AKF2015

Hi there,
 
If your marriage is real, you have nothing to worry about. Good luck.

This is not an immigration issue.  I would:
1.  Get an attorney to send her a "Cease and Desist" letter.
2.  Ignore her threat.

I'm sorry this happened to you. I've read too many stories like this and honestly, they dug for the gold and didn't get it so it's time to leave the mine. 
 
My husband and I started poor - I came to the US, he didn't have a high paying job and we budgeted everything to the last penny. I got my green card about 6 months later and started working, we've both grown and able to somewhat be stable. We bought a house, brand new vehicles, and fund some fun stuff like a little bit of travelling - that being said, I NEVER SUPPORTED MY FAMILY IN THE PHILIPPINES - my family back home isn't rich. My mom relies on her retirement and my brother only has very few online gigs here and there but I made it clear I will not enable toxic culture of relying on the one who got a good job, or works abroad, or married a foreign man. I absolutely made it clear I will not support them because I came here to build MY own family so until we are in a good financial position, I'm not going to send large amounts of money.
 
Thankfully, my mom is understanding and not a show off. She didn't boast about money and my extended family aren't asking for anything. One time someone did and I immediately turned it down. I did what my husband did when our relationship started - he made it clear that he wasn't rich and he will not be supporting the whole town because he's American which I completely understand. I give my mom some assistance every now and then, and occasional balikbayan boxes but there is no expectations.
 
You can't generalize all Filipinas as we're all different but I'm not going to deny that the expectation to  provide for everyone is there. It's something to always watch out for. I hate how some turn this into a business of getting a foreign spouse as a means to an end, because at the end of the day we're all judged just the same.

I'm sorry this happened to you. I've read too many stories like this and honestly, they dug for the gold and didn't get it so it's time to leave the mine. 
 
My husband and I started poor - I came to the US, he didn't have a high paying job and we budgeted everything to the last penny. I got my green card about 6 months later and started working, we've both grown and able to somewhat be stable. We bought a house, brand new vehicles, and fund some fun stuff like a little bit of travelling - that being said, I NEVER SUPPORTED MY FAMILY IN THE PHILIPPINES - my family back home isn't rich. My mom relies on her retirement and my brother only has very few online gigs here and there but I made it clear I will not enable toxic culture of relying on the one who got a good job, or works abroad, or married a foreign man. I absolutely made it clear I will not support them because I came here to build MY own family so until we are in a good financial position, I'm not going to send large amounts of money.
 
Thankfully, my mom is understanding and not a show off. She didn't boast about money and my extended family aren't asking for anything. One time someone did and I immediately turned it down. I did what my husband did when our relationship started - he made it clear that he wasn't rich and he will not be supporting the whole town because he's American which I completely understand. I give my mom some assistance every now and then, and occasional balikbayan boxes but there is no expectations.
 
You can't generalize all Filipinas as we're all different but I'm not going to deny that the expectation to  provide for everyone is there. It's something to always watch out for. I hate how some turn this into a business of getting a foreign spouse as a means to an end, because at the end of the day we're all judged just the same.

I'm sorry this happened to you. I've read too many stories like this and honestly, they dug for the gold and didn't get it so it's time to leave the mine. 
 
My husband and I started poor - I came to the US, he didn't have a high paying job and we budgeted everything to the last penny. I got my green card about 6 months later and started working, we've both grown and able to somewhat be stable. We bought a house, brand new vehicles, and fund some fun stuff like a little bit of travelling - that being said, I NEVER SUPPORTED MY FAMILY IN THE PHILIPPINES - my family back home isn't rich. My mom relies on her retirement and my brother only has very few online gigs here and there but I made it clear I will not enable toxic culture of relying on the one who got a good job, or works abroad, or married a foreign man. I absolutely made it clear I will not support them because I came here to build MY own family so until we are in a good financial position, I'm not going to send large amounts of money.
 
Thankfully, my mom is understanding and not a show off. She didn't boast about money and my extended family aren't asking for anything. One time someone did and I immediately turned it down. I did what my husband did when our relationship started - he made it clear that he wasn't rich and he will not be supporting the whole town because he's American which I completely understand. I give my mom some assistance every now and then, and occasional balikbayan boxes but there is no expectations.
 
You can't generalize all Filipinas as we're all different but I'm not going to deny that the expectation to  provide for everyone is there. It's something to always watch out for. I hate how some turn this into a business of getting a foreign spouse as a means to an end, because at the end of the day we're all judged just the same.

