Colombia Club Part II

[Ken y Leidys 20]

have a few questions today i got an email saying that the uscis tried to deliver a notice to my house but was returned by the post office because it was undeliverable. i did a change of address by calling them early november. so i called them and they will resend out this notice and should receive by target date january 8th. do you guys think this might be my noa2. i tried asking and the customer service lady said she doesnt know. i went to the website and entered my receipt number and this is what i get

Document production or Oath Ceremony

On December 8, 2009, the post office returned your document I129F, PETITION FOR FIANCE(E) as undeliverable. We will hold it for 180 days from December 8, 2009 to allow you time to contact us. If you do not contact us at 1-800-375-5283 within 180 days, this document will be destroyed and you will need to file a new application or application for replacement with fee.

This step applies to applications that result in an applicant receiving a card (such as a green card) or other document (such as a naturalization certificate, refugee travel documents or advance parole). Applications will be in this step from the time the order to produce the card/document is given until the card/document is produced and mailed to the applicant. You can expect to receive your card/document within 30 days of the approval of your application.

Naturalization Applicants: you will receive you will receive your certificate at your oath ceremony. You can expect to be scheduled for an oath ceremony within 45 days of receiving your decision. Many offices schedule approved applicants for the oath ceremony on the same day as the day of the interview. Please check the local office profile page on our Web site to determine if this applies to your local office.

If you do not receive your document, please contact our National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283.

it looks to me that my i129f got sent to the vnc? is there anyone i can talk to to see what the notice said? and do you think i will have to wait til january 8th to get?

received email saying they resent out second notice today so i am hoping i get friday or saturday. i am nervous to see what it says

Keep me posted, Harold. I want to hear some good news from you and the SO!

[jpcanon 0]

Hey Ken,

How's Leidys diggin' the U.S.? Unlike, say a state in the midwest or something, here in Cali (as in California!) there is plenty of Spanish speakers!

Joe

[erika y josef 0]

Erika and 8 year old daughter arrived in Ft. Lauderdale last night. No problems through immigration here nor DAS when exiting Colombia from Medellin. She had the father sign a notarized authorization for her daughter to leave the country ... will get sole custody through the court in Colombia in the next year. For anyone interested, she paid 132,000 COP exit tax for her and her daughter (66,000 each) ... nothing was included in the air ticket. Good luck to everyone else seeking their visas and Happy New Year to all.

[Flyingallover 0]

Erika and 8 year old daughter arrived in Ft. Lauderdale last night. No problems through immigration here nor DAS when exiting Colombia from Medellin. She had the father sign a notarized authorization for her daughter to leave the country ... will get sole custody through the court in Colombia in the next year. For anyone interested, she paid 132,000 COP exit tax for her and her daughter (66,000 each) ... nothing was included in the air ticket. Good luck to everyone else seeking their visas and Happy New Year to all.

congratulations how many dollars did she put on her us customs form for things she was bringing in to the us. I think they only allow 100 without paying duty.

[erika y josef 0]

congratulations how many dollars did she put on her us customs form for things she was bringing in to the us. I think they only allow 100 without paying duty.

She put $0 ... she was only bringing in personal items which aren't claimed.

[Ken y Leidys 20]

Hey Ken,

How's Leidys diggin' the U.S.? Unlike, say a state in the midwest or something, here in Cali (as in California!) there is plenty of Spanish speakers!

Joe

Leidys tried walking home from her English-language school and got lost. She asked a Mexican-American man walking on the sidewalk, "Tu hablas Espanol?" and she immediately was told where to go.

We have visited the local grocery stores, "La Macarena, Cardenas, Food 4 Less" and with the circulars being sent to our home in Spanish, she is able to pinpoint the exact foods and fruits she wants to eat, and familiar foods from Barranquilla that she is familiar with.

At her English school, her classmate told her of a woman from Bogota that works at Cardenas Market in the Tortilla dept. She lives here in Riverside with her Brother and doesn't have many friends from Colombia, and Leidys plans to call her after the wedding next week.

The section of Riverside where we live is primarily Latino. I took her to Riverside Plaza for dinner at El Pollo Loco so that she could get exposure to White Americans, and she got to hear them speaking English and was able to study their mannerisms. I explained the differences between White Americans and Europeans, Eastern Europeans, Scandinavians, the English, having visited those regions in the past. We practiced English words and looked at some clothing stores, etc.

Being in Riverside, she is not the only Latino, and she has a choice in the Latinos/Latinas that she can befriend. On our street, there are two Spanish-speaking families and several more on our block, but she is focused on learning English, and in 1-2 yrs., she should be able to start holding conversations with strangers. But, overall she feels very comfortable here and the best part of all is that she feels a strong sense of community after just 1 month in the USA.

