TinTin and Samby

Good info here.. The letter of the law here in the Philippines is:

22 and under - Notorized parental CONSENT required.

23 or 24 - Notorized parental NOTIFICATION required.

But, as correctly pointed out above -- this doesnt apply for the US Embassy.

It DOES technically apply for CFO. But , you know, this is the Philippines , so adherence to laws are based on time and place and person you are dealing with.....<sigh>

Warm Regards,

Samby

Thanks alot for posting this info!!

Warm Regards,

Samby

Samby, you were lost in the black hole of the influx from last year. You filed at the same time as the rate hike as SOOOO many others did. That's why it took you so long to be adjuticated. It was happening at VSC and CSC. It was taking 6-8 months for everyone then. Sure there are execptions, but even CSC is moving much faster now than they were last year.

Agree with the others, what they tell you at the USCIS is only to protect themselves. Your approval 'should' come much sooner than the date you receive.

good luck

Hi, KimandRuss, I'm well aware of that. That's not my point nor the point of the OP. The point is that the VJ timeline is the best place to get a reasonably decent estimate of the current (recent) timelines for the entire process. Not from USCIS.

Thanks,

Samby

Hi Eric,

I always fly EVA from LAX to MAN and return. Love them and ther Elite/EVERGREEN "Supercoach" class /fare is a great deal. They wouldn't have any Filipino first time immigrant discount as they are not a Philippine based company. The only airline I have ever heard of that does that is PAL (Philippine Airines) but I have never been abloe to actually find anything officially written on that discount...and I have scanned and searched their site and others till I was blue in the face! So I dont kow if you have to call them or if its just an urban legand.

Back to EVA.

It sounds like you have a RT purchased. and now you want to go in and purchas a 1 way (MNL to USA) for your fiance. Did you signup for the EVERGREEN CLUB? If not, you should do so! The problem you are having is that EVA Air's ebsite is not sophisicated enough to "link" your new (desired) purchase with your existing ticket. Becuase of that, and because their web site enforces (literally) their rule that the credit card holder must be one of the flying passsengers, your can't process your request online. That's ok, though. Just call the service center (in PH the number is +63-2-7531383 and they can do it over the phone for you.

Take care!

Regards,

Samby

If that still doesnt work, you can always call the service center, they should be able to help you.

Chocolate Velvet Cake at Goldilocks!!!!!!! Best in the world!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Warm Regards,

Samby

Once we get married we then file for an Adjustment of Status.

How long does the AOS take to be issued/ the SSN issued?

Hypothetically, If we got married on the 40th day after my fiancee's entry into the USA and then we file for the AOS on the 45th day, would her SSN be issued before the 90 days are up?

We are a little confused, obviously the AOS needs to be filied before the 90 days are up, however can my fiancee still be in the county after the 90 days are up if her SSN has not been issued?

If the 90 days were up and she still hadnt recieved her SSN (however the AOS had been lodged) would she need to file sme kind of 'bridging' visa or pay a fee to keep her in the coutry until her SSN is recieved?

Cheers!

Hi Steve,

The AOS processing time varies widely - from a couple months to more than a year. The Conventional Wisdon here is that Your NOTICE OF FILING THE AOS is sufficient for documenting your legal status in the country for that interim time between when the I94 expires (90 days after entry) until the AOS is conpleted (or at least the EAD is issued).(assuming , of course that you did in fact get married within the 90 days of arrival). There is no other application or action or fee necssary (what you are referring to in your post as "some kind of 'bridging' visa or paying a fee").

The SSN issuance process is not tied to the AOS process. There is no need to wait for AOS to apply and receive SSN.

Pushbrk gave you some good advise. The framing of your questions appears that you may have some misunderstanding of the defination and approach to the various processes in the stage you are in (don't we all!!! ) Reading the Guides can help immensly, not just for answers but also for framing additional questions to post to VJ.

Best Wishes to you!

