Roxyroo

Thanks, that is really helpful information.

Hi VJ,

My husband had his interview Tuesday and said it was a breeze. Didn't ask for any evidence, only asked 3 questions (Why had he not stayed in the US on the K-1 visa we got last year-Answer: no jobs; Where was I? Answer-Already back in the US, looking for jobs; Who was the person on the I-864? Answer-My dad). Told him a few minutes later that visa was approved.

So, our question is about travel.

I unfortunately am a public school teacher, and we all know how the job market for THAT is right now. My husband also is a teacher, in Colombia, and his last day of school is June 30. That is also when he would have to sign a new contract to return the next year or not.

We were planning on not. However, the job prospects here for me are dismal at the moment and we started talking about him maybe going back to his job, maybe for the first semester, Aug 1 to Dec, because we can't BOTH quit decent jobs in Colombia and come here and be unemployed.

Things are very up in the air right now, but Question 1 is: It's no problem for him to be out of the US for 4-5 months, right?

If we were to do this, the idea is he would come here for the month of July (his summer vacation) to visit, and then go back to work. Not the whole year, just first semester max. Would that be weird in any way with his status?

The second part is because this is DCF, I understand he enters the US, gets his passport stamped LPR and the green card will come in the mail.

Question 2 is this: If he can only be here for the month of July if he has to go back, what if he has to leave before his green card comes in the mail?? Won't that be a problem at CBP when he comes back to the US?

Thanks VJers!

Hi VJ,

My husband had his interview Tuesday and said it was a breeze. Didn't ask for any evidence, only asked 3 questions (Why had he not stayed in the US on the K-1 visa we got last year-Answer: no jobs; Where was I? Answer-Already back in the US, looking for jobs; Who was the person on the I-864? Answer-My dad). Told him a few minutes later that visa was approved.

So, our question is about travel.

I unfortunately am a public school teacher, and we all know how the job market for THAT is right now. My husband also is a teacher, in Colombia, and his last day of school is June 30. That is also when he would have to sign a new contract to return the next year or not.

We were planning on not. However, the job prospects here for me are dismal at the moment and we started talking about him maybe going back to his job, maybe for the first semester, Aug 1 to Dec, because we can't BOTH quit decent jobs in Colombia and come here and be unemployed.

Things are very up in the air right now, but Question 1 is: It's no problem for him to be out of the US for 4-5 months, right?

If we were to do this, the idea is he would come here for the month of July (his summer vacation) to visit, and then go back to work. Not the whole year, just first semester max. Would that be weird in any way with his status?

The second part is because this is DCF, I understand he enters the US, gets his passport stamped LPR and the green card will come in the mail.

Question 2 is this: If he can only be here for the month of July if he has to go back, what if he has to leave before his green card comes in the mail?? Won't that be a problem at CBP when he comes back to the US?

Thanks VJers!

I think the embassy has everything on record.. maybe they haven´t passed it on to the IV department, or its making its way over there. I tried getting info out of the people that work through the e-mails here in Argentina and they would reply "once we receive the documents and checked them we will give you a visa time". I was getting impatient but finally after 6 weeks after our I-130 being approved we got a response for next week. Sounds like you will just make it on time. What is this about Dog embargo? Is it just for colombia? We´re planning on bringing our dog back to the states too, but I think we´ll be there just before the 7-8th.

Good luck! and patience is the most important virtue, the moment you stop truly worrying about it it´ll come.

-Pete

Check out my update on this craziness on the forum, and yes, dog embargo very real thing. Was news to me, but most airlines won't fly any dogs when temperatures reach 70-75 degrees F, or between 15 May and 15 Sept. We have a bulldog-type dog, and for "chata" breeds restrictions are even tighter. If you have a dog and want to travel, I'd encourage you to research it. Turns out customs is relatively easy, it's the airline restrictions that are difficult!

Hey guys,

Thanks for the moral support and advice about waiting...but I decided to be a pain in the embassy's a-- and not be patient. Since it has been over 3 weeks since we presented our docs and I-130 at the first appt and all I keep hearing from the embassy is that NO petition has been filed for us, I sensed something was wrong. They told me DCF would take 4-8 weeks max, I'm taking them at their word.

I had to cancel my afternoon classes at the university where I teach here to be able to do it, but I called today during the 2 hour window when they pick up phones...and I kid you not, was on hold for an hour and 15 minutes.

