Shayney08

just incase anyone finds this thread looking for the same answer. The Interview was today, all went well. They do not do same day oaths, at the Tampa field office. We don’t have an exact date yet but the agent told us it would be in 3-4 weeks. 

Hello, sorry if this is the wrong sub for this. 

we’re finally getting ready for the naturalization interview and we have an appt scheduled in Tampa. 

My question is, does anyone know if Tampa does same day oath/swear in? I can see from this forum and other parts of the internet that some offices do same day yet results are non existent when I try to find info on the Tampa location. 

The only reason we’re curious is we are planning on having our small children (1 and 3y/o’s) stay at home with family while we go to the interview. but if the oath is same day, we’d like the kiddo’s to be there. 

Any input on the tampa office would be appreciated and help us to figure out what we should do. Thanks!

I see you have not been around the immigration process very long. Yes there are hoops to jump thru, but we as the petitioners can also voice our opinions and get the ones that really serve no purpose or just are plain stupid removed. It has been done in the past before you joined. Look at Document Verification about 10 years ago that all the petitioners had to go thru after the interview, it delayed and put everyone Administrative Review for about 45 day on average.

So sitting back and doing nothing is not the correct answer, there is power in numbers. It the people who complained and voiced their opinions that got it removed so others wouldn't have to go thru that silly process

Ok, but the jist I got from the seminar is that they make sure the immigrants know their rights and what they're entitled too... from a Filipino perspective. Its a one day thing, not a 45 day issue. So while I like the idea of speeding the process along, I dont see anything wrong with going through the CFO. Its not even like its a drain on the wallet either.. Just think if we're going to pick our battles, lets pick a good one and CFO is insignificant.

Wife went in to Clark CFO (today) and was in and out in about 15 minutes.. She wasnt required to do the seminar portion however since she had to go through that back when she changed her name to my last name. She only had to fill out the form and get the stamp.

visa is now in hand. picked up from 2go Dau

My wife has been going to the 'one stop shop for ofw's' in clark.. its not just for ofw's though, so feel free to stop in. I will say this, not all the branches are up and operational still. we're expecting to get her visa next couple days and after that she'll go do the cfo paperwork at clark, assuming they're up and running. I know for a fact she went up there for her NBI clearance and other odds and ends and was in and out real quick. please update if you end up going before we get a chance. thanks!

thanks we're both patiently waiting for the visa to come in the mail. cant wait!

Wife had her interview today (Nov 14th), I (the petitioner) came with her. Her appointment was for 7:30. Approximately 15 minutes before scheduled time we were allowed entry. Data entry, through fingerprinting went incredibly smooth. We were told by the 2nd window that I needed an affidavit of support from my mother, I told the lady there, that wasnt true, as the only thing my mom was doing was allowing us to rent a room while we looked for housing. Financially Im set so there was no need for her support. I think the lady just didnt know what was going on. She said she would make a note of it and the interviewer would make a final decision. I wasnt stressed about it, wife of course was. The longest part of this was waiting for an interview window, but even then it wasnt too too bad.. on a scale on 1 - DMV, i'd say it was a 4.

Things did get sketchy though, as we got to the interview window my wife was incredibly nervous and to be honest, the guy was rather impatient.. No issue with the affidavit of support. He did have an issue with proof of domicile (as wife and I currently live in PH). I provided a recent voters registration, which he didnt see until i told him it was in the package. Then he wanted further evidence.. banking info from the states. Which.. i swore up and down I had printed, but wasnt sure if it was in the package or not. I was going through our documents, and he sent us away to find it and submit it to the releasing window. So.. wifey didnt get the coveted 'your visa is approved'. I had to leave the embassy to print the banking document off a thumbdrive, returned and submitted it to the releasing window. Only to find out, the same document was already in the package. The guy just wasnt looking, kind of frustrating and a waste of time and money to get another printed. Upon leaving we were already emailed the 221g for further evidence of proof of domicile.

Wife was sad, but I remained optimistic as: 1. we already paid and 2. they retained her passport. I replied back to their email saying I wasnt sure if the 221g is email is auto generated or if the evidence we gave to the releasing window wasnt good enough. Obviously no response yet. However! the travel.state.gov site we checked this evening using the MNL number and it says its been approved and will be released in 7-10 working days. So long story short, its approved.. I think.. I'd imagine if it werent approved yet, the travel.state.gov site wouldnt say 'approved' but 'pending' or something along those lines.

All in all, the experience was fast. I really wish the guy could look at the documents submitted, sitting in front of him. However I should have known to tell him to look.

My only other issue with the process was while outside waiting in the immigration line. People kept urinating behind a tree. You could smell it and it was horrible. The amount of tiny biting flies meant i had to continuously move my legs or get bombarded with insects. I think if the guards actually looked up from the ground and enforced some basic rules (no urinating on embassy grounds for a start) the bugs wouldnt have been an as big of an issue. Also, to get in the line we needed to show the appointment letter. Which boggles my mind because we were harassed multiple times by beggars and the guards were really in an 'out of sight, out of mind' kind of mentality. I expect more, which isnt much.

