Visa Interview

[the_ace33]

Ok so I have heard that the man not going to the interview is frowned upon.  The embassy told my girl that its not necessary that I go.  I just started a new biz and things are really bad for me financially right now.  I would really love to not go in order to save money for her arrival and wedding expenses.  Let me know what you guys think or what you know on this issue.     I expected the process to take a little longer and now its already time for the interview in Bogota.

[Calipro]

Ok so I have heard that the man not going to the interview is frowned upon.  The embassy told my girl that its not necessary that I go.  I just started a new biz and things are really bad for me financially right now.  I would really love to not go in order to save money for her arrival and wedding expenses.  Let me know what you guys think or what you know on this issue.     I expected the process to take a little longer and now its already time for the interview in Bogota.

What kind of an age difference are we talking about? How.many times have you been married if any. How much time have you spent in country with your girl?
What is your spanish ability and her English ability. Did you send a lot of photos as proof of a relationship? Any criminal history ie restraining orders?

The interview for my first wife was a breeze and but my last wife's interview was tuff. They separated us and asked us a bunch of questions to see if our answers matched  one of them being "when was the last time you had sex". 
I don't think they would have given it to her if I hadn't been there

[Kiltboy1]

Mine in Ecuador went pretty much like CP's second interview.

They asked a lot of sexual questions and they still put us on "Second Interview"

I had to get my congressman involved to get the visa issued.I did not attend the second interview nor did my wife--Howard Coble called in a favor or otherwise we would have had to go.

You probably should go as it might cost a lot more $$ in the future if they deny the visa and request another interview.

Good Luck

KB

[the_ace33]

What kind of an age difference are we talking about? How.many times have you been married if any. How much time have you spent in country with your girl?
What is your spanish ability and her English ability. Did you send a lot of photos as proof of a relationship? Any criminal history ie restraining orders?

11 years age difference, I have never been married before, I have spent about 4 weeks total in Colombia with her,  My Spanish is good and she knows some English so far,  I sent 5 fotos,  no criminal history..

[Calipro]

11 years age difference, I have never been married before, I have spent about 4 weeks total in Colombia with her,  My Spanish is good and she knows some English so far,  I sent 5 fotos,  no criminal history..

Well my guess would be that you might get away with not going. But if you do go.... make sure you bring more photos or at least have access to more photos on the web with you, her and as many other people in the photos as possible. Because if they have doubts about your relationship this is the game they like to play.


They separate you and your girlfriend. Then they ask you who are the people that are in the photos and then they ask her who the people are and see if your answers match up. I remember they looked at pics of my apartment in Cali where my wife lived with me.....they asked me who bought the furniture in the apartment and where was it bought. I told them....I bought the furniture and where and then they asked me if my wife was with me when I bought the furniture and I said "yes".  So they asked her while we were separated who bought the furniture and where.....this is the game they really like to play....so let them play it if you can....just make sure the both of you know the answers.

[Elexpatriado]

What a freakin hassle. I can see why you dont wanna go through that again CaliPro..I feel the same way..the stress would probably give me a heart attach..

Well my guess would be that you might get away with not going. But if you do go.... make sure you bring more photos or at least have access to more photos on the web with you, her and as many other people in the photos as possible. Because if they have doubts about your relationship this is the game they like to play.


They separate you and your girlfriend. Then they ask you who are the people that are in the photos and then they ask her who the people are and see if your answers match up. I remember they looked at pics of my apartment in Cali where my wife lived with me.....they asked me who bought the furniture in the apartment and where was it bought. I told them....I bought the furniture and where and then they asked me if my wife was with me when I bought the furniture and I said "yes".  So they asked her while we were separated who bought the furniture and where.....this is the game they really like to play....so let them play it if you can....just make sure the both of you know the answers.

[buencamino]

I think you should try to find cheap airfare and make a quick trip to attend the interview.

