2nd Trip to US Embassy in Bogota

[Hiker]

[This message has been edited by Hiker]

Well this morning my wife went to the US Embassy for her 2nd appointment.  Paid the money and gave them the documents then waited.  She was told the documents were all in order and she had a short interview.  Then she was told everything looked good but that Washington was a little slow right now, and they had not received her security clearance yet.  He told her that she would be called in Cali when they received it and she would have to come back to the embassy to get her visa.

Has anyone else experienced this before?

[lswote]

... in response to 2nd Trip to US Embassy in Bogota, posted by Hiker on Apr 21, 2003

I was more fortunate on my wife's second visit on March 17th and got her visa that day, but her appointments were 5 weeks apart and if I recall correctly, your wife's were closer together so maybe the extra time between my wife's appointments gave Washington a little more time.

[Pete E]

... in response to 2nd Trip to US Embassy in Bogota, posted by Hiker on Apr 21, 2003

There were no such issues when we did this 3 years ago,at least it didn't hold us up.
Hopefully there should be a way to check if they got the clearance before she goes in.Otherwise she has wasted a round trip from Cali.Thats no small deal.Someone said have her stay in Bogota.Unless she has family she really wants to stay with and has the time to wait that could be an expensive drag for her,sitting in a strange city.My Calina would never have gone for that(she hates Bogota),plus it would cost more than the roung trip anyway.

Pete

[Hiker]

... in response to Re: 2nd Trip to US Embassy in Bogota, posted by Pete E on Apr 21, 2003

Yeah she also hates Bogota.  I really enjoyed Bogota and wanted to spend a few more days, but she could not leave soon enough.

[Pete E]

... in response to Re: Re: 2nd Trip to US Embassy in Bogota, posted by Hiker on Apr 21, 2003

There seems to be a rivalry going between Cali and Bogota.They are completely different cities in appearance and weather.My Calena seems to have Cali is better attitude
and didn't like anything about Bogota.She complained and knocked it alot.I thought it was interesting but we were busy with our spousal visa endevours and didn't do anything there.We even ate most of our meals room service at our hotel.
The night we left was a downer.My wife didn't get her visa at her second appointment and I got sent home for more paperwork.There was a huge rainstorm and a foot of water in the street,we were plowing through it like a boat.We missed our plane to Cali,but fortunately there was another.The last time I saw Bogota.Wasn't pretty.But sometime I might like to spend more time time there,but probably will go for warm beaches,like Santa Marta,first.I don't know if I could ever get my wife there again unless she wanted to see a friend.

Pete

[wizard]

... in response to Cali vs Bogota, posted by Pete E on Apr 21, 2003

Having spent some time in both cities, I like Bogota better... That's just my opinion... I like both cities as they both have different things to offer... But overall, I prefer Bogota...

[Hiker]

... in response to Cali vs Bogota, posted by Pete E on Apr 21, 2003

My wife complained how unfriendly the people in Bogota are.  I didn't see it that way.  It is not that Bogota is unfriendly but it is just not as friendly and "smiley" as Cali.  The three most beautiful women I have ever seen was while in Bogota.  In Bogota your shirt is not sticking to your back.  The diversity of food beats Cali easily.  The richness of culture and art is great.  I think Bogota has a lot to offer.  For a guy who is just starting out in this search I would check Bogota out.  

In the more poor areas of Bogota you will find some anti American grafitti, but in the other areas I felt more comfortable and more safe in Bogota.

[Celt]

... in response to 2nd Trip to US Embassy in Bogota, posted by Hiker on Apr 21, 2003

Yes, I experienced the same thing two months ago. I did
two things to hasten the process: [1] I had my Congressman
start a "constituent concern" case out of his branch office.
This is a request for a congressional staffer to make a
courtesy call on a government bureaucracy, which carries
alot more weight than a whining citizen; [2] I e-mailed the
embassy about a week later, and informed them of the action
I had taken on this side. This is what bothered me about the
embassy: they told me that they received the security
clearance two days ago, but had not (bothered to) called
me. Who knows how long it would have been before they
did call. My advice is for your wife not to leave Bogota.
My delay lasted about 8-10 days. Good luck.

