ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club

Has anyone had any success using the DHL shortcut? I've been following the information listed by Peter Miami and even with a one day shipping window the response is that there are too many shipments and I should narrow down the shipping information.

Worked just fine for me :thumbs:
TonySMaleColombia2007-04-25 04:12:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club

Leo in the house here!
I have one question :on the form ds-156 there's a question regarding "have you ever apply for a visa" which in my girls case
she did apply for the turist Visa but got denied. SO my question on this one is: is it best for her to put "yes" and that it got denied, or could she put "no" instead?
thanks


Leo

It's no big deal. It common for denial of tourist visas for Colombians. My fiancee was denied a few years ago and it was not a problem. Just be honest.

Tony
TonySMaleColombia2007-04-23 16:24:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club
Hola

I guess the decision comes down to a personal choice but I recommend the K-1. The process from initial filing to receiveing the visa took use 97 days. I also went through the VSC. We will have a simple wedding here and a larger ceremony in Colombia later.

Although I have been following this thread for quite a while, I have not yet begun my own process. I am the American Citizen (born in Cali, raised in NY) and my fiance is in Cali. I have been back to Cali many times since we first met in July 2003, thankfully I get a lot of vacation time b/c I'm a teacher, and we definitely have A LOT of evidence proving we are a bona fide couple.

I will be going back to Cali in July and Leo and I will be spending the summer together. We have finally decided to get married and here is my question to you experienced VJ'ers. I'm not sure which visa we should pursue. I have read the comparison info. that the site provides, but I don't know what to do. I know the Fiance visa would get him here sooner, but if we were to marry in Cali and go for the CR-1/then he would not need to go through AOS. For any of you that had to make this decision, is there any advice you can provide?

ALSO - MANY CONGRATS TO ALL OF YOU THAT HAVE RECEIVED YOUR VISAS RECENTLY!!!


TonySMaleColombia2007-04-11 08:54:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club
Hello Leo

Don't worry, the DS-2001 is ok to use.

HELLO!
MY NAME IS LEO AND WELL MY GIRL IS IN COLOMBIA AND WE JUST RECEIVED HER CASE NUMBER, WE HAVE EVERYTHING READY TO BE FAX TO THE US EMBASSY BUT WE ARE MISSING THE FAMOUS "OF-169"
CAN SOME ONE PLEASE SEND ME THE PDF OF THAT FORM, I HAVE THE DS-2001 BUT I WANT TO PLAY IT SAVE SO I WANT TO SEND THE "OF-169", MY EMAIL IS LE_NARDO@YAHOO.COM
THANKS!


TonySMaleColombia2007-04-11 08:44:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club
Hello Corey

I would be glad to help if I can. My fiancee is from Barranquilla and has a 2 year old daughter. They received their visas in Feb and are now here in the US. PM me and we can talk :yes: .



I just finished reading from page 1 to 39 over the past few days.....as Mike ( Mike and Adriana) suggested......whew ...information overload. It was very helpful and I have about 4 pages of notes that I will be referring too. I also want to say thank you to KathyB for the information you provided about your recent interview.

One subject that applies to my situation I saw only touched is a minor child of the Fiancee. I really need some clarification on what is required. My Fiancee has a 19 month old son and I am attempting to learn what is required at the interview ( K-1) for my soon to be step-son. In reviewing the posts it mentions the appropriate vaccinations for his age. My Fiancee does have his vaccination records which are current. I also read he will need to have a Doctor's appointment prior to the interview. Does the Doctor's appointment have to be in Bogota? My Fiancee lives in Barranquilla. I am planning on attending the interview ( hopefully in the end of May), June the latest. In reading the past posts, I have read the Embassy prefers children are not brought to the interview, in the situation I would be watching our son rather then be able to attend the interview.

What forms are need, if any for the K-1? Do I need an additional DS-156 and does this have to be brought to the bank also? Are there any other forms required? I am aware a letter needs to be prepared for permission for the child to leave the Colombia and consent given by the Biological father. In our situation the father's whereabouts are not known. He does not provide any child support our call to inquiry how the child is doing. My Fiancee has gone to the family court ( do not remember the exact name) and was told she needs to present three witnesses at the court to verify the father's whereabouts are not known. Once her case is proven she would be issued a letter allowing the child to leave Colombia. The letter is only valid for 20 days. She was told it takes approximately 4 or 5 days for the letter to be prepared. We are awaiting the interview date before she applies for the letter due to it only being valid for twenty days.

