user555

That'd be a great question for the Nigeria forum. This is the Philippines forum. 

This must have changed. My wife updated her PH passport in Dec 2019 from her maiden name to her married name and did not have to go through CFO. 

Great, thats super helpful. We will do this process this week while waiting for the visa and see what happens.  

i didnt get to choose slots. just to share what i did-
i created an account from the link on their website. that link https://cfo.ph/Online_PDOS_Account_Creation-GCP/ only works weekdays office hours. i got an email immediately after completing my account. it lists 4 requirements to be sent to a different email (the email of your assigned counselor). they were beneficiary passport biopage, petitioner passport biopage, marriage cert if married, and the visa. i dont have a visa yet as my interview is on jan 4. i stated this and attached the appointment email from USEM instead. i emailed the counselor with the requirements today dec 9, and 30 mins later she replied with my telecounseling schedule - dec 14 there are no instructions to pay yet so i havent. 
my only concern was the possible wait time on getting a schedule. if you would need an earlier sched than what they will provide, you can probably email them to have it moved. almost the entire process seems to be pretty discretionary by the cfo people.
 

If you've gone in person to the NBI to get your fingerprints done within the past 6 years? you can renew online. If you haven't ever been to their office in person, you need to go to get some things entered into their database. 

Try to do it online. My wife requested one on their website on Dec 1 and it was delivered to our door on Dec 5 with an AKA. It sounds like that staff member was incompetent. 

Try to do it online. My wife requested one on their website on Dec 1 and it was delivered to our door on Dec 5 with an AKA. It sounds like that staff member was incompetent. 

My wife went to SLEC today at 7:15 AM and was given the number 50. 49 people had already arrived. 
 
The guard wanted to see her passport, a photocopy of passport bio page, 4 pieces of her 2x2 visa photos with her name at the back, and a copy of the NVC letter with the case number. She did not have an interview scheduled yet. It was ok with him. She went through the welcome area for biometrics, and then she went to pay. She did her x-ray, blood draw, urine test, and physical exam. She said everyone was very friendly. There were a lot of children there too. She was surprised that on one of the forms, she had to list a close relative that lived in the States (not the petitioner). She just left that blank. She waited for the doctor, and she was number 35 in line by now. She changed into her gown and the doctor just pushed on her stomach, checked her neck and limbs, and asked about some general health questions. 
She went to the US counter but was told her x-ray was unclear so she had to do 3 days of sputum tests (check for TB) and then wait for 2 months to see if the bacteria grows from the sputum samples. She asked for a copy of the x-ray, but they refused to provide her with one. There were at least 2 other women who had to go through sputum testing as well. 
 
She was done by 11 AM.
 
Here are my two complaints. 
1. The US doesn't really care about TB that much. If they did, they'd have foreign university students, migrant workers, and tourists also take a TB test. Also, how many illegal immigrants that cross the border or claim asylum are checked for TB? How many tourist visa holders who overstay their visa for years are checked for TB? The US allows millions of these visa holders to come into the country every year and risk spreading the bacteria. I read several case studies on the CDC's website where they analyze this and are like, "Oh well! All we can do is contract tracing after TB is already detected on US soil!" 
2. Why is SLEC still using an old TB testing method for adults? They use IGRA for kids aged 2-14 and the result is available within 24 hours. SLEC increased the fees for adults in 2017, kept the old method of testing, and only allow kids to have IGRA. It baffles my mind. IGRA is far superior to a sputum test. The higher fee adults pay does not benefit them one bit! Adults pay for kids' tests. 
 

49 K-1 visas issued in October. That's an increase from September.  
 
https://travel.state.gov/content/dam/visas/Statistics/Non-Immigrant-Statistics/MonthlyNIVIssuances/OCTOBER 2020 - NIV Issuances by Post and Visa Class.pdf
 

This is my experience on the whole medical system as well here. Over the years I had to go to makati med 3 times. All 3 times I was wrongly diagnosed. I finally made the decision to just fly to Singapore for any medical treatment I needed. The last one was when makati med told me I had a severe calf cramp even though I heard my muscle pop and could barely walk. I went to Singapore and they told me I had torn 2/3 of the muscle in half. 

My boss while working in the Philippines, her daughter was a doctor in the US and she later returned to Manila. Her review of the medical system in the Philippines was one of sheer incompetence as well as not being properly stocked with supplies down to the basic things such as stethoscopes etc. 
 
SLEC is a disaster and it’s always been like that for at least the last decade. It’s beyond me why they don’t change vendors. 

It never hurts to voice your objection, I have said for many years that SLEC is just a racket where you pay USA prices for Philippine services.
 
They also do medical for people going to Canada, Australia and New Zeland 

Angry? No. Frustrated? Yes. 

I live with my wife in Manila, so it's not an issue of being away from her. I am happy being with her. 

