Chelartie

We're doing it on October 9, which is the Friday before Columbus Day weekend, so it will be a 4-day weekend for us! We're doing it at the DC Courthouse, which I believe was $40-50 or so. I wanted to get an officiant who would do it at a prettier location, but again, an extra expense for the legal ceremony didn't seem necessary. They only do weddings in the mornings and early afternoons. The latest appointment we could get for the 9th was 11:30am. They have a separate room and an officiant who performs the weddings there. You can bring 15 people in, I think. I wanted to do it as close to when he's in the country, as possible, so that we can file for AOS sooner, he can work sooner, and begin to feel settled in.

I guess that was not worded well!

popping pooping?

I just ate a big bowl of pasta...the dress doesnt fit me anymore blah

it isnt s'pose to fit!!!

no?

Yeah... Im poppin out of my pants... full!

full belly!!!!!

im so full tooooooooooooooooo

Just got an email from his dad that he everything went well! He picks it up on Monday. I haven't talked to him yet b/c I left my phone at home (mad at myself for that!), but yay! He already has a ticket for the 28th, but I was hesitant to consider it set in stone until he got the visa. Woo!

Hello, everyone, Interview today! In fact, he should be about to start (or sit around and wait, actually) right about now. Congrats to everyone who's had a successful interview and good luck to those with ones coming up!

Yesterday I had mi Cr1 interview at the Guatemala Embassy. The security people were simply rude. They didn't let me take my keys inside because of the alarm control. Then I asked if I could leave them with them and they said: " No, for security reasons". So I said, what am I supposed to do, you guys ask on your website for the person to come alone.

And they said "Leave it inside the car". At that point I did give up since I figured they were not very smart.

Thanks God the people in the parking lot next to the embassy are very familiar with the situation and they were nice enough to take care of my keys.

At the interview place they were lots of people, you can hear what they are saying to all of them and I did notice that A LOT of people were sent home because of their paperwork was not in order or they were missing some kind of paper.

I waited and hour and a half for them to call me the first time, they went through my paperwork and asked me about the person sponsoring me and they took my medical exams.

Then I had to wait another hour for them to call me again for the actual interview. There were the consul and his assitant. He was very nice, sweet, and polite. She was scarry she raised her voice more than once to the people she was interviewing and she didn't seem to enjoy speaking in Spanish.

And yes.....I did get her of course . She seemed reliefed to see that I spoke English. The questions were:

1) Why do you have a UK police certificate?

2) Where you married before?

3) With this person?

4) Why did the marriage end?

5) How long was I married?

6) If I have been separated from my ex for 5 years why did it took me four to get a divorce?

7) Did I travel to the U.K to get a divorce?

6) How and where did I meet my current husband?

7) When did the relationship turn romantic?

8) Where has my husband lived before. List places

9) How ofted did we see each other? I showed them the photocopy of his passport and phone bills

10) SHe was my photo albums and asked to see some pictures of when we were dating. I showed her around 7 she said that was enough. She asked for every pictured when it was taken and where.

11) How many guests were there at your wedding?

12) Have you ever had problems with the law in this country, the U.S. or any country?

13) How long have you been married?

13)Then she asked picture of my wedding I took two out and scanned through the album, she said that was enough.

13) She said, Everything is in order your Visa has been granted!!!!!!

It did help that I spoke English, that Robin was VERY careful about the paper work and everything was well organized.

That I had all the copies of what he sent. And I only answered yes or no, or gave a brief explanation to her question.Afterwards I asked her a couple of more questions and she turned out to be super nice!!!!

Thank you God for beign with me every ste of the way!!!

Hi Mayra,

Congrats! Arturo has his K1 interview tomorrow, so it's good to read the review!

Wow, that's so beautiful! Congrats!

Liz, Gefeliciteerd!!!!

Wow, what an eventful day: visas approved, SOs coming to the country, real-life meetings of feb-filers, and I know there were some approvals either today or yesterday. Congrats everyone!

Thanks, everyone.

I've seen similar topics on this, but I'm still not quite sure what to do. My fiance has two last names. The first is his father's last name (ie Doe) and his mother's last name (ie Garcia). So, his name as on his birth certificate would be Juan Doe Garcia.

