St. Luke's Medical, Visa and Passport Picture Difference, Keeping Passport

[maning 36]

My fiancee finished her medical at St. Luke's today and passed! She is now busy snoring and drooling in her hotel room!

Anyway, I will document what she has told me and our experience in preparing for the St. Luke's medical...

First off, we followed the St. Luke's Medical Exam Walkthrough located here: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/221658-st-lukes-medical-exam-walkthrough/

It's a great guide to give you an overall experience of what to expect during the medical, but it's a bit outdated.

The night she was suppose to leave for Manila to attend her St. Luke's medical, we went over all our required documents and things she needed. Everything seemed fine until we got to her pictures. On the St. Luke's Medical Exam Walkthrough, it simply states "4 pieces of 2x2 photos, white background blah blah blah" so I told her to ger "passport" photos done because well U.S. passport photos are 2x2. Well I was wrong. Philippine passport photos are smaller than 2x2, what she needed was 2x2 VISA photos. So it's the middle of the night and she's mad at me for this mistake lol. Some how she finds a way to get visa photos at 10pm at night and apologizes for being mad.

She booked a room through Ralph Anthony Suites and arrived there 3am in the morning to find out that the all the rooms were fully booked and that they had no record of her reservation hehe. She informed them that she talked to so and so and that she reserved a promo room the other day. She did not pay for her reservation yet since she was cautious on giving out her credit card information over the phone and that their website had no way of paying online, but was told that it would be okay to reserve the room and pay once she arrives. She's frustrated over the situation and the run around treatment, so she leaves and remembers me talking about Hotel Soriente the other day, so she goes there. She arrives there at 4am and the people at the front desk were extremely helpful and accommodating. They quickly set her up with a room and told her that she will only be charged for one day even though she checked in at 4am. I thought that was extremely generous, unlike most hotels where you arrive before their check-in time they will charge you twice. She said Hotel Soriente was really close by and can easily walk to St. Luke's and the US Embassy.

She arrives at St. Luke's Medical at 9am. She does her medical and for the most part all the txt she sends to me is how much waiting and waiting she had to do. She's finally done on her first day by 6pm.

Next day she goes to St. Luke's at 6am in the morning, some how she seems proud of herself on being 1st customer in line that day. By 9am, she's practically almost done. She said that they simply gave her immunization shots and waited, then got her passport stamped, given a CD with her xrays, and other stuff. She didn't elaborate. I asked her if they took her Philippine passport and she told me they didn't. Apparently, since April 2011 they stop taking your passport and forwarding it to the US Embassy. They simply wanted photo copies of her passport, they stamped it, and gave it back to her. They informed her that her results will be forwarded to the US Embassy in time for her interview.

She's txts me she's completely done by 10am. I told her that's great and asked her to give me a detail explanation of her experience so I can post it on visajourney. She replies back, "I'm hungry and I'm sleepy. I'm going back to the the hotel to take nap. I love you." Completely ignoring what I just asked her.

[maning 36]

My fiancee finished her medical at St. Luke's today and passed! She is now busy snoring and drooling in her hotel room!

Anyway, I will document what she has told me and our experience in preparing for the St. Luke's medical...

First off, we followed the St. Luke's Medical Exam Walkthrough located here: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/221658-st-lukes-medical-exam-walkthrough/

It's a great guide to give you an overall experience of what to expect during the medical, but it's a bit outdated.

The night she was suppose to leave for Manila to attend her St. Luke's medical, we went over all our required documents and things she needed. Everything seemed fine until we got to her pictures. On the St. Luke's Medical Exam Walkthrough, it simply states "4 pieces of 2x2 photos, white background blah blah blah" so I told her to ger "passport" photos done because well U.S. passport photos are 2x2. Well I was wrong. Philippine passport photos are smaller than 2x2, what she needed was 2x2 VISA photos. So it's the middle of the night and she's mad at me for this mistake lol. Some how she finds a way to get visa photos at 10pm at night and apologizes for being mad.

She booked a room through Ralph Anthony Suites and arrived there 3am in the morning to find out that the all the rooms were fully booked and that they had no record of her reservation hehe. She informed them that she talked to so and so and that she reserved a promo room the other day. She did not pay for her reservation yet since she was cautious on giving out her credit card information over the phone and that their website had no way of paying online, but was told that it would be okay to reserve the room and pay once she arrives. She's frustrated over the situation and the run around treatment, so she leaves and remembers me talking about Hotel Soriente the other day, so she goes there. She arrives there at 4am and the people at the front desk were extremely helpful and accommodating. They quickly set her up with a room and told her that she will only be charged for one day even though she checked in at 4am. I thought that was extremely generous, unlike most hotels where you arrive before their check-in time they will charge you twice. She said Hotel Soriente was really close by and can easily walk to St. Luke's and the US Embassy.

She arrives at St. Luke's Medical at 9am. She does her medical and for the most part all the txt she sends to me is how much waiting and waiting she had to do. She's finally done on her first day by 6pm.

Next day she goes to St. Luke's at 6am in the morning, some how she seems proud of herself on being 1st customer in line that day. By 9am, she's practically almost done. She said that they simply gave her immunization shots and waited, then got her passport stamped, given a CD with her xrays, and other stuff. She didn't elaborate. I asked her if they took her Philippine passport and she told me they didn't. Apparently, since April 2011 they stop taking your passport and forwarding it to the US Embassy. They simply wanted photo copies of her passport, they stamped it, and gave it back to her. They informed her that her results will be forwarded to the US Embassy in time for her interview.

She's txts me she's completely done by 10am. I told her that's great and asked her to give me a detail explanation of her experience so I can post it on visajourney. She replies back, "I'm hungry and I'm sleepy. I'm going back to the the hotel to take nap. I love you." Completely ignoring what I just asked her.

The April 2011 date I gave is from a post I read on this site. I think they just gave her passport back to her because her interview is on November 23, 2011, which is not far away.

[Leatherneck 693]

One more hurdle to get over!

[Tahoma 2,298]

Good post, Manny... ...Thanks for sharing the experience.

By the way, St Lukes changed their policy and now gives back the passport no matter when the interview is.

[Philwithlove 17]

i had my medical done also last nov. 8-9. arrived st lukes around 10.30 and out at 5.30 on my first day. second day, 1 pm appointment and was out at around 3.30.

there is a specific window for online registrants at st lukes which wont waste your time getting a number and lining up.

they took only 3 photos (passport sizes which is 2 X 2) , my appointment letter from the embassy, appointment letter from slec and copy of my passport.

jacket is a must there coz its too cold ..

[trutolife27 0]

my fiancee also had hers done same days. we both was so shocked there was over 100 people waiting at 400am. but what shocked me most was the time. she was doen the first day at 10:15am and told to come back second day at 7:30am. she was only there the second day from 7:30am tell 8:45am. she is still shocked she spent only about 5 hours there.

[maning 36]

my fiancee also had hers done same days. we both was so shocked there was over 100 people waiting at 400am. but what shocked me most was the time. she was doen the first day at 10:15am and told to come back second day at 7:30am. she was only there the second day from 7:30am tell 8:45am. she is still shocked she spent only about 5 hours there.

Yep, I was surprised too. My fiancee actually booked her hotel room for 2 days assuming that it will take 2 full days to do her medical. So on her second day she went there really early to finish the process and she was out the door with all her documents by 9am. She went back to her hotel room and slept the whole day.