EdwinandMary

We had the same concerns you are having after we read that disclaimer on the form. My wife didn't have a problem using the AP to enter back from Cuba, but they did asked why she was in Cuba. In Miami, when you enter with the AP they take you to the immigration office within the airport, and you fill out some forms. They stamped & placed a paper in your passport. Other than the hour wait, the process was simple and easy.

it took about 1-1/2 for us, it depends how busy immigration is. Goood Luck and Congrat's

Just to clear things up for you. Yes the NVC sends your case to the U.S interest section. The affidavit of support is submitted at the time of the interview with the other documentation that your fiancé needs to fill out. Not all the time the US interest section informs to pick up packet. I had to call to set up an appointment for Mary to go pick the forms up. And Make you call the U.S interest section to do that, and to set up an interview date. They will give you an 800 number to call for the interview appointment. Typical the visa is given the next day, but I had heard that some received it on the same day. I not sure what is the cost of the Carta Blanca as of now, but when we went through the process is was 150, and the medical exam was 400, and keep in mind you must buy the plane ticket before the Carta Blanca is received. A ticket for Cuba right now is about 300cuc. If you fiancé is permantly immigrating to the U.S, then the government will confiscate anything that bears his name. Typical they make a visit to his house and ask where he sleeps and what does he owned in the house. When they showed up at Mary's house, Mary said that she shares a room with her little sister and the house and all the belongings are owned by her mother. Nothing was confiscated. As for flying from Cuba, he needs to purchase the plane ticket in Cuba at his local havanatur office. I have seen American Airlines planes at the airport, but they are charter planes. Only charter planes can directly travel from Cuba to the U.S. As for the work permit, I had heard that you received a work permit stamp at the airport, we didn't have that luck. I also suggest he go get his social security card and his driver’s license when he arrives in the U.S. before is k-1 expires. Good Luck, Edwin&Mary

I just purchaase a ticket from Camaguey to Miami (one way) and it was 287cuc with aeroazul. flying from havana is a bit cheaper. You can also used the airline skyking to fly out of Cuba to Maimi, but the price is the same. the purchase must be in cuba, and needed to before the carta blanca is given. I'm not sure whats the cost with the carta blanca as of now. hope this helps.

thank you for that info, I am going right before the interview with the hope that i we can get the visa and carta blanca in time for him to come home with me, but it impossible to plan cause of course you never know!! but it would be so great and also very helpful as together travel would be a dream seperately ehh not so much... any way again thanks, do you know anyone who books aeroazul or skyking from here for me?? probably well endup flying seperate but I hope not..

Unfortunately, the ticket will have to be purchase in Cuba at the local havanatur office. It’s a requirement when immigrating permantely.

I just purchaase a ticket from Camaguey to Miami (one way) and it was 287cuc with aeroazul. flying from havana is a bit cheaper. You can also used the airline skyking to fly out of Cuba to Maimi, but the price is the same. the purchase must be in cuba, and needed to before the carta blanca is given. I'm not sure whats the cost with the carta blanca as of now. hope this helps.

Don't Travel to Washington DC, Mary and I just did that the other week. You need to send your husband passport by mail, they do nothing to his passport in person anymore. In the past you were able to go the Cuban interest section in DC to do it, but not anymore. We learn that the hard way. Here's what you guys need to do: First, every two years the Cuban passport needs to be renew (which they call prosloga at the Cuban Interest Section), no matter what the expiration date in the passport said. Second, to travel to Cuba you need permission to enter the country (not advance parole, that’s a U.S. thing). What they are going to do at the Cuban interest section is send you husband passport information to Cuba and they will do a background check. If a Cuban enters the U.S. illegal, or has a criminal record they will be denied him to enter back in Cuba. Go the U.S. Cuban section Official Website for information on where to send the passport by mail and the fees. We paid 180 dollars for the Prosloga, and 20 for them to send the passport back to us by US mail. It was paid by two separate money orders, and only paid my money orders. I hope this information helps.

