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Filed: K-1 Visa Country: Philippines
Timeline

I have tried sending two laptops to the Philippines, at two different times. First , the Post Office asked 1,800 to claim the item. The second time they asked for 2,000. My province is in Agusan del Sur. The lady in the PO said they don't collect any amount if the package were shipped to any major cities like Cagayan de Oro or Davao. I am not sure about it as I have never tried. It sucks but so far the main thing I guess to consider is that, the laptop has arrived.

Does anybody here though experience sending a valuable item to the Philippines without your family/friends receiving the package?

Did you have to pay to the Post Office to claim those valuable items, and how much did they ask you for?

Thanks!!

Reunited for good and it feels so good!

----- I-129F ------

I-129F Sent : 2009-03-02

I-129F NOA1 : 2009-03-05

NOA2 : 2009-09-01

Medical : 2009-10-01/02

Interview : 2009-10-13

POE (San Francisco) : 2009-11-20

Wedding : 2009-12-30

SSN (Married Name) : 2010-01-11

SSN Card Arrival : 2010-01-15

AOS Sent: 2010-03-19

AOS Arrived: 2010-03-25

AOS&EAD Notice Rcvd: 2010-04-30 dated 2010-04-23

AP Notice Rcvd: 2010-04-01

Biometrics Taken: 2010-05-07

Biometrics Schedule: 2010-05-21

EAD Card Arrived: 2010-06-16

Interview Schedule: 2010-06-25

Removal of Conditions

Packet Sent: May 14, 2012

Packet Received: May 16, 2012

INFOPASS Schedule: June 14, 2012

Biometrics Taken: June 14, 2012 (same day passport was stamped 1-551/6-month extension inc work authorization)

Biometrics Schedule: June 27, 2012

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Filed: AOS (apr) Country: Philippines
Timeline

I have tried sending two laptops to the Philippines, at two different times. First , the Post Office asked 1,800 to claim the item. The second time they asked for 2,000. My province is in Agusan del Sur. The lady in the PO said they don't collect any amount if the package were shipped to any major cities like Cagayan de Oro or Davao. I am not sure about it as I have never tried. It sucks but so far the main thing I guess to consider is that, the laptop has arrived.

Does anybody here though experience sending a valuable item to the Philippines without your family/friends receiving the package?

Did you have to pay to the Post Office to claim those valuable items, and how much did they ask you for?

Thanks!!

Sounds like the usual corruption. I'd expect it to be the same in any major city. Best to be prepared to send your friend/family the, "extortion" money ahead of time.

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Sending a laptop to the PI is just not worth it. First, there is a good chance it will be stolen by a dirty postal employee. 2nd, you gotta pay the extortion money to even try to get it through. The only real option it to take it there yourself on your next trip, or pack it deep in the Balik Box. But now with the latter, the Balik Box is coming under even more scrutiny. Instead of sending or giving an old , crumbling laptop on its last legs, pony up and let the PI folks buy a decent one on sale, that includes local tech support. Hey, the computer is a lifeline to your girl and her family. Don't skimp out and get a cheapo, low ram special. Get a good solid one, that will last for years. Will do your relationship well!

Good luck!

:star:

OLPC_XO_Laptop.2.jpg

Sign-on-a-church-af.jpgLogic-af.jpgwwiao.gif

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I have tried sending two laptops to the Philippines, at two different times. First , the Post Office asked 1,800 to claim the item. The second time they asked for 2,000. My province is in Agusan del Sur. The lady in the PO said they don't collect any amount if the package were shipped to any major cities like Cagayan de Oro or Davao. I am not sure about it as I have never tried. It sucks but so far the main thing I guess to consider is that, the laptop has arrived.

Does anybody here though experience sending a valuable item to the Philippines without your family/friends receiving the package?

Did you have to pay to the Post Office to claim those valuable items, and how much did they ask you for?

Thanks!!

If they are only charging you p2000 to get the laptop you are extremely lucky that it didnt get stolen and that you only have to pay a small fee. In manila they charge 20X the cost, making the fees far more than the cost of the laptop, cell phone or other items.

