CR-1/IR-1 Colombia Club

[jediknight 0]

james, i just realized after reading dougs message that you are the shorcut guy. i'm certain that i speak for alot of us here when i say, thank you for all of the info you've posted. you've definitely helped me and many here with your recommendations and have shaved off weeks in the waiting game. once again, thanks!

[jediknight 0]

guys, i'm about to send out the ds230. question 33a in part 2 where it asks about whether you want a social security number assigned, did you answer yes? didn't i read somewhere that it might be better to goto your local ss office and apply for a ss# yourself?

thanks

JK

[cartagena2112 0]

guys, i'm about to send out the ds230. question 33a in part 2 where it asks about whether you want a social security number assigned, did you answer yes? didn't i read somewhere that it might be better to goto your local ss office and apply for a ss# yourself?

As you know I have not sent mine in yet, but I "did" check yes. I can't imagine why it would be better to check no

and delay the process, except maybe if she plans to change her name, then that would make things messy

obviously, having a a SSN then trying a name change... Dunno....

Where's James the lawyer???

Cheers,

George

P.S. James: just kidding, yes I know you are not an immigration attorney.

[jediknight 0]

that's exactly what i was thinking. maybe they'll issue my wife a ss# with her current name and not her married name. i tried calling nvc to get some help but i'm still getting the sorry we're busy message. i want to know if at the embassy my wife will be asked what name she wants to use. in the us, she'll have my last name but with colombian papers and documents she'll have her current name.

JK

Edited May 1, 2007 by jediknight

[cartagena2112 0]

that's exactly what i was thinking. maybe they'll issue my wife a ss# with her current name and not her married name. i tried calling nvc to get some help but i'm still getting the sorry we're busy message. i want to know if at the embassy my wife will be asked what name she wants to use. in the us, she'll have my last name but with colombian papers and documents she'll have her current name.

Yes, I called NVC literally all-day and I could not get through..

Yes I thought about the name change as well, and at what point to do that, and what papers that will affect.

I figure maybe she keeps her name for a while as we go through all the USA paperwork, as to not confuse

things.

Yeah, there are many more questions than we have answers for at this point... I think they ought to

just give us a pass on all the rest of the papers and hand us out some visas and a free trip to DisneyWorld!

We could be "poster-children" for the new Immigration Reform!

Cheers!

George

[dougyceci 0]

George, no they don't ask you what name you want to use at the embassy. As to the other, trouble getting it, as with all else some do have issues other do not. Not a lot of help. I checked yes but my wife and I are not doing the name change until the process is completely over. We thought that to be less a hassle. But to be honest, the name change is not that important to either of us.

Doug

[florida-photo 0]

George, no they don't ask you what name you want to use at the embassy. As to the other, trouble getting it, as with all else some do have issues other do not. Not a lot of help. I checked yes but my wife and I are not doing the name change until the process is completely over. We thought that to be less a hassle. But to be honest, the name change is not that important to either of us.

Doug

Hey Doug and George:

This has always been one of the most difficult decisions for me. When to change the name? We opted to keep her original name through the entire visa process. We will probably look at changing it in the near future or when we apply to remove the conditions. I called CIS and they said it might be a good idea to do it when we apply to remove the conditions. If you do it before that time then they will schedule an appointment at a CIS service center to do fingerprints, etc. and order a new green card. Our CIS service center is about 6 hours away in Jacksonville. The CIS rep seemed to indicate it would be easier to wait the 2 years.

I was wondering if, when you apply to remove conditions and she still has her maiden name, if they look at that as a sign that the marriage is not legitimate. The CIS rep I talked to said that should not be a concern if you have all the other evidence of a legitimate marriage. She said they are used to this situation. So I think we will attempt to change the name in 2 years or maybe we will just keep it the way it is and never change it.

Mark

[jediknight 0]

yes, the name change is a bit tricky. my wife does want to take my last name but i may consider just leaving her maiden name until the conditions are over. oh, i finally got to speak to someone this morning at nvc and they said that once the ds-230 is approved that 2 packets will be sent, one to me and the other to the embassy which will mail it to my wife. i asked if the packets will have the interview date included and they said yes, so we'll see if that is true. in any case, when that happens i'll let everyone know.

thanks guys

JK

Edited May 1, 2007 by jediknight

[James 2]

Wow James the shortcut guy is real. I have never seen a post from you but take this time to personally thank you for all your help. As to us that are done being at the beach, I wish. We are just busy doing things you all will soon be able to enjoy. You will understand. George, you have to call NVC, speak to the operator and just ask the status of your case. I did so every couple of days and just kept saying, "I called and the recording says I am missing documents, act dumb even though you know better. Eventually they will tell you that the I-864 has been processed but they are waiting for approval on your DS-230. It takes longer to process. They will not notify you of the 864 approval. As for the final approval, my was updated on the recording that my case was approved that same day. Others said it was never updated, just keep calling.

James as to the NVC making the appointments. It seems that more documents are now being sent to the NVC instead of taking them to the embassy for the interview. No one knows for sure but it looks like the docs must go to NVC before you can get your interview. Jedknight seems to be leading the pack here for all the rest to follow.

Good luck guys

Doug

Heh heh, yep, I'm a real person. And you're more than welcome. I'm glad to see that people can, with a little effort, get in and out of NVC in 2 months now. That was almost unthinkable a couple of years ago. (A lot of that seems to be a cut-down in the time it takes for the IV fee to show up as paid.)

And we're waiting for JK to let us know about the docs needed. He seems to be right based on what the State Department website now points to specifically for Bogota and the NVC, but you can't always believe what you read online. You guys are lucky that there are a bunch of you going through Colombia at around the same time -- I was the only one (CR-1) in months when I was doing it, save for a K-3 and maybe a few K-1s.

