Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
US Citizenship General Discussion	N-400 Interview (Kansas City, MO)	Just want to give a quick update.... My wife had the interview yesterday in Kansas City, MO. The interview was scheduled at 11:30 am, we arrived there around 11:15 am, but they were running late and my wife was called around 12:15 pm. The whole interview took about 15 minutes. Questions asked: Q#7 - How many amendments does the Constitution have? Q#16 - Who makes federal laws? Q#17 - What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress? Q#29 - What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now? Q#38 - What is the highest court in the United States? Q#60 - What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves? Q#61 - Why the colonists fight the British? Q#70 - Who was the first President? Reading Test: "Who can vote?" Writing Test: "Citizens can vote." Other than that, my wife told me that they just went thru the application form. She gave the interviewer the copies that we brought to the interview (Note that we didn't send any documents when we originally sent our N-400 application): - Copies of my US Passport and my Naturalization Certificate - The last 3 years of our Tax Transcripts - Copy of our marriage certificate - Copies of our children's birth certificates - Bank Statements showing both of our names (last 3 months, and one month each from 2009 and 2008) - Electric Bills showing both of our names (last 3 months, and one month each from 2009 and 2008) - Copies of Medical Insurance and Prescription Cards She gave my wife the N-652 paper (Naturalization Interview Results) w/ the followings checked: - You passed the tests of English and U.S history and government. - Congratulations! Your application has been recommended for approval...... She said my wife should get the Oath letter in 2 - 6 weeks.	gyuwono	Male	Taiwan	2010-07-13 15:08:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Interview experience in Irving, TX	Congrats...!!!	gyuwono	Male	Taiwan	2010-07-14 08:45:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	N-400: March 2010 Applicants	Edited from previous post and added Sunshine13... 1. DO NOT DELETE THESE INSTRUCTIONS. 2. Please make sure you are using Rich Text Editor as your message setting. 3. Click "Reply" on the most recent/updated posting version of this list. 4. Remove the "Quote Coding" at the top and bottom of the list. 5. Always use [Courier New] Font and font size [2] 6. Red Font="I'm A United States Citizen"! **For more detailed instructions with screen-shots "CLICK HERE"** ============================= N-400: March 2010 Applicants ============================= ====================================== USCIS Dallas/Lewisville, Texas Lockbox ====================================== UserName............Sent.....ChkCashd....NOA.....Fprints...Int Ltr...Intview....Oath....FieldOffice Sukie175..........03/02/10..03/08/10..03/08/10..04/09/10..05/08/10..06/08/10..--/--/--..Oklahoma, OK Quantum...........03/02/10..03/11/10..03/15/10..04/09/10..04/23/10..05/20/10..05/26/10..Oakland Park, FL EddieBhai.........03/03/10..03/10/10..03/11/10..03/24/10..04/01/10..05/06/10..05/25/10..San Antonio, TX mimi =)...........03/04/10..03/10/10..03/19/10..03/30/10..04/13/10..05/18/10..05/27/10..Miami, FL tekxtc............03/05/10..03/11/10..03/11/10..03/24/10..04/23/10..05/26/10..06/29/10..Buffalo, NY tekxtc(wife)......03/05/10..03/11/10..03/11/10..03/24/10..04/23/10..05/26/10..06/29/10..Buffalo, NY Jahan&Veena.......03/08/10..03/17/10..03/16/10..04/12/10..05/24/10..06/30/10..07/07/10..Charlotte, NC jello.............03/11/10..03/18/10..03/17/10..04/09/10..04/26/10..05/27/10..07/23/10..New York, NY Zonie2............03/12/10..moneyord..03/25/10..04/23/10..05/14/10..06/23/10..07/22/10..El Paso,TX taurean...........03/18/10..03/26/10..03/29/10..04/27/10..05/08/10..06/10/10..06/10/10..Baltimore, MD Gyenyame..........03/19/10..03/30/10..03/27/10..04/28/10..05/08/10..06/10/10..--/--/--..Baltimore, MD Ruapilot2.........03/22/10..03/30/10..03/29/10..05/11/10..05/25/10..06/25/10..06/25/10..Dallas, TX Marissa616........03/23/10..04/06/10..05/11/10..05/28/10..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..Lewisville, TX Nelson77..........03/24/10..03/31/10..04/02/10..04/29/10..05/08/10..06/08/10..07/16/10..Ft lauderdale.FL Yazbo.............03/24/10..moneyord..04/05/10..05/19/10..07/02/10..08/03/10..--/--/--..Raleigh, NC Sunshine13........03/24/10..--/--/--..04/16/10..05/14/10..06/17/10..07/20/10..08/06/10..Philadelphia, PA STL_HCMC..........03/27/10..04/07/10..04/07/10..04/28/10..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..Ft. Smith, AR ================================ USCIS Phoenix, Arizona Lockbox ================================ UserName............Sent.....ChkCashd....NOA.....Fprints...Int Ltr...Intview....Oath....FieldOffice JAX...............03/01/10..03/12/10..03/15/10..04/02/10..04/26/10..06/09/10..--/--/--..Detroit, MI Rinnovi...........03/01/10..03/08/10..03/08/10..04/05/10..05/05/10..06/02/10..06/11/10..Las Vegas, NV zimbo.............03/02/10..03/14/10..03/17/10..04/05/10..04/22/10..05/25/10..07/30/10..Kansas, MO t310..............03/02/10..03/15/10..03/17/10..04/12/10..05/03/10..06/17/10..07/07/10..Chicago, IL milimelo..........03/03/10..03/15/10..03/17/10..03/26/10..05/03/10..06/17/10..06/29/10..Chicago, IL another1..........03/03/10..03/15/10..03/17/10..04/12/10..05/05/10..06/17/10..06/28/10..Chicago, IL DenverCO..........03/03/10..03/12/10..03/19/10..04/09/10..05/05/10..06/10/10..06/10/10..Denver, CO Muuuah............03/06/10..03/17/10..03/19/10..04/09/10..05/08/10..06/14/10..07/02/10..Phoenix, AZ dims1.............03/11/10..03/19/10..03/24/10..04/14/10..05/19/10..06/24/10..