ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresChoosing an Embassy or Consulate
Hi,

I'm in the process of filling out a I-129F and I have a question. My fiancée is Colombian but currently lives in Santiago, Chile where she is finishing up a Masters degree at the University of Chile. All she has left is to finish her thesis and she should be done and back in Bogota by July or August at the latest. Given this time frame, and that we are just starting the process now, it seemed to make the most sense to process her visa through the Embassy in Bogota and that's what I'm indicating in Question 20 on the I-129F. But the note below the question gives me pause. It reads:

"Designation of a U.S. embassy or consulate outside the country of your fiancé(e)'s last residence does not guarantee acceptance for processing by that foreign post. Acceptance is at the discretion of the designated embassy or consulate"

Does anyone think that were likely to have any trouble having her Visa processed in Bogota, where she is from, rather than in Santiago, where she happens to be living now?

Thanks in advance.

-rs1971
rs1971MaleColombia2010-03-15 16:36:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI-129f question 18 help
Apologies for hijacking the original posters thread, but it reminds me of a question of my own. My plan for qeustion 18 is to just reference an attached time line of our relationship. The time line in turn documents all of our trips to visit each other (there have been several and in each direction) and includes evidence (boarding passes, hotel receipts) for the most recent trip. I realize that I'm providing more information than the question really asks for, but is this a bad thing? My impression is that this is what most people do (I think the term I've heard here is 'frontloading'). Should this material be somewhere else other than as a response to question 18?

Thanks in advance.

-rs1971
rs1971MaleColombia2010-03-16 12:06:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedurespicture problem
Thanks everyone for the responses. I was looking around at Walmart yesterday and found some 'photo sheets' which are clear plastic pages with slots into which you can insert photos. I didn't even know that such a thing existed but this seems to be the neatest solution. Thanks again.

-rs1971
rs1971MaleColombia2010-03-21 11:41:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedurespicture problem
This is an interesting thread for me as I'm in the process now of trying to put everything together. Like most people, I have my photos in digital format and have chosen 12 of them to submit with my I-129F. I'm not sure though how exactly to present them. I've uploaded them to Walgreens and intend to have glossies printed, but what size is best? 4 x 6? 5 x 7? And then what? How exactly do people physically include them with the I-129F packet? I've searched through the archives and found information about putting together full blown photo albums for the interview, but certainly one doesn't want to do that for the petition, right? What about taping them to bonded paper? That doesn't seem to make sense as the information on the back of the photos wouldn't then be accessible. Someone mentioned using powerpoint to add captions, which sounds look a good idea. But then what did you do with the slides? Just print them out on your home printer?

-rs1971
rs1971MaleColombia2010-03-20 17:02:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresMailing address
I have a similar dilemma. I am just putting my I-129F together now and my fiancee currently resides in Santiago, Chile and her G325A as well as my current draft of the I-129F both reflect her address in Chile. However she is a Colombian citizen and will be returning to Bogota, Colombia in July. So, I've specified that we wish to process her Visa through the consulate in Bogota, but I'm not sure how to guarantee that they send the paper work to her mother's address in Bogota rather than her address in Santiago specified on the forms. Depending on when they finally went out, having them sent to Santiago might be a problem if she's already returned to Colombia. I've decided that I'll just write a short memo explaining the situation and asking that all correspondence go to her mother's address. Hopefully they'll take note and honor the request.

-rs1971
rs1971MaleColombia2010-03-30 12:55:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresBirth Certificate Question
Hi,

I'm in the process of preparing an I-129F petition and I have a quick question. For reasons which have never been entirely clear, the last name on my birth certificate is my mother's maiden name and not my fathers name. I never used that name though, even for a day. When I was 15 or 16 (25 years ago) and needed a social security card, my mother finally got around to having the name legally changed to my father's name (this was the first I even knew of the birth certificate issue). Rather than dealing with getting copies of both the court order and the long form birth certificate, I plan on just side-stepping the whole thing by using a copy of my passport instead. On both the G325A and the I-129F I answered 'none' to the other names used question, which is truthful as I never have used the name on my birth certificate. Does anyone think that I might run into any problems here? I don't see how I could, but this is the government that we are talking about here.

Thanks in advance.

-rs1971

Edited by rs1971, 31 March 2010 - 05:45 PM.

rs1971MaleColombia2010-03-31 17:45:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresLatin American Addresses
Thanks Guys. That's the way I was leaning but then I stumbled on some older threads which talk about converting asian addresses and wondered if I should do the same. But your responses have put my mind at ease.

