US Consulate in Guayaquil, Ecuador

[TBoneTX 43,580]

Guayaquil Consulate in the news.......T-bone will like this one

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/12/nyregion/12family.html

Oh, I love it, si man -- especially the part about the Dept. of State figure: "She added that her own efforts to learn more from consular officials in Guyaquil had been unsuccessful."

[StephyDanny 0]

I WOULD LIKE TO WRITE MY EXPERIENCE HERE WITH THE US CONSULATE IN GUAYAQUIL, ECUADOR.

MY HUSBAND'S INTERVIEW WAS ON WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17TH, 2010 AT 7:15 AM. WE WERE THERE EARLY. (I CAME WITH MY HUSBAND TO THE INTERVIEW)

WE WAITED THERE AND WERE CALLED FOR THE FIRST TIME AT AROUND 9 AM. ONLY HE WENT UP AND A NICE LADY COLLECTED HIS INFORMATION AND ASKED HIM A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS AND THEN HAD HIM GO GET HIS FINGERPRINTS TAKEN AND TO HAVE A SEAT AGAIN. HE SAT DOWN AGAIN AND WE WERE CALLED A SECOND TIME AT AROUND 10:45, THIS TIME I WENT UP WITH HIM AND WE WERE ASKED QUESTIONS SUCH AS, "DID YOU HAVE A HONEYMOON? FOR HOW MANY DAYS? WHERE DID YOU GO? DO YOU HAVE WEDDING BANDS?" WE RESPONDED YES TO THE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERED WHERE WE HAD OUR HONEYMOON AND FOR HOW MANY DAYS. SHE THEN TOLD US TO TAKE OFF OUR WEDDING BANDS AND SHE STARTED LOKKING INSIDE THEM TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANYTHING ENGRAVED INSIDE. (WE HAVE OUR NAMES AND THE DATE OF OUR MARRIAGE ENGRAVED IN EACHOTHERS WEDDING BANDS.)

AFTER THAT, SHE ASKED ME FOR HOW LONG AM I STAYING HERE IN ECUADOR AND I RESPONDED. SHE THEN TOOK A PINK HIGHLIGHTER AND WROTE SOMETHING I COULDNT GET TO READ IN FRONT OF OUR FOLDER AND PUT IT UNDERNEATH OTHER FOLDERS.. WE THEN WERE TOLD TO SIT BACK DOWN AND WAIT TO BE CALLED AGAIN. WE WERE CALLED THE 3RD TIME AT AROUND 230PM!! I WENT UP WITH HIM BUT THE CONSUL SAID THEY WANT TO INTERVIEW HIM FIRST ALONE AND THAT I SHOULD GO TO THE WAITING ROOM UPSTAIRS WHICH I DID. THEY TOOK SO LONG! ABOUT 30 MINUTES ON HIM ALONE! THEN THEY CALLED ME AND ASKED ME MANY QUESTIONS AS WELL. SHE WAS WRITING MY ANSWERS DOWN ON A SHEET OF PAPER. (SHE WROTE DOWN HIS ANSWERS AS WELL)

AT THE END THEY CALLED MY HUSBAND BACK UP AND GAVE HIM A BLUE SLIP AND SAID, GO TO DHL AND THEY WILL TELL U WHAT TO DO.

WHAT THE HELL??

WHAT DOES THIS BLUE SLIP MEAN!!???

I DUNNO IF WE WERE APPROVED OR DENIED OR WHAT. THEY DIDNT ASK FOR ANY MORE EVIDENCE. THEY KEPT ALL THE PAPERWORK MY HUSBAND GAVE TO THEM INCLUDING HIS PASSPORT. I AM SO CONFUSED! WHAT DOES THIS MEAN???

PLEASE HELP!!!

Edited March 1, 2010 by StephyDanny

[TBoneTX 43,580]

First: Please avoid typing in ALL CAPS.

THE CONSUL SAID THEY WANT TO INTERVIEW HIM FIRST ALONE AND THAT I SHOULD GO TO THE WAITING ROOM UPSTAIRS WHICH I DID. THEY TOOK SO LONG! ABOUT 30 MINUTES ON HIM ALONE! THEN THEY CALLED ME AND ASKED ME MANY QUESTIONS AS WELL. SHE WAS WRITING MY ANSWERS DOWN ON A SHEET OF PAPER. (SHE WROTE DOWN HIS ANSWERS AS WELL)

She gave you both a Stokes Interview -- either because they thought that you were lying about something, or because they're up to their same old tricks there -- either is equally possible.