--/--/--..Portland, OR sundeep...........03/11/10..03/20/10..03/22/10..--/--/--..04/24/10..05/28/10..--/--/--..St. Paul, MN Zonie1............03/12/10..03/24/10..03/27/10..04/15/10..04/23/10..06/09/10..07/23/10..Tucson, AZ v2010.............03/15/10..03/31/10..04/01/10..04/23/10..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..Chicago, IL Creel.............03/17/10..03/30/10..04/03/10..04/22/10..--/--/--..06/28/10..07/19/10..Fresno, CA SC&TF.............03/22/10..04/06/10..04/14/10..05/07/10..05/19/10..06/23/10..--/--/--..Milwaukee, WI wjinsf............03/26/10..04/09/10..04/15/10..05/05/10..05/13/10..06/16/10..07/08/10..San Francisco, CA A+P...............03/26/10..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..Minneapolis/St Paul,MN =========================================================================== USCIS Lincoln, Nebraska Lockbox (Filing Under 319b, 328, or 329 of the INA) =========================================================================== UserName............Sent.....ChkCashd....NOA.....Fprints...Int Ltr...Intview....Oath....FieldOffice Example...........--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..City, ST	gyuwono	Male	Taiwan	2010-07-27 16:13:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Colombia Club	They could send it to you, but the problem is that they will send it to Bogota. Based on the packet 3 that I was sent...I am guessing that they gather all the mail bound for the U.S. and send it bulk to the U.S., where it is then mailed. Not sure how quickly you'd get the packet. I remember that my packet 3 arrived several weeks after my wife got her. Does she know anyone in Bogota that can pick it up? I wish I could give you other options, but there are not many that I know of (or have read about here). Mike That's the good news. My wife still has not received packet 4 so now I'm trying to see if there is any way that I can get it so that I can bring it with me for her interview. I know that a copy can be picked up by her or a designated person, but our opportunities to do so in a timely way are running thin on time (she lives 10 hours from Bogota). Do you guys think they would send me a copy? You're probably right. Yeah, she has a good friend that could pick it up. I just hate to ask because she's done so much for us already. But, we're this close to success, so I hate to see it fall apart because of the post office.	parkpapa	Male	Colombia	2007-05-14 19:30:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Colombia Club	Packet 3 Contents for K3 - http://bogota.usemba...tructions.shtml[/color] Department of State Visa Helpline in Washington, D.C. - 202.663.1225 As a bit of follow-up, since the interview dates are not being updated on the embassy's website, I called the DOS number you listed. I called on May 8 and the person I talked to was very efficient and helpful. He asked for my petition number (BGT #########) and then he told me our interview date and time, and also the date that packet 4 was mailed to my wife. That's the good news. My wife still has not received packet 4 so now I'm trying to see if there is any way that I can get it so that I can bring it with me for her interview. I know that a copy can be picked up by her or a designated person, but our opportunities to do so in a timely way are running thin on time (she lives 10 hours from Bogota). Do you guys think they would send me a copy? Edited by parkpapa, 14 May 2007 - 06:41 PM.	parkpapa	Male	Colombia	2007-05-14 18:40:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Colombia Club	Would you be road tripping back to KC from MIA? That ought to be pretty fun! I was actually thinking that same idea but to Chicago... only no time for it. Lucky me I have the habit of collecting AA Miles... That will pay for the BOG-MIA-ORD trip for her and the ORD-MIA-ORD trip for me in July as well as already having paid with only 30K miles for the interview trip... May 29 thru June 12 (ORD-BOG-ORD via MIA)... You may try getting to a hub like Dallas/Houston depending on your airline of choice. I'll take a look at LAN but lately with some of the search engines it doesn't come close to AA when doing any BOG-MIA segments. If I owned (or rented) a minivan, the road trip from Miami might be doable, but as you say, time is a factor. As for LAN, I checked their prices on their website and they're lower than those listed through one of the search engines - at least for the dates I wanted. There is so much fluctuation in prices, even by the minute sometimes, that eventually you take your best shot and don't look back!	parkpapa	Male	Colombia	2007-05-09 20:57:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Colombia Club	I've been going through older messages in this thread and came across a discussion about the prices of flights to Bogota. Being from the center of the country, and KC not being a major hub for American Airlines, prices do vary a lot - both by carrier and by date. From KC, for example, Delta is almost always the cheapest, though sometimes Continental runs a sale or something (I frankly prefer Continental). But, from everything I read, if you want the best prices to fly your loved one to Miami (only Miami), then you need to check out LAN.com. I'm looking for tickets right now for my wife and her two sons. LAN will be roughly 60% the price of Avianca and maybe 50% the price of AA. I have almost always booked through expedia.com, but for my upcoming flight I found a much better deal through orbitz.com. In any case, it pays to shop around.	