Here is the Website for the Cuban interest Section, here you find the instructions where to send his passport and fees .

http://embacu.cubaminrex.cu/Default.aspx?a...aminrex.cu/sicw

Here their phone number, which has a message giving instructions too.

202 797-8518, 8519, 20

Edwin&Mary.

It took about 7 months from filing the I-129f to receiving the Carta Blanca. The Carta Blanca was 150cuc, but now things has change, and there is no fee for the carte blanca.

In 2007 we paid 450 CUC for the medical exam in Cuba. We were never called for the interview from the U.S interest Section in Cuba. So i suggest two weeks after receiving your NOA2, you start calling the U.S. interest section to set up an interview date Good Luck on you journey. Edwin&Mary.

I think you guys are well prepared for the interview. Be sure to be at the park near the us interest section before 7:00am, the guards will call out the names of people and give out numbers to enter the building. Good Luck....Edwin&Mary.

I had read on posts from VJ members that they contacted their local congressional representative to help push things along. Maybe it's worth a shot. Goodluck....Edwin&Mary

The medical exam is taken before the interview, but it is not paid until after the interview at the office of immigration after you are approved for the Carta Blanca.

Another question:

I've read on the forums that the medical exam for my Cuban fiance is paid for once he receives his Carta Blanca to leave the island. But doesn't he need to have the medical exam before the interview? If so, we don't have to pay for it until he gets the carta blanca?

Can someone clarify this for me?

Call the U.S. interest section in Cuba to set up the appointment to pick up the forms. I had posted the number in your previous post. I suggest picking up the package at Havana, I know that Santiago de Cuba is a day away from Havana by car, but I don't trust the mail service there. You do have to make appointment for him to pick up the package, and tell them that you want to set up the interview date at the same time. They should give you an 800 number based out of Mexico, there is a fee to pay for a pin number, but I can't remember how much it was, you can pay it with a credit card over the phone. I suggest that he start filling out the papers immediately, there trips to the office of immigration, and a medical appointment to set up. Therefore, start as soon as he gets the forms. Once they are done, you do not mail them to the U.S interest section, you take them with you on the interview date. Good Luck, Edwin&Mary

Call the U.S. interest section in Cuba to set up the appointment to pick up the forms. I had posted the number in your previous post. I suggest picking up the package at Havana, I know that Santiago de Cuba is a day away from Havana by car, but the don't trust the mail service there. You do have to make appointment for him to pick up the package, and tell them that you want to set up the interview date at the same time. They should give you an 800 number based out of Mexico, there is a fee to pay for a pin number, but I can't remember how much it was, you can pay it with a credit card over the phone. I suggest that he start filling out the papers immediately, there trips to the office of immigration, and a medical appointment to set up. Therefore, start as soon as he gets the forms. Once they are done, you do not mail them to the U.S interest section, you take them with you on the interview date. Good Luck, Edwin&Mary

I would suggest calling the U.S. interest section in Havana to see if your fiancé package arrived. If so, set up an appointment for your fiancé to pick up the forms. They can mail it, but I wouldn't trust the mailing system. Also, tell them you want to set up the interview date. They should give you a phone number to call. The instructions in the package clearly explains what your fiancé needs to do. What you should do is gather all the evidence of your relationship and fill out the affidavit of support. Good Luck, Edwin&Mary.

OH, here is the number for the U.S interest section in Havana - 011 53 7 833 3551

wow, she finally arrived....The best of luck and keep in touch....Edwin&Mari

Wow, thats great new Jordin, We are very happy for you, soon you guys will be togother. Congrats Edwin&Mary.

Hello Jordin,

I think the best thing to do is to buy her ticket to Puerto Rico from Miami. She can't buy that ticket from Cuba. But she can buy the ticket from Havana to Miami (only from havanna tur, not from cubana), it must be purchanse before receiving the carta blanca. Miami is a big airport and she needs to go to a different terminal to fly to P.R. so i suggest being there when she lands. be perpared to wait a couple hours to go through immgration in Miami. Good luck. Edwin

Congrat's, and the best in getting the Carta Blanca.

