clairegie

Yeah, that's normal. My status on the CEAC website only changed after 4 days, and on the 5th day it changed to "issued". If they wanted more paperwork, they would've asked for it towards the end of your interview. I think you're good. Just wait a couple more days

I went through this too and came close to coming home twice. I've been here a little over a year and it's starting to feel like home. I know you really miss your family. The only thing that kept me strong was my love for my husband. It is normal for us to find comfort in the familiar. Just keep reminding yourself that you love him and would do anything for him. Find things to do. In my case, I learned how to cook, I learned how to fish, and I learned how to shoot guns (lol)... Do you have any relatives or friends in the US? Visit them. It will make you feel loads better. You will eventually get over the depression, just stay strong.

Why didn't you want her son to come live with you or even stay a little bit until you get to a decision? You married a woman you knew had a son, so I'm a little confused why you didn't accept this about her. You married her, so your house is her house now too. Not saying the 13 years you spent working hard for it doesn't matter, but dont you also accept someone's children when you married them? You were aware that he was overstaying etc.. Let's be realistic, she is a mother. Of course she would want her kid by her. You both have good points and mistakes, but I feel the situation couldve been handled better.
At first, I was annoyed that you generalized that all foreigners are scammers. But I understand you were just hurt by the situation. I wish you the best and hope that you can still open your heart and find someone to love.

March 2017 filer here. File was sent from CSC to Georgia on 06/27/2018. Georgia confirmed receipt of files 07/06/2018
Got a notice it was approved 11/20/2018. Got my card today 11/28/2018. All in all, took 20 months (no RFE)
 
Hang in there everyone. They're finally getting to our batch.

March 2017 filer here. File was sent from CSC to Georgia on 06/27/2018. Georgia confirmed receipt of files 07/06/2018
Got a notice it was approved 11/20/2018. Got my card today 11/28/2018. All in all, took 20 months (no RFE)
 
Hang in there everyone. They're finally getting to our batch.

Yeah, that's normal. My status on the CEAC website only changed after 4 days, and on the 5th day it changed to "issued". If they wanted more paperwork, they would've asked for it towards the end of your interview. I think you're good. Just wait a couple more days

Good luck to us! I can't wait for this whole immigration process to be over either.

When I was asked about being older than my fiance, I said the truth. That at first, I was worried that I was older and he might not be ready for a serious relationship and I was looking to settle down. But that my fiance is wiser & mature beyond his years and we never noticed the age difference at all through out our 3 year relationship. We simply brought out the best in each other and have learned to adjust to each other's shortcomings and love not only the good in each other, but also the bad.

It's my understanding that it can also cause a chain effect of the petitioner thinking that the world is owed to them.

Your wife is one of those people that grew up thinking that once she marries an American, she married a billionare aka "The American Dream". I am glad that my husband and I sat down and he clearly described how life really is like in the States because all I knew was what I saw on TV growing up. And I also spoke to my parents and told them upfront that I won't be the Filipino child that is expected to send money all the time. I am willing to HELP once in a while, but I won't be responsible for raising my brother and I would never put that burden on my husband. Cold as it may sound, I didn't choose to bring that kid into the world, so why should I pay for his education? Thats a parent's responsibility.
You need to stop giving this girl and her family any money. If after you speak to her and she still refuses to change, then divorce. The D word should jolt a little bit of sense (hopefully) in her.

