How long will it take to get an interview date for my K-1?

utopiacowboy says on Feb 6, 2005, 11:05:

Here is what happens after the USCIS approves the K-1 petition.

They send you a notice of approval and they send the petition to the National Visa Center in Portsmouth, NH. K-1 and K-3 petitions stay at the NVC a very short time, about a week or two. When they send the petition to the embassy in Bogota, they send the petitioner a notice to this effect with the case number which starts with BOG2005 (embassy and year) and a few more numbers.

The embassy in Bogota is fairly quick. Soon after they receive the petition, they will send out Packet 3 to the applicant. Here is where we and others have had problems - the packets get lost. My advice is don't wait longer than 3, at the most 4, weeks after receiving the notice from the NVC before going to the embassy or sending someone to get the packet. We had to do this - they need the case number and a notarized letter of authorization. After you get Packet 3 and respond, usually by fax, with the completed DS-230 Part 1, they will schedule the appointment and send out the appointment letter and Packet 4. They make the apointments a month ahead of time but they also squeeze people in at the last second to fill vacancies. They also post the appointment list on the internet: http://usembassy.state.gov/colombia/wwwfivad.pdf

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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Gary Hall says on Feb 6, 2005, 11:14:

UC great information, great advice and well appreciated by others.

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silviat says on Feb 6, 2005, 11:30:

Thanks a lot Utopiacowboy

You just made my day :)

Thanks for all of the information, I am sure it will be very useful for us!

So basically the process in bogota can take 1 or 2 months.

Yay! I am having my wedding on september :)

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N2Aquatix says on Feb 7, 2005, 10:04:

UC you seem to know a lot about this. I was wondering if there are any particular pitfalls to look out for in sending the paperwork to the uscis. Any help would be appreciated as I don't want to be sitting here this time next year without my woman and she feels the same way. ;-)

Jay

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utopiacowboy says on Feb 7, 2005, 11:59:

I will mention one thing that comes to mind immediately. With the I-129F, you must file 4 originals of the G-325A for both you and your fiance. Make sure that you do not sign them with black ink so that they appear to be copies - use blue ink if you can. People have had problems with the USCIS thinking that they have submitted 4 copies instead of 4 originals.

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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N2Aquatix says on Feb 7, 2005, 12:03:

Fax Ahhh.........I see. Thanx for the tip. I was thinking of faxing them to her to sign then having her send them back by Fedex or something. Does that sound like a good idea? ;-)

Jay

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utopiacowboy says on Feb 7, 2005, 12:24:

Sure. It's a fine idea. Just make sure they look like 4 originals. One other thing. You can do what you want but in Colombia, all their paperwork, passport, cedula, birth certificate etc., reflects the fact that they have two last names, the father's surname followed by the mother's surname. I used both of them when I referred to my wife's last name and separated them with a hyphen. This worked for me although I have heard of other people doing it differently.

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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N2Aquatix says on Feb 7, 2005, 12:27:

Thanx again UC Two last names? I didn't know that. She never mentioned it. I'll use the hyphen idea, sounds like a winner. ;-)

Jay

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Gary Hall says on Feb 7, 2005, 15:40:

UC It is a wonderful thing to open the PBH and see your comments. I almost sent copies of the G-325A but this information was read just in time. Thank you. This need to go to the guide on Visa's. Actually you should be the one that fills the giude with some of your well advised knowledge. Please! Information gathered on the web does not always reflect the information you just gave. Also I would ask you this. The I-120F , Petition for Alien Fiance shows that the form expires 11/30/04. Is it still safe to use it or ask for the update?

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utopiacowboy says on Feb 7, 2005, 15:58:

This version is the only version that is available on the USCIS web site so yes, I would use it. Even earlier versions of the form are acceptable according to the same web site so I think you are safe: http://uscis.gov/graphics/formsfee/forms/i-129f.htm

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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Crazy4Cali says on Feb 7, 2005, 16:00:

One thing you can always count on... ...is you can always count on the government to mess up your plans.

Everthing I've read says you should postpone setting the date until you have your embassy appointment. Prior to that, there are still too many opportunities to delay things.

For example, say you get a request for evidence (RFE), like they don't like your photo or need something in you packet got lost, or, who knows, the agent reviewing your case just happens to have a bad day. Any one of those could delay things a month or more.

I don't know about you, but if I picked a date, my luck would pretty much guarantee something would go wrong.

Also, if you DO get married in advance of receiving the K-1 (for whatever reason), then you have to void that application and start ALL over with the application for a K-3 since now you're married.

Best of luck, in any case (both with your visa application and the subsequent marriage).

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utopiacowboy says on Feb 7, 2005, 16:18:

You're right, Crazy4cali, things can go astray. Chances are he will be able to have his wedding in September. I would not place any bets on it though. And yes, if you get married while waiting for the K-1, you've just wasted all that time and money.

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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Gary Hall says on Feb 7, 2005, 17:29:

UC Please tell UC, Please tell me if it is necessary to translate all documents into Spanish AND English? Or English AND Spanish? The old saying you know, better to have then to need comes to mind here.

