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| Juarez, Mexico |  Review on October 6, 2011: |
mugumogu
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
I am the petitioner and I went with my fiancee to Ciudad Juarez for the interview and other appointments. We stayed in Ciudad Juarez for 3 nights. I hope this review helps. I have also included many pictures and video for you.
REGARDING THE SAFETY OF JUAREZ: The anxiety and worry about going there is far worse than the actuality of being there. Had it not been for the news reports, I would not have known that Juarez was any more dangerous or different than any other part of Mexico. True, we only stayed within the consulate area, but I found this area to be clean and safe. The scariest thing we saw there was armed federal police in trucks riding around on guard.
Picture 1: http://www.visajourney.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=29129&message_id=59fa0275ae6758d3ba4a5cf786154d37&message_icon=info#cpgMessageBlock
My fiancee and I were not sure if we would even want to set foot outside the hotel other than to go to our appointments. Once we got used to being there and saw what it was like, we felt comfortable enough to go to the mall near the consulate and did some shopping. We also saw a movie (in the VIP theater, of course!). We ate out twice. Once at the mall and once at a restaurant across the street from our hotel. We had the rest of our meals at our hotel.
WHERE TO STAY: We stayed at La Quinta. We chose La Quinta because we liked that they had free wi-fi throughout the hotel, we liked that they had a complimentary breakfast, they provide shuttle service to the consulate and surrounding area (and back to the airport), and they are a gated property with controlled access and 24-hour security. I can highly recommend them. The staff is very nice, the hotel is clean, and the pool is a plus in such hot weather. The rooms have a microwave and refrigerator and cable television helps to pass the time. When there is nothing else to do but wait for the next appointment, you have a lot of options or you can take a shuttle to the mall.
Picture 2 (Room): http://www.visajourney.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=29130&message_id=0dd7f411fd82a05e80e2b676ecb0b6f7&message_icon=info#cpgMessageBlock
Picture 3 (Pool): http://www.visajourney.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=29131&message_id=ead8fa135726e2935c41077375505235&message_icon=info#cpgMessageBlock
Picture 4 (Lobby & dining area): http://www.visajourney.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=29132&message_id=3c3f688e5a78089a6ef4ea4d6dd2fa24&message_icon=info#cpgMessageBlock
Picture 5 (Bathroom): http://www.visajourney.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=29133&message_id=46989ae1d0344748cb4dde4db377762e&message_icon=info#cpgMessageBlock
Picture 6 (Hall): http://www.visajourney.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=29152&message_id=9cdeb9f90549331ac231f13496d9f9bf&message_icon=info#cpgMessageBlock
Picture 7 (Restaurants across the street from La Quinta): http://www.visajourney.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=29150&message_id=d87520bac9dcfa66a48e138003e00684&message_icon=info#cpgMessageBlock
Video 1 (Video I took outside the hotel): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlfXo5cEpyU
There are many other options in the area. Ibis, City Junior, Quality Inn, etc. Ibis is within walking distance to the clinics, ASC, and consulate. I do not know what amenities they offer. The following picture is the view from the entrance to Ibis looking back at the medical clinics to show you how close the hotel is to the clinics and how close the two approved clinics are to each other:
Picture 8 (view of 2 medical clinics from Ibis): http://www.visajourney.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=29139&message_id=c1fadb3b8d0dbbb6cc93c2d424126c25&message_icon=info#cpgMessageBlock
This is what you see when standing just outside the entrance of Ibis. The brown/grey building on the left is CLINICA MEDICA INTERNACIONAL and the large, white building on the right is SERVICIOS MEDICOS. We used Clinica Medica Internacional, but you can use either. Both seemed to be equally busy.
MEDICAL APPOINTMENT: We did this our first day. Got there early.
Picture 9 (at the clinic just after they open): http://www.visajourney.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=29143&message_id=b0ab176c3f1fb404cfc63e9eece99589&message_icon=info#cpgMessageBlock
Picture 10 (another view): http://www.visajourney.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=29151&message_id=06be70d1694ad642f268dcc8f68834df&message_icon=info#cpgMessageBlock
There is a fence around the clinic and there are guards. I could enter beyond the fence to the entrance, but could not accompany my fiancee inside the clinic. There is a waiting area for family members just around the corner near Ibis.
Picture 11 (waiting area): http://www.visajourney.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=29144&message_id=7bfa91baa3254da7727169bbe6e96828&message_icon=info#cpgMessageBlock
Picture 12 (view of Ibis from waiting area): http://www.visajourney.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=29145&message_id=2d6a71bd47301d66a57d5dff99bc4fab&message_icon=info#cpgMessageBlock
This appointment took 2 hours. We got there just after 6:00 AM and she texted me at 8:15 AM to say she was out. I read a book while waiting . I walked around the corner to meet her and we took a shuttle back to La Quinta when my fiancee was through. She came out with a wristband and was advised to come back after 2:00 PM to get the results.
