Colombia Club

[ColombianoGringo 0]

Than you both for the clarification.

Diana B,

When you say cover letter, do you mean a fax cover sheet or an actual cover letter. If so, what should it say?

Thanks,

JC

[Mononoke28 134]

Hello Colombian Club, you guys are wonderful and I wish I had found this forum before I had started the process for our K1... You surely do make it seem like my fiance and I are not alone...

All that aside, here's where we currently are in the process. The Embassy in Bogota has received our approved petition and sent the Packet 3 to my fiance on 3/31/08. We emailed the Embassy yesterday, 4/9/08, to determine this. However, Juliana has yet to receive the Packet 3. We (when I say we I mean she) has read here on these forums that it is possible to send the OF-169 & DS-230 with a letter requesting an interview without at all receiving the Packet 3 to have our interview scheduled. I would like to confirm the ability to do this or take on any advice at all for our current situation... I've already emailed the Immigrant Visa Unit to resend the Packet 3, and pleasantly asked for a Fax # & Address (which soon after I found in the sample Packet 3, doh). Juliana and I are chomping at the bit to send it and have our interview scheduled, but we don't want to get ourselves in any trouble down the road by doing it. Hopefully someone sees this soon and can help us with our situation. Not that difficult of one, right?

Thank you!

Dan

Hello Dan and welcome to VJ and to the Colombian club,

Yes, if you're sure the embassy already received your case from the NVC, then your fiancée can fax packet 3. The documents she would have to send were listed by Diana B yesterday.

I recommend that you, and by you I mean you, read through all the necessary pages of this thread so you know what to expect from here on out regarding medical, vaccines, lab work, and inteview at the embassy.

Diana

[ColombianoGringo 0]

Well. My wife faxed in the documents requesting the interview along with a simple cover sheet. She will be dropping it off at Servientrega after lunch.

What is the best way to find out the interview date? I know they publish a list on the 20th, but how soon will NVC know about the interview? Do I just call the same main phone number at NVC or do would it be better to call this "Visa Office" I've heard about?

Thanks for all the help.

[margara&john 0]

Well. My wife faxed in the documents requesting the interview along with a simple cover sheet. She will be dropping it off at Servientrega after lunch.

What is the best way to find out the interview date? I know they publish a list on the 20th, but how soon will NVC know about the interview? Do I just call the same main phone number at NVC or do would it be better to call this "Visa Office" I've heard about?

Thanks for all the help.

hi everyone, we just got the good news.... VISA APPROVED!!!! We are going to go celebrate, but Monday I'll report how everything went at the embassy.

john

[Andres and Diana 0]

hi everyone, we just got the good news.... VISA APPROVED!!!! We are going to go celebrate, but Monday I'll report how everything went at the embassy.

john

Yay John!!! Congratulations!!!! Cant wait to hear how it went!!

CG,

The best way to find out is to call the Department of State or DOS...(thats the washington number I refered to in an earlier post). Call them in about 3-4 business days to see when your interview is.

It'll probably be just a couple of days after ours!

As for the coverletter...sorry for the late reply. It was just a simple coverletter stating date sent to the embassy and your bgt number. Just the basic info to get the ball rolling over at the embassy.

Good Luck!

Diana B

[ColombianoGringo 0]

Thanks Diana,

She wrote something up with date, case # and a list of the included documents. Hopefully we'll get a May interview. I see that yours is already in late May, so maybe we'll get the last week in May which would be perfect. We have a wedding to attend in Pereira the weekend of the 25th.

Good luck with your interview.

CG

[parkpapa 0]

For applicants with children, the following is copied from another thread that hasn't been used much, but I thought the information might help someone currently in the process. If it's been covered recently, I apologize for the repetition, but I don't get onto Colombia Club as much as I used to.

(Mountain777 @ Mar 4 2008, 07:56 PM)

QUOTE(narocks @ Mar 3 2008, 02:37 PM)

The letter we had done here in the US at the Colombian Embassy was then stamped at an address in Bogota, it was a little over a month old and allowed both boys to leave. No snags at the airport. Yes my suggestion is as recent as possible to avoid what happened to steveandsandy. I know in our case the embassy did not ask about the letter. We did have to send a notorized letter to the NVC showing that the children were permitted to immigrate to the US, this letter was from the mom as I am the USC pettioner and married to the childrens dad.