Two other events happened when she went in for her shots. Back in September, the doctor did a visual body scan and saw a one foot long scar on her body from a surgery she had as a child. My wife explained that the surgery was from 2000. When she went back in Dec, they separated her from the rest of the patients and made her go to a new room and were asking her questions about 'when was your last blood transfusion?' 'how long has it been since you've been released from the hospital?' 'how many COVID patients were you around?'

She asked them why they were asking her this, and they said they have notes that she had surgery this year (2020). She said she did not have surgery this year. It was twenty years ago! Then, they let her back in with the other people to get those shots. 

The guy that administered the shots disinfected the side of her arm with alcohol, and then he grabbed the underside of her arm (by the tricep - 2 inches away from where he just disinfected the skin), and gave her the shots there. Why? 


SLEC reflects poorly on the US Embassy as well. The US Embassy has only approved 1 hospital for all visa processing. If it it was just a small thing here and there, I could overlook it. However, add up all the issues and it's a pattern of incompetence. Overcharging patients, falsely flagging patients with a potentially serious illness only to be proven wrong later, poor record keeping (a 93% error rate), inconsistent information (from their website, email, phone calls), poor hygiene, etc. It's not just happening to me. This forum has over 10 years worth of stories about SLEC's incompetence. I've contacted SLEC about this and will contact the embassy when we're finished. 

Will either of them change? Probably not. However, at least it's recorded. My favorite story on this forum was the Filipina immigrant nurse who challenged the doctor at SLEC about the dubious TB report they were trying to stick her with, and the doctor was like, "Well,  just wait it out. If we're wrong, it's just a 2 month delay." Crazy. Is this medical person in authority really a doctor or just a professional guesser? 
 
 

49 K-1 visas issued in October. That's an increase from September.  
 
https://travel.state.gov/content/dam/visas/Statistics/Non-Immigrant-Statistics/MonthlyNIVIssuances/OCTOBER 2020 - NIV Issuances by Post and Visa Class.pdf
 

K1 Visa has finally been issued, now focus shifts to travel.  What are the requirements for travel and are there any recommendations on airlines?  Is covid testing required?  Please someone with first hand current knowledge only,  too much confusion caused by opinions and rumors,  need the true facts.   Thanks so very much.

If there is some chance you want to leave and can leave before the 6 months is done, getting the 6 month extension might not be worth the savings.  No savings if you leave before 6 months is up.
 
Here are my 9A visa costs for 3 years.  Not apples to apples with your situation as you started on a BB and converted, but it might give you an idea.  You can see that I paid the ACR fee once a year.  How much your cost is for any 1, 2 or 6 month extension will depend on where you are in your annual cycle.
 
I don't think you need the express lane fees, so you can take that out.  Otherwise, most of these fees have not changed since 2012.  If your extension goes over Feb., you get the annual report fee.
 
Hope this helps a little bit!
 

 
 

I was approved for a expedite in the middle of September. I never heard from the embassy. My wife did her medical and got flagged for an unclear x-ray. We have to wait until December to find out the results. I emailed the embassy because they never contacted us. It had been 6 weeks since they approved the expedite. 
 
expedite - make (an action or process) happen sooner or be accomplished more quickly.
 
The embassy does not know what this means. I contacted the embassy right before Halloween to have them schedule us an interview. Thousands of people get an email from the embassy stating their interview is confirmed, and they now need to go do their medical. 
I told them we are just waiting on our results, and I'd like to have an interview right after SLEC updates us in Dec. 
 
The embassy said, "Your medical eligibility is currently pending. Please be aware that we are unable to schedule the applicant for an interview without a valid medical report from St. Luke's Extension Clinic in Manila."

What?! You schedule thousands of interviews BEFORE a valid medical report is even issued. 
 
I asked for clarification. They said:
"We are unable to schedule the applicant for an interview without a valid medical report from St. Luke's Extension Clinic in Manila.  The volume of priority cases (i.e. including the immediate families of  U.S. citizen petitioners) preclude us to guarantee an immediate appointment for the applicants."
 
Ok. I'll just wait until after SLEC updates us in Dec. 
 
Last week, they sent me an interview appointment for late Dec. 

Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne must be working at the US embassy.  
 

Sounds good, so by April, 2021, K1 visas should be issued within 3-4 months again! And Spousal visas should only take 6. And AOS interviews will happen in a month, and N-400's will be processed in a weeks time!!! Go Biden!!! Doesn't matter who is president, it's a US government run operation, nothing will ever be fast about it. But I admire your optimism.

Just got home from our interview.  We passed.
 
There were about 80 applicants in the morning group today. I was the only US citizen attending the interview with their spouse, which wasn't surprising since the border has been closed to foriegners since March 22 due to COVID.
 
