top_secret

I think the "case number not found" issue generally resolves itself within a day or two. That whole website is a monument to shoddy government IT work.

Normally spousal visas are scheduled by NVC. Only expedited cases are self scheduled. But US Embassy Manila is using the expedite system for normal cases. That is the "old" site. Following the link from ustraveldocs.com/ph will get you to the new site but the embassy also still has links to the old site further down the same web page that they never updated. Try going to https://www.ustraveldocs.com/ph/en/immigrant-visa and then start signing up from the GREEN "Visa Login" button and NOT following the link on the very same page that says "I do not meet any of the conditions listed above, and I wish to schedule an immigrant visa appointment. " That link is wrong but then this is government IT work.

For most things in the US, first and last name alone is fine. I don't think it would be a problem

That has happened before when there were mass expedites. I don't think anyone ever came up with anything better than just keep trying. It seems they release more appointments periodically on a random schedule.

The scheduling website is a mess but it but that's what they have. Once you are expedited, whether you requested it or not, NVC is done with your case and the embassy has it. So NVC will not be scheduling any interview and you are on your own to get the scheduling done. When you completed the DS260 it had an option to e-mail you a PDF copy of the confirmation. The confirmation number is 10 digits starting with AA. If you did not send the email when you completed the DS260 you can still log into CEAC and then click the IV APPLICATION (tab), click the "View" link, REVIEW (tab), scroll to the bottom and click next and then repeat clicking next again and again through all the pages until you get to the confirmation page at the end. The confirmation number should be there. There is also a Email confirmation button that will e-mail you the barcoded pdf that will be useful later at the medical and Visa Application Center.

The random youtube civics test videos are a big help. I haven't heard of any CD's being sent by USCIS (or anyone else).

However, now the scramble is on. Anecdotally, it seems this last "mass expedite" was HUGE. So apparently there are now a very large group of applicants competing for actual available appointments to schedule and possibly slots at Saint Luke's and the biometrics at the Visa Application Center.

What is really notable about this latest "mass expedite" is that it definitely included cases documentarily qualified well into September 2024. That is a HUGE improvement in backlog and would seem to imply that interview wait times are almost back to normal-ish. Hopefully it lasts but it really seems promising. Maybe the new Visa Application Center offloading biometrics to civilian contractors actually did make some difference.

If she doesn't already have the PSA copy of the ROM you can get that online with a credit card here. https://psaserbilis.com.ph/ Request a Marriage Certificate and they would send the ROM. You can have it sent to the US but it's expensive. The cheap and easy way is probably to order one sent to a family member in the PH and have them send it to you by PhlPost EMS.

I always found this three years of marital union vs 90 day early filing issue to be a very grey area. This is not the first case I have heard of being denied for early filing due to not having three years of marital union, even though they were apparently within the 90 day early filing window. I agree that I cannot find anywhere that is says the 90 day early filing window also applies to the marital union requirement. However, it seems that in the vast majority of cases where it might be an issue, they are still approved normally and it is not an issue. It seems that a small handful of outwardly identical cases get denied on that basis. When I looked at it I could not find a solid argument to dispute the denials other than, most other identical cases still get approved? We were more or less in the same situation and debated waiting for the full three years because of it, but having identified numerous other cases where it was not a problem we still opted for 90 (89) day early filing and the marital union issue never came up. Not sure what to say for the original poster. It seems that filing within the 90 day early window is taking a chance due to inconsistency on the part of USCIS. Most people who did it were fine. A handful did and were denied. But I can't find a solid legal argument to dispute the denials.

"IN TRANSIT" is the predecessor to "READY" you WILL be "READY" within a day or two at the most. As a recipient of a so called "mass-expedite" you wait until the case is "READY and then go to https://www.ustraveldocs.com/ph/en/immigrant-visa and start trying to self schedule your interview. When it lets you schedule you are good to go on the date and time that you choose. You also need to schedule the medical at https://slec.ph/ and biometrics at the new Visa Application Center. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=888610943207697 Those who want to move quickly are able to. Don't wait for instructions from the embassy.

The so called "mass expedite" approval is separate from any actual, real expedite request or denial. If you got the e-mail yesterday you are good to go. Check your CEAC status. If and when the CEAC status is "READY" proceed to try self-scheduling your interview on https://www.ustraveldocs.com/ph/en/immigrant-visa . Do not wait for further instructions from the embassy. Based on the sheer number of mentions on-line it seems this last "mass-expedite" has been huge. Circumstances will favor those who move quickly.

Congratulations!!!!!! and, Thank You. My wife is US Citizen now too and everything is good.

