jac.flesher

Two things...

1- Why do the CFO as the last departure step and not the first? Doing so, would spare a lot of people from other steps, headache and expenses.

2- Why not hire professionals to do this work, if it was so important and it is?

1. Because they have to place a sticker on your visa which is now part of your passport. they cannot place a sticker on it if you don't have it, obviously. Also, not everyone who starts the visa process will finish it. Some will be denied and some will just give up halfway through.

2. I don't know what this question is really asking, but if you mean attorneys, i wouldn't waste your money. its not worth it. A lawyer's job is more about convincing you that you need them than actually doing any foot work. you will still have to compile all the same documents yourself, and scheduling appointments with the online systems is very easy.

I started the visa process with an attorney and fire him when he took more than a week to fill out my application. Im not just going to sit around and wait for someone to pick their nose when i can get it done in 1 day.

Hello everyone. I have a question...What if I already have the CFO Certificate long time ago? Do I have to attend the CFO counseling again? I only need the sticker. Does anyone know the procedure if only for the sticker? Has anyone here have same experience or in the same situation?

I attended the CFO counseling seminar in Manila long time ago, because it is also one of the requirements if you want to use your husband's surname in your local passport (PH passport) and so we could travel and he could get a Balikbayan entry visa as US Citizen with Filipina wife.

But now, I just wonder if I need to attend it all over again or just show that I have certificate from before and automatically get a sticker.

I hope you can help me. Thanks!

Btw, we live in Bohol...so I'm planning to do my CFO sticker in Cebu, since its closer.

Any suggestions? Ideas? Thanks!

The CFO certificate is good for life.

So I thought I would share how her day went yesterday. I apologize for the order in the following statements lol

-YES! even though she has an appointment at 2pm, she HAD to be there by 8am. While there she seen many people turned away. In fact, she was the first on in line that wasn't turned away and she was number 8. Here is a list of the papers they asked to see while she was there:

1. she was asked multiple times for copies of MY passport. people without multiple copies of their petitioners passport were turned away or told to leave and go print it and come back.

2. she met a lady who had to reschedule the whole class just because she didn't bring a paper copy of the confirmation

3. she was asked by the counselor for PICTURE OF ME, HER, AND HER FAMILY together with each other. This is not something i have seen ANYONE mention on any of the forums yet.

4. She was asked to tell them something she doesn't like about me. She just said im very OCD about being on time and getting things done (TRUE!)

5. She seen a woman who was there with a spouse visa get turned away and told she could not take the cfo seminar because her husband and her had not yet gone on a honeymoon and the counselor said they need to have honeymoon if they are married. (WOW are you kidding me, how can they turn someone away for not having a honeymoon yet????)

6. she was asked for my 10-40 to prove my singleness.

7. she was asked for her NSO, NBI, CENOMAR, Passport

8. they never asked for the parental advice or consent, or her parents' IDs. ( i guess maybe because she had pictures of me and her parents together. her parents love me

9. For anyone wondering, she was able to get the certificate and sticker in the same day, but some of those getting the sticker had to leave to get more copies, mostly of the petitioner's passport because during the first registration you do not get the first copy returned to you, so bring lots and lots of copies!!!

she arrived at 7:30am. Registration started at 8am. At 10:30 she left to go have lunch and had to return by 12pm (2 hours early for her 2pm appointment). she was finished by 4:30pm with the certificate and the sticker, but like i said, she was one of only very few who weren't lacking in some documentation. She said many of the girls there were very mean to her when she got the sticker and they didn't.

BE PREPARED!!!! they are just as hard, if not harder on you, than the embassy interview. I recommend taking ALL the same things you brought to the embassy interview. PLUS pictures of the petitioner with your family. If it wasn't for having those, she would have probably been rejected because we are both young and still needs her parents' blessings (she's 19).

hi do u need the baptismal when u go there?

My fiance does not have baptismal. what you need is everything in the letter, plus bring the NSO birth cert and a copy, NSO CENOMAR and a copy, visa packet, passport and copies of the Philippines passport photo page and a copy of the USA visa page which has been added into the passport. You also need letters of parental consent if 18-21 and letter of parental guidance if 21-25. we got both just in case. we are also bringing her parents' original IDs with photocopies of each. and a copy of my birth certificate.

