Howard L

It will not affect entry into US, but without CFO certificate you will have issues exiting Philippines. CFO is fairly involved process, and usually split into two parts, the group part, and then one on one interview part. As long as you are able to adequately explain the situation you should be fine. Good luck! 

Criminal history of the sponsoring US citizen doesn't matter for immigration purposes. Technically they can be on a death row and still retain the right to sponsor an immigrant. 

*** Topic moved from Progress Reports to Process & Procedures ***
 
This is a non issue.

That has nothing to do with your entry to the US. 

I think one bottleneck that many K1-to-AOS don't realize is the time to receive the marriage certificate (not marriage license).
Depending on which state or municipality, the marriage certificate can take 30 days or more to receive. 
We avoided the wait by going to Las Vegas for the wedding where we got the marriage certificate the same day as the wedding. 
Also, you can start collecting the documents for the I-864 like the last 3 years of tax transcripts, payslips, etc., 
A couple of other fairly important steps to plan for the K1 beneficiary is opening a US bank account and getting the state Real ID or driver's license, which rely on the SSN and marriage certificate (for name change).
But as a rule of thumb for the super-prepared, if you can file the I-485 within a month after US entry, then you are balling.
 
You can see the step-by-step of what we did at our Timeline or Profile.
https://www.visajourney.com/profile/386517-eatbulag
 

CFO has never been to concerned by age gap by itself but they have been known to give younger applicants a little closer scrutiny.  Just go in there prepared to talk confidently about your relationship.  The counselor may judge you by if they think you know what your are getting into with your relationship. If you seem responsible and mature they shouldn't give you any problems.  In general CFO has been allot easier to deal with lately.  After the total meltdown they had last summer they seem to have settled down a bit.  No recent complaints about them that I have heard.

They certainly didn't tell her at any point. If everyone who gets a spouse immigrant visa needs this document it only makes sense that the interview would be a good time to tell them this. It feels like you have to rely on googling stuff to know all the requirements. (just frustrated because this was the final step in a long process).
 
Her medical was 6 months ago because she lives in Davao and went for the medical in August. She was told she had to return for the sputum. She returned in September then had to wait 2 months for results. The sputum second trip plus 2 month delay messed everything up. Plus we had no idea that the visa expired when the medical expired. 
 
They must know people come from all parts of the Philippines to the medical. It really would make sense to take the sputum if needed at the time of the original medical appointment. 
 
Because of the visa expiry, the plan was for her to go to Guam to get her passport stamped. She was refused boarding because of this. Now if she can't get the CFO stamp Monday I doubt I can get a refund for the Guam ticket ($800). Then we have to pay more back and forth between Davao and Manila for another round of medial and interview. 
 
 

You spend so much time researching. You read everything you can. You spend months preparing. Yet there is almost always another hurdle to cross. My wife's birth certificate is listed as late registration which is very common in the Philippines. You are born out in a province, a lot of times at your home. If your lucky maybe some sort of midwife assisting. Then the next time you can travel to the nearest LCR you go and register the birth. Well because of this (I don't know if this has always been the case) they require EXTRA documentation. No where in any of the information that I have seen so far is this listed (unless I missed something. They did not keep her passport which means she will need to go back. Her medical will expire 8/8 and I am still trying to be able to go there to get her and the children if I can get the magical mystery visa and exemption. Yet I can't even buy tickets for any of us until I know we have the visa.
 

 

That is not part of the US immigration process at all, so no.

Legitimation of your birth certificate is not the same as being late registered.  The only effect it has on US immigration is that it may have changed your surname to that of your father's(?).  If it did change your name, you may need an AKA using your mother's surname on your NBI clearance.

Hello!!
 
My wife (Filipino) and I just got married, and we are about to start the adventure of getting a green card. To be honest, it’s an intimidating process. Before we even go down this path, we want to ensure that all documentation is in order. The first issue we ran into is that her Birth Certificate is a late registration, and she is noted as having her mother’s last name on the document since her parents were not married at the time of birth. Her passport, Cenmor, and original Baptism, to name a few, all have her father’s last name. She is currently out of the country and with me in Bahrain (Middle East), so changing the birth certificate is a little tough.
 
Can you use the original birth certificate with the late registration as long as she has supporting documentation, as stated above, during the interview and/or applying for a green card? Or will she have to change her birth certificate to match the last name on her passport?
 
Second is NBI; will this be needed during the green card process? 
 
Any and all advice is welcomed!

If she has late registration, she will need her school records, class photos, even a letter or 2 from past teachers. Any doctor or immunization records, baptismal certificate. There is no where where they tell you this, but if she goes to interview with a late registration BC she will be given a 221g for these things. Better to have it all in hand when she goes to interview. This happened to my wife and we received a 221g which delayed the process while we got those records and sent them in.

Hi Everyone!
I thought of sharing this as this might help other people with a similar case as mine. If you have had any name change whatsoever (no matter how little), you NEED to submit two (2) NBI clearances - for both the old and new name. If your name change was effected on or after the age of 18 (legal marrying age) then you also need to submit 2 CENOMARs - for the old and new name. Why? Because one of the requirements in the application of a marriage license in the PH is the submission of a birth certificate. So if your name change was finalized when you were still a minor, you couldn't get a license without your parents/legal guardian's consent/presence anyway; and if it was done when you were of legal age then the propensity to "slip through" the system when applying for a marriage license is higher, hence, the submission of another CENOMAR for the old and new.
I confirmed this with the USEM during my interview. Funny because the consul and I were discussing my name change so much that she might have forgotten to ask me questions about my fiance. Haha!
Hope this helps!

