Harold08

Cool thanks for the clarification. I understand Colombianogringo's point for getting the 10 year card instead of the temporary one, but then again you want your wife to become a resident as soon as possible. I might be looking at the same scenario once i file for AOS but let's see what happens.

Yeah those email updates are the best, that is actually how i found out even before i had anything that the petition was accepted. Cool thanks

Really? So by the end of those 90 days she will hopefully be along her way of getting a SS or how does that work? Another thing is i was reading the instruction on where to file the AOS and it says i have to file to the Chicago Lockbox. If i file there, the application will not be processed there right? will it get sent to my local office? That would be unfortunate because if it does, i checked the processing times for the NYC office for AOS and it says they are still in October 2007 applications. Do you guys know if it gets sent there or can it be processed somewhere else? Thanks guys.

I think Diana was being specific for an EAD without AOS in process.

The Chicago Lockbox is where you MUST send your AOS unless you have a friend at the NYC office.

They will send it usually to the National Benefits Center (Missouri) or to one of the main service centers like California, Texas, Vermont... etc. Which allows the possibility of calling for checkup eventually.

Ah ok got you. So it wont usually go to the NYC office right? They will tell you where it gets sent to on the NOA1 right? Thanks guys.

Really? So by the end of those 90 days she will hopefully be along her way of getting a SS or how does that work? Another thing is i was reading the instruction on where to file the AOS and it says i have to file to the Chicago Lockbox. If i file there, the application will not be processed there right? will it get sent to my local office? That would be unfortunate because if it does, i checked the processing times for the NYC office for AOS and it says they are still in October 2007 applications. Do you guys know if it gets sent there or can it be processed somewhere else? Thanks guys.

Cool thanks a lot guys. Another thing is i was reading the instruction on where to file the AOS and it says i have to file to the Chicago Lockbox. If i file there, the application will not be processed there right? will it get sent to my local office? That would be unfortunate because if it does, i checked the processing times for the NYC office for AOS and it says they are still in October 2007 applications. Do you guys know if it gets sent there or can it be processed somewhere else?

Hey guys,

I have a quick question. If i have an original of our marriage certificate from when i submitted it before for the I29F and a copy of the translation [They gave this back at the embassy], can i just submit that for the marriage certificate or does the translation have to be an original? Same goes for her birth certificate.

Yep Yep that is exactly what my wife and I figured when a lot of places said that they will not do the translation without the apostille. We found this one place where the guy said it was OK and that the other places do it to just get that extra money but the problem with that place is that everything will take about a week so we are not sure if we can get the papers on time for my wife to come. We'll talk to the guy tomorrow to see if he can get those papers ready before that because we also want to translate her transcripts for High School and the two semesters of University that she did translated so that she will have them ready here. Translations here in the US are ridiculously expensive so we want to avoid that. Hopefully we can work something out so that we don't have to send for the papers later on and pay for delivery to the US and all that.

Oh wow so nothing needs to have an apostille? That would be great because an apostille takes really long (4-5 days since it goes through Bogota) and it costs like 40000 pesos so it would be great if she can use that money for other stuff. So what's the deal with the apostille? what needs to have it? Thanks.

Hey guys,

I am now posting over here because i have some serious questions about the AOS process now that my wife has a K3 visa. As mentioned she will be entering the US at JFK on Nov 20, and i wanted to know what she has to watch out for at the POE. I have read that the officer has to give her the I94 and the EAD stamp at the POE. Once she gets this EAD stamp, she still has to file for the EAD document with the I-765? Can she work just showing the stamp? Can she be denied this EAD stamp at the POE? Furthermore, the conditional residence which is given if the AOS is approved before the 2 year anniversary still applies to K3 visa holders or is it just for K1 visa holders? Finally just to make sure that my wife brings the appropriate documents for the AOS, the only things that she has to bring back with an apostille and translation are her birth certificate and our marriage certificate right?

Thanks for the help and sorry for all the questions.

Thanks a lot guys. I just flew into NYC back from Bogota and will start getting things ready for her. We already got a ticket for November 20th so now i'm just going to wait patiently for that day. One questions that i have now is what does she have to bring to the US that she may have to Apostille (like the marriage certificate) or bring for the process of AOS? Thanks a lot again guys and i am so glad that this big step of getting her to the US is finally coming to an end and we will finally be together.

Hey guys,

We went on the interview today and got the visa approved!!! We were out by 10 am and the whole process was pretty smooth. It was surprising that the consul asked my wife two basic questions: When we met and when we got married and after that spoke to me in English asking me the same questions and what i studied at NYU and where i wanted to continue medical school. She continued and said so ok the visa is approved.. by this time i almost passed out in joy with my wife. We will be getting a ticket for her around Nov 22 - 3 days before my birthday, and what better birthday gift to have than my wife. Thanks for all the help guys and i will be seeing you in the AOS side in a short time. Thanks for everything again.

Harold

Hey guys,

So im getting ready to fly into Bogota early tomorrow and also for the interview on Thursday. All we need to do over there are the medical exams (hopefully not too many vaccines) and the immigration paper that can only be gotten there. So hopefully everything goes well and when i fly back it will be knowing that my wife has the visa and can come to the United States. Thanks for the help and wish us luck!

Harold

Yep 440 plus tax and everything. I already got it and will be heading to Bogota on November 4th and we will have the interview on November 6th. Plus it is also good that i can take all the paperwork and not have to rely on some service to hopefully deliver the paperwork on time.

