US Consulate in Guayaquil, Ecuador

[TBoneTX 45,598]

How depressing! I'm not sure that I want to know more! I just want to stay in denial for the time being, at least until after we get an interview date!!

That's the spirit, si man!

[TE AMO ECUADOR 0]

VISA APPROVED AND IN WIFE'S HANDS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Guys, just wanted to let the Ecuador Applicants know my wife's visa was finally approved after 2 different interviews and 13 months . She will be arriving to the USA August 27th. I will refrain from giving a full review of everything until later as not to cause problems for some of the other people here going through this consulate because I do feel they monitor this site.Please feel free to PM me if you need details. This was a most unpleasent experience and one I hope I never have to endure again.

Andy y Fer

[Arlington 5]

CONGRATSS!!!!!!!!!!

[VivaBaños 2]

CONGRATSS!!!!!!!!!!

hey congratulations! this is great news!

[TE AMO ECUADOR 0]

Thanks All For The Congrats

My wife is now with me. She arrived yesterday in Miami after a 2 hour flight delay leaving Quito. Her POE was an Unreal Breeze

because the Immigration official that interviewd her was from Guess Where ? Quito, LOL. He did not ask any questions about me, only talked about Quito and then tried to get my Wife's phone #, so did the AA Flight Attendant too, LOL. I told her how it would be here with Guys, ( Bastards) LOL. The whole process was 10 minutes she said and then had to wait forever for her bags to come . All in all, touchdown to in my arms was 1 hour. Tjanks for everyone's support here on VJ and if I can ever help anyone here, please do not hesitate to ask.

Regards

Andy Y Fer

[TBoneTX 45,598]

I can ever help anyone here, please do not hesitate to ask.

Si, man... be SURE to post a carefully composed, exhaustively thorough, and brutally honest review of the consulate. Hugs to Fer!

[VivaBaños 2]

Thanks All For The Congrats

My wife is now with me. She arrived yesterday in Miami after a 2 hour flight delay leaving Quito. Her POE was an Unreal Breeze

because the Immigration official that interviewd her was from Guess Where ? Quito, LOL. He did not ask any questions about me, only talked about Quito and then tried to get my Wife's phone #, so did the AA Flight Attendant too, LOL. I told her how it would be here with Guys, ( Bastards) LOL. The whole process was 10 minutes she said and then had to wait forever for her bags to come . All in all, touchdown to in my arms was 1 hour. Tjanks for everyone's support here on VJ and if I can ever help anyone here, please do not hesitate to ask.

Regards

Andy Y Fer

I'm happy to hear that she made it through safe and sound and that this process is behind you both. Ya su esposa les puede decir a todos sus amigos ecuatorianos que se fue a la johnny. que les vaya muy bien acá.

[TBoneTX 45,598]

See:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=148430

Si, man.

[gregd 0]

I see others have had problems with the consulate in Guayaquil. Here is ours.

My Ecuadorian wife and I were married 3 years ago and been together nearly 5 years. I live in Quito with my wife and kids when I am not in the States working, of which amounts to about 4 months throughout the year in Quito. I just returned to the US 2 days before my wife and kids had their interview, therefore I couldn't attend.

We have 2 kids from her previous marriage and one 2 month old baby between us. Anyway....The interview was scheduled on Feb 18 and my wife and kids attended as scheduled. She was interviewed by an Ecuatoriana, who was polite and asked a few questions about our relationship. My wife had every conceivable piece of documentation needed including pages and pages of photos of our family life together over the past nearly 5 years. Reciepts, bank statements,

insurance statements, emails, phone bills....everything possible to tie us together. She had birth certificates from the civil registry, our marriage certificate with the official document from the State of Idaho secretary of State deeming it official. EVERYTHING! The first interviewer finished and then she had to sit in front of a gringo woman, who hardly spoke, never answered one question my wife asked, barely thumbed through our documents and handed a letter to my wife stating she didn't belive our 15 year old son was my wifes biological child. The birth certificate was not enough evidence and a DNA test was needed. A DNA TEST? It took a minute for my wife to realize what this lady was asking.

My wife tried to question this and all the woman would reply was read the form! Completely impolite and unhelpful. Next please. We are then left to figure this out. She called me upset and explained the situation. I was and am still livid over this. No where does it mention this rule or requirement in the immigration website from the State Dept. What

