Moving to Venezuela, but no visa yet - how to handle immigrations

[spectrrr 14]

In April I'm moving to Venezuela and marrying my fiance. I've been to Venezuela 8 times over the past 5 years, and I am still using the same "well stamped" passport with that evidence.

Here's my catch 22 - everything I understand about applying for a 1-year visa to stay in the country requires that I already be in the country, and apply in person in Caracas. Esta bien... no hay problema... pero.... what happens when I show up at the airport requesting admission as a tourist... and yet I'm dragging enough stuff with me to move there (because I AM moving there!)

I have fond memories last year when some form of special police (NOT customs) picked me out of the airport immigration line, took me and my bags over to a little room, and spent the next 45 minutes carefully examining everything I owned and grilling/questioning me on anything imaginable (friends, reasons, etc.)... even then they commented that it looked like I was moving. I can't imagine what this next trip will look like... and I'm not sure what to tell the immigrations officer (or god forbid, a more thorough examination). Technically I can't tell the immigration officer that duration of stay = 1 year, because I don't have a visa! And I can't say duration of stay = 2 months, because that's a lie, I'm staying for a year!! How the heck do I get through the airport with all of my stuff intact? I'm not exactly wealthy, this will be my only trip into/out of the country for the next year.....

Edited February 3, 2013 by spectrrr

[Andrea&Henry 311]

Hi! Well! It's very complicated...I know is not my business but you shouldn't move in to Venezuela. I'm venezuelan and I would never go back again, only to visit. It's very very VERY dangerous. Apply for the k1 visa and wait for her to get it. Mine only took me 6 month, once I got here, we got married. If you are planning to go to Vzla and stay, you need to apply for CR1 visa (spouse no fiance). Usually, the CR1 takes between 8 to 13 month. Back to topic...well I know what you went through cause my now husband went through the same. I didn't have a tourist visa back then so he was the one who always traveled. He was born in Venezuela but raised here in the States. So he only have his american passport. Everytime he need to go through immigration...same old story! "Why if you were born in Venezuela , why don't you have a venezuelan passport? They kept him for ours! Besides that, they said that his reoccurrent travels to Venezuela were pretty suspicius. They treated him like a criminal, searching into his bags and clothes. One time, he brought me a present from Victoria Secret(creams, oils and splash) and they took it away from him...thank God once I got my k1 visa I promise him he would never go through that again. I can't tell you to lie, be honest and the best of lucks

[spectrrr 14]

jejeje, viviendo en Venezuela no sera como viviendo en EEUU, esto es cierto! jeje, pero tambien... sera ok. I've spent about 6 weeks every year there. I am/was a wedding photographer, which allowed me to determine my own schedule. I lived with friends in Maracay, but on the other side. I spent 2-3 hours a day on the bus traveling to meet her, algunas veces regresando en la noche. Se algunas de los peligros, jeje. Anyway, there are many reasons I decided it best to live there for our first year.

1) I want to be more Venezuelan! My fiance is Venezuelan, and she thinks like a Venezuelan. So I want to learn everything I can about her culture.

2) Mi espaniol no es tan bueno... necesito practicarlo muchoooo mas. Todavia no entiendo mucho cuando otra jente habla... solamente entender a mi novia. jeje. Un ano alli sera bien por esto....

3) We're done waiting. We were done waiting last year. But she still has one year (2013) remaining in her university.

4) She's never traveled or been out of the country. Knowing her like I do, I think it will be MUCH easier for our marriage if she can adapt to married life with me while she is still in her home country and environment. Then next year when we move to the USA, at least one thing in her life (our marriage) will not change.

Really, I don't mind living in Venezuela for a year. My father was a pilot, and he had me traveling when I was very young. I travel cautiously, without flashy things, and generally go unnoticed (as much as a white man can be in south america)... and I go with dios, y confio que el me proteger.

