Brian&Naty

I arrived in the 3th July USA. I will applay for the Social Security Number tomorrow but i still habe the sealed Letter with my Medical Information in it for the USCIS. What should i do with it?

Thank you all for the answers.

Hi,

I noticed you said you will apply for your SS# Tomorrow. I am not sure if you are married already, or if your spouse will keep their existing name, however, the first thing we did was apply for the SS# BEFORE we got married and it proved to be problematic down the road. I suggest that if you are not already married, please wait until you are married and apply for the SS# with the married name.

Any evidence of financial contributions, sent flowers, etc. You should show a vested financial interest in your fiance. Western Union, Flowers, gifts, etc that you have sent her. Those reflect direct involvement. My wife is Filipino. We submitted in August of 2008 and NOA 1 came quick and it was I think about 5 months to get NOA2. Once we had that, she went to Manila for the Embassy interview and medical. We got stopped up for 2 months due to her not passing the TB screening (white spot on the x-ray). When that period was over,she finished the process and she arrived in August of 2009. So all told for me from the time we sent in the K1 until she set foot on US soil was just over a year. BUT Listen to me and ETCH THIS IN STONE. DO NOT GET HER SS number UNTIL you are married and have her married last name. Additionally, as soon as you can GET HER A STATE ISSUED ID. This has been a misstep on my part and we received an RFE wanting additional eveidence of a bonafide marriage. Document EVERYTHING. Every card, letter, etc. it is ALL IMPORTANT. And Hank? The receipt for the engagement ring, etc. IS useful in making your case.

Can a moderator please delete my post-topic? It is not worded correctly due to a glitch on my PC and was posted before I could finish.

- Sorry My PC froze and I had to leave for work.

The communuity we live in provided a notirzed statement by the property manager confirming that Naty has resided here since 2009 with me. I also included 6 personal references including a leader from our church and nighbors that know us. What we forgot to put into the envelope was several documents showing Naty as the addressee. I know it is perhaps futile to try and send in the missing documents. What should we expect?

- Sorry My PC froze and I had to leave for work.

The communuity we live in provided a notirzed statement by the property manager confirming that Naty has resided here since 2009 with me. I also included 6 personal references including a leader from our church and nighbors that know us. What we forgot to put into the envelope was several documents showing Naty as the addressee. I know it is perhaps futile to try and send in the missing documents. What should we expect?

Hello Everyone,

Its been awhile since we have been on VJ. I made MAJOR BLUNDERS which defy logic and commons sense, (both which diminish with age by the way). We received an RFE during the process to remove conditions on my wife's green card. The request was for

- Bank Statements showing comingling of finances for the entire time period my wife has been here.

- Missing W2 forms for 2011 and 2012

- Evidence of residence.

1. I could not add my wife to the bank account until we received her temporary green card. I sent in statements that reflect 2 years back.

2. the W-2 I had and sent back

3. Evidence of residence.

President Obama is considered a hero by more Americans than any other figure, including Jesus, Martin Luther King, and Mother Teresa, according to a new poll.

The Harris Poll conducted a survey in mid-January asking a cross-section of U.S. citizens to name the individual they most admire as a hero. While Jesus came in first in the company’s last poll in 2001, this year Obama topped the list, which also included three Republican politicians as well as some surprises.

Each respondent’s answer to the question of whom they considered a hero was spontaneous — no list of individuals to choose from was given to those surveyed, Harris stressed in an online press release.

“The fact that President Obama is mentioned more often than Jesus Christ should

not be misinterpreted,” the polling company stated.

The top 10 unfolded as follows:

1. Barack Obama

2. Jesus

3. Martin Luther King

4. Ronald Reagan

5. George W. Bush

6. Abraham Lincoln

7. John McCain

8. John F. Kennedy

9. Chesley Sullenberger

10. Mother Teresa

Sullenberger was a surprise addition. He famously landed a damaged US Airways jet in the Hudson River last month.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton came in 12th place. Those who made it to the top 20 include Rev. Billy Graham, former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, Oprah Winfrey and Gov. Sarah Palin.

