cjmc

Also, don't forget to fill in every....every blank spot on your forms...this is important..."None, NA"...hand write it in if need be..

Good luck, I am sure you will do just fine....you did great preparing everything.

Cheers,

cjmc

She can leave anytime she so chooses, what she can't do is enter again without the AP or green card.

She is never a visitor as she entered with a K-1 visa.

I stand corrected.....you are right....she can leave anytime...but what happens if you would overstay the 90 days and then try and leave....bad....

I guess it boils down to the definition of "Visitor" according to the Washington State interpretation, and I will try and figure that out....it really does not matter in the end what you believe in or what I believe in....it is what the bureaucrats say the rules are....and that is the problem...

Cheers,

cjmc

So what were we talking about...?

It seems a two pronged issue.

The K1 Principle Applicant is a visitor, as he/she has stated intent to marry within 90 days but clearly can change his/her mind. Thus if the state has a 1 year visit rule allowing foreign driver license he/she is covered at least to the day of the marriage. I'll guess that even if stopped by the police there might be some warning but probably not a citation and certainly not a big issue until greater than 30 days past marriage which would be the true "indicator" of intent to no longer be a mere visitor.

But the real issue is the insurance company. A traffic ticket pales into comparison to an accident which occurred when the foreign driver was driving. Here the insurance company can simply say: "You had an obligation to inform us that you had another person in your household, having failed that, we will not cover this accident." In this instance you could be left holding claims that could ruin you.

It seems to me that the OP called the insurance company, and documentation of that is probably enough. Since the insurance company was notified and the insurance did not forbid the "visitor" to drive, in a legal battle the insurance company would likely (IMHO) be forced to pay. Though in this case the insurance company should be notified about a significant change of status such as marriage.

That's my two cents.

I actually believe what you are saying is more true than the other points presented.....she is a visitor using the K1 Visa to legally be in the US for up to 90 days, she does not have a right to stay past 90 days and she can leave anytime she wants up to that point.....

WA State DMV states on their website that a visitor can legally drive if they have a foreign drivers license for up to 1 year.

Once we are married, then her status technically changes, she has established residency by being married to me, she cannot leave and she then could not be considered a visitor......at that point, the 30 day clock starts ticking, tic,tic,tic.....to get get a resident drivers license.

I will certainly try and check this with DMV, hoping I can get accurate information.......I think I am dreaming....but I will try !!!!

Just my thoughts and ideas....

Cheers,

cjmc

Congratulations....now things can really start moving along....

Cheers,

cjmc

Oh oh.. I cannot attend the party. Me and my mom will be leaving tomorrow for my CFO seminar on Monday.

Me and Jim will surely see you when we all get there.. Soon!

Have a blast on Sunday!!! Happy birthday to Dahlia!! We have the same birth month August,

you and Jim are on February LOL!

We will also be in Manila on Monday....maybe after your CFO we can connect.....I leave Tuesday for Seattle at Noon and have to leave Dahlia behind... :-( she will be following shortly after when she gets her Visa and completes her CFO... :-)

cjmc

Congratulations cjmc! It's my turn on Monday. Wish me luck. guys :-D

Both Dahlia and I wish you the best....maybe everyone working at the US Embassy will be in a good mood, coming off a 3 day weekend !!! :-)

cjmc

Hello people just wanted to say that I am a newcomer and am wanting advice with the procedures with the K-1. So my fiancee and I have been together for quite some time and is wanting to come over to the US to see me first before I will go see her and also wants to stay with me till I go to the Philippines. I know that when applying for the K-1 the requirements are for me to go over and see her first . I already have everything planned for me to head that way at the end of November. If everything goes well we both want to start on the paper work ASAP. Again we don't plan on starting the K-1 till after November. Will her visiting me cause us any problems in the future when applying for the K-1.

We tried for the Tourist Visa and she was denied...:-( My thought was to have her come visit me for 3 weeks in the US so she could see what my life was all about....

From everything I have been reading, they are very tough to get....instead for me, I visited my love in the Philippines 4 times in 9 months and spent as much time with her and her family as I could.

I documented each trip with pictures and copies of all the travel information....it worked very well. I was with her for the Visa interview and our file was almost rubber stamped because of my history of visits.

Good luck on your path forward on your VisaJourney !!!

Cheers,

cjmc

Yup ... hangs around a lot but still troll comes to mind as all he does is stir things...

And the other topic was going along very nicely until the "drifters" showed up and well even though the posts got deleted you get the drift.

I truly was enjoying some of the thoughts on that thread....instead of locking it up for all those that participate in a positive manner, maybe the ones causing the problems should be warned and then locked out of the forum for a while.....

There will always be someone out there that is trying to ruin it for the rest of us....:-(

What is the appeal process for trying to get a thread reopened ???

cjmc

Thanks for sharing. Awesome detailed report. We appreciate you sharing your journey with all us VJ'rs .

BTW.... Great suggestion on bringing things back to USA with fiancé. I plan on packing light and bringing back some of Shiela's stuff based on your suggestion. Thanks.

Every trip, I have been bringing goodies from the US to my extended family in the Philippines, two full sized checked bags a carry-on roller bag and my back pack....last trip, I brought back items for Dahlia that consumed 1 and 1/2 of the full size bags, this time I will bring back 2 full size bags full of her clothes and other things...she will then have a minimal amount to bring with her on her journey to the US.

cjmc

and the outcome was? sorry - I am not tracking WA DMVs website ..

