Don't see your question? Get on the call and ask us directly.
Are you attorneys?
No — we're specialists in the paperwork, which is what a visa application actually is. We work out which visa fits, pull together and format every document, handle the apostille and certified translations, and file it. That's the part that decides whether you get approved.
What we don't do is practice law: legal advice, representing you in a proceeding. The overwhelming majority of visa applications never need any of that. If yours turns out to be one of the rare ones that does, we'll tell you on the call and point you to someone good.
Why not just hire an immigration attorney?
You can, and for a small number of complicated cases you probably should. But for most people it means paying $250–400 an hour for work that isn't legal work — collecting documents, getting them apostilled by the right office, having them translated by someone Colombia recognizes, filling out a form and hitting submit. Tedious, unforgiving, but not law.
Here's what we hear over and over from people who tried a firm first: two to three times the cost, the person handling it changes halfway through, updates come in Spanish or broken English, no way to see where things stand, apostilles and translations billed on top, and the cedula appointment isn't their problem — even though that card, not the visa, is what gets you a bank account and a lease.
We run it the other way: one English-speaking person on your case the whole time, a price quoted once, every document handled, a tracker you can pull up whenever, and we walk into the cedula appointment with you.
Which nationalities do you work with?
Most of our clients are American or Canadian, but we handle British, Australian, Irish and EU passports too. The visa process itself doesn't change. What changes is where your documents come from and how they get legalized — that's the first thing we map out on the call.
Do I need to be in Colombia to start?
No, and honestly it's easier if you're not. Getting your FBI check and the federal apostille is much simpler while you're still stateside. The only piece that requires you here is the cedula appointment at the very end.
How long does the whole thing take?
Our average is 44 days from the first call to an approved visa, then another two to four weeks for the cedula. The two variables are how fast your apostille comes back from DC and how backed up they are that month.
What happens if my visa is denied?
We tell you exactly why, based on what they sent back, and what has to change. If it was our mistake, we refile at no charge. Government fees don't get refunded no matter who files — that's true for everyone, us included.
I've already overstayed. Can you still help?
Usually yes, and it happens way more than people let on. Get on the call and tell us the exact number of days over. We'll tell you straight what you're facing and whether it's fixable from here.
Do you handle the FBI background check and apostille?
Yes, and this is worth paying attention to because it's where most DIY applications fall apart. We tell you how to request your FBI Identity History Summary, which channel is fastest (the approved channelers beat mailing it in by weeks), and where to send it for the federal apostille from the US Department of State — not your Secretary of State, which is the mistake almost everybody makes. Then we handle the certified translation down here.
