Glen Charles

I am posting this on behalf of another person.

"I filed an I-130 6 years ago, and had it approved, but I moved because I lost my lease and ended up residing with my husband in the other country.

The NOAs and the package was never forwarded to me.

I have read that an approved I-130 never expires.

I have a copy of it (retrieved via FOI request) but NVC seems to be unaware of my case. What do I do?"

My friends fiance in the Philippines has a child from a previous marriage whom we would like to bring along.

I have read and understand the procedure to do the fiance visa. No big deal. Friends of ours have done it.

I know kids do come with their moms, but I don't understand what starts the process. One person told me it was kind of automatic, that if you fill out the I129F mentioning a child, that paperwork for the child would be sent to him. But we don't want to risk screwing up.

They have permission from the dad, notarized and all that.

He can't really afford a lawyer.

How does it work?

It is critical that people live in the district where they vote.

Kansas became a slave territory because of people who provided false addresses, who flooded in on election day from Missouri.

No one lives in a foreclosed home.

Anyone who claims one as an address is lying about where they live.

Preventing them from voting is fair and right.

I met my wife on a website that was there to arrange marriages. She managed a small internet cafe and we chatted for 8 hours a day for 7 months before I went to visit.

In truth, I married a woman who was young and pretty, and poor. I don't think there is anything wrong with it though- its a win win win kind of situation for us both.

I was married before, to an American woman, never spent near as much real time chatting with her before we married.

There is a perception among some Americans, including coworkers of mine, that I somehow took advantage, that I did something wrong.

TODAY THE CONGRESSMANS OFFICE INFORMED ME THAT THE EMBASSY HAS JEAN AND I ON AR BECAUSE THEY DO NOT BELIVE OUR RELATIONSHIP IS REAL. I HAVE BEEN THERE TWICE IN THE PAST YEAR. SEND MONEY REGULARLY, SHE HAS MY ATM CARD, I PAID FOR BRACES ON HER TEETH, BOUGHT HER A NEW HONDA SCOOTER. WE HAD A CHURCH WEDDING WITH ABOUT ONE HUNDRED FIFTY PEOPLE PRESENT. HAVE HUNDREDS OF WEDDING PICTURES. PICTURES OF OUR HONEYMOON, PICTURES OF ME INTERACTING WITH HER FAMILY. I HAVE MET AND BEEN TO THE HOME OF THE MAYOR IN THE TOWN WHERE SHE LIVES.

I AM DISTRAUGHT, DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS. PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT THE EMBASSY HAS NOT RETURNED HER OASSPORT OR RETURNED OUR PAPERS TO USCIS.

PLEASE HELP US

john&Jean

I am assuming there was something suspicious about one of you, that has not been mentioned here. I can't believe they just flip a coin.

I just spoke to my Philippine Fiance. She went through the interview process. She was told her NBI needed more of an explanation as too why it says she has no criminal record. She went to the NBI and offered the man money to fix it so he can add an explanation. She says she has to pay the person 20000 pesos to fix the NBI. Any advice as to what I should do since this is a bribe. I do not want to pay the fee, but I am told that this is the way it is in the philippines.

Robert

I would worry about the honesty of the fiance, personally, but maybe I am just paranoid.

When I hear about having to send tons of money to a fiance, it makes my ears perk up. Know of several guys who have been burned that way.

You may be able to get a tourist visa if you are exceedingly rich by Philippines standards, and can prove it.

By rich, I mean that you need to be able to prove you own a substantial business or have millions of pesos saved up and can prove it.

It isn't that the US is full of snobs who only want rich people to come visit. Its just that immigration needs some assurance that you are likely to return to the philippines and not skip out.

I have also heard that it helps if you have certain family characteristics. Lets say you have decent money in the Philippines, are a 70 year old grandmother with all your kids and grandkids in the Philippines. You are likely to return to the Philippines.

i have a question and please no one take offense. if u guys had american wifes and thier family was poor would u help them out every month or would u just say...its time they get off their lazy butts and get jobs to take care of them selves but when u get filipeon wives no one has a problems supporting their families?

this seams to be the american attitude....they can get a job why should we support them but that attitude changes when they marry some foreign woman.

just wondering?