To keep her culture shock under control, she goes on YouTube and plays her Karaoke in Spanish, listens to her favorite Salsa singers, on-line radio from Barranquilla, buys her $2 La Unica calling cards (110 min/5 hr) and talks to her family most days of the week.

I keep asking her if she feels comfortable, and if anything makes her uncomfortable, and surprisingly, I get different answers every couple of days. So, I keep plugging away at explaining things in Spanish to her, and my Mother reassures her most days that, "She was sent to her by God."

Here's a few pictures from the past week:

Christmas Party at Riverside Adult School w/Professor

Students in her class

At home getting ready for Christmas and THE BIG DAY!!

[Ken y Leidys 20]

Hey Ken,

How's Leidys diggin' the U.S.? Unlike, say a state in the midwest or something, here in Cali (as in California!) there is plenty of Spanish speakers!

Joe

One more point I forgot to mention. Leidys has been uncomfortable meeting non-English speakers for fear of "Looking Dumb" in public/in front of them. VJers keep this in mind when introducing your SO to your friends, co-workers, family, etc. We are supposed to visit a cousin in Carson, CA tomorrow, but she really does not want to go, because she does not want to look bad in front of my family.

I have a real nice neighbor who I spotted going out with his wife this evening for dinner, and I stopped the car to introduce Bob and Kelly to Leidys. I did most of the talking, and although Leidys responded, she mentions that 80%-90% of the words spoken literally do not make any sense.

A real good idea would be for VJ'ers to invest some time in learning Spanish, and to purchase a language translator at Radio Shack for about $110. I hear these translators are expandable with language modules that can be changed for different languages.

I'm not sure how Leidys will feel tomorrow at my relatives house, but if she starts to feel sad because of not knowing English, we'll just step outside, and hopefully their neighbors will be listening to Banda or Corridos.LOL

[jpcanon 0]

One more point I forgot to mention. Leidys has been uncomfortable meeting non-English speakers for fear of "Looking Dumb" in public/in front of them. VJers keep this in mind when introducing your SO to your friends, co-workers, family, etc. We are supposed to visit a cousin in Carson, CA tomorrow, but she really does not want to go, because she does not want to look bad in front of my family.

I have a real nice neighbor who I spotted going out with his wife this evening for dinner, and I stopped the car to introduce Bob and Kelly to Leidys. I did most of the talking, and although Leidys responded, she mentions that 80%-90% of the words spoken literally do not make any sense.

A real good idea would be for VJ'ers to invest some time in learning Spanish, and to purchase a language translator at Radio Shack for about $110. I hear these translators are expandable with language modules that can be changed for different languages.

I'm not sure how Leidys will feel tomorrow at my relatives house, but if she starts to feel sad because of not knowing English, we'll just step outside, and hopefully their neighbors will be listening to Banda or Corridos.LOL

Hey Ken,

Very interesting posts about Leidys getting adapted to life here in the U.S. Sounds like she is doing well Congrats on the upcoming marraige- things seem to be going great for you guys- very cool....

Joe

[Ken y Leidys 20]

Here's a big VJ F.Y.I.

Leidys heard tonight that a VJ'ers beneficiary was HOME INVADED, and they took the beneficiary's CEDULA, K-1, PASSPORT, BANCO DE VISA, EVERYTHING!!!

Tell your beneficiary to KEEP A LOW PROFILE WHILE IN COLOMBIA. This is serious stuff that you won't want to have happen to your SO. We all know that the security situation in Colombia in many places sucks. I was inside of a girlfriend's home DURING A HOME INVASION, and I know it is no joke.

If you're going to visit your SO's family in Colombia - DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND KEEP A LOW PROFILE while you're at it.

Buena Suerte, everyone...

[james&adry 3]

James,

Once your wife enters the US the USCIS will take about 2-7 weeks to enter her information in the system. If you marked the DS-230 to automatically get her SS# they will mail it to her as soon as her info is available in the system. You can call the USCIS a few weeks after she's arrived to find out if they're done entering her info, if they say they have and the SSA hasn't sent her her SS#, then you will have to go there in person to get it. But eventually she should get her SS# and her green card in the mail.