Warm Regards,

Samby

You also have to be careful interpreting those numbers. USCISlike to quote processing time from 129 submission through THEIR DOCUMENT APPROVAL (NOA2). This is only 1 milestone along the timeline to get your fiance to the usa. After NOA2, you have the NVC processing time, then the local embassy processing time, then the medical interview and then the embassy interview and then the visa issuance. Ge the picture??? VJ Timeline is a good way to get an OVERALL TIME ESTIMATE. - the one that matters to most real customers.....how long from time of filing the 129 will it take for my fiance to be here in the usa with me.

For us, we filed July 5, 2007 - TinTIn will arrive in USA late April, 2007. So our "real processing time" => 9 months. We had no RFEs and no "non standard" delays. Just the time that the Government's process took to run in our situation. (which was rediculously too long....<sigh>)

Warm Regads,

Samby

Congrats!!!! Wonderful news!

Hey team

I am sure this question has arrised in the past. I am just curious as to how much money can I take to the U.S on a K.1 visa?....cash that is! I actually wanted to take traveller checks with me but for some stupid reason american express has stopped giving out traveller checks about a month ago in Pakistan. The only way I can get traveller checks is by having a foregin exchange account and it takes time to open it which unfortunately I don't have.

Its only $15K that I am taking with me so not like I am taking a million in cash, I wish I was though The customs at the aiport won't bother me right? or will they tax me after certain amount?

Thank you guys.

You can take any amount. However, if you travel with more than 10,000 USD on a sinlge trip, you MUST disclose it on the appropriate customs forms.

Warm Regards,

Samby

As us the case with so many other "requirements" in this process, unfortunatey, I think the answer is "it depends". It depends on the embassy being used, the consul doing the interview, the petitioner and their individual circumstances. The real Question that is being asked by the Immigration Officials is "Can the Petitioner support the Applicant and ensure the applicant does not become a public charge and therefore a drain on US Taxpayers?". What is needed to convince the particular Embassy and Consul of this will vary widely, depending on the totality of the individuals involved.

For our K1 interview, I submitted 2007 ITR, 1099s, Letter of Self Employement on my business letterhead along with a copy of my business card and my CV, statement of Bank Accounts. That was fine for our situation and no questions arose from the consul in the Philippines. However, I also had with me Tax Transcripts for the past 3 years, copies of Client Contracts (redacted for confidentiality) JUST IN CASE the consul had questions and wanted more info. We didnt need them, but one never knows the level of PROOF that a particular Embassy and a particular Consul will require to be satisfied with the real question being evaluated: " Will this applicant e a public charge...".

Good luck!

Warm Regards,

Samby

SOME of those costs are most definately Immigration costs. Meeting In Person is an IMMIGRATION REQUIREMENT - hense costs associated with that end are Immigration costs. Proof of OnGoing Relationship is an IMMIGRATION REQUIREMENT, hence costs associated with that end are an immigration costs...etc..etc..

I don't agree.....

Meeting in person is what i would call a relationship requirement.... (and immigration concern is if you are in a relationship... and of course, meeting in person helps)

Proof of ongoing relationship... is also something you should have because you are in a relationship... (and not for the purpose of immigration (I mean you don't create it for the immigration as itself))

Thoses are long distance relationship cost.....and not directly related to immigration.

Thanks for your post. We disagree on the defintion of costs. Best Wishes to you.

Warm Regards,

Samby

The ITR is a virtual requirement. You should bring a copy with you along with the other documents you have. Dont Risk AR. for needing to follow up with requested documents.

Warm Regads,

Samby

Well, Here's One more!

Hi All,

TinTin had her interview today at the US Embassy in Manila. We are happy to report that 1) document verification was complete at the time fo the interview, 2) Her K1 Visa was Approved and 3) the embassy approved our request for a visa pickup at the embassy, thereby bypassing the use of delbros's delivery services.

Warm Regards,

Samby & TinTin

Hi All,

TinTin had her interview today at the US Embassy in Manila. We are happy to report that 1) document verification was complete at the time fo the interview, 2) Her K1 Visa was Approved and 3) the embassy approved our request for a visa pickup at the embassy, thereby bypassing the use of delbros's delivery services.