parkpapa	Male	Colombia	2007-05-09 17:48:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Colombia Club	If you live outside of Bogota and can't wait for the packet 4 to arrive, then you have two options as I see it. "You" can call the Department of State in the U.S. or you or your fiancee can send your question to the embassy (via fax) and see if they reply. I suspect there is a greater likelihood of getting the information from the DoS. I would only contact the embassy IF you believe packet 4 is lost and you want to request a duplicate. The mid-month cut-off date is exactly that....a cut-off date. The embassy does not wait until that date to schedule all of the interviews. It schedules them every day. The closer you are to the cut-off date, the closer your interview date will be to the end of the month. For example, we submitted our packet 3 around December 13 and got an interview date of January 19. I assume the folks who will get a date in early June, 2007 are the folks who missed the April cut-off date by a few days. Congrats on your interview date. I'm curious who you called to get that date because the embassy's website is not updating the interview listing and they are also not accepting calls. We've submitted our packet 3 this month, and I was suprised to see that they would already be scheduling interviews prior to the middle of the month. If there's somewhere I could call, it would sure help me out as my daughter is getting married in June also, and I need to be scheduling travel for both events as soon as possible. Thanks for the advice, Mike! I called DoS, and after going through the phone tree five or six times, I realized I only needed to press "0" to get a live person. Lorena's interview date is June 6!!!!!!!!!	parkpapa	Male	Colombia	2007-05-08 15:40:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Colombia Club	Congrats Jay and all those recent approvals... you must be very excited! I also have great news... our interview is on Monday, June 4. Coincidentially, I called the Dept of State this morning to get the cool news while my fiancee received Packet 4 in the mail as well. I'll be flying into El Dorado on the 29th and return on the 12th of June. Then I assume she will meet up with me in Miami as our meeting point... sometime between July 4 and the 12th. I just started a Cingular Family talk plan and got her a new phone that she'll use to dial me the minute she lands in Miami as we won't see each other for the Ohare flight until she clears Customs. Have a great evening to the all of you Congrats on your interview date. I'm curious who you called to get that date because the embassy's website is not updating the interview listing and they are also not accepting calls. We've submitted our packet 3 this month, and I was suprised to see that they would already be scheduling interviews prior to the middle of the month. If there's somewhere I could call, it would sure help me out as my daughter is getting married in June also, and I need to be scheduling travel for both events as soon as possible.	parkpapa	Male	Colombia	2007-05-08 14:03:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Colombia Club	Hey guys, just wanted to share the news that our I-130 was approved today! Now I don't feel so left out anymore. Congrats, Diana!!!!!	parkpapa	Male	Colombia	2007-05-04 07:31:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Colombia Club	Just back from Barranquilla and Cartagena! Great time! Wanted to inquiry if anyone had a draft of a letter giving a parent permission for a child to leave Colombia. In my case the father giving permission for the mother of the child to leave Colombia with the child. I know this would have to be notarized and presented to the court. Not sure I explained myself very well! Still tired but wanted to get this question posted. We have our interview date 5/25 in Bogota. Wish us luck! Thanks, Corey I'll be interested in any response also, Corey. My wife needs the same permission for her two sons. Good luck with your interview! We're hoping we can follow suit in June. Hey Parkpapa, I spoke briefly to my fiancee today and I believe she had gone to the DAS office today and obtained a form from the Office. She had to sign the document, and provide a finger print. The document is going to be sent to the child's biological father to be signed, and notarized. I am not sure this information is completely accurate so I just want to add that disclaimer. Will keep you posted when I have a chance to speak to her longer. Corey Thanks, Corey. Let me know what she says. I will give my wife the heads-up that DAS might have such a document.	parkpapa	Male	Colombia	2007-05-03 20:48:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Colombia Club	Just back from Barranquilla and Cartagena! Great time! Wanted to inquiry if anyone had a draft of a letter giving a parent permission for a child to leave Colombia. In my case the father giving permission for the mother of the child to leave Colombia with the child. I know this would have to be notarized and presented to the court. Not sure I explained myself very well! Still tired but wanted to get this question posted. We have our interview date 5/25 in Bogota. Wish us luck! Thanks, Corey I'll be interested in any response also, Corey. My wife needs the same permission for her two sons. Good luck with your interview! We're hoping we can follow suit in June.	parkpapa	Male	Colombia	2007-05-03 19:02:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Colombia Club	My fiancee just received packet 3 and is upset. She has never used her father's name since birth ... father refused to even have it put on birth certificate. Both last names on her birth certificate, cedula, and passport is mother's. On the g-325a bio forms we put her father's name where it asked for father. The embassy in bogota attached her father's name as her second last name. The first