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发帖数: 1 | 1 5/20/2014 Matamoros F-1 Visa Renew
I just successfully renewed my F-1 visa at US consulate in Matamoros in a
two-day trip. I promised Salvador to share my experience with you guys and
here it is.
5/13/2014
I filled in the online DS-160 form and then scheduled the appointments for
Applicant Service Center (ASC) on 5/19 at 3:30 pm and consulate interview on
5/20 at 10:30 am.
https://usvisa-info.com/en-mx/selfservice/ss_country_welcome
The MRV fee is 160 USD and you need to pay it first in order to make the
appointments. Note that the consulate interview was firstly asked to be
scheduled and then ASC appointment. However, you need to visit ASC before
going to the consulate. You don’t want to mess them up when making
appointments. Here is an example of mine:
After that, I contacted the well-known Mr. Salvador Castañeda via email
. Salvador is his first name so please do not call him Mr. Salvador.
Salvador owns business in Matamoros but lives in Brownsville. You may reach
him at s******[email protected] or (956)-545-5255 (US cell number), as shown
below:
He told me that a Chinese student from TAMU helped him set up a website,
where you may find more information on his service and trip suggestions:
www.mexicovisaservice.appspot.com
The lodging fee for one night is 93 USD + tax = 110.27 USD (1418.62 peso).
You need to notify him beforehand so that he can reserve a room for you.
5/19/2014
I left College Station at 6:00 am and drove all the way to Brownsville in 7
hrs (6 hrs on driving and 1 hr on food and fueling). I met Salvador at
SUBWAY Restaurants (it is in the same building with Bus/Railroad Terminal,
755 International Blvd, Brownsville, TX 78520), which is 2 blocks from the
UETA parking lot. Please note that we cannot find this branch through UETA
website. You may want to search for Baja Duty Free first (1401 E Washington
St, Brownsville, TX 78520), and UETA parking lot is just opposite to it as
shown below:
I paid for 3 days (15 USD). Afterwards, Salvador drove me across the border
from US to Mexico through a bridge with his special permit. If you want to
go across the border, you may want to take Gateway International Bridge
instead. The fee is 3.25 USD for vehicle and 1.00 USD for pedestrian.
Please note that to help you cross the border and bring you to the hotel is
not a part of his service. You need to count on yourself.
We entered Mexico at around 1:30 pm and Salvador drove me to ASC for
fingerprinting directly before hotel check-in. He told me that it was fine
to go there earlier. The whole process went smoothly and I was all set
after 10 mins. Please note that parking is not free in front of ASC (10
peso) and cellphone is not allowed in ASC. Then, Salvador took me for a
short trip near his hotel before I finally checked in at 2:20 pm.
I took a nap thereafter and had dinner (195 peso) at the restaurant on the
first floor of the hotel, as illustrated below:
5/20/2014
I had breakfast (free of charge) at 8:30 am on the first floor. Then,
Salvador drove me, together with another three guys from different countries
, to the US consulate at around 10:15 am. We were lucky because the line
was a relative short one. The majority in the queue were Mexicans, of
course. Again, cellphone is not allowed in the building.
After security examination, we need to wait for fingerprint confirmation,
followed by the interview. Since I just wanted to renew my visa, the VO
mainly focused on checking my major, university, and finial support.
Frankly speaking, I don’t believe he is familiar with university transfer
issue (after obtaining my MS, I went to a new university for PhD) or
research assistantship (e.g. RA covers tuition & insurance and offers
monthly stipend), so be prepared to solve all his concerns. I answered the
questions confidently and then he agreed to pass my visa after the 10-minute
conversation at around 12:00 pm. Luckily, all of us passed the interview
and were told to come back again between 3:00~3:30 pm to pick up new visas.
After that, Salvador took us on a tour of the local market, theater, and
plaza. Generally speaking, Matamoros is similar to a small Chinese city in
the 1990’s. US bills are acceptable and the goods prices are negotiable.
