DCF Mexico

[czmjacq 1]

I really don't know if the visa might be ready earlier or not. The DHL website was updated at 6:55 the day of the interview as having received the request for a package, and then the package was "picked up" from the consulate's the following day at 1 and ready for pickup by 1:30. I don't know if they wait and log all of them at the end of the day or if they do it in shifts. My husband was out of his interview around 5...

Yes, there were lots of people going to pick up their DHL packages at the same time. When we crossed, we crossed with a father and adult son and a father with two young boys. We also saw other people arrive at the bridge after us from the hotel.

We crossed simply to have the whole thing over with. We weren't leaving until the next day anyway so we had the time. I had no idea the wait though...we are moving back to Iowa in a couple of weeks, and we almost always get routed through Houston. After an hour, talking to one of the other people there, we would have been better off time wise doing it later. But considering we had nothing else to do...

There was no safe in the room and I wouldn't say I was comfortable leaving it there. What I did was hide it in the dresser under my clothes and we didn't have any problems.

And thank you. We were just saying today how nice it is to not have the constant black cloud of the visa hanging over our heads and dictating our future plans. :-)

Thanks so much for all of your information. Hopefully my husband will have a positive experience as well...at least he will know everything to expect which makes things much better for all of us. I guess my husband will play it by ear if he gets approved whether he goes to the border to does his final passport stamp in Dallas in November.

I'll try to do the same reporting when my husband goes through the process, although I would have to say I would be surprised if my husband remembers as many details as yours did...haha

[jaremedios 1]

Ok, so I knew there was an advantage of staying in Mexico longer..haha! We're going on our first real vacation in over 6 years to beautiful Playa del Carmen. If any of you Yucataners are going to be there, perhaps we could meet up. Send me a private message.

[Jilly and Danny 0]

Ok, so I knew there was an advantage of staying in Mexico longer..haha! We're going on our first real vacation in over 6 years to beautiful Playa del Carmen. If any of you Yucataners are going to be there, perhaps we could meet up. Send me a private message.

That's awesome! You will LOVE LOVE LOVE it! That's where we went in August for our honeymoon. My advice: DO spend the money on Xel-Ha and DO NOT waste your money at XCaret :-)

[czmjacq 1]

That's awesome! You will LOVE LOVE LOVE it! That's where we went in August for our honeymoon. My advice: DO spend the money on Xel-Ha and DO NOT waste your money at XCaret :-)

I agree and if you have time, take the ferry across to Cozumel, rent a car and take a trip around the island.

Jilly and Danny - after the interview you mentioned your husband was told to go to DHL and pay 110 pesos. Was that inside the consulate or did you have to make a trip to the DHL office after the consulate interview. I know people go to another location outside of the consulate to pick up their VISA but was just wondering if they have someone inside the consulate to take payment and give you tracking number.

Thanks!!

[czmjacq 1]

Ok, so I knew there was an advantage of staying in Mexico longer..haha! We're going on our first real vacation in over 6 years to beautiful Playa del Carmen. If any of you Yucataners are going to be there, perhaps we could meet up. Send me a private message.

You should take a trip from Playa del Carmen via ferry over to Cozumel,(about 40 mins) be sure and rent a car and drive around the island. The beaches and waves are so different depending where you are on the island. And if you are there after Sept 15, you can stop by "La Barba" (My husband's barber shop) on Calle 2 between 10 and 15 - a few blocks back from the plaza and say hi to my husband Edil!!

[Marisol73 0]

thats a VERY GOOD reason to stay longer in Mexico !! ...enjoy you vacations !

Ok, so I knew there was an advantage of staying in Mexico longer..haha! We're going on our first real vacation in over 6 years to beautiful Playa del Carmen. If any of you Yucataners are going to be there, perhaps we could meet up. Send me a private message.

[Jilly and Danny 0]

I agree and if you have time, take the ferry across to Cozumel, rent a car and take a trip around the island.

Jilly and Danny - after the interview you mentioned your husband was told to go to DHL and pay 110 pesos. Was that inside the consulate or did you have to make a trip to the DHL office after the consulate interview. I know people go to another location outside of the consulate to pick up their VISA but was just wondering if they have someone inside the consulate to take payment and give you tracking number.

Thanks!!

Its a place inside. You pay before you leave the consulate. Apparently it was easy to figure out because my husband was able to do it alone hehe.

Good luck1!!

[jaremedios 1]

Hi all! We're actually not going until November. Czmjacq, will your husband still be there then or is he going to leave right after his interview?

My husband and I have already been to Playa before. And we did the ferry to Cozumel and snorkeling/lancha in Isla Mujeres. My husband actually worked at a hotel in Playa before we met. Anyway, this time we'll be a bit more limited to what we can do because my older parents will be with us and our 1 1/2 year old daughter. BTW, I'm breaking the news to my parents about not moving to US during the trip...wish me luck! ha!

[czmjacq 1]

Hi all! We're actually not going until November. Czmjacq, will your husband still be there then or is he going to leave right after his interview?

