Cody&Razely

Technically, in normal times, K-1 doesnt have expedites at NVC because the petition isn't there long enough.  They get it,  process it and send it on within a week or two.  There is no way to speed that up.  Now with Covid the Embassy is telling NVC to hold them so it does seem like an approved expedite can help getting it to the Embassy.  If you look at the visas statistics for Manila you will see they average about 40 K-1 interviews a month (compared to 450 per month pre covid).  So K-1 should be able to get sent on to the Embassy but the Embassy decides whether or not to approve the expedite.  Right now I don't know how much they actually read the request.  The backlog is probably pushing a year already.

From what I have seen the Philippines government has got all their people believing this is the second coming of the black plague.  They think this is a deadly virus and if you get it your a goner..........

The Milligan vs. Pompeo lawsuit concerned K1 applicants covered by certain regional proclamations, which does not include the Philippines. Source here: K Visa Processing Update (state.gov)
 
 
 
 
The petitioner below was likely part of a different lawsuit. Curious though, did you get any other information from this person? @NoMansLand2020
 
 

The politics are the only thing I do not Love about the Philippines. Seems the country is always being run by corrupt and murderous politicians. Not saying other countries do not have issues. But the Philippines Govt has a ton of control over things they shouldn't. 

What do you consider to be a significant percentage? A recent poll showed that roughly 30% of Filipinos would be willing to be vaccinated at this time. That number could obviously increase as well as decrease with time as vaccinations are delivered.
 
Moreover, is it going to be free for Filipino citizens? That could also very well affect who is vaccinated and who isn't. 
 
It's a fool's game for the country to suggest that the country will open up more and resume routine activities when a large part of the population has received the vaccine. That could potentially never happen. 
 

We're on our way to our 1st year of quarantine and our government still don't know how to manage this BS.
 
It's ridiculous how we are the only country who has the longest quarantine. SMH.
 
Sucks to be here right now.

Hey Congrats You guys!!!  Yeah, me and My fiancé have been hold up here in CR Since Nov. thus far. She went the MNL-DOH-MAD-SJO Route, not sure if there are any changes to it for PH Outbound but yes as stated inbound is now compared to "OMG, OMG, OMG WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!!!! YOU WILL SURELY KILL US ALL WITH THE NEW EBOLA COVID ARMAGEDDON STRAIN!!! BACK SATAN BACK!!!! THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELS YOU, THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELS YOU!!!!!!  INTO EXTREME 14 DAY Government Quarantine even with Negative Armageddon Ebola Certain Death Test. lol 

Hey Congrats You guys!!!  Yeah, me and My fiancé have been hold up here in CR Since Nov. thus far. She went the MNL-DOH-MAD-SJO Route, not sure if there are any changes to it for PH Outbound but yes as stated inbound is now compared to "OMG, OMG, OMG WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!!!! YOU WILL SURELY KILL US ALL WITH THE NEW EBOLA COVID ARMAGEDDON STRAIN!!! BACK SATAN BACK!!!! THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELS YOU, THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELS YOU!!!!!!  INTO EXTREME 14 DAY Government Quarantine even with Negative Armageddon Ebola Certain Death Test. lol 

Hey Congrats You guys!!!  Yeah, me and My fiancé have been hold up here in CR Since Nov. thus far. She went the MNL-DOH-MAD-SJO Route, not sure if there are any changes to it for PH Outbound but yes as stated inbound is now compared to "OMG, OMG, OMG WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!!!! YOU WILL SURELY KILL US ALL WITH THE NEW EBOLA COVID ARMAGEDDON STRAIN!!! BACK SATAN BACK!!!! THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELS YOU, THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELS YOU!!!!!!  INTO EXTREME 14 DAY Government Quarantine even with Negative Armageddon Ebola Certain Death Test. lol 

Sadly, I have to agree with you. Tyrannical dictators and power hungry ego maniacs will be just that no matter the "Cause", but I am hoping for something better to come of more rational and sane minds at least in other places. I am not expecting the PH to lead the pack in sanity or even a single rational thought. Hoping for the best in other ways though. 