And

[James 2]

james, i just realized after reading dougs message that you are the shorcut guy. i'm certain that i speak for alot of us here when i say, thank you for all of the info you've posted. you've definitely helped me and many here with your recommendations and have shaved off weeks in the waiting game. once again, thanks!

Yes, I am The Shortcut Guy -- says so right under my avatar! I was wondering about the lack of respect. Heh, just kidding, seriously, you're of course very welcome and I'm glad that my contribution has proven helpful for mis compas going through Colombia.

[Mononoke28 135]

Thanks JK.

I really don't think that not changing your name will show that your marriage is not legitimate. My mother never took on my father's last name and it was never an issue here in the States. I also have not taken my husband's name to make the process easier and also because I'm not sure if I want to do it. Now days it's normal for a woman to keep her name, we no longer have to have an old fashioned mentality if we don't want to. It's a matter of choice and it doesn't reflect the status of a marriage.

[James 2]

guys, i'm about to send out the ds230. question 33a in part 2 where it asks about whether you want a social security number assigned, did you answer yes? didn't i read somewhere that it might be better to goto your local ss office and apply for a ss# yourself?

As you know I have not sent mine in yet, but I "did" check yes. I can't imagine why it would be better to check no

and delay the process, except maybe if she plans to change her name, then that would make things messy

obviously, having a a SSN then trying a name change... Dunno....

Where's James the lawyer???

Cheers,

George

P.S. James: just kidding, yes I know you are not an immigration attorney.

I actually can't remember! I think I checked yes. But then I do recall checking where the nearest SS office is -- I don't know if that was because of name change issues or what. All I know is we got it, and time wasn't a critical thing because my wife wasn't going to work.

There was a guy on here who knew SS issues from the top down and he was an incredible source of this kind of info. Not that it matters because all of those old posts are gone.

[James 2]

George, no they don't ask you what name you want to use at the embassy. As to the other, trouble getting it, as with all else some do have issues other do not. Not a lot of help. I checked yes but my wife and I are not doing the name change until the process is completely over. We thought that to be less a hassle. But to be honest, the name change is not that important to either of us.

Doug

Hey Doug and George:

This has always been one of the most difficult decisions for me. When to change the name? We opted to keep her original name through the entire visa process. We will probably look at changing it in the near future or when we apply to remove the conditions. I called CIS and they said it might be a good idea to do it when we apply to remove the conditions. If you do it before that time then they will schedule an appointment at a CIS service center to do fingerprints, etc. and order a new green card. Our CIS service center is about 6 hours away in Jacksonville. The CIS rep seemed to indicate it would be easier to wait the 2 years.

I was wondering if, when you apply to remove conditions and she still has her maiden name, if they look at that as a sign that the marriage is not legitimate. The CIS rep I talked to said that should not be a concern if you have all the other evidence of a legitimate marriage. She said they are used to this situation. So I think we will attempt to change the name in 2 years or maybe we will just keep it the way it is and never change it.

Mark

We did the name change about a year ago -- it's a fairly easy application process that can be done (and paid for) online, but you're right, there is a trip to the service center involved. I don't know what we would have done if it were a six hour trip (though I've driven that stretch of I-10 both to Pensacola and to J-ville, you could do it in 5!).

It's definitely proven worthwhile, though, for all the usual reasons. Although they wouldn't let my wife use her maiden name as a middle name the way a lot of women do -- she had to use her given middle name. They said she would have to wait until she becomes a citizen she could choose to use her maiden name as a middle name

[florida-photo 0]

We did the name change about a year ago -- it's a fairly easy application process that can be done (and paid for) online, but you're right, there is a trip to the service center involved. I don't know what we would have done if it were a six hour trip (though I've driven that stretch of I-10 both to Pensacola and to J-ville, you could do it in 5!).

It's definitely proven worthwhile, though, for all the usual reasons. Although they wouldn't let my wife use her maiden name as a middle name the way a lot of women do -- she had to use her given middle name. They said she would have to wait until she becomes a citizen she could choose to use her maiden name as a middle name

Hey James:

Thanks for the info! Yeah, your right I could probably make it to Jacksonville in 5 hours. I was probably thinking of the old days when the speed limit was lower. Too bad we can't just go over to new Orleans, but that is a different district.

1. Are you saying that the application process to change the name on the green card can be done online?

2. Do you remember what they need to do at the service center (fingerprints, photos, etc.)?

Thanks!

Mark

[James 2]

We did the name change about a year ago -- it's a fairly easy application process that can be done (and paid for) online, but you're right, there is a trip to the service center involved. I don't know what we would have done if it were a six hour trip (though I've driven that stretch of I-10 both to Pensacola and to J-ville, you could do it in 5!).

It's definitely proven worthwhile, though, for all the usual reasons. Although they wouldn't let my wife use her maiden name as a middle name the way a lot of women do -- she had to use her given middle name. They said she would have to wait until she becomes a citizen she could choose to use her maiden name as a middle name

Hey James:

Thanks for the info! Yeah, your right I could probably make it to Jacksonville in 5 hours. I was probably thinking of the old days when the speed limit was lower. Too bad we can't just go over to new Orleans, but that is a different district.

1. Are you saying that the application process to change the name on the green card can be done online?

2. Do you remember what they need to do at the service center (fingerprints, photos, etc.)?

Thanks!

Mark

Yep, the I-90 is one of the few CIS forms you can submit and pay for online. Not too long after we submitted ours that way, we received a notice of our appointment at the service center. I don't believe they took a photo of my wife -- the one on her replacement card is still the original taken in Colombia -- and I'm not sure if they took fingerprints either, although they may have. All we had to bring along was a certified copy of our marriage certificate. It was fairly painless.