ella7883

I vote (Is voting allowed?) -

--do not marry

--go back to your home country

--use your apartment sale proceeds to start over.

+1

i'm attending the seminat tomorrow, will be there 4am and if i'll be part of the second batch then so be it, can't be there super early like 2am, sad.

Good luck! I hope you can make it to the morning session.

good :-) when i had my seminar for CFO Manila, me and my friend arrived there at 2:45 am.. whew i was 14th in line... you have to go there early sis to get a slot.. :-)

Whaaaatttt? you got there at 2:45 a.m. and you are 14th in line? yikes! there are only 15 slots in the morning, correct? So if I want to attend the morning session, I have to be there around 1 or 2 am? If I arrive at 4 a.m. I assume I'd have to wait for the afternoon session. that's a little frustrating and it's a waste of time. I just don't understand why they would only take in 15 people for every session. I believe there are only two places that conduct the seminar- one in Cebu and one in Manila.

"On September 16, 2013, your Alien Registration Number was changed relating to your I129F, PETITION FOR FIANCE(E)."

We got the same notification September 17, 2013

I just saw that my check was cashed, approx. how long until I get the first text message?

My fiance got the email same day the check was cashed.

You need to make sure you are using the numbers on your telephone keypad that correspond with the 3 letters in fron of your receipt number for example mine was: WACxxxxxx9949, so I had to type in 922 (WAC) and then my 10 digit receipt number.

Arrgh no wonder it keeps telling me I'm not entering enough digits lol. Thanks for your help! I tried it now and it works

WOW NOA2 in 2 months! Now that was fast Congratulations and best of luck to you and your fiance!

No 'and' in there.

my bad!

my bad!

this is why you're not supposed to copy and paste lol

I couldn't find this answer either. Who do I make the check out to when I send in my payment? Also Dallas is the place we are suppose to send all the info to correct?

Write a check payable to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (do not use the initials). I believe this information is in the I-129F pdf instructions. Yes, you are supposed to send the packet to Dallas.

Where to File :

Taking your post entirely at face value, it seems your friend married a a..hole. Unless he has been cruel and abusive to her - which he has not - she has no grounds to keep her green card if she leaves him before ROC. If the marriage is over she is better off calling it quits and going back home, where she can actually help her grandmother.

+1

bookmarked! thanks again, Hank!

I doubt if you'll have any trouble, but if you're worried about the USEM giving you a problem because you met your fiancé twice in four years, then your fiancé should attend your interview. Problem solved.

maybe they won't give me a hard time. that was just me being paranoid. always expecting the worst case scenario lol! we have valid reasons why he wasn't able to visit me often. I'm sure they will understand the most important thing is we met within the past two years and we can prove that our relationship is REAL

The meeting must have taken place in the last 2 years. If longer than 2 years since physical presence, you must meet yet again prior to approval. A good time to do that would be getting together for the interview.

Yes, we met again in Singapore in June 2013 and filed last Aug. 16, 2013 I don't think he can be there for my interview. We're trying to save up as much cash as we can for my plane ticket, wedding, honeymoon and all other expenses.

Having known each other for five years for sure isn't a red flag, quite the contrary, I would call that a big plus.

Someone posted a question and she said that she and her fiance have been together for 4 years but they've only met once. someone replied and said that could be a red flag. I don't understand why that can be a red flag as long as they met within the past two years. I panicked a little bit when I read that. My fiancee and I were apart for so long (I hope they won't grill me for that) but we never let a day go by without talking to each other. Ok, I'll stop blaberring now lol.

Thanks again! I feel so much better now

Relax. It's not a deal killer, happens. Don't send ANYTHING to USCIS right now, odds of it connecting with your file are between slim and none. IF you get an RFE for that, then be ready with a copy (you can scan and email a copy no issue, does not need to be original), not bad to have you NSO birth certificate anyway (plus a few extra copies for much later). USCIS could catch it and could request a new G-325A and if the I-129F is wrong also, they would want one of those if not the embassy may ask.