Hi narocks,

Can you tell me what letter that NVC asked for? Did they ask for the paper signed by the two parents? Because we do not yet have this paper signed by the father. He is giving us a hard time about this. We hope to have it by the time of the interview. He insists that it is only needed at the airport and refuses to sign anything until then. We tried to explain to him that it will be needed by the NVC and the embassy! Can you confirm?

Did you make up the documnet yourselves and what did it have to say besides to remove the child permantly from Colombia? How long was it valid for? Did the embassy ask to see the document? Were you required to give your physical address personal info ect? I ask cause we don't really want the him to know too much. He has been abusive towards my wife in the past and we are just trying to get him to sign this and want nothing more to do with him.

PS- Did the embassy ask the child any questions?

I don't mean to butt in here, but we went through the same thing with needing a letter from the father. The embassy and NVC are unlikely to ask about or even care about such a letter. The only ones that will care are DAS at the Bogota airport. Permission is required from both parents for a child to leave Colombia, unless there is proof that one parent has given up legal rights to the child or is deceased. The letters, no matter how they are written, are good for one departure only. So, the next time the child visits Colombia, he/she will need another permission letter from the father to leave for the United States again.

As for the letter, our letter states basically the following (all in Spanish, of course):

I, (father's name), of legal age, with citizenship number XXXX issued in (city, state, country), by this document give permission for my minor child(ren) (child's name) identified by civil registry number XXXX and passport number XXXX to leave the country and enter the United States in the company of his/her mother (mother's name), identified by citzenship number XXXX issued in (city, state, country). This trip is anticipated in or before (month and year) and this permission and authorization is in effect from now until the date of travel.

Signature and Notary stamp

The only other option, with the father still living and wanting rights over the child(ren), is for the mother to seek sole custody through Colombian courts. This will require not only proof of abandonement or abuse, but will also take several months to obtain. I'm guessing this is not an option you want to pursue.

Sorry I didn't see this thread sooner, and I hope you already have the answer you needed.

Charles

[Scott n Yenifer 0]

CONGRATULATIONS JOHN, MARGARITA + DANIELA !!!

[NArocks 13]

Just to clarify, The NVC did ask for a document from the mother stating that the children are allowed to immigrate to the US. We received an RFE for this document at the NVC. We got a letter notorized here in the states and sent it post haste bback to the NVC. And Yes the most important hurdle is DAS at the airport, they kids and their dad breeezed through witht he letter they had.

Also do not forget if for whatever reason the kids return you need the letter all over again to leave the country. This is each and every time

For applicants with children, the following is copied from another thread that hasn't been used much, but I thought the information might help someone currently in the process. If it's been covered recently, I apologize for the repetition, but I don't get onto Colombia Club as much as I used to.

(Mountain777 @ Mar 4 2008, 07:56 PM)

QUOTE(narocks @ Mar 3 2008, 02:37 PM)

The letter we had done here in the US at the Colombian Embassy was then stamped at an address in Bogota, it was a little over a month old and allowed both boys to leave. No snags at the airport. Yes my suggestion is as recent as possible to avoid what happened to steveandsandy. I know in our case the embassy did not ask about the letter. We did have to send a notorized letter to the NVC showing that the children were permitted to immigrate to the US, this letter was from the mom as I am the USC pettioner and married to the childrens dad.

Hi narocks,

Can you tell me what letter that NVC asked for? Did they ask for the paper signed by the two parents? Because we do not yet have this paper signed by the father. He is giving us a hard time about this. We hope to have it by the time of the interview. He insists that it is only needed at the airport and refuses to sign anything until then. We tried to explain to him that it will be needed by the NVC and the embassy! Can you confirm?

Did you make up the documnet yourselves and what did it have to say besides to remove the child permantly from Colombia? How long was it valid for? Did the embassy ask to see the document? Were you required to give your physical address personal info ect? I ask cause we don't really want the him to know too much. He has been abusive towards my wife in the past and we are just trying to get him to sign this and want nothing more to do with him.

PS- Did the embassy ask the child any questions?

