ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaBrasileiritchas
Ele deva enviar sua aplicação para Chicago. ^^
K and LFemaleBrazil2012-01-26 01:05:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaBrasileiritchas
Meh, photos are overrated for the US side and pretty much unnecessary for the Brazil side. We only had 2, one for each trip I had made to Brazil. The rest of it is more important - things like my passport pages from the visa/entrance/exit stamps, hotel bill showing both of us being registered, a boarding passes from either MIA->SSA o SSA->MIA, atm withdrawal slip from Brazil, the itinerary for the next trip (or the fact that she's knocked up). And they weren't OMG fabulous photos, they were crappy laptop cam photos, and we were just heads in one of the photos.


BTW, if she gives birth in Brazil, make sure you remember to file the "child born abroad" stuff with the US consulate, so your kid gets citizenship and you don't need to screw around with immigration for him/her.
K and LFemaleBrazil2011-08-07 13:37:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaBrasileiritchas
Parabéns!

You need to send documentation that you've met - her visa stamps from her passport and a photo are sufficient for this, and anything else (including any ultrasounds she may have before you submit your documentation!) will be gravy.

As for the amount of time, that is hard to predict. According to the graphs from timelines people have submitted, it looks like the I-129F stage is presently taking around 80-120 days. After it goes through the I-129F stage, it takes about 18 days at NVC, 6 days to the consulate, and 39 days until the interview. All in all, it's presently averaging about 213 days, or just over 7 months. The time from the I-129F stage til interview is pretty consistent, that's about what it was when my husband's petition was going through in 2009/2010.

If she has the information to send, she should do it NOW. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but depending on where your fiancee lives (as the location the petition is processed at depends upon location), you may not be here in time.
K and LFemaleBrazil2011-07-24 22:34:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaBrasileiritchas
:lol:

Worse is pão vs pau. Not a good pair to mess up and they sound so close. :lol:

(Context, it is everything, loooooool)

Edited by K and L, 10 June 2011 - 11:57 PM.

K and LFemaleBrazil2011-06-10 23:57:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaBrasileiritchas
Congrats to your husband, bora bora! I hope you enjoy your time in Brasilia. Have you begun your application for the VIPER visa yet? How's that going?


We just got back from registering our marriage with the consulate & transferring L's election title. I'm happy to say that while my Portuguese is still not so great, it was good enough that I was able to take care of the marriage registration stuff (while L was working on his election title stuff) entirely in Portuguese :)

Edited by K and L, 28 March 2011 - 05:59 PM.

K and LFemaleBrazil2011-03-28 17:56:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaBrasileiritchas
It varies based on how busy the service centers are that process the fiancé(e) visas. The first stage (the petition, with USCIS) can take between 2 and 5 months - more if you get a RFE (request for further evidence) or more. The second stage (the visa, with the Dept of State & the US Consulate in Rio) will also vary, but typically, from your NOA2 approval date, it will be about 6-8 weeks. (L was an exception, but that was mostly of our choosing - his original interview was within that period.) So, overall, 4-7 months would be a good estimate from the application until the interview, and it can be a week or two to get your passport back from the consulate if the courrier is backed up.
K and LFemaleBrazil2010-11-15 05:34:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaBrasileiritchas
I don't know where you're from, Rafe, but L's visa came on the 7th after being printed on the 5th (our interview was on the 4th of May, this year) -- L was from Bahia. They told us it'd be a week or two, too.
K and LFemaleBrazil2010-08-24 23:32:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaBrasileiritchas
FWIW, L wore a polo shirt, khakis, and sneakers to his interview. I wore khakis and a fitted cotton shirt with nice sandals (not the kind you'd wear to the beach) to it. Less dressy than business casual (button down shirt, nicer shoes), but more than casual. Most of the men that were there when I was interviewing were the petitioners, not the beneficiaries, but they were also in the polo/button down shirt without a tie and khaki/slack realm. (So, I'm echoing what LadyL said!)

