JL818

My wife is currently in the US and her Philippines passport is expiring soon. We are desperately trying to get it renewed at the SF consulate. However, you need to do a renewal and there is no availability into the foreseeable future or several months. 

Has anyone run into the same challenges and come up with any solutions? At this point my wife is considering flying back just to have her passport renewed, but this is not going to be an easy or affordable option.

14 minutes ago, Cameiram said:

Upon going to the embassy, do I need to bring 2 witnesses? Or can my spouse and the attorney doing the notarization at the embassy count as witnesses? 

I feel like this depends on how picky your representative is (and I feel like a lot of them are just trying to ruin your day). Because you're married, your spouse should also be signing the special power of attorney with you, and not as one of your witnesses. The representative at the embassy also does not count as a witness. To be safe, you should have 2 witnesses, in addition to you and your spouse. FYI, they made my spouse and I have two other witnesses.

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Hello thank you for your post. Very helpful. I have a question when you said “pick up” of document and mail. Does the DFA have a mailing service or does the person taking care of my documents do the mailing? Also the board sent a letter for verification of diploma does that get mailed along with the red ribbon document, sorry just very confused and frustrated. Also when obtaining the SPA does the person notarizing count as a witness? Thank you in advance

Yes, the DFA has a mailing service. The California Board of Nursing specifically told me that the red ribboned document must come directly from the DFA and not be mailed by some other person or third party.

Yes, the letter for verification should be sent along with the red ribbon document.

@Cameiram

Just now, Ate said:

OP, this might help.  Please note that I have not used this service and cannot vouch for its legitimacy.

 

http://www.authenticationexpress.com/

 

"We offer Nationwide and Worldwide Services.  Now, you can have your legal documents authenticated in a fast and easy way without going to the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila."

We reached out to the service. You might have better luck, but my experience with speaking with their rep there was poor. In addition, we were under a time crunch. Therefore, we ended up doing it personally, rather than risking a third party to screw it up for us.

7 hours ago, Qcayabyab said:

JL818

Did you get your issues resolved on how to process diploma by the CBN. I have the same issue right now. Please advise on how to do the process?

Yes, despite the rest of the messages here claiming that red ribbon is not required, we've confirmed directly multiple times from the California Board that we definitely do need to obtain the Red Ribbon for the California Board of Nursing.

It is a huge pain because you will either need to show up to the DFA personally to process your Red Ribbon or you will need to have your family, friend, or other agent do it for you. It was a royal pain for us because my wife's family is from a province 3 hours from Davao, so we had to drive and fly over her mother to Manila in order to perform the processing. In addition to that, in order to have someone do the processing for you, you will need to get a Special Power of Attorney (SPA) in order to authorize that person to do it on your behalf. 

Here's the process:

1. Request your school to send their transcripts and diploma to DFA for authentication. If you attended a public college, I believe that the school can send the certified true copy to DFA directly. If you attended a private college, the school will need to send the certified true copy to CHED for certification, authentication, verification (CAV). The CHED will then forward the documents to the DFA.

2. Your school/CHED will provide you with a claim stub to pick up your documents from the DFA. On the claim stub it will state the pick up date.

3. You will need to determine who will pick up your DFA on your behalf.

4. Draft a special power of attorney (SPA) to authorize your pickup person to continue the DFA processing on your behalf. Your embassy's website will have a template to help you get started.

5. Get the SPA consularized (i.e., notarized) at your nearest Philippines embassy/consulate. Go to the embassy website to determine what identification you will need to bring. You will definitely need to provide evidence for any differences in your identification (e.g., a marriage certificate to bridge the difference between your maiden name and married name). You will also need to bring two witnesses to observe you signing the SPA document (Do not sign the SPA in advance! You must sign it in front of the representative at the embassy and your two witnesses!)

6. Mail the original copy of the SPA back to your authorized person, including photocopies of valid state-issued identification (they will need all this at the DFA). I would do this through a reputable carrier like DHL, FedEx, UPS. Expect to spend anywhere from PHP 2,500 to PHP 6,500+. If you send it through the regular postal mail it will take much longer to arrive and may even end up lost in the mail due to PhilPost being terrible.