I don't mean to butt in here, but we went through the same thing with needing a letter from the father. The embassy and NVC are unlikely to ask about or even care about such a letter. The only ones that will care are DAS at the Bogota airport. Permission is required from both parents for a child to leave Colombia, unless there is proof that one parent has given up legal rights to the child or is deceased. The letters, no matter how they are written, are good for one departure only. So, the next time the child visits Colombia, he/she will need another permission letter from the father to leave for the United States again.

As for the letter, our letter states basically the following (all in Spanish, of course):

I, (father's name), of legal age, with citizenship number XXXX issued in (city, state, country), by this document give permission for my minor child(ren) (child's name) identified by civil registry number XXXX and passport number XXXX to leave the country and enter the United States in the company of his/her mother (mother's name), identified by citzenship number XXXX issued in (city, state, country). This trip is anticipated in or before (month and year) and this permission and authorization is in effect from now until the date of travel.

Signature and Notary stamp

The only other option, with the father still living and wanting rights over the child(ren), is for the mother to seek sole custody through Colombian courts. This will require not only proof of abandonement or abuse, but will also take several months to obtain. I'm guessing this is not an option you want to pursue.

Sorry I didn't see this thread sooner, and I hope you already have the answer you needed.

Charles

[ColombianoGringo 0]

Hi all,

I am filling out the I-134 Affidavit of Support for my wife's upcoming K-3 interview and I have a few questions.

I make monthly child support payments for my two kids. I listed them under item #8 The following persons are dependent upon me for support:". Put them each as "Partially Dependent". Is this correct?

Also, I was curious about item #11 "I intend, do not intend, to make specific contributions to the support of the person(s) named in item 3". In the example I-134 on VisaJourney, it has "N/A (K1 visa process for permament residency)" as the answer and has neither option selected. What should I put there for a K-3?

Under item #3 where it asks for "Name of spouse and children accompanying or following to join person:", for spouse i put "N/A - Sponsor is spouse" and for children I put "None". Is this correct?

It is my understanding that since my income is many times the minimum requirements, I do not have to provide any information or evidence regarding bank accounts, stocks, etc. I could provide them, but would rather not hassle with it. Is this correct?

Thanks for all your help.

CG

Edited April 14, 2008 by ColombianoGringo

[ColombianoGringo 0]

One more thing on the I-134...

For Item #11 "I have submitted a visa petition(s) to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on behalf of the following person(s).", I put my wife and in parenthesis wrote (I-129F for K3 visa). Is this correct?

Thanks again,

CG

[waitman 0]

Hello, all!

We got packet 3 yesterday and are somewhat confused.

1. We are supposed to mail only DS-230 (first part) and OF-169, correct?

2. OF-169 supposedly should be signed only when we have all the documents. However, the DAS certificate requires a trip to Bogota and several days of waiting. Should my fiancee first get that document and only afterwards sign and send OF-169? To me that sounds like a waste of time and energy, since interview date will probably be like in a month from now. In addition, the instructions say RETURN IMMEDIATELY, which doesn't go well with scheduling a trip or two to Bogota to get the DAS certificate. So our dilemma is: sign and send OF-169 now or go to Bogota and sign the thing only after the DAS certificate is actually in hand?

3. According to one of Bogota Embassy's documents (http://bogota.usembassy.gov/fiance-apply.html , "Package of instructions..."), it is not clear whether DS-230 that my fiancee will send to the embassy should be signed or not. Part I of the instructions says that DS-230 sent to the embassy must be signed. Part II of the instructions says DS-230 Part I should NOT be signed. I assume that in Part II of the instructions they made a typo and they actually meant DS-230 Part II. So do we or do we not sign DS-230 sent in response to Packet 3?

4. Instructions say fax or mail the response to the embassy. Which is better? Should we do both?

Well, that's enough confusion for now....

We appreciate your help. Thank you and best of luck!

[ColombianoGringo 0]

1. You are supposed to send the OF-169 (signed), the DS-230 Part 1 (unsigned) and a photocopy of the bio page of the beneficiaries passport.

2. I would not wait. As it stands, you probably won't get an interview until June as the today is the cutoff for May interviews. Also, depending on where your spouse is, you should not need to go to Bogota for the DAS documents. Keep in mind that you actually need two documents from DAS, the Carta Migratoria(entries and exits) and the Certificado Judicial(police certificate). In some cities you can get both, but in others, you can only get the Certificado Judicial. Make sure to contact the local DAS office before going to Bogota for the documents. My wife is getting both of hers today at the local DAS office in her city.