Naguara, ellos quitar las cremas! jeje, I think the customs officer wanted a present for his girlfriend

Two years ago when the special airport officer searched my bag,he found my Leatherman Multitool and said very strongly that it was illegal because it had the small knife inside. But he did not take it. Jeje, Last year, the normal customs guy found my leatherman, and he did not say anything, he only saw the pliers and then put it back in the bag. Jejeje. I left the leartherman and a few other things in my friends house last year, jeje, I did not want to try and be lucky a third time with customs. Better to have one in the country, y listo.

jeje, I remember 3 years ago, I was there during one of the elections. EVERY day la guardia nacional stopped the bus on my way into Maracay and inspected the ID for everyone. Always they asked me why I did not have a cedula. jajajajaja. Increible!

[Andrea&Henry 311]

Well! Jajajaja! Now I understand why but either way I wouldn't do it if I were you! Hahahahahahah anyways, Im just giving you an advice but sounds like a good plan! Remember to take everything you need with you for the CR1 package, my biggest concern are you taxes. You need them including recent pay stubs and job letter for your I864 (affidavit of support). This is one of the most important point, you need to prove you are able to support your wife here in the US. Besides that, I strongly suggest you to pay english lessons for her while she still in Venezuela. I know she probably know one thing or two, but have her ready for upcoming new life. Is really kind of you that you are helping her. Have a new life in another country and in addition being a newlywed is not easy, too many changes so sudden. In my case, I arrived to the States 9 month ago. Thank God I'd some sense of english language, but my husband made me everything easier. Adjusting to my marry life was pretty easy, the hardest part was trying to adjust to my new life here. But it was like It was meant to be, I absolutely love this country and I know that my heart and my home is now here. I can't picture myself living some where else. How is life here for the beneficiary? Not easy at all, after 2 month without seeing my friends and family, without working, having no friends yet and not being able to grab a car and go out, I became a little bit depress. Loneliness takes a toll on you. It was really hard, but in the other hand, I was married to the love of my life and he made everything to make my life easier. Even when you guys are gonna be newlyweds soon, she needs to spend a lot of time with her family and friends, as long as she stays there. Try to get her ready for her new life. As soon as you get here, she need her SSN and driver's license issue so she can start working on her indepency as soon as she gets here. Sorry if I made some mistakes while I was writing. English is not my first language at all hahahahaha and I only being here since April.

[spectrrr 14]

jeje, esta bien. When we first met, I did not speak one word of Spanish! We spoke only using online translators. jejeje. I learned to read the HORRIBLE english that the translator would say. jeje. Your English is good. The words you miss don't actually matter for understanding the meaning of the setence, they only give it a grammatically polished look.

Until now, we have only spoken Spanish. For many years she did not have internet, we only spoke via MSN messages sent to Digitel. So I learned spanish while reading the correcting the machine translator here on my computer. jeje. Speaking on the telephone, the sounds are too difficult to hear for me to teach her English. I think when I arrive, I will begin teaching her English this year. She already knows a little. Her dad is fluent in English, she learned a little from him, but she did not have any motivation to learn it before she met me. And she always surprises me, her pronunciation is very good.

I worry the most about driving. She has never driven. My first priority is for her to go to a driving school in Venezuela and learn to drive (manual transmission I hope). I think if she can be comfortable driving in Venezuela, then it should be very easy for her to drive in America. Then I only have to teach her to drive in the snow (I grew up in Ohio, in the north)...jaja... esto me da mucho miedo!

