I have read some posts on the Manila Interview Post and some user's have said that you must bring your passport and leave it at St. Lukes and they will sent that with the medical to the Embassy. NO WAY WOULD I DO THAT!!! Can those of you please clarify why you would trust St. Lukes to send your passport. Can you imagine if your passport got lost. You can't even get into the U.S. Embassy without your passport.

MY ADVICE: Keep your passport with you at all times and bring to the U.S. Embassy. Can those of you that have said to leave your passport at St. Lukes please clarify why? I doubt this is a requirement from St. Lukes.

Your advice may get someone denied their visa. This is the procedure in Manila. You don't have to follow it, but they don't have to give you a visa.

I don't understand where you see its the requirement in Manila. It says on the K4 packet that you must have a valid passport. So I assume you bring your passport with you to the interview. Where does it say to leave your passport with st. lukes?

Well, I just searched the ASAWA website and seems like this is the situation. St. Lukes does keep your passport and sends it with the medical. I wish the U.S. Embassy would clarify this in their K4 packet. I can see situations where the Fiance would not want to give the passport. Very very tricky.

So if for some reason St. Lukes does not send the medical results and your passport - Then you are on automatic A/R. Oh well, guess we just have to cross our fingers and wish that they do their job and deliver on time.

You are correct on that one. So far I have not heard or read anything of any passports lost by St. Luke's. Anyway, good luck on the medical and interview.

Audrey

It seems like in the philippines, surrendering your passport for processing or whatever is normal. My wife has had to do it a couple of times for different things so far, and i also was surprised how nonchalant she was about it - especially since she doesn't have any other government-issued ID (like a driver's license).

However, I wouldn't necessarily consider this mindset strange - the passports are property of the government, aren't they? Even our US ones say that they have to be surrendered immediately if so ordered, if i remember correctly. Then, of course, US driver licenses can also be confiscated as well. The US mentality of "mine mine" isn't necessarily the most accurate here. The government has simply requested that its property is returned.

So it doesn't necessarily seem so unusual to me that a filipino would trust an agent of the government (St. Lukes, the only hospital allowed to do medical exams) to handle government documents. One would have the same issue if the medical exam info didn't get to the embassy as well, right? The applicant would get there and the CO would take issue with no medical exam on record.

Curious, though, what they use for identification to grant access to the US Embassy... I guess we'll find out.

Just a little different angle on your observations... Maybe right... maybe wrong. ttyl,

mich

We only need to present our appointment letter to the embassy guard. Plus, we are carrying our NBI clearance and birth certificate (required for interview) in case positive ID is required.

Greetings!

Incase you did not noticed its only in the Philippines where in they actually stamped a page of the passport proving that you went there for medical.

Griffin

What is the medical process at St. Lukes?

How long will the medical take?

Any suggestions in general when going through this phase?

And most importantly, can anyone advice where the best place to stay that will be easy access of both St. Lukes and Embassy?

Cheers!

Greetings!

SUGGESTIONS:
A. HOTEL SORRIENTE
- 02-5239480
-1,100 PESOS PER NIGHT

LIKE A PENSION HOUSE TYPE BUT JUST THAN LESS 100 STEPS AWAY TO ST. LUKES MEDICAL CLINIC. AS SOON AS YOU STEP OUT FROM THIS LOCATION YOULL SEE IMMEDIATELY ST. LUKES CLINIC......

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR COUPLES WHO WANTED TO SAVE ....TILL MEDICAL IS DONE...AND MAY OPT TO TRANSFER TO A BIG HOTEL INFRONT OF THE EMBASSY PRIOR INTERVIEW .
NOTE:

1. NO NEED OF TAXI GOING TO ST. LUKES AND BACK
2. RATE IS ONLY 1100 PER NIGHT.
3. HAS A CHEAP RESTAURANT WITH NICE PORK GRILL AT A CHEAP PRICE.

