Armenia

On 1/23/2023 at 5:40 PM, MarryMe987654 said:

I plan on becoming a USC only because I don't want any miniscule threat of being taken away from my husband--that's all.

 

If it's not for that, I don't think I'll want to be a citizen out of patriotism. The U.S. is great and all, and the Philippines has issues, but it will always be home. Prior to actually applying for naturalization, the idea of renouncing my Filipino citizenship does hurt.

 

I honestly do not mind the paperwork anymore. I'm not concerned about having a "weak passport," because I've traveled extensively and am satisfied. I'm not entirely sold on SSS benefits because I can earn and save money on my own. My point is that all the advantages that you mention are not really much of a big deal because, as an immigrant, I am surrounded by people that look and sound nothing like me.

 

The emotional toll of constantly missing my family and homeland cannot be compensated for by the convenience of dual citizenship, but it's a choice I made because cupid got me good. Lol.

 

And I know I am lucky to have the option of dual citizenship, but it's not quite the same, to be honest. I will always have that American last name, and when I am in the Philippines, they look at me funny for having an American name (I experienced this last year when I traveled home). Then I have to explain why, and I know that I am judged just based on that small backstory.

You didn’t have to change your last name. It’s not required in either the US or the Philippines. 

Whenever submitting forms, make sure the footers are printed - barcode (if any), form number, form revision date, page number. 
 

Never assemble form pages with different revision dates. 
 

Make sure signatures are handwritten, not computer printer printed. 
 

Prints or handwriting should be completely legible - no confusion as to whether it’s an e or c, it’s a 1 or lowercase L or uppercase i. The e/c problem is pretty common when people choose a small font size  and the print is smudgy. 

Forms initially get read by AI/OCR. 

It doesn’t matter if answers are computer-printed or handwritten. It doesn’t matter if you use all uppercase. What matters is if it’s completely legible - no confusion between c e, a o, uppercase lowercase L i, 5 6, etc. No cursive handwriting unless it’s a signature. 
 

if it’s computer-printed, it should be a very clear print. No smudgy prints. No tiny fonts that make it difficult to distinguish an e from c o a, I from i, etc. 

Don’t write anything outside the boxes. 
 

Make sure the footers (showing form number, revision date nd page numbers) are visible. Make sure all the pages of a form have the same revision date on them. 
 

Don’t intentionally delete a revision date on the footer for the purpose of inserting it into a form with a different revision date. 
 

if you have a lawyer or paid preparer doing the paperwork for you, make sure they fill out the forms clearly. A lot of them just stamp names/addresses/phone numbers etc. a lot of times, the imprints aren’t complete/clear. 
 

Also, quite frequently, these offices have prefilled the forms with the names of ALL of their lawyers/preparers. Then, they just circle the name of the actual lawyer/preparer who did the work. Don’t circle names. Cross out (strike through) the names of those who shouldn’t be on the form. 
 

————

Write your answers completely. If filling out addresses, put in the address. Don’t just type/write “same as on  page X  item so and so”. Don’t make the adjudicating officers have to go back and forth pages just to see your answers. 
 

———-

Read the instructions (it’s usually a separate document) for the form you’re filling out. 

Forms are read by AI/OCR. 

When handwriting, PRINT. make sure every letter is  legible and words are spelled correctly (particularly email addresses) and not missing letters.  No cursives. AI should be able to differentiate your c from your e, your D from your O, your a from your o, your lowercase L from your uppercase I, etc. 
 

When printed, don’t use a super small font size just to be able to cram a lot of characters in a box (especially true for law business names that want to include every lawyer partners names in the box). Make sure letters are easily read and very distinct from each other. 
 

Lawyers reading this - just type one single name in the box. Don’t put/stamp all lawyers’ names in the box and then circle one. That’s just really lazy and actually doesn’t hasten processing. AI ignores the circles you make all over the forms. 
 

Don’t write/print outside boxes. AI can’t see anything outside boxes. 

On 8/12/2021 at 6:18 PM, Strider_Ranger said:

Hi VJ Community,

 

I've seen similar topics on the forum but not exactly this one - still hope it's not a duplicate one!