7. On the date noted in your claim stub, have your authorized person go to the DFA to "pick up" your red ribbon documentation. "Pick up" is in quotes because the California Board does not actually allow you to pick up and then mail the documentation yourself. The documentation MUST be mailed from the DFA to the California Board DIRECTLY or they will reject it. Make sure you bring money to the DFA for the processing (processing fee of PHP100 and mailing fee of at least PHP 2,000).

In total, this is how much we personally spent to process this one stupid requirement:

- Fee paid to school for processing: $70

- Driving and parking to SF embassy for SPA: $50

- Mailing SPA via DHL: $100

- Travel expense from Davao to Manila: $200

- Hotel for 2 nights in Manila: $80

- DFA processing fee + mailing back to CA BON: $40

Total: $540

11 hours ago, Elle29 said:

Maybe because they went through an agency and that was their instruction, so just followed. It didn’t hurt tho and they successfully made it. 

Hi Elle, what agency did they use?

22 minutes ago, Chris Duffy said:

Did you ever call the California Board Of Nursing or look on their website for their requirements?

 

I have done a few applications for Texas and California (8 years ago), everything I needed was on the State BON website, if I had any questions I just called them and got clarification.

Yes, on the CA BON website, it mentions nothing about having to get your transcripts authenticated. It only mentions having to have your transcripts and diploma sent directly from the nursing program, which we had done much earlier in the process. This is what is mentioned in all of their forms as well. We had actually completed all of the BON requirements after multiple follow-up requests and they even sent us a letter stating that we are eligible to sit for the exam. Then a day later, they wrote again and said that we also need to get DFA certification for the diploma as well and that our application was incomplete. Very frustrating... 

From everyone we have spoken to, they have not had to go through this authentication process for the California BON. In addition, if you do a google search or search on allnurses, I don't think you will find anything that makes it seem like this is ever asked of any CA BON applicants.... it's all nursing applicants applying to other countries (e.g., UAE) This is why I'd like to know if anyone else has experienced this in the US, particularly California. 

I've already written a lengthy complaint email to the CA BON about why these requirements were not requested up front when they performed the evaluation back in 2016 and why they keep flip flopping and bringing up all these requirements in an unexpected, piece meal, ad hoc manner.

3 hours ago, Chris Duffy said:

go to allnurses forum and find international section, at one time they had every answer anyone needed to know about nurses coming from Philippines and California BON specifically.

 

Last I knew the Cali Board of Nursing does their own creditianal evaluation for the education part

I did a search for "DFA", "Red Ribbon", etc. on the allnurses forum and could not find anything related to California BRN. I could not even find anything via a Google search related to California BON ever asking for this. All signs seem to indicate that it is not standard for California BRN to ask for this information, and I'm starting to wonder if we received an over-zealous evaluator (but please, someone let me know if I'm wrong). This is extremely frustrating.

6 hours ago, lummo said:

The following blog mentions LBC Express (but doesn't specify if available from USA): https://thepinoyofw.com/red-ribbon-documents/

We called LBC Express and it doesn't seem like they offer such a service, at least not for the US.

Hi All,

Curious to see if any of you have needed to get DFA authentication (red ribbon) to verify your education. My wife is trying to get eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN and the California Board of Registered Nursing just came back and said that she needs to validate her diploma with the Department of Foreign Affairs before she is even allowed to take the exam. 

If any of you have been through this before, is there any way to do this without my wife having to fly back to the Philippines? It seems the DFA only takes these requests in person. In addition, my wife does not have any relatives or friends in Manila that will be able to help her do this. Is there some kind of service that can help with this and has anyone any good experiences or recommendations? We are really stuck on what to do next. 

4 hours ago, Cutnclean1 said:

I worked in SG for 6 months. Do I need to get the COC as a requirements for the visa interview? Please help... Thank you in advance

Police clearance certificate is required from every visa applicant aged 16 years or over for each country of residence where the applicant has resided for at least six months since attaining the age of sixteen.

