daisychain

hi jomo's girl. i've heard of cases like that but apparently my husband couldn't enroll me in his insurance until i was already legally present in the US so he had to wait for me to get here before he could start the enrollment process. he only started on his new job last july. anyway, i called the county medical services and they told me i'm not eligible for financial assistance because i have to have been in the us for at least 5 years. they referred me to united way but they said i'm not eligible since i don't have an ssn and not a permanent resident (im a k3 visa holder yet to apply for aos) so they referred me to medi-cal and encouraged me to seek financial aid from the hospital. the hospital asked me to fax my visa to see if i'm eligible for assistance and im still waiting word on that. medi-cal says i have to go to their office to apply. my concern is that apparently any form of financial aid extended by the government seemingly requires permanent residence status and my k3 visa doesn't qualify. any insight would be greatly appreciated everyone.

hi everyone. thank u for responding. you're right. the insurance won't cover the medical expenses incurred before surgery. we called the hospital and ambulance service and the best they could give us was either a payment plan which would amount to around $500/mo or a discounted lump sum payment - money which we don't have. we feel helpless and trapped. its such a huge financial burden on top of everything else, it makes me want to cry. we tried asking for a discount but they said that's the best they could offer us. please does anyone have information on financial aid? we looked it up and some require me to be at least a permanent resident but we can't even afford to file for adjustment of status yet.

hi everyone! i had surgery 5 days ago. it was a success. im still in a cast though and still will be for 6 weeks to allow the metal plates to heal the bones and for my implant to stay firmly in place. i'd like to thank everyone who expressed concern and wished me a speedy recovery. i'm still in pain because it has gotten colder and for some reason, my bones are chilly from the inside. i was told that this happens because the metal plates get cold too. but other than that and my terrible reaction to the painkillers and anesthetic, i'm doing great! heheh. i'm just happy to be alive.

anyway the bills have finally all arrived and the totalis over $5000. the surgery ($13,000) is covered by insurance since that kicked in before the surgery. my question is, since the accident happened before the insurance kicked in ... will it still cover the ER and ambulance bill? i had only been in america a little over a month and i already have a gargantuan debt! i know my husband will take care of everything and he keeps on assuring me not to even think about the bills and just focus on getting better but i still can't help but worry about our finances since we're not exactly rich. any advice would be greatly appreciated.

i also heard that its best to wait for the 2nd yr anniversary of the marriage before applying for aos. we got married in may. if we apply for aos in may, will the medical i had in manila still be valid? im worried about starting the series of vaccinations all over again since some vaccines have a specified time frame between shots. what do u think?

hi stuckinmanila. that was extrenely helpful. i think it'd be best to do the aos before the validity of the medical expires. if say i had my medical last july, how soon should i apply for aos considering the time it would take to process my application? moreover im thinking of getting a job asap as soon as i recover but from my understanding aos processing takes several months. how long does it take to issue the ead? will i also be eligible to apply for a driver's license prior to aos?

thank u so much.

hi.

you have a couple of options to choose from:

a) first option. k-3 is a 2-year visa. so technically, you can delay your adjustment application until right before your visa expires. but, to be safe (since the uscis takes its sweet time processing applications), it may be prudent to send your application to adjust your status a few months before the visa expiration (in your case, early months of 2010). the downsides are: you need to undergo a full medical since the one you had in st luke's is good for only a year and you can't work.

now, if you're able to send you application before the one year anniv of your medical, your visit to the us civil surgeon wont cost as much as a full medical.

B) second option. if you have recovered already, are physically able and raring to work, but money supply remains tight, you can opt to apply for an ead (which will cost $340) and then later on apply for aos. the con: this would mean spending more compared to sending aos and ead applications (and paying just one fee)

in any case, pagaling ka muna. when you're already fit and when you have spare money for uscis fees, tsaka nyo na tag-isipan how to pursue your adjustment.

god bless.

thank u everyone for your kind words of encouragement. its been terrible being homesick and immobilized and in excruciating pain all at the same time but my husband has been really wonderful. i'm trying not to rely on the painkillers because it makes me crash and sleep the whole day or otherwise nauseous. when i told the paramedic attending to me in the ambulance that i just got to america, he gave me a toothy grin and said "welcome to america!" heheh.

we're tremendously relieved to know that we can postpone filing for the aos. jonathan and rosa, i believe u can apply for work auth ($300) which takes 30 days even before filing for aos.

