MarryMe987654

I traveled to the Philippines in March 2022 and returned to the US in June 2022.
 
I have an expired GC and brought my extension letter.
I also brought my CDC vaccine card, my marriage certificate, and my old passport (with CFO) in it, and of course, I also brought a copy of all my original documents, just in case. For good measure, I have also saved a copy of all my important documents at home and in the cloud.
 
At my first departure airport, I was asked for the OneHealthPass reference number at the counter. It took them a good 20 minutes to go over all the rules for traveling to the Philippines and make sure that I met them all. No document-related issues on my way in. Everything was smooth.
 
On my way back, I presented my GC and extension letter to the check-in counter, and then I was asked to get a travel exit pass (no payment needed). No issues at all.
 
I did not take a COVID test prior to going to the airport. It was not required on any of my flights.
 
There is no issue with Philippine immigration. He just looked at my GC and extension letter quickly.
 
Once I landed on US soil, I just readily provided my GC and extension letter. No questions asked. I was let in without any issues.
I did not try to change any of my bank information while I was there. I already had my ROM done 3 years ago but did not bother getting a PSA record of it while I was in the Philippines. I was able to sign up for a national ID with my married name, though.
 
I hope this helps!
 

I traveled to the Philippines in March 2022 and returned to the US in June 2022.
 
I have an expired GC and brought my extension letter.
I also brought my CDC vaccine card, my marriage certificate, and my old passport (with CFO) in it, and of course, I also brought a copy of all my original documents, just in case. For good measure, I have also saved a copy of all my important documents at home and in the cloud.
 
At my first departure airport, I was asked for the OneHealthPass reference number at the counter. It took them a good 20 minutes to go over all the rules for traveling to the Philippines and make sure that I met them all. No document-related issues on my way in. Everything was smooth.
 
On my way back, I presented my GC and extension letter to the check-in counter, and then I was asked to get a travel exit pass (no payment needed). No issues at all.
 
I did not take a COVID test prior to going to the airport. It was not required on any of my flights.
 
There is no issue with Philippine immigration. He just looked at my GC and extension letter quickly.
 
Once I landed on US soil, I just readily provided my GC and extension letter. No questions asked. I was let in without any issues.
I did not try to change any of my bank information while I was there. I already had my ROM done 3 years ago but did not bother getting a PSA record of it while I was in the Philippines. I was able to sign up for a national ID with my married name, though.
 
I hope this helps!
 

I agree with the price of used car vs new. We were going to buy a used car because we thought it's going to be more economical. We ended up looking at new ones because the price difference is not much, plus the mileage on the used ones are too high. We settled with a 2021 Honda CRV with pretty sweet deal--1.9% interest and no down payment. Monthly is about $700 but it's ok because I opted to only get 48 months. We don't have any other monthly payment (no mortgage, no loans, no cc debt) so we know we can afford it. The value of the car remains even after a year of buying it.
 
I am 4'11 and not usually concern about a car being too high. I can always put a booster seat and also, most of the car in the US now has a really good driver adjustment features (you can go forward, up... and adjust the steering wheel to match) so it's ok. I drove a Toyota Camry, a Saturn Ion, and the new CRV without having to use a booster seat and I can see fine.
 
Hope this helps

I agree with the price of used car vs new. We were going to buy a used car because we thought it's going to be more economical. We ended up looking at new ones because the price difference is not much, plus the mileage on the used ones are too high. We settled with a 2021 Honda CRV with pretty sweet deal--1.9% interest and no down payment. Monthly is about $700 but it's ok because I opted to only get 48 months. We don't have any other monthly payment (no mortgage, no loans, no cc debt) so we know we can afford it. The value of the car remains even after a year of buying it.
 
I am 4'11 and not usually concern about a car being too high. I can always put a booster seat and also, most of the car in the US now has a really good driver adjustment features (you can go forward, up... and adjust the steering wheel to match) so it's ok. I drove a Toyota Camry, a Saturn Ion, and the new CRV without having to use a booster seat and I can see fine.
 
Hope this helps

We did check and his says something different to the effect that he can't leave. It sounds inconsistent though. I have seen some people still getting it together, but we unfortunately did not. 

This is true.
When my spouse and I argue, I threaten him with a Philippine citizenship.
Just kidding. We don't argue. 😁
 

This is true.
When my spouse and I argue, I threaten him with a Philippine citizenship.
Just kidding. We don't argue. 😁
 

The tear looks like from handling the paper product too rough. I wouldn't worry about it.
Just get the passport out with a small enough opening and check to make sure that the info on the visa is correct.

The tear looks like from handling the paper product too rough. I wouldn't worry about it.
Just get the passport out with a small enough opening and check to make sure that the info on the visa is correct.

Just to make sure, you are trying to book a multiple connecting flight that stops in Japan then continues all the way to the US, right? If so, that should not be a problem. Your fiancé should not have an issue with bag in Japan because it will be checked in in Manila airport and you won't get it until point-of-entry in the US. Manila airport will not let her board a flight until her documents and bags are all good.
 