really upset me was the statement was made infron of our 15 year old son....who of course felt awful. Also the fact that they thought my wife was dishonest! So we started making calls. I found a company in Seattle to do the testing and was able to take care of everything at a price of $700. The document from the embassy calls for a blood test. The DNA blood test is old school, with all of them being a saliva test now. It seems the Embassy should update their requests. My wife had to call the Embassy to find out if the saliva test is acceptable. The DNA process is now underway, as the copmany is sending out the test kit to Guayaquil early nest week. We have no idea how long it will take. The Dr. at the Embassy in Guayaquil is the only one who can administer the test samples and must send them back to the States for testing. The turn around for the test with the company is relatively short, but we have no idea how long before we hear back from the Embassy. We have waited over 1 year to this point, and don't know if there will be another interview, if visas will be issued upon results of what??? The Embassy is unwilling to give any information. My wife and 3 kids have to make another trip back fot the test. Why didn't they ask for both Ecuadorian kids? They may have to make a trip back for interview 2. WHen does it all end? They also seized my wife and kids tourist visas at the time of the interview, which they have had for many years. The guards at the embassy were very rude individuals as well. The whole interview process for my wife was absolutely awful. She has never felt so humiliated by someone as she did by a few employees of our US government! And I am ashamed of the representation,

disgusted and mad!

[Chamy and Gatita 3]

I see others have had problems with the consulate in Guayaquil. Here is ours.

My Ecuadorian wife and I were married 3 years ago and been together nearly 5 years. I live in Quito with my wife and kids when I am not in the States working, of which amounts to about 4 months throughout the year in Quito. I just returned to the US 2 days before my wife and kids had their interview, therefore I couldn't attend.

We have 2 kids from her previous marriage and one 2 month old baby between us. Anyway....The interview was scheduled on Feb 18 and my wife and kids attended as scheduled. She was interviewed by an Ecuatoriana, who was polite and asked a few questions about our relationship. My wife had every conceivable piece of documentation needed including pages and pages of photos of our family life together over the past nearly 5 years. Reciepts, bank statements,

insurance statements, emails, phone bills....everything possible to tie us together. She had birth certificates from the civil registry, our marriage certificate with the official document from the State of Idaho secretary of State deeming it official. EVERYTHING! The first interviewer finished and then she had to sit in front of a gringo woman, who hardly spoke, never answered one question my wife asked, barely thumbed through our documents and handed a letter to my wife stating she didn't belive our 15 year old son was my wifes biological child. The birth certificate was not enough evidence and a DNA test was needed. A DNA TEST? It took a minute for my wife to realize what this lady was asking.

My wife tried to question this and all the woman would reply was read the form! Completely impolite and unhelpful. Next please. We are then left to figure this out. She called me upset and explained the situation. I was and am still livid over this. No where does it mention this rule or requirement in the immigration website from the State Dept. What

really upset me was the statement was made infron of our 15 year old son....who of course felt awful. Also the fact that they thought my wife was dishonest! So we started making calls. I found a company in Seattle to do the testing and was able to take care of everything at a price of $700. The document from the embassy calls for a blood test. The DNA blood test is old school, with all of them being a saliva test now. It seems the Embassy should update their requests. My wife had to call the Embassy to find out if the saliva test is acceptable. The DNA process is now underway, as the copmany is sending out the test kit to Guayaquil early nest week. We have no idea how long it will take. The Dr. at the Embassy in Guayaquil is the only one who can administer the test samples and must send them back to the States for testing. The turn around for the test with the company is relatively short, but we have no idea how long before we hear back from the Embassy. We have waited over 1 year to this point, and don't know if there will be another interview, if visas will be issued upon results of what??? The Embassy is unwilling to give any information. My wife and 3 kids have to make another trip back fot the test. Why didn't they ask for both Ecuadorian kids? They may have to make a trip back for interview 2. WHen does it all end? They also seized my wife and kids tourist visas at the time of the interview, which they have had for many years. The guards at the embassy were very rude individuals as well. The whole interview process for my wife was absolutely awful. She has never felt so humiliated by someone as she did by a few employees of our US government! And I am ashamed of the representation,

disgusted and mad!

What a horrible experience. You need to contact your US Representative's office immediately. If your US Rep is not a good one (mine isn't) you can contact your US Senator's office. Tell them that you have applied for a visa for your wife and kids and you are having problems with the US consulate, although your application has been approved by the USCIS. They should assign you to a staffer (if they dont, then request it.) You will need to fax them copies of certain things, like your NOA2, etc. It will take them approx 1-2 wks to review your case, unless you can convince them it is a total emergency. After they review your stuff, they will contact the consulate and turn the screws on them.

As far as when is your next interview, you might be able to take that in your own hands. I would wait until your US rep's office contacts the consulate, and then call that paid-call make-an-appointment phone number and schedule it yourself. It might work.

It sounds like you didnt know how crucial it is for YOU to be present at your wife's interview. If you haven't already, take a look around on VJ and read about what happened to everyone else who's SO wasnt with them at the Guayaquil Consulate- they all are getting some kind of run around BS. Now you know, and make sure YOU are present for the next interview. If you have to get a new credit card or borrow money for the ticket and tell work the Pope needs you in Rome, DO IT. YOU MUST BE THERE.

