Colombia Club

[buck501 0]

Scott, I agree with Mike. The Colombian goverment seems to know everything about everybody, that is untill you want some info from them. If you try to skip over the issue it is likley they know about it and it could cause a mess come interview time. Old, or even new records can be difficult to get in Colombia. Something as simple as a birth certificate can be an exhausting experience to get. (Was for Paola).

I have been told, so take this knowing that, the Colombian goverment has record of everytime you have left the country and for how long. They know if you had any arrests in other countries. Most of the info they require they already know. It is best to cover all your bases. Remember.....................be prepared, prepared, prepared.

The visa process changed dramaticly after 9/11. They have become much more strict and do not need much to deny. This may be a hassel, you could hire a lawyer in Colombia to help you with this. I am not one to give advice, however, this could be a problem that you want to get control of before the interview date. If it were me, I would. Remember the goal!!! Get Yennifer here to the US, get married and live happily ever after till death do you part!!!!!

Also, remember some of the problems some have had on this board. Some amount to what wseems like nothing and yet it became important at the interview time. The US Embassy does not notify you in advance of a issue. You get to find that out the day of the interview.

[Scott n Yenifer 0]

Don't stress out too much, but don't let it go either. I assume you plan on being totally honest on this and indicating on the DS-156 that, yes, she has had a visa. Given that, I would imagine you could do something to get a little more information. Where was the visa issued? Bogota, I assume. If she knows she was 9 when they visited the U.S., you at least have a time period. From there, she should contact her relatives and get more information....what was the purpose of the trip? Why did they stay 1 year? Why did she travel with her aunt and uncle and stay for a year (did the aunt and uncle raise her? Seems odd for a Colombian family to let a 9 year old girl leave the country for a year with relatives). Surely someone from the family remembers something.

Perhaps you read some of the posts from Olafgypsy. Her fiance got denied on his K-1 visa. I believe it is because he overstayed a visa in the U.S. (and Olafgypsy never knew anything about it until the interview). I'm not trying to alarm you, but you need to find out what happened...determining if she was here legally and, if so, whether she overstayed her visa. Given that she was 9, she was not in control of the situation....but I would still want to know everything I could about the situation....to be prepared in the interview if the subject is broached. Bottom line....be as honest and forthright as you can be....with as much accurate information as you can provide. Due diligence is a must.

Mike,

Thanks for the input...

Let me add a couple things...her uncle and aunt were buisiness owners living in the US for over 10 years legally and she came out and lived with them, her 3 cousins and her Grandmother. Keep in mind that she was 9 and had little control over the situation. She doesn't think that she over stayed but lets just say...worse case scenario that she did over stay...#1: she was a minor and #2 it was 15 years ago. According to the info I just read about Olafgypsy is that you can't apply for a visa for 10 years after overstaying so based on that are we OK?

I've spoken to Yenifer about this and she thinks I am being way too ####### about this (maybe so) and I am trying to avoid undue stress on us by having her focus her energy on other neccesary preparations for her visa.

PS Were not by any means going to try to hide anything.

Edited October 1, 2007 by Scott n Yenifer

[buck501 0]

Scott..................Yennifer thinks you are way to #######. LOL>LOL. Sounds just like Paola. Us folks from the US are guilty of that!! Colombians, though, are guilty about not taking things serious. I swear they are the most laid back people on earth!!!! I can't count how many times Paola said to me "take it easy". LOL>LOL.

Paola goes the the embassy today to pick up her visa. I am flying down to Cali on Saturday to bring her back home on Sunday. A whirlwind trip. I will be in Colombia all of 7 hours!! I want to go thru the POE with her though.

[Scott n Yenifer 0]

Scott..................Yennifer thinks you are way to #######. LOL>LOL. Sounds just like Paola. Us folks from the US are guilty of that!! Colombians, though, are guilty about not taking things serious. I swear they are the most laid back people on earth!!!! I can't count how many times Paola said to me "take it easy". LOL>LOL.

Paola goes the the embassy today to pick up her visa. I am flying down to Cali on Saturday to bring her back home on Sunday. A whirlwind trip. I will be in Colombia all of 7 hours!! I want to go thru the POE with her though.

O MY GOD BUCK...I'm glad I'm not the only one!!!!!!!!!!!

But really...I don't want to stress her out if it isn't neccesary...it may just bite me in the butt and not in a good way...you follow me???

Good luck on your trip to Cali and CONGRATULATIONS!!!

[santamartachicago 0]

Scott..................Yennifer thinks you are way to #######. LOL>LOL. Sounds just like Paola. Us folks from the US are guilty of that!! Colombians, though, are guilty about not taking things serious. I swear they are the most laid back people on earth!!!! I can't count how many times Paola said to me "take it easy". LOL>LOL.

Paola goes the the embassy today to pick up her visa. I am flying down to Cali on Saturday to bring her back home on Sunday. A whirlwind trip. I will be in Colombia all of 7 hours!! I want to go thru the POE with her though.

