GarLeb

Yes, really exasperating and disappointing.  Having observed Philippine politics and the political ideas of average people (admittedly, on an anecdotal basis, not on the basis of scientific research) for many years now, it just seems that Philippine voters possess a sort of "prison yard" mentality, where the candidates who exhibit the greatest propensity toward use of force, no matter how brutal, to solve problems are granted the right to rule the country and rule it however they see fit.  
 
I even had one female friend on Facebook express the belief that women are "too weak to be president".  She backed up her point by saying that "women aren't fighters, so if our country gets in a war, a woman president wouldn't be able to help us win because she would be weak and break down". Such a sad attitude.  Sad that she's bought into the "might makes right" brainwashing and sad that she holds such a low opinion of her own gender.
 
And now, those of us still trying to get our partners out of that country will face another six years of trying to cut a path through the corruption, red tape, lockdowns / martial law, enforced systematic poverty, etc, etc simply to be with the ones we love.

I'm having a hard time believing the results. I voted for Leni.
 
Marcos is far more China-friendly than Leni is. Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/06/philippines-election-china-friendly-marcos-retains-a-wide-lead.html
 
I am hearing about too many reports of broken vote count machines and anomalies (example: the number of votes came in way too fast, even before the provincial servers had begun transmitting their data to the national servers, etc).
 
I am already reading about calls for street protests from people who I never thought would be this emotionally invested in an election. 
 
The online disinformation machine is the scariest part of this all: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/09/ferdinand-marcos-jr-triumph-philippines-presidential-election

Start from here >> https://www.ustraveldocs.com/ph/  This will lead you to CGI.

You can get interactive information to what is latest procedure, documents, experiences from FB groups like 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/K1fiancevisaphsupportgroup
https://www.facebook.com/groups/393381558646389

https://cfo.gov.ph/physical-registration-at-the-cfo-manila/

Once CEAC status says "Ready" -- submit DS-160, pay MRV fee, book visa interview, book SLEC medical.  Prepare all civil documents required for the interview.
 
Your fiancee may register for CFO anytime, but it might be useless prior to getting visa on hand.  Some CFO counselors might refuse to schedule the session without a scan of the visa.  Unless CFO changed things up again with the easing of COVID restrictions, CFO sessions are done via phone call now.  No in-person seminars anymore.
 

Slim/tight but maybe.  
IN TRANSIT - Wait 3 days it becomes Ready.  Because it is long holiday this week, if it requires manual process in USEM, then this may extend next week.
MEDICAL - You can get that anytime.  Availability of SLEC (slec.ph) at this time is from April 21.  2 days for medical.  If medical xray is clear in Day 1, possible immunization next working day.  But if not, patient will be sent back for sputum collection (3 consecutive days), then 2 months after that 3 days for result.  Note that medical is good only for 6 months from Day 1.  If patient is not clear on day 1, definitely not fit in your time frame.
USEM INTERVIEW DATE - Based on people's experience, they get letter from USEM that they have interview date (rare) or they can now open a CGI account to book an appointment.  Most people do not wait for this email, we just open for CGI account and grab available appointment.  Appointment are scarce (because most are given to NVC for scheduling), they are filled fast because a lot of people are waiting.  So I suggest, you find a group chat in Facebook for CGI appointment watchers for K1.  We have one for IR1/CR1 - the appointment in CGI appears as per your filled Visa Class, so we do not see K1 appointments,  Last week USEM released allot of dates in May.   May 25 being the farthest.  So maybe next week, they may release for May 26, 31.  We notice that interview slots given are Mondays, Tues, Thurs.  For K1, some people say it is just Thursdays.
CFO - you can only register CFO when Visa is at hand (https://cfo.gov.ph/)  The registration may take few days.  But if you are in a hurry, walk-in (visa and flight on hand) maybe an option.
Reason am saying it is slim or tight is because of variables beyond control.  But if everything is perfect - applicant get medical end of April and it is clear, able to secure ID for May (sometimes there are random openings due to cancellations from applicants that had to undergo extended medical), VOH few days after,  walk-in to CFO and certificate/sticker on hand by June 4, fly out June 5.  Biggest variable is medical - so I suggest to have that done so you can plan the next actions (either immediately or you had to wait for extended medical).
Hope this helps!
 
 

I just read this very helpful thread from the Philippine portal: https://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/782135-nvc-to-manila-embassy-next-steps-k1/
 
I also bookmarked the Philippine forums page for K-1 visas https://www.visajourney.com/forums/forum/129-philippines/ and the US Immigration portal https://www.visajourney.com/portals/index.php?country=Philippines&tpage=2. They've been a great resource for me. A lot of helpful folks there. 

