Clients went to Ciudad Juarez and provided a day by day account of their experience. I have reproduced it below to help those with Ciudad Juarez Immigration Visa Appointments.

L*** = Adopted Daughter

S***= U.S. Citizen Adoptive Mother

R** = Adoptive Father

Fri, Jun 8, 2012 at 3:12 PM

Hello Evelyne

How are you doing? L*** my parents and I are now here in Ciudad Juarez. This morning L***, my mom, and I took the hotel shuttle to the Medical clinic at 6am. When we got there the security officer asked that my mom can wait around the corner in a waiting room (since no one else was able to go, just L*** and myself). Anyways, the second security officer at the door entrance was asking everyone for their appointment letter and Mexican passport of the person getting their medical exam. L*** and I then went in and found the place full of people. We formed the line we were supposed to wait at, and we finally reached the registration desk. The lady asked for:

1. L***’s birth certificate,

2. The printout of the appointments,

3. L***’s passport,

4. The approval for appointment letter that the consulate mailed to me,

5. L***’s vaccination card (booklet).

She then told me that the appointment letter was dated 2011, and that she needed one for 2012. So, she told me to walk over to the consulate and ask to go to the information desk. L***, my mom, and I walked over. L*** and I waited a little over an hour (for the desk to open). We finally got the letter with no problem.

We walked over again to the clinic, we checked in at the desk once more. After the nurse went through all the papers she gave them back to me. She had L*** remove her earrings and walk over to turn in the papers and get L***’s picture. The girl at that desk asked me who I was to L***. I told her she is my adopted daughter. She looked though all the papers took L***’s picture and had me digitally sign. Then put a yellow bracelet on L***’s wrist. We were told to go into another large room and wait with other people. Here is what we did:

1. L*** did her eye exam.

2. L*** and I walked into a small room; female doctor had L*** remove her clothes up to her undies. Doctor did a quick exam on her body, mouth, and asked questions about if L*** has had any illnesses. Which I answered. She also asked how L*** was when she was born. I told her that I do not know since I got L*** at age 3.

3. We then went to Vaccination room. L*** needed to get 2 vaccinations and 1 TB test (so we have to go back on Monday at 10am to check on that and to get the results.)

4. I then went to pay.

That was it. We called the hotel for the shuttle and went back.

Hope this helps. I’ll have to ask the desk later about hotels with kitchens.

Talk to you later, S***.

Mon, Jun 11, 2012 at 9:10 PM

Hello Evelyne,

Well, today went very smoothly and fast. This morning L*** and I took the hotel shuttle to the medical clinic at 10am; I forgot that we had to be there at 11am. So, we just waited in the waiting room. At 11am the security officer (same kid from Friday so he recognized me and L***) asked for our payment receipt that I got on Friday there. We were let in; again we had to show the payment receipt and L***’s passport. We were then asked to sit in front of the vaccination office and wait, which was for only 1 minute. The nurse checked L*** and said she was fine. She told us to come back at 2pm to pick up the results. My parents quickly picked us up and we went back to the hotel.

At 2pm we showed up first to the office to fingerprint. Note: Show up only a few minutes before the appointment time. They will not let you in early. Just outside the office, on the window they show what appointment time they will allow people in. (I will show you what the office from the outside will look like in a picture). When L*** and I went in first there was a security guard asking everyone if they had any electronics.

1. Then when you go in they have you form a small line in front of two employees to check your documents to see if you have them all.

2. Then you form another line where they will check on the computer to verify your appointment for the fingerprinting.

3. You then go right next to the security officers that will ask you to check your pockets and purses, then they scan you (like at the airport). You then sit and wait only a minute or two.

