aaroncv3

Just wanted to say I'm really happy to hear of these developments for the folks still waiting.  I'm really praying for you guys.

5 hours ago, Rubanoid said:

I , the petitioner (USC)  recently moved to a different state. I know for a fact that when my wife is interviewed by the embassy, she will be asked the address or location where she will be living when she immigrates to the US. And the immigration agent will likely be expecting that she mentions my original address. Which are written in all of our USCIS and NVC related documents.

 

How do go on about updating my address between USCIS and NVC?

My hope is that my wife can truthfully answer all questions pertaining to me and us living together.

She will also be asked at the port of entry.. or at least my wife was.

Did you check on the CEAC/NVC upload docs?  There may be a suitable document type on the AOS side.  You could also provide a cover letter (as the petitioner) explaining the addendum.  IIRC, there is also an "unspecified" document type.

I'm sure your Filipina wife knows the address on record.  She could answer with that, as well as provide the new address, citing the move.

My wife and I entered the US together.  Port of entry was SFO.  When we got to the customs and immigration checkpoint, everything appeared to be normal.. then they said, "We just have a few more questions.  Follow us."  We were both nervous, of course.  I was allowed to go with her.  They just confirmed her name and the address where she will be.  That was it.  They directed us down another (eerily liminal) hallway, and we emerged at the baggage claim. 🥳🇺🇸 

2 hours ago, Vegamanx7 said:

Doesn’t look like that mass expedite will be happening this month. Kinda depressing. Was really hoping to be with my wife this year. 

We were in the last batch, and we're praying for you guys.  We know the uncertainty is frustrating.  I want you to know that we're rooting for you.

3 hours ago, Jason and May said:

I have no paid leave left at work, but I haven’t seen my wife in many months, and we have no idea how ridiculously long the wait for her interview could be, so I’m taking unpaid leave and going to see her next month. I’ll plan again for May, when I have 3 weeks of paid leave accrued again if she’s still not interviewed by then. 

 

I suspect since we weren’t DQ’d until 08/24, we may not be included if any auto-expedite does happen in November. I hope you all are included and you can finally be with your spouses. The state of uncertainty in so many areas from geopolitics to just general PI governmental dysfunction makes the waiting game even more frustrating. 

 

🤙🏾

We're in the US together now, but your optimism is no less inspiring.  I pray you all get good news soon.

If you can afford it, i think that's a great idea.

I spent almost a year in the Philippines waiting with my wife for the process.  I did not expect how a year in the Philippines made the first month living together in the US such a breeze.  We really had the benefit of already finding our rhythm together.  I definitely needed to find patience with certain aspects of Philippine culture!

9 hours ago, ACUniii7 said:

DQ'd on June 2023. Still waiting for progress.

I'm rooting for you guys.  I hope it happens soon.

10 minutes ago, Ramirez65 said:

I’m glad you’re finally home!!  Have to tell you….I reached out to my congresswoman this week to try to get my case moving and it actually worked.  So as a thank you, what do you think I delivered to her office this morning?  🍰 you would’ve been proud 🤣🤣

Aww, nice!  We gave the flight attendants chocolates.  Was secretly hoping some 1st-class seats would magically open up, but no such luck.  We did get a nice handwritten card from the flight crew, though.

On 9/10/2023 at 2:52 AM, flipicaneze said:

Having lived there for 4 years with my wife, flying to Hong Kong for visa runs and finally moving out during covid, they never asked me for the ACR, just the ECC.

Yes, they never asked.  Also, they never asked for the etravel QR code.  IIRC, here was the order of which docs were required:

• Upon checking in with our airline, they required proof that my Filipina wife's travel tax was paid,
• Next was the immigration (emigration)desk:  I presented my ECC documents, she presented her CFO documents.

After that, the only document we needed was our passports and the boarding passes.

Flying in to SFO, my wife was really amazed that the US (at least as far as SFO) was so ethnically diverse.

For the first few days she keeps expecting that she is was all just a dream, and that she will wake up back in the Philippines.

I have enjoyed watching her see this great country as a blessing.  It really is a refreshing reaction against the backdrop of a perpetually dissatisfied culture.

5 hours ago, Ramirez65 said:

Good news today - our visa was finally issued!  My husband will be traveling either tonight or tomorrow.  It's been a long and stressful process but all worth it.  Good luck to those of you still waiting!!

Excellent news!  We arrived in the US on Tuesday, and have been pretty jet-lagged until now.  We had a lot of chores to catch up on also, at the house here in the US.  I'm so glad to hear your news!  Good luck!

Heh, a smidge of panic, here.  I already got my ECC, our flight is tomorrow, I cannot find my ACR card.  Is it required at the airport, or just the ECC?  I remember bringing it to BI obviously, but i don't remember if i had it when i left there.  The one place left for me to check is the bottom of a well-packed and sealed box. 🤔

2 minutes ago, Evan757 said:

I think McGovern got dumped by a filipina and he's taking it out on the rest of us 

Savage 🤣

28 minutes ago, curtgolf said:

Here is the USEM response to the Rally.