From what i hear they usually only ask for the identification and appointment letter and they ask it from everyone at the same time while they are lining up, BUT people on here have told stories of them requiring crazy things not even on the list.

Hello!
My fiancée is scheduled for her CFO this Friday. On the appointment confirmation it says to line up for registration at 8am. But her appointment is 2-5pm with instructions to be there 1.5 hours early, 12:30pm. Shouts she go to the 8am? Will she be there from 8am to 5pm? That doesn't seem right to me. Is this some kind of instruction left from a previous time when everyone took the morning classes or should she just follow the instructions at the very bottom of the confirmations saying that all people registering should line up at 8am sharp? I'm confused I wish for once the instructions would make sense. I know from reading others reviews the CFO isn't 10 hours long.

Where did you find the official information that says they will ship it out in a day or two?

Nowhere, just trying to use common sense. If something is ISSUED. To me that means it's sent out already or the process of being sent out. this process is crazy. It's a rollercoaster ride for sure. wait wait wait ...YES some progress ... wait wait wait wait wait waaaaaaaaait.... YES a little more progress... over and over and over. we were so excited for the noa2. then so excited for the nvc confirmation. then so excited for the interview... and now right back to waiting... AGAIN. its driving me crazy. Ok im off my soapbox now.

Using the links I provided will allow you to know when Elvis has left the building. All of us use those links to follow the progress of our own visa within the passport and delivery when we processed. Others are doing the same.

thank you for the links, but I think you missed the part where i said i was already using ceac tracker and ustraveldocs. and i have also been using this as well:

http://cdn.ustraveldocs.com/ph/ph-niv-passportretrieve.asp#trackingoptions

My question is more directed at why is it taking so long to have an updated status. It's been a few a days now and it's still just "at the embassy". I don't understand why it says ISSUED if they are not in the process of shipping it within a day or two.

From our experience, when my wife's visa status changed to ISSUED, 2Go picked up the visa packet from the embassy that day. Visa was available for pickup about 4 days later at MOA.

How did you know they picked up that day?

So we had our interview on friday and she passed with flying colors. Our visa status on CEAC changed to ISSUED on monday morning. My question is, how long does it take after being ISSUED to actually ship? The status on USTRAVELDOCS is still "with the embassy". And 2go still has no tracking info for her case. How long did you wait after being ISSUED before you were able to actually start tracking it with 2go? My fiancee seems to think they aren't shipping it yet because we didn't register for account on 2go. I know that's not the case though right? You don't HAVE to register on 2go for them to send your package. That would be crazy.

The slit on the side of the brown envelope is normal. Just ignore it. Your fiancée should take a razor blade and slide it along where the passport is, just make a slit long enough to remove the passport. Done.

Take the plastic envelope and make a copy of the document that is inside (only document that you can see without opening the packet, back side). Just lay the packet down onto the scanner glass and make a copy while holding the bag flat. You'll need that for CFO.

DON'T ever let anyone open the plastic bag until you are front of the Immigration Officers at your POE!!! They are the only ones that need to open your visa package. I can't express that anymore than that. NEVER!!

More about that and other items can be found in my guide. Chose the link in my signature below at the twisting arrow.

This is very helpful!! thank you! but i am still a little confused. first you say to cut the plastic with a razor blade and then then you say to never open the plastic. since i am not going to be there with her to open it, i don't want to give instructions that even i do not understand...

let me see if i understand clearly:

there are two layers of plastic.

cut a slit in the outermost layer of plastic to remove the passport.

Leave the rest of the package intact and as-is.

On the back of the package, a document is visible that needs to be copied (while still left in the package). The copy of this "visible" page will be handed in at the CFO seminar.

Thanks again everyone!

Ok so I know this has been asked before BUT the responses I read sort of contradicted each other or just didn't make a lot of sense to me. When you receive your visa package back from the Manila embassy, it is wrapped in plastic and there is a yellow Manila envelope with corner cut off. Your passport is of course inside the plastic. My question is, are there TWO layers of plastic and you can take off the outer layer to retrieve your visa? Or can you take off all the plastic and just not open the envelope? But if that's the case and you remove all the plastic, won't all the documents be exposed and easily read by anyone? I mean the corner is missing!!! It makes absolutely zero sense to mean to seal an envelope with the corner missing. It's like wiping before you poop. It makes no sense. Im terrified to tell my fiancé to cut off any plastic or anything because once it's open its open and you will have to go through the long process of having it Resealed. A couple we met going through the same process accidentally opened their visa and had to have it Resealed. Took 2 1/2 months. I don't want that to happen to us. Please only respond IF you have actually received a visa and know by personal experience . No trolls.

