top_secret

Filing separately most commonly would not make financial sense for a married couple. There are exceptions and unusual circumstances but most often filing separately would represent a conscious choice to pay MORE taxes and receive a smaller return in order to keep finances separated. If that were the case, I could see why an an immigration officer might question why a married couple would chose to pay more. If there were a good explanation or circumstances than made sense than it shouldn't be a problem.

One thing we discovered from my wifes earlier Schengen visa applications before she was a US LPR, is that different Schengen embassies have differing responses to different nationalities. So the embassy that might be the most generous towards Filipino passports, may have a much tougher attitude towards some other nationalities and vs versa. It remains to be seen what response we get from Germany but we saw a number of anecdotal accounts of them giving somewhat longer term multiple entry visas to US LPR's with Filipino passports. Plus we missed Germany our last trip so plan to stop there anyways.

It was back in April when they said they discontinued the stickers but it doesn't surprise me a bit if they backtracked on that again after a month or two. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=610295504471310 When my wife did hers they made everyone pay a courier fee for the sticker and then never actually sent them to anyone or sent them many months later. It's kind of a moot point though because once she made it out the first time with her visa they have never asked or cared on any trip since.

Congratulations! CFO should be fine with only copies of documents.

We just completed a UK tourist visa for my wife and stepdaughter (CR1 and CR2 with Philippine passports). We are currently in the middle of processing German tourist visas which covers all the Schengen Area countries in Europe. For UK the process is that they apply online and pay the fee (USD $151). Then they must schedule and attend biometrics a USCIS Application Support Center. Obviously the UK and USCIS are on very close friendly terms. Then the receipt for the biometrics, all the documents, and passport are mailed to New York City to await adjudication of the application and placement of the sticker. UK seemed primarily interested in financial documents and proof of US LPR status. Bank statements and pay stubs showing how the trip would be paid for. I could guess the US spouses financial records would suffice with proof of the marriage. They accepted expired CR1 and CR2 green cards with extension letters without any problems. It took three weeks to get the UK visas which seems about typical. I think France requires biometrics at a VFS Global application center and pretty much any Schengen Visa requires a big stack of paperwork. Before my wife was a US LPR she was denied by France and at that time we discovered the Netherlands is the most "Filipino friendly" Schengen country. Though I think she would be fine applying through France now. This time we are applying through Germany based on some unsubstantiated anecdotal speculation that Germany is more likely to issue longer term multiple entry visas to US LPR's than some other Schengen countries.

If it's Philippines then all she needs to do is change her name in her Philippine passport to the one she wants. The PSA marriage certificate is all the legal proof she needs even though the name change is not explicitly stated. It will be way cheaper and easier to do it at some point before her visa interview.

Congratulations! All she needs is the online certificate with QR code and she is good to go. They eliminated the physical stickers.

No, shouldn't require that. Just tolerate with a smile whatever ordeal they put you through Monday and everything will 'probably' work out.

I would say that CFO has a long history of stringing people along to the last moment but finally coming through when it actually comes down to missing a flight or not. I would wager that it can probably be successfully handled somewhat inelegantly come Monday. Be in contact with her in real time in case CFO comes up with any oddball requests. I would put an all out effort into using that visa on time. I believe it is realistically doable.

I think you said you arrive Korean Air in LAX, is that your final destination? Korean Air will arrive at Tom Bradley Terminal at LAX. There you will go through Immigration first. That will probably take a while depending how many other flights arrive the same time. AFTER you have already cleared immigration you take the escalator downstairs and there is baggage claim. Find the carousel for your flight and most likely your bag may be there already given the time it takes to clear immigration. You will have plenty of time to pick it up. No worries there. Then you head out to the exit. Most likely customs will just wave you through. If LAX is your final destination you turn left and there is a ramp upstairs and whoever is picking you up should be at the top of the ramp. If you have a connecting flight, you turn right and there is a counter to re-check your baggage to your final destination. Any connections at LAX will involve a terminal change.

She should go down there early Monday. They will give her a hard time about no appointment but will 'probably' let her walk in same day. Try getting an appointment first thing Monday too as a backup. CFO doesn't work weekends.

She probably still has plenty of time to get a new corrected one. I think most of the NBI offices now have appointments available in the immediate near term future and could probably process it same day or worst case 2 weeks if she gets a 'hit".

Avoiding checkpoints in Jakarta is indeed a highly desirable endeavor but those guys can be tricky sometimes. 🙄 Stay in the hotel at night and your odds improve.

