graceroxas

I don't think there is one big hypothesis that would explain why PH is what it is now. Let's not oversimplify things. It could all just be a bad stew of so many things: corruption, weak government policies, bad leadership, misplaced religiosity and superstition,economic inequity, colonial mentality,counterproductive cultural traits, ad nauseam...
Tomes have been written about each of those topics and you guys propose to resolve the question once and for all in a VJ forum thread?
A few years of living and traveling around the country hardly qualifies one to become an expert. I've been here for all of 36 years, since birth that is, and I don't feel remotely qualified to pontificate about what's wrong with the country in general. I just do what I can within my experience.
Grace

When the current PHL Prez and most presidents of the past praise encourage the "hero worship" of the OFW's, I don't see this problem being fixed. Until the mindset is to NOT depend on remittances as a major source of economic growth, nothing will change.

We have a serious argument about once a month, even though there's some bickering going on more frequently.
I think arguing is an important part of any healthy relationship, but the important thing is to not take it too personally when it happens and to try to move beyond it once it's over. Once you start getting hung up on your arguments, it's time for marriage councelling.

I made an honest-to-goodness scrapbook with all the bells and whistles. A lot of work and probably a bit excessive but was certainly fun to do (is fun to do. It will still be a work in progress till my interview day). I even plan to bring it to the States with me for us to enjoy later.
I put "chapters" corresponding to each of his visits and major events like our birthdays, Christmas and Valentine's Day exchanges. Each chapter has a heading and contains photos, related correspondences and of course all the receipts,tickets, boarding passes etc. I wrote in photo captions and other annotations needed to explain what's going on.
I even included pull quotes to highlight the most romantic phrases we ever said to each other and statements that clearly indicate our serious intention to marry.
Grace

Looking at your timeline and the fact that you're at CSC, I guess I'll be half-panicky by this time too.
Got a little chuckle from the phrase "government-sponsored test of my love." Makes USCIS sound like God in the book of Job whom we should thank for visiting plague upon us. (I guess those who got expedited for no reason at all are actually not the chosen children then.)
Grace

I think the airline ticket stubs actually count as primary evidence, along with passport stamps, boarding tickets and receipts from hotels and other local establishments you spent time in. But if you don't have them, that's fine. At the very least, you should have the passport stamps.
Photos, on the other hand, are secondary. I wouldn't worry about them so much for the petition approval (we only sent one and got approved) but they might be more important for the consulate interview, because an objective there is to establish that petitioner and beneficiary have a bonafide, ongoing relationship. Photos can include not only those of the couple together but with the fiancee's relatives and friends.
Grace

I don't know what you mean by this. Maybe you're saying we should split off to a new thread or something.
Thing is, this journey is a rich experience that resonates differently with different people, sometimes in ways incidental only to the main conversation, though probably no less significant.
Like I don't really have anything new to say to the OP that haven't been said by others and better, but I do have pretty precise views about some of the things mentioned only in passing, like the question of who spends for what in a particular fiance situation, that I'm guessing is not widely shared or even considered. I thought,what better time to say it. Someone out there might need to hear it.
Grace

Guys! I started appreciating the fact that this process is so long. I think they are doing this on purpose, and the purpose is good.
1) For people that did not spend enough time together it allows to test their feelings.
2) For fraudulent applications it allows to weed-out fraud.
3) For people that know each other well it allows to think about their relationship and teach TO APPRECIATE EACH OTHER! This is true for my case. I learned how much I appreciate my fiancee. We will not waste our lives arguing. We will enjoy every second together!
In either case this is good!
Think about it!

I am sorry but I know I may sound harsh, here goes:
Smack her upside her head, did she marry you for you or for your money so she can support her family? Just so everyone knows, I am the Filipina wife here. I do not and never expect my husband to send them money or anything else even though as everyone says its the Filipino way. I will not burden or obligate my husband in such a manner. My husband is the one who initiates sending gifts etc to my family, I would be the sensible one telling him our budget is tight right now, etc etc.
By all means, tell her to work if she wants to send more! When my husband and I were courting, he was telling me about his friends who also married Filipinas and how they expect and know they are supposed to send money home to support/help the family. I told him no! That is not how I operate, I do not and never will expect him to do that, and to this day, I have never asked him to send them money or gifts. I do not think it is right, everyone thinks once you marry an American that the money just drops out of the sky.
Sorry for the vent but I am outraged that your wife would FORCE you to do this and throw a fit when you are incapable of agreeing to her demands.

