J_d_Petitioner

I do see a lot of posts here asking "What's next?", so I thought I'd share the guide that I made for myself. Hope somebody will find this useful. Though I'd like recommending to anybody to follow the Wiki Guide as I find it very helpful myself. It provides more specific details that my guide does not cover. I also welcome suggestions and comments with the following guide when necessary.

Good luck to all!

-J for Jona
PS: I've attached all the necessary links to forms and websites for quick access.


IR-5 PROCESS:
USCIS
File a petition – Fee $420/petition *one mailing but separate each petition with binder/paper clip or manila folder Mother Form I-130 My Certificate of Naturalization (copy) My birth certificate (copy) My marriage certificate (copy) Check for $420 payable to: U.S. Department of Homeland Security Form G-1145, E-Notification Father Form I-130 My certificate of naturalization (copy) My birth certificate (copy) My marriage certificate (copy) Parent’s Marriage Certificate (copy) Check for $420 payable to: U.S. Department of Homeland Security Form G-1145, E-Notification Submit above-listed documents to USCIS Chicago or Phoenix Lockbox NATIONAL VISA CENTER
Choice of AgentSubmit request, once case # and invoice # is available, at: DS-261, Online Choice of Address and agent Affidavit of Support (AOS) Affidavit of Support Payment - $88 for both Send documents (Separate file but one mailing): Affidavit of Support for petitioner (me) Form I-864 Letter of employment Paystubs (6 months) Joint tax return transcripts (3 years) Affidavit of Support for joint sponsor (spouse) Form I-864 Letter of Employment Paystubs (6 months) Joint tax return transcripts (3 years) Mail documents to: National Visa Center
Attn: DR
31 Rochester Ave. Suite 100
Portsmouth, NH 03801-2914

Immigrant Visa (IV) Complete application at: DS-260, Online Immigrant Visa Application - $230/applicant Mail Civil documents (Original and a COPY) to: National Visa Center
Attn: DR
31 Rochester Ave. Suite 100
Portsmouth, NH 03801-2914

Civil Documents:
Beneficiary: NSO (National Statistics Office in the Philippines) birth certificate NSO marriage certificate (1 for each) Copy of biographic page of PASSPORT 2X2 photos (2 for each) – write with PENCIL: NVC Case # & DOB Original NBI Clearance (check with your country's requirement - this may not be requiired) Original Police Clearance (check with your country's requirement - this may not be requiired) Petitioner: Birth Certificate Certified-copy of Marriage Certificate Copy of my passport Biographic page Copy of Naturalization Certificate US EMBASSY
Medical Exam - Fee $223.35/applicant – paid in Philippines Pesos in current Exchange rate (varies by country) Documents to bring: Appointment letter from NVC or email confirmation from Visa Information & Appointment Service (original and 2 photocopies) Passport 2x2 Photos (4 each) Interview –Documents to bring Appointment Letter (other documents below are NOT required but I'd prefer to bring them in case they ask for it because I've read on some posts regarding cases where documents got lost during the process) Original birth certificate Original marriage certificate Copy of my birth certificate Copy of my Naturalization certificate Copy of my passport Black pens AOS packet copies IV packet copies Visa delivery Attend CFO Seminar Pay Immigrant Visa Fee - $165/person at USCIS - ELIS IV Payment Online

I do see a lot of posts here asking "What's next?", so I thought I'd share the guide that I made for myself. Hope somebody will find this useful. Though I'd like recommending to anybody to follow the Wiki Guide as I find it very helpful myself. It provides more specific details that my guide does not cover. I also welcome suggestions and comments with the following guide when necessary.

Good luck to all!

-J for Jona
PS: I've attached all the necessary links to forms and websites for quick access.


IR-5 PROCESS:
USCIS
File a petition – Fee $420/petition *one mailing but separate each petition with binder/paper clip or manila folder Mother Form I-130 My Certificate of Naturalization (copy) My birth certificate (copy) My marriage certificate (copy) Check for $420 payable to: U.S. Department of Homeland Security Form G-1145, E-Notification Father Form I-130 My certificate of naturalization (copy) My birth certificate (copy) My marriage certificate (copy) Parent’s Marriage Certificate (copy) Check for $420 payable to: U.S. Department of Homeland Security Form G-1145, E-Notification Submit above-listed documents to USCIS Chicago or Phoenix Lockbox NATIONAL VISA CENTER
Choice of AgentSubmit request, once case # and invoice # is available, at: DS-261, Online Choice of Address and agent Affidavit of Support (AOS) Affidavit of Support Payment - $88 for both Send documents (Separate file but one mailing): Affidavit of Support for petitioner (me) Form I-864 Letter of employment Paystubs (6 months) Joint tax return transcripts (3 years) Affidavit of Support for joint sponsor (spouse) Form I-864 Letter of Employment Paystubs (6 months) Joint tax return transcripts (3 years) Mail documents to: National Visa Center
Attn: DR
31 Rochester Ave. Suite 100
Portsmouth, NH 03801-2914