Now later at the embassy it might get questioned, and they might ask you to complete a new G-325A. If the I-129F is wrong regarding middle name also, the embassy may want a new one of those as well; for that possibility I suggest your fiancé send a correct one over with his signature at the time he sends his I-134 and tax return info .

Until then.... relax. Don't stress over this... all will be fine at the end.

Thank you, Hank! You've helped so many people here. Please don't stop answering our questions! We will follow your advice. Been obsessing about the visa since we filed it. My fiance and I have been together five years, met each other in person twice- 2008 and June 2013 (I hope that's not a red flag) and now we're finally taking the step to be together. just want the whole process to go smoothly.

If you want to correct the I-129F at the USCIS, this thread might be helpful: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/377567-corrections-to-an-accepted-i-129f-petition/

OMG! Thank you thank you thank you!!!! This is exactly what we need. This forum rocks!

You use your name as shown on your birth certificate. You have a middle name (mother's maiden name) and its on your BC.

Its an oops.

d**n it! I wanna beat myself up I swear. Anything we can do at this point to correct it? our case status is still on the "initial review" stage. I read another thread for incorrect middle name and the customer rep advised her to send a cover letter with a copy of the beneficiary's bc. you think we need to do the same or just wait til we get RFE?

I have "2" first names but I used my mom's last name as my middle name - as normal.

My first name now reads: Penelope May

Middle name: Feliciano (my mom's maiden name)

Last name: Pengson

Married version;

First Name: Penelope May

Middle Name: Pengson (my maiden name)

Last Name: Spitze (my husband's last name)

This is what I used for all the forms - SSN, Marriage license, Marriage Certificate, AOS forms, EAD and AP forms.

thanks for the reply. there are so many threads about this topic and it confuses me I should have just followed what's exactly written on my bc and passport.

So we already sent the I-129F package to the USCIS on August 16, 2013 and we got the NOA1 hard copy via mail on August 29, 2013. I'm pretty sure we submitted everything BUT I am now confused about the middle name part. I know I should have searched about this before we sent the packet but oh well... here goes my problem:

I didn't put anything on the middle name field because I only have 1 given name. HOWEVER, in the Philippines, the middle name is the mother's maiden name. Yes we refer to the mother's maiden name as the middle name. I understand that in the US, the middle name is the second given name. I know that middle name is completely different from mother's maiden name and for my I-129F and G-325A form, I followed the US format of writing the name. To give you an example:

US Name Format if the person has middle/second given name:

Name: Isabella

Middle Name: Pauline

Last Name: Lopez

Without middle/second given name:

Name: Isabella

Middle Name:

Last Name: Lopez

In the Philippines, this is how we fill out the forms:

Name: Isabella Pauline

Middle Name: Castro (mother's maiden name)

Last Name: Lopez

***this is also how they do it on official documents like passport and birth certificate.

My question now is, did I do the right thing by not putting my mother's maiden name (a.k.a middle name in the Philippines) on the middle name field on the I-129F and G-325A forms? I don't wanna deal with RFE so we're gonna try to make corrections before we even get one. Others are saying to just wait for the interview to correct it while others are saying make corrections now by calling the USCIS. Been trying to call but I can't get to a human!

Any other pinays here who can shed a light to this? For those pinays who do not have a second given name, did you write anything on the middle name field? did you write your mother's maiden name?

Thanks in advance for the help!

Not an issue. Calling to USCIS is useless since they have not means to match your conversation with your petition package.

Send a corrected form IF you get an RFE. Otherwise, send a corrected form to the interview.

I'm trying to get a hold of a customer service representative right now but all I hear is that automated response. it asks for the receipt number but it always says i didn't enter enough digits. i swear i'm punching in 10 numbers! i just want to make corrections before we even get an RFE

Thanks for this post. We actually have the same problem now, well kinda! I didn't write anything on the middle name field because (technically) I do not have one. I only have one given name. the problem is in my country (Philippines), they refer to the mother's maiden name as the middle name. I followed the format on how they write their name in the US. I guess my fiance (USC) still need to call to verify this.

