Edward and Jaycel

I had one charge that was a felony from 30+ years ago - I misunderstood the instructions on the I-129F and on the application, I disclosed the charge and the court disposition but did NOT include any documentation. As you can imagine I got an RFE requesting the documentation. In response to the RFE, I sent a certified copy of the court disposition (signed, stamped and sealed by the court clerk) and a letter from the police agency, in response to my request for my arrest records, stating that since they were 30+ years old, they met their criteria for document destruction and thus no longer existed. USCIS approved my application 4 days after receiving the RFE response. Hope this helps.

In the future (I-751, N-400) make copies of everything you send to USCIS to keep for your records.

Before we sent the AOS package, we scanned everything (including the passport pictures, the checks, etc.) into a PDF file. We also took a picture of the actual FedEx envelope with the shipping label showing it going to USCIS. We emailed all that to Jaycel and she kept a copy of it on her phone along with the proof of delivery from FedEx. Now, is that proof of legal status? No, because if your I-94 has expired, you do not have legal status. But in the unlikely event that we had an encounter with law enforcement, most of them are decent, common sense people and we would at least have something to show them. I know it sounds extra LOL But with everything immigration related, Jaycel and I always try to go the extra, extra mile

I'll post my reply to your other thread here so others on the forum can see what I recommended and why: You need to look at the Edition date of the form - This is from the USCIS website: Starting Feb. 10, 2025, we will accept only the 10/17/24 edition. Until then, you can also use the 12/08/21 E and 12/08/21 editions. You can find the edition date at the bottom of the page on the form and instructions. I don't know if it's a requirement to print out a new one for the interview or not. It was my recommendation that you do. Consular Officers have a wide latitude of discretion on wether to approve your visa or to refuse it pending receipt of documents that they feel you need to submit. The reason behind my recommendation is this; why would you come all this way in the immigration journey only to possibly delay the approval of your visa over the relatively trivial inconvenience of filling out your I-864 again in the latest edition of the form? What if you get a consular officer at the interview that asks for an updated version of your I-864 and gives you a 221g refusal pending your submission of the form on the current version? I guess it's all about risk tolerance. When it comes to imnmigration matters, I personally take the attitude that I am going to do everything in my power to make sure that I give as little possible excuse to deny for the people who make the decision on the immigration benefit.

You need to look at the Edition date of the form - This is from the USCIS website: Starting Feb. 10, 2025, we will accept only the 10/17/24 edition. Until then, you can also use the 12/08/21 E and 12/08/21 editions. You can find the edition date at the bottom of the page on the form and instructions. I don't know if it's a requirement to print out a new one for the interview or not. It was my recommendation that you do. Consular Officers have a wide latitude of discretion on wether to approve your visa or to refuse it pending receipt of documents that they feel you need to submit. The reason behind my recommendation is this; why would you come all this way in the immigration journey only to possibly delay the approval of your visa over the relatively trivial inconvenience of filling out your I-864 again in the latest edition of the form? What if you get a consular officer at the interview that asks for an updated version of your I-864 and gives you a 221g refusal pending your submission of the form on the current version? I guess it's all about risk tolerance. When it comes to imnmigration matters, I personally take the attitude that I am going to do everything in my power to make sure that I give as little possible excuse to deny for the people who make the decision on the immigration benefit.

Oh yeah... I get it! I lived in the Philippines with Jaycel for a year and I suffer the same paperwork PTSD LOL

👍

Jaycel's father had passed away before I filed the I-129F and for that I put "N/A - Deceased" and had no issue with it

These both refer to the petitioner - This does not have any reference to the NBI at all - It doesn't list petitioner or beneficiary - It is deliberately left vague so that the counselor can request a police clearance either from the the beneficiary or the petitioner at their whim.