Any suggests or advice regarding a child ( 19 months old) for a K-1 visa would be helpful.
Thanks in Advance.

P.S OskaryAndrea....I really feel for you and the problems you have been encountering. I really hope everything gets resolved and fast for you and your fiance.

I just finished reading from page 1 to 39 over the past few days.....as Mike ( Mike and Adriana) suggested......whew ...information overload. It was very helpful and I have about 4 pages of notes that I will be referring too. I also want to say thank you to KathyB for the information you provided about your recent interview.

One subject that applies to my situation I saw only touched is a minor child of the Fiancee. I really need some clarification on what is required. My Fiancee has a 19 month old son and I am attempting to learn what is required at the interview ( K-1) for my soon to be step-son. In reviewing the posts it mentions the appropriate vaccinations for his age. My Fiancee does have his vaccination records which are current. I also read he will need to have a Doctor's appointment prior to the interview. Does the Doctor's appointment have to be in Bogota? My Fiancee lives in Barranquilla. I am planning on attending the interview ( hopefully in the end of May), June the latest. In reading the past posts, I have read the Embassy prefers children are not brought to the interview, in the situation I would be watching our son rather then be able to attend the interview.

What forms are need, if any for the K-1? Do I need an additional DS-156 and does this have to be brought to the bank also? Are there any other forms required? I am aware a letter needs to be prepared for permission for the child to leave the Colombia and consent given by the Biological father. In our situation the father's whereabouts are not known. He does not provide any child support our call to inquiry how the child is doing. My Fiancee has gone to the family court ( do not remember the exact name) and was told she needs to present three witnesses at the court to verify the father's whereabouts are not known. Once her case is proven she would be issued a letter allowing the child to leave Colombia. The letter is only valid for 20 days. She was told it takes approximately 4 or 5 days for the letter to be prepared. We are awaiting the interview date before she applies for the letter due to it only being valid for twenty days.

Any suggests or advice regarding a child ( 19 months old) for a K-1 visa would be helpful.
Thanks in Advance.

P.S OskaryAndrea....I really feel for you and the problems you have been encountering. I really hope everything gets resolved and fast for you and your fiance.
[/quote]

Edited by TonyS, 09 April 2007 - 11:06 AM.

TonySMaleColombia2007-04-09 11:05:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club

Hi all,

I have nothing helpful to provide, just a note to say that our visa was approved this morning! We were the LAST people to be called but that was the hardest part. After a much needed nap, I will provide more information about the interview. But this thread has been invaluable, truly I would not have been prepared at all. But here is the irony...after all our careful preparation of documentation, evidence, photos, we were not asked to show anything. I saw many other people show photos, etc. but we were not asked to. Go figure. It only shows that each case is evaluated very differently by the COs. However, we felt much more confident with our folder of stuff.

More info to come, but thanks everyone for the advice!

Kathy


Hola Kathy

I'm very happy for you! Good luck with your new life :yes:
TonySMaleColombia2007-04-02 19:50:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club

My Fiancee is getting help from the agency that we met through in filing her paperwork from packet 3. The agency told her that she does not need the Certificado de Migratorio because she has never left Colombia. The agency helps literally hundreds of women and seems to have a good working knowledge of the K1 process. However, the Certificado de Migratorio is a new requirement. I did not know if she needed documentation proving that she has never left Colombia or not. Can anyone advise on this issue?????



The Certificado de Migratorio is listed as one of the required documents in the package 4. I HIGHLY SUGGEST she get it! Remember you want to cover all bases in this process...you don't want to have the visa held up on a small technicality. The certificate is not difficult to get, just time consuming if she lives outside Bogota. Better to be safe than sorry!
TonySMaleColombia2007-03-11 10:06:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club
Very well said. I have seen on some forums where they felt that meeting online or through a dating agency may be a problem. In my experiences and talking to people at the interview, it was not a issue at all. No matter how the couple met, the number one thing is to prove the relationship is real.

Tell the truth. Using an agency is not a big deal. You had to meet somehow. It's not better or worse than meeting on-line or on the street during a vacation to Colombia, IMO. I have not seen any evidence from posts on this board that it makes any difference in success or failure. On the other hand, it one lies or withholds info...and gets caught...that's a whole other problem.

