NVC Phase of CR-1 Visa - A Few Questions

[jg121783 3,907]

Got a few questions regarding the medical exam. It is first come first served and you can't make an appointment correct? We are looking at the first week of January ( I will have the money for the fees by then). This should allow enough time before the interview correct?

If everything goes smoothly and my wife has the visas in hand my goal is to fly my wife and step son here on February 4th (a few days before our wedding anniversary). Of course I will wait to buy plane tickets until they have their visas to make sure no issues come up. Does this sound optimistic or is this doable if everything goes as it should?

[teddy k 35]

Hi JG. First of all the medical at SLEC cost $16,042.00 peso now and it's usually a 2day process but it took my stepdaughter 3days cuz they were waiting on a vaccine .she stayed at cherry blossom hotel a few minutes walk to the SLEC. It cost around $45.00 USD a night right by the mall too plenty of places to eat.now your Wife and son goes to interview and gets approved say within 10 days gets Visa then off to CFO so figure this in your plans. Don't but no plane tickets till she has all of her documents in hand..Happy Holidays

By the way my stepdaughter interview is next week so I will let you know the details

[xmaricrisx 25]

Got a few questions regarding the medical exam. It is first come first served and you can't make an appointment correct? We are looking at the first week of January ( I will have the money for the fees by then). This should allow enough time before the interview correct?

If everything goes smoothly and my wife has the visas in hand my goal is to fly my wife and step son here on February 4th (a few days before our wedding anniversary). Of course I will wait to buy plane tickets until they have their visas to make sure no issues come up. Does this sound optimistic or is this doable if everything goes as it should?

The medical exam at SLEC is first come, first served; make sure your fill out and print the registration form for both your wife and step-son before they go there. As Teddy stated, the fee for your wife is P16,042.50 and P8,600 for your step-son. Also keep in mind that your step-son will be given the PPD shot, which needs to be checked 2 days after it is given, so expect them to stay in Manila for at least 3 days (possibly 4 days if the PPD turns out to be positive so your step-son will have to get an x-ray). My husband stayed at Casa Bocobo, which is just a 5-min walk from SLEC; it cost about $30 a night, and breakfast is included. Assuming everything goes smoothly with the medical and interview, your plan seems to be ok

I'm so glad to hear that everything is going well (finally) for you, JG and Teddy. No greencard for my husband yet, but he did get a letter from the health department... he hasn't called them yet but I'm expecting them to ask him to come in for a checkup since he had to undergo the sputum exam at SLEC. I hope this doesn't delay his greencard delivery

[teddy k 35]

Hi xmaris.you have no worries about the medical from health center it has nothing to do with green card process

[Sagot 1,548]

Got a few questions regarding the medical exam. It is first come first served and you can't make an appointment correct? We are looking at the first week of January ( I will have the money for the fees by then). This should allow enough time before the interview correct?

If everything goes smoothly and my wife has the visas in hand my goal is to fly my wife and step son here on February 4th (a few days before our wedding anniversary). Of course I will wait to buy plane tickets until they have their visas to make sure no issues come up. Does this sound optimistic or is this doable if everything goes as it should?

Medical IS first come first served. Online pre-registration saves time the first day http://www.slec.ph/us/registration/

If the child is under 14 years of age the medical is a 3 day process and can not be started on Thursday.

http://www.slec.ph/us-visa-applicants.shtml#required-docs

http://visaconnection-philippines.com/index.php/2-visa-process/4-slec-medical

CFO - Wife already attended CFO after marriage if she changed her passport to married name already, so just needs to get the sticker.

Don't forget -Children above 12 years of age attend PDOS, under that age just need to be registered to receive the sticker

http://cfo.gov.ph/rnr-pdos.html

Edited December 11, 2016 by Philippines^Sagot

[xmaricrisx 25]

Hi xmaris.you have no worries about the medical from health center it has nothing to do with green card process

According to USCIS case tracker, my husband's greencard has been sent and is on its way to us! Estimated date of arrival is this Monday (about 43 days after POE). We followed up on the letter from the Health Department; my husband had to get an xray and some bloodwork done this past Monday. The results of the xray were supposed to come in Wednesday, and since we didn't get a call from the Health Department I'm assuming things are ok. The results of the bloodwork won't come in until next week, so hopefully we'll be all in the clear.

[teddy k 35]

Hi xmaris.i just want to wish you HAPPY HOLIDAYS. MY stepdaughter interview was Tuesday and she was approved but I had to resend all of my tax documents back to my stepdaughter again cuz it was raining very bad and some of my documents got wet.but keep in touch

[xmaricrisx 25]

Hi xmaris.i just want to wish you HAPPY HOLIDAYS. MY stepdaughter interview was Tuesday and she was approved but I had to resend all of my tax documents back to my stepdaughter again cuz it was raining very bad and some of my documents got wet.but keep in touch

Congratulations on your stepdaughter's approval! Although that 221g is a pain, at least the extra week or 2 for her visa isn't a big deal right? Since she isn't leaving until April? It's almost the end of the journey for you!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU GUYS!