This is precisely why I'm choosing to view this drawn-out K-1 process with some stoicism. The USCIS could be providing us (inadvertently that is, I'm sure) with an opportunity for scoping the depth of our commitment to be with the other person, especially someone we've known only for a short time.
Provided of course that we use the time wisely It's all too easy to be focused on the process that sometimes the dynamics of the relationship itself tend to take a backseat.
Grace

I never can get used to that peculiar term of endearment "my Filipina," though I'm sure many guys here say that with the most loving of intentions.
As for me, I'll be a little baffled if my dear beloved started referring to me as "his Filipina" when talking about me with other people, him being that type of guy who bothers to ask whether I would want to take on his surname after we're married.
Grace
(Her own Filipina since 1975)

I never can get used to that peculiar term of endearment "my Filipina," though I'm sure many guys here say that with the most loving of intentions.
As for me, I'll be a little baffled if my dear beloved started referring to me as "his Filipina" when talking about me with other people, him being that type of guy who bothers to ask whether I would want to take on his surname after we're married.
Grace
(Her own Filipina since 1975)

Try riding a local bus to the interior. Noah's ark. At least Noah's has separate sections for the four- and the two-legged Been years for me. They may have a business class in those buses already by now.

"Some respect?"
I believe it's either you respect someone or you don't. Going by the "dog breed" analogy used elsewhere in this thread, respect is not like dinner table scraps you dispense at your leisure, it's giving someone --- whether Filipina, American or Martian --- a full seat at that table.
Grace

I never can get used to that peculiar term of endearment "my Filipina," though I'm sure many guys here say that with the most loving of intentions.
As for me, I'll be a little baffled if my dear beloved started referring to me as "his Filipina" when talking about me with other people, him being that type of guy who bothers to ask whether I would want to take on his surname after we're married.
Grace
(Her own Filipina since 1975)

I never can get used to that peculiar term of endearment "my Filipina," though I'm sure many guys here say that with the most loving of intentions.
As for me, I'll be a little baffled if my dear beloved started referring to me as "his Filipina" when talking about me with other people, him being that type of guy who bothers to ask whether I would want to take on his surname after we're married.
Grace
(Her own Filipina since 1975)

I never can get used to that peculiar term of endearment "my Filipina," though I'm sure many guys here say that with the most loving of intentions.
As for me, I'll be a little baffled if my dear beloved started referring to me as "his Filipina" when talking about me with other people, him being that type of guy who bothers to ask whether I would want to take on his surname after we're married.
Grace
(Her own Filipina since 1975)

I never can get used to that peculiar term of endearment "my Filipina," though I'm sure many guys here say that with the most loving of intentions.
As for me, I'll be a little baffled if my dear beloved started referring to me as "his Filipina" when talking about me with other people, him being that type of guy who bothers to ask whether I would want to take on his surname after we're married.
Grace
(Her own Filipina since 1975)

I never can get used to that peculiar term of endearment "my Filipina," though I'm sure many guys here say that with the most loving of intentions.
As for me, I'll be a little baffled if my dear beloved started referring to me as "his Filipina" when talking about me with other people, him being that type of guy who bothers to ask whether I would want to take on his surname after we're married.
Grace
(Her own Filipina since 1975)

I never can get used to that peculiar term of endearment "my Filipina," though I'm sure many guys here say that with the most loving of intentions.
As for me, I'll be a little baffled if my dear beloved started referring to me as "his Filipina" when talking about me with other people, him being that type of guy who bothers to ask whether I would want to take on his surname after we're married.
Grace
(Her own Filipina since 1975)

I never can get used to that peculiar term of endearment "my Filipina," though I'm sure many guys here say that with the most loving of intentions.
As for me, I'll be a little baffled if my dear beloved started referring to me as "his Filipina" when talking about me with other people, him being that type of guy who bothers to ask whether I would want to take on his surname after we're married.
Grace
(Her own Filipina since 1975)

