David79

At least this thread isn't chocked full of gross generalizations...

There certainly is plenty of unhealthy food available in the US and I can't argue about the portion sizes, but if you live anywhere near a decent size city you can find healthy food if you want to, both at grocery stores and restaurants. It won't be at a fast food chain and it may not be at the major supermarkets, but there are plenty of organic (real organic) options available. You will pay more for it, but since food is generally cheaper here to start with it should even out for you.

And I can't think of anywhere in the world where English, Irish, or Australian food is really seen as some great delicacy...except maybe in England, Ireland, and Australia.

The media sensationalize gun violence because it makes a good story. I've lived in Tennessee, Georgia, Washington, and California and known plenty of people who own guns. I've never had anyone threaten me with a gun or seen one used violently. I'm not saying it never happens, but it is definitely not "rampant" as some people imagine. I understand some people do not want to use guns and that is their right, but I'm not sure why they are so afraid that everyone who has a gun will just use it on a whim if they get mad. My only question for people who want guns banned is if you would not use a gun inappropriately, then why do you assume everyone else would?

You guys are nuts for giving up the UK for the USA. Do you realize that USA has no social health care? And how difficult it is to find a job , and then have to pay for a healthcare plan monthly that constantly covers less. You will never have time off in the usa to work compared to the UK.

Your spouse should be thankful for the chance to live in the UK , not everyone gets such amazing opportunities.

Spoken like someone who has no idea that there is no such thing as a free social service, including health care. I agree the US health care system needs fixing, but if you look at the European economy right now you will see the effects of their endless spending which drove many of the countries into massive debt (and the US is following suit for that matter). I'm not making this a "we are better than them" or that we don't have problems to fix, but I just hate it when people seem to think social healthcare is just the best thing ever. By the way, if you look at the programs run by the US government you will see they are VERY inefficient and are generally subject to massive waste and fraud. I have no idea why people think a program as huge as a fully socialized health care would be any different. Yes we need health care reform so we can have more affordable health care, no we don't need social health care where people who do not want to work get just another free ride.

Sorry if this was off topic a bit from the OP, but being a person who sees a good chunk of his paycheck go to taxes and social programs every month (including Social Security which I may not even see when I retire) I think people are very naive in thinking we can just "make" free health care for everyone.

You POE is the city where you go through US Customs and Immigration, which as far as I know will always be the first city you arrive at in the US. It does not matter where you fly in the US after that.

In other words, the city where you go to a Immigration officer, hand them your passport and I-94, and they stamp it with your entry date and the expiration date for your I-94, that city is your POE.

Thanks. This info is for Dr. Li. I just used him and it was easy. I will say when I first called the receptionist seem to not know about the K-1 visa as she told me I still needed to get the full medical exam done even though I said I didn't think so. I decided to call some other doctors (about 5) and ALL of them either told me that I needed the full exam or that it would be $150+ regardless if I got the exam or not. Basically, they many seem to either have not idea of what is required specifically for a K-1 visa or they just don't care and want to rip you off. So after calling a few others and double checking my facts I decided to call Dr. Li's office back since the post here was recent. I told the receptionists I was sure I did not need the exam (in a polite way) so then she said she needed to go talk to someone. When she came back she said I was right and it would only be $25. I was able to even get an appointment for the next day.

When I went it went well. The receptionists took our paperwork. She took it back to the doctor and we did not even have to talk to him. After about 30 min we got it back in the sealed envelope with another copy for us to keep. I think the only reason we even had to wait is because there were a couple of other patients there also and this is just a personal practice so he was the only doctor. Even if we did have to wait longer, the fact he is not trying to rip people off makes him top grade in my opinion!

I think you are taking this way too seriously!

Infamous,

Why don't you leave all the political insults on a forum designated for that stuff instead of putting it in your signature on a visa forum? I don't think trying to insult Republicans with skewed and misleading data is really appropriate for this website.

I used a lawyer because I was going to be out of the country for several months between the time I applied and when the visa was approved. I would not have a reliable mailing address or phone contact number during that time so I figured the lawyer would be worth the money to me just in case. Lawyers (as opposed to visa services) are the only ones that can represent you at the USCIS, NVC, and embassy if there are any issues that need resolving.

