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I am living with my calena wife in Cali for the time being. At some point I might want to take her to the states for a visit. I've been told by those in the know that a tourist visa for her is pretty unlikely. That leaves the spousal visa as the most likely option for getting her past the gates in Miami. I wonder if I/we can carry out  that process while living in Cali. Any ideas?

... in response to Spousal visa from Cali?, posted by Cali vet on May 11, 2003

Cali vet, If you think you are going to do this, then you should go ahead order a birth certificate and any divorce certificate(s) that you will need.  These can be ordered via the internet.  They must be dated within either 60 or 90 days of the day you file.  The birth certificate usually comes in a short or long version.  You need the long version, showing your parents names etc.

The divorce certificate works anywhere you read the term divorce decree.  Actually it is better, since if you show up with a photo copy of your divorce decree it will not work.

Do a search on the internet for the state you need and the term 'Vital Records'.

... in response to Re: Spousal visa from Cali?, posted by Hiker on May 12, 2003

[This message has been edited by wizard]

Here's the website I used to order my Birth Certificate and Divorce Decree... They must be certified copies, which costs a few dollars more...

The only other problem may be having them sent to Cali Vet in Cali, as apposed to delivery to an address in the US...

http://www.vitalcheck.com

This is a commercial service that can obtain these documents for most states in the US...

Hope this helps...

... in response to Re: Re: Spousal visa from Cali?, posted by wizard on May 12, 2003

Thank you guys. I have both divorce copy from the courthouse and birth certificate with me. Needed them to get married here.

... in response to Spousal visa from Cali?, posted by Cali vet on May 11, 2003

I just went through this and it is very easy.  Most of the documents you can complete on the internet and print them.  The doc on the embassy's web site is not completely accurate.  If I can help just drop me an email.

The only thing is don't schedule a trip to the states until she has her visa in hand.  Today makes week number 6 since I filed and still no visa.  Everything is ready except the name check which is done by the Department of State.  This can take anywhere from 1 week to 7 months depending on several variables, including what person it gets assigned to.

... in response to Re: Spousal visa from Cali?, posted by Hiker on May 12, 2003

Name check? Yikes!

... in response to Spousal visa from Cali?, posted by Cali vet on May 11, 2003

What wizard said below pretty much refers to the details of the process.

One thing wizard didn't mention though is that the spousal visa itself is only valid for 2 years.  However it can (and will) be converted immediately on arrival to the United States (right at airport immigration) to conditional permanent residency.  After 2 years you can apply to have the conditions removed.  However one on the conditions for the residency to become permanent is that your spouse must reside in the United States at least 6 months of every year.  I was told the time does not have to be continuous, but the total time must be at least 6 months per year.  I don't know exactly what the result will be if you use the spousal visa like a tourist visa and she doesn't actually live in the United States after her first arrival.  Perhaps others on the board have some insight into that.

... in response to Re: Spousal visa from Cali?, posted by lswote on May 12, 2003

Iswote I don't want to bring my wife to the states to live, just to tour around and see it. I'd much prefer a tourist visa but that seems next to impossible. I'm afraid "conditional permanent residency" might put ideas in her head, you know visions of granduer, wealth, power, dates with Donald Trump etc. But I appreciate the info and may risk it.

... in response to Re: Re: Spousal visa from Cali?, posted by Cali vet on May 12, 2003

Yeah I figured you didn't want to move back to the states, but I was trying to help you understand what I knew about the spousal visa.  As far as I know you can just consider the spousal visa a two year tourist visa (this is just my opinion based on what I know so don't hold me to it).   However I don't know what would happen at the end of this two year period if you should choose to bring your wife to the states again.  I don't know if you would have to pay all the fees again or if you would be disqualifed from a second spousal visa.  I don't have answers to these questions but you might want to investigate them before you make the choice for a spousal visa.

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Spousal visa from Cali?, posted by lswote on May 12, 2003

Good points. I always have in the back of my mind the idea that things could heat up to the point of being intolerable here but in that case there are other countries in the neighborhood with similar economics.

... in response to Re: Spousal visa from Cali?, posted by lswote on May 12, 2003

Good point Bruce... I was unaware of the 6 months per year  residency requirements during the first two years...