So.. I just got back from the Philippines last Feb. 18, 2015 and thought of sharing my experience.
It starts at the Philippine airport (NAIA Terminal 2). At check-in, they asked me for proof that I am admissible to the US. They need to make sure they wont get in any trouble for allowing/carrying you on board their plane to USA. I showed the lady my combo card and she has never seen it before. She asks for my greencard so I explain to her why I have the combo card instead and what it's for. She goes to her supervisor who is equally clueless about it so they decided to just go ahead and give me my ticket and a small yellow form I had to fill out, then told me show my combo card to the customs officer who would know more about it. At customs, I gave them my passport, combo card, and that little yellow sheet and no questions were asked.
After 12 hours ... Arrived at LAX 6:00AM
I asked the lady assisting passengers if I should line up at the Visitors or Permanent Resident/Citizen lane, and she said just line up anywhere since everywhere is pretty much empty. She also said that she usually asks combo card users to line up at the Visitor lane though. I handed the CBP officer my passport, customs declaration paper, and my combo card. He asked me what food I brought in since I checked that on the declaration paper. And then he asked me to put my fingers on their machine for fingerprinting.
He continued checking my documents and looked extremely lost so I offered my AP NOA2 letter which he gladly accepted. He said the letter was familiar to him, but the combo card wasn't. He even asked if I had a letter/form with a picture on the bottom right of it, to which I said no. (no idea what letter he was referring to.) After checking things on his computer, he kept my documents and just asked me to stand near by and an officer will come get me for my secondary inspection.
The 2nd officer then brought me to an office nearby. I think it was called the Admissibility Office. He just asked me to go in and sit and reminded me that cellphone use is prohibited. It was pretty early and there were only 3 other people there who were also in the same flight I was, so I only had to wait about 10 mins to get called. The officer just asked if I was travelling alone, nothing else. He checked if I was out of status at any point. (I was, but was below 180 days. I had no arrests or convictions and my record was clean). He just wrote and typed a lot and then gave me a small paper detailing that I was admitted to the US on parole which is good for 1 year. I verified if my pending petition for adjustment would get affected, and he said No and I was good to go. He said that since I have No status as my adjustment petition is still pending, the paper lets me stay for 1 more year until a decision is made on my AOS. I just handed my passport and parole form to the lady at the desk before leaving the office, and then I collected my bags and went on to my connecting flight to NC. I arrived in Jacksonville, NC around 9pm and found my loving husband waiting for me with a bouquet of flowers. (Ehem! Guys, this is a really sweet thing to do.. )
It was scary since my entry back into the US was relying on someone else's discretion and the combo card was not an assurance that I could get back in. I read a lot of stories about it here on VJ but I still didn't know what to expect. But overall, the entire experience was not as stressful as I expected. I was prepared to show all my papers, including NOA2's, the letter that came with the combo card, and my marriage certificate etc., but he never asked me for it. Still, its better to keep these things in your carry-on since not a lot of CBP officers are aware that the combo card even exists. There ya go, hopefully this will help others who are planning to come back in using the combo card.

I know that. Just your previous post confused me.

Based on the threads I've read, it seems the China version of cgi which is CGi Stanley has a lot of system issues and they book appointments really fast. Others who went through this said you have to keep trying. I'm confused though, why would you get an MNL if you are interviewing in China? This thread is helpful, I think:
http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/580325-scheduling-visa-interview-no-dates-or-a-calendar-guangzhou/

I think its loneliness and a lot of adjusting masking as ungratefulness. You are now married to this " stubborn, immature province girl" and the best you can do now is work on how you two communicate. For you, she didn't leave much in the Philippines since her family didn't really care for her. But for her, she left behind the comfort of the familiar. All the things you said about doing everything to make her comfortable, they get boring after a while. I'm sorry to hear you feel she doesn't appreciate you and doesn't care that you're in pain. She is going through a lot, just like you. She's adjusting to a different culture, adjusting to married life, etc. That doesn't excuse her for not giving you the proper care and love that you deserve of course.
"She complains that she is stuck in the house without work for 8 months. " All that time in the house without anything to do gave her time to think about what she is missing back home (it may not be much, but again, she misses the familiarity of it all). She needs time to adjust to the new culture and that doesn't happen fast. Took me almost 2 years, I think.
I used to feel everything she is feeling now. You know what made me change my attitude? I visited the Philippines again and saw how good I have it now here in the States. Get her to start working, help her develop hobbies, anything to take her mind off negative stuff. See if things get better once she finds better use of her time. You wanted to be married to her. It's time to follow through on your marriage vows.

His work will let him go on leave for 4 months? Is this an online job?

