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Sharing our experience of the "embassy week" (K1)

Here's a copy of my post at VJ:

It’s difficult to express just how great a resource and assistance VJ and PHB and the participants are – I hope the following provides some payback.

This is our experiences of this week, our “interview week” (it’s not an interview meeting – it’s a whole week!).

We were scheduled for a Wednesday interview (K1, 7a is normal). We were tempted to cram all the interview prerequisites (e.g. lab, medical, bank) into a single day, Tuesday, but we built in an extra day just in case, and thus started Monday morning.

Hotel
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We stayed at the Hotel de La Feria, Av. La Esperanza #44-31, 597-82-40, http://www.hotelesestelar.com/php/plantillaHotel.php?hotel=-10.
It is a little expensive as Bogota options go, but when one considers the free airport transportation both ways, the very reliable and good bandwidth in-room internet, and that it’s a fairly nice hotel, it was a good choice. The rate was 157.000 (internet “Feria” rate), plus impuestos. Internet is 20.000.

We walked by Dona’s, and I didn’t think it looked all that nice – and I had to guess there wasn’t convenient internet, which I needed as I didn’t take vacation days but instead worked from Bogota being on internet all day with VOIP softphone, and even a slingbox tv (which still works very poorly from Colombia). In addition, there are many smaller B&B type hotel options like Dona’s that are much closer to the embassy.

We did walk past one hotel, the closest of all as it’s right across the street from the embassy (although opposite side of entrance as there is only a water trench and field located along the side of the entrance). I have the following from their card:
Hotel Almarus, Diagonal 22B (Av La Esperanza) No. 47a-21, 368-75-91

Last, if you find yourself needing last minute items – photos for forms, glue, making phone calls, internet – there are many many places along side that hotel address.

Lab work
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We started Monday with the Lab. It is located a good distance from La Feria, the neighborhood where the embassy is located – about 15 minutes and 6.000 in taxi. The doors open at 7a. We arrived at 6:30a, and the line was already about 20 people long. It is somewhat protected from the rain, so no worry there as it did rain the entire day this day. We were finished and back in a taxi at 9:30a. Cost to lab is 135.000.

Banco Union
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This is the only bank where you can pay your embassy fee, 230.000, while having your DS-156 stamped (with a five digit I think red number). The bank is on Av. La Esperanza, about 100m down the street from my hotel (and about the same from the embassy’s back door?).

Medical
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We scheduled an afternoon appointment with Dr. Gonzalez, the female doctor, mostly because of the past posts (albeit few) discussing issues with Dr. Roa, the male doctor. Well, Dr. Gonzalez cancelled all her appointments (sick mom?) and we were rescheduled for the following day with Dr. Roa. Lucky we built the extra day into our plan! Or, I suspect, since they knew we had our on Wednesday – they had a copy of our interview letter – they didn’t rush us into a Tuesday appointment? Who knows…

When we arrived at Dr. Roa’s office, I expressed my concerns (why a full nude exam is required…), and immediately we were asked to sit in his office together for a discussion. Again I asked about the exam, and told him that I believed Dr. Gonzalez didn’t require a full nude exam (is this true?). He showed me the Form DS-2053 which he claimed he’s required to complete, and indeed it included a Group A where a doctor would have to do a visual for various STDs that aren’t detectable by blood. He also printed out a page of the exam instruction manual to present to me, although I expressed that it wasn’t necessary, that he had already done enough. Anyway, I stayed in the room, although on the other side of the curtain, during the exam (which included a nurse present with the doctor and my girl).

He then read the X-ray and lab results, and they completed assembling our sealed envelope which we were to provide to the embassy. This sealed envelope not only contained the DS-156, but also her DAS certificate (which although “national” had no visual indication that it was national versus local) and the two required photos not counting the one photo pasted to the DS-156. Thus, at the embassy, you can’t assemble all your items in the exact order listed as some items – the DAS and the 2 photos – are in the medical sealed envelope and will be out of order.

Thus, in the two days we made trips to both doctors. Each is rather far from the embassy neighborhood, 20-40 minutes depending on traffic on the 30 (“highway”), at the end of the 30, and especially approaching the office of Dr. Gonzalez where it’s a very commercial area with very slow moving traffic. Taxi fare will range between 8.000-14.000.

Embassy
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We were totally prepared for the day at the embassy – thanks to the many posters on VJ and PBH! I had studied and then printed out a VJ post by Carolina which detailed by the clock her experince on her embassy day. This kept us calm, and we knew exactly what would happen as the morning progressed. And, a lot of others started asking me “what’s next” and “when” questions. : )

The embassy has two (or more?) entrances and the entrance to find is called “puente de la cincuenta”, or the entrace off of Calle 50 I guess. You’ll walk 30-50m from the street to down a sidewalk, and line up at the door/entrance. They’ll be some vendors there and they’ll inform you to line up in two lines, one along the fence for immigrant visas (and K1’s, or Prometidos as they’re called, even though technically a K1 is a nonimmigrant visa, no?) and one in parallel for tourist and other types.