Good luck on Tuesday!
K and LFemaleBrazil2010-08-20 23:22:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaBrasileiritchas
Can anyone with a recent K1 tell me if the A# was printed on the visa? L's visa had no annotations, including no A#, and most of the K1 visas I've seen online had the A# in the annotations section, and many had the fiancé(e)'s name on it. If it's wrong, we need to get on this soon!
K and LFemaleBrazil2010-05-07 18:57:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaBrasileiritchas
We used the prepaid vouchers from the Rio de Janeiro State Tourism Authority desk at the airport, because they're cheaper than the fare would have been (our driver ran the meter but didn't charge more).

But either way, R$80-100 in fees is a heck of a lot more than she will have going from SDU, where she can walk -- it's less than a kilometer away!
K and LFemaleBrazil2010-05-06 22:50:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaBrasileiritchas
From Galeão (GIG) to Flamengo (where we stayed, at Mengo Palace), the fare was R$42. From Flamengo to the consulate (in Centro) was R$8. I believe going straight to the consulate would be less than R$50, but not that much - say, R$45-R$48 instead f R$50.

From Santos Dumont (SDU), I believe you can walk. It's really really close.

Overall, you're probably better off coming into SDU, especially if you're by yourself -- we flew into GIG because I joined my fiancé and our flights came in and left at about the same time, so it was easier for him to meet me at the airport than to take a taxi or the metro from SDU to GIG & the price of the flights were the same to both airports.

Edited by K and L, 06 May 2010 - 08:24 PM.

K and LFemaleBrazil2010-05-06 20:19:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaBrasileiritchas
I couldn't answer MrsPrice's question, but that does bring me to one that I should have asked earlier: does the birth certificate and criminal history need to be translated for AOS? If so, does it need a certified translation, or can anyone do it? For instance, my best friend was at one point worked as a translator (though for hospitals, not the government) - would she be able to do it? We found one in Brazil, and the prices are reasonable, but free's even better :P
K and LFemaleBrazil2010-04-25 12:35:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaBrasileiritchas
Joaquim will get the medical exams done in time. You'll have to arrive early enough for a morning exam, and the lab tests are first come first serve. When we scheduled for the 7th (and was cancelled coz they were closed for the flooding/mudslides in Centro), L had the choice of an appointment at 9h/10h/13h (I'm assuming the others were booked) and would absolutely be able to pick up his results at 15h.

And for what it's worth, beinha also had a similar experience with Joaquim - her appointment was at 13h the day before her interview and she picked up the results at 16h.
K and LFemaleBrazil2010-04-20 23:09:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaBrasileiritchas
Both can get an account without problems.
K and LFemaleBrazil2010-03-24 13:41:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaBrasileiritchas
Meu noivo brasileiro fiz uma conta. Se você sabe o número de processo, você pode fazer uma conta em USCIS. Vá aqui.

Eh... não precisa de fazer uma conta se sabe o número de processo. Vá aqui e use-o -- mas não pode ver a última vez que alguém trabalhou em seu processo ("touch").

Edited by K and L, 22 March 2010 - 07:50 PM.

K and LFemaleBrazil2010-03-22 19:46:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaBrasileiritchas
I go to Chicago regularly, so we'll just leave on a Friday instead of a Saturday, so we can take care of the consular issues at once. :)
K and LFemaleBrazil2010-02-25 02:01:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaBrasileiritchas
Thanks! I guess we'll take care of that when we go to register the wedding :)
K and LFemaleBrazil2010-01-29 12:59:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaBrasileiritchas
L was wondering about elections and voting, since it's all mandatory and what not, and he (probably) won't be in Brazil for the next major elections. What does he have to do to take care of the voting stuff?
K and LFemaleBrazil2010-01-26 22:40:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaBrasileiritchas
Nessa: They're still considered Brazilian citizens (as ale said). This says the procedure to register the birth with Brazil. If it works the way it does for Americans born abroad (which, uh, I dunno if it does), once they've finalized the registration, you can get him a Brazilian passport, so he won't need a visa to go to Brazil.