Tony,
I noticed that in your reply you stated not to worry if you met online or through an agency. Could you expand on that a little bit. I met my fiancee through a prominant marriage agency in Bogota. I have seen some posts, I do not remember if it was in this forum or the K-1 forum, but the comment was made to not tell immigration that you met through a PAID service. I am pretty sure that The USCIS knows that virtually every IMBRA required the member to pay a fee so I am not sure what the intent is here. I feel that my fiancee and I love one another just as much as couples who met in other ways do. I have plenty of phone records, pictures, emails, and other documentation to show proof of our relationship. I have been to Bogota twicw and we have kown each other for almost 1 year. I just don't think giving the Embassy false information is a good idea for anyone. I am for just telling the truth. Does anyone have any comments or ideas?


TonySMaleColombia2007-03-03 20:31:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club

Hi Club Colombia! I'm fairly new here -- I just mailed in the I-129F petition for mi colombiano a week ago. I asked this question under the regional heading, but I thought I'd try it here, aiming specifically at people who have completed the K-1 process at the Bogota embassy:

How important do you think it is that the USC attend the interview at the embassy? What did YOU do, and how did it work out? I'm hoping that by collating everybody's responses, I can get a fairly good idea of the best thing to do.


In my opinion, if you the time and money to attend the interview, then do it! I noticed that approval rate for Colombians there alone was about 50%. Now this may not be very accurate but just from my observations. There were about 5 couples there, including myself....we were all approved in 3-5 minutes. In general only about 3 questions were asked and only once was the USC asked to speak. He was asked one question, " How did they meet?" and was approved in 5 minutes l. I noticed that if the applicant was at the window for 10-15 minutes then most likely they were not getting approved. In my opinion, the success if for a couple of reasons. First of all, if you are going to take the time, money and effort to come to a interview that you are not required to attend, then mostly you are a real couple to the CO. Second of all, the USC that feels is very important to attend the interview, is most likely the kind of individual that researched the process and made sure everything was done correctly. Some of the girls that was not approved were sent away and asked to come back with more proof. One had boyfriend that had only been to Colombia once and she had just 7 emails. Another girl only had the dates of the emails and did not include the body of the messages.

So this is what I think and it has been said before in the Colombia Club.

1. If you can go for the interview then do it! Bogota is a big city plagued with the issues all big cities have but I had a blast and did not feel unsafe. I feel the experience brought us even closer together. We did some fun things and this helped us both relax in what can be a stressful situation.
2. More information is better than too little. I suggest 30-50 emails but if the CO feel good about you, then most likely they won't even look at them.
3. I suggest 10-30 pictures. They seem to be VERY INTERESTED IN PICTURES! We had about 25 and the CO looked at all of them.
4. Phone records, but again if the CO feels good about the couple then most likely he/she won't look at the records.
TonySMaleColombia2007-03-01 11:28:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club

Just arrived home from Bogota. The interview was easy and sucessful! :dance: Good luck to Dan today!



That's great Tony! Congratulations! What questions did they ask you?
By the way, has anybody here ever taken "yahoo call history" as proof of communication?
Thanks!


Well at the first window, she was asked:

1. What is your profession?
2. How did you meet your fiance?
3. When did you meet your fiance?
4. How long you did you live with you ex-husband? ( my fiancee is divorced )
5. When will you go to America?

At the CO window she was asked:

1. How did you meet? ( Don't worry those of you who met online or through a agency...doesn't matter )
2. When did you meet?

That was all! Did not ask to speak to me. But please read on. I will give my opinion in the thread below.
TonySMaleColombia2007-03-01 11:02:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club

Just arrived home from Bogota. The interview was easy and sucessful! :dance: Good luck to Dan today!



Fantastic! I am thrilled for both of you!

Kathy




Thank you so much Kathy. I know you will be sucessful too :yes:.
TonySMaleColombia2007-03-01 02:47:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club
Just arrived home from Bogota. The interview was easy and sucessful! :dance: Good luck to Dan today!
TonySMaleColombia2007-02-28 03:19:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club
Hola mi amigos! I'm leaving in the morning for the interview. Thanks to all for the help. I feel very confident due to all the information provided to me in this forum. I only wish to repay the favor to future and current members getting ready for their interviews.


