2017 Post NOA2 for Cuba K1 - getting ready for interview

[TatiyPablo 32]

On 9/5/2017 at 12:57 PM, MehgandMarcos said:

Question for anyone-

 

What documents are needed for my fiancé for going to college in the US?  

 

I called my local community college and they said they needed sealed and signed official transcripts.  When I talked to my fiancé about this, I sent him mine as an example if he had anything similar. All he said he had was a certificate of completion.   Which I'm thinking is not what the community college is looking for. 

 

Has anyone or had their 0 go through the college registration process?  What paperwork did you/ they bring?  And where in Cuba did you/ they get them?  As he would not want to go through high school again and I was told he would not be able to get financial aid without official transcripts. 

Hey any follow up on this? We have the same question. My fiancé is thinking about doing his LLM, since he has his law degree from U of Havana and we are wondering if we have to legalize his law degree here? We have his official transcripts but they're in paper form, I don't think universeity of Havana has digital transcripts - do they? 

 

@forena99 @058rocale thank you!!! It's crazy and amazing that he's finally here  he had a very easy time going through security, they asked him no questions, and he was able to buy a one way direct flight from Havana to NYC on JetBlue thru Havanatur. (FYI for any Cuban finances, they can buy their tickets thru havanatur or other travel agencies in Cuba). Another follow up I have is about your AoS process. Did you apply for social security and work permit before getting married and submitting your application for the green card? Or did you do them all at once?

 

[bruji & bichi 31]

https://cu.usembassy.gov/senior-state-department-officials-cuba/

 

QUESTION: Hi. I’m wondering what kind of visas you’ll still be processing in Havana and how Cubans will be able to seek visas for the U.S. generally.

 

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL TWO: (Inaudible) is make available – and we’re looking at the possibility of people being able to apply for visas at embassies or consulates outside of Cuba in other countries. But we haven’t actually made definitive arrangements yet. We’re continuing to look at that. But all of the kind of regular visas or ordinary visas would not be issued through Havana.

[amandaclaire 3]

52 minutes ago, bruji & bichi said:

https://cu.usembassy.gov/senior-state-department-officials-cuba/

 

QUESTION: Hi. I’m wondering what kind of visas you’ll still be processing in Havana and how Cubans will be able to seek visas for the U.S. generally.

 

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL TWO: (Inaudible) is make available – and we’re looking at the possibility of people being able to apply for visas at embassies or consulates outside of Cuba in other countries. But we haven’t actually made definitive arrangements yet. We’re continuing to look at that. But all of the kind of regular visas or ordinary visas would not be issued through Havana.

oh no , what a nightmare. then we need to get in a new line for interview all over again. this is horrible:(

[MehgandMarcos 4]

On 10/1/2017 at 6:57 PM, TatiyPablo said:

Hey any follow up on this? We have the same question. My fiancé is thinking about doing his LLM, since he has his law degree from U of Havana and we are wondering if we have to legalize his law degree here? We have his official transcripts but they're in paper form, I don't think universeity of Havana has digital transcripts - do they? 

 

@forena99 @058rocale thank you!!! It's crazy and amazing that he's finally here  he had a very easy time going through security, they asked him no questions, and he was able to buy a one way direct flight from Havana to NYC on JetBlue thru Havanatur. (FYI for any Cuban finances, they can buy their tickets thru havanatur or other travel agencies in Cuba). Another follow up I have is about your AoS process. Did you apply for social security and work permit before getting married and submitting your application for the green card? Or did you do them all at once?

 

I didn't hear back from anyone about my question, but the local community college uses ECE to evaluate school credentials.  The website tells you the documents needed from Cuba, that is need to be sent into ECE to evaluate.  Below is what they would need to evaluate university credits:

 

Post-Secondary (University)
Required Documents	Type of Document
Título (Title), Diploma (Diploma), Post Grado para Especialista (Post Graduate Specialist), Candidato a Doctor en Ciencias (Candidate to Doctor in Sciences), or Doctor en Ciencias (Doctor in Sciences)	Photocopy or Scan (both sides of the document)
Certificado de Estudios (Certificate of Studies), or Certificado de Notas/Calificaciones (Certificate of Grades/Qualifcations)	Official Document issued in a Sealed Envelope3 by the Consultoría Jurídica Internacional (CJI) or Bufete de Servicios Especializados (BES) This document must be legalized (including official signature and seal) by the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores and the Ministerio de Educación Superior (or Ministerio de Salud Pública for health-related professions).  The sealed envelope can be submitted to ECE either by the applicant or directly by CJI or BES.
If available, Curriculum/Study plan(hours of study or credits for each course, if not included on the transcript)	Photocopy or Scan

 

Here is the link to ECE:

https://www.ece.org

[bruji & bichi 31]

On 10/1/2017 at 8:08 PM, amandaclaire said:

oh no , what a nightmare. then we need to get in a new line for interview all over again. this is horrible:(

I'm so sorry.... I guess all we can do is check the US Embassy website for updates and contact the State Department. Let us know if you get any options for the interview (for example, by phone or online or if the embassy in Havana will transfer your paperwork & interview to another country). I just wish they had planned some contingencies before making the decision.