BAYVIEW PARK HOTEL: We arrived into Manila in the afternoon the day before and checked into the Bayview Park Hotel for 1 night. It is located across the street from the US Embassy. We were on the 10th floor with a direct view of the Embassy Street Entrance for K1 applicants. Reservation was made over the internet on the Hotel's direct web site. Rate was $75/night for double. Web site provided efficient real time processing. Used US issued Visa card with no problem Immediate confirmation: both on-screen and emailed. One issue was that the Web "Advertisement" stated breakfast buffet was included, but the confirmation made no mention of it. On check in, was told confirmed reservation did not include breakfast. No big deal to us - but a little shady...

The hotel is a 15 story hotel. 200 rooms or so. 3 classes: DELUXE and two levels of "suites". By filipino standards, it was not bad. By US standards, it was like an old tired "Best Western". OK - just run down. frayed carpets, cracks on the walls, missing grout in the bathroom, chipped furniture. Mattress was good. Base room rate was $59 - but with all the taxes - total was $75. billed in pesos, conversion rate ok at 41.5/dollar. They are pretty strict about late checkouts after 1pm. There is an escalating late check out fee that goes up each hour until, by 6pm, its the price of another full night. The good news is that most likely you will be back from the embassy by 12 or 12:30pm and will be able to check out before 1pm.

Our interview time was at 7:30pm. We arrived at 7:15am. No lines at all at guarded street entrance nor the security checkpoint going inside the embassy building. We were in the "blue seats" within 5 minutes of walking up to the outside gate.

Step 1: All 7:30am appointments were seated together. Starting about 7:40am, the group was directed to the first station to get a ticket number and submit DS forms and appointment letter. There were maybe 70 people in the 7:30am group. The 70 people were sent in order of arrival. It took about 45 minutes for all 70 to get through and get there numbers. From a few inquiries, it seemed that the first of the 7:30am appointment group arrived before 4am and the last arrived approximately 7:45am. We arrived about 7:15. For my money, I wouldn't trade the 45 minute "advance" that the first folks in the group got for the 3.5 - 4 hour wait that it cost them. I was glad we came over to to the embassy just a few minutes before our appointment time.

Step 2. About 9am we were called for fingerprint scanning. Nice filipinos working at that station. TinTin had to redo her scans about 7 times, but finally they came out clear enough. There was some hypothesis being discussed that the problem was hand lotion she had used. Don't know for sure, but after wiping her hands off a few times, got a scan that was "good enough" to be accepted.

Step 3. About 10:45am was called to window for prescreening. Filipino woman was "efficient". She wasnt overtly friendly - nor overtly mean. Asked a few questions - Who was I? When did I arrive in the Philippines? How many visits did I make? How did TinTin meet me? Any prior foreign travel for TinTin? Collected NBI, BC, Affadavit of support, 2007 ITR, 1099s, Letter of Self Employment, Bank Account Statements. Did NOT ask for CENOMAR. Looked briefly at photo album. Not interested in any other proofs of relationships (letters, chat logs, plane ticket boarding passes, etc) She really acted like she was just interested in collecting information for the American Consul - she didn't seem interested in the information, just transcribing some things onto a worksheet and collecting documents. She didn't care if she got the info from TinTin or Me - she just wanted forms and info. Total time less than 5 minutes.

Step 4. About 11:15 was called to room for American Consul interview. TinTin and I walked in together, and said Good Morning. This guy was a total piece of work. Young, arrogant, disinterested. Didn't bother to reply with even a hello. Immediatey "dismissed" me with "Step outside, I'll let you know if I need you". That curt..no nice to meet you, could you step out for a while, I would like to speak with tintin in private..thank you....nothing. without even making eye contact: "Step outside, I'll let you know if I need you." Needless to say, I was pissed! So, I stepped outside after making a point to get his eye contact and say "Good Morning" again.. grrrr..... TinTin was inside only about 5 minutes. Simple questions. Any previous marriages her, me. Any children her, me. What do I do for a living. Very Simple questions, TinTin said he never even made eye contact with her - just kept his eyes on his computer and asked the questions. "After 5 mnutes, he said, Ok you are approved. Step outside." TinTin then said that we had a letter for him. He looked up - suprised - and said "a letter??" It was a written request to pick up the visa at the embassy rather than wait on Delbros. He checked with one of his colleagues and then came back and said OK. Now please wait outside. Just an all around pissy attitude - not someone who should be working with human beings! (I know, I know, we ARE happy that the day went smoothly, no tough questions, no issues, approved visa, approved for embassy visa pickup - but as an American, I was certainly embarrassed to have this guy be the "poster boy" for TinTin's first dealing with an American. And it was pretty damn insulting to be dismissed without even a "Hello, would you mind waiting outside for a few minutes" by some beaurocratic peon.)

