Adventine

Maybe it's better for one of the family members to post on VJ with all the details about their case. It's difficult to give good answers based on second or third-hand information.

Dude. HSBC's headquarters is in the UK. The main holding company is also incorporated there. Source: https://www.hsbc.com/investors/investing-in-hsbc/group-structure It's called HSBC because it started in Hong Kong. But it was founded by a Scotsman: https://www.hsbc.com/who-we-are/our-history/history-timeline Just because it's got that name, don't assume it's a Chinese bank. *** Back on topic, I'm another of those people who was able to open a US bank account without being physically present in the US. No SSN or ITIN at the time, either. But it was because my fiance had a good relationship with his personal banker at his regional bank. I communicated with the banker through secure mail and opened the bank account remotely.

Congratulations!

I recommend opening a multi-currency account with Wise.com (used to be TransferWise). You can open a USD + GBP + other major currency account while you're still in the UK.

Congratulations!

Some points: 1. Marrying in the Philippines: you can choose to get married the traditional way (with all the tedious paperwork involved) or through the Utah Zoom process, which is much faster and is recognized by US immigration. Plenty of VJ threads about the Utah Zoom process. 2. Spousal visa: since your future wife lives in the Philippines, there is no other option but to go through the US embassy in Manila for her immigrant visa. I noticed you mentioned a "I29" application in your post. I assume you mean an I-129F petition. That is only for fiances. If you submit a I-129F petition and then get married, you automatically invalidate the petition and it would be a total waste of time and money. The correct steps are: - finalize the annulment - get married - start the spousal visa process by filing an I-130 petition The rest of the steps you can find using the guides on this site. 3. Timelines: unless you have special reasons to qualify for expedited processing, your future spouse will not receive a spousal visa in time for summer 2023. It's more realistic to plan for the visa to be granted in 2024. You can check VJ timelines for data from other users who are waiting for their immigrant visas from the US embassy in Manila.

***Moved to the Philippines regional forum for country-specific answers*** @Mike E is correct, if the Filipina mother is single, she has full custody of her child and the biological father has no say if she can or cannot take the child to immigrate to the US. @kman198 On the desktop site, scroll down, down, down and you'll find the Philippines forum. After the visas are granted, the mother and child will also need CFO stickers/certificates (Commission on Filipinos Overseas). Without the CFO clearance, they will be blocked by PH exit immigration from leaving the country. You can find plenty of information on the CFO in the Philippines regional forum

So what's your fire insurance in this case? Anyone is free to ask questions and it's best to be prepared for any eventuality, but refusing to take a short international vacation even with a valid AP in hand is way overthinking the risk. And mentioning abandoning AOS and sending the foreign spouse back home for consular processing is way overkill.

Where is this anxiety coming from? Unless your spouse plans on doing something illegal like carrying drugs or banned items on the international trip, the chances of being denied entry are next to none. Your energy is better used on planning an enjoyable vacation. Edit: I'm really trying to understand where this anxiety is coming from. It's almost like refusing to buy a house because of the tiny chance that the house might burn down in the future.

Or biological samples 🤪

So... have you bought that load yet?

Be extremely careful about someone who threatens to kill themselves if you leave them. They may not stop at just harming themselves. We've all seen news reports of murder-suicides when the spouse being left behind decided to take their family's lives before taking their own.

I debated for a while if I should comment on this thread or not. But there are two points that are worth emphasizing: 1. If she's constantly on her phone, she could be constantly recording audio in the background. Anything that can be interpreted as a threat to her or to the kids can and will be used against you. 2. No matter what path is taken (divorce or no divorce, go back to PH or stay in US, withdraw or don't withdraw Affidavit of Support), it's going to cost a lot of money and heartache. It's up to you what path you want to take. Plenty of posters have offered their experience. Lawyers will be able to explain the finer details according to state and federal law. I'm out.

Seconding this, especially if OP doesn't have much experience travelling internationally by herself.

Yep, it's the TIEZA travel tax exemption. I applied for it before going to the airport last year for my flight PH-US. I'm a PH passport holder with a GC.

As mentioned above, PH immigration officers often target travelers who fit the profile of potential human trafficking victims. Single, young Filipinas without much of a travel history, without personal assets of their own, without a decent stable job... you know the type. I personally travelled a lot as a single Filipina and never got offloaded. I never had to show documentation about my job or assets, but I always had them with me, just in case. It helped a lot that I always answered questions confidently and in a relaxed manner.

No document that I'm aware of. My post was based on personal experience travelling internationally as a single Filipina. Never asked for CFO. But then I could always prove that I was paying for my own trip. Same for my peers.

@Lemonslice I hope they mean something like your pic, with the toes and heels covered!

Slippers meaning like flipflops you would wear to the beach? I mean, I don't see a reason why she couldn't, but personally I would not. For the simple reason that any little bit of dirt or mud would end up on my feet and I don't want to show up to an important visa interview like that.

Do you post often on LinkedIn about trends in your industry? I did recently (after several months of being inactive on LinkedIn) and two days later a recruiter messaged me about an interesting position with good compensation. Most of my work experience is from overseas and I have a degree from a university in a developing country (a good school, but not Ivy League equivalent). Alternatively, you could ask your UK network if they know of anyone hiring in the US. Your contacts working in multinational corporations could be good leads.

That's tough. Sorry that happened to your family. In case you don't get a solution to the visa issue, you might have better luck contacting the cruise company with a police report about the stolen border crossing cards. Might get a refund or rescheduled trip.

That's not a customary thing to do in the Philippines. The only Filipinos who say that their fiance is a "friend" are people with something to hide. I agree that there is a very slim chance of the tourist visa being approved. Better just to save up for another trip to the Philippines.

If you're struggling with bills right now, it's only going to get worse if you need to support another person who won't be able to legally work for a long time. Last I checked, work permits were taking 8+ months. You can check the timelines on this website for a more accurate idea.

I can think of a few reasons: if the husband didn't want his wife to know how much he was earning, and/or he wasn't declaring all his income to the IRS.

@Dashinka nailed it. Whatever your stepdaughter does, she must NOT get married before she enters the US and activates her LPR status. As an aside, 18/20 years old is still pretty young and a lot can change. Best for your stepdaughter to activate her green card, get used to life in the US, get a stable job of her own, and THEN if she still wants to petition the guy, she can get married and file for him herself.