HappyDancer

Adding myself to the group. Mailed my I-751 packet June 4, 2012. Please see my signature. Good luck everyone! Hoping for a pain-free ROC!

I did prepare a letter of invitation for my mother. But more than just an invite, it is a letter of guarantee that my mother has no further interest in staying in the US longer than ____(days/months) and that during her stay, we will be solely responsible for her living expenses and airfare. During mom's interview, she wasn't ask to show this letter though as I've mentioned in my post, it was pretty painless. I can imagine that the CO would be prying more on your brother's reason for visiting, since he will be flagged as a high-risk visa applicant (young, single, fresh graduate, unemployed). Granted that he is travelling in good faith, he will have to convince the CO that he has no intention of overstaying in America and that he has enough reasons to come back to Philippines, it would help if he shows that he has some savings, plans/proof of further studies, and/or shortlisted for a job.

I also found comfort in prayers Claim it and it will happen!

SJG,

My parents will be interviewed on June 1st at 6:30am. I am hoping and praying that they be granted the visa since I am giving birth anytime soon (due date is June 19th). Regarding the letter of invitation, I have sent out a affidavit (a statement signed by me and my husband that we will shoulder all the expenses. And this would be for the sole purpose of them being here when the baby is born). I think I may have to send another email (as advised by the travel agent) for the interview to show that we are in constant email communication about the pregnancy's progress. How old is your mom? Both of my folks are seniors (60 and 63). They are both retired, no bank accounts, we have vehicle and a jeepney that they own. IS there anything else, that may prove helpful for their application to get approved?

Thanks!

Are you flying out of the country or domestic?

If international - prep your passport.

If domestic - any government issued photo ID - SS ID, Postal ID. I think your voter's ID should be good.

Links to the K1 Visa Guide:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/300-general-k1-guides-and-info/

The info here is very useful. Read through them first so you will have a rough idea on what things to expect.

If you have any further questions that's not covered here, feel free to ask away!

On my signature are links of medical, visa interview and CFO seminar experiences.

Mine took 4 days for VSC to send our approval to NVC. NVC generated the case number in about a week. I would say, that's their standard process but, it may be quicker.

I got mine from a friend who owned the travel agency. I got a pretty good deal and hassle free service and pretty quick too. If you need help, let me know!

I never had any problems getting my SSN after I got married. For some reason, the SS office are not updated on what they should be doing. Glad you got everything straightened out.

Our official NOA 1 just came in mail today...I know its not much, but its progress and baby steps....(yea I started a whole thread because we received our NOA 1 in the mail...already had the email/text update, haha. )

That's good to hear! And so the wait begins...

Hi there HappyDancer,

Just curious since you mentioned the word " pharmacy" that you are interested with..Are you a pharmacy graduate in the Phils?

Well, it took me almost a month read back thru this. Florianns Man, no, I am not a pharmacy grad. I majored in a business-related field. I was just toying with the idea that if I did join the medical field, I would go for the pharmacy field as I am not interested in patient care.

CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!

You should get her a SSN, even without the adoption so that she can be claimed as a dependant for tax purposes. I'm not sure if it's required for the adoption, but it will be for other reasons, and you can just have her name changed after the adoption is finished.

I don't think you really have to get an attorney, but don't expect to much help from the courthouse. The courts kind of like to deal with lawyers and the two kind of feed on each other. Here in Ohio, the adoption process is handled through probate court, but I'm not sure how it's handled in Kentucky. If you decided you want an attorney to help, let me know, a good friend of mind was the head of the Kentucky State Bar Association a few years ago, and if nobody in her firm can help, she will certainly know of a good attorney for the job.

I am going to probably be doing the same thing at some point, so I'm also very interested in what you find.

I know that there are several online services that will do most of the paperwork for you to file with the court. You will probably want to include with your filing a copy of the Philippines law with regards to parental custody, because a judge isn't going to want to do that kind of research. I have also read that some of it has to be processed by USCIS, but there shouldn't be any issues there. I think that the role of the USCIS in this is with processing the new birth certificates because the Philippinies birth certificate will need to be changed and the State Department will need to issue her a U.S. birth certificate. I think it is part of the DS-240 process, but I also think they changed that to some other form number.

You might talk to someone from child services to see if they can offer any information. At some point they will have to do a home visit just so they can file their statement with the court saying that the adoption is in the best interest of the child, but in stepparent adoptions it shouldn't be an issue at all.

