spicynujac

I'm sending all the documents via email to the travel agency. Partner had good idea of putting a password on the tax return. So if the email isn't deleted or file gets in the wrong hands at a later date, it cannot be easily opened. She is going to the agency today to give them the password to the docs I emailed. Mac Preview allows one to easily set a simple password for a pdf file.

I'm planning a trip with my Filipina partner to Tokyo, Japan, which sadly requires a visa for PH citizens. Instead of applying at the embassy, it appears you need to apply through a short list of accredited tour agencies (there are 3 in Cebu). The documents they need from the trip sponsor (me) include bank account statement, income tax return, and government ID. My concern is that I don't generally provide all 3 information points: Government ID #, bank account #, and date of birth, to *anyone* in my country (I don't think I've given anyone a bank account statement ever, except other banks) and feel a bit wary about providing this to a PH tour agency. I'm not terribly worried about ID theft, other than just having typical old school American privacy concerns about providing sensitive information needlessly, particularly considering how much one could do with all 3 of those matching informations. I suppose the entire idea of an accredited tour agency is one trusted by foreign governments for discretion and accuracy, but it still makes me a bit uncomfortable, especially after a recent trip to Phillippines and Turkey ended up in some fraudulent charges on my international bank card (that I only used at hotels and ATMs) (Schwabb Bank Fraud department was super) Has anyone done this? Filipinos are generally honest people but the potential for large fraud here is worrysome. I routinely deal with financial information at my job, and I'm sure these workers see these documents every day, so perhaps I'm worrying too much, but it's a rather onerous requirement for Japan to impose. I'm also worried about the Filipino authorities preventing my partner from leaving the country for the first time under the new September 2023 immigration rules. And maybe the worrying about the travel agency is moot because Filipino Immigration might demand those same documents at the departure desk anyway.

Hard to believe this post is over a year old. It seems the final interview step being broken is not a temporary problem. Are citizens required to do the embassy interview in their country of nationality? Of residency? Is it possible to schedule it for a nearby country ( I would pick Taiwan due to ease of travel there but I don’t think they have relations with the US so maybe another Asian country?) filipina partner is currently applying for crew work abroad so she may be able to prove residency outside PHL soon if that makes a difference. Just hoping to head this problem off in advance. It’s ridiculous to have to “expedite” a case or contact my congresscritter. Another possibility would be both of us relocating to Mexico once we get the second Notice Of Action letter. Another benefit would be avoiding St Luke’s X-ray machine !

Allow them some time to process. It hasn't even been a month yet. Can you even be sure they have received your letter in the mail yet?

Actually the opposite--the CR1/IR1 is far simpler, cheaper, and generally faster than the K-1. The K-1 will cost you many hundreds of dollars more (possibly thousands with pending fee increases), not to mention additional paperwork filings, etc. and your marriage will be in a sort of grey zone until the US gov't is confident it's going to last (you have to go to interviews proving it's a legit marriage once back in the USA, file a bunch more documents, pay hundreds in fees for each one, etc.) versus the CR1/IR1 which is simpler, faster, easier, requires less documentation, and upon entry to the USA your foreign bride has all the benefits an American spouse has (except voting). Plus it's the general consensus of the forum that CR1 is superior, as long as you are ready to commit to marriage. I was in the same boat as you this time last year (even asked my Filipina gf who I got to know very well during covid-19 lockdowns if she would do the online marriage before our first physical meeting but she was reluctant). We treated the online Utah ceremony as a civil union, applied for the visa, and then later travelled there for the romantic proposal and planning of a ceremony for her friends and family to enjoy. Then an additional trip back for the ceremony. If you do it this way, then the 2 year waiting period is slightly more manageable because you have mini-goalposts spread out during the process instead of just years helplessly waiting for a bureaucrat to process your file. Note that you have to be together DURING OR AFTER the Utah wedding BEFORE you can file for a US spousal visa, so if you don't complete the Utah wedding while you are both together on this trip, you will need to visit her again before you can start the long US visa application process (you will need passport stamps to show physical presence together). By the way if you do the Utah wedding option, I HIGHLY recommend Rev Chris at Universal Heart Ministry. I wasn't expecting an emotional event, just checking boxes for a bureaucratic form, but he made the event extra special and followed up with a very nice card for something absurd like $50. Just remember at some point you have to register your marriage with Philippine authorities (it's been a year and we still haven't started) and otherwise just follow the guides here. Fully remote is fine, you just have to be physically together as man and wife once, so visit either DURING or AFTER the Utah ceremony. Finally, ignore the occasional pessimism on the forum (people accusing you of fraud, people defending the US government's ridiculous immigration system, etc.); it's actually a superb resource. Best of luck to you!

The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) requirements are not easy to understand and there seem to be no official websites that discuss how it works (there is cfo.ph which is supposedly the official government site but you can only link directly to a couple of specific pages there (item 3 below), with no general website.). Since it's so relevant to the Philippine forum, perhaps it warrants a sticky? My situation: American husband waiting for Philippine wife's US visa. Getting the CFO certificate seems to require (for trip to the USA): 1) valid visa 2) a copy of my passport 3) completion of a pre departure seminar (the forums here seem to indicate they are in person only, but the CFO website has a site to view the videos online with no mention of in person requirements) Online Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar (PDOS) – for Filipino Emigrants to the United States of America (USA) (cfo.net.ph) 4) Report of Marriage Abroad (ROM) Step 4 requires a lot of other steps. I must first mail our marriage certificate to have it "apostilled" and returned to me. Then wife must mail me her PH birth certificate, which I mail along with mine and the apostilled marriage certificate, in quadruplicate, to the PH Consulate in the USA, and then eventually receive a Report of Marriage Abroad (ROM) which the Philippine authorities will ask for if they see a US VISA in her passport. A lot of paperwork, a bunch of fees, but I will do it if I absolutely have to. Is the above correct? Is step 4 absolutely necessary for her to leave for the USA? We are considering a trip to Taiwan next month. It seems she needs government permission to leave the Philippines so this may also require CFO certificate, particularly if she mentions she is flying abroad to visit her foreign husband (also will they harass her about not yet registering in the Philippines as married? Should she say husband or fiance? Threads here say you are "single" in Philippines until you record your marriage with the Statistics Office.) How difficult is this going to be? Is she still going to need a copy of my passport, completion of the seminar, etc.? Should she even mention me at all? This will be a short week long trip. Finally, I have read in a thread here that Does this mean a CFO certificate is good for multiple trips? Once we obtain a CFO certificate for a meeting in Taiwan can that be used on future trips abroad? Can it be used for her emigration flight to America?