[Awesome]

What a freakin hassle. I can see why you dont wanna go through that again CaliPro..I feel the same way..the stress would probably give me a heart attach..

I don't think it's worth stressing out too much.  Just be honest.  They just want to see that the relationship is genuine.  I know a gay guy who was going to marry the sister of his gay colombian lover so she could come to the states.  Now THEY were really going to have to rehearse and get all their sh*t together and I bet it was a rather stressful ordeal.

[Elexpatriado]

You havent been through this thing twice..like me(well almost) and CaliPro..Canada doesnt have an interview, but the paper work is horrendous.. even the paperwork for a Canadian to Marry a Colombiana in Colombia is horrendous.. doing that twice , not being successful and being over 50, no wonder anybody would become a  skank chasing veijo verde..not that I am, but who can blame Calipro or anyone else?

I don't think it's worth stressing out too much.  Just be honest.  They just want to see that the relationship is genuine.  I know a gay guy who was going to marry the sister of his gay colombian lover so she could come to the states.  Now THEY were really going to have to rehearse and get all their sh*t together and I bet it was a rather stressful ordeal.

[robert angel]

I'd have more than five photos. I'd make sure you both know a lot about each other's lives. For starters, B Days, close family member's names, the name of your dog if you have one, what kind of work you do and for what company and more. They might even ask her your favorite color.

They looked over printed pages of yahoo chat we had archived and asked a question out of the blue about some foot note of a goofy character here on P-L we had briefly talked about. That threw her for a loop, but then she remembered--like 'Oh yes---that guy..." I didn't go to the interview, but ours was in Asia, not S. America. Sounds like they're under a bit more scrutiny in S.A.

I'd almost do a flash card type deal where you give her a question and she has to give you the answer.

Anything you give them to look at--and it should be substantial--is open to question and she'd better be familiar with what the agent is looking at.

Being organized helps a lot. My wife had everything--photos, plane, hotel, park visits, other various receipts, USCIS paperwork, etc., all in a neat accordion folder, with  neat tabs marking each subject area. She couldn't help but be nervous, but except for the weird question about the weird guy from P-L--a question he came up with from randomly flipping through our archived chat logs, she didn't miss a beat.

We have a lot larger an age difference, but we had a lot of evidence that we'd known each other a while, even if there wasn't too much time together in her country. That said, we had a lot of pictures with all her family in a lot of different places and all the names and places lined up.

I don't know how political connections are as of late--maybe it's like the 'old days' where we could get a passport in a week with a 'connection', but after 9/11, it became a lot more difficult to call in favors.

I could've tried if needed, but some folks had told me around that time that congress and even the senators had most of their influence weakened. Thankfully, it went super smooth--the USCIS guy even sent my wife a text message on her jeepney ride back to where she was staying, wishing her the best of luck in her new country--the USA!--we didn't even have to wait for a piece of paper to know she was good to go. That still amazes me to this day and makes me a bit proud of our system--that there is humanity.


But if it hadn't--rest assured we'd have had some major politicians personally involved and we would've gotten some response I am certain. I think even if you don't have 'old family ties' (my Dad was with the Justice Dept, Grandfather owned newspapers) --guys I know who have cold called their congress reps and senators HAVE gotten responses. Sadly, some guys don't even bother---guys who got turned down and I told call politicians, to look into here (PL) and to Visajourney.com, just get discouraged early and quit. I don't get it...

There's no way you can know everything about each other, just remember if you don't know, try not to take a wild guess and definitely don't lie. There's the 'luck of the draw' on who does the interview, but they all have to adhere to certain standards of conduct. I'd like to think questions about your sex lives would be off limits unless you're a secret service agent (hehe) or something real unusual.

[the_ace33]

I emailed the embassy and asked them if I would need to be present during the interview and they said that I did not have to be and that it would not reflect poorly on her case.  I just wonder if they can be trusted.  she can print more fotos and print our Skype conversations aswell as have all the USCIS stuff printed up. 