Getting the results took 18 minutes. We returned to the clinic at 2:10 PM and my fiancee walked out at 2:28 PM. They do not give you results based on where you are in line (if you choose to arrive early to wait in line). She said when she walked in, they called a group of names and she happened to be in the first group.
Picture 13 (same clinic just after 2:00 PM. Most of these people are family members waiting on someone inside to come out): http://www.visajourney.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=29146&message_id=6346bc1621da86cacbcdfd83bd09c53b&message_icon=info#cpgMessageBlock
ASC APPOINTMENT: We did this for day 2. Our appointment was at 2:30 PM.
Picture 14 (ASC - this is what it looks like. They put a sign in the window indicating what group of people they are letting in based on your appointment time): http://www.visajourney.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=29147&message_id=56d960bd7939c9804be628aa012fd7f5&message_icon=info#cpgMessageBlock
Video 2 (Video outside the ASC & Consulate waiting area - they are right next to each other): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWJfY154vFM
The ASC appointment took about an hour. We caught a shuttle back to the hotel from here and, since we had a lot of time left in the day, we went back out to the mall.
INTERVIEW: Last day. Woke up early for a 7:15 appointment. My fiancee left at around 6:45 AM and returned at about 10:15 AM. APPROVED! I stayed at the hotel. The consulate has a waiting area, but she thought it might be easier for me to stay at the hotel and also, I could pack our bags since we were leaving after the interview. We scheduled a late flight though and she was done by 10:15 AM. We checked out and the hotel held our bags. We went back to the mall for a few hours and had lunch. We took a taxi back to La Quinta and hopped a shuttle to the airport.
Picture 15 (Consulate waiting area): http://www.visajourney.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=29149&message_id=0eb82631223e3cf414959e74e96195dc&message_icon=info#cpgMessageBlock
All in all, it was a good experience mostly because we were approved. This website helped a lot, but it can be both a blessing and a curse. Just as I had many questions answered here, there are a lot of weird stories and some people post incorrect information. It is hard to weed out the good stuff sometimes. I do not know why some people had to do a urine test at the medical (my fiancee did not). I do not know why some people never got an interview invitation letter from the consulate (my fiancee and I each got one for her interview). One of my pet peeves is when people would post the exact same question that I had, then post that they found an answer, and not post what the answer is. I have made a point to return to all of my posts and provide the answer and outcome of the questions that I asked in the hope that someone else will not have the same frustration.
GETTING INFORMATION ABOUT THE STATUS OF YOUR CASE: This was one of the most frustrating parts of this whole process. The consulate website refers you to the Applicant Service Center website. On the ASC website, there is a number you can call for information about your case.
This number is: 1-703-439-2313
My experience with the information given from calling this number is that it is worthless. The first time I called, I wanted to find out if and when we would be receiving our interview invitation letter. I was inquiring about this because many people on Visa Journey said that they never got a letter and for that reason, we did not need to wait for it before scheduling our interview. Furthermore, some people were saying that they only got the letter in US and some were saying that they only got the letter in Mexico.
The representative I spoke with stated that a letter had been sent out to me here in the US. I asked if a letter had also been sent to my fiancee. He replied that he was not aware of the letter ever being sent out to the beneficiary in Mexico and it does not look like one had been sent out to her. I did receive the letter about a week later at my address in the US and my fiancee got one as well (though she got it much later than I did). The representative was therefore correct in that I did get a letter, but how could he not know that one had also been sent to my fiancee when they were issued on the same day?
The second time I called this number was a week after we had been approved at our interview and I wanted to find out when we would be getting our DHL Waybill number. I received a standard, scripted response that it can take anywhere from 6-8 weeks to receive the visa. My fiancee called a few days later and was given a response that it can take anywhere from 2-3 weeks after the interview to receive the visa. Later that same afternoon after her phone call, we got our Waybill number and thankfully the visa arrived the next day.
I have seen many posts from people on Visa Journey that have had similar experiences with this number in getting vague or incorrect information. Some people have received accurate information after multiple calls. Do not expect much from calling this number.
Not satisfied with the response I got from the 703# regarding the DHL Waybill number, I called the US Department of State at 1-202-663-1225. This was a number I found on Visa Journey. The first time I called (a week after our approval at the interview), the representative I spoke with said the case was showing as "pending" and she could not give me any other information. The second time I called (a few days later), the representative told me that my fiancee's passport had been stamped with the visa and it should be sent out soon.
I hope you have found this review helpful. Good luck!
(updated on October 8, 2011)
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #8462