Immigrant Visa (IV) Complete application at: DS-260, Online Immigrant Visa Application - $230/applicant Mail Civil documents (Original and a COPY) to: National Visa Center
Attn: DR
31 Rochester Ave. Suite 100
Portsmouth, NH 03801-2914

Civil Documents:
Beneficiary: NSO (National Statistics Office in the Philippines) birth certificate NSO marriage certificate (1 for each) Copy of biographic page of PASSPORT 2X2 photos (2 for each) – write with PENCIL: NVC Case # & DOB Original NBI Clearance (check with your country's requirement - this may not be requiired) Original Police Clearance (check with your country's requirement - this may not be requiired) Petitioner: Birth Certificate Certified-copy of Marriage Certificate Copy of my passport Biographic page Copy of Naturalization Certificate US EMBASSY
Medical Exam - Fee $223.35/applicant – paid in Philippines Pesos in current Exchange rate (varies by country) Documents to bring: Appointment letter from NVC or email confirmation from Visa Information & Appointment Service (original and 2 photocopies) Passport 2x2 Photos (4 each) Interview –Documents to bring Appointment Letter (other documents below are NOT required but I'd prefer to bring them in case they ask for it because I've read on some posts regarding cases where documents got lost during the process) Original birth certificate Original marriage certificate Copy of my birth certificate Copy of my Naturalization certificate Copy of my passport Black pens AOS packet copies IV packet copies Visa delivery Attend CFO Seminar Pay Immigrant Visa Fee - $165/person at USCIS - ELIS IV Payment Online

I do see a lot of posts here asking "What's next?", so I thought I'd share the guide that I made for myself. Hope somebody will find this useful. Though I'd like recommending to anybody to follow the Wiki Guide as I find it very helpful myself. It provides more specific details that my guide does not cover. I also welcome suggestions and comments with the following guide when necessary.

Good luck to all!

-J for Jona
PS: I've attached all the necessary links to forms and websites for quick access.


IR-5 PROCESS:
USCIS
File a petition – Fee $420/petition *one mailing but separate each petition with binder/paper clip or manila folder Mother Form I-130 My Certificate of Naturalization (copy) My birth certificate (copy) My marriage certificate (copy) Check for $420 payable to: U.S. Department of Homeland Security Form G-1145, E-Notification Father Form I-130 My certificate of naturalization (copy) My birth certificate (copy) My marriage certificate (copy) Parent’s Marriage Certificate (copy) Check for $420 payable to: U.S. Department of Homeland Security Form G-1145, E-Notification Submit above-listed documents to USCIS Chicago or Phoenix Lockbox NATIONAL VISA CENTER
Choice of AgentSubmit request, once case # and invoice # is available, at: DS-261, Online Choice of Address and agent Affidavit of Support (AOS) Affidavit of Support Payment - $88 for both Send documents (Separate file but one mailing): Affidavit of Support for petitioner (me) Form I-864 Letter of employment Paystubs (6 months) Joint tax return transcripts (3 years) Affidavit of Support for joint sponsor (spouse) Form I-864 Letter of Employment Paystubs (6 months) Joint tax return transcripts (3 years) Mail documents to: National Visa Center
Attn: DR
31 Rochester Ave. Suite 100
Portsmouth, NH 03801-2914

Immigrant Visa (IV) Complete application at: DS-260, Online Immigrant Visa Application - $230/applicant Mail Civil documents (Original and a COPY) to: National Visa Center
Attn: DR
31 Rochester Ave. Suite 100
Portsmouth, NH 03801-2914