Edited October 3, 2017 by bruji & bichi

[bruji & bichi 31]

On 10/1/2017 at 8:08 PM, amandaclaire said:

oh no , what a nightmare. then we need to get in a new line for interview all over again. this is horrible:(

Good morning... I just visited the US Embassy in Havana FB page and one person posted the following, "ohandy, precisamente hoy hable con el dpto de visa nacional y los casos q estan en la embajada y los q estan pendientes de entrevista no hay problema." If that's truly the case, then your interview should proceed. According to the post, they called the  National Visa Center 603-334-0700.

 

https://www.facebook.com/USEmbCuba/

Edited October 3, 2017 by bruji & bichi
Link

[TatiyPablo 32]

11 hours ago, MehgandMarcos said:

I didn't hear back from anyone about my question, but the local community college uses ECE to evaluate school credentials.  The website tells you the documents needed from Cuba, that is need to be sent into ECE to evaluate.  Below is what they would need to evaluate university credits:

 

Post-Secondary (University)
Required Documents	Type of Document
Título (Title), Diploma (Diploma), Post Grado para Especialista (Post Graduate Specialist), Candidato a Doctor en Ciencias (Candidate to Doctor in Sciences), or Doctor en Ciencias (Doctor in Sciences)	Photocopy or Scan (both sides of the document)
Certificado de Estudios (Certificate of Studies), or Certificado de Notas/Calificaciones (Certificate of Grades/Qualifcations)	Official Document issued in a Sealed Envelope3 by the Consultoría Jurídica Internacional (CJI) or Bufete de Servicios Especializados (BES) This document must be legalized (including official signature and seal) by the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores and the Ministerio de Educación Superior (or Ministerio de Salud Pública for health-related professions).  The sealed envelope can be submitted to ECE either by the applicant or directly by CJI or BES.
If available, Curriculum/Study plan(hours of study or credits for each course, if not included on the transcript)	Photocopy or Scan

 

Here is the link to ECE:

https://www.ece.org

Thanks! Just an FYI I think the "document type" section for #2 applies to non-us countries. We've tried legalizing docs at those firms in Cuba before and they told us the US doesn't recognize the Cuban legalization. 

[058rocale 74]

12 hours ago, MehgandMarcos said:

I didn't hear back from anyone about my question, but the local community college uses ECE to evaluate school credentials.  The website tells you the documents needed from Cuba, that is need to be sent into ECE to evaluate.  Below is what they would need to evaluate university credits:

 

Post-Secondary (University)
Required Documents	Type of Document
Título (Title), Diploma (Diploma), Post Grado para Especialista (Post Graduate Specialist), Candidato a Doctor en Ciencias (Candidate to Doctor in Sciences), or Doctor en Ciencias (Doctor in Sciences)	Photocopy or Scan (both sides of the document)
Certificado de Estudios (Certificate of Studies), or Certificado de Notas/Calificaciones (Certificate of Grades/Qualifcations)	Official Document issued in a Sealed Envelope3 by the Consultoría Jurídica Internacional (CJI) or Bufete de Servicios Especializados (BES) This document must be legalized (including official signature and seal) by the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores and the Ministerio de Educación Superior (or Ministerio de Salud Pública for health-related professions).  The sealed envelope can be submitted to ECE either by the applicant or directly by CJI or BES.
If available, Curriculum/Study plan(hours of study or credits for each course, if not included on the transcript)	Photocopy or Scan

 

Here is the link to ECE:

https://www.ece.org

Thank you so much for this information! My husband will continue his education starting next summer and this information is a great way to start ♥  

[amandaclaire 3]

I just called the Embassy in Havana and they confirmed that they are not processing visas and any rescheduled appointments will likely not happen and/or take place at another Embassy. But there is no information released yet, so still all TBD. This is so heartbreaking:( if our interview appointment was scheduled 10 days earlier he might be here by now.

[058rocale 74]

14 hours ago, amandaclaire said:

I just called the Embassy in Havana and they confirmed that they are not processing visas and any rescheduled appointments will likely not happen and/or take place at another Embassy. But there is no information released yet, so still all TBD. This is so heartbreaking:( if our interview appointment was scheduled 10 days earlier he might be here by now.