Harris found Americans used multiple criteria in determining their hero, such as: doing what’s right regardless of personal consequences; not giving up until the goal is accomplished; doing more than what other people expect of them; overcoming adversity; and staying level-headed in a crisis.

http://therealbarackobama.wordpress.com/2009/02/22/klein-obama-beats-jesus-in-new-poll-more-americans-see-president-as-hero-than-any-other-figure-in-history/

I am surprised Satan wasn't mentioned but seeing how his right hand man is in first place, he should be satisfied. Notice the Source URL of this information. The "REAL" barack obama. I guess the word real is included so we can tell the difference between that phony we see listening to himself talk on TV and what his spin control wants you to believe on the website. Also note that this was done in January, I am sure that poll would produce a different result if run now.

was her K1 medical exam already over a year old?

maybe that's the reason why the CS wants to do another medical exam?

if it a year old then she does need one:

Q: Do I need to complete another full medical to adjust status?

read this:

(from http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...owtopic=101202)

Per Section 1245.5 in the Code of Federal Regulations, a medical examination shall not be required of an applicant for adjustment of status who entered the United States as a non-immigrant spouse, fiancée, or fiancée of a United States citizen or the child of such an alien as defined in section 101(a)(15)(K) of the Act and §214.2(k) of 8 CFR chapter I if the applicant was medically examined prior to, and as a condition of, the issuance of the non-immigrant visa; provided that the medical examination occurred not more than 1 year prior to the date of application for adjustment of status.

if it's not a year old you can definitely go to a different CS for the transcription of the results

Her St Lukes was in July of last year, so it is just about 6 months old.

HI Everyone,

This is frustrating. Naty had the follow up TB test done here in Ft Lauderdale by a Civil Surgeon. They handed me the results from the chest x-ray which were negative. The civil surgeon will not certify the results of course because he wants to do the entire medical exam again. - And I know already they are not regulated or managed by the gov, they can do what they want.

- Can I send the results to another CS to have it transcribed onto the I-693? I know they do it for the vaccinations so was wondering if anyone has heard of them also doing it for the TB.

Thanks

That will not work.

The final sign-off on the form is the CS.

You could have your tests/shots done from another doctor, and take the info to the CS, they can then transcribe the info, sign, seal and you will on your way.

OK, this is starting to make sense to me now. That sounds like a good idea. Thanks

Based on our experience the follow up test can be done by any doctor (we had our civilian doctor do the test & we forwarded the results). It wasn't a full blown exam, just the TB test & a chest X-ray.

So if her regular doctor here does the TB test and seals the envelope, this should satisfy the requirement? I thought it had to be a civil surgeon

Does the civil surgeon HAVE to do the entire medical? My wife only needed the follow up TB test which he did. The problem came when the staff said he would not seal the results unless he completes the entire exam for $200.00. I am seeing many many reports of nothing but problems with these civil "surgeons" . Anyone out there able to get just the TB re-test done?

Thanks

My friend Tony has a friend who is a Doctor originally from China who is looking for a Colombian woman to marry and bring here to the USA. He refuses to consider women from his native China because they, "Are high-maintenance, complain, and spend too much money...." He does not want this woman to learn English, or she will, "Change." He wants her to cook and clean, give good loving, and not complain. I told my friend to tell the Doctor - "She does not exist if you're looking in Colombia!"

We all start with the best of intentions be it man or woman. ---Its just that some of us should come with expiration dates.

i just want to share my experience with XOOM... their commercial is very convincing that the beneficiary will receive the money in minutes with the lowest fee... what happened was, i decided to use XOOM for the very first time... send $200 using my bank account but after I made the transaction it says that the status is still pending and will take about 4 business days to get approval (by the way, my bank account have funds)... then and there i decided to call customer service to cancel and a representative assured me that the transaction will be CANCEL (received a confirmation #) and amount will not be withdrawn from my bank... two days later, i did my random online banking and found out that they have withdrawn the amount and checked XOOM website and found out that they just on the process of canceling the transaction after 2 days from my request... is this what you call GOOD SERVICE??? even their representative are so unreliable. this is not a good business... yes they may claim that they have the lowest fee but they DEFINITELY have the POOREST SERVICE in the money transfer business...

Global Money Card from Philippine National bank. I used them for years research PNB-RCI and rapid remit. 5.00 fee up to 500.00 and excellent service.

I have been living in Cebu Philippines for 6 months. We will probably get married later this year.

I had a bad experience with a fiance visa in the past, so I chose to come here and live for an extended time.

There is a very high risk to you if you carry on only an email and chat relationship and only go to visit your fiance

for a short time. The only way to really get to know someone is in person over time.

Many men ignore this advice because they have found a girl much prettier and younger than anything they can get in the states.

You are at a high risk for financial and emotional loss if you dont do some careful thinking.

Do you really understand the culture of the girl? Depending on where she is from, she may be living in poverty and lack of opportunity.

You are only a ticket out of her circumstances.

Im happy that I chose to live here, because at the 6 month mark we are only just beginning. in many ways.

Bringing a girl to the usa and getting to know her there is very high risk if not suicide.

the hard heads will raise noise to this... but I hope someone will take notice and spare themselves a lot of trouble.

I think your way is a fine choice. You had an opportunity to do this and if I was financially able, I would probably have done the same thing. However, the vast majority of us "hard-Headed" types are working stiffs with little money and time. look, if you want to be "practical" then stay single. You avoid the risk of anything screwing up that way.