last name is OK with everything that has been filed to date. Will this cause a problem at the interview and how can we correct it? I plan on sending a fax to the embassy and explain the situation. Is the second last name that important in the visa process? Someone with more experience here may correct me, but I suggest strongly that you be honest about all things at all times with the embassy. If you have sent them an explanation, simply bring that same explanation with you to the interview. All they really want to know is her legal name. As you know, it is often the custom in Latin American countries for a person to carry the last names of both parents. While what you describe is unusual, it is not unheard of. I would say don't sweat it unless it comes up in the interview and if it does then simply (and calmly) explain the situation. It will not be anything they haven't heard before. (good luck in your interview, by the way)	parkpapa	Male	Colombia	2007-05-03 16:39:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Colombia Club	...Interviews... Too early for looking at June interviews, the http://bogota.usemba...tmentlist.shtml site that showed interview appointments until May is different... they may be updating interviews for some reason or the link may have moved. Any hints as to what's going on with the embassy website? I don't have time right now to search for the State Dept # to see if a June appt has been established. Anyone have that number around? Thanks! Unless something has changed significantly in the last month or so, the embassy does not schedule interviews until sometime between the 15th and 20th of each month. In other words, June interview dates will be posted around the 20th or 21st of May. All you do is look for your BGT number in the list.	parkpapa	Male	Colombia	2007-05-03 13:24:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Colombia Club	Call the IRS and order the last 3 years of tax transcripts. Should receive them in about 3 weeks. Gracias/Thanks!!! I-134 I have the following as evidence of support for the I-134. A. Statement by my employer stating my salary, permanent position and date of hire. B. Last 3 months of bank statements C. Last 3 years of 1040. (no W-2) Is this enough supporting evidence? Tony is right. It took about 3 weeks to receive mine. The transcripts are preferable to your copies of the 1040, though DOS says the copies are okay, too.	parkpapa	Male	Colombia	2007-05-02 14:42:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Colombia Club	My wife lives in Bogota and the mail service was fine. But I understand your situation. From what I have read, it is possible to give a friend or relative permission to pick up packet 4. I would think this would be especially easy if your wife's friend is an attorney. I assume you would send the permission to the friend to present to the embassy....but this (the question) might be something you should e-mail to the embassy to be sure. Please indulge me a moment as I would like to verify something... My wife lives far from Bogota (in Florencia) and the mail service is notoriously poor outside the major cities. Is it possible that she could fax or courier a notarized letter to either the embassy or to a friend in Bogota that would allow the friend (an attorney) to pick up her packet 4 for her? My concern, obviously, is that we want to be CERTAIN that we get packet 4 firmly in hand. Thanks for the suggestion, Mike. Yeah, I know mail service is good in Bogota, but I have several friends in Bogota who have assured me and Lorena that there is almost no chance she would get an "official" looking letter where she lives. My daughter who is getting married in June, sent Lorena a wedding announcement back in February and it has never arrived.	parkpapa	Male	Colombia	2007-04-28 20:10:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Colombia Club	Bros/Sis's Wendy and I just received our NOA2 last night. I will be here a lot more to learn from you all. First, I'm going to gather I134 forms and documents that I need to send her. Then from there, i'm lost Lucho - a question for you! :-) You mention here that you will send the I-134 and documents to her. Does that mean you will not be able to attend her interview? If not, then please be sure that she has plenty of documentation of your relationship (photos of you with her and her family, receipts for travel, meals, hotels, etc. that show you two have spent time together, etc. - more ideas are talked about in this thread). The reason is that with a fiancee visa, the odds of approval are very low for those unmarried Colombians that show up for the interview alone. Remember that her chances of being approved (and the two of you actually being together) are much greater if you can go to the interview with her. We want to see both of you succeed. I will attend the interview. However, I thought that the I-134 was part of packet 3 that was supposed to be sent before the interview??? I'm still learning this process. Please help me if i'm wrong. You could bring the I-134 and supporting documentation with you when you got to the interview. However, it would be wise to send a set of the documents to her ahead of time. Always keep back-up copies of everything. I'm glad to hear you will be going with her. That will improve your chances greatly. Good luck!	parkpapa	Male	Colombia	2007-04-28 19:16:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Colombia Club	Please indulge me a moment as I would like to verify something... My wife lives far from Bogota (in Florencia) and the mail service is notoriously poor outside the major cities. Is it possible that she could fax or courier a notarized letter to either the embassy or to a friend