Happy New Year.... We were watching a radio show  from my wife's province that was doing the commentary and countdown. It was great and my wife was so happy

Tenacity at it's Best
 
You are alot like me, Give me the rules and I will find a way to get around it.
 
Congrats........

With the "new strain' coronavirus rapidly closing what options may exist, any route may be short lived.  But the way my wife actually went remains open at the moment.  She flew Manila--Istanbul--Panama on Turkish Airlines.  I flew LAX to Panama arriving abort 45 minutes ahead of her landing in Panama, so I was able to meet her at the gate when she got off the plane.  Then we continued together from Panama to San Jose Costa Rica on Copa Airlines.  With the caveat that although Panama allows Filipinos to transit without a visa, I couldn't get it booked on a single ticket and since Panama requires a visa for Filipino passports to clear immigration, the first airline 'could' balk at carrying a passenger without a visa if the transit is to a separate ticket and separate airline.   This was not an issue for my wife as Panama will also accept a Multiple Entry Visa from any G7 nation or South Korea as a substitute visa and my wife has Multiple Entry Visas for both Japan and South Korea.  A more visa friendly way though may be to instead fly Istanbul to Bogota Colombia on Turkish Airlines and then Bogota to San Jose Costa Rica on Avianca thus eliminating the whole visa question.  Alternately someone here was looking at Manila to Doha to Madrid to San Jose.  Which is fine visa wise but Spain is now on the Philippines no-Bueno list.  Honestly, Istanbul Turkey may still be a viable route this week, but who knows if it will be on the 'new strain" list next week.  Travel is challenging these days.

Yes this belongs in the Philippines thread, as my fiancé/Wife is Filipina living in the Philippines.  It's the first time either one of us had ever been to Costa Rica.  Why Costa Rica?  Well it's on a very short list of countries that at this time will concurrently accept both US and Philippine travelers, and has extremely easy requirements for the marriage of non-resident foreigners. Plus Costa Rica is just a really awesome county for a honeymoon.
 
So in the midst of all this madness my fiancé/Wife and I managed to get married in Costa Rica 2 weeks ago.  So 2020 wasn't all bad .  Government offices in Costa Rica are shut for the holidays so I'm told it will likely be late January to get the official certified marriage certificate and then we will file an I-130 and hopefully 2021 (Ok, probably 2022😔) will be even better.  Scratch the K-1 idea, CR--1 will hopefully be a better choice for us.
 
If anyone is trying to pull off a marriage, to a Filipina or probably many other nationalities, in the middle of all of this chaos and facing challenges due to travel bans and such, Costa Rica is an easy and good choice.

Sadly, I have to agree with you. Tyrannical dictators and power hungry ego maniacs will be just that no matter the "Cause", but I am hoping for something better to come of more rational and sane minds at least in other places. I am not expecting the PH to lead the pack in sanity or even a single rational thought. Hoping for the best in other ways though. 

Happy new year and best of luck to everyone still waiting!

May we all be with our fiancee's and wives next year for those who have not made it here yet.

I am thinking 2021 is going to be the same in the Philippines and probably won't clear up until early 2022
 
I think I saw the extended the state of calamity until end of June 2021 already.
 
Hopefully in USA by 3rd quarter 2021 we will be back to normal
 
Not trying to be a KJ, just what I see
 
 
 

2020 has been a wretched nightmare which should be erased from human history as it has been one of the most shameful years of human behavior I have ever witnessed or seen in history with hysteria driven stupidity. Hoping 2021 Brings even the semblance or even a glimmer of Rational though and logic back to humanity on mass. 