AT THE END THEY CALLED MY HUSBAND BACK UP AND GAVE HIM A BLUE SLIP AND SAID, GO TO DHL AND THEY WILL TELL U WHAT TO DO. [...] I DUNNO IF WE WERE APPROVED OR DENIED OR WHAT. THEY DIDNT ASK FOR ANY MORE EVIDENCE. THEY KEPT ALL THE PAPERWORK MY HUSBAND GAVE TO THEM INCLUDING HIS PASSPORT. I AM SO CONFUSED! WHAT DOES THIS MEAN???

Why didn't you or he ASK? What was written on the blue slip? What did DHL say? Answer these crucial questions, please.

Note to all: You can't let those goons push you around. Demand a commitment from them -- issuance, denial, more information (specific) needed. Otherwise, prepare for weeks of runaround.

Edited March 1, 2010 by TBoneTX

[StephyDanny 0]

what does this mean!!???

i emailed the consulate to find out about my case and this is the reply i recieved from them today.

We suggest you to contact DHL service in Ecuador. Our office sent an explanation letter, informing you that Mr. XXXXXX’ immigrant visa petition is being returned to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through the National Visa Center with a request that they revoke approval of this petition. The NVC then forwards the case to the DHS office that approved the I-130 petition. DHS will now have jurisdiction over your case and further inquiries should be directed to them.

omg... i am so worried. what the hell happened!!??? i am so depressed!!

[TBoneTX 43,580]

what does this mean!!???

They refused the visa. Your file is being sent back to the NVC, which will transfer it to either the CSC or VSC (wherever you filed the petition with USCIS originally). The CSC or VSC will either reaffirm the petition (as valid) and send it back to the consulate, whereupon your husband will get a second interview, or will let it expire. Either way, you're in for months of waiting. (Edited to add: I'm not familiar with CR-1 processes that may differ from K-1 processes. Maybe someone else here can help.)

What exactly was written on the blue slip from the consulate? Do not paraphrase; give us the exact language. Also, exactly what happened in your interview? What was asked of each of you?

Edited March 4, 2010 by TBoneTX

[Indy90 21]

They refused the visa. Your file is being sent back to the NVC, which will transfer it to either the CSC or VSC (wherever you filed the petition with USCIS originally). The CSC or VSC will either reaffirm the petition (as valid) and send it back to the consulate, whereupon your husband will get a second interview, or will let it expire. Either way, you're in for months of waiting. (Edited to add: I'm not familiar with CR-1 processes that may differ from K-1 processes. Maybe someone else here can help.)

What exactly was written on the blue slip from the consulate? Do not paraphrase; give us the exact language. Also, exactly what happened in your interview? What was asked of each of you?

Well this thread has thoroughly scared me. I am expecting our interview to be sometime this summer and am absolutely dreading it, although it does seem from the reviews that there are some people who get approved on their first try.

Is there any common pattern at all with people who get denied and the few people who seem to get approved without any problems? I am just trying to figure out why they might think that our marriage is a fraud and can't think of any red flags-we met a year and a half before getting married, neither of us had been married before, we both speak English and Spanish, have the same religion, and I have spent over a year in Ecuador with her; I also will be at the interview for sure. However, from what I have read, this might not matter.

[TBoneTX 43,580]

Sadly, there's often no rhyme or reason for how this infernal place operates. It's partially a God complex, partially chip-on-shoulder, and partially pure evil.

In your situation, all that you can do is to document your relationship like a ####### -- take a suitcaseful of "proof of relationship" -- everything that you can think of, then more besides. Make sure that your stories completely match about how you met, details of your visits there & trips within Ecuador together, and your daily life. The chief thing is to ensure that evidence brought to the interview is evidence acknowledged.

How much, if at all, did you front-load your USCIS petition with "proof of relationship"?

[Indy90 21]

Sadly, there's often no rhyme or reason for how this infernal place operates. It's partially a God complex, partially chip-on-shoulder, and partially pure evil.

In your situation, all that you can do is to document your relationship like a ####### -- take a suitcaseful of "proof of relationship" -- everything that you can think of, then more besides. Make sure that your stories completely match about how you met, details of your visits there & trips within Ecuador together, and your daily life. The chief thing is to ensure that evidence brought to the interview is evidence acknowledged.

How much, if at all, did you front-load your USCIS petition with "proof of relationship"?