My husband and I have already been to Playa before. And we did the ferry to Cozumel and snorkeling/lancha in Isla Mujeres. My husband actually worked at a hotel in Playa before we met. Anyway, this time we'll be a bit more limited to what we can do because my older parents will be with us and our 1 1/2 year old daughter. BTW, I'm breaking the news to my parents about not moving to US during the trip...wish me luck! ha!

He may be coming to Texas for a visit the week of Thanksgiving but he isn't planning on moving until next summer. We need time for me to buy a house here and get our house in Cozumel ready to rent and get our dogs from Cozumel to Texas and since I'll be off 2 1/2 months in the summer (since I'm a teacher) that would be the best time to do it.

[pnewton 0]

Hello ladies--

I hope you're all doing well! I just have a few quick questions:

1. How long did you all wait to receive the approval after you turned in the I-130? We turned ours about a week ago and the man there told us that it would be 3-4 business days until we received something in the mail, but you know how hard it can be to trust in the Mexican post system! Would it be too soon for me to give them a little ring tomorrow? It will have been 5 days! Haha, I just want to know, because we'd love to turn in Packet 3 before I head back to the States, which will be in about a week and a half. Also, did everyone receive that manual about "starting your new life as immigrant in the u.s." when they turned in the I-130? It seems like a positive sign!

2. Which leads me to my next question...Packet 3! So, I checked out what's online on the CJ consular website, and while I'm a bit daunted (ahh! more paperwork +getting ready to move!), I'd love to tackle it as soon as possible with my husband. Can I start preparing everything for it before receiving approval on the I-130? And why do I feel like I'm missing a step--there's the I-130, then it jumps right to Packet 3? Shouldn't there be a "Packet 2" of some sort? Hmm...

Also, because we've just recently married, I feel like we don't have much in the way of "important property/assets" in our names. I'll look into getting that renter's slip that was mentioned before, but most of our evidence of a bonafide relationship falls in the realm of gazillions of pictures, email and trip itineraries that accumulated over the past 5 years. I definitely will be preparing an album/scrapbook, but this is something that my husband will only bring to the interview, right? I saw that someone mentioned earlier about putting together a little 2-3 page collage with some pictures. I'd love to just send off the album, because I feel like it's the most compelling evidence! Any ideas on this?

And finally, I saw that many pages back in the post, people were talking about the tax issue thing. I'm a little nervous because I didn't file this past year! I had heard that with being abroad and earning under a certain amount, we don't have to file. Do I need to file something now so they can see my return statement in CJ? Either way, my husband wouldn't be listed on the form, as we weren't married yet at that point...

Thanks so much again for your help, everyone! Have a good night!

[Marisol73 0]

Hello again !

I receive the I-130 approval by email the next day...but by regular mail to my home address took about 1 1/2 months to arrive.

I think is time to call them to see if it was approved.

You can not send packet 3 until you receive the letter of Cd Juarez (I received the CDJ letter before I receive the I-130 approval letter !)... because in that letter is your CASE NUMBER, that you must include in all papers of your packet3. You can start filing the forms and collecting the info.. so when you know the case number just write it down and send the packet3. That is what I did.

(there is not packet 2)

About the evidence of bonafide marriage, I think you have enough. You will not send it to CDJ, but you will need it at the time of the interview.

Good Luck

Hello ladies--

I hope you're all doing well! I just have a few quick questions:

1. How long did you all wait to receive the approval after you turned in the I-130? We turned ours about a week ago and the man there told us that it would be 3-4 business days until we received something in the mail, but you know how hard it can be to trust in the Mexican post system! Would it be too soon for me to give them a little ring tomorrow? It will have been 5 days! Haha, I just want to know, because we'd love to turn in Packet 3 before I head back to the States, which will be in about a week and a half. Also, did everyone receive that manual about "starting your new life as immigrant in the u.s." when they turned in the I-130? It seems like a positive sign!

2. Which leads me to my next question...Packet 3! So, I checked out what's online on the CJ consular website, and while I'm a bit daunted (ahh! more paperwork +getting ready to move!), I'd love to tackle it as soon as possible with my husband. Can I start preparing everything for it before receiving approval on the I-130? And why do I feel like I'm missing a step--there's the I-130, then it jumps right to Packet 3? Shouldn't there be a "Packet 2" of some sort? Hmm...

Also, because we've just recently married, I feel like we don't have much in the way of "important property/assets" in our names. I'll look into getting that renter's slip that was mentioned before, but most of our evidence of a bonafide relationship falls in the realm of gazillions of pictures, email and trip itineraries that accumulated over the past 5 years. I definitely will be preparing an album/scrapbook, but this is something that my husband will only bring to the interview, right? I saw that someone mentioned earlier about putting together a little 2-3 page collage with some pictures. I'd love to just send off the album, because I feel like it's the most compelling evidence! Any ideas on this?

And finally, I saw that many pages back in the post, people were talking about the tax issue thing. I'm a little nervous because I didn't file this past year! I had heard that with being abroad and earning under a certain amount, we don't have to file. Do I need to file something now so they can see my return statement in CJ? Either way, my husband wouldn't be listed on the form, as we weren't married yet at that point...

Thanks so much again for your help, everyone! Have a good night!