The good thing in your case is that since she is under 16 she will become a U.S. Citizen when the adoption is complete.

We didn't need the SSN for my daughter for tax purposes. We got a TIN for her when it came around time for reporting with the IRS.

You are right about the online services though. Looks like it would cost us around $400 to make it through with our filing. Hopefully it will work out perfectly.

lnky, below are excerpts of the Civil Code of the Philippines expounding on the registration of illegitimate children, that's why the father portion on her BC shows UNKNOWN:

What is the rule on the registration of births of illegitimate children who were born prior to August 3, 1988?

Illegitimate children as defined under the Civil Code of the Philippines who were born prior to August 3, 1988 and whose births were not previously registered shall be registered under the following rules in addition to those provided for delayed registration of nirths:

Recognition or acknowledgement of an illegitimate child may be made jointly by the father and mother or by only one of them (Art. 276, C. C.) When the father or the mother makes the recognition separately, he or she shall not reveal the name of the person with whom he or she had the child; neither shall he or she state any circumstance whereby the other parent may be identified (Art. 280, C. C.)

An illegitimate child has the right to bear the surname of the parent recognizing him (par. 1, Art. 282, C. C.) However, an illegitimate child who is not recognized or acknowledged by both parents in accordance with law shal be registered under the surname of the mother (Opinion No. 147 S. 1986, Minister of Justice)

Recognition shall be made in the record of birth, a will, statement before a record, or any authentic writing (Art. 278, C. C.). If made on record of birth at the time of registration the affidavit of acknowledgement printed at the back of the certificate of live birth shall be signed and sworn to jointly by the parents of the illegitimate child, or only by the mother if the father refuses (Sec. 5, Act No. 3753).

May an illegitimate child born on or after August 3, 1988 carry the surname of the father if the father executes an affidavit of admission of paternity?

Illegitimate children born on or after August 3, 1988 shall use the surname of the mother. (Section 1 OCRG Circular No. 4 dates October 11, 1988)

The father of an illegitimate child who whishes to have his name indicated in item 13 of the Certificate of Live Birth shall execute an affidavit of Admission of Paternity in lieu of the affidavit of acknowledgement. The purpose of affidavit of admission of paternity is for the support and succession only, and it does not entitle the illegitimate child to use the surname of his father. (Section 2 OCRG Circular No. 4 dates October 11, 1988)

Source:

http://nso.citizenservices.com.ph/faqs-answer-page

Anyway, we are looking into proceeding soon with the adoption without the lawyer. And, if needed along the way, we will hire one. Currently, in the state of KY, an adoption lawyer hired for stepparent adoption would cost roughly about $1500-4000.

Anyone else out there who would like to chip in a cent or two is welcome.

Thank you!

Hello everyone! I have not been active lately and hopefully, you all have not turned your back on me... yet.

DH is planning to file for a stepparent adoption for my daughter (10 y/o, turning 11 in April 2012). Daughter and I currently have conditional permanent residency due to expire in July of 2012 (From a K1/K2 entry). We live in the Commonwealth of KY and been married for a good two years and 2 months at least.

1. Do we need to hire an attorney for this process? We are trying to get this done with the least amount of money involved.

2. On my daughter's BC, I am the only one shown as the parent - therefore the biological father (parental consent) is not a question. Or will this complicate things?

3. Is it required that she get an SSN before we start the adoption process?

I need some guidance. The circuit court in our county is the least bit being helpful it's frustrating getting any form of information from them.

What are your thoughts?

Thank you!

I have always shown my GC ever since I started working. I came using the K1 and when the SSN card arrived, it clearly states: Valid Only with DHS Authorization. That tells me that as a supporting document tied to the SSN, I always have to show proof that I am authorized to work here (with the GC). I was even asked about the expiration of the card (since I have a conditional GC), and I just told them, I can't apply for the permanent one until 90 days prior to the expiration of my GC. No more questions.

I would say it all depends on what path you would want to take. If you had experience in teaching, and you want to push thru with that path, then go ahead and get your credentials laid out and ready. If you are wanting a good stable schedule with not necessarily a bad rate, I would stick to teaching.

I have been in the privates sector most of my career and it was so hard to find a stable schedule that will be friendly to my family. I have no desire to join the medical field because it is mostly very hard to find that stable schedule anyway, on top of the fact that I have to go to school for the area that I would be interested in - pharmacy.

I tried the bank and it was pretty good. The pay is not the best and hubby was so worried about robbery and all that, so I quit.

