We Are The Art

Final Round: Brief exchanges in center ring then both clinch standing....they seperate then Diaz attempts a head kick which connects but GSP side kicks Diaz's leg & sends Diaz hard to the floor....lots of clinching & knees & both are visibly tired....breif exchange before GSP takes Diaz down again...GSP lands a few at the end of the round but GSP has no doubt won this fight. After the round GSP attempts to honor Diaz but Diaz pretty much shuns GSP.

The Decision: Unanimous Decision for GSP.

All in all, I expected much more from both but countering from both kinda made the fight seem a little dull. Nice comments from both after the fight & Diaz strongly hints that he will retire.

Round 4 opens with good jabs from both....Diaz ecapes from several takedowns & now blood flowing from Diaz's left eye.....a few good shots exchanged then GSP finally gets the takedown......scrambling then GSP slams Diaz to the floor for the 7th time in the fight.....both fighters are bleeding now.......GSP in control & Diaz seems very tired at end of round 4.

Round 3 opens with a few exchanges & lots of trash talk by Diaz....GSP takes Diaz down breifly then back to stand up.....a decent exchange with GSP remaining in control.....both fighters get in a few hard shots and GSP now has a cut on the bridge of his nose. Diaz on bottom takes a cheap shot AFTER the bell. End round 3.

Round 2: After a few early punches GSP takes Diaz down again, Diaz is usually pretty good on the floor but GSP counters well. GSP is definitely in control & now gets in a few elbows.....lots of scrambling on the floor with GSP in control, Diaz finally stands up but little exchange to speak of. Diaz taunts GSP at the end of the round. End round 2.

Round 1: First blow goes to GSP with a hard leg kick then immediately takes down Diaz to the floor. GSP controls Diaz on the floor but both fighters are expending alot of energy. No real well defined punches but GSP slams Diaz to the floor multiple times. Diaz seems a little surprised by GSP's power. End round 1

Last chance to vote before the fight begins. Diaz enters the ring to lots of boo's. GSP enters the arena to a roaring crowd. It's gonna be a real brawl!

Round 3 prelims Carlos Condit vs Johnny Hendricks with 1 round complete....hard hitting & lots of action.

Hendricks wins by unanimous decision. Non stop action for 3 hard rounds.

I don't care how he wins, (most likely lay and pray) but GSP will win.

I tend to favor GSP myself but Diaz is no slouch, both of these guys seem to hate each other so I'm sure it'll be an action packed and gruesome fight!

Round 3 prelims Carlos Condit vs Johnny Hendricks with 1 round complete....hard hitting & lots of action.

First two prelims now complete. Counting down to the main event with round by round updates!

I'm not really a huge fan of UFC but I do particularly like these two fighters and I think this will be one-helluva-fight. I'm watching via pay-per-view and will try to give live round by round updates if I'm not too distracted.

The pre-lims have already started and the main event should start around 10:00 PM CST. Please try to get your poll votes in before the main event starts.

is this normal??? or should i worry???? my poe was in huston on saturday feb 9... still no welcome letter!!!!!

Wait....There's a "Welcome Letter"??? My Fiancee' (now wife) entered the US way back on November 28th 2012 (POE Guam) and we still haven't received any "welcome letter". Somehow, I don't think we'll be holding our breath.

Do you understand that my wife has to travel by buss for 2 hours to get to san carlos city.. then take a ferry to get to the next island.. then take another bus for 4 hours to get to cebu...?? Last time i was in cebu.. i almost got robbed by a taxi driver the first day i arrived..... Would you ever take a risk... losing your loved one... over some stupid cfo certificate??? There are many robbers and rappiest in the philipines... for god sakes.. they dont even have security on the bus rides... you can fall asleep and have your money.. phone .. purse. Even your virginity stolen.. in a blink of an eye.. no joke... Im really having a hard time with this... And i especially dont trust cebu enough for her to stay overnight in a hotel... sombody might hit on her or rape her in the hotel... Does anybody know the number to cfo manager?

I camt renew her old passport because she lost it... and in order to replace it they need a cfo cert.

I swear man... philipines.. requires a certificate for everything... If i learn how to wipe my butt in the philipines they probobly give me a certificate for that... doodooFO certificate... I know the first thing the philipines going to run out of.. INK for wasting it on bogus certificates.

Thats rediculous.. thats like me living in california.. having to go all the way to new york to take a 3 hour training class.. just to get my driverslicense.

I call straight up shinanigans! Goverments waisting there money on bogus classes.. that i bet nobody.. even cares about...

SMH

You do not have to be a U.S. citizen to purchase and possess a firearm in the USA.

http://www.atf.gov/p...f-p-5300-18.pdf

Thanks for that info Hank.

Thanks for all of this!

Especially the phone numbers! I agree about the robots!

Here are my concerns about what you wrote. You will need to get those shots from a Civil Surgeon before you can

submit your AOS, unless the DS-3025 indicates the shots are not age appropriate or a waiting

interval is necessary.

A pregnancy is 9 months. While I am pregnant, I can NOT have those shots.

