Dogwood_Poet

ATMs in the Philippines now charge a 200PHP fee for international withdrawals, plus any fees your bank may add, so figure that in when you withdraw money. If you can use your card as credit for purchases you can bypass a lot of fees, but some smaller businesses won't let you, or don't understand how to run a VISA/MC debit as credit. My wife is visiting her family now, so I use XOOM for most transfers & she keeps the ATM handy for emergencies. But XOOM does have a lower exchange rate.

Well it looks like Northern Mindanao is finally going to get an international airport according to this article:

New Cagayan de Oro airport lacks navigational aids

Maybe when everything is up and running there will finally a direct flight to go visit my wife's family. They live less than an hour away from the new airport, so it would be so much nicer than flying into Manila and having to catch another flight the next day!

Of course, who knows how long it will take to get the navigation equipment in and installed, then get passenger flights set up.

I put all the pics in a Word document with labels/dates underneath & printed them out for Kathlene's interview and there was no problem. Since nearly everyone uses digital cameras now it shouldn't be a problem just to put everything in a document & print it that way. In fact, it may be easier for them to handle and no worries about pictures falling out or coming unglued.

I remember my first trip to the Philippines the Peso was around 50-55 to the US Dollar. (in 2006) Now the rate is around 40 on the exchange market, which means you only get 39+ for transfers.

Do you think the economy in the Philippines is gaining ground on the world market, or do you think economic woes in the US are to blame?

I know my in-laws out in the provinces haven't seen much gain, but maybe overall things are getting better in the Philippines.

But I also can see the economy is still struggling where I live with plants closing and taking high-dollar jobs with them where I live here in the mid-west.

What's your thoughts on the subject?

I do know you will have to wait 10 days after getting your marriage license before you can get married. That is anywhere in the Philippines.

My wife is going home to spend a few months visiting her family. She found a good deal on a one-way ticket leaving the first of January, so she bought it and will just buy a ticket back to the US once she is ready to come back.

She was naturalized this past February, and has her US passport. Her Philippine passport is expired, and she wants to renew it and get her dual citizenship once she gets to the Philippines.

Since she is a native, she should not have any problems not having a return ticket to the US?

I understand all visitors must have an exit ticket, but natives do not.

Will she need to take anything besides her old passport, she has copies of all her papers, birth certificate, etc. at her family home.

We live in western Kentucky, so to renew her passport in the US we would have to travel to Chicago or D.C.

Thanks!

We have started a visa application for my mother-in-law and have already gotten the first approval notice. However, she just really wants to visit us here in the US since she has never left Mindanao.

I know they say it is almost impossible to get a tourist visa to the US unless you have strong ties. She has property in the province where she lives but I don't think she has titles to everything. She also has five sons who live in the Philippines.

Should we spend the rest of the money to get her green card & just let her come & see how she likes it, since she would have a chance to go back home after a while to decide if she wants to come back to the US on her green card. Or should we roll the dice on a tourist visa?

Just trying to decide before we take the next step since Mama says she would like to visit.

At USCIS, thanks for the link!

My mother-in-law's application was approved on August 14th, what is the next step?

We wait for another letter & bill?

Sorry if this has been asked before, I didn't see a list of steps in the process anywhere.

Thanks!

My wife's BC copy is very blurry and it was noted: "best possible image" and they included a typed sheet with all the info and authenticated. It has worked all the way from the initial interview to her citizenship & passport application.

It's true, my wife had to do the CFO before they would issue her a new passport in her married name.

There are no shortcuts to the oath ceremony if it is like the one my wife was in, the 12:30 time is for registration, so the official ceremony most likely won't even start for another hour.

Then the ceremony will last maybe a couple of hours. The last thing they will do after the speeches will be the oath-taking and handing out of certificates.

So, unless you are close to the airport, either reschedule your oath or maybe you can get a later flight, but I would plan on not getting done until 3:30 or so if everything goes smooth.

I have used Edward Mabunga for several years and have been very happy with him. He is located in Utah.