I know the transition in America, without friends and family, will be difficult for her. That is something difficult for me to empathize with. I was the only child in my family, and my family is small, and I grew up in a house in the country. jeje. I am comfortable to never see a single human for 3 weeks, alone in the house. The latin family culture is VERY different from this! (it is a better culture, I think. Family is important.)..... but I do not know yet how to help her with this transition. I only know that we should move to a city with bastante latinos, que ella va a necesitar amigos rapido.

mmmm, sh**, I have honestly not given the CR1 document requirements enough consideration yet.... Right now I'm trying desperately to get my mother's house cleaned out and sold before I leave. But I am beginning to believe that I may have to return for a week in May to finalize things. I'll make a note to examine those document requirements soon. I have no recent pay stubs or taxes to speak about (I shut down my business over a year ago to take care of my mother at home, now she's in an assisted living facility). My Uncle here in the USA will co-sponsor her. Once I arrive in venezuela, I will spend a few months learning computer programming and I will work from my home to earn US$. Even a small $ income will be better than a good job in BsF. And I don't have to apply for a work visa.

My poor fiance has no idea about the document HELL we are about to begin. She had a very small taste of this when she tried to get a tourist visa, jeje... but it will be nothing compared to the joys of the immigration documents!

[Andrea&Henry 311]

Well! She need a lot of help so far. English is her biggest priority, second one driving. I drive since I was 18 and Im 26. Even when I had a previous experience It took me a while to drive by my own here in the States. Driving rules here, are completely different, so after getting my driver's license, my husband gave me a few lessons for an entire month. When I felt more comfy he bought me an GPS. In Caracas, driving is not an extream necessity...you have public transportation, taxis, subway and everything is very close by. But here in the states, everything is so far away...it took me a few month to get my own car, my husband bought me an suv for my bday. But it was very frustated! I can't even walk to the grocery store (35 min). But yes, definitely, english and driving are number one priority! About the papers, you should take a look! Don't leave things for the very last moment. You need all those documents for you CR1 package. You need at least 20,000 income per year for an 2 houselhold. Check the poverty guide. That's good to know that you already have a co sponsor. You will need a copy of his/hers last 3 taxes or w2, paystubs, job letter etc. I know it's a little bit overwhealming but getting all this paperwork together takes time and if you are planning to leave by April, I think you're running out of time dear. But trust me, once you read all the guides, putting all the paperwork together it's pretty easy. Once you send the cr1 all you have to do is wait. Then, the NOA2 (approval) should be arriving by mail (you must keep an P.O box in the US) within 4 to 8 month. Once you got her NOA2, you need to make the arrangements for her to get her medical examination done by a civil surgean in Venezuela. She needs her vaccines information. After that she should have her interview at the Consulate. You can go with her. Is quite a journey but If you guys work together carefully, it's actually pretty easy. And well, talking about how is she gonna adjust, only time can tell...if she doesn't speak english, never drive before, never left the country and live in a VERY small city, adjusting to a life in the States will be quite a challenge for her but with time and patients she is gonna make it. She' s gonna be sad once in a while, missing her friends and family, adjusting to the culture, to the language...but there are ways to help her. A lot of highschools offers free english lessons here in the States, for immigrants. She can learn fluent english while she makes new friends. I bet you have your own friends, and those friends have girlfriends and wives. Most of my currents friends, are the wives/girlfriends of husband's friends. Be involve with churches, charity is always a good idea. Try to spend most of your time with her while she adjust, make plans together, teach her. My husband says that he feels like he adopt me instead of marrying me hahaha. Unfortunely, we cant avoid the dependency.

[spectrrr 14]

What was the hardest thing to learn about driving here? The principle difference between here and driving in Venezuelan? I have never driven in Venezuela, but here I am a very good driver (skilled, aggressive, no accidents). It seemed to me from observing Venezuelan drivers that the principle difference is the rules. In venezeueal, there are very few rules, but you must always watch the road for damage (potholes), and other drivers because there are no rules. Here in America the roads are good, and you must follow the rules. This seems much easier to me. It is always easier to follow a rule than it is to improvise. I am curious what I can teach her while we are in Venezuela so that she can be ready more quickly to drive here.

I spent the last 3 years caring for my sick mother. My income last year was zero! So I will definitely need a co sponsor! I will keep my current PO Box, it also is for my bank cards.

