Edward and Jaycel

We did an AirBnB for Jaycel while she was there. There are many that are within a 5-10 minute walk of both SLEC and the embassy both

I’ll give you a piece of advice that served me and Jaycel well and was inspired by reading one of @TBoneTX replies to another poster back then about becoming an A student of the process…while you are waiting approval for the I-129F, study what’s coming next with the NVC & Embassy process. We did this and from the time we got the K1-FTP email to visa approval for Jaycel was only 6 weeks. A little luck was involved in picking up an appointment but I chalk that up to also being prepared and being on the scheduling site scouring for cancellations at the most likely times of the day. AND it’s never too early to being thinking ahead to the AOS process once your fiancée arrives. Preparation, planning and understanding the process are the keys to success. Best of luck, stay here with the community and let us know your progress and share your experiences for those that follow you

I have a question on the Balikbayan Visa process... When my Filipina wife and I arrive in the Philippines, I know we need to go to the Immigration Officer together for me to get the Balikbayan Visa, but do we both go to the Filipino Citizens line or the Foreign Citizens line together?

Yeah I guess you can charge whatever you want when you have cornered the market...

Ours charged us $50 to do the vaccine assessment but most of the others that I called around here wanted $300 - $600 to do it. We got lucky to find this one

The civil surgeon should accept the vaccine done anywhere as long as they give you proof. Jaycel did hers at CVS. Also bring Dina’s DS-3025 to the appointment so they can transcribe it into the I-693.

Since Dina came in on a K-1 Visa and had her medical exam abroad, she is exempt from having to do another one for the AOS. HOWEVER... SLEC in Manila has not been giving the Polio vaccine per the updated requirements as of May 2024. You need to check her DS-3025 and see if she was given a blanket waiver of "Not age appropriate" for the Polio vaccine. If SLEC did that, you will need to get her a dose of the Vaccine and find a civil surgeon and see if they will do the Vaccine Assessment part of the I-693 and bring that to the interview with you. I know that @KoreaninHawaii just had to do this in Hawaii a few months ago and may be able to help you with where they went.

HAHAHAHA best way to do it!! CMC doesn't accept insurance so this is the price without insurance. We did it at the CVS inside the Target store in Parker - Jaycel had no side effects from the shot thankfully We have not tried any of these yet.... That's actually a great idea to get your mind off of everything We like trying out new places to eat and there's a fantastic ramen place in Greenwood Village if you're into that cuisine. Also The Melting Pot in Littleton is a fun date night thing. I'm really intrigued by these dinner mystery shows now that you mentioned it. I think we're going to have to go try one!

Yes.... Usually you have up until the day or two before the interview to change your delivery method

Our friends here in the Denver FO had their interview July 29th, API changed to FTA1 on both their I-130 & I-485 and no movement since.

That's the same type of RFE I had. They needed the certified court disposition. It was received by USCIS on June 1, 2024 and my I-129F was approved on June 4, 2024.

As am I.... I thought this would have come in the first month or two

DHS is proposing a regulation that would rescind the public charge rule that has been in effect for adjustment of status applications since December 2022 and replace it with policy guidance and interpretative tools rather than a new regulation. If the current public charge rule is rescinded, DHS plans to implement a significantly expanded public charge policy that would lower the threshold for being deemed likely to depend on the government and expand the types of benefits and factors under consideration in a public charge analysis. From AILA: https://assets.aila.org/files/0cca0541-ea9d-4bc0-a1f8-849cd628fbed/25111801.pdf?1763485757 Edit: This is set to be published in the Federal Register today, November 19, 2025

What was the RFE for? This could be a clue to why you are being asked to come for an interview

The instructions for Form I-134 specifically state, "Copy of last U.S. federal income tax return filed (tax transcript)." There are other instructions in the "Supporting Evidence" section of the instructions that indicate what to include to prove your income. You should read them carefully. https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/i-134instr.pdf

If filing concurrently, file the I-130 by mail in the same envelope as the I-485

What was the information they reached out for?

Manila rarely looks at the I-134... They never looked at mine or any of the friends Jaycel made there at the embassy while waiting for her interview. That being said, it is good you are looking ahead to be prepared. Your Gross income is what will matter. For historical trends in income, you will provide Tax Return Transcripts from the IRS that will establish that. For current income (which is King as @SalishSea mentioned), 3 months of your most recent pay stubs will suffice and a letter from your employer stating that you are a regular, full-time employee at (x) Rate (either hourly or yearly, including any regular OT) is fine. If you have $50K gross, and it's just you and your fiancée, it will be fine.

Yes Dept. of State, NVC Public Inquiry site and put all the requests in your first communication with them. Request the case number and ask them to update your email addresses and the beneficiary's physical address

Agreed especially with a 20+ year residence history at that one place

Our friend got the text with his receipt number on July 31, 2025 and still has not received the physical receipt in the mail yet. Normally takes from 2-6 weeks though.

When it goes to NVC, do a public inquiry and inform them so that they and the embassy will have the new address with the file

If you have Adobe, you should be able combine it and then go to "File", "Save as Other" and select "Reduced Size PDF"

Make sure you continue to pay attention to the I-129F case status. When it changes to "Case Has Been Sent to the Department of State", give it a couple of weeks and then make the public inquiry with the NVC here: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/ask-nvc.html When you make the public inquiry with them, there is a button to attach files. Attach the Approval Notice of the I-129F. In that inquiry, ask them for your case number. Then, in the same inquiry, ask them to update the email addresses for you and her by saying something like: "I would also like to make sure you have the petitioner and beneficiary emails listed correctly in your system as follows: Petitioner Name: John Smith Petitioner email: email@email.com Beneficiary Name: Jane Jones Beneficiary email: email@email.com I have also attached the approval notice for my form I-129F for your review."

Has the case status of your I-129F changed to, "Case Was Sent To The Department Of State"? If not, then it hasn't been sent yet. I know @JeanneAdil said to give them a month or so, but lately it has been taking 6 weeks or more just for the status of the I-129F to change to what I quoted above. Then it takes a couple of more weeks at least for NVC to receive it, the a couple more weeks for them to process it. What did you ask them in the inquiry and what was their response?