ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaPaying Visa Fee - Colombia

You got incorrect information, there is no additional $404 fee, all you have to pay is the $350. This information is even verified in the Department of State website:

K – Fiance(e) or Spouse of U.S. citizen category visa: $350.00


Diana


Diana, I hope you are correct because I specifically asked the person at the Embassy if this was in addition to the $350.00 and she said "YES"!!! My understanding up until today is there was a small fee for the DHL service, but no more. I sent an eMail to another poster who just had his interview last week to confirm this additional fee exists or not.

Thanks,

Jon
Jon&ClauMaleColombia2012-02-15 15:42:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaPaying Visa Fee - Colombia
I called the Immigrant Hotline and found my answer...I set up the account with her info, not mine. I only asked that question since I am paying the visa fee with my credit card, but the lady told me in ADDITION to the $350.00 visa, when her visa is approved, they want another $404.00 USD!!! I knew there was another fee at the time of the approval, but did not think it was that high, so just wanted all of you who are about to go through this to be aware!!

Jon & Clau
Jon&ClauMaleColombia2012-02-15 14:25:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaPaying Visa Fee - Colombia

I didn't see you mention this, but I will give you one more piece of information just in case: In case your fiance has a child and is planning to bring that child to the US, then you will need to sign them up on the account as well, pay an additional visa fee and schedule them for the interview too. NOTE: While this does mean you have to pay a second visa fee, this does NOT mean you have to schedule a second interview. The system schedules the interview for the child at the same time as your fiance.


Hi Stefan y Karen, my fiance does not have a child. So I'm still not clear when I create an account on the on-line visa site, do I enter my personal info or the info of my finance?

Thanks!!

Jon & Clau
Jon&ClauMaleColombia2012-02-15 13:58:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaPaying Visa Fee - Colombia

Pay the visa fee online, you can then book the appointment right away. The packet is mailed to both the petitioner's and beneficiaries email addresses. I scheduled the medical first when asked if I already ad an appointment I said yes. Tis better to ask for forgiveness than permission. Then before the packet got to the embassy I paid for the interview fee and selected a desired interview date. Two days after I scheduled the interview I received packet3/4 email from the embassy. If I could do something different it would have been to have booked the interview as soon as the NOA2 was received. But I would only advice doing this if you foresee no red flags in your petition.


Andrea y Arturo, when you created an account on the embassy WEB site before paying the fee, the account creation asks for name, passport #, nationality, eMail. Did you put your info(Petitioner) on this page or the info of the beneficiary? It seems this screen is geared more towards the beneficiary.

Thanks,

Jon & Clau
Jon&ClauMaleColombia2012-02-15 09:45:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaPaying Visa Fee - Colombia

Pay the visa fee online, you can then book the appointment right away. The packet is mailed to both the petitioner's and beneficiaries email addresses. I scheduled the medical first when asked if I already ad an appointment I said yes. Tis better to ask for forgiveness than permission. Then before the packet got to the embassy I paid for the interview fee and selected a desired interview date. Two days after I scheduled the interview I received packet3/4 email from the embassy. If I could do something different it would have been to have booked the interview as soon as the NOA2 was received. But I would only advice doing this if you foresee no red flags in your petition.


Hi Andrea y Arturo, my fiance' actually just got an eMail from the embassy yesterday (2/14). I did get a notice from the NVC that the visa was mailed to the embassy. But in any event, we are good to go, so I'm going to attempt to schedule a Monday medical with a Friday Interview in the same week if possible.

Thanks!!

Jon & Clau
Jon&ClauMaleColombia2012-02-15 00:36:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaPaying Visa Fee - Colombia

Jon&Clau, I booked it all and paid with my MasterCard about two weeks ago. You can do the same.


Hi Stefan y Karen, thanks for the get back. I will move forward and pay the fee tomorrow. One question, did YOU, the petitioner complete the three forms they require you to have at the interview? I'm still not sure if I am allowed to complete those for my finace'

Thanks again!!

Jon & Clau
Jon&ClauMaleColombia2012-02-15 00:16:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaPaying Visa Fee - Colombia

I believe the bank payment is done in Bogota, but somehow you have to print something from the website and take this paper to the bank to pay for the VISA. Sounds like too much of a hassle. You can go to the website and read.


All I know, for the interview, you must bring the 156k, I already printed that document. Another one must be done online and you have to print 2 copies per person you are sponsoring. For what I have read in the package, you must have 6 passport pictures of her.

Each document gets one attached with a stapler, be careful, staple at the edge of the picture. So 1 for the 156k, 2 for the 156 (2 copies). 1 for the lab folks. 1 for the medical examination. I can't figure what the 6th is for? She has 8 pics just to be safe.