The woman who finally picked up ran through what seemed like her knee-jerk responses when someone believes their case has been "lost" by the embassy, butI kept saying, Look, I really think something is wrong, it's been 3 weeks now and I have been told to send the DS-2100 and DS-230 documents for the second appt 3 times now but each time I get the same response that there is NO petition for this person. PLEASE look into it. She put me on hold several times, told me it must be tied up in Panama, where they are sent for approval, etc etc, but then she asked me if the consular officer had actually handed the docs to us to fill out and send in. I said yes and she said, What did you say the beneficiary's name was again?? She went and looked again and still, no, just our old K-1 visa from last May. She went and checked with Panama, nothing. Finally, after like 10 minutes she asked for MY name. Put me on hold for another 5 minutes and when she came back she had our petition. What was wrong? They had left the 's' out of my husband's name. Can you believe this idiocy?

So our petition was just sitting there, already approved--from what I understand, it was approved back when we had the 1st appt on March 16, when the consular officer said "Everything looks good here!"--and we should have had an appt date by now! I am so frustrated. I mean, thank goodness for this wonderful woman, but I leave Colombia in 5 weeks and that is really pushing it for trying to attend the interview together. She said interviews are scheduled in 3 to 6 weeks. I said, Can we do anything to get the 3 weeks ha ha??? She said no. She did give us our case number so I can look our appt up online. And, very nicely, she took my home and cell numbers and called me when she got the fax of the DS-2100 and DS-230 (for now the 4th time I have sent it), which I really appreciated.

Now we just have to wait for the appt...which won't be programmed at the earliest until the 20th of April.

Sigh.

Anyway. What have we learned from all this? Don't be patient. Bug the hell out of the embassy.

I am not sure if I am posting more to vent or seek advice, since I know there is no one doing DCF in Colombia, but if anyone has any advice, we'd appreciate it!

Here for DCF you request an appt at the embassy to present your petition and the USC's proofs of residency in Colombia and pay the $355 in cash there. I was told that from this appt to receipt of visa the time would be 4 to 8 weeks MAX.

We had our appt March 16. Met with an extremely nice consular officer. Everything went well, and at the end he reminded us about the Affidavit of Support and said ok, send in the DS-2100 and DS-230 and we'll see you back here in a few weeks!

Well, we sent that a few days later and...no response.

We did a K-1 visa last year, but couldn't stay in the States because of the economy. So I know that within 3 hours of sending the fax that time I had received an email confirming it. So, 3 days after sending it this time, I emailed the embassy. They replied that they had nothing on us and to re-send. This time I emailed it. The response was that my husband had already been approved for a visa, a K-1 visa, last May, and thank you very much.

The embassy only picks up the phones here between 2 and 4 on Wednesdays. So last Wednesday I called to straighten this all out. Again I was told that my husband had already been approved for a K-1 visa, etc etc. It took quite awhile to convince the woman that we had started a NEW petition and had already had our first appt. She simply refused to believe it. But once I convinced her, she asked for our names again and put me on hold. When she came back she assured me that everything was fine and straightened out, all I had to do was send the docs for the 3RD time, and I would then receive a reply. I felt great, things were on a roll now, and resent the docs immediately.

Yesterday, I got an email saying essentially no matter how many times we send those docs, there is NO PETITION for an I-130 for my husband. They have no information about it and have not received any.

The email said "yet", but at this point I am frustrated and very worried. I do not think this should be taking this long. We haven't even been assigned a case number, hell, no one evens seems to know we exist!

Today, I sent an email with the original I-130 and our receipt from the embassy the $355, to prove I am not making up that we did indeed file a petition! But...no response.

The main concern is I, USC, am leaving Colombia in 5 weeks because I have to take our dog to the US before the dog travel embargo starts. I hate to think of leaving and my husband having to go to the interview alone. But I especially hate not knowing where our petition is at this point, or why no one has ever heard of us.

I teach at a university here and have to now cancel class tomorrow to call during the 2-4 window because I feel like we've just been going around and around on this and are getting nowhere.

And no, I didn't take down the consular officer's name or the name of the woman I spoke to...which I am now regretting....

I feel like I'm doing everything I can, but still getting nowhere.

Seems many people were interested in this post...though no one said anything but the above!! Anyway, thanks Lia, you were right. What they were most interested in were my Colombian work visas. They said they qualify me as a resident. The interviewer was incredibly nice and even made jokes. He said we were very organized and said, Well, we'll see you back here in a few weeks! So we are good to go. What a relief.

Thanks, guys! Super helpful.

My take on it was anyone that would be immigrating with. I put N/A on the accompanying and following blocks. So far so good. The USC spouse is not immigrating.

Ok, that was my thinking too. I will put N/A unless anyone says differently.

Hi,

In Line 31a of the DS-230, it asks:

Person(s) named in line 14 and 29 who will accompany you to the United States now.