[jg121783 3,907]

My wife and step son will be going next week for their medical exam and on the 17th is their interview so I am trying to get documents and other things prepared. Here are the lists I have for what will be needed

Medical:

- passports

- passport photocopies

- 4 passport photos each

- NVC interview letters

- online medical regisration form print out

- My wife was tested for TB a couple years ago and had a chest x ray. Should she bring it with? Thought it said something on the SLEC website about that.

-16,042.50 PHP for wife

- 8,600 PHP for step son

Interview:

- DS260 print out

- Original I-864s - Should I send tax transcripts,check stubs and/or an employer letter? If so should they all be updated with current info?

- NVC interview letters

- passports

- 2 passport photos each

- birth certificates

- photocopy of my passport

- Proof of relationship - If i send the same pictures i sent to USCIS will this be adequate?

- marriage certificate

- police clearance

- CENOMAR

Am I missing anything here? Is there anything listed that I don't need? The plan was since I have to Fedex my wife the I-864 anyways I was going to put together a packet for her and one for my step son with all the paperwork I can put together such as print offs from websites or NVC emails then she can add the rest tot he packets when she gets them. It says in the interview letter originals of all photo copied documents provided to the NVC must be broght to the interview. I sent a photocopy of my birth certificate to the NVC (can't remember if I was required to or not). Is this needed for the interview?

[xmaricrisx 25]

My wife and step son will be going next week for their medical exam and on the 17th is their interview so I am trying to get documents and other things prepared. Here are the lists I have for what will be needed

Medical:

- passports

- passport photocopies

- 4 passport photos each

- NVC interview letters

- online medical regisration form print out

- My wife was tested for TB a couple years ago and had a chest x ray. Should she bring it with? Thought it said something on the SLEC website about that. Because the x-ray is already more than a couple of months old, it's not necessary for her to bring it with her. SLEC usually only accepts those that were taken recently.

-16,042.50 PHP for wife

- 8,600 PHP for step son

Interview:

- DS260 print out

- Original I-864s - Should I send tax transcripts,check stubs and/or an employer letter? If so should they all be updated with current info? If there have been any changes with your i-864 (e.g. new job, new salary) you should send a new form with the updated information, in addition to sending the necessary financial evidence.

- NVC interview letters

- passports

- 2 passport photos each

- birth certificates

- photocopy of my passport

- Proof of relationship - If i send the same pictures i sent to USCIS will this be adequate? Those should be fine, but if you have any updated chatlogs, you should send those as well.

- marriage certificate

- police clearance

- CENOMAR

Am I missing anything here? Is there anything listed that I don't need? The plan was since I have to Fedex my wife the I-864 anyways I was going to put together a packet for her and one for my step son with all the paperwork I can put together such as print offs from websites or NVC emails then she can add the rest tot he packets when she gets them. It says in the interview letter originals of all photo copied documents provided to the NVC must be broght to the interview. I sent a photocopy of my birth certificate to the NVC (can't remember if I was required to or not). Is this needed for the interview? I don't think it is necessary to send an original copy of your birth certificate, because I doubt they will look at it anyway since they already have a photocopy of your passport as proof of your US citizenship.

[jg121783 3,907]

A few questions. For the interview date letter is the first barcoded page all that is needed? My tax transcripts are 17 pages long. Can I print them front and back to save paper (and shipping weight) or should I just print on the front of the page? Do I need a copy for my wife and step son or will one copy for both of them be enough? Can I print the I-864s front and back or is that a bad idea? I am trying to put packets together with all the documents I am able to provide my wife with that she will need and she can just add the few documents I can't provide her with. This will make things easier for her as she isn't very computer literate and would have a hard time printing everyhting on her own. At the same time I am trying to reduce the weight of my package to reduce shipping costs.

On another note It will probably be mid to the end of March before I fly them here because I have decided to find a house closer to where I work. I currently drive an hour and a half one way then work 12 hours which I am sure my wife wont like. So I have decided to hold off on flying them here and find a place to move to first.

[xmaricrisx 25]

A few questions. For the interview date letter is the first barcoded page all that is needed? Unfortunately you will need to print out all pages of the interview letter (even though all they really need is the barcode and MNL number... waste of paper, I know) My tax transcripts are 17 pages long. Can I print them front and back to save paper (and shipping weight) or should I just print on the front of the page? I think you can print them front and back, as long as it is complete. Do I need a copy for my wife and step son or will one copy for both of them be enough? Since they are interviewing together, one copy should suffice. Can I print the I-864s front and back or is that a bad idea? There's really no rule (at least I don't think so) that says that you can't print on both sides, again, as long as everything is complete. I am trying to put packets together with all the documents I am able to provide my wife with that she will need and she can just add the few documents I can't provide her with. This will make things easier for her as she isn't very computer literate and would have a hard time printing everyhting on her own. At the same time I am trying to reduce the weight of my package to reduce shipping costs.