Found a place to stay that is within walking distance, approx 150 meters from the embassy. I hope they have a room when I get there, sounds like a great place. If you are going to stay for a several days, you can try to set a deal with the host.

It's a bed and breakfast place. Hot water, breakfast included. Please let us know how things go your way and Wish you the best of luck! The Cat is almost in the bag!!!

Osmin

Hi Osmin, thanks for the info, I did see the instructions you list above from the embassy WEB site. So are you going to complete those 3 forms for your fiance'? My fiance' does not have a printer in her house, so I might have to do that also.

I have some Hilton points from my business travel, so trying to see how far Embassy Suites is from the U.S. embassy. Let me know which week you will be there, maybe we will run into each other.

Jon & Clau

http://www.viva2100.com/

Hotel Doña Flor
Carrera 44C #22A-16
Barrio Quinta Paredes
Bogotá, Colombia
011-57-1-269-8694 or 011-57-1-269-7436


Jon&ClauMaleColombia2012-02-14 23:56:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaPaying Visa Fee - Colombia

I plan to pay with my VISA and schedule the appointment. Once I have the appointment, I will ask my fiancée to call and set the lab appointment and the medical appointment about 4 days before the VISA appointment. I will then fly down from Miami. She will fly out of Barranquilla. We will meet in Bogota. Once the approved. We both plan to return, me to Miami, she to Barranquilla and wait for the VISA package. Once she has it, I will fly down to pick her up.


Thanks OZ62, the reason I asked this question was because since the embassy sends the beneficiary the instructions, I was not sure if the petitioner could pay and schedule the interview, so I'm also hoping I can do basically what you are planning to do.

Jon & Clau
Jon&ClauMaleColombia2012-02-14 23:23:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaPaying Visa Fee - Colombia
Hi, we are preparing to schedule the interview and medical in Bogota and was wondering how folks have been paying the visa fee. The Embassy mentions three options...1)pay at Helm Bank, 2) pay with credit card on-line, 3) pay with credit card over the phone. Since my fiance' lives in Barranquilla, I am not sure there is a Helm bank in Barranquilla, but if there is not, the only option left is to pay with a credit card, which I(the petitioner) will have to do, so is there any issue with me paying the visa fee and scheduling the interview?


Thanks for your help!!

Jon & Clau
Jon&ClauMaleColombia2012-02-14 21:39:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaGot my Interview Date in Bogota - What docs need notarized?

Jon: You need to print TWO copies of the DS-156 and attach a photo to each one, so I read it as you are down to 4 photos remaining. I don't trust it, so I am having Karen get 8 photos so she is down to 6--better too many photos, than too few.


Stefan y Karen, thanks for pointing that out. Actually, I think the lab also wants a photo, so I'm going to have Clau get 4 more additional photos from the place her pics where taken.

Thanks!!

Jon & Clau
Jon&ClauMaleColombia2012-02-17 19:12:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaGot my Interview Date in Bogota - What docs need notarized?

The DAS certificates they're referring to were called the Migratory Movement Letter or Carta Migratoria where it shows all entries and exits of the applicant. The US embassy in Bogotá changed their required paperwork a few months ago and that document is no longer needed. Your fiancée still has to get her Police Certificate from the DAS and she can do it online.

Diana


Hi Diana, thanks, I am satisfied I don't need to do anything further for DAS certificats. One more thing I thought of. In the instructions for "List of Documents", for Photographs, they want six Photographs with one attached to the DS-156. I also read that the lab also wants a photo, so now I'm down to five photos, not the six the embassy asked for. Does she need to get more than six photos between the embassy, lab and anyplace else that wants one?

Thanks for your advice so far!!

Jon & Clau
Jon&ClauMaleColombia2012-02-17 17:16:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaGot my Interview Date in Bogota - What docs need notarized?

"SCHEDULE THE EXAMINATION: Please call one of the doctors (also known as panel physicians) listed below to make an appointment for your exam. Since the full-body exam requires the patient to undress, you may wish to choose a male or female doctor accordingly."

For what I have read in "English_K1K2Packetdec7.pdf" downloaded from the Bogota Embassy website, there is a full body examination, including the genitals. Having a female doctor available makes sense, if the person does not feel comfortable being examined by a male doctor. My fiancée has had many bad encounters with male doctors in her past and I was hoping that she would go to a female doctor.

In any case, please let us know or give us feedback on the doctor's visit, examination, or any gripes.

Also, how did it go in making your appointment for the Lab work and X-ray?