 

So my question is about filling out the N400 online and dealing with the blank fields. I know that on physical forms it is suggested to not leave fields blank and I see the same for online forms on the USCIS website: https://www.uscis.gov/file-online/tips-for-filing-forms-online:

 

 

Just like with the PDF edition, there are fields where the website does not allow certain characters to be entered. For example, for a non existing Middle Name, N/A would be appropriate, but the slash is not allowed. Entering None, however, would be incorrect and might even lead to a "John None Doe" situation. With the PDF, handwriting could solve this issue but you can't do that with the online form.

 

Does anyone have experience with this "issue"? How did you address it? Did you leave the fields blank or followed another strategy? Any input is greatly appreciated!

If you can’t type in “/“, just type in “Not applicable” then. It’s longer but you can just copy paste to key in the same phrase to the rest of the boxes. 
 

For people handwriting their answers, please PRINT (legible, not cursive) and only write within the boxes. The scans and AI don’t see stuff written/printed outside the boxes. 

When you submit bank statements, you don't have to print every page of each statement. I only printed the first page of each statement. The first page usually has a summary of the transactions. Other pages just contain details of the summary. 

I also didn't print all statements. For every year, I just printed 4 statements. So, for a 3-year period, you only have to print 12 pages.

Don't forget to bring the original and a photocopy of your clearance, letter to the BOI/ DFA with you when you leave. Sometimes the list that they refer to at the airport doesn't get updated as fast. If they tell you at the airport that you're not cleared to leave, you have your clearance letters to show them and you'll have to give them one copy. At least, that's what happened in my case.

The current version is the 9/13/13 edition. Look at page 1, bottom left of form N-400.

California Service Center (23 applicants, 10 approved - 43%)

VJName............Date of I-751.....NOA1 Date.....Biometrics......Approved...

ONE DIRECTION.......09/29/12........10/01/12.......11/02/12.......05/02/13...

ANDREW + BETHANY....09/??/12........10/01/12.......??/??/12.......04/24/13...(Bio rescheduled 12/03)

SEBAS&LILY..........10/01/12........10/03/12.......11/01/12.......--/--/--...(RFE received 05/06)

EVA77...............10/01/12........10/05/12.......10/31/12.......04/24/13...

CECILIA-GARY........10/02/12........--/--/12.......10/30/12.......--/--/--...(Never received NOA)

OBNANCY.............10/03/12........10/04/12.......11/06/12.......--/--/--...

HERESTOUS...........10/03/12........10/05/12.......11/06/12.......--/--/--...

ZEBAN...............10/09/12........10/11/12.......11/07/12.......--/--/--...

LEENIE..............10/12/12........10/15/12.......11/09/12.......05/03/13...

CATSY...............10/12/12........10/15/12.......11/16/12.......05/02/13...

GARFIELD529.........10/15/12........10/16/12.......11/09/12.......05/16/13...(Early bio 11/02)

IRISCUTIE...........10/15/12........10/17/12.......11/13/12.......04/24/13...

VJ-NEWBIE...........10/16/12........10/18/12.......11/16/12.......--/--/--...

KIMBEAR.............10/16/12........10/18/12.......11/19/12.......05/03/13...

VISHNYA.............10/18/12........10/22/12.......11/08/12.......05/03/13...

SVEDINAT............10/19/12........10/22/12.......11/13/12.......--/--/--

GROOVYAARDVARK......10/20/12........10/22/12.......11/20/12.......--/--/--...(Early bio 11/02)

A + M...............10/22/12........10/24/12.......11/27/12.......--/--/--...

GUARDIANANGEL.......10/25/12........10/27/12.......11/23/12.......--/--/--...

IMMIGRATIONDRAMA....10/26/12........--/--/12.......11/19/12.......--/--/--...(Never received NOA)

SOULMATEFOREVER.....10/26/12........10/31/12.......11/28/12.......--/--/--...(RFE received 05/09)

S&ET................10/27/12........10/29/12.......01/09/13.......--/--/--...

ARMENIA.............10/29/12........10/31/12.......11/27/12.......04/30/13

Vermont Service Center (32 applicants, 21 approved - 66%)

VJName............Date of I-751.....NOA1 Date.....Biometrics......Approved...

R&V.................09/28/12........10/02/12.......11/08/12.......04/22/13...

MRTEE12.............09/29/12........10/02/12.......11/05/12.......--/--/--...(RFE received 04/18)

SMSGRL2009..........09/29/12........10/03/12.......--/--/--.......--/--/--...

AN & CH.............10/01/12........10/02/12.......11/08/12.......04/26/13...