I'm sorry this happened to you. I've read too many stories like this and honestly, they dug for the gold and didn't get it so it's time to leave the mine. 
 
My husband and I started poor - I came to the US, he didn't have a high paying job and we budgeted everything to the last penny. I got my green card about 6 months later and started working, we've both grown and able to somewhat be stable. We bought a house, brand new vehicles, and fund some fun stuff like a little bit of travelling - that being said, I NEVER SUPPORTED MY FAMILY IN THE PHILIPPINES - my family back home isn't rich. My mom relies on her retirement and my brother only has very few online gigs here and there but I made it clear I will not enable toxic culture of relying on the one who got a good job, or works abroad, or married a foreign man. I absolutely made it clear I will not support them because I came here to build MY own family so until we are in a good financial position, I'm not going to send large amounts of money.
 
Thankfully, my mom is understanding and not a show off. She didn't boast about money and my extended family aren't asking for anything. One time someone did and I immediately turned it down. I did what my husband did when our relationship started - he made it clear that he wasn't rich and he will not be supporting the whole town because he's American which I completely understand. I give my mom some assistance every now and then, and occasional balikbayan boxes but there is no expectations.
 
You can't generalize all Filipinas as we're all different but I'm not going to deny that the expectation to  provide for everyone is there. It's something to always watch out for. I hate how some turn this into a business of getting a foreign spouse as a means to an end, because at the end of the day we're all judged just the same.

I'm sorry this happened to you. I've read too many stories like this and honestly, they dug for the gold and didn't get it so it's time to leave the mine. 
 
My husband and I started poor - I came to the US, he didn't have a high paying job and we budgeted everything to the last penny. I got my green card about 6 months later and started working, we've both grown and able to somewhat be stable. We bought a house, brand new vehicles, and fund some fun stuff like a little bit of travelling - that being said, I NEVER SUPPORTED MY FAMILY IN THE PHILIPPINES - my family back home isn't rich. My mom relies on her retirement and my brother only has very few online gigs here and there but I made it clear I will not enable toxic culture of relying on the one who got a good job, or works abroad, or married a foreign man. I absolutely made it clear I will not support them because I came here to build MY own family so until we are in a good financial position, I'm not going to send large amounts of money.
 
Thankfully, my mom is understanding and not a show off. She didn't boast about money and my extended family aren't asking for anything. One time someone did and I immediately turned it down. I did what my husband did when our relationship started - he made it clear that he wasn't rich and he will not be supporting the whole town because he's American which I completely understand. I give my mom some assistance every now and then, and occasional balikbayan boxes but there is no expectations.
 
You can't generalize all Filipinas as we're all different but I'm not going to deny that the expectation to  provide for everyone is there. It's something to always watch out for. I hate how some turn this into a business of getting a foreign spouse as a means to an end, because at the end of the day we're all judged just the same.

I'm sorry this happened to you. I've read too many stories like this and honestly, they dug for the gold and didn't get it so it's time to leave the mine. 
 
My husband and I started poor - I came to the US, he didn't have a high paying job and we budgeted everything to the last penny. I got my green card about 6 months later and started working, we've both grown and able to somewhat be stable. We bought a house, brand new vehicles, and fund some fun stuff like a little bit of travelling - that being said, I NEVER SUPPORTED MY FAMILY IN THE PHILIPPINES - my family back home isn't rich. My mom relies on her retirement and my brother only has very few online gigs here and there but I made it clear I will not enable toxic culture of relying on the one who got a good job, or works abroad, or married a foreign man. I absolutely made it clear I will not support them because I came here to build MY own family so until we are in a good financial position, I'm not going to send large amounts of money.
 
Thankfully, my mom is understanding and not a show off. She didn't boast about money and my extended family aren't asking for anything. One time someone did and I immediately turned it down. I did what my husband did when our relationship started - he made it clear that he wasn't rich and he will not be supporting the whole town because he's American which I completely understand. I give my mom some assistance every now and then, and occasional balikbayan boxes but there is no expectations.
 
You can't generalize all Filipinas as we're all different but I'm not going to deny that the expectation to  provide for everyone is there. It's something to always watch out for. I hate how some turn this into a business of getting a foreign spouse as a means to an end, because at the end of the day we're all judged just the same.

The first lie is that the spouse will be deported for not sending compelling evidence. The second lie is that children are the strongest evidence. Plenty of couples have no children and are approved. The third lie is that you should not send evidence that you have already sent: even the instructions say that the evidence that you sent has to cover the entire marriage, so yes, you have to send things they already have.

