beckib21

Hello everyone!

We had our interview last friday on Sept 7 so I thought I would write our experiance down for you guys.

First, if you fly into the Ciudad Juarez airport you will need your tourist card (FMT) or whatever you have for the US Citizen becuase you have to go through immigration (mexican immigration). Then you can take a taxi from the airport to the city for about 245.00 pesos. We didnt have a hotel reservation but the taxi driver was nice and didnt mind taking us around to find a hotel. ALL the hotels next to the embassy were full and didnt have any rooms (the were also all 400 pesos and not super great) so at first we were a little worried but then we found a hotel which we really liked. I definatly recommend it to everyone. Its called Hotel Suites El Paseo and its still a very quick taxi ride to the embassy (any taxi we took was 50 pesos) or we even walked a few times to the embassy. Plus it only cost 530 + iva for a king size, clean and nice room. Theres a nice pool too if you have kids The restaraunt in the hotel is good too!

The first day we went to his dr appt at the building across the street from the embassy and they had a waiting room upstairs where I waited so I didnt have to be outside. The dr. exam took about 2 hours and it cost us 280 USD. My husband had to have four vaccinations even though he had some already. So be prepared for that. Then they told us not to pick up our results later but to take all of my husbands papers to the embassy at 1pm the next day which at first I thought was wierd but we did as we were told and returned to the embasssy the next day at 1pm. There was a huge line and after my husband got into the embassy I waited another 2 and a half hours. He said that they took his papers, checked his documents, and then at another window they asked him some questions about his sponser who is my father and then they gave him a blue slip to come back for the interview the next morning at 6:30. The next day we got there a little before 6:30 and once my husband entered the embassy I went across the street for a tasty smoothie and to wait and read. (bring a good book its a lot of waiting) There are benches and chairs set up by little bussiness for you to use across the street. My husband got into the embassy a little after 7:30 and didnt get out until 12:30. Once inside and after waiting forever he finally got called to the window to take finger prints, he said alot of people had to get these done. He paid 80 usd I believe and then right after he was called to another window for the interview. They only asked him:

Where we met

If he entered the US legally or illegally (we met in the us when he had a tourist visa which we brought just in case they asked to see it but they didnt. And as soon as his visa expired we moved to mexico so there wasnt a problem)

How long we had been married

IF we got married in Mexico

Who was his sponser

What his wife did for work

Then the man told him he could sit back down he was approved and they would print his visa on his passport. Which took an hour.

So it definatly wasnt as bad as I pictured everyone was helpful and nice. But I definatly recommend staying at a hotel thats not right next to the embassy. It was nice going back to a place that didnt have the worried and hectic atmosphere of the embassy and it definatly helped my nerves not bieng around the embassy and all the people worrying. I hope this information will be usefull and good luck to everyone still going through this. It took us about 3 years but it was worth it just dont let it overwhelm you!

Good Luck

Becki

Maybe someone can help....I was just doing some last minute things and I read on the juarez consulates website that ALL visa applicants have to fill out that form or they wont be allowed in for the interview (I dont even remember the form I was soo freaked out but I think its the I-156). Does this apply to IR 1 visas too??? My packet 4 says nothing about doing this??

Becki

EVAF DS-156 = Non-Immigrant visa application

You're applying for an IMMIGRANT visa, right?

Yeah your right Kitkat thanks. Im really nervous about the interview and when I saw that I lost it. But thanks for pointing that out!!

Becki

Maybe someone can help....I was just doing some last minute things and I read on the juarez consulates website that ALL visa applicants have to fill out that form or they wont be allowed in for the interview (I dont even remember the form I was soo freaked out but I think its the I-156). Does this apply to IR 1 visas too??? My packet 4 says nothing about doing this??

Becki

We are super close to the interview and now Im starting to double guess everything ive done. I have been unemployed almost throughout this whole process and Im worried that my husbands visa will be denied becuase of it. I have my father who makes well above the poverty line as a household member so he filled out a 1864A but I have no tax return for 2006 becuase I wasnt working and I was living at my fathers. And I cant find anything that officially states why I didnt need to file taxes for evidence. I am freaking out so ANY help/advice would be great!