ETA: I believe that unlike the marriage registration, you do not need to visit a cartório in person to have the documents finalized & registered in Brazil (you do seem to need to visit the Consulate in person, though), but my written Portuguese is not so good with nuances. (Erm, I had bookmarked the link a few months ago, when I thought my previous visit to Brazil may have had resulted in the need to know about such things - Chicago's my local consulate.)

Edited by K and L, 20 January 2010 - 05:12 AM.

K and LFemaleBrazil2010-01-20 05:09:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaBrasileiritchas
Feliz ano novo!
K and LFemaleBrazil2010-01-01 03:08:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaBrasileiritchas
The first software that comes to mind isn't the one that will do the absolute best job at the compression, but should get it down significantly: DivX. It comes in two parts, a converter (there's a free trial, but I think you have to purchase the pro version of the software for $20 to keep it) that will compress it to a significantly smaller video file, and a video codec (which your family will need to download & install to view the files -- windows DivX codec, mac DivX codec). I think you would need to buy the MPEG converter plugin ($10) to do your video files, though.

Another option is AutoGK -- it also uses DivX or Xvid for compressing (and like DivX, your family would need to install the Xvid codec in order to view it -- windows; it's more complicated on the mac and installing this quicktime plugin would probably be the best way on mac). That tutorial shows you how to burn it to disk, but obviously you know how to do that already & it's not a requirement for using AutoGK.

AutoGK is 100% free, so I would go with that as a starting point (and the fact it's got everything you need already is a bonus!), but DivX may be able to get it smaller with better quality -- I haven't messed around with AutoGK to see how good the quality is.


Regardless of which one you choose, there are three things to note:
1) Video compression can also take hours, but you don't have to be there while it does it. I don't know how long it would take for 3-5 minute movies, as I typically compress things that are 1-2 hours long, and that usually takes me a few hours. But once it's done, the upload and download should take minutes.

2) Take some time to play with the compression settings to see how good the video is afterward. Decreasing the frame rate per second (fps) is an easy way to reduce the size of the video - a 600x400 video going from 50 fps (typical for HD recordings) to 25 fps (more than sufficient for non-HD) will be reduced in size by half. I wouldn't reduce it to less than, say, 25 fps. If your camera is recording video in HD, this is the first step to take to make the size smaller!

3) After you're done, before you send it, you should be able to get a little bit more compression by sending it as a rar or zip file. Google rarlabs and winzip to find programs to do those things. Windows XP and later has a built in unzip function, but winzip and winrar will compress things better than xp does.
K and LFemaleBrazil2009-11-17 16:24:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaBrasileiritchas
A two minute video can be compressed to be much less than 200MB. Most 1 hour TV shows are 160MB or less when compressed, so recompressing your video should make it around 5-6MB, per video. Video compression is why real time video streaming (including services like Skype) are possible.

What kind of camera are you using to create the videos? I can look for some tools that would convert your videos to something much smaller, and then your family back in Brazil can enjoy videos of your son much faster, without having to wait for the slow postal system (or worrying about importation fees!). smile.gif

Edited by K and L, 13 November 2009 - 05:19 PM.

K and LFemaleBrazil2009-11-13 17:18:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaBrasileiritchas
BTW, Nessa, do they have internet? You could use the internet, even if they have slow internet. There are lots of technologies available using the internet. smile.gif
K and LFemaleBrazil2009-11-13 14:00:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaBrasileiritchas
Parabéns! biggrin.gif
K and LFemaleBrazil2009-11-13 03:14:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaBrasileiritchas
Perhaps say digital photos instead - they may have thought you were talking about something else (such as videos of a US tv show that isn't popular in Brazil) sad.gif

Edited by K and L, 05 November 2009 - 07:57 PM.

K and LFemaleBrazil2009-11-05 19:56:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaBrasileiritchas
Obrigada smile.gif (Meu noivo é o brasileiro. Ele teria escrevido em português.) Nosso aplicativo deve ser fácil - neither of us have been married (or applied for a family-based visa before) or have criminal records, I make enough money to sponsor him, and I've been to Brazil a few times (with a visa, entry/exit stamps, boarding passes, cc/hotel receipts, and photos to demonstrate). I suspect if we get a RFE, it will be because my photocopy of my passport was too dark (you could still read it, but you couldn't make out the photos)... and I already have a new photocopy ready to go, so I'd just need to photocopy the RFE form & send it on its way, easy peasy.

