from noa1 to interview experience us embassy manila

[jepongsky 3]

hi just want to thank this forum for it gave me a lot of information and help me with my journey. so let me give you all my share...

my fiance filed our petition for k1 in california service center last august 9. and yes we were included to those who were alleged "dacad"in csc..so we waited much longer that expected.after 8 months we even got to the point of writing congressmen and senators but no help from them. some district can help, but some districts dont care at all. finally we got our noa2 after 8 months april 19. nvc received our case on may 6 and sent our file to us embassy manila on may 8...here is what we did..

after 7 calendar days from noa 2, we started calling nvc to follow up our mnl #.its okay to follow up everyday until you get your case number. this number is very precious because if you have it you can then move on to the next stage.( setting a date for your medical and interview after paying the fee in bpi)...and yes if your fiance is busy at work and cannot call nvc during office hours, you can do your part by calling them by yourself.you can call them for free by just downloading bobsled or magic jack in your iphone or ipod. call them at around 7pm to 8pm manila time so to avoid longer waiting time...

once we got our mnl # in may 6, i paid our visa fee in bpi the next day. dont forget to bring the printed deposit slip you did online (ustraveldocs.com.ph) ...this is the website on how you want to pay your visa fee.also,photocopy the biographical page of your passport before going to bpi. when you completed the transaction in the bank, they will give you your receipt..dont lose it because you will need it to set up an interview.it has a receipt # (10 numbers )which you will give to the representative when you call USEM.

after 24 hrs, i decided to call us embassy at 8 am to avoid longer wait again. here is the number i called. O29028930 then press 1515 to be promted directly to a live representative. make sure to to use land line or if using mobile , make sure to load more than 500php because it will take long . you will give your information like name, address, birthday, passport number, petitioner's name , phone number.and you should spell them out clearly so avoid problems during the interview date.. they will definitely ask if you received a letter from them to schedule an interview. just say yes, or tell them you called nvc and give the date when your file was sent to us embassy manila.you can choose a schedule as long as it is available. you can reschedule anytime you want but make sure it is 2 business days before the appointment date. also when you rescheduled your appointment, print the latest..they will ask the latest appointment letter in the embassy.( the girl infront of me during my interview printed the old one, so to avoid delay double check your appointment letter before going to embassy).when you call usem, you need to give them your receipt number in bpi , that is 10 numbers, so dont lose it. you wil use it also inyour interview.

MEDICAL EXPERIENCE( may 16)

you can do it as soon as possible , but make sure it is just near the date your interview. for it will be valid only for 6 months,but if you want to do the interview the soonest after your medical, give them 1 week difference. for females you cannot go for medical if you have period. go there 7 days after your period or if you dont have any stain anymore, i went there 5 days after my period.. the medical exam by the way will be for 2 days..

it will help if you pre register online at slec website to avoid delays.bring your original passport, and 1 photocopy , printed appointment letter( it will be emailed by the embassy), printed registration form (the one you did online),.copy of noa 2, and copy of nvc letter if you have it. (all inshort bond paper) . also bring 3 us visa photos.if you have vaccination record, previous xray, medical report..bring them with you, they might ask for it.

i decided to go there not so early because i dont want to fall in line early in the morning. anyway, you will still fall in line the whole day. so i went there at around 10am. i presented the original passport and the photopy, appointment letter, printed preregistration form, 3 visa photos.i brought a small bottled water and crackers in case ill be starving to death.i .just hide it in my bag.

day 1

i paid the fee in 5th flr then instructions will be given to you which you will do first after payment. some will do xray first, some will do the vital signs first. in my case, i started with xray, they will give you a checklist and make sure to have it signed after the procedure is done. every floor has a que. your name will be called so be attentive. always remember your LMP. they will keep asking for it.inside the radilogy room, i was asked to wear a gown , removed my bra and necklace, and tieed my hair up high. after xray, iwent to another flr gave the slip to the receptionist , i waited for my name to be called again. this time i went for blood extraction and urine exam.after that i was instructed to what is next. i went to another flr , and that is for immunization interview. again and again give the slip, and wait for name to be called. in this stage, they will ask your medical history , allergies and vaccinations you receive.if you had chicken pox but no marks they will give you a shot.i finished these 3 procedures for 1 hour and a half.then they asked me to go phyical assesmment..this part was so slowwww...i gave them my checklist, , then they called me for vitals signs. wait again..then called to check my height and weight and eyes. .then they had a lunch break so i was asked to come back at 2:30 pm for physical assessment which was the last part on that day. i went back at 2:30pm but it took me so long because there are only 6 doctors. there were more females than males at that time. female doctors for female patients . i waited for 2 long hrs for this final stage. at around 4pm i thought they will close but the receptionist told me that they will finish all the applicants . so i was called around 4:30 pm. i went inside the room of the doctor. again they will ask for your medical history, allergies, lmp, prev surgeries. after that physical assessment. you will be ask to take off you clothes including your undergarments. they will check your private parts. dont be afraid, the doctor will provide privacy. finally, i was asked to go to the receptionist. she gave me a receipt with a time. that means you need to go back at this hour to check if you are for immunization or sputum. pray that is for immunization...sputum means delay, because you will be further tested for tb.

