Colombia Club Part II

[Mononoke28 135]

Hi all,

Getting ready for our April 29th interview date at the embassy in Bogota, which I will attend. A question comes to mind: I have heard that the DS-156 has to be in Spanish (and maybe printed on one page, front and back, and not two?) for when you go to the bank to pay visa app. fee? Just checking, as I just find the form in English and on two pages. (I suppose the bank has blank copies if so?)

Thanks,

Joe

Joe,

It doesn't matter if the form is filled out in English or Spanish and yes the bank should have blank copies as well because I've heard other members say the bank told them to fill a new form when they saw a mistake in the one they brought in.

But here is a link for the DS-156 in Spanish. I believe you need to fill it out first and the hit submit before printing.

Diana

[Mononoke28 135]

Ah I see Diana, and those affidavits can only be made by US residents or Colombian relatives to my fiancee?

James

It doesn't really matter as long as they're from people who know both of you pretty well and who can testify that you have a bonafide relationship.. If they're in Spanish, make sure you include the translations. Here are examples of the two I sent, one from my mother and the other one from my sister.

Diana

Affidavit_Example_1.doc

Affidavit_Example_2.doc

[Mononoke28 135]

My fiance's friend was denied a tourist visa that would allow her to visit and take part in our wedding. She had tons of docs and owns a resturant, but during interview they didnt even look at docs, they just ask 2 ques, then said sorry, your tourist visa is denied.

Is it worth the effort for me to ask the embassy to reconsider or write the ambassador?

Anyone else have luck with that or is difficult for Colombians to get tourist visa's??

Thanks for any help.

You may try but I doubt anything would come out of it since tourist visas are only given to about 90% of the people who request it. It's always a gamble, people may have the best intentions to come to the US and plan to return to Colombia and are still denied. And there's also the ones who have absolutely nothing to fall back on, unemployed and have every intention to use their visa to come to the US and stay here illegally and they're granted a visa after a few questions. No one knows really why but it's pretty much standard.

Diana

[Mononoke28 135]

Just want to know where I need to be with the rest of this process. Our wedding is the 18th of April....by now what if anything should of I done upon her entry in the USA? Also, after the 18th what are the order of the next steps?

Thanks

Troy

Troy,

After marriage you need to file for Adjustment of Status (AOS). You can find the instructions in the AOS Guide and also another Colombian AOS thread in the AOS forum.

Diana

Edited April 1, 2009 by Mononoke28

[jpcanon 0]

Hi all,

Getting ready for our April 29th interview date at the embassy in Bogota, which I will attend. A question comes to mind: I have heard that the DS-156 has to be in Spanish (and maybe printed on one page, front and back, and not two?) for when you go to the bank to pay visa app. fee? Just checking, as I just find the form in English and on two pages. (I suppose the bank has blank copies if so?)

Thanks,

Joe

Joe,

It doesn't matter if the form is filled out in English or Spanish and yes the bank should have blank copies as well because I've heard other members say the bank told them to fill a new form when they saw a mistake in the one they brought in.

But here is a link for the DS-156 in Spanish. I believe you need to fill it out first and the hit submit before printing.

Diana

THANKS- Diana, as usual!!!!

Joe

[Dillan 0]

"It depends, CR1/IR1 visa petitioners need to send all original documents to the NVC for processing, this includes the Police Certificate. The Migratory Movement Letter will have to be brought in to the interview by the beneficiary." What does it depend on?

I still have to convince my wife to give me her Police Certificate. Thanks Diana.

Diana, what Spanish language forum should my wife join? I didn't see anything that fits her situation, CR1/IR1living in Colombia. Should my timeline reflect my wife's situation or the children's situation?

Question for all.....

I received the AOS fee bill, DS 3032, etc. from the NVC for my wife. I'm still waiting for approval from USCIS for the children because I received another RFE 4 weeks ago (they claimed I didn't send the marriage certificate for the children's documents). They received the requested documents again on March 17. Originally, I sent all the documents twice because I sent payment for the children's 2 weeks later than my wife's. So, I resubmitted all the documents a second time in the middle of January.

My question is should I wait for the children's approval from USCIS or should I send my wife's documents to the NVC now? I believe that the children's documents are about 4 weeks behind my wife's. So, I should receive their approval from USCIS in the next 2 weeks, I hope.

[james&adry 3]

Ah I see Diana, and those affidavits can only be made by US residents or Colombian relatives to my fiancee?

James

It doesn't really matter as long as they're from people who know both of you pretty well and who can testify that you have a bonafide relationship.. If they're in Spanish, make sure you include the translations. Here are examples of the two I sent, one from my mother and the other one from my sister.

Diana

Those are great Diana. Much easier to read than the legal limbo versions I saw elsewhere. I do have a slight request since you are indeed the author of these affidavits. My fiancee's familia does not know a lick of english and wouldn't be able to understand. However they feel compelled to help us in our endeavor just as much as my family wants to. I would love to include some of their affidavits as well and was thinking maybe you could make a spanish version as well?