In America, no one is in danger of actual starvation or complete lack of medical care or complete lack of meaningful education. Welfare and other social systems keep those things from happening. So its easy to tell an american freeloader to screw off, or to tell a poor relative "no". No one will die of it.

In my wifes village, kids actually die of the mumps because no one can afford the vaccinations or medical treatment.

They are supposed to get free shots from the government, but the corrupt people that offer the shots demand money. Millions of Filippinos do without enough food, and some die of it.

That being said, it does seem that Americans respect hard work more than Filipinos. It is common and accepted to live off of a wealthy relative in the Philippines. In America, people do live off of relatives, but its something to be ashamed of.

Yeah, I remember these questions:

* We have to clean our own table? (after a year, she still thinks it makes no sense)

* At home: How do I get the shower to come on?

* Old people have jobs? (she was relieved at this one- old people in the phil can have it hard)

* At Wal-Mart: They let you check your own stuff? How do they know you won't steal it?

* They let you put the gas in your car yourself?

* What is that like a rat in the tree? Answer: squirrel

Also, whispered at Walmart "why is everybody so fat?"

My friend is engaged to a friend of my wife, and she went through medical the other day.

Some how, she ended up not getting a vaccine- I don't think they required it for some reason, at least at this point.

Everyone is concerned.

She is not pregnant.

Does anyone know why they would not have required her to get a vaccine at ST Lukes? I thought it was SOP.

Gary, that was a wonderful reply!

Is it true that some International Marriage Brokers give free air fare if the woman is over 35 years of age?

Obama

Happy you got your issues resolved.

Just to pile on:

There are plenty of travel companies that are not based in Asia that will be happy to take your money.

I used Orbitz.com

You can get hotels and plane tickets there.

Also, I had my credit cards and debit cards with a local credit union. They barely seem aware that other countries exist- they don't even charge extra for foreign debit transactions like some major banks do. I did call them up and told them ahead of time that I was going to the PI so that they would not react if any red flags came up.

If you want to send money, I found that the cheapest way was to just send a debit card. My only problem with that was that the ATM has to be on the Plus or Cirrus network, which is rare on her home island of Leyte. I ended up using Xoom.com, which is a lot cheaper than Western Union and a lot more available there.

Think about the single 40 year old American women you know.

What's that supposed to mean?

The average single 40-year-old woman has at least a couple of kids, a career she cares a great deal about, has been in damaging relationships that have made them bitter or at least suspicious, does not want to have kids, etc.

Odds are, if you look at the single 40 year old women around you, you would agree.

Well, I am not sure what you know about biology, but most 40 year old women are at the end of their fertility road. The eggs are poorer in quality, the risk of Down's syndrome shoots up astronomically, it is just harder to have children in general without drastic measures. If a woman already has children and is fine with that, why take the risk? This is true world over of all women world over. I think that is a poor argument to complain about American women with because it is biology not culture. I am confused as to why you would be concerned that a divorced woman with probably grown or nearly grown children would have a career. What else should she be doing with her time? Collecting welfare and eating bonbons while she waits for you to support her instead?

I am sure the dating pool of 40 year old American men is not much different, particularly the the bitter and suspicious part.

I think that there becomes a problem at the 'what' a person is supposed to be vs. 'who' a person really is.

I am not saying that there is anything wrong with 40 year old American women in general.

I just don't want to marry one, for the reasons stated above.

In America, because I was an average 40 year old schmuck, I had trouble meeting women who were of a more fertile age who did not have children, bitterness, suspicion, or careers that came before all else.

Well I dont like their Business practices but they are right across from the Embassy so I might have to live with it.

Their current rates, according to their webpage, are $60 a night plus 10% service charge and 15% gov't fees. A total of $75 a night. This is what I was quoted.

