RO_AH

3 hours ago, SalishSea said:

If women from these countries are specifically seeking American men, you might ask yourself why. 

Maybe preference? I have always preferred Asian women, is there something wrong with having a preference?

11 hours ago, Kawika & Michelle said:

Hi Folks,

 

My wife & I were married last weekend and I am looking for the best way to take care of her name change. Supposedly here in Texas a name change is allowed after marriage but I haven't been able to find any kind of guide on what exactly needs to be done to make all of this happen. I filed for her SS card as suggested here in the forums once she arrived, so I plan to submit a form to update her name for her new SS card. She does not have a Texas ID or driver's license as of yet, so is there any where else that I would need to update her name change? Perhaps with the Philippines embassy so that her passport can be updated? In addition, I have heard on a YouTube video that the name change only applies to her last name & not her middle name. Can anyone else confirm this? I guess in the Philippines it is tradition to move your maiden name to your middle name upon marriage. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Kawika

Not sure about Texas, but in Hawaii you change your name when you get married with your registration. Here you specify which last name you would like to use. That certificate is your proof of name change.

As for anything in the PH you need to do the ROM since the marriage was done in the US.

8 hours ago, Lover_Boy said:

Thanks

 

I don't do trikes, I am too tall.  Yea I figured if I had to use Grab in Manila it  would be at least 300 peso to a terminal, and once I get to Angeles City another 300 for transport cost, it will be 3 of us traveling so private car sounds like a better deal since I can go door to door.

3 people? Here's what I have done the 10 times I have gone myself. My wife gets transportation from where she lives in Bulacan (private van and driver). I pay about 3000PHP in the beginning and the last time I went it went up to  4k by the last time I was there. He would pick my wife and any other family and friends that wanted to come along and come to the Airport. After I would arrive he would bring us all back to her house. During my stay if we ever had to go to Manila or some place further than I wanted to go on trike, we would just go through him.

I am lucky that the trikes where my wife lives are all tall. I see ones in other areas and I would never fit in them either 🙂

7 hours ago, dle3452 said:

I was just going to ask for any advice on applying for a spouse tourist visa.  There is a drop down screen asking what type of tourist visa I am applying for, spouse was listed, when i tapped it, it asked for my USCIS account number, I didnt have it at the time, I have it now, further down it asked for her passport information, we just got that today also.  So I'm ready to apply for it unless i get advice from here that its not advisable. 

From other counties you may have a shot, but I, and most others with knowledge of Philippines and USCIS, would say you have zero chance in getting a tourist visa for your spouse. You can try.

3 minutes ago, Lemonslice said:

I am afraid you are simply realistic.  Other couples have move together to third countries while waiting, but since OP is already in the Philippines, it might be best to stay together there, and plan to move back together/move back right before her to get settled. 

Yes, I guess some people don't take the term "tourist" as literal as the NVC does. Tourist is just that, a tourist. You come, you visit, you leave. There is no such thing as a "come and wait while we approve your other visa" visa.

If she, as a Filipina, gets approved for a tourist visa, while having a pending spousal, please update us here because it would be the first that I've heard of, and I would be looking out my window for flying pigs.

Just now, Crazy Cat said:

Agree.  About $57.00 if I converted correctly.

That's correct, but if you are sending money the rate is a tad bit lower, still under $60.

As others said, the price is fair. Of course the bus is cheaper, but what's a few pesos when it comes to a loved one?

2 hours ago, Shikomiro said:

If we do get married in a 3rd country, will their be a problem registering the marriage with PSA?

Several things to cover here. Did your ex wife file a ROM in PH after you two were married. If not that is good as it will cause much less problems going forward and no problems with PSA because they have no record of you being married to a Filipina, If she did you will have to wait years and spend a lot of money filing for a recognition of foreign divorce in the Philippines and you will need a Filipino lawyer for this process.

10 hours ago, Shikomiro said:

In my situation, since it's pretty fast between my divorce being finalized and finding someone else.

My divorce was finalized less than 2 months before getting married to my wife in the Philippines...Not an issue.

9 hours ago, Shikomiro said:

She's in the Philippines, and it's a 12 year age difference.

In the Philippines that is not an age gap, that is normal. My wife and I are 25 years apart.

2 hours ago, Shikomiro said:

If we do get married in a 3rd country

My advice is to do an online marriage through Utah. You can either do that while you are here and she is there, or do it there together when you arrive there. This is ONLY if your ex did not file a ROM. If she did this is not my advice. If you are not sure, or don't remember if she filed a ROM you can order a CEMOMAR/CEMAR for yourself from PSA in the Philippines. That will show if they have record of your previous marriage or not. You can order that at this link:

https://www.psaserbilis.com.ph/#!

So if you do not have a record of marriage you can do online marriage, have a reception there with her and her family, file your spouse visa, file a ROM in SF Consulate, get her medical, visa, CFO and come to USA.

6 hours ago, W199 said:

Actually, my fiancee just went through immigration yesterday. She handed her passport and CFO.  He scanned the CFO and then asked "Why is your CFO for Canada if your fiance is from the USA?".  She replied that we are waiting for the K1.  He said "oh, so you will be meeting in Canada while waiting."

Wow good to know.

When you see what is happening at our southern border it seems extremely unfair with all of the hoops we need to jump through and the length of time that it takes to legally bring a family member here. I mean we have thousands of people daily just walking in with no need for a medical exam, no cost, very little paperwork, free accommodations, etc.  It makes you feel like there should be some shortcut somewhere to make it a little easier for us. Sadly there is not. If you have everything ready, send it in yesterday. Start the process, there will be no way to bring her to America legally than the I-130 route. We did ours during Covid and it added over a year of extra time to get our visa, so I feel your pain. We even had 2 children together and it was heartbreaking being away from them. It's a long process but worth it in the end.

