yannix

for those who have F2A petition, how long was it approved from the time of application?

Highly dependent on which service center takes the case (based on where the petitioner lives). I suggest you check out the F2A posts in 'Bringing Family Members of Permanent Residents to America' section of VJ. HTH.

There is no law that prohibits an LPR for being out of the country for more than 180 days. It is a basis to presume a person has abandoned his/her LPR status. It's an assumption that can be rebutted with facts that the LPR has maintained ties to the US.

Being outside the U.S. is only one factor in determining whether a person has abandoned his/her LPR status.

While being outside the U.S. for long periods of time is not a good idea, there is no law that prohibits an LPR from being outside the U.S. for more than 180 days.

The 180 days suggestion was to avoid raising any flags at all. E.g. If you want to have your nose perfectly clean, don't stay over 180 days.

@Yannix: 180 days from the date I left US, that is I left US in 2nd Jan 2015 or I-551 stamped date ?

You can't be out of the country for more than 180 days per year. As to how it's calculated(calendar year or cumulative days), I don't know. It's not a hard rule either. It's still up to the CBP officer processing you when you come back.

Here is another topic about the same thing sending in the documents. Notice one member posted that he call NVC and was told the same thing that both packets can be send in before IV fee is paid and DS260 form is fill out.

If you still do not believe it. That is your choice.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/537598-iv-aplication-fee/

That's good to know that NVC has changed their procedures. It used to be that if you sent your IV docs before the bill, your docs will get lost in la-la land. I'm glad that's not the case anymore.

I'm actually done with my processing. I've just hang out here to try to give back for all the help I got during my own processing.

Is PHLPost the government post office or a company? I'm looking to find the website for just the basic Philippine government post office website.

Any other opinions please ?

Specially for the Courier of GC, and the 2nd point ?

Thanks

I-551 is valid for a year. Think of it as a temporary GC and it's expiration date is 1 year from stamping. That doesn't imply you're allowed to stay outside the country for a year. The general accepted rule for a GC is no more than 180 days outside the country.

yes it is ok to mail them in before you fill out the DS260. you just need the AOS cover sheet for both packes. if you wait until after you pay all the fees and fill out the Ds260 form. you will be waiting additional time.

If you want you can call the nvc and ask them but they will tell you the same thing I posted that you can send the documents in before IV fees are paid or Ds260 is fill out

Now I need to extend my H1B with the same employer. Will I have any issues because of these not filled tax returns? What will happen if during extension USCIS will ask for tax return papers and I will be unable to provide them? How can I resolve this issues?[/size][/font][/color]

Thank you.

Thanks for the inputs.

I am considering Asiana Airlines because of their very low price (half the price of other airlines I am considering - PAL, Cathay, and Korean Air).

I am just surprised (and kinda cautious) why.

Maybe they have an ongoing promo.

The other good thing about Asiana Airlines is that it has only one stopover at Incheon for 10hrs which is an opportunity for us to avail of the free Seoul City tour!

But right now I am still debating over choosing Korean or Asiana.

I find Asiana service to be better than Korean. Korean does have better seats/planes though. Also, I hope you're not leaving soon as Seoul is still pretty cold these days.

Travel tax is only included in the ticket fee when purchased within the Philippines, and that isn't guaranteed even. And I would think the terminal fee would be the same, time will tell on this.

The terminal fee is already included in all tickets (even for tickets issued outside PH) issued after Feb 1st. It's coded as 'LI' in the tax breakdown and will have a value of PHP550 or USD12.50(as of 2 weeks ago).

Travel tax is still the same, only charged when tickets are issued within the PH and your flight originates PH.

HTH

It's so sad that some of these agents don't know much about this issue.

What you'll actually do is file as "married filing separtely." In the section where SSN is asked for NRA will be inserted. NRA means Non Resident Alien

Because most agents just want to make a quick buck. They advise their clients to take the route which is easier for them (the agents). Filing separately-NRA or filing jointly-requesting-ITIN is a pain. E-filing is out of the question for either option (not sure if it's still true for 2014).

Hi Hank, when my wife is here in the US, can we right away get her a SSN? Or would she have to wait for the green card to arrive?

If you chose the option to get the SSN card automatically (in your DS260), then it will come automatically. If you didn't, then a visit to the SSA office is required. The IR1/CR1 visa should suffice as proof to apply for an SSN and no need to wait for GC.

That's exactly what I did. I ended up talking to a girl that was very helpful.

When dealing with airline phone agents (especially PAL)... you have to learn the HUACA (hang up and call again) trick. Basically HUACA until you hear what you want to hear

Thx for all the help. I started AA cause they had the cheapest tickets. 1100 for me and 1250 for my fiancé. But when I tried to book her flight, it wouldn't let me. I called AA customer service and they sayed they couldn't book a flight originating in the Philippines. Anyways, I ended up calling delta and they were able to get this done, they booked the flights separately but we're able to book both flights. Ended up costing me about 1500 more though . 1800+ for mine and 1900+ for hers.

Glad you got it all sorted out. Have fun and good luck.

 

Don 't know about that, thousands buy one way tickets from outside the Philippines flying to the USA.

What is difficult is buying a one way ticket to the USA along with a round trip ticket through any of the brokers. I needed to contact the airline directly to buy them together.

Think of it as analogous to speeding, just because you didn't get a ticket for going over the speed limit doesn't mean it's not illegal. And, thousands of people do go over the speed limit everyday.

