snowcat

1 minute ago, Allie D said:

I would apply for it just in case. There are no extra filing fees if you apply with your I-485 and the form is straightforward. There's no way to predict how long it will take for your I-485 to get approved. It can take anything from a few months to over a year, even if you got here with a K-1 visa and have thus already been vetted to some extend.

Ok, that's good advice. I'll prolly just go ahead and do that too. Thanks!

12 minutes ago, Allie D said:

Advance Parole, which will allow you to leave and re-enter the USA while your I-485 application is still pending. Here's more information from USCIS: https://www.uscis.gov/i-131

Ohh. I don't think it's necessary in our case since I don't plan on exiting the USA any time soon (i.e., this year)... but how long does it usually take until I get my green card? That may change my decision as I do want to go back to the Philippines early next year.

5 hours ago, Allie D said:

You don't need to submit a certified true copy of your birth certificate with your AOS packet. A photocopy will do. Bring the certified true copy to your I-485 interview (if you are given one - some people are approved without).

 

Tax returns for the most recent year (2016) are fine. That's what my husband, the petitioner, submitted.

 

I didn't adjust from a K-1 visa so I can't comment on your other questions. It might be a good idea to include more supporting evidence (e.g. wedding pictures, rental lease in both of your names, joint utility bills, proof that your spouse has added you to employer-provided benefits, etc). Since you got married recently, you might not have had a chance to accumulate such evidence.

 

People who adjusted from K-1 will have more insight. Good luck!

Helpful info, thank you!

5 hours ago, yutekao said:

Just send a certified copy of your marriage license if you can so you don't have to take a chance of getting a RFE.

 

since you are filing AOS from K-1....You do not need to overload the package with pictures...etc.

 

For the vaccination record, just send in a copy of your DS-3025 will be fine, just make sure on the DS-3025 the bottom it says "COMPLETE"

 

For the tax returns...Only 2016 will be fine. 

 

Good Luck!

Yes, will be submitting a certified copy of my marriage certificate/license. Just my birth certificate will be a photocopy.  

Thanks!

5 hours ago, kris.n said:

You're not applying for AP as well?

What is AP? 

Hi all! I'm about to file for my AOS (I am currently on K1 visa, just got married last week, May 1st, and already got a certified copy of my marriage certificate!) and would greatly appreciate if you all could check my cover letter to make sure I have everything right. I'm a nervous wreck when it comes to important things like this so having you guys reassure me will greatly benefit my nerves haha.

Some notes (please let me know if I got any of these wrong!):

• I am planning to submit only a photocopy of my birth certificate - will a certified copy be required? I already submitted a certified copy during my interview in Manila, which the USCIS still has (they took it along with my other docs at POE), so I'm assuming I don't need to submit another certified copy... 
• I am not submitting the I-693 because my DS-3025 from my medical in the Philippines (which indicates that all my vaccinations are complete) is still valid until November 2017. Correct?
• For the I-797 date, I used the "NOTICE DATE" - is that right?
• I'm only submitting a copy of my husband's income tax returns for the current tax year (2016), since I understand copies the past years' tax returns is not necessary.

THANK YOU <3

*      *      *

{MY NAME}

{MY ADDRESS}

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

USCIS

Attn: FBAS 131 South Dearborn - 3rd Floor
Chicago, IL
60603-5517

May 9, 2017

Nature of the submission: I-485 - Immediate Relative (Spouse) Family Based Adjustment of Status Application

To Whom It May Concern:

Enclosed please find my Form I-485, Immediate Relative (Spouse) Family Based Adjustment of Status Application, and supporting documents as follows:
 

-       G-1145 – Form for E-notification of Application/Petition Acceptance

-       Payment in the amount of $1,225.00 payable to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (for both the I-485 filing fee and biometrics fee)

-       I-485 - Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, signed & dated: May 8, 2017

