Engineers in Love/Paralysis of Analysis II

[FenixRises]

... in response to Re: Engineers in Love/Paralysis of Analy..., posted by Ken Power on Dec 6, 2001

Hi Ken,
Althought that amount may seem high to you, just think about all that is involved.
Depending on where you are in the States you will probably go, say 3 times, to your selected designation.
Think about the non-paid vaction time as well as the trip expense.
If your destination is Colombia but not Bogota then your prospective bride will get at least one round trip plane ride from her city to Bogota.
If you get married in country you will be expected to pay for the wedding.
If you get married in the states you will be expected to pay for the wedding.
Forget getting a dowery!!!!  
If you do a Direct Consulate Filing to bring your wife to the states you will pay about $600 for fees to the embassy and Physical exams etc. And possibly $100's more for the assistance of a lawyer.
For every child your bride has multiply the above by one for each child.
Since the city of origination, for her flights, is in SA somewhere, roundtrip or oneway airfares are higher or much higher.
When your new wife (and possibly child(ren))arrive in the states they will only have what they can bring in three suitcases. My fiance has already jokingly told me the she will fill one suitcase with shoes and one with coffee.
If you are and have been a bachelor for a while have a couple of lady friends come over and give you an honest(?) assessment of what will be required to feminize you humble abode.
Then there are driving lessons(see Junfan for harrowing experiences), language ESL lessons(possibly free), colder weather clothing and I am sure the list could be magnified by those with first hand experience.
I am pretty frugal by nature yet I expect to spend on the order of $10,000.
In January I will be making my third trip to Cali.
I am getting married in country and doing a DCF. My fiance has one child.
This experience is not for the financially faint of heart or someone who doesn't have a savings account in good standing.
Fred

[Ken Power]

... in response to Re: Re: Engineers in Love/Paralysis of A..., posted by FenixRises on Dec 6, 2001

I know it will cost...K20 just sounded a little inflated.  What is the alternative to DCF?  I absolutley plan on going to Colombia. However,  I am just finishing school this semester and will be working in less than 2 weeks.
I also plan on taking a night course to learn Spanish.   I know alot of words, but sentence is necessary.  For me it may take a year to save and then go...so I feel it can't hurt to ask a few questions and log any useful info in my "Cali Notebook."  Appreciate you all!

Ken

[FenixRises]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Engineers in Love/Paralysis ..., posted by Ken Power on Dec 6, 2001

There is Direct Consular Filing.
You get married in country(Colombia), have all the needed paperwork, go to the US embassy in Bogota(Both of you and any children must go the first time)to do the initial interview, physical exams and blood tests and required shots, she must go back for the second interview which is scheduled at the first interview(currently taking about 10 days). If possible you do her a big favor going to the 2nd interview also. Then she can return immediatly to the states with you.
K-1 Visa.(Marriage visa)
You apply for it in the states.
She must go to the US embassy in Bogota to get it.
This allows her to come the US for a period of 90 days with the expressed purpose of marring you.
She can bring her child(ren) with this visa.
Takes about three months these days to get the visa.

The details are much more than I have stated above and the paperwork seems endless and some of it pointless but when dealing with bureaucrats you need to have everything in order.

These days it seems that the notaries who perform the civil marriage ceromony in Colombia are requiring the US man to have a marriage visa from a Colombian consulate in the US.
For me this was pretty easy as I live near Los Angeles.
However there aren't Columbian consulates in all states and certainly not in all cities. The Colombian consulate in LA covers southern Calif., Arizona and New Mexico. You have to apply for the marriage visa in person. Thus another trip for you to make.

BTW DCF is not available in all countries.

Fred