Thanks and a Big Congratulations!


Hi OZ62, thanks for the congrats, but as I mentioned in my post, my fiance called the only female doctor on the list and was told she was no longer doing these exams, so what choice does she have? From reading the Colombian Club posts, Dr. Dennis sounds like the best of what's left!!

There is no appointment to be made for the lab, just show up at 6:30am to get in early. Clau's medical exam is in the afternoon at 3:30PM and her interview at the embassy is the next day. I'll provide an update on our experience during my week in Bogota which is 3/19.

Jon & Clau
Jon&ClauMaleColombia2012-02-17 17:10:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaGot my Interview Date in Bogota - What docs need notarized?

No, they're only referring to official documents such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, divorce decrees, etc.

By the way, there is Colombia Club IV thread where you will be able to find many answers to these types of questions. The previous threads used to be in the US Embassy forum but they're now in this forum to make it easier for everybody.

Diana


Hi Diana, I started looking at the Colombia Club IV thread, and in going through the eMail exchanges, the issue of the DAS certificate for the petitioner kept appearing. In the latest packet from the embassy, it says only the applicant needs the DAS, so should I trust that information? Also, my finace says she can get her DAS on-line and just print it off. Does that sound like what they are looking for?

Let me know and thanks!!

Jon & Clau
Jon&ClauMaleColombia2012-02-17 14:47:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaGot my Interview Date in Bogota - What docs need notarized?

No, they're only referring to official documents such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, divorce decrees, etc.

By the way, there is Colombia Club IV thread where you will be able to find many answers to these types of questions. The previous threads used to be in the US Embassy forum but they're now in this forum to make it easier for everybody.

Diana


Thanks Diana!!
Jon&ClauMaleColombia2012-02-17 13:30:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaGot my Interview Date in Bogota - What docs need notarized?
I scheduled my fiance's interview for March 22nd. Her medical is with Dr Dennis on March 21st. Clau tried to call the only female, Dr Monica Caicedo, and was told Dr Caicedo is no longer taking appointments for this exam any longer, so you only have two doctors to choose from. According to the doctors office, she will be given all the papers she needs to bring to the interview at the conclusion of her medical exam. The doctors office also said she could get her required vaccinations in Barranquilla but would need to bring the shot records with her to the medical exam.

In putting together my end of the paperwork for the interview, I was hoping someone could answer one question. In the section of the instructions for "LIST OF DOCUMENTS", it says:

We can return most original documents if you also bring notarized photocopies to your interview. If you
already included an English translation in the documents you submitted to USCIS as part of the petition
process, you do not need to provide additional English translations or duplicate copies.

So other than the beneficiary birth certificate, is there anything else that they want notarized, such as my employment verification letter, and tax return?

Thanks to everyone on this site for their advice...no speed bumps to date!!

Jon & Clau
Jon&ClauMaleColombia2012-02-17 11:54:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaRE-scheduling Interview in Colombia

I have reason to ask my fiance to call to R/S the interview date which is upon us... March 23.
I want to ask her to R/S to the 3rd/4th week in April, if possible.
(Why? doesn't matter much, but... I'll have 'my most recently filed tax return' completed by then.)
(CPA is feeling a little crunch... you know how they get at this time of year)

Anyone from Colombia?
Can it be done?
Any consequences?

My approval was granted on December 30 and said it was good for 4 months, so that would be April 30.
And, then there is the letter here, to 'request extension of the approval', if necessary.

Any help is appreciated.

Hi GringoD, your current interview is the day after our interview(3/22). I recall when booking her interview on-line, I did see an option for reschedule, so that should be easy to do. As for the tax return, you don't have to have 2011 complete if your interview falls before 4/17, so you would be ok using 2010 if you wanted to. Have not come across anyone who needed to ask for an extension, so maybe some who has will give you some instructions in case you need to do that.

Jon & Clau
Jon&ClauMaleColombia2012-03-01 10:26:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaVaccines for Colombians
PilarPinto, there has been lots of discussion on this subject, but here is what we plan to have done prior to the medical:

MMR
TD
varicela
influenza

I would also be interested to know if anyone recently to have a medical exam had to have anymore than the above. Also from prior posts, try to get the vaccinations 1 to 2 weeks prior to the medical exam, or they could tell you the vaccinations are to old and you have to get them done again by the doctor. When you get the vaccinations, make sure to get shot records to bring with you to the doctor and make sure the doctor in Bogota completes form
DS-3025 which I believe you will need when she gets to the United States.