Even though they say to, don't bother having PSA send it to the Embassy.  The Embassy has a high chance of losing it or will take an extra hour searching for it.  Just get it yourself and bring the original PSA copy to the interview.

Not sure where anyone would be giving advice on this as it is utter nonsense.  My now husband, on his K1 visa exam tested positive for TB, was then given a six month treatment and because he could not do it in Jakarta at the assigned US Embassy Hospital, he had to wait ONE year after the six month treatment was finished to go back and do the medical again.  Then when he went back to do the medical, because now he had scarring from the TB, they did the sputum test and had to wait 3 months before the results and had the medical results sent to the US Embassy.  To make a long story short, two years later, while in the process of the CR1 visa, once again went to the medical and once again subjected to the sputum test and another 3 month delay for the results.  It's one of those things, if you had it, you will get the sputum test and there is no getting around that.  Good luck.

Medical exam validity is 6 months from day 1 of medical.  Your visa expiration date will be the same as the medical expiration date.  The visa expiration date is the last day you can enter the US.  The 90 day clock starts after entry, even if you show up in the US with 1 day remaining on your visa. 
 
You are partly correct.  If you undergo sputum testing, you will be down to 3-4 months to arrive in the US, but you will still get the full 90 days to get married once you arrive. 

There is nothing you can do to change the results of a chest xray.   

I know there is a lot of advice for passing the sputum test given by Filipinos.  The truth is, none of them matter, and none of them will have any effect on the result.  You cannot eliminate the risk of being subjected to sputum testing.  It is based on a chest x-ray, primarily looking for scarring.  If you have ever had a scar on your body, I think you know that drinking honey and ginger tea did not eliminate the scar.  It will also not eliminate scarring on your lungs.  A week or two of "treatment" will not change that.
 
The best approach for medical is to just be sure you are rested.  That has nothing to do with your chest x-ray, but it will help with the rest of it.  If you happen to be a smoker, stopping that might help a little by reducing inflammation.
 
I realize the possibility of being subjected to sputum testing is real and dreadful, but it is out of your control.
 
Honey and ginger tea won't hurt you, so by all means have all you want.  My fiancée said fresh spinach and whole milk was the secret.
 
Good luck to you.

Hello, Filipino beneficiary here. My medical is in about 2 weeks.
 
What are some exact things I should do to avoid the dreaded sputum test? In general I am taking notes of healthy habits (proper diet, exercise, sleep), but specifically speaking, how do I totally eliminate the risk of being a victim of the sputum test nightmare?
 
I’ve heard of honey and ginger tea benefits online but would appreciate tips from you guys here instead, especially those who already went through the process. Thank you.

Yeah, I realize that someone may use the prior name to commit some havoc when they are older, but I liked the humor of the idea of 2 month old felon.

Don't even think about 221g! It's very easy to get a new NBI clearance with an AKA.
Register here: https://clearance.nbi.gov.ph/ After registration, you will be taken to the information page. Make sure to type on the AKA names field when you fill it out. Create request for clearance. Select the branch and the appointment date. I highly suggest getting this done at the NBI Clearance Center in Manila because once paid, you can come anytime regardless of when your appointment is scheduled. (I selected Robinsons Metro East branch for Dec 10, but went to the NBI Clearance Center today, 9 Dec). Pay the fee (I used GCash, very convenient. But there are other options like online banking, over the counter in banks, etc). Go to the NBI Clearance Center and get the clearance. Please follow the instructions in chronological order. You have to enter the AKA names in the information page BEFORE you create a request for clearance.  Also, please double check the info on the screen that they will show you at the biometrics section. Ask the staff twice, thrice, or 4 times just to be sure that the AKA is included.
 
 
 
 

Even if your spouse was never married they may still need the AKA NBI clearance if they were born illegitimate and then the parents legitimised the birth.  
 
BTW before COVID, this illegitimate and legitimate designation was in Congress to be eliminated as they have finally realised the discrimination with it. It may still be a few years before it’s done away with but that time is coming. 

That is common.  My wife's birth certificate was the same. You should ask for an AKA on your NBI Clearance with your mother's surname.

Just in case you still need information… I am also late registered, but not for that long. I was asked for my baptismal certificate and local civil registry document. As mentioned above, it depends on the officer but if I didn’t have those documents with me, it would have caused delays. I also brought form 137, school ID that I can find when I was in elementary, and even my college transcript of records. 
 
I also had my mother’s name updated since it was misspelled on my original birth certificate. It only took about 3 months then the annotation was added when I requested for copies of my birth certificate before I left for the US. 

I am trying to figure out what that has to do with late registration. If you come with a PSA BC that is marked with "late registration"

you will need supporting documents. I am not here to argue as I have been there done that. Better have it and not need it than need it and not have it. I wish that I knew you when my wife had her interview, maybe I could have had you explain to the CO that it was not needed.