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Background Check after final interview?

Hello,
I haver enjoyed reading discussions on this site anf finally joined in.

My Fiancée went in for her interview after packet 4. Every went well up to that point and the interview went well too. They said all the papers were in perfect order and there was nothing missing or concerning them. They did say something along the lines of that there was another person with the same name (sounds logical)and that they needed to do a backgroung check and sent a cable back to Washington D.C. They said it would take 30-60 days. Seeing how the Colombian embassy will no longer take phone calls or email, I talked to the NVC and they also reaffirmed me that everything was in order and that this was typical. Of course, I would like to hear what some of you have to say.
Is this background check common?
She has no criminal record what-so-ever and all our papers are in order and I do not forsee any problems with the background check.
If everything turns out well with the background check, does she merely return to Bogota to pick up the visa?
Do they give her positive affirmation before she has to return?
How long does the actual background check take?
Everything else has seemed to tkae less time that the listed time frame.

Thanks for your help in advance and I look forward to hearing your responses.

Jeffrey in Colorado

By Jeffrey on May 26, 2005, 21:32 in Visa & paperwork.

rjstuff says on May 27, 2005, 13:14:

Background check I have not heard of anything like this - I read the visa journey forum often. One thing to clarify - did you mean your name is being checked (since you say they sent a cable to DC?)- Or is it her name being checked for background in Colombia?
http://www.visajourney.com/forums/ This is the link to visa journey - you probably want to post it in the K1 discussions (or the embassy dicussions.)
Good luck

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utopiacowboy says on May 27, 2005, 17:16:

Yes, this happens. They turned up a match on her name and they need to send it to the FBI to investigate further. It will take 30-60 days, sometimes longer, sometimes less. They will be in touch. If you search on visa journey for FBI name check you might find a phone number you can call.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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rjstuff says on May 28, 2005, 08:58:

Name Check Thanks for clarifying that. So, if the name of the Colombian citizen matches a name on their lists - they 'flag' it and review further! Wow! I do not know how common my fiance's name is and if it would raise a flag or not. Another thing to worry about!
Do they have a SSN like we do to quickly differentiate between one John Doe from another? (I don't think Colombia has a SSN system like USA but I am not sure.)
Good luck to you and hope it is resolved quickly.

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utopiacowboy says on May 28, 2005, 11:04:

They have cedulas - a national id card. Every adult Colombian has one along with a number. If they get a name match, they have to follow it up. My wife has an extremely uncommon name thank goodness.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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Jeffrey says on May 30, 2005, 12:14:

2 years for backgound check!!! I just read on the Visa Journey site that people have been waiting for 2 years to get the FBI background check! The consular in D.C. told me 30-60 days. They were looking at my file and told me not too worry. After reading the Visa Journey site, I am worrying a bit. Should I? Everything so far in this process has been quite quick.
Appreciate any info or comments on this.
Thanks,
Jeffrey in Colorado

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utopiacowboy says on May 30, 2005, 12:20:

Yes, it could take 2 years but it probably won't. It may be fairly quick. Did you find the phone number?

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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Jeffrey says on May 30, 2005, 12:36:

Phone number for FBI check No I didn't see a number. My search just led me to a discussion forum. I will try again.
thanks for all your help.
Let me know if you happen to come across a number
thanks again,
Jeffrey in colorado

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utopiacowboy says on May 30, 2005, 12:45:

Here's the thread with the phone number: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=31203&st=0&#entry313885

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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gstern says on May 31, 2005, 09:47:

This happened to us Hi-

This is a fairly common occurance with Latin names. It happened to my wife too (well, actually with my stepson). All told it was 14 weeks after the interview until our visas were in hand (Jan 2005 - May 2005)

There is nothing that the consulate can do about this. They are legally bound to hold issuance of your visa until the clearance comes from the FBI. And the FBI will not tell you anything as it is considered an "active" investigation.

The good news is that this is so common that there is an FBI agent situated at the NVC just to handle these cases. In our case, my stepson was called back 6 weeks after the interview for a full set of fingerprints. It was another 8 weeks until those were cleared. A lot of that time is delays in the consulate getting your application back in line once it has cleared.

The vast majority of cases clear within 12 weeks. Some have been known to go on for years. However, do NOT let the postings on visa boards scare you. Most of the long delays related to name check hits are for naturalization clearances. For some reason either those undergo more scrutiny or the FBI places them at a low priority. Visa applications typically go much faster.

Here are some useful resources I found when investigating this, each has a lot of great information:
http://www.usaimmigrationattorney.com/SecurityNameChecksAndAdministrativeReview.html
http://www.wolfsdorf.com/articles/Consular_Processing_20050524.htm
http://www.fbi.gov/congress/congress03/hardy102303.htm

Good luck!

Greg

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