To my experience, it is highly recommended to start the bargaining at 50% of
the original price. You may obtain a general outline of Matamoros from the
following photos:
The tour ended at 2:20 pm and we went back to the hotel. Food is really
cheap here and I spent 120 peso on lunch. The hotel offered a late check-
out service so that you might stay in your room until 2:30 pm.
We left our luggage at the front desk and Salvador took us to the consulate
again. Here, we had to wait in the queue, pass the security examination,
and then get our passport plus new visa from the window at around 5:00 pm.
Well, it’s time to say goodbye to Matamoros.
Salvador drove us back to his hotel to get our luggage, and took us to the
Mexico-US border.
Mexico-US border (Mexico side):
Mexico-US border (US side):
Please note that you do not need to wait in the endless queue. Just pass
through the glass gate in the picture above and walk into the waiting room (
on your right hand side) to obtain a new I-94 (6 USD) and a check on your I-
20. You will also get a orange piece of paper reads “cleared” from the
CBP officer, which means that you may enter US without waiting in the queue.
I entered US at 5:30 pm, got my car, and paid a short visit (5 mins) to the
South Padre Island. Then I drove all the way back to College Station and
finally lied in my soft bed at 1:00 am. This trip is amazing!
Given more time, I would definitely stay in the island for a day or two. I
took the following pictures when heading for the island:
Queen Isobella Causeway:
Isla Blanca Park:
I would like to sincerely thank Salvador for making our lives much easier
and I would highly recommend his service to you.
References:
1. http://www.mitbbs.com/bbsann2/life.faq/Visa/UsVisaRenew/Mexico/Matamoros/M.1354810399_2.b0/2012%E5%B9%B412%E6%9C%88+%E5%A2%A8%E8%A5%BF%E5%93%A5Matamoros+F2%E8%BD%ACF1
2. http://www.mitbbs.com/bbsann2/life.faq/Visa/UsVisaRenew/Mexico/Matamoros/M.1310194016_2.P0/2011%E5%B9%B47%E6%9C%88%E5%A2%A8%E8%A5%BF%E5%93%A5Matamoros+F2-F1%E7%BB%8F%E5%8E%86
3. http://www.mitbbs.com/bbsann2/life.faq/Visa/UsVisaRenew/Mexico/Matamoros/M.1296711765_2.U0/%E5%A2%A8%E8%A5%BF%E5%93%A5%E7%AD%BE%E8%AF%81%E9%87%8D%E8%A6%81%E4%BF%A1%E6%81%AF%E3%80%902011%E5%B9%B42%E6%9C%882%E6%97%A5Matamo
4. http://www.mitbbs.com/bbsann2/life.faq/Visa/UsVisaRenew/Mexico/Matamoros/M.1269642096_2.Z0/%E2%80%9C%E5%81%B7%E6%B8%A1%E2%80%9D%E5%9B%9E%E6%9D%A5%E4%BA%86%EF%BC%8C%E4%BA%BA%E7%94%9F%E5%AE%8C%E6%95%B4%E4%BA%86%EF%BC%8CMatamoros
5. http://www.mitbbs.com/bbsann2/life.faq/Visa/UsVisaRenew/Mexico/TJ/M.1356335465_2.U0/2012.12.19-21%E5%A2%A8%E8%A5%BF%E5%93%A5Tijuana+H1B%E7%BB%AD%E7%AD%BE%E7%BB%8F%E5%8E%86
6. http://www.mitbbs.com/bbsann2/life.faq/Visa/UsVisaRenew/Mexico/TJ/M.1349209021_2.e0/10+2+F1+visa+renew+Tijuana
7. http://www.mitbbs.com/bbsann2/life.faq/Visa/UsVisaRenew/Mexico/TJ/M.1345281320_2.m0/%E5%A2%A8%E8%A5%BF%E5%93%A5TJ+F1+renewal+%E8%BF%87-+Aug+13-15 |
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