Civil Documents:
Beneficiary: NSO (National Statistics Office in the Philippines) birth certificate NSO marriage certificate (1 for each) Copy of biographic page of PASSPORT 2X2 photos (2 for each) – write with PENCIL: NVC Case # & DOB Original NBI Clearance (check with your country's requirement - this may not be requiired) Original Police Clearance (check with your country's requirement - this may not be requiired) Petitioner: Birth Certificate Certified-copy of Marriage Certificate Copy of my passport Biographic page Copy of Naturalization Certificate US EMBASSY
Medical Exam - Fee $223.35/applicant – paid in Philippines Pesos in current Exchange rate (varies by country) Documents to bring: Appointment letter from NVC or email confirmation from Visa Information & Appointment Service (original and 2 photocopies) Passport 2x2 Photos (4 each) Interview –Documents to bring Appointment Letter (other documents below are NOT required but I'd prefer to bring them in case they ask for it because I've read on some posts regarding cases where documents got lost during the process) Original birth certificate Original marriage certificate Copy of my birth certificate Copy of my Naturalization certificate Copy of my passport Black pens AOS packet copies IV packet copies Visa delivery Attend CFO Seminar Pay Immigrant Visa Fee - $165/person at USCIS - ELIS IV Payment Online

We are on a layover in Japan now flying with JAL one way tickets. We booked through Orbitz and that worked great and $780 each to Chicago. We had two big suitcases and there was no charge. The layover is 15 hours at Narita. JAL operates their own hotel close to the airport, called Nikko. The room is free with the layover and the hotel shuttle is free from the airport. The airline automatically reserved the room for us.
Immigration Counter A at Narita Airport gives the overnight "shore pass" easy. My fiancée finished that in 5 minutes with passport and boarding pass. Also there are two forms the airline hands out that need to be completed by everyone going out of the airport. One is for immigration and one is for customs ... easy.

This is really good! CCs are becoming shorter!

This is really good! CCs are becoming shorter!

This is really good! CCs are becoming shorter!

FYI - they started scheduling interviews yesterday. I called earlier and got an Interview date of 12/01/2014. The operator said that it was scheduled yesterday and nothing was sent out yet to me, the immigrants, nor the consulate. CC 10/15/2014

Step 6: Submit Documents to the NVC
After you collect your Affidavit of Support form(s) and financial evidence in Step 4, and supporting documents in Step 5, you must submit all of the documents in ONE package to the NVC. Your case may be significantly delayed if you fail to submit all of your documents in one package.
Review the methods below, and choose the one that applies to your case.
http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/english/immigrate/immigrant-process/documents/Submit_documents.html
As you can tell this is from the website for the NVC they are in fact wanting to only take the AOS and IV package as one package.

According to the following post, NVC reviewed and emailed a checklist for an AOS package that was sent 52 days ago, which would have been July 23rd. It looks like we should be hearing something very soon.
http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/514302-received-my-first-checklist-today-help-please/

Technically, they have up to 60 days from when they received your DS261 (Choice of Agent). Get that date and count 60 days from then. In this thread though, you'll see that most of us got the update around 40 days. I got my IV bills 38 days from when they received my DS261.
Good luck!

I do see a lot of posts here asking "What's next?", so I thought I'd share the guide that I made for myself. Hope somebody will find this useful. Though I'd like recommending to anybody to follow the Wiki Guide as I find it very helpful myself. It provides more specific details that my guide does not cover. I also welcome suggestions and comments with the following guide when necessary.

Good luck to all!

-J for Jona
PS: I've attached all the necessary links to forms and websites for quick access.


IR-5 PROCESS:
USCIS
File a petition – Fee $420/petition *one mailing but separate each petition with binder/paper clip or manila folder Mother Form I-130 My Certificate of Naturalization (copy) My birth certificate (copy) My marriage certificate (copy) Check for $420 payable to: U.S. Department of Homeland Security Form G-1145, E-Notification Father Form I-130 My certificate of naturalization (copy) My birth certificate (copy) My marriage certificate (copy) Parent’s Marriage Certificate (copy) Check for $420 payable to: U.S. Department of Homeland Security Form G-1145, E-Notification Submit above-listed documents to USCIS Chicago or Phoenix Lockbox NATIONAL VISA CENTER
Choice of AgentSubmit request, once case # and invoice # is available, at: DS-261, Online Choice of Address and agent Affidavit of Support (AOS) Affidavit of Support Payment - $88 for both Send documents (Separate file but one mailing): Affidavit of Support for petitioner (me) Form I-864 Letter of employment Paystubs (6 months) Joint tax return transcripts (3 years) Affidavit of Support for joint sponsor (spouse) Form I-864 Letter of Employment Paystubs (6 months) Joint tax return transcripts (3 years) Mail documents to: National Visa Center
Attn: DR
31 Rochester Ave. Suite 100
Portsmouth, NH 03801-2914

