top_secret

IOE9 means that the cases were submitted electronically. These case numbers are randomized so it is not valid to compare "blocks". IOE09 means the case was submitted on paper and scanned for electronic processing. These case numbers are sequential in blocks presumably ordered by week number, and therefore you could maybe glean a little indirect information by comparing one case's progress to others in the same block. It sounds as if your husbands lawyer summited the case electronically which was probably the best way to do it, but yielded case numbers that are randomized so you cannot compare them by "blocks".

Here in California with GEICO I just added my wife online. Since I did not add a second vehicle at the time and still had myself as the primary driver it did not impact my rate at all. I was instantly able to print new insurance cards listing both of as named drivers.

The vast number of C1/D visas you see issued out of US Embassy Manila are because Filipino seamen are the backbone of the worlds maritime transport crewmen. Basically, any shipping company that hires crewmembers in the Philippines requires them to obtain a US C1/D visa as a condition of employment since odds are that sooner or later, they may need to make port in the US. Strait C1 only transit visas are much less common in the Philippines and honestly the C1 only applicants could have got a 10 year B2 tourist visa for the same amount of trouble. The bigger mystery is why they just don’t just set aside like about 3 or 4 days and knock out their immigrant backlog in one fell swoop. US Embassy Manila has the capacity do like a thousand interviews in a day of all categories combined. Even IR5's who were steadily decreasing their backlog haven’t seen any movement for the last couple of months. Even those who have ready cases that need reschedules due to sputum testing etc. are having difficulty getting interviews.

Yea, she is smart enough to ignore the voter registration solicitations so it is no big deal. But it is definitely annoying since it is recurrent and derives from a government agency that has been formally notified of her green card status.

Same here in San Diego. My wife has been called twice for jury duty already since she arrived. Luckily, easily dismissed online by notifying them she isn't a citizen. The more annoying part is that California keeps sending her voter registration forms. We traced that to when she first arrived we purchased her health insurance through the state "coveredcalifornia" web site. Even though we had no subsidies and paid full price for the insurance, they got all her info and even with California having full disclosure that she is a green card holder they still keep sending her voter registration forms.

Tukwila seems to be ground zero for Filipinos in Washington State. Take her grocery shopping at Seafood City. https://www.seafoodcity.com/store-locations/tukwila-wa/ .

K1 the petitioner is required to proactively declare arrests and convictions and provide police reports and court documents for many cases. It's a big part of the process. CR1 does not require the petitioner to declare arrests and convictions at all, anywhere in the process. Though USCIS may still run their own background check.

You don't need it at all for the I-129F. You will need a new one before your interview at the embassy. The embassy considers CENOMAR's valid for 1 year from the date of issuance. You often see advice that they are only valid 6 months because in past years there have been a few very rare instances where an individual consul ask for one less than six months old due to some question they had about someone's specific case. The six month advice does not apply to normal cases.

BIR accepts a Philippine Report of Marriage. In the Philippines they see that as a "PSA Marriage Certificate". (even though it's not a marriage certificate). "Remarrying in the Philippines" could be catastrophic to your situation in both the US and the Philippines. DO NOT EVEN CONSIDER IT. By Philippine law you must both be unmarried before you could marry. However you are both married. To each other. You would have to commit fraud to even sign new marriage documents in the Philippines. Then you could wind up having to spend years annulling the illegal second marriage to even set things straight with USCIS. Your online marriage is fine. Work with that. 13a is the wrong visa if you are seeking to stay a few years waiting for your wife's CR1/IR1. You seeking permanent residence in the Philippines is contradictory to your wife seeking permanent residence in the US. US domicile is a core requirement to sponsor a spousal visa. The US citizen spouse seeking permanent residence overseas tends to contradict that. Balikbayan stamps seem ideal for what you seek. Fly over, spend a month with your wife, take a quick trip to Hong Kong, Taipei, Thailand etc., return together and you get stamped in for a year. Super easy.

Hmm. I just checked again too and indeed it's back to no appointments available. An hour ago there definitely were for K1. Earlier today no. I'm not sure what to make of that.

That situation which occurred earlier today seems to have resolved and August dates are available again now. Get 'em while they're hot. IR5's also have August dates now for reschedules and expedites. CR1/IR1's still have hundreds of open dates, even more than before, but almost no one who could actually book one.

