CR-1/IR-1 Colombia Club

[Mononoke28 135]

Hi guys, I'm not sure if you saw it already, but Looking4wife was having some issues with the DS-230 form with his wife at the medical interview. Maybe you can shed some light into it or be prepared for when it's your turn.

[florida-photo 0]

Hey everybody:

This is the first chance I've had to get on Visa Journey since the visa interview in Bogota. Here is some info on our experiences. Sofia had her interview on 3/27 and she was approved!

If you are a CR1 applicant you line up in line #3 outside of the embassy. We found this out the day before. We got there about 6:00 a.m. and we were the only ones in this line. At about 6:15 a.m. the Colombian embassy employees came out and started making announcements. There were a lot of people in Line #1 and many of them shifted over to Line #3 after the announcements were made. Some people grumbled about Sofia and I being first in line when we arrived after they did. But I didn't feel bad because we took the time to find out which was the correct line the previous day. They started calling names and checking documents and and handing out stickers. Your name wil NOT be called out if you are a CR1 applicant, so don't worry. At about 7:40 we were let inside the embassy grounds. We were lined up and given a briefing about how to prepare the dccuments and then handed a folder. When her name was called she turned in her documents at the first window and was asked a few preliminary questions like my address, my telephone number and when were we married. After this she was told to go across the other side of the outdoor waiting area to window #2 where here fingerprints would be taken. After a wait of approximately an hour her named was called and her fingerprints were taken. About 40 minutes later she was called for her interview!

She picked up the phone and she was asked how we met, did I speak Spanish. He then asked to see relationship evidence. We tried to show the photos, but they would not fit under the window even though the album we had was pretty compact. While we tried to figure out the best way to get the photos to him we gave him our stack of phone bills. He then asked her what her telephone number was to cross reference with the phone bills. I was ready to demonstrate all of the other evidence (emails, plane tickets, hotel bills, etc.), but then he asked me to pick up the phone. He asked me how we met and how did I learn Spanish - that was it. Then he asked to speak with her and told her that she was approved and to return the next day at 4:00 pm!

This is where the problems began. We returned the next day around 3:15 pm and she was let into the embassy shortly before 4:00 pm. They would not let any Americans enter and we had to stand outside in the rain. Nice! Thanks a lot. Anyway, after several hours of standing in the rain and watching person after person come out with their visas, Sofia comes out in tears because she did not receive her visa. She was only told that the information was not in the "system", but she was not given any explanation as to why this happened or if and when the visa would be ready. They said to come back the following day and see what happens. Now we had to change the flights we had for the following morning and pay the corresponding penalties without knowing if we would need to change the flights again. I have seen accounts here on Visa Journey of people caught in limbo in Bogota without explanation. We went back the following morning, but we were told to speak with the person at the cashier's window??? He was a complete idiot and knew nothing. He said later in the day they would look to see if her visa was in the strongbox (which we already knew it wasn't). We asked if we could speak to somebody who might have some "real" information about what was happening with her visa. We were told to go to an adjacent window. When she spoke with that guy he implied that she hadn't returned when she was supposed to receive her visa the previous day and it was probably in the strongbox; she explained that she indeed had returned the previous day and in fact was one of the first people there. He rudely hung up on her while she was still speaking. These were both Colombians. You CANNOT speak with an American if you are in this situation. Believe me, I tried but I was refused after asking multiple embassy employees and explaining how we were getting the cold shoulder and getting any help. By luck, later on Sofia ran into a woman who was atttempting to help her a little the previous day. This woman was apparently higher ranking than all of the other Colombian employees in the outside waiting area. She went into the back and a short time later came out with Sofia's visa. After a rough night and morning of having no idea what was happening she finally had her visa.

I am very upset with the absolute lack of concern, total lack of information, and outright rude treatment we received by multiple employees at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota. They could care less if you have a problem or if you need help; you are just a number and any problem you might have is of no concern to them. I am sure most people will have an uneventful experience when having their interviews and receiving their visas. Unfortunately, we had a rather negative experience. But, she got her visa and she is here with me now in the U.S. So even though we had some problems we are both very happy that she got her visa! Good luck to everybody with their Visa Journey! Also, it was great seeing Thieving69 and RabbitNYC!! Congratulations to both of you!!

Mark

P.S. We stayed at Hotel American Dream. It is a little more expensive (137,000 pesos) than the cheapest hotels in the area, but most of the staff is excellent, professional, and very responsive. I also believe it is significantly more secure and a definite step up in class while still not too expensive.

Edited April 6, 2007 by florida-photo

[anagd3 0]

Congratulations Mark!!!

I have a question ....Do you know if the K3 visa have to do the line number 3 too?????like the CR!??????

