MazHysteria

[Moderation note: The following was originally in this poster's writeup of his interview experience. Moderation asked him to kindly copy the portion below into the pinned "Complete Trip Reports" thread, which he did. This does not constitute spamming of the forums as we might typically perceive it.] ------- We would also like to sincerely thank the staff at La Casa de Las Bugambilias in Ciudad Juarez. Without them we would still be fumbling around like a blind man in the dark! They listened to our moans and groans, and transported us to all the various appointments. They even included most of our meals (except weekends) during our 15 night stay. It was like having a dedicated team working for The Pursuit of The Holy Grail. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not for everybody there, if you must stay at the Hilton or La Quinta and if you are an inveterate perfectionist then the very basic accommodations at La Casa de Las Bugambilias are not for you. Of course, we also love 5 stars! But keep your eyes on the prize, at a 5 star you are comfortable but will not have any Green Card services. Maybe a taxi at best and a “good luck” (in Juarez beware of unrecommended taxis). At the Casa de las Bugambilias they have a tradition that when you get your visa approval you ring the bell and a Mexican Fiesta Moment ensues! It is highly motivating and keeps you going during the more grueling and trying days. Services are 90% in Spanish but English speakers (my wife speaks almost no Spanish and mine is iffy) can be well served. Last note: Ciudad Warez is a fairly expensive city. Given the present political situation in the US, the town is jam packed with Green Card seekers therefore, prices are rising. At the Casa de Bugambilias most of the services are included in your basic room and you also avoid the taxi risks thanks to their in-house vans and drivers included with your room. The price per night for 2 people is 1400MX OR We hope this info will prove beneficial to anyone on this challenging quest and may you all get The Card!!! Kudos to Visajourney you are a lifesaver in this Sea of Uncertainty!!!!! Disclaimer: My wife and I are in no way connected financially or relationally to The Casa De Bugambilias. If we were, OMG!! In this visa boom we would be set for life. LOL

Ok, my wife got her passport with the temp visa in it on Thursday, Nov. 6 2025. We then went to the Ciudad Juarez/El Paso border crossing and did the sign in/U-turn walkaround routine. Somehow, with great difficulty we managed to pay the $235 U.S. fee. We also set up the USPS Informed Delivery service to warn us when the green card will be mailed. Now for a question for you clients/fellow-survivors LOL. I want to double check when her green card will be mailed and also where they are in the process. I went a few times to this site: USCIS Case Status Online using our payment IOE number and got an archaic payment message from back on May 11 2024 when we paid for our file being opened. I also tried to login using her A-Number. Didn’t work at all, couldn’t get in. Do we just sit and patiently wait or is there another place we can go which has more up to date info on the processing steps for her card? I believe the messages should be something like this: "Card Was Ordered To Be Produced" "Card Is Being Produced" "Card Was Mailed To Me" (This status usually includes a USPS tracking number). I hope to heck I am in the correct thread for this. This site is a great resource but it is a little big for my small brain, please forgive me if this is in the wrong thread. We would also like to sincerely thank the staff at La Casa de Las Bugambilias in Ciudad Juarez. Without them we would still be fumbling around like a blind man in the dark! They listened to our moans and groans, and transported us to all the various appointments. They even included most of our meals (except weekends) during our 15 night stay. It was like having a dedicated team working for The Pursuit of The Holy Grail. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not for everybody there, if you must stay at the Hilton or La Quinta and if you are an inveterate perfectionist then the very basic accommodations at La Casa de Las Bugambilias are not for you. Of course, we also love 5 stars! But keep your eyes on the prize, at a 5 star you are comfortable but will not have any Green Card services. Maybe a taxi at best and a “good luck” (in Juarez beware of unrecommended taxis). At the Casa de las Bugambilias they have a tradition that when you get your visa approval you ring the bell and a Mexican Fiesta Moment ensues! It is highly motivating and keeps you going during the more grueling and trying days. Services are 90% in Spanish but English speakers (my wife speaks almost no Spanish and mine is iffy) can be well served. Last note: Ciudad Warez is a fairly expensive city. Given the present political situation in the US, the town is jam packed with Green Card seekers therefore, prices are rising. At the Casa de Bugambilias most of the services are included in your basic room and you also avoid the taxi risks thanks to their in-house vans and drivers included with your room. We hope this info will prove beneficial to anyone on this challenging quest and may you all get The Card!!! Kudos to Visajourney you are a lifesaver in this Sea of Uncertainty!!!!! Disclaimer: My wife and I are in no way connected financially or relationally to The Casa De Bugambilias. If we were, OMG!! In this visa boom we would be set for life. LOL

Just to let anyone who is in the same situation as me. I had previously sent 2 email queries to: CDJPublic@state.gov which turned out to be a useless, robotic canned response, but the second one I sent out to: GDIT GSS Support Desk Support <mexico.iv@visaops.net> THIS WAS THE MONEY SHOT!!!! They actually fixed the problem. Our counselor (he is turning out to be a real asset) was able to book our biometric appointment and all is well now! Yes, the awkward new system they have will force us to stay an extra few days in Ciudad Juarez but at least we are now registered and all ok. Hope this message helps others. I only got one unhelpful answer here so trying to pay back.

Hi The Best and The Brightest, We have a coyote/counselor. He says that normally the fingerprinting/photo email invitation comes a few hours after the initial interview email. Well, 5 days later still no email. Yes, I checked my spam box (but glad you asked). He says we shouldn't worry too much, because as soon as we had our first contact with him on Friday, he created an account at https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-mx/iv/schedule so that when we arrive in Ciudad Juarez, a few days before, if there is still no official fingerprinting/photo appointment, he can work it out directly with the people there. He says there will not be a problem because they will see that we immediately created an account, thereby showing our due diligence and good will. As you know getting a green card is an onerous, costly project. We now have nightmare scenarios floating in our minds: We purchase plane tickets, reserve a room, go to Ciudad Warez then get rejected because we will not have obtained the necessary fingerprints and photos. Kindly help us to unravel this Gordian Knot. We are 2 seniors in our 70's, crushed and exhausted by this process. Show us a little light at the end of the tunnel please!