If you are looking at booking a separate flight from Manila to Japan, then another separate ticket from Japan to US, then this could be a problem as Filipinas would need to a Japan visa to travel to Japan (unlike the transit visa that is already embedded in multiple connecting flight), even though the intention is to transit through Japan to get to the US.
 
I could be wrong.... but you might want to look at the difference of two ways of booking her flight.

Hello y'all.... Sorry that I forgot to thank y'all for the answers.
 
Just an update: I ended up doing an out-of-town late registration for my mother after completing 4 of the required documents by the Local Civil Registrar (LCR) in Angeles City, Pampanga.
 
We had to do out-of-town because my mother was born in Eastern Samar and it would be too much hassle for us to have to travel there, especially with my aging mother.
 
It was a very challenging experience because my mother, for whatever reason, used different names and different birthdate on her documents. We used whatever name/birthdate combination we can find to fulfill the 4 documents requirement: PhilHealth MDR, Senior Citizen document, Marriage certificate, and Baptismal certificate from her Baptist church.
 
Now, we just have to wait for the update from the Angeles City LCR office that the Samar LCR office acknowledged the documents.
 
Hope this helps!
 

Hello y'all.... Sorry that I forgot to thank y'all for the answers.
 
Just an update: I ended up doing an out-of-town late registration for my mother after completing 4 of the required documents by the Local Civil Registrar (LCR) in Angeles City, Pampanga.
 
We had to do out-of-town because my mother was born in Eastern Samar and it would be too much hassle for us to have to travel there, especially with my aging mother.
 
It was a very challenging experience because my mother, for whatever reason, used different names and different birthdate on her documents. We used whatever name/birthdate combination we can find to fulfill the 4 documents requirement: PhilHealth MDR, Senior Citizen document, Marriage certificate, and Baptismal certificate from her Baptist church.
 
Now, we just have to wait for the update from the Angeles City LCR office that the Samar LCR office acknowledged the documents.
 
Hope this helps!
 

Hello y'all.... Sorry that I forgot to thank y'all for the answers.
 
Just an update: I ended up doing an out-of-town late registration for my mother after completing 4 of the required documents by the Local Civil Registrar (LCR) in Angeles City, Pampanga.
 
We had to do out-of-town because my mother was born in Eastern Samar and it would be too much hassle for us to have to travel there, especially with my aging mother.
 
It was a very challenging experience because my mother, for whatever reason, used different names and different birthdate on her documents. We used whatever name/birthdate combination we can find to fulfill the 4 documents requirement: PhilHealth MDR, Senior Citizen document, Marriage certificate, and Baptismal certificate from her Baptist church.
 
Now, we just have to wait for the update from the Angeles City LCR office that the Samar LCR office acknowledged the documents.
 
Hope this helps!
 

I was checking my flight back to the US set on June 30th and I do not see this requirement anymore either. I am flying via United Airlines.

When I booked my flight via Delta in 2019, my flight was Manila-Narita-Atlanta-Pensacola. I checked in my bag in Manila, retrieved it in Atlanta, checked it in again in Atlanta and retrieve it in Pensacola.
 
When I booked my flight via United this year, my flight was Pensacola-Houston-Hawaii-Guam-Manila. I checked in my bag in Pensacola and retrieve it in Manila.
 
You can always ask then check in counter where you are going to get your baggage. You can see the details of it in the baggage tag as well.
 
Hope this helps!

When I booked my flight via Delta in 2019, my flight was Manila-Narita-Atlanta-Pensacola. I checked in my bag in Manila, retrieved it in Atlanta, checked it in again in Atlanta and retrieve it in Pensacola.
 
When I booked my flight via United this year, my flight was Pensacola-Houston-Hawaii-Guam-Manila. I checked in my bag in Pensacola and retrieve it in Manila.
 
You can always ask then check in counter where you are going to get your baggage. You can see the details of it in the baggage tag as well.
 
Hope this helps!

When I booked my flight via Delta in 2019, my flight was Manila-Narita-Atlanta-Pensacola. I checked in my bag in Manila, retrieved it in Atlanta, checked it in again in Atlanta and retrieve it in Pensacola.
 
When I booked my flight via United this year, my flight was Pensacola-Houston-Hawaii-Guam-Manila. I checked in my bag in Pensacola and retrieve it in Manila.
 
You can always ask then check in counter where you are going to get your baggage. You can see the details of it in the baggage tag as well.
 
Hope this helps!

Oh yeah.. I really think that I am lucky with my family. It's not just my mom but my siblings as well. In a way, they make my life easier by always helping me with everything. Since I was the breadwinner, they never let me do any housework or any chores. There's too many of them in the house to do that role.
 
But I think the important thing is, I do not really spoil my family. I let them see and know how much I am paying, how much I am making, my struggles, my worries. I give them the opportunity to do better on their own (sent them to college, help them achieve their dream house/car, sent them to trainings, etc.)I also don't let them feel like they owe me anything and it was a give and take situation, not a martyrdom kind of thing.
 