Here's the problem with love: When you're in it, even an actual red flag looming in front of your eyes, can be ignored or quite easily be explained away. The more people, whether family, friends or well-wishers, try to "warn" you, the more determined and convinced one becomes of the validity/sincerity of one's relationship. "The world is against us, then this MUST be true love, right? No one understands our feelings!"
One way to test whether the non-USC spouse's motives are genuine, especially if you have some nagging doubts or suspicion: Suggest that after marriage, you, the USC, are willing to make the move and want to live in their home country. Cite whatever you want: declining economic conditions in U.S., no job opportunities, you'd like a change in scenery, you can't imagine separating your SO from their family/friends, etc. And not as a one-off joke. Be serious about it -- look at apartments and jobs online. Say you wanna learn the language. Ask about public transport, gas and electricity, local restaurants and movie theaters. Be very convincing about it. After a month or so of this, if your SO is still hanging around, you'll know that he/she is in it for the real deal. On the other hand, if they've done the disappearing act, you'll know what they really were after in the first place. Quite simple if a bit sneaky.
But you can't be too careful when it comes down to the rest of your life, now can you?
Have your thinking caps on. That said, good luck to everyone on their visajourney!

I think it is reasonable to assume that with the number of VJ people each month, that this is probably a fairly representative sampling of the total and certainly adequate for watching trends. And the trend right now does not make sense! There are more filers by % approved from January and February 2011 than from October! This is very frustrating to those of us from October. There is no reason to believe that our applications are different in any significant measure than ones being filed now. It should be just as easy to go through a stack of October petitions as January ones! It is not fraud but it certainly calls into question the competency of management when this sort of thing happens. Maybe if we all start calling and writing letters the person or persons at the top may find themselves unemployed and their successors will be more conscientious as a result.
I would be very opposed to removing Igor's list. There is too little transparency now and taking this away would just make the situation more opaque!

Uglydude,
Don't get me wrong, I hope your AP is fast, your case makes it quickly to the embassy, her interview goes smooth, she breezes through customs and immigration, and the two of you are united and enjoy a happy and healthy life together. But I also think contacting your representative at this time is unwarranted. There are many people out there who need intervention by congressmen and senators and these resources should be reserved for such cases.

I feel the same, Adam.
I found it really difficult to pack my bags and leave everything I knew. I haven't seen my family and friends in almost half a year now, and even though it gets easier (I was missing them dreadfully when I first got here), it's not something I would ever do if it wasn't for my husband.
When I was 14, I told myself that I was going to be a writer and live in America, and I have no idea why I thought that... I didn't know anything about the country. Anyone that didn't know anything else about me might claim that I had that intention when I came here and married, but to be honest, I completely forgot about that dream when I did move for real.
I am given many opportunities in America; I can claim resident tuition rates, I can work the same as a US citizen, I can get a credit card, a house, etc.. all of the things that I could do in my own country (except vote). I am grateful that America allows me to build a life here with one of its citizens, even though the process to do so is long and infuriating at times. On the other hand, America is scary.. there are many things politically that are bizarre to people in the UK, and even in my area, it's like a whole other world. Everyone goes hunting, there are stores dedicated to this everywhere, everyone has a gun, there is small print and disclaimers everywhere to prevent lawsuits, the food is often riddled with sugars and fats, there is no public transport, and people speak funny.
When I hear people put immigrants in this "fraudster" box, it irks me. I'm not from a high-fraud country, but I've still heard things. I belonged to another public forum for 6 years and when they found out I was moving to the US, I got comments about stealing government jobs and welfare.
I'd just like to add that I've seen this happen in my own country too. Whenever someone hears of someone "emigrating" to the UK from a high-fraud country, the first thing they usually speak of is how they'll be handed all kinds of property and welfare packages, and steal British jobs. And I bet if I go to a British immigration site, there will be plenty of fraud topics there too. I don't think it's specific to Americans, or anything to do with some patriotic ego. I think it goes deeper than that.