Colombia Club

[jpcanon 0]

Good luck with that AP- I hope that clears up for you guys quickly...

Joe

[HAL 9000 96]

Diana and Diana,

Thanks!!!

We did not take long to go through NVC, just a few days if I remember correctly.

So hopefully it was and Andrés and Diana kind of AP where someone had their consular hand up their heiny. Cross your fingers it is done quickly and do have alternate plans as recommended above just in case and ready to go if 2 months go by with anything short of an approval.

[HAL 9000 96]

Bump

[subguy812 1]

Well we received our interview date for January 28th. I was hoping we would have hit the cutoff for a mid month January. Regarding this AP stuff it is information on the beneficiary that sparks this? I am scared to death now because I am not sure I can make the interview. Has this become more the rule than the exception? I think fortunately Alexandra has not ever traveled outside the country or anything. What else might trigger an AP?

[HAL 9000 96]

Well we received our interview date for January 28th. I was hoping we would have hit the cutoff for a mid month January. Regarding this AP stuff it is information on the beneficiary that sparks this? I am scared to death now because I am not sure I can make the interview. Has this become more the rule than the exception? I think fortunately Alexandra has not ever traveled outside the country or anything. What else might trigger an AP?

Name similarities with other beneficiaries, people on watch lists, etc. An AP is not that common for Colombia, and even if you get one- its not anywhere near the end of the world.

Congrats on the interview date. If possible, try to go.

[subguy812 1]

Hal,

Thanks that makes me feel better about the AP...in my heart I do not believe she will have problems. I know they at least like to look out and see the happy couple. I guess I was hoping her engagement rock, and all of the proof of relationship as well as her knowing her answers to the questions will suffice. 5 visits worth of photos, boarding passes, western union receipts and so on for almost 3 years. It would not be her that would get nervous and draw a blank on the answers, it would be me. The old can't get our facts straight syndrome

I am trying to figure out the way to get there. I need to be there for her support even if they don't ask me anything to get nervous and choke on. The thing is I already priced a one way ticket for her the first week in Feb. and I was shocked they were averaging 650-700 dollars for one way if I booked it now but I am hesitant to do so if something happens negative at the interview. I will have my round trip on top of that and I really can't put a price on our love but financial times are a wee bit uncertain at the moment. Not to mention the around 300.00 still for doc visit and lab. So I am going to try my hardest to go and want to go....just not sure

[kelvin_omar25 0]

Hello to all....

Ok, I have a question... My wife has her Colombian passport and it expires in 2010. She was telling me that she wants to go ahead and renew it, so that when she gets her visa it will be on her new passport. Also she says that if she does not renew it now.... it may be more dificult in 2010 since she will be here in USA. My question is.... Will she need her Colombian passport after she has her green card? Will she need this passport after she enters USA? Will she need this passport for traveling? I am very sorry for these maybe stupid questions... But I have no clue....

Another question... At what point, after she arrives to USA (Florida) can she travel for example to Puerto Rico (to meet my family)? Will she need to wait for her green card? How does this work?

I appreciate everyones help and time to answer these questions...

Have a great day...

I WANT TO WISH EVERYONE HERE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

THANKS,

Kelvin

I just want to make sure we will need her passport, because if not we will be spending aprox. 200,000 pesos in vane....

[HAL 9000 96]

Hal,

Thanks that makes me feel better about the AP...in my heart I do not believe she will have problems. I know they at least like to look out and see the happy couple. I guess I was hoping her engagement rock, and all of the proof of relationship as well as her knowing her answers to the questions will suffice. 5 visits worth of photos, boarding passes, western union receipts and so on for almost 3 years. It would not be her that would get nervous and draw a blank on the answers, it would be me. The old can't get our facts straight syndrome

I am trying to figure out the way to get there. I need to be there for her support even if they don't ask me anything to get nervous and choke on. The thing is I already priced a one way ticket for her the first week in Feb. and I was shocked they were averaging 650-700 dollars for one way if I booked it now but I am hesitant to do so if something happens negative at the interview. I will have my round trip on top of that and I really can't put a price on our love but financial times are a wee bit uncertain at the moment. Not to mention the around 300.00 still for doc visit and lab. So I am going to try my hardest to go and want to go....just not sure

If you can get to FLL you may score cheap tix to Bogotá on Spirit and meet her there. They also fly out of MCO.