Jon & Clau
Jon&ClauMaleColombia2012-03-01 12:40:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaVisa Approved in Bogota 03/22/12

Congrats and thank you for posting as this paves the way for people like me and my fiancee whowill be scheduling our interview date next week.

Thanks again!


Sure thing D N Medellin...I just got back from my trip so send me an eMail if there is anything I can help you with!!

Jon&Clau
Jon&ClauMaleColombia2012-03-24 21:13:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaVisa Approved in Bogota 03/22/12
Hello VJ community, Clau´s Visa was approved today at the US Embassy in Bogota!! Many thanks to everyone who contributed their experience here as the discussions really helped me with a smooth and quick experience. I think anyone who is about to have an interview in Bogota, it is wise to review the posts of those who recently had interviews because what many of us have found, the information the embassy dispenses tends to be inaccurate or inconsistent from one petition to the next. I was reading the recent post where someone this past week was asked for form DS230. I thought this topic was beaten to death here at this forum and it seemed it was a dead issue...not required for K type visas. I did not even bring this form to her interview, and it was not on the card they handed us for documents they wanted put together. But with that said, had I known it was possible they would ask for it, I would have brought it with me just in case, so my advice, when in doubt, bring it as your back-up just in case. So here is a recap of our experience.

I had scheduled Clau´s medical on a Wednesday with her interview the next day. I would have preferred to have had a couple days gap between the medical and interview, but I could only get both during the same week the week of March 19th unless I wanted to wait until April. I only bring this up in case some of you are concerned that this can be done and it can provided nothing unexpected with the medical comes up.

Lodging: I stayed at the Embassy Suites hotel. It´s a very nice hotel with hot water!! It is about a 30 minute taxi ride give or take a few minutes with traffic to the embassy.

Vaccinations: The US requires the following shots: MMR, TD, Varicela, and influenza. You can get the shots prior to the medical exam, but you must get them done within one week prior to the medical exam or they will tell you the shots are too old, which is BS. In Claudia´s case, she had a health plan called EPS in Colombia. Her plan allowed her to get the MMR and TD at no charge, but the Varicela and influenza was not included. When we called Dr. Dennis to find out the cost of the Varicela and influenza, and it was just slightly more than what she could get in Barranquilla, but we decided to just get all the shots done on the same day in Barranquilla. Just make sure you bring the shot records with you to the medical exam.

Photos required by the embassy: I might have glossed over this one, but there is a difference between passport photos and visa photos. The visa photos are larger, and this is what the embassy wants. When I arrived in Bogota, Clau showed me her photos and they were passport photos. She claims I told her to get passport photos, and she might be correct so just be aware there is a difference. I had her get another set of photos using the correct size for visas.

Lab Tests: We got there around 6:30am. There were about 5 other people ahead of us but Clau was out of there in about 1 hour. One added note…the petitioner is not allowed to wait in the waiting room and has to wait outside, so bring a coat if you decide to go with your fiancee´.

Medical Exam: Clau made her appointment with Dr. Dennis. She said he was very nice and felt comfortable with him. Our appointment was at 3:30pm, but we arrived there at 3:00pm, and were out of there about 5pm. The low point this trip was that it took almost an hour to get back to the hotel as the traffic was so bad at that hour.

Visa Interview: Clau´s interview was scheduled at 7:30am, but we got there at 7:00am. When we arrived, there was this huge line of people. If you are there for a K1 or K2 visa, walk towards the embassy and look for the sign that says line 3. We could not see the sign with the line number because line 4 was so long, so just walk towards the embassy and you will see line 3 has only a small number of people waiting.

Security took our cell phones while we were in the embassy, but no problem getting it back when we were finished. We were handed this laminated card with the documents they wanted and in the order they wanted it. They also wanted and kept the confirmation page from the on-line system when you scheduled the interview. As I said in the beginning of this post, the DS230 was not mentioned on the card, but I think you should bring it anyway, since a prior poster said he was asked for it as recently as 3/19/12. For her birth certificate, the card never said anything about turning over an English version, so I told Clau to just give them the Spanish version, and if they wanted the English version, we had it ready. They never asked for the English version, but we did include her baptismal certificate. They also never asked for any proof of our relationship which I also had ready. The questions they asked were very general, where and when did you meet, where does he work, where will you get married in the US. They never asked me a single question, and only put me on the phone to remind me to make sure the on-line account specified the location of where the visa should get delivered to, and it would take two weeks for delivery. This entire event took 2 hours.

So that´s my report. My last piece of advice to anyone about to do this is when in doubt of what to bring, bring it anyway because it´s not worth having to make a second trip back.