B. BAY VIEW HOTEL
-02-5261555
-2,600 PER NIGHT

THE LOCATION IS JUST ACROSS THE EMBASSY WITH 60 TO 75 $ A DAY.......THIS IS RECOMMENDED FOR COUPLES WHO HAS A LITTLE EXTRA BUDGET.....

FARE SUUGESTION:
AS SOON AS YOU KNOW YOUR INTERVIEW APPOINTMENT AND YOU NEED A FLIGHT TICKET TO MANILA AND FROM MANILA....YOU MAY ADVANCE YOUR FLIGHT BOOKING AND PURCHASE AND SAVE AS MUCH AS 50% OFF FROM TOTAL DOMESTICE FARE....TO AND FROM MANILA.

FOREIGN NATIONAL MAY PURCHASE TICKET ONLINE.....

www.cebupacificair.com

MEDICAL:

- TWO DAYS

- IF YOU ARE THE FIRST PERSON IN LINE THEN YOULL BE OKAY AND FREE ON THE FIRST DAY AROUND 9:30 A.M., PEOPLE QUEUE AS EARLY AS 5:00 A.M. IN THE MORNING.

- MAKE SURE TO BRING THE FF:
1. PASSPORT
2. PASSPORT PICTURES
3. THE CORRECT FEE IN PHILIPINES PESOS...($100.00)
4. APPOINTMENT LETTER.

NOTE: BECAUSE THEY ARE GOING TO TAKE YOUR PASSPORT ITS BEST IF YOU RECOPY THE FRONT AND LAST PAGE ESP.. THOSE APPLICANTS WHO HAS NO OTHER VALID I.D.S..( THIS IS USEFUL IN US EMBASSY)
MEDICAL CAN BE TAKE IN ADVANCE ALSO...EBEN WITHOUT THE APPOINTMENT LETTER....I GUESS KNWOING MANIAL CASE NUMBER WILL HELP....

SECOND DAY OF MEDICAL:

VACCINATION AND THE X-RAY RESULTS!



CORRECTION SOME TYPOS:

MEDICAL CAN BE TAKEN IN ADVANCE EVEN WITHOUT APPOINTMENT LETTER....AND KNOWING MANILA CASE NUMBER WILL HELP

I was wondering about ID's too. My fiancee's only picture ID is her passport. She will need to go to the medical and then fly back home to the provinces. So I'm thinking the airline will need to see a picture id before she boards to go back home. So she is going to get a postal ID. Some other sugestions were student ID etc. Seems like I also read that her interview appointment letter will grant her access to the embassy. Don't hold me to that though.

THATS ONE OF THE REASON OF WHY THEY NEED TO RECOPY FRONT AND LAST PAGE OF THE PASSPORT BEFORE GOING TO MEDICAL.........

HI All

I think my step son had to leave his passport at St. Lukes. I dont think it will get lost. He did not have any problems.

so I think it is not the norm and I was kinda wondering why they did that but as long as the consulate gets the passport.

Cheers

yogi

AS I HAD MENTIONED.....ST. LUKES WILL STAMP ONE PAGE OF YOUR PASSPORT PROVING THAT YOU HAD YOUR MEDICAL WITH DATE ETC...STRANGE BUT ITS TRUE!

This is my second time of filing K-1 visa, YES YOU HAVE TO GIVE YOUR PASSPORT TO ST. LUKES IF THEY NEED TO GET IT. I'VE BEEN THERE ONCE AND EVERYTHING WILL BE ALRIGHT. SO FAR ST. LUKES BEEN TRUSTED BY US EMBASSY FOR SO MANY YEARS. DON'T DOUBT IT!!! GOOD LUCK! NOTHING TO WORRY IF YOU DON'T WANT YOUR VISA GET DELAYED, YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW INSTRUCTION OF WHAT US EMBASSY HAS TOLD YOU...

Just adding another concur with the "St. Luke's gets your passport" theme. My wife called St. Luke's last week and personally confirmed it with them.

As a side note, for ID, we're planning to use her last work ID and she just got a postal ID, along with all the documents and such that we'll already have. I've never even heard of a postal ID before, so it's a good thing she knows how things work over there. ttyl,

mich