Two tickets that are different have to be ticketed separately that's why you need to contact the airline. Two reservations (PNRs/record locators) and at least two ticket numbers/coupons.

hello, im from the US here, and i am trying to buy a round trip ticket for myself to the philippines and also a round trip ticket from manila for my fiance. have called several ticket companies and they said that they weren't able to book the flight outbound from philippines. Is there a way that anyone knows of that i would be able to buy both tickets at once so i can make sure we both the the same US bound flight together with seats next to each other?

You have 2 options:

1. Use the US airline's website (or call them) to book the tickets. They will use their PH branch to issue the tickets to comply with the law. You will still have to book the tickets individually though. Just do one then the other one after. If for some reason it doesn't work out (no more seats left on the same flight), you can cancel the ticket within 24 hours of booking and get a full refund. It's a US DOT rule that all US airlines follow.

2. Use a PH travel agency to purchase both tickets.

I realize some people here have successfully used travel sites like Expedia, Orbitz etc to book their tickets originating PH. While most haven't run into issues (enforcement is hit or miss), it's technically not a legal ticket. It's one of those cases that should state "Buyer beware".

Hope that helps. Good luck.

So I wanted to buy something for my girl Maria, off of a website called lazada.

But I was wondering what % rate/fee they would charge for using USD for a php item, via bank of america debit/visa cards

Assuming the site is based outside the US. The fee would depend on your bank, anywhere from 0% to 4%. Take note that this fee will still be assessed even if the site charges you in USD.

As for the exchange rates, they are set daily by the card networks (e.g. Visa/Mastercard/Amex) and are generally competitive.

what is the purpose of the exact expiration date when they won't let you travel because its within 6 months of expiration date.

Technically you can travel until the last day of your passport validity. I've returned to the PH with only a few days validity left on my passport.

As for leaving the PH, that is a different story. Most countries won't admit you if you have less than 180 days left on your passport (Some require only 90days). They (Philippine exit immigration) are merely enforcing the other countries' rules. There's no point in letting you leave since you won't likely get admitted by your destination country anyway.

The law does exist and it's been around since the Marcos days. It's coded in the IATA system and travel agents will see that note/restriction when they attempt to ticket. This rule only covers tickets originating PH. Basically, your roundtrip ticket US-PH-US is legal even if it was issued in the US. Your wife and son's PH->US has to be issued in the Phils for it to be legal.

But since this is the PH we are talking about, the enforcement is hit or miss. Most have been able to travel with no issues whatsoever and then there are some horror stories you hear about having to repurchase tickets.

My suggestion is buy directly from the airline's website. If the airline is collecting travel tax, then they are doing this legally. What they are really doing is using their Phil based branch/subsidiary to "issue" the tickets for you. By law (another Marcos one), a ticket issued in the Phils has to have travel tax collected unless you are exempted. To check if the site is collecting travel tax, you can check under the taxes/fess breakdown. The tax is a line item that has the keyword "PH" and has the amount P1620 or ~$36+ (the $ value fluctuates depending on forex rates).

At the end of the day, it's up to you to decide which route (and eventually how much risk) you are willing to take. Good luck

Just to add some details to clarify your 10 years statement:

The green card (the card itself) is valid for 10 years but that doesn't mean you lose your LPR status after 10 years. As long as you do anything to "abandon" your LPR status, you can keep renewing the card. Think of it like a passport, you are renewing the DOCUMENT every N years and not your citizenship.

I think they were asking about the BI exit clearance which needs to be obtained no more than 30 days bfore departure and at least 72 hrs or I have heard 2 weeks. A BB stamp holder as I know does not need an exit clearance after 6 months.

I would be curious to know what the traveler OP had any difficulty leaving, I am in the same situation now

IIRC, A lawful Balikbayan stamp holder doesn't need exit clearance as long as you leave before your stamp expires. That's one of the privileges of being a BB.

The "after 6 months rule" you are referring too I believe applies to foreigners with tourist visas only. Those people need exit clearances to leave. HTH

i have an interview and got the P4 letter in the ("important reminders") tab i found this

"IF a sponsor filed an I-864 (Affidavit of Support) AND provided the NVC with proof of an IRS Federal Income Tax Extension in lieu of a Federal Income Tax Return, the applicant must bring the sponsor's most recent Federal Income Tax Return to the visa interview"

------ does it apply to me?

I already sent the most recent ones to the NVC, and don't understand why i need to send another copy to them.

please help is there anyone from pakistan

This should only apply IF you sent an "IRS extension form" to NVC instead of a "Tax return/transcript".

It was a labor of love. Oh the memories. I still call NVC just to hear the on hold voice.

I need

I guess there's worse things to get addicted too ...

 

So they only asked the CENOMAR of the children, not the parents? I read in this forum that even the parents need to get a CENOMAR (Advisory of Marriage) on top of their marriage certificate, so I instructed my brother and his wife to each obtain this certificate from the Census Office in Manila.

Hi,

Just wanna ask if a single LPR -F1 category enters US, goes back to Manila to marry, then petitions spouse from Philippines, be required affidavit of support? Just wanna know considering he doesn't have a job yet. So no proof of income whatsoever. Your reply is appreciated. Thank you.

Yes. Keep in mind the waiting times for visa numbers too. Currently it's trending at close to two years wait times.