|
|
| Guayaquil, Ecuador |  Review on December 27, 2009: |
nutmeg
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
***review for GUAYAQUIL, NOT QUITO (drop-down list doesn't include Guayaquil)***
Hi Ecuamericans!
I know my review is incredibly long but most of it is in form of a list (a list that looked beautiful in Word but looks crappy here). I did it this way because I remember how much I wished I could have found more lists and details at the time we were preparing for our interview. For a summary of overall impressions, scroll to the bottom.
•Appointment day/time: July 28, 2009, 8:30 AM (we were told to arrive 30 minutes early, so we did)
•Total time spent in Consulate: approx. 4.5 hours
•Items BROUGHT to Consulate per VJ’s advice and/or because I thought “better safe than sorry”:
o Jackets
o Paperwork (all organized into manila envelopes and color-coded with different color paperclips):
Copy of everything included in original I-129F
Copies of case-related letters: NOA1, NOA2, NVC letters, “Packet 4” letter (this took nearly 2 months in the Ecuadorian mail—don’t wait on it, just go online!)
Copies of all e-mails exchanged between the Consulate and me (see below “overall impressions” section)
Letters of Continued Intent to Marry
I-134 Affidavit of Support and related items:
• My (sponsor’s) Affidavit; 3 recent bank statements (printed from internet); 2 original employment letters on letterhead; a letter explaining that I haven’t filed taxes in last few years due to low income; tax transcripts for 2005 (a year when I actually filed) and 2007 (reflecting that I didn’t file) (2006 info missing); copies of 2 recent Ecuadorian pay stubs (I, the petitioner, was working and living in his country)
• My dad’s (co-sponsor’s) Affidavit (2 signed originals, just in case); supplements (including list of properties and list of stocks/bonds—both lists signed by him); bank letter, his 2008 tax report and his 2007 and 2005 (2006 missing) tax transcripts/ W2s
Evidence of ongoing relationship (post-129):
• 4 emails (2 from me, 2 from him)
• 3 original cards (b-day. Etc.) and copies
• 5 photos of us together, with our cat, in our apartment, etc.
• 6 original ticket stubs (bus trips taken together) and copies
• 4 original receipts (2-person dinners, hotel rooms)
• copies of my passport (entry stamps and work visa showing that I was living in his country)
Forms: DS 156, DS 156K
Important Ecuadorian documents:
• Beneficiary’s Ecuadorian Birth Certificate—handwritten copy with stamp from Registro Civil de Turubamba, Quito Sur (accompanied by a translation I did myself, per the instructions given to me when I emailed the Consulate—see below section titled “overall impressions”)
• Beneficiary’s Ecuadorian police record (accompanied by a translation I did myself, per the instructions given to me when I emailed the Consulate—see below section titled “overall impressions”)
Medical Exam (in sealed envelope) and X-ray
4 passport photos
Beneficiary’s passport and copies of every page
Petitioner’s passport (just in case)
Proof (receipt) of having paid the $131 fee in Banco de Guayaquil
•Items ACTUALLY NEEDED or requested by Consular Officers:
o Jackets (VERY important—it’s cold in there!)
o Paperwork (organizing things into different manila folders seemed to help since you have to slide everything into a small slot under the interviewer’s window; color-coding—see above—helped me a bit)
Evidence of ongoing relationship (post-129):
• 4 emails (2 from me, 2 from him)
• 3 original cards (b-day. Etc.) and copies
• 5 photos of us together, with our cat, in our apartment, etc.
• 6 original ticket stubs (bus trips taken together) and copies
• 4 original receipts (2-person dinners, hotel rooms)
• copies of my passport (entry stamps and work visa showing that I was living in his country)
Medical Exam (in sealed envelope)
Passport photos (only 2 were requested, I seem to remember)
Proof (receipt) of having paid the $131 fee in Banco de Guayaquil
Forms: DS 156, DS 156K
Important Ecuadorian documents:
• Beneficiary’s Ecuadorian Birth Certificate—handwritten copy with stamp from Registro Civil de Turubamba, Quito Sur (the translation I attached—see above— was apparently not looked at)
• Beneficiary’s Ecuadorian police record (the translation I attached—see above— was apparently not looked at)
Beneficiary’s passport
•Items RETURNED OR GIVEN to us by Consular Officer:
o Evidence of ongoing relationship (post-129):
• 4 emails (2 from me, 2 from him)
• 3 original cards (b-day. Etc.) and copies
• 5 photos of us together, with our cat, in our apartment, etc.
