Colombia Club

[lucho562 0]

Any luck trying to get in an hour or two before 4pm to pick up the visa? I mean, I would go in as I am the US citizen and inquire if her visa is ready. I believe they would allow me in since I am the US citizen. To check if its ready, if not to have them get it ready for her by 4pm?

Edited June 10, 2007 by lucho562

[parkpapa 0]

Any luck trying to get in an hour or two before 4pm to pick up the visa? I mean, I would go in as I am the US citizen and inquire if her visa is ready. I believe they would allow me in since I am the US citizen. To check if its ready, if not to have them get it ready for her by 4pm?

On that I have no idea. Lorena went to the embassy around 3:30. I couldn't go because I was on a plane flying home for my daughter's wedding.

[HAL 9000 96]

Any luck trying to get in an hour or two before 4pm to pick up the visa? I mean, I would go in as I am the US citizen and inquire if her visa is ready. I believe they would allow me in since I am the US citizen. To check if its ready, if not to have them get it ready for her by 4pm?

They're nice but probably not that nice...

Be there 30 minutes ahead of time. Should be enough barring the usual whoopla with the printers. Also check the spellings and info on the visa itself when they give it.

At the airport your fiancee will need to show the visa in the passport and have handy the folder also given to her for Immigration Control in the US as well as possibly the X-Ray results. Silly, I know.

Official Countdown for Mària in Chicago begins today.

[parkpapa 0]

First of all, Lorena had her medical exam with the male doctor. Her appointment with the lady doctor was cancelled because the doctor's father had passed away the day before. Fortunately, all appointments and lab results were transferred to the male doctor. As others have indicated, the male doctor did ask her to disrobe completely - and he did the same with the boys. I suppose that some folks are bothered by this, however I can't say that it is so unusual. Lorena did not seem bothered. She was given three sealed packets: one for her and each of the boys. She was also given her x-ray which she was told to bring with her to the airport (I assume the US airport where she will arrive at).

Okay, here is a little more thorough description of our interview. I will tell you in advance that I don't know all the questions that the CO asked Lorena because we frankly haven't had time to discuss it since the interview. More about why in a bit...

We arrived at the embassy at about 6:15 and there were already perhaps 35 or 40 people there. I knew to go to line 3 but there were about 10 people in that area ahead of us. The vast majority of applicants in the area were there for either tourist visas or diplomatic/business visas. Around 6:30 a woman on the PA system told everyone which line to get into: line 1 for diplomats or business people; line 2 for tourist visas; and, line 3 for all K-1 and K-3 visas. We were told to have our appointment letter in hand and a young lady came through, looked at them, and then put small green stickers on our chests to show we could come in. By the way, if it's raining or there was recent rain, expect to stand in mud in line three as the sidewalk isn't wide enough for three lines. And guess which one doesn't fit!

There were frequent announcements after that, but all repeats of the same information. By 7 a.m. the line behind us had grown tremendously. Promptly at 7 a.m. line 3 went through security first - it was typical of airport security: x-ray of belongings, walk-through scanner, hand-held scanner, etc. You must leave any picture-taking device (camera, cell phone that takes photos, etc.) at the entrance station and you can reclaim it later. Cell phones without cameras were allowed in the embassy and many people were using them.

We went to "area 40" and waited until another young woman came out and gave us instructions about what was to happen next. She showed us the folders we would use and they were sorted by color as to the appropriate visa type. Green folders were used for all K-series visa applicants, though the label on the folder says K-1. She told us to remove all clips and place the documents in the folder in the exact order shown in the instructions inside the folder. These instructions were identical to Annexo B.

We then sat down to wait until Lorena was called to one of the Green windows (matching the folder color) where a very pleasant and helpful woman reviewed all of the documents. She was the one who pointed out that we didn't have our duplicate 156.

She did, however, provide us with blank copies of the form and we completed the duplicates by hand. The lady then stapled the extra photos we had to the duplicates. Our original 156 forms had photos pasted on them, but she stapled these as well.

