Jenny & Danny

Hello,

In regards to your question #3. I only had to show the fathers permission at the airport. It was never asked at any other time throughout the Visa process. We provided a letter that we got from the DAS office. It depends where the father lives as to what type of notarization you will need.

I just went through the process with my fiance's child about a month ago. No permission letter is required for the Visa process, but it will be required for when you are ready to travel. Depending on where the father is living will determine the type of letter and what type of notorization that is required. Our situation, the father lives in the US and he was able to get a letter from the Colombian consulate in Miami. DAS has there own letter that the father can complete if he lives in Colombia. This will need Colombian notorization by an attorney.

We did not receive any questions at all in regards to the father of my fiances son. He dosent have a criminal past as far as we know. You may have issues when you are ready to take the child from Colombia.You either need the documentation showing full custody or a DAS permission letter from the father.

Hello,

My fiance petitioned for a tourist visa about a year ago and was denied because they claimed she didnt have ties to Colombia. A few months later she petitioned for a student visa. This time I helped her. She had every piece of documentation that was mentioned to prove she had ties to Colombia. Once again the petition was denied. They didnt even look at her supporting documents and wouldnt look when she tried to show all to the officer. Petition for a tourist visa is difficult, but I have heard that older family members do stand a better chance. I hope this helps. Good luck to you.

Hi everyone.........

I'm sure you have seen this kind of post many times before but I guess I just need to vent my disappoint. We submitted packet 3 documents by fax on March 7th hoping for a interview sometime in April. We could have submitted starting the 3rd week of January, but I was locked into a teaching contract through the 3rd week of March. The reason we waited was because I want to go to Colombia to be with my fiance for the interview process. We were trying to time it out, and after viewing other timelines for the amount of time between submitting packet 3 and a interview date, I thought it would work out in our favor. Well.... I just checked the newly posted April interview dates on the US embassy website and did not see our case number. Needless to say we are very disappointed. I was poised and ready in my own mind that I would be going to Colombia sometime in April. Especially since my fiance's mother, who is getting married, was waiting to know our interview date so she could schedule her wedding while I was there. The only thing I can think of is that the embassy is busier now and we have to wait longer. Or our documents never arrived by fax, though we have fax confirmation receipts that says the transmission went through. I wrote the emabassy so maybe they will respond.

Ok...... I feel a little better.... Thanks for reading my post, and most of all thanks for all your past advice.

Disaapointed in San Diego........

Hi. Not sure if it will help you, but rather than wait to find out when your appointment is by waiting for the online posting. You can call DOS direct at 202-663-1225 x1, x0 to confirm. You will need your new BGT case number.

I was able to find out my interview date sooner. I kept calling every other day till they had my info. Hope this helps with your planning.

How long does Domesa take to have a passport ready after approval? If picking it up at the Domesa office itself.

Thanks.

We had our interview on Wednesday and Jenny picked up at the Domesa office in Pereira 8 days later on Thursday

Hi VJ friends! We are almost complete with my adjustment of status package we still have a couple of things pending and one of those things is that I read on the guide for AOS for K1 that needed to translate my birth certificate. Is this really necesary? adn if so where can I translate it? IS there any authorized translator they request? Please help I need to submit this before april 16th which is when my k1 visa expires

TY so much for your help!

There are many online services that can do this for you. Here is the mail for a service I used. 'sales@worldaccesstrans.com' I believe it was around 40.00

That makes more sense. The reason the DAS said he needs an apostille is because he lives outside of Colombia. So, all he needs to do is go to the nearest Colombian Consulate and have this form notarized, no need for the apostille because it will have the Colombian notary seal. If he were to have it notarized with a regular US notary, he would've needed the apostille to make it valid in Colombia.

So you're fine as long as he gets it done in a Colombian Consulate here in the US. Also, make sure it is fairly recent or the DAS officer at the airport won't let the child leave the country. And remember that he will need to do this every time the child needs to leave Colombia until he turns 18.

