CFS

I'm sorry to hear about the difficulties you're facing. Please keep us posted as I'm also in a similar situation (re-submitted documents requested through 221G via LBC on Sep. 5 and still haven't heard back).

Thank you! Has anyone successfully re-scheduled their GCP appointment? I e-mailed them and am getting the feeling everything's going into a black box....and, like @top_secret mentioned, trying to reach them via phone is futile.

Thanks! This is very reassuring to hear. We will be calling the CFO to confirm this too. I would think it makes sense to bring our Australian marriage certificate as the "best possible next thing"...thoughts welcome. On that note: Has anyone had luck reaching them via phone? Also, their website seems to be completely down (is this normal?) I scheduled an appointment with them and now it's likely I may need to re-schedule it. Is there a way to do this online? Thanks again for all the help!

Thank you! Yes, we're in a same sex marriage. So, should we worry about not having a Report of Marriage (since the Embassy cannot issue it in our case)?

Thank you for sharing this - it is *extremely* helpful!!

Thank you!! I dug into a little more and have a bit more clarity, but we still have the following open questions: We're going for a CR1 visa. Does this mean my spouse would only need to attend the CGP or have to attend both? Is it OK to go to the CGP without either a passport/visa (just to complete the session and the interview)? The passport is currently at the Embassy as we wait for a final decision on the visa If you complete the session without the passport/visa, how do you come back to get the CFO stamp on your passport (once you do have the visa)? Our marriage is not recognized by the Philippines but is recognized abroad. We got married in Australia. Accordingly, what do we bring in lieu of the Registration of Marriage? I just called the US Embassy and they said that they cannot issue us a Registration of Marriage document Any insights would be appreciated - thanks!

Hello, As previously mentioned, my spouse is applying for a CR-1 Visa. I literally just learned about the PDOS requirement. Could someone who has gone through this recently provide an explanation of how to sign up and what the wait time for a seminar is? I tried looking for this on Google and it is not straightforward at all. The closest I got was a site saying that "the # of visitors had been exceeded for the day." Thank you!

Could you elaborate on the pre-departure seminar requirement? Thanks!

Anyone here recently re-submit documents via LBC to the PHL Embassy? If so, how long did it take for them to get back to you?

It depends on the document. Some documents, like the NBI Clearance, indicate it directly. Other documents (e.g. the CENOMAR, tax returns) do not indicate this directly. In general, I'd strongly recommend contacting the Embassy and/or consulting a lawyer for more specific information applicable to your case.

"Fresh" = refreshed = new documents that have not expired (e.g. a new NBI clearance, a new CENOMAR, tax returns for the latest year). As to how I knew about it: There's some other posts on this site where folks who were asked to complete repeat medical exams indicated that they were were later asked to re-submit other documents that had expired since their initial submission I was advised accordingly by an immigration lawyer & the Embassy when I called them earlier in the year It makes sense. For instance - let's say that the petitioner's tax returns for 2021 were fine but he was jobless in 2022 - in that case, he may not be able to support the applicant upon arrival in the U.S. and thus it makes sense that the Embassy would ask for additional information to triple check prior to making a determination. The Embassy (or any decision making body, for that matter) should always have "fresh" information at hand to make a final determination

Providing an update: 1. SO cleared the repeat medical exam on 8/31/23 2. Even though it was a repeat medical exam, SLEC said that they would be the ones to submit it to the Embassy (which was slightly different from the wording on the 221(g) but we did call the Embassy and confirm that this should be the case) 3. On 8/31 itself, SO re-submitted the following documents through LBC: Passport, NBI Clearance, 2022 Tax Transcript/Tax Returns/W-2/Payslips, and an updated CENOMAR (they did not ask for this in the 221g but we provided it proactively as the Embassy needs all of this information to be "fresh" in order to make a final determination on visa eligibility) 4. On 9/4/23, we were contacted by SLEC because they were ostensibly missing some information on some medication my SO is currently taking. SO asked SLEC why they needed this information as it's not part of the routine medical check and they said they would call him back shortly (they did not). Accordingly, SO went over to SLEC in person to provide the necessary information (which had previously been provided twice) and only then did SLEC say that they would be sending the medical exam results to the Embassy. They also released his immunization records during his follow-up visit 4. I submitted an inquiry (https://ph.usembassy.gov/visas/immigrant-visa-inquiry-form/) just now so the Embassy can confirm that they received all the re-submitted documents (#2 above) and the repeat medical exam results Please keep us in our prayers - we've been delayed for almost a year now in this process! Hoping this can come to a favorable conclusion quickly.

Hello, My SO will be going to SLEC this week to get TB test results (2nd time undergoing sputum testing). Does anyone know: Whether they release the medical exam results (to be mailed to the Embassy) on the same day that the applicant picks up the TB test results? How long it takes for the Embassy to issue the visa (assuming everything is in order) once the documents are sent in via courier? Thanks!

Following up on this again - please let me know if you have any inputs. Thanks!

Hello, Has anyone here been issued a 221G at the US Embassy in Manila? I'm particularly interested in those who started to go through this process in 2022. Long story short - my spouse's visa interview on Dec. 12, 2022 went well but they asked for the following through the 221G letter: 1) The *original* NBI clearance (we brought in a copy by accident) 2) An upload of my 2021 tax returns to CEAC (we brought in the physical copy but the ones that were approved during the DS-260 process were those for 2020 and thus they asked us to upload the 2021 tax returns to CEAC) We uploaded/submitted this on the day itself via LBC and they arrived (confirmed with the Embassy) on Dec. 14, 2022. I'm hoping that a case like this won't take too long to process (especially since his NBI clearance and medical exam results both expire by the first week of March 2023) - however, have read a lot of 221g horror stories online and would love perspective from someone who's gone through this recently. Please let me know - thanks!