Tony
TonySMaleColombia2007-02-20 20:47:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club

:dance: Yahoo! K-3 approved (107 days) and CR-1 appoved (123 days) in the same day! Took a while, but happy that things will be moving along faster now. Time to finish getting packet 3 in order and collecting the information for packet 4. How cool :D

Congradulations Brad on getting your visa in hand! Although it took a while, it's definitely worth it. Kinda jealous of your trip to Bogota though, would like to have been down there myself.


Good luck! Go get your man girl! I will be heading to the interview next wednesday.



Sorry LOL. The above reply was meant for Oskar and Andrea.
TonySMaleColombia2007-02-13 08:26:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club

:dance: Yahoo! K-3 approved (107 days) and CR-1 appoved (123 days) in the same day! Took a while, but happy that things will be moving along faster now. Time to finish getting packet 3 in order and collecting the information for packet 4. How cool :D

Congradulations Brad on getting your visa in hand! Although it took a while, it's definitely worth it. Kinda jealous of your trip to Bogota though, would like to have been down there myself.


Good luck! Go get your man girl! I will be heading to the interview next wednesday.
TonySMaleColombia2007-02-13 07:12:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club
To all new members, I have a package 4 (espanol) that I received in the mail last week. I will be scanning the documents in the next couple of days. If anyone would like a copy, feel free to email me.


Tony
TonySMaleColombia2007-02-06 18:46:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club
Hello all

Any suggestions for a apartment? Tried www.welovebogota.com but they are all booked up for February. I know many of the members are busy in Colombia now ( i hope all is going well for you guys :yes: ) but any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks


Tony
TonySMaleColombia2007-01-29 09:56:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club

YES! Nice Tony. Now we're getting places!!
Maybe I'll see you on the plane to Bogota if you leave from JFK



I always go from JFK. I really like the airport...of course the Van Wycke is a pain. Well i'm checking flights now. Hey did you get my reply to the personal message?
TonySMaleColombia2007-01-26 15:57:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club

OH HAPPY DAY

I just got off the phone with the state department and they said that they have assigned us an interview date of February 28th! I'm looking to book my tickets down now.

For those people who just want to see if they have an interview date set up in the system, you don't have to wait until the wednesday afternoons to call the visas section of the Bogota Embassy. You can call the state department visa helpline in washington and they have everything in their system. They are surprisingly very helpful and friendly as well. When I had a question about vaccines that I wanted to clear up, the woman put me on hold and went to research it.

202-663-1225



Blue Eyes

You are da man!!!!!! I just called...took 10 minutes. The interview date is Feb 26 and the package 4 was sent Jan 22. Thanks dude.
TonySMaleColombia2007-01-26 15:32:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club

Hola

You you please tell me how you got through to the Embassy. I tried to call for hours the last two wednesdays but only busy tones!!!!!


Tony


We have literally sat there on Skype and called no less than a hunderd times, starting at 1:55. Maybe we're lucky, or maybe the Skype redial is unusually fast, but we have never had a problem getting through within the first 30 minutes.


Yes! I tried redial for hours. I will also try your method too! Thanks
TonySMaleColombia2007-01-25 15:27:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club
[quote name='Yadira' post='683076' date='Jan 25 2007, 05:41 AM'][quote name='TonyS' post='683068' date='Jan 25 2007, 05:23 AM'][quote name='Yadira' post='682549' date='Jan 24 2007, 09:01 PM']HOLA..........................
Bad news= I just came back from Colombia today. I was visiting my my wife..


Hola

You you please tell me how you got through to the Embassy. I tried to call for hours the last two wednesdays but only busy tones!!!!!


Tony[/quote]





Hi..
That happened to us too. What I did I called at 1:51PM and told the nice lady that I have been calling for two weeks now with no luck. She told she could keep on hold for 9 minutes until it was time for 2:00PM when they start answering questions..
Try that method to see if you can get someone nice there to help you all.
[/quote]

Gracias! I will give it a try.
TonySMaleColombia2007-01-25 05:48:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club

HOLA..........................
Bad news= I just came back from Colombia today. I was visiting my my wife..