Here is more information found in the Colombian Consulate in Miami:

http://consuladodecolombia.com/preguntas.htm#5

Diana

Thanks for the info. The father has an appointment today at the Colombian Consolate in Miami. I had suggested he mail the forms to me in the states, but he will not. I now can only wait for him to mail everything to Colombia, hope he did everything correctly and hope it dosent get lost in the mail. I guess I'll know in a few days.

Thanks again

galenjr is correct. Your fiancée needs to go to a notaría in Colombia along with the child's father to sign an exit permission letter. The DAS will not let him leave the country without this signed and notarized letter and it has to be recent, within 30 days of traveling. Also, they need to do this every time the child needs to leave Colombia until he turns 18 years of age.

She can go to any notaría to get more information.

Diana

Jenny has had conversation with the DAS office. They provided her with a form that they said needs to be completed by the father. They said it needs an Apostillar stamp. Never did they mention that Jenny and the father need to meet together at an office in Colombia, as this is impossible. Jenny and the father of her son were never married. The father (dead beat dad) abandoned the son when he was a baby, has offered no support over the years. The father somehow managed to get into the US and is living in Florida illegally. Obviously he will not travel to Colombia to meet at a notary office. He has agreed to have the permission form completed at the Colombian embassy in Miami and have it mailed to Jenny.

The last 2 replies have me in a panic. I can only hope they are wrong about both parents having to meet.

Thanks for the info

Hi Danny and Jenny,

We are at the stage that you are. We are waiting for the boys father to Fedex the notarized DAS document from Spain where the boys father resides. Be careful as it is my understanding that you must have this DAS document or they will not allow the boy to travel!

I recall reading this information in these forums in the past. Do a search and I am sure that you will find the information you need. I also recall reading that a new DAS document (must be notarized) is needed each and every time that the child travels out of Colombia.

Best wishes to you both!

Don

Thanks for the reply. It is my understanding that we must have the DAS form and it must have the Apostillar stamp. Simple notorization is not enough. The father will need to get this from the colombian embassey in Miami as Miami is his city of residence.I had hoped to hear from other VJ'ers that have dealt with this.

Hello. I am expected to pass through Bogota March 26 with my fiancé and her son on our way to our POE in Houston. I am only trying to be sure that I have the proper permission for Jenny’s son. I know I need his birth certificate and a permission letter from the noncustodial father. I recently just discovered this letter needs to be in Spanish, so we are trying to get a new letter ASAP. Jenny received a form from DAS that we are also completing although I don’t see mention of this form anywhere I looked. I do have a letter from the father stating he is giving permission for the son to relocate to the US and any future travels, but it is in English and doesn’t specify a travel date. We hope to soon have a new letter in spanish that specifies the travel date. Does anyone have any experience with this? Hopefully I have covered my bases.

Thanks

Hello. I am expected to pass through Bogota March 26 with my fiancé and her son on our way to our POE in Houston. I am only trying to be sure that I have the proper permission for Jenny’s son. I know I need his birth certificate and a permission letter from the noncustodial father. I recently just discovered this letter needs to be in Spanish, so we are trying to get a new letter ASAP. Jenny received a form from DAS that we are also completing although I don’t see mention of this form anywhere I looked. I do have a letter from the father stating he is giving permission for the son to relocate to the US and any future travels, but it is in English and doesn’t specify a travel date. We hope to soon have a new letter in spanish that specifies the travel date. Does anyone have any experience with this? Hopefully I have covered my bases.

Thanks

Hello Everyone!!

I need some advice, my wife Has her interview for 4/13 in bogota and we need to get her medical exams before the interview. Does anyone know how long it takes to get both exams done? Any tips on getting this done as close as to the interview date? We don't want to spend too much time in bogota due to expenses.

Thank you for any tips!!

