caelo

When I adjusted status, I used Dr. Arnold in Austin, TX. I think the MD has retired, does anyone know of anyone like Dr Arnold? Thanks for the info. I am checking for a friend who needs to do AOS soon.

Hi! I have a K1 visa and am working for the AOS. My husband took me to ProMed Medical Care Center at 13831 US HiWay 183 in Austin TX last weekend. They accept walk-ins and they know that K1s do not need to do the medical exams all over again. I need to complete my vaccinations though (I need another dose of MMR) but in the end, the whole thing cost $150 for me. Without vaccination, the cost for transcribing the vaccinations from the DS-3025 to the I-693 is $80-$90. I tried calling other clinics but most of them are skeptical about me not doing the medicals again. Some civil surgeons that I have called charges $400-$600. Hope this helps.

My letter from the embassy took ages to arrive too. So I emailed USEM (to follow it up) and they replied to my email, and I was planning to take that email to SLEC because my case number is shown there. Fortunately the USEM letter did arrive (delivery courier) before my medicals. The guard at SLEC did ask for that letter from the embassy, but I've read many accounts here at VJ of people going to the medicals without it... they just presented any document/email which shows the case number (some even without any document).

You should be fine as long as you have your case number. If you want to play it safe, then email USEM about your eligibility letter and print that so you have something to show to SLEC. Good luck!

If you have the MNL # then your good to go and pay the fee and schedule and appointment for interview.

You should also call the USEM and ask if a eligibility letter has been sent. My Fiance actually received the letter 3 weeks after Manila USEM received our paper works from NVC. This seems to differ from case to case so I suggest you call and ask if the legibility letter has been sent.

Good luck.

I emailed the USEM (IVManilaReplies@state.gov) to ask about my eligibility letter too. This is the emailed response that I got from them. They said that I don't need to wait for the eligibility letter. This is probably applicable to you too. Hope it helps!

* * * * * *

We received the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)-approved visa petition (I-129F) from the State Department's National Visa Center (NVC) on May 21, 2012 and notified you in writing that you are now eligible to schedule a visa interview appointment.

There is no need to wait for the hard copy of our notice. You should visit this website: http://www.ustraveldocs.com/ph, or contact the Embassy’s Visa Information and Appointment Service at (632) 982-5555 or (632) 902-8930 to schedule a visa interview date. The Visa Information and Appointment Service is open from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Mondays through Fridays, except on Philippine and U.S. holidays. Callers in the USA may contact the Appointment Service at (214) 571-1600 between 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. (Eastern Standard Time).

Callers should have the applicant’s case number, passport number, and passport expiry date ready when requesting a visa appointment.

Please note that K1 applicants must pay the visa application fee of $240, before they can request a visa appointment via the online appointment website or the Embassy’s Visa Call Center. For K1 visa payment instructions, you may visit a link to our website at http://manila.usembassy.gov/wwwh3023.html.

You should follow all interview preparation instructions for K1 visa applicants located on the Embassy’s website at http://manila.usembassy.gov/wwwh3238.html. The instructions contained on the website will provide you with the required documentation and procedures to follow prior to the interview date.

You should compile all the required documents and complete the medical examination before the interview date (when scheduled). Please note that the medical examination may take more than one day to complete.

We hope this information is helpful to you.

Immigrant Visa Correspondence Unit

Consular Section

U.S. Embassy, Manila

1201 Roxas Boulevard

1000 Manila, Philippines

Telephone: (632) 301-2000

Fax: (632) 301-2037

The Manila US Embassy rarely gets the instructions/packet out on time if at all. Some people never received it until they were already in the states. You can find the Instructions you are looking for in my signature. Your NOA2 should be good for 4 months. It should have a validity period listed on it. You can request an extension to this if needed. If your case is at the embassy, and you want to schedule your interview, you can do so with your MNL#. Do you have an email from NVC? You could contact NVC regarding your case via email and receive confirmation from them. The NVC letter is not absolutely crucial. The NOA2 and MNL# is. It would probably also be beneficial for you to check out Wally G!'s guide for 'Manila after NOA2' also listed in my signature.

Congratulations!... If you have your case number,then you can go pay the visa fee at BPI bank,you can't schedule your appoinment if you haven't pay the visa...then you can go online to schedule it but wait like 4hrs.in our case i pay my visa friday afternoon and i wasn't able to schedule my appointment til monday b'coz the money i pay didn't went through,so try to pay in morning.and also if you call US embassy to schedule your appointment they might ask you to wait for the letter,which is rarely come some never received those letter but i did.hope this help.goodluck on your journey guys!...

Congrats! Check the Revised K1 Instruction Packet from the USEM website (http://photos.state.gov/libraries/manila/19452/public/Revised%20K1%20Instruction%20Packet%20_3__rtf2_005.pdf) for more info on the next steps/requirements. Good luck!