Fortunately, she has lived all her life in Maracay, At least she understands the big city! She speaks a little English, but honestly I do not know how much! our relationship has always been 100% in Spanish. Now will be the time to begin learning

jejeje, I suppose the relationship will be equal. I will be very dependent on her when I am living in Venezuela. I can do some things, va por el mercado, etc... pero no mucho mas.... mi espaniol todavia falta algo para entender a otroa jente... jeje... entonces cuando llegamos a los EEUU, ella puedes tener su veganza y ser dependiente de mi. jeje.

[NickD 203]

I can only stay a few hours in Caracas, gasoline fumes are so strong, get terrible headaches. People drive like maniacs down there, most don't have any insurance and if they hit your car, you are screwed. Wife won't even let me go down south due to the bandits, she was kidnapped at 18 and had her life threatened. She does own a condo in San Antonio on top of a mountain, that is nice. Worth around $350,000 at the so-called fair exchange rate, but if we did sell it, can't bring the money out. Also has bars on all the windows, like living in a prison. Three keys to get inside of the door.

Can't drink the water if there is any, we installed two hundred gallon tanks for a reserve, internet, cable, and electricity all suck, daily failures and this is in a much better neighborhood. I always note a fear in her, doesn't bother me with those little Venezuelans, we were attacked once, but guess they didn't want to fool around with a 6 foot 2 guy. A major disaster is going on today where the Bolivar is under a going devaluation of 46%, this is after a 22% last year inflation rate. The grocery stores are empty. Car parts are outrageous, about ten times the cost here.

Then those mountains and mountains of shacks, unbelievable. The corruption is terrible, just so I wouldn't have to wait 3-4 years to bring my wife and daughter her, sent around $10,000 to Miami bank accounts, call that an expedient fee. Most of it was to correct errors in their key documents they made, so we had proper documentation for the USCIS.

Medical down there is terrible, why do you think Chavez is going to all places like Cuba? Wife had a very good job down there when I first met her executive assistant to the general manager working for an American based company. All that is history, over 500 people been laid off, her co-workers are living in poverty. Was down there during the elections, their university was loaded with AK-47's military guys pointed at students so they couldn't even demonstrate. TV was terrible, unless you liked to watch Chavez speak on every TV channel. Internet is severely censored, when it works.

Yes, English was a problem, then my 14 year old stepdaughter couldn't speak a word of, spend 4-6 hours per night and weekends helping her with her homework. Today, she graduated with honors and has a high paying job in Milwaukee. Wife was good with the written version of English, today, a high paid medical interpreter. They also love the idea they can go out at night without being attacked.

I could move down to Venezuela in a moment if it wasn't for the politics, 365 days of summer, no more heating and air conditioning cost.

Wife is expecting a new grandson, her son is still stuck down there, wants a baby stroller, price down there is over a thousand bucks! My stepdaughter couldn't go back until she was 18, her biological father refused to give her permission to get a Venezuelan passport. Though she was going to stay down there the way she talked, she couldn't wait to come back home.

[spectrrr 14]

I've lived in Maracay with friends for 6 weeks a year for the last few years, so I do have some idea of the mess I'm getting myself into... water / power goes out pretty frequently. especially the water in his neighborhood was only ON for 3-5 hours every 2 days... had to fill your tank quick then.

At this point I have no difficulty drinking any of the water I have encountered there. Nastiest bug I got lasted me a full day, from eating unwashed strawberries from a street vendor (yeah, not my brightest moment, but what can I say, I grew up on a farm).

Flew into Caracas once 5 years ago. I havn't stepped foot in the city since. I guess I'll be making a few trips this year to the American Embassy, and to request a 1-year Venezuelan visa. I DON'T travel south, too risky. Security is always a concern, but, I always try to carry enough cash (200bsf) that a robber is not angry to receive nothing, and if he want it, he can have anything I have. I don't care. Here's $30 for my life, seems like a fair trade.

I'm a very skilled driver here in the States, but I don't drive in Venezuela for the same reason you don't sell your condo - if I did have the money to buy a decent car there (I don't), I couldn't get the money back out of the country if I leave!