So my question is, how long after my visa is issued do we have to get married?

You have 90 days to get married upon arrival to the United States. Your K1 visa is valid up to 6 months after approval. Sorry about your situation. I wish I can say something to make you feel better

Any other tips on sending this petition? What are some things you guys included ? Also if you dont mind me asking what did you put it in to send it ? like a binder ? or sheet protectors ?

We used sheet protectors just because we didn't wanna punch holes on the documents. It took us more than a month to send the package because my fiance is a little OC, he went over it like 4 times and made sure he did everything right. He caught even the littlest mistake and if we get an RFE, I'm sure he's gonna flip lol. I created a checklist, let me know if you want it. I'm not saying it's the bible but at least you can compare notes

Almost correct. The part I bolded is not quite though. I-129F petitions are not routed to one of the 4 centers. Not all of them process the I-129F petitions. It will go to either the CSC or the TSC, where the petitions are now being routed that used to go to the VSC. http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=405247ce85e50410VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=e7801c2c9be44210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD

Thanks for clarifying that

How do I know which service center to send my 129f petition to ? Do I pick which ever one I want or how does that go?

No, you don't choose which service center your petition will be processed.

Where to File :

File Form I-129F at the USCIS Dallas Lockbox facility:

For U.S. Postal Service (USPS):

USCIS

P.O. Box 660151

Dallas, TX 75266

For USPS Express Mail and courier deliveries:

USCIS

Attn: I-129F

2501 South State Highway 121 Business

Suite 400

Source: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=a10e4154d7b3d010VgnVCM10000048f3d6a1RCRD&vgnextchannel=db029c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD

Your packet will then be forwarded to any of the 4 service centers depending on your location. Check this link:

http://www.**.com/directory/servicecenters.html

we received the email notification the same day they encashed the check- aug 23rd. we sent the packet aug 16th in case you're wondering. my fiance got the NOA1 (hard copy) a week later. I know it's frustrating but there's nothing you can do but wait. You can't check your case status at the uscis website unless you have your official receipt number from uscis. it starts with three letters plus 10 numbers. Ours starts with SRC. Here's part of the email my fiance received "We suggest you wait until you have received your Form I-797 before checking My Case Status"

Be patient. I'm guessing you'll get the NOA1 next week. Hang in there! Good luck

"Are they really heartless people interviewing?" You see it's not about being "heartless". Rules are rules and we all have to follow them. You can't be emotional about this. My fiance and I had the same concern. We didn't see each other for 4 years (someone please give me a pat on the back!) because of different reasons and we were thinking- file the K1 visa then meet up later. I did my research and it seems like there's no way around it. So I waited and we finally met again in June. Our second meeting was only for five days but we did what we have to do because we know we can't file the visa unless we meet again. People who responded to you are right when they say that the "have met within the past two years" rule is iron clad.

When filling out I-129F form, what do I put in the middle name?

In our home country, Philippines our middle name is the maiden last name of our mother and sometimes you are given 2 names.. for example:

Given Name: Paul Joseph

Middle Name: Santos (maiden last name of the mother)

Last Name: Reyes (last name of the father)

But I heard in the US, middle name is "Joseph" and they arent very particular with the "Santos" only when they ask for your mother's maiden name, then the "Santos" will have to show up.

I don't know if I explained my concern clearly but we need help on this.

As always, many many thanks guys!

I'm wondering about this too. When we filled out the G325A and I-129F, I didn't put any middle name because technically I don't have one. The problem is- on my passport, my middle name is my mother's maiden name. I hope the USCIS people know that in the Philippines this is how we refer to names: Middle Name (US)= Second Given Name (Philippines) and Middle Name (Philippines)=Mother's Maiden Name (Philippines). I hope I'm making sense lol. Unless you are from the Philippines, I suppose it's hard to understand.

I'm assuming you already filed your petition. Did you get an RFE for that?