... in response to Spousal visa from Cali?, posted by Cali vet on May 11, 2003

Absolutely possible and pretty damn easy.  I wonder though if that tourist visa is really out of the question?  Seems like you should be able to "back" her application by showing your income?  Of course, I'd hate to wait in the regular tourist visa line at the embassy - reason enough alone to go ahead with the spousal visa process.  But - this is a tricky scenario, once you start the spousal visa process - seems like you'd want to complete at least the "green card" part or risk mucking up that whole process - which would be tricky to do if you reside in Colombia.  Interesting dilemna.  Let me know if you end up taking an extended stay back in the states - I'd be interested in assuming your monthly rent on your finca.  Food for thought - have you found a good way to purchase your airfare to the US while in Colombia?  I understand there is a substantial fee imposed when buying the ticket in Colombia (about $200 bucks added) - seems like you'd want to figure out a way to purchase airfare in the US to save a couple hundred bucks (maybe it's just an easy electronic purchase via internet)?

... in response to Re: Spousal visa from Cali?, posted by cancunhound on May 12, 2003

Ha! Ain't nobody touchin' my finca! Yes airfare from Cali was terrible that last time I returned stateside. About three hundred more than I would have paid the other way around. I bought it through the AA ofice at the airport. Next time I will see a travel agent or two here and make sure they check with all the airlines including Copa/Continental.

... in response to Re: Spousal visa from Cali?, posted by cancunhound on May 12, 2003

Concerning the out-of-country purchase, I spoke with an
operator (the following is not a commercial endorsement)
at travelocity.com about the same situation. They said
that for a fee, they have an option where you can have
the tickets printed at a travel agency outside the country.
I think it is about $20.00. This allows you to get a one-way
from Bogota into the states.

... in response to Re: Re: Spousal visa from Cali?, posted by Celt on May 12, 2003

Sounds good.

... in response to Re: Re: Spousal visa from Cali?, posted by Celt on May 12, 2003

Interesting, I just checked American's website, Orbitz & Yahoo.  Orbitz wouldn't let me start pricing from Colombia, American no problem but expensive, yet Yahoo appears to permit it and saves about $200 - and interestingly - Delta was the cheapest (3 stops though) and is never an option for me when departing the US.  As for one-way, I have yet to be able and purchase a one-way for cheaper than round-trip unless I'm dealing with a foreign airline like COPA or ACES.

... in response to Re: Air purchase out of country, posted by cancunhound on May 12, 2003

You are probably right. Only once was I able to find a
one-way Bogota-LAX that was cheaper than round-trip. But,
they do allow you to pick up tickets abroad, which is
pretty handy.

... in response to Spousal visa from Cali?, posted by Cali vet on May 11, 2003

Just do the DCF through the US Embassy in Bogota...

Here's the link to the document requirements page for US Embassy website in Bogota...

http://usembassy.state.gov/colombia/wwwsmare.shtml

Since you're already in country, you can take your time processing the paperwork... Total cost is $460 USD and it will start the BCIS wheels moving on the I-130, "Petition for Alien Relative"... Once completed, she will be granted a visa to travel to the US with you... I'm not sure of any other travel restrictions beyond this point though...

... in response to Sure..., posted by wizard on May 12, 2003

Thank you Wizard, have noted the website. Doesn't sound too bad. What do the acronyms DCF and BCIS mean?

... in response to Re: Sure..., posted by Cali vet on May 12, 2003

Since the demise of the wholy inept INS, the US Government has formed the BCIS (Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services)... All functions previously handled by the INS are now handled by the BCIS...

DCF stands for Direct Consulant Filing... This is the process of filing all paperwork for a Spousal Visa  directly with the US Embassy in your jurisdiction, i.e. Bogota... If you file for the Spousal Visa in the US, it can take months to process... If you file the paperwork via DCF, it only takes about one month for the Visa to be approved, if you have all the paperwork in order... This may be an issue since many of the documents you need for a DCF must come from the US... Read the document requirements on the US Embassy website and you'll begin to understand the process...

Hiker posted a compreshensive list of the documents required a month or so ago... That may be a good place to start... Just skip the section on getting the marriage visa from the Colombia Consulate...

Having just gone through this process myself, I plan on posting the steps here in a couple days myself...

Hope this helps...

... in response to Re: Re: Sure..., posted by wizard on May 12, 2003

Thanks again Wizard. I was thinking I might have to do some leg work in the US to have the proper documentation. That trip wasn't in the plan, hmmm...I am hearing that getting her a tourist visa to Canada is much easier. Might just take her to Winsor, Ontario and she can look the US accross the river.