O MY GOD BUCK...I'm glad I'm not the only one!!!!!!!!!!!

But really...I don't want to stress her out if it isn't neccesary...it may just bite me in the butt and not in a good way...you follow me???

Good luck on your trip to Cali and CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Hey guys...I want to add my experience to this note comparison. Dayfenix does the same thing. She is so laid back that I have to keep reminding myself that there is a distinct difference in our cultures. The sweetest woman in the world but sometimes she uses those same words "take it easy". I am stressing about the amount of information I am trying to digest on VJ, Embassy, State Dept, and USCIS websites and she just waiting for me.

We had this situation last night any advise. Her girlfriend asked her to go on a trip with her to vacation in Peru. I advised her that it would not be a good idea to go now that we are in this process...I thought it could raise unnecessary questions since she has never left the country before and is not currently working. I read in the 167 pages some where a couple almost was denied because of her travel to Spain and ended up have to endure a 50 min interview with multiple people. Am I being "WAY TO #######"?

[Chester y Monica 2]

Scott..................Yennifer thinks you are way to #######. LOL>LOL. Sounds just like Paola. Us folks from the US are guilty of that!! Colombians, though, are guilty about not taking things serious. I swear they are the most laid back people on earth!!!! I can't count how many times Paola said to me "take it easy". LOL>LOL.

Paola goes the the embassy today to pick up her visa. I am flying down to Cali on Saturday to bring her back home on Sunday. A whirlwind trip. I will be in Colombia all of 7 hours!! I want to go thru the POE with her though.

Buck, if you are going through Houston, you can use the US Citizens line. Irregardless of what line you use, they will ask HER to to a room for paperwork processing. You cannot accompany her. While doing so, you can go down baggage claim, and go back up to wait for her. It took about 30-40 minutes for Monica to get processed and come out. They took her sealed envelope, ask a few questions like address, when do you plan on getting married. Then they stamped her passport and drew a circle on her visa highlighting "1 Entry".

[santamartachicago 0]

Hello Everyone,

I jsut got am email from Avianca with flights from Mia to Bogota $318.00 round trip

*Conditions:

To commence travel from October 17 to October 31, 2007. To complete travel December 13, 2007. For purchase on or before October 8, 2007. Flight restriction apply. Minimum stay 3 days. Round trip fare. Fare Subject to change without prior notice. Does not include taxes or surcharges. Limited seats. Restrictions apply.

FYI...I hope it might be helpful

[Entonces... 0]

Hello Everyone,

I jsut got am email from Avianca with flights from Mia to Bogota $318.00 round trip

*Conditions:

To commence travel from October 17 to October 31, 2007. To complete travel December 13, 2007. For purchase on or before October 8, 2007. Flight restriction apply. Minimum stay 3 days. Round trip fare. Fare Subject to change without prior notice. Does not include taxes or surcharges. Limited seats. Restrictions apply.

FYI...I hope it might be helpful

Hey Santamartachicago,

Thanx! Have to look into. Good looking out.

Thanx,

Rafael

[buck501 0]

Scott..................Yennifer thinks you are way to #######. LOL>LOL. Sounds just like Paola. Us folks from the US are guilty of that!! Colombians, though, are guilty about not taking things serious. I swear they are the most laid back people on earth!!!! I can't count how many times Paola said to me "take it easy". LOL>LOL.

Paola goes the the embassy today to pick up her visa. I am flying down to Cali on Saturday to bring her back home on Sunday. A whirlwind trip. I will be in Colombia all of 7 hours!! I want to go thru the POE with her though.

Buck, if you are going through Houston, you can use the US Citizens line. Irregardless of what line you use, they will ask HER to to a room for paperwork processing. You cannot accompany her. While doing so, you can go down baggage claim, and go back up to wait for her. It took about 30-40 minutes for Monica to get processed and come out. They took her sealed envelope, ask a few questions like address, when do you plan on getting married. Then they stamped her passport and drew a circle on her visa highlighting "1 Entry".

Mucho gracias Chester!!!!!!!!!!!

[buck501 0]

Scott..................Yennifer thinks you are way to #######. LOL>LOL. Sounds just like Paola. Us folks from the US are guilty of that!! Colombians, though, are guilty about not taking things serious. I swear they are the most laid back people on earth!!!! I can't count how many times Paola said to me "take it easy". LOL>LOL.

Paola goes the the embassy today to pick up her visa. I am flying down to Cali on Saturday to bring her back home on Sunday. A whirlwind trip. I will be in Colombia all of 7 hours!! I want to go thru the POE with her though.

O MY GOD BUCK...I'm glad I'm not the only one!!!!!!!!!!!

But really...I don't want to stress her out if it isn't neccesary...it may just bite me in the butt and not in a good way...you follow me???