Best wishes to all,
Jon & Clau
Jon&ClauMaleColombia2012-03-22 22:55:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaCurrency Exchange/transfers

You can go to Walmart and send money via Moneygram. I've done this many times. XOOM is more expensive that MoneyGram.


Thanks OZ, but I'm trying to avoid fees if possible, and I like the idea that I can just sit at this computer and do an electronic transfer to an account that would not charge any fees. So it looks like it's either Capital One Bank or USAA if I can qualify.

Jon & Clau
Jon&ClauMaleColombia2012-04-01 19:31:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaCurrency Exchange/transfers

I don't know what your background is but if you have prior military service in the US or have a relative with prior military service in the US, you may be able to open a USAA bank account. Info at www.usaa.com They offer the lowest exhange rate transactions and there are no fees for using any ATM anywhere in the world. The reimburse local ATM fees as well.

The other option is to send money via xoom.com It costs 4.99 per transaction and the money can go directly to the person's Bancolombia account.
Info at www.xoom.com


My brother is retired military, so would that make me eligible for the USAA bank account? Thanks for also letting me know about xoom, had not heard of them before but will check them out.

Jon & Clau
Jon&ClauMaleColombia2012-04-01 13:49:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaCurrency Exchange/transfers
I have been on a hunt to find the best/ lowest cost way to exhange money and/or send money to Colombia. Typically, when in Colombia, I would use the local CitiBank ATM's, but they hit you with transaction fees for the exchange, and both CitiBank and your bank will hit you two more times for more fees. Since I needed more cash on my last trip for her interview, I wanted to try another way to avoid or minimize those fees, so I went to one of those airport counters in the US that does currency exchanges. I asked if there was a commission, and they said no, but to my surprise, when they made the exchange, they took like 200 pesos per dollar, which of course they don't call a fee!! This ended up being even more than what I would have paid the banks at the ATM, so don't use those airport exchange counters if you can avoid them.

I recalled that Capital One Visa cards have no fee for purchases overseas, and I remember them sending me a flyer stating they now have Capital One Bank, so I called and asked them what their fee structure was for overseas withdraw at ATMs on one of their accounts, and they said they charge no fees, and even better, they will reimburse your account up to $25.00/mth for any transaction fees charged by the bank that owns the ATM!!!

I'm going to open an account with them and see if this is really the case, but wanted to see if anyone out there has had any experience with them. What I will probably end of up doing if Capital One works out, is leaving my debit card with Clau's Mom so Clau can send her money from time to time. She can't have a debit card with her own name because she does not have a social security number. The only rub is that I have to call Capital One's fraud department to let them know I will be using the card and they can allow these withdraws for up to one year, then you have to call again once a year to alert them the card is being used outside the US.

Let me know if there is a better deal than above as I am open to suggestions!!

Jon & Clau
Jon&ClauMaleColombia2012-04-01 11:33:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaBARRANQUILLA - TRANSLATE BIRTH CERTIFICATE

Hello,

Can someone please recommend a place to go to in Barranquilla to translate a birth certificate from Spanish to English. Thanks!


Oz, I will get you the contact Claudia used to do her translation tomorrow(4/30). This person has the proper stamp with their credentials to do the translation.

Jon&Clau

Edited by Jon&Clau, 29 April 2012 - 08:32 PM.

Jon&ClauMaleColombia2012-04-29 20:32:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaColombia Club Part IV

Another productive week in our K-1 visa journey process, thanks in part to this forum and you all! Got registered online, printed out the deposit slip, sent my fiance to pay the fee in person at Helm bank in Medellin, then very quickly and effortlessly checked the website calendar and scheduled the interview for June 7, 2012 at 7 AM.

1. This next week need to schedule her exam in Bogota. Being that the interview date is on a Thursday June 7th I am thinking of scheduling the exam for Tuesday June the 5th. Any comments or suggestions?

2. Does my fiance need to complete any form electronically and submit to the Bogota US Embassy?

3. Need to find a apartment or hotel room for the week starting June 4, 2012. Any suggestions of where others have stayed?

4. A few other items I have on the radar - police clearance report, medical/vaccination records, other specific documents that she needs to complete for the interview itself.

Thank you in advance for your answers.