Edited by K and L, 04 November 2009 - 09:27 AM.

K and LFemaleBrazil2009-11-04 09:25:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaBrasileiritchas
Are there forms specifically for the medical exam? My fiancé lives kind of far from one of the approved sites, but we'll be in Recife for the holidays -- we were thinking about trying to schedule the medical exam then rather than wait the month for it to be past the NVC. (It's not a huge deal if that's not possible, but it'd be nice!) The directions on the website just say to take a photo and ID (and, of course, the money for the exam and lab fees).

Edited by K and L, 03 November 2009 - 06:08 PM.

K and LFemaleBrazil2009-11-03 18:04:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaBrasileiritchas
Derek, the consulate probably already has the paperwork for the denied tourist visas, so it would probably be best to go ahead and say that she was denied a tourist visa, and explain the reasoning (probably insufficient ties).

Before deciding how to answer the question about work, I believe you need to look into licensing issues. There may or may not be reciprocity with the license, and I would guess there probably will not be (because laws and education requirements are so different in Brazil as in the US). More than likely, she will have to sit for your state's bar, which could be denied if she was not educated in the US and doesn't possess a JD. I don't know whether or not she has to have work authorization to be admitted to the bar, or to sit for the bar. In either case, she won't be able to practice as a lawyer without admission to the bar even if she has work authorization. Googling something like "(your state) state bar" will help you find out who she needs to talk to regarding the bar. It might be that in order to practice in your state, she has to go through law school (though she may be able to go into an LLM program instead of the JD program), or she will have to try to sit for the bar in CA or NY and try to get reciprocity through that.


Carolina, a similar situation probably holds for you. You will need to look into the licensing requirements of the state you're going to live in for practicing psychology. It may be trickier on the basis of education - I don't know what level of education you need in Brazil to practice as a psychologist, but in the US, you need a doctorate, and you need to pass a national exam. Googling something like "licensed psychologist (your state)" should bring up the state's licensing board or department of health website. For whatever it's worth, in my state you need the doctorate and the national exam and regarding the doctorate:
QUOTE
240.3(4) Foreign-trained psychologists shall:
a. Provide an equivalency evaluation of their educational credentials by the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology, 1120 G Street NW, Suite 330, Washington, D.C. 20005, telephone (202)783-7663, Web site www.nationalregister.org, or by an evaluation service with
membership in the National Association of Credentials Evaluation Services, Inc., at www.naces.org. A certified translation of documents submitted in a language other than English shall be provided. The candidate shall bear the expense of the curriculum evaluation and translation of application documents. The educational credentials must be equivalent to programs stated in 240.3(3). IAC 9/24/08 Professional Licensure[645] Ch 240, p.3
b. Provide a notarized copy of the certificate or diploma awarded to the applicant from a psychology program in the country in which the applicant was educated.
c. Submit evidence of meeting all other requirements for licensure stated in these rules.
d. Receive a final determination from the board regarding the application for licensure.



(Unlike Derek, my Portuguese is absolutely wretched!)

Edited by K and L, 29 October 2009 - 08:12 AM.