Consider yourself extremely lucky if you only pay p 2000 for a item that cost over $300 usd

07-24-2009 Received NOA1
08-05-2009 Touched
10-02-2009 I-797C for Biometrics Appt
10-26-2009 Biometrics Appt. Completed
05-11-2010 Request for Evidence on both the I129F and I130
07-01-2010 Case Transferred to Vermont Service Center
10-20-2011 Contacted Ombudsman
02-07-2012 Case denied after almost 3 years =(
03-07-2012 Appeal Filed!
01-20-2013 Contacted Ombudsman again...

06-25-2013 EOIR Appeal Review

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Filed: K-1 Visa Country: Philippines
Timeline

I wouldn't send a laptop to phili. did it last year. Had to go thru customs in cebu. Big headache. Bye the time you add up cost to ship and customs tax, its better to send money and let them buy one there. Plus if you send through usps they only go to united states. to get to phili they switch it over to fedex.

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Everytime I send electronics in the Philippines, i use Johnny Air (www.johnnyair.com) It's really safe, no more separate custom fee. (It's already included on the per pound fee charges I believe it's $7.49 per pound for electronics and $5.49 for non electronics.) They have many locations in metro manila and a few provinces. They also offers delivery/pick-up. My wife always pick-up my package at Mega Mall. Actually, I just sent another non electronic package this weekend. and She's expecting to get it this weekend or Monday. DON'T EVER USE USPS for delivering package to the Philippines. Most likely, your laptop will end up in custom and someone need to pick it up there and pay a ridiculous amount.

Edited by rhenzhen

05/08/2010: Married
03/18/2011: I-130 Sent
03/21/2011: NOA1 noticed date
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06/28/2011: NVC finally received our case!
06/30/2011: Case number received!
07/01/2011: Received DS-3032 from NVC
07/04/2011: Wifey e-mailed DS-3032 form to NVC
07/06/2011: Paid AOS bill
07/09/2011: DS-3032 received/processed by NVC
07/11/2011: IV bill received :
07/22/2011: IV bill paid
07/25/2011: AOS/I-864 packet mailed
07/27/2011: AOS/I-864 packet delivered to NVC
08/02/2011: DS-230 packet mailed to NVC
08/03/2011: DS-230 packet delivered to NVC
08/08/2011: Medical Exam Taken
08/09/2011: Medical Results: PASSED! Yehey!

08/10/2011: Case Completed / Sign In Failed

08/12/2011: Interview date assigned : September 19, 8:30am @ USEM... Yay!
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Last cyber monday i saw a great deal on a great laptop so i sent it to Mindanao, total shipping cost was almost $300, including the customs fees, which she had to pay on delivery, i used DHL cuz i had good luck with them always, although the shipping cost ate up my cyber discount, she still got a great laptop delivered quickly and safely. the ones she saw there were not as good and more expensive. Johnny Air sounds good though. My only point is 2k pesos is not bad.

K1 Visa Timeline

10/11/2010 - I-129F sent via USPS

10/19/2010 - NOA1 hard copy received, dated 10/15/2010

04/08/2011- received NOA2 hard copy, dated 04/05/2011

04/12/2011- NVC received petition

04/18/2011- received letter from NVC

04/18/2011- Manila embassy received petition

04/27/2011- medical exam passed

05/04/2011- appointment letter received dated 06/01/2011

06/01/2011- appointment date, put on administrative review

06/24/2011- visa granted

06/29/2011- received visa

07/18/2011- cfo class

07/21/2011- arrived in America

09/02/2011- happily married!