Last week I arrived into Manila, actually november 29th but I am a US citizen and not a Filipino passport holder.  I think the question will come down to whether you are required to pay for your COVID test or not.  Most OFWs this is free but if you are not considered an OFW you may have to pay.  I registered for the Red Cross test, paid 4000p.  The Red Cross test appeared to be a different test then what 98% of the plane was getting when we arrived Terminal 2.  If you have to pay for a test, do the red cross one as I believe there were only about 10 of us on the plane that had paid for this and it was quick, although I sat in the area for the other test and wasted 30 minutes.  If you do the red cross test, you tell them as soon as you get off the plane into the terminal you need to go to the red cross area.  Do not follow the crowds like I did.  You will go to a different gate and the whole process takes 5 minutes.  The other test that most of the plane was getting will take you between 10 minutes to over an hour.  If your doing that test, dont sit in the back of the plane   Cause if you are in the back, you will be the last to test.
 
Which airline are you flying?  I flew PAL but I can give you more advice once I know which airline.  
 
If you have other questions let me know.  As mentioned I arrived Nov 29th to Manila and my process should be the same process in place today.  However, it is always best to reconfirm everything just before you go as things can change in an instant. 

I'd have to agree it is a SCAM more control, more influencing, more rhetoric. Just another way for the PH Gov. to brainwash and control over it's citizens, you think abuse is an "American thing" lol or for that matter specific to ANY country in the world? I think not. Abuse is unheard of in PH? No!
If the PH Gov. top to bottom spent more time looking in the mirror and assessing it's self, doing better for it's countrymen and being better leaders and less time trying to keep the people simple minded, controlled, influenced, brainwashed and censored then there would be no need for CFO and human rights violations would be less as there would be a better knowledge base, less need for those to seek to find a way out at all costs, etc.... 
If the PH People are SOOOOOO Naïve it is a direct result of the piss poor Gov. and their need to keep their people that way to better suit themselves, if they didn't spend all their time trying to subjugate their people and then to control what they think, hear and say  in order for them NOT to see what their Gov. is ACTUALLY doing and how it is NOT for the "Peoples own good" then the country as a whole could grow in many different aspects including not to be so Naïve and Not to need to seek any opportunity elsewhere at any cost. 
if you have a child who is completely inept and Naïve all the way into their adult years and even at 30-40 years old need their parents to make every decision for them and weigh every choice they might make for them, tell me? Exactly WHO's Fault is that??
Now then on top of the CFO there is also the BOI IO at the airports which use interrogations sessions even lasting sometimes for hours in a private room and requiring access to your personal phone all records and even your most intimate chat logs with your partner, this seems normal to you? And then to be able to tell people, you fulfilled every single thing per the letter of the law exhaustively but it is up to me to define as I see fit the application of "Totality of Circumstance" and my personal feelings is to deny you exit rights, get packing or we will call airport security to hand you over to the police. Yeah that sounds legit, sounds like a real good system I would totally want to live in lol. Only if I was an incompetent who never wanted to make a single choice for myself and wanted everyone else to rule my life and make all choices for me.
 
That to me sounds A LOT like an Abuser warning someone else that everyone else and every where else in the world is where the abusers are and that the PH is their only friend and caring savior. Sounds a like like brainwashing to me. I wonder who the actual abusers are here???? hhmmmmm

Freaking Awesome News 

Safe trips and keep us updated.............

Today I did get my passport back with the new updated visa with the correct terminology.  
 
My flight was changed from November 26th to November 28th on PAL from JFK to Manila.  For PAL, within 3 days of the flight, you need to go into the website and register for a COVID test.  Also, NAIA still has a daily limit on passengers and I did get a message from the airline mentioning this.  Im not sure if they are expecting more OFWs etc to fly back for the holidays but it may present a situation where someone could be denied boarding and moved to a different day.  I know if all airlines that are currently flying into Manila are full, NAIA would be over the daily capacity. 
 
 

When my fiancé went to the actual counseling secession in Nov. of last year, the woman was berating and telling my her actual lies about US men and how her life would be with one. Had her in tears when she came out.
Hate to see that is hasn't changed, even over the phone...