I want to thank everyone here on vj for the help that has been provided through the whole process of crba/passport for our child through I-130, medical and interview. A special shout out to Philippines^Sagot, whom went above and beyond in assisting me with this process. Thanks again!

p.s. i made an effort to listen to the types of questions the interviewers were asking different people and can provide some feedback on that if requested. Take care.

updating and closure of this issue.

After multiple visits to DFA in Pampanga and San Fernando and were told her name 'wasnt allowed'. We were told to go to Bureau of Immigration (BI) for her Philippines Certificate of Citizenship. You can only do this at the main office in Manila.

Wife and baby go up to main BI office to get this paperwork handled and were told it takes 6 months. Since my wife is just finishing up her medical exam in the next couple days, the 6 month visa validity period was an issue so BI told us that we would end up having to pay ~30k peso for the childs...sigh.. 'tourist visa' dated from birth up until Feb 2017. They also told us "why dont you just take her US passport to DFA and get her PH passport", which we've tried at the provincial DFA branches previously to no avail.

Wifey goes off to main DFA office in Manila and gets the babys passport taken care of in about an hour. They saw the name, and asked if she was ok that the baby did not have her maiden name, wifey said it wasnt a problem and passport application was approved. They didnt ask if the baby has a CRBA/US passport and we did not disclose that info either.

Policies/regulations/laws are inconsistent not only between different government organizations but between different branches as well. Thanks for all that replied in assistance, thankfully this is finally resolved!

Is this what they're asking for? "Your appointment letter from the National Visa Center or an e-mail print-out of your appointment from the Visa Information and Appointment Service". I got this printout after registering our delivery address with http://www.ustraveldocs.com/ph/

I cannot read the entire Phil Family code for your convenience and justify the law to you. The naming convention for Filipinos is as is; that is not tradition nor optional since no one can opt not to use their mother's maiden name as their middle name. There are laws for legitimate child and illegitimate child in standard naming.

Never asked you too, but umm.. thanks? As for not using the mothers maiden name. i assure you it can happen. It has happened. It is optional.

As for everyone elses replies, thank you for the info. The kid is legitimate. I am going to elevate this with DFA in Manila. If I cant get the passport. I've found out that I can just get her Certificate of Philippines Citizenship and stick that in her US passport and we wont have to pay for the ECC.

It has been significantly easier to get my kids US citizenship than it is to verify her Philippines citizenship and this i find disturbing and backwater af.

Naming standard in the Philippines is: First name - given name; Middle name - Mother's maiden name; last name- father's family name. That is as per Philippine standard naming, the same problem encountered by some Filipinos born in the US that didn't use their Filipino mothers maiden name. That is as per family code of the Philippines.

Art. 174. Legitimate children shall have the right:

• (1) To bear the surnames of the father and the mother, in conformity with the provisions of the Civil Code on Surnames;

You can fight DFA on how come PSA/ NSO allowed the name of the child knowing the law. Since changing the name is not your option, you have to settle not getting a Philippine Passport for your child.

I'm fully prepared to forego the Philippines passport if needed. As for article 174, thanks for the info however I dont personally see the wording as indicative that you MUST use the mothers surname, only that the child has a right to use it. The law dictates usage of first and last names, and only states that you have to have a middle name. No law says middle name has to be a surname. Correct me if i'm wrong, please.. Its only a custom to use the mothers surname. Customs/traditions ≠ law. Thank you for the reply.

Philippines^Sagot,

I plan on getting the recognition as a filipino citizen if, after my wife goes to two other nearby DFA offices, this time suited up with all the legal evidence printed out for them. If after this attempt they still wont issue a passport then yes, that document is next in line. At ~12k peso though, i'd prefer to just get the passport. lol

I'm not one to pay bribes, but in this case what would happen if i included a 1k note with the forms at the DFA counter? Its not a measure I want to take but one I feel potentially forced to try.

Also, thank you for all the help you've provided since I've been a member here.

Why does your daughter need a Philippines passport? Can't she just leave on her US passport?

I'v posted this in regional discussion for a reason..

But FYI, no technically she doesnt need one. She can travel on her US passport just fine. Again, the reason this is posted to a regional forum is so i can ask people who know, not necessarily explain myself (not trying to be rude, just exhausted from all the running around) but if she only has her us passport she will need to get an exit clearance. This can be extremely costly. Having her Philippines passport allows her to leave the Philippines without having to pay overdue visa extensions, etc.. She's 6 months old, the cost will mount.

More importantly, she has a right by birth to a Philippines passport and as such should be issued one.

Our daughter, born in the Philippines, to her mother a Filipina and I, an American. Yet DFA wont issue a passport because our legitimate child does not carry her mothers maiden name. This is nonsense to me. Our childs name uses the "first, middle, last" naming format. one name for each slot, first middle and last. We have her NSO BC, our NSO MC, her CRBA and US Passport. My wife and child both have my last name. What does the mothers maiden name have anything to do with issuing our daughter a passport?? I've looked over the law, there is no dictation regarding middle name usage. In other words, its not mandatory to use the mothers maiden name.

