2017 Post NOA2 for Cuba K1 - getting ready for interview

[amandaclaire 3]

hi all, i've spent the last 2 days making a lot of calls. any visa appointments scheduled in november are not happening - or at least for now they are not scheduled to happen until the dept of state/us embassy in havana announces a plan. 

 

i've called my congressman and they have even elevated the case and tried to get in touch with the us embassy in havana with no luck - it appears all communication has been cut off until a resolution is found. 

 

i wish i had better news. i'm heartbroken and frustrated... hoping for a resolution soon. 

 

[FieraSalsera 2]

So, I saw someone else post this in another discussion. I'm not sure how true it is.. I don't understand why they wouldn't transfer it to the US Interest Section in Cuba like they use to do back in the day before the embassy was opened.

 

 

http://www.tbo.com/news/politics/national/cubans-seeking-move-to-us-must-get-visas-in-colombia-now/2340910

[forena99 74]

On 10/10/2017 at 11:35 AM, amandaclaire said:

no news yet here.

 

i'm going to try to call tomorrow too. let me know what you find out -- you might try stopping by? i

 

am confused if the k1 visa is immigrant or non-immigrant... i get a different answer every time i call. if it is a nonimmigrant visa, its unclear if we can go ahead and apply at another country's embassy or if we need to wait until they assign one. h

K-1 should be a non-immigrant visa.  That's my understanding...

[amandaclaire 3]

its up to the embassy how they process it. i have called and asked many, many times. it is an immigrant visa. says so on the website which I screenshot above. 

[Dayr123 4]

On 10/13/2017 at 6:43 PM, amandaclaire said:

its up to the embassy how they process it. i have called and asked many, many times. it is an immigrant visa. says so on the website which I screenshot above. 

Hi any news, they say they are opening in colombian and dominican Republic, but how can we change to.those embassys?

[pukka 11]

35 minutes ago, Dayr123 said:

Hi any news, they say they are opening in colombian and dominican Republic, but how can we change to.those embassys?

Hi -- I saw the Colombia news on the embassy website, but where did you read about DR? I think we will have to wait for Monday AM to flood all the agencies with calls...sigh.

What are your guys' thoughts on time frame for all this? Any insight?

Also, can't find it now, but someone asked maybe in this thread why we can't go through US Interests section -- I believe reason is because it is now (didn't used to be) housed within the US Embassy. When I went in person two weeks ago, I asked if I could go there at least and the guard said I couldn't as it was in same building.

[Dayr123 4]

54 minutes ago, pukka said:

Hi -- I saw the Colombia news on the embassy website, but where did you read about DR? I think we will have to wait for Monday AM to flood all the agencies with calls...sigh.

What are your guys' thoughts on time frame for all this? Any insight?

Also, can't find it now, but someone asked maybe in this thread why we can't go through US Interests section -- I believe reason is because it is now (didn't used to be) housed within the US Embassy. When I went in person two weeks ago, I asked if I could go there at least and the guard said I couldn't as it was in same building.

Yes tomorrow I will call NVC and see what we can do

And I think the delay will be getting the interview in another embassy, and I think the interest section close when they reopen the Embassy.

 

And look here is the article on dominican republic

 

https://www.google.com/amp/www.telemundo51.com/noticias/cuba/Visas-a-cubanos-en-la-isla-pueden-solicitarse-en-embajada-de-EEUU-en-Republica-Dominicana-450755583.html%3famp=y#ampshare=http://www.telemundo51.com/noticias/cuba/Visas-a-cubanos-en-la-isla-pueden-solicitarse-en-embajada-de-EEUU-en-Republica-Dominicana-450755583.html

 

 

[Dayr123 4]

Hi Any news ???

[amandaclaire 3]

Sounds like they are starting to schedule interviews in Colombia over the next few weeks.... https://cu.usembassy.gov/frequently-asked-questions/

 

Kind of crazy, considering Cubans need to get a visa to also visit Colombia. And at the end of the FAQ, they suggest that applicants stay in Bogota for a few weeks. How people are supposed to do that with jobs, kids, etc. i'm not sure. But hopefully more information will be released in the coming weeks. 

 

[Dayr123 4]

1 minute ago, amandaclaire said:

Sounds like they are starting to schedule interviews in Colombia over the next few weeks.... https://cu.usembassy.gov/frequently-asked-questions/

 

Kind of crazy, considering Cubans need to get a visa to also visit Colombia. And at the end of the FAQ, they suggest that applicants stay in Bogota for a few weeks. How people are supposed to do that with jobs, kids, etc. i'm not sure. But hopefully more information will be released in the coming weeks. 