hi. i havent been posting for quite some time. i actually havent been able to do much a few days after arriving in the us. i met accident and i now have two fractures and a dislocation. i need surgery so im still in a temporary splint because i cannot have my operation until my husband's insurance at work kicks in two weeks. otherwise, we'd have to pay 13K for the surgery alone. anyway, we still have the exorbitant hospital bill to take care off - the ER, ambulance ride, doctor's fee, etc. which isn't covered by insurance. this really bites. im typing real slow with my left hand right now since my right arm is immobilized. and im right handed! heheh. i will be having a permanent implant and 2 metal plates. now i can call myself a bionic woman. heheh. what i'm really amazed at is how efficient the system is in here. a few minutes after the accident, police cruisers, a fire truck and an ambulance were already at the scene.

my question is, can we postpone applying for AOS? the hospital bill is weighing us down since it wont be covered by the insurance. how long can we put it off? should we contact USCIS and tell them about the accident?

yes. it will be administered the day after the physical check-up (that is, if everything is in order and no other requirements are imposed, ie. sputum test, psych evaluation, etc).

Unless there is a special circumstance surrounding your case, I highly suggest doing the paperwork yourselves. First off, lawyers have other clients and they don't have the same sense of urgency that couples do. You'd have to wait to contact them before being able to track the paper trail as opposed to seeing it for yourself. I talked to a woman whose husband spent something around $5000-$6000 dollars for her and their child. They filed it January, I think. My husband I just totally relied on the info and input we got from VJ. We filed late April and got approved June. Hiring a lawyer is no guarantee that your case will be processed quickly. So I highly recommend doing all the paperwork yourselves and should u have any further questions, VJ members would be more than willing to help you. =)

Hi. I'm hoping someone could help me. I have two violins, both of which are very important to me. The other is an antique given to me as a gift a year ago and the other is a violin that I saved up for as a gift to myself on my 18th birthday and which a famous violinist personally chose for me. I can't stand the thought of letting both go. =(

The biggest box I can send to the US via manila forwarder is 24"x18"x24" but my violins are 30 inches long (including the leather case). I was thinking of putting both either in my carry-on luggage or check-in luggage but I'm not sure if that would cause problems and it might drastically weigh it down. The case of the antique violin is made of heavy leather with metal latches.

What do u guys think? I feel a bit helpless because there are some people asking me to give my violin away (to them) since I can't bring it to the US. If I leave it here, I'll never see it again. Insights please =(

I agree with Hanny. Online travel websites buy seats in bulk. Also, there are tips and tricks u can use if you really are determined to get the cheapest. Of course, it depends on where you're flying to. =)

I think I mentioned this in a previous thread. I booked my sister-in-law's flight online (last minute booking from Manila to Los Angeles) last APril. It was the day before she wanted to leave. All of the tickets were like at least $1000 because it was a last-minute booking. I was able to get her a fare for $700 by using the multiple destination trick. (But it doesn't always work. it depends on the season, carrier, etc.). Also, try exploring airports nearby. For example, if you live in New York, try exploring JFK, LGA and New Jersey Airport. Or in my sister-in-law's case, it was cheaper for her to fly into LA then San Diego. In my case though, it was a lot a cheaper to fly into San Diego (my ticket was in the 600 dollar range.. got the last seat available - window too!).

Always best to book your flight as EARLY AS POSSIBLE (after you are guaranteed the delivery of the visa, of course, just to be on the safe side. Here's how it works: there's a particular number of seats for a certain price. Say, $600 for 10 seats. Once those seats get filled up, it moves on to the next price and so on and so forth. Also, expedia has a best price guarantee. Basically, if you book your flight now and the fare goes down within 24 hours (say when there'a cancellation for a lower-priced tix), they will refund the excess amount (local travel agencies don't do that). Plus of course the 24-hour customer service is a huge help.

If you cancel your flight, you will earn flight credits which you can later on use within the year (except small-time carriers such as commuter planes like jet Blue).

If you get lucky, you might be able to get a merchant fare, which is basically the lowest fare you can get not offered in any other website. Happens once in a while.

Word of advice to those who have decided to book through an agency. Make sure the travel agency you're booking with is trustworthy. My sister-in-law met a Filipino on the airport in Hong Kong on the way to Canada. He missed his connecting flight because the travel agent basically booked him an illegal conection. Because of that, the airline couldn't book him on the next available flight without him having to pay over $1000. Airlines would be willing to help you book another flight if you miss your connecting flight due to flight delays - but if it's an illegal connection, you're on your own. Sure, the agency was able to secure him a cheap flight but it was basically worthless.