This dude appears to be playing us. 
 
😡
 

Well we did it properly, but my neither my now-husband nor me had to spend close to $10k even. Granted, I was never married so there was no divorce nor children from previous relationships. He spent around $3k all in (including my plane ticket) until I got to the U.S. He visited me once but it was a planned trip before we even met (I travelled around Asia so I offered to go with him if he decides to visit the South East) so I wouldn't count that as part of our expenses. We filed the paperwork ourselves, I think that saved a lot of expenses and I arrived almost exactly a year since he left the Philippines. Then I got my green card 6 months later. All subsequent expenses we treated as "home expenses" so I just included it in our annual budget, I also did all the paperwork from the Adjustment of Status through my citizenship.
 
I do know someone who went through an agency and they keep paying and paying - 3 years later his fiance's petition is still pending. Best of luck! I hope the process goes smoothly for everything! 

Well we did it properly, but my neither my now-husband nor me had to spend close to $10k even. Granted, I was never married so there was no divorce nor children from previous relationships. He spent around $3k all in (including my plane ticket) until I got to the U.S. He visited me once but it was a planned trip before we even met (I travelled around Asia so I offered to go with him if he decides to visit the South East) so I wouldn't count that as part of our expenses. We filed the paperwork ourselves, I think that saved a lot of expenses and I arrived almost exactly a year since he left the Philippines. Then I got my green card 6 months later. All subsequent expenses we treated as "home expenses" so I just included it in our annual budget, I also did all the paperwork from the Adjustment of Status through my citizenship.
 
I do know someone who went through an agency and they keep paying and paying - 3 years later his fiance's petition is still pending. Best of luck! I hope the process goes smoothly for everything! 

I am in no way a Trump fan (or voter), but as much as he and others would like to think he has absolute power over everything at all times, he does not.  Including over immigration.
 
The executive orders/presidential proclamations he has put in place have clearly stalled the progress of some visa categories, but as far as workflow at individual embassies, that is controlled at the local level.
 
Pandemic conditions vary by country and region, and the workflow decisions made at local outposts reflect that.
 
It really isn't fair though to say that people working at embassies are 'literally doing nothing.'  That just isn't true.   

No, I don't "get that feeling".  Everything is ALWAYS Trump's fault??.......For your information, the world is in the midst of a PANDEMIC...which originated outside the US!!!!!    

Does anyone else get the feeling that Trump secretly stopped all immigration until the election was over? These processing times and quite frankly the embassies blatant disregard for people’s time just doesn’t add up to me. People are working at these embassies but are literally doing nothing. I don’t know...just seems like something he would do. Maybe I’m reaching, but we all know how he feels about immigration. 

I don't think any one thing will determine the decision. It is the full review of everything.  Joint bank accounts help I am sure as it shows a commingling of funds and that is one type of proof, but if you other proofs other than that, they can still a pattern that you are living your lives together as a bona fide couple. 

@ EVERYONE - thanks for all the replies. Yep I did get my visa a few days later! I was just really worried because I wasnt told anything. LOL Thanks!

Ditto, they kept your passport and didn't give you a RFE there. I wouldn't worry if I were you. Congrats.

Congratz...You will receive your visa packet malapit na.

Congrats, sounds like you are good to go in a few days !

Wow this is horrible. You can never trust a woman when she lied to you from the very start. Now she is also endangering your life through her brother's actions! IMO I don't think it will ever work unless you let them rule your life and then you lose.
Get her out and stay away. Chances are they will hurt you and I doubt they even care about the law, consider that the child and her brother was there illegally!

Tis a very sad situation OP. I already talked this over with my wife & we both say that a situation like this makes it acceptable to end the marriage, though annulment would be better. I say this because her character is questionable because of the way she's behaving. It is not OK to illegally bring people into America, especially when there are legal means to do so. Her son could've easily come over legally had she've just told you up front. Her brother also, granted much later in time. But she obviously neglected to tell you he was here illegally. I personally couldn't stay married to someone who is acting this way. You're supposed to trust your partner. She obviously doesn't trust you, since she's omitting all this stuff. Adversely, you must ask yourself if you can trust her? I think we both know the answer.

the next person that will come out of the woodwork would be her "secret" lover/husband.

my wife just had her interview and everything went just fine...thank you all visajourney family,i wish all best of luck for the the rest of journey....much love

Realistically, only people from the Philippines filing in January can likely schedule a wedding for August and expect to get the visa before that. Philippine cases are expedited, even at the TSC while other countries are much slower.