js030802

non-US resident. when u enter the US with K1 visa, you are still a non-resident alien. when you marry your fiancé that's when you adjust status, get approve, receive your green card....that's when you become a permanent resident.

i believe the current processing time for parent petition by US citizen is at least 6 months to a year from the time the petition is submitted to visa issuance but could take longer depending on workload in USCIS and NVC. with regards to ur mom staying in the US while waiting for her petition from you, my answer is yes and no. although the right way and the legal way would be for her to go back home and wait for her petition to go through. she can also adjust status here and not leave the US but then she will already be out of status by then and she might be questioned when she gets interviewed regarding her status. dont give them (USCIS) a reason or two to deny ur moms petition just because she overstayed here in the US. thats my opinion on that.

you cannot petition your mom at this time since you are not a US citizen yet. green card holders, as you are right now, cannot petition for his/her parents until they become citizens. acceptance of your N-400 application does not mean you are a US citizen already. other requirements have to be met and must undergo oath taking ceremony before you are accorded US citizenship. until then you cannot petition for your mom for green card. i hope this helps. good luck on your citizenship application.

Have you been through this process before? I have only met a few that have battled the K-1 more than once.

this is my first time doing the process and definitely the last time...lol. just started though so hopefully it wont be that bad but time can only tell...

I see by you timeline you are still in the petition process, so you have not gotten your visa yet or have a green card.

i am the petitioner. i'm a US citizen.

Thanks for the clarification. We are always learning here...

sure not a problem. thanks for asking the question too so it will be clarified by the original person who posted the question. this website is definitely very helpful.

1) you are the first that has ever said anything about having to pay an exemption fee once having a green card. Were you turned away at the ticket counter even though you have a green card?

2) The husband can always get the BB stamp in his passport if he clears customs with his wife, and with that stamp he can stay a year without issue. Did they give you issues when you did this? Oh ya, the free tourist visa is for 30 days, has been since July 2013.

3) If the name on the passport and the green card is the same there is no reason to carry a copy of the marriage certificate.

i believe i need some clarification from the original person who posted this question. i thought philipinamagic was asking about the travel tax which is paid by all philippine passport holders when departing the philippines. coz the other issue would be she was asking about the terminal fee which is 550 pesos and is paid by everybody regardless of your nationality. the original question was kind of confusing which philipinamagic termed it as DEPARTURE AIRPORT TAX which now looking at it again had me confused which one she's asking.....the TRAVEL TAX or TERMINAL FEE. if she was asking about the terminal fee, then NOBODY is exempted. if she was asking about the TRAVEL TAX, then she would only have to pay around 400 pesos instead of 1,600 something pesos. and her husband as US passport holder will not pay for the TRAVEL TAX. ms philipinamagic pls clarify.... thank you.

with regards to your question about being turned away at the ticket counter even with green card, i wasn't turned away but instead after being checked in i was asked to pay the travel tax first before i will get my boarding pass. hence my suggestion was to get the travel tax exemption certificate first, which is just a receipt that you have paid the travel tax, before checking in so it will be a smooth transition from check in counter to terminal fee area onto immigration counter.

in answer to your question.

1. as a permanent resident in the US, you will only pay around 300-400 pesos for processing fee for the departure tax. you are exempt from paying the 1650 departure tax so to speak but will still pay the exempt/processing fee of around 300-400 pesos. you can pay that at the airport on your day of departure. pay that before you check in coz if you dont you will be made by the check in agent to pay that before you get your boarding pass, just to save some time of going back and forth at the check in counter. your husband is not required to pay the departure since he is a US citizen.

2. i dont think you can extend your balikbayan privilege to your husband since he does not automatically become a filipino citizen too by virtue of his marriage to you unless he applies for one which i dont advise. as a US citicizen coming into the philippines, he can only stay for 21 days visa free. i believe if he plans on staying longer, he needs to procure a visa from the philippine embassy. im not too familiar with the process but you can ask the immigration office in intramuros about it.