[Mike and Adriana 0]

As always, I advise anyone getting a K visa through Bogota to go to the Colombia Club thread and read forward, beginning with posts in November. You will find your answer and much more by reading the experiences of the K folks, which, in some ways, will be different from the CR/IR folks. To answer your question, however.....yes....line 3....for K-1, K-2, K-3, K-4,and CR-1/IR-1

Congratulations Mark!!!

I have a question ....Do you know if the K3 visa have to do the line number 3 too?????like the CR!??????

[Mononoke28 135]

I agree with Mike. It took me about 2 long nights to read through all pages of every Colombian thread VJ has, but I got most of the info I needed from there. I strongly suggest any new Colombian members to do the same. It's a pain but so worth the time.

[cartagena2112 0]

I am very upset with the absolute lack of concern, total lack of information, and outright rude treatment we received by multiple employees at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota. They could care less if you have a problem or if you need help; you are just a number and any problem you might have is of no concern to them. I am sure most people will have an uneventful experience when having their interviews and receiving their visas. Unfortunately, we had a rather negative experience. But, she got her visa and she is here with me now in the U.S. So even though we had some problems we are both very happy that she got her visa! Good luck to everybody with their Visa Journey! Also, it was great seeing Thieving69 and RabbitNYC!! Congratulations to both of you!!

Hi Mark

First: Congratulations! I am very happy for you that you and your wife are together.

I'm sorry you had the very difficult time with the people at the embassy. What I have learned by spending a lot of time in Colombia with my wife is that

treatment you received is very common here, unfortunately... I could tell you my stories of trying to open a bank account!

But I am very glad that in the end, they produced the VISA!

How far was your hotel from the embassy? Was it walking distance?

Congrats!

George

[florida-photo 0]

anagd3: It looks like someone else answered your question which is good because I was not really sure which line the K3's use. I know that there were a lot of K1's in line #3 after they made the announcements.

cartagena2112: Yes, it was walking distance. We walked it several times. It takes about 5 minutes and maybe a few more minutes to get around to the other side of the embassy where the entrance for the visas is located. You may want to walk it one time as practice just to make sure that you are familiar with the route. Also you can check out where the entrance is for the visas. Here is the link for their website http://www.hotelamericandream.com/index.htm. In addition the hotel offers a shuttle to embassy which runs every hour in the morning starting around 6:30 am. We walked because we wanted to get there earlier. A taxi would only cost about $1.50 from the hotel. They will pick you up and take you back to the airport for free. Breakfast is included. TIP: Rooms that face the rear of the hotel are quiet. Rooms that face the front street can be a little noisy from the street noise. I would request a room in the rear of the hotel if you like a quiet room. The hotel is nothing special and is not as good as most American hotels I have stayed in. The bed and pillows were a bit firm and the bathrooms were small, but it had a good TV with cable, hot water, responsive staff (especially the bellboys), and I felt very safe there. It can be difficult to get an outside line sometimes when you need to make a phone call. I believe this is an issue at most of the hotels in the area of this class and lower. If you want a hotel that is more expensive and more American style, there are a number to choose from in Bogota, but they can be fairly expensive. Some people have used apartments near the embassy which can be economical, but we decided that a hotel would be more secure. I have had my room cleaned out of all my electronics already in Colombia and I wasn't looking for a repeat.

Edited April 7, 2007 by florida-photo

[jediknight 0]

great news that you got your visa, congrats to you both!!! another success story, rough at the end but successful.

a few questions for you.

1) did you ever get to show any pics? my wife has a small album that holds 100 4X6 pics, should she get something else like pages that will slip through the window? we want to take our wedding album but maybe this is too fat, nay suggestions?

2) of the other people who went there for CR1 visas, were all of the people with their USC spouses? Were there any alone? Do you think that it was neccesary to be with your wife? As much as I would like to be there with mine when we get our interview, I dont know if I will be able to because of work.

[florida-photo 0]

great news that you got your visa, congrats to you both!!! another success story, rough at the end but successful.

a few questions for you.

1) did you ever get to show any pics? my wife has a small album that holds 100 4X6 pics, should she get something else like pages that will slip through the window? we want to take our wedding album but maybe this is too fat, nay suggestions?

2) of the other people who went there for CR1 visas, were all of the people with their USC spouses? Were there any alone? Do you think that it was neccesary to be with your wife? As much as I would like to be there with mine when we get our interview, I dont know if I will be able to because of work.

Hey Jediknight:

1. We never actually did show any pics because the darn thing wouldn't fit through the window. I was prepared to tear some pages out and slip them through the window, but he never asked for them. I also had a small album that held 100 pics. I know that some people have printed their photos on regular paper using their computer. You can print four or more pics per page by downsizing the photos a little. You might want to print out some of those as a backup.