Police certificates are also required from all other countries where the applicant has resided for at least one year.

11 minutes ago, aiting said:

Which date you guys had the interview 

Check my timeline. 

Update: I just checked the USCIS site and we were approved.

On 2/17/2017 at 5:43 PM, aiting said:

Hey I have the same issue. Was your interview smooth ?

I believe the interview went fairly smoothly. They let us interview without the passport, but wanted an explanation as to why we didn't have it. Though we didn't have this, I would recommend bringing a state issued ID if you have one or any other identification that you can. We only had the approved advance parole form and were allowed to interview.

After the interview, they gave us a continuance letter stating that our case was being held for review, but as I understand it, this is not uncommon, and doesn't necessarily indicate that the interview went poorly. 

5 hours ago, Bill & Katya said:

Did you make copies of the biometric/visa pages before you sent it in?  I know we had copies in our previous K1 as well as the AOS packages we kept for our records.  Like you said, nothing can be done about it now, but I would show up with at least a copy if you have it.

 

Good Luck!

Yes, I do have a copy and am planning to bring it with me. We have not traveled out of country since her arrival. 

20 minutes ago, KierenHby said:

Why not renew it in the US? Unless I'm mistaken, Consulates are precisely for that purpose. 

I don't know about other consulates, but the Philippines consulate doesn't do this. They mail it back to the Philippines as part of the renewal process. In any case, they have already mailed it, so it's irrelevant at this point. Just trying to determine whether this is a deal breaker for the interview, as I would then need to reschedule.

My wife's Philippines passport was expiring and we recently sent it back to her home country in order to get it renewed. Then we got the AOS interview notice that our interview would be next month. However, we are not expecting to get the passport back for another 3-4 months.

Is it okay if she doesn't have her passport for the interview? We do have a photocopy of the main pages from the passport.

2 hours ago, Sagot said:

Yes the consulate is looking for the green card or EAD card.    Your AP card expired already???  It has been a year or did you apply for the AP before filing AOS?

 

Yes the passport can be renewed in her maiden name.  

 

ROM is easy to complete as it can all be done by mail.

 

 

Just want to be sure I understand your response. When you say that the consulate will be looking for the green card or EAD card, do you mean that if they see that my wife is currently on her way to getting a green card, or already has one, that she will be denied a passport renewal? I just want to make sure because as mentioned, on the Philippines consulate website, it states that one of the requirements for passport renewal is "Proof that applicant has NOT applied for foreign citizenship e.g., resident alien card (green card)."

Yes, my AP (I received paper documents, not a card) will be expiring in May, which is before my trip in June. Therefore, I have reapplied in case my wife doesn't get approved for her AOS on time.

The ROM can be done but I'm guessing that it will take some time to process and I would have to wait for that prior to even starting to process my passport, and I may not have the time to do that right now given that I need everything well in advance of June?

Hi all,

Some background information:

- My wife came over last year on a K1 visa, we got married, and she is currently adjusting status, pending the final interview (scheduled for February).

- We have overseas travel scheduled for end of June. However, her Philippines passport is expiring in March, and therefore we will need to renew the passport.

- We've completed the paperwork for advance parole and are awaiting the response (we obtained this once already but it has already expired).

My questions:

- On the Philippines consulate website, it states that one of the requirements for passport renewal is "Proof that applicant has not applied for foreign citizenship e.g., resident alien card (green card)." Does this mean that we will not be allowed to renew the passport given that she IS applying for adjustment of status?

- When applying for the passport, is it okay for her to use her unmarried name, so that we don't have to take the trouble going through the name change process of getting a report of marriage, etc., etc.?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Hi BB2021,

One more concern JL818 DID gOT THE clearance via BANK OF AMERICA IN SGD. CURRENCY?

Yes Bank of America gave me the bank draft in SGD. As mentioned, when I asked the Singapore Police Force i they would accept USD, they said no, they would only accept SGD bank draft and no wire.

did all the forms and fingerprints ur fiancee send it all to you and the bank do it by courier to Singapore?