-       Copy of birth certificate

-       Copy of K1 visa in passport

-       2 passport photos

-       Copy DS-3025 – Vaccination record, dated: November 22, 2016

-       G-325A - Biographic Information, including residence and employment attachment

-       I-864 - Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the Act, completed by May 9, 2017

• Copy IRS Tax Transcript for 2016 tax year

-       I-765 – Application for Employment Authorization

• 2 passport photos

-       Copy of I-797 - Notice of Action, Approval of K1 petition, dated August 31, 2016

-       Copy of Marriage certificate, issued May 9, 2017

-       Copy of I-94 – Arrival/Departure record

-       Photocopy of passport biographical details page

-       Photocopy of K-1 visa

-       Photocopy of USA entry stamp dated February 28, 2017

Copies of documents submitted are exact photocopies of unaltered documents and I understand that I may be required to submit original documents to an Immigration or Consular officer at a later date.

Signed,

{NAME}

Mobile: (xxx) xxx-xxxx

Great, thanks everyone! I just checked and my DS-3025 has a check mark on "COMPLETE vaccinations", so I will just be submitting this. Thanks again!

Hi all,

My St. Luke's medical exam/vaccination record (DS 3025) is still valid until November 2017 (a year after I had my medical in the Philippines). Does this mean I don't need to submit form i-693 (medical form) for my AOS anymore? Our vaccines at SLEC are considered complete, right? Or are there other vaccinations I have to undergo here in the US?

Thanks.

My medical examination/vaccination record from my K1 requirements in the Philippines (St. Luke's Medical) form DS 3025 is still valid until November 2017 and I will be sending my AoS packet before May 2017 ends. Does that mean I only have to submit the form DS 3025 and not fill out i-693? Or do I still need to fill out some parts of the i-693 and attach my DS 3025 to it?

Thanks!

Married the love of my life last Monday, May 1st. <3 I should be able to get my marriage certificate in a week! I know this question will probably make me sound like a dumbass, but I just wanted to double-check: upon receiving my marriage certificate, I do the Adjustment of Status stuff FIRST before anything else (i.e., legally changing my name, etc.), right? 

P.S. I'm on a K-1 visa and my 90 days are over on May 28

On 4/14/2017 at 5:56 AM, Arlyn91 said:

Hi Juliet,I had my interview April 06 and Co told me that my CR1 visa is approved and that I can go home,when I checked at CEAC is says REFUSED and we emailed Manila Embassy and call and they said that just erroneous update and told us also that our case is under administrative review when done they will email us once the case completed.how long does it take usually?

 

thank you and I will appreciate your response. 

I know it's not super helpful, but it really does differ per case, so we can't tell you how long it will take. Peronally, mine took around 2 weeks to get approved from AR.

Hi, I have been in the US for a bit over a month now and my fiance and I are planning to get married on April 29. My 90 days is over on May 28. I just read now that the certified copy of the marriage license may take 2-4 weeks to obtain... just worried that this may cause complications? Would the government be ok with that, given that we were actually married a ~month before the 90 days was over anyway?

My fiance and I are finally together in California (goodbye long distance!!!) and are researching the specifics of getting married. We are only going to do a civil wedding while in the US, as we want more time to plan out a more grandiose ceremony in the Philippines (where I am from), perhaps next year. Anyway, we have been together in San Francisco for a month now, which gives us 60 days left to get married!

Here's the thing, our friend got himself ordained online because he really wants to marry us. It started as a joke, but now that he's actually done it, we think it would be great if he married us instead of some random dude at City Hall. I did the research and it seems this is truly legal in California (correct me if I'm wrong?). 

So. Questions:

We know that getting a marriage license is the first step and we plan on scheduling that soon. I'm just a little confused on the details. Who needs to be present at the day of acquiring the marriage license? Just me and my fiance, or do we need to have the witnesses and our officiant there as well?