MALOLOSTOUSA........10/03/12........10/09/12.......11/06/12.......04/23/13...(Card received 04/26)

LARAREYES...........10/04/12........10/05/12.......12/11/12.......--/--/--...(RFE received 04/28, responded 05/18)

GLYNN & JEAN........10/05/12........10/09/12.......11/09/12.......04/18/13...(Card received 04/25)

HABOUSH.............10/06/12........10/12/12.......11/19/12.......04/23/13...

ANITA_T.............10/08/12........10/11/12.......11/21/12.......--/--/--...

CRISSIE.............10/09/12........10/11/12.......11/08/12.......04/23/13...

SISJ................10/09/12........10/15/12.......12/04/12.......--/--/--...(RFE received 04/28, responded 05/22)

MARCH2010...........10/09/12........10/11/12.......11/19/12.......04/16/13...(Card received 04/20)

LILMERMAID..........10/11/12........10/16/12.......11/20/12.......--/--/--...

FELIX01.............10/12/12........10/18/12.......11/19/12.......04/22/13...

PAULABBY............10/15/12........10/18/12.......11/19/12.......05/07/13...(Card received 05/11)

CHINA1022...........10/16/12........10/17/12.......11/21/12.......04/23/13...(Card received 04/27)

YACHACHIQ12.........10/16/12........10/19/12.......11/28/12.......04/23/13...(Card received 04/27)

LOVE IS PATIENT.....10/16/12........10/22/12.......11/23/12.......04/22/13...(Card received 05/04)

PACIENCIA Y FE......10/18/12........10/22/12.......11/23/12.......05/03/13...(Early bio 11/20)(Card received 05/13)

DAVEE...............10/19/12........11/09/12.......12/18/12.......05/02/13...

ER NEAL.............10/19/12........10/22/12.......11/15/12.......--/--/--...

MIKEANDJAQ..........10/19/12........10/22/12.......11/16/12.......04/26/13...(Card received 05/03)

LEELEE1986..........10/19/12........10/23/12.......11/27/12.......05/18/13...(RFE received 04/19, responded 05/02, card received 05/22)

INDOUSA.............10/23/12........--/--/12.......--/--/--.......--/--/--...

PINKPLUMAGE.........10/23/12........10/25/12.......11/20/12.......04/30/13...(Early Bio 11/16)

TROOPER.............10/24/12........10/26/12.......11/29/12.......--/--/--...

LULU A..............10/25/12........10/26/12.......11/26/12.......--/--/--...(Early bio 11/16)

APPLEJUICE..........10/25/12........10/29/12.......11/27/12.......04/26/13...(Card received 04/29)

MISSIN MISS D.......10/26/12........10/30/12.......12/04/12.......04/29/13...(Early bio 11/21)

SHELANT.............10/26/12........10/30/12.......11/26/12.......04/26/13...(Card received 05/01)

HMCHIU..............10/26/12........10/30/12.......12/05/12.......04/24/13...(Card received 04/30)

BACON...............10/27/12........10/31/12.......--/--/--.......--/--/--...

Dear imwhatiam80,

Seems we are in the same box.Thats exactly what my situation is and exactly what happen to me at interview.There is only few things which is not quite similar with with you.

First...The interviewer was rude with me and she told me something which was awful to hear ! She tried to make me nervous and i feel lack of respect when she talked to me.

I didn't lie or i don't need to lie with her about my case.

2nd....i had divorce with my U.S wife and i went my country three times.

1] 06/08/2009-----09/02/2009 1st time and got marriage

2] 03/01/2010-----0729/2010 2nd time and my wife got pregnant this time and a baby girl born 10/31/2010

3]11/15/2011------12/07/2011 3rd time.

She questioned me about the time and my stay and my return here.She was trying to tell me that it was very short time to born a baby.Would you please mind to see how could it be a short time to be pregnant and how long it takes to give a birth of a baby?

Thanks

Maybe the interviewer made that comment (it was very short time to born a baby) because if your baby was born Oct 31, 2010, that would mean the baby was conceived ~Jan 24, 2010 but you told the interviewer that your second visit started 3/1/2010. The 1/24/2010 date is based on full-term pregnancy. The conception date would be different if the baby was born prematurely.