• 6 original ticket stubs (bus trips taken together) and copies
• 4 original receipts (2-person dinners, hotel rooms)
• copies of my passport (entry stamps and work visa showing that I was living in his country)
o Original I-129F packet that had been mailed to USCIS
o Purple half-sheet saying “Congrats, you’re approved” and explaining location of DHL office
•Items NOT NEEDED/ NEVER REQUESTED by Consular Officer:
o Letters of Continued Intent to Marry
o I-134 Affidavit of Support and related items (this was SHOCKING to me!! I thought this would be the most important piece of evidence, but NONE of it—see detailed list above—was ever requested)
o(I can’t remember, but I don’t think we needed these) Copies of case-related letters: NOA1, NOA2, NVC letters, “Packet 4” letter (this took nearly 2 months in the Ecuadorian mail—don’t wait on it, just go online!)
o Petitioner’s passport
o Chest x-ray
OVERALL DESCRIPTION AND IMPRESSIONS:
Our interview process was long (mostly due to waiting time) but went smoothly overall. However, it was clear to me (based on the things that we were never asked to show) that many members of the consular staff didn’t know what they were doing and/or just wanted to get our case over with. After waiting in the 2nd-floor waiting room for about 2 hours, we were finally asked to come down to the interview area below. We waited there probably another hour and were finally “interviewed.” This process consisted of a grouchy Ecuadorian woman asking us for Marcelo’s BC, police record, proof of payment, medical envelope, forms, photos, and passport. Then she left us waiting at the window for a few minutes while she talked with a couple of colleagues about what we hoped was our case. She then returned and asked (in Spanish) for the proofs of ongoing relationship, implying that it was somehow our fault for not having given them to her before. She asked Marcelo one or two basic questions, like “when/ how did you meet your fiancée?” and “have you ever been the US?” We were then told to sit back down. We waited for maybe another 30 minutes and were some of the last left waiting. Then we were called to another window and “interviewed” by a gringa. She asked Marcelo maybe 1 question about having been to the US, then turned to me (the USC) and asked (in English) how we’d met, how long we’d been together, and then, pointing to some of our photos, asked about our cat and other brilliant photographic subjects. Then she told us (in Spanish) we’d been approved, took Marcelo’s fingerprints, and handed us back our original 129F. From there, we were directed to the nearby DHL, where we went to request location for delivery of the visa. Our visa was delivered about 10 days later.
In general, then, it went well for us, but again many of the staff seemed incompetent at best. I couldn’t believe that they never asked for our I-134 and related financial papers, since I was under the impression that these were vital to getting approved. It worked out well for us, but I think it just goes to show that they don’t operate in an systematized, organized way and don’t even seem to have any kind of checklist of requirements for their own use, which leads me to believe that criteria for approval are very subjective and haphazard. I got the impression that it was MY PRESENCE that was the most important factor in Marcelo’s approval.
I should also add that my many interactions with the Consular staff (via phone and e-mail) prior to our interview were extremely confusing and frustrating. Several weeks before scheduling our interview, I e-mailed them to confirm details on requirements such as translations. The response I got directly contradicted their website’s FAQ concerning translation. A fellow VJer who was going through the process at the same time also asked the same question and got the OPPOSITE answer—that is, apparently she didn’t need to translate the BC, police record, etc., but I did! In frustration I called their help number, asked the same exact questions, and got different answers for several of them. So I concluded that I should just bring any and everything that we had, translate all Spanish papers into English, and be prepared for the worst. Needless to say I was relieved we were approved on interview day but frustrated to find that all my work gathering the I-134 evidence and translating different documents seemed to have gone to waste.
My advice, then, is to go PREPARED FOR THE WORST and bring everything I brought (or maybe even more) just in case. Translate the Birth cert, police records, and other “official” Ecuadorian documents just in case. Be organized and play it “better safe than sorry,” because based on my and others’ experiences with the Guayaquil Consulate, if you catch them in a bad mood or if they actually feel like doing a good, diligent job the day of your interview, then they might just ask you for all the papers they’re supposed to need in order to make an unbiased, objective decision, and who knows? Maybe they’ll even want more. Good luck!
 
| |
|
Consulate / USCIS Member Review #5462