James

[Dillan 0]

Hi,

Does anyone know of a good certified translator for Spanish to English in Cali?

Thanks in advance.

FYI: I tried to add my timeline for the second time. I'm not sure if I succeeded.

[Mononoke28 135]

"It depends, CR1/IR1 visa petitioners need to send all original documents to the NVC for processing, this includes the Police Certificate. The Migratory Movement Letter will have to be brought in to the interview by the beneficiary." What does it depend on?

I still have to convince my wife to give me her Police Certificate. Thanks Diana.

Diana, what Spanish language forum should my wife join? I didn't see anything that fits her situation, CR1/IR1living in Colombia. Should my timeline reflect my wife's situation or the children's situation?

Question for all.....

I received the AOS fee bill, DS 3032, etc. from the NVC for my wife. I'm still waiting for approval from USCIS for the children because I received another RFE 4 weeks ago (they claimed I didn't send the marriage certificate for the children's documents). They received the requested documents again on March 17. Originally, I sent all the documents twice because I sent payment for the children's 2 weeks later than my wife's. So, I resubmitted all the documents a second time in the middle of January.

My question is should I wait for the children's approval from USCIS or should I send my wife's documents to the NVC now? I believe that the children's documents are about 4 weeks behind my wife's. So, I should receive their approval from USCIS in the next 2 weeks, I hope.

Hi Dillan,

I said "depends" on my other post because I wasn't sure if you had sent petitions for K3/K4 visas or CR1/CR2 visas. K visas will never have to send anything to the NVC, so they bring in every single document to the interview. CR visas are handled by the NVC first, so all of those original documents they request have to be mailed to them before they can complete the case and assign an interview with the embassy.

Well, I think the best way to convince your wife is by telling her the truth. That the NVC will not complete the case without her original police certificate and therefore will not schedule an interview with the embassy until they receive it. I'm not sure if I told you this in another post but what I did with my husband's since the certificate it's an actual little booklet, was put it in a zip loc sandwich bag and labeled it "Husband's Name - Original Police Certificate."

As for the Spanish thread, she can easily read and ask any questions in the K1 visa Colombian thread. Since you're handling all the paperwork stuff with the NVC all she needs is get the info for her lab, medical, vaccinations, baptismal certificate and Migratory Movement Letter from the DAS. Every single immigrant visa petitione, whether K or CR will need to get all that stuff and the info is there.

Don't worry about the Timeline details, as long as you enter your wife's info in there you're fine. It just helps others to see what you're filing for and where you're at in the process so your questions are answered more clearly. Also, it helps guide others to see how long it may take them for their own visa process.

And last but not least. Wait until the children's petitions are approved and they're all in the same stage at the NVC. So, pay for all bills at once and submit all forms the same day. In fact, once the NVC receives them, ask if you can send everything in the same mailing package so that they are processed at the same time. The reason for this is because they start assigning interviews with the embassy as soon as they complete a case, so if your wife's or any of the children's cases are completed before all others, they will all get different interview dates and it's a pain in the butt trying to change all interviews for another date. Does that make sense?

Hope that helped a bit.

Diana

[subguy812 1]

Dillan.......here is a translator for you

Geovanny Antonio Rengifo

His telephone number is 572-315-7055 his cell 314-661-3296 his email is rengifog@telesat.com.co

Hi,

Does anyone know of a good certified translator for Spanish to English in Cali?

Thanks in advance.

FYI: I tried to add my timeline for the second time. I'm not sure if I succeeded.

[Mononoke28 135]

Those are great Diana. Much easier to read than the legal limbo versions I saw elsewhere. I do have a slight request since you are indeed the author of these affidavits. My fiancee's familia does not know a lick of english and wouldn't be able to understand. However they feel compelled to help us in our endeavor just as much as my family wants to. I would love to include some of their affidavits as well and was thinking maybe you could make a spanish version as well?

James

You mean translate their affidavits from Spanish to English? Absolutely. The only problem with that is that it needs to be certified and I wouldn't be able to do that online since it has to be signed. What I can do is translate them for you and you can have a fully bilingual person certify it. All you have to do is copy and paste the following statement and have the person sign it:

Translator’s Certification

I [typed name], certify that I am fluent (conversant) in the English and ________ languages, and that the above/attached document is an accurate translation of the document attached entitled ______________________________.

Signature_________________________________

Date Typed Name

Address

Diana

[Dillan 0]

Diana,

I'm clarifying some of the information I posted a few days ago. After speaking with USCIS and NVC, I can explain things a little better. Thanks for your response. I did make sense. I'll try to have NVC process everything together. I waited outside while my wife received the police certificate from DAS. I'll explain it to her again, but she's stubborn, like BULL. Plus, some acquaintances have filled her head with nonsense about life here that's why I wanted her to join the forum so she could ask someone with actual, normal experiences not some hysterical alarmist who lives in Canada.

