Club Colombia AOS!

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Or you can follow the prompts for discussing a Request for Evidence to get a live person. BE VERY NICE.

Mucha suerte con la oferta de empleo.

Tnks for the advice, I used theoption request for evidence unfortunatly they didnt give me any info... I guess I have to wait a couple o weeks.

No problem. Hey you can also try again... sometimes you can get someone interested in having one less application lying around at the Service Ctr.

You may also want to be up front... even though you have EAD (and it should NOT be a problem to accept the position... you may want to apply for an extension in the interim if still waiting for the GC... but it won't be that much longer) and can work without problems, you could tell them that the employer is really concerned about being able to prove your immigration status if audited thanks to the new anti-illegal employment laws in some states and they'd prefer you have a GC... long shot but maybe, just maybe if you're really nice and sweet they can do stuff. Sounds totally unscientific but maybe not so uncommon.

In the meantime I hope you take that job offer! Suerte! Reaffirm your future employer that your GC will be on you months before the EAD expires.

[MV-JR 0]

Hi again. During my job search I found an organization dedicated to assist immigrant professionals to get a job in their area of expertise. They have offices in Chicago, NY and San Francisco, for those who are planning to continue with your career here I will highly recommend to check it out. Good luck to all.

www.upwardlyglobal.org/

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Wow thanks!

I'll see if I can find a physical location for them since I'm in the city.

[parkpapa 0]

Hi gang. Well, we didn't get as lucky as some of you have been (by not having an interview). Got three NOAs in the mail today scheduling interviews for Lorena and the boys on Aug. 7. So, we are one step closer!!!

I am a little surprised at all the stuff they want us to bring, however. I knew about the "proof of relationship" stuff, but do we really need to bring all of the same documentation that we've already submitted: I-864, tax returns, pay stubs, etc.??? They also ask for the I-693 for the medical exam and vaccination forms. That stuff was submitted with the original 485 package, so do Lorena and the boys need ANOTHER exam? The NOA says "unless already submitted", but I don't want to take any chances at this point, so that's why I'm asking to double check.

The NOA also says, "If you do not speak English fluently, you should bring an interpreter." Lorena's English has improved a lot, but she is far from fluent. There's not much info on VJ regarding the Kansas City USCIS office, so I don't know if anyone there will speak Spanish. Are we better off hiring an interpreter? (Though I may know someone that might do it for a nice dinner at a restaurant. haha)

For now, I'm off to start putting the packet of stuff together - photos, joint account stuff, etc.

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Hey Charles... GREAT news!

As from what I hear, take someone to translate since it IS KC... that dinner sure sounds nice. If I were that close I'd also do it for a dinner. If you have copies of the I-693 info then take that... no extra medical necessary. Chances are, if they know how to flip through the paperwork, they'll know to look there to match your photocopies.

If they look, that is. I wouldn't be too surprised if they look at you guys as a family and speed you out of there with an approval. But yes, better be safer than sorry.

[Scott n Yenifer 0]

Wow Charles...It's been a long and very winding road for you and your family. You've been a fixture here for quite some time...a very helpful one I might add. I'm glad to see that things are finally coming together for you guys!!!!

"BEST OF LUCK WITH THE INTERVIEW"

[parkpapa 0]

Thanks Mavi and Scott. It's good to be at this point. Hopefully, after a successful interview, some of the stress level of this whole immigration process will subside.

If we had it to do all over again, there are a few things I would do differently, such as going the C-1 route rather than K-3. I do know this, though.... I don't think we could have done ANY of it successfully without the help we've found here at VJ generally, and Colombia Club specifically, every step of the way. Not that I want to count any chickens just yet before the interview, but 90 to 95% of our success is directly attributable to the information here, and 90% of that is because of people like you two at Colombia Club. It makes a world of difference to go through this process with the support and advice of folks who share the same experience at the same embassy in the same country. I don't know how anyone doing this alonecan get through it with their sanity!

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Kick-Azz Charles

I think there were some lines in the movie Contact that brings it pretty much into perspective-

"We searched the cosmos... and after all the suffering, after all the chaos and desolation of the void… the one thing we've found that makes the emptiness bearable is each other."

[SteveSandyHill 0]

Good luck Charles! I am sure your interview will go just fine!

[parkpapa 0]

(posting this here as well as the main CC page)

For those with spouses traveling back to Colombia, be sure to have them take adequate ID with them for the return journey. Lorena and the boys arrived in Ft. Lauderdale last night about 11:30 pm. They didn't get to leave the airport until almost 2:30 am!!! Why? Because her plane tickets were purchased in her married name but her passport still has her maiden name. From what she tells me, they brought the three of them into a special area and began questioning her. Why were the names different? Did she have other ID? Why wasn't she travelling on her green card? etc., etc.

Evidently, the officer(s) would leave for a while to do some "checking" and then come back and ask more questions. Needless to say, she was not very happy about her treatment. In the end they were allowed to reenter the country, but I had had a nagging hunch that there would be some sort of glich. Her comment to me was that NOBODY would tolerate being treated that way entering Colombia! (But I guess that depends what they were bringing with them.... haha)

If there's any lesson in this, I guess it is to buy tickets in whatever name is in the passport and on the visa. Bring the other stuff, too, but don't risk getting singled out for "special treatment".

Charles

[Mononoke28 135]

Did she have her marriage certificate with her? or her State ID in her married name? DL? That should have been enough. I have plenty of female friends from Colombia who use their married names on the ticket and show their marriage certificate without any further hassle. That's what I plan to do as well since my permanent residence is the US and whatever name my Colombian passport says doesn't mean anything coming back.

Diana

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We travel out early next week, and we definitely plan on taking our marriage certificate with us.

If they want to be rude they can also do so to my face and I'll be sure to take names down.

[parkpapa 0]

Did she have her marriage certificate with her? or her State ID in her married name? DL? That should have been enough. I have plenty of female friends from Colombia who use their married names on the ticket and show their marriage certificate without any further hassle. That's what I plan to do as well since my permanent residence is the US and whatever name my Colombian passport says doesn't mean anything coming back.

Diana

She had the marriage certificate but it was packed away (we needed a new notarized copy for the AOS interview). Her EAD and driver's license in her married name seemed to finally be sufficient, but I have no idea why it took them so long to figure that out.

[Mononoke28 135]

It sounds to me that they were just being jerks with yet another Colombian citizen trying to get in here. Some of them get on an adrenaline rush making people feel bad when they set a foot in the US. That's too bad, my mom has also been harrassed (in Houston) and she's a US citizen!

Diana

[Scott n Yenifer 0]

Current Status: Card production ordered.

Looks like we've ended another chapter of our journey!!!!

Thanks to all for all of your help and support. I would also like to say that if I had to do it all again...I wouldn't even hesitate