Colombia Club Part II

[Ken y Leidys 20]

I personally think that places like the post office, immigration, banks, etc., need to stop being so ####### when it comes to proving you're so and so's wife just because your last names don't match. Diana

My Ex-wife had to carry a miniature copy of our Marriage license to the US Post Office in order to pick up mail that was sent either in my name, or in her name if her Maiden name was used, and mine was not. The Counter Attendant would just say with a smile, "Sorry, but how do I know that you're really this person?" This really made my ex-wife very upset.

I asked Leidys to think over her choice of surname, but to consider the fact that Adjustment of Status would probably suck bigtime for us.

I was right - she was yelled at for 45 minutes, and I was shouted at for 10 minutes. Not having the same surname would have helped the USCIS jerk win his verbal battle over us.

[Ken y Leidys 20]

I'm with you Ken. I used to work shift work so I got 7 days off every 5 weeks. I loved international travel so I would take off for 3-5 days overseas. I guessed my travels were not considered normal so I started to get hassled. I have been held up for questioning in Norway,Iceland, Canada and here. I told my wfe to always be prepared for "additional screening" as I think my passport is flagged. Now that I have a Colombian wife I feel it made things easier if our last name lined up. By the way how is California treating you? I'm considering the San Diego area in the future.

If our last name wasn't lined up, I know there would have been issues when returning from Tijuana into San Ysidro, CA in July. First, the Border Patrol wanted Leidys to take off her sunglasses. Then, he keyed my passport into his Commodore Vic 20 Computer, and for 5 minutes, rolled his eyes at me and waved my Passport at me like it was fraudulent. Having a 1 day stamp in San Salvador probably didn't help much.

San Diego? You'll love it! 75 degrees year-round, 2 hours to the Desert for the best camping this country has to offer. Mexico is right next-door for the best seafood at the best prices. Tijuana Beer is the best microbrew I have ever tasted. An excellent Outlet Mall is located in San Ysidro (right on the border). Colombian clothing, American clothing - at great prices. Downtown on Friday and Saturday nights in the Gaslamp District is lots of fun for Dancing w/your wife. Los Angeles is 2 hours north on I-5, and there is lots to do there as well.

Anza-Borrego State Park - Camping w/my Bestest Friends!

Mexico along the Sea of Cortez south of San Felipe has EXCELLENT camping and miles of unspoiled beaches!

Ensenada, Mexico is a great romantic getaway. Leidys' favorite by far!

Tijuana gets a bad rap, but the people there are just as friendly as in Colombia.

[Ken y Leidys 20]

San Diego-area continued...

Anza-Borrego State Park

Leidys climbed to the top of a sandstone hill w/Victor

Literally shopping on the US-Mexican border in San Ysidro, CA - that's Tijuana's "Friendship Arch" in the background

Downtown San Diego at night

[Robert de Bonda 3]

Hello all, I just got off of the phone with NVC; they say that my petition is undergoing additional processing. I know that I don't have any skeletons hidden away that they will uncover; I only wish that they would tell me what they are looking for so that I can point them in the right direction. Hoepfully, it won't be too long and we'll be back on our hoped for timeline for a POE of Jan 4, 2011.

[ryna 132]

Hello all, I just got off of the phone with NVC; they say that my petition is undergoing additional processing. I know that I don't have any skeletons hidden away that they will uncover; I only wish that they would tell me what they are looking for so that I can point them in the right direction. Hoepfully, it won't be too long and we'll be back on our hoped for timeline for a POE of Jan 4, 2011.

I didn't mention it elsewhere, but the good thing is that it's only 10/29. If they receive your case and you send your P3 to the embassy before 11/15, you are almost certain to have a December appointment which will keep you on track. Hope NVC sends it along for you soon!

[Robert de Bonda 3]

I didn't mention it elsewhere, but the good thing is that it's only 10/29. If they receive your case and you send your P3 to the embassy before 11/15, you are almost certain to have a December appointment which will keep you on track. Hope NVC sends it along for you soon!

I'm hoping the same. Packet 3 is already prepared. Just need to know that the petition has been sent. Do you know what the embassy will do if they get the Packet 3 before the petition? Hope not; but I might have to send it as soon as I learn that NVC has sent the petition in order to preserve the timeline.

[ryna 132]

I'm hoping the same. Packet 3 is already prepared. Just need to know that the petition has been sent. Do you know what the embassy will do if they get the Packet 3 before the petition? Hope not; but I might have to send it as soon as I learn that NVC has sent the petition in order to preserve the timeline.

I'm not sure what might happen but I can tell you this.. I'm still not certain when our case arrived physically in Bogota. I just called DOS (the 202 #) every business day and they kept telling me it had been sent electronically but wasn't showing as being received physically. After 11 days of this, the lady I spoke with at DOS told me to go ahead and send the Packet 3 to the embassy. I took that as my green light. Once you hear it has been transmitted electronically, I would specifically ask them if it is OK to send in Packet 3. The worst they can say is to wait but they may just tell you go ahead and send it.