AOS Timeline

12/01/2011- AOS packet sent

12/06/2011- received email and text from USCIS with MSC number

12/07/2011- check was cashed

12/10/2011- received NOA hard copy dated 12/05/2011

12/12/2011- received NOA hard copy for biometrics appointment for 12/28/2011

12/24/2011- received NOA hard copy stating that our case was transfered to CSC on 12/20/2011

12/28/2011- biometrics appointment completed

06/25/2012- put in service request

09/12/2012- AOS approved

09/17/2012- card production

09/21/2012- greencard in hand

ROC Timeline

08/04/2014 - sent ROC packet

08/13/2014 - received I-797, NOA, dated 08/08/2014

08/28/2014 - received biometric appt. letter for 09/11/2014

02/25/2015- ROC approved

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Filed: AOS (apr) Country: Philippines
Timeline

everytime my fiance sends me parcels using USPS, i always received it! there was a time i payed almost 4k for the tax the people told me in post office,it happend when i received package in holiday season.bcoz they found out that the stuffs inside are brand new shoes,clothes,etc,,,the lady there tolds me to not mention it but to detailed it as old stuffs/used stuffs,thats what we did,so i always received it in good condition,even the 2 nice touch screen cellphone that he sent to me...depende siguro sa lugar kung saang post office dadalhin yung packages...

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Filed: K-1 Visa Country: Philippines
Timeline

Sounds like the usual corruption. I'd expect it to be the same in any major city. Best to be prepared to send your friend/family the, "extortion" money ahead of time.

So true. Because you know what, for those two instances, they did not hand in any receipt. My sister even haggled for that one time and said that's all the money she has and nothing else. Very terrible!

Sounds like the usual corruption. I'd expect it to be the same in any major city. Best to be prepared to send your friend/family the, "extortion" money ahead of time.

So true. Because you know what, for those two instances, they did not hand in any receipt. My sister even haggled for that one time and said that's all the money she has and nothing else. Very terrible!

Reunited for good and it feels so good!

----- I-129F ------

I-129F Sent : 2009-03-02

I-129F NOA1 : 2009-03-05

NOA2 : 2009-09-01

Medical : 2009-10-01/02

Interview : 2009-10-13

POE (San Francisco) : 2009-11-20

Wedding : 2009-12-30

SSN (Married Name) : 2010-01-11

SSN Card Arrival : 2010-01-15

AOS Sent: 2010-03-19

AOS Arrived: 2010-03-25

AOS&EAD Notice Rcvd: 2010-04-30 dated 2010-04-23

AP Notice Rcvd: 2010-04-01

Biometrics Taken: 2010-05-07

Biometrics Schedule: 2010-05-21

EAD Card Arrived: 2010-06-16

Interview Schedule: 2010-06-25

Removal of Conditions

Packet Sent: May 14, 2012

Packet Received: May 16, 2012

INFOPASS Schedule: June 14, 2012

Biometrics Taken: June 14, 2012 (same day passport was stamped 1-551/6-month extension inc work authorization)

Biometrics Schedule: June 27, 2012

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Filed: K-1 Visa Country: Philippines
Timeline

Sending a laptop to the PI is just not worth it. First, there is a good chance it will be stolen by a dirty postal employee. 2nd, you gotta pay the extortion money to even try to get it through. The only real option it to take it there yourself on your next trip, or pack it deep in the Balik Box. But now with the latter, the Balik Box is coming under even more scrutiny. Instead of sending or giving an old , crumbling laptop on its last legs, pony up and let the PI folks buy a decent one on sale, that includes local tech support. Hey, the computer is a lifeline to your girl and her family. Don't skimp out and get a cheapo, low ram special. Get a good solid one, that will last for years. Will do your relationship well!

Good luck!

:star:

OLPC_XO_Laptop.2.jpg

Thanks. I agree about just buying one from the PI and get away with the financial hassle you'd experience. But most often, we have a lot of "hand me down' stuffs that we use here , which we would like to give to our families back home. :)

Reunited for good and it feels so good!