We don't need that for the interview. You may check this link to the USEM for the Revised K1 Instruction Packet 3:

http://photos.state.gov/libraries/manila/19452/public/Revised%20K1%20Instruction%20Packet%20_3__rtf2_005.pdf

Good luck!

Hi! This must be a new instruction then. I had my interview on July 9 and there was nothing said about the CENOMAR being sent directly by the NSO. Can you quote exactly where and how it was stated? I checked the Revised K1 Instruction Packet 3 at the USEM website (http://photos.state.gov/libraries/manila/19452/public/Revised%20K1%20Instruction%20Packet%20_3__rtf2_005.pdf) and here is what it said:

"l. CERTIFICATE OF NO MARRIAGE RECORD (CENOMAR). If you have never contracted marriage, a CENOMAR (Singleness) issued by the National Statistics Office (NSO) and printed on NSO security paper should be submitted. You may call the NSO Information Center at 02-737-1111 to inquire on securing a CENOMAR or visit their website at http://www.census.gov.ph."

This meant that applicants are still allowed to secure a CENOMAR from NSO and bring it to the interview with them.

Yup! I was denied a tourist visa on the same grounds last August 2010. My K1 visa was still approved last month. The consul did ask me whether I have applied for a visa before and what was my reason for my trip to the US. Just be honest (it will appear in the form DS-156 that you have to accomplish anyway), I told him that I had wanted to meet my petitioner in person, but my visa application was denied.

Don't worry. It's not an issue.

St. Lukes does not make appointments. Medical exams are on a walk-in basis only. However, your wife should pre-register for her medical on St. Lukes website.. It will save time when she goes in for her medical.

Most of the needed documents are listed on St. Lukes website.

Your wife does not need to bring her vaccination history. St. Lukes will give her the age-appropriate vaccinations. She will likely get MMR, TDap, Varicella (if they can't find any chicken pox scars), and the flu shot (during flu season).

Also, you might want to read this pinned thread in the Philippines forum.

Hi! I've pasted here the link to St. Luke's Extension Clinic. Visit the site and you will find there the information that you need: requirements, procedures/flowchart, fees, etc. Hope it helps you.

http://www.slec.ph/us-visa-applicants.shtml

If you were already given your MNL case number that is a good sign. That means NVC will send your case to Manila soon, if they haven't done that already. For your peace of mind, next time you call NVC ask them when are they sending (or sent) your case to Manila. They usually send an electronic copy together with the hard copy. If they have already done this, then you may already pay your visa fee at BPI without worries, then schedule your interview appointment.

Oh, and when you call the USEM, make sure to go to the Immigrant Visa, not the Non-Immigrant Visa Dept. Yes, technically the K1 is a non-immigrant visa, but for scheduling an interview, the K1 falls under the IV Section. This is why they're asking you about the DS-160. That form is for non-immigrant visa applications.

Do the same when you want to schedule online-- the K1 is under the Immigrant Visa Section. Good luck!

Hi dolbnv,

Congrats on your appointment date ! I just got my Case Number from the NVC yesterday, and when I called the Embassy in Manilla last night, the recording said to "press 1" if you have filed your F160 or "press 2" if you have not filed your F160.

It is my understanding that K1 Visa Applicants need an F156, NOT an F160. I also thought this can be filed AFTER your get your Interview Date. I am stumped... how do I get through to obtain an Interview Date. I want to call Sunday night (US Time) before they send out her Packet 3, because her address has changed and I need to have them update her address before they mail it!

Any help would be appreciated... I want my interview date so I can schedule my flights... I plan on being there. Congrats again !

- Jeff

When you call the USEM, make sure to go to the Immigrant Visa, nor the Non-Immigrant Visa Dept. Yes, technically the K1 is a non-immigrant visa, but for scheduling an interview, the K1 falls under the IV Section. This is also true when you want to schedule online. Good luck!

Follow Wally G's walkthrough!

When I did my medical the security guard did ask for the letter from the USEM. My USEM letter almost did not make it in time for my medical, so to be safe I emailed the USEM (IVManilaReplies@state.gov) to follow-up on the letter since it has been some time since NVC said it has already sent our case to them. The email subject to USEM should follow this format: SURNAME, First name and Middle name, Case Number <MNL......>, Visa Category <K1 or whatever>, NOA1 date.

They replied to my email, and I planned on printing this letter to show to SLEC, but then the letter eventually came. Maybe you can do the same. This is the content of the USEM email to me:

* * * * * *

We received the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)-approved visa petition (I-129F) from the State Department's National Visa Center (NVC) on May 21, 2012 and notified you in writing that you are now eligible to schedule a visa interview appointment.