4. They had me sit separately in the same room while L*** gets called up to a window (just like a very secure bank). L*** told me that the young lady asked her name, and age. Then asked L*** to read a sign that was just next to her. (I have no idea why. Maybe to see if L*** knew how to read). Then L*** had her picture taken (she was asked to remove a flower decoration that she wore on her hair.), next was the fingerprinting. I was then called to where L*** was to verify where the documents were going to be sent too and also to verify day and time of our interview. She also told us where to go on Friday morning (we were told to show up 30 minutes before our appointment time).

That was it for the fingerprinting. Next (at 3pm) we walked over to the medical clinic to pick up our package. We just needed to show the girl at the office the payment receipt and L***’s passport. We were handed a black sealed plastic package and was told again not to open it.

Well, that was pretty much it. Hope this helps.

Write to you later on Friday after the interview.

~S***.

Fri, Jun 15, 2012 at 8:07 PM

Dear Evelyne,

Well, Great news (I know I told you before) L*** was accepted!!! I still need to mail (via DHL) the birth certificate with the biological parent’s name (which is at home). Then they will mail me the package to Guadalajara.

Anyways, this morning my mom and dad dropped L*** and me off at the first office (which is next to the fingerprinting office.) They asked to look at:

1. Appointment Confirmation Letter (the paper you print out the moment you make the appointments).

2. The acceptance letter to make an appointment (the letter mailed to me from the consulate. NOTE: The letter MUST be dated the same year as the interview will be.)

3. And L***’s passport.

Once they Ok’d that I had all the paperwork, I was asked to walk over to the girl on the next table where she stamped something on my paperwork. They told me to walk over to the entrance to the consulate. Once there a consulate worker saw my paperwork and told me where to go, the young man there asked to see my papers plus asked if I had the medical envelope. Once he saw that he told us to enter to the security check point. We entered the building. The police officer asked both of us if we had anything electronic, pens…pretty much anything that was on the DO NOT TAKE LIST. I had to put everything that I was carrying including my little purse into a plastic bin, even L***’s watch. While those items were being scanned (just like at the airport) we walked through a scanner and picked up our items after that. They asked us to go to a girl that gave us a little ticket with a number on it. Then we were told to walk to the interviewing office. (We pretty much walked outside to the end of the patio and to the left. The police officers will tell you where to go if you ask them.) Once you go inside the building the officer will tell you where to sit. (The waiting total time was 5 hours. The inside of the building kind of resembles a high security DMV office) anyways, we sat there and watched a screen for our number (note: they do not pick the numbers in order. They come out randomly) Once our number was up we walked to the window the girl there asked for:

1. L***’s birth certificate

2. Evidence of financial support (the package you had us sign)

3. L***’s passport

4. The “Sentencia” that was given to me when the adoption was finished.

5. And the Medical report package.

After she checked everything she told me to wait again to be called by the agent. An hour later, we heard L***’s name and walked to that window. The agent told me that he was going to do our interview, but, before we did he told us that we need to pay first, the he would call us again to do the interview. So he asked us to wait for our number again to pay. 10 minutes later we saw our number. We walked to the window and paid. (It was $230 dollars). The girl handed our receipt and told us to wait. This time we waited for 1 ½ hours. They seem to have their lunch at 1pm to 2:30pm. When the agent came back I saw that he went through our file then called us up. He asked L*** to raise her right hand and asked if she would tell the truth. “Yes” of course. Then asked L*** to place her left pointing finger on a fingerprint scanner. After that was done, he asked L*** her name and where she lives. Then he was verifying information about when L*** was adopted, if she had been to the states, where was R**. Then he went through the paperwork and said everything looked fine. Then he told me that L*** was accepted, he just needed us to DHL the birth certificate and her Mexican passport (which he handed back to me), and that I do not need to return again. That was pretty much it. I hope this helps.

R** and I could not be any happier that we are now. I am going to wait for L*** to finish school, and I have a personal thing to take care of before we cross the border.

Thank you so much for everything, your hard work made the difference.

I will contact you later with more info when I get the package and when we cross the border. OK?

Talk to you later,

Sincerely yours,

S***