MEXICO, CIUDAD JUAREZ K-1 VISA - medical exam, interview & approval

[jessekins09 3]

I was reading one of the sites that you gave me....http://www.visajourney.com/consulates/index.php?ctry=Mexico&cty=Juarez

OH! so when it asks for a credit/debit card, I can pay it and afterwards it will show me a calendar and we can choose the date that we want? That makes more sense Haha sorry, we were totally confused yesterday because it said that once we click submit that it will charge the card and that every time we click submit the card will be charged and is not refundable. so that just means that we should be care to click submit only once and then it will show us the calendar and allow us to choose the actual interview date? can we choose any date that will work for us or do they assign us a date?

sorry, but thank you so much for the help. a lot of this stuff is just confusing :/

[KayDeeCee 4,893]

But that page doesn't say you do the ASC on the same day in the consulate. It says:

Most visa applicants in Mexico are required to visit an Applicant Service Center (ASC) prior to their consular section interview. The ASC staff collects the applicant's biometric information that will be reviewed by the consular section prior to the applicant's interview. The ASCs are located in buildings separate from the U.S. Embassy and Consulates. For more information go to

http://mexico.usvisa-info.com/en-MX/selfservice/us_before_you_apply

On this site you will also be able to fill out the newly required e-form DS-260, choose a DHL pickup location, and pay your MRV fee.

If you are reading reviews older than 2011, then that may not be too helpful, if that is where you got that idea. Back then the procedure was different and fingerprinting was done at the interview. It has not been that way for years now.

You pick your interview date, and then the ASC appointment date.

And again, this post really does talk you through the scheduling> http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/437504-cdj-ds-260-how-many-one-for-fiancee-k1-and-one-for-child-k2/?p=6324284

I think just after you create an account the website will ask you a question about purpose of travel or visit to consulate, I can't quite remember how it was worded, but pick the answer "IMMIGRANT CONSULATE HAS ASKED YOU TO SCHEDULE - FIANCE OF US CITIZEN"

Once you pay, you can see the calendar with available consulate interview dates. You can now select your date for your interview. One thing I didn't know, is that first the website had me pick the date for the Consulate Interview. I picked a date and then went on to pick the ASC appointment date. I actually then found out there were only a limited number of available dates for the ASC appointment that would work for us.

[jessekins09 3]

Oh ok! Sounds great.

I do have a question then...

Could my fiance go to the consulate in Mexico City for the ASC appointment and have her medical exam done there as well? And then go to Ciudad Juarez just for the interview? It would be easier and much cheaper. Our whole problem is that my fiance lives in Mexico City and we think its absolutely STUPID that she has to go all the way to Ciudad Juarez to do this garbage when there is a consulate there in Mexico City. Because instead now we have to look at airfare, hotels, food, and that kind of stuff. It complicates things. But if she only had to go for a couple of days that would help A LOT. (Arrive in Ciudad Juarez one day, have the interview the next and leave the following day).

[KayDeeCee 4,893]

There is an ASC office in Mexico City where she can schedule the fingerprinting appointment. You can also choose to have DHL send her visa packet to her in Mexico City so she does not have to wait in Juarez for the visa. However, the medical and interview can only be done in Juarez. So, you could arrive in Juarez, have the medical the next morning, then the interview the day after and leave after the interview. That would only be 2 nights in Juarez.

[JohnE 57]

As a extra note Elizabeth (God willing my soon to be better half) had her medical yesterday. The whole process was very smooth. She arrived at the medical around 6:00 yesterday morning, finished in about two hours and she came back at 2:00 in the afternoon and picked up the famous sealed medical package. Bio today and interview tomorrow.

A note about the medical. At the medical we both know she had to show her passport, DS260 confirmation page, and invitation letter. What we did not know is the medical also requires you to supply a copy of the confirmation of your upcoming interview at the Consulate's office. Elizabeth is an accountant so had 4 copies of everything including the interview confirmation. They informed her if she could not produce the interview confirmation they could not proceed with the medical. She pulled a copy from the file folder she had and they allowed her in.

I agree with you (Jesseking09) that it is crazy to travel to Ciudad Juarez. Elizabeth flew from Mexico City to Ciudad Juarez to complete this process When I joined the United States Marine Corps back in the early 70s there was a poster in the recruiter's office that said "We never promised you a rose garden" and had a picture and a big bad drill instructor yelling at a recruit. Boy were truer words ever printed!

Elizabeth and I have dated over 6 years and met when she was in Atlanta woking under her TN visa. We got engaged last July and started this visa journey. Mind you Elizabeth has gone through tons of processes with her TN and also travel visa. When this visa journey started I think a similar poster to the Marine Corps poster should be produced. It should say "We never promised the visa process would be easy, fast, or inexpensive" In the end every thing I went through to become a Marine was worth it and every thing we have gone through to secure the K1 visa is TOTALLY WORTH IT.

I pray God Bless everyone

[Tony23 11]

Make sure you get the letter from the counsel. I'm confused about what i read that you do or you'd don't need that letter of invitation. I already filled out all the forms and waiting on that letter. Just came came back from Mexico today. Jane to check my PO box in the am hoping its there.

What the usual,time when they tell you it has arrived

[JohnE 57]

Tony,

You need the invitation letter that is sent from the American Consulate's office in Ciudad Juarez. Without the invitation letter you cannot do anything in Ciudad Juarez (medical, biometrics, or interview) Sure you can make your appointments online for biometrics and interview with the case number, invoice number, and beneficiary numbers you get from the National Visa Center but without the letter you are stuck. They mail a copy of the invitation letter to your home in the US and your fiancee's home in Mexico. Normally the person in Mexico never receives the letter due to a bad mail system. I (the US citizen) waited for a number of weeks and never received the letter. I called the Consulate's office in Ciudad Juarez a number of times and was told they will send me a new letter via overnight DHL. I never received the invitation letter via DHL. You can arrive early at the Consulate's office in Ciudad Juarez and go to the information window and ask them to print you the invitation letter. We had decided we had waited long enough so were going to arrive a day early in Ciudad Juarez to get the letter at the information window. As God always has the perfect plan the letter arrived in my mail box the next day. I scanned the letter and emailed it to my fiancee in Mexico City. The letter took almost 40 days to arrive at my home in the US.