@ Lee & Madel, Correction to Post #9:

According to the W-7 instructions (http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/iw7.pdf), form W-7 (ITIN application) should have been filed with your 2012 Tax Return.

"2. Your original, valid tax return(s) for which the ITIN is

needed. Attach Form W-7 to the front of your tax return. If you

are applying for more than one ITIN for the same tax return (such

as for a spouse or dependent(s)), attach all Forms W-7 to the

same tax return. After your Form W-7 has been processed, the

IRS will assign an ITIN to the return and process the return."

And, according to this

http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/Individual-Taxpayer-Identification-Number-(ITIN)-Reminders-for-Tax-Professionals:

"In cases where a current year tax return has already been filed that excluded a spouse or dependent who needs an ITIN, the taxpayer should complete Form 1040X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, showing the ITIN applicant's information, and attach it to Form W-7."

So, file W-7 and the amended return together.

If you got married 12/31 or sooner of that year that tax year you are single. So for 2013 next year you will file married. 2012 you were single.

Tax preparers are very unaware of simple filing procedures at time at times.

Just clarifying in case someone reads your reply without reading back to the question you were answering:

You are considered married if your status is married on the last day of the tax year. (see IRS Publication 17 - Tax Guide 2012 - http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p17.pdf).

So, if you got married any day (including Dec 31) on 2012, then you will file your 2012 Tax Return as married.

@ Kiran Pandit - 2012 Tax Return = single; 2013 Tax Return = married

@ Lee & Madel:

IMO, the reason that tax preparers give incorrect advice sometimes is that tax preparers, in general, are used to preparing taxes for mainstream people/couples (US citizen/resident with US citizen/resident spouse). The tax preparer would need to have previous experience with immigrants' tax returns to know more. I took a tax preparation course where more than half of the class were immigrants. Our poor instructor, he got bombarded from all sides with "what if" questions that would seem silly to a US citizen/resident-living-his-entire life-in-the-US person but are real and common scenarios for immigrants.

Your tax preparer was right in saying that you cannot file as Married because your wife does not have an ITIN or SSN. However, she should have told you to get an ITIN for your wife. Filing Single was the quick way out (i.e., you can file your tax return immediately vs. having to wait for the ITIN) which was not a very serious issue (in the mind of the tax preparer) since you can always file an amended return. What the tax preparer doesn't know is how important the Tax Return/Transcript is to a person with immigration-related concerns which is probably why she didn't push you to get an ITIN and file as Married Filing Jointly.

You should have filed as Married. Since you already filed as Single, you can amend your return later. Amended returns are filed within 2-3 years but since your tax return is important to your wife's immigration application, you should file your amended return soon. I don't think filing an amended return, because you were not sure of your filing status, would be a big deal. Not all people know. For instance, someone who is Single and had been filing as Head of Household for many years may think that he should still be filing as HH even after he got married because he is, after all, still Head of Household (although you'd think he would have chosen to file as Married Filing Jointly since he also qualifies for that and the standard deduction for MFJ is higher).

Here are some resources for you:

ITIN for your wife - http://www.irs.gov/t...pics/tc857.html

Amended returns - http://www.irs.gov/t...pics/tc308.html

Your wife would fall under "An alien individual, claimed as a spouse for an exemption on a U.S. tax return, who is not eligible for a SSN"

Get the ITIN first, then file an amended return.

When you file an amended return, there's a box in Part III of the form where you get to explain the change. Explain fully here. There's nothing bad about the mistake you made. You weren't sure about what your filing status should be. You knew you were married but your wife isn't a US resident nor does she have an SSN. You asked for advice from a Tax Professional. She gave you advice. You followed the advice but later learned that you can get an ITIN for your wife so that you can file MFJ.

With respect to tax return evidence. If I did not work as a PR does it matter if my husband files "head of household" and lists me and the 2 kids or should he file differently. Does USCIS care? Feedback appreciated.

Are you asking for a future 2012 tax return that you and your husband are going to file next year?

Married people either file as "married filing jointly" or "married filing separately." It doesn't matter if only one spouse is employed/has income. You and your husband will file as married filing jointly. Nonworking female spouses usually just put in "unemployed" or "homemaker" as occupation on their tax returns. Why file as "head of household"? Even assuming that he can file as HH, it's not monetarily advantageous since the standard deduction for "married filing jointly" is higher than the standard deduction for HH.