3. According to everything I've seen, you do not sign the Part 1 of the DS-230 when sending it in to request an interview.

4. The general advice has been to fax it and then follow it with a hard copy sent through Servientrega.

Hope this helps. We just faxed in our Packet 3 forms on friday. I will be calling the embassy today to see if we have an appointment scheduled yet.

Good luck ,

CG

Also, make sure to put a simple cover letter with the beneficiaries basic info, the case number and a quick note explaining that you are requesting an interview. It seems kind of redundant, but it has been recommended by many around here.

[waitman 0]

1. You are supposed to send the OF-169 (signed), the DS-230 Part 1 (unsigned) and a photocopy of the bio page of the beneficiaries passport.

2. I would not wait. As it stands, you probably won't get an interview until June as the today is the cutoff for May interviews. Also, depending on where your spouse is, you should not need to go to Bogota for the DAS documents. Keep in mind that you actually need two documents from DAS, the Carta Migratoria(entries and exits) and the Certificado Judicial(police certificate). In some cities you can get both, but in others, you can only get the Certificado Judicial. Make sure to contact the local DAS office before going to Bogota for the documents. My wife is getting both of hers today at the local DAS office in her city.

3. According to everything I've seen, you do not sign the Part 1 of the DS-230 when sending it in to request an interview.

4. The general advice has been to fax it and then follow it with a hard copy sent through Servientrega.

Hope this helps. We just faxed in our Packet 3 forms on friday. I will be calling the embassy today to see if we have an appointment scheduled yet.

Good luck ,

CG

Also, make sure to put a simple cover letter with the beneficiaries basic info, the case number and a quick note explaining that you are requesting an interview. It seems kind of redundant, but it has been recommended by many around here.

Thank you for the response, ColombianoGringo!

Why cover letter and passport? Instructions say nothing about that at all...Where does that follow from?

As far as sending OF-169 right away, my concern is that when you sign it you certify that you have ALL the documents. If Certificado Migratorio ain't there, you are, well...not telling the truth. So if the date of the signature on OF-169 is earlier than the date on the DAS certificate, we have an inconsistency which isn't good.

Or am I making too much of this? Anyone else with an insight into this?

Buena suerte!

[Andres and Diana 0]

Thank you for the response, ColombianoGringo!

Why cover letter and passport? Instructions say nothing about that at all...Where does that follow from?

As far as sending OF-169 right away, my concern is that when you sign it you certify that you have ALL the documents. If Certificado Migratorio ain't there, you are, well...not telling the truth. So if the date of the signature on OF-169 is earlier than the date on the DAS certificate, we have an inconsistency which isn't good.

Or am I making too much of this? Anyone else with an insight into this?

Buena suerte!

The coverletter and passport are just for quick reference in order to get your appointment faster. instead of having them look up your info using the DS-230 they can just refer to your coverletter and look up your fiancee that way.

Here is a template of a cover letter given to me by Scott..

(date)

U.S. Embassy

Immigrant Visa Section

Bogotá, Colombia

RE: Case Number : BGT XXXX-XXX-XXX

To Whom It May Concern:

The above-referenced case was forwarded by the National Visa Center to the embassy in Bogotá for processing. The K-1 petition was delivered to the embassy on (day), (date) by DHL. As such, I am submitting the following in support of the I-129F for the K-1 petition:

• Copy of the biographical page of my Colombian passport ( (full name of beneficiary), the K-1 beneficiary).

• Completed OF-169

• Completed DS-230, part I

Based on this information and the I-129F petition, please schedule an embassy interview appointment on your earliest available date. We are hopeful that the information has been received in time for a (estimated month) appointment.

If you need further information, please contact (beneficiary’s name) in (name of city in Colombia) at (phone #) or (petitioner’s name) in the U.S. at (phone #). Thank you very much for your consideration.

Sincerely,

_______________________

(beneficiary’s name)

Beneficiary

As for the DAS paperwork...there is no need to worry about it. Andres and I have our interview on the 22 of May and we aren't requesting the paperwork till the 16th of May. It takes about 3-4 days to get the migratorio while the pasado judicial is given the same day.

Kind regards,

Diana B