Step 5: Releasing Window at 11:50am. Almost everyone that was in front of us (5 different people) was being told they were on A.R. pending a variety of documents that they needed and were missing. The list was quite amazing - many basic things like no Last Year's ITR, no W-2, No DS-157. No Medical exam yet (!), wrong size pictures, etc. And all 5 got the word that they will be contacted in 4-6 weeks after Document Verification was completed. Most seemed not to know anything about what Document Verification was.

A NOTE ON DOCUMENT VERIFICATION: We paid for Document Verification exactly 4 weeks before our embassy interview. We texted Delbros per their procedure and received back the confirmation texts from them the same day we paid. Even so, I called the embassy 3 weeks in advance of our interview to confirm that our document verification had been completed and make sure that all was fine. Suprise suprise - I found that the embassy had no information that we had paid the delbros fee yet and therefore the Doc Verification process had not been started. I called delbros that day, had them call the embassy that day and also sent a fax with payment receipts and delbros confirmation text messages to the embassy that same day. I then called back every day for the next 4 days until the embassy confirmed that we had been submitted to NSO for the doc verification to commence. Our name/paperwork was submitted to NSO on Monday 24 March. We confirmed during the interview today that that document verification had, in fact, been completed prior to our interview. (so that means it was completed in no more than 9 business days) There are a lot of threads on VJ on the document verification process. My recommmendation while they are still working out the kinks in this new process is that you pester the heck out of both delbros and the embassy well before your interview date to ensure that they get it done before your interview. They did have a copy of TinTin's Cenomar in her file, which they did NOT get from us - so my assumption is that it came from the document verification process.

Well, next stop is a last trip back to Samar to say goodbye to the family there, then CFO, then to the airport heading to the West Coast of the US.

Thanks to all here on VJ, from whom we have learned so much.

Warm Regards,

Samby & TinTin

Hi. Try Enterprise Rent a Car at www.enterprise.com. They usually have good monthly rates, sometimes much less expensive than the regular Airport based companies like Hertz and Avis, etc...

Good Luck!

Warm Regards,

Samby

There may be a good reason for that!

I would rent from them again, but I know I will probably have to go through three vehicles to get to one that will actually drives OK, works. We rented a cargo van from there last Saturday and none of the warning lights in the back worked at all. The second van they gave us drove like garbage. Wanted to run off the road. We were already behind, so didn't have time with them messing with finding a third van at 6:30am on a Saturday.

When my Volvo was totalled, the other insurance company sent me to them. They first gave me a Cobalt that wanted to kill itself with every mile and the exhaust was rattling. Then they gave me a Hyundai Sonata and that was actually acceptable.

I have rented from Enterprise over 20 times in the past 10 years in 4 different states. Never had a single problem.

Warm regards,

Samby

Congratulations!

FYI...during our interview, we arrived at 7:15am for our 7:30am interview. No lines at all. We were in the blue seats within 5 minutes of arriving at the embassy. By my estimate, there was only about a 45 minute differrence in the finish time of those that ARRIVED FIRST and those that ARRIVED LAST for a given appointment time slot (e.g. 7:30am). The folks that arrived FIRST for the 7:30am appointment time slot got there at before 4am and the LAST arrived at 7:30am. So for me, for a 45 minute delay, I much prefer to arrive at 7:15am instead of sit outside and wait from 4am!!!!

Good Luck to all!

Warm Regards,

Samby

True,

You should be posting this in the Philipppines sub forum. Document Verification is a specifici process that is unique to the Philippine Embassy in Manila. As Primie & Ryan have advised you, it is a process that is causing the delay of MANY K1 visas in Manila right now. You will see countless number of posts in the Philippines sub forum about document verification. I would suggest that you read them all. Document Verification can cause a delay - from 1 to 6 weeks, but except in the rare case of fraudulent documents, it , by itself, does not cause denials.