I am so heartbroken because of all you guys are experiencing. I know how horrible it is to be a apart from your fiance(e) and having to wait so long for this K1 visa process, to now have uncertainty on your interviews.  

I have seen in the news that the U.S thinks that Cuba is attacking their U.S employees at the embassy http://www.latimes.com/politics/washington/la-na-pol-essential-washington-updates-u-s-expels-cuban-diplomats-over-health-1507041750-htmlstory.html

 It say's: "The Trump administration has ordered the expulsion of 15 Cuban diplomats from Washington over the next week in response to unexplained "attacks" that have sickened 22 American officials posted in Havana. The expulsions are the latest development in a mysterious series of incidents that have affected U.S. diplomats in Cuba, including hearing loss and minor brain damage."

 

[pukka 11]

My fiance and I are sitting at the wifi spot right now pretty much both of us in tears. Just got an email that our november 8 appointment (rescheduled from october 3 to december 12 to november 8) was cancelled. The email says no appointments will be happening in the future...everything is cancelled. Says we should try to get a visa through an embassy in another country. How??? What do we do? I cant find any info anywhere. Mexico? Russia? Please help....you all know how difficult international calls and wifi connections are here in Cuba. We are in Havana...not his home...just waiting to see what happens. This all looks so gloomy. And the email says the visa fee ($265) is nonrefundable and cant be used in another country. Great...

so how does a cuban get into mexico?

how does an american get into russia?

how do we get the havana embassy to transfer our docs to either embassy?

how do we make a new appointment? How far out would it be?

If we go to russia do we have to translate documents? He only speaks spanish...

this is all so overwhelming...

if anyone in the same situation is in havana and wants to commisserate or work stuff out together please PM me...

 

[amandaclaire 3]

i'm so sorry you are going through this pukka. we are in the same boat although i am not in cuba, i'm in the US and haven't seen my partner for 5 months. i think that all we can do is wait until they announce what the solution will be. i've done quite a bit of research and my best guess is that because cubans can only travel to limited countries without a visa, the closest one is barbados. so i imagine they might redirect cubans to that embassy to apply for visas, which would be a total hassle for some of us but totally impossible for others. its a $700 flight from havana to barbados, and we'd have to repay the visa fee, fill out the ds160 again, and get back in line for the interview. this is ONLY a guess at what will happen, i certainly hope it's a better outcome than this because i know many cubans won't even be able to make this happen. all we can do is wait at this point until they announce what the solution will be.... 

Edited October 8, 2017 by amandaclaire

[forena99 74]

On 10/1/2017 at 4:57 PM, TatiyPablo said:

Hey any follow up on this? We have the same question. My fiancé is thinking about doing his LLM, since he has his law degree from U of Havana and we are wondering if we have to legalize his law degree here? We have his official transcripts but they're in paper form, I don't think universeity of Havana has digital transcripts - do they? 

 

@forena99 @058rocale thank you!!! It's crazy and amazing that he's finally here  he had a very easy time going through security, they asked him no questions, and he was able to buy a one way direct flight from Havana to NYC on JetBlue thru Havanatur. (FYI for any Cuban finances, they can buy their tickets thru havanatur or other travel agencies in Cuba). Another follow up I have is about your AoS process. Did you apply for social security and work permit before getting married and submitting your application for the green card? Or did you do them all at once?

 

Hi @TatiyPablo,

Congrats!  Must be wonderful to have your fiance close. =)

I forgot to mention the SSN in my email.  I applied for SSN after we got married, but you can apply after 2 weeks of his arrival.  I needed it for our benefits.  and it's been helpful on other documents we've been trying to get.  But the SSN is separate from your other EAD and AOS papers.  I submitted EAD and AOS at the same time, since you save about $400 that way.  Doesn't make sense to apply for EAD first, since it takes about 90 for them to process it.  Just as a general notice for all us K-1 applicants.  Submit your I-765 along with your I-485!!  Do them both at the same time, unless you have some other overriding factor.

Thanks,

Forena99

[forena99 74]

My heart goes out to everyone who has been affected by this Embassy closure/postponement.  I can't imagine what it must feel like and what you must be going through.

I'm just now catching up on all the events of the US Embassy in Havana.  It's very tenuous and unclear how things should proceed from here.  

 

I am aware that Barbados is one of the closest countries to Cuba with US ties.  If there is a US Embassy there, I would call and see if they are accepting applications.

I never thought things would get to this point in Cuba for our loved ones after we had made so much progress.  

 

You are in my prayers!

Forena99

[amandaclaire 3]

Cannot schedule anything with any other embassy until the department of state announces the plan. I've already tried.