US Immigration from Philippines

Hey Folks...

So I'm not sure if this is the right forum for this topic...but I'm sure the moderators will move it to the right place if it isn't. For those who aren't familiar with my situation, I have been in an LDR with a Filipina since June of 2020. Our first meeting was in Costa Rica in August of 2021 (thanks COVID). We started our K1 process shortly thereafter (October 2021). I was blessed enough to be able to visit her in the Philippines 3 times in 2022 since then including a 30 day stay in July of 2022. My last trip included my three children (17, 15 & 8 ) in March of 2023. That was the first time my children got to officially meet her. Prior to that my youngest had been in some video calls with us & my other two had maybe a 1-2 time video call to kind of just say hello. The meeting was a little up & down. Everyone seemed to get alone fine...and she seemed to especially connect with my youngest. The main issue was there was a few moments of misunderstanding where she threatened to leave (like she always does)...but this time she did it a couple of times where my kids became aware of her behavior. I'm not sure how that may have changed their perspective on her for better or for worse.

Fast forward to today...we finally finished the process & my fianc joined us here in Texas on May 12th. For those who followed our story...it was a near miracle that she was able to pull it off & all of the puzzle pieces fell in to place to allow her to make it here. I wasn't even sure that she would be here & felt that we probably would need to postpone it for a week or two. In the rush of all of it...apparently, I didn't let my older two kids know that she was coming that weekend. My youngest (who I am closest with) knew. My kids were with their mom that weekend...so they didn't officially come back home until a couple of days after my fianc was there. My youngest was excited to see her & gave her a hug. The older two hid out in their rooms & basically freaked out over the fact that "they were not told that this woman would be in their home".

Since then we've had a series of ups & downs as a couple...as I'm sure most have experienced at first. There were no real issues with my kids other than my kids being considered disrespectful to my fianc since they largely kept to themselves (like they always do) with my son playing his computer games & my oldest daughter coming & going with her friends. My youngest was still around and interacting with the both of us. Fast forward to today...and basically our house basically has all three kids primarily hanging out in their rooms (which is relatively normal) and my fianc also hunkering down in our bedroom. I've told my fianc that she needs to be more present and hang out in the living room if she wants to be able to develop any kind of relationship with my kids during the few moments that the opportunity arises. That's how I had been handling things prior to her arrival. I'd do my best to be in the living room area at least until 9 pm when my youngest would normally head to bed. This would give all of my kids access to me if they chose to interact with me or not.

While my oldest have somewhat warmed up to her presence...my son will "warmly smile" at her when he sees her (his words)...and my oldest daughter will greet her when they see one another...my youngest has now started to ignore her as I think she & my fianc feel as if they are competing for my time & affection. As a result...what has been happening is that around dinner time...my fianc will once again isolate herself in our bedroom while I am out in the living room spending time with my youngest. Once my youngest goes to bed, then I will go into the bedroom. It just feels like a weird situation for all of us.

My fianc has expressed to me that she doesn't feel welcome in our home...largely because of how my kids are. She felt that she initially had the support of my youngest...but that has since changed as I believe they are both jealous of one another & feel threatened that they are going to lose time with me. I try to reassure them both that I have more than enough love & affection for both of them. I knew that being a step parent would be hard for anyone...but I also thought that if you willingly stepped into that role that you would need to be willing to accept that you would need to be willing to simply love those kids regardless of how they treated you in return. Kill them with kindness.

Our wedding is supposed to be in less than two weeks...and I am sitting here wondering if having a wedding is a smart thing to do at this point. I feel like I am literally sitting between two high school girls fighting for my attention...as if my love & affection has limits and I can't love them both as my future wife & my daughter.

Any insight, guidance or past experience would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks...

Kawika

Hello everyone,

I would like to get your suggestion on what I can do to follow up the return of my original Certificate of Naturalization from the State Department.

I received my passport last March 2023 and now it has been 2 months since and there is no sign of the CON in the mail whatsoever.

I think we deserve to have our original CON document back not only for all the financial resources we had to invest to obtain it but also its value and importance as the culmination of our long and significant journey and proof of our commitment to the United States .

I wrote to NPIC@state.gov and the reply I got is:

Thank you for contacting the National Passport Information Center. All the information you need about current passport operations and services is conveniently located on our website at travel.state.gov.

Note: If you are sending this e-mail to cancel your appointment at a passport agency, we will cancel it immediately. Thank you for making it available to another customer.

This is the only reply you will receive to your email.

It's almost unbelievable to note the absurdity of their auto-reply. Not very helpful at all.

Any suggestions will be gratefully appreciated.

Cheers,

G&A

Creating a new thread for all June 2023 ROC filers. Here's hoping none of us get hit by the expected USCIS fee increase this summer!

Hello,

I recently completed the IR2 visa interviews for my 2 children in Philippines. The officer held on to their passports and explained that everything is good. However, they need a certified copy of our marriage certificate.

My county tax office offers an electronic certified copy. Can I go that route and just upload it in CEAC? Or do I need to get a physical certified copy too and have it shipped to Philippines and dropped off at LBC?

The post-interview document checks off both options, but I m not sure if it s just an either-or thing. Has anyone else had experience with this situation?

Hello i have a question about my fiance interview will be at june 15 next month, my question is that i was born in the philippines and moved here in united states at age 26 (im a us citizen) but in the website of the us travelstate.gov said about the requirement about k1 visa that it need a cenomar for petitioner who is 18 years old and stayed 1 year in the philippines. Im not sure if its recommended or required. please help my answer

(recommended) here: https://www.psaserbilis.com.ph/Default.aspx

• For K1, F2A spouse, and CR1/IR1 petitions: If your petitioner was born in the Philippines and lived at least one (1) year in the Philippines after the age of 18 A Certificate of No Marriage (CENOMAR) from the PSA valid within one (1) year from the date it was obtained.