a few questions before i send out the I-129..some specific to the Philippines

[loloscott 0]

1. Concerning final divorce decree: I have my papers from the divorce, it is the absolute judgement of divorce.. however it is not signed by the judge.......will it automatically get a rfe.. should I just pay now and wait until I get a certified copy from the court and ask that its signed?

2. Besides the 340$ app fee and the Aos fee,, Does anyone know what other fees i will encounter? My fiancee is in the Philippines.. whats the fee for med clearance? fee for her visa app? any others?

3. My fiancee lives in a remote mt area 40 miles from Bacolod, she is living in a boarding house with no mail access.. If she gets a mailbox at the post office in bacolod, will that be acceptable to immigration or will they insist on a residential address.. I'm concerned about how unreliable the postal system is there, especially with sending all of my original documents to her.. any suggestions?

Thanks in advance,, getting ready to embark on this journey and want to be as hassle free as possible with proper planning and help from those of you that have done it.. Great site here..

[Tahoma 2,298]

1. Concerning final divorce decree: I have my papers from the divorce, it is the absolute judgement of divorce.. however it is not signed by the judge.......will it automatically get a rfe.. should I just pay now and wait until I get a certified copy from the court and ask that its signed?

2. Besides the 340$ app fee and the Aos fee,, Does anyone know what other fees i will encounter? My fiancee is in the Philippines.. whats the fee for med clearance? fee for her visa app? any others?

3. My fiancee lives in a remote mt area 40 miles from Bacolod, she is living in a boarding house with no mail access.. If she gets a mailbox at the post office in bacolod, will that be acceptable to immigration or will they insist on a residential address.. I'm concerned about how unreliable the postal system is there, especially with sending all of my original documents to her.. any suggestions?

Thanks in advance,, getting ready to embark on this journey and want to be as hassle free as possible with proper planning and help from those of you that have done it.. Great site here..

1. I don't know.

2. $223.35 St. Lukes Medical Extension Clinic medical exam fee - paid to St. Lukes on the day of the medical in Philippine pesos at the prevailing exchange rate.

$240.00 K-1 visa application fee - paid in Philippine pesos at the prevailing exchange rate at BPI before you schedule the interview.

Php650 CFO seminar.

Travel expense to and from Manila.

Hotel expense in Manila.

Food and taxi expenses in Manila.

Plane flight expense from Bacolod to the U.S.

3. Never ever send your documents via the U.S. Postal Service/Philippines Postal Service. You will be sorry if you do. Instead, send them via FedEx or DHL. They will find her. Does she have someone's address in her village she can use? Does she have any relatives in Bacolod? Hopefully, you will need to send her only one packet of your documents, and it will be close in time to her interview. Other than that, she will be able to pick up her passport/visa/visa packet at the 2GO office of her choice. She probably should designate the Bacolod 2GO office as her choice.

Good luck. See you here on VJ.

[Calicolom 270]

Q # 1 I just had a RFE to submit my legal termination of marriage,signed by a judge and filed in court, you need to submit a final absolute divorce decree,Clerc of Courts have this document, "Final judgement of Dissolution of Marriage" is not signed by the Judge and is not good enough for them.

[loloscott 0]

Thank u both for ur reply. If she uses someone else address, what about stuff sent directly from immigration to her? Or are u suggesting that we use the friends address on our applications too? Im really trying not to raise any red flags.

[Tahoma 2,298]

Thank u both for ur reply. If she uses someone else address, what about stuff sent directly from immigration to her? Or are u suggesting that we use the friends address on our applications too? Im really trying not to raise any red flags.

The only thing the Embassy is going to send her is her visa packet, and they can send it wherever she wants it sent to, such as the Bacolod 2GO office. You can send her your financial documents via FedEx to someone in her village with an address or to one of her relatives in Bacolod. That's all you really need to worry about.

Thank u both for ur reply. If she uses someone else address, what about stuff sent directly from immigration to her? Or are u suggesting that we use the friends address on our applications too? Im really trying not to raise any red flags.

The only thing the Embassy is going to send her is her visa packet, and they can send it wherever she wants it sent to, such as the Bacolod 2GO office. You can send her your financial documents via FedEx to someone in her village with an address or to one of her relatives in Bacolod. That's all you really need to worry about.

[loloscott 0]

ok,, thanks

[beckyo 0]

2. Besides the 340$ app fee and the Aos fee,, Does anyone know what other fees i will encounter? My fiancee is in the Philippines.. whats the fee for med clearance? fee for her visa app? any others?

-You will need to pay for the medical and CFO counseling fee. I can't remember the exact price of the medical, but I think it was about $225 payable in pesos at the current exchange rate. FYI this fee INCLUDES any vaccinations she is missing, so do not have her pay to have those done in advance. She will need to do CFO counseling, which is required to leave the Philippines. The fee is currently about 600 pesos, payable in pesos. Other than that, just the cost of travel and lodging until she gets to the US.

3. My fiancee lives in a remote mt area 40 miles from Bacolod, she is living in a boarding house with no mail access.. If she gets a mailbox at the post office in bacolod, will that be acceptable to immigration or will they insist on a residential address.. I'm concerned about how unreliable the postal system is there, especially with sending all of my original documents to her.. any suggestions?

-My fiance is in Bacolod City, and the mail is still unreliable. As others have said, do NOT use the USPS. Use FedEx. I paid nearly $60 to send paperwork overnight via USPS and it didn't arrive for 2 weeks. I paid $55 extra for nothing. FedEx is also expensive, but at least it's reliable.

Edited July 6, 2012 by beckyo

[loloscott 0]

I will use dhl or fedex..I was concerned abt notices or paperwork from the embassy reaching her, but others have said they wont need to send her anything. She can download the forms online and ask for the visa to be sent to go office in Bacolod. WHERE/WHEN does she make that request?

[abner137 48]

1. I don't know.

2. $223.35 St. Lukes Medical Extension Clinic medical exam fee - paid to St. Lukes on the day of the medical in Philippine pesos at the prevailing exchange rate.

$240.00 K-1 visa application fee - paid in Philippine pesos at the prevailing exchange rate at BPI before you schedule the interview.

Php650 CFO seminar.

Travel expense to and from Manila.

Hotel expense in Manila.

Food and taxi expenses in Manila.

Plane flight expense from Bacolod to the U.S.

3. Never ever send your documents via the U.S. Postal Service/Philippines Postal Service. You will be sorry if you do. Instead, send them via FedEx or DHL. They will find her. Does she have someone's address in her village she can use? Does she have any relatives in Bacolod? Hopefully, you will need to send her only one packet of your documents, and it will be close in time to her interview. Other than that, she will be able to pick up her passport/visa/visa packet at the 2GO office of her choice. She probably should designate the Bacolod 2GO office as her choice.

Good luck. See you here on VJ.

As well as her passport, passport pictures, NSO documents and travel....there are a lot of smaller expenses that add up....

Good Luck on your journey....

[loloscott 0]

Thanks. Got all of that stuff already.. getting the passport was a hassle. Lol. But most of that stuff is needed for the visa too..she had no gov id and no birth certificate...now she does. Woohoo

[Tahoma 2,298]

I will use dhl or fedex..I was concerned abt notices or paperwork from the embassy reaching her, but others have said they wont need to send her anything. She can download the forms online and ask for the visa to be sent to go office in Bacolod. WHERE/WHEN does she make that request?

I think she will give the Embassy the address where she wants her visa packet delivered when she has her interview. I'm not sure, but I think there will be a form to fill out at the Embassy. I hope someone chimes in about this.