Phil-Am K1 Information…
Starting Line(K1 Introduction) - If you are just starting your K1 visa journey, please check out this information provided by the Department of State (DOS) on the K1 visa experience (
CLICK HERE). I found this information very insightful when I first started. Please note that the "How to Apply for a Social Security Number Card" section is
INCORRECT because K1 visa beneficiaries may
ONLY apply for a SSN card upon arriving into the United States. Please also review VJ's K1 guide (
CLICK HERE)
(K1 Visa Immigration Stages) - A simplified and theoretical overview of the five (5) stages involved in the K1 Visa process, according to Sheriff Uling (CLICK HERE).
Post NOA1 (Receipt Notice) Information(Case Status) - Once you have filed your case and received your case number, please register on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website using the Case Status Online Tool to receive emailed updates concerning your case (
CLICK HERE). NOTE: If you want emailed updates to multiple addresses then you must create multiple customer portfolio accounts. When your petition is approval (NOA2), this tool is of no further use to you until after the beneficiary arrives in the states, get's married, applies for the Adjustment of Status (AOS), Employment Authorization Document, (EAD), and/or Advance Parole (AP) because this tool does not track the activity being performed at the National Visa Center (NVC) or the Manila Embassy.
Post NOA2 (Approval Notice) Information(1).
The National Visa Center (NVC) number is within my signature. NVC assigns your case number once your case is approved (NOA2). They also may perform a preliminary background check from what I've read then forwards your package/case to the Manila Embassy. This process usually takes anywhere from 14 – 30 days.
(2). The Manila Embassy (USE) - The
Packet 4, USE's phone number, a visa interview testimony, and a sample Appointment Letter are within my signature block. Please review this instructional visa interview information (
CLICK HERE) (Thx Sillygirl). Beneficiaries are now sent a letter of receipt (
CLICK HERE) (Thx PW and GaryC) accompanied by a document preparation letter (
CLICK HERE) (Thx PW and GaryC) from the USE once their physical files are delivered to the USE from the NVC. Don't be mistakened, this is NOT Packet 3 because the USE ONLY issues Packet 4. At times, the USE fails to send the beneficiary the letter of receipt and document preparation letter. However, the beneficiary should expect to receive Packet 4 from the USE that
INCORRECTLY states that the DS-156 is validated by the banks upon paying the visa application fee. The Packet 4 available within my signature is modified to CORRECTLY read that the DS-157 Supplemental Nonimmigrant Application is the form validated by the bank upon paying the visa application fee. As of 01 November 2006, ALL nonimmigrant visa applicants MUST use the online Electronic Visa Application Form (EVAF) to complete the DS-156 (Nonimmigrant Visa Application) at
http://evisaforms.state.gov. You may complete the DS-156K (Nonimmigrant Fiancé(e) Visa Application), and the DS-157 (Supplemental Nonimmigrant Visa Application) and the I-134 (Affidavit of Support) via the computer (recommended), type-writer (just as good), or handwritten (last resort).
To review the K1 Visa Forms (DS-156, DS-156K, DS-157, & I-134) most Frequently Asked Questions (CLICK HERE). To review the Manila Embassy Thread's recommendations on what to bring (which directly corresponds to the document preparation letter and Packet 4 sent by the USE) and sample questions asked by the Consular Officer during the visa interview [CLICK HERE]. If you need to call the USE, dial 0 for the operator, and ask for the Immigrant Visa Unit. The average interview appointment is assigned approximately 90 – 120 days from the receipt of your package from the NVC. Effective 01 March 2007, cellphones and other electronic devices will NOT be permitted into the US Embassy and applicants who bring such devices will be DENIED entry. Be advised once the beneficiary reaches the pre-screeners, the majority of them are very direct, rude, and mean, so don't be alarmed or discouraged by them.
(3).
The Department of State (DOS) number is within my signature. After your case is approved (NOA2) and reaches the Manila Embassy, you may call DOS instead on the Manila Embassy to obtain status of your case and make inquiries concerning your interview date. NOTE: DOS has no direct participation in the K1 process.
(4). The
Visa Interview Appointments website is within my signature (the beneficiary's interview appointment and medical exam will be scheduled by the USE). NOTE: Please do NOT press enter after the case number is entered because that will not yield a result. Please click on the "
Check Appointment" tab. If the appointments have been scheduled, the following will be available: Case Number, Visa Classification, St. Luke's appointment Date, and Embassy Appointment Date, but if the appointments are NOT scheduled yet, the result will be "
Case Number Not Found on Appointment List."