That being said, I would agree with the other people on here in that they are not normally needed. So long as you can follow instructions I would recommend you do it yourself. Just look at the guides on here and be sure to double check against current USCIS, NVC and embassy guidance. Also, some immigration lawyers aren't the experts they claim to be. I had a good one, but you can find several posts on here relaying how a lawyer pretty much made things more complicated because they didn't know what they were doing.

Hi VJ,

Just want to ask coz I am not clear about POE's. Our original POE is supposedly LAX,California. However, my fiance is now in Texas for his work. Our plan is to fly me all the way to Texas. Will this be ok?

Seems some people are over complicating this. Your POE is just the first place you land in the US, where they will check your passport, visa, and you will go through Customs. After that you can fly to any domestic location in the US. The only restriction is you CANNOT leave the US one you have arrived, so don't be flying to Mexico or Canada. If you change your flight and actually want your first stop in the US (POE) to be in Texas then that will not be a problem. The airlines will always route international flights to valid POE's so you don't need to worry about that.

So i had my interview in London, met up with a cool guy who was doing K1, he was on here too so was good to get chatting, relaxed me alot, the whole thing could not have been easier, i wasnt even asked any questions apart from one, your wifes name is? the santa looking man stamped a few things, asked me to sign somethings, said my wife was a beautiful young lady, we joked about the mountain dew they sold, and how busy embassy was, and without even saying bye he took my case, closed it, an walked off, then the next number was called to the window, they walked behind me and stood lookn rather mad i was there. santa returned with a case in hand, and said oh you still here, i said i am done, he said ye, i said, so, im approved, as in like i have the visa, he seemed to be rattled by now and said yes sir you have your visa now you can leave have a good day, i went back wished my new buddy all the joy and luck i was feeling and paid courier, spent 3pound on a call to tell my wife(an wake her) i was approved, now im home and have work in 4hours, they said ill get visa friday, i may just decided to fly sunday(wifes birthday 16th, anniversary 14th,) all in all, amazing experince and such an honor to share it with u guys, all the best and god bless u all

Congratulations!

this ###### sounds racist maybe she doesnt like muslim people i would have raised hell!!!!! Get a lawyer and see how you can maybe have someone else look at your case or interview you again who the #### asks about streets and schools from all these questions it sounded like she was doubting you already...pizza hut adress i dont even eat at pizza hut i wish they would ask me questions like that smh

from reading your timeline everything seems pretty straight forward so why would your case be difficult??

Or maybe she's doing her job as an Immigration Officer. An IO cannot possibly know all the intricacies of every country around the world and who acknowledges what type of religious ceremonies as legally binding marriages. Even in the US it is each state that makes laws regarding marriage which can complicate things even more. It's a priviledge to be able to come to the US, not a right. The IO can't just take people's word that they "weren't legally married", but needs proof. I know it was an honest mistake and I do hope this lady is able to pass the RFE to get her AOS, but they never should have brought up the "m" word (marriage) if she wasn't legally married.

Here is the reference:

https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0110211530

Legal alien allowed to work. Your wife is legally able to work WITH authorisation (which a K1 is able to get). Some other visas aren't able to get the work authorisation until they adjust status so they would put "legal alien not allowed to work".

K1's are legally able to work (once they get their EAD) so put 1.

In case anyone is still reading this post, here is the reference:

https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0110211530

It has a chart that shows what to check in the Citizenship field of the SS card application form.

Just to echo what others have said, your sister really really needs to talk to a lawyer before taking any action. Do NOT simply take advice from random people on the net no matter how good it sounds. This is not a simple issue and while you can find good info on the internet it's usually mixed in with a lot of bad. This issue needs to be handled correctly from the start because there may only be one shot to do it right from this point. They need to be TOTALLY HONEST with the lawyer and maybe he can work it out for them.

Just to add our experience, my fiancee lives in Cebu and had her interview Sep 15. The visa was delivered by 2go on Sep 23. We tried tracking the package everyday between the interview and delivery using the MNL# and it always showed up as an "invalid tracking number". I actually thought it hadn't been mailed yet and was going to call the embassy the day it arrived. I've read some other posts where they had the same issue.

The only other thing I will add is that my fiancee never had to fill out a 2go form at the embassy. She did go to their window after the interview and asked about it, but they said she didn't need to fill one out and was good to go. Since it arrived they apparently knew what they were talking about.