I don't know if an incorrect filing status will affect your I-751 application. Probably not but the USCIS officer who looks over your papers would probably wonder why your husband filed HH when you two are married.

Hi khlim,

I would suggest you to print out the page from the Canadian CBP page where it states that, to avoid problems. I'm telling you this cause my fiancèe's aunt 3 years ago was having problems cause the Canadian officer didn't want to let her in and she had a valid 10 yrs green card,saying it wasn't enough..can you believe that? Luckly she was travelling with her husband (US citizen) so he let them go. Sometimes there's always the chance to run into the random incompetent,so better to be prepared cause being right without proof sometimes can be annoying with certain people. Have a great trip hey!

That is so true. Sometimes Canadian Customs officers are not aware of their own policies so it's always prudent to bring a print-out of the "policy" that applies to you to let them read it.

I was still living in Canada while traveling to/from US/Canada. I didn't need a new/current Canadian visa to re-enter Canada as long as my study permit was valid and my travel was only to/from the US (and some particular US territories). I had no problem with the Canadian Customs officer in Calgary but had to go to secondary screening after another trip where I landed @ YVR. The Vancouver Customs officer at secondary screening had no clue at all about their "rule" so it was a good thing that I had a print out of it for her to read and learn. She spent a long time looking at it (and even asked me when it was printed) and going to another office to read more about it.

Thanks!

I was just wondering if this is a requirement in the process of IR/CR1 visa.. If not, we should be good..

Thanks again!

It's not a requirement in the IR1/CR1 visa process. However, you will need to bring a CENOMAR (Certificate of No Marriage) from the NSO during your CR1 interview to prove that you were not married at the time that you got married in the US.

Brown rice. Any brand.

Given that you didn't have a marriage license when you got married and given what DaveE111 said (additional requirement for US citizens wishing to get married in the Philippines), I'd say your June 3 marriage is not valid. However, since you say you have a marriage contract (with the wrong dates), I assume you "paid" people. It could work if you were going to use that marriage contract in the Philippines only, However, since you are a US citizen intending to bring your wife to the US, it's more complicated. How will you get a pre-June 3 Certificate of Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage from the US Embassy in Manila? Maybe the local office also has a "way" of getting around that (falsifying documents?) but the US Embassy would have no record that it issued you the certificate. Boom, you're caught lying. And down the road when problems could arise related to your marriage, people can always dig up your records to show that your June 3 marriage was not valid because you didn't have the required papers etc. before getting married.

IMO, it would be easier if you just go through the civil (I assume) marriage ceremony again but, this time, with all the requirements satisfied.

Edit - If you're going to do this, make sure that the local office (local civil registrar) has not forwarded your marriage contract to the NSO and that the local office removes your record from their files. The contract, after all, is not valid so it shouldn't be hard to get them to "destroy" your marriage record. If the NSO already has your marriage contract and has included it already in the national database, that is another problem.

Just out of curiosity, why did you get married without a marriage license? I mean, you can't do that in the US. Why would it be different in other countries? Even considering cultural differences, marriage is still usually a contract and would usually require paper work especialy when you're trying to cross international borders which means you have to satisfy two countries' requirements.

Read Executive Order No. 209 (The Family Code of the Philippines) - http://www.chanroble...DER%20NO.%20209

Chapter 3 - Void and voidable marriages

Art. 35 (3) - The following marriages shall be void from the beginning - Those solemnized without license, except those covered in the preceding Chapter (Marriages exempted from license requirement).

I just called the Customs people and they said it is not a problem as long as i claim them as personal, and this is what it is, they are mine i have had them for a while and i am not gonna sell them so they will not tax me on them, they assured me that they won't tax me but the customs officer has the authority to investigate what's on the Hard disks if he wants to, which is fine with me as well, so it's all good, thank you for your input.

I did almost the same thing you plan on doing. I did discard the PCs and laptop though. I only took out the hard drive of one, merged data from all the rest and brought 3 more hard drives (external/portable) with me + lots of cables, accessories, thing-a-majigs. My PH-to-USA trip went smoothly (except in Japan where the security guy kept looking and looking and looking for something he never found) although my Canada-USA/USA-Canada trips from previous years frequently included a security gate employee opening my carry-on looking for something in my pile of thing-a-majigs.They always never find what they're looking for (that they "saw" in the x-ray) but they never cared to tell what it was they're looking for.

POE is Toronto.