Hi D N Medellin, you can schedule the medical work and interview on the same week...Clau had her medical on a Wednesday with the interview on a Thursday and all was fine, but, no guarantee the doctor will have open appointments that same week, so I would have your fiancee get on the phone with them first thing on Monday to check, otherwise, you will be forced to reschedule your interview if you want to do both the same week. No forms to submit electronically to the embassy...just have the 156 and 156k with the bar codes ready. Also, you probably should have the DS230 complete as some other posters said they were asking for it even though it does not say you need it in any of the documentation provided by the embassy, so might as well be prepared in case they ask. You can have vaccinations done in her home city, but just get it done no more than a week prior to the medical exam, and bring the shot record book with you to the medical exam. For birth certificate, get an English version done and bring it with you. We did not submit the English version, only the Spanish Verison with her baptismal certificate and they never asked for English translation, but at some point, you will need an English translation when you get to the US.

Can't think of anything else, post another note if you think of anything else.

Jon & Clau
Jon&ClauMaleColombia2012-04-01 11:08:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaColombia Club Part IV

I understand, Diana.
I think, she split the avenue, online and phone, just because of her lack of savy in cyberspace.

She DID get E-MAIL confirmation from the embassy at to the Mar 23 date.
That makes me feel better about this.

So, we're going with it.
I think it will all end well.
Maybe not perfectly, but we are pretty "close to home", at this point.
__________

Jon,

I myself don't think there is much difference in exchanging money in the airport here or at the casa de cambiar in Colombia.
I always get a few hundred usd in col pesos here, and then there if needed.

What day is her interview next week??


Hi GringoD, ok, did not catch that she did get an eMail confirmation for the original appointment, so it sounds like you are all set. I fly into Bogota on March 19th. Her medical is on March 21st and interview at the embassy on March 22nd. We are staying at Embassy Suites...it's about a 40 minute taxi ride from the embassy, but I don't mind...I have stayed in enough Colombian owned hotels with no hot water, so I don't care about the extra distance. If you want to send me your eMail, please do here on VJ's eMail system, and I can shoot you a note about how things went for us since our interview is the day before yours!!

Thanks for the advice on the currency exchange...I never know if I'm overpaying a commission with those booths in the airport, so was curious what others might have been doing!!

Jon & Clau
Jon&ClauMaleColombia2012-03-12 16:54:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaColombia Club Part IV

Jon & Clau,

http://usvisa-info.c...try_welcome,... this is the link that you are taken to, when you click on
"schedule interview" on the page you refer to here. I find/found it humorous, that the word RANT is at the end of you site you refer me to there. :rofl:


Opps GrindoD sorry, here is the site, don't know how that address got truncated.

http://bogota.usemba...rant_visas.html

If she paid the fee on-line, I don't get how you can't see her profile on-line as well. So she paid on-line but made her appointment on the phone is what you are saying. I agree with Diana about getting something in writing. Write them an eMail and ask them to confirm your appointment day and time. In your eMail, I think you need to provide her name, the BGT number, and her date of birth, and I would throw in the passport number as well. This way, when you show up at the embassy, they can't say you don't have an appointment.

Jon & Clau
Jon&ClauMaleColombia2012-03-12 13:10:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaColombia Club Part IV
In preparation for my trip next week to Bogota for Clau's medical and interview, it appears I might need more cash(pesos) for this trip. Does anyone have any advice as to where is the best place to do currency exchange(lowest commissions)? I normally just use a CitiBank ATM, but they seem rather expensive with transaction fees and exchange rate fees. I know they have exchange booths in the US airports and in Bogota, so is that the best place?

Thanks,

Jon & Clau
Jon&ClauMaleColombia2012-03-12 12:41:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaColombia Club Part IV

ok.
I took the plunge.
But, even though on the initial 'Log-in',
they identified her "Applicant Identification Number" along with her name, dob, and passport no.,....

5 or 6 pages later, in-putting other information, and click yet another button,
And, it says: CASE NUMBER NOT IDENTIFIABLE.

So, in other words, the Case No. doesn't match with all the other info :angry: :devil: :unsure: :blink: :huh:

______

Ok, I said, she's not computer savy.
And, she was very nervous with all the uproar WHEN FINALLY WE WERE APPROVED AND THE PETITION, ETC. WAS IN BOGOTA AND SHE COULD FINALLY GET THIS GOING.

Something's definitely fish-y! here.

This will be interesting, jejeje!


GringoD, I clicked on the link you sent and I don't recognize that site. This is the site for making appointments for Bogota:

http://bogota.usemba...rant_visas.html

Click on the link on the right side that says "Schedule Interviews". Try that and let me know. Here is the other thing....since Bogota started this new process of booking interviews on-line back in October of 2011, I thought you had to pay the visa fee first, before you could schedule the interview, so have you or her paid the fee? I might be wrong about that, but I thought that's their new procedure. You also might try sending the embassy an eMail with your questions...I did that and they got back to me on the same day.