Also had our case in transit today. Finally! Congrats to us! 🥳 Hoping and wishing for a smooth ride for the rest of our journey! 🙏🍀

Just went in transit today.  Woohoo!!
 
Any good rec links for next steps?  Thank you!!

My Finacee finally made it to American soil.
Took 28 months with Immigration, thanks to Covid, but we made it.
 
She took a flight from Manila to LAX, while I took a flight to LAX landing 3 hours before her, And we got a flight back to NC 4 hours after her arrival.
The only nervous part was after her flight landed, it took her 2 1/2 to get through CBP, I was getting a little worried, she said there was a very long line there.
 
I do want to thank everyone here for all the help and advice. Without everyone here, I am not sure if it would have been possible...
 
I know the AOS part will start soon and I will be needing all kinds of help again.......
 
Rujen

I am happy to say that my filipina fiancee passed her k1 visa interview the other day. All she has to do now is submit an updated nbi and police clearance along with her passport and she is good to go. I have read a lot about the cfo seminar for filipina fiancee going overseas and I hear it's required to leave the airport. But there are a few that claim the cfo is only needed for younger filipina women. My fiancee is 38 years old and I doubt that age matters. I don't think she can leave the Manila airport without having attended the cfo seminar. I am hoping someone will be able to provide clear direction to me about this.

My better half had her interview om 02-24-22 and the lady Consulate said she was approved !!!
She said the Consulate was very friendly and asked just the basic questions except for one,
She asked how many rooms were in my house.
26 months from 129F to approved, a very long time but well worth it.
IT would not have been possible without all the fine people here on VJ.
Thanks to all that helped along the way..........

I wish somewhere in the K1 process it mentioned making an appointment with the Social Security office to get an SSN. Evidently immediately upon landing in the US with a K1 visa the fiance can and SHOULD go get an SSN. As it stands we got married and then filed for I-485 Permanent Residence and I-765 (Employment Authorization). These take 5-6 months and included SSN creation, however that's six months without being able to obtain things that require and SSN, like bank account, driver's license, etc. It's too late now for us, but if your fiance lands here, immediately visit the Social Security office with your unexpired I-94 (Department of Homeland Security Arrival/Departure Record).

12-22-21
Sputum Medical Result
8:AM
 
12-23-21
Manila Embassy
8:AM
 
Everything is all good, the medical result is not on time during my interview (slec forwarded) and Embassy has to call and verify. 
 
before my turn there is a consul whose really grumpy and i said Oh Lord don't put me into that guy but 🙄 he ended up my interviewer but um happy that he was. 
 
Questions: 
Your name?
Do you know your F was married before?
Yes sir, divorce 2013
How old is he? 36 young and he was smiling
Maybe you really have a strong bond?
I said, he meet me and he's hooked🤣 he laughed. 
What is the name of the dating site? 
I said .... .com but idk if it still exist and he was laughing and said IDK maybe hmmm for sure but i never been there 🤣.
You must like him immediately?
He likes me first 🤣
Why did he and his ex wife divorce?
I said because they dont understand each other and nah idc 🤣 and the consul was laughing😄. 
 
p.s VISA APPROVED! 
 
but I'm glad that the consul asked me a lot so i could verify info and explained. I don't think he's grumpy anymore after my interview. 
 
Carin 😁
 

After a 2.5 year engagement caused by delays from Covid, we are finally getting married. Through all our trials and belief that god would choose the right time for us, we came out much stronger on the other side. 

Our journey to immigrate my wife here started in December of 2015.  From the first form we filed, I-130, to most recently, the I-751.  
 
Through the help and advice from fellow forum members, I was able to accomplish this entire process with No RFE’s or legal help.    
 
logged into USCIS online status update this am and it showed, “New card being produced”. 👍🏻
 
I-751 filed May 2019
Interview was scheduled on Nov 8 for Dec 13.  
 
Dec 13 ROC interview completed. 
 
Status updated today, 12/21/21 to “New card being produced”.   
 

we’re done for now.  Taking a breather from USCIS for awhile before filling the N400.  We’re both stressed to the max!!!
 
 THANKS to all here for the advice and support!  🙏🏻🙏🏻

Yes. The Department of State lists K visas on a separate page, linked here: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-statistics/nonimmigrant-visa-statistics/monthly-nonimmigrant-visa-issuances.html
 
192 K visa were processed in Oct 2021. Look at the data from previous months to get an idea of how fast they are processing the backlog.