Becki

thanks so much! I feel like Ive been preparing for this interview now forever but yet Im soooo nervous!!! I will post how everything went though when we are finished. We will be there for a weekend with nothing to do so if anyone has any experiances on what there is to see in ciudad juarez that would be great.

Becki

Hi guys well we leave for my husbands interview i in a week and Im starting to freak out . We are on a really tight budget and Ive been searching the forums to see if there will be any unexpected fees we will have to pay at the interview. I know we will have to pay for the dr and any vaccines. But I just want to be as prepared as possible. It seems like most of the info on the forums is for the K-1 visa and we have the CR-1 visa so any advice would be sooooo great.

Thanks

Becki

I just recieved an email with my interview date of Sept 7!! This makes me sooooo happy I feel like Ive been waiting forever. I just wanted to let everyone know who is waiting for an interview date at Ciudad Juarez. It took exactly a year for the interview date by the way.

Becki

What is the fastest and most reliable way to send mail to Mexico? I mailed a letter to the capital of a state at the end of April and it never arrived, but I mailed it regular US airmail.

I've heard DHL and Fedex are the best way to go, but what if I am just sending letters and although it would be of sentimental value, it's not that big of a deal if it gets lost? Is there a special method with US Mail (like Express with Delivery Confirmation or Return Receipt?) that I could use where it's between $15 to $20 and very reliable?

Anything Ive ever sent through ¨normal¨ mail has gotten lost. So I only use email or when I need to I use fed ex but then I try to send everything I need to at the same time to my mom who sends it via regular mail to everyone else. You can also try to find if their is a mailboxes etc. near you. We just got one and for 300 pesos a month I can have a us post office box.

Becki

I just received the news im getting my appoiment in the first week of september and CDJ received our papers last September, so it took us a complete year

Congrats Haydee!! This gives me hope that my appointment will be soon too!! We will have been waiting a year in sept too!

Becki

Hello, My case was received at CDJ Sept. 7 2006 and we are still waiting for the interview date too! We arent expecting to get the interview before Sept. If you get yours sooner can you please post the date so I know when we should expect ours since our dates are so close. I will do the same when we find out our interview date.

Becki

Thanks kitkat but youve been waiting a fair while too. I hope they are quick on reviewing your waiver! My husband and I were just thinking why did we get married and then file when we could have done the K1 or even better DCF but cant change that now! Nothing about this process is easy or nice but just knowing they are soo many people feeling what you feel helps!

Becki

Would it be a major problem if they did send it the the embassy with out the corrected I864?? Or could I just wait and go to the interview with a correct and updated one? I was planning on bring an updated one to the interview anyway since by the time we will have the interview it will be a new tax year.

It wasn't about planning a family and the involvement of the DOS- it was about the "what ifs" ... even with proper care.. things happen. We have been doing this long distance relationship for 6 years now on and off (well, me there or here in USA) and just when we think we got another step closer there is another chunk of time added to the waiting. Sorry if we come off as fusterated and desperate.... but we are.

Anyway, it looks like we are locked into the CR1 then.

Thanks for everyone that has taken the time to read and reply

If anyone knows a secret shortcut feel free to message me

TroyG2 I know exactly what you are feeling!!! This process is the most horrible thing and I can not understand why the wait is soo long (especially for a I-R1 visa). My husband and I are ALWAYS worrying about the ¨what ifs¨. Not to mention all the back and forth weve done about moving to Mexico or the US. Im currently living here as a tourist becuase the wait was too long (but I would like to finish school and get on with life and the same for him), but I feel like all of our plans our stuck or frozen. Hmmm this just doesnt seem right that K-1 visas are so fast and CR-1/I-R1 are so slow. At least once we are in the states there will be no AOS (the only fact of this whole process that consoles me)

Anyways now that Ive vented if any one does find a secret shortcut they can message me too

Becki

Can things ever be simple?? I had an RFE on my I864 which I didnt get until the 1st of Oct(thanks to snail mail), fixed it and mailed it back the last week in Oct. I called the NVC a couple days ago to check on the RFE and they told me they mailed it to the embassy Sept 13 which was the date of the RFE I believe. Did they actually send it to the embassy then?? How could that be if I just sent back the stupid RFE? I have emailed the embassy but havent gotten a reply. Is this common or maybe its a mistake? Now I feel lost Im not even sure where my paperwork is and if its even been approved.

