YayaYiyi

Delta covers this quite concisely:

http://www.delta.com/content/www/en_US/agency/useful-resources/philippines-origination.html

I've never had a problem simply emailing the itinerary/confirmation number and having the passenger check-in/board for departure.

Good luck.

I have called and spoken to 3 different people at Delta. All 3 people say the same thing. You must go to the airport in the US and show the credit card w/ an ID in order for them to release the ticket at MNL.

Expedia had a $30 cheaper price on an airline ticket, but when I called their customer service, they were not at all reassuring of what happens in a situation where the ticket is bought in the US for a person in Phils. In fact, the woman said that it was not possible, yet I think there was a communication breakdown because of limited English on the reps. part. Logic would say that they are just a broker, and no matter who issued the ticket, it is going to end up in delta's system. But, for $30, I would rather not have to worry with 2 companies (Expedia and Delta) if something does go wrong.

If anyone uses Delta Airlines and probably other carriers, if you purchase the ticket in the US and use your credit card, then you must go and confirm the purchase at a Delta terminal customer service location before the person can pick up the ticket in Phils.

Right now, the price is around $1050 for a 1-way ticket from MNL to Washington DC area.

Any insights, thoughts about better travel arrangements is appreciated.

My wife just got her spouse visa from 2Go. I am just wondering if will need anything else in order to get on a flight. I just want to make sure before I get the ticket. She's going to get her stamp now.

Thanks in advance

Sorry to hear about what happened but im pretty sure once you provided them with your requirements your wife will have her visa. I read on what you wrote some applicants have there passport returned? What does that mean? Is that denied? Is there a chance for spousal visa to be denied at embassy?

Yea, since my wife was there for about 9 hours waiting for their answer, she was able to watch a lot of people going through the process. She said a large majority of people were told they didn't have the proper paperwork or incomplete paperwork and these people were given back their passport. I guess since we had everything else they had asked for and that we had done an NBI with her maiden name and married name (just not that typo name) that they felt confident enough to go ahead and have her leave her passport and provide them with mailing address and phone number for when they issue her visa. I would assume that the other people will need to go back to Manila personally with the papers and that is why they returned their passports.

As far as a spousal visa being denied, from what we know, it is very rare for a spousal visa to be denied, but like anything, there is always a chance they deny.

I think the biggest thing that I am hoping to share is if your birth certificate was ever corrected which is the case of my wife's. There was a typo on her birth certificate that has her middle name as Motis instead of Motes. My wife, over 10 years ago, went and had her certificate corrected, which instead of issuing a new certificate with the corrected name, there is a caption at the top of the certificate that states her real name.

So, her birth certificate still has that typo with a typed explanation of the correction.

Now, my wife, who has never used the name Motis in her life for anything, technically, was also known as Motis in the eyes of the NBI clearance. So, what my wife should have done was have an NBI clearance with her correct maiden name, her married name and that incorrect spelled maiden name. That is what has held us up.

yea, Saudi was not asked for as it is stated by NVC the process to get that. If you are not in the country, then you can not get it. Plain and simple. We did send a letter explaining why we didn't have one and specifically quoted the NVC site. As far our case with the AKA, we did have an AKA with her maiden name, but what we didn't get was ALSO an AKA with the mispelled name. That was what they wanted as well.

I just wanted to share this experience to possibly better guide future couples and also to get some feedback from people.

First, my wife and I married in Phils and that is the method Visa we are applying for. She had her interview on May 8. After the interview, she was forced to wait about 9 hours before they would give her a decision. She sat there and watched as people after people went through their process.

Finally, they come to my wife and they tell her that because her birth certificate had once been changed (they had mis-spelled her father's name), that her NBI clearance needed to state that mispelled name as an AKA....(Also Known As.) Also, for some reason, they also asked her to provide a new Cenomar that was updated to show that indeed we are married.

I feel like an idiot that we overlooked the AKA part of the form. I can agree with their decision that we should have had that NBI done that way. But, why make her wait 9 hours to do this?

What appears to be a good thing, is that they did take her passport and asked for her mailing and phone number. Many people she saw that day were turned down and given their passports back.

So, that is the sharing part of this story. If you have a birth certificate that was changed, then technically, you were also known as that other name that was wrong. Also, if you want above and beyond for them, show an updated Cenmar.

Now, here is where I am curious. My wife spent many years working in both UAE and KSA. According to NVC, they do not require a police clearance and this was never mentioned in the interview or with 221g which only stated the NBI (not the Cenomar). Could it be that my wife is being held longer to check into her work overseas? Are anyone else you know who worked in a middle eastern country also having a hard time? I'm just curious as to what may be going on behind the scenes that they can't tell.