That is indeed a valid concern. I have been asked for my passport many times at checkpoints in Indonesia. Usually I had it on me, a few time in Surabaya I was passed through with just a photocopy and US Drivers licence. In Jakarta I was detained along with the poor taxi driver who was driving me for like an hour with the cops trying to shake me down before they got tired of it and let us go. Your circumstances is unusual so I could not say what the embassy would do but I am sure they are aware of the issue in Indonesia and would be sympathetic. Perhaps your own embassy could provide you with a temporary document?

5. or 6. are only for those with spousal visas. It doesn't apply for K1.

It sounds like you are good to go. In the US it's just passport with visa. Im sure it says “IV Docs in CCD” on your visa which means all the rest of the "paperwork" is already in their system and there is nothing to carry. Have your US Address written down somewhere for if they want to verify where to send your social security card and green card.

Saint Lukes will send a K1 through without COVID vaccine saying she can just do it in the US but they will give her an "incomplete" medical. So, when she is in the US adjusting status she would probably have to re-do the entire medical since you probably can't find a Civil Surgeon that would be willing to sign it off as complete with only the COVID vaccine. Way easier to get the COVID vaccine in the Philippines before Saint Lukes.

1. If you aren't sure if Travel Tax is paid in your ticket or not, then check-in first. If it wasn't paid in the ticket, then the check-in agent would just hold your boarding pass and send you to the TIEZA counter to pay and come back to collect your boarding pass. 2. No one ever used Traze even when it was a rule. No one at the airport even knows what Traze was. 3.You should probably fill out eTravel but don't be surprised if no one at the airport even looks at it or cares. Make sure you only fill it at https://etravel.gov.ph/ since there are several scam websites masquerading as eTravel. 4. Paper departure cards were thankfully eliminated and replaced by eTravel, which no one even checks. I assume you have your CFO QR code? Inchon is a very nice airport and easy transit. Just follow the crowd off the plane. At some point the crowd will split with some going to immigrating and the rest going to transfer. Just follow the transfer crowd. You go through security again, go upstairs and find your next gate.

She should get her COVID vaccine before her medical. Saint Lukes will give any others that she needs. There is a lot of ridiculous and possibly dangerous "advice" going around on Facebook, Tik Tok, Instagram etc about suposesed tricks to improve ones odds with Saint luke's x-ray machine. Some girls are taking massive doses of various random antibiotics and other strong medicines that one can buy in a country where prescriptions are not really required. Along with various Chinese traditional medicines and Chinese pharmaceuticals that no one knows what they actually are. Exercise routines, special diets, you name it. I would be very dubious about any advice you see on the internet about special tricks to ensure passing the x-ray.

It seems like people either receive them really fast. Like in a week or two. Or else, a few people just don't receive them at all even if they did check the box. If it's been 3 weeks it's probably just about time to make an enquiry at the Social Security office.

I always thought the existing N-600 fee of $1170 was pretty ridiculous. Increasing it to $1335 makes it even more so. I'm sure there are some more complex claims of citizenship that may require more time and effort to adjudicate but I'd bet the majority of N-600 cases take like 2 minutes to look up the facts in their system. I can't imagine why it should cost any more than a passport does.

California State mailed my wife a form to register to vote. Apparently they got her name from when we signed her up for health insurance when she first arrived. This is particularly annoying because even though we did not receive any subsidies for the insurance they still required her to prove her status as a LPR to get the insurance. So the same database where California got her name and address from, has her quite definitively identified as a LPR and not a citizen. There was no where on the voter registration form she received to say she was not a citizen so we just shredded it. She also got called for jury duty once but we discovered our county now has jury duty excuses online which is quite convenient. So she just had to go to the court website put in the summons number, check the "not a citizen" box and that was the end of that.

I read one firsthand account of someone being denied entry to Costa Rica with a valid extension letter. I think Costa Rica may be an issue.

Another point to clarify on California in particular. Frequently when people say "international driving license" they are referring to an International Driving Permit (IDP) issued as a translation of a foreign drivers license. California specifically does NOT recognize IDP's but California does accept actual foreign driver's licenses.

Those were from the rona era when CFO was trying to make themselves the gatekeeper for anyone trying to leave the country. Those requirements were asked from some trying to visit their overseas boyfriend during the rona lockdowns etc. It never did apply to fiancées or spouses. Though CFO is known to make up some crazy requirements from time to time.