In almost any field these days, in the US, it requires a flexible schedule.

Hope this helps!

Hi Joe,

In my opinion, I wouldn't think this is going to be a big deal unless, you lost a job. More than anything, the affidavit of support and supporting documents is just a better way for them to assess that you had been a law-abiding citizen, you didn't evade taxes. I would, however, bring in all the pay stubs, employment statement from your employer on company letterhead and maybe the proof of insurance all the relevant information that you think will help them asses your situation better.

I have met people who have lost their jobs and surprisingly, they still got a GC for their spouses. I don't know the full details but that was way more complicated than yours. Clearly, you should be better off than they are.

Hope this helps ease your mind.

Have a great day!

Congrats!

This scares me...

Quick Q: How long does the EAD Card Arrive after email notification? Thanks!

The fact that she signed something indicates that there was a contract even if it was not formal.

Bear in mind that many verbal agreements are legally binding and a Lender can demand payment without a written contract. There are many ways to prove in court that the Lender was owed money, especially since she signed what I believe was a promissory note.

That being said, no hold departure orders can be issued if a case is not filed in court.

There are lots of gray areas here. Correct me if I am wrong, but as far as I am concerned, when it is not a criminal offense, no Hold-departure order shall be in order. On top of that, I am under the assumption that the lender can demand payment with the written contract being considered. When it needs to be paid? Who knows? The catch: If she issues a check and it bounced - that's estafa... She'll get in trouble and will then be grounds for a case as per the Bouncing Check Law.

OP: Better get a lawyer's view on this. Hope this helps!

it's not any more than two months to get your new passport. hope this helps.

Hi! You can issue one check for the processing. I would think if they haven't updated the fees, it would be about $1610 - $1010 for your wife and $600 for your stepchild.

For the advanced parole, I indicated an estimate of about 4 months from the date of filing our projected departure date. We don't have any definite date to go to the Philippines but this is simply a good estimate for us.

Hope this helps.

I just opened a new post before I say that one.

There is another dishonest civil surgeon, which is recommended by the USCIS website.

I called him today regarding the I-693 form.

Dr. David E Monahan, Amigo Medical Group

Terra Nova Plaza, 386 East H Street, Suite 210, Chula Vista, CA 91910

(619) 427-5053

I read some posts here and I am pretty sure that I don't have to get a whole medical examination again. On the phone they told me that they can not just fill out part 2 - Nr. 5 Vaccination information and part 5 the Civil Surgeon Certification on the I-693. All information in Part 2 have to be filled out they told me, therefore I have to take the medical again.

I had my medical examination in January 2010 and I have a brown envelope which states “Do not open this envelope – it contains a copy of your medical examination. Please provide it to USCIS when requested in conjunction with your adjustment of status.”

My guess is just to send this envelope and find a Civil Surgeon who will fill out just Part 2 - Nr.5 vaccination information on the I-693. I also have form DS-3025 proving my vaccation record.

The doctor said that the USCIS will not except it and that I will get just in trouble if I don't do a new medical examination in the U.S.. The cost for everything would be $430! I really think he just wanted to make money and tries to rip me off. I just said thank you.

Can someone give me please some info about it!

Also, do I need to send in the CD which I received after the medical examination in Germany?

It's ignorant when they say they "cannot" do just part II for the form. Go find some other clinic. I did a phone brigade around my area (Louisville, KY) and got really good choices. You do not need to send in the CD. Just bring the current medical exam (valid for one year) - and they just need to transcribe the vaccination part of the form.

I did alot of searching through the forums, and alot of calling before I came to this realization.

CFO in Cebu is apparantly notorious for requesting proof of "singleness" from US petitioners before they will provide the foreign fiance(e) with the required seminar/certificate. As there is no "Cenomar" as there is in Philippines (and my Filipino fiancee was told a Cenomar would not be accepted for me, since I never lived there), it looked as if we were out of luck, but alas I found it.

I called my State Dept. of Health and they informed me of the Single Status Affidavit. Bascially they search the databases, and check with the Secretary of State, to certify that your are, indeed, single. Then they manufacture some special document, that is specific to the country you are acquiring it for (forget what they called it) and they attach it to the Affidavit and mail it to you (in about a week).

That came as some relief. Just hope all goes well from here...

Good luck!

Well, if he's just taking you for granted over a simple request like that, then that becomes a serious issue. Sit down with him and tell him that's what you want him to do for your peace of mind and if he loves you, he should understand and respect that and do it.