It looks like we are good for 30 days, she can practice driving in our area ......apply for the SS card right away, plan for the test as soon as possible when the SS card has been received.

I still plan on going to DMV to try and verify this path.

Thanks for all your input everyone !!! I let you know what happens in real time :-)

Cheers,

cjmc

You might be right, Darnell, but I looked on their site, and saw nothing about that. Same thing here in AK. That's why I recommended a call to the DMV. And make sure you speak to a manager, NOT a desk flunkie. We had met ALL the requirements on the AK DMV site, even had extra ID available, and still could not get a permit. It was frustrating.

I tried calling DMV but could never get anyone to answer, so I guess when I get back home, I will have to drive to one of their offices and talk to someone...and then making sure you get the correct information....uggggg !!!!

Cheers !!!! As the Journey Continues !!!

cjmc

Thanks all for your input....time for bed, it is almost midnight here in the paradise of the Philippines :-)

Cheers,

cjmc

"Check with"? You mean add her as a driver on the policy, right?

Yes, I called my insurance company and they can add her to my policy as long as she can legally drive in the State of Washington....it is up to me to make sure she is legal to drive :-) and that is why I am trying to figure this out......

cjmc

Don't forget to check with your insurance company as well.

I have done that already, and they said....We can add her to your policy anytime....she just needs to be able to legally drive in the State of WA...it is up to you to figure that out....

cjmc

She does not have to be married to you in order to be considered a resident: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=46.20.021

She simply has to declare her intent to become a resident. The day she arrives in Washington is the day she intends to become a resident. Therefore, her Philippines driver license is good for 30 days from the date she arrives in Washington. After that, she can use her Washington State driver license.

Wow !!! If this is all true.......that is a pretty tight window of time to deal with to be able to legally drive after 30 days of setting foot on WA State soil...

Land at SeaTac....establish residency, get a SS number, get ready for the drivers test and then take the test, all in 30 days....again, WoW !!!

cjmc

Got my visa on the day of your interview.. sorry if I wasn't able to answer dahlia's call. I was with my mom, we celebrated after getting the visa at 2GO Mall of Asia

Wow !!! that is great !!! We were also at the Mall looking around, we might have passed right by you....don't forget about Dahlia's birthday party on Sunday around 4PM, we will look forward to finally meeting you :-)

cjmc

From the WA State Website it says the following:

If you’re from another country-

• If you’re visiting Washington State, you may use your out-of-country driver license for up to 1 year.

I guess that until she is actually married to me, she would be considered a visitor because she cannot legally stay in the US past 90 days until she is married to me.

Once we are married, that establishes residency and also then the requirement to get a WA State drivers Lic within 30 days.....

That's how I am reading this but just wanted to see if anyone else has been down this road.

Thanks,

cjmc

She has 30 days to obtain a WA license.

http://www.dol.wa.gov/driverslicense/moving.html

Hi Ryan- I have read that page before, but it also states that you have to establish residency and have a SSN....to apply. She cannot establish residency until we are married.

My question is can she legally drive with a Filipino Drivers License and for how long...she cannot even apply until she has established residency and that could happen as late as 90 days from when she arrived using the K1 Visa.

cjmc

I am trying to find out if my fiancee can legally use her Filipino Drivers License in Washington State and for how long before needing to get the official WA State Lic.

cjmc

Camano Island

Really close :-)

cjmc

So awesome!! Congratulations! We will be neighbors have a safe trip!!

Where are you located ??

cjmc

My fiance just completed her medical yesterday and recieved her results. How soon before she can have her visa interview? Right now its scheduled for 19 August but we want to move it to the 12th if that is possible?

It is recommended that you schedule the interview at least one week or longer after the medical....this allows the time for the results to be transferred to the Embassy.

Changing it to the 12th is really pushing it, especially when today (the 9th) is a holiday. That does not leave much time for the transfer.

Just my thoughts, not sure what happens if your medical information is not there other than you would probably encounter more delays and a reschedule of your appointment.

cjmc

Excellent review. Thank you for sharing this with those who will follow. It really is comforting that all of VJ'rs are sharing what they learn for those of us who follow.

I have only one question. What where the questions asked by the Filipino CO and what were asked by the US CO?

Again.... CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Dahlia was asked when and where we first meet, our recent times together, if she had been married before, if she had any children, where she had worked outside of the country.

I was asked about my two previous marriages, about my children from those marriages, their ages and that was about it...he did not dig into any details of about anything....I almost felt that he was just trying to satisfy his need and requirement to ask us something.....

It went very smoothly and I truly feel that part of that is the presentation of the application and the information that is provided.

The easier you make it for them to see the important points in the file when they are just skimming the pages, the more convinced they are that you have done your homework, it is complete and they just move on, they really don't want to spend a lot of time on the files, they really just want to get to the next applicant.

cjmc

Great review and congrats!! Gema is going on the 12th

One q also the checklist you speak of is that just the k1 page that explains the forms needed for the petition and interview parts?

Or is it a checklist with just short phrasing of every form?

We used the information from all of Hanks hard work and also from this site that another VJ'er has created, it is all great information...we printed the pages and went line by line, checking off completed tasks as we went....and then filed the paperwork in a multi sectioned plastic folder to keep it all straight and easy to get to.

http://philippinefiancevisa.weebly.com/checklist.html

Hope this helps.... :-)

Cheers,

cjmc

Thank you and congrats... what was your hotel rates by chance?

For a single room it was 1650 peso and a King Room was only 2200 peso....a very good value for a clean, nice place to stay.

Cheers,

Curt