It's crucial for me to 'train' my family not to demand, not to be snobbish, not to expect, and to always be grateful and helpful in their own ways.

I would stop any sort of support if I ever heard my mom say that to me.
If she ever says that I owe her my life and everything, then we will be in for some eye-openers.
 
I have been supporting my mom and my family for probably 20 years now, and while I don't mind it because they are usually very grateful and do not take advantage of me, I made sure to always keep them in check and never make them think that we had bottomless resources.
 
When I got married to my husband, I set their expectations that things were going to change because I had another family unit to support now. While my husband is very understanding and accepting of my culture and what I do to my family, I also made sure that I shielded my husband from partaking in that part of the culture and made sure that they did not get into the habit of asking my husband for things.
 
As long as my helping my family does not affect our (me and my husband's) finances, my husband does not intervene. He even scolds me when he thinks I do not give enough.
 
As a reference, I pay all the bills in my house online (water and electricity), then I give about $70 a week for groceries (that's what I spent when I was living there), and some extra if needed, which would be about $50 a month. My house has already been built and paid for before I got married.

Oh yeah.. I really think that I am lucky with my family. It's not just my mom but my siblings as well. In a way, they make my life easier by always helping me with everything. Since I was the breadwinner, they never let me do any housework or any chores. There's too many of them in the house to do that role.
 
But I think the important thing is, I do not really spoil my family. I let them see and know how much I am paying, how much I am making, my struggles, my worries. I give them the opportunity to do better on their own (sent them to college, help them achieve their dream house/car, sent them to trainings, etc.)I also don't let them feel like they owe me anything and it was a give and take situation, not a martyrdom kind of thing.
 
It's crucial for me to 'train' my family not to demand, not to be snobbish, not to expect, and to always be grateful and helpful in their own ways.

It's emotional blackmail, preying on the Filipino mentality of putting family first.
 
@Timona accurately described what happens to some parents whose kids make it to the US. That $700 remittance is likely being used to keep up appearances to local friends and family. 
 
I am a Filipina. I also despise such behavior. If my parents ever said anything like that to me, I would cut off communication pronto. And to underscore my point, I would stop the money transfers. If they apologized, I would restart sending them a bag of rice a month. 
 
Your wife needs to draw firmer boundaries or the behavior is never going to stop. Filipinos have an extremely hard time saying No, especially to family, so the two of you need to be fully aligned with what is and is not acceptable financial support.

You're a good daughter and your mom and family is fortunate to have you. Not all daughters will do what you and my wife is doing by sending money to their family.  At least, your mother appreciate your contribution to make their lives better.

You can't let your wife or her mom equate love with money. Before my wife got here at the end of last year I was sending about 1k USD/mo. Her father cannot work due to health and the mom runs their store and helped my wife a lot with our 2 children. Her younger sister is a student so basically I was supporting 4 adults and 2 children.
 
Now that she is here we send about 200/mo. This is for her sister and 2 parents. They have a sari sari store which helps them make their own money.
 
About 5 years ago her father pulled the "you owe it to me" routine because We (me and my wife) would not pay to send her brother to college. He told her to leave he didn't need her. My wife moved out with the younger sister, and at that time cut her parents off almost completely. (that is love in my opinion, tough love) It took a little over a year for her father to humble himself and apologize. She moved back to their house. Since then we totally rebuilt the house and basically saved her fathers life when he was having kidney failure and needed to be hospitalized. The parents have never asked for anything from that one time and are truly grateful for anything that we do give them. That is how the relationship SHOULD be and it took cutting them off to get the relationship there.

Oh yeah.. I really think that I am lucky with my family. It's not just my mom but my siblings as well. In a way, they make my life easier by always helping me with everything. Since I was the breadwinner, they never let me do any housework or any chores. There's too many of them in the house to do that role.
 
But I think the important thing is, I do not really spoil my family. I let them see and know how much I am paying, how much I am making, my struggles, my worries. I give them the opportunity to do better on their own (sent them to college, help them achieve their dream house/car, sent them to trainings, etc.)I also don't let them feel like they owe me anything and it was a give and take situation, not a martyrdom kind of thing.
 
It's crucial for me to 'train' my family not to demand, not to be snobbish, not to expect, and to always be grateful and helpful in their own ways.

Oh yeah.. I really think that I am lucky with my family. It's not just my mom but my siblings as well. In a way, they make my life easier by always helping me with everything. Since I was the breadwinner, they never let me do any housework or any chores. There's too many of them in the house to do that role.
 
But I think the important thing is, I do not really spoil my family. I let them see and know how much I am paying, how much I am making, my struggles, my worries. I give them the opportunity to do better on their own (sent them to college, help them achieve their dream house/car, sent them to trainings, etc.)I also don't let them feel like they owe me anything and it was a give and take situation, not a martyrdom kind of thing.
 
It's crucial for me to 'train' my family not to demand, not to be snobbish, not to expect, and to always be grateful and helpful in their own ways.