For the USCIS petition, I included affidavits from the minister who performed the religious ceremony (he is a Colombian citizen and counseled us before the wedding) and my best friend, my Delta Airlines frequent flyer page (which shows my 6 trips), my complete passport (which shows entrance and exit stamps), about 40 pictures (mostly of the wedding), proof that she has been added as a user on all of my credit card accounts, a 6 month history of skype and a printout that shows a list of all the emails that she has sent me (since I twice spent 5 months in Ecuador, there are gaps in Skype and in the emails). We also opened a joint bank account at Banco Internacional and I sent as much proof as possible that shows that.

I am not sure if that is a normal amount of evidence or not?

Recently, we have started to put dates on all of the photos that we take, but most of our hundreds of photos do not have dates.

Will the consulate have all of this evidence when we arrive? I assume we should bring the copy we made of everything, plus hundreds of more photos.

My wife was watching 593, a program on Teleamazonas the other day and a lawyer said that something that really helps at Guayaquil is a psychological note from a doctor saying that the U.S. citizen is suffering mentally because of the separation.

Is there any other type of evidence that the consulate in Guayaquil likes to see?

I am a little worried because nobody from my family attended the wedding; we are planning on having some type of ceremony in the U.S.

Also, she is not wearing her original engagement ring. We became engaged after I had been there for 5 months and I did not trust Ecuadorian jewelers. Someone mentioned that they had to show there rings to a consular officer and this could potentially cause problems.

[TBoneTX 43,580]

Your front-loading sounds outstanding, si man. The consulate should definitely have all of that evidence when you arrive. According to Marc Ellis (attorney, & member of VJ), COs are not allowed to refuse a visa on the basis of evidence that USCIS knows about and passed on to the consulate. Make copies of official documents (forms, certificates, etc.) just so you have them handy, and bring the hundreds more fotos.

My wife was watching 593, a program on Teleamazonas the other day and a lawyer said that something that really helps at Guayaquil is a psychological note from a doctor saying that the U.S. citizen is suffering mentally because of the separation.

It remains true that 99% of lawyers give the rest a bad name. That's complete, utter, 100% hogwash.

Is there any other type of evidence that the consulate in Guayaquil likes to see?

Just be damned sure that you & your wife are 100% agreed on every minute detail of your current relationship and the history thereof.

I am a little worried because nobody from my family attended the wedding; we are planning on having some type of ceremony in the U.S.

If you're challenged about that, state, and very forthrightly, "Nobody from my family attended the wedding because we will have a ceremony in the United States. What is your next question, sir/ma'am?"

Also, she is not wearing her original engagement ring. We became engaged after I had been there for 5 months and I did not trust Ecuadorian jewelers. Someone mentioned that they had to show there rings to a consular officer and this could potentially cause problems.

Not sure that I understand the first sentence, or why one wouldn't trust Ecuadorian jewelers (we found a great one out of many in Cuenca), but try to bring something. If you decide not to, and you're asked to show your rings, explain your story, look the CO in the eye and say "Is this a requirement for issuance of the visa? Please enlighten me, sir/ma'am." If the response is some poppycock that it IS a requirement, ask innocently, "Then why aren't all married couples in the U.S. required to wear rings?" or say, "For my enlightenment, please cite the rule from the FAM that states that the wearing of rings is a requirement for issuance of a visa." The key is to remember that evidence should be enough to convince a reasonable person, and no one at the consulate is reasonable, and you're not going to let them get away with bullying you, no man.

[Indy90 21]

Thanks for your input...its pretty reassuring to be able to ask questions from people who have been through the process. So there is not really anyway that they could dismiss our case on the basis of lack of evidence? I should mention that we will also be able to bring additional evidence that shows that we have passed time together-things like bus tickets purchased together and stays in hostels. We will be sure to go over every part of our relationship before the interview, as well as the example questions, so that we are positive that we have the same story (not that we would make anything up, but details do sometimes fade after a couple of years).

I think my wife misunderstood what the lawyer was talking about; I went to the website and watched the video and he was actually taking about waivers for Ecuadorians who are married to US citizens and have been deported from the US.

The ring probably won't be a big deal anyways. I am sure there are numerous high quality jewelers in Ecuador; however, due to some connections, I could get a high quality ring in the United States for cheaper than in Ecuador. There were places that were cheap in Ecuador, but I did not really trust them. Like I said, I don't think that it will be a big deal.