For me, life is an adventure and takes many twists and turns. I took 4 years to know Naty and build my life up where I could bring her here. So for me my friend, my way was also fine.

I hope your SO can adjust to your pessimistic approach to life Sir. I would not want someone that sees storms on the horizon when the sun is streaming through the windows.

i had my interview earlier and i got approved!!! i got the pink slip.

the consul only asked me 3 questions

How many times has he visited you?

have you been out of the country?

how long are the duration of those trips?

then he said your visa is approved!

im soooo happy.. thanks so much to everyone here in vj!!!

Congratulations. Have a safe journey and Welcome to the USA :dance:

Western Union and the US Governemt just screwed me over.

I sent my wife $ 1,100 cash via Western Union - and they have put a government hold on it and won't release it till tomorrow which has caused my wife to miss her dentist appointment. She is in the middle of having major dental work done (multiple crowns). Apparently they need to interview me or something. What a crock of ####### !!! I am really steamed over this. I work hard as hell and pay my taxes - What a load of BS !!!

Has anybody else had this happen ???

Is there another method of money transfer that I can use for the future ??? I think once this is fixed I will quit using Western Union - it is expensive - and now very inconvenient.

Also, my wife will arrive here in the USA in October and we will need to send money to her family in Mindanao. Can anybody suggest a better way to send her family money ???

Thank you.

Hoot

You will send your SO to the Philippines National Bank, there she will apply and receive the GLOBAL MONEY CARD. the service is called Rapid Remit. You can Google PNB-RCI and find a branch here. While its an extra step as you need to send them a money order, I have never had a problem with them. You send the money order to the branch that is closest to you and they will put on her Global Money Card. The fee is 6.00 up to 500.00. They will send you the receipt and a new envelope for the next remit.

The branch for me is in Miami. Again, its one extra step but the service is beyond compare. Other people like XOOM however my online transaction one time with them did not go through. They canceled the transaction but it took my bank 30 days to release the funds back to my debit card. This sucked because it was Christmas money I was sending her. I just did not want to take a chance with them again if the debit card failed to process.

So she sets the account up at PNB, you send PNB RCI the money order. (I never ever send more then 500 at a time. and more often it was 200 to 250.00) You include the 6.00 fee and within 36 hours it is on the card. There is a hidden benefit. She does not have to withdraw the money all at one time. It works exactly like a debit card. The one thing that always frightened me with WU and XOOM, they have to take all the money at once. Good Luck

Naty was totally fascinated with my friends toy poodles. "My god, they are like children, they know what I am saying to them". Dogs are not really pets in the Philippines. She laughed when she saw the little outfits for the dogs. It is kind of insane the way we love our pets. what did your SO think?

I hate cats. My wife don't like animals. I learned my lesson not to feed it steak. Ok. Back to topic.

Too many babies at once, diapers all over the place, no time to clean up...Haha.

uhm, you fed the cat steak?

Hi everyone!

My husband, Vasya, and I must open a joint bank account ASAP since we have our AOS interview on doomsday September 11 (they just had to schedule us for that date, go figure ). We shouldn't have left this 'til the last minute...

To start off, we just need a simple, easy to open, minimal-cost joint savings and/or checking account (or similar).

- So

, which banking institution (FDIC insured, of course) do

you

think would be the best fit for us?

- Given todays slew of economic problems, which banks are actually the safest and most secure?

- Which ones should we avoid?

- Any thoughts on credit unions?

- The "online banks" are a bad idea, right?

- Are there any "perks" a bank may offer married couple when opening a joint account? (dumb question)

- Any other ideas/advice/thoughts/advice you deem necessary to add?

Ok, thanks for whatever help anyone has to give!

CREDIT UNION. Nuff said.

Since

My son just grabbed the remote to turn on a show that he likes to watch and as he changed the channel I saw Octo get slapped accross the face by one of the kids... Ahhh That was enogh for me! at least her kids know she aint right....

Should send her about 10 cases of them flavored sugar straws for the kids and 10 cases of starbucks Stress mess blend coffee for her. now that would be entertainment.

Her house must be stinking like piss at the moment. As much as I want to change the channel, I'm so lazy.

CM, i never thought you would be so into reality tv. What does your wife think of all these shows?

She hardly ever watch TV. She likes to cook. Heck, she always cook period. I tell her, "It's enough hunny. You're wasting food."

She does like reality TV such as Fear Factor, Survival, etc...It's interesting.

Maybe she is cooking for the stray cats

We are finding out while adjusting we are not allowed to travel abroad!!! It is insane to both of us to be subjected to this kind of treatment. No one in our life stopped us from traveling freely and here we go, the US, the alleged most free country in the world can tell us when we can travel and when we can't. We are not anymore in the 80's East block anymore. What is the purpose of this?? We are not criminals. What do they think they are???