What we did was wait a couple of months while she put her financial things in order- and she later regretted it, and I used AA miles to bring her up in Biz class.

[HAL 9000 96]

Hello to all....

Ok, I have a question... My wife has her Colombian passport and it expires in 2010. She was telling me that she wants to go ahead and renew it, so that when she gets her visa it will be on her new passport. Also she says that if she does not renew it now.... it may be more dificult in 2010 since she will be here in USA. My question is.... Will she need her Colombian passport after she has her green card? Will she need this passport after she enters USA? Will she need this passport for traveling? I am very sorry for these maybe stupid questions... But I have no clue....

Another question... At what point, after she arrives to USA (Florida) can she travel for example to Puerto Rico (to meet my family)? Will she need to wait for her green card? How does this work?

I appreciate everyones help and time to answer these questions...

Have a great day...

I WANT TO WISH EVERYONE HERE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

THANKS,

Kelvin

I just want to make sure we will need her passport, because if not we will be spending aprox. 200,000 pesos in vane....

HAL 9000 says wuuuu-saaaa.

Yes, she'll need a Colombian passport to travel internationally until and if she files for Naturalization here once possible. As for renewing... she may have an easier time here at a Colombian Consulate since their workloads are lighter than going through the normal channels back in Colombia. The GC pretty much will allow her to qualify for most visas US Citizens can get but she'll still have to apply for visas most of the time. Without the typical denials normal Colombians would get.

Y papá... si quiere ir a nuestra Isla del Encanto no te preocupes mano. Como somos colonia gringa no hace falta pasaporte gringo ni GC. She can travel to PR at any time once arriving in the US although USCIS gate agents at SJU may ask where she's from and where she's going to upon boarding the return flight from PR. No worries- have her Colombian Passport with visa available if they ask for ID, and leave the I-94 she gets when entering the US the first time in there too just in case. She'll need it anyway to check in on the way to PR since you need Gov-issued ID to get past check-in and TSA.

Y Feliz Navidad también.

[Mononoke28 135]

Hello to all....

Ok, I have a question... My wife has her Colombian passport and it expires in 2010. She was telling me that she wants to go ahead and renew it, so that when she gets her visa it will be on her new passport. Also she says that if she does not renew it now.... it may be more dificult in 2010 since she will be here in USA. My question is.... Will she need her Colombian passport after she has her green card? Will she need this passport after she enters USA? Will she need this passport for traveling? I am very sorry for these maybe stupid questions... But I have no clue....

Another question... At what point, after she arrives to USA (Florida) can she travel for example to Puerto Rico (to meet my family)? Will she need to wait for her green card? How does this work?

I appreciate everyones help and time to answer these questions...

Have a great day...

I WANT TO WISH EVERYONE HERE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

THANKS,

Kelvin

I just want to make sure we will need her passport, because if not we will be spending aprox. 200,000 pesos in vane....

Kelvin,

I say it depends on when she gets her interview. A passport has to have at least 6 months of validity date on it from the date the visa is issued. So if the passport expires 6 months from that date, she might as well get a new one and present it to the embassy. She should also bring her old one since you will have to send a copy of it to the NVC with the DS-230.

Also, consider how manageable it would be to take a day or two to go to Miami to get her a new passport at the Colombian Consulate. If it's an easy thing to do, then she can get her passport here in the US and done deal. If not, then she should get it in Colombia. For us living in Denver for example, we'd have to go to either Houston or LA to get one, so no can do.

One last thing I just remembered. I traveled to Colombia in 2006 with an expired Colombian passport because it was impossible for me to get one here, the DAS person just told me to get a new one before leaving the country and that was that. So if push comes to shove and she needs to travel to Colombia, she can do so with an expired passport and get a new one before she comes back. She wouldn't be able to do this if she were to travel to another country obviously.

Diana

[HAL 9000 96]

Good points by Diana- as always being a pillar of information.

[kelvin_omar25 0]

Diana and HAL 9000

Thank you very much for your help and for your very helpful information.

I really appreciate your time...

THANKS!!!

[HAL 9000 96]

De nada. Good luck.

[HAL 9000 96]

Happy Holidays and Felices Fiestas to you still in process to get your spouses/future spouses stateside.

[jpcanon 0]

Thanks for the wishes, HAL- I hope you all have a great holiday! I am off to Colombia (Pereira) tonite for 12 days... vamos a ver!

Joe