We arrived at 5:45, and there were maybe 10 people in line but I was the first there for a K1/immigrant visa.

The rest of the day followed almost exact to how Carolina posted.

We were called to a window around 7:30 to turn in our documents, and the lady was rather serious. But she had the page of photos that was submitted with our original I-129, and seeing me she know we were legit. I managed to get a smile from her twice or three times as I stood behind Mari while the two of them spoke on the phone. I watched the lady go through the papers (I-129 and our submission that morning) and check of items on a form she had.

We then waited, along with the fingerprinting at about 9a, and were called to a window about 11:30 for the interview. Others in our group were called ahead of us, but I knew we’d be called soon. Mari was a wreck, and I was just kind of laughing inside as I tried to calm her down, as I knew exactly how things were being played out… again, thanks.

Here’s the interview info:

We arrive at the window and there is a different lady, quite friendly actually. Mari picks up the phone as I stand behind her, the lady and I exchange smiles, and she asks Mari how we met. Mari barely had a chance to answer as the women hands Mari the approval receipt and tells her to return at 4p the next day.

Mari and I had practiced questions like “what are your wedding plans?” and “why are you not marrying in Colombia with your family present?” – but none of that was needed.

By Friday, we were on the plane to Miami.

On to AOS!

By flaleo on Oct 31, 2005, 13:25 in Visa & paperwork.

rjstuff says on Oct 31, 2005, 13:36:

Congratulations flaleo My fiancee had an extremely easy interview also and she described it as "very easy." Colombia is good in handing out K1s and my fiacee was not nervous cause she had talked to others about it and had even told me that I didn't need to be with her (and I didn't go there for the interview.) I had also posted my comments about the male doctor - some doctors do better examinations than others and this doctor may in fact be better - who knows - my fiancee's friends suggested that she go to the male doctor (they didn't like the female doctor and preferred the male doctor!)
Good luck and get ready for the AOS now.

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JMOON87 says on Oct 31, 2005, 15:29:

thanks leo Thanks for all the info - gonna print it all out .

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Crazy4Cali says on Nov 1, 2005, 09:20:

Give or take a few minor details... Give or take a few minor details, that sounds alot like my experience in July with my (then) novia. The Hotel del la Feria is nice (and expensive) but, as you point out, if you need the broadband, it's worth paying a little extra. I actually brought some work to do while I was in Colombia for my novia's interview, but I was way to scattered to think straight, let alone, do any work.

A good point to remember, especially for those "just-in-time" gringos, is that the pre-interview process takes time (like everything else in Latin America) so even if it costs a bit more for an extra night in the hotel, it's much less stressful to plan things out over several days then to try and get everything done the day before the interview. The process is already stressful enough. And being in Bogota for an extra day or two is hardly the worst thing that could happen to you.

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Sonny says on Nov 1, 2005, 16:44:

Flaleo Good job. Good luck and have a great life. You worked very hard during this process.
Our process was simple and easy. No worry, no problems. In at 7 and back to the hotel at 10:30.
We are now happy and married as of the 15th. It was very simple but very nice. It was in the back yard of a dear friend and they made both of us feel very special. I wish all going through this process to take a deep breath, relax, fill out the forms exactly as written, get what you need in order and the rest is and four letter word called time. It will test your patience but the process is simple. They never lost a fiance yet.Good luck to all and I hope all are as happy as I am.

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silviat says on Nov 3, 2005, 00:59:

congrats :) I am glad you are finally done with that part of the process! What are your plans now, when are you heading to the US?

About the Dr, wow the Dra didn't do that to me, I heard here rumors about the male dr doing that but I thought it was a joke... weird

Besos for the 2 of you

Silvia

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flaleo says on Nov 6, 2005, 12:04:

We flew to the U.S. the following day after picking up the visa at 4p. As for our plans, my perspective is that we'll have a real wedding for love, that will be back in Colombia on OUR OWN timeline. The 90 day marriage is a technicality for the gov't - call it a visa extension - they require that in 90 days and we have no formal plan for that... some lame event in some government office I imagine. Yes, that will be an official government licensed 'event' - but it's not of great importance in my thoughts.

I remember a past post about a place outside of Medellin, with the horse-drawn carriage and nice food options out in a finca... I'm thinking we might like that set up.

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rjstuff says on Nov 7, 2005, 08:02:

flaleo we did the same We went to Orlando and got married in a court - 10 minutes! We will do our honeymoon in Costa Rica and Colombia in a few months when she has her green card. good luck

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gargoylegabe says on Nov 23, 2005, 13:03:

Flaleo, many thanks for your post. My wife's appointment is December 1 and we are naturally anxious to get there and have this experience. I just called my wife and described your experience and it helped to ease her mind. So, again, I thank you for that.

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