IN my opinion, it's best to book with reputable online travel websites because they have a 24-hour customer service hotline. If something does happen, you can call them up (like say missing your connecting flight), you can call them up and they can arrange your flight for you.

I'm not saying that all travel agencies are the same. A lot of travel agencies are of course, trustworthy (like the one my brother had. They really went out their way to make sure he gets the best flight available). But it's best to be safe than sorry. Do background checks. Read traveler reviews or testimonials or google travel agencies. Talk to people who have personally booked through a particular travel agency.

hi everyone! i decided to ship some of my stuff from here to the US because it might weigh my luggage down. I already checked the website of manilaforwarder.com and they cheapest I could find was $99. What's the most affordable way of going about it? What are the procedures/steps taken? Do you I have to get any documents from the US embassy? Thank you so much for your insight!

Yes. K3 applicants are not required to undergo the vaccinations. But the $213 SLEC fee is FIXED, whether you take the vaccines or not. So might as well have the vaccines administered, rather than putting to waste an exorbitant fee. =)

Mrc1330, my husband told me about including me in his health plan at work but we've yet to explore that option. Thanks for the info. =)

Hi. I posted a topic in this forum a while back about having your vaccinations beforehand and I would like to rectify my mistake. I apologize to those who have been inconvenienced.

The $213 SLEC medical fee includes the cost of the vaccinations. Don't make the same mistake i did. I had my vaccinations beforehand and basically threw away almost P9,000 (for the MMR and HPV). DON'T TELL your doctor that you're married to an American and immigrating to the U.S. You will possibly be overcharged (like I was). Not only that, my doctor told me that I should have my HPV vaccine EVeRY MONTH with her (which will amount to P21,000 - heard it's cheaper to have it done in the US, if you convert that to dollars) so that I can finish the series before I leave. Turns out, it's dangerous to do so as the interval is supposed to be 0-2-6.

You can have you first vaccine at St. Luke's and finish the series in the U.S.

Try expedia.com. I got a one way ticket from Manila to San Diego in the 600-dollar range. You can also use the seat pinpointer. I got window seats. Yey! Where are you flying to?

Sometimes, it's more expensive to buy the ticket directly from the carrier. (tried it). But this isn't always the case because online travel websites usually have a 5-dollar processing fee.

If you do buy tix from expedia, print your itinerary as the officer in the airport would request you to brandish it before entering.

Try expedia.com. I got a one way ticket from Manila to San Diego in the 600-dollar range. You can also use the seat pinpointer. I got window seats. Yey! Where are you flying to?

HI des. I sent you a private message. Unfortunately, I can't paste my answers here because I forgot to copy paste it before sending it to you. Can you paste it here please for others members with similar questions to read? Thanks! God bless

i forgot to add that the bad check case was about checks that bounced.

My dad wrote a bad check thirty five years ago and he was convicted fairly recently (bad check without the intent of fraud I believe. Yes, the justice system here is THAT slow. In fact, the people who filed the case died of old age like ten years ago). First off, I'd like to clarify that he has no other criminal record. Just that bad check. He's now a senior citizen and he's currently working. I won't elaborate on that bad check thing, but just to let everyone know, he didn't own that account, he was just the right hand of the big boss and hence the signatory.

He also lived and studied in the US years and years ago when a little boy. But I'm sure that wouldn't make a difference.

Anyway, I was thinking of having my parents visit (on a tourist visa). What's the likelihood of my dad being issued a visa? Does he have to sign a visa waiver considering his conviction? I read up on crimes involving moral turpitude and I'm not sure if my dad's case is covered.

i got there at 6:15 (my appointment was at 7) and got out at 11 am. =)

spent most of my time waiting in line. pregnant women, elderly and children with applicants were prioritized.

by the time i got out of the embassy, others who got there before me were still waiting for their interview. when they lined up at the immigration visa ticket booth, they either had a missing DS form or had some blanks to complete. this relegated their numbers to the end of the line since they flash the numbers not based on chronological order, but which number finishes each process first.

good luck! and don't forget to have your forms and U.S. passport pictures ready!

i would also like to add that there were some people who only brought 1 copy of the DS 156. They were given a form to fill out. So basically, a handwritten DS 156 form will be accepted. But of course, they had to sit down and fill the form out and as I have mentioned before, relegated to the end of the line. Doesn't matter what number you're issued. It's not called out in chronological order anyway. Depends who finishes each process first. =)

There are embassy-specific rules when it comes to that. I've heard over and over again that the US embassy in Manila does not accept co-sponsors for k3. However, my co-sponsor was accepted. Pushbrk pointed out that even though my husband had a certificate of no file from the IRS for 2007 and just recently started on his new job (3 weeks), I provided an original paystub and a notarized job offer (the letter of employment was rejected cus it was photocopied). So I basically proved that my husband is above poverty level and can support me despite the lack of documents. Hence, they accepted my co-sponsor. (Which is kinda weird. You have to prove that you don't need a co-sponsor for your co-sponsor to be accepted. I guess it works the same way in banks. You have to prove that you're wealthy enough to not need a loan before you can be issued a loan. Anyway...).

