J.M.

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.

I assume you tried it with all the fields filled out also? If it was in transmit on the 30th, it will be in Manila very soon, if not there already. I don't know any tricks to make CEAC work.

Kind of defeats the purpose of a REAL ID if it is not correctly tied to your legal presence. I won't criticize California for making that mistake since Texas gave my wife a regular driver's license when she applied for a learner's permit.

Glad you tried that and got the status! I know one person that was never able to check their status, no matter what they entered.

The link you posted (immigrant) is correct. Are you entering your MNL case number? Beneficiary passport number and surname.

You are correct that NVC should eventually send an email, once they have assigned the case number and sent the petition to Peru. It might take a month to move from USCIS to NVC, then another month or two before they assign the case number. It is agonizingly slow or surprisingly fast, and you never know what you will get. You can request the status at NVC using the Public Inquiry Form. They will respond in 3-5 days.

You definitely can track your case on CEAC once NVC assigns your case number, all the way from "in transit" to "issued."

You're fine. Just keep sending the inquiries until you get your new case number. Do not worry about the expiration date. It will be automatically extended. You should get a K1FTP email, not a physical letter, when your case is sent to Manila. On CEAC, you will select immigrant visa to check your status once you know your new case number. You can work on the DS-160, but you will need your MNL case number to complete it. The website will save your entered information for a month. Each time you access it, the one-month period starts over.

It is not mandatory to use her married name when renewing. She can keep her maiden name in her Philippine passport and just renew it. If she wants to use her married name, then the above ROM and PSA certificate are required for the name change. Since it has already expired, it might be smart to get it in maiden name, then file ROM, and update it after PSA returns the paperwork so she won't be without a passport for half a year.