Update:  My COVID test result was negative, as expected.  JAL let me board the plane and I'm now home in Louisiana
 
Before I left, I was not fully vaccinated, so I had to go for COVID testing the day before my flight.  I was ok with the service of the accredited testing facility I went to, but I had a minor scare with the test result sheet.  CDC requires the result to list some specific info, but mine did not have the "date the sample was taken" clearly labeled.  It only had "Result date".  So I attached my registration sheet and official receipt, hoping that the "Registration date" and test date on those documents would be acceptable.  The JAL staff at NAIA did question me about the missing date, but decided after consultation with a supervisor that the dates on the registration sheet were good enough.  Whew!
 
For those wondering where to go for rapid antigen test in Metro Manila, I recommend going to PADLAB near NAIA.  I have no personal experience with that facility, but the passengers immediately ahead of me at the JAL check-in line had test results from there.  They were not questioned about test dates like I was, so I suppose PADLAB clearly labels all the CDC-required info on their COVID test result sheet.
 
On another note, the JAL staff I first talked to was not aware that immigrant visa holders are exempted from the vaccination requirement, like USCs and LPRs are.  I was not worried though, as I was familiar with the CDC rules and I brought a print-out of the relevant exemption from the CDC website.  Also, the JAL staff were very friendly -- they just politely asked for a few minutes to consult with a supervisor about my vaccination and test results, then all was well.
 
My POE was at DFW airport.  I was not asked about my COVID vaccination nor test result.  Actually, I was not asked about anything at all!  (I'll write a POE review with more details.)
 

It's like switching checkout lanes in the grocery store, you think the other lane looks like it is moving faster so you move over there only to see the lane you were in starts going quicker. You can't win.
 
Think about this. It's been nearly 2 years since people can travel, which means the number of people getting added to the end of the line will soon stop. You have to meet in person within 2 years, but if people who have fallen in love online have not met in person yet, they wont be able to file for a K1. Yes there is a huge backlog, but as we approach the 2 year since the lockdowns began there wont be anyone added to the back of the line. 

Here is the USCIS normal processing center matrix
https://www.uscis.gov/forms/all-forms/service-center-forms-processing
 
The chart does not differentiate between I-130 types but most CR1/2 IR1/2s go everywhere but CSC.   CSC handle all of the other IR cases.
 
If you change to a spousal just contact USCIS to withdraw the K1 petition

K1s are processed at CSC.  CR1&2 and IR1&2s are not normally processed there.   But USCIS can move any case any time and multiple times anywhere to help workload.

Mary had her interview this morning in Phoenix.  It took about five minutes after waiting about an hour.  I was outside in the car and she called me crying; I thought some disaster happened.  Took about 45 minutes then she and 5 other were naturalized.   
 
We have a trip to London next week so the only Passport Offices with openings are Honolulu, San Juan and El Paso!  We will work on reacquiring her Filipino Citizenship when we return.
 
Thanks for all the support!

i filed august 2019 but it barely got accepted by nvc june 2020
 
i sometimes want to throw in the towel and go cr-1 but my lawyer tells me i should be close to top of list
 
my case still stuck in nvc purgatory

I did both. We had a K-1 denied and we had a successful CR-1. There is no comparison. Spousal feels cleaner, easier and more focused than K-1. Maybe it is easier to wait with a spouse than a fiancée. All I know is the CR-1 felt more comfortable. Both get you to the same place but the CR-1 seems to have a smoother path. 

Thank you all for all your advice. You've all made excellent points. I actually didn't know about the random assignment of CR-1 cases. I assumed (mistakenly) that they were assigned depending on the petitioner's location and the nearest service center to it. Is this also true for K-1 applications? (My fiancé is from California, and our K-1 was assigned to CSC).
 
At this point, with our K-1 application going 1-1/2 years in, we've decided to stick with it and wait it out. If we could go back in time and to the starting point, we would definitely pick the CR-1 route, but what's done is done. You all are right, it really depends on what our ultimate goal is. Right now, what we want is to be together in the U.S. We both discussed the limitations of K-1, with me being unemployed for a year (maybe more), and we're both fine with it. We'll take that time to catch up on lost time, visit family and friends all over the U.S., me learning how to drive "the U.S. way," and just immersing myself in the new culture and environment. 
 
To anyone who's in a similar boat, I hope what everyone said above clarifies things for you as well. Good luck to us all! ☺️