My noa2 date is July 22 and I have seen that they are now processing later dates on the timelines. I'm worried as well since its been 26 days. It's amazing how subpar their computer systems can be compared to the rest of the world. I'm a project implentation engineer in IT and if we worked as slow as they do we would be out of a job.

I have read many posts on here about when you should start the DS-160 is after you receive packet 3 from the embassy. However.... there are tons of stories for the Manila US embassy where people do not wait for the packet 3 to arrive. Most of these stories end with the packet arriving AFTER they have already interviewed and received their visa. Which brings me to my next point... we received our noa2 on July 22. I know I am waiting for the NVC to receive and forward the application to Manila. I guess once we receive the NVC number, and the CEAC status is READY, we can pay our interview fees, fill out the DS-160, go for the medical, and schedule the interview. Is this correct? If so, at what point can we fill out the DS-160? Do we actually need the NVC MNL##### number to fill it out? Could someone who has interviewed early like this break down the process into details of what to expect next and the steps that will be involved? Thanks in advance!!!

Sorry for the typos it's 6:23am and I'm getting ready for work while typing this on my phone

Hello again everyone, I just started a new job. I'm a contractor for one of the big automotive companies in Detroit. I work for an IT contracting company and my contracting is a reoccurring 6 month contract. There are some people who have been in the six month terms working on site for 25 years. But technically it's temporary? The instructions on the i134 say for the employer to state whether it's permanent or temporary and it has me worried. I make well above the poverty line so that's not an issue. Will this effect my interview? Should be receiving the NOA2 anyway now. Cheers!

So I got the letter! It said I failed to provide the information that lead up to us meeting. So.... I added her on facebook and we started talking everyday, things just kind of evolved from there. That's what they want to know? How much can I really say about about meeting someone on Facebook? lol. Should I add this to the letter that describes the last time we met? I don't want to not say enough and have it sent back, but I honestly don't know how much I can really say about it. There's not much to it. lol

Re-read the I-129F instructions. You are partially correct, but you are missing an important piece of the instructions.

From the top of page 6 http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/files/form/i-129finstr.pdf:

8. What Other Documents Do You Need?

a. Submit two completed and signed Forms G-325A, Biographic Information; one for you and one for your beneficiary. Except for name and signature, you do not have to repeat the information given on your Form I-129F.

So yes it does say in the I-129F instructions you need to include the name and signature on the G-325A form.

gotcha, yea im going with that. easy fix. I hope thats all it is

please come back and let us know! and yes this game was fun lol.. the suspense is killing me now ! well good thing is once you send it in a Approval will be coming

Well the point of the game was to kind of get all kinds of suggestions and maybe someone else will read it and say, "Wow, so THAT'S what I forgot!" lol. I really still can't believe I got an RFE!!! If it's something small and stupid I am going to be SO mad at myself. But I've gone over my copy of everything and for the life of me, I can not find a single difference between my information on my petitions and the examples on the step-by-step k1 guide, other than the mention G325a bottom box of course. .

Very interesting read... Kinda funny reading all the posts, replies, etc... I feel for you. For me everything was perfect. I have no idea what an RFE or 221-g letter looks like. I have seen lately where the USCIS would issue an RFE for a better explanation of how a couple met. Also, like one poster stated depending on how you assembled your paperwork during the process at the USCIS it is not unusual for papers/documents to get lost. For my gal's i-129f I used a pendaflex folder and an index page for everything, but that was just me. Be patient and best of luck!

Thats kind of what I did too. I just a big clip for all the application and g-325's and intents, and then for the proof of ongoing relationship I used a plastic binder and a manila folder for the proof of relationship and photographs. it was all very neatly organized just because of the stories about them losing things.

oh oh oh pick me pick me!! I want to guess .

1. not filling out the bottom of the form

2. you said you only sent the bio page. the instructions said send ALL pages of your passport. I even sent the front cover and back cover.

I'm hoping its the bottom of the form, but if it was really necessary for the G325a to be THAT complete, then why does the instruction for the I-129F say it's not necessary to repeat information already in the application into the G325A. But I am going to guess that IS the reason. We will see when it gets here!!