This is similar to the response many people got last time.  Eventually, a US petitioner was able to speak directly with a congress member, which quickly turned into something resembling an admission of department delinquency and, even better, actual ACTION.

All this to say, I think you're on the right track.  Try not to let soft, ineffectual communique like this discourage you.

If 4-month or 6-month batches is what they're doing now, then fine, whatever, they should put out a bulletin saying that, so petitioners and beneficiaries can make reasonable arrangements.

Just my 🪙🪙.

10 hours ago, Evan757 said:

To give you an idea of how it's going, she was stunned by Walmart.

In fairness, I still say "wow' in Walmart, but for perhaps different reasons. 🤣🤣

1 hour ago, Evan757 said:

They made me wait five days lol, anyway glad to hear that obnoxious little hurdle was gotten over with easily enough

Well if it's any consolation, you are home now and 18 days can't pass fast enough here for me. 🤣   Looking forward to hear about your first few days.  I think my wife's most frequent utterance in the first few days will be "wow".

On 8/16/2023 at 1:59 PM, aaroncv3 said:

 We scheduled a driver for next week, since the nearest BI office is 1 hr away in Sta Rosa.

I was able to get the emigration clearance certificate yesterday.  I showed up with the required documents.  It took about 20~30 minutes for them to process the paperwork; we just waited in the seating area and made chika, tapped our feet to 6-second clips of popular songs overheard on someone else's TikTok scrolling, and it was over before we knew it.

Fee was ₱500.  They produced the certificate in a single visit.  Maybe because I have been here less than 1 year.  I don't know for sure.  I try not to question too much when things go well. 😅

1 hour ago, Evan757 said:

We're in Dallas. Customs took about two minutes. My wife and I entered together and she's now an LPR!

Nice!  Thanks for the update, and congrats 

9 minutes ago, S&J@2020 said:

Thank you. I trust your issues are resolved too.

We are flying home, together, to the US, in 3 weeks.  Good luck with your travel arrangements.

7 minutes ago, S&J@2020 said:

Our immigrant visa got approved today. What a journey it's been!

Awesome!!!🙌

13 hours ago, curtgolf said:

Another Rally is starting on the follow Facebook group (Manila-US Embassy (DQ).  If you are waiting for interview date at USEM, please join.

💯👍 This is good.  It was a huge help to my wife over the past few months.  My Tagalog is "konti lang", so I didn't absorb all the GC, which was mostly (but not entirely) in Tagalog or Taglish.  This site, at least for me, had the benefit of being all English and also has a greater breadth of US immigration experience.  But we absolutely made use of both resources.

7 hours ago, Adobo said:

That is good to know. I just got off the phone with my wife and we will discuss this option and we may opt to get her medical next month or October. That'll be good for until March or April of next year...

Keep in mind also that the visa will expire when the medical exam does.  So if you hold on to your medical clearance for 5 months before the interview, your approved visa will expire in only 1 month.

1 hour ago, Evan757 said:

It's silly.

 Coincidentally, an apt summary of so many things in this entire process, if not somewhat modest. 🤣

1 hour ago, Evan757 said:

You have to bring your itinerary, some 2x2 passport photos, copy of your latest visa extension, copy of ACR if you have one, copy of passport bio page, copy of passport visa page, and a couple other things I don't remember, and they don't release it for five days. IIRC it's good for a month. If you do it a couple weeks before your flight you should be fine.

We scheduled a driver for next week, since the nearest BI office is 1 hr away in Sta Rosa.

My wife just got home from CFO, she said it was fine.

I'll need to examine our tickets for the travel tax.

6 hours ago, Evan757 said:

Yes... Our priority date was November 10th 2021, and between that point and when we actually received the visa, it was just endless uncertainty and shifting estimates. The whole process *sucks*. The uncertainty wouldn't matter so much if it was a six month period, not a two year period.

True.

6 hours ago, Evan757 said:

We both secured our exit clearances today from the CFO/Bureau of Immigration. Heading to the states next Tuesday.

Congrats!

6 hours ago, Evan757 said:

 

@aaroncv3 I know you mentioned you've been in the Philippines for 10 months, I don't know if you know this, but you need to get an exit clearance from the bureau of immigration before you leave or they won't let you board.

I was not aware of this.  Thank you so much.  I was thinking the might be an exit tax, but not until after 1 year.  I think my wife will have an emigration tax, though.  Man.  I can hardly wait for this circus to be over.

4 hours ago, curtgolf said:

IR1, DQ 28 JUN and IR2, DQ 8 JUL...still no word from NVC or USEM.  Anyone else?

I hope you get some good news soon.  I just asked my wife, she has not heard of any more cases going to USEM yet.

I hope you guys don't have to wait until December or January.  Seems like the last batch was 5 months worth of cases.  There is reason to believe that was an oversight, though:

7 hours ago, Evan757 said:

We've got it, flight is booked for the 22nd. Relieved.

Fantastic.  Good luck to you and your bride at CFO.  Your wife and mine might have CFO on the same day.

Our flight is Sept 11-12.  Our port-of-entry is SFO.