 

Yea Thats what I heard , And yes is going to be hard

 

i think the visa part to colombia is easy , just do a online application and pay the fee

 

 

 

[amandaclaire 3]

1 minute ago, Dayr123 said:

Yea Thats what I heard , And yes is going to be hard

 

i think the visa part to colombia is easy , just do a online application and pay the fee

 

 

 

i have not been able to find an online application - can you send if you have it? i guess we have to wait until the interview is scheduled since the visa is only good for 30 days but still would be good to have. 

 

[Dayr123 4]

12 minutes ago, amandaclaire said:

i have not been able to find an online application - can you send if you have it? i guess we have to wait until the interview is scheduled since the visa is only good for 30 days but still would be good to have. 

 

Yes you have to wait until the interview

 

And here is the website 

 

http://www.cancilleria.gov.co/en/procedures_services/visas

[pukka 11]

On 10/15/2017 at 3:54 PM, Dayr123 said:

Yes tomorrow I will call NVC and see what we can do

And I think the delay will be getting the interview in another embassy, and I think the interest section close when they reopen the Embassy.

 

And look here is the article on dominican republic

 

https://www.google.com/amp/www.telemundo51.com/noticias/cuba/Visas-a-cubanos-en-la-isla-pueden-solicitarse-en-embajada-de-EEUU-en-Republica-Dominicana-450755583.html%3famp=y#ampshare=http://www.telemundo51.com/noticias/cuba/Visas-a-cubanos-en-la-isla-pueden-solicitarse-en-embajada-de-EEUU-en-Republica-Dominicana-450755583.html

 

 

DR is only for NON-immigrant visas...not immigrant....am I right? I read the article a few days ago but I remember reading that. We are definitely going to Colombia!

 

4 hours ago, amandaclaire said:

Sounds like they are starting to schedule interviews in Colombia over the next few weeks.... https://cu.usembassy.gov/frequently-asked-questions/

 

Kind of crazy, considering Cubans need to get a visa to also visit Colombia. And at the end of the FAQ, they suggest that applicants stay in Bogota for a few weeks. How people are supposed to do that with jobs, kids, etc. i'm not sure. But hopefully more information will be released in the coming weeks. 

 

Yes, sounds like three weeks is reasonable to plan for, no? Question is only when!!! Any insights on this? I am going to post to ask if people currently making appointments for Colombians might be able to lend some insight as to how far out they are. Does late January sound reasonable (originally early October)?

Also you need to consider the dreaded AP. How would that work? If they need to keep the passport for several weeks/months, the Cuban is essentially trapped in Colombia. Or would they be able/have to leave and return later? The latter would be very expensive...

I have a feeling MANY immigrant applicants and their sponsors are going to give up given the major hurdle this poses in terms of logistics and organization, or be forced to give up for financial reasons, which is just a shame...

 

4 hours ago, amandaclaire said:

i have not been able to find an online application - can you send if you have it? i guess we have to wait until the interview is scheduled since the visa is only good for 30 days but still would be good to have. 

 

Which visa are you looking at that specifies 30 days? My fiance called the Colombian embassy in Havana to ask but they simply said he would have to wait until the US Embassy of Havana gives us instructions, so they don't even know what visa this would entail.

 

My fiance keeps telling me what a great story this is all going to make for our kids and grandkids...sigh. He is not the one struggling to figure out how to pay for it! If only we'd signed up for "90 day fiancé" and we likely would have it paid and make for great TV! Ha.

Edited October 19, 2017 by pukka

[pukka 11]

Any news guys? I haven't heard anything...although I did make a post in the Colombia K1 form and the people there say the interviews are typically 30-45 days out, so maybe we could get scheduled as early as January...right? Anybody here got their Bogota scheduling/rescheduling date already?

 

My fiance and I just noticed a mistake on the papers -- we messed up the date and location of his father's birthday on the G325 biographic information form from the original petition (wrong month/year, put Province instead of city). How bad do you think this is? Since the docs are in Havana I figure this has to be changed through them. Fiance called Havana embassy and they said that only the petitioner could make this change. So I e-mailed them and they just said "we confirm receipt of the information". Worried about an administrative nightmare later on if the docs are sent to Bogota and then this comes up...any thoughts?

Edited October 22, 2017 by pukka

[amandaclaire 3]

hi there... have not received any information about rescheduling the appointment. 

 

i for one certainly hope it can happen before january, but that might be wishful thinking. we have to wait until we get the new date before we can get the visa for travel to colombia. 

 

it's 2017 -- i don't get why this interview can't just happen by Skype or something. it's too bad. so frustrating and heartbreaking and literally no one can help us.