-rs1971
rs1971MaleColombia2010-03-12 13:36:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresLatin American Addresses
Hi,

I'm in the process of assembling an I-129F Packet for my fiancee who lives in Chile and I have a quick question. In the several places where we need to enter her address, should we be entering them in their native format or converted to American style. I think that the only real difference is where the street number goes. Should I leave the forms as she filled them out (street number after the street name) or should I put the number first?

Thanks in advance.

-rs1971
rs1971MaleColombia2010-03-11 20:57:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresLooking for thoughts / advice on timing

The consulate will allow some time to respond to packet 3. I don't know the specific time allowed by the consulate in Bogota, but 1 year is not uncommon. Check with the consulate to be absolutely certain. If you go beyond their time limit then they will consider the application to have been abandoned, though they might resurrect it upon request.

The petition approval is also only valid for 4 months. The consulates have the authority to renew the approval, and most will do so automatically. Some consulates may ask that you send them a letter or email asking for the petition approval to be renewed. Again, check with the consulate. They should be able to answer both questions with a single email.


Hi JimVaPhong,

Thanks for taking the time to reply. If the consulate in Bogota, really does allow a year to respond, then we're all set and there is no reason for me not to submit my petition right now. I didn't realize though that the process varied from consulate to consulate so I'll have to try to find something on Bogota specifically to be sure.

One thing though about your response isn't clear to me. Let's say for the sake of argument that Bogota really does allow a year for the fiance(e) to respond, how does that work with the four month lifetime you mention for the petition? When does that four month window start and when does it end? It sounds like it starts when the petition is approved and ends after the fiance(e) interview. But if that's the case, how could any consulate possibly give the fiance(e) a year to respond? Wouldn't the petition expiration date require that the fiance(e) would have to respond in less than four months? (much less really, considering the time lost at the NVC and the time to mail out the packet). Where am I confused?

-rs1971

I went through this process in Colombia in 2007/2008. When your case is forwarded from the NVC to the Embassy in Bogota, they will send Packet #3 to your fiancee'. There will be a list of things she will need to bring to the interview and full instructions on how to complete them...in Spanish. When she is ready with all the items, she will FAX in the OF-169, DS-156 and DS-156K forms which indicate that she is "ready" to have the interview scheduled. When the Embassy receives this FAX, they will generate a letter stating when the interview is scheduled. They sent me a copy which I still have...it says:

Estimado (Name)
Esta oficina esta lista para iniciar los tramites finales sobre la solicitud de visa inmigrand de (de los) solicitante(s) que aparece(n) a continuation en esta expediente. Se ha concertado una cita para llevar a cabo la entrevista de solicitud de visa en la seccion de visas de inmigrante en la fecha que aparece al pie de la pagina. Se debe presentar esta carta al llegar a la oficing en el dia de la cita.

Sirvase examinar la informacion adjunta para obtener mayor informacion acerca de examen medico al que deben someterse todos los futuros inmigrantes. Asegurese de leer toda la informacion adjunta y sequier muy cuidadosamente las instrucciones contenidas en la misma. Al comunicarse con esta oficina, bien sea, por telefono o por carta, debera referirse siempre a su nombre y numero de expediente, tal y como aparecen al pie de la pagina.
Atentamente,
Jefe Seccion de visas de Inmigrante

Cita para la solicitud de visado
Date: 12 Marzo 2008 Time: 07:00
Numero de Caso: BGT2007XXXXX
Fiance': (Her Name) DOB: xx/xxx/xxxx
Child: (Child's Name) DOB: xx/xx/xxxx

Well, all this process fell apart a few weeks prior to her interview. I discovered that she had a boyfriend and was cheating on me. Sooooooo....I promptly FAXed a "Withdrawal of Petition" letter to the Embassy and cancelled everything. This information is relatively recent and the $131 fee has not changed. So, I hope that in some way I was able to help you.
Best Wishes, :thumbs:
Franc
PS Oh...and I divorced her immediately.


That doesn't help me with the question regarding the time frame specifically, but it's all great background information so thanks a lot for having taken the time to reply.

-rs1971
rs1971MaleColombia2010-04-04 21:45:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresLooking for thoughts / advice on timing
Hi,

My fiancee is a Colombiana who is currently and temporarily living in Santiago, Chile. She will be returning to Bogota, Colombia, where we'll be processing her visa, the first week of September. Based on the timelines I've seen on this site, it seemed safe to send the petition off as soon as possible, especially considering that in the unlikely event that the process went faster than expected, she could always return to Bogota sooner.