Congratulations on your visa approval....What was really helpful for us when we were going through the carta blanca process is ithat we hired a lawyer in Camguey, he did a great job guiding us and filling out the forms. Also, buy the plane ticket as soon as you can, office of immgration will not issue the Carta Blanca without a purchase plane ticket. Good Luck,

Edwin & Mary.

My fiance has his visa in hand after his interview in Havana on June 26! Deepest gratitude to Barbara y Alexis for helping us get an earlier interview date.

Now Osvaldo will work on getting his carta blanca and hopefully will be on his way here soon. For those Cuban couples awaiting their interviews, here's what happened for us:

We arrived at the USINT at about 6:15 am. No people are allowed to congregate near the building, but everyone was waiting in a small park about 2 blocks away. At about 6:40 am, representatives from the USINT arrived and begin calling the names of persons with scheduled appointments. Their carnets were collected and we lined up across the street. After about an hour or more of waiting in line, we were led to the building. At this point, we and 2 other US Citizen/Cuban couples were escorted to the front of the line and allowed to go in first. I had all our documents organized into numbered folders but they made us throw out all the folders and we had to go through security clutching onto all our loose papers!

Once inside, we were soon called to a window were our documents were checked and added to Osvaldo's file. The Cuban worker did not seem to mind that they were all disorganized. We paid the 121 CUC fee and sat down to wait for the interview. At about 10:20 they called his name and we went to our assigned window where the interview occured. The interviewer was a woman in her 30s, very businesslike and serious. She spoke Spanish and English very rapidly and never smiled. At times it was difficult to understand her because the microphone was not working. We started in Spanish and later switched to English. She asked Osvaldo if he had ever been in the Communist Youth, what his job was, and wasn't it necessary to be a Party member to have that kind of job? Then lots of questions about his 2 ex-wives, his two children, and where they are living, and when he got divorced. Had he ever been out of Cuba? Did he write me those emails in English? How did we meet? Why did I choose to study Spanish in Cuba? How many times did I go to Cuba and why? When did we decide to get married? When did I get pregnant? Was it planned? She verified my profession, and asked what work or study Osvaldo planned to do in the US. We were a bit taken aback by her brusque manner and really didn't know how things were going until she finally said we should come back the next day to pick up his visa. We came back the next day a half-hour earlier than our appointment time, and were again immediately let in to the building. After waiting 30-40 minutes, they called his name and gave us his passport with the visa inside and the packet for US immigration. Then it was real and we were happy!

Thinking things over, I think it's helpful for the US citizen to be there. There were several times that I felt we got preferential treatment because of this. Also, anyone with previous marriages should be prepared to answer a lot of detailed questions about their ex-spouses, no matter how long ago the marriage occured. It was clear the interviewer had read over our file carefully, including my email correspondence with them. We were never separated during the interview, though I understand that the US citizen is often asked to leave.

Another tidbit: for those Cuban couples trying to get an earlier interview date, call the Appt Service Center first thing in the morning (they open at 8 am EST); that's when cancelled appts are re-released.

Now for the carta blanca, the final and murkiest and most unpredictable step ... if anyone has any advice for us, let me know!

Congratulations!!! . Wishing both of you a lifetime of happiness

WOW....Congrats...

Congrats Zuli, its a great feeling...We are so happy for you....I knew you wouldn't have any problems....Edwin&Mary

I agree with J.Ro, no fee for the medical exam requested by U.S. interest section

Mary did received a paper after she went to the Medical exam. Go back to the clinic or hospital and asked.

In Camaguey, There are places which mary used when she wrote emails. It is correo de cuba and the lines are long in the afternoon. usally around 7:00pm there are less people. They are not allow to browse the internet, and these internet places only offer intranet, which is only email. But there are many out there that have internet in there home, if we wanted to chat using yahoo messanger she went to a friends house. Mary is receiving emails from family in cuba, and chatting daily with people in camaguey. So far we haven't seen a problem with internet access in Camaguey. Edwin