Once we get the marriage license, I understand we need to have a wedding ceremony within 90 days (which we'll obviously do much sooner since I only have 60 days left as per my K1 visa). Do we have to do this at City Hall, or anywhere, now that we have our friend officiating our marriage? Like, can my fiance, my 2 witnesses, and our officiant just find a spot by the Golden Gate Bridge and get married right then and there, and have it be a legal wedding? Cause if the only requirement after the ceremony is for all of us (my fiance and I, witnesses, and officiant) to sign the license, that should be counted, no? Are there other requirements we need to consider?

Thanks! 

2 hours ago, JQ85 said:

Nervous because we're submitting our visa packet tomorrow! I was told you do not need a ton for the initial submission - that "passport stamps/boarding passes etc" plus photos is best of all...

 

1. I was originally only going to include 5-6 photos along with my boarding passes/itinerary/passports stamps.. No emails etc.. What do you guys think? I was actually advised against loading too heavy submitting first to Texas (lockbox)..

 

2. Photos - just attach with... Tape? (I wrote brief captions of the dates/places)... 

 

*Im nervous because every submission is so different.. Some people go nuts, include 30 emails and 9 pages of photos... I was told a few photos and my passport stamps (hard proof of being together in the last 2 years) is what theyre really after (before the interview)...

 

I have it organized and Im just going to paperclip it together.. Will this be fine?

 

thank you guys, appreciate the advice!!

Don't be so nervous, you'll be fine!

I also am from the Philippines and helped my fiance arrange our visa packet while I was in the U.S. a week before heading back to Manila. I just attached 6 total pictures (don't send in too many - I think they only want 5 pics max, but I put another extra one just in case - I was as paranoid as you are now lol). Pick the best pictures you have together. I personally chose ones that showed we were both in the U.S. or the Philippines (tourist attractions and what not) to show that we have been in each other's countries together. I also attached some boarding passes and copies of the pages of our passports with the stamps. I don't think I put any emails or texts - they usually don't care as long as your other pieces of evidence (photos, travel docs, etc) are legit enough. I paperclipped the photos together, as well as the documents. No staples or tape.

Just make sure you have ALL the required documents! Have you been checking the guide visajourney has for the packet? There's a checklist there that I made sure to follow when assembling our packet last year: http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1guide and it served me well! Be sure to have all those items + the check for the fee in your packet! 

4 hours ago, malene1207 said:

Hi .... errrmmm may i know what does CFO means?

 

Hi! It stands for Commission on Filipinos Overseas. They host seminars that every migrating Filipino needs to attend. For my seminar, they mostly talked about adjusting to life in the USA and where to go/who to call in case of abuse. They also are trying to minimize human trafficking, so they do a short interview (much simpler than the USEM one, of course) to see if you and your partner really are legit, and that you (assuming you are the Filipino immigrating) are in safe hands. 

This is their website: http://www.cfo.gov.ph/

You are required to attend the seminar and receive a certificate and sticker on your passport (once you have your K1 visa), otherwise you will not be able to board the plane!

21 minutes ago, Haltech007 said:

Ours was very fast

01/26/16....Interview

01/27/16....CFO

02/01/16....Visa Issued
02/02/16....Visa in Hand 

Congrats!!

1 hour ago, dblackhawk said:

My fiancee and I received AP status on January 23, 2017. Status changed to READY on January 26 then updated on 31st again to READY. It has not updated again since then and is still on READY. This seems like an awfully long time to wait for 2nd AP Status or ISSUED. any suggestions ? I have been waiting here in the Philpines since Sept and we really want to go home. Thanks.

 

Mine took 3-4 days before it switched to ISSUED, but it's different for everyone. I was as anxious as you while waiting for my visa, so I totally get it! But Sagot is right, we just really need to be more patient. It'll come soon enough.  

