Balikpinoy

So we got to the Embassy at around 30 only to find out that ACS is closed for the day.  In the website,  it was not stated prominently that First and Third Wednesday of the month are Consular Training Day hence, no services.  I indicated that i had called the previous day and was instructed to walk in by the person I talked to.

The guards told us to go into non-immigrant entry building to so that they can call inside to state my case (the non-immigrant section was open).  Since we were early, and ACS does not officially open until 7:30, we waited as the guard tried to call every few minutes if anyone would answer.  After a few tries, we were told to step outside and just wait and they will call us when they get someone on the phone.

At 7:30, someone finally answered the phone and I was asked what the emergency was as well as the details.  The Filipina on the other end was very polite and pleasant.   She asked if we had all the complete documents for passport renewal (we did), photos and most importantly, exact change of 115 usd or 6210 in pesos.

She said she would consult a consular officer first and ask me to hold the line.  After about 2 minutes, she asked me to give the phone back to the guard and instructed the guard to tell us to come back at 9:30 with exact change.

Off we went to Coffee bean to wait until the appointed time.  

At 9:20 we entered the embassy and proceeded to the ACS Section #4 window.    We were the only one in the ACS section.  After a few minutes of waiting, we were pre-screened by a Filipino officer and again asked the reason for our emergency.  After verifying our docs, I was given a slip to take to the cashier for payment.  The SSA section was open on the other end of the building.  

After paying, I handed the receipt and was told to wait.   About 15-20 minutes later, the consular office asked us to take the oath and proceeded to review our documents.  After review, he indicated that he will go ahead and issue an emergency passport and we just have to wait while they print it out.

After about 45mins, we got the passport in hand and complete relief!

Bonus!  The Emergency Passport looks like a regular passport but with only about 4-5 pages.  It has a validity of 1 year from date of issue.  Here's the bonus, if we renew to the regular passport while the emergency one is still in effect, the renewal fee is waived!  

In conclusion, I can't really say enough about the professionalism and excellence that each person we interacted with yesterday.  From the guard all the way to the consular officer, it was a refreshing breathe of fresh air amidst the chaos of Philippine living.   As many reviews of the consulate posted here attest, the US Embassy in Manila exudes excellent customer service and dedication throughout the process.

I spoke with someone at the embassy today and they advised me to walk in.

the website also has this.

Only emergency passports are available on a walk-in basis.  Please be aware that the rules for emergency passport issuance are strict, and a consular officer will determine if your situation meets the standard for an emergency.  If your situation is not considered an emergency, you will need to book an online appointment and return to the embassy on that day.

Has anyone gone thru this process at the US Embassy in Manila?  We will be walking in tomorrow morning.  What time should we arrive before the 7:30am opening?

Any insights?

TIA

Hello all.  

From previous posts and search, there seems to be 3 accredited IRS service centers that were able to process W-7 form for ITIN for foreign spouses.  However, the links are now not working.  Has anybody recently tried to acquire an ITIN for their spouse based based in the Philippines.  What's the process now?  

Thanks!

The 7 year old daughter isn't a tie to the Philippines, as she will be coming with you.

You, as the partner, having strong ties abroad can help, because the danger they see is you guys getting married while in the USA and then staying. So if you can prove you definitely will return abroad, then she is more likely to do so too.

Does your girlfriend have any ties to her home country at all? That would really help... does she co-own anything with you, go to university, elderly parents etc?

Well, my business is here in Manila and I have been living here since 2009. I have sold all my assets in the US and intend to stay in Manila as I grow into retirement.

How do we convey that, since I would probably not be allowed to participate in the interview?

My GF's parents and grandparent are all here.

I guess I'm her significant tie here and we need to convince the consul that.

I am a US Citizen now residing in Manila Philippines. I have a 5 month old daughter how we just applied for a CRBA and is in process (just need to submit her mother's expired Philippine passport).

My mom(in the US) is celebrating her 75th birthday in March and my siblings (both in the US) will be throwing her a surprise party. She's a been through a lot since her stage 4 cancer diagnosis 7 years ago.

In any case, we all thought would be a great idea that grandma sees her brand new granddaughter at the party.

Given all of that, here's my question:

The mother of my child (my girlfriend) is Filipino as well as her 7 year old daughter from a previous relationship(not married) would ideally be joining us for this trip and we will be applying for the tourist visa next week.

Reason for visit would be: Accompany my daughter and boyfriend to attend my boyfriend's mother's 75th surprise birthday party.

Ties to the Philippines:

1. We live together in Manila and I own an outsourcing company here in Manila

2. Our 7 year old daughter

3. She has no immediate relatives in the US.

Cons:

1. GF has no assets under her name.

2. GF is a housewife.

IN SHORT, we are going to the US to attend my mom's birthday surprise and have a vacation of about three weeks.

My question is how do we convey this to the consul via the application form and during the interview. Having read numerous threads here, I know support docs are usually discarded.

Unlike the other threads, my gf has a daughter which I would think is a strong enough tie to the Philippines. Also, that me, her companion is a US Citizen who is permanently residing in Manila and we are going as a family.

I guess it doesn't hurt to try to win the LOTTO visa but I'd like to throw this scenario out here and get people's initial take on whether we can overcome the presumption of immigration.

PS. I've been residing here for 6 years now..and spend 2 weeks in the US every 2 months for business.