There's confusion because a lot of people, from many other countries, are not used to the idea of having US Customs in airports outside of the USA.

I wonder why Canada has not done the same and put in Canadian Customs pre-clearance in USA airports. Most probably because there are too many major airports in the USA. Too expensive. And there may be less people coming from the USA to Canada than people coming from Canada to the USA.

Hello, does anyone know how we can get this fixed. They left off one letter from the end of my middle name. My fiance noticed when she picked up her Visa paperwork today from 2go. How important is this? And it it maybe only on the outside paperwork?

I'd try calling the Embassy first. It may just be a case of there not being enough space to print your fiancee's entire middle name but their database has her entire/correct middle name. The reason I'm saying this is that my middle name (on my US visa) got cut off as well although half of the last letter was printed (indicating it did print but there wasn't enough "allocated" space for it to show on the visa.

Personally, I don't think it will matter since her passport, US Immigrant Data Summary (+ other papers from the US Embassy pack) will show her complete name. Just to make sure, you could call the Embassy and tell them what you just told us and ask them if the visa will be acceptable to the airlines gate employee and the Port of Entry immigration officer. They should provide solutions/options if there will be a problem.

That happens everywhere.

I went to a JAC bus terminal (in Metro Manila) in a taxi. At the JAC terminal,, I got out and stood by the passenger door while taking out fare from my purse and while the taxi driver was opening the trunk to get my bag out. Three men immediately swooped in and lifted my bag carrying it to the nearest bus. The taxi driver just stood there watching them. I caught up with them and told them "Ibaba nyo ang bag ko" (put my bag down). The men didn't listen so I slapped my bag hard causing them to let go and my bag to fall on the ground. Now, that caught their attention. Then I told them, "Wag nyong kukuhanin ang hindi nyo gamit" (Do not get what's not yours). Then I walked back to the taxi driver, still just standing watching everything, and paid him the fare.

Pesky people. Really annoying. Although, I don't mind people "helping" and me paying them if/when I ask them to help.

My fiancee and her 2 yo daugther just arrived on K1-K2 a few days ago. Problem now is even I told her to get serveral copies of the NSO authenticated birth certificate for both her and her daugther she arrived without those needed documents in hand. Guess she figured that the packet recieved form 2go and submitted to the custom upon entry would be given back with the required documents inside.

So here the issue now cuz we can't get married without her birth cerificate and she wont be able to get a SS # also, is it possible to have her father get the authenticated copies from NSO and have them sent to me in the USA?

The second issue is the child was born out of wedd lock so doesn't carry the mothers last name only the fathers but the mothers name is spelled in the middle part.

Im praying all turns out well for us and we can get the required documents in time.

Thanks VJ.

(1) fiancee's birth certificate

Yes, her father can get her NSO birth certificate for her. Birth certificates can be requested/received by the owner of the document, spouse, direct descendants/ascendants (children/parents), and guardian (https://www.ecensus....re/frmIndex.asp).

It's faster if her father can go to an NSO center (Census Serbilis Centers - http://www.census.go...c_location.html). If her NSO birth certificate had previously been requested (not always a requirement/condition), her father can get the birth certificate on the same day that he requested it. Her father can then mail it to you to the USA by courier and you'll get it in 2-4 business days. When I requested a copy last year, when I was in the Philippines, it took less than an hour from lining up to geting the request form, filling up, verifying, paying, to release of document. There are usually a lot of people requesting documents so the total time spent will vary, depending also on what time of day her father goes to the center. I find most Pinoys generally like lining up long before a government office opens so expect very long lines close to noon and a little past that. I tend to go to Phil govt offices close to closing time (except when the govt office has a specified quota cut off).

Your fiancee can also request her birth certificate online (ecensus - previous post to mine) but it's going to take an awfully long time for the birth certificate to get to you. When I requested birth certificates before (PH to Canada and USA), it took about a month for me to receive the document. The NSO does not use couriers for mailing outside the PH, AFAIK.

(2) child was born out of wedd lock so doesn't carry the mothers last name only the fathers but the mothers name is spelled in the middle part.

I don't think it matters. If the child's birth certificate shows your fiancee as the mother, that's enough proof that she is the mother.