I already posted the following in another section, though I received no responses yet. I hope I'm not breaking any rules by posting it again in a tighter version.

I need help please. There is some confusion or lack of information from USCIS.

Part One

USCIS sent an approval notice 3-4 weeks ago with my oldest stepson's receipt number. Even though the approval notice contained his receipt number, the approval notice had my wife's name. Then, according to NVC, USCIS sent my wife's information to NVC instead of my stepson's.

I received another approval notice yesterday, Thursday, with my wife's receipt number and name. NVC hasn't received that paperwork yet , though they are expecting the paperwork to be for my oldest stepson. We'll see.

USCIS's response to their mistake was underwhelming. If I made basic errors like that on my job, and then acted as if it wasn't any big deal, I would have been laid off or fired by now.

Also, USCIS split up the brother's petitions for no known reason. All of the children are under 14 years-old. My wife and one child have received approval and the other two children remain in process at USCIS, "up to 30 days said the agent".

The USCIS agent I spoke to wasn't able to clarify anything as far as the error or why the petitions were split.

They don't have to be perfect, but to put the wrong name and/or receipt number on the approval notices, split up family petitions, approve an individual's petition but send someone else's paperwork.... #######! How can NVC and I keep track of my family's petition and process it in a timely manner if USCIS is interchanging names, numbers and making basic mistakes?

Part Two

When I sent in the I-130s for my wife's children (separate from her I-130), I only sent one copy of the supporting documentation, the marriage and birth certificates, my proof of citizenship, etc.

Was I supposed to send in a copy of the supporting documentation for each child (three children = three copies of the supporting documentation)?

I only sent in one copy total for the children, and I never received a RFE after almost three months. I can correct the mistake if they ever decide to send a RFE.

The USCIS agent told me that I was supposed to send in separate supporting documentation for each person, though the USCIS agent said that she saw no pending RFE. Would that cause the brother's petition's to be split?

Based on the lack of answers from the USCIS agent, I requested to speak to a supervisor in order to clarify things. The USCIS agent was reluctant and just took my name and number. My call hasn't been returned yet.

So, I'm considering contacting the representative in congress to see if they can help. I'll keep the senator in reserve for bigger problems.

subguy812 Thanks for the translator info. I appreciate it.

Edited April 3, 2009 by Dillan

[Mononoke28 135]

Dillan,

I think it's best if you understand the process from the moment you sent the I-130s. The USCIS receives each packet separately so that means that they will probably have one agent working on each of them separately, that explains why they were separated from the beginning. Since they all needed separate I-130s, you should have sent supporting documentations for each one of them, but you may get NOA2s for all of them without receiving an RFE. If you do get an RFE, send it ASAP so you can get them approved and sent off to the NVC.

Now, once you know the NVC has all cases, call them and make sure that they all have the correct names and info on every single one of them. Get the case #s for all of them and keep track of them. Like I said, pay the fees at the same time and send all documentation at the same time as well, that way you can make sure that they will be processed within the same amount of time.

If you haven't done so already, make sure you read through LingChe's NVC Shortcuts, they will show you how you can pay for all fees online and how you can download the coversheets to send the I-864 and DS-230. If you follow the shortcuts the NVC will take about a month to complete each case and get you a faster interview date.

Diana

[Dillan 0]

Dillan,

I think it's best if you understand the process from the moment you sent the I-130s. The USCIS receives each packet separately so that means that they will probably have one agent working on each of them separately, that explains why they were separated from the beginning. Since they all needed separate I-130s, you should have sent supporting documentations for each one of them, but you may get NOA2s for all of them without receiving an RFE. If you do get an RFE, send it ASAP so you can get them approved and sent off to the NVC.

Now, once you know the NVC has all cases, call them and make sure that they all have the correct names and info on every single one of them. Get the case #s for all of them and keep track of them. Like I said, pay the fees at the same time and send all documentation at the same time as well, that way you can make sure that they will be processed within the same amount of time.

If you haven't done so already, make sure you read through LingChe's NVC Shortcuts, they will show you how you can pay for all fees online and how you can download the coversheets to send the I-864 and DS-230. If you follow the shortcuts the NVC will take about a month to complete each case and get you a faster interview date.

Diana

Thanks for your response. It was helpful. I'm hoping to clear USCIS this month even if they send the RFE in the next two weeks. Hopefully, they'll just copy the necessary documentation from the other petitions so I can receive the NOA2 by the end of the month.

I have copied and printed LingChe's NVC Shortcuts. I'm going to review them again this weekend so I can be prepared, then my wife can send me whatever documents I'm missing. I already have signed DS 230s from her. I'm sure I'll have some more questions to post soon.

Thanks again.

[Dillan 0]

Hi,

I have a few new questions. For the NVC submission, does the police certificate need to be translated into English?