It's kind of weird how awful the Guayaquil consulate is. I believe consulate officers tend to serve in one spot for only two or three years, so I would expect the consulate to constantly be changing. I could understand if Ecuador was a high fraud country, but I can't imagine that it is any different than other countries in the region which don't seem nearly as bad. I have been treated very well by consular officers in Quito both times I have gone (although the Ecuadorian workers were a completely different story). I even had a 5 minute conversation with one about my university, although I do not know how connected Quito and Guayaquil are. Also, every time I have emailed the Guayaquil consulate, they have responded the next day with very helpful information. I wonder if there are just some really bad apples?

[TBoneTX 43,580]

So there is not really anyway that they could dismiss our case on the basis of lack of evidence?

Ohhhh, yes -- don't trust them as far as you could kick them.

we will also be able to bring additional evidence that shows that we have passed time together-things like bus tickets purchased together and stays in hostels. We will be sure to go over every part of our relationship before the interview, as well as the example questions, so that we are positive that we have the same story (not that we would make anything up, but details do sometimes fade after a couple of years).

Excellent, si man.

I think my wife misunderstood what the lawyer was talking about

Ah, good.

I could get a high quality ring in the United States for cheaper than in Ecuador.

Lucky you, si man! We got far more for the money in Ecuador.

It's kind of weird how awful the Guayaquil consulate is. I believe consulate officers tend to serve in one spot for only two or three years, so I would expect the consulate to constantly be changing. I could understand if Ecuador was a high fraud country, but I can't imagine that it is any different than other countries in the region which don't seem nearly as bad.

We were among the first (of a great many) to get blindsided, and the treatment hasn't changed much, if at all.

I have been treated very well by consular officers in Quito both times I have gone (although the Ecuadorian workers were a completely different story).

You're an Americano. Don't ask me how Quito treated my in-laws when they traveled 14 hours by bus to apply for tourist visas.

Also, every time I have emailed the Guayaquil consulate, they have responded the next day with very helpful information. I wonder if there are just some really bad apples?

Many who preceded you would agree, with no discussion, that GYQ is rife with evil bastards. Do not trust them, and keep every copy of every e-mail between you, regardless of how innocuous they may seem.

[Indy90 21]

Again thanks for your help! Its wonderful that your willing to stick around helping us out.

Despite all of the ridiculousness, I imagine everyone here would admit though that in the end, it was worth it to be with their loved one.

I do have a couple more questions that I have been unable to find much information about searching through VJ.

Do you know if the consulate in Guayaquil has approved couples in the past who have had a joint sponsor for the affidavit of support, or do they give them a harder time? I emailed them about it and they said that there would not be a problem, although from what I have read, I have to expect the worst from them. I don't want to give them any reason to request the denial of our application. I am finishing up my undergrad degree this year (and then off to law school, which I am kind of afraid to admit), meaning that my income is about half of what is required (although I will have no problem supporting my wife through means that can't be used with the affidavit of support).

Also, I know that the consulate usually interviews Ecuadorians in Spanish. However, do you think it would help if my wife said that she would be comfortable answering in English, so that they would think that she will adjust more quickly to American culture?

Edited March 8, 2010 by Indy90

[TBoneTX 43,580]

Do you know if the consulate in Guayaquil has approved couples in the past who have had a joint sponsor for the affidavit of support, or do they give them a harder time?

Surprisingly, they said not one word about our (acceptable) I-134, nor anyone else's that I heard. "Relationship evidence" is their priority. Regarding your specific situation, I don't know.

do you think it would help if my wife said that she would be comfortable answering in English, so that they would think that she will adjust more quickly to American culture?

Less for that reason than to make the CO feel more comfortable. The woman CO apparently speaks terrible Spanish and is a snob about language, at least.

[StephyDanny 0]