Good luck on your trip to Cali and CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Hey guys...I want to add my experience to this note comparison. Dayfenix does the same thing. She is so laid back that I have to keep reminding myself that there is a distinct difference in our cultures. The sweetest woman in the world but sometimes she uses those same words "take it easy". I am stressing about the amount of information I am trying to digest on VJ, Embassy, State Dept, and USCIS websites and she just waiting for me.

We had this situation last night any advise. Her girlfriend asked her to go on a trip with her to vacation in Peru. I advised her that it would not be a good idea to go now that we are in this process...I thought it could raise unnecessary questions since she has never left the country before and is not currently working. I read in the 167 pages some where a couple almost was denied because of her travel to Spain and ended up have to endure a 50 min interview with multiple people. Am I being "WAY TO #######"?

Santa Marta.......................Comming from a guy that is way #######, I would try to discourage her leaving the country. I do not have any reason other then the fact that your in the visa process.............THIS IS NOT ADVICE............only an opinion. I had a fit when Paola moved to another house. We did not disclose that though.

Good luck........aside from being laid back, Paola can be a bit mule headed also. LOL>LOL. Changing her mind once it is made up, wellllllll. LOL>LOL.

[jrmach1 0]

American Airlines

ORLANDO TO MIAMI TO BOGOTA

BOGOTA TO MIAMI TO ORLANDO

FARE-USD 343.00 TAX 150.70 TICKET TOTAL 493.70

IS PRETTY MUCH THE SAME WITH THE TAX RIGHT ?

Edited October 1, 2007 by jrmach1

[jrmach1 0]

HI THERE

I FEEL LIKE I HAVE TO STICK UP FOR THIS WOMEN HERE ,WE ARE NOT THAT LAID BACK YOU GUYS IS JUST LIKE WE ARE LIVING THE LAST DAYS IN OUR COUNTRY SO THE LAST THING WE WANT TO DO IS STRESS OUT AND YOU ARE ON US ALL THE TIME FOR LITTLE THINGS SO I TOTALLY AGREE TAKE IT EASY ONCE IN A WHILE .

BUT IS FUNNY HOW YOU GET ALL STRESS FOR SO MANY THINGS AND LET ME TELL YOU MY HUSBAND IS ####### .GOD HE IS .

[Bill y Bella 0]

Congrats Corey on La Suegra getting the approval.

Hope we get that CO.

Hey guys just want to share that a VJer (Jamacia) that applied for a K-1 with CSC just got his NOA2 yesterday and he applied on June 1st. Reason i'm happy is that I applied on June 8. At least I see alittle ray of light.

Rafael

I hate to be the one to tell you this, but there is no way CSC is processing June petitions. Kevin & Moira applied on May 2. Their NOA1 was delayed until June 1 but it does not matter because CSC does not process petitions in NOA1 date sequence. That is why VJ adjudication date projections are based on submittal dates instead of NOA1 dates.

Kevin & Moira waited 148 days from when they submitted which is very consistent with the processing time of everyone else who was approved at CSC recently.

Here are two posts with more information and statistics related to this. Post #1, Post #2

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

bill,

I wanted to ask you a question regarding your post about June filers getting approved. Roughly when do you see an approval for my case? My guesstimate would landing me roughly a last week of October first week of November. Would this be correct or would it be longer??

Rafael

Well my crystal ball is probably no clearer than yours. I think your projection is reasonable. I do have some good news however. If the received date on your NOA1 is in May, USCIS will consider you a May filer. They appear to primarily be processing early to mid May filers right now. My best guess is at their current pace they should be finished with May VJ filers in 40 to 50 days. There is of course no guarantee they will maintain the same pace. It might increase or decline.

[parkpapa 0]

American Airlines

ORLANDO TO MIAMI TO BOGOTA

BOGOTA TO MIAMI TO ORLANDO

FARE-USD 343.00 TAX 150.70 TICKET TOTAL 493.70

IS PRETTY MUCH THE SAME WITH THE TAX RIGHT ?

I would assume nothing with the costs of tickets and taxes. I check Expedia and Orbitz frequently when I want to travel to Bogota. The same flight with the same airline listed on both sites will frequently show different amounts for the "taxes and fees" portion, so beware. My own experience on these two sites is that American Airlines is often the most expensive airline. You might want to check out fares with LAN Airlines (from Chile) for bargain prices and excellent service from Bogota to Miami.

Charles

[buck501 0]

HI THERE

I FEEL LIKE I HAVE TO STICK UP FOR THIS WOMEN HERE ,WE ARE NOT THAT LAID BACK YOU GUYS IS JUST LIKE WE ARE LIVING THE LAST DAYS IN OUR COUNTRY SO THE LAST THING WE WANT TO DO IS STRESS OUT AND YOU ARE ON US ALL THE TIME FOR LITTLE THINGS SO I TOTALLY AGREE TAKE IT EASY ONCE IN A WHILE .

BUT IS FUNNY HOW YOU GET ALL STRESS FOR SO MANY THINGS AND LET ME TELL YOU MY HUSBAND IS ####### .GOD HE IS .