vsmtghdy

You cannot bring more than $10k. I didn't have to worry about cash when I got here because I have my husband with me (of course, he pays for eveyrthing). But you may have to get smaller bills in case you get hungry and need to get some snacks. Also have some pesos for the travel tax if you have not paid this yet with your plane ticket.

angel7407 -> First of all, thank you for posting my previous answer (for the same topic)...

pho4ray -> just hang in there and support her. As I have posted many times before, being treated does not mean you will not have the PTB again. The Mycobacteria can stay dormant and gets re-activated and or she could have re-infection. There is no "immunity" when you have been previously infected and treated, that is why for any "suspicious" findings on the CXRay results, they have to do the sputum test (Sputum AFB and culture & sensitivity) which takes atleast 3-4 weeks for the bacteria to grow in the culture media. You may have to re-schedule your trip to the Philippines and wait until SLEC (and USEM) have all the medical results and you have the new interview schedule. Few more weeks of waiting will be worth it. Good Luck and God Bless.

Good News! Everything went well and my fiancee passed her interview at the embassy!!!!

RFE- if they have requested for more evidence/documents?

I mailed my application March 13 (Friday) and they received my application and cashed the check March 16 (Mon).

You've been waiting for 11 months? Have you called USCIS to inquire about the status of your application? Did you have an RFE or something? Hope you hear from them. Good Luck.

Per Republic Act 8239 and Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Order 28-94, Filipinos proceeding abroad as fiancé(e)s and spouses of foreign nationals are required to attend the CFO's guidance and counseling programs as a pre-requisite to the issuance of passports.

The objective of this program is to help Filipino fiancé(e)s and spouses of foreign nationals make informed decisions regarding their marriage to foreign nationals and to prepare them for their adjustments in cross-cultural marriages.

http://www.cfo.gov.ph/fs_manila.htm

Counseling Requirements for Filipino Spouses and Other Partners of Foreign Nationals

Two (2) valid identification cards (IDs) with photograph;

Duly completed guidance and counseling form;

If married, certified true copy and photocopy of marriage contract on security paper from the National Statistics Office (NSO), or Local Civil Registry Offices (LCRO); or original and photocopy of marriage contract duly authenticated by the Philippine Embassy/Consulate (if married abroad)

Other documents as may be required by the counselors; and

Payment of P250.00 counseling fee.

Registration Requirements for Filipino Spouses and Other Partners of Foreign Nationals

Original Passport;

Original and photocopy of visa;

Original and photocopy of Immigrant Data Summary for US bound/Confirmation of Permanent Residence for Canada bound/ Embassy Certification of Eligibility (for Spain bound C visa holders);

Original CFO guidance and counseling certificate;

Duly completed emigrant registration form; and

Payment of the authorized registration fee.

St. Luke's used to accept NOA2 letter for an early medical. Not sure if they are still doing this, but your wife can ask and call SLEC, so she can use her time to do the medical and CFO seminar in one trip. Make sure she brings the necessary documents so she does not have to go back to CFO.

And regarding the passport, especially for those married to foreigners and would like to use their "married name", then DFA would need the CFO Certificate of Guidance and Counselling (Yellow certificate) before DFA can issue a passport. But some can get away without this, one example is when the "married name" doesn't sound foreign and the "applicant" would not divulge that she is being petitioned but only applying for a passport for tourist/travel purposes.

Hi Everyone,

Got a surprise from the mail today. I got my 10 year green card and welcome to America letter. The envelope looks like a junk mail, it doesn’t have the USCIS logo. Just their P.O Box address and mine.

Well, the waiting is finally over. Thank You everyone!!! To those who are still waiting…hang in there. The approval and green card will be in your hands when you least expect it. Good luck and God bless to all.

... we have some pictures, not sure if we will send some or not.

Could get a couple of affidavits from family and friends, not sure if we need them.

Thanks in advance.

It would be better if you will send at least 2 affidavits from friends or family and also send some pictures so they will see that you have a happy realtionship. Also, if you have some cards (Christmas, Valentine's, Birthday cards) that you have sent to each other and from friends/families sent to both of you showing your names & address on the envelop, these would also be a good idea. Good Luck.

Good Luck on your biometrics appointment.

Try to check your insurance coverage and their policies if they indeed can cover for a new patient with pre-existing disease. Also for a new patient here in the US, it is not that simple to get and find a doctor that will accept him. And you cannot go directly to a specialist (Cardiologist), patient will need a referral from a primary physician. For new patients, the Doctor need to accept the patient and it may take 2-3 months for them to check about the patient's case and status (also of they think patient will be able to pay them, etc..).

That happened to my husband (and he is a US citizen), he is under my insurance coverage since I work in a hospital here in CA. I was looking for a Doctor to accept him as new patient and they told me that it would take 2-3 months and that is how it works. So what I did is talk to the Doctor directly. I talked to an Internal Medicine specialist that works in our hospital to accept my husband, and I got him scheduled for an appointment within a week. Then he was referred to a Cardiologist within a month and then referred to a Cardiac Surgeon within 2-3 weeks.

