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Visa as of January 2005

The various threads on this website contain many discussions of the visa process. Many comments do not fit with my personal experience. To cite one example, a common conception is that a fiancée visa is “automatic�?. This is highly inaccurate. In January of this year, my girlfriend’s visa application was finally approved after 22 months of waiting. If luck had placed us in a different line, we could still be waiting.

There are two main sets of windows at the embassy - 15 or so blue windows where tourist and work visas are processed, and 5 or 6 green window for permanent resident visas - fiancées, married couples, and relatives of immigrants already in the states. While waiting for our last interview, I studied the people at the green windows during and after their interviews.

It was easy to tell who had been approved and who had been denied, just by their expressions and body language. At two of the windows, 80% or so of the people were approved. At a third window, some witch disapproved virtually everyone who she spoke to. Whoever said, (in a different thread) that your chances depend largely on whether your interviewer is having a good day, was right on the money. This applies to fiancée and married visas as well as tourist visas.

There are other problems to watch out for as well.

Our finance visa application was filed in March of 2003 with the Vermont processing center. Though I paid strict attention to completing and filing all of the necessary forms and documentation, Homeland Security (HS) sent a letter in May asking for more data. I had submitted a “short form�? birth certificate and they wanted a “long form�? - one with my parents and their place of birth listed, as well my own. Though the new birth certificate was sent within 6 days, it took over 6 months for HS to match the document with the rest of the application.

I know the reason for this delay only because I bombarded my Congressman’s office with questions and the Congressman’s office contacted Homeland Security directly, multiple times. American citizens are no longer allowed to call the processing centers for information on visa applications. All Service Center phone numbers are state secrets. Instead, homeland Security supplies a “help line�? phone number for questions on visa applications. This number is absolutely worthless. Help line staff (including supervisors) are not allowed to call directly to the processing center. All the help line can do is send “tracers�?, which never get answered. Instead of providing real information, the “help line�? is simply a way to insulate the processing centers from having to respond to any inquiries from the public.

After 9 months, the visa application was approved and forwarded to the Department of State. The embassy in Bogota then sent a new ream of forms directly to my girlfriend and the whole process started over again.

The medical exam is a pain - allow for a day or two and visits to several doctors, just for this part of the process.

By michaelz on Jan 21, 2005, 05:49 in Visa & paperwork.

KirkWest53 says on Jan 21, 2005, 06:00:

I agree My wife and I tried to obtain a spose visa before the wedding, only to find out that nothing can start until after we were married. I too did the paperwork meticulesly (sp) and nothing seemed to be happening. On the occasions that I could get through to the help line, all they could tell me was what was available on the web site. Worthless!!! AFter 5 months of nothing happening, I contacted my congresswoman. Her aide said if I could convince someone that we were both in danger, she would take that and run with it. I wrote a letter illustrating the danger my wife and I were both in. My being a "rich" American in Colombia monthly, and her being married to a "rich" American. Her next door neighbor was kidnapped while I was there, and I caught a man staring at me through the open window during that same trip.
After the intervention by my congresswoman's office, we had the visa approval in a couple of weeks. We still had to endure the cattle processing at the embassy in Bogata which was degrading and needless, but that's another story. It seems that the US government just doesn't care about it's own citizens.

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Dan says on Jan 21, 2005, 06:15:

many people I work with know I'm working on getting married in Colombia soon. They keep asking me why I don't go ahead and get a fiancee visa for her to come to the US and get married here. I keep telling them of many of the stories that I read here and it doesn't happen very much. One guy is telling me that it shouldn't matter because he is using his personal experience with marriage to a Russian woman. I told him it's a Latin American thing and the Embassy itself disapprove most, if not all, fiancee applications.

God Bless America!

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michaelz says on Jan 21, 2005, 06:24:

Dan I'm not sure that visas for married couples are any faster than fiancee visas. The embassy appears to use the same criteria for both types, as both types can confer permanent resident status.

At the embassy, my girlfriend talked to girl who was already married to an american. Her visa has been turned down 4 times by the embassy staff. Who knows, she may have a skeleton in her closet, but neither type of visa seems to be a sure thing.

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Dan says on Jan 21, 2005, 06:32:

this is the first time I've heard of a married person being turned down. If they are turned down, do they ever give a reason so that it can be corrected or do they leave you guessing?

God Bless America!

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michaelz says on Jan 21, 2005, 06:49:

dan I'm not sure. The girl we talked to didn't say why she was turned down.

I think the embassy uses the same basic criteria for both married and fiancee visas. Both can result in permanent resident status, so why should the issues be different? (That's why the fiancee visas are processed at the green "permanent status" windows, instead of the blue "temporary" window - where the tourist and work visas are issued.)

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Peter (Moderator) says on Jan 21, 2005, 06:49:

Thanks for writing down your experiences! It is truly helpful!

Poor but snappy

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madman says on Jan 21, 2005, 08:39:

Have a lawyer do your VIsa app I had a lawyer do my app and it has had zero problem. My fiancée has her interview in a couple weeks. Their are too many things that I could have made a mistake on to do it myself. The embassy knows the lawyer and he has had a 100% success rate. To get turned down you must make a mistake and its too complicated of a process to leave to an armature like myself. We have waited 7 months but that was expected.

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utopiacowboy says on Jan 21, 2005, 08:40:

My wife received her K-3 visa in Bogota in March, 2004 without any problems. With regard to the medical examination and lab, the lab does not take appointments but the doctors do. Make an appointment with the doctor late in the afternoon. If you get your lab done in the morning, they will get it to the doctor for your appointment that same day. My wife was able to get the medical done for herself and her three kids in one day. You're right, the government does not care about you or your spouse - it is a bureaucracy that serves no one but itself.

