razxtee

I am not sure if it's right but just my point of view-
I think your lawyer asked for 2nd original copy just in case when NVC ships your documents to the U.S. Consulate in your country, they are afraid that it might get lost or misplaced. The "2nd original copy" is just a back up. As to how you can get it would depend on where it was issued. Ask your sister to go back to where her Birth Certificate, Marriage Certificate was issued & ask them for a certified copy (which holds the same value as a original document)

I tried calling NVC last week as well, and I was able to connect twice, waited about 20-40 minutes each call, and the call would drop suddenly without me connecting to a rep. Does that happen to others as well?

sorry... a couple of other notes for you.....if you get married in the PI, BEFORE your US spouse comes back to the US, you MUST get all documents translated and notarized. The US Consulate will do this for you. With your petition you will need (photo copies only) of all legal documents FOR BOTH OF YOU. when you get to the NVC processing leg of this, they will request (all) these legal documents again, but they will want either originals or certified copies of the originals (note your birth certificate MUST show your parent's names, dobs, addresses, etc and that that document is an exact replica of the original on file with the PI Govt). ALL of these orginal/certified documents go to the NVC....they gather everything together...then they send them back to the US Consulate in Manila. Goofy, right? yeah, i think so too. Just make sure before you seperate that you both have the same documents....original/certified copies for both of you....and copies of all of those documents. Don't leave anything out of your files.
then.....create a file for each of you with folders for original documents, visa application documents, notes for every time you communicate with the government, etc. STAY ORGANIZED so when the visa interview time comes, you have everything you need and you don't lose or misplace anything.
that's all I've got! this is easy! hah!

Unfortunately there's not one good answer to how long the wait is. I truely understand your desire to get married as soon as you can, esp there with your family. We studied all of the options for almost two years; I studied the USCIS website (throughly), I purchased immigration hand books from book stores and studied them, and we consulted with three different Immigration attys (free) to make sure everything I was undertanding from all resources was pointing me in the correct direction. The options were:
Visa Waiver Program: come over as a visitor and leave within 90days. that's it, plain and simple. you cannot adjust status from the VWP to any other visa type...not ever. If you were able to come on the VWP and attempted to get married here, you would need to leave the US when your waiver visa expired in 90 days or suffer the consequences later when you are discovered.....meaning at some point you'll attempt to file for permanancy and they'd boot you out of here and very likely you would not be able to re-enter the US for several years. Unfortunately as you might already know, the PI is not part of the US's VWP so travel to/from the PI to the US for vacations while you're waiting for ANY of the visa types to be processed is not applicable.
Anyone from the PI wanting to come to the US for any reason, cannot just come here without actually applying for and being granted a visa...even if just for travel. There in lies the problem Once you start ANY visa process for your spouse to come to the US, you cannot apply for any other type of visa (esp from the PI...there are other countries in the same situation so it's not just the PI...wanted to make sure you know you're not singled out by yourself!). The USCIS site doesnt say you CAN'T apply for any other visa type while you're waiting for your petition to be approved, but everything I've read pretty much says that it VERY VERY likely will throw a flag on the play and cause delays (from one direction or the other) and they VERY VERY likely would deny a travel visa knowing you are already attempting to come to the US.
But.... if you were able to get a "travel visa" to the US, which you would have to wait in line for because, well, you would otherwise have no other (legal) attachment to anyone in the US, that wait time can be over TWO YEARS...that is where the lottery and priority #'s come in to play. People in the PI who are trying to come to the US on their own, in any capacity, are in very very long lines. AND if you were approved for a travel visa, you would have to attend a visa interview with the consulate in Manila and PROVE to them that you were not intending to try to stay in the US. Just wanted to put this out there so you understand why this isn't a viable solution....just in case you might be thinking through this.
Remember this always: The US Govt believes that EVERY non-USC who comes here on vacation or for any other reason, intends to stay, so their responsibility in this game on behalf of the Dept of Homeland Security is to scrutinize absolutely everything to ensure you are not going to either come here as a "marriage of convenience just to get here" nor as a threat to the US. That's pretty much it....but it's a VERY LARGE "IT" and takes time for them to get through all of your documentation, etc.
K1 Fiance visa's (out of the PI) are processing rather quickly for some apparent reason....we initially thought that would be an option for us to just not get married (in Japan where he's living), and just bring him over as my Fiance, get him here, get married here and start the whole process here. However, you still have to do all the same paperwork (including the I-130 petition) and wait that out before you can even get over here on a K1. I-130 petitions apply to everyone (whos doing this legally). So you're wait time for approval of the I-130 for a K1 would clearly be shorter....for the moment....but you would have to wait to be married here, you would still have to do all the prep work from there (interviews, medical exams, etc) and provide all the same documentation (police certificates, NSO birth certs, etc.....and the PI's document collection is PAINFUL).
K3 visas were created with the intent of allowing you to bring your spouse over early while waiting for the I-130/CR1 to be processed. This would have been the best of all worlds. Granted it would have forced all the paperwork and fees to be paid from the US and would cost well over $3k to the end, but hey, to get your spouse over early would clearly outweigh having to pay the extra costs. I did this....we filed our I-130 for a CR-1 then filed the I-129F/K3 visa a month later (when I first realized the wait times had gone over the top). Unfortunately, even tho the govt will not tell you this because they have to make this option available...by law...they aren't processing K3's......they will approve your 129F application and give it a case # and send you all the documents saying they have it and they'll even (half way approve it), but they will join it with the I-130 petition and they'll be adjudicated together; and the K3 will be canceled.
We filed our I-130 petition on 6/25/13. It was sent from the Phoenix Lockbox directly to the NBC in Missouri. It sat there in "the pile" until Nov 27 when our case was transferred to the California Service Center (same time MANY were being transferred out of the NBC). Our I-130 (and the 129F) were both approved on 12/7/13 and transferred to the NVC in New Hampshire. it was checked in at the NVC this past Monday, 1/6. By Weds we had already received the first notices for online processing of the I-864 fees and notice that we have "officially started the visa processing" process. Thank God!
Once you're at the NVC and they assign their case # (which is your consular processing #), it rocks from there and becomes a turnaround of paper between you and them. it's all about how prepared you are and how much information they do or do not need from you and how cuickly you can make it happen on your end.
From a PI planning perspective.....you will without a doubt have to have NSO (red ribbon) certificates for birth, death, divorce, etc as they apply to you. They don't just notarize....everything is translated and has an attached official "red ribbon" certificate attached to it.....just a PI thing....pay very close attention to the bottom of all NSO/DFA certificates....there is an expiration date on them...if they expire while you're in process, the turn around time to get them reissued and returned is not short. Police Certificates from the PI are actually NBI cerificates (which expire in a year so don't be too anxious to get ahead on those). Read the USCIS website for everything you need for NVC processing....you will greatly benefit from being as prepared as you can be from the outset. The more you do in advance, the more prepared and educated you are, the easier this will be for you.
So...your question.....how long it will take for just your I-130 to be approved? As of this month, right now, you are looking at easily 6-14mths, 60% dependent on the documentation you send them and their need to verify your legitimacy (40% based on the line ahead of you). After the I-130 is approved, you have another 2-6 mths to get through the visa application processing, consulate interviews, fee payments, medical exams, etc.
ALL of that being said and me sounding to be a Negative Ned.....a year in any of our lives is too long. it's painful and gruelling and disappointing and madening. But it's gone by pretty quickly (for us anyway). There is so much to do to get through the paperwork process that will make you busy. But someone on VJ gave really good advice.....don't watch VJ every day, don't pay very close attention to what's happening with everyone else because everyone's case is different, there are no "trends", and spend your time preparing for your spouse to come to the US to make everything as easy and comfortable as possible; the transition is challenging; keep your focus on the light at the end....that being your spouse and your life together. It will happen.
(unless the govt has some reason to believe your spouse (if married) is a threat to the US, they MUST issue a visa....regardless of how long that might take....there is no prioritization or lottery for legal "immediate family" members).
Good luck to you....you are way welcome to stay in touch with me if you'd like....not that I KNOW anything, but I could easily write a layman's handbook at this point.....but we all could....and you will too!
God bless