We then went over to the other Green windows where the COs do the interviews. At around 9 a.m., the COs started showing up at the windows and began calling names. (By the way, the rest of the area was teeming with people by then.) There did seem to be some general order in how people were called that roughly followed how we were originally in line. When it got out of order seemed to be because of the length of individual interviews.

When we got called up, the CO talked to Lorena first and asked a couple of questions. He then asked to speak to me. His first question was one I hadn't prepared for, but at least I did have an answer. He asked why I came to Colombia in the first place. Probably a logical question as it's not really a tourist mecca just yet. He then asked (as confirmation, I guess, since it was in our original application) where and how we met. He asked a couple of other minor things as clarification and then asked to talk to Lorena again. This was where he pointed out that the date stamp was missing from her police report, and explained what we would have to do. He also told her that she would have to come back with her two sons - that he needed to see the boys in person. He then talked to me again and repeated all that he had told her. Then he gave her the police report along with a pink slip. He told her that she could to return with the boys any weekday at 7 a.m., show the pink slip, and they would be admitted, though he could not guarantee a short wait.

One thing of interest as we left the embassy.... Lorena told me that he had said to her that when she returned, he would have more questions for her. However, when he talked to me the last time he said that all she needed was the date stamp on the police report and her visa would be granted. Again, we haven't had time to sit down and discuss all the questions he asked her, or whether or not he had more when she returned the next day. But I did think it was odd that he told us two different things.

We were out of the embassy shortly after 11 a.m., so it does pay to arrive early as there were still tons of people waiting.

After that, we spent the rest of the day waiting in other lines - at DAS to get the date stamp, at an attorney's office to get a document for Lorena's sister, etc. Between that stuff and dealing with Lorena's ex, and his permission letter for the boys, we had little time to reflect on the questions at the interview. When she gets to the states and we have some time, we will talk about it and if there is anything unusual in the questions I'll pass it along.

Basically, it seemed all week that if anything COULD go wrong, it would, but ...... we had Guardian Angels helping us out and everything worked out in the end. We're still dealing with some of those Murphey's Law type things as Lorena has had a difficult time getting back home due to mudslides closing the highways to Florencia both before and after our time in Bogota. And add to that the continuing excuse of the "printer" not working, so "no visa today, come back next week".

I strongly advise everyone to do two things: prepare as much as possible in advance, BUT expect to face delays and unforseen "emergencies". In other words, prepare everything thoroughly, but give yourself enough time (if you or your SO are from outside Bogota) to deal with any problems that pop up. Lastly, be patient and support each other.

Edited June 11, 2007 by parkpapa

[Mononoke28 135]

Congratulations!!! It's good to hear stories with good endings.

And that printer excuse is driving me crazy! I really want to go with my husband to his interview and fly back with him but that printer issue scares me since I have to get back to work.

[lucho562 0]

Thank you for your report. Congratulations!

[buck501 0]

Thank you for your report. Congratulations!

Thanks parkpappa. I hope to be going through the interview soon. You comments are very helpful.

What hotel did you stay at?

[parkpapa 0]

Thank you for your report. Congratulations!

Thanks parkpappa. I hope to be going through the interview soon. You comments are very helpful.

What hotel did you stay at?

A friend of ours located a privately owned, furnished apartment that was about two blocks from the Salitre shopping center and Maloka. That put us only about five minutes by taxi from the embassy. The final cost for a week was around $250. Much less than a hotel, though there are downsides to everything - the beds were incredibly uncomfortable and the furniture 'en la sala' was nice to look at but difficult to sit on. I have stayed at a family-run hotel that's a couple of blocks from the Radisson Hotel on the north side of town. It is clean, friendly, and not too expensive. If you're interested, I can give you some contact info. Even if they're full, they can suggest other hotels nearby that aren't terribly costly (like the Radisson!).

[parkpapa 0]

Congratulations!!! It's good to hear stories with good endings.

And that printer excuse is driving me crazy! I really want to go with my husband to his interview and fly back with him but that printer issue scares me since I have to get back to work.

I have heard that it is not so important for K-3 spouses to attend the interviews, however, I'm not sure that I believe it. My impression was that it helped that I was there with Lorena. It may have been the age thing. Who knows? But, I'm not sure she would have gotten a 'yes' without me there.