[Ray]

Relax ace...

A few consulates insist that both parties attend the interview, but many more absolutely forbid you to attend her interview. Most consulates don't require your presence but will accommodate you if you show up.

You did right by asking them by e-mail. Sounds like they would prefer that you not go.

Either way, they will want to interview her alone. I would have her bring a LOT of evidence of a genuine relationship. She could make up a photo album with lots of pics of you two together. Pics of your family members would also help. Any correspondence is important, but should be screened carefully for any questionable illicit comments. Correspondence between her and your family, and vice-versa, would really help. Phone bills showing records of calls is great.

Evidence should include a sample covering the entire period of your relationship, from the time you first met


Ray

[the_ace33]

thanks guys for the advice!

[John W]

There is a small potential downside to not going.  If they want to interview you they can request that you come to the embassy for an interview, and that will mean a longer delay until your fiancé arrives in the US.  This happens occasionally, and your interview will not be scheduled for another 2-3 months after your fiancé's interview.  If it is important to you both that she get here as soon as possible, you might not want to risk the additional delay.  If you both can live with the small probability of a 2-3 month delay, you can risk it.  My wife and I had our interview in Bogota in October of 2012 and everyone who was in the K-1 group that day was there with their fiancé.  Personally I think it demonstrates that you are serious if you are there.  Having said that, the embassy officer who interviewed my wife did not speak to me or ask me a single question.  My wife asked if they wanted to talk to me and they said no.

If I remember correctly they only want you to send five photos with your application. However, like the others said above, I would go to the interview with plenty more photos.   Credit card bills that show charges in Colombia, bank statements that show ATM withdrawals in Colombia, and anything else that shows you were in Colombia would help out.  I would also join the website Visa Journey to learn more about the process and read what happened with other applicants who interviewed recently at the Bogota embassy. 

[Nathan]

Relax ace...

A few consulates insist that both parties attend the interview, but many more absolutely forbid you to attend her interview. Most consulates don't require your presence but will accommodate you if you show up.

You did right by asking them by e-mail. Sounds like they would prefer that you not go.

Either way, they will want to interview her alone. I would have her bring a LOT of evidence of a genuine relationship. She could make up a photo album with lots of pics of you two together. Pics of your family members would also help. Any correspondence is important, but should be screened carefully for any questionable illicit comments. Correspondence between her and your family, and vice-versa, would really help. Phone bills showing records of calls is great.

Evidence should include a sample covering the entire period of your relationship, from the time you first met


Ray

  My wife showed up at her interview with bundles of letters and photos that
might have weighed 5 pounds...lol. She started handing the material to the middle-aged American woman conducting the interview, who told her, "That's ok honey, I don't need to see quite THAT much!" She took a quick look at the birth certificate of our daughter, asked her a few questions, and sweetly told her that she would have her visa in a couple of weeks. However, I am sure that not everyone conducting interviews is so sweet.

Nate

[mambocowboy]

I didn't go my wife was very organized and did fine.

[robert angel]

Yes, who you get in the interview process is 'the luck of the draw', but most are nice from what I've seen and heard and they have to adhere to acceptable standards of professional behavior. That said, along with rainy days and Mondays--sometimes they have bad days too. They hold the cards, so just go with the flow.


There are also false legendary horror stories about the required physical exam--tales of sadistic, lesbian nurses, etc.--that's rubbish too.


TOO much stuff is just that--'too much'. They don't have the time or desire to look through everything you bring, but anything you do bring is susceptible to further questioning--scrutiny. But better to have too much than too little.

I remember when they said they had no record of our NOA II and they were the last ones to have it and it (the original!) was required to adjust status after she got to the states.