[arianak 0]

Hi Pnewton. I agree with Marisol, call Mexico City and see if your 130 has been approved. Either way, next step is packet 3 (there is no packet 2, weird). Get your parent/co-sponsor's tax stuff ASAP, as well as your own. I included the last year that I filed and an explanation for why I haven't filed since. As long as your co-sponsors stuff is good, you're fine. Don't worry about the evidence, bring what you have but most people seem disappointed in the interviews that the officers don't want to see anything. We are bringing our albums and all that just in case...I'll let everyone know.

Almos time for our trip to lovely CDJ! We're getting pretty excited.

Jaremedios, have a great time with your parents!

[Jilly and Danny 0]

Hi pnewton -

I agree with everyone else. Mexico City told us 3-4 weeks and at exactly 5 weeks I received the letter from Ciudad Juarez with the case number. I never, to this day, received an approval from Mexico City.

you can't send in packet 3 before you receive your case number, as previously mentioned, but you can certainly get everything ready. It took us about 2 weeks to get all the documents and things in order. If you didn't file taxes its not a problem, just attach a letter explaining why you didn't. It wasn't a problem for us at all. Just make sure your co-sponsor covers the requirements.

Although they make a big deal about the evidence thing, its really one of the smaller details of the whole process. I sent my husband to the interview with a full photo album and a full separate 3-ring binder full of evidence....well most of it was actually paperwork to turn in and extra copies of other things, but it looked like he was going in with piles and piles of evidence and they didn't want ANY of it. Most people we saw entering just had like one folder of information or evidence that they were going in with.

Also, I think most cases are a lot more complicated than our specific cases. When my husband was at the clinic he was talking to the other people waiting their turn and he said most of them were there for a second and third time to turn in waivers and such for either being in the USA illegaly or for drugs at a previous medical exam. And since we don't have any of those complications, I think its really just pretty cut and dry once you get there for your interview. The other guys even told Daniel at the medical exam he was as good as already having his visa. So I hope that helps give you a little more reassurance.

[pnewton 0]

Thanks, Marisol, Arianak and Jilly! You girls are great! All of this reassurance helps greatly. I emailed the MTY Consulate on Thursday, and hopefully we'll hear from the next week, but either way, based on your advice, I'm just going to go ahead and start preparing Packet 3. It sounds like most people heard from CDJ before getting the approval letter, which is crazy, but if that's the case, so be it! We're in the same city as our consulate, but it's been a rather rare occasion when I see a "Correos de Mexico" guy on a motorcycle go by! Anyway, I'll hopefully get the paperwork all in order before I move, which is now in about a week and a half! Ahh, so much to do!

And regarding tax stuff, I will start getting things prepared for my parents to sponsor us and I think I'll plan on taking the route you mentioned, Jilly, about enclosing a letter explaining my lack of tax statement from the past year. I may file taxes anyway once I get home, in case it helps with financial aid stuff for going back to school next year, but it's good to know that it's not urgent for our visa process.

And I think you're right, Jilly--it's natural for us to stress about all of these details, but there are far more complicated cases out there. I'm also so grateful for your detailed description of how things went in CDJ! I think just the fact that the interview takes place there makes us all a little more anxious than necessary! But it seems like it all went smoothly for you guys, and was manageable. And speaking of which, Ariana--you guys are almost getting ready to go! Exciting, exciting...

Have a nice weekend, everyone!

[czmjacq 1]

Medical Exam went fine. Interview on Monday!!

My husband checked with the reception at the hotel and the person he talked to said there was no reason to go earlier than 6am when they open so he came down at 6am and the van left at 630am -- He was number 48 --- 1st the take your picture, then they ask for your Consulate appt paper, then go to get blood taken. Then they checked his vision. After that he went to the regular Dr. who took chest x-rays and did the general exam. He wasn´t sent for a urine sample (which he thought was strange since everyone else was sent there)but he went there anyway to check and the person there checked the computer and said his name wasn´t there so to go on to get vaccinations. They checked his "carnet" of Seguro Social and said that the record was OK but would recommend he get them there so he isn´t denied at the consulate. He never had the varicella (chicken pox) vaccine and never had chicken pox so he did need that one, and I guess the others won´t hurt having again.... So he got the 3 standard - MMR, Tb and Chicken Pox -- He paid with a US CC - charge was done in pesos --$2381 for the exam and $1963 for the vaccinations this was all done at the Clinica Medica Internacional --- he was finished in about 1 1/2 hours total. He was told to pick up his results at 2pm and he did and they were ready.

I met him in El Paso so we contracted Victor Garcia to pick him up at the hotel in CJ and take him by the clinic to pick up his results and then bring him to the hotel in El Paso and that all went fine. He is going back Sunday since he has his appt on Monday. Hope that goes as smoothly. He said some people at the hotel were saying the Consulate was backed up since they were closed last Monday for Labor Day --but he said those people didn´t have a scheduled appointment....I think they may have been on those waivers like for people who were deported from the US and going through a different process for their VISA. Hopefully they aren´t too backed up since they will probably be closed on Wed 15 and Thur 16 for MX Independence Day.