I realized that there were a couple of things I left out of my interview report. A little to my surprise, the CO never asked to see one shred of supporting evidence: no receipts, no photos, nada. This may have been because I submitted a ton of that stuff with the original petitions. Again, who knows?

Also, the one question he asked me that I thought was odd was this.... He asked me how many times I had been to Colombia. I told him and also mentioned that I had visited her family in Florencia twice (not a particularly safe place). Then came the odd question: How is it you have so much vacation time to come visit Colombia? I answered honestly and said I had a ton of vacation time saved from my work. I wasn't expecting those questions, but I think it helped that I answered in short order and without too much hemming and hawing.

That leads to my final interview advice: Don't assume that the questions will be limited to the list of most common questions. And, most importantly, answer honestly and briefly.....even if the answer makes you squirm a little. I suspect these COs get pretty good at spotting false or hedged answers.

I flew back early the morning after the interview. If you have a chance to stay that extra day after, I think it will be good for your husband. I know Lorena has had some difficulty in trying to deal with everything alone after I left. But, keep good thoughts and keep loving each other. Then you'll make it through, no matter what happens.

[jediknight 0]

excellent report and congrats! good tip on the cell phones, i plan on having one without a camera. were the questions to you in english? did the co ask you anything in spanish or how you guys communicate? that printer problem is a running gag, i'll probably laugh if they tell us that. i just hope that i can stay there long enough to return with my wife.

JK

[parkpapa 0]

excellent report and congrats! good tip on the cell phones, i plan on having one without a camera. were the questions to you in english? did the co ask you anything in spanish or how you guys communicate? that printer problem is a running gag, i'll probably laugh if they tell us that. i just hope that i can stay there long enough to return with my wife.

JK

He asked questions of me in English and her in Spanish. He didn't ask me about how we communicated, but he may have asked my wife. I was a little surprised that he didn't, actually.

Good luck to you!! I'm sure you'll do fine if you are well prepared and organized.

[cartagena2112 0]

First of all, Lorena had her medical exam with the male doctor. Her appointment with the lady doctor was cancelled because the doctor's father had passed away the day before. Fortunately, all appointments and lab results were transferred to the male doctor. As others have indicated, the male doctor did ask her to disrobe completely - and he did the same with the boys. I suppose that some folks are bothered by this, however I can't say that it is so unusual. Lorena did not seem bothered. She was given three sealed packets: one for her and each of the boys. She was also given her x-ray which she was told to bring with her to the airport (I assume the US airport where she will arrive at).

Okay, here is a little more thorough description of our interview. I will tell you in advance that I don't know all the questions that the CO asked Lorena because we frankly haven't had time to discuss it since the interview. More about why in a bit...

We arrived at the embassy at about 6:15 and there were already perhaps 35 or 40 people there. I knew to go to line 3 but there were about 10 people in that area ahead of us. The vast majority of applicants in the area were there for either tourist visas or diplomatic/business visas. Around 6:30 a woman on the PA system told everyone which line to get into: line 1 for diplomats or business people; line 2 for tourist visas; and, line 3 for all K-1 and K-3 visas. We were told to have our appointment letter in hand and a young lady came through, looked at them, and then put small green stickers on our chests to show we could come in. By the way, if it's raining or there was recent rain, expect to stand in mud in line three as the sidewalk isn't wide enough for three lines. And guess which one doesn't fit!

There were frequent announcements after that, but all repeats of the same information. By 7 a.m. the line behind us had grown tremendously. Promptly at 7 a.m. line 3 went through security first - it was typical of airport security: x-ray of belongings, walk-through scanner, hand-held scanner, etc. You must leave any picture-taking device (camera, cell phone that takes photos, etc.) at the entrance station and you can reclaim it later. Cell phones without cameras were allowed in the embassy and many people were using them.

We went to "area 40" and waited until another young woman came out and gave us instructions about what was to happen next. She showed us the folders we would use and they were sorted by color as to the appropriate visa type. Green folders were used for all K-series visa applicants, though the label on the folder says K-1. She told us to remove all clips and place the documents in the folder in the exact order shown in the instructions inside the folder. These instructions were identical to Annexo B.