Congratulations!!! You seem to be yet another recipient of yesterday's large batch of so called "mass expedites" sent out by US Embassy manila. your case is moving. Check your CEAC status and if/when it is "READY" proceed to trying to self-schedule an interview date on https://www.ustraveldocs.com/ph/en/immigrant-visa. Don't wait for the embassy to contact you further. they are inconsistant on that. If your CEAC status is "READY" you can and should move forward on your own.

Congratulations!!! You seem to be yet another recipient of yesterday's large batch of so called "mass expedites" sent out by US Embassy manila. your case is moving. Check your CEAC status and if/when it is "READY" proceed to trying to self-schedule an interview date on https://www.ustraveldocs.com/ph/en/immigrant-visa. Don't wait for the embassy to contact you further. They are inconsistent on that. If your CEAC status is "READY" you can and should move forward on your own.on your own.

This is one of US Embassy Manila's so called "mass expedites" where they send out a bunch of unrequested approved expedites as a way of repurposing the expedite system to allow visa applicants to self-schedule interviews. It is confirmed they sent out a large batch yesterday. The Embassy may or may not e-mail you with actual instructions but don't wait for them. They are not consistent about that. Start checking your CEAC status and if/when it is "READY" you may proceed to try self scheduling an interview on https://www.ustraveldocs.com/ph/en/immigrant-visa . You also need to schedule the medical at Saint Luke's Extension Clinic https://slec.ph/ and schedule biometrics at the new Visa Application Center. Congratulations. Your case is moving.

Did you elect to pick up the passport directly from the agency by will call, or did you have the passport sent to your home? I wonder if it might make a difference just how soon planned travel is? We showed a trip planned in just two days so for us will call was the only delivery option and the documents were there at the counter in a big blue envelope along with the passports. If we had showed a trip in ten days then I wonder if they might have offered an express mail option that might create a difference?????

Since Vermont handles all the I-129f's identified as AWA cases, it is predictable that they probably have more denials and RFE's for those particular type of cases.

Just did two weeks ago at the San Diego Passport Agency. They returned the naturalization certificate and other original documents by hand the next day when we picked up the passports.

Probably allot of CR1 denials would convert to IR1 by the time they are eventually approved simply because overcoming a denial may take more time. Since the OP lists Philippines in their profile, CR1's have become a little more rare there recently simply due to US Embassy Manila's ongoing interview backlog. I would guess that the ultimate denial rate for the Philippines differs significantly from some other countries that are considered to have a higher fraud rate. I'm quite certain that almost any legitimate CR1 or IR1 case from the Philippines has almost a 100% chance of approval unless there is some extreme obvious problem with the case. If there was an extreme obvious problem with the case than any kind of statistical comparisons wouldn't be valid. It's more like if your case is totally legit you have an extremely high chance of approval and if your case is seriously flawed you have a very significant chance of denial.

From the perspective of a Filipina landing for her first time in America, I would guess that the number one, all important, overriding everything, consideration would be, to have you waiting at the door just past customs. My wife was a very experienced traveler and I'm quite certain she could have pulled off any kind of domestic connection without help, but I still met her at the port of entry, just because. I drove from San Diego to Los Angeles which is no big sacrifice. If I were in Hawaii and needed to take an intra-island flight to meet her on the ground in Honolulu, I would have readily done that.

I 'think' it's a Texas thing. I think you can get around it with an affidavit and extra paperwork but they intentionally don't make it easy.

I wouldn't make the choice based on anything other than what was the most convenient and/or economically desirable flights. Any port of entry would be fine.

That's the same error my wife and stepdaughter got when we tried updating their expiration dates with the extension letters. Later when they got their real 10 year cards it updated online with no problem. So our impression was that it is actively verifying the data on the actual card in real time. But even without updating it they had no issues using GE with the expired cards and extension letters. They just had to stop by the the officer after the kiosk which never took more than an extra minute.

I agree people should file a ROM but there are some couples who could never file a ROM or ever get an Advisory on Marriages, such as same sex marriages or persons with overseas divorces that are not recognized by the Philippines. Those marriages may be fine for the US but are not recognized in the Philippines. In our own case, our I-130 was approved so fast there wasn’t time to file a ROM and have it been processed in time, though we did file one. So my wife took a CENOMAR to her interview. There's also some hard headed types who are just opposed to having the Philippine Government involved in their lives. It's a Philippine government requirement and does not directly have anything to do with US Immigration. The only reason the embassy requires a CENOMAR or Advisory on Marriages from every applicant is that they want to see that there are not any other marriages that were not included in the application. In the land of no divorce, it is not unheard of that someone may have a previous Filipino spouse who they are no longer with but still legally married to, and forgot to mention that on a visa application.