Based on my own personal experience with Bogota on the phone, I would be a little nervous about booking an interview over the phone, so try to get the on-line registeration set up. You, the petitioner can do it for.

Keep us posted.

Jon & Clau
Jon&ClauMaleColombia2012-03-12 09:31:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaColombia Club Part IV

2 Q's:

So the 'site' where you can change the interview date is on that site where she filled out 'Packet 3,4 online' (that rather long 2-page - I believe - online form) ?

Secondly, ... is there some particular reason of past experience that 3 of you above are encouraging me/us to Keep the Original Appointment Date??

Cause all things considered, it's really best for her and me to change to later in April, which I believe should likely still be available.


Hi Gringo D, I believe someone else answered your question as to the location of where you change the appointment. As for your second point, I have no opinion about changing your appointment. It would seem like it's not a big deal, and I think you said you did get an official extension to use if you needed it, so I think you have covered all your bases!!

Jon & Clau
Jon&ClauMaleColombia2012-03-10 23:05:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaColombia Club Part IV

Diana,

Thanks for your help.
As someone else stated, you seem to be well-informed.
Are you also colombian(a)?
Jus wondering.

Do you or does anyone else here have recent knowledge or experience with RESCHEDULING THE INTERVIEW?

For some personal issues, we are wishing to R/S the interview, if possible, towards the end of April, maybe the 3rd week in April.

Yesterday, she called (in Bogota) to the embassy, and they said she could not R/S on the phone.
She was told that she could either send/write an e-mail to request reschedule, or that she should just show up on the appointed day (Mar 23) and ask then for R/S.

I'm going to attempt to cover the personal issues, and keep the Mar 23 interview date.

Jus as added info,... On FEB 9, she first SCHEDULED the interview for March 23.
My "Approval" of the petition was granted on Dec 30 and is good til April 29.
I have a copy of the Request for Extension of Approval.
And, I'd be confident in using that, if needed.

But, I'm just wondering what kind of snags we might be running up against, if she doesn't keep the Mar 23 interview date, at this point in time.

I hope my situation is stated clearly.
Thanks for your help.

I'm glad you shifted this to this thread for me.
I'm not prejudiced.
It's a small world, after allllllll.... jajaja... (disney)

But, it's nice to be here.... only with those who have a love for 'things colombian'... like myself. :whistle:


GringoD, I think I saw your question for this before, but was not 100% sure if you could reschedule your interview using the same on-line facility that you might have used to book your interview, so I signed on to the Embassy site, using my fiancee's passport, DOB. Once you successfully sign-in, you will get to a page called "Applicant Summary". If you scroll to the bottom of the page, there is a section that says "What would you like to do?" The first link says "Reschedule Appointment". I did not go beyond this point, as I did not want to tempt fate here and mess with her current appointment. I also noticed on the Applicant Summary page a line that says "Reschedule/Cancel Deadline", which is the day before her current interview date. I don't know why the embassy personel would not direct you to this page to reschedule, but then again, I have been given info from them that has been wrong, so maybe I should not be surprised.

Hope this helps,

Jon & Clau
Jon&ClauMaleColombia2012-03-09 01:59:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaColombia Club Part IV

Looks like I need to jump into the sand box with you all - At 6:23 AM today March 8, 2012 I received Email from US Embassy in Bogota containing packages 3 and 4!

Game on..............now I brought some nice shiny new toys that we could all share in the sand box together!

Really, I look forward to some great discussions with all of you! :dance:


Congrats on that. I was hoping they would send you a notice that they received the petition as for some, they send nothing and it's up to you to find out. When is your interview date?

Jon & Clau
Jon&ClauMaleColombia2012-03-08 13:01:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaColombia Club Part IV

That's right, the visa is attached to the passport, the sealed envelope has all the info needed by immigration at POE to enter the immigrant's info in the system to be processed. Besides the passport (with visa) and boarding pass, my husband was asked for his cédula by the DAS which is right before boarding.

Also, don't bother taking the x-ray with you, you won't need it again.

Diana


Thank you for clarifying that Diana, Andrea Y Arturo. Well two weeks from tomorrow (3/8) is the dreaded interview. I think we just about have our documents ready to go!!
Jon&ClauMaleColombia2012-03-07 21:32:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaColombia Club Part IV

The visa in the passport....


Ok, I thought the visa was in the sealed envelope that will get opened at the POE, but sounds like that is not the case.

Jon & Clau
Jon&ClauMaleColombia2012-03-07 15:05:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaColombia Club Part IV

GringoD,

I'm replying through this thread so that we can keep it alive. It's much easier to have one thread as the main information center because otherwise we'll end up with a whole bunch of different threads and some of them will get lost in the bunch without any responses.