Currency is a real mess down there, no denying that. I majored in Intl. economics though, so understanding it is... a little easier for me. 22% inflation seems low compared to the numbers on the street that I see (like that baby stroller)... I think inflation for most common goods not subsidized by the government (like groceries) is probably closer to 60%. For some things, like green lettuce, the rate has almost tripled in the last 18 months.

What are the trouble spots to avoid in getting my wife's documentation together for the Visa application? Where does the corruption show up the most in this process?

[NickD 203]

Never was checked once at the Caracas airport, just got off the plane and walked in. Major problem was those hundreds of cab drivers trying to grab my bags. We live 350 miles from the Chicago Venezuelan Consulate, would have to check with my wife, thought that is where we would go to get their visa. Still have to make trips down there, her US passport is no good going to her home country, thanks to an agreement our DOS made with them. Since she still owns property, had to maintain her Venezuelan citizenship to keep it, otherwise Chavez will take it away. He also started that Hitler policy of neighbors squealing on neighbors for rewards. Have to be careful what you say.

When my wife to be and I started to get serious, wasn't much of a debate where to live. She is very much of an American woman now except she still holds at weight at a nice 120 pounds. We can even buy that PAN arepa flour here in town. Yes we have not one, but three arepa makers, two, four, and a six.

When we go down there to the stores, man living here really spoiled her, 632 different species of produce in our grocery stores. With very reasonable prices. So was wondering about your gal, doesn't she want to come here. Last weekend, took her and her daughter shopping in Milwaukee, as St. Paul, Appleton, Madison, Chicago, they have a blast with the huge choices we have here.

Also have a large home in the woods, can blast the HiFi without bothering anybody. She can hit the remote in the car, drive directly in the garage and just walk a couple of feet to the inside of our home.

For me, she is one in a million. We live only fours minutes away from the hospital where she works, I drop off at the front door each morning and pick her up at night. In Venezuela, she had to get up at 5:00 AM to be at work on time. Was going mad here, would talk to her briefly at quitting time, many times she didn't get home until 11:00 PM due to accidents, mud slides or whatever.

What are you going to do down there to earn a living? Wife said I would be good with my technical skills. I know the feeling when you meet that very special person and you want to be together. But where? My stepdaughter didn't want to come here, now, she never wants to go back to Venezuela. No car, no job, no freedom.

[spectrrr 14]

Never was checked once at the Caracas airport, just got off the plane and walked in. Major problem was those hundreds of cab drivers trying to grab my bags. We live 350 miles from the Chicago Venezuelan Consulate, would have to check with my wife, thought that is where we would go to get their visa. Still have to make trips down there, her US passport is no good going to her home country, thanks to an agreement our DOS made with them. Since she still owns property, had to maintain her Venezuelan citizenship to keep it, otherwise Chavez will take it away. He also started that Hitler policy of neighbors squealing on neighbors for rewards. Have to be careful what you say.

But... how the heck.. from my reading, it looked like the ONLY way to get a US passport was to renounce Venezuelan citizenship. I didn't realize it was possible to maintain both passports...

I stay out of politics when I'm there. Partly for my security, and partly because I think that a foreign citizen who is there visiting, a guest, doesn't have much business or right butting their head into what's best for someone else!

I've got a cupboard here stocked with Malta Polar y Harena PAN. I'm lucky enough to have a place 2 hours from me that sells it relatively cheap. I am going to miss blasting the HiFI... and having the HiFi in the first place!

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The short version of our plan is that she is beginning her final year of Dental school in Venezuela. She should finish up by the end of 2013 hopefully. The plan is to spend Christmas 2013 there with her family, and move to the USA sometime in early 2014. Once here, she'll have to go back to school for two more years here in order to get her US based degree and practice here in the states. The US degree also opens up international potential as well, there's a lot of places in the world we could go and she could still practice dental medicine if she has a US degree.