I, as the wife and USC, am named in line 14, but does my husband write my name here? I feel like this is referring to people who are immigrating to the US, not me as a USC. But I am TOTALLY guessing.

Anybody know?

Thanks.

So....Really?? Maybe I'm just suspicious about the Embassy here but 12:30 seems too late to me. Anybody else?

Hi all,

We have our appt for the I-130 this Tuesday at 1 PM. We are filing DCF (if all goes well).

Does anyone know what time we should arrive? I know if you are given the general 7 AM appt, you should arrive no later than 6:15, but with a 1PM appt I don't know what time to get there.

Thanks

Hi All,

I have lived and worked in Colombia for almost 4 years now. Work visas, apartment lease, the whole shebang. As far as I can tell, there are no other Colombia DCF people here at VJ. I do go home for about 4 weeks at a time to visit my family in July and at Christmas--as I am a teacher, we only ge those two times off per year.

I heard a rumor here that in Colombia you have to be in the country for 6 solid months and if you leave, any time before that is totally wiped out. I later found out this person wasn't working here on work visas, as I am, and I just discounted it. Before I went to visit my family this Christmas, I even called the embassy during the 2 hours they pick up the phones to be sure that I am considered a resident. The woman told me that it is my work visas that matter, travel does not, so yes I am considered a resident and can do DCF.

Then, when I went to make our I-130 appt (which we got really fast) last week, the woman said I need to bring proof of having been in Colombia the last 6 months or she wouldn't make the appt. I said, my work visas, right? and she said she could not comment on what to bring. I said, well I have been in Colombia for almost 4 years, but I did go home to visit my family at Christmas. She said then I had not been in Colombia for 6 months then. That struck me as so totally absurd I told her to just go ahead and make the appt and I would let the embassy sort it out.

So, in addition to my work visas and Colombian national IDs, I have assembled a mountain of evidence: apt lease, letter from my landlord, pay stubs from all my jobs, letters from jobs, IRS forms (in which I declared my foreign income), letter from my bank here, bank statements, etc etc etc.

I guess I am not looking for reassurance about Colombian DCF since there is no one doing that, but more that I can sort of make my case if it comes down to it. My first reaction was that this woman was just crazy, but now I am starting to freak out, as I do with all visa-related matters.

It would have really adverse effects for my husband and I if we are not able to begin DCF now. For one, I won't be here for 6 months until June 30 (since I got back from Christmas Dec 30). My work visa here expires May 17 and I would then have to leave Colombia June 17. The only way to extend it is to leave the country and return...thus rendering null the 6 months I am working on. Also, we have a dog who needs to be taken to the US before the dog travel embargo begins May 15.

En fin, it is a nightmare. Just kind of wondering if anyone has been here.

Thanks.

Thanks guys. I guess my concern now is doing things too early. I know that certain things (police record, travel record, even vaccination) cannot be done too soon in advance or they will be unacceptable. Any way I can find out about this? Or do I have to call the embassy? Our embassy only answers the phone between 2 and 4 on Wednesdays, and I am teaching class at that time.

Any suggestions appreciated!!

Hi DCFers,

My fiance and I are getting married in a week. I would like to know what we can start doing now--what docs we can begin gathering/filling, specifically--to be as prepared as possible for when we get that first appt.

We are under a bit of time pressure because we are taking the dog, and found out that there is a travel embargo on dogs between May 15 and Sept 15. Bogota told me that DCF should take no more than 2 months, but I just want to get anything rolling that we can.

If there's a link anyone can send me to, that would be fine...

You also only need the recent year tax return. You do not need 3 years. Although it does mention if you think it will help you can include 3 years. I only included one...

Thanks for the tip--but I think we will go with 3 years just to be on the safe side. I think Bogota likes to have 3 years.

Thanks guys, very helpful.

Hi VJ,

My father is going to be the joint sponsor of my fiance. He is filling out his I-864 now and asked me 2 things:

Part 1 e: I am the __ first ___ second of 2 joint sponsors.

What I understand is, when I do my own I-864, I am the "petitioner", not actually a joint sponsor. Is this correct? So my dad would check "first" for this question?

Part 7: It says again and again that this part is optional. Is this true? My dad earns a good salary and so we think that no further assets need to be provided. He states his salary, attaches his 3 tax years, and is done. Correct? (I was just surprised at that because I always see people freaking out here about getting tax forms.)

Thanks.