[dakay ♥ 10]

I'm hoping the same. Packet 3 is already prepared. Just need to know that the petition has been sent. Do you know what the embassy will do if they get the Packet 3 before the petition? Hope not; but I might have to send it as soon as I learn that NVC has sent the petition in order to preserve the timeline.

impatience is not the best advisor, so better wait for the embassy receives your case before sending the packet 3. Usually NVC takes 2 weeks to send your case.

[ryna 132]

impatience is not the best advisor, so better wait for the embassy receives your case before sending the packet 3. Usually NVC takes 2 weeks to send your case.

While I agree that it's best not to jump the gun, I don't think all of the systems are in sync or always up-to-date. DOS was never able to tell me that our case had physically arrived in Bogota, but on the day they told me that the Packet 3 had been mailed to her apartment and we could submit it immediately upon receipt, we did (from downloaded forms and not from the physical P3 which arrived the next day and even that was postmarked 4 days earlier, not the day they told me it had been mailed.) And, all of this while being told that our case hadn't arrived yet??? If we had waited until they finally told us it was there, we would have missed an entire month's interview cycle or worse, we would still be waiting to submit the P3 today.

My only point is, ask questions. There are other ways to determine if the case has been received or not. The mailing out of Packet 3 to the beneficiary is a pretty good indicator even if they still are saying "No, we don't show that it has been received."

[Mononoke28 135]

Robert de Bonda,

If the embassy receives packet 3 before they receive your case from the NVC, they will throw it away and you'll have to resend it. They don't hold on to all that paperwork if they don't know who it's for given the fact that they don't have a case to line it up with.

The best thing is to wait until the NVC is done with AP. As I wrote in the K1 Spanish thread, it can take anywhere from a day to a few months. It is usually flagged by the names of the applicants and they have to check that, manually mind you, with the FBI database. That's why it can take a while. But once they NVC tells you that they're done with AP and they sent your case to the embassy, wait about 2-3 business days and confirm with the embassy that they have received it. If you send packet 3 without knowing they have your case, you just wasted everybody's time, yours, your fiancée's and the embassy's.

Diana

[Mononoke28 135]

San Diego? You'll love it! 75 degrees year-round, 2 hours to the Desert for the best camping this country has to offer. Mexico is right next-door for the best seafood at the best prices. Tijuana Beer is the best microbrew I have ever tasted. An excellent Outlet Mall is located in San Ysidro (right on the border). Colombian clothing, American clothing - at great prices. Downtown on Friday and Saturday nights in the Gaslamp District is lots of fun for Dancing w/your wife. Los Angeles is 2 hours north on I-5, and there is lots to do there as well.

I'm with you Ken, San Diego is one of my favorite cities by far for the same reasons. Fantastic weather and beautiful scenery. I always go to La Jolla every time I go to So. California to watch the waves and the seals, followed by a great romantic dinner by the shore. Love that place!

Great pictures by the way, Leidys looks really happy in all of them.

Diana

[Robert de Bonda 3]

Robert de Bonda,

If the embassy receives packet 3 before they receive your case from the NVC, they will throw it away and you'll have to resend it. They don't hold on to all that paperwork if they don't know who it's for given the fact that they don't have a case to line it up with.

The best thing is to wait until the NVC is done with AP. As I wrote in the K1 Spanish thread, it can take anywhere from a day to a few months. It is usually flagged by the names of the applicants and they have to check that, manually mind you, with the FBI database. That's why it can take a while. But once they NVC tells you that they're done with AP and they sent your case to the embassy, wait about 2-3 business days and confirm with the embassy that they have received it. If you send packet 3 without knowing they have your case, you just wasted everybody's time, yours, your fiancée's and the embassy's.

Diana

Thanks Diana. With what you wrote as well as ryna and yakad, I have a fairly good idea of the narrow path that I have to tread. I will be agressive without wasting progress already made. Thanks to all.

Robert

[TonyS 0]

Thanks Ken for the information and pictures. You guys look awesome! We will probably do a getaway early next year and check out the southern California area. I'm looking at future employment at SONGS next year after my wife graduates college and finishes here summer internship. Maybe you guys could show us around. I'll PM you later.

TonyS

[Ken y Leidys 20]

Thanks Ken for the information and pictures. You guys look awesome! We will probably do a getaway early next year and check out the southern California area. I'm looking at future employment at SONGS next year after my wife graduates college and finishes here summer internship. Maybe you guys could show us around. I'll PM you later.

TonyS

Not a problem showing you around. We know several Colombian/American couples, and there are plenty of Colombian restaurants to visit. Here in Riverside, there is a great newspaper for Colombians - www.laprensacolombiana.com

[xelance 31]

nice pics, I live in San Diego =) Cool city for sure.