I went to fill out the marriage license application today and came across the first (of what I assume will be many) name issues. Originally, she wrote Doe as a middle name, so his name appeared as "Garcia, Juan Doe." However, Doe is NOT actually a middle name, but is the surname he has used his whole life. We finally settled it by putting both last names in the surname place, so it's "Doe Garcia, Juan." She told me to check what's on his passport/social security card (he was a student on an F1 and has a SSN) and let her know if it needs to be changed.

The problem is, I think it's different on both documents. On his birth certificate and passport, his name appears with both last names. However, for simplicity's sake, when he applied for his ss card, he just put his name as Juan Doe b/c that really is the name he uses in everyday life.

I just want to be able to choose one way and be consistent from here on out, ie driver's license and other legal docs. I think he prefers just to go by Juan Doe in the U.S. as it's just easier. Can we drop the Garcia on the marriage certificate or should we be consistent with his birth certificate?

Any suggestions? Which agency would be the ultimate authority on this?

My Husband is from Nicaragua and we had a similar situation.

His name is Balvino Waldan Alvarez. When we fill out official documents this is what we use even though he goes by Waldan as a last name. When we got married he changed his name to Balvino Alvarez Waldan-Brown. He took my last name as well. When you fill anything out for USCIS make sure you use what is on his BC or passport. When we filed for AOS and used his married name we had no problems nor for SSN. Good Luck!

Thanks for the responses. It seems like there's a few different approaches outlined/advice, so I'm still not really sure what to do.

You said your husband changed his name when he got married. I think my SO is fine with changing his name officially to just use first name and dad's last name (esp. since it's already what's on his Social Sec. card). He doesn't want a hyphen or really to use the mother's last name at all. But, when and how does a person change their name?

And, in the meantime, can we actually apply for the marriage license with just his first name and dad's last name? Or will this be a problem b/c of the 2nd last name on the passport/birth certificate? The woman at the court house told me to see what's on his passport and social security card, but the problem is, they're different! Passport has (First Name/First Last Name/2nd Last Name) whereas ss has First Name/First Last Name.

Thanks!

I've seen similar topics on this, but I'm still not quite sure what to do. My fiance has two last names. The first is his father's last name (ie Doe) and his mother's last name (ie Garcia). So, his name as on his birth certificate would be Juan Doe Garcia.

I went to fill out the marriage license application today and came across the first (of what I assume will be many) name issues. Originally, she wrote Doe as a middle name, so his name appeared as "Garcia, Juan Doe." However, Doe is NOT actually a middle name, but is the surname he has used his whole life. We finally settled it by putting both last names in the surname place, so it's "Doe Garcia, Juan." She told me to check what's on his passport/social security card (he was a student on an F1 and has a SSN) and let her know if it needs to be changed.

The problem is, I think it's different on both documents. On his birth certificate and passport, his name appears with both last names. However, for simplicity's sake, when he applied for his ss card, he just put his name as Juan Doe b/c that really is the name he uses in everyday life.

I just want to be able to choose one way and be consistent from here on out, ie driver's license and other legal docs. I think he prefers just to go by Juan Doe in the U.S. as it's just easier. Can we drop the Garcia on the marriage certificate or should we be consistent with his birth certificate?

Any suggestions? Which agency would be the ultimate authority on this?

*** DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS E-MAIL *** The last processing action taken on your case Receipt Number: EACXXXXXXXXApplication Type: I129F , PETITION FOR FIANCE(E) Current Status: Approval notice sent. On August 4, 2009, we mailed you a notice that we have approved this I129F PETITION FOR FIANCE(E). Please follow any instructions on the notice. If you move before you receive the notice, call customer service. If you have questions or concerns about your application or the case status results listed above, or if you have not received a decision from USCIS within the current processing time listed*, please contact USCIS Customer Service at (800) 375-5283. *Current processing times can be found on the USCIS website at www.uscis.gov under Case Status and Processing Dates.*** Please do not respond to this e-mail message. Sincerely, The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS HOLY MOLY I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Woo hoooooo! Congrats!

Very cool, Jamie. Glad to hear that things are working out logistically. And congrats to the others who've recently passed interviews and got NOA2s. It's the end of the month, so maybe there'll be more approvals today.

Arturo has his medical today. It's kind of weird, he just scheduled it yesterday. I was a bit shocked to hear that it was so fast.