However, the situation has changed in a couple of ways. First, it turns out that she will be in Spain from the 20th of June until the 10th of August which makes an early return (at least in that time frame) impossible. The other thing is that it seems that recently people have been getting NOA2s really quickly. So, now I'm wondering if I should send off the petition now, or wait a while.

The thing that I'm not terribly clear about is what happens after the application leaves the NVC for Bogota and they send my fiancee the first packet. Does some sort of clock start ticking then, or is there no particular hurry for her to take action? That seems to be the crucial piece of information that I'm missing. Does anyone know the answer? I'm torn between not wanting to delay the process and not wanting to mess things up by her not being available to be in Bogota in time.

If anyone who understands the post NVC process, could offer some advice I'd really like to hear it.

Thanks in advance.

-rs1971
rs1971MaleColombia2010-04-04 18:28:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresTranslation of Supporting Evidence
Hi,

I understand that generally speaking any documentation submitted to UCSIS has to be translated to English. I'm wondering if this rule is hard and fast for supporting documents or if it really only applies to those which are specifically required. On my most recent trip to visit my fiancee in Colombia, which is the one I'm using to meet the 'within two years' requirement, we traveled together from Bogota where she lives to Letecia, to spend a week in the Amazons. One of my strongest pieces of supporting evidence of our having been together is our boarding passes which show us sitting next to each other on the flights to and from Leticia. As these are domestic flights, obviously they are in Spanish. Is it really necessary to translate something like this? I can't imagine that it wouldn't be clear to anyone regardless of whether they spoke Spanish or not.

Thanks in advance.

-rs1971
rs1971MaleColombia2010-04-07 17:17:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresTwo Quick Questions
Thanks everyone for all of the comments - they are all very useful.

-rs1971
rs1971MaleColombia2010-04-14 14:55:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresTwo Quick Questions
Hi,

Just a couple of quick questions:

(1) As I read through the archives here there is a lot of talk about 'high fraud consulates' but I've not really seen any kind of list of which embassies fit this definition. Is there some kind of objective measure or is it pretty much just a subjective criteria. In either event, I'm wondering whether or not people consider Bogota, Colombia to be a high fraud consulate?

(2) A few weeks ago I received in the mail from my fiancee, signed / dated copies of her G-325A and letter of intent. The forms are dated April 3rd, but unfortunately, I still haven't got everything together to send the I-129F packet off. Does it matter if the signatures are stale by a few weeks?

Thanks in advance.

-rs1971
rs1971MaleColombia2010-04-13 18:24:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresTranslator Requirements
Hi,

I have a small number of documents (none of them strictly required or critical to the process) which are written in Spanish which I'd like to include along with my K1 Petition packet. They consist of a three or four emails written to me by my fiancee which serve as general evidence of an ongoing relationship as well as a pair of boarding passes and a letter from the Chilean government documenting her travel to Colombia all of which go towards documenting us having met within the last two years.

I know that I need to have all of this stuff translated, but is there some requirement with respect to who does the translating? I'm more than capable of doing it myself, but am I allowed? If not me, can I just have a bilingual friend do it? Or do I need to find a translator with some specific certification.

Thanks in advance.

-rs1971
rs1971MaleColombia2010-04-15 14:09:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Proceduresrequest for evidence

Hello, I recently recieved an email stating that my case is now at the request for evidence status, I filed with a lawyer back in december, and included many pics, chat history, western union receipts, emails, plane tickets, bank statements, intent to marry, birth certs, you name it we made sure we had it in there, I havent recieved the letter yet but should in the next couple of days and am wondering, what it may say? and how long does this delay the process? They told me that once i send the packet back with the info they need I will get my spot back in line and then I have read on here it goes to the NVC and that process is about 2-4 weeks, then off to manila which is about 90 days til interview. I would like to be there for the interview but its very hard to pinpoint when that will be until she gets the call, so realistically how much longer would you guess that she would be here if all goes well? I was thinking like September?

Thanks in advance

Steve


I'm no expert and this is purely a shot in the dark, but having read through the 'entire' RFE thread, my unscientific impression is that documents related to prior marriages / divorces seem to be the most common source of RFEs. Were either you or your fiancee previously married?

