Colombia Club

[Mike and Adriana 0]

I suspect the vast majority of your questions can be answered by reading posts since November, 2006. There has been a LOT covered over the past few months since many of us have gone through the process. The early posts, other than getting you up to speed on the "shortcuts" might not be so helpful.

Hola a todos! I'm fairly new to VJ and just today found the Colombia Club. I hope I can join in the festivities (especially the festivities of having my bride's visa approved soon!!!).

VJ has already been a valuable guide to me, I've tried to read most, though not all, of the posts here at the club, and I'm sure I'll be asking some of the same questions that have already been covered. Please bear with me.

If I did things right, my timeline should show up below. If not, someone may have to clue me in.

Welcome! Your timeline is missing the I-129F info by the way.

Took me three trys to figure it out, but I think I finally got it. Thanks!

[lucho562 0]

I'm part of the club too

I cant really help but I can sure use some help! I have my NOA1 and waiting for NOA2 which should be in about 5 weeks....I hope. Saludos a todos

[sjoefl01 1]

I still keep an eye on this post. I agree that the old info is obsolete. The useful part is the actual experience at the consulate. Having watched this for a long time I see a pattern where they seem to be pretty hard on Colombian men. When we went everybody got approved. There was almost no risk. Now it seems that you should probably take more care if you are male Colombian.

The consulate is still the same cold miserable place that it has been since it has been there.

Congratulations to those that have been approved, and good luck to those that are waiting!!!

You are all in our thoughts and our prayers.

[anagd3 0]

hEllo to everyone here!!!

We received the packet 3 !!!!but I have a lot of questions...

1.We got aproved the I 130

2.We send our I 864 in thi case we have to fill the I 134¿?

3.How many days (probably days) toget our interview???

thank you if anyona can help us!!

[OjosAzules 0]

One piece of advice for the new people that everyone thinks about in hindsight and is very important for everyone no matter what...

Although it's not so romantic, think of everything you do together as a possibility for obtaining a piece of proof of your relationship. Save your receipts, try to have cedula numbers of your fiance added to receipts that you pay for with your credit card. Bring your camara out when you go places. Even if it's just for a night out with her friends. I have no solid proof, but pictures that incorporate the US Citizen into the fiances life I think are important. That way you don't just have a bunch of pictures with your two heads together posing. Take pictures with his/her family at restaurants, take pictures at the bar with his/her friends, take pictures in her apartment with her family. Have some "action" shots of you guys doing stuff together. Than you can put everything in a little plastic flip through album and it tells a little story, a story about how you guys have a life together even though you live far away.

As many people echoed here in not so many words: During the interview process, the interviewer will first ask you for photos and then if the photos don't tell the story they want to see, they will ask you for more and more. Good photos will erase all doubt that you are in a real, loving relationship with not just your fiance but with another culture.

Everyone's experience is different, we found Bogota to be painless as an embassy, others have not. It all depends on the day, who you get for an interviewer, etc.. Take "factor x" out of the equation by having a story to tell in documentation, not just words and it won't matter who you get.

Unless it's just not possible, the US citizen should go to the interview. it's an easy way to take another x factor out of the quest. Think of it as another startup cost in the marriage. $500-600 ticket is a small price to pay in relation to losing everything you've spent so far (time and money) if you get denied for an x factor.

just my two cents

[Mike and Adriana 0]

Hi:

Your best strategy is to review this thread thoroughly...going back to posts in November and reading forward. You will get a LOT of good information and get a LOT of questions answered....IF you are pursuing a K-1 or K-3 visa.

However, based on what you wrote below, it sounds like you might only be pursuing the IR-1/CR-1. If that is the case, you've come to the wrong place. There is a Colombia Club thread on this forum specifically for that type of visa. The process is somewhat different and some of the things we discuss here are NOT the same for that type of visa.

If I've misunderstood your situation, let me know and I'll try to answer your questions.

hEllo to everyone here!!!

We received the packet 3 !!!!but I have a lot of questions...

1.We got aproved the I 130

2.We send our I 864 in thi case we have to fill the I 134¿?

3.How many days (probably days) toget our interview???

thank you if anyona can help us!!

[waitingforher30 0]

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?????

[KathyB 0]

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?????

I would request the Certificado de Migratorio regardless of what the agency says. How would the consulate know she has never left Colombia without the documentation to prove that? I would want to remove all doubt in the consulate officer's mind. You should have enough time to request from DAS prior to your interview, even if you are outside of Bogota.

Kathy

[TonyS 0]

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!

[buck501 0]

From what I have read the Certificate of Migration is new and is mandatory. Does nayone know what the purpose of the certificate is? I do not see the impotance of it, other then the Colombian Consulate requires the document. What difference does it make how many times you have left the country? Any past visa applications should already be on record. One other question. how do you post your timeline on your messages? Our timeline only has one entry as of now but I hope to add to it soon. We are going thru the CSC, they recieved our application on Feb. 2nd. From what i see it will be a while before I can post any activity.

[HAL 9000 96]

They can always ask DAS in their hometown. My girl asked in Bucaramanga this last week and they told her the expected wait times for all her requests would take no longer than 3 days, Certificado de Migratoria included. Go figure.

Those of you that have gone through a Banco de Crédito in the last couple of weeks... how much in COP did you pay? We were quoted 240.000, which hits the exchange rate to the $100 US fee a little on the heavy side.

[Looking4Wife 0]

They can always ask DAS in their hometown. My girl asked in Bucaramanga this last week and they told her the expected wait times for all her requests would take no longer than 3 days, Certificado de Migratoria included. Go figure.

My wife is from Barranquilla, and she had to wait 30 days for her Certificado de Migratoria.

This document comes from Bogotá, and thus can be ordered and received in Bogotá within 3 business days.

[Looking4Wife 0]

how do you post your timeline on your messages?

At the top of your screen, select "My Assistant"

On the resulting pop-up menu, select "Edit Forums Signature"

Then you manually type whatever timeline info, or anything else you want to show in all your messages.

The "official" timeline that you are referring to does automatically link to statistics and charts on the VJ board, but it is not automatically displayed in your messages.

[buck501 0]

Gracias!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[KathyB 0]

Does nayone know what the purpose of the certificate is? I do not see the impotance of it, other then the Colombian Consulate requires the document. What difference does it make how many times you have left the country? Any past visa applications should already be on record.

I only have a guess as to this requirement. The visa applications would be on record but not your actual departures/entrances for Colombia. I think the US embassy is looking for those people who have overstayed a visa in the past.