Yay, had appointment on July 20 and we got our visa!! We were missing a form so had to go back the next day. I was thanked for coming to Guatemala for the appointment, "it makes it easier" the officer said.

Congrats!

Last Friday, I booked a ticket to go to Guatemala during Labor Day weekend. I found a relatively good price and it was an impulse buy. I'll be there on the 4th and only staying until the 8th....It just so happens that he got his interview date scheduled for the 10th. Good news! But now it seems rather silly that it's 2 days after I'll be there and I won't be able to go. I can't ask them to reschedule for the 7th b/c it's labor day and they are closed. I'm wondering if I should try to change my ticket...The pros: being there for the interview. The cons: extra expense, extra days off work that I'd rather save up for a honeymoon next year... I'd really like to be there for the peace of mind, but to be honest, I'm not all THAT worried about the visa being denied. I guess I'm wondering if anyone who has been through this has any advice or perspectives to share...

Interview set for Sept. 10!!!

Wait, the petitioner's passport is needed at the interview? REally? Is this for all embassies?

Gracias Karen y Teresa. Ayer (antes de leer estos posts) le envie un email a la embajada para confirmar que recibieron la peticion y para preguntar como se van las cosa en adelante. Ya veremos como me contestan...

Hola Teresa y Chelsea! Gracias por bienvenida . Bueno tengo una preguntita que hacerles a todos.... La direccion de mi novio no tiene número ni calle como las de EU. Para que le llegue correo tiene que poner "dos casas arriba tienda hanaly". Sera posible que usemos otra direccion con número y calle para que le llegue el paquete tres? O sera un problema? Gracias.

Ay, no se. Yo diria que ponga la direccion de una forma que se llegue el correo, aunque no sea una direccion tradicional.

Lee: congrats! I'm very happy to see they've finally released your case.

DAve: Wow, August 10th. That's really soon. Good luck!

ROman do you live in New Dorp. ROman is it true that the verrazano bridge is going up to $11.00 or is up to $11.00. I heard this the other day? and the outerbridge and Goethals are at $8.00.. that is crazy.. DO you live by the old dump roman or in New Dorp?

I live 5 minutes from Verrazano bridge, which is very convenient. What you heard is true. The toll went up to $11. Can you say "RIP OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

My friend lives in Bay Ridge, right over the Verrazano bridge. I was just there this week, actually. Whenever I drive to go see her, instead of bus, I'm always shocked at how my toll money doesn't last that long!

Hola a todos,

Nuestra peticion ya esta en ruta a la embajada de Guatemala. Salio del NVC anoche despues de pasar casi un mes en AP.

Una preguntita para los chapines: cuanto tiempo tardo en recibir la fecha de la entrevista despues de que llego la peticion a Guate? Como una semana? Les mandaron la informacion por correo o correo electronico? Ya estamos metidos en este tramite desde febrero asi que, como se imaginan, ya no tengo mucha paciencia.

Maricruz: bienvenidos!

Teresa: que bueno que la pasara bien de vacaciones! No tenia ningun problema regresar a los Estados con los documentos del AP? Quiero tener la luna de miel en el extranjero despues de unos meses de estar casados. Quiero asegurar que realmente funciona el AP!

Chelsea

hi everyone,

ended up gettting off work early, cant relax cos of medical in the morning, so I just logged in to see how everything was going.

Congrats charlartie on getting out of AP!!!!

Thanks! Good luck with the medical tomorrow!

AP over! NVC received date: June 25. Mail date: July 18.

Congratulations

Thanks!

AP over! NVC received date: June 25. Mail date: July 18.

Just called NVC and learned the petition is being sent to the embassy today. AP: June 25-July 18.

Lee, I hope you get similar news VERY soon!

I got our approval email at 10 this morning!!!!! Just in time for VJ to be down for several hours hahaha. Also just in time for me to have booked a flight for the hell of it next month Now I'm gonna have to go again just a couple months after haha.

Congratulations! Did you get the email at 10:15 by chance?

I also had recently booked a trip because it seemed my NOA2 was ever elusive. Then I got the NOA2 and now wish I'd booked the trip at least a month later, so it could overlap with the interview. Oh well; it'll all work out I'm sure.

I can't believe you had to wait 6.5 months for NOA2. I hope the rest of the process is super fast for you!