C_María

C_Maria, Thanks for your reply! Yes, my wife's confirmation page has the bar code, passport number and all those goodies. However, how do I know that the "Incomplete" status is not stopping the NVC from proceeding? I mean, my wife has the confirmation page but she can't schedule her own interview. So, you have your confirmation page like my wife, but did the same thing happen to you? If so, what ended up happening? I really hope they call her for her interview soon, but I just don't know if that "Incomplete" is holding things up. Also, is there supposed to be a follow up on the I-864 I sent in? I sent that in early Feb, but haven't heard anything. I'm assuming they tie that in to the Visa application. Thanks again! P.s. 20% off next visa, hahaha! God help me if I ever have to do this again. I don't plan on getting married again, so this is my one time. I thought completing the paperwork on line would speed up the process more. It really hasn't been that way.

Unfortunately I can't help you with any of that since I'm just a little K-1. We've been at this 9 months now, too! What a horrible pain in the #### it's been but it will be worth it once it's over. I would call the NVC and ask them these things to be sure so things don't get held up. (603)334-0700 Good luck!!!!!!

Woah, my word got censored! Didn't know that would happen! ###### ######! Jejeje, how does it know?

RIGHT ON!!!!!! I'm so happy for you that you got through the ASC with everything in order. That's crazy that most people were turned away because they didn't have the DS-260, what a mess. I'm sure there's a lot of upset people over there, and frustrated workers. I'm confident the rest of the process will go just as smoothly for you, you've got it together. My fiance has his ASC Wednesday an interview on Thursday and I think we're all set, too. He's just bringing all his receipts and confirmation numbers to all the appointments just in case...

Hello All. We just got back from the ASC appointment here in Juarez, so thought I would share. We originally made the appointment online after we paid the fees (also online) and filled out the DS-260 form online and printed the confirmation pages. We arrived at the ACS, which is attached to the consulate, about 15 minute before the appointment time. The guard out front asked to see our appointment letter which was the confirmation page we printed after it was scheduled, our passports, and the letter with the date of our interview. We were not allowed to bring anything inside, no cell phones, nothing metal, they even took my son's pack of gum and threw it away.(yes we HAD to schedule an appointment online for a K-1 visa now, it was NOT an open appointment. Once inside they gave us a number and then called us up immediately. They asked for our DS-260 confirmation pages passports, and appointment letter. Most people did not have the DS-260 confirmation pages and were turned away. They took our pictures, did the fingerprints, stamped the DS-260 confirmation pages as "received" and told us to be 1/2 hour early to our interview on Tuesday and to be sure to bring the DS-260 forms that they have now stamped with us. The whole process took less than 5 minutes, as we had all of our paperwork in order. They seemed a litte suprised that we had actually done the DS-260 form ahead of time. Like I said most poor people had to leave.

We were able to schedule the ASC appointment right after we scheduled the interview appointment and they gave us dates that coincided with our interview appointment.

Hope this helps everyone who are as confused as we have been. Will update on Tuesday after the interview!!!

PS. I think we're ALL really frustrated with this system right now!!!! We deserve a 20% off your next visa coupon or something.

If yours is like ours your e-mail confirmation has a file attachment that is a half sheet with name, bar code, passport number,and confirmation number. I say if you have that you're okay no matter if the system is down. It seems like it would have went through to the database when your confirmation was generated and there you have proof of it and you can print it out and bring it like the instructions say to do. I hope that helps!

I think you should go here and click "contact us" at the top of the page

http://mexico.usvisa-info.com/en-MX/selfservice/ss_country_welcome

Another question:

I have been looking at some timelines for Mexico and sometimes it takes a week or more to receive the visa after the interview was approved. Is this because they received it in another city other than Juarez? If you are there in Juarez how long does it take to have the visa in hand?

In Juarez they say it's 2-10 business days. And from the timelines I've scoured I've never seen more than about 5 days, recently the few I've seen are 2 or 3 days. DHL is open until 2 on Sats there though I'm not sure if it's possible for it to arrive Sat since the consulate is closed. I think it's entirely possible to arrive on a Mon and if you could schedule an interview for Tues or Wed, and do your medical and ASC the day before, to be out by Fri. We'll see how long it takes with Robe's Thurs appointment... I'm thinking Fri if a small miracle occurs but probably Mon or Tues.

I think that's a form having to do with the CR-1. Maybe you mean DS-160? http://manila.usembassy.gov/wwwh3024.html#ds160

So today just for fun I went to http://ceac.state.gov/iv/ to see if I could log on to the DS-260 form. I did not know what to do about the Invoice ID Number so I called NVC and they gave me one. I also logged on to the http://mexico.usvisa-info.com site just to see if I could see how it works. I put my own US passport in and the other details and could log in. It seems like I could go all the way, pay the fee, and choose an interview date if I wanted to. This all seems strange to me given that Juarez has not sent out my letter yet.