Thanks everyone for all the helpful responses!!! I know there's no way to know until it's in my hand, but games are fun tho! And this game is even informative as well. Cheers!

But it says right above the box...... "Applicant: Print your name and Alien Registration Number in the box outlined by heavy border below."

If it is for that, when you fill it out, you are the applicant as it's your petition (for her).

If you missed it, I mean that's an accident, but you orignally said you didn't do it because you didn't see the need as your name is at the top. One of those is an accident one if purposeful. I was just asking why you'd purposely do that to yourself.

"I think this might be the reason. I did not put either of our names in the bold box at the bottom. I just left it blank. I didn't see the need since our names already were at the top... It didn't make sense to put it twice..."

And no you're not the only person to send extra things, I just don't know why people do that, I'd be angry everyday in my office if someone gave me a bunch of stuff I didn't need, but maybe that's just me. That just brings me all the way back around to my point because it happens alot with people on here, they will send all these unecessary things but then leave something required out because they didn't feel it needed to be there and get a RFE for it. It's crazy.

Have fun in the Philippines, great place, good times.

right it was on purpose. also in the i-129f instructions, it says it is not necessary to repeat information already specified on the i-129f application onto the G-325A. therefore, i really didn't see the need to enter my name at the top AND the bottom of the same form on the same page. it makes absolutely no sense at all whatever. stupidest thing ive ever seen.

You sent so much extra stuff that isn't needed or required? Why send extra stuff they have to wade through? I'm thinking maybe it's not sending all passports pages, because you have to send all of them even the blank ones, that or not putting your names on the bottom of the G form.

It states on the g-form specifically to...

"Applicant: Print your name and Alien Registration Number in the box outlined by heavy border below."

As a U.S. citizen obviously you wouldn't have an a-number so you'd write none in the spot.

I know you said you didn't feel the need to but you also said you read over and over every form and checked and rechecked everything spending 15 hours on it, so why would you purposely leave something blank that it clearly says to do just because YOU didn't feel the need for it? Talk about shooting your own foot.

i didn't miss the box, it just didn't look like something I am supposed to fill out. it looks like something for office use only. and im not the only one who sends extra stuff . I was actually very conservative in what i sent.

Maybe you forgot the check

It wouldn't have made it to california if i had forgotten the check

It can be even simple as a typo (especially on names or birth dates).

Personally, I would sweat or waste energy on this and just wait for the details

and just deal with it then. At this stage, usually it should be minor issue.

good advice! im not too worried about it, but since i am pretty sure i dotted every T and crossed ever I (lolz) I thought it would be fun to play a guessing game with people going through the same thing. Im sure whatever it is, its something minor.

I was very thorough on my application as well and followed guidelines from this site. Sent dozens of pictures, proof of trips, emails, and whatsapp logs. Sent proper birth certificates and baptism record. However, I had a prior marriage with a subsequent divorce...thus I sent a dissolution of marriage certificate from the state of florida but received an RFE requesting the divorce decree which I had to pull from the county court and sent it same day prioirty mail. The issue was resolved in a week after receiving notice.

Also if you have been waiting long, the intent of marriage may have expired or they think one of the prties did not sign in ink with their hand.

All of the paperwork is dated for april 30, 2015. Including our intents and G325As

nah - i thought i was in the game sub-forum and as such, only read the backgrounder and rules on post #1.

Sorry !

Hey it's cool but if you guess right I will buy you a beer over PayPal lol

ok - my guesses:

1. no proof of uscitizenship on the petitioner or

2. no letter of intent to marry, one from you and one from her

3. no G-325-A on you.

are there prizes for the correct answer?

1. Sent copy of passport biographic page and California birth certificate

2. Letters of intent signed and dated from both of us

3. G325a on both of us signed by both of us.

Did you even read the previous posts?

ok - my guesses:

1. no proof of uscitizenship on the petitioner or

2. no letter of intent to marry, one from you and one from her

3. no G-325-A on you.

are there prizes for the correct answer?

You may not see the need to fill it out but it is there for a reason

its kind of misleading with the bold box. most of the time that means 'FOR OFFICE USE ONLY'. but if thats the reason its an easy fix. I hope they are not like please explain the action the lead up to you meeting. uhhh we met on facebook :-/