For reference. While not directly applicable to USCIS or the State Department, Social Security has more or less established themselves as the gatekeeper of what are legal names in the US, so your could kind of argue they are authoritative. They very directly deal with it in their Operations Manual and state that discrepancies that are "obvious, easily explainable, and raises no doubt that the record pertains to the claimant." are inconsequential. They specifically cite variations in the "English equivalent of a foreign given name" as being inconsequential. https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0200302460

When comparing experiences with different consulates it's important to remember there is no consistency whatsoever between them and the requirements at one may be quite different from another. Plus the requirements 'today' might be different from the requirements two years ago when they last updated their web site. It's important to e-mail the specific consulate and ask their current requirements. If you are filing from the Philippines it IS possible to file it at the DFA ASEANA office in Manila. It will still get forwarded and processed by whatever consulate or embassy has consular jurisdiction but the application can be dealt with in person in Manila.

They stopped allowing petitioners to attend interviews during the rona lockdowns and as far as I know they have not started allowing it again since. US Embassy Manila is having some kind of total meltdown regarding scheduling. No one can figure out what they are doing. Apparently they have not opened any August dates for anyone yet so those should appear all at once sometime soon. On the CR1/IR1 side they show over 800 interview dates open in July alone except they could only go to expedites and reschedules so they are unbookable to CR1/IR1 applicants that have been waiting a year and still cant get an interview. K1 and IR5 haven't had any dates open for a while now. Its a real mess.

There was this case last year that was successful. There was another case here in 2022 where they were denied.

SLEC will let people take their exam without an interview scheduled if they sign a waiver stating they are aware that if the medical expires before they get their visa and travel it is their responsibility that they have to repeat it. The applicant has 6 months from the medical results day to complete the rest of the visa process and actually travel to the US. 3 months from the results date if the applicant was flagged for sputum testing. Any visa issued will expire whenever the medical does.

If you are eligible to file N400 and intend to do so then just focus on getting that done and forget about the I751 unless USCIS reminds you. Allot of N400s are getting interviews really fast lately and would probably get the I751 approval at the same interview.

The E-Visa scheme does not apply to American citizens since we are visa exempt on arrival. Chinese, Indians or maybe some other nationalities need visas for the Philippines and had that open to them. I imagine the main reason E-Visa's are suspended is political tension between China and the Philippines. If an American wanted a 9A visa today for some strange reason they need to apply at whatever Philippine consulate or embassy has consular jurisdiction over there home. Not that I could think of any really good reason why an American would get one now.

It should be an ordinary passport renewal. She just completes it in her married name. When they ask proof she is entitled to use that name, she shows the Report of Marriage. https://philippineembassy-dc.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/passport-v2.pdf

Yea, extending is cheap and easy but if you don't bother and just show up at the airport overstayed its a potentially significant fine. There was an overstayed Vietnamese tourist at NAIA just last week who made quite a public controversy protesting her fine. Errr,,,, umm,,,, if you do get fined it's best just to pay.

You just go down to the immigration office and pay for an extension. It's a standard service . I seem to recall it being $40/$50-ish a month but it's been a while since I paid. These days they even have tourist visa extensions online though I can't personally vouch for that. https://e-services.immigration.gov.ph/ There's plenty of foreigners living in the Philippines defacto permanently by continuously extending tourist visas and doing a quick turnaround trip every 3 years.

You can pay as you go for visa extensions up to three years. After three years you have to leave country but could even do a same day turnaround flight to someplace like Hong Kong or Taipei and back, restarting the clock on another three years of paid visa extensions. Or, as @RO_AH mentioned, take your wife with you on quick trip to some nearby country and if you return to the Philippines traveling together they would give you a Balikbayan stamp good for one year free.

It the date is updating it at least means they are actively working on the case and haven't totally forgot about you.

The "CENOMAR" is good for a year from when it is issued and easily renewed. If your case is moving she will need it soon enough. You could order her one online with a credit card here https://psaserbilis.com.ph/ . She will also need a NBI Clearance. That's good for a year from issue too. Make sure her PSA Birth Certificate is up to date and if there are any issues like late registration, errors, etc. Make sure her passport is in order.

As of last month they are up to scheduling for the first week of August 2023. They have not done any new scheduling so far this month.