Good News = I called the US Embassy. They told me that our interview is on Thursday. Feb 15, 2007. I told them that we had not received no letter or Packet 4. The lady on the phone said she would send it to my address in the USA.
I hopefully be joining my wife at the interview but the airline tickets round trip MIA -BOG are at $781.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What the hell???? I do not know why the airline tickets have gotten so expensive these days....

Any advice from the group???


Hola

You you please tell me how you got through to the Embassy. I tried to call for hours the last two wednesdays but only busy tones!!!!!


Tony
TonySMaleColombia2007-01-25 05:23:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club

APPROVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :dance:

It was all so easy......

Later 2night I will write a full synopsis of everything and answer any questions you guys have.....



I big congratulations to you both of you!!!!
TonySMaleColombia2007-01-24 19:18:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club

Hey BradVicky! so we're pretty close then. When do you arrive in Bog??

I'm in Bogot as I type this. We got the medicals and lab work done today. We also picked up the Certificado Migratorio from DAS today. Here is some info for those still waiting to go to Bogota....

1. Lab- its now 150.000 COP. Seems to be gettin more expensive by the week. We got there at 6:30am. There was like 5 people in line when we got there. Open by 7am. At the door they asked everybody for (1) Interiew date sheet, (2) passport (3) ONE passport picture. (They say take 2, but they only asked for one. I would not take a chance either way and take 2 just in case since its what the packet says) Thats it. She was out of there by 8am. Btw, they do not let anybody in other than the person doing the test.

You do not need to set an appt for the labs. Just show up early in the morning. They open at 7am. I recomend you get there atleast by 630am. Since it gets full.

2. Medical - we went to the female Dr on the list (I think Maria Consuelo Gonzalez). My fiance said she was the sweetest and nicest lady. She was in and out in less than 20 min's. They again do not let anyone enter for this either.

We had a minor set back here though.My fiance had her immunizations about 2 months ago. She only had ONE shot of everything. Well apparently theres a second dose for Td and Varicela. So she sent us to a lab place a block away from the Dr's office to get them done. Cost me 103.000 COP for that. Took us less than 30 mins. We took it back to her office, bingo. We're supposed to return tmw to pick up results so we can take that to the interview on Wed.


Note: need to schedule Medical appt. and you need to schedule it atleast 2 days b4 the interview since it takes a full day to get results back.

3. Certificado Migratorio del DAS - my fiance requested it in Bogota on Thur and we picked it up today (Monday). This is the FASTEST way to get it for sure. It costs 37.000 COP. When we went to pick it up today in the morning there was hardly anybody there. She was in and out in less than 10 min. The document is in a sealed envelope and they tell you NOT to open it. Take it unopened to the interview. The adress is the same posted earlier: Calle 100 #11b-27, its on the bottom floor of the building.


Place to stay- for anyone not knowing where they can stay. I am staying in a pretty nice apartment about 2 1/2 blocks away from the US Embassy. Its fully furnished, has hot water, cable and high speed internet connection (you need to take a laptop). Its not huge but if you only rent the master bedroom which is nice it'll only cost you $35/day plus $10 dollars for an extra person for the full stay. (not $10 more a day). Its in a nice area, feel safe. Anyone interested let me know so I can give you contact info......

We have our interview on Wed so I'll let you guys know how it goes.....feel free to ask away




Hola! Good to know everything is going well for you two. I know you are busy and focus now but when you have time, email me the apartment info. Good luck on the interview :thumbs:
TonySMaleColombia2007-01-22 23:56:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club

Just a quick update!

Olga was at the embassy this morning at 6:10 A. M. in line with many others. She was ushered in with everyone else and waited until 11:30 A. M. before a lady strated rifling through her file. Note: Olga is very detail oriented and had all her papers organized in a nice presentation folder for the embassy. However the embasst has there own folder and organization in which they want you to comply with. So for those who are thinking that you should buy and organize your docucuments in a certain order you may want to do no more then loosely organize them in an envelope, until they instruct you on how they want them.

I was calling Olga like every 15 minutes on her cell phone getting updates. At exactly 11:55 A. M. they called her up to the window, and although I tried to stay on the phone with my wife, she said she did not want me to listen, because she was too nervous! jaja!