I know you can find good rates online, but I like having someone to call if there is a problem, my wife flew home last year and we got caught in the ice storms that hit Nashville & her flight got canceled. It was nice to be able to give him a call about getting re-booked as soon as the airport re-opened.

Mabunga Travel International

The only thing to remember is your visa will expire six months from the date of your medical, not the date of your interview.

If there are any spots on the x-ray, they will most likely require you to take the sputum test. If you have documentation there is a chance they will let you slide, but if there is something on your older x-rays, be prepared to take the test and having to wait for the culture results.

For St. Luke's the x-ray they take is the final authority.

Thank you!

As I said, my SIL will be going with mama anyway as she has never been to Manila before, so she can just wait with her until she gets inside and maybe shop a bit until she gets done.

And before anyone says it, we know mama may be unhappy once she gets here, but with the track record for tourist visa, we felt it would be simpler to go the family visa route. Then if mama got homesick she could go home and still have the chance to come back to the US if she doesn't stay away too long. We are bless to have a large Filipino community here so she will have some friends she can visit with.

I know this is way ahead of the game as we just got notice USCIS received the papers for my mother-in-law. Will they provide her an interpreter for her interview? She mainly speaks Bisaya and can understand some Tagalog & a little English. My sister-n-law will go with her to help her with her medical & interview.

Will Mama have to go into the embassy alone or will they let my SIL go with her as helper?

I know we have several months before she will have her interview, but my wife wants to be sure about everything.

(BTW, my wife is a citizen so we are hoping to get her mama in the next year or so.)

I was able to get everything done in two weeks, but it was a rush and we had no problems. Flew into Manila one afternoon,got Legal Capacity to Marry the next morning, flew to Mindanao that afternoon. We applied for Marriage license and had the seminar the same day.

Had big party the week I left and got married in the courthouse my last day in Mindanao and flew back to Manila to catch my flight home the next morning.

I was in the Philippines a little over two weeks, but only two weeks at my wife's hometown allowing for travel time back and forth to Manila.

It can be done, but it can be a little stressfull!

We have been using it for several months now and are very happy. The only thing is on weekends it seems to be overloaded and hard to get through. I got an email they are going up 300 peso next month, but it's still a good deal.

No land phone lines or internet service where my wife's family lives. There is wireless available, but the signal is spotty at best, but maybe they will get a tower closer to them soon.

My wife is from close to Cagayan de Oro City, her family lives about 30 minutes from the new airport (if they every get it open)

Are you anywhere near there?

Something to keep in the back of your mind. The six month clock on your visa will start the day she does her medical. If she is going to leave as soon as she gets the visa, no worries.

My wife had to wait for the sputum test so she only had a couple of months to wind everything up and come to the US.

Congrats!!!

Totally agree with petitioning her mother, will make things much easier once she has a GC to travel back and forth.

One more question. Is your Asawa going to reaffirm her citizenship in the Phils? When we get to the point you have reached that is our plan, so just curious.

Yes, she may wait until she goes back home next year, but she wants to be a dual citizen & it would make things a lot easier if we decide to move back when I retire in a decade or so.

On February 24th, in Louisville, KY, my wife stood and recited her citizenship oath with another 248 people from 69 countries! She is now a US citizen and our long journey of forms, fees & trips is over! ! !

Maybe . . .

My wife & I are thinking of petitioning her mother since her papa passed away last January (2011) & she is the only girl. Her mom wants to come for at least a visit, but I think it would be best to go ahead and do a petition for her since they only have a small farm and not what I think would convince the embassy she had good reason to return from a tourist visa.

Anyway, if she gets homesick she can always go home for a visit and would have the option to return to the US if she wants.

Thanks for all the advice, encouragement & prayers! I will still hang around and try to give what little advice I can and keep in touch with what is going on.

Does anyone know of a good Filipino/Asian market in the Louisville area? We are going there for my wife's naturalization oath ceremony on the 24th & would like to do some shopping while we are there.

We live in western Kentucky and there no good markets less than at least a 45 minute drive from home.

Kathlene got her letter in the mail yesterday. Oath Ceremony on Feb 24th!