Immigrant Visa (IV) Complete application at: DS-260, Online Immigrant Visa Application - $230/applicant Mail Civil documents (Original and a COPY) to: National Visa Center
Attn: DR
31 Rochester Ave. Suite 100
Portsmouth, NH 03801-2914

Civil Documents:
Beneficiary: NSO (National Statistics Office in the Philippines) birth certificate NSO marriage certificate (1 for each) Copy of biographic page of PASSPORT 2X2 photos (2 for each) – write with PENCIL: NVC Case # & DOB Original NBI Clearance (check with your country's requirement - this may not be requiired) Original Police Clearance (check with your country's requirement - this may not be requiired) Petitioner: Birth Certificate Certified-copy of Marriage Certificate Copy of my passport Biographic page Copy of Naturalization Certificate US EMBASSY
Medical Exam - Fee $223.35/applicant – paid in Philippines Pesos in current Exchange rate (varies by country) Documents to bring: Appointment letter from NVC or email confirmation from Visa Information & Appointment Service (original and 2 photocopies) Passport 2x2 Photos (4 each) Interview –Documents to bring Appointment Letter (other documents below are NOT required but I'd prefer to bring them in case they ask for it because I've read on some posts regarding cases where documents got lost during the process) Original birth certificate Original marriage certificate Copy of my birth certificate Copy of my Naturalization certificate Copy of my passport Black pens AOS packet copies IV packet copies Visa delivery Attend CFO Seminar Pay Immigrant Visa Fee - $165/person at USCIS - ELIS IV Payment Online

60 days may not be true for all cases cos I just received an email today to pay IV fee which today marks the 38th day from when they said they received my DS261.

I did the same as BOS_LHR, except I wrote the information on the back of each photo

I put the photos in a snack sized Ziploc bag. I stapled the bag to a blank sheet of paper (just one side of the bag so it could still be opened) and wrote beneficiary name, DOB, case number and item description on the paper.

60 days may not be true for all cases cos I just received an email today to pay IV fee which today marks the 38th day from when they said they received my DS261.

You could post this letter online - share it on twitter/facebook. Social Media nowadays spreads words better than any other medium, IMO.
Either way, I like it!

I received the 60 Day letter yesterday as well. I was under the impression that everyone with an open case at NVC was getting these. I thought the general consensus was these letters were not case specific and were generally issued to provide notice of greater process times. Accordingly it is possible we could get processed sooner. I do not believe the letters themselves change anything. I think they are just telling us what we already knew...that wait times were going through the roof and the NVC is swamped. I think the letters are CYA to prevent phone calls, service requests, and a flood of congressional inquiries.
That all said, I must admit this process is more grueling and stressful than I could have imagined. It seems at every step there is a "delay" of some sort. I have never been as disappointed in my government as I am today. I do not understand how tax paying citizens, who pay additional fees for the process, are not put to the front of the line. DACA backed things up 2 years ago and the system never fully recovered. Now comes the renewals forcing USCIS "dump" another avalanche into the pipeline. Simply ridiculous.

And sometimes more.
That's a good letter your husband sent to the senators. Hopefully NVC will budge. Good luck to you and US!

We contacted our senators, they said they will see what they can do and they contacted the NVC already .
This is what one of them said
It was nice to speak with you earlier and Congressman Pocan appreciates you bringing this matter to our attention. If you would kindly fill out, sign, and send back the attached privacy release form, I will open an inquiry with the National Visa Center.
Please include as many details in the privacy waiver as possible and attach any additional pertinent documents.
With kind regards,
Margaret McInnis
Casework Manager
Congressman Mark Pocan (WI-02)
10 East Doty Street Room 405
Madison, WI 53703
It was nice to speak with you earlier and Congressman Pocan appreciates you bringing this matter to our attention. If you would kindly fill out, sign, and send back the attached privacy release form, I will open an inquiry with the National Visa Center.
Please include as many details in the privacy waiver as possible and attach any additional pertinent documents.
With kind regards,
Margaret McInnis
Casework Manager
Congressman Mark Pocan (WI-02)
10 East Doty Street Room 405
Madison, WI 53703

