Urgent NBI Clearance Concern

[Tyler and Nissi 0]

Hi everyone, I am posting on behalf of my wife who has her CR1 interview coming up at the US Embassy Manila on May 28. We are having a crisis with her NBI clearance and would really appreciate some advice from anyone who has been through this recently.
 

Her current clearance does not have the mandatory AKA line for her maiden name. When we went to the provincial office, the staff entered her maiden name as the family name and her maiden middle name as the middle name, then listed my surname in the husband's surname field. They told us this was the correct way to do it since her family name shifted to her middle name after we got married, and they insisted an AKA line wasn't needed because those names were technically already on the form.
 

We trusted them at the time, but after doing more research on the Embassy's specific requirements and the No Docs No Talk policy, we are very worried that this document will be rejected. We understand that the Embassy expects to see a specific search for her maiden name as a dedicated AKA string to ensure the background check is complete.
 

We arrive in Manila on May 10 and her medical at St. Luke's is the following morning on the 12th. The NBI Main Office on UN Avenue, fully booked for appointments until May 18. We are concerned that if we wait until the 18th and she triggers a HIT, the 14 day delay will cause her to miss the interview on the 28th.

 

Has anyone successfully walked into the UN Avenue office with their Embassy appointment letter to get a supervisor to help with a correction? We are hoping the Quality Control section on the 3rd floor can fix the record on the spot since her biometrics are already in the system from her 2025 clearance. We have her PSA birth certificate, marriage certificate, and her old clearance ready to go.

[top_secret 2,791]

On 5/8/2026 at 2:08 PM, Tyler and Nissi said:

Her current clearance does not have the mandatory AKA line for her maiden name. When we went to the provincial office, the staff entered her maiden name as the family name and her maiden middle name as the middle name, then listed my surname in the husband's surname field. They told us this was the correct way to do it since her family name shifted to her middle name after we got married, and they insisted an AKA line wasn't needed because those names were technically already on the form.

 

It sounds like the staff at the NBI office gave your wife correct advice.  An AKA is only required if an actual alternate name usage may exist.  The advice from the embassy is poorly written and confusing but an AKA is not a requirement if there is no actual AKA.  it sounds as if your wife only used her maiden name her entire life until she married you, and your surname is correctly listed as Husband's Name.  If that is the case there is no AKA to list and the embassy does not require one.  Only if there was some discrepancy or inconsistent name usage on one of your wife's other documents do you need an AKA.  The Embassy's advice on that topic is poorly worded and misleading.