There is no way of dropping a joint sponsor before one of three events I listed above occurs except if the joint sponsor dies. Sorry. A lot of this process may or may not make sense but it's just the way it is and our job is to navigate the system and tick all the boxes. Many of us doing DCF have to have joint sponsors because we have little to no US income, even though we may have been high earners abroad who are stepping into new high-earning jobs. Hey, it happened to me. My mother was my husband's joint sponsor even though I earned enough in the UK to sponsor more than 20 immigrants because my income was not continuing when I returned to the States.

Look, the likelihood that your husband-to-be is ever going to collect the sort of means-tested benefits is low especially if you are going to be earning a good salary imminently. And that is certainly a nice thing to consider. I know we all worry about this stuff, but it really is very unlikely. Just curse the USCIS (again), hold your nose and tick the box. And get your husband naturalised as soon as he is eligible.

Edited to fix what was a major gender confusion on my behalf!

Well, that is frustrating information, since yes, the above is exactly my situation, but oh well. I am taking the route with my parents that it is HIGHLY unlikely that he will ever become a public charge and hopefully they will be ok with that.....

Thank you very much, though, for a clear and quick response.

Ok, done and done.

So, back to the matter at hand. It is not possible in any way to drop a joint sponsor? That kind of makes no sense to me, as I will be perfectly capable of supporting my fiance once we are in the US.

I'm sorry, I can't figure out how to change my status to DCF, or even how to edit my timeline. If someone can tell me how, I will do it.

I assume they are currently engaged but will get married and then file via DCF, at least that was my comprehension of the statement.

Roxyroo, if this is the case, the answer is no. Once a sponsor is "on the hook" (so to speak) by filing a I-864 in support, they are on there until one of the following things happen: the immigrant completes 40 quarters of work in the US; the immigrant has been a permanent resident for 10 years; or the immigrant naturalises (if sooner than the first two listed). You will also need to file an I-864 so you will already be a sponsor -- you cannot step into the joint sponsor's shoes because you are already in them!

Hope that makes sense.

Ok. I'm sorry if I said anything that was confusing. Yes, we are at the moment engaged; we will be getting married and filing for DCF immediately after. So I consider him, and he is, my fiance right now.

We did file for a K-1 last year, went to the States, saw the financial ruin that is the economy (there were no jobs for me at the moment, that has changed), and returned here for another year. We will now be doing DCF.

So, it might have been already answered, but now with all that clarified, if I ask my parents to be joint sponsors they are stuck with that until he naturalizes (that is most likely our plan, and the fastest route to getting them off the hook). There is no way for me to become the sole sponsor, even after I am earning a healthy income in the US? If that is true, how frustrating.

Hi VJ,

My fiance and I are going to do DCF in Colombia. I am the USC and am working up my courage to ask my parents to be the co-sponsor of the Affidavit of Support, since I obviously am a Colombian resident and have no US income. I don't know if they will say yes, as they are weird about money things.

So, my question is, when I get to the US and get a job, can I change the affidavit so that Iam then the sponsor??

Any help is appreciated, this way I can reassure my parents that it will only be a temporary thing.

Hi VJ,

I am a US citizen residing in Colombia (have lived/worked there for 3 1/ years) and my fiance and I plan to marry in a civil ceremony this spring.

I am at home in the US for Christmas and want to go back with documents I may need for the notary.

I know according to the Embassy's info (http://bogota.usembassy.gov/marriage.html) that I need an apostilled birth certificate and I also need the equivalent of a Colombian registro civil saying I am unmarried/have never been married.

Quoting from the embassy's site here:

No such document exists in many jurisdictions in the United States, however, and most U.S. citizens will therefore have to discuss with the notary what substitutes will be acceptable. Some notaries may allow you to present signed, notarized letters from friends or family, swearing that you are unmarried.

Has anyone done this? Can anyone give me any ideas on even what exactly the letter should say? I am planning on just having a letter from my father/parents---or 2 letters, one from my dad and one from my mom.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Happy holidays!!

Hi VJ,

I am a resident of Colombia (have lived/worked there for 3 1/ years) and my fiance and I plan to marry in a civil ceremony this spring.

I am at home in the US for Christmas and want to go back with documents I may need for the notary.

I know according to the Embassy's info (http://bogota.usembassy.gov/marriage.html) that I need an apostilled birth certificate and I also need the equivalent of a Colombian registro civil saying I am unmarried/have never been married.

Quoting from the embassy's site here:

No such document exists in many jurisdictions in the United States, however, and most U.S. citizens will therefore have to discuss with the notary what substitutes will be acceptable. Some notaries may allow you to present signed, notarized letters from friends or family, swearing that you are unmarried.

Has anyone done this? Can anyone give me any ideas on even what exactly the letter should say? I am planning on just having a letter from my father/parents---or 2 letters, one from my dad and one from my mom.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Happy holidays!!