My wife is so depressed it is not funny. I hope they will get this processed for us sooner, rather than later. But, it seems AP is hit or miss with time.

That's all...thanks....

A. I don't have a birth certificate for my grandfather who is willing to sign a I-864A so that I can list his income. Will not having this bar him from being allowed? I did not read anywhere where this was necessary on the forms for an I864a.

B. My mother will joint sponsor. There is a check box that asks if she is the only joint sponsor. Would my grandfather who signed an I-864A be considered a joint sponsor? Or would my mom still be the only joint sponsor if he was accepted?

Also, I plan on sending the paper work for whichever scenario they want to classify us as. Meaning, I will submit paperwork for my grandfather with an I-864a w/out birth certificate and then tell them that if that is not sufficient, then use mom as the joint sponsor.

And, I am confused about when the joint sponsor paperwork is asked for. If I send it in with my I864 at the same time, knowing I will need a joint sponsor, will they process it then? Or, I have read where they ask for this documents from my wife in the Philippines to bring to the interview? If that is the case, then there would be no sense in sending in the I-864 of my mothers at this time.

My mother is the sponsor for our petition since I have been in school for the past 3 years. My father and mother file jointly with their tax returns. My problem is that on the I-864, it is telling to list the adjusted gross income as found on their 1044....however, this amount reflects dad's income as well. On mom's w2- she made about $56,000 before taxes. This amount was added to dad's to arrive at the adjusted gross income for the two. What should I do? Should I put dad down as an I-864A person or should I just put mom's income before taxes on the line for the adjusted gross income? Also, will Immigration people correct any mistakes we make? or will they make us do it over?

Thanks in advance....

What is the purpose of the ds-261? I am sponsoring my wife who lives in the philippines. I live in the US. We don't have a lawyer. Should I put myself down as the principle contact person? Also, does that mean that I will have to mail any letters I get from them to my wife in the phils? Confused and need guidance...Thanks...

My wife partially filled out a G-325a when i was in the Philippines. She signed and dated it. However, when I went to complete the form, there is no way that I am going to be able to fit her employment history on the lines provided. I have created a document that clearly spells out her work history, yet she is not here to sign this document. I am planning on sending the barely legible G-325 w/ her signature and then a copy of her work history attached. Is this going to be a problem?

Also, I am wondering if it is wise to send more information than what is asked of me. I have copies of certificates from when my wife worked in Saudi Arabia in their hospitals as well as hospitals in the phils. I am planning on sending them.

Also, since I have minimal proof of us having a bona-fide relationship, I had my father sign a document before a notary testifying to my union w/ my wife. The best form of proof I have is the communication via Skype. If they were simply to look at our history, it would clearly show that we are indeed in a bonafide marriage. I plan on doing two things w/ this. The first is simply giving them my Username and PW to Skype. The other is I created a video that films me logging in and showing the history of our communication. My question is am i making it harder on them to process the file (w/ the video)? And, will they use my username and password because if they will, then I can also give them my wife's facebook which has many pictures on it. I intend on signing a document giving them permission to view these things.

Also, I am planning on including a background sheet on both of us that explains deeper our identities in regards to being able to verify that we are indeed who we say we are. I'm not writing a major history, it is simply in list form. Again though, am I giving too much info? and, since my wife did not sign these extra sheets, does it make invalid?

Last, I was planning on sending a media disc that has various pictures (not the passport photos), the video and all other documents that I am sending. Is this a waste of time?

thanks in advance...

This is incredibly frustrating indeed.

How is your fiancee? Is she finally able to fly to the Philippines?

My fiancee had 8000 SR not counting this months work. So, the lab manager loaned her 2000 which she will pay back when she gets her final months pay. She thought she could pay using the money they owe her for this month considering they have to settle up with her before she leaves, but they did not allow this to happen.

So, tomorrow, she is going to pay her 10,000 fine and hope the clearance process begins.

Since the owner paid for her visa, airfare etc they will ask you to pay them.

I read the contract and there was nothing stating about a fine though every hospital she has worked for has had such a fine. Here is the reality. The cost for the Visa is 2000SR. At most, the cost for a 1 way ticket is 2000SR at this time of year. Further, the owner of the hospital also owns the airline, so the real cost for them is much lower. My fiancee knows people in the administration, she works with a woman whose husband works there, and she also is close w/ her Saudi colleagues who were shocked to find out what happened to her and these people have inquired to try to understand what is happening.