We went round and round on that for a while. At one point, they thought they would do me a favor and for something like $175, supply us with the original NOA II  they said didn't exist. I had to work the phones and talk with a few different people, but that was fixed w/o me paying extra. Never forget--it's a complicated bureaucracy and it all goes across numerous desks and destinations. The phone menus are insane. When we did it. if they said "go from A to B to C and then D, I typically did better, got faster results and even a real live person, if I did it in a completely different order on the phone menu.

I think only AT&T (ironic) has a worse phone menu set up than the USCIS--although Verizon and Comcast are awful too.

If I had a dollar for every time a USCIS agent lied and said "All I can see is exactly what you're seeing on your monitor"--I'd be buying lunch for everyone who reads this. That might only be $5!

Once again--Visajourney .com is a good reference--a source of cold comfort at times.

I also suggest that the interviewee wear something that's fairly new and leans towards the more conservative side of fashion. If you look like a prepago, well.....

[fathertime]

Hi Ace,


Make sure your woman is organized and has everything she needs.  I didn't go to the interview, and we got approved for whatever that is worth. 


Fathertime!   

[utopiacowboy]

I went with my wife and three kids. The embassy interviewer just looked at all of us and wanted to know who was who and that was that. No questions. I guess she figured anyone marrying a widow with three kids had to be legit (and out of his mind!). At the AOS interview in San Antonio, it was more of the same, we had to persuade the USCIS woman to at least look at the wedding photos we brought with us.

[the_ace33]

she says that she has to go to bogota once for her medical exams and then a separate time for the interview, is that normal?  Why would they not let them do it all in one trip?  Could they not receive the exam results at a later date?

[kai #2]

For my own personal interest what are these interviews and more specifically what were they like for Ecuador?

Mine in Ecuador went pretty much like CP's second interview.

They asked a lot of sexual questions and they still put us on "Second Interview"

I had to get my congressman involved to get the visa issued.I did not attend the second interview nor did my wife--Howard Coble called in a favor or otherwise we would have had to go.

You probably should go as it might cost a lot more $$ in the future if they deny the visa and request another interview.

Good Luck

KB

[mambocowboy]

she says that she has to go to bogota once for her medical exams and then a separate time for the interview, is that normal?  Why would they not let them do it all in one trip?  Could they not receive the exam results at a later date?

She could do them both in one trip but there's no guarantee she'll get the med appointments the same week as the interview. To be on the safe side I had my wife go to Bogota for the medicals first, then return for the embassy interview later

[fathertime]

she says that she has to go to bogota once for her medical exams and then a separate time for the interview, is that normal?  Why would they not let them do it all in one trip?  Could they not receive the exam results at a later date?

Hey Ace, I think what your woman is telling you is accurate.   I can't remember for sure, but I think my wife also made separate trips.

Fathertime!

[Ray]

she says that she has to go to bogota once for her medical exams and then a separate time for the interview, is that normal?  Why would they not let them do it all in one trip?  Could they not receive the exam results at a later date?

They won't approve the visa until the med exam results are at the embassy.

If there are any irregularities, e.g. positive chest x-ray for TB, it could take several days/weeks for the completion of the medical.


Ray

[Researcher]

You aren't required to attend to interview. I went with my wife to the interview in Bogota. I think it helped that I was there but if the lady has sufficient proof of relationship then it shouldn't be a problem if she is alone. It is true that they won't take a lot of the proof that is brought because it goes in a file that is passed along. The more stuff that is put in it then the bigger it is and that can make it harder to manage. I always took lots of stuff they could use just in case they wanted to see it. I had a huge file with me with plenty of photos, receipts and other things that proved we were serious about our relationship and not trying to pull something. I noticed those that got denied had very little.

It also depends on who she gets for the interview. There was one guy there doing them that was a real jerk. He seemed to enjoy turning people down. Luckily we got a nice lady who was very professional. That was several years ago so things have probably changed. I know it is easier to get a visitor's visa now. My niece got one this year and visited us. She was turned down before.

IMHO, it isn't required that the guy show up for the interview but being there can help. Either way just keep in mind what they are looking for and prepare for it.