I find myself in a position to make an educated opinion about the strengths and weaknesses of living in each country. My father was a pilot, he had me on a plane when I was 3 weeks old, and I have been traveling sporadically ever since. I haven't seen that much of the world... but I've seen more than the average American (maybe not the average American here on VJ, LOL). I've seen plenty of Venezuela, and America, and I can compare them both, the cultures and the services available, the living conditions, etc.

But my fiance? She has only ever known Venezuela. She has never traveled outside of Venezuela, or very far from home. Our honeymoon will be the first time she's ever left the country or set foot on a plane. She has not even experienced the full variety of the limited choices available to her in Venezuela, because her family is relatively poor. So she does not have any real form of comparison or comprehension about what kind of life really awaits her here in the US.

So we have not really pushed the issue very far, until she has an opportunity to live here in the US for a year and see the difference. THEN we can have a more fruitful conversation together about where we want to put down roots and start a family. USA, Venezuela, somewhere else in the world. I'm confident that once she comes here, she will have a similar reaction to most and not want to return! But I'll let time work it's course.

For the moment, we're going mad being apart. We've been going mad for the last two years years. Ya Basta. I'd rather live there with nothing but the very basics (and often, lacking the basics), but WITH HER, than I would to live here in the states for another year, apart. I also want to live there so I can improve my Spanish and really absorb even more of my fiances culture, before we come here. Helps me to better understand her, and I like having multiple arrows in the quiver, so to speak.

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WHAT TO DO FOR WORK! That is the question isn't it... Any work I do there will require a work visa. I do have a varied skill set. I am a professional photographer, but it's probably not worth the hassle to do it down there. Security problems for expensive gear, not all that much money in doing the actual work, etc.... Other options - I grew up in a family business (intl. specialty foods) and studied Intl. Business/Econ in college. If my Spanish were to get a little better, I could probably find expat work with international oriented companies.

BUT all of those options have a common problem - earning bolivars in a market where getting them out of the country again is not easy, and their value is relatively low and sinking lower. So my planned work path is in computers. I've been building and fixing them since the Pentium 1. I plan on taking a few months off when I get there, to learn and make the jump into programming. (just what language, I'm not sure yet... thinking JAVA and android). In that field, I can work from home (more secure), and earn dollars that will be waiting for us when we move to the US. And even a very low starting income in programming is still more than I would earn from most jobs in Venezuela.

My wife coming from a poor family has it's advantages. She's used to living relatively cheaply . I have enough saved and budgeted to last us a year (living very conservatively, in the manner she's already accustomed to) and then get us back here. Nothing more. But if that doesn't work... I'm very technically inclined, and a fast learner, so I'm confident I'll find some way to earn a living there. I hope! And I'm not without some support network in Venezuela, I am very good friends with her pastor (he knew my father 25 years ago, and visiting him was how I met her in the first place!), and through him I have access to a number of trustworthy people around the area.

Edited February 15, 2013 by spectrrr

[NickD 203]

Was thirteen months for us, told my wife many times, meeting her really made my life miserable, but in a nice way. Did have a life, my work, my own kids, but after meeting her, and complications as she called them, just weren't free to live our lives the way we wanted to. And I was constantly worried about her. Day started off with a quick call, thank God for these calling cards. But was many days due their poor infrastructure, couldn't contact her at all. Those were very long days.

Went through a very terrible divorce, became a women hater, and was left deep in debt. Contemplated suicide for a couple of seconds, but figured to take one day at a time. With four years of extra hard work, I am a consulting engineer, was debt free. Happened a lot quicker than I could imagine, without having an ex that spent money faster than I earned it. Even jointed a single club, over 400 women, nothing there for me. But one day, met her by chance. Wasn't even looking, just gave up that idea. We instantly became friends that went on for a year and were both finding we couldn't live without each other. Never believed in soulmates until then.