The absolute most it cost the owner is 6000SR, let's say 7000SR for the sake of argument. Real cost is much lower since he owns the airlines. So, approximately $750 dollars is what he makes off of her (more in reality). The owner had also stated that she was not to be paid her final month salary which the HR manager (cousin of owner, called owner for my fiancee and was able to convince him to give this to her). Initially, the owner had said 10,000 SR and forfeit of this months salary.

The word that came out is that they put this high amount of fine on her thinking that she would not be able to pay and since her permit expires in April and it takes 3 months to process, they figured they would be able to extend her even longer.

This is nothing but pure thuggery.

Worst case scenario is they deny your application after years and years of waiting and you end up living in the philippines.

=) Just like me

I gotta here this story. Why were you denied, what's the details. My personal email is fundraisepa@yahoo.com

in regards to the contract, yea, her contract stated that if she leaves in 3 months, then she is liable for her plane ticket. That is what her contract says. This is the ONLY stipulation in the contract regarding fines. Not too long ago, a Muslim woman from another country left after only being there for a much shorter time than 1 year and her fine was 1/2 this amount. Even non-Muslims have not had fines like this one. This issue goes beyond people wanting to leave early. There are numerous cases of people having completed their contract, yet are still prolonged for as long as 6 months at a time before they are finally released. My fiancee said that other places she has worked never had so many problems as this hospital. This is reason I feel it is important to try to warn people.

Personally, I don't care about the money. I keep telling her that she can make 8x her fine simply working at McDonald's in the US for a short period of time. So, to me, it is laughable that these people think they can dictate her life for a few thousand dollars. That is their rationale, they think they impose such a heavy fine, then people will be forced to stay. This reminds me of the American mafia and 'offers you can't refuse.'

The only reason I wrote what I wrote is to warn people who may not have the fortune of being able to go to a place like the States. My fiancee is fortunate, many others are not. Since other places my fiancee has worked did not do such things, I find it important that this hospital should be known by any fils person wanting to work in Arabia.

I do want to state that I am not prejudice against Arab people and I respect Islam. In fact, I find Muslims to be one of the most devout persons in the world and am still impressed with taking time out 5x a day to pray to God. To me, this issue is not about religion, it is a very very secular issue. Greed.

I just want to share this story so that anyone who may also be impacted by the scenario can be wiser. It relates to my fiancee who is currently working at Abha Private Hospital in Abha Saudi Arabia. I know a lot of fils work in Saudi Arabia, so this is why I share on this forum.

My fiancee has worked in two hospitals in Arabia, one in UAE and another in some other place in Saudi. In February of 2012, she began working a 2-year contract at Abha Private Hospital. We met online through Match.com not too long after she began working there. We communicate through Skype everyday for at least an hour.

My fiancee and I fit perfectly in regards to our goals in life. Our primary goal is to have children. I am 41 and she is 35 and neither of us have had children. I was in a bad marriage with a woman that didn't want kids and now that I am looking again that was a main goal to look for in a next wife. She is also very nice and just a good person. So, I proposed to her.

From the beginning of her working at Abha, things with the management were obviously different than any other hospital she had worked. The management there were always holding people past their contract. Extension after extension, excuse after excuse...one man missed his wedding day in phils, another missed a funeral...the list is long and sad...on top of this, they assessed fines on those wishing to leave early. Things were so bad and there were so many complaints, that the hiring agency was suppossedly banned in the Phils to hire anyone for this hospital. This could be not true, but the fact is that many, many people were made to suffer.

Enter our situation....She decided to wait until Feb. of this month to leave. 3 months ago, she put in paperwork to be released this February. She got a lawyer friend of her draw up some paper work saying that she was needed in the phils to attend to an estate issue. She wanted a legit reason to apply for a leave and she didn't want to say she was engaged to an American because she feared the consequences. So, she puts in this paperwork and every 2 weeks she followed with a letter attesting to her situation.

So, a few weeks ago, she is putting pressure on them to leave and suppossedly the paperwork was cleared. She got a confirmation number for a plane ticket. Then, not long after receiving this confirmation, like the next day, she got a text message saying the plane ticket was canceled. So, she goes to department after department to figure out what is wrong. She finally talked to the director of HR there and he finally signed her release. This put it into motion. Numerous people have to sign the release in order for her to get her passport and have the ability to leave the country. Time goes by, and still no finalization of her paperwork. Finally, yesterday, she is told by someone that she needs to wait for her replacement which is a common thing they do to people to hold them. Considering she has trained another to do her job and there is more than enough staff in her department, she knew this was bs.