Further the all process of obtaining a visa for a spouse is ridiculous, heavy, un-respectful, expensive and borderline comical and stupid. I have better words for it but I should be nice! I tell you it does not show well to the rest of world, the way foreigners seeking visas are treated with this process. I am certain we will get many objections from the US if a US citizen has to be going through this type of process from another country.

Perhaps it is insane but there are reasons for everything. The "treatment" you are experiencing is the same as everyone else and to be honest, you sound a little angry. be careful with that. You complain this way to a customs official you may find yourself in a very undesirable situation. - Such as refusal of entry. Oh, "They" are Homeland Security. They exist because there are a lot of ANGRY PEOPLE out there in the world who have an attitude that the Americans should be wiped off the face of the earth. (Perhaps because they did not like the entire immigration process and it stressed them out.)

Oh, and just for the record. If you do not care for our process or our laws, well, stay where you are OK? have a nice day

ok thank you ......she said that her father is a councilman for something like that? what is that ????? Is that why they want it to be a big thing?

Probably because they want to invite the whole barrio, they're going to invite plenty of people; and that is including the father friends and co-workers etc. Her father is a COUNCELOR work in the barangay,a job something related for the goverment.

SO THAT MEANS I AM GOING TO BE UNDER THE MICROSCOPE!!!! GREAT LIKE I AM NOT NERVOUS ENOUGH!!!!! LOL

Bro, relax, these are a simple, kind and special people. Its the reason we marry their daughters. You will be very surprised to find you will be treated like a rock star!!!!. You will be called SIR, you will have doors opened for you. The girls will giggle and sneak looks at you. The men will shake your hand gladly and smile. Be yourself. The fact he is a Counselor should not make a difference.

The only hard hard thing about this whole trip? ...............Will be leaving. ENJOY and quit worrying so much.

Let me suggest to you two tings to bring with you to give to her as a gift.

1. A Laptop. if she is chatting to you from a cafe, this will be the best gift anyone can bring.

2. a Digital camera. Let her collect photos of her family and friends and familiar places before she leaves her home.

Both gifts I brought to Naty and she was grateful and thanks me even now. Oh, make sure the camera uses AA batteries which they have plenty of. Also the Laptop will work as the adapter is rated for both 110 and 220.

hello,

i will be sending the I -129F petition either at the end of this year or beginning of next year. i have been to the philippines in 2006, 2007 and 2008 to see my fiancee. my question is should i include photos, documents etc of all my three trips there or will my photos, documents etc for of my trip in 2008 be sufficient? thanks.

Copies of the stamps in your passport along with the flight information, (e-tickets, boarding pass, etc. ). it helps to include pictures of you with the family members in some kind of happy setting. You are required to meet her one time in 2 years. So 2008 would qualify. Just give what they are asking for. Have you met her? Yes, OK, When? 2008, Ok, prove it. here is the visa stamps, etc. Keep it simple.

Good Luck to you on your journey.

Hello all, I love this sight so I finally set up an account. Well I am meeting my girls family next week for the first time and have some questions that I am hoping you fellow vjr's to help me with. her and her parents will pick me up at the airport do I do mano po when i meet them or is that old school? also I am paying for a party the next day for all her family to meet me ....i don't mind but is there a limit on how much i should spend or get? .....also what about the gift giving process she is telling me soaps & perfumes for the girls and toys and candy for the kids but what i don't understand she told me to bring my old clothes for the men????? is that really ok? ......and my last question is when would me a good time to formally ask her dad for his daughters hand? Do I do it at the party? Thank you all!!!!!

Hi,

Naty is just in from the Philippines and she said this:

Mano Po - Shake the hand or touch the hand to the head is fine. I shook hands and this was fine. NO HUGGING

if you wish to ask for the blessing, it is fine to say like this

Sir, I love your daughter very much and I would like to ask you and your wife for your blessing if you will accept me as your son in law.

As far as toys and gifts. Man, don't kill yourself with trying to buy everyone everything. That can be counter-productive. You can buy some things for the family there much cheaper then here.

Naty is saying 4 or 5 pigs is fine, depending on the nuimber of people. They will prepare the food ahead for you, believe me, with no problem. I guess you can get fish and other things. soda, san miguel beer, etc.

Do not try to impress everyone by throwing money down. Come across as a conservative American, generous, but show wisdom in your spending.

if you have old clothes, sure you can bring them, thats your call.

Good Luck on your journey there.

Brian & Naty

thank you that is very very helpful.....4 or 5 pigs?????

HAHAHA, ok, she said 1 pig is for 70 people. A large pig is about 150 US. JUST buy the pigs, no other main courses. Rice 2 50Kilo sacks. The drinks can be coke and San Miguel.