Diana

Hello Diana and everyone else. Seems I am going to be one busy bee coming in January. I got off the phone from calling the USCIS today and was told limited information on how I should go about my wife entering the country, getting all her documents in order, and then leaving the country in March/April to go with me to South Korea. Yes... its going to be one jalapeno of a burning mess if I do not get things right. So I was going to come back here to see if you guys had any more advice or suggestions? Right now I know that my wife's CR1 visa can get her in and out of the country once she gets her resident 2 year card. But i dont know how long this takes and we have a limited time frame to work with. (PLUS my tour is ending in the states and im going to be jumping place to place for schooling and then taking vacation back home in california). I am almost thinking that I should just leave my dad's address as a place where we can file all our paperwork from because its permanent. Anyway feel free to give me anything you can to help me in this ongoing process lol.

PS I wish my wife and I could stay in the states to tackle this together but duty calls...

PSPS And yes the Korean Visa A-3 military dependent visa is a cinch to get.

James

[Mr Twister 1]

"To keep her culture shock under control, she goes on YouTube and plays her Karaoke in Spanish, listens to her favorite Salsa singers, on-line radio from Barranquilla, buys her $2 La Unica calling cards (110 min/5 hr) and talks to her family most days of the week. "

24.99/month would make life a whole lot easier for her....I got Vonage and it covers unlimited land line calls to Colombia.

[jpcanon 0]

Hello Diana and everyone else. Seems I am going to be one busy bee coming in January. I got off the phone from calling the USCIS today and was told limited information on how I should go about my wife entering the country, getting all her documents in order, and then leaving the country in March/April to go with me to South Korea. Yes... its going to be one jalapeno of a burning mess if I do not get things right. So I was going to come back here to see if you guys had any more advice or suggestions? Right now I know that my wife's CR1 visa can get her in and out of the country once she gets her resident 2 year card. But i dont know how long this takes and we have a limited time frame to work with. (PLUS my tour is ending in the states and im going to be jumping place to place for schooling and then taking vacation back home in california). I am almost thinking that I should just leave my dad's address as a place where we can file all our paperwork from because its permanent. Anyway feel free to give me anything you can to help me in this ongoing process lol.

PS I wish my wife and I could stay in the states to tackle this together but duty calls...

PSPS And yes the Korean Visa A-3 military dependent visa is a cinch to get.

James

Good luck with all of that, James- sounds like you will be busy!

Joe

[Ken y Leidys 20]

"To keep her culture shock under control, she goes on YouTube and plays her Karaoke in Spanish, listens to her favorite Salsa singers, on-line radio from Barranquilla, buys her $2 La Unica calling cards (110 min/5 hr) and talks to her family most days of the week. "

24.99/month would make life a whole lot easier for her....I got Vonage and it covers unlimited land line calls to Colombia.

I get phone calls here at the house with Vonage and Magic Jack, and I cannot understand every 3rd or 4th word. Is the Vonage service better than Magic Jack?

[arizreynolds 1]

I get phone calls here at the house with Vonage and Magic Jack, and I cannot understand every 3rd or 4th word. Is the Vonage service better than Magic Jack?

i have vonage and i have no problem understanding sandra. once in a while i will get a bad connection( but i think its on her end) and i will call her back and no problem. are you on cable or dsl? i am on cable. my mom uses magic jack here in the usa for call only in usa and she hates it, but she only had dsl.

[Mononoke28 135]

Hello Diana and everyone else. Seems I am going to be one busy bee coming in January. I got off the phone from calling the USCIS today and was told limited information on how I should go about my wife entering the country, getting all her documents in order, and then leaving the country in March/April to go with me to South Korea. Yes... its going to be one jalapeno of a burning mess if I do not get things right. So I was going to come back here to see if you guys had any more advice or suggestions? Right now I know that my wife's CR1 visa can get her in and out of the country once she gets her resident 2 year card. But i dont know how long this takes and we have a limited time frame to work with. (PLUS my tour is ending in the states and im going to be jumping place to place for schooling and then taking vacation back home in california). I am almost thinking that I should just leave my dad's address as a place where we can file all our paperwork from because its permanent. Anyway feel free to give me anything you can to help me in this ongoing process lol.

PS I wish my wife and I could stay in the states to tackle this together but duty calls...

PSPS And yes the Korean Visa A-3 military dependent visa is a cinch to get.

James

James,

Don't worry, you'll be fine. Your wife's visa will be good for her to enter the US, at POE the Immigration officer will stamp her passport with the I-551 stamp which will let her go in and out of the US for a year even if she doesn't have her green card with her. Meanwhile sit tight until you receive her green card in the mail which could take anywhere from 2 to 7 weeks, depending on how fast the USCIS can process her paperwork. But don't think that she cannot travel unless she has her card because the I-551 stamp will let her do this.

Diana