J.M.

The only way I can piece this story together is that OP got married in the Philippines, then applied for CR1. At CR1 interview, fake death certificate was exposed. If that is the way it played out, then OP has a record of marriage in the Philippines, which, as previously posted, will need to be amended for CFO. Your divorce will satisfy the Embassy that you are free and clear to marry. CFO is the one that will question your fiancée about you having a current, active marriage in the Philippines. I assume you have a copy of your Advisory of Marriage since you are certain you are still legally married in the Philippines.

There have been many discussions about this over the years, for Manila specifically. I always suggest sending certified copies, but there have been many that have been approved with emailed printouts. The potential for delays for taking the easy route are not worth it. I remember a particular post where a regular copy was presented and initially refused, but after discussion with a superior, it was accepted. I did not mean for my comment to discourage sending certified copies. I was just commenting on what I have read from other posters over the years, specifically about Manila. I sent certified copies and encourage everyone to do that.

Certified copies are not supposed to be required, but sometimes they reject regular copies, perhaps depending on what they had for lunch. I sent certified copies. They do keep them, by the way. Well, sometimes, maybe depending on what they had for breakfast. They kept mine. I mention that because there is a chance CFO will want to see them also. CFO definitely does not need certified copies and may not want to see them at all.

I've got a friend that arrived in the US in January 2026 on an EB3 visa. She seems to have adjusted surprisingly well and already has her permanent resident card and just bought a new car. She is an RN. The issue is her work hours are insane. 16 hour days, and very, very busy. I am somewhat familiar with the outfit she works for, and they don't have a very good reputation. She would like to find employment elsewhere (still as a RN). She is aware she will have to buy her way out of her contract, which is 2 or 3 years (I don't remember which). I don't have a lot of other details. What are the immigration ramifications if she does this? Should she wait 6 months? A year? I don't think it would be smart for her to start asking her employer about a buyout just 3 months into her contract, but I want to help her understand her options.

That is correct. No need to get them prior to the exam. Required vaccines are included in the medical exam.

No words of wisdom from me (I did K-1), but man, I thought you would be posting about having your second child by now! 22 months for I-130 approval? That's crazy. Congratulations for getting your approval. I hope it goes well for you.

I forgot to mention- take a copy of your marriage certificate with you in case there are questions about passport/green card name differences. That has nothing to do with airport transit- just a good idea to have it with you.

No visa required as long as you stay on the international side of the terminal for less than 24 hours.

I remember when you started. Great to see that it all worked out! Take a few weeks off from immigration headaches, then get that AOS filed.

I had never seen that on here before, but I located it. The stats on here a derived from user input, so I won't say they are wrong, but I sure wouldn't use them as a benchmark. 86 days NOA2 to NVC received and 34 days at NVC is a bit longer than normal. Not impossible, but unusual. Certainly not average.

Q1. If CEAC says it's in transit, then it is. Whatever website you are looking at for NVC processing times do not include K1. A week to assign a case number is not unusual at all. Q2. That is a generic statement. No interview date has been scheduled. Q3. The DS-160 is valid for a year after submission. I usually suggest waiting until the petition is "ready", but you are close enough to that to submit it out now.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results, but 1-2 weeks is a reasonable expectation. It could take longer. Just keep sending inquiries weekly until you get your case number. I know how hard it is to be patient, but a week or two delay at NVC is very insignificant when looking at the overall timeline.

Only in certain situations. Generally, they are sent electronically.

Since it's been so long, have you checked your case status on CEAC to be sure it's still valid? Medical results are sent directly to the embassy. If her medical was "a few months ago" that really cuts into the time to complete everything and enter the US. 6 months is the normal medical validity time.

It's a government website. It is supposed to be difficult to find things, even if you know exactly what you are looking for.

If you would select the appropriate boxes as I suggested, you would see this: Corrected Card for a Noncitizen Adult If you change your name, become a U.S. citizen, or your immigration status or work authorization has changed, you need to tell Social Security so we can update our records and when necessary, issue a new card.

Learn what documents you will need to get a Social Security Card | SSA Select the appropriate boxes on the left of the page and it will lead you right to what I posted.

This is a well-known and often discussed topic. Directly from the SS website, regarding name changes for non-citizens: What original documents do I need? Immigration status To prove your U.S. immigration status, you must show us your current U.S. immigration document, such as: Form I-551 (Lawful Permanent Resident Card, Machine Readable Immigrant Visa) with your unexpired foreign passport. I-766 (Employment Authorization Document (EAD) or "work permit)". I-94 (Arrival/Departure Record) or admission stamp in the unexpired foreign passport. An expired I-94 does not meet this requirement. The only time I am aware of K-1's successfully changing their SS card to married name is if they get married well before the 90 days has elapsed and still have at least 2 weeks remaining on the I-94 at the time of the name-change request.

There is nothing more you can provide. You described it exactly like I thought it would look. It probably looks like a copy of a copy of a copy. If that is the only record they have, it will have to work. It's legit, legal, and exemplified.

The exemplified divorce decree is the most "official" document you can get. It should do the trick. Manila usually accepts copies of divorce decrees, but more than one person was required to provide certified copies. I used certified. They kept the divorce decree by the way, so make a copy of it in case CFO wants to see it too. CFO won't need a certified or exemplified copy. I'm not sure what was wrong with the certified copy you got. It was probably just a format they didn't recognize since it is old and produced from microfilm.

I would not be too worried about it. CFO gathers info on the petitioner to make sure the beneficiary is aware of it. The role of CFO is supposed to be advisory, for the benefit of the departing Filipino. About all they can really do is delay people by requesting more documents.

For CEAC status for K-1, select immigrant visa. If you don't get a result using your new case number and filling in all the fields, try using "NA" in the passport and name fields. Some people have had success doing that recently. The DS-160 is pretty lengthy. You can work on it and save your progress as you move through it. I would fully complete it but not sign and submit it until your case is "ready." It is valid for a year after submission.

Starting 6 months or so ago, they started asking for FBI records at CFO and refusing to grant clearance without seeing it first. It's better to just get it than to get turned away and have to go again. It's about $50 and is not too complicated to obtain. You complete a form online, then go to a post office to get fingerprinted. Results come back the same day usually. You can digitally send the results to your fiancée.

You will see interview appointment slots immediately after securing a biometrics appointment. It is important that you schedule both during the same web session. If you only schedule biometrics but not the interview, the biometrics appointment with be automatically cancelled. Every step from here until you are finished is driven by you. The Manila embassy will not be scheduling or emailing you anything for K-1. Not all embassies do things the same way, but for Manila, you make your own appointments for biometrics, interview, and medical.

The I-134 is a required document for every K-1 at every embassy. Manila typically does not ask for it, but it should have been on whatever list you are using for guidance. It's good that you filled it out and sent it to her, just in case you are the 1 in 1000 that they ask for it.