day 2

went there at 2:30 pm..waited for 2 hrs and gave me 3 shots.lmp ( last menstrual period)will be asked again. i was given dpt, mmr and hep b vaccine.others will get another shot for varicella for those who didnt have chicken pox, or if even if you had it but you did not have a chicken pox scar , you still be given a shot.

then the most awaited moment . the stage when they will give you your cd xray and immunization record. they will ask for the 3 visa photos here. this took me 21/2 hrs. it was a long wait but went home happy because i passed the medical exam:)

INTERVIEW EXPERIENCE.( june3, 2013)

at first i decided to have it last week of may but no more slots. earliest was june 3. so i took the earliest one in the month of june. i stayed in the hotel the night before my interview because appointment time was 7:30 am. i decided not to travel on that day for me to be relax. i stayed in lotus hotel, not that expensive and it is walking distance form us embassy. just very near.

i was with my friend who was a k1/k2visa applicant also 0n the day of the interview. we went there at 6:30 am. there are a lot of line there. be sure to ask which one is for the k1 or fiance visa. people for tourist visa usually have a longer line.

at 7 :15 we were asked to go inside the embassy. prepare your passport(original), latest appointment letter, 2 copies of ds 156, 2copies of ds 157, 1 copy of ds 156k, they didnt ask for ds 230.they will check and give it back to you in the gate. no need to attach visa photos because you gave st lukes 3 copies of your visa photos already. they will forward it to the embassy. make sure to bring your black pen. vendors outside will tellyou that you will need 4 visa photos. dont believe them.they just want to earn. also make sure not to bring your phone, any electronic gadget, your cd, usb, battery, calculator, even perfumes, water,food, lighter and cigarette is not allowed inside us embassy.few pcs of candy will do, just hide it in your bag. your things will be xrayed too:) so do not bring any suspicious things.

the first step is security check, if your things are fine. then they will ask you to go to a window which you will be given a ticket( that is your number)and a plastic for your passport( asked for it if they forget to give you one, you willuae it . you will place your passportinside the sealed plastic bag). you just have to give them your appointment letter and present your original passport to them ( detach all old passport to your new one).

next stage, you will be asked to submit your ds forms to a certain window, some employees will collect them just be attentive. in my case an employee collected our ds forms . then you will be asked to sit and wait for your number to be reflected onthe large tv screen. numbers are showed in the screen with the corresponding window you will need to go to. however numbers are showed randomly.so be really attentive. my eyes were just fixed on that screen the wholetime.

the next step is the biometrics..finger printing. when your number showed in the screen. go to the corresponding window number . mine was window 46. they will ask for your name and birthdate. then you will do electronic finger printing.that took me 2 hours of waiting for a 1 minute procedure. you will again then be asked to sit and wAit for your number to be shown in the screen for the filipino consul interview. the waiting time here was short. it only took me 30 mins. i was asked to go to window 36.

next ...filipino consul interview. i expected someone strict but thank God she was very nice and sweet. she was even talking to me in tagalog . she just asked for my bc, cenomar, nbi clearance, policecertificates if you stayed over 6mos. in somecountries, , my bpi receipt( dont lose it). form 1040 of my fiance. some will ask for w2.in my case, she just asked the form 1040. while i was giving these things, she asked some random questions.in my case here were the questions: all in tagalog dialect

is he married before? i said no. so you are his first? i said yes with a smile

when wasthe last time you saw each other?

how many times he visited you?

when did he propose?

when , where, and how did you meet?

are you employed? when wasthe last time you work?