And this is what my husband wrote to one of the congress people.
Dear Mrs. McInnis,
Please forgive the length of this letter, however I would like to first discuss the particular problem my wife and I are having with the National Visa Center at the moment, and then address the many problems with the legal immigration system as it currently stands, an area that I think is ripe – indeed, over-ripe – for reform.
When my co-sponsors filled out their Affidavit of Support form I-864As (see attached), they filled in their address under “Mailing Address” and left the “Place of Residence” section blank as it says “if different from the mailing address” and because the I-864/I-864A instructions published on the USCIS website clearly state that when something does not apply, leave it blank. (see attached page from instructions).
The National Visa Center, however, sent us a checklist for this, stating that these fields must be filled in with “n/a”. The NVC directions do not mention this vital information anywhere. In fact, The NVC website specifically states that the instructions on the USCIS website should be used and that “it is important to carefully follow the instructions included with each form.” (see attached website printout).
The NVC has known about this vital omission for over a year (the latest forms were updated 3/22/2013) and yet have done nothing whatsoever to address the problem even though it affects the majority of applicants. The result of receiving a checklist for this is that you must re-submit the form, and this puts you back at the bottom of the work queue, which costs all affected families an additional month and a half of separation (which is a very significant amount when one has already been forced to live apart from one’s own spouse for a year). The NVC apparently regards this additional separation as nothing more than an “inconvenience,” and they disclaim all responsibility for their gross negligence in failing to inform applicants of the requirements for filling out their forms. One supervisor said they update their forms every year or two, and they just have not gotten around to it and another supervisor said that they do not have any control over it as it is a Homeland Security form that the Dept. of State decided to adopt.
Even assuming the NVC or Dept. of State cannot modify the published I-864 instructions, they could at least conspicuously inform applicants on their own website that their requirements are different and not to follow the published instructions. Yet the NVC seems to think that applicants should somehow know of their requirements without being informed of them anywhere. Thus, we applicants are effectively entrapped into incorrectly filling out our forms and thus being issued a checklist and enduring the additional separation that results. When I asked a supervisor at the NVC if at least we could have our application put at the top of the work queue once it arrived (since it was hardly our fault the NVC did not inform us of their requirements), I was tartly informed that they “don’t do that.”
I would appreciate it if you would contact the NVC and inquire into our case and the reason for the delays. They will likely give you a canned response, citing their “30 business day” processing time (they appear to adjust their official processing times to whatever is convenient for their operations). However, the real issue (which they will certainly try to talk around) is why they have failed to inform applicants of the correct requirements for filling out their applications despite, 1) it affecting a very large number of applicants, 2) the NVC knowing of the problem for over a year, and 3) the fact that they would only have to change one single sentence in the instructions to correct it. Surely their editing process cannot be that slow… Also, why must people who fall afoul of this requirement forced to wait the full month and a half processing time when they could not possibly have known of the rule due to the NVC’s own negligence?
If possible, I strongly encourage you to ask the NVC: 1) precisely when the new form with the misleading instructions began to be used, 2) how many checklists have been sent because of this issue, and 3) what proportion of the total number of applications is this (ideally broken down by month). Not only will this help to embarrass them into actually doing their job, but it may also help to determine whether this and other trivial reasons for sending out checklists are deliberately used by the NVC (and the USCIS as well) in order to make their processing times look marginally better by rejecting applications at the first error found, no matter how minimal.
In general terms, this issue is representative of the general lack of accountability, transparency and oversight in the legal immigration process. The system, as it currently stands, appears very much to have been cobbled together with little regard to efficiency and none at all for minimizing the separation of families. And most families must remain apart for the duration of the process, no matter how long it is. Beneficiaries are officially allowed to visit the US during the application process, but in practice this is extremely difficult and there is a high probability of being turned away at the border, merely on the whim of the border guard. This means that the only way families can stay together is for the US citizen to abandon his or her life and career in the US and live in the spouse’s country, which is impossible or impractical in many cases (Morocco, for example, does not recognize my marriage to my wife as it was not a Muslim ceremony), nor should any free country force its own citizens to leave simply so they can be with their own spouses and families.
Some of the general issues that are in dire need of being addressed are:
- Unclear or unstated requirements for applicants (e.g. the “n/a” issue).
- Frivolous or irrational checklists from the NVC or Requests for Evidence from the USCIS, all of which cost applicants weeks or months of additional separation. Many examples can be provided, such as the USCIS requesting documentation that you have already submitted (which they have lost or sometimes which they have and paradoxically return to you along with the RFE…), etc. Many of us applicants speculate that these are issued in order to make processing times appear better than they actually are.
- Duplication of effort: at all three steps in the process (USCIS, NVC, embassy), applicants must prove who they are and that they have a genuine relationship. Surely this need only be done once. In fact, everything the USCIS does appears to be duplicated by the NVC/embassy – are they part of the process merely because of bureaucratic inertia? Do they (and their lengthy delays) really need to be part of this process?
- An apparent complete lack of accountability. Rules are applied very inconsistently (e.g. a number of applicants we know of also did not fill in “n/a” yet had their applications approved without checklists). The issuing of checklists/RFEs and final approval/denial seem to be far more contingent on the whim of the reviewing staff member than is quite right for a legal process. Are there any processes at all to ensure consistency?
Politically speaking, I believe reform of the legal immigration process represents some genuine “low-hanging fruit” – fairly minimal changes to the process could dramatically reduce the amount of time families are forced to be separated and dramatically increase the transparency, simplicity and efficiency of the process (for example, simultaneous rather than sequential USCIS and NVC processing, re-introducing the K-3 visa but making it obtainable with 2 or 3 months, etc.). What is more, legal immigration reform would be non-controversial (it harms no one and costs taxpayers nothing) and could help defuse right-wing arguments against other immigration reform, especially that directed towards refugees from Central America. Furthermore, while we US citizens with foreign spouses and families do not represent the largest group of voters, we do span all demographic groups in this country. Therefore, reform that makes the legal immigration of the spouses/families of US citizens a shorter and more humane process will be highly visible to a considerable portion of the population, not just to those who are directly affected. It would benefit many while harming none, thus representing a clear win-win situation. It is my sincere hope that Representative Pocan may take this issue up and address it formally, as not only will it enormously help the families suffering under the current system, but it will also provide an easy political victory for the Democrats. And in the current political climate, with the extreme radicalization of the Republican party, I and all other sensible Americans wish to see as many Democratic victories as possible!
Sincerely,