in Bogota that would allow the friend (an attorney) to pick up her packet 4 for her? My concern, obviously, is that we want to be CERTAIN that we get packet 4 firmly in hand.	parkpapa	Male	Colombia	2007-04-28 18:22:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Colombia Club	Bros/Sis's Wendy and I just received our NOA2 last night. I will be here a lot more to learn from you all. First, I'm going to gather I134 forms and documents that I need to send her. Then from there, i'm lost Lucho - a question for you! :-) You mention here that you will send the I-134 and documents to her. Does that mean you will not be able to attend her interview? If not, then please be sure that she has plenty of documentation of your relationship (photos of you with her and her family, receipts for travel, meals, hotels, etc. that show you two have spent time together, etc. - more ideas are talked about in this thread). The reason is that with a fiancee visa, the odds of approval are very low for those unmarried Colombians that show up for the interview alone. Remember that her chances of being approved (and the two of you actually being together) are much greater if you can go to the interview with her. We want to see both of you succeed.	parkpapa	Male	Colombia	2007-04-28 18:09:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Colombia Club	leo here againg! I have two final questions! I just finish filling out the form I-134, my boss already gave me the letter from work and this week thats coming up I will get the statement from my bank account. our enterview date is on May 17 which i plan to attend. For the form I-134 I have to sign it in front of a US notary public. (here are my questions.) 1.) so where I work I know that our secretary she has the authority to notorized papers, Could she notorised my forms and other papers or I have to go somewhere else for that???!!!!! 2) Regarding the Statement from my bank account; it has been almost a year that I open this account and I really dont have money save there, Usually When I get my check from work I have this bad thing that I usually cash it at the bank of where the check is from ( once in a while I deposit my checks, But starting last month I've been depositing my checks in my acount.) and usually I pay most of my things in cash. Would this isue could be a reason for my girl not to get approved for her visa at the enterview even though I make 40k a year???? for this reason Im doing the fallowing thing to play it save.: I just move to a new place (rented) and Im goin to take ( to the enterview) the contract of the Apartment which is under my name, and a copie of the bills I pay there, so I could show them that I have enough money to pay the house bills and also that I could take care of my Trigueñota! thanks for all your help, this Website is the best and sorry for my grammar is not the best! Hola 1. I had the secretary at work notarize my paperwork...no problem 2. The instructions for the I-134 states " any or all " as far as evidence. I was not going to submit bank statements because my income was well above the required amount. I did only because i received a bounus and the balance looked more impressive. That's my take on it but there are plenty of knowledgeable people here. I agree with Tony about the I-134 evidence. Too much is better than too little.	parkpapa	Male	Colombia	2007-04-28 12:32:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Colombia Club	Nothing wrong with the idea. It appears the embassy website is better now, but still not perfect. There was information on there that conflicted...or that wasn't updated in certain areas (for example, when they changed the place where you pay the interivew fee, in some places they changed it to Banco Credito, but in other places it still listed the old bank). So, having the links would be a start, but I would STILL encourage every person who is getting a K-1 or K-3 through Bogota to go back to November posts to this thread and read forward. It may take a lot of time, but you'll get some great info...and it might actually que someone to ask a question that he or she never thought of. I encourage people to take notes. Some folks on here are simply not willing to read...they ask a question (that's been covered a million times) and want instant reponse. Some other folks keep asking the same things, even though they've gotten the same reply from several other folks...seems they just can't believe what to do. I guess you just can't help those folks. But if the average person is willing to put in the time and is willing to believe those that have gone before him or her....this thread is very helpful. My two cents, Mike PS - it's also good that folks who have benefitted from the info in the past stick around long enough to help the new people....that perpetuates the "goodness" of this thread. For me, I got a lot of help in last fall....and I've tried to give back ever since. But it gets tiresome and I, like many (for example, Peter who started this thread), get tired and need to move on. So hopefully folks who are benefitting now will stick around for a few months or so to help those who come after them. Excellent oberservations, Mike. You certainly have more experience here to know what people look for. I guess I'm responding to my own weaknesses and preferences. I can see where it get tiresome answering the same questions over and over. That what I was hoping to avoid.	