No, I went to my local Bank of America branch and requested the bank draft, then they put in the request. It took them about 1 week to mail the bank draft from a regional office to my local branch. Then I mailed the bank draft to my fiancee in the Philippines, which took about 1 week using courier. Then my fiancee had to mail the bank draft with the COC application and supporting documentation to the Singapore Police Force, which took about another 1-2 weeks. Then it took about 2 weeks for the Singapore Police Force to prepare the COC and mail it out. Then it took about 1 month for the COC to arrive back to my fiancee.

You could probably also have your fiancee send you the documentation to consolidate and send out to the COC if that works better for you. If you have friends in Singapore that can help you do the payment in SGD instead of waiting for the bank draft that might be faster too.

He started at this job over a year ago, but just moved in to sales around September so that's when the commission started. His tax return from last year does not show above the requirement but now he is making enough.

Thanks for clarifying. So I think you should probably include some kind of explanation in an attachment in your application about that. In addition, include the paystubs from the time that he got the new job. They should be able to do the rough math to estimate how much your finance should be making over an annual period.

Hello y'all the other day I sent In my paperwork for my green card and got some help from my sister and her husband in Florida as my co sponsors. I did the finger print a week ago but now I got a letter from USCIS saying that something was wrong with my affidavit of support I don't know what the problem is because both my sister and her husband have enough money to support could someone please give me a list of what u think is missing it would be greatly appreciated thank you.

You've provided insufficient details for us to be able to help you. Your best bet is probably to ask them directly what more they need from you.

Hi when I did my wife's COC for Singapore that was back in 2014 things change

Yup, the process is constantly changing and is even different from when I did it, which was only 4 months ago Which is why I really recommend the original poster to read the instructions from the Singapore Police Force himself and follow up with the SPF directly to clarify any uncertain areas not clearly addressed by their instructions. Given that a new process is going into effect June 21, a lot of the information out there may soon be outdated.

I guess I'm a little late here but I would not have waited for an RFE. I would have just sent them the other documentation with a cover letter that it was to be included with the rest of your application.

Hi BB2021,

My wife and I had to get the COC for Singapore and send the payment via bank draft. We did this only a few months ago back in February, and it was a HUGE pain in the ###.

For us, the Singapore Police Force would not accept payment in USD. In addition, contrary to what Teddy has mentioned, they did not accept wire transfers. I would recommend that before you spend time doing anything that you email them to check what is accepted or not. The ONLY option was to have a US bank draft denominated in Singaporean currency. Teddy has mentioned Wells Fargo, but if that doesn't work out, I was able to do it through Bank of America. I am an account holder there and they got me the bank draft for free, other than the fx conversion charges.

In addition, perhaps luckily for you, it looks like the process for requesting the COC is changing, effective TOMORROW (June 21, 2016). So hopefully they have made this more efficient than when I had to do this a few months ago. Refer to their website: http://www.police.gov.sg/news-and-publications/media-releases/20160618_others_ecoc_launch

But again because it looks like they've changed the process, you are going to want to check their new instructions online and email them if there are any points of confusion. Given the process has changed, I would rely less on what people are telling you on this forum and just ask the Police Force directly. In my experience, they are reasonably responsive to emails.

Thank you so much for this information and advice! It's very much appreciated! If we provided all paystubs from his current job, would it be from this year only or should we include the ones from last year too?

It's just the two of us but he does have a roommate, that's not factored in correct?

I think we'll include his bank balances to have extra peace of mind, and we are hoping to have a plan B in a co-sponsor if we need it!

Sorry, I think I misread your original post and somehow thought that your fiance only started this current job for a few months. If you have the tax return from last year, which already shows that he is making above the requirement then that should be sufficient. He could include the last couple paystubs (maybe the last 3 to 5) for additional documentation, but with the tax return, I don't think he will need to provide a whole years worth of paystubs.

The roommate doesn't count, so household size would be 2.