----- I-129F ------

I-129F Sent : 2009-03-02

I-129F NOA1 : 2009-03-05

NOA2 : 2009-09-01

Medical : 2009-10-01/02

Interview : 2009-10-13

POE (San Francisco) : 2009-11-20

Wedding : 2009-12-30

SSN (Married Name) : 2010-01-11

SSN Card Arrival : 2010-01-15

AOS Sent: 2010-03-19

AOS Arrived: 2010-03-25

AOS&EAD Notice Rcvd: 2010-04-30 dated 2010-04-23

AP Notice Rcvd: 2010-04-01

Biometrics Taken: 2010-05-07

Biometrics Schedule: 2010-05-21

EAD Card Arrived: 2010-06-16

Interview Schedule: 2010-06-25

Removal of Conditions

Packet Sent: May 14, 2012

Packet Received: May 16, 2012

INFOPASS Schedule: June 14, 2012

Biometrics Taken: June 14, 2012 (same day passport was stamped 1-551/6-month extension inc work authorization)

Biometrics Schedule: June 27, 2012

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Filed: K-1 Visa Country: Philippines
Timeline

Last cyber monday i saw a great deal on a great laptop so i sent it to Mindanao, total shipping cost was almost $300, including the customs fees, which she had to pay on delivery, i used DHL cuz i had good luck with them always, although the shipping cost ate up my cyber discount, she still got a great laptop delivered quickly and safely. the ones she saw there were not as good and more expensive. Johnny Air sounds good though. My only point is 2k pesos is not bad.

Even if you send it through DHL, still they collect something to claim the item?

Reunited for good and it feels so good!

----- I-129F ------

I-129F Sent : 2009-03-02

I-129F NOA1 : 2009-03-05

NOA2 : 2009-09-01

Medical : 2009-10-01/02

Interview : 2009-10-13

POE (San Francisco) : 2009-11-20

Wedding : 2009-12-30

SSN (Married Name) : 2010-01-11

SSN Card Arrival : 2010-01-15

AOS Sent: 2010-03-19

AOS Arrived: 2010-03-25

AOS&EAD Notice Rcvd: 2010-04-30 dated 2010-04-23

AP Notice Rcvd: 2010-04-01

Biometrics Taken: 2010-05-07

Biometrics Schedule: 2010-05-21

EAD Card Arrived: 2010-06-16

Interview Schedule: 2010-06-25

Removal of Conditions

Packet Sent: May 14, 2012

Packet Received: May 16, 2012

INFOPASS Schedule: June 14, 2012

Biometrics Taken: June 14, 2012 (same day passport was stamped 1-551/6-month extension inc work authorization)

Biometrics Schedule: June 27, 2012

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Filed: K-1 Visa Country: Philippines
Timeline

everytime my fiance sends me parcels using USPS, i always received it! there was a time i payed almost 4k for the tax the people told me in post office,it happend when i received package in holiday season.bcoz they found out that the stuffs inside are brand new shoes,clothes,etc,,,the lady there tolds me to not mention it but to detailed it as old stuffs/used stuffs,thats what we did,so i always received it in good condition,even the 2 nice touch screen cellphone that he sent to me...depende siguro sa lugar kung saang post office dadalhin yung packages...

Yeah if you want to get away with a horrible amount to give to postal people, declare it as old,if possible, take it out from the box and take any tag that will tell it's new. When I sent in a laptop twice, I declared the item $100-$150. They were actually used. But who can tell the actual amount of the item anyway? You just have to insist that it's used and it's value is not as high as what they think it is.

Reunited for good and it feels so good!

----- I-129F ------

I-129F Sent : 2009-03-02

I-129F NOA1 : 2009-03-05

NOA2 : 2009-09-01

Medical : 2009-10-01/02

Interview : 2009-10-13

POE (San Francisco) : 2009-11-20

Wedding : 2009-12-30

SSN (Married Name) : 2010-01-11

SSN Card Arrival : 2010-01-15

AOS Sent: 2010-03-19

AOS Arrived: 2010-03-25

AOS&EAD Notice Rcvd: 2010-04-30 dated 2010-04-23

AP Notice Rcvd: 2010-04-01

Biometrics Taken: 2010-05-07

Biometrics Schedule: 2010-05-21

EAD Card Arrived: 2010-06-16

Interview Schedule: 2010-06-25

Removal of Conditions

Packet Sent: May 14, 2012

Packet Received: May 16, 2012

INFOPASS Schedule: June 14, 2012

Biometrics Taken: June 14, 2012 (same day passport was stamped 1-551/6-month extension inc work authorization)