3. to come back into the US, you need your passport and green card with you and not stay outside the US more tan 1 year or else you need a re-entery permit. with regards to marriage certificate, im not familiar with that but my best guess would be the US immigration officer wont probab;y need it. just your passport and green card.

i hope that answers your questions.

selective service registration is a MUST.

you should be receiving communication from NVC regarding ur ds261 by august 18.

as it is right now, the NVC is taking them up to 6 weeks or 30 BUSINESS DAYS and not 30 CALENDAR days. i have done ds-261 last june 4th and i just received the email from NVC last monday july 28. just be patient. that's all you can do right now. NVC has huge backlog at this time. good luck.

It has been almost 30 business days since I submitted my DS261 and my IV fees still not invoiced. How much longer do I need to wait?

i have the same issue. i have called NVC for this matter and it is not 30 CALENDAR DAYS but 30 BUSINESS DAYS which means 6 weeks and not 4 weeks of waiting. you can only count monday to friday excluding saturday and sunday. if i have set my experience as an example. i submitted the DS261 on june 4th but it never got into NVC system until june 16th so counting 30 business days after that, i should be hearing from them july 28th 6 weeks after and not july 16th. patience is the key here and that's all we can do. i feel like the NVC people are untouchable and unapproachable. they are not that helpful and not willing to expound to answer your inquiry. you will be on hold for 30 minutes but only talk to the person in less than one minute.

with regards to your concern, she definitely needs to have that paper from the US embassy in Manila to give to the police department in Singapore to get the police certificate she needs. if i'm not mistaken, i believe the reason why the Singapore police department needs the paper from the embassy it's because they are the ones who will mail the police certificate directly to the US embassy in Manila. i would suggest to keep trying to get in touch with the embassy in Manila so you can be sure they got her forwarded petition from NVC and that the letter she needs to procure from the police department in Singapore is actually mailed to her address in the Philippines.

yes, i am in a IR1 visa, entering the first time, (i was in the states for 7 years before i left to obtain my legal status) and i will be traveling with my son who is 6 yrs old and a US citizen.

going through seattle-tacoma international airport can be a breeze and a hassle. i live in seattle and customs and immigration officers in seattle can be very intimidating. since this is your first time in the united states entering with an immigrant visa, you will be processed separately. you will not have to fall in line with USC/LPR (legal permanent residents) nor the visitor's line. since you will have with you a packet that the immigration officer will have to open and stamp your passport with entry stamp endorsing your immigrant visa as a proof of your permanent resident status in the US. your endorsed immigrant visa is valid for one year just in case your green card will not be processed quickly, sometimes it takes months for USCIS to process I-551 (green card).

with regards to your USC son, he can go with you to be processed by the same immigration officer that will process your entry into the united states. coz to process your son's entry, the immigration officer will just scan his passport, verify the authenticity of the travel document and verify his identity then that's it.

for reference next time you travel, when you travel with your USC son and the port of entry has separate lines for USC and LPR, always fall in line for LPR and have your USC son come with you. it happened to me one time i travelled with my parents who are both LPR and I'm a USC, we lined up for USC only in Seattle since they are travelling with me and as we approach the desk, the immigration officer told us that next time my parents have to fall in line for LPR and not for USC but as a USC I can go with my parents. so just for reference next time.

i don't think you need another NBI clearance since it is valid for one year from the issuance date but to be on the safe side just get another one. no need for police certifcates coz in the philippines only the NBI clearance is needed. but then again it will be safe to get one just to be on the safe side. as the saying goes...better have it and not need it rather than needing it and not have it.

what type of petition was filed for you? coz getting a CENOMAR (Certificate of No Marriage) will depend on the type of petition.

also dont forget to get your birth certificate on NSO security paper.

are you travelling with an immigrant visa and entering the united states for the first time? or you already have a green card?