I'm at a loss for what steps to take next. Nothing I've done has helped and no one seems to know what my next steps should be. I've contacted DFA via multiple methods and no reply. The only solution DFA has suggested is to change the name. Lets be clear, that will not happen. If the naming were a problem, then the PSA wouldnt allow it on the NSO BC. I just cant see logic in the reasoning from the DFA.

Thanks everyone!

Not sure what it looks like or what it is supposed to say. Can someone verify this is the Cenomar/Cemar document they will be asking my wife to show them? (see attachment). Thank you!

passport update:

The embassy emailed me on Oct 13th, notifying me that the passport was shipped via air21 on Oct 12th and to contact air21 for delivery info. I called Air21 on multiple occasions over 2 days and never got tracking info (the embassy didnt provide me with this either..) They kept saying they showed no package in transit to my address. Yet it arrived today, Oct 15th.

Only reason I"m updating this thread is incase others run into a similar situation and end up searching here.

In closing, we now have the CRBA and Passport for our child and are one step closer to getting out of here!

update: I called the embassy today and was told that indeed they are processed separately and they do not ship them together.

I follow your reasoning. The pictures are fine, I think they would have said something at the interview if they were not satisfied. If the CRBA came from the states I find two things odd, 1 the turn around was incredibly quick. Technically my package wasnt received until Sept 26 (after it was mailed via Air21 from the outreach in angeles to the embassy) and was issued on Sept 28th. I got it 10 days later on Oct 7. and second, the air21 package came from the Manila Embassy.

From my searches on these forums/other sites regarding the issue of CRBA/Passport I havent seen any post saying 'got the crba on date x and passport on date y'. Every post i've seen says "i got the crba and passport today".

Really, with today being Columbus day made it a 3 day weekend for the embassy which is driving my paranoia. The logical part of me wants to believe that the passport will arrive in another air21 package shortly. I will be calling tomorrow though.

Thank you for the reply!

Anyone experience this??

for the 2x2's i put 3 for the baby, 2 for the wife and 2 for me, on the scanner and put them all together on one page. not sure if this was required but i did it anyways. i didnt send the actual 2x2's in the mail.

@penguinie, yes i applied for and paid for both.

@peewee81, when i mailed off the package i sent all the requested documents, photocopies of evidence (birth certificates, etc..) and photos of the wife and i. I placed the photos in chronological order from when we first met, living together, through pregnancy, the delivery and growing up photos of the child with us.

CRBA came in the mail yesterday via Air21 but there was no passport. Im not sure how the process goes exactly... Maybe they dont start the passport process until the CRBA is issued. Which might explain why it wasnt shipped together. Or maybe they dont ship those items together incase 1 is lost in transit?

Although there was no passport there was the "with your U.S. Passport, the world is yours!"pamphlet. I do find it odd, that they included this pamphlet with the CRBA yet no passport was included.

Any info appreciated!

Update:

After mailing off all the requested copies to the Embassy, they called us a couple days later to inform us that no appt was available until mid october, and that we should attend the US Embassy Outreach program at the Lewis Grand Hotel in Angeles City. I went in at 5am to sign in, for CRBA I was the first on the list. The staff at the hotel informed me to return at 8 (be there much earlier!).

They were scheduled to start at 8am. When I arrived again at 7:30 I was informed they had already called our name several times and I argued that this was all supposed to happen at 8 and I'm even 30 minutes early. They accepted us after they finished the person they were already helping.

Once one embassy employee looked through our paperwork to verify, i was instructed to pay (bring exact change to the outreach.) after paying we were shuttled off for the interview where wife and I, along with baby were seen personally and asked a few typical questions (who/what/when/where/why/how's of our relationship). My wife and I both swore an oath and were told every thing was in line and to take the documents over to the air21 table to fill out mailing forms and pay the shipping fee.

We were out of there in about an hour.

To anyone considering going to the Embassy Outreach in Angeles, here are some tips I want to empasize:

-Be there to sign up early, the embassy (when they called me) recommended I be there at 6-6:30. I was there at 5, and wasnt the only one.

-If you dont have to leave, dont.. they didnt seem to stick to there start time, probably in an attempt to help more people

-If you are driving, Lewis Grand Hotel has almost zero parking, be prepared to park down the street and walk back up.

-Bring exact change. The Outreach doesnt take credit cards. They do take US Dollars and Peso. They do not offer change and they cant "keep the change" so it HAS to be exact.

-Be prepared for a ton of people, we only had standing room and its incredibly loud and hard to hear the names being called over the loud speaker or the embassy staff sitting in front of you.

-They post outreach dates here: https://ph.usembassy.gov/category/messages-for-us-citizens/

-For Embassy Outreach, and filing CRBA/US passport for a child, you do not need to mail in the documents first, you can just go to the outreach.