... in response to K1 Process Update, posted by Nikkyo on Mar 15, 2005Well.... good luck ..to all K1 souls, this is a true story. A couple two three years ago I petitioned for a woman I was very much in love with. After a year and many visits to Co. she came to the US on a K1. A month later she returned to Co., let's just say she was the perfect woman for me but I was not the perfect man for her. Plus she came over in the middle of Chicago winter... Anyway we departed on good terms (we are still friends). Some of the old timers may remember this story.. Hoda, Cali Vet, Pete etc. I posted it under the handle of gringuitonto.
After a long, hard rebound I went to my Cali again, met many calenas and found a good one (I hope, you can never be sure). 129F ok-d after seven months, I had to provide a proof the novia #1 returned to Co. Luckily I had the copy of her ticket the INS accepted it as a proof. Cita invitation after 10 months. First interview at the embassy: all paperwork is fine, but catch this: I have to provide a proof that novia #1 returned within the legal limit etc. Not just any proof... an entry exit statement from DAS (Colombian counterpart of INS those who don't know) with the entry date. DAS is bad news in general, to obtain something that relates to a third party is semi-hopeless. Of course the lovely lady of the embassy knew this well.... Plus she figured that I did something nasty to novia #1 (which I didn't) and there is no way that my ex-novia is going to help me with this. We were scratching our heads with my novia. Naturally, I had to explain all this to her, although previously I told her that once I had a novia from Cali.
We went to DAS, they told us to take a hike. Finally after much pleading, the department-head-honcho made an official statement that based on xx zzz laws they can not give out information about a third party. Totally logical answer for a totally absurd request. Back to Cali. I had to chase down my ex-novia (she is as beautiful and sexy as ever..) we had a coffe and she was willing to help. We went to DAS again, they said three to five months processing time, if at all. Que Mierda! As an alternative we went to a notary, who made an official statement that we are there in Cali in her presence, with id numbers etc. etc. ergo she returned to Colombia.
Second interview at the embassy. Same "lovely" lady in the same blouse with the same: "Not in your life *#!@hole attitude". She said that she will not accept neither the official statement of DAS nor the notary's "in presence statement" as proofs. It started to dawn on me that she has a big time hard-on for me. She wants the entry-exit card or nothing. Semi-upset I explained to her, look: this is an absurd request, would be a breach of privacy of the ex-novia by DAS. She shrugged and she said: it is very hard to beleive that ex-novia returned to Co. after a month. Either she did not return or I mistreated her and she therefore returned so soon.... I am out of of luck. Major headache! Mi pobrecita novia started to loose hope and I was mad as hell.
Third interview at the embassy. Same "lovely" lady in the same blouse with the same: "Not in your life *#!@hole attitude". This time I had a copy of a letter from my congressman to the visa section and the embassy's response. In the response one of the vice-consuls explained that I have to have a proof that the ex-novia returned to Co. within the legal limits. Guess what? Besides the previously mentioned ones, this time I had a copy of the ex-novia's passport with the huge INS stamp: VISA CANCELED WITHOUT PREJUDICE ademas... a copy of the return entry date stamped by DAS... The "lovely" lady said: "oh no no no you need the card from the DAS." I asked you mean that you would rather accept something from a foreign country than from your own government agency? YUPP! At this point I asked to talk to somebody in the higher echelons of the visa section. She said she is the one who calls the shots there... I quote: " I am it! " We left again this time totally hopeless.
Ten days later the uncrowned queenn of the visa section called my novia to go to the embassy. We were buffled. My novia went there in the morning, she was the very last person who left before five pm. Nobody ever asked her or talked to her about anything, proofs or else. Eight days later she received her visa.
She arrived recently, we are happy. Well, gentlemen maybe you can tell me the moral of this story, I sure can't.
