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| Bogota, Colombia |  Review on September 19, 2024: |
ecw1900
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
We got there about 6:20 a.m. for a 7 a.m. appointment.
Lining up outside the embassy was surprisingly orderly. I just thank god it wasn't raining. For K1 visa, there's no reason to fight or jostle. Your arrival time and appointment time seem to have no relation to when you are called to the window. Don't be afraid to ask questions about where to line up. Because K1 is sometimes called an immigrant visa and sometimes a non-immigrant visa, it can be confusing even for those who are trying to be helpful.
You go through an airport-style security screening first. Then there's a line to check your documents to ensure they are in the correct order. (You will be given a slip of paper showing the preferred order both at your medical appointment and at the CAS biometrics appointment.) Then there's another line where you hand in the documents at the window.
Then you sit and wait and wait and wait to be called. We were among the last to be called among the morning appointments. The pavilion was nearly empty. When we were called, our agent was very friendly. Her Spanish was good but heavily American accented.
The questions seemed to be more conversational or formalities than any kind of interrogation.
When/where/how did you meet? (gave city, date, dating app)
How often has your fiancee visited after that first meeting? (dozens of times)
Have you ever lived outside Colombia? (no)
One question that was phrased more like a statement as she was looking over documents: Never had any problems with police or immigration (no)
She told us we were approved. After the long wait, we were almost surprised by how quickly the good news came. We were told the visa would be ready in seven days. Other people were being told 14 days. So we'll see.
We had plenty of time to talk to other applicants. The overwhelming majority of people were quickly approved. It was always sad and somewhat emotional to see the few rejections. The majority of rejections however seemed to be coming from the tourist visa line.
A few people were given the dreaded yellow sheet of paper for missing paperwork. There was one man who said there was something missing from his sealed medical file and it was the doctor's office's fault. (I almost hesitate to mention that, because it's not like we need something else to worry about). There was one person yellow-slipped for a non-original birth certificate. Fortunately, most people seem to be aware of the requirements. The embassy has done a good job of drilling that into people's heads.
All in all, a pretty decent experience. There are a lot of absurdities to the immigration system, but in the actual logistics of processing hundreds of people in a short amount of time, the embassy did a pretty good job.
We walked out smiling at 12 noon on the dot. A long morning but a good one.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #33390