Juarez Consulate

[bdesj 0]

Congratulations, Cutie and AgRo!

156K ? You guys must have different forms for K-Visas. I know that I just noticed CDJ sent me an outdated DS-230 and I planned to use the newer one from foia simply because it`s easier for my wife to download that than for me to fax the one they sent here. For the financial proof, don`t you use the 864? Good luck!

[ucla_cutie26 0]

Juan is coming in about 2 months. Well, here's the deal. I met him while I was visiting family, so I have lots of family where my fiance is from. So, I'm planning on heading out to Mexico during my spring break from work, which is the first week of April. That way, I can go say bye bye to my family (cause I don't know how long it will be until I go back to visit, since my Juan will be in the U.S. with me) and also I can bring my Juan back with me to the U.S. So Juan will be here until the first week of April. It doesn't seem that bad to me really, I mean I've waited for over 5 years for this day. I guess I've sort of gotten used to the idea of being separated from him for such a long time. We're planning on a small, civil ceremony once he's here and then having the religious ceremony at a later date.

********

Now for Agnie's questions. My fiance used the most current ds-156 for his interview. He did not get police certificates and it must have been okay becuase he got his visa. For our financial stuff, my fiance took with him notarized I-134, paystubs, letter from employer for both myself and my co-sponsor. Oh yeah, he also took bank statements (with my info.) cause dumb bank of america didn't want to provide a letter. I don't know what was needed or what they took from him because I don't know the details. But once I know, I will post a detailed response of his Juarez experience.

[Kristen_y_Efrain 0]

I got the packet!!! Not that it's that exciting....oh wait!!! IT'S SOOOO EXCITING!

[GabachaYucateca 0]

Waayy ahead of myself here, but I was wondering if the interviews are done in English or in Spanish?

BIG problem if they're only done in English!

[guguis 0]

gabacha my wife,s interview was in spanish so dont worry about that good luck

[New Yorker 0]

CONGRATULATIONS ALE!!!!!!!!!!!

un saludo a todas!!

[kitkat1 5]

CONGRATULATIONS ALE!!!!!!!!!!!

un saludo a todas!!

BB, how's it going in the Big Apple? I know you are COLD!!!

Did you have a big party before you left? Your wedding day is almost here!!!

[Danielle n Uriel 0]

YAYAYAY! GOT THE FOLLOWING EMAIL IN THE MAIL YESTERDAY!

<<Good afternoon,

Your open appointment letter was mailed to you on 26/JAN/2007. Should you wish to come for an interview without waiting for this packet, please come to our information window and request a duplicate K1 packet no later than 2 workdays prior to when you plan to come in for an interview. K1 visas have an open appointment, which means they may come any workday from 8-10am (excluding holidays).

Regards,

IV Section

AL/4

>>

Interesting huh? So now we are planning uriels trip to Juarez!

Wonder when the actual paperwork will arrive???

D

[Danielle n Uriel 0]

The packet arrived in the mail today! Now we get to be very nervous and question all the paperwork again! Pray for us!

D & U

PS>.. does anyone remember the name of the inexpensive hotel around the corner? I think that Bebe stayed at it... ???

YAYAYAY! GOT THE FOLLOWING EMAIL IN THE MAIL YESTERDAY!

<<Good afternoon,

Your open appointment letter was mailed to you on 26/JAN/2007. Should you wish to come for an interview without waiting for this packet, please come to our information window and request a duplicate K1 packet no later than 2 workdays prior to when you plan to come in for an interview. K1 visas have an open appointment, which means they may come any workday from 8-10am (excluding holidays).

Regards,

IV Section

AL/4

>>

Interesting huh? So now we are planning uriels trip to Juarez!

Wonder when the actual paperwork will arrive???

D

[bdesj 0]

Cool, congratulations! The letter shouldn`t be too long. I`ve received two from CDJ in the past month or so. Both were mailed from El Paso and arrived within a week of the postmark date.

Yucateca, I think that depends on where your interview is (sorry, I only recently started following this thread and I don`t know where you`re going). As far as I know, everything at the consulate goes on in Spanish. However, before we went there, we failed one interview here at our local office. At that interview we were told to arrange for a translator if one or both of us didn`t speak English. My wife`s English was kind of "iffy" at that time, but we went by ourselves anyway and the officer let me help a little bit. I don`t think I was really supposed to, but I was careful not to appear to be coaching her answers and he let it slide.

[Cassandra PC 1]

The packet arrived in the mail today! Now we get to be very nervous and question all the paperwork again! Pray for us!

D & U

PS>.. does anyone remember the name of the inexpensive hotel around the corner? I think that Bebe stayed at it... ???