parkpapa	Male	Colombia	2007-04-26 21:11:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Colombia Club	I'm thinking that this is an idea for a new topic, but I wanted input from the Colombia Club members first. I am the type of person who tends to think sequentially - at least it helps me keep things straight - and to that end, I would like to see a comprehensive listing of links to specific topics. For example, a lot of the same questions get asked over and over about "what's in packet 3?", "what's the timeline for process X?". If we could compile a list of those common questions with concise answers or links (preferably), I think it would be really helpful to newcomers. Current members could place a link to that list (as a topic link) in their 'signature'. An example or start for such a topic page might be as follows: US Embassy in Bogota - http://bogota.usemba.../wwwsmane.shtml Immigrant Visas General Information (including K1 and K3) - http://bogota.usemba.../wwwsmane.shtml Consular Section FAQ (the people who will handle the visa request) - http://bogota.usemba....shtml#currency Interview Appointment Schedule (Bogota only) - http://bogota.usemba...tmentlist.shtml Visa Process for CR-1, K1, K3 - http://bogota.usemba...saprocess.shtml Packet 3 Contents for K3 - http://bogota.usemba...tructions.shtml There are certainly other links to be included. Those with more experience here would know those better than me, but at least this list might be a start. Agree or disagree???? Edited by parkpapa, 26 April 2007 - 08:26 PM.	parkpapa	Male	Colombia	2007-04-26 20:25:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Colombia Club	Thank you all so much. I will start reading tonight!! Thanksssss!!!!!!! Good idea, my friend. Also, be sure to focus on information related to the K1 process - the process you are in. It is easy to become confused by reading information about the K3 or CR1 processes. While there are similarities, there are also many important differences. Don't start preparing forms unless you are certain they apply to your specific visa. Best of luck!	parkpapa	Male	Colombia	2007-04-26 20:00:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Colombia Club	One question that has been popping up a lot recently is how to contact the Bogota embassy. Here is a link to the embassy's website that explains exactly what to do and how to do it: http://bogota.usemba...contactiv.shtml	parkpapa	Male	Colombia	2007-04-26 07:37:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Colombia Club	Hello, I am patiently waiting for my NOA2 for k1 visa. I should be getting it very soon. I am not sure what is next. If I receive my NOA2, that is forwarded to NVC. Where does these packets 3 and 4 come into the picture? Can I obtain them now? If so, where? Thank you all There are a couple of folks who will share copies of packets 3 and 4. I don't recall who they are without looking around some. You can get a good idea of what is in packet 3 from the Bogota embassy website. It is made up of two or three forms that your SO will need to complete and you will need to provide some financial documents also. You should take a look aroung visajourney to get more info. And you'd be wise to read this thread from early November on to this point in order to get more info. Pretty much everything you need to know can be found here somewhere....and looking for it and finding it will actually be good for you! The reason I say that is because you will learn about things that you didn't even know to ask about in the first place. Happy hunting and good luck in getting your visa!	parkpapa	Male	Colombia	2007-04-25 19:42:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Colombia Club	Does anyone know how I can contact the embassy in Bogota? According to their recorded message, they are no longer taking inquiries about immigrant visa applications. The problem is that the NVC sent out my petition on March 21. Over a month later, my fiance has received no packet 1. So I really need to contact the embassy, but I have tried 3 different numbers and none of them are working. The NVC told me I had to contact the embassy directly, the woman on the phone at the embassy switched me to a pre-recorded message that said something like, "This number is not taking inquiries," and the number THAT message directed me to didn't ring through at all. I'm really frustrated . . . what should I do? My fiance and I decided to wait for Packet 1 to arrive at his house because we were waiting on some documents anyway. But the fact that it has not arrived makes me think they have the wrong address. We don't want to send them the packet 1 materials, even knowing that they probably have our petition already, and risk the Packet 2 never arriving, especially because at this point we don't know if we will ever be able to get ahold of a human being who can help us fix the problem. Not sure where I read this, but I'm thinking that the only way to contact them is by fax. If I were in your shoes, I would go ahead and fax AND deliver your packet 3 to the embassy. Then contact them by fax and tell them you will come by to pick up the packet 4, or if that won't work, at least reconfirm your mailing address by fax. We will face a similar situation since it is almost guaranteed that my wife will not receive either packet, since she lives 10 hours from Bogota.	parkpapa	Male	Colombia	2007-04-25 16:36:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Colombia Club	Are you sure you used the proper zip code for the NVC? If so, yes, there are a lot of shipments out in a given day, but usually very few to Bogota. If it still doesn't work, no worries. DHL shipments from the NVC arrive in Bogota in 3 business days. So, count three business day, wait a day or two for processing...and then send it in. Many of us have used the short-cut. I have not heard of one person having any problems. Mike Thanks Mike. I called the NVC this morning and the lady said my packet was leaving today for Bogota. I will tell my wife to get the packet ready early next week and send it in.	parkpapa	Male	Colombia	2007-04-25 13:16:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Colombia 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.	