[Cali James]

... in response to Re: 2nd Trip to US Embassy in Bogota, posted by Celt on Apr 21, 2003

I'm not an expert on these kind of matters but I think your advice is poor and might possibly have the exact opposite affect that you desire.  The Federal beauracracy is a maze for sure but a week or two delay, especially after 9/11, is nothing to get worked up about. My opinion is that the embassy is doing the best job they can under difficult situations, especially considering the volume of VISA applicants they are directly responsible for.  Contacting your congressman over small delays and trivial matters seems unlikely to speed your paperwork up.  If I were processing a stack of security clearances and a Federal inquiry came in after only a small delay, I'd make sure I put the complainer's application at the bottom of the stack.

Having her wait in Bogota strikes me as an emotional response and one that only adds tension to what may already be a tense time for her.  I think the better approach is to be calm, have the wife return home and wait for the paper work to come back.  It's not the end of the world and be glad that in less than two months a person can complete a process that others have been working on for years.

Anyway the Embassy staff aren't perfect but they do a reasonably good job.  They called my wife in a little less than a week and this seemed great to me.  On the otherhand, if a couple of weeks pass, send a POLITE email to the Immigrant VISA section (include case #) and ask for a status update on her case.

[Celt]

... in response to Re: Re: 2nd Trip to US Embassy in Bogota, posted by Cali James on Apr 21, 2003

Your advice is well-taken. I would not have bothered,
except for the following circumstances and observations.
The embassy consular section was closed--without notice
or posting--the week between Christmas and New Years. I
walked through the embassy during that time and heard three different
stories about its re-opening. Had I taken any of the advice
I heard, my wife would not be here now. I explained this to
the consular officer when I returned there
from Cali after my honeymoon, and an hour before my flight
home. She admitted that they all left town early without
posting anything to the effect.

My wife returned for her second appointment and was told
about the delay, and then questioned harshly since the
questioners assumed that a delayed security clearance meant
a suspicious background. [They actually told her that
they were not sure about some of her answers. This--as I
later got a higher-level official to admit--was misleading.]

What if she had come from Cali and received such b.s.?

If they have not taken care of their business by the
2nd embassy appointment--which they set according to their
work load and/or convenience--they should phone the spouses
and tell them there has been a delay, and not force them
to come all the way to the embassy, perhaps from as far as
Cali--just to hear that there has been a delay.
No enterprise in a competitive market would long exist by
treating people that way. Most embassies operate this way.

I felt I should tell my Congressman the details of my
experience, and seek remedy, since I saw nothing in their
demeanor or professionalism that lead me to believe that
my future experiences with them would be any different than
the previous ones.

They are after all--at least in theory--public "servants".

[Hiker]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: 2nd Trip to US Embassy in Bo..., posted by Celt on Apr 22, 2003

The point you make about having the common courtesy of calling her and telling her to not make the trip is the thing that I keep thinking of.  I did not understand that.  The guy told her just to come back when they called her, like it was no big deal.  

Typically I am a very patient person and I really want to be in this case, but it is very difficult.  

I am trying to wait until a week has went by before trying to get the ball rolling.  It is frustrating when you have done all your homework and you go to the Embassy feeling prepared and ready, just to feel jerked around later.

[Celt]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Re: 2nd Trip to US Embassy i..., posted by Hiker on Apr 22, 2003

That is why I asked my wife to stay with her cousin in
Bogota. A random number of women from each day's group
at the embassy windows will go to their second appointment
in vain. Right now it is a small number. With my wife it was
about 2 in 25. Imagine if she had needed to take a bus
through a country like Colombia to reach her 2nd appt. I
would have called my Senator and complained, rather than
calling my Representative. My advice is to keep her in
Bogota until the process is over, and to buy a flight to
the U.S. with maximum flexibility.

[Hiker]

... in response to Re: Re: 2nd Trip to US Embassy in Bogota, posted by Cali James on Apr 21, 2003

I am OK with a week.  I think I will wait a few days and then pursue it.  Actually I am catching sandies (white bass) every day after work about as fast as I can cast.  So one more week of that before I donate my rods and reels to some young single guy could be a good thing.  :-)

[Cali James]

... in response to 2nd Trip to US Embassy in Bogota, posted by Hiker on Apr 21, 2003

Yep, it happened to my wife also.  The second interview was more or less a waste as the security clearance had not come back from Washinton even though a month seperated the 1st and 2nd interview.  A week later they telephoned my wife at her home in Cali and told her to come to Bogota.  Everything went smooth from there.  

[Hiker]

... in response to Re: 2nd Trip to US Embassy in Bogota, posted by Cali James on Apr 21, 2003

Thanks a lot.  I had assumed it was automatic and I was a little worried by this.  At one point I was even going to purchase the plane tickets in advance.  I am glad I did not.