My i-91 will run out in May, so therefore I MUST file AOS before then otherwise I would be OUT OF STATUS - Even though i'm already married.

If I waited till I was medically fit to have the vaccinations - (ie; after baby is born in August and post breastfeeding, so lets say November at the earliest). I would already be 5 months out of status.

I HAVE to file..

I can go to a Civil Surgeon who would mark off the Waiver part but I think I already have that..

The sheet from my doctor from New Zealand has ticked the box - Vaccination History incomplete - Requesting Waiver.

(it doesn't say Blanket Waiver or individual waiver though).

I can't tell if that is enough or if I need to go to a civil surgeon for them to tick the same box on a different form.

Thoughts?

Yes, you must be seen by a US Civil Surgeon before you can file for AOS in order to satisfy the requirement. He may in fact just "tick the same box" but it will be from him (the CS) so that part of the requirement is fulfilled and the subsequent delayed process will be legally set forth for you. By filing for your AOS on schedule you have fulfilled your part of the requirement, so then thereafter any subsequent delays odered by the CS for medical/health reasons become the responsibilty of the CS. I'm sure this is not a new situation and USCIS has dealt with it before, I'm equally sure they have a means/process which addresses this particular situation, I'm just not aware of it. Best just call them to clarify and also inform them in advance of your situation at the same time. As for being out of status, as long as USCIS is informed in advance and kept abreast of what's happening in your particular case, I'm sure it won't be a prob. Everyone who files (with or without complications) is actually "out of status" or "in limbo" for some period of time between the date of filing for AOS and the date of actually receiving their green card,(which often takes months) so in the meantime as long as you avoid all immigration checkpoints (they will detain anyone not in compliance no matter what) and are legitimately following the other requirements (getting married within 90 days etc.) while staying out of any legal trouble otherwise, USCIS will likely not hassle you. There may be some sort of "fine" or "penalty" (most likely monetary)imposed at worst, but it won't be revocation or deportation. You are legally married to a US citizen, you are pregnant with the child of a US citizen, and you are apparently doing everything you can to stay in compliance. USCIS will not rip you away from your husband and deport you because you are medically unable to be vaccinated. The main thing is to keep them apprised of your situation in advance as much as possible and comply with all of the other requirements on schedule.

Please keep in mind that I am not an immigration expert by any means, I am simply offering you a bit of advice based on my own limited experience. Perhaps another more qualified member of VJ will chime in and better answer your questions. In any event, I'm sure one simple (maybe not so "simple" considering the nature of any bureaucracy) call to USCIS will answer all of your concerns.

Best Wishes!

Actually,

I've read more on this and looking at my DS2035 it says Incomplete - Requesting Waver.

Does this mean I can just send the DS2035 in with my I-485 OR should I still see a civil surgeon?

Also, people talk on here about a transcript costing $30 - $300. Anyone got a list of the $30 Civil Surgeons?

Thanks!!!

If you had a medical exam when you received your Visa and it was less than one year ago, you will

not need another exam. However, you must attach a copy of your shot record, the DS-3025, which

was given to you at your medical exam. You do not need to submit your chest x-ray.

Note that if your DS-3025 is marked "Incomplete", you may not have received all the necessary shots

during your medical exam. You will need to get those shots from a Civil Surgeon before you can

submit your AOS, unless the DS-3025 indicates the shots are not age appropriate or a waiting

interval is necessary.

If your medical exam is more than one year old, or if your DS-3025 is marked "Incomplete" you will need to have a form

I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record completed by a Civil Surgeon. The

Civil Surgeon will give you the results in a sealed envelope that you must not open. Just include the

sealed envelope with your petition. In this case you will not actually see the DS-3025 or I-693

because they will be in the sealed envelope. You do not need to take the I-693 or other forms to the

Civil Surgeon because they will provide them to you upon completion of the exam.

You can find a list of Civil Surgeons here:

https://egov.uscis.gov/crisgwi/go?action=offices.type&OfficeLocator.office_type=CIV

The Civil Surgeon will complete the vaccinations and/or medical exam and give you the I-693 in a

sealed envelope. DO NOT OPEN THE ENVELOPE!

You will not be permitted to select your own doctor to do this exam and your medical insurance will

probably not pay for the exam.

Fee's range between $100.00 and $450.00 depending on the Dr. you choose and the area you are in, be prepared to pay an average cost of about $300.00 in most cases. Refer to the Civil Surgeon list above and then call ahead to check prices.

I'd strongly advise you not to submit your AOS petition until after you have completed the Civil Surgeon exam as it is a strict requirement that will not easily be "overlooked". I suspect that pregnancies are a fairly common occurance for many applicants during this part of the immigration process and I believe if you just keep USCIS informed and aware of the situation it will just be a matter of waiting until the vaccines can be safely administered to finalize your AOS. It will obviously take a bit longer but, all things considered it's best to follow the rules and avoid any unnecessary complications with USCIS. You are already here and married and simply doing what you must to protect your unborn child so I seriously doubt that you could/would be penalized, INS will not be knocking on your door and you will not be deported at this point.