They asked her how we met and why I was divorced. The lady asked my wife why she had traveled to the U.S previously anf for how long she was here etc. But all and all my wife said the lady who interviewed her was very friendly and the conersation (interview) seemed very informal and within 10 minutes she was appoved and to come back tomorrow to pick her passport and VISA up at 4:00 P. M. Woooohoooooooooo! I think I was more nervous then my wife.

We were nervous because my wife had, had two (2) tourist VISA's in the past and both had been stolen from her in different situations while she was in Cali. The last was in April 2006, when her and an associate (female) were out having dinner, when two guys came up and grabbed both of them from behind and demaned the keys to their car and my wifes purse with her passport and VISA were in the car when the thieves made off with their car.

When my wife tried to replace her Tourist VISA with a Student VISA they denied her because they said she had to wait 6 months before she could apply for any type of new VISA. So my wife and I were concerned that this might come up during the interview. But it never did, thank god!

Well now we need to here from OskaryAndrea and the rest to see how they did!

Thanks to everyone for their support and help!

Tony


Good new! Congrats to you! I wish you a happy and fulfilling life.
TonySMaleColombia2007-01-22 14:32:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club

Mike,

Thanks for the feed back, once again. Have a safe trip back!!!

Dre


Good luck tomorrow :thumbs:
TonySMaleColombia2007-01-21 14:36:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club

Hi all,

I am new posting to this thread as I just received my NOA2 this week! Really, I am posting to introduce myself. I am sure I will have many questions over the next two weeks. I am trying to get as much information as possible collected before going to Bogota and Armenia in February. Francisco and I had planned this trip for quite some time and now as luck would have it, we might be able to use this time to prepare our next batch of paperwork and send to the embassy asap! This thread has already answered several questions -- thanks to all of you who have gone before.

Good luck to everyone!

Kathy


Hola!

Welcome and feel free to ask any questions. It seems to be that the DAS Migratory may take the longest to acquire ( for those outside of Bogota ), so I suggest working on that ASAP. It seems to be giving many of use the most confusion and worry.

Tony

Edited by TonyS, 21 January 2007 - 07:13 AM.

TonySMaleColombia2007-01-21 07:09:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club
Thanks the information has been very valuable! I hope to have my fiancee's interview next month. Looks like many of us will be with our love ones shortly and will be moving on from the Colombia Club to other forums. On another note, I know there will come a period of adjustment and culture shock. Maybe this will be lessen if one lives in Miami or other cities with thriving/growing Colombian or latin communities. Here in New England, Central Falls near Providence, RI has a large Colombian community and of course going south, there is Queens, NY. I'm hoping to make friends and contacts in the north and throughout the country. Any suggestions how?

Edited by TonyS, 14 January 2007 - 11:31 PM.

TonySMaleColombia2007-01-14 23:30:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club
I spoke with a friend today. His fiancee was approved for her visa today. She said that she waited for 5 hours but the interview only lasted a few minutes. She was only asked 3 or 4 questions and none of the documents that she had were looked at. She was a little nervous because a couple of girls before her were denied. One due to problems with the medical exam and the other due to financial documents that were needed. I am very happy for them and I hope next month I will be celebrating too! :dance:
TonySMaleColombia2007-01-09 22:32:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club
FMore


Sorry to hear about the unfortunate turn of events. I remember that you were running a couple of weeks ahead of me and I thought your fiancee would be interviewing in Febuary. I hope things change soon for you.

Tony
TonySMaleColombia2007-01-08 09:36:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club

Fellow VJers...I'm not going to be able to travel to Bogota for Oscar's interview after all. We've got reorganization in my company and our vacations were frozen until the end of January. I'm trying to not worry. I think we're in good shape as far as documents go. We have everything that is required, my income is well above the poverty line and we've got good documentation for proof of our relationship, not to mention the small fact that we're married already.

I wanted to get some input from those who have interviews for their spouses or fiances this month to see how many of you plan to be at the interview. Does anyone think it might be a problem if I don't attend?


