according to the USCIS website. We were touched yesterday and then approved today.

    Now get cracking USCIS... let's hope there are more approvals tonight!!

    :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance:

    Good news comanda. :thumbs: I'm hoping we are soon as we filed around the same time you did. I wonder what time they send out those approvals.

    I'm sure that yours will be coming any time now. I picture us as having come over in the same box from NSC... so yours should come soon!

    Because I'm obsessive I know that they sent out our approval between 8:30pm and 10pm central time...

    I-129F June Filers

    in K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports

    Posted

    Congratulations to Dave and Thao...our first true June filer. Filed June 1st. :thumbs:

    It's starting!!! We are all getting so close... Dave_Thao -- Congratulations!! From reading your timeline, this is a long time coming for you two. Good luck with the next steps. This really gives me hope. 6/1 was a Friday, and I filed to NSC the following Monday 6/4.

    :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance:

    Sarah

    Donde estan los Ecuatorianos??

    in Mexico, Latin & South America

    Posted

    Hola a todos...

    The closer I get to one day getting an NOA2, the more questions I have about the rest of the process. I have read the reviews of the US consulate in Guayaquil, but I didn't find good answers to a couple of burning questions:

    What questions were people asked at the K1 interview?

    How long after the interview did people receive their visa?

    Thanks for any help.

    Sarah

    Waiting for a NOA2 from CSC for your I-129F?

    in K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports

    Posted

    OK, sorry for posting twice in a row... When I look in the received field on the NOA1 hardcopy that bszoom mentions, the date is 6/08/07. But, when I look at the case status online, the first sentence is

    "On June 15, 2007, we received this I129F PETITION FOR FIANCE(E), and mailed you a notice describing how we will process your case."

    So is my NOA1 date still 6/08/07?

    Thanks for your help.

    Sarah

    FOR LADIES ONLY !!!!!!!!!

    in Off Topic

    Posted · Edited by comanda

    As a pharmacist, I can't help but add my two cents to this thread... The pill was developed by a Catholic doctor who was trying to reconcile the idea of a birth control pill with the Catholic church's beliefs. He thought that by making the cycles monthly this would be more "natural" and mimic the average woman's cycles (note he didn't end up gaining the support of the Church on this) - this is the reason that birth control pills are taken in monthly cycles. There is no reason you need to have a period every month (besides peace of mind), and taking your pills continuously as long as you are on a monophasic type of birth control (and have first checked in with your doctor on the matter) is not harming your body in any way. Going back to the "natural" state of things, in the old days women were pregnant or breast feeding for much of their adult lives and had very few menstrual periods throughout their lives. Coincidentally, women who live this way nowadays have been found to have a lower risk of some cancers.

    You should not try to continously cycle with a triphasic birth control like ortho-tri-cyclen lo. Call your doctor and be honest with your reasons for wanting to switch birth control pills - they are human and understand when those of us who see our significant others so rarely don't want it to be during a time when we have a period!

    Seasonale is a very good marketing ploy, as you have a nice pretty compact of 3 months worth of pills, but it's the exact same thing as skipping the placebo weeks of other pills. Jolessa is one generic version of Seasonale, but it's generally cheaper just to buy the monthly packs.

    For those of you coming to the US from other countries, a local pharmacy will have the resources to help you find a birth control pill in the US that is the most similar, in terms of hormones used and doses used, to your old pills. This would give you an idea of what to ask for from your doctor. Also, you should look for local Planned Parenthoods in your area - they are not just for teenage girls. They provide very reasonable care to women and often offer birth control at a reduced rate.

    I-129F June Filers

    in K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports

    Posted

    ---

    This is my first post here. I filed at the TSC on May 31. The green postal receipt card was stamped June 5. My check was cashed in mid-June sometime. No NOA1 has reached me, and the toll-free "customer disservice" line is totally useless and infuriating. Questions:

    1. If there is a WAC number on the back of the check, how do I use it to search the status of my case?

    2. WHY weren't people notified that applications sent to the TSC would go to the CSC?

    3. What is the backlog at CSC? Why have I received no NOA1? When can I expect one?

    4. What are some details regarding timelines for applications involving Ecuadorians?

    5. Is there a REAL phone number at a REAL processing center where someone could help me?

    Thanks.

    TBoneTX

    Hi TBone - so you can go to the site www.uscis.gov and search for your case number using that WAC number on the check. It'll tell you the latest updates supposedly, but it's also kind of depressing to see that they haven't touched your file in forever!

    As far as details on timelines for Ecuadorian fiances - it seems there really aren't a whole lot who peruse this site. You can hit the "immigration timeline" link at the top of the VisaJourney website, then under "visa display options" select "view K1 visas." Once you have that screen up you can select at the bottom of the page to show only timelines for beneficiaries from Ecuador. Then you can get an idea of how long people have been waiting recently, although it's not all that helpful because it seems some people never finish filling in their timelines. It seems to me that we should expect the process from start to finish to take at least 6 months ( :angry: ) You should also make sure to fill out your timeline - then it will give you an estimated adjudication date for your petition based on statistics from VisaJourney. This is a very rough estimate I think, and it changes as people add their information. For information on the interview process at the consulate in Guayaquil, you can look under reviews of embassies at the top of the page, however it is entered incorrectly as being in Quito.

    We have very similar dates I think - I sent my petition in to the NSC on June 4, with my check being cashed mid-June as well. I'm excited to see another Ecuadorian June filer. Let me know if I can help you with any questions, though I'm not that knowledgeable - I have just looked around this website a ton.

    Sarah

    Donde estan los Ecuatorianos??

    in Mexico, Latin & South America

    Posted

    Hola Laura. Mi novio (Johnny) es de Portoviejo. Fuimos a Bahia de Caraquez con Johnny en mayo cuando estaba en Ecuador visitando a él - que hermosa! Yo vivo en Wisconsin. Sí, es la visa K1 que esperamos. Recibí el NOA1 en junio - entonces tenemos mucho tiempo para esperar. Bueno conocerte también.

    Sarah

    Hola Sarah. Yo soy Laura y mi esposo se llama Marco. Nosotros estamos en los EEUU y estamos esperando el Adjustment of Status I 485. De que ciudad es tu novio? Yo soy de carolina del norte y mi esposo es de Bahia de Caraquez. Nosotros aplicamos la visa K1 en 2005, esa es la visa que tu novio esta esperando?? Bueno conocerte!~ Laura
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