and when i was telling her how i met him, she started jotting it down. after that she asked me if we have some pictures together. i showed my album , good thing it fit inside the window. (make sure it is not so thick. 20 pictures will do. the size of the album i chose is like the size of an A4..short bond paper... so it will fit. ). after that, i was asked to sit again forthe next step..the american consul interview.

american consul interview. i was asked to go to window 63. she is very nice.i was just asked about the name of my fiance, how we met, how many times he visited me, and ask for some pictures. i gave her my album and after she scanned she just gave a pamphlet about some laws in US for domestic violence and said congratulations your US visa is approved:) my heart was jumping for joy:)

lastly, i was asked to wait again for further instructions. but it was already lunch time, so we were asked to come back at 12:45pm. i just ate hotdog sandwich inside the embassy but a bit pricey. . i came back at 12:45 and they started calling names at 1pm. they called my name in window 74 at 1:20 pm and just instructed that my visa will jbe delivered. however, i remember that i chose the option to pick it up in 2 go office when i set up my appointment for visa interview . so he just then directed me to talk to the 2go employee in window 68. i was advised that ill be receiving a text when my visa is ready for pick up and gave me their office phonenumber.(they did not give me an exact time frame when i will receive my visa). i went home happy and thankful to God. the interview is over. few more steps and ill be with my love soon.

this jouney was really stressful but all worth it in the name of LOVE. it really takes a lot of PATIENCE and PRAYER..

next step is cfo...hopefully everything will be smooth here. still staying positive:)

i hope i have shared some info that can be useful to some who will be on medical and interview. goodluck and godbless.

[HunNee 15]

congrats!

and thanks for sharing ur experience.. I will keep this in mind

[trupnay5 1]

Congratulations!!! My fiance did his medical and CFO yesterday. He passed CFO yesterday, passed medical today! He will have his interview this Thursday, June 6, so I pray we will get an approval like you did! Congratulations again and good luck at the CFO!

[Kumi and Drake 14]

Congrats! And thank you for the detailed info, sis. Let me know how long it took for you to pick up your passport from your interview date.

[sheena sheen 1]

Congratulations and thank you for sharing.

[Memphis 26]

Thanks for sharing.. Congrats!

[jepongsky 3]

thanks everyone:)

[cathyvrph 4]

thanks for sharing this detailed instructions on what to do after NOA2. hopefully everything will be ok for me just like you when we get that NOA2 soon.

[AprilArvin 1]

hi just want to thank this forum for it gave me a lot of information and help me with my journey. so let me give you all my share...

my fiance filed our petition for k1 in california service center last august 9. and yes we were included to those who were alleged "dacad"in csc..so we waited much longer that expected.after 8 months we even got to the point of writing congressmen and senators but no help from them. some district can help, but some districts dont care at all. finally we got our noa2 after 8 months april 19. nvc received our case on may 6 and sent our file to us embassy manila on may 8...here is what we did..

after 7 calendar days from noa 2, we started calling nvc to follow up our mnl #.its okay to follow up everyday until you get your case number. this number is very precious because if you have it you can then move on to the next stage.( setting a date for your medical and interview after paying the fee in bpi)...and yes if your fiance is busy at work and cannot call nvc during office hours, you can do your part by calling them by yourself.you can call them for free by just downloading bobsled or magic jack in your iphone or ipod. call them at around 7pm to 8pm manila time so to avoid longer waiting time...

once we got our mnl # in may 6, i paid our visa fee in bpi the next day. dont forget to bring the printed deposit slip you did online (ustraveldocs.com.ph) ...this is the website on how you want to pay your visa fee.also,photocopy the biographical page of your passport before going to bpi. when you completed the transaction in the bank, they will give you your receipt..dont lose it because you will need it to set up an interview.it has a receipt # (10 numbers )which you will give to the representative when you call USEM.

after 24 hrs, i decided to call us embassy at 8 am to avoid longer wait again. here is the number i called. O29028930 then press 1515 to be promted directly to a live representative. make sure to to use land line or if using mobile , make sure to load more than 500php because it will take long . you will give your information like name, address, birthday, passport number, petitioner's name , phone number.and you should spell them out clearly so avoid problems during the interview date.. they will definitely ask if you received a letter from them to schedule an interview. just say yes, or tell them you called nvc and give the date when your file was sent to us embassy manila.you can choose a schedule as long as it is available. you can reschedule anytime you want but make sure it is 2 business days before the appointment date. also when you rescheduled your appointment, print the latest..they will ask the latest appointment letter in the embassy.( the girl infront of me during my interview printed the old one, so to avoid delay double check your appointment letter before going to embassy).when you call usem, you need to give them your receipt number in bpi , that is 10 numbers, so dont lose it. you wil use it also inyour interview.