On another note It will probably be mid to the end of March before I fly them here because I have decided to find a house closer to where I work. I currently drive an hour and a half one way then work 12 hours which I am sure my wife wont like. So I have decided to hold off on flying them here and find a place to move to first. Good luck in finding a house for you and your family! It doesn't matter when they get here, as long as they get here, right? At least once the interview is out of the way and you know they're approved, you can rest easy

An update on my husband: he received his greencard in the mail about a week and a half ago, which is a lot faster than I had anticipated He had to get bloodwork done at the health center twice because the first one was "indeterminate" for TB. Unfortunately, the 2nd one came up positive, so now we're waiting on what the next step is... but, the doctor won't be in until after the new year, which means we will have to wait at least another week for instructions. Here I thought all this immigration/medical stuff was done with after we received his greencard My husband more likely has latent TB; he doesn't have symptoms and he was never diagnosed with it before, but he has taken the precautionary medication already in the past. All of this is giving me anxiety

[Brassballs 47]

A few questions. For the interview date letter is the first barcoded page all that is needed? Take everything. Better safe than sorry.

My tax transcripts are 17 pages long. Can I print them front and back to save paper (and shipping weight) or should I just print on the front of the page? Print EVERYTHING double-sided.

Do I need a copy for my wife and step son or will one copy for both of them be enough? One will be enough.

Can I print the I-864s front and back or is that a bad idea? See above.

I am trying to put packets together with all the documents I am able to provide my wife with that she will need and she can just add the few documents I can't provide her with. This will make things easier for her as she isn't very computer literate and would have a hard time printing everyhting on her own. At the same time I am trying to reduce the weight of my package to reduce shipping costs.

On another note It will probably be mid to the end of March before I fly them here because I have decided to find a house closer to where I work. I currently drive an hour and a half one way then work 12 hours which I am sure my wife wont like. So I have decided to hold off on flying them here and find a place to move to first. Great idea.

I presume you have the USEM scheduling letter? If not wait until it is in your hands or you are able to read it electronically. Read the required documents list 3 times and make sure everything they specify is in your packet.

You didn't mention it earlier, but hotel reservation for the medical? Casa Bocobo is nice, reasonable price and close by.

[jg121783 3,907]

You didn't mention it earlier, but hotel reservation for the medical? Casa Bocobo is nice, reasonable price and close by.

That was something I was going to ask about. I need to find a hotel in the next few days. I will check that one out. The plan is for her to go there next Tuesday with my step son to start the medical exam. My wife has chest xrays from when she was tested for TB a couple years ago. Should she bring those with because I think the SLEC website said something about that. My wife worked with someone a few years ago overseas who had TB so she was tested for it. She was positive on the skin test but negative on a chest xray and sputum. Will she have to tell them about this during the medical exam and will it cause any issues?

As far as the interview goes if I print some pictures on normal printer paper and send them for my wife to use that should be good enough right? It was suggested I print chat logs but we rarely ever chat. It's almost always over the phone or video skype so I don't really have anything to print. One thing I just thought of is my wife keeps all the money transfer receipts from when I send her money. Should she take those with her? Like I said I am trying to put together a packet for her and one for my step son that is organized and all she has to do is add a few documents like birth certificates, marriage certificate and CENOMAR and she is ready to go. I know she will be nervous about the interview so I want to make things as easy as I can for her.

[Brassballs 47]

That was something I was going to ask about. I need to find a hotel in the next few days. I will check that one out. The plan is for her to go there next Tuesday with my step son to start the medical exam. My wife has chest xrays from when she was tested for TB a couple years ago. Should she bring those with because I think the SLEC website said something about that. My wife worked with someone a few years ago overseas who had TB so she was tested for it. She was positive on the skin test but negative on a chest xray and sputum. Will she have to tell them about this during the medical exam and will it cause any issues?

With this exam and following interview don't divulge or volunteer ANY information that is not directly asked. Answer all asked questions truthfully but don't get chatty. That can only open a can of worms. About bringing past x-rays my advice is to leave them at home. If asked, just say she forgot them. If a past/current comparison is warranted she can always return with them since time is not a critical factor. Of course if SLEC pre-documentation says to bring them then disregard all the above.

As far as the interview goes if I print some pictures on normal printer paper and send them for my wife to use that should be good enough right? B/W or color doesn't really matter. I'd suggest 4-up front to back 3 or 4 sheets: wedding, reception, honeymoon... would be sufficient. Don't be surprised if they are never asked for.

It was suggested I print chat logs but we rarely ever chat. It's almost always over the phone or video skype so I don't really have anything to print. Can't provide what doesn't exist!

One thing I just thought of is my wife keeps all the money transfer receipts from when I send her money. Should she take those with her? Wouldn't hurt Half dozen or so taped to paper backing over the course of the past would work. Again doubt if they will be asked for.

Like I said I am trying to put together a packet for her and one for my step son that is organized and all she has to do is add a few documents like birth certificates, marriage certificate and CENOMAR and she is ready to go. I know she will be nervous about the interview so I want to make things as easy as I can for her. A lot of girls buy an assembled binder with 20 or so plastic page protectors already inserted. Nice way to keep things organized by doc type or date.