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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michaelz says on Jan 21, 2005, 09:00:

badbart I'm sure your lawyer is good, but where did you get the figure for a 100% success rate - from him or the embassy? He would say that in any case to drum up more business, but is there any way to verify it?

Even with the delay cited in my orginal post, it only took 9 months until we received an appointment date for an interview at the embassy. Another delay occured because of what occured at the embassy.

Over 4 years ago, my girlfriend visted the USA on a tourist visa with her (then) boyfriend, whose family is relatively rich for Colombia. They visited his relatives in the USA. My girlfriend returned to Colombia when she was supposed to, but he stayed in the USA illegally, and later married a US citizen.

I don't know how the embassy knew about all this, but they did. Because of something she had no control over (her old boyfriend overstaying), the embassy gave her "un castigo", and she had to wait 7 more months befoe returning for another interview.

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madman says on Jan 21, 2005, 09:29:

I'm just trying to say hire a lawyer he should know the process and greatly reduce the odds of something going wrong.

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Neonovo says on Jan 21, 2005, 14:18:

I'm about to embark on the VISA trip... In Feb I'm taking by bogotana to San Andrés, and hopefully soon we'll be hitchin' a ride back to the states.

Paz

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crispeta says on Jan 21, 2005, 23:01:

get married in Colombia and file there It only took me six months for me and my wife. I did all the paperwork there in Bogota. Our great homeland department I.N.S has a back log over a year. We got married on Dec.26th 2002 she arrived here in Seattle Aug 24th 2003. They called us in June to go to Bogota. tranquilo you will be waiting for a while
suerte!

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KirkWest53 says on Jan 22, 2005, 05:27:

Can't do the paperwork there Unless you live in Colombia, the US embassy in Bogota does not accept the paperwork for visa applications. AS of July 31, 2003, if you live in the US and get married in Colombia, you have to file the papers in the US. We were married on August 15th and had planned on filing the papers immediately afterwards. We were informed at the embassy that we missed the easy way by 15 days. That led to a 5-6 month seapartion until we could get the K-3 visa approved.

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gstern says on Jan 23, 2005, 09:03:

Reasons for denials Hi-

In the initial post, the poster said that at one window many visas were turned down and that at the other most were approved. It could be that one consular officer deals with the more complex or problemmatic cases. I would even venture a guess that is exactly what is going on.

There are a number of reasons to be turned down:
1) police record
2) incomplete papers (the paperwork is rather extensive)
3) American spouse does not earn sufficient income (surprisingly common)
4) problems with medical exams
5) prior breaking of US immigration law

Outside of the above reasons, I would like to know of anyone that was turned down for any other reason.

Just reading the postings on the visapro.com website, I can say that lots of people try to immigrate to the US with one or more of the problems above. I suspect if you are clean and your papers properly submitted, there is little chance of rejection.

--Greg
4)

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miamimike says on Jan 23, 2005, 09:26:

Without a Hitch(no pun intended) I filed my own paperwork for the I-135(if I recall correctly)Fiancee Visa several years ago without any problems-got the visa in about 7 weeks. My Buddy did his own paperwork on the fiancee visa 20 months ago and had the visa in around 10 weeks. He flew to Bogota and went to the Embassy with his fiancee(he didn't have to) the day of her appt. to get her Visa for the purpose of retrieving the Financial Records he had to file with his Visa as they usually hand these papers to the Lady and he did not want her to see this Info. should a Divorce occur later(and it is occurring presently-a divorce)as she would know his net worth and it is considerable to say the least. He was able to retrieve all his personal financial data known only to him, INS and the IRS.

"Wait a minute. What did you just say? You're predicting $4-a-gallon gas? That's interesting. I hadn't heard that." -- Feb. 28, 2008 --George W. Bush, Washington, D.C.

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isaactraveler says on Jan 23, 2005, 09:57:

you do NOT need an attorney sorry I agree with Michaelz... This process seems purely by chance. Angelica was accepted, but she also told me that the FIRST time she went, she got someone who was very VERY friendly, but Angelica had brought a photocopy of her sons birth registry page instead of an original ( this was an error of the DAS person in her hometown).

This person was kind enough to deny her, but allow her to reset an appt as soon as she got the correct papers (1 month later). Both times while she was there, she was talking with other applicants, some with american boyfriends. MANY were denied, including those that had used an attorney. I know this for a fact, because they were the ones telling Angelica that she should have used an attorney in the first place. she also mentioned some lady who was rejecting everyone at her window.

In the second interview, they didnt so much as ask her anything more than how old I was and if she had proof that I had visited(plance ticket). no questions about pictures, relationship or tricky things. It lasted about 5 minutes.

The paperwork isnt complicated,just detailed ( I was able to do it) however lack of communication from the processing centers can make you have a meltdown. The call centers do not know anything, cant help and like Michaelz said, serve solely to put a "follow-up" request as to status.... ALSO letting you know that it will take up to 30 days to find out anything.

It's a crapshoot, but still better than marrying on foreign soil. She has since had it confirmed that the Fiancee visa process is still quicker. The only difference is that the other way, is assured.

The only problems we encountered were that the places she had pictures done initially were idiots who took them wrong, even though that is what the specialized in.

Make sure you have at least 3 copies and let her take the originals of everything to her appt. They want originals, but I would rather trust my fiancee to hand them over at the time of the interview, rather than trust the Embassy to keep them.(my own opinion).

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utopiacowboy says on Jan 23, 2005, 11:19:

The fiancee process is much quicker because the four service centers that handle K-1 petitions are processing them faster than the one center which handles K-3 petitions. Back when we filed in late 2003 this was not the case and it could change again. It's best to check the USCIS web site to see the processing dates for the various types of petitions and service centers. For other reasons, I still maintain that getting married in Colombia is the way to go.

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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