2. Thieving69 was there without the USC spouse and had no problems at all. I mainly went because I had some issues pertaining to me that I was fairly certain they would want to speak with me about; but they didn't. Also, I just felt better being there in case there was a problem or if there was anything I could clarify. I think as long as you are well prepared and have the paperwork in order, there should be no problems. In a perfect world everybody could go for the interviews just to be on the safe side, but may times it is not possible. Many CR1's receive their visas without the spouse being there.

Mark

[Mike and Adriana 0]

1) The CO reviewed the pictures we sent with our I-129F. I suggest you bring some, just in case. Bring them (or copies of them) loose. As well-documented on the Colombia Club thread, the "pass-thu" at the window is not very large. Don't bring an album!

2) K-1, K-3, and CR-1s all get processed in the same area. The day I was there, I was the only gringo in sight. That said, a lot of folks walked away without visas...whether it's because they were asked for more info...or they were denied. Must you be there? No. Do I think it is a good idea? Of course. Why wouldn't you be there to support your wife, unless you absolutely cannot. If you cannot go, why not write a letter explaining your absence and have it notarized. Then your wife will have something to present if they ask her why you are not present.

Mike

great news that you got your visa, congrats to you both!!! another success story, rough at the end but successful.

a few questions for you.

1) did you ever get to show any pics? my wife has a small album that holds 100 4X6 pics, should she get something else like pages that will slip through the window? we want to take our wedding album but maybe this is too fat, nay suggestions?

2) of the other people who went there for CR1 visas, were all of the people with their USC spouses? Were there any alone? Do you think that it was neccesary to be with your wife? As much as I would like to be there with mine when we get our interview, I dont know if I will be able to because of work.

[cartagena2112 0]

cartagena2112: Yes, it was walking distance. We walked it several times. It takes about 5 minutes and maybe a few more minutes to get around to the other side of the embassy where the entrance for the visas is located. You may want to walk it one time as practice just to make sure that you are familiar with the route. Also you can check out where the entrance is for the visas. Here is the link for their website http://www.hotelamericandream.com/index.htm. In I have

Hi Mark Thanks for the info on the hotel. I'm still debating whether to bring my laptop. I think perhaps not.

and again, Congrats! you must be on cloud 9.

To Everybody:

I just wanted to say the "E-mail of Choice Of Agent" method worked perfectly for me. After NVC generated

the AOS Bill & Choice Of Agent form, we waited 2 days and my wife sent NVC an email, pretty much word for word

of what is posted here. I received confirmation from the NVC 5 days later. I am sure we saved weeks of waiting...

So....

THANK YOU to this board!!!!!!! :thumbs:

I learned the Email trick here. This board is such a wonderful resource. Thank you to everybody

that contributes. My wife and I sincerely appreciated your time & efforts.

Best,

George & Leydi

[dougyceci 0]

Mike or Mark, either one can answer this. Mike you said the pass through is small. Do you mean height wise or width wise. I have all my photos in 81/2x11 plastic sleeves mounted on card stock. I guess I figured when Mark said his wouldn't fit he meant in a hard bound book. These could be folded in half if necessary. I will be leaving on Wed. morning and the interview is Thurs. Am all set, just wrapping up a few loose ends tonight. Thanks

Doug

[Mike and Adriana 0]

Doug:

My recollection is that you will be fine....since the slot is large enough to pass documents.

Good luck to you.

Mike or Mark, either one can answer this. Mike you said the pass through is small. Do you mean height wise or width wise. I have all my photos in 81/2x11 plastic sleeves mounted on card stock. I guess I figured when Mark said his wouldn't fit he meant in a hard bound book. These could be folded in half if necessary. I will be leaving on Wed. morning and the interview is Thurs. Am all set, just wrapping up a few loose ends tonight. Thanks

Doug

[florida-photo 0]

Mike or Mark, either one can answer this. Mike you said the pass through is small. Do you mean height wise or width wise. I have all my photos in 81/2x11 plastic sleeves mounted on card stock. I guess I figured when Mark said his wouldn't fit he meant in a hard bound book. These could be folded in half if necessary. I will be leaving on Wed. morning and the interview is Thurs. Am all set, just wrapping up a few loose ends tonight. Thanks

Doug

Doug:

The slot is small in both width and height. But I was able to slide my 8 1/2x11 printouts of my phone bills through the slot, so I am sure you will not have any problems. Good luck with the interview Doug!!!

Mark

[anagd3 0]

Hello to everyone!!!

I think we have a problem, initially we were applying for the CR1 but the K3 arrived before, and today I just receive a letter from the NVC with our case number and they send me the letters with another case number…… what to do????

If we have our k3 interview for April 30th ??? ???we can get the K3 and in US continue with the CR1????please if anyone have an idea let me know….

Thank you