parkpapa	Male	Colombia	2007-04-24 21:32:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Colombia Club	From everything I know and have read, the chances are ZERO. The embassy send it by Colombian mail....period. As such, use the short-cut method for packet 3. No reason to wait. Follow the instructions on this thread. Many of us have used it, without a problem. It works. The bigger issue might be packet 4, which includes your "cita." Does she know anyone in Bogota that might be able to pick up a duplicate packet 4 if the original does not arrive? Good luck Mike Yes, her best friend is an attorney in Bogota, so that might be a possibility. Thanks for the tip. Lorena is going to fax the paperwork in as well as send it by courier (Servientrega or somesuch?).	parkpapa	Male	Colombia	2007-04-24 20:48:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Colombia Club	Just a quick update.... Our petition arrived at the NVC yesterday and should head for Bogota soon. Since my wife lives far from Bogota, and I know the regular mail service in the country is questionable at best, what are the odds that the embassy might send packet 3 through a messenger service? We are preparing to send in all the appropriate paperwork even without receipt of packet 3, but I'm just curious.	parkpapa	Male	Colombia	2007-04-24 20:19:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Colombia 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 Someone might disagree, but I can't imagine honesty (about something so trivial) being a bad thing. Tourist visas from Central and South America are darned near impossible for the average person to obtain. Our government knows this, so denial of a tourist visa is relatively meaningless. If she had been denied for a K-1 or K-3, that might be a different matter. I would answer the question honestly.	parkpapa	Male	Colombia	2007-04-23 15:45:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Colombia Club	Just an update. We have our interview on May 7th, I leave for Bogota on May 1st!!!! It feels like we are almost there, I am pretty optimistic about things. The only thing we are missing is the Police Certificate from Aruba, but since neither of us are in Aruba, I retained an attorney there to get it for us, should have it in the next few days. Well...I will make sure that I post any updates and will post a detailed run down of the interview after we get back. Best of luck Jay. We are getting close to the same point (I sure hope). Any pointers you can offer will be welcome.	parkpapa	Male	Colombia	2007-04-20 18:13:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Colombia Club	That is good news. Yes, it has become typical to get approval notices for both petitions on the same day....or at least within a day or two. Yes, you are reading correctly. The NVC will assume you are pursuing the K-3 and will hold the I-130. So, you are now solely on the K-3 track, unless you tell the NVC otherwise (by filing a form and paying a fee). It appears that IR-1/CR-1 procssing is much faster now than it once was, but I suspect that the K-3 will still be the faster method....if time is important to you. Never pay attention to the time frames you are given by the U.S. government - they are VERY conservative. Wait for about 1 week after your NOA 2 approval date and then start calling the NVC. Tell the NVC that you want your case number. If they have the case number, that means they've received the petition from the CS and have processed it (if they don't have it, call again in 2 days). Next, ask if they have mailed the petition to Bogota (or, if not, when they plan to mail it). As soon as you know it is mailed, then you can track it by DHL (don't expect the NVC to give you a tracking number - they won't; use the tracking method discussed in this thread). It takes three business days for the petition to make it to Bogota. Once the petition arrives in Bogota, there is no reason to wait for packet 3 (especially since you are in another city). Give it a couple of days and then fax or courier the packet 3 info to the embassy. Don't know what packet 3 is? Read this thread. You can also download a copy of packet 3 from the Bogota embassy web site (this is new). Your only real concern should be with the timely delivery of packet 4...since you will NEED the appointment letter (cita). If you do not get your packet 4 within two weeks of faxing packet 3, then you may need to contact the embassy via fax. I gave you the short of it. Now, I HIGHLY recommend that you go back to posts to this thread beginning in NOvember, 2006 and read forward. You will get a wealth of info on packets 3 and 4, how to track by DHL, how to submit packet 3 without waiting for the mailing from the embassy, the document collection process, and the embassy interview. It's all here at your fingertips. I am speaking from my experience. I wife has been here on a K-3 since January 26. Good luck, Mike Thanks for all the good advice, Mike.	parkpapa	Male	Colombia	2007-04-14 22:09:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Colombia Club	Since both your petitions were approved on the same day, chances are they will approve you for a K-3 visa. If you want to pursue a CR-1 visa, you will need to file an I-824 and pay the $200 fee. They always say that it takes about 2 months for the approved cases to reach the NVC, that's pretty much not true. You can start calling the NVC next week to see if they got it and you'll find out that it takes about 1-2 weeks. Once you get