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utopiacowboy says on Feb 7, 2005, 17:37:

Any document that you are going to send to the USCIS has to be translated in English. This is anything you are submitting with your I-129F. You are better off getting this stuff translated in Colombia since it's much cheaper there. Here is what the USCIS has to say about translations (http://uscis.gov/graphics/fieldoffices/scnational/index.htm#H):

"Please submit certified translations for all foreign language documents. The translator must certify that s/he is competent to translate and that the translation is accurate.
The certification format should include the certifier's name, signature, address, and date of certification. A suggested format is:

Certification by Translator

I typed name , certify that I am fluent (conversant) in the English and languages, and that the above/attached document is an accurate translation of the document attached entitled .


Signature
Date Typed Name
Address

When it comes time to deal with the embassy, you do not need to translate anything that is in Spanish. They can do everything in Spanish down there.

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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Gary Hall says on Feb 7, 2005, 17:52:

UC This leads to another question then. My Fiance is filling out the English forms with the help of our friend that teaches English in that city. She reads and writes English Ok but we are insuring that the forms are filled out correctly. If they are filled out in English with anothers help does the certification of that translator have to be certified?

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utopiacowboy says on Feb 7, 2005, 17:59:

If they are filled out in English why would you need any translator involvement? Basically they are talking about other documents such as birth certificates, marriage certificates etc. that are in Spanish. Those would need to be translated. It's fine for someone to help her with the G-325A for example. I helped my wife with hers.

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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Gary Hall says on Feb 7, 2005, 18:19:

thank you UC That answered my ??'s

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silviat says on Feb 7, 2005, 18:57:

Wedding invitation Guys thanks a lot...

Lets say that if I can do my wedding everybody is invited :)

Hugs

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Gomezman5 says on Feb 7, 2005, 19:08:

UCow...you came through again... What a guy. I think I should confer an honary law degree on you. As you know, I do not do immigration matters so I can always use an associate.

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Lionheart says on Feb 7, 2005, 19:53:

hey, don't steal him Gomez I was gonna ask UC to become my novia's associate for visa law in Cali ... she needs to drop criminal defence asap (see post in other forum - drug & war)

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Gomezman5 says on Feb 7, 2005, 20:08:

Lionheart I have a better idea.

Forget Cali.

Marry her, and get her to move here. Then UC, her and I can form a firm. I don't do Criminal either. So, I'll have an immigration, and a criminal lawyer working under my direction, while I handle all the civil litigation.

And don't forget here, unlike in Colombia, if you lose a case you do not have to worry about the crimainal or his family coming back to hunt you down and deep 6 you.

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Lionheart says on Feb 7, 2005, 20:18:

ok Gomez step by step ... let me get to Cali first and marry her.

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utopiacowboy says on Feb 7, 2005, 21:12:

Gomezman, I don't need an honorary law degree. I have a law degree. I am a lawyer! I practiced for about 6 years and gave it up to pursue other interests. There are probably a lot of opportunities in Colombia to do visa work. As we used to say it's nice "clean" work.

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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Gomezman5 says on Feb 7, 2005, 21:52:

Really??? Suprise Suprise Well, I had a feeling that you were an attorney, you reason things like an attorney. But visa work in Colombia??? These people aren't going to have the money. Wouldn't you better off doing immigration work here. There is a greater and greater need for immigration lawyers here. So....why go there. Aren't you in Texas..somewhere near San Antonio? There has to be a lot business in that area.

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utopiacowboy says on Feb 8, 2005, 12:17:

I was joking. I have no interest in practicing law anywhere. I know of at least one American lawyer who practices immigration law in Colombia - he works with gringos trying to get their novias into the US. Most of the time it's just filling out forms and fairly routine work.

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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christianruben says on Feb 8, 2005, 21:58:

HEY HOW LONG DOES THIS AKE TO UPDATE http://usembassy.state.gov/colombia/wwwfivad.pdf ???????????????

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christianruben says on Feb 8, 2005, 22:00:

utopiacowboy HEY HOW LONG WOULD THIS TAKE TO UPDATE http://usembassy.state.gov/colombia/wwwfivad.pdf ?????????????/

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utopiacowboy says on Feb 8, 2005, 22:07:

I don't understand your question. They are currently showing the visa appointments for February and a few days from the end of January. They will show the appointments for March some time after February 20th. Sometimes they are late.

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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christianruben says on Feb 8, 2005, 23:17:

utopiacowboy ok thank you so much...hey my fiance receieved a package that she needed to fax back to bogota to be able to recieve the 4th package how long does that take because she fax them the info and also mail them just incase the fax didn't work...she did all this in ealry december ...how much longer should we wait before we ask what's going on?

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utopiacowboy says on Feb 9, 2005, 08:27:

If she did this in early December, she should have received Package 4 by now. Sometimes the packets get lost. I know of one person who never received her packet and only found out about her appointment by looking at the list on the internet. I think she needs to follow up on what happened.

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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lpdiver says on Feb 9, 2005, 10:06:

Cowboy My wife never received her packet in Aruba. I inquired and they faxed me the packet.

Tony

"cook some rice!"

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