I would also contact TBoneTX and get his advice. Again, I understand what you are going through. It sucks. Don't give up and don't let anger get in the way of creating a solution. Best of luck. Keep us updated, and keep the questions coming. We will all do our best to assist you.

[TBoneTX 45,598]

Don't bother with that $12 PIN phone line, which is staffed by Ecuatorianas who can't always speak English and who almost certainly receive commissions for how many times they can cause gringos to call back.

Call 011-593-4-232-3570 for the U.S. Citizens' "service" line. Insist on being transferred to an AMERICAN in the Immigrant Visa Unit. If you encounter resistance, ask "Are you a U.S. citizen? No? Then you cannot POSSIBLY understand the gravity of this situation." Once you are transferred, tell the Ecuadorian that you insist on speaking with an AMERICAN CONSUL, preferably Section Chief Phil Linderman, and that you will HOLD while the Ecuadorian makes finding the AMERICAN CONSUL a priority.

Do this first, and persist until you achieve success. For later, remember that you can e-mail IVGuayaquil@state.gov with "For Section Chief Linderman" in the Subject line.

Your experience is yet another example of why the U.S. citizen MUST attend the FIRST INTERVIEW in Guayaquil.

[VivaBaños 2]

This is terrible news.

As Chamy & Gatita state, definitely make sure your Senator's office knows what's going on. I had mine in on the case from the moment I sent off the first documents to USCIS and although nothing was speedier, I know it made me feel better knowing that more folks than just me were checking up on things and calling me back to clarify what was happening through ALL stages of this long drawn out process.

And definitely be there for the next interview. Don't forget to lug all of the evidence back with you just in case.

And make sure you get all of the details possible about what it is the Consulate is expecting of you and your family for the next interview so that no surprises come up then in terms of tests, evidence, attendance, etc.

I'm not sure of the numbers to call (paid or the # TBone suggests) but I would suggest when you do get through that you can step-by-step go over the details so that you're prepared for the second time around. I mean every last t crossed and i dotted. When my husband's visa was robbed from the DHL truck delivering it, the Consulate gave me some number to call for questions and concerns about getting the visa re-issued. Since it was no fault of our own they were on the ball and were very diligent about helping us through that situation and the re-filing of papers (I called almost EVERY DAY from within Ecuador with questions and complaints about everything including the shoddy DHL service in Ambato and Guayaquil).

Best of luck. And keep us up to date.

[TBoneTX 45,598]

And definitely be there for the next interview. Don't forget to lug all of the evidence back with you just in case.

If you are fortunate enough to gain another interview, the consulate will rub it in further by making SURE you know that they are doing you a magnaminous favor, purely discretionary from the very bottoms of their beautiful hearts. They will call it a "joint" "marriage" interview, but be completely prepared to endure a Stokes interrogation. Furthermore, fully expect to be required to bring massive amounts of "new" evidence of relationship -- no amount of which may prove to be enough. I hope that your U.S. congressman or senator's office can intercede, but these consulates are just about untouchable. These many months later, I remain exactly as livid as you are now.

[gregd 0]

Thanks everyone for your input and suggestions. I fired off and email to Section Chief Linderman. The only thing I can do for now. I am awaiting for my ship to come in, literally speaking. I had to fly to Dutch Harbor Alaska from Ecuador, which the trip started Monday, 2 days before my wife's interview. I desperately wanted to go and planned to go, but my ship's schedule is unforgiving, so I have to go on a moments notice. I am out to sea for 2 months then will be returning to Ecuador and my family. Hopefully all of it will be resolved upon my return. hmmmm We'll see. I did write my local member of Congress 2 days ago, still awaiting a reply, though it is not expected.

Thanks again.

[VivaBaños 2]

Thanks everyone for your input and suggestions. I fired off and email to Section Chief Linderman. The only thing I can do for now. I am awaiting for my ship to come in, literally speaking. I had to fly to Dutch Harbor Alaska from Ecuador, which the trip started Monday, 2 days before my wife's interview. I desperately wanted to go and planned to go, but my ship's schedule is unforgiving, so I have to go on a moments notice. I am out to sea for 2 months then will be returning to Ecuador and my family. Hopefully all of it will be resolved upon my return. hmmmm We'll see. I did write my local member of Congress 2 days ago, still awaiting a reply, though it is not expected.

Thanks again.

It may be worth giving the Congress person's office a call next week when you have a chance rather than just relying on the email. It's much easier for them to overlook an email or fire off a "standard" response when in all actuality you want someone to get on this right away. They'll have you mail/fax in a very quick form that agrees to give them access to your case, for privacy purposes (or at least that is how it worked in my case) which my Rep allowed me to scan and email back as an attachment and mail the hard copy later so that they could start taking a look at things immediately. You may see if this is an option for you.

In two months time you'll get this sorted out and hopefully be able to put this behind you. Suerte!