Adventine

I also noticed biometric scanning of all passengers on my last few international flights out of the US. As in a camera scanning everyone at the gate, right before boarding the plane. That's exit control right there.

Do you have a link? I'd like to read that myself.

We've used DHL both ways (US-PH) for mailing documents. No issues at all. But the I-134 needs to be original for in US embassy in Manila now? A scanned and printed copy won't do?

There are nonprofits that help immigrants not just with the civil surgeon fees/I-693 medical fees, but also with setting up a new household from scratch. World Relief comes to mind. They have many offices throughout the US. They primarily serve refugees and asylum seekers, and may be able to provide local resources or at least point you in the right direction.

No need to go through an attorney or relatives. You can order her birth certificate online and have it shipped directly to your US address: https://www.psaserbilis.com.ph I recommend using the DHL delivery option because it's more reliable than PhilPost.

***Moved to the Philippines regional forum for country-specific advice*** The embassy will have staff who can translate for OP's wife if needed. Given the situation OP has described, his wife should definitely request that the interview be conducted in Filipino. The Manila embassy does not make a big deal about excellent English skills. School subjects are taught in both English and Filipino, so it's assumed that any Filipino with at least a high school education knows basic English - enough to hold a simple conversation. I agree with the others that working on communication skills is important not just for the interview, but for the relationship in general. A little background about Filipino culture for readers who may not be aware: social status in the Philippines is partially measured by how well one speaks English, and many find it deeply humiliating to make mistakes while speaking English, to the point that they will simply say "Yes/OK/Yeah" even if they didn't understand. They don't want to lose face by admitting that they didn't understand what was said. Many will also take offense if someone points out their English deficiencies. It's akin to telling them they aren't educated enough. Nevertheless, mature people in a cross-cultural relationship should be able to navigate these language barriers with kindness and cultural awareness on both sides.

To close out this thread, I got a USCIS email confirming the address change was processed. Took them two working days to do it. Not bad!

You know what, I said to myself, screw this, I'm filing it anyway 😂 I used this link: https://egov.uscis.gov/coa/displayCOAForm.do Already got my online confirmation that the address change was successful. Fortunately we are on good terms with our landlord and he'll gladly forward us all mail sent to our old address.

@Crazy Cat yes, I do.

We're moving in a few days and filed Removal of Conditions just last month. When I tried to file the AR-11 Change of Address form using my USCIS account, I get the following error message: "You cannot edit your mailing address or physical address during this part of the adjudication process." Below is the screenshot from the USCIS portal: Should I proceed with AR-11 at all? Or should my USC husband just file the I-865, Sponsor's Notice of Change of Address? I'm curious why USCIS cannot handle a simple address change for a freshly filed ROC.

I think you dodged a bullet there. They wanted you to work as an office admin for free? That's supposed to be a regular paid position, not a volunteer position. Especially if they were expecting you to volunteer for 8 hours a day, Mon-Fri, for an indefinite period of time. Anyway, like the others said, don't mention your GC renewal is pending during your job search. You are eligible and legally authorized to work without needing to mention that.

I agree that many people can afford to pay for medical in the US. However, since OP was asking if their father would qualify for Medicare or Medi-Cal, I assumed they are not that rich.

Is the friend asking for your help to pay this "fine"?

@Jason and May the problem is that anyone can read VJ, even without an account. Don't underestimate scammers who might try to impersonate you or your fiancee. There might also be "friends" and family who are secretly envious of your fiancee's impending move to the US, and who might try to mess up her immigration process. There are also random internet trolls who like to mess people up for fun, just by using info they can find online.

Apart from mistakenly filing the I-130, what other forms did you file as part of your husband's AOS package? No one's coming to deport your husband. Mistakenly filing the I-130 was more of a waste of time, money and energy.

It's never been legal to work on a US tourist visa.

There's more to it than taxes. Some companies do not allow remote working for another country because it may be construed by the government as setting up an office in that country. Then the company could potentially be liable for following US labor laws, remitting US business taxes, etc. You'll need to check with your company's HR department and corporate counsel.

Just... wow. Good for you Darryl that you don't seem to be hurting for money at all, and you can afford to give your ex- spouse the 250k settlement + 2k/month without creating financial problems for yourself. But seems like you got some really bad immigration advice and you didn't need to give her 2k/month in the first place. So why keep spending that money if you don't need to?

How did you guys arrive at that settlement of 250k lump sum + 4k monthly allowance?

Handwriting can be hard to read. A better idea is to paste the Airbnb screenshots in Word and type notes as needed. Example Word layout: Title: Airbnb for joint travel on X dates [Airbnb screenshots] It also makes it much more convenient to save a complete and accurate copy of your package.

Have her print it out and hope that the boarding gate agents don't know the difference between the NOA1 original printed on security paper and a clear printed copy. You may want to meet her at the US POE with the original NOA1.

I'm sorry about what happened to you, but if you're serious about your boyfriend, you need to disclose your HIV status to him sometime. It matters for his own health and it's not the kind of thing you should surprise him with after you get married.

The DS-160 asks about work history, income, travel history, criminal history, travel plans, social media history, who's paying for the trip, and family/contacts in the US, among other things. It's already a lot of information to evaluate someone's ties to the PH and reasons to return (or not). Sometimes people can look great on paper and still get denied for tourist visas. It's been that way for decades. Nothing keeping your MIL from trying again. But if nothing has really changed with her situation since the last application, don't get your hopes up.

I used to work in a foreign embassy's Manila office. We processed a LOT of Schengen visas (tourist visas for Europe). One of the major requirements was travel insurance to cover their entire trip. No travel insurance, instant visa denial. Applicants typically submitted Malayan, Axa, or Pacific Cross travel insurance. All three can be purchased locally by PH citizens. Ask your in-laws to look into that.

I don't recall anyone in the Manila Embassy looking at additional paperwork for tourist visa applications. It seems they make their decision based on the info submitted online in the DS-160, then the personal interview is just the final step before they say yes or no. The only time I can see additional paperwork making a difference is for immigrant visa applications.