jm302music

Hey, JessDak, I'm very sorry to hear about your situation. It's stressful enough just accomplishing the monumental task of being together in the first place. Adding marriage difficulties on top of that just makes the situation so much worse.
I URGENTLY recommend marriage counseling right away. If your wife doesn't agree to go, then go by yourself. Having a (professional) listening ear to talk with about these issues will give you much more hope and happiness. Even if somehow the marriage doesn't last, you will at least have gained some new life happiness tools out of your conversations with the counselor.
My fiancee and I are already planning to go to counseling right away when the day finally arrives that she can move here. We both realize that she will experience some level of sadness and stress over the extreme culture shock, separation from her family, ongoing immigration tasks and costs, etc. Counseling just provides such an excellent framework for discussing things that are sometimes difficult to discuss at home.

Very nice, where's the beach at?

very nice

Very lovely!!!

Best advise for long distance relationship, especially from The Philippines, if they ask for money RUN!!! Good Filipina's won't ask for money. Follow the advice from others. There are no refunds so that money is gone. Don't give up as there is someone for you. Good luck.

Thanks so much to the wonderful people on this forum. We would had not made it without the help we received on this forum. It took us a little over 6 months to get here from the mailing of the 129 packet.
For the interview. It was a cake walk. They asked about birthdays and how we met. The interviewer looked at the 129 packet I submitted and looked at a few photos. He asked how we were introduced again and Rea told him it was through a family friend. He said ok.... congratulations.....your approved. What is weired he did not look at any of our on going relationship documents and did not even ask for any financial documents proving my income. Actually he didn't even ask for the financial form I had to fill out and sign. We were a little shocked regarding that. But we are very relieved to be past that step of this journey.
Now we are on CFO. She is closer to the Cebu one. I am just starting to research. Any tips would be appreciated
Thanks again to everyone.
Kyle and Rea

The OP has a different visa category than you so the process is alot different and quicker than yours. The OP did a K-1 (fiance visa) and you're doing a cr1/ir1 (spousal visa)

Congratulations!
They have already looked at your 129F submission before your interview. Once in the interview they pretty much know what their decision is going to be. Unless something is a miss during the interview their decision has been made. So going through all your documents, looking at your pictures is not always seen as dismissing your work. The Embassy letter states that the financial information may be needed so be prepared. They haven't been asking for financial information for the past 2 years so it's not unusual for you to say that it's weird. What's weird is in the EL they are very ambiguous in their wording which causes confusion. I and others always recommend that you be prepared in the event they ask for those documents.
From the Embassy Letter:
EVIDENCE OF SUPPORT. You should be able to demonstrate that you will not become a public charge
or burden on the U.S. taxpayers for financial support. A completed I-134 Affidavit of Support Form may be
useful to the consular officer to evaluate your petitioner’s ability to be financially responsible for you. You
may also be asked to submit your petitioner’s most recent U.S. Federal income tax return (Form 1040) and
wage statements (Form W-2). Employment letters stating salaries and bank statements may be included to
substantiate the I-134. Download Form I-134 at http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis

The OP is processing through the Philippines and things are different for each Embassy. I recommend that you seek out the sub-forum for Jamaica and the information will be a little more true to your process. As has been stated they are chasing a K-1 visa and you a CR1. Totally different process and times vary by each.

Congratulations on your approval !

Greetings, VJ friends!

I apologize to you right off for the shameless plug for my song. But, on a deeper level, I think some of you may find that this song captures the feeling of your journey as well. And I really just wanted to share this with the community, as I feel a bond with all of you going through this same journey.

I visited my (then) girlfriend last December to propose to her. That was the most beautiful week of my life.

At the end of our time together in the marvelous warm sunshine, I returned home to the dark, cold, dreary winter of Oregon, not knowing when we'd be together again. During the long flight home, I wrote this song about her, then shot a video within a couple of weeks after returning.