MEDICAL EXPERIENCE( may 16)

you can do it as soon as possible , but make sure it is just near the date your interview. for it will be valid only for 6 months,but if you want to do the interview the soonest after your medical, give them 1 week difference. for females you cannot go for medical if you have period. go there 7 days after your period or if you dont have any stain anymore, i went there 5 days after my period.. the medical exam by the way will be for 2 days..

it will help if you pre register online at slec website to avoid delays.bring your original passport, and 1 photocopy , printed appointment letter( it will be emailed by the embassy), printed registration form (the one you did online),.copy of noa 2, and copy of nvc letter if you have it. (all inshort bond paper) . also bring 3 us visa photos.if you have vaccination record, previous xray, medical report..bring them with you, they might ask for it.

i decided to go there not so early because i dont want to fall in line early in the morning. anyway, you will still fall in line the whole day. so i went there at around 10am. i presented the original passport and the photopy, appointment letter, printed preregistration form, 3 visa photos.i brought a small bottled water and crackers in case ill be starving to death.i .just hide it in my bag.

day 1

i paid the fee in 5th flr then instructions will be given to you which you will do first after payment. some will do xray first, some will do the vital signs first. in my case, i started with xray, they will give you a checklist and make sure to have it signed after the procedure is done. every floor has a que. your name will be called so be attentive. always remember your LMP. they will keep asking for it.inside the radilogy room, i was asked to wear a gown , removed my bra and necklace, and tieed my hair up high. after xray, iwent to another flr gave the slip to the receptionist , i waited for my name to be called again. this time i went for blood extraction and urine exam.after that i was instructed to what is next. i went to another flr , and that is for immunization interview. again and again give the slip, and wait for name to be called. in this stage, they will ask your medical history , allergies and vaccinations you receive.if you had chicken pox but no marks they will give you a shot.i finished these 3 procedures for 1 hour and a half.then they asked me to go phyical assesmment..this part was so slowwww...i gave them my checklist, , then they called me for vitals signs. wait again..then called to check my height and weight and eyes. .then they had a lunch break so i was asked to come back at 2:30 pm for physical assessment which was the last part on that day. i went back at 2:30pm but it took me so long because there are only 6 doctors. there were more females than males at that time. female doctors for female patients . i waited for 2 long hrs for this final stage. at around 4pm i thought they will close but the receptionist told me that they will finish all the applicants . so i was called around 4:30 pm. i went inside the room of the doctor. again they will ask for your medical history, allergies, lmp, prev surgeries. after that physical assessment. you will be ask to take off you clothes including your undergarments. they will check your private parts. dont be afraid, the doctor will provide privacy. finally, i was asked to go to the receptionist. she gave me a receipt with a time. that means you need to go back at this hour to check if you are for immunization or sputum. pray that is for immunization...sputum means delay, because you will be further tested for tb.

day 2

went there at 2:30 pm..waited for 2 hrs and gave me 3 shots.lmp ( last menstrual period)will be asked again. i was given dpt, mmr and hep b vaccine.others will get another shot for varicella for those who didnt have chicken pox, or if even if you had it but you did not have a chicken pox scar , you still be given a shot.

then the most awaited moment . the stage when they will give you your cd xray and immunization record. they will ask for the 3 visa photos here. this took me 21/2 hrs. it was a long wait but went home happy because i passed the medical exam:)

INTERVIEW EXPERIENCE.( june3, 2013)

at first i decided to have it last week of may but no more slots. earliest was june 3. so i took the earliest one in the month of june. i stayed in the hotel the night before my interview because appointment time was 7:30 am. i decided not to travel on that day for me to be relax. i stayed in lotus hotel, not that expensive and it is walking distance form us embassy. just very near.

i was with my friend who was a k1/k2visa applicant also 0n the day of the interview. we went there at 6:30 am. there are a lot of line there. be sure to ask which one is for the k1 or fiance visa. people for tourist visa usually have a longer line.