Any insights to this?

Hmmmm, well at no point was I asked if I had the packet 3 except on the phone when I finally was able to schedule the interview. Maybe you can do it before hand... but you'd still need the invitation to get into your medical and most likely your interview as well. I've read that some people have made appointments in the past with the K-1 visas for various personal reasons even when the appointments were open. Here's a recent discussion with someone who made one a couple months back for next week.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/299809-help-please/

Also in this discussion they had put the petitioner's passport number to enter and it took it initially but was not correct. They want the beneficiary's passport number.

So we went ahead and filled out the DS-260 today and it is identical to the DS-160 except for a few minor questions. As someone pointed out earlier there was one question about the petitioner's relationship to the beneficiary and since there was no option for fiance we had to choose spouse. We finished and Robe signed it electronically and printed out a confirmation with number and barcode same as the other form. He's going to bring both to the fingerprint appointment and interview since it wasn't clear who wanted them, either.

Vamos a ver!!!

Okay, now I just need to have some confirmation that we can indeed go to the window and request a copy. The new guy on the phone said you can't. But, several people on this forum say you can and that they have. Can we confirm for sure if this is okay?

(Again the guy may not of known what he was talking about).

I'll let you know on Monday after Robe tries it! I really don't see why not. I have gotten more misinformation from those reps than true information... I think they get just as confused as us when things are constantly changing. They told me last week that we can always go to the window to get a copy of the letter and that makes more sense to me. Why would you still have to wait for it to come in the mail?

I'll put us out there as guinea pigs, I still am not completely sure that what we're doing is gonna work but we're willing to take the risk and see what happens. Something will happen! And I'll let you all know what.

As far as DS-160 or 260... this is what it says on the homepage of the usvisa site now:

Important Note:

Most visa applicants in Mexico are required to visit an Applicant Service Center (ASC) prior to their consular section interview. The ASC staff collects the applicant's biometric information that will be reviewed by the consular section prior to the applicant's interview. The ASCs are located in buildings separate from the U.S. Embassy and Consulates. For more information, please click here

and when you click "here" it says this:

How to Get Started

An applicant will need the following before scheduling an appointment:

•The passport number of each applicant.

•Proof that the visa application fee has been paid for each applicant.

•Nonimmigrant Visa Electronic Application, DS-160 confirmation (barcode) number for each applicant.

•Additional information may be required based on the type of visa for which the applicant is applying. For example, a:

◦SEVIS number from the Form I-20 for Students or Form DS-2019 for Exchange Visitors

◦Petition Number from the Form I-797 for Temporary Work Visas

◦Case Number for Immigrant Visa applicants

The thing that is confusing is that the K visas are a hybrid type of visa and are referred to sometimes as "immigrant" and also sometimes as "non-immigrant". This is how it's defined on the usvisa site:

Fiancé(e) Visas are included in this section because even though they are technically nonimmigrant visas, they are processed by the immigrant visa unit.

So that's why I decided to try for the DS-160. Also there were a few slots that asked us what type of visa we were applying for and the drop down box gave "K" as an option. If you aren't sure if it's right try to fill it out and see what you think.

I still haven't come across the 260, do you guys think we should fill that out also to be sure? Where is it located?

Thanks for your feedback everybody!!!!

One of the requirements of the interview appointment is to have the interview invitation letter in hand. Do you plan on printing that out at the information window at Juarez? Or does it no longer matter, since you are scheduled for an interview in their system?

Well I'm sending some papers DHL to Juarez Monday anyways so I figured I'd put the letter in if it got here on time. It's been a week since they sent them and I saw someone didn't receive theirs for almost a month so I have no idea when to expect them (what kind of mail service they are using that is slower than regular mail, I don't know). I'm not sure if Robe still needs to bring it to the interview but he will most definitely need it for entrance into the medical exam so if I'm not able to send it he'll just go to the window to request a copy.

[quote name=Matt ' timestamp='1300344637' post='4547038]

Thanks C Maria! Only have questions about appointments, so it sounds like there is no open appointment after ASC, you make an ASC appt and medical exam & interview appts at one time over the phone?

my fiance lives in DF, can she schedule an ASC appointment in DF and then one in a few days or week after that in Juarez CDJ for medical exam & interview? or did you get the feeling you have to do ASC interview the day before medical exam?

Thanks C Maria!

P.S. C Maria & I werent able to upload fiance photo on DS-160 online. My lawyer looked into it and they said to just print out confirmation and bring a passport type photo in to attach to it.

When I made the ASC appointment they just gave Robe an interview appointment the next day without me asking. It seemed to be kindof a combo deal. They said the medical is still drop-in and it has to be done some time before the interview same as before. Robe's ASC isn't until 4 pm so he may even do the medical earlier that same day and then the interview is scheduled for 7am the next morning.