-rs1971
rs1971MaleColombia2010-04-15 17:05:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresMarrying outside US but still coming in K-1 Visa - Possible?
if you will get married in your fiance's home country, forget about the K1 visa, after the marriage proceed of getting her a CR-1 visa, because it doesnt cost you much and less hassle, but make sure you have enough income to meet the poverty guidelines.
bernaFemalePhilippines2009-12-03 20:33:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresAOS or DNA Paternity Test?
I have an interesting (& complicated) situation. Actually, my brother-in-law has the situation, but I will use "I" instead of "He" for this topic.

I recently married my Fiancee who came to the US via K-1 visa. We have a 2 month old child together who was born about a month before coming to the US on her mother's K-1 visa. Prior to coming, we all went to the embassy and asked for my daughter to be issued a US Passport (she is no doubt my daughter). The man at the embassy claimed that we had to do a DNA test to prove she was my daughter because she was born a few weeks early. That would have delayed the K-1 immigration process, put me in a bad financial situation and also left my daughter in a place where neo-natal care is substandard. So, we opted to just go forward with the K-1 process, then deal with the DNA test later. -- maybe that was not such a good decision, but can't undo that now.

So, my questions are:
1. is it possible, now that my daughter is here, to go through the steps of a DNA test.
2. should I submit an AOS (I-485) for both my wife and daughter - and would this jeopardize any subsequent DNA test

Thanks to anyone who has a suggestion or experience in this.
DhowMaleLaos2010-04-05 13:58:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresPHOTO's RFE
Ours had no dates and some were actually photo paper copies done at Staples.
CristyFemaleCanada2006-04-28 16:32:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresHmm
My ears were not showing on any of mine. It was no problem.
CristyFemaleCanada2006-09-10 16:30:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresIS THIS MY NOA2 Coming?
Good luck
MuuuuahFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-11-01 19:48:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresAge Difference An Issue?
This will not be a problem for you at all, no need to worry.
MuuuuahFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-10-30 09:07:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresNOA2 has finally arrived
Congratulations
MuuuuahFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-11-13 09:04:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresWooHoo! Got the NOA today!
Congratulations and good luck with the rest of the process
MuuuuahFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-11-13 19:42:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresHappily Married
Congratulations
MuuuuahFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-11-15 15:45:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresVISA on HAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Congratulations
MuuuuahFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-11-17 12:39:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresTOUCH ME IN THE MORNING.....
Hope it is a good sign for you
MuuuuahFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-11-20 09:07:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresWe are scheduled for an interview!!!
Congratulations and good luck
MuuuuahFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-11-20 09:06:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresApproved!!!
Congratulations
MuuuuahFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-11-20 20:12:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresWe approved by CSC !!!!
Congratulations
MuuuuahFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-11-23 19:24:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresAPPROVED!!!
Congratulations
MuuuuahFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-12-05 19:26:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresNOA2!!! oh and a London question!
Congratulations
MuuuuahFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-12-11 08:34:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresK-1 Visa and one-way ticket to the U.S. in hand!
Congratulations and good luck for the future
MuuuuahFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-12-14 00:14:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresInterview date
Good luck
MuuuuahFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-12-17 11:21:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresApproval notice! : )
Congratulations
MuuuuahFemaleUnited Kingdom2007-12-20 08:41:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Proceduresfilling out forms
QUOTE (geopete77 @ Jan 2 2008, 02:56 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
My fiancee swears that when she filled out tourist VISA applications with the embassy in Krakow, they asked her to fill in EVERY box with "none" or "N/A". For example:

Former wives/husbands Family name first name date of birth date and place of marriage
NONE NONE NONE NONE


Is this correct? or should we only answer "none" for the first questions, and leave the further details blank?

-Peter



She is correct, do not leave anything blank or it may look like you have forgotten to fill parts in. Always write in none or n/a
MuuuuahFemaleUnited Kingdom2008-01-02 09:03:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresSon's father!
It will also need to be notarised, you can get that done at a solicitors office. Your sons father will need to sign it in front of the notary.
MuuuuahFemaleUnited Kingdom2008-01-04 19:49:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresHow do you change your name after marriage
I could not change my name at the social security office until i had receieved my greencard
MuuuuahFemaleUnited Kingdom2008-01-07 20:31:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresDesparate Help/Advice Plz !!
I signed mine with my maiden name also...it has never been a problem for me with anything
MuuuuahFemaleUnited Kingdom2008-01-07 20:28:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresName change on Forms
Yes you fill out the forms in your new name
MuuuuahFemaleUnited Kingdom2008-01-07 20:30:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresMy baby is coming home on the 18th!!! :D
Congratulations
MuuuuahFemaleUnited Kingdom2008-01-09 09:09:00