We then sat down to wait until Lorena was called to one of the Green windows (matching the folder color) where a very pleasant and helpful woman reviewed all of the documents. She was the one who pointed out that we didn't have our duplicate 156.

She did, however, provide us with blank copies of the form and we completed the duplicates by hand. The lady then stapled the extra photos we had to the duplicates. Our original 156 forms had photos pasted on them, but she stapled these as well.

We then went over to the other Green windows where the COs do the interviews. At around 9 a.m., the COs started showing up at the windows and began calling names. (By the way, the rest of the area was teeming with people by then.) There did seem to be some general order in how people were called that roughly followed how we were originally in line. When it got out of order seemed to be because of the length of individual interviews.

When we got called up, the CO talked to Lorena first and asked a couple of questions. He then asked to speak to me. His first question was one I hadn't prepared for, but at least I did have an answer. He asked why I came to Colombia in the first place. Probably a logical question as it's not really a tourist mecca just yet. He then asked (as confirmation, I guess, since it was in our original application) where and how we met. He asked a couple of other minor things as clarification and then asked to talk to Lorena again. This was where he pointed out that the date stamp was missing from her police report, and explained what we would have to do. He also told her that she would have to come back with her two sons - that he needed to see the boys in person. He then talked to me again and repeated all that he had told her. Then he gave her the police report along with a pink slip. He told her that she could to return with the boys any weekday at 7 a.m., show the pink slip, and they would be admitted, though he could not guarantee a short wait.

One thing of interest as we left the embassy.... Lorena told me that he had said to her that when she returned, he would have more questions for her. However, when he talked to me the last time he said that all she needed was the date stamp on the police report and her visa would be granted. Again, we haven't had time to sit down and discuss all the questions he asked her, or whether or not he had more when she returned the next day. But I did think it was odd that he told us two different things.

We were out of the embassy shortly after 11 a.m., so it does pay to arrive early as there were still tons of people waiting.

.....

Hi parkpapa

Thank you for taking the time to report your experiences in detail. That is very helpful, especially the tip on the camera cell-phones.

And agian, Congrats to both you and your wife and family!

Best,

George & Leydi

[Mike and Adriana 0]

Lucho, Lucho, Lucho....

In a few words.....I HIGHLY doubt it. The rule is that there is a 4 p.m. pickup. No preferential treatment. Being a U.S. citizen does nothing for you. You will not be permitted inside. There are two "halves" to the embassy....one entrance for U.S. citizens and one for those applying for visas. You pick up the visa on the visa side, not the U.S. citizen side. You cannot walk back and forth freely from the U.S. citizen side and the visa side....So I am afraid that you'll have to wait with everyone else....and if it's not ready....come back the next business day. That is why you NEVER should plane to leave right away....because many times there is a problem (examples of which have been well documented in this thread). Sorry for the bad news....I have become the "grim reaper" of this thread.

Mike

Any luck trying to get in an hour or two before 4pm to pick up the visa? I mean, I would go in as I am the US citizen and inquire if her visa is ready. I believe they would allow me in since I am the US citizen. To check if its ready, if not to have them get it ready for her by 4pm?

[joe101marcela888 0]

mike, i like your last comment. everything is pretty well spelled out in this forum and i doubt the embassy makes exceptions. i have not come across much information on the k2 process. i know that we will need ds156 (duplicate), possibly but unlikely ds156k, passport, application fee and medical exam with vaccinations for the 4 year old. do we need to fill out a ds230 (states in the instructions to have one for all travelling family members regardless of age), baptism and birth certificate? thanks for any help.

[parkpapa 0]

Mike,

I for one very much appreciate your well-grounded approach to all of this. It's very easy to get swept up in the excitement (and fear) of dealing with not one but TWO governments and all of their convoluted requirements. That makes it doubly important for everyone to keep focused and take care with every single piece of paper or information. Everything IS important, even the stuff that never gets used.

It's difficult to admit, but I suspect we fell prey to the excitement when we overlooked the requirement to have a duplicate copy of the 156. And it is probably not always safe to count on your Guardian Angels to rescue you, as ours did.