Zippydoodah

When you have your interview ask for a i-551 stamp in your passport if you are concerned about travel. I had an out of date GC and it was not a problem getting a stamp to cover me until my passport arrived after the oath ceremony.

Hi Peachtree,
I am very sorry to hear about your girlfriend's interview.
I suggest a couple of things:
 
1) make an appointment with a lawyer for consulting on the issue.
2) make an appointment at the field office and and file a complaint about the Interviewing Officer if the Officer was rude.
3) do nothing, wait for the interview, and if it is the same Officer, tell your girlfriend to politely ask for a supervisor, and then ask your girlfriend to tell the supervisor that she would like a different officer to interview her, because the current officer is rude.
 
It seems to me that the Interviewing Officer was quite rude to your girlfriend, because the Officer said that she cannot "repeat" a question.
 
I would strongly recommend my first suggestion........talking to a lawyer, 

In some ceremonies, there are reps from Social Security, US Dept of State and Elections  board,  you can apply for your passport after the ceremony provided you have all that is required - form (duly accomplished), fee (MO or checque),  photograph and the Naturalization Certificate (signed by you) and you have been sworn in ( On top of being sworn in as a citizen). It is mentioned in the letter if those will be available on the day of your ceremony.  So one-stop shop to: update Social Security status, register to vote and....apply for passport.

Hi everyone. I attended my ceremony yesterday and the good news is there was no video speech from the president, and no president's signature on the certificate! It was in a courtroom with 30 other applicants from 19 different countries. The judge gave a very heartfelt speech stating that he and the state of Vermont accept and welcome (especially) Muslims and people from all countries and all religions as we all enrich the environment. I could have kissed him! Haha
 
Today I registered to vote and sent off my passport application so the long journey is at the end. Hang in there everyone who is still waiting. Be thankful we are all (almost) at the end of the journey, and not stuck in immigration hell like others have been going through, and what others will go through in the future. I hope to give back locally and reach out to charity groups that may need help dealing with this system that is no doubt only going to get tougher and nastier in years to come. Good wishes to you all!

I am from the Philippines and I want to share with you my experience then maybe, you can get some insight from it. My dad went through annulment just to marry my filipina mom. Since dad's first marriage happened in the Philippines, also with a filipina. My father has money but that has nothing to do with the annulment's approval. It took 6 years for my father's annulment to happen finally. I on the other hand also got married at the age of 18 in the Philippines. Tried annulment but so many requirements that I cannot meet. There can only be certain reasons that annulment can be approved in the Philippines. I finally just decided to file for divorce here in the USA so I can marry my now husband. If you have the time, do your own research and do NOT believe everything that this lady is telling you because she is obviously lying through her teeth. 6 months then annulment can be approved? That is pure baloney. You are young and it breaks my heart that you are going through this. Listen to all the advices in this thread. If someone lies to you about a thing this big, that someone can most definitely do it again. RUN, fast! 

I'm sorry this has happened to you. I am from Philippines and I can tell you that what your fiancée told you was a lie. First of all you do not need a marriage license for her to process her son's birth certificate at the hospital unless she was married to the father. There are kids that are born out of wedlock in the Philippines and such paperworks are not necessary. I don't want to judge her because I know few women who really just want to start a new life and move on from previous relationship. But it is not an excuse for her to lie to you and wait until up to this point. It seemed like she try her way around this situation and just hope that things will go her way but it didn't worked out. I know that you spent a lot already for her but I think it's best to re-assess your relationship with her. It's not fair to you to be paying the annulment for her and plus she was not honest with you in the beggining. What makes you think she will not lie to you about other things? This is a difficult situation for you and I hope you will think hard about it before making any sudden decision. Sometimes we need to take a step back to see clearly. If you really love her and she loves you she will owned up her mistakes and won't rush you into making decision. You will recover the loss that you spent working for her visa but if you pursue into helping her with the annulment you will spend much more than you can possibly think. Philippines is not known for having a fast process of things. Even wealthy people takes years for them to have it finalize. goodluck and I hope you decide wisely. 

I would agree with this. I dont buy the story of "just signing the paperworks at the hospital" to make the processing of her kid's birth certificate easier. I am from Philippines and obtaining a marriage license in Philippines is not as easy and quick as compared in U.S. She is obviously married and she hid that fact from you. In Philippines, you cannot get a marriage license in just 2days. 
You have to attend a pre-wedding seminar. And if you are 25years old and below, you need parent's advice/consent. 
 
What I am trying to say is... Marriage in Philippines is a long complex process. One cannot simply say, I didnt know I was married. I signed something and I didn't know it's a marriage thing. Philippines is semi-conservative. Having a baby before marriage is not socially accepted on some parts of the country and so some rush into marriage knowing that there is a baby on the way. It's still planned marriage though. 

OP,
I think you are getting scammed.  I know it seems like she's the only girl in the world, and you will never find anybody else, the reality is that there are plenty of women for you. 
 
I would consider forgetting to tell me that she was married as a deal breaker, i.e. IMMEDIATE TEMINATION. 
 
Try testing her.  Tell her that you are looking for a new job that can transfer you to her country.  Forget moving to the US, and see what she says.  At first, she may act all cool about it, but keep it going for a while (make up interviews, etc) and I'll bet that eventually she'll show her true colors. 

If you were my son I would be slapping you on the back of your head (no disrespect).
 
If you were my brother I would be taking you out for a few drinks and telling you to move on.
 
But since I can only go by what you posted here I will say that I agree that you need to take a step back. There is nothing wrong with loving someone. But don't allow that love to blind you. In your first post you put all the blame on the "sperm donor". Now you are realizing that she is actually married. You are calling him a poor father. How do you know this if you are not there with her. He could be sitting in another room watching TV while you Skype with her. We have seen it before on VJ.
 
This was NOT, I repeat, NOT A MISUNDERSTANDING. She willingly withheld that vital information from you until there was no way but to admit it. Now you are unsure of other information that she may be not telling you. You are young so you have plenty of time to seek a life with someone who does not hide aspects of her life. This is not the end of the world. 
 
As for moving forward, as mentioned, an annulment is not going to be quick and easy ESPECIALLY with a legitimate child involved. You have to weigh the options whether investing time, money, and more emotion, for something that has a cloud of uncertainty over it.

You say that you are middle class, but can't afford 100k pesos?  My understanding is that this is about 2k usd, right?  
 
I agree with taking a step back right now.  First, if you can't even put 2k aside, you aren't ready to take on the responsibility of supporting an immigrant and her child. When that child comes here, it becomes your responsibility as a step parent, don't mess up that kid's life.
 
Secondly, as others have pointed out, she lied to you about being married.  That isn't a minor oversight at all.

You are not the first and you will not be the last.

Congratulations Kireinamida! I wish I could have the ceremony same day. Enjoy the freedom!