Congrats! Finally the packets are coming in! Maybe CDJ is getting its act together after the holidays. let's hope so.

Cheap hotel close by? anyone else know about this?

[AgRo 0]

Congrats to those who got their packet this past week!! My packet hasn't come yet... I wonder why

Is anyone going to fill out DS 230, 157, or 158? I think 157 is for males between 16 and 45 years old. On the CDJ website http://ciudadjuarez.usconsulate.gov/ 157 and 158 are listed, and they are also under k1 visa forms on Visa Journey, but I don't think these forms are necessary for CDJ. Is this true?

I really hope my packet arrives on Monday... My fiance wants to go to Juarez for the interview Feb 11-14, and he does not want to risk picking up the packet at the window. He won't make reservations until the packet arrives, but I'm afraid that if it doesn't arrive in the next couple of days he won't get a good price on flights and hotel. I was really hoping that it would be here by now.. oh well... still waiting.

[kitkat1 5]

Is anyone going to fill out DS 230, 157, or 158? I think 157 is for males between 16 and 45 years old. On the CDJ website http://ciudadjuarez.usconsulate.gov/ 157 and 158 are listed, and they are also under k1 visa forms on Visa Journey, but I don't think these forms are necessary for CDJ. Is this true?

AgRo, you can't go by the forms on VJ because every consulate has different requirements.

CDJ requires the DS-156K (Fiance Visa Application) and the DS-156 (For all non-immigrant visa applicants) and the DS-157 (for all male non-immigrant visa applicants between 16-45) and proof of economic support. The DS-156 and DS-157 must be filled out online with the barcode generated.

They don't use the DS-230 for fiances - that one is only for immigrant visas and isn't listed in the Fiance packet. The DS-158 also does not apply to K1 applicants - only F1 and J1 - and isn't listed in the Fiance packet.

Based on the email that Danielle and Uriel got, it sure looks like you can get the copy of the letter at the information booth a day or two prior, but honestly I personally would wait for the packet . . . it's one less thing to worry about taking care of in CDJ.

[ucla_cutie26 0]

Hi everyone,

I finally have my report on Juan’s experience in Ciudad Juarez. I actually took notes when he was reporting back to me. Okay here goes . . . .

Juan arrived in Ciudad Juarez on Sunday and he said that it was freezing. As soon as he got off the plane, he could feel the cold. So for those of you headed there, make sure you prepare for the extremely cold temperature. He arrived in the Juarez airport and said that it’s a very small airport. He took a taxi to his hotel (right in front of the consulate). The taxi ride cost 220 pesos.

As for the hotel he stayed at, it was the Hotel La Playa, directly in front of the consulate however, he told me to tell you guys: HE DID NOT RECOMMEND THIS HOTEL. He said the hotel was not safe, that anyone could really get into it. Also, he said that the room he got was like the last one on the second floor and he felt all isolated on the edge. Also, he said that the food in the restaurant of the hotel was terrible. Oh yeah not to mention that one of the locks in his door was broken, which made him paranoid all the time. Also, the lights went out for a few hours on the last night he was there. So, definitely for those of you headed to Juarez soon, do not stay in Hotel La Playa. BTW, the price of the hotel was about 510 pesos a night, so I guess we should have known better. Oh yeah, and the cleaning lady would take any money he left laying around in the room. He left purposely 20 pesos in change on the bed and when he returned it was gone. So then, every day he would just leave some money around for her. So to everyone still headed to Juarez, DO NOT STAY IN HOTEL LA PLAYA.

His medical was on Monday. He went to the clinic in front of the consulate. He arrived at 6:20 and was allowed in right away. He waited for about 2 hours to be called to take his picture. Then waited a while, then was called to take blood. Then he was sent upstairs to wait some more. This is when he started to hear all the talk about vaccines and everyone asking each other which vaccines they needed, etc. So then he panicked thinking he needed vaccines and sent me a text message asking me about which vaccines he needed. But then I told him that he wouldn’t be taking his vaccines in Juarez and that he would get them here in the U.S. Then he was called for a chest x-ray and then the physical. He said it was pretty quick and very professional. He paid 1600 pesos and returned at 2 pm for the results.

Then he went to Banamex to pay the interview fee. It was 1,160 pesos. Oh yeah, and he forgot his passport in the hotel so he had to go back for it. So, please don’t forget your passport guys.