2 days ago they had a "package" for local residents for $57 a night with the same 10%/15% fees, resulting in a total of $71.25 a night. I mentioned this in my reply to their $75 a night quote, as my fiancee is a local resident, and then went to bed.

I woke this morning and their webpage had been modified to remove this package. And I got an email telling me that I have to pay the $75 a night.

Anyone else had any trouble with them? I don't want to make the reservation and then have them tell me that it will be $100 a night after the fact.

I wouldn't worry about it. That kind of thing is common in the Philippines. They all pretty much charge foreigners more because they know that foreigners can afford it better than locals. They charge what the market will bear, and if they know a foreigner is involved they will typically charge more.

Here is something bad that happened to me regarding Bayview:

My wife was not a rich woman- she had a menial job working in an internet cafe, and sent a lot of what she had off to the village to help her mom. So she did not have a lot of jewelry or nice clothes. I asked her to go to Bayview the day I was to arrive to confirm our reservation, and THEY WOULD NOT LET HER IN until she showed them a printout of the reservation confirmation. i know that this too is common in the Philippines, and it makes me sick.

I have said this kind of thing on other forums and gotten nasty replies from Filipinas who said that they never had problems like that- well, I doubt that these Filipinas tried it with a provincial accent wearing nothing but rubber flip-flops and a tshirt and blue jeans. There is a lot of "classism" in the Philippines.

I want to know some ideas and suggestions on how to organize photos of me & fiance together for my interview. How many photos I should bring and how to organize them?Should I put them in an album or paste them one by one in bond paper and place them in a folder? Your ideas are greatly appreciated.Thanks!

God only knows what the minimum expectations are.

I brought about a dozen photos in a photo envelope.

Personally, I think more important than the arrangement of the photos is the relevancy of the photos.

Pictures of us together at a variety of landmarks around the country in different clothes. This shows that we traveled together and that we spent time together.

Pictures of us meeting with her family. Shows my sincerity.

Pictures of the wedding. More proof that we had a sincere marital relationship.

In our case, we had a pregnancy and I visited 3 times before the interview. pictures at different stages of the pregnancy. This shows that I came several times, was supportive, etc.

One close picture of us holding a newspaper. This really proves nothing, but it does show that we were looking at making evidence to provide if the case was ever reviewed.

Like I said, I don't really know what they were looking for. But I took and supplied pictures with the idea that I wanted to be able to prove something.

Is marriage in the Philippines recognized in the US? Can someone offer a link for me to go to for the answer?...Thanks.

Yes.

I married a Filipina. It was recognized in the US.

I hope you aren't dealing with a Filipina who is still married to another Filipino, because if you are, you are screwed.

Think about the single 40 year old American women you know.

What's that supposed to mean?

The average single 40-year-old woman has at least a couple of kids, a career she cares a great deal about, has been in damaging relationships that have made them bitter or at least suspicious, does not want to have kids, etc.

Odds are, if you look at the single 40 year old women around you, you would agree.

The exceptions are in great demand and not available to the average schmuck like me.

I searched overseas. Best thing I ever did.

"So it's not that 'American women aren't as marriage minded' but rather there were no takers for you.

Anyone who can start off with 'American women/men this that and the other' are only using bitterness as an excuse. Not all American women/men are the same...just like every other country's people. I don't think all Brit boyz are like my D....he's himself, and that's what makes him special. I didn't get with him cos there were 'no takers' in America. And vice versa."

Most American women are just fine, I like them and respect them and they make great wives and lovers.

But the 40 year old single women who have been available to me lately are not the types of women I am interested in. Think about the single 40 year old American women you know. I searched overseas. Best thing I ever did. Why not?

I sought ought and married an Asian woman.

I never wanted a submissive wife. Thankfully, I didn't get one. I would never dare tell my wife what to do.

I just wanted a wife that would at least treat me with the same common courtesy that I do her. Thankfully, I did get one of those.