I think you'll be fine. Prepare the co-sponsor just in case. But don't forget to provide your wife with as many originals as possible - notarized job offer, original paystub, original letter of employment (include the postage-paid envelope it came with, just in case) and bank statements.

Des, I replied to your private message but I'm posting this anyway for the benefit of other members who may have similar questions.

First off, I'm glad to know you're preparing your DS156 beforehand. I've seen a lot of people in the embassy who came unprepared and hence experienced considerable delay.

The immigrant visa ticket officer asked them to take their seats and fill out the form. Even though they were handed a number, the numbers were not called in chronological order. It depends on who finishes each process first. I also suggest buying a plastic compartment folder with labels. Btw, do not put your pictures in an album. I put mine in the smallest album i could find and it did not fit the window! The prescreener just asked me to take the pictures out. She'll basically ask two-four wedding pictures of you, your husband and the person who officiated the wedding. And two-four pictures of you with other people (friends, family).

DS-156

#14 - NONE. we don't have a national identification number. SSS # is NOT National Identification number. =)

#22 - Yes. You must provide a date, even if it's a tentative one. The girl beside me was sent back to her seat (her number relegated to the back of the line) because she didn't fill that part up. She was fretting about the fact that the immigrant officer insisted that she provide a date because she said that she didn't have any travel plans yet. It doesn't matter. They will still insist that you provide a date, even if you haven't formalized traveled plans. Should there be a delay in visa issuance, the immigration officer would check the date indicated in that item and advice the applicant to postpone travel plans.

#26 - permanently; will apply for permanent residence. "for the rest of my life" sounds a bit dramatic! heheh

# 27. What is the Purpose of your trip? - join US citizen spouse and apply for adjustment of status

#25 - emphasis on "who you will be staying with" OR visiting for tourism or business. the reason why they mentioned staying with, tourism or business is because the DS156 applies to all visa applicants - B2, B1, etc. etc. so basically it doesn't specifically cater to k3 or IR1. So you should provide the address and phone number of your US Citizen spouse.

#32 - K3 applicant; will apply for work authorization, employer unknown (if you do plan on working)

# 39. Was the Application Prepared by another person on your behalf? - if you filled out this form yourself, the answer should be NO

#40 - Unless you answered "yes" to the previous question (that someone accomplished the application for you), leave that part blank. The immigrant visa ticket officer and pre-screener separately checks parts left blanks. I left this part blank and I was never questioned.

As for 29, 30, 31, if your answer is "NO", no need to put N/A on the succeeding blanks.

Don't forget to answer number 37. If say it doesn't apply to you (i.e Fiancee) check NO and put "none" on the blanket next to it. Write down "U.S. Citizen" on the blank next to Husband.

On #9, put "none." According to a fellow VJ member, middle name in the US is not "maiden name" in the Philippines. You should write your surname prior to getting married on item 8 and "none" in item 9.

While lining up, have your application form ready. The guard will ask for an ID. The NBI clearance will do. While lining up at the immigrant visa ticket booth, have both copies of your DS 156 and DS 157 ready (the other one being a bank validated copy of course) plus your U.S. passport pictures.

DS 157

#1 - Married Name

#3 - I wrote it down in this particular format: First Name Middle Name Surname. You can write it down in this format too, if you'd like: Surname, First Name Middle Name. But it doesn't really matter since you've already indicated your last name and first names in items #1 and #2.

#10 - Philippines

#17 - High School and College.

Good luck on your interview and congratulations! Remember, even if other members (including myself) complain of bringing tons of evidence without it being put to use, better be safe than sorry. Don't hesitate to bring AS MUCH evidence as you can, even if you end up carrying two bags (like me! heheh).

hi jego_ryu! We have the same port of entry! Too bad we're flying on different dates. I also had the choice between September 4 or August 28 but my husband and I decided on the former so I can spend more time with my family before I leave. =)

Thanks Rodge and Ninfa. Congratulations to you too. =)