When he had his Cardiac Catheterization done, the cost was $37,000.00 and that is just for a procedure (and they can also do stenting during this procedure). My husband then underwent an open heart surgery for a valve replacement (which will be the same procedure= open heart= for a Bypass surgery). Lucky for my husband he don't need a bypass but only a valve replacement. But I don't want to seeor even think how much it cost.... My insurance paid for it all, but that is because I have a good Insurance coverage and I work in a hospital as an RN.

If you are worried that the cost of a bypass in the Philippines is 500K, that is way a lot cheaper than doing it here in the US. Just imagine a Cardiac catheterization is already $37K (which is p1,776,000), how much would you think an open heart surgery would cost here if your insurance will not cover for the opeartion? For your father's case, he will be needing work-ups prior to operation, like EKG, 2d-echo/doppler and cardiac cath to determine if he will be needing more than a bypass. Even if these procedures where done in the Philippines, they will have to repeat and do it here again because that is how the procedure works here. Doctors will not do things like surgery without having to check the patient themselves, and they need to do what is required before the operation.

Check your insurance coverage first then find a doctor that will accept your father and if you can do this, then I don't see anything wrong for your father to have his bypass done here in the US. But if you will encounter problems, then might as well have the surgery done there in the Phils. We have good/excellent cardiologist and cardiac surgeons in the Philippines. Don't know who your father's cardiologist is, but Dr. Tamayo is a Cardiologist in St. Luke's and she is also the Department head of Cardiac Rehab there, and she was my mentor during my Residency Training, she is a very nice lady doctor and they do cardiac surgeries at St. Luke's.

(Just an advice)

CENOMAR (certificate of no marriage for single and/or advisory on marriages for married individual) is for Filipino citizens only.

This may raise issues during his medical exam, as they (Panel Physicians) will check on him physically and lab works. If they see scars that may look like "suicidal intent" or in his case "cutting himself to write those words" may cause an issue. This may fall in the category of "PHYSICAL AND MENTAL DISORDERS WITH ASSOCIATED HARMFUL BEHAVIORS". I am not saying he have mental or psychological problems but "cutting oneself" is not a thing that people would usually do to express or show their love. He "may" be subjected to a psychological evaluation to determine if he "may or will be a threat to himself of someone else" (such as you). The question will be: "Is it possible for this person to cause harm on you or someone else? If he is capable of cutting himself, is he also capable of cutting you or inflict pain on you?"... or any other questions to this effect.

Here's an excerpt from their Manual: Under the old law, aliens who were mentally retarded, insane, had one or more attacks of insanity, were afflicted with psychopathic personality, sexual deviation, or mental defect, or who were narcotic drug addicts or chronic alcoholics were ineligible for admission or for adjustment of status to a permanent resident. As amended, the Immigration and Nationality Act no longer lists specific physical or mental conditions that automatically exclude an alien but instead requires a determination of whether an alien has a physical or mental disorder and associated behavior that has posed or is likely to pose a threat to the property, safety, or welfare of the alien or others

PHYSICAL AND MENTAL DISORDERS WITH ASSOCIATED HARMFUL BEHAVIOR

1. Overview - The civil surgeon, using the applicant's medical, social, and psychiatric history and an appropriate physical and mental status examination, will determine whether the applicant has

a. a physical or mental disorder with associated harmful behavior or

b. a history of a physical or mental disorder with associated harmful behavior such that the same or a different harmful behavior is likely to occur in the future.

2. Definitions

a. physical disorder - a currently accepted physical diagnosis, as evidenced by inclusion in the current Manual of the International Classification of Diseases, Injuries, and Causes of Death (ICD-9 or subsequent revision), published by the World Health Organization

b. mental disorder - a currently accepted psychiatric disorder, as evidenced by inclusion in the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III-R or subsequent revision), published by the American Psychiatric Association

c. harmful behavior - for purposes of this examination, a dangerous action or series of actions by the alien that has resulted in injury (psychological or physical) to the alien or another person, or that has threatened the health or safety of the alien or another person, or that has resulted in property damage

3. Required Evaluation - To evaluate an alien for evidence of harmful behavior or for physical and mental conditions that may result in harmful

behavior, the examining physician must

a. review the medical history, especially for evidence of hospitalization or institutionalization for psychiatric illness. Determine whether there is a history of harmful behavior, a diagnosis of a physical or mental disorder III-9 with which harmful behavior may be associated or in which harmful behavior is an element of the diagnostic criteria , evidence of nonmedical use of psychoactive substances, or evidence of alcohol abuse or dependence..

Hope this info helps.

So can i renew my drivers license then without a NOA1 or Stamp? My Green Card has expired!

Hi, not sure about your state. California-DMV (Sacramento) sent me a letter 2 months before my driver's license expires and gave me lists of things to submit. And of course I submitted what they requested, especially the NOA1 from USCIS (stating the one-year extension, etc...), and I received my new driver's license April 21 (about 2 weeks from the time I sent them the requirements).

She will need to submit NSO copies of her MC and BC of all her kids. It won't matter if the father's name is written on the BC, what will matter is her name on the BC, as proof that those kids are hers. It would have been better if they had informed USCIS that there was a change in her status.

Mayalar, sorry to hear about the denial.. but the others are right, a hard copy of the passport with the biographic data and stamps showing that he was indeed in the Philippines it the best proof. Hopefully with the new evidences that you had submitted, they will reconsider and you will have your approval. Good Luck.