I once lived with an Asian foreign exchange student when I was young, and she treated me well. She got her Phd and went back. I then went through many years of dating American women with less success. It made me think of going overseas.

I have found that in America, sometimes women think that treating their men with the same common courtesy they would give a stranger is some kind of surrender, that they are being submissive.

Met her on an online site that specialized in introducing western men to Filipinas.

She operated a small internet cafe, so we were able to chat about 8 hours a day online for 8 months.

I met my husband on a website as well -- yes it was a dating website, but at the time, we both were not looking for a relationship, it happily found us.

I can understand why people view the way we met with skepticism. However, I don't care 'cause I found the love of my life.

Personally, I don't understand people who date but are not looking for a relationship.

Ok, well, maybe if you are just looking for strings free sex or someone to buy you dinner.

Oh noes, I wasn't aware it was 1950 & I was supposed to get married straight out of high school! God forbid I think about college...and kids, well, I'm a dried up prune by now....

Not saying people ought to do any particular thing.

I just thought dating was a courtship ritual.

You can go out with guys and have fun. It's OK if you do that. It's not dating though, in my book.

I would hope that the guy isn't buying you dinner though, if you are just being friends.

Unbelievable....

You do not see dating as a part of courtship?

Yikes!

Would you care to expand on what else I'm doing wrong? You clearly have visions of how a wifey should be...

Hell, I don't know what you do.

I think our big difference here is what we see as the definition of the word "date".

If I went out on dates with a woman and it was decided by either of us, that a future relationship were impossible, then "dating" would cease. Lets say, for instance, that one of us were already in a committed married relationship or that the person reveals that she is a lesbian or a male transvestite. Then we could still be friends and do things together. But we wouldn't be "dating".

You seem to think that dating is just a way to get to know people, period.

I see it as a way to get to know whether or not a person has the potential to be in a romantic relationship with me. Since I don't plan on having a romantic relationship with married people, lesbians, or males, the dating would stop, and some other non-romantic relationship would begin. Maybe a good friendship.

I see that as a reason why I don't use the word "date" when I go to a movie with a male friend.

I met my husband on a website as well -- yes it was a dating website, but at the time, we both were not looking for a relationship, it happily found us.

I can understand why people view the way we met with skepticism. However, I don't care 'cause I found the love of my life.

Personally, I don't understand people who date but are not looking for a relationship.

Ok, well, maybe if you are just looking for strings free sex or someone to buy you dinner.

Oh noes, I wasn't aware it was 1950 & I was supposed to get married straight out of high school! God forbid I think about college...and kids, well, I'm a dried up prune by now....

Not saying people ought to do any particular thing.

I just thought dating was a courtship ritual.

You can go out with guys and have fun. It's OK if you do that. It's not dating though, in my book.

I would hope that the guy isn't buying you dinner though, if you are just being friends.

Unbelievable....

You do not see dating as a part of courtship?

Yikes!

I met my husband on a website as well -- yes it was a dating website, but at the time, we both were not looking for a relationship, it happily found us.

I can understand why people view the way we met with skepticism. However, I don't care 'cause I found the love of my life.

Personally, I don't understand people who date but are not looking for a relationship.

Ok, well, maybe if you are just looking for strings free sex or someone to buy you dinner.

Oh noes, I wasn't aware it was 1950 & I was supposed to get married straight out of high school! God forbid I think about college...and kids, well, I'm a dried up prune by now....

Not saying people ought to do any particular thing.

I just thought dating was a courtship ritual.

You can go out with guys and have fun. It's OK if you do that. It's not dating though, in my book.

I would hope that the guy isn't buying you dinner though, if you are just being friends.

I met my husband on a website as well -- yes it was a dating website, but at the time, we both were not looking for a relationship, it happily found us.

I can understand why people view the way we met with skepticism. However, I don't care 'cause I found the love of my life.

Personally, I don't understand people who date but are not looking for a relationship.

Ok, well, maybe if you are just looking for strings free sex or someone to buy you dinner.