My fiancee lives in Cebu and got her visa 8 days after the interview. We tried to track on the 2go website (using the MNL#) and it said it was an invalid tracking number even up to the time it was delivered. I was planning on calling the embassy just before it arrived because I thought it had not been mailed yet. Apparently sometimes the tracking number just doesn't work. After reading a few other posts I know some other people have also had this issue.

Not.

Somebody has their panties in a wad! hahaha

We could understand and deal with this all a whole lot better if we were really given all the information instead of some little slip of paper and the words of a receptionist. There is really only one person in her family that had TB and that was over 10 years ago, and I very seriously suspect that her mom may have been diagnosed and treated incorrectly because by the time her lung cancer was determined, she was in stage 3 or stage 4. There are also blood tests that produce results much quicker than waiting 8 weeks for a culture to "maybe" grow.

I am certainly most concerned about Eve's health and I certainly wouldn't want to expose anyone to something like TB simply because we didn't want to wait for some test. My biggest problem with the whole thing is that they aren't doing what is in the best interest of the patient. This is the U.S. government doing this, not the Philippine government. Using better testing methods that produce results in reasonable times are possible and not being used. The U.S. is a "super power" and one of the most advanced countries in the world, but we are subjecting people to this kind of treatment? While I am very thankful that up until this point our processing has gone quicker than normal, I honestly feel like by trying to do the right thing we are being punished by a mountain of paperwork and red tape while people who illegally flood our borders everyday seem to get better treatment. How many thousands of illegal aliens are in the U.S. without any of the right medical exams, tests, and vaccinations, yet when someone tries to do the right thing and follow all the rules they lose years of their lives to what everyone on this forum sees everyday.

--Jim

By the way, my fiancee is having her 2nd day at St Luke's today too! It will be a few hours before I hear about what the results are. I am not really worried about her health (I am confident she is in great health) as much as they'll find something that will require "more tests" and will delay the whole process.

We could understand and deal with this all a whole lot better if we were really given all the information instead of some little slip of paper and the words of a receptionist. There is really only one person in her family that had TB and that was over 10 years ago, and I very seriously suspect that her mom may have been diagnosed and treated incorrectly because by the time her lung cancer was determined, she was in stage 3 or stage 4. There are also blood tests that produce results much quicker than waiting 8 weeks for a culture to "maybe" grow.

I am certainly most concerned about Eve's health and I certainly wouldn't want to expose anyone to something like TB simply because we didn't want to wait for some test. My biggest problem with the whole thing is that they aren't doing what is in the best interest of the patient. This is the U.S. government doing this, not the Philippine government. Using better testing methods that produce results in reasonable times are possible and not being used. The U.S. is a "super power" and one of the most advanced countries in the world, but we are subjecting people to this kind of treatment? While I am very thankful that up until this point our processing has gone quicker than normal, I honestly feel like by trying to do the right thing we are being punished by a mountain of paperwork and red tape while people who illegally flood our borders everyday seem to get better treatment. How many thousands of illegal aliens are in the U.S. without any of the right medical exams, tests, and vaccinations, yet when someone tries to do the right thing and follow all the rules they lose years of their lives to what everyone on this forum sees everyday.

--Jim

So true!

USCs need US Pasport to enter the US. I'm not sure a Mexican can enter with just a US DL?

No baron, thousands of Mexicans enter the US every day with no passport. She already has the experience apparently.

Good Morning everyone, my case notice date July 12,2011 my husband received MNL# August 13. I wonder why until now i never received yet my packet instruction. Is it 2go courier will deliver? Can i pay the visa fee at BPI without calling Manila embassy? How to do step by step while waiting my packet? I really need an information from those who undergone this process. Thanks in advance

My fiancee and I are sort of in the same situation. I got a letter from the NVC almost a month ago saying they would electronically forward my case to the Manila embassy. They included the MNL# on that and said the embassy would be mailing out a packet. Since it was e-delivered I'm sure the embassy got it, but it just seems to be taking forever for the packet to arrive from the embassy to my fiancee. I'm thinking about just having my fiancee go pay the fee at BPI and then go ahead and make an appointment. I know from multiple sources what docs are needed and all the forms are available for download so I don't see any reason to keep waiting. Is there anything I'm missing?