As far as the DF appointment the reason I know you can is because I made one and then cancelled it real quick just to see if I could. It's easy to do. I'm pretty sure it did another combo deal and automatically put the interview appointment the following day but I'm not positive. You should just try it and then you can click it away if it doesn't schedule it how you want it.

You may get lucky and be able to make an appointment as soon as your letter goes out, eh?!

OKAY Y'ALL!!! So I think we got this whole mess sorted out! Today I went to the us visa website [ http://mexico.usvisa-info.com/en-MX/selfservice/us_before_you_apply ] and they have organised it way different now. It says everyone needs to schedule an ASC appointment and to do so you need to

pay the $350 MRV fee,

fill out the DS- 160 (yeah thats right 160),

and then schedule the appointment.

The DS- 160 was a little unnecessarily thorough and it you need to fill it out in 20 minutes or it will time out on you so write down that reference number they give you right at the start to be able to go back to where you left off. And unlike the other forms we have filled out so far this is the style that you electronically sign and submit with the click of a button. Then they give you a receipt with a CEAC confirmation number and a bar code that you need to print out.

To pay the MRV fee you have the option to go to a Banamex or Scotia in person, call, or online. I chose online and used my fiance's Mexican passport number to create an account. After I paid I was given a MRV fee receipt number. When I continued along through the system I chose a DHL location and then got to an appointment schedule section. After many attempts I was unable to choose a day and time at any branch besides D.F.(anyone planning to go their ASC there can use the online system). We called the phone number listed for Juarez in the Mexican ASC list and were told they aren't making appointments for at least two more weeks!!!

Then we almost gave up for two more weeks.

Then I tried my buddies at the 703# that I've been kindly harassing for weeks. I told the rep I needed an appointment but the website wasn't letting me make one. He asked me if I filled out the online form and paid the fee and when I said that I had he was able to make appointments right away! The first ASC ones they had available are for Wed the 22nd and he scheduled that and an interview appointment for the following morning. I was given confirmation numbers for each appointment... y ya!

He said we just have to make sure to get the medical done first and I didn't ask but Robe's going to bring all the forms that were previously requested that we already had filled out, evidence of relationship, intent to marry, evidence of financial solvency and all that stuff.

Soooooo.... it seems like we're good to go!

PS, They put our packet 3 in the mail on the 10th and it hasn't arrived yet. They said we had to wait until it arrived and read the instructions but goes to show that wasn't necessary.

Hi C_Maria, now you mentioned the CURP, is this the "National identification number" that is asked in Question 14 (DS- 156 form)? I thought the answer was NONE...

Without looking at the form I can say off the top of my head that the answer is probably yes. Whenever we were asked for a national identification number my fiance put his CURP. Honestly I'm not even sure what the word stands for but he said it was like my social security number when we explained it to each other. I felt like we needed it on a couple things.

Check this out- it might help as well:

http://www.visajourney.com/consulates/index.php?ctry=Mexico&cty=Juarez

Well i got my letter in the begginning of march. and my interview date is at the end of this month so i have like 2 weeks to get ready. and i am so worried that i won't have everything by then. well I have to make my ASC fingerpoing appointment and that's where i got stuck at, cause when i was going to make one, it had passport ID so i automatically thought that i was supposed to put mine because i'm a U.S citizen, and i have a passport, and he doesn't have one so i was like okay, and it had said primary applicant, and i was like what? who is the primary applicant...so i had to ask for help. Well january or febuary i had emailed them, and asked them that i needed an appointment, because they said that they had open appointments. but i didn't want to go to an open appointment cause i live far away, and i wasn't sure if i just went and they didn't get me without an appointment, so i asked them if there was away that i can get an appointment, and they had told me 2-3 months i can get an appointment, and i waited and they sent me this letter, where it said visa appointment date and time. so i was happy but in away not really prepared.

And i heard about the DS-260 form and a DS-156 or something like that they'res like i think 2 or 3 forms we need to take or fill out online. On the ciudad juarez consulate website i found it. and i think that's the packet that we need right, here's the link lets see if i'm right... http://ciudadjuarez.usconsulate.gov/root/pdfs/pk1iv.pdf That's what i read please tell me that that's the packet they give us or do we need to print that out?? i don't know exactly.. help.

Oh okay, that makes a little more sense now that I hear you requested an appointment! You will have enough time to get everything together in the next couple weeks, just set aside some time at the computer and you will probably want to be on the phone or skype with your fiance while you both fill them out since you are in different countries right now aren't you?

Make sure your fiance has his original birth certificate, his curp (that's like his version of social security card) and his passport, since he will need all of that to fill out the forms and to bring to his interview.

You will fill out the forms and print out at least two copies of each but your fiance will not sign them until he is at the interview. You can print out the other information if you want to for your own use but it is not necessary. You do not need to send anything online or in the mail, you just bring it all with you to the interview.