My 18 year old daughter who lives with her mother about 45 miles from me in Mississippi Is about to graduate high school. She and her mother moved from Baton Rouge La where they lived for about 5 years. When she move back to Mississippi she always talked about moving back to Baton Rouge when she got out of high school. Since she moved back she started dating this one guy and then just broke up with him, but before she broke up with him she started hanging out with this other guy and now they are talking about moving to Vancouver. He has some friends up there and she is saying that they can stay at his friends parents house till she gets up on her feet they are saying that they can get thier work visa faster after moving there. She seem to think that she can save up about 2000.00 and that would be her stake money. I am so against this but can't stop her. This whole thing scares me to death. I want to ring this guys neck that is talking my little girl into this wild trip that Iam afraid will fail. Please help me with some advice. I told her that unemployment rate is 9.5 there and she hasn't even budgeted for winter clothes because winters up there are a whole lot different than here in Mississippi. Please help me to stop this from happening. HELP HELP HELP !!!!!!!!

If she has everything covered, then there shouldn't be a problem with moving to Vancouver. That city has a very mild winter. Snow usually never remains on the ground for over a day. The few days that it snowed a LITTLE heavily a few years back, a lot of airlines flights were cancelled and getting to work was cumbersome for many people. But that's just because Vancouverites are not used to a lot of snow as the rest of Canada is.

I would ask her "Have you looked at CIC's (www.cic.gc.ca) requirements for granting a work permit? What do you and your employer have to submit to the CIC to get you a work permit? How long can you stay legally in Canada (as a tourist)? She needs to know this since that is the length of time she has to find someone to hire her and for her to obtain a work permit. How long does it usually take for CIC to process papers received from your employer-to-be and from you?" If she already knows what to do and how to do it, then she's going to be fine, IMHO.

Vancouver is a lovely city. You have a lot of things packed in one - city, countryside, outdoors, the sea, mountains, snow in the mountains even when the rest of the city is dry and warm.

Hi, All.

This is my first post. I have read a lot of informative posts, and I am grateful for that, because I would be completely lost without this site. There is an immigration lawyer that wanted to charge $2500 (not including all filing fees), so I am really wanting to do this solo. (With help from VJ members, of course!)

Basically, here's my story:

I am getting married to my Slovak fiancee in late June. We're having the marriage in Slovakia, and I am going to start on getting the visa paperwork started as soon as I return. I have read conflicting reports of the availability of a K3 visa, so I think my best (or maybe, only?) option is the CR-1. But I have a few questions about this.

1. On this site's guide, it says I need "Evidence of a Bonifide Marriage". Since we will be newlyweds, we obviously won't have joint property, common children, etc. But according to this thread here on the site, the (translated) marriage certificate, wedding photos, e-mails between us, phone bills, and the like should be sufficient. It seems that trying to get affidavits from witnesses and/or family members to the wedding is a bit pointless. I have several photos of me with her and her family in Slovakia as well as her in America, but don't know if that would be helpful or just unnecessary.

I was a newlywed too so I didn't have proof of joint property/bank accounts/etc.

If both of you have life insurance policies (or pension plans, etc.), you could each amend your policies to make each other the beneficiary. I brought my amended life insurance to my interview and the Immigration officer was more interested in it that in photos, affidavits, phone bills, chat printouts, e-mails, joint credit card accounts and travel documents. I also brought my husband's joint tax return transcript. The IO actually spent several minutes reading through my policy, a few seconds looking at the joint tax return, a few seconds looking at photos (which he asked me to just hold up against the glass window) and zero seconds at affidavits/phone bills/chat printouts/e-mails/credit card statements/travel documents.

NVC will forward your entire package along with the original documents to the consulate/embassy. The beneficiary should bring photocopies of all of the documents to the interview so he/she can get the originals back.

Sometimes the US Embassy/Consulate does not return the originals. That was true in my case, anyway. I had photocopies of everything. I reminded the pre-interviewer that I would like my originals back. He said I will get the original docs (except police certificates) at the next window. The final interviewer said I'll get them from the next window (the final window where you get your courier - for mailing the visa + passport - slip). I told the final window lady that the final interviewer said that this is the window where I can get my originals back. The final window lady said they don't give the originals back. I gave up. ~$40 (cost of marriage & birth certificates) wasn't worth arguing over.

That was at the US Embassy in Manila.

BTW, as some advised in this forum, I also brought an extra original copy of each document just in case NVC, the embassy/consulate or the courier misplaced any of the originals.