at 7 :15 we were asked to go inside the embassy. prepare your passport(original), latest appointment letter, 2 copies of ds 156, 2copies of ds 157, 1 copy of ds 156k, they didnt ask for ds 230.they will check and give it back to you in the gate. no need to attach visa photos because you gave st lukes 3 copies of your visa photos already. they will forward it to the embassy. make sure to bring your black pen. vendors outside will tellyou that you will need 4 visa photos. dont believe them.they just want to earn. also make sure not to bring your phone, any electronic gadget, your cd, usb, battery, calculator, even perfumes, water,food, lighter and cigarette is not allowed inside us embassy.few pcs of candy will do, just hide it in your bag. your things will be xrayed too:) so do not bring any suspicious things.

the first step is security check, if your things are fine. then they will ask you to go to a window which you will be given a ticket( that is your number)and a plastic for your passport( asked for it if they forget to give you one, you willuae it . you will place your passportinside the sealed plastic bag). you just have to give them your appointment letter and present your original passport to them ( detach all old passport to your new one).

next stage, you will be asked to submit your ds forms to a certain window, some employees will collect them just be attentive. in my case an employee collected our ds forms . then you will be asked to sit and wait for your number to be reflected onthe large tv screen. numbers are showed in the screen with the corresponding window you will need to go to. however numbers are showed randomly.so be really attentive. my eyes were just fixed on that screen the wholetime.

the next step is the biometrics..finger printing. when your number showed in the screen. go to the corresponding window number . mine was window 46. they will ask for your name and birthdate. then you will do electronic finger printing.that took me 2 hours of waiting for a 1 minute procedure. you will again then be asked to sit and wAit for your number to be shown in the screen for the filipino consul interview. the waiting time here was short. it only took me 30 mins. i was asked to go to window 36.

next ...filipino consul interview. i expected someone strict but thank God she was very nice and sweet. she was even talking to me in tagalog . she just asked for my bc, cenomar, nbi clearance, policecertificates if you stayed over 6mos. in somecountries, , my bpi receipt( dont lose it). form 1040 of my fiance. some will ask for w2.in my case, she just asked the form 1040. while i was giving these things, she asked some random questions.in my case here were the questions: all in tagalog dialect

is he married before? i said no. so you are his first? i said yes with a smile

when wasthe last time you saw each other?

how many times he visited you?

when did he propose?

when , where, and how did you meet?

are you employed? when wasthe last time you work?

and when i was telling her how i met him, she started jotting it down. after that she asked me if we have some pictures together. i showed my album , good thing it fit inside the window. (make sure it is not so thick. 20 pictures will do. the size of the album i chose is like the size of an A4..short bond paper... so it will fit. ). after that, i was asked to sit again forthe next step..the american consul interview.

american consul interview. i was asked to go to window 63. she is very nice.i was just asked about the name of my fiance, how we met, how many times he visited me, and ask for some pictures. i gave her my album and after she scanned she just gave a pamphlet about some laws in US for domestic violence and said congratulations your US visa is approved:) my heart was jumping for joy:)

lastly, i was asked to wait again for further instructions. but it was already lunch time, so we were asked to come back at 12:45pm. i just ate hotdog sandwich inside the embassy but a bit pricey. . i came back at 12:45 and they started calling names at 1pm. they called my name in window 74 at 1:20 pm and just instructed that my visa will jbe delivered. however, i remember that i chose the option to pick it up in 2 go office when i set up my appointment for visa interview . so he just then directed me to talk to the 2go employee in window 68. i was advised that ill be receiving a text when my visa is ready for pick up and gave me their office phonenumber.(they did not give me an exact time frame when i will receive my visa). i went home happy and thankful to God. the interview is over. few more steps and ill be with my love soon.

this jouney was really stressful but all worth it in the name of LOVE. it really takes a lot of PATIENCE and PRAYER..

next step is cfo...hopefully everything will be smooth here. still staying positive:)

i hope i have shared some info that can be useful to some who will be on medical and interview. goodluck and godbless.

hey there my fiance's interview is on the 20th just wondering if the packet 3 is really important because he hasnt even recieve anything from them yet.. COngrats and thank you Edited June 5, 2013 by AprilArvin

[jepongsky 3]

hey there my fiance's interview is on the 20th just wondering if the packet 3 is really important because he hasnt even recieve anything from them yet.. COngrats and thank you

i didnt receive packet 3 mailed by us embassy manila and they did not ask me about the letter during the interview either. goodluck and godbless in your interview

[mememz 4]

hi! how long did it took you before getting your visa? thank you!

[sweet42 2]

congrats.Glory be to God in the Highest.

[LEO-REYN 0]

Congrats!!! Thanks for sharing this helpful information.