The forms you will need to fill out are listed here under "required documentation": http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_2994.html#5

as well as a good overview of everything else you need to bring to the interview including another "intent to marry" letter and the police records or "antecedentes no penales".

The DS-260 is a new form and it doesn't seem to be listed here though some people have had it mentioned in their letter. Since they are in transition right now we still don't know when it will be required. I think you should call the consulate and ask if you will need it. This is the number I use: (703)439-2313

I would recommend you start working on getting those police records right away if you do not have them since you will need them for everywhere he's lived since age 16. As you may have guessed if you've ever tried to get any paperwork from the government in Mexico; you will need to go to the city in person and find the right department, bring identification and sometimes passport size photos, pay a fee and wait hours to get it. In my fiance's case we had to go to three different cities so it took up some time!

If you haven't got the passport you need to work on that soon. It's not hard but will take up a little time over the span of a couple days and depending on where your fiance lives he may need to travel to a bigger city to find the nearest SRE. The closest one to us was 6 hours so we went for a few days to make sure we could get it all done.

It seems like a lot of papers but just read it all thoroughly and you will be fine, just like you did for the first round of paperwork. And keep asking questions as they come up, there are lots of people here to help you.

Kimchimex- nailed it. Couldn't have said it better myself! We're about due to get our packet 3 any time now and I'll let yall know how it goes. Feel free to contact me if you have any more questions.

Mexico DOES accept a co-sponsor. It seems like you already know but you need 5x the poverty level in assets and it says on the consulate form it is not necessary to fill out the I-134, just to provide the evidence of financial eligibility. We're filling two out anyways for me and my co-sponsor to keep things organised and we'll see if they accept it during the interview.

If I were you I would have done the same. A request for an expedite is not taking a visa out of a starving child's hand, and it's not like you're using up an expedite that could be given to a more deserving applicant. It's not selfish and it's not a moral or ethical standpoint, it's just another tool to navigate the maze of paperwork. You have "put in your time" waiting 6 months for your NOA2, I hope you get it and can be with your loved one soon. I'm sure she appreciates your efforts.

Que te vaya bien.

Yes i got a letter through mail and at the very bottom it says visa appointment the date and time. so I think it is the K-1 visa interview. i didn't receive my

K Visa/Fiance(e) Packet. i don't know if i'm supposed to print out the packet or it's supposed to be mailed to you. yes i think they are! i'm so bummed out on the passport.

Thanks for letting me know, I had no idea they were issuing appointments for the k-1 visas, now! How many days/weeks after you got the letter is the interview scheduled for? Do you have a separate ASC/fingerprint appointment? And you didn't make the appointment it was just given to you in your letter? Wow, this is getting really confusing!!!!!

As far as I understand the thing we call "packet 3" really is just your interview invitation and instructions how to fill out the rest online and print them and bring them. We're just still used to calling it a "packet". Sorry if that was confusing. If you look at the top of the page under "embassy info" there's a good list of the forms you need (plus the DS-260 now I guess!)

DONT worry about the passport, I was also so surprised how easy it was!!! We went with all the documents ready and turned them in one morning, he had a short interview a few hours later and then we picked it up the next afternoon. Waaaaaay easier than anything you're dealing with now!!!

Snap, okay the part that says 160 was just a typo It says 260 in Spanish. Check that off the list. Next...

Okay so the more I look into stuff the more confused I get.... There is a lot of conflicting information out there and a lot of it I'm reading straight off of government issued documents... SO here it's referring to form D-160 but Blam's letter refers to the D-260. When I try to get to form 260 it asks me for NVC number and invoice number- is the NVC number what I was using the whole 5 months to check in with USCIS? Okay, then where do I find an invoice number? The only other reference number I have is my current CDJ number. About to try to look for 160. Guys,my brain hurts un chingo.

form.pdf

Thank you so much for the help. no it's only him that i filed the petition for. We have a daughter but she's a U.S citizen, so i don't need to file for her.

and i know thanks for letting me know. now i'm so worried i'm not gonna make it in time, since the visa interview is the end of this month.. ahh. everything is so confusing. so they stamp his passport and he uses that to cross into the united states? i really thought he need to wait for the visa to come and he crosses with that.

I'm curious- do you have a scheduled appointment for your K-1 visa interview or is it an open interview? I'm about to receive my packet 3 and I'm confused as well I think these guys are pointing us in the right direction, though! Buen suerte!

I was wondering when you guys would get your turn... That's not the best news but it still is GOOD news! I think the hardest part of this process is the waiting and waiting and not knowing so at least there is some action, now. Besides I see a lot of people get their NOA2's a week or two after the RFE so you still could very well make the wedding!!! I'm sure it'll be a quick fix and you'll get to wait with us for the consulate to get their act together!