Elizabeth arrived in Ciudad Juarez this past Monday afternoon. She had her medical on Tuesday, her biometrics on Wednesday, and her interview is this morning (Thursday 8/1/13). Please note there are a number of other things you need to complete the process in Ciudad Juarez but the invitation letter is major. Let me know if you have any questions. I will post up our journey of what is needed in Ciudad Juarez later this week.

John and Elizabeth

Edited August 1, 2013 by JohnE

[JohnE 57]

As a follow up there were some comments recently that the American Consulate's office in Ciudad Juarez in the past would always print the invitation letter for you at the information window but recently stopped doing that. Ed and Lety (who are on Visa Journey) who I met on VJ and had a number of conversations, never received their invitation letter. Ed and Lety just two weeks ago arrived in Ciudad Juarez and went to the information window and had zero problems getting the Consulate's office to print the invitation letter.

One more comment about the Consulate's office in Ciudad Juarez. I called their office a number of times and each time they were extremely nice and pleasant but...they are a hotbed of incorrect information. If you call their office you can almost bet your bottom dollar you will be supplied with incorrect information. Just ask Kay on VJ! I equate them to a tier 1 operator.

best wishes and God Bless

[jessekins09 3]

I am reading through the list of all the things that my fiance will need to take with her to the interview and I am seeing that I need to provide proof of income. In the instructions it says that form I864 is not required. Can you affirm this?

And also, what should the letter from my employer say?? My boss knows all about my fiance and the visa etc and is more than willing to help me out and do whatever I need. What should I tell him the letter needs to include and say?

Thanks for the help guys!

Oh, also, I found out that you can go to https://ceac.state.gov/CEACStatTracker/Status.aspx? and put in your case # and it will tell you if the paperwork is ready or not and whether or not you can make your interview appointment and it says that as of July 24, 2013 the paperwork is ready and my fiance can schedule her interview appointment. :)

[KayDeeCee 4,893]

I am reading through the list of all the things that my fiance will need to take with her to the interview and I am seeing that I need to provide proof of income. In the instructions it says that form I864 is not required. Can you affirm this?

And also, what should the letter from my employer say?? My boss knows all about my fiance and the visa etc and is more than willing to help me out and do whatever I need. What should I tell him the letter needs to include and say?

Thanks for the help guys!

Oh, also, I found out that you can go to https://ceac.state.gov/CEACStatTracker/Status.aspx? and put in your case # and it will tell you if the paperwork is ready or not and whether or not you can make your interview appointment and it says that as of July 24, 2013 the paperwork is ready and my fiance can schedule her interview appointment.

You need the I-134 for the K-1. When it comes time for AOS, you will need the I-864. With the I-134, provide most recent tax transcript, free from the IRS, letter from employer and most recent pay stubs to prove current annual income.

Basically, your employer letter should state "To whom it may concern: (first name,last name) has been employed

full-time with the XYZ Company since 200_ as a (name of your job), and is an employee in good standing with an

annual salary of $XXXX. Signed, John Doe, Supervisor (or whatever title)" The letter should be on company

letterhead.

http://www.visajourney.com/content/support

Edited August 2, 2013 by Jay-Kay

[jessekins09 3]

once you pay and see the calendar can you wait to schedule the appointment (can you return to the page later to make the appointent?) or do you have to make the appointment at once after paying the $240 online??

[KayDeeCee 4,893]

I would think you could always log back in later to schedule things. You would just have to confirm payment was already made with receipt number when going back to schedule the interview and ASC.

[jessekins09 3]

yeah, i paid it and i can log back in and make an appointment etc. But umm I am talking to me fiance right now her her grandparents got their visas (sponsored by her aunt and uncle who live in the US) and she talked to her grandma and she said that she can go have the physical first, and they will tell her where to go to get her fringerprints and everything done and that she can go there the same day that she has her phsyical and they will give her an appointment for the following day and then the day after that she'll have the interview.
on the website for making the appointment there is only one appointment to make so I am a little confused because I thought that everyone is saying that we make the ASC appointment on that website as well as the interview appointment. I'm all confused now. :/ it sounds easier the way that my fiance's grandmother explained it to her and she was just there back in May to have her interview and everything done and she is now here in the US.

So basically right now we are thinking fly in on Sunday, she'll have her physical on Monday and then go to the building to get the ASC appointment for the following day...on Tuesday have her biometrics and then on Wednesday have her interview and fly back to Mexico City either that day or on Thursday morning.

Edited August 2, 2013 by jessekins09

[jessekins09 3]

we made the appointments for my fiance and are in the process of buying plane tickets! We will go early Monday morning August 26 and her biometrics appointment is in the afternoon. Tuesday August 27 the medical exam and Wednesday August 28 her interview. And if all goes well she will be back in the USA with me on September 14 :)

[KayDeeCee 4,893]

There is no appointment for the medical but the medical personnel do not make the ASC appointments for you, so what the grandparent said is confusing.

How you set it up is how many people do it. They have the ASC appointment, then medical and then the interview. Some have even gone for their medical one morning and had the ASC appointment scheduled for that same afternoon, then the interview the next day. So, it takes 2-3 days in Juarez if you are not staying there to wait for the visa packet from DHL.

Glad things are set up for you now. Good luck!