Never even heard about the USCIS until then, one key reason for us not living the lives we preferred. We promised we would never let 3 months go by without being together, either she flying up here or me down there. Least I was in a position where I could set my own hours.

Realize I am just a visitor in Venezuela, kept a low profile, would smile, already aware about their way overcrowded prisons. Was helpful in her position, she dealt with the American Embassy down there and had many friends. Was no problem for her to get a visa for her and her daughter to come here. She also brought her daughter here, call that a complication, her biological father was an alcoholic and drug user. This kid definitely needed love and a caring father, I could handle that. She is finally learning how great her step brothers and sisters are, wanted to cut herself off from them for years. Ha, now I am receiving thank yous and thank yous. Now I am hoping she meets the love of her life.

One thing about Venezuela, the universities are free to eligible students, stepson graduated two years ago with a professional degree in architecture. Only problem is, he can't find a job, so we still have to send him money. No problem whatsoever sending in US dollars to Venezuela. We did manage to sell my wife's extra apartment in Caracas, just told my wife to give that money to him, we can't get it out, so at least we have extra money in the bank. Wife did petition for him five years ago, we are still waiting. Sure doesn't help that Chavez kicked out the American Ambassador in Venezuela, Our governments retort to this was kicking out the Venezuelan Ambassador out of Washington.

At times, I wonder why we even need leaders, just a big fat pain in the butt. Made many friends in Venezuela, us common people can get a long just fine, its those idiotic leaders that are causing all the problems. Really don't need that.

[mvale 0]

realmente te deseo toda la suerte del mundo en todos tus planes!!

[NickD 203]

Stepson is going nuts down there, haven't the slightest idea of what's going on with all those idiots. A circuit breaker kicked out, his electrician is breaking up all the walls trying to find the short. Using all conduit in that apartment, made a lot of corrections to that terrible sloppy work. Only thing I can gather is only one circuit breaker when out. Then my wife tells me the problem was in the refrigerator, maybe not even in the wiring!

I can't get straight answers, maybe I should have flown down there and repaired that myself. Not even sure if I can bring my tools through customs. Priced tools down there, all junk and at outrageous problems.

Still think the best option is to get him the hell out of there, especially with this devaluation of 46% of that VFE. Value of the dollar sure went up, could bring a couple of thousand and hit that Chavez run black market. Surprised the people down there don't revolt.

So far he spent 40,000 VFE and no further ahead than when they started. Just asked my wife how many dollars is that, so confusing now, she doesn't even know. Their notaries and judges sure love US dollars.

[Jose&Jenna 0]

Hello! I live in Caracas and have been here for 2 years. I flew into Caracas with 5 suitcases and I didn't claim anything on my customs form, since nothing was brand new. They never stopped me, and I was passed through customs quickly. As a missionary, we have missions trips from the USA that come down all the time and we never have problems in customs, and they always bring MANY suitcases of things to donate to the orphanage. You should be fine. Your one problem might be that sometimes the USA airline will not allow you to fly into Venezuela with a one-way ticket. I had to purchase a roundtrip ticket. Once I arrived to Caracas, 2 years ago, I applied for a Transuente visa that lasts one year. It costs around $1000. I have a contact that I can message you in private that can get it done for you, and save you days and days of waiting in lines. I met my fiancé in Venezuela, and we applied for our fiance (K-1) visa in September 2012. As soon as we are approved we will move to Minnesota and live in the States a few years. I understand how you want to improve your español and how you want to understand her culture better. Those are extremely important aspects of a successful marriage. But she also needs to learn your language and your culture. I have spent the first 2 years of our relationship in Venezuela and have learned to speak fluently and understand everything, and now it is my fiancé's turn to learn my language better and understand my culture. He has been to the USA over 20 times as a visitor, but you mentioned your fiance has not traveled. It is very important she learns about the USA culture, it eliminates many problems that intercultural marriages experience. If you need any help or have any questions, feel free to contact me. My fiance and I have many contacts in Caracas and would be happy to help you out!

Blessings!