KiGar

Wrong... anyone NOT being deported or VD with a valid PP

can leave the USA...no exit visa or judge imput is required,

neither are they questioned as long as they go thru TSA with

no contrabands........Sad at age 70 this lady had an abusive

partner

Are you certain that you understood what I posted? Again, I said that in her case she is free to go unhindered since she enterd LEGALLY. However if someone entered ILLEGALLY and then tried to exit through whatever port, they would be detained, questioned, and have to go in front of a judge. Why? I don't know all of the factors involved but likely the "system" would want an official statement for their statistical purposes...to justify budgets and whatnot. They'd want to know how the person was able to sneak in, if there was any evidence that they were a threat to national security i.e. ties to terrorist organizations, a statement of what they were doing, who gave them aid/shelter, who employed them, and any number of other questions that one can think of that the judge feels is relevant. I say this based on what was going on a few years ago with Mexican nationals who entered illegally. If they were just cheap daily labor who were payed on a cash basis and had a limited stay, the process was very fast. But those who were "established", i.e. stayed for years, had jobs, paperwork, etc the process took quite a while and they ended up paying a fine. There was a joke about it to the effect that it is "easy" to enter but "almost impossible" to leave. Some believe that it had something to do with politics since many of these established illegals vote in elections and therefore valuable to certain political parties. Until the voting system can be made foolproof, a vote is a vote, and once the results are in and the winner is declared there is little if anything ever done about voter fraud.

Again, I said that in her case she is free to go. If I'm missing something here please expand on what you meant, especially if you know something with respect to the changing of the rules on how illegal entry/exit is handled since I'm curious.

Why would someone need significant ties to get a K1? The purpose of a K1 is to leave a home country, not go back to it.

You're absolutely correct...that was a serious brain malfunction/typo combo or something when I threw that K-1 in there...

First rule of the Philippines...follow up, follow up, and follow up some more, especially if there are delays. If there are delays go up the chain of command to find out WHY things are taking so long, especially when dealing with a private expensive hospital like St. Lukes.

Here's an example, kinda unrelated, but the same concept. Whenever I go to buy something and I hear "sorry out of stock" I make sure that the person in question can somehow demonstrate that they even know what I am talking about. I can't recall how many times I've busted people for lying in some way shape or form simply because they are too lazy to do the bare necessities of their job. Even better is to ask for someone who knows what is going on and make sure to get their name. Usually the smart people looking for future promotions will be more than happy to get things straightened out to get the heat off their bosses/owner.

It's far better to show a steady source of significant income rather than someone who has significant savings but little or no income for several reasons. Having money in the bank proves very little with respect to your ability to provide and support your future spouse. I liken it to lottery winners who often end up completely broke and hopeless after a few years when prior to their winnings they were happy, hopeful, and otherwise stable individuals. So if you have a decent income it shows that, even if you lose your job, you are likely to at least get another job even if you have to take a pay cut since you obviously have skills and experience that are needed somewhere by someone. Someone living off of savings is not a pretty sight for many reasons that I won't go into here.

In regards to your debts and past financial problems, all you need to do is be ready and willing to show what and how it happened and a disciplined strategy to maintain control of any outstanding obligations. The best way of looking at it is to put yourself in their position. If someone can sit down with you and explain how they messed up and prove that they are making forward progress isn't that already better than the majority of the population? It's related to why so many people from failed companies are hired or promoted faster than someone who has never experienced adversity. Those who have messed up know what NOT to do...especially if they can prove that they know how to clean up the mess. If you have that mindset, nothing that you mentioned should be an issue when the decision makers weigh the pros and cons.

It's definitely a good idea to go together because it shows the interviewers that you are taking the process seriously rather than blindly rely on K-1 paperwork that says nothing about your potential as a couple. Initiative is a good thing when it comes to a process like this.

You may need to get documentation from the various government agencies or financial institutions (translated) that there are no leins or levies on accounts or properties. None of those requires notarization. All notarization does is show that you made a contract or agreement with another party or group on a certain date under penalty of purgury and will probably be ignored by a reviewer.

I'm actually planning to get a loan now. It's a new bank account. Once it's approved, can I present it to the consulate officer? I have savings account from another bank too. Would it hurt my chances on getting approved if I applied for a loan on another bank?

You can show them the account but the officer will probably ask where you got the money to justify opening a new account. Keep in mind that its very easy in this day and age for the consulate officer to find out directly from the bank whether or not you have a loan with them. There's nothing wrong with getting a loan to take a vacation but be sure to show the interviewer what collateral you had to put up with the bank in order to get the loan. Usually banks only give about 60% credit equivalent of the market price of the collateral so this can actually be to your advantage to establish further ties. Let's say that you took out a $10,000 loan on a condo that you own that is worth $25,000, you have an argument that you will need to return home to work so you can repay the loan and not lose the larger value of the condo. However you will need to show the interviewer that you have some form of steady income to be able to pay off the loan. In other words if you managed to get an unsecured loan and have no other way of explaining your account, you can count on being rejected and possibly blacklisted. Telling the officer it was from a gift or from old savings is not going to make a difference.

The point is that the tactic of "show money" is the one that people do the most...so if you are going to take out a loan, be sure to have a good reason for explanation. Bottom line is having some cash in the bank is probably the least important item on the checklist when it comes to establishing "ties". Having cash on hand with little or no other reason to return home i.e. good job, property, dependents would probably flag you as someone likely to not return even if that was not your intent.

You can have everything prepared on the behalf of your mother for her interview with the US Embassy in Pakistan but most of that entails documenting proof of "ties" to Pakistan, i.e. convincing the interviewer that her intent is only to visit and she has every other reason to return home after her visit that trumps any desire to stay in the States.

She would have to see a judge and go through INS processing if she entered illegally but since she overstayed on a legitimate entry in this case, she is free to go unhindered.

Minor children are less relevant for PI, they are often left behind.

Children become relevant if the income of the applicant is high enough in the PI. Think of it this way...obviously a woman making Php1-2K per month has every reason to go abroad and send several multiples of that amount back to the children each month. On the other hand if a woman in the PI is earning "middle class" (US standards) income from a business or job where to go to the States without an H-1 would mean a significant pay cut (at best working as an illegal alien and otherwise rolling the dice of life) and therefore no ability to support her local children one can argue that this is the strongest proof of ties.

To receive a Tourist Visa or K-1 the applicant must establish significant "ties" to the Philippines...and even that is subjective since I've known several people who were repeatedly denied.

What are "ties"? In short, a very convincing case that it is in the best interest of the applicant to return home to the PI vs staying in the States and experiencing a lower quality of life.

Examples of "ties":

1) Proof of a steady income that affords a "middle class" or above standard of living by USA standards...so probably at least Php80,000 per month take-home assuming no dependents.

2) Property in their name that is free and clear of liens or back taxes. Example: Comfortable condo or house and lot (newer).

3) Children under 16 that will remain behind in the PI....meaning that the child needs/expects the parent to return home soon.

4) Cash savings in the bank of at least $10,000 or Php equivalent....in an established account.

There are plenty more that can be added to this list, depending on the mood of the interviewer, but this is usually the bare minimum for women.

Of those who have been rejected who had a business, cash, property, etc it would be my guess that the reason is that they had no dependent children.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but unless your net worth is $1,000,000 and you have a good/connected lawyer doing the legwork for your mom, it ain't gonna happen.

Think of the health of your child...stressing over things that are hopeless is one of the worst things that a woman can do while pregnant.