K and LFemaleBrazil2009-10-29 08:11:00
Europe & Eurasia (except the UK and Russia)Questions after the wedding
To be recorded in France, you would need to do whatever it is the French Consulate requires in order to get the family book. (Looks like an Apostilled version of the marriage certificate.
K and LFemaleBrazil2010-08-09 04:03:00
Europe & Eurasia (except the UK and Russia)Hepatitis B Vaccine...
Depends on her age, my now wife who came over on a K-1 visa, had a total of 2 shots to enter the country. Before your Aos you will have to update her shots according to her age. Your private insurance should cover immunizations but will not cover the fees for the I-693. Make sure you find a Civil Surgeon that goes by the book and doesn't take you for a bunch of unneeded test, she will only need her immunizations records transfered. Good luck!
Sayha or bust.MaleVietnam (no flag)2011-04-11 19:33:00
Asia: East and PacificCould some one translate my letter?
She does a lot of chatting on Skype, not so much email, she usually has the teacher translates her letters to English and sends them to me. I will mention to her to try to send me some emails from her in her English, it wont be too pretty. lol. i cant't believe how Cheap it is to hire her teacher. i'm was paying 250,000 dong before the emailing started now its up to 300,000
Sayha or bust.MaleVietnam (no flag)2010-02-25 19:04:00
Asia: East and PacificCould some one translate my letter?
I'm learning Cambodian. She is tutored 4 times a week at her home, by one of the High School teachers. Her English has come along way over the year and can understand a lot of what I say, probably helps that we talk 3500 minutes a month, plus some time on Skype. Thanks for the info.
Sayha or bust.MaleVietnam (no flag)2010-02-25 18:50:00
Asia: East and PacificCould some one translate my letter?
I also get her Vietnamese letters translated, but the person is very slow, i would pay some one if interested in Translating.
Sayha or bust.MaleVietnam (no flag)2010-02-25 18:11:00
Asia: East and PacificCould some one translate my letter?
My fiancee wrote me a letter in Cambodian instead of Vietnamese. I have no one to translate. Could you please help me. I could scan and send it to your personal email.

Edited by Sayha or bust., 25 February 2010 - 06:09 PM.

Sayha or bust.MaleVietnam (no flag)2010-02-25 18:08:00
Asia: East and PacificCambodian VJ Thread
I'm American my fiancee is Khmer Krom from South Vietnam.
Sayha or bust.MaleVietnam (no flag)2010-02-21 16:05:00
National Visa Center (Dept of State)Form I-864 part 7
Your above the 125%, leave it blank.
Sayha or bust.MaleVietnam (no flag)2012-04-08 13:29:00
National Visa Center (Dept of State)It's been 4 weeks

You cannot call the MTL embassy.. you will speak with a robot.. that is it. If you are waiting for you interview date.. you have to speak with the NVC. They are the ones who schedule it. The only way to contact montreal is at their email address, and even then, you are looking at 5 weeks until you get a reply.

Congrats on getting ur case # though!! :dance:



Ya see...when I called the NVC....they said they dealt w/ it no longer. If I had any questions I had to call the Embassy. I'm not waiting for my interview date...I'm waiting to just get a letter saying the Embassy has received it and my Packet 3...According to the NVC they sent it our March 15th to the Embassy....I still havent gotten anything from the Embassy....it's been 2 1/2 weeks almost!
julesroseNot TellingCanada2010-03-29 21:03:00
National Visa Center (Dept of State)It's been 4 weeks

This is the forum i found when I was looking for information on who to contact.. Dos stands for department of state, they track everything and they will be able to tell you if your P3 is sent yet or not.

http://www.visajourn...real-consulate/

Hope this helps some!


Oh kk thanks!
julesroseNot TellingCanada2010-03-29 18:04:00
National Visa Center (Dept of State)It's been 4 weeks

Whoo Hooo... so exciting :)

What number are you calling? Are you calling DOS 202-663-1225? I believe they stop taking calls at 5pm tho.



No, I'm calling 514-398-9695 ...it's the # that the NVC lady gave to me for the Montreal Embassy....

No, I'm calling 514-398-9695 ...it's the # that the NVC lady gave to me for the Montreal Embassy....



and what is DOS?
julesroseNot TellingCanada2010-03-29 17:17:00
National Visa Center (Dept of State)It's been 4 weeks

EXCELLENT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :dance: :dance: :dance:



Ya!! SO HAPPY!! I called my mother-in-law to be lol...and we jumped up and down :P ....but now I'm having issues w/ Montreal Embassy # .....it rings once says "connected" but I hear nothing?!.......
julesroseNot TellingCanada2010-03-29 16:41:00