(5).
St. Luke's Extension Clinic (SLEC) information is within my signature. SLEC is where the beneficiary goes to take the medical exam and vaccination. The process takes two days: Day 1 is the medical exam (the beneficiary's passport will be taken and sent to the USE along with the medical exam results) and; Day 2 is the vaccination (the beneficiary will be given the x-ray film and the vaccination worksheet/record). NOTE: If the Manila Embassy does not mail the beneficiary the K1 Visa Packet 4 and the Appointment Letter, then call SLEC in order to pick them up at SLEC and take a copy of the NOA2, a copy of the NVC letter (a.k.a. Bureau of Consular Affairs (BCA) letter) (which should have the beneficiary's Manila case number on it), and a print-out of the scheduled appointment dates from the Visa Interview Appointments website. Be advised, the beneficiary's medical exam will be scheduled one week before the visa interview by the USE. Per the Manila Embassy Thread, we recommend that the beneficiary takes the medical exam anywhere from 2 weeks to a month before the interview to ensure the results are available for the Consular Officer and to prepare in the unfortunate event of unfavorable medical results. If the medical exam is taken anytime over a month before the visa interview, there is a risk that the results could be invalid, which means the beneficiary will have to take another medical exam before the visa can be approved. The beneficiary may reschedule the medical exam appointment with SLEC after the medical exam and visa interview dates are assigned by calling SLEC. Please don't forget to bring your passport, appointment letter (if received), passport photos (the size of the photos should be 2 inches by 2 inches [see Packet 4, page 8]), and the medical exam fee to your appointment. The beneficiary also needs to have the sponsors contact information (address, phone number, and ssn #) for the SLEC forms.
To review the Manila Embassy Thread's recommendations on what to bring and sample questions asked [CLICK HERE].(6). The
DELBROS website is within my signature. DELBROS is the company responsible for delivering the beneficiary's Visa and POE information. The DELBROS delivery fee is paid subsequent to the beneficiary's visa interview at the Manila Embassy. Per the Manila Embassy website, the current delivery fee/time is as follows:
* Metro Manila Areas, 135 Philippine Pesos, Delivered one (1) to three (3) business days after release of visaed passport to the courier
* Provincial Key Cities (ex. Cebu City, Davao City, etc.) 165 Philippine Pesos; Delivered three (3) to five (5) business days after release of visaed passport to the courier
* Outside Provincial Key Cities, (ex. Capiz, Leyte, Bukidnon, etc.), Cost depends on area/location, Delivered five (5) to seven (7) business days after release of visaed passport to the courier
NOTE: Per the DELBROS staff, the Manila Embassy can take
as much as three (3) business days to release the visa and POE package, which is NOT included in the deliver times above. You may also call the Manila Embassy, dial 0 for the operator, and ask for Delbros, after the visa is approve, to acquire about the status of your visa delivery.
(7). Beneficiaries are required to attend a
CFO Guidance and Counseling Seminar that are held in Manila and Cebu, whichever is more convenient, before traveling abroad (the corresponding links within my signature). Attending the CFO Guidance and Counseling Seminar is a Philippine government requirement which states, "Per Republic Act 8239 and Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Order 28-94, Filipinos proceeding abroad as fiancé(e)s and spouses of foreign nationals are required to attend the CFO's guidance and counseling programs... " For more info (
CLICK HERE). NOTE: The CFO Guidance and Counseling Seminar is not stated as a requirement within the Packet 4 instructions. However, after the visa is approved, instructions on attending the CFO Guidance and Counseling seminar are included in the visa and Port of Entry (POE) package received by the beneficiary. If the beneficiary takes the seminar before receiving the visa, then the beneficiary
She seems pretty much over it now, so hope all is well when the St. Luke's doctors do their exam. I am a nervous wreck now waiting for this thing to be done tomorrow Philippines time. 
, I might be forced to fly to the Phil and run naked around the USE in protest. I can see the news headlines reading, "Black man runs naked around the USE in protest of injustice!" 
Wow you know Filipino women and former single white men 
i just leave the dates like that on my signature...but i promise to change it. Good luck to Ate Mirasol, she'll be alright with her medical for sure. God Bless.