We got the visa...open appointment!

[Guero]

One week to the day after we got our approval letter. Our open appointment letter came today. We had an email saying that it was sent out, and that was good enough.
We went to the the window at 6 am. They had us wait across the street. It was a waist of time to go early. They opened it up just before 8:00 They just took my wifes passport and the letter and gave everyone an appointment to come back at 3:00. It only took a few minutes. They appointment at 3:00 took about a half hour for her.
Then we went to the DHS office at the cordova bridge. It took about 2 hours for her to get the packet turned in, then we waited in line for an hour and a half to walk through. There was a lot of people getting their visas, and there were a lot of busses going through at that time.
We finally made it across and went to eat at Golden Corral. We are now back in Mexico to spend the night and pack up. I'm glad this nightmare is over. It has been exhausting.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
P.S. Most of the people I talked to had been there just under a year, and one person recognized us from our first appointment in December.

[cherrycandy001]

Congrats!

[meesh]

Congratulations! The long wait is now over:)

[nadiah_25]

WOW, so you saw people that were there with you on your fist apoitment?
How many people did you see there turning in their passports?
Were they approvals from different months besides, Dec. Jan and Feb?

Congratulations to you and your wife!!!!

[inlimbo]

woo-hoo! congratulations!

[M&M]

Congratulations!

[zamarrone]

congrats!!

[Azul y Vampy]

Congratulations Guero! :thumbup:

[nsoto]

Congrats! Nice to see people being reunited with their families under a year!

[maru1979]

Congratulations Guero... this is great news... You are correct...your nightmare is over... Best of luck! :grpwave:

[Dorothea]

Guero, congratulations!!
That sounds sooooo easy!!!!!!!!!!!!! Why, now, are they making things so much easier??? See, there IS a way! They could have saved themselves so much trouble if they'd always done things like this!

[lvluck777]

Congratulations!!!!!!!!

[gdalicia]

Congrats!!! :thumbup: So are you saying that once your open appointment is in the system you don't actually need to bring the letter with you?

[Guero]

WOW, so you saw people that were there with you on your fist apoitment?
How many people did you see there turning in their passports?
Were they approvals from different months besides, Dec. Jan and Feb?

Congratulations to you and your wife!!!!

The people I talked to were from August, and one from December. I'm guessing that there were about 200 people there, but a lot of them were family members.

[tracimn123]

Did u take your letter?

[Guero]

Congrats!!! :thumbup: So are you saying that once your open appointment is in the system you don't actually need to bring the letter with you?

They asked for the letter in the morning and all I had was an email that said that it had been mailed, and they didn't say anything. I did get the letter about noon, but they didn't ask for it again. I'm just glad everything went well.

[kitkat1]

Was there any "address verification" as indicated in the post from the consulate? Did you need anything else at the 3:00 appointment? Oh and could you tell *about* how long the info window line was -- if you arrived at say 10:00 am instead of 8:00, would it have been an all day wait?

[mnava]

Wow that is great !!!! Congrats sound pretty easy huh???

[ratito921]

congrats!!!

[Guero]

Was there any "address verification" as indicated in the post from the consulate? Did you need anything else at the 3:00 appointment? Oh and could you tell *about* how long the info window line was -- if you arrived at say 10:00 am instead of 8:00, would it have been an all day wait?

In the letter, if I remember, they ask for pics, passport, ds-230 visa application, and medical exam. We had all those, but I'm not sure if they asked my wife for all that at the window. Since she had been less than a year, maybe they didn't need some things.
I do know that at 8:00 they asked for all the letters and they called out names and asked if their address was current and had them leave their passports.
I don't know if they would have taken you at 10:00. The letter says 7-9.
It doesn't really help much to get there early. The first part only took a few minutes. At 3:00, it took her about 30 minutes, and agian since they were calling out names, it doesn't help to show up early. I'm not sure if they asked for anything at the 3:00 appointment or not.
When we got to the immigration office at the Cordova bridge it was busy. You want to get there ASAP, or wait until the next morning. There were a lot of buses going through, so once you finished the paperwork, if you wanted to walk across, the line was about an hour long.

[kitkat1]

Oops - forgot there was a time limit. I was just wondering what would happen if you came on the late side and if the line would be super long. But I realize you weren't there late. Thanks and congrats!

[salcidofamily]

Well iam hoping to get something soon also my huspand turn in is waiver in dec-11-06. we have not got a approval.
hey did thet let you go in with your wife.

[mreyna]

So you can turn in your packet that same day cross the bridge and cross back to Mexico? Do they just stamp your pasasport and then you can cross back and the next day leave early and not have to wait in line again to get across?

[Guero]

Well iam hoping to get something soon also my huspand turn in is waiver in dec-11-06. we have not got a approval.
hey did thet let you go in with your wife.

We didn't even have to go into the consulate. It was all done at the information window on the south side.

[Guero]

So you can turn in your packet that same day cross the bridge and cross back to Mexico? Do they just stamp your pasasport and then you can cross back and the next day leave early and not have to wait in line again to get across?

At the consulate they took the passport in the morning, when we went back they gave it back and they had put a full page sticker in there. I think that is all she needs to cross, but they give you a packet that has to be turned in at the Immigration office at the Cordova brige. They told her she had a year to do it, but who wants to wait.

[madrika]

:rockon: Congrats!!!

[mamacita]

Sounds like they have it down now for the open appt's pick up!:wink:

If only they would hurry up and get these backlogged waivers mailed out and in correct order for those of us that have waited for so long!

This is at least a little exciting news for those of us waiting....:D:thumbup:

Mamacita:wave:

[aprilstorm]

Congrats!!!!!