I just got back from the interview last week. You will need to schedule all of your medical stuff 2 days before your interview. We went to the clinic early on a Monday and the the doctor about 10:00am on the same Monday. We had to go back to the doctor office on Tuesday to pick up the results in the sealed envelope. My interview was on Wednesday.

Hello. I need some quick advise on how to handle this problem. I am a USC with a fiance in Colombia. A few months ago I received a Costa Rica vacation through my business. Flight and hotel for a week at a 5 star resort. I contacted the Costa Rica embassy in Bogota, did all my research and thought that it would be possible to have my fiance join me on this trip. We first had to beg to get an interview appointment before the trip, they came through and gave Jenny an appointment today the 25th. The vacation is supposed to start the 27th. I totally made sure every detail was covered per the Costa Rica instructions. Jenny had a completed aplication, DAS records, immigration records, she had all flight info to and from, proof of hotel reservation, vaccination records. I provided a letter stating that I was assuming all financial obligations and also provided many months of my bank records. Keep in mind we provided each and every thing that the web site and the Costa Rica people told us to provide. I had to buy a flight for Jenny to travel from Pereira Colombia to Bogota today.

Guess what. She was DENIED. She asked several times for the reason and they gave none. Jenny is so upset it was very hard to understand her on the phone.Does anyone out there think that there is anything I can do or chalk it up to an expensive lesson learned. We only booked the flight and hotel before the Visa was granted because it is a requirement to show proof of these items.

Hello, I have asked this question before, but I also need some clarification. I need to know what documentation is required for a minor that will apply with a K-2.

I know he needs a birth certificate, medical exam and vaccinations. He shouldnt need the police reports since he is under 16. We are in the proccess of getting permission from the non-custodial parent. Does he need the imigration documentation? In regards to forms, I know he will need his own

I-134 from me. Are there any other forms that I can have completed for him before I get to the interview stage.

Thank You

I personally would not bother with the USCIS web site. It is a big waste of time. I enrolled to receive text and email notification when I first sent my package. The initial dates showed up, but have never changed. I already received my NOA2, but the case status never updates. It just came in the mail. I have seen many post that say the same thing.

Hi everyone,

It has been five months since my fiancee and I sent in our K-1 packet to the Vermont Service Center (submission date July 28th). To be honest, we are getting rather nervous about the lack of response. Every time I log into the case status website and see that bubble cemented to `Initial Review`, I want to scream. It feels like being stuck in some sort of bureaucratic purgatory, waiting for some higher power to descend from the sky and hand me a cookie.

Considering that we have now exceeded the standard processing time, would it be wise to contact USCIS to see what is going on?

Anyone else out there who submitted to the Vermont center in July and are still waiting for a response?

It's hard to know what to do with yourself when there is nothing you actually can do to speed the process along.

Thanks,

Leonidus

In regards to the USCIS web site. I logged in and checked my status everyday a couple of times. My status never changed. It drove me crazy waiting and not knowing if I would receive a RFE or approval. Then one day my NOA2 just showed up in the mail. No text or email notification. I have read that many people never receive any notification. Just one day it will show up.Be patient. It will arrive.

Hello. I have a problem that dosen't relate to the K-1 process that I am currently involved in.

I am a USC that has been offered a nice vacation for a week in Costa Rica. This vacation is scheduled for Jan 27, hotel and airline reservations have been made. I did alot of research online to determine if it would be possible for my fiance, who is a citizen of Colombia to join me in Costa Rica for the vacation. The Visa requirements for her are not as strict as she only needs proof of a airline ticket to return home to Colombia. All information states that the Visa is only good for 30 days. Now here is the problem: After trying for a week to get contact information for the Costa Rica embassy in Bogota we finally got through today. We lierally called at least 15 different phone numbers that were posted online. The man basically told us that there are no appointments available until February. How can they say a Visa is only good for 30 days, but not be able to offer an appointment within that time frame. The only reason we purchased the airline tickets in advance is because they state proof of an airline round trip ticket is required for the Visa.