I urge you to call USCIS at 1-800-375-5283 to get more accurate info on this matter. Don't waste your time talking to the "robots" that answer your call as they will only "parrot" from a monitor screen. Instead, immediately ask to be transferred to a supervisor.

I hope this helps and Congratulations on your marriage, your soon coming baby, and your new life in America!

So they let you actually attend the seminar? With such limited seating they let you in? So you took one of the limited seats thus someone who needed to attend could not?

I was at CFO with my wife, but I sat outside and waited, the guard would not allow me in.

No Hank, I didn't go in with her. Except of course when the oh so competent interviewer demanded copies of MY divorce decree (another document they have no legal right to or need for) under threat of withholding her CFO stamp unless I complied. I too sat outside for over 12 hours along with about 100 other people.

Your insinuations in the form of a question is kinda petty, don't you think? What was that old song you previously mentioned? "Only fools rush in"?

Having completed our CFO "seminar" back in late November 2012 (Yes I,(The USC) attended with my fiancee') with very rare exception, I firmly believe 99% of the Manila staff is both extremely uninformed, and completely incompetent. While I have no doubt that there are at least some employees who are well intended, more professional, and better informed than most, the majority seem to have very little or no understanding of what the CFO program is actually intended to provide (by legal mandate) and often even deviate into ridiculous demands and lines of questioning that border on, or actually are, outright illegal. In reality, the CFO has zero authority to interfere with nor deny any visa which has already been legally determined and approved by an Embassy of another nation. The stated and legally mandated purpose of the CFO (as far as is related to fiancee' and spousal visas) is to be a "guidance and counseling session" aimed at familiarizing legal immigrants of their rights, cultural differences, marital expectations, and other general aspects of life in their respective new homes/countries. Basically, they are there to initially and briefly inform, prepare, and to some minor extent, "protect" Philippine immigrants. Sadly, what happens more often is that they not only fail in their own stated purpose, (Example: They never even asked my fiancee' for many of the required documents yet demanded and kept documents that were entirely unrelated and unnecessary for the purposes of the "seminar") they also routinely and ineptly venture into areas that are far beyond the scope of what is either purpose specific, or legal.

As is so often the case in the Philippines, what you have are a bunch of low payed, low skilled and very poorly trained people who mistakenly believe they have "power" over those they are actually meant to serve. I've seen this same mentality displayed by countless thousands of Philippino's. From simple sales counter clerks, to office workers, to waitresses, they suffer from delusions of grandeur and it seems the most powerless and unqualified of all, are the most likely to find some sort of twisted pleasure in attempting to exert their imaginary "power" over those whom are forced to deal with them in daily activities. In the case of the CFO employees, I personally believe at least some of them are simply jealous and spiteful of their fellow citizens whom have had the good fortune to be leaving the Philippine's in search of a better life and love. Their petty actions against those lucky few are born out of both frustration and spite, and they deliberately attempt to hamper and distress the attendee's as much as possible in order to make themselves "feel powerful" and/or "feel better" about their own pathetic and desperate lives. To a minor extent, I suppose that is human nature, it just seems to be all too common in the Philippines.

All in all, I do believe the CFO serves a worthwhile and somewhat important function for immigrants who are departing the Philippines; And while there are no doubt many contributing factors for this type of corruption and abuse, it's just a sad and frustrating fact that the typical government employee anywhere in the Philippines routinely inflicts this type of delusional behaivor on those whom they are employed to serve. I seriously doubt that will ever change.

UPDATE:

Despite some rather serious concerns related to the booking of our flight in advance, I am happy to report that we pulled it all off without a hitch! I arrived in Manila on November 6th. as scheduled and we attended the Embassy interview together on Nov. 9th. (A more detailed report related to our interview process is forthcoming in another post) On November 21st we received an email from the US Embassy informing us that our documents were picked up by 2Go courier service. On November 22nd the packet was delivered to her home in Davao (Lots of confusion and mistakes made by 2Go during this part of the process which will be described in the afore mentioned future post) We completed the CFO class the following day Friday, November 23rd and then were finally able to relax a bit at our hotel for a couple of days before catching our flight out of Manila on November 27th! Our flight didn't takeoff until just before midnight so by the time we made it to the immigration counter I literally had less than an hour left on my visa!

All in all, the 20 days I allowed for when booking our flights was handily enough to complete the entire process, I saved a couple of thousand dollars in flight costs and we were able to fly in adjoining seats on all three legs of our journey home! We arrived in Houston, Texas on November 28th. and eventually drove the final 300 miles to our home in Central Texas.

All Is Well and Life is Good! As previously mentioned, I will submit a detailed report about the whole experience sometime soon in another post/category. Thanks to all whom have offered their advice, support and interest! We wish the best of luck to all of those still waiting to be re-united with their loved ones, hang in there your day will come!

Try Pinger.com We've been using it free for over a year with no probs. (I tried to insert a link but the posting editor isn't working)

Enjoy!

Congratulations to you both! We wish you all the best!

We wish you all the best. Congratulations!