On Tuesday was the interview day. He arrived at about 6:30 AM and was let in at around 7. He said that he waited for 4 hours, yup 4 hours, to be let in to building C. The entire time he was waiting to be allowed into the actual building because it was too full inside. He said he honestly felt like he was going to freeze to death. He was called to window #12 at about 1 to turn in all the forms they needed. They kept almost all the financial forms that I sent him with. Here is what they kept:

*Fiance’s original birth certificate and a copy

*CDJ Form-402 (fiance’s intent to marry form)

*2 DS-156 forms

*1 DS-156K

For the financial stuff:

*I-134 for co-sponsor

*I-134 for me

*Letter from employer for co-sponsor

*Letter from employer for myself

*Tax transcript for 2005 for co-sponsor

*Tax transcript for 2005 for myself

*Bank statements for an entire year for myself

They only looked at paystubs for both my co-sponsor and myself, but returned those to him.

Oh yes, they also kept these other things:

*My original birth certificate

*My letter of intent

*My affidavit stating the reasons I did not attend my fiance’s interview (thanks kitkat for recommending my fiancé take it, because it helped)

Also, it is important to mention that they needed new passport pictures from my fiancé. Although he took 8 different pictures, none were good enough for them. So they gave him a pass, to go across from the consulate and pay 150 pesos for 2 pictures.

So then, he gave his fingerprints and then was sent to Building B and again had to wait outside in the cold until there was space inside. Not to mention that it was raining also. This was when he bought a sandwich and juice and waited to be let in.

Then was allowed in and waited to be called. He was called to window #27 for his interview. He said the CO was an older gentleman, but was pretty nice. He asked him about 5 questions.

*Who petitions for him

*When we met

*What do I work in

*Where do I live

*Where I was born

Then the CO told him, “okay, you are approved, welcome to the US, please sit to wait to be called for your visa.” Then my fiancé was very happy and sat down to be called to pick up visa. He said that by this time, it was getting close to 4 o’clock and they started to give slips to people to return for the next day. So he started to think that he may have to return the next day for his visa and passport. But luckily we had planned an extra day in Juarez, just in case. However, this wasn’t necessary because they called him. But then when they called him, something strange happened. They called him, and made him swear again, to tell the truth, blah blah blah and then they INTERVIEWED HIM AGAIN. My fiancé said that he was about to tell the CO that they had already interviewed him and told him he would receive the visa. But then the CO told him, “Don’t worry I know you were already interviewed, but this time it is to take care of some little details.” Then my fiancé, thought to himself, “oh no, they don’t want to give it to me.” But then he thought that there was nothing else he could do, but continue with the interview. This CO asked him many questions, some of which my fiancé had already been asked. This was in window #29. He asked him:

*When we met

*My date of birth

*If he has came to the U.S.

*When was the last time he entered the U.S.

*How long he stayed in the U.S. when he came

*If he had any problems with the police when he came to the U.S. (this question was asked about 3 times by the officer. The last time he asked Juan this question, Juan told him that he was only 12 years old the last time he came to the U.S. and he told the CO that all he wanted was to go to Disneyland.)

*He questioned about our wedding plans. When? Where?

*When he planned on entering the U.S.

*Where I worked

*Where I was born

*Last time I visited him in Mexico

*Until when we became a couple

*Until when we were engaged

*If he knew my family

*Where he met my family

*If I knew his family

*If this was his first marriage, If it was my first marriage, if any of us had kids

*If I was there with him in Juarez (Here is where my affidavit really helped because my fiancé said that as the CO asked him this question, he had my signed and dated affidavit in front of him explaining why I wasn’t in Juarez with him. He said that it really helped to send that with my fiancé)

Then the CO, told my fiancé, go and sit down, now you will get your visa.

So we have no idea why this second interview was needed. Maybe the first guy wasn’t convinced with something my fiancé said in the first interview. Who knows. By the time Juan left the consulate, it was about 5:30 and he said that there were only 8 people left in there.

Oh yeah, Juan said that they didn’t look at any evidence, nothing. They told him that they had enough. They even returned about 5 pictures, I guess we went a little overboard with the pictures we submitted with our initial petition and then the RFE paperwork.

So that’s our review of my fiance’s interview. I hope it helps those still headed to Juarez. Oh yes, I forgot to the VJ member, who asked about the language spoken in the consulate. Everything was done in Spanish, so don’t worry.

Good luck to all headed there soon!

[kitkat1 5]

Great info!

That was a weird interview experience. I cannot believe they asked so many detailed questions! I am also shocked they kept your birth certificate but returned your pay stubs - they did exactly the opposite for me! I've also read on I2us that the CO at window 27 is incredibly mean so Juan was super lucky!

Regarding the hotel, the Holiday Inn Lincoln booked online is around $69 US a night so it sounds like it's a much better choice than the Hotel La Playa.

Also, since fiances are told to come to the consulate between 8 and 10 am, it seems it's better to arrive on the later side. I know my fiance arrived later and did not wait all that long in line.

Congrats again Ale - I remember your first few posts here with questions and it's so great to see you have a happy ending!