I'm hoping for my fiancee to get a interview next month. I plan to attend. I don't feel it is neccassary but I am doing if for her......well i haven't seen her since Sept so i'm doing it for me too :yes: . Personally I think your situation is in excellent shape.
TonySMaleColombia2007-01-07 20:12:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club

TonyS-

You can down load the DS 2001 from the El Savador US Embassy Web Site. This is where I got it from. The OF-169 are the instructions sent out in Packet 3, that tell you what documents you need to prepare for the interview. It is not necessary to have this form or to send it in with the DS 2001, DS 230 Part 1 and the Bio page of the passport of the immigrant. If you just want to see one you can do a Web search and find one from another country like Mexico or El Savador, but you should not use these as they have that particular Country's address at the top on them. Just use it for reference.


Gracias!!!! :)
TonySMaleColombia2006-12-28 18:36:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club
The shortcut tips provided are pretty simple and straightforward. I must admit however that I am not familiar with the OF-169 and DS-2001 forms. I have not be able to locate where to download these forms. Any help would be greatly appreciated!


Tony S
TonySMaleColombia2006-12-28 17:25:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club

Tony,
You're absolutely correct! Look at my timeline. 14 days from the day I sent my I129F to approval. I spoke to a very helpful and cheery lady at NVC today... She said my file would be sent to Bogota within the next 5 -10 days. I think the best advice to give on this website to someone who has not yet filed would be ...Move within VSC jurisdiction!
Fernando


Hello Fernando

Yes I saw your time line last week and thought " Man what's taking my application so long! ". Good to hear your good news! Are you going to Bogota for the interview?

Tony
TonySMaleColombia2006-12-21 18:05:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club
Hola amigos! Got email notification of NOA2 today. I knew VSC could be fast but wow! :dance:


Tony S
TonySMaleColombia2006-12-21 17:11:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club

Tony (&Olga) ---- Sendy and I were in such a rush to get things together (like waiting for Packet #4 to arrive in Florida only to send it back to Colombia! arrggghh!) that I did not scan the documents. But we will be going over the Anexo B page together where I noticed some differences from the Packet Peter has supplied (I think from 2004). She is travelling today, and will probably give her time to settle in -- so I'd say peheraps sometime this weekend we will review everything together.

Sorry, we still have not recieved Packet #3 so I can't help with that one --- I seriously doubt we will ever get it!!!

Anyway -- will definitely post what I find.

TonyS,

Glad to have you on board. There is a ton of good information going on this thread --- you will definitely want to "track" this thread to keep up with any new posts (if you look near the top of the first post on this page, you will see an "Options" tab. By clicking you will see several options to select from the drop-down menu. Just click "Track This Topic" and you will get an e-mail each time a new post is made).

Also -- Create a "Timeline" in your signature line. This will help understand where you might be at in your timeline and could help answer any questions.

Take Care Everyone!

James






James, thanks for the welcome and the information. I will create a timeline and look forward to posting in the future. Take care!
TonySMaleColombia2006-12-08 15:37:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club
Hello all. I'm just getting started but I am joining the club to learn and share experiences. Look forward to hearing from y'all in the future.


Tony
TonySMaleColombia2006-12-07 09:51:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionProcedure for permission for child to leave Colombia
No need to go to the embassy if you don't want to. Your wife can type up a permission letter or find a template of one. My stepdaughter flew to Colombia with her aunt and is returning with her. Her aunt has a tourist visa. My wife typed a permission letter and we had it notarized at AAA. We sent the document to a state government office to have it apostille. Had to pay $25 dollars and it took a week for us to receive it the mail.
TonySMaleColombia2009-03-24 17:21:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionProcedure for permission for child to leave Colombia
Yes my stepdaughter's father is alive and well. We just need a signed and notarized statement from him. I think it must be within 30 days of departure. It was not a easy decision for him. I have a Colombian VOIP plan so he calls everyday when she is here. I feel it is important for her to know Barranquilla and all her family so the plan is for her to visit Colombia very year. Each time she will need permission. I know this may cause issues in the future. Now if the father is where about unknown the the procedure is different. I believe the mother will have to go to the DAS and they will tell her what needs to be done. My understanding is that it involves placing a ad in the local newspaper. I will ask my wife if she could get more information on this subject if this is the case. My stepmother works for DAS in Barranquilla.
TonySMaleColombia2009-03-24 13:34:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionProcedure for permission for child to leave Colombia
My stepdaughter is currently in Barranquilla and is returning next week. This is her second trip to Colombia since she arrived in the US. I will ask my wife what was done and get back to everyone.

TonyS
TonySMaleColombia2009-03-24 11:46:00