The stamps in your passport with your entry and exit dates should be good enough even without the boarding pass. What they want for primary evidence are documents that are not easily faked. Boarding passes qualify as that, but so does your passport so don't sweat it. Also, make ATM withdrawals and print out your bank statements (hopefully it will show the location of the ATM on them). Any type of receipt with your name and the date on it is good too (hotel, rental car, etc).

Pictures are good evidence you were together but they are only SECONDARY evidence because ultimately they can never fully prove the time they were taken. Even if you have a date stamp on the pic, that can be faked in about 1 minute with even the simplest picture editing software (or just setting the time on the camera to whatever you want before you take the pic). Remember, you are not just proving you met, but that you met during the last 2 years.

If you have your passport stamps, bank record with ATM withdrawals, a few good pics of you in different locations/different clothing, and a few various other receipts you should be fine on proving that you actually have met and when. Of course that is only part of what you need to prove the overall relationship is genuine, but it is probably one of the largest parts.

I think it is good you are thinking ahead!

You can probably do all the paperwork yourself so long as you don't mind taking a little time to read up on the process (especially on this site).

I hired a lawyer only because I knew I would be out of the country for several months during the process. The main difference between hiring a lawyer or just a "visa service" is both can fill out the paperwork and give you advice, but only a lawyer can actually call the USCIS, NVC, or embassy and speak on your behalf to correct problems, etc. A visa service cannot talk to any government agency for you and really you are just paying them to fill out the paperwork. As far as cost, my lawyer (who strictly has practiced immigration law for 20 years) was about $1500. I've seen some less experienced lawyers for less than $1000. This includes everything from the initial application to actually getting the visa. If I was not going to be overseas I probably would not have done it, but since they could actually talk to the government agencies for me I decided to do it.

*edited to clarify some info

They already do. Have you ever heard of Medicare, Medicaid, or the VA?

And those are all very efficient and run smoothly and quickly with no wasted money, right?

Personally, I think marriage contracts usually show the marriage isn't built on a solid foundation to begin with, though I acknowledge this isn't always a black and white issue and there are some gray areas. The bottom line though is it has to be your choice. Do NOT do it if you feel like you are being forced or coerced into it (especially due to the pressure of having limited time to get married before your visa expires).

He should have talked with you about this long before you ever arrived in the US. If he had done that and you had agreed then you are an adult and can do what you want. The fact he waited until you are actually in the US should raise a huge flag of caution. If this is just his own decision (and not his parents pressuring him) then it shows he does not fully trust you since he waited until you were here to bring it up and could use the limited time to force you into signing it. Another possibility is that it is indeed his parents pressuring him because they don't trust you and see you as a gold-digging foreigner. If that is the case, then he is allowing his parents to run his life. Do you want a wet-noodle husband who is not able to make his own decisions? A real man will always honor and listen to the advice of his parents, but will not let them continue to control every part of his life even after he is an adult. I have seen plenty of adults who continue to let their parents control their lives and it is not pretty. It often causes major conflict with the spouse and will usually cause marital issues (which is a recipe for eventual divorce).

The first thing you should do is sit down with your fiance and have a very serious and clear discussion with him about this. First, I would find out why this is happening. Was it really his decision or was it his parents forcing him? Also, how long has he/they been planning this? Second, find out if this is just about the family business or is really about everything. If it is just about the business, then the contract shoule ONLY be related to the business and not everything. Finally, do not be afraid to NOT marry the man and go back to the Ukraine if that is what is necessary. A BAD MARRIAGE CAN BE MUCH WORSE THAN NO MARRIAGE. Also, if he says something like "You either sign this or we will not get married" then you should leave immediately and go back to the Ukraine, happy to have dodged a bullet.

My final advice is that if you do CHOOSE to sign the marriage contract after your discussion with him then you should tell him at this point he has broken your trust and needs to do something to earn it back. Tell him you will sign the contract, but you want to wait until after the marriage. If he had told you before you got here then this would not be necessary, but at this point he has no right to expect you to sign it right away. Though laws may vary from state to state, you should still just as easily be able to sign a contract after marriage that "in the event of divorce I lay no claim to the business, its property, future profits, etc". You should also make HIM hire the lawyer of your choosing to look over the contract and let you know exactly what it says (and also ensure it can be done after marriage or if there could be any complications).

Of course, the bottom line is I don't know your exact situation as well as you do and I am no lawyer so take my legal advice with caution. What I DO know is that you shold not be forced into signing something and you do have the right to leave the US so don't feel trapped.