Biometrics Schedule: June 27, 2012

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Filed: K-1 Visa Country: Philippines
Timeline

don't send ur laptop just wait for you to come home here and give it to ur family personally. because with my experience i didn't receive the laptop that my fiancee sent me from japan it was stolen by they're staff i dont know if here or in japan. it was FOREX CARGO SHIPPING. its a worldwide shipping company we trusted them because everyone is using it to send stuffs here in P.I. but i never thought it would happen to me. felt sad about it because that laptop is for our kids plus its an HP TOUCH SCREEN LAPTOP its not just a simple laptop its an expensive one. just sharing my experience =) god speed!

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Sending an old hand-me-down laptop just ain't cool or worth it. Figure, if you no longer want an outdated 5 year old laptop, because it is slow, low memory and poor batt life, then why send that piece of junk down the line to the PI, only to have it break down any day, and then you having to replace it. Instead, pony up and get THEM the new one that will last for 5 years and provide crucial communication and video camming. There comes a time when you have to put an old, crumbling laptop out to pasture. Ya dont use it til its dying day and then lose all your precious data on it.

Cheers!

:star:

Sign-on-a-church-af.jpgLogic-af.jpgwwiao.gif

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Filed: K-1 Visa Country: Philippines
Timeline

I sent my fiance a laptop by going to www.ebay.com.ph and just ordering it and had it delivered to her. That kind of thing is a bit more expensive than here in the U.S. but it was very much worth it because it was a great thing for getting to know each other and staying in touch. Getting a good internet connection was another issue, but we finally got her a DSL connection through Globe that isn't what I would expect here in the U.S. especially since I'm used to extreemly fast links at work, but it is pretty reasonable.

I did send her some stuff via USPS and it worked out great. I just made sure that I declared everything on the forms and didn't try to hide anything. The funny thing is that it arrived the same day as a card I sent a few days earlier. I think it all really depends on what part of the Philippines you are sending to. She lives in Antipolo City, and I guess they have pretty good luck there. One thing to keep in mind is that once the package leaves the U.S. USPS tracking is useless.

--Jim

04/24/11 - Visit Fiance in Phil.

05/01/11 - Return from Phil. (Fantastic trip)

05/03/11 - Signed up with RapidVisa to help putting paperwork together.

05/10/11 - Requested signed documents and such from Fiance

05/16/11 - Recieved signed documents from Fiance (DHL)

05/19/11 - Application sent to Texas Service Center

05/25/11 - NOA1 - Said case was transfered to California Service Center

08/16/11 - NOA2

09/02/11 - Application Fee's paid via BDO

09/05/11 - Interview Appointment Confirmation

09/12/11 - Medical Day 1

09/13/11 - Medical Day 2

- K2 passed and received vacinations

- K1 required Sputum Culture -- SLMEC -x-ray looked "cloudy"

09/15/11 - Interview date, (Canceled)

09/26/11 - Culture Day 1

09/28/11 - Culture Day 3 -- 1st part of testing Negative

11/03/11 - New Interview Appointment Confirmation for 12/05/11 (trying to avoid delay)

11/28/11 - Sputum Culture Negative

12/01/11 - Vacinations and retesting for K1, retesting for K2, Medical Cleared

12/05/11 - Interview - Given 221(g)

-- Wanted CENOMAR for daughter's father directly from NSO, she had a NSO origional document in hand

-- Required a police clearance from Japan even though it has been over 10 years.

12/06/11 - Applied to NSO for daughter's father's CENOMAR to be sent directly to NSO

12/07/11 - Applied to Japanese Embassy in Manila for Police Clearance

01/20/12 - Japanese Police Clearance is at the embassy

02/07/12 - Visa's issued

02/23/12 - K1 Visa Expired

02/26/12 - Flights to US

***** Big Mess ****

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