well, the 1st time they called my husband was an ecuadorian young female spoke to my husband in spanish was very nice and just collected his paperwork. asked him basic questions about his spouse(ME). I didnt go up with him the first time. She asked him my full name,dob, where i lived how long were we married and if we had a honeymoon and looked at his ring. then she told him to go take fingerprints and have a seat. the second time we were called by the white lady who spoke horrible spanish btw.. we were holding hands as she asked us the questions. she asked if we had a honey moon, for how many days, where did we go, she looked at our honeymonn pics, didnt say anything about them, then asked if we had marriage rings and looked inside them. we were legally married on may 9th, 2009, but on our rings it said may 8,2009. (it was a mistake made by the jeweler which we didnt even realize until the day of the wedding whish is when we went to pick up the rings. so we explained that mistake to them. and that we havent fixed the date on the rings because we havent wnated to take them off and we really havent had the time. she then asked me until when i was staying in ecuador and i said till feb 25th. she then write something in front of our file and stuck it under 2 other ppls files. and she said ok have a seat. we then were called for the 3rd time at around 3 pm. i went up with my husband. it was an older ecuadorian woman, very cold, super serious. she saw me and told me to go wait upstairs, that she would ask my husband some questions first. about 30-40 minutes go by and she calls me down and my husband goes up. she started askin me questions like wats my husband full name, dob, how we first met. since when we have been dating, when we got engaged, did he give me an engagement ring, (which he did, but i honestly lost & i did tell her that) she wanted dates. i gave her approximates(like for example i said he gave me an engagement ring on last week of january.) i couldn't recall exactly when it was, but i knew it was the last week of jan so thats what i told her. if he had gone to my house to ask for my hand in marriage and when. (again i only gave estimates) where was the wedding held, how many ppl went, did we had invitations or just word of mouth, our was just about 25-30 ppl. my husband said about 25 ppl and i said about 30 so i dont know if that means we goi this question wrong or not?? how much did the whole party cost and what did it cover? did we have a dj? who paid for the wedding? how much were the wedding rings and who paid for them? husband said 250 when i said 350!! i told them they were 350 but since he didnt pay for it maybe he forgot.. what current methods of bc are we using, we both said none. *NOTE* that question she asked us both about 3 times during the whole interview.. super random, very wierd though. she also asked when was the last time we had sex, we answered a couple of hrs ago.. lol... where are we staying. we gave the name of the hotel and the reciept.. she asked where did we stay for our first night as husband and wife. wat time the party ended. wat gifts did we recieve from family and friends, were my parents present at our wedding?( my mom was) and after the wedding were did we stay.. and that was it. i could of sworn we got it cuz we answered everything right exept for those 2 questions. but we were sure and we are a REAL couple and very much in love. and no matter how prepared you are you cant help to get nervous and im guessing thats what got the best of us, and they probably percieved it as us lying... i really dont know what to do... how do i contact the DHS to speed up our case??? honestly if i have no word from our case till the end of next month, im going to ecuador to be with my husband... WE DONT NEED THE GOD DAMN VISA TO BE TOGETHER AND I HONESTLY CAN'T BE ALONE ANY LONGER WITHOUT MY HUSBAND. I JUST REALIZED IM PREGNANT AND WE NEED TO BE WITH EACHOTHER. i just applied for the visa for him because i wanted him to be here with me and assumed we eould be together alot quicker. and since i have a good job, i wanted him to come here, both of us work for 2-3 years save up money and invest in a business in ecuador and all move back to ecuador. thank god im a citizen though so i can go see him whenever i want but its such an inconvenience because i work. but if it means quitting my job and living in ecuador with my husband i will do it and now more than ever now that im expecting our little bundle of joy.. i just dont understand why the us consulate in guayaquil is run so poorly and treats people like there garbage!

[Indy90 21]

Wow Stephydanny I really feel for you; it really sounds like they are being completely unfair. And it also worries me because it sounds like our case is pretty similar. My ring has our wedding date engraved in it, but my wife's does not (maybe we could get it engraved and claim that it is original, but that would not be exactly truthful); she also lost the original engagement ring that I gave her, which thankfully was quite cheap. However, shouldn't the consulate take cultural norms into account? Unless you are from the very upper class, it is very unusual to even wear your wedding ring after a few months of marriage. My wife's parents and married sister don't. Even my study abroad host family (which was upper class) didn't wear their rings (if they ever had any) when I was with them. Wedding and engagement rings seem to me to be much more important in American culture, but the consulate doesn't really take that into account. As for the cost, do most women in the US (or anywhere in the world) know or want to know how much their fiancee paid?

Also, we don't really have a record of our honeymoon. We went to Manta and stayed at a friend's house (it was completely private). We didn't save our bus tickets and only have a few pictures. Quite frankly there are much better things to do during your honeymoon than take pictures and collect evidence. And at the time we did not realize that we needed so much evidence.

Our wedding was also really small like yours...I think about 50 people came. I think it cost about $800 (DJ, wedding photographer and food all included); I paid for half and my wife's family paid for the other half. We do have quite a few pictures though. Again, I don't really see why this should be considered a problem.

Like you, I would be fine moving to Ecuador. I loved my time down there. However, it would be really nice for my wife to get an American passport so that we could at least visit the United States without having to go through the trouble of getting a visa. This naturally would require her to reside in the US for a few years. And of course good paying jobs are even more scarce there.

Do you remember what type of evidence you included in your USCIS application and did the woman who interviewed you really seem to examine the evidence that you included?