3 hours ago, karenjene said:

hi snowcat.. did you receive ur visa already?? I had my interview last January 25, and they asked me for my NBI with AKA.. I sent it already yesterday via 2go.. How long did you wait before you received your visa? Thank you

Hi karenjene! Yes, I got my visa last week!  It took almost 3 weeks after my visa interview to get my visa. Here's a quick timeline of my 221g experience: 

January 6, 2017 - Interview, 221g issued for NSO birth certificate

January 10, 2017 - My birth certificate arrived, sent it right away via official courier service of US Embassy Manila

January 12, 2017 - USEM received my birth certificate

January 24, 2017 - Visa ISSUED (accdg to CEAC)!

January 26, 2017 - Received text from courier saying passport is ready for pick-up. Picked-up on same day!

On 1/30/2017 at 0:05 PM, Rosekyle12345 said:

Wow congrats to u! Mine im still waiting it getting 3week this week and it update my date status 5 times already today jan 30 i hope they gonna approve it soon

Thank you! I am very excited to be reunited with my fiance.  I can't take much more of this long distance! I do hope you get yours soon enough. They updated my CEAC status around 3-4 times before it finally said "Issued".

10 hours ago, Rosekyle12345 said:

Did u receive ur visa Already snow cat?

Yes!  Quick summary of my 221g waiting period:

January 6, 2017 - Interview, 221g issued for NSO birth certificate

January 10, 2017 - My birth certificate arrived, sent it right away via official courier service of US Embassy Manila

January 12, 2017 - USEM received my birth certificate

January 24, 2017 - Visa ISSUED (accdg to CEAC)!

January 26, 2017 - Received text from courier saying passport is ready for pick-up. Picked-up on same day!  

Trump has recently imposed a (nonsensical) ban on immigrants. Though aimed towards Muslim countries, I was just wondering if there was any chance it would affect people trying to enter/immigrate from other countries like the Philippines? I am leaving on February 27th on a K1 visa and am slightly worried of encountering some trouble or inconveniences because of this ban once I get to the U.S. Though from the articles I've read, it seems only those from predominantly Muslim countries are affected... (Which is still really sad and I wish the world would just get along sigh)

VISA IN HAND!

Updated 221g summary/timeline:

January 6, 2017 - Interview, 221g issued for NSO birth certificate

January 10, 2017 - My birth certificate arrived, sent it right away via 2GO

January 12, 2017 - USEM received my birth certificate

January 24, 2017 - Visa ISSUED!

January 26, 2017 - Received text from 2GO (Emerald Place, Shaw Blvd.) saying passport is ready for pick-up. Picked-up on same day.

Can't wait to finally see my fiance again!! LDR OVER! 

1 hour ago, Richlen said:

HI Rosekyle12345,

how did you send the additional docs that the embassy were asking for? Can we send from US directly to the US embassy address? Hopefully you can help me. I have the docs ready but I'm afraid how and where to send it. The email that I received from embassy is not complete on how to send the docs, they're just asking for the documents.

Did they give you a 221g letter? If not, I think I've read somewhere in this forum that you can use the email you got as in lieu of the 221g (best to call the USEM to make sure though). You will submit that along with your documents at any 2GO branch here in the Philippines. Unsure whether or not you can send it directly from the US. I think you may have to send it to your fiance/e (I'm assuming he/she is in the Philippines?) and he/she will have to send it via 2GO. 2GO will send it directly to USEM free of charge. I don't think there is another way to send directly to the USEM, as they go through 2GO for everything.

2 minutes ago, Arif87 said:

They did not ask for anything at all. The paper just said additional processing needed. I am starting to lose some faith that it will happen anytime soon. As I have read about people in AP for up to 28 month from Bangladesh.

That's so strange. I'd always thought that 221g meant further documents needed! I do hope you get an update soon. Uncertainty can sometimes be the worst.

3 hours ago, Sagot said:

Tracking info at the bottom of this page for embassy and 2GO

 

http://visaconnection-philippines.com/index.php/2-visa-process/3-usem-k-1-visa

Thanks as always, Sagot!