I just looked at Avianca straight from NY to Bogota and it comes out to 440, which is not bad compared to the prices i have paid to go to Colombia during the last three years, with the cheapest one being 650.

Hey guys

Do you guys think that if the spouse (me) is at the interview it makes a big difference? I just don't want her to be put on any kind of administrative hold or anything like that because i would die. I'm considering flying straight to Bogota. Many have said that even the interviewer mentioned that having the spouse at the interview helped a lot. What do you guys recommend? thank you for the help.

Sincerely,

Harold

Hey guys i just did an estimate online and it costs around 75 bucks for it to get there on Oct 28th if I send it on Oct 24th. That is pretty expensive but anything for my wife to finally come here =)

Thanks a lot Diana. Quick question, what do you guys use to send paperwork to Colombia? The thing is that my sister will be back from Puerto Rico next week thursday and we are thinking of sending everything to Cali that Friday. Do you think it ill get there on time since my wife will be leaving to Bogota around the 1st of November?

Oh yeah, I never get anything on paper from my bank so everything is online, and that's what I would do. Online statements are almost identical copies of paper statements so they're legit.

Don't forget also that copies of tax returns are the primary piece of financial evidence the embassy will take a look at, so make sure you bring them with you.

Diana

Yeah i'm sending her my tax returns for the last two years along with the I134 as well as the last two years for my sister (i do not have a third year because i didnt work then and my sister does not have the one for 2005.) Do you guys think that might be a problem? Another question, do I or my sister need to sign anything in the back of the tax returns so that my wife can show it at the embassy? Thanks

Yes I do as well as my sister who is the Co-sponsor. So we can just print the statements for the last year and show them with the letter that we get from the bank branch right?

Another quick question.

For those of you who took the evidence to the embassy for the I134, did you guys take bank statements to show the deposits made over a year or did you guys get a specific statement (letter) stating the three things that they ask for in the I134? The thing is that i can get a letter from the bank really quick from one day to the next specifying the date the account was opened and the present balance, however the deposits made over a year are a pain in the butt. Do you guys think that worse comes to worse the bank statements for the last year will suffice for that part of the evidence? Thank you for the time and the help.

Sincerely,

Harold

Hey guys,

I'm getting ready the documents that they ask for in the I134 but seem to have run into a problem. I asked Washington Mutual (My Bank) for the statement saying the date my account was opened, deposits made over the past year and the present balance and they tell me that the statement will take around 7-10 business days to be delivered to my address. This is troublesome because i have to send both I134s ( mine and the cosponsor's) to my wife by next week so that she can receive it by the 31st of October because she leaves to Bogota that weekend to attend all the different matters and the interview on Nov 6th. I was thinking if i can just use the statements going back a year to show the amount of money deposited during the past year and get some sort of simpler letter from someone at a branch to cover what they need, Do you guys think that would be enough? Thanks for the help.

Sincerely,

Harold

Hey Harold. I think that would be your wife's name if I remember the 134 correctly. As long as you make it clear that you are (or your sister is on her 134) the petitioner and your wife is the sponsored soul... then all will be OK.

Since its a K-3, then if it asks for her spouse's name, then name yourself. Seems tricky, but its the truth.

Yeah thats what i was thinking. On the I134 that i put for myself as the sponsor it also asks for the spouses name of the person for whom the affidavit is being filed, so i also put myself there even though i will not be accompanying her in the trip. It seems obvious that they would understand what i am trying to say. Thanks for the help.

Sincerely,

Harold

Hey guys,

another quick question. I'm filling out the I134 for the co-sponsor (sister) for my wife and where it says Name of Spouse accompanying or following to join person, do i put myself as the spouse? Im confused there because i am not actually accompanying her from Colombia or anything like that since i am already a citizen, but nevertheless it asks for the spouse name. Thanks a lot.

Sincerely,

Harold

Hey guys,

So we just got the interview date - its November 6. The mail was actually faster this time than the update on the website. So i got a few questions with the paperwork that they require. If she has not been in any judicial trouble, do we need to show anything for the judicial and prison records part of the paperwork? we already got the certificado judicial. Another question is for the immigration records. My wife and her parents applied for a visa in 1999 and they were denied - she was only 10 at the time so do we need to show anything for the immigration records part of the paperwork? She does not have anything close to what they specify like documents for asylum, changed status or anything like that.

Furthermore, i am not going to be able to go to the interview with her because even though i am in Colombia right now, i have to travel back this Wednesday to go on some medical school interviews. So my question is: As far as the I134 affidavit of support goes, i only made about 2000 and 3000 the past two years because as i said i am a student. I will be using my sister as a co-sponsor so do i have to specify anything that she is a cosponsor or just fill out two I134s and provide the corresponding evidence? Finally, The I134 has to be original so i have to send it to her from the US because my sister is over there and i need to get the thing notarized over there, so do you guys know of a good service to send it so it does not take long because since her interview will be on the 6th of November i need to get there fill it out notarize and send it ASAP.

Oh my bad Harold. Yes. Any and all evidence you have will not only suffice, but speed along your interview. Under these circumstances, yes to the money transfer receipts as well. Buen esposo!

Do mention your engraves in the wedding bands. Some COs are suckers for that kind of evidence since they do like to feel good about so much love in the air.

Ok cool thanks a lot. We're currently waiting for the website to be updated and see if we do get the interview on November.