There is no need to wait for the hard copy of our notice. You should visit this website: http://www.ustraveldocs.com/ph, or contact the Embassy’s Visa Information and Appointment Service at (632) 982-5555 or (632) 902-8930 to schedule a visa interview date. The Visa Information and Appointment Service is open from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Mondays through Fridays, except on Philippine and U.S. holidays. Callers in the USA may contact the Appointment Service at (214) 571-1600 between 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. (Eastern Standard Time).

Callers should have the applicant’s case number, passport number, and passport expiry date ready when requesting a visa appointment.

Please note that K1 applicants must pay the visa application fee of $240, before they can request a visa appointment via the online appointment website or the Embassy’s Visa Call Center. For K1 visa payment instructions, you may visit a link to our website at http://manila.usembassy.gov/wwwh3023.html.

You should follow all interview preparation instructions for K1 visa applicants located on the Embassy’s website at http://manila.usembassy.gov/wwwh3238.html. The instructions contained on the website will provide you with the required documentation and procedures to follow prior to the interview date.

You should compile all the required documents and complete the medical examination before the interview date (when scheduled). Please note that the medical examination may take more than one day to complete.

We hope this information is helpful to you.

Immigrant Visa Correspondence Unit

Consular Section

U.S. Embassy, Manila

1201 Roxas Boulevard

1000 Manila, Philippines

Telephone: (632) 301-2000

Fax: (632) 301-2037

No. There are branches in Naga / Camarines Sur. This is from http://info.bpiexpressonline.com/bpiprod/bpibranch.nsf/Branches/BPI/Camarines+Sur?OpenDocument

Branches Locator | BPI Branches

Luzon - Camarines Sur Area

886

NAGA CACERES

Caceres cor E Angeles Sts., Naga City Camarines Sur

Tel: (054) 473-8424/ 473-1407

Fax: (054) 473-8424

954

NAGA MAGSAYSAY

Magsaysay Ave. cor Catmon St., Naga City 4400 Camarines Sur

Tel: (054) 472-1154/ 238-5005/ 0917-5411663

Fax: (054) 472-1154

392

NAGA PEÑAFRANCIA

26 Peñafrancia Ave., Naga City

Tel: 811-7879 / (054) 473-9793

Fax: (054) 811-7879

So happy for you both! All the best for your life together... God bless you more!

Since you already have your case number, you can already pay your visa fee at BPI. Then wait at least 4 hours for your payment to be in the system (we waited 24 hours)... then you may already set your appointment online. You may download these instructions for the K1 interview from the USEM website for your guide... http://photos.state.gov/libraries/manila/19452/public/Revised%20K1%20Instruction%20Packet%20_3__rtf2_005.pdf ... Hope this helps you.

You may want to call the US Embassy to follow it up... My interview was on July 9 and my visa got delivered to our house on July 14. Hope you get yours soon.

The CFO seminar and guidance/counseling is a requirement by the Dept. of Foreign Affairs before she will be allowed to depart from the country. I took mine at St. Mary Euphrasia Foundation (Quezon City) just recently (July 18) and paid PHP650 (P250 for the counseling and P400 for the CFO registration fee). She should receive 2 certificates and a sticker in her passport. She should undergo this the soonest time because CFO is implementing a new regulation (starting July 16, 2012) of limited slots per seminar (12 attendees, first come first served).

There's a Phils Tax of P1620... confirm with the airline company if this is already included in the charges. For my ticket at Delta it already is. Then prepare PHP750 for the terminal fee + security fee at the airport.

Yeah. But if there will be a problem with the medical (let's hope everything's ok) you need to cancel and reschedule your interview.

As long as there's no problem with the medicals (i.e. she will be asked to take additional tests) and she gets her vaccination done on the second day (no need for sputum test and she's not pregnant), your plan's okay.

#26: PERMANENTLY

#32: WITH WORK AUTHORIZATION, EMPLOYER UNKNOWN

http://www.visajourney.com/examples/Form-DS-156.pdf

these were my answers too.

don't need originals. USEM only asks for copies.

yup... copies worked fine for me too.

Just try again... I was able to schedule the following day after my payment date. Good luck!

There is not much info on here for tracking visa for 2go and length of delivery time. Calling Embassy was difficult to get through and when operator answered then was transferred. I would then get either all reps busy or just rings. Here the info. We had interview March 29. It is now April 11 3:40pm Chicago. Just enter UID number( no letters or anything else). At bottom of 2go page it will show all scans of package. If you see a combination of letters and numbers such as 5J961. Put that in Google and will give you the flight it is on. Right now on Cebu Pacific arriving Davao at 545am. I will update the route to Tagum officer for pickup. So its been 2 weeks. There was weekends and 2 days Embassy closed for Holy week.

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I entered my UID number... this really works! Thanks!

Most people get the CD and immunization record on the second day, around an hour or so after immunization.