While the song (and video) capture the literal climate difference between the brightness and warmth of our two homes, the true meaning of the song is that the "bright side of the world" is anywhere that she and I are together.

Anyway, thanks for putting up with my shameless plug! I hope you like the song. Here's a link to the video -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKu3SvqCBfg

Joel

Manila is a jungle (no offense meant manileños), cebu should be okay. Its got a little bit of everything. Good food, city life & ver nice beaches and not that expensive and crowded compared to manila. That should keep you busy if ever that person doesnt show up. Do not give her cash, i repeat do not give her cash lol. And dont fall into the "i need to bring my cuzin with me" line...

I think everyone thinks he should meet, just in a more controlled way, and less risk

No skype? Ask her if she has facebook. My experience is that every man woman and child in the Philippines has a fb account. If they dont then its only because they dont want you to see it.
Just like Joel i have a lot of experience with scammers. Oh the stories i could tell lol

It will not affect your K1 visa, but it will affect your life because your fiance is an alcoholic.

Glad someone else said it. You want to marry someone who's been CAUGHT three times drunk driving? And that's three times CAUGHT, nevermind all the other times they were drunk driving and nobody was the wiser.
In Texas, the third DWI is a felony. So, you are marrying a felon.
In Texas, someone who is convicted of a DWI could face a $10,000 fine, two-ten years in prison, and complete no fewer than 80 hours of community service. The convicted may serve time in a drug rehab in lieu of spending time in jail. Your fiance will have to pay as much as $2000 a year for 3 years to keep his driver's license -- IF he's allowed to keep his driver's license.
Mark my words - this is a FELONY. Almost 10,000 people every year are killed in a car accident involving a drunk driver. Your fiance made a decision at least three times that could have easily killed someone. Your question was, "Will this affect us?" Even IF the USCIS and the embassy don't care, YES, this problem will affect you!!! Do you want to be the passenger in a car driven by a drunk driver? Do you want to have a police officer come to your door in the middle of the night saying that your husband killed himself in a car accident? Or do you want to see your husband on trial for killing someone's child, spouse, or parent because he was driving drunk? No? Then you really need to re-think this. Because yes, alcoholism WILL affect you.

3 dwi - this is someone with a serious problem. 1, ok fine lesson learned. 3 is a huge redflag, this person has no regard for their life or others. Walk away.

No problem Joel. The fee for the car service is comparable to other services (maybe a tiny bit more) but they are waiting for you with a name sign! I'll pay a few more peso for that kind of security. IF they do not offer a car service to St. Lukes then they will flag a taxi outside the hotel. I am sure that they know what to look for. Oh. The rooms are about $68.00 per night USD.

I would echo other comments here and say that you don't need to hire an attorney to get the K-1 done. The step-by-step process descriptions on this site are extremely helpful, and the other members are even more helpful!
Just read the steps carefully, ask questions here when you get stuck, and just keep putting one foot in front of the other. You'll get there! Good luck to you both in your journey!
Joel

Joan and I always stay at the Lotus Garden Hotel. It is pretty close to St. Lukes. Joan stayed there by herself when she went through the medical process three years ago. Thy also have a VERY reliable car service (they waited for us at the airport for 3 hours one time!) if you don't want her to deal with taxis to and from the airport and/or to and from St. Lukes. We were just back to Manila in June and the area is not great. However, Lotus Garden is very safe. Good luck!

It's rare that it can be done in one day so go with the expectation that it will be two days. Be sure to have a copy of the DS160 for check out.

She should still get there early!! My fiancee got there around 6am and was done with everything around 1pm. She left with the sealed envelope. She stayed at the Hotel Sorente which is across the street from St. Lukes. Good Luck!!

it's also better to go on a Tuesday. It's much less crowded. Monday is the worst because of all the kids getting the TB test done.

Joel,
St. Luke's is the only place to do it. Make sure she goes online and register's. It will make the process much faster. Also my fiancee was done in 1 day. Tell her not to worry. She went two weeks ago and it was very simple and easy.