I feel you - i see some people who gets updated waaaayyy faster than some of us. Only NVC knows why.
I need tons of patience - anybody know where can I buy it in bulk? Costco, maybe?

How many names you listed on Items 1-6? That woould the number you put on item 7. And whatever that number is, must also be the same number on Part 5 Item 1.
In my case, I am sponsoring both my parents - my Dad is the principal immigrant, so I checked "yes" on Item 1 and listed my Mom is on Item 2a. The number I put on Item 7 is "2", same in Part 5 Item 1.

That's a question not easily answered and depends on what it is that needs to be corrected or resubmitted to USEM. You are working with governmental agencies and they work at their own pace.
Personal experience we had a 221(g) and had to have an updated NBI from some old cases that did not show on the original NBI. So, she had to fly back to Manila, (she was in Manila the week before and tried to submit the paperwork but NBI would do anything till they received the letter from USEM requesting an updated NBI with corrections - so more expense) present the paperwork, get a clean NBI which they sent to USEM (about a week) and then the CO reexamined our paperwork and we were approved a week later. This was before Yolanda expedites so your experience can be different.
Best recommendation is to having all your papers in order, read VJ to see what others faced and make any adjustments to eliminate their downfall happening to your process.
I'm sorry I can't be much more help. Good luck .

My wife and children flew PAL from MNL to LAX and said the flight left on time, the employees were great and the food was good. Arrived in LAX on time. This year PAL has bought new equipment so your experience maybe different.

I'm assuming based on your profile you are trying to go to JFK. Some of the ones I flew with and can recommend: Cathay, Asiana, Korean, JAL, ANA. In econ, Korean among the above carriers has the biggest legroom (on their A380's) while both JAL & ANA has the shortest. Food is okay on both Asiana & Korean unless you really like bibimbap. I'm biased towards Cathay as they have dimsum for breakfast. A lot of it is subjective and will depend on what's important for you. If you don't care, then go with what's the cheapest option and/or the most convenient schedule.
I haven't personally flown EVA but the feedback I hear from people I know has been pretty good. Taipei also has the Hello Kitty gate if you are a fan. EVA actually has several Hello Kitty planes but I don't believe those go to JFK nor MNL.