2go express, travel agency requirements

[PhilippineBill 0]

My daugther got her visa on april 12th. The problem now is that the embassy required her to use 2go express as a carrier to recieve her visa. We live in Davao philippines. She is to pick up her visa at sm mall, but the problem is that when we go there, they feign ignorance. No one knows where it is or where it is coming from. I asked my daughter if they had given her a reciept or a tracking number, but she said the 2go representatlve said you only need your MNL number or your same number as your immigration tracking number. Fine, but the only help i could get in tracking was to be given two numbers in manila which are always busy or never answered. So frustrating the embassy would make you use such a service when FEDEX would be able to track minute by mintute.

My second concern is having to spend money to go to cebu or manila so she can get her cfo counciling. That is only two hour semenar, but wlll cost quite a bit of money, time and effort to fly back to manila or cebu. Then, of course, the cfo has their own set of requiremtents....i.e. you need an official i.d. such as postal i.d. or voters registration, which are two more pain the the you-know-what requirements the philippine want you to have. (more time and more money and frustrating effort).

Now even more frustrating is I understand you cant just buy a ticket online. I was told that to leave the philippines you had to go throgh a travel agent and buy ticket throgh them. Wow! what a difference. We have to fly to atlanta. If using expedia directly purchasing online ticket it will cost $951. To go to travel agent it will cost almost $1800 for the same routing. I cant believe I have to do this. I understand subsequent flights wont be impacted and she could buy tickets in and out of the philippines. Does anyone know anything about philippines and traveling from here to u.s.a without being raped by travel agent industry or some bula-bula requirements? It is getting extrememly frustrating here. Thanks if you can give me some guidance.

[RIDION 0]

Hi! My son (20 years old) just got done with the USEM interview & I'm amazed that he was not requested/instructed to pay 2go Express for the visa delivery. We are from Davao City, too. Is that the norm now? Hope you can enlightenment us with this matter. I've never heard of that travel agency requirements so here's hoping that someone else would share like experience here

[EthanJM 0]

COURIER DELIVERY OF ISSUED IMMIGRANT VISA

The Immigrant Visa Unit uses a guaranteed courier service to deliver issued visas. 2GO commercial courier is the Embassy's authorized courier service provider for the visa units. Visas are delivered directly to the applicant’s designated address at no additional cost. Applicants also have the option to pick up the visa at any 2GO branch.

http://photos.state.gov/libraries/manila/19452/public/Packet%204%20_appointment%20packet_%20English%20rtf%20_revised%20GSS_%20_2__002.pdf

Scroll all the way down.

Edited June 10, 2011 by EthanJM

[RIDION 0]

Thank you EthanJM for the link...somehow it escaped my muddled mind hehe. Now, we can go back to normalcy for a while until next time.