If you need to use a co-sponsor to qualify, the CR1 is the way to go...a little longer time wise for approval but a FAR superior visa... Manila is notorious for to accepting co-sponsors for k1s ... Plus you will have the advantage of not having to AOS when they arrive and our spouse can start to work right away...

The odds that the U.S. Embassy Manila will accept your K-1 joint sponsor is most likely less than 50%.
The odds that the U.S. Embassy Manila will accept your CR-1 joint sponsor is almost 100%.
Go with the CR-1.

Follow the advice of those such as Tahoma that know the process and procedures for going through Manila.
Yes, there is a chance you can be approved with a co-sponsor for a K-1, but it is only a chance. With the CR-1 you will use the I-864 and joint sponsors are definitely accepted with that affidavit of support.
Also, the CR-1 allows for permanent residency as soon as you enter the US with it. You will not have to spend money on AOS and will be able to work and travel and re-enter for trips outside the US when you need/want to. It is also cheaper because you do not have to file for AOS.

As of now K3 is somewhat obsolete.

Currently, K1 (fiance) and CR1/IR1 are in play for getting your fiance or spouse to the US. Many have said that Manila embassy don't like co-sponsors but keep in mind that it is your relationship that will be looked at in the process. I mean like no matter how much money you earn if the consular officer looks at your relationship as fraudulent then you will get denied. I hope that makes sense.

Here are your options:

K1 - you get your fiance faster. This however is more costly but you will worry about the cost once the fiance is in the US. K1 can only be done by US citizens.

CR1/IR1 - takes a few months longer but is less costly. Can be done by permanent residents.

I would say those are the things you have to consider. Hope that helps.