We plan on calling again and again, talk to a supervisor, who knows. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

After being told several times by the Costa Rica consulate that they could not help us. We kept calling and begging. Today they sent an email confirming an appointment for Jenny on Jan 25. We should be able to make the trip after all assuming they give her the visa on the 25th. What a relief.

don't know what your plans are or if she has her ticket yet... but pretty certain she could meet you in Panama for the holidays w/ no problems (no visa requirement), but if your trip is planned out w/ hotels etc already in CR that may not be a viable option.

Hotel and Airplane already paid for. It is a group trip through business

i stand corrected... i got curious after reading this and researched it... Panamanians don't need a "tourist" visa but what I read said "colombians" do. Sorry for my confusion.. i spoke to soon. With that said, she only needs a tourist visa... i would think she could just go to the embassy and get this... they are saying she needs an appt and interview just for a tourist visa from one latin country to another? if the embassy is close to her, i would just have her go w/ her documents and request a tourist visa (play dumb) if they aren't going to give her an interview date in time? Good luck.

Yes, I researched what you said also. Panama doesnt need a Visa, but Colombia does. The problem is they wont give an appointment time to her before we are scheduled for the trip. The embassy in Bogota is very far. She will have to fly or have a 10 hour bus trip. I dont know if we should just show up and play it stupid. Thanks for your time.

the visa is actually 90 days for costa rica... it is something they stamp in her passport when she arrives in costa rica... as long as she has a return ticket she shouldn't have a problem at all. my fiance is from panama and goes to costa rica ALL the time, as do i.. a person can come in the country on a tourist visa for 90 days at a time... you dont need to go to an embassy in colombia first.

unless its different for colombians entering costa rica which i doubt.... or try to call the costa rican embassy in the US.. maybe better luck getting to talk to someone.

Are you saying that she can just fly to Costa Rica, have all the required documents and simply have her passport stamped with a Visa at the airport? I do plan on calling the embassy in the US tomorrow.

Hello. I have a problem that dosen't relate to the K-1 process that I am currently involved in.

I am a USC that has been offered a nice vacation for a week in Costa Rica. This vacation is scheduled for Jan 27, hotel and airline reservations have been made. I did alot of research online to determine if it would be possible for my fiance, who is a citizen of Colombia to join me in Costa Rica for the vacation. The Visa requirements for her are not as strict as she only needs proof of a airline ticket to return home to Colombia. All information states that the Visa is only good for 30 days. Now here is the problem: After trying for a week to get contact information for the Costa Rica embassy in Bogota we finally got through today. We lierally called at least 15 different phone numbers that were posted online. The man basically told us that there are no appointments available until February. How can they say a Visa is only good for 30 days, but not be able to offer an appointment within that time frame. The only reason we purchased the airline tickets in advance is because they state proof of an airline round trip ticket is required for the Visa.

We plan on calling again and again, talk to a supervisor, who knows. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

The K2 visa applicant needs all the same documentation including a medical exam PLUS applicable permission from the other parent.

Thank you for all the info. In regards to the permission from other parent. My fiance was never married to her sons father. He basically is a dead beat dad that abandoned his son about 10 years ago. He has recently made contact with his son and communicates with him ocasionally by telephone. He never gave any financial support until recently as well. What he does offer is peanuts. To the best of our knowledge the father is living illegally in the US, but his whereabouts is unknown. We think Miami.

We can make an atempt to get permission from him, but I think it will be difficult. Is there any other option to show that my fiance has sole custody and that the father abandoned the son?

No police reports for anybody under 16 but otherwise the documentation is pretty much the same for both once the petition is approved. In addition, you'll need country specific information on permission from a non-custodial parent.

So this means he will have to travel to Bogota with my fiance and attend his own medical appointment before the interview? Or do we just need to show thay his vaccination record in up to date?

Hello, My fiance has a son of 11 years old. I am aware that she will have to provide medical and police reports for the K-1 process. What documentation is required for her son? Is he subject to the same medical and police reports?

Thank You