44 minutes ago, charlotte.d said:

I decided to make my name short and simple, first and last name only.

Ended up not being simple 🤣

In the Philippines it's most simple just following their naming convention.

2 hours ago, Adventine said:

That will take a lot of time and most importantly $$$$

Minimum $6k USD and up to double that, and take up to 4 years...

On 5/14/2023 at 2:30 PM, David&Glaiza said:

So I was married 10 years ago in Philippines.  My Filipina left me and the kids after 8 years.  I am seriously thinking of moving to the PI.  My new fiance thinks that would be great.  But I think I would want to marry her there.

How do I get my American Divorce recognized in the PI?  I am the American. I know divorce is not an option in the PI.  Any suggestions and how long will it take?

You could do an online Utah wedding while you are here or there anytime. You will need to get the recognition of divorce if you ever to file a ROM so she could have your last name or to be recognized by PH government. Also to file for a 13a spousal visa.

On 5/14/2023 at 2:49 PM, EatBulaga said:

What I mean is that you can use the American divorce as evidence in the Philippines annulment process.

Recognition of divorce is less expensive and takes way less time than annulment.

On 5/14/2023 at 2:49 PM, EatBulaga said:

You are divorced in the US but still married in the Philippines until annulment.

Or until you get the recognition of divorce.

This is what is required:

1. Valid passport;
2. Valid visa or visa grant notice; and
3. Petitioner's passport
4. Marriage certificate or Report of Marriage - ROM (in PSA security paper) (if married)

They can request more things but you don't need to worry about until they request it.

Additional documents may be required in the event that the counselor determines it to be essential to complete the guidance and counseling process.

1. Divorce decree/certificate (of Filipino spouse or foreign spouse, if previously married);
2. Annulment paper (of Filipino spouse or foreign spouse, if previously married);
3. Proof of residency/Alien Registration Card-ARC (of foreign spouse);
4. Proof of relationship (picture together, e-mails, among others);
5. Death certificate (of Filipino spouse or foreign spouse, if widow/widower);
6. Certificate of Family relations / registration (of foreign spouse);
7. Declaration of undertaking of travel in letter format to include the following activities to prepare for travel, Itinerary of Travel and How to ensure safe travel and stay (if will be required by counselor/facilitator);
8. Affidavit of invitation and support (financial support/safety/medical insurance) notarized and authenticated by the Philippine Embassy or Consulate who has jurisdiction over the destination or host country (if will be required by counselor/facilitator);
9. Explanation on why the foreign partner cannot travel to the Philippines in letter format (if will be required by counselor/facilitator);
10. Valid no criminal records certification/clearance or any equivalent document to indicate lack of criminal derogatory record or medical/psychological condition (if will be required by counselor/facilitator).

14 hours ago, seekingthetruth said:

  I found Aftership.com to have more information and updated more often than the LBC tracking.

I don't think that you can track LBC anymore through them. I used to love them with all of the detail they provided.

Posted double

7 hours ago, assila said:

Can I ask why it is important to reclaim my citizenship before divorce?

If you are wanting to get a recognition of divorce wait. But that can be a long and expensive wait. Now that you have US citizenship I see no reason to get the recognition of divorce. There would only be one reason in my mind, and that would be if you ever want to have another wedding in the Philippines. You can still marry someone from the Philippines without recognition of divorce with a fiance visa or an online Utah wedding.

A little more advice. If you are getting a divorce in US you should check Google for someone that does it. Some paralegal's do this. As long as you have no children together and there obviously will not be assets or alimony to worry about you do not really need an attorney. That will save you some money.

2 hours ago, assila said:

Hello,

 

I had a petition filed for my filipino husband, but he decided he didn't want to immigrate to US, so I withdrew it. Also, he has another woman and a new baby. I am a Philippine immigrant, now a US citizen. Can anyone give me a liilte guidance on, if I can divorce him without going back to the Philippines? I was looking at some online divorces, but they seem too good to be true. Thank you, so much!

I believe you can get a divorce locally in US. Getting the divorce recognized in PH can be done but not mandatory. You will be seen as divorced by every country in the world but the Philippines. If you have not reclaimed your Filipino citizenship, I advise doing so before you get the divorce done.

3 hours ago, W199 said:

Note, the CR-1 requires you to meet her after the zoom wedding before filing. Therefore, the very next day, after you meet her,  with your wedding certificate in hand from the Utah wedding, you can file the CR-1

I think it is much better to return to the US and then mail in the CR-1. Mail from the Philippines to the USA is very slow if it gets there at all. I also think if you do online wedding through Utah it would be better to do it together while in the Philippines. It avoids the hassles of getting married in the Philippines, mainly the 2 week mandatory wait between applying for a marriage license and actually getting the license to marry, not to mention other hoops. You can still have a reception with family and friends which will most likely be important to her.

5 hours ago, Crazy Cat said:

Spouse receives Social Security Card and Green Card within 2 or 3 weeks after entering the US    

The only this I would add to this is that the passport stamp you receive upon entry serves as a green card, until the actual green card arrives in the mail.

11 hours ago, NMinLasVegas said:

Could you expand on this a little please? My research led me to believe a K-1 visa has the advantage of being the faster process overall. What makes the CR-1 better?

Maybe @Crazy Cat can do his copy and past here 🙂

It used to be faster, after covid, not so much. Main benefit is you get everything done in one step instead of 2. Beneficiary enters USA with a green card. SSN in a few weeks after that. Less expensive to name a few. I agree with @top_secret. Even if it is a little longer (IF) it is still much better IMO.