Anyway, in response to your question, if the visa is to be picked up or delivered in Bogotá, it'll take between 2-3 business days, so keep in mind any US or Colombian holidays that may fall in between. Anything outside of Bogotá will take 6-10 business days.

As soon as she has her visa in hand she can go straight to the airport and hop on a flight with a US destination, all she needs is her passport, visa and embassy envelope to be handed in to immigration at POE.

Diana


Diana, something just occured to me, what do the immigration folks at the airport in Colombia want to see besides the passport?

Thanks,

Jon & Clau
Jon&ClauMaleColombia2012-03-07 09:48:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaColombia Club Part IV

Jon & Clau,

Take all the evidence you can think of, pre and post filing, the more, the better.


Diana


Thanks Diana, I intended to bring ALL my evidence from the beginning, but just submit evidence since the petition, but will just give them copies of everything at the iterview.

Jon
Jon&ClauMaleColombia2012-02-24 11:26:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaColombia Club Part IV

Hello everybody,

Please try to use this thread to keep all Colombia Embassy topics (in English) together so that it's easier for all members to find info/answers to their questions. If individual topics are created, they tend to move down to other pages due to other threads being created or due to being too old for other members to read them.

Thank you!

Diana


So the embassy packet says they want "Proof of Relationship" as part of the documents we are to provide at our interview. Is this "proof" ALL the proof I have since the beginning of our relationship, or the proof since the petition was filed?

Thanks,

Jon & Clau
Jon&ClauMaleColombia2012-02-22 22:07:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaColombia Club Part IV

I was wondering if anyone knows what's going on with the Police Certificate (Certificado Judicial) which the US Embassy's Instructions Package clearly states is needed. It says the beneficiary can get it from any DAS office or online but the DAS website says that this document is no longer available and when I try to go to www.certificadojudicial.gov.co, which is the link that was used to get the document online, it says the same thing, that it's no longer available.

Are any of you having an issue with this document and not having it available for you interview?


Thanks!

Diana


Hi Diana, I will ask Clau if she has made this request. Last time I spoke with her, she said she could do it on-line, but not sure she actually made the request. Will let you know unless someone else finds the answer beforehand.

Jon & Clau
Jon&ClauMaleColombia2012-02-20 19:58:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsApproved in Bogota!!!!!:)

We were approved at the interview in Bogota this morning and all went well. They did not ask for my DAS report and we spent more time waiting to be called to the second window than the time spent at both windows. So happy now we are just waiting for the Visa to arrive!!!!:)

Hi RJQuilla, congratulations on getting the visa approved!!! My Fiance is also from Barranquilla and we just received approval for NOA2. One question I was hoping to ask you, how did you handle the vaccination requirements? My Fiance has no vaccination records so she will need everything, but just wanted to see if you were able to get them in Barranquilla or you decided to get them in Bogota. Also, which doctor did you use? Would you recommend?

Thanks and best wishes!!

Jon and Clau
Jon&ClauMaleColombia2012-01-29 12:07:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsInterview Monday

Well all this hard work and all this waiting comes to an end for my interview. I am sitting in the airport waiting for my flight to colombia to be with my love on our special day. We have everything in order and are hoping for the best on moday. For all those waiting be patient the day will come this process is hard this process is difficult I could write a book with all the drama thus far with this process. But the most important is me and my love have a perfect love together and will be together soon.


Congratulations John P, I'm not to far behind you!!! Let us know how your interview went as that really helps us know what to expect when we eventually get there.

Best Wishes,

Jon & Clau
Jon&ClauMaleColombia2012-02-25 06:46:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsCan NVC stop the package from being forwarded to the Embassy?

My NOA 2 was done about 2 weeks ago, 1 week ago I called the NVC and they even have issued the BGT number (Bogota Embassy). Today I called to see if the package has been forwarded but to my surprise they said that it was under AP (Additional Processing) and they could not tell me when it would be forwarded.......urrrrr

Can the NVC deny an approved K-1?

Is this normal? What does this mean, AP at the NVC? They conduct another review?

If they (NVC) notices that something is not right with the documents or something else do they return the package to CSC or will I get an RFE?


D N Medellin COL, I am sorry to hear about your petition being put on AP(Administrative Processing or also called additional processing). From older threads here at VJ, it appears that the pattern is you get no answers from the NVC when you call, and it takes about 60 days for the petition to clear AP. Maybe someone else reading your question who has already been through AP can share their experience.

Hang in there,

Jon & Clau
Jon&ClauMaleColombia2012-02-27 21:53:00