Yes... the medical provider will decide if the immunization record is acceptable

They actually do list it.... This is from their website (emphasis mine): The following are the GCP primary requirements: 1. Barcoded Confirmation form of GCP Appointment 2. Original valid passport and additional two (2) valid IDs; 3. Original valid visa and Confirmation of Permanent Residence (for Canada-bound only); 4. Petitioner’s passport copy or one (1) valid ID; and 5. Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Marriage certificate in security paper (if married in the Philippines); 6. Report of Marriage in Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) security paper (if married overseas) Additional documents may be required in the event that the counselor / facilitator determines it to be essential to complete the guidance and counseling process. It is advised for all the GCP applicants to prepare the following documents in advance (if applicable to them): ● Divorce decree/certificate of Filipino spouse or foreign spouse (if previously married) ● Annulment papers of Filipino spouse or foreign spouse (if previously married) ● Proof of residency/Alien Registration Card-ARC of foreign spouse ● Proof of relationship (pictures together, e-mails, among others) ● Death certificate of Filipino spouse or foreign spouse (if widowed) ● Certificate of family relations / registration of foreign spouse ● Proof of Civil status or Certificate of No Marriage (CENOMAR) ● Valid no criminal records certification/clearance or any equivalent document to indicate lack of criminal/derogatory record

I wish I had an answer for you but I don't know These counselors seem to be able to do whatever they want, although I will say that the "Police Clearance" is included on the list of "Additional" documents that "May" be required

The only reliable way to contact them is usng the online inquiry: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/ask-nvc.html

Like mentioned above by @SalishSea the CFO process is not associated with the I-129F or K-1 - It's 100% a Philippine Gov't requirement for their citizens and they seem to vacillate between crazy strict requirements and only mildly strict requirements

It is true.... It just happened to a VJ member recently who messaged me about it. Fortunately he was able to get an FBI records check and sent it to her within a week and then they issued a Certificate. Here's copy/paste from the conversations in DM on November 7th, 2024: Member: Hey there, I just wanted to reach out and say my fiancé did the CFO recently and they asked her for criminal background check for me, they didn't look at her proof of relationship. Just more info to have for future reference with others on here. Me: Oh wow! That's the first I've heard of that in a long time in these threads here. They did not ask for anything from Jaycel except for the proof of relationship. Which office did she go to? Member: Quezon City Me: Oh ok... Jaycel went to Cebu. So did she have a background check already for you or did you guys have to get one and send it in after? Member: I was able to get a FBI one pretty quick so she had that one to bring back with her.

Congrats!! 🎉🎉

Get the ROM process started.... It's only a $25 fee plus the sending and the return postage. It takes PSA 4-6 months to record it so you may as well start now

https://www.uscis.gov/forms/all-forms/uscis-lockbox-filing-locations-chart-for-certain-family-based-forms Dang it you beat me to it!!

I think this is the relevant entry to the country:

Yeah most likely not.. The SF Consulate was pretty quick with ours, we received the stamped and signed ROM 11 days after they received it but I think that was exceptionally quick. Here's the post I made about our experience with it:

Agree with @Crazy Cat.... Get started. As long as you were Inspected and Admitted or Paroled into the US the last time you entered the country, as an immediate relative (spouse) of a US Citizen, you are not barred from adjusting status due to overstays, unauthorized employment, being out of status or violating the terms of your non-immigrant visa. Get the process going!

As a K-1 Visa applicant for adjustment you will check 1.f. Part 1. Question 13 is asking if your last arrival to the US is the first time you were physically present in the United States - It has nothing to do with wether or not your are married to your US Citizen Spouse Question 14 - Depends on if you file the I-485 prior to your 90 days after entry or after your 90 days. If before, you are still a K-1 visa holder, if it's after the 90 days then you are an out of status K-1 visa holder This also has some caveats... are you going to take your spouse's name after the marriage? If so, are you going to use your AOS forms to officially change your name?

We received Jaycel's A-Number on the I-129F Approval Notice (NOA2) - It was in small print just above her name in the "Beneficiary" section of the notice. They are not just for Immigrant Visas. They are assigned to non-citizens (generally) who apply for or are the beneficiary of an immigration benefit application or petition. Your A-File will be with you for the rest of your immigration journey

It all depends on your priorities... do you want the fastest path to being together permanently or do you want her to spend the summer there? If the former, have her come now, get married and start the process for the I-130 as soon as you get married. If the latter, wait until summer, get married as soon as she gets to the US, file right away and then enjoy the summer. I was thinking maybe you go down there and get married and start the process as soon as you get back and maybe still get the summer trip, but CBP may give her trouble coming into the US with an I-130 pending. It's a tough thing to try to decide....

Sorry about the caps.... Didn't notice until it was too late to edit. Typing is not my forte. LOL