Becki

And I agree that the wait in CDJ is insane, especially if you have already been married two years!!

Becki

How temporarily living in mexico affects the I-864 with your father listed as a household member, I am not certain. You also have the issue of domicile. If you do a search on domicile there are plenty of threads on this. I would post the link to the USCIS site on domicile, but they don't have it up yet since they did the upgrade.

Thanks so much for the help I didnt think to do a search for domicile. I will try now though!

Becki

Well the wait was just too long so I came to Mexico to stay with my husband while we did the visa then decided why not try living in mexico and not go back to the states. Finally decided I just couldnt be so far from my family. So we continued the process(see timeline). I put my father as additional household member on the I864 and now Im worried since I have been living in mexico with my husband that it will be a problem? Also can I continue to stay in mexico until the interview or is it nec. that Im living in the states.

Thanks Becki

Oh my a year¡¡!! I have been searching for some sort of timeline and couldnt find anything not even on the embassy site maybe Im just getting desperate but a year is soooo long. Lucky for me Im in Mexico with my husband but we are ready to go back and really settle down now.

Becki

Hey everyone Ive been looking for some idea on how long a IR1 interview takes after the case is forwarded to the embassy. I know it depends on the county and all but I couldnt find much info and it makes planning anything so diffucult (and im a planner). We didnt file for a K3 so I know it might take longer right?

any help would be super appreciated (waiting really sucks)

Becki

If you search a bit, you'll find an old thread regarding timelines - slightly outdated but still a good source of information.

For an immigrant visa (I-130 without I-129 filed) it takes one year for an interview date from the time the file reaches the CDJ consulate. If you file the I-129F along with the I-130 (resulting in a K3 NON-immigrant visa and requiring AOS in the US later), it takes between 4-6 months to get an interview date.

really the only timelines that matter are the ones that are slightly ahead of you. you can tell if things are slowing down or speeding up. my timeline (see below) is probaly not much use since it reflected last year's situation. I think there is a timeline thingie around here. I'll see if I can find it.

good luck!

Daniel

:energetic:

Thanks Daniel that would be great. I thought that there would be tons more from mexico on this forum too but thanks everyone for the reference to the other one. It helped alot but almost everyone has seem to needed a 601 waiver. Which I hopefully wont be needing. Thats what you would use if you were denied at the interview right?

Glad to have found a Mexico thread!! I was wondering if anyone can help me find some timelines for a IR-1 Visa. Im just waiting for my case to be approved at NVC and sent to CJ Embassy. I want to know about how long for an interview date?? I can find many IR-1 timelines for mexico and it would really help me plan everything better if I had an idea.

Thanks for any help!

beckib

Thanks riblet!

I saw this post and the info has been a huge help! But I was wondering if anyone has ever brought thier car into the US?? It would be across the border between Mexico and the US. We are hoping we can just take the car with us after the interview since its in Cuidad Juarez and that way we wont have to sell our car and buy a new one in the us. (plus the road trip would be fun!! ) Ive already looked for info at Customs and the Dept of Trans. websites but wanted to know if anyone has actually done it.

thanks

Becki

On the USCIS page they are only offering the new I-864 will that make a differance or should I look in all my papers for some copies of the old one.??? Why is everything sooo confusing?

I recieved an rfe on my I-864 and the check list states very clearly what I need to fix but im not sure If I just fix those questions or do I mail in a completely new 1864? Also since the uscis has a new I 864 do I have to use that one?? If any one has any advice or experiances I would love some help.

Thanks! Becki

You just fix those questions and mail them back. They will just review them. You should not make a new I-864, as NVC will start reviewing the whole I-864 again. Did you leave any space blank on the I-864.

Ok so all I need to do is reprint and fill out the pages that had errors. It was on the sponsers household size and income I made a mistake on the size that hurt both pages. (I hope so becuase I doodled on the page, I have no idea what I was thinking). Thanks guys!

Becki

I recieved an rfe on my I-864 and the check list states very clearly what I need to fix but im not sure If I just fix those questions or do I mail in a completely new 1864? Also since the uscis has a new I 864 do I have to use that one?? If any one has any advice or experiances I would love some help.

Thanks! Becki