Photo requirement is that it's taken within the last 6 months to reflect your current appearance so maybe just have your photo taken again closer to your interview

Next hurdle is how quick CSC will send out the documents to NVC. When we were at this stage, USCIS held on to them for a while. Not sure if they still do this. NVC processes them fast as soon as they get it.
For me it took 4 weeks from NOA2 to when they actually sent it out to NVC
1 week for NVC to get it
4 days for NVC to process and send it out
2 weeks for embassy to get the papers
- Once you get your MNL number from NVC, go ahead and pay the visa application fee and then schedule an interview.
- Don't schedule the interview too soon. Give time for the embassy to receive your files.
- Do the medical at least 5-7 days before your interview to give time for the medical records to reach the embassy. Medicals arent scheduled (it's first come, first served) but you can register online.
Please read Hank's guide and familiarize yourself. EVERYTHING you need to know is on it:
http://visaconnection-philippines.com/#
Do not wait for embassy instructions because there is a chance it will not come (I sure as hell didn't get mine). Everything can be found online. Here is the interview instructions. Gather everything you need now:
http://photos.state.gov/libraries/manila/1178798/feb2015/K1-K2%20Applicant%20Interview%20Preparation%20Instructions%20-%20English%20_February%202015_.pdf

VJ instructions: http://www.visajourney.com/consulates/index.php?ctry=Argentina&cty=Buenos%20Aires
After they receive the package from NVC it takes around 10 days until they contact you with P3. When they receive back the papers from P3 it takes another 10 days to receive P4 with the appointment date that is usually schedulled 2 weeks later.
Embassy instructions:
http://argentina.usembassy.gov/immigrant_visas/how-to-begin-an-immigrant-visa-process/step-2-assemble-documents.html
Here is the checklist: http://photos.state.gov/libraries/48675/CONS-IV/K1%20K3%20Instructions%20packet.pdf
While waiting for the email/packet, start compiling everything you need so that you can send it out as soon as possible.

Your wife is one of those people that grew up thinking that once she marries an American, she married a billionare aka "The American Dream". I am glad that my husband and I sat down and he clearly described how life really is like in the States because all I knew was what I saw on TV growing up. And I also spoke to my parents and told them upfront that I won't be the Filipino child that is expected to send money all the time. I am willing to HELP once in a while, but I won't be responsible for raising my brother and I would never put that burden on my husband. Cold as it may sound, I didn't choose to bring that kid into the world, so why should I pay for his education? Thats a parent's responsibility.
You need to stop giving this girl and her family any money. If after you speak to her and she still refuses to change, then divorce. The D word should jolt a little bit of sense (hopefully) in her.

When the embassy receives your papers from NVC, they will send you an email with the following steps to be completed for you to schedule the interview. Fill out your DS-160 carefully (https://ceac.state.gov/genniv/) and then access the CASV website (https://ais.usvisa-info.com/pt-br/niv) to schedule your interview. Read further instructions on the link I provided below:
http://www.visajourney.com/consulates/index.php?ctry=Brazil&cty=Rio%20De%20Janereiro

No need. The first thing that happens is, the petition is taken apart and put into the order that the office uses.
But I did do it that way to keep myself organized, up till the time I sent things to my attorney's office.

Address the letter To Whom It May Concern is fine. Mine included date of hire, Job title, and hourly wage on company letterhead. It also stated I was a full time employee and was a few months old by the time of interview. Not a problem. Just send recent pay stubs. If your income is over the poverty level requirement there is no need to list assets it bank account info. At least I didn't.

Also bring your NOA for adjustment of status. Some CBP officers understand NOAs more than the EAD Card. Believe it or not, a lot of them have never seen the combo card before. This is based on my experience when traveled last year.

I would've loved to spend more facetime with my husband (fiance then) but being in the military, he was not allowed to go on leave much. They thought the Philippines was too unsafe for him. Anyway, I totally agree with NLR. What made it work was that we communicated well, not just with i love you's but also in talking about past the wedding, the actual marriage. We talked about plans about kids, work, living situation, etc. We were upfront about what we expected from each other and we met halfway. Cultural differences could be deal breakers if not tackled or discussed, as I've seen on this site.
Also, even though I only met him online, we have been friends for 3 years before we became a couple. Knowing him that much built a good foundation of trust. I am a firm believer that you need to be friends before lovers. We didn't give each other any reason to doubt one another. We talked everyday and even sleep with cameras on. When it came to arguments, we slowly learned how to respect how each one likes to deal with an argument. I like to walk away and calm down, he likes to talk immediately. He learned to give me my space and I learned to be more vocal since he's not a mind reader Another thing is although we talk everyday, we still encouraged each other to stay in contact with friends, to still go out, and to have our Me-time. We didn't want to lose our individuality.
Last thing that I learned is that we shouldn't try to change each other, but learn to grow together and adjust.