The interviewer swore me in along with my wife and her daughter since I was there.  Actually I answered most of the questions.  The guy interviewing me grew up about 30 miles away from where I live in the US so that didn't hurt I'm sure.
 
Questions were:
 
How and when did we meet?
Does daughter have contact with biological father?
Do I live in Vietnam with my wife?
What was your last argument about?
 
That was pretty much it.  No questions for 14 year old daughter.  He flipped through photos and said we were approved.  Didn't look at tax transcripts or even a copy of 2019 taxes since I can't get a transcript for last year.  Apparently someone tried to file for a refund on my SSN so when I filed my taxes online they said they couldn't accept an e-file due to the fraudulent filing and I had to file a paper copy.
 
My only concern at all going into the interview is that we didn't have a letter from the bio dad saying it's OK to take the daughter out of the country.  He's not on the birth certificate and they have had no contact or support since less than one year old.  He didn't even comment on that so I'm assuming it's a non-issue.
 
It was as anti-climactic as I figured it would be since I live here with them.  We are moving to US mid-March.  Kind of sucks since our 2 year anniversary is April 28 and our medical expires April 19 so we will have to adjust status after two years but whatever.  Just glad it's done.

I'd slip this in the email. 

I just arrived in the Philippines today to visit my wife. I posted in another forum about securing a visa first and that was less painful than expected. I flew on PAL from JFK to Manila. In New York the airport was empty and check in was fairly quick. They just ensured that I had a Valid visa before issuing my boarding pass. They also have you fill out a health declaration form you hand in at the checkin counter. I flew business class and the lounge was closed so they gave a $25 food voucher which could only be used at Hudson News since everything else was closed.
 
The flight boarded a little early and left early too. On board they announced that masks and face shields were required at all times except when eating and they handed out face shields to all passengers. I noticed only about 50% of passengers wore the face shield on board and they did not enforce it. I was surprised that business class was 100% full. The flight itself was similar to other flights I have taken with them. The food was basically the same except it wasn’t plated and still in the containers it was heated in and covered and plastic utensils and cups were used. Before landing they handed out 5 different forms to fill out. Two were the normal customs and immigration forms and the other 3 were for health and contact tracing. Upon landing we were told to remain seated as the Coast Guard would board to give us instructions.
 
I was expected chaos when deplaning and figuring out where to go for the COVID test. To my surprise it was very well organized. You first go to a booth to pay for the test which was $86. Be aware that you do have to register for the Covid test 3 days before your flight and present a QR code you receive by email. Next you go to the next booth for the test. After that it is on to immigration. A word of caution that despite having a Visa they asked for the marriage certificate and entered all that information into their system. Very few questions were asked and it was off to get my bag. The bags were all off of the carousel and ready to be picked up. Next it was off to the hotel registration desk where they ask for your booking confirmation and they take down the details. They offered a private car to the hotel which I know is more than a taxi but in light of the circumstances I thought it was best. I got in the car and was in my hotel in short order. To my surprise I got my Covid result in about 8 hours by email. Next I had to apply for my quarantine certificate. I did that online and am waiting for that. You need both the certificate and negative test result before the hotel will let you check out. I did confirm after I get that I can check out and go be with my wife in Makati for the remaining 14 day quarantine period. Happy to answer any questions you have.

Why is it "so stupid?" Whatever reason you give, the US government is going to prove that you're wrong. 
 
Please familiarize yourself with this website. 
 
How can a financial petitioner establish a domicile?
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/the-immigrant-visa-process/step-1-submit-a-petition/i-864-affidavit-faqs.html#aos23 
 
The I-864 needs a black ink signature. You'll have to turn in a hard copy during your interview. Print it out, sign it, and scan it back in. 
I used PDFMate PDF Converter (Free) to merge pictures into a pdf. 

What if he was cremated? Do they want pictures of him in the oven? How insensitive can the US Embassy be? 

I went to immigration today and paid 1,330 P for a 1 month tourist extension. I will pick up my passport on Friday. If I did the fast lane (express lane) service, I could have gotten it within an hour, but it was an extra 1,000. I only live 2 miles away.  The middle aged female officer asked if I wanted 2 months. I said yes. She said I also had to pay for an ACR card. I told her I thought it was only after you've completed the 2 months that you would have to pay for the ACR card (when you want to extend beyond 59 days). (I've done a 59 day tourist visa before at this extension office and did not need to pay for an ACR). She said no, you have to get the ACR now because you've already stayed 1 year. I asked about just doing a 1 month extension. She said no ACR is required if you extend for 1 month, but if you extend for 2 months, an ACR is required. Not correct lady. I just went for 1 month. I think it was a military BOI because General Incompetence was there. 

Maybe they are concerned that he has been  "born again."

You can contact Yumburger. It looks like they got by without the latest tax transcript.