So, finally, today, she goes to the owner of the hospital with her department manager. Sheikh Abdulla Al Thumairi is the owner. The owner said that she has to pay 10,000 SR or $2500 USD which is more than 1/4 of her salary there after taxes. Considering this man is the law in this region, there is nothing she can do but to pay this amount. She has the money to pay it, but she was hoping to save it for a review to pass her medical exams for the US.

The Sheik is a very wealthy man. He has businesses all over the world. He has like 4 wives living in different mansions. Typical Arab rich man. But, he stuck my fiancee for this huge amount of money.

This is common, fining to leave early, but her colleagues said that they have never seen a fine so large, even with people that are leaving earlier in their contract than my fiancee.

My fiancee has a contract and no where in her contract does it say anything about a fine if you leave unless you leave in the 1st 3 months. But, considering this is not a country of fair laws, there is nothing that stops them from abusing people.

So, my point of writing this is to warn anyone with family members in the Phils...DO NOT ACCEPT work at Abha Private Hospital in Saudi Arabia. The owner is the one who fined my fiancee which means all the other persons horror stories are a result of this man's policy. In other words, if a company hiring for this hospital states that previous complaints were a result of bad management that was replaced...ie...things are better now...that will be a bunch of tae since it is the owner himself who is setting this policy. If I can save 1 person from making a decision not to go to this place, then I will feel glad.

Charles Schwab has a checking account that you can use their ATM anywhere in the world and they reimburse your fees. There is no fee or minimum to open an account. Though I did have to mail in my information to get an account. I haven't use this yet, so I don't know if there are fees associated with exchanging money at the bank level in phils. I'm still investigating things.

In my experience, I have always found buying direct from the airline to be cheaper by a few dollars. What I do is go to a service that compares different rates and find the airline that is offering the cheapest flight and then go to that airlines site. I've never found a cheaper price from a place that was not directly from the airline (though I'm not saying you can't find one). Since I live in the DC area, there are 3 main airports close to each other and if you are in the same situation, be sure to use a company that will compare different airports. It can be a big difference sometimes since one airline may not use one airport for certain flights. Also, make sure you check baggage fees and service fees which will often not show until the very last page where you enter your credit card info....

Don't forget about buying cows to roast, too

Artificial contraception was a hot topic for almost a decade and have only recently been nationally passed into law. Divorce in the Philippines... I will be shocked if it will happen before I have grandkids. Tsk tsk

I was surprised at the cost of a pig...almost $400 for a large one....

Artificial contraception...hmmmm...that is saying something though because that is really anti-catholic....really, anti-christian...i have a born again christian cousin who is preacher who would never allow this if he were the law...there is a saying in US that you never discuss politics and religion in a bar because it always leads to a fight....I can only imagine what it must be like in phils government dealing with these issues...

Murdering your husband...I ya ya....I think that wins for worse case scenario!!!! Look up Lorena Bobitt...Her husband cheated on her and she cut off his....ah...well, follow the link and you'll see...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_and_Lorena_Bobbitt

There's also the Filipino Channel...they have it from xfinity in my area and I'm sure other areas has it...

Netfilx rules!!!!! I love netflix....We watched our first movie together (her in Saudi Arabia and me in USA) over Skype!!!!I use a flat screen tv for a computer monitor so it is the perfect size to fit in the window. First movie we watched...Coming to America...Eddie Murphy...

Ivy...yea, the I-864 is something that a good lawyer could probably tear through, but precedents have been set, so unless you have a shark lawyer who knows the judge really well, it could be a nightmare and it definitely could be appealed up to the Supreme Court even. Having weighed everything, I am not worried about it anymore and plan to marry in the Phils. We're making our pig plans now...lol...how many pigs to buy? It's good to be worrying about these types of things instead of the shackles of laws. Thanks for your input...

Chance Favors The Prepared Mind.

Common sense tells ya that getting a divorce in the United States is fairly simple, and it doesn't matter what country you were married in.

If one plans their marriage by preparing for a divorce... isn't the course already set? (ya I know lawyers and greed)

Common sense and the law are not one and the same

^^^ I believe this is a rare occurrence.

http://www.floridabar.org/DIVCOM/JN/JNJournal01.nsf/c0d731e03de9828d852574580042ae7a/2cbe6a52e76636f28525763b00661a63!OpenDocument&Highlight=0,*

Yea, that is one thing I value regarding Enlightenment thinking and that is separation of church and state. I respect others religious opinions to the point where it impacts me personally. I feared it would directly impact me and that was the cause for concern.