your case #, which should start with BOG#, you can then follow the shortcuts by Peter Miami to find out when the NVC mails out your package to the US embassy in Bogotá. Now for the bad news, we can no longer contact the embassy by phone, so any questions you may have regarding your case, and this includes sending and receiving packets 3 & 4, have to be submitted by fax. I know, it sucks. Thanks for the info. I'll check out Peter Miami's shortcuts. At this point, I'm simply happy to receive the news of approval! ;-)	parkpapa	Male	Colombia	2007-04-14 21:06:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Colombia Club	Hi everyone! We finally received some positive news. We received approval for both the I-130 and the I-129F on the same day! (This even though they were filed two months apart.) From what I'm reading here and elsewhere, it appears that my I-130 is now on hold pending what I choose to do with the I-129F. Is that correct? Also, my wife lives in Florencia - 11 hours from Bogota by bus. The odds of her receiving any information or packets from our government or embassy are virtually nil in that city. The NOA2 says I should wait at least 90 days before inquiring if the NVC has sent anything to the embassy. Anyone have any suggestions on this and the packet delivery issue?	parkpapa	Male	Colombia	2007-04-14 20:17:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Colombia Club	Yes, the $380 visa fee is actually for the CR-1/IR-1, not K-1, those are still $100 a pop (but you still have to pay $395 when you adjust status after you marry here in the States and $170 for a work permit). According to the embassy's website they still require the I-134 for K3 and K4: http://bogota.usemba...tructions.shtml Immigrant Visa Unit Package of Instructions for K-3/K-4 Visa Applicants The package of instructions consists of: A cover letter Instructions for K-3/K-4 Visa Applicants (In Spanish) Form DS-156 (Nonimmigrant Visa Application) Form DS-230 Part I (Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration – Biographic Data) Form I-134 (Affidavit of Support) List of Items that Cannot be Brought into the Visa Waiting Area Edited by parkpapa, 01 April 2007 - 07:12 AM.	parkpapa	Male	Colombia	2007-04-01 07:11:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Colombia Club	According to my handy packet 4..... 12 months to 4 years - DPT, polio, Hemophilus, MMR, Hep B, Varicela 5-6 years - DPT, polio, MMR, Hep B, varicela 7-17 years - Td, polio, varicela, Hep B, MMR Thanks a bunch!!! Lorena will be thrilled..... NOT! hahaha ....and the boys too. The only thing I hadn't heard about was the Hep B shot. I think that is done in a series, though, so that could extend our time by a few months.	parkpapa	Male	Colombia	2007-03-26 16:37:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Colombia Club	Dra Maria COnsuelo Gonzalez 288-7629 or 245-9290 Dr. Jairo Rosa 215-1763 or 658-9366 Anexo D of Packet 4 includes the list of required vaccinations....age 18-64....Td, MMR, and Varicela. Mike Does anybody happen to have the list of the Dr.'s and their phone #s for the medical exam? My husband has a few questions regarding his shots and he wanted to call them ahead of time before he gets them. I know Mystery had talked about Dra. Maria Consuelo Gonzalez but I don't have her phone #. Anybody? Thanks! Mike listed that the vaccinations are required for ages 18-64, which my wife will get, but what about her two boys (ages 4 and 11)??? By the way, I'm glad to see things moving along for so many people.	parkpapa	Male	Colombia	2007-03-26 16:22:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Colombia Club	K-3 Process Embassy accepts DS2001 or OF169. I have both in PDF. This is brief summary of steps: Sent Cover letter, DS 2001, DS230 Part 1 after taking guess of application arrival in Bogota from NVC. Wife recieved Packet 3 two days later. Saved a couple of days by guessing. She faxed and sent via courier. Wife recieved Packet 4 within one week with interview appointment letter. Seems to take one week in Bogota for packet 3 and 4 to arrive by snail mail after embassy sends out. IMPORTANT - As soon as you get Packet 4, call for doctors apoointment (Dr Gonzalez is preferred and she is busy). Wife recieved March 27th appointment and she called on March 8th She went to Red Cross to get vaccinations She is going to lab this week. She has requested migratory certificate from DAS (takes 3 days in Bogota) She is going to bank tommorrow to pay visa fee with DS156. Waiting for interview set for April 4th (problem is Embassy is closed on April 5 and 6th due to Easter Holiday) Hoping to get VISA same day (crossing fingers) otherwise I may need to wait till Monday at 4:00 pm. Making flight arrangments to go to interview. Best of luck to you!!! I'm hoping to hear similar news soon. If you have those forms in pdf, could I get you to email them to me? Let me know and I'll give you my address. In any case - good for both of you!	parkpapa	Male	Colombia	2007-03-14 19:54:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Colombia Club	HELLO EVERYONE, DOES ANYBODY HAVE A CURRENT PACKET 3 OR 4 THEY COULD SEND ME? I SEE THAT THERE HAVE BEEN SOME ADDITIONS LIKE THE CERTIFICADO DE MIGRATORIO. ALSO, WOULD TAX TRANSCRIPTS BE GOOD ENOUGH OR DO I NEED OFFICIAL COPIES OF MY TAX RETURNS? I CAN GET EITHER ONE FROM THE IRS BUT IT LOOKS LIKE IT WILL TAKE A WHILE. I AM DEFINITELY GOING FOR THE INTERVIEW AND HOPING I CAN GET AN INTERVIEW DATE IN APRIL INSTEAD OF MAY. THANKS FOR THE HELP, GLENN It will be just as easy to make copies of your own returns, but I believe they need to be notarized. If you want the transcripts, they will take several weeks.	parkpapa	Male	Colombia	2007-03-12 20:28:00