Please post in the PHILIPPINES Sub FORUM. People in other forums will most likely be unfamiliar with the specifics of Document Verification via NSO in the Phiippines.

I hope your delays will end soon and all will be successful.

Warm Regards,

Samby

the USEM will do your document verification. sometimes it's a minor thing, like checking on financial stuff. i would call the embassy to follow up on your case.

Dear Lostin Us,

You see to be worrying a lot for something that is probably nothing. Assuming the first incorrect inormation in the application was just a simple error, you should absolutely correct that error now in the new forms. I would also write a simple short letter explaining tht you made a simple mistake on the date, that in reviewing the paperwork now, you uncovered your mistake and have corrected that mistake. Simple...no big deal. don't worry so much!! Good luck!

Warm Regards,

Samby

PS. Please fill in your information in your Visa Journey profile TIMELINE! Thanks.

that is true, but i wouldn't consider the trips to visit each other as an immigration cost.....

trip to the consulate, i would calculate it definetly (for this person who's so is in iran).

the trip to see each other are more "vacation", and about to stay mentally sane...but well, it's not immigration required.

bills of internet (thanks skype !!) i wouldn't put it there either since i would most probably have internet anyway, whatever if my sweet was living with me or not.

Same think for phonecalls. I would put that on the cost of long distance relationship more than immigration

SOME of those costs are most definately Immigration costs. Meeting In Person is an IMMIGRATION REQUIREMENT - hense costs associated with that end are Immigration costs. Proof of OnGoing Relationship is an IMMIGRATION REQUIREMENT, hence costs associated with that end are an immigration costs...etc..etc..

Warm Regards,

Samby

On my packet they never say i should pay doc. verification that's why i am so shocked when im in the USEM after my interview they ask me to pay 650p for doc. verification and 250p for visa delivery fee really confusing a lot and now it's been 3 weeks past by and haven't have my visa yet...

That documents verification can cause refusal?

Most likely not REFUSAL, just DELAY. Of course if they find any actual discrepancies after completing the Doc Verification, then they will have other questions...but this is not the common problem. The common problem is the DELAY caused by the Manila Embassy not following their own process and getting the Dov Verfication completed BEFORE the applicant interviews.....grrrrr.....

As DavidMae says, the thing we have to do is to call and call and pester the embassey to ensure that they are doing their work as they should be - IN ADVANCE - so that the doc verification will be completed by the time of the embassy interview. That's what we did...It was a pain to keep calling and faxing them, but I am sure that if I had not, we would not have gotten the good news that our Doc Verfication was completed already when we went to our interview today.

Warm Regards,

Samby

My wife has her medical at St. Lukes scheduled for the same day as her interview on May 12. Medical at 12:00 a.m. and her interview at 6:30 a.m. Since this is obviously a mistake can she just show up at St. Lukes the week before her interview and take her medical?

Well,,,maybe this is USE Manila's attempt at humor!! Ha! Thy certainly need to do something differently, they really are messed up now!

Regarding your question.. Yes, you can go to SLEC anytime you want up to a month before your embassy interview. (i would suggest 2-4 weeks, as only 1 week before doesn't allow for any delays - which happen much to frequently here! lol

No appointment letter is needed to go to SLEC. Just check the documents you will need at the manila embassy web site and don't forget to get the 6 photos!

Good Luck!

Warm Regards,

Samby

Hi. Try Enterprise Rent a Car at www.enterprise.com. They usually have good monthly rates, sometimes much less expensive than the regular Airport based companies like Hertz and Avis, etc...

Good Luck!

Warm Regards,

Samby

Hi LostGirl19,

So sorry to hear of how rude the American Consul was to you and your daughter. We also had a real "piece of work" idiot male American Consul. He was just so damn arrogant and flippant..itreally pissed me off. But, in the end, all went well for us.

I hope your daughter's case will get resolved soon and that you will have a more civil and polite consul next time. Good Luck!!

Warm Regards,

Samby