kaye

if you really want to bring with you bagoong look for the canned one at the grocery the bario fiesta one. i brought some also when i went to the usa it was okay.

california people are lucky coz they have big filipino groceries there unlike other places. i remember the big grocery at eagle rock and las vegas they have almost everything like frozen suman sa lihiya and most specially jollibee, chowking, red ribbon and goldilocks. thats why when i was there me and my fiance bought like almost $100 worth of goodies from goldilocks..really expensive compared to prices in the philippines.

you are right pete..flying to thailand is just like flying to the philippines....i just wish usa to the philippines is just as close as thailand and philippines where in i can fly from the philippines to thailand for about $50 one way. Thailand is similar to the philippines..i also remember when i was in college i stayed in thailand for 3 weeks to learn hospitality and thai cooking but what i did there was mostly shopping hahaha. but treat yourself sometime....have you been to the H mart at route 40? korean food there is good and cheap.....

i'm also saving money by trying to just stay home and not to go to the malls which is a big sacrifice for me. i am currently not working and just waiting for my petition which makes the days and waiting longer but at the same time i was thinking that i want to spend more time with my parents and that if i work they wont see me often.

soinlove- both me and my soon to be hubby was born in the philippines...pure pilipino nga hahaha pag kinausap mo sha parang hindi taga america kasi tagalog na tagalog kami mag usap!saan ka sa pilipinas? (pure filipino hahaha when you talk to him, he does not sound like an american coz we speak using tagalog which is our native dialect!)

Originally I discussed with my fiancee the notion of flying to Thailand once she has received the visa and coming back to America with her. Although she really would love that, I have decided against it for the same reason. It costs too much during a time when we really need all we can save. With an impending wedding, the costs of her move, and supporting her until she can work, I am not even treating myself to anything more than oatmeal and rice for my daily meals. ok, an occasional apple too.

yeah i know how it feels...me too i'm the only girl in my family and the first one getting married i just convinced my parents that they have no choice because i'm old enough and could make decisions for myself and at the same time asking for their blessing i was able to persuade my parents that at least they can visit me whenever they want coz both of them have a 10 year multiple entry visa and they were kinda okay with us getting married soon but then they said that it is very important for them that me and my soon to be hubby do a church wedding also and not just the civil.

just try to spend more time with your family and comfort them specially your mom tell her that you have more chances of getting a better life in america rather than staying in the philippines.

I got my ticket 50% off since I am traveling New Years Eve.

wow lucky you...can't travel to america coz they might not allow me to enter plus my parents want me to spend christmas with them coz i spent christmas for the past 2 years in america. Christmas in the Philippines is better than usa for Filipinos coz of the big family gatherings.

Hello to everyone who already gave a small introduction about their love story...it was nice knowing how each one of us met the person we want to spend the rest of our lives with.

i just wish that i could go to baltimore and use my tourist visa for christmas and visit him but the tickets are very expensive like $1700 for roundtrip flight from the philippines and i don't want to

use my savings and just put it to waste when i'm not allowed to enter america.

hi laura, janka and the others...i am kaye and my soon to be hubby is alan. i met him while i was on my j1 visa (training visa for 19 months) i used to work as a chef in a hotel in baltimore. my visa expired too bad i had to fly back to the philippines june 2008 but we both decided to visit each other. Alan went to visit me last july-sept and proposed and then the visa journey starts or maybe i should call it the long wait hahaha!

i can say that i am living a wonderful life here in the philippines and not missing my previous lifestyle in america wherein you do all the household chores but i am so missing alan and would be so eager to move back with him and exchange what i have here in my country.

last april 2008 my mom went to the usa with a tourist visa and she brought with her frozen tinapang bangus..it was vacuumed packed and frozen then wrapped in newspaper. she brought with her almost 5 kilos of smoked fish. it was okay as long as it is not smelly and it is cooked already. im sure tuyo is also okay. i also asked her to bring in canned bagoong and argentina corned beef. meat products are a big NO but if it is processed and canned like corned beef it is okay.

still waiting for NOA2...no visa yet for me

im so excited for my wedding but it will still be october 2010 in the philippines. as soon as i get to usa we are having a civil wedding and i was thinking of doing it on april 16 because it will be our 2nd yr anniversary i just hope that i will have my visa on hand by then...need to do a lot of prayers for that heheheh

We're thinking of traveling to the Caribbean, where my parents live, to get married on their island. I've already given close friends/family some notice, so that if everything goes through, they may join us. Originally I was hoping to get away with eloping, however it seems like a proper wedding is in the works.

Have any other October filers begun wedding plans?

It actually depends on the person applying for a tourist visa. my brother had his interview just last oct 28 and he was given 10 yr multiple entry but he also has an expired tourist visa since he was young and has been in and out america already i think 4 times. I also had a chance to apply for a tourist visa 2005 and i was given 5 yrs multiple entry. I remember the consul asked me about my job, salary and the years and times i have been to usa as a tourist maybe he was just checking if i was telling the truth. then i had to show my old passports with my old usa visa but he never checked my bank accounts and other documents...just my old passports. i heard some of the interviews while waiting for my turn and there were people not even asked anything but was just advised by the consul that he thinks that the person will not go back to the philippines anymore and then hands this denial slip.

I know they try not to bring in all the dancers from manila for their show abroad coz it would be cheaper if they hire somebody from there. Wowowee only gets the popular ones like milagring, mariposa and luningning and for the common backup dancers they just try to hire people to cut cost on spending for hotel,visa, airline tickets. Try watching wowowee live at abs-cbn it is really fun if you love watching the dancers. i brought my fiance and my brothers at wowowee they all enjoyed it im sure because of those sexy dancers hahaha

hahaha lol me too i check it 2x a day before i go to sleep and when i wake up...coz i was hoping that while i was sleeping which is day time in maryland somebody is working already with the touches...

welcome to the waiting room new october filers

As Laura+Tom said earlier, it's only going to be for the major notices e.g. RFE or status changes. However some who have been issued K-1 already have commented that even after receiving an NOA2, they never got an email.

ruby_mtl: Although you could check daily and/or weekly for each touch, it is not so informative. It does indicate that someone has 'touched' or, in other words, physically opened or moved your petition, but that hardly indicates adjudication or faster processing.

From looking over timelines, it appears as though many petitions that currently are receiving NOA2 had filed approximately 4 to 5 months ago. Any others who filed before 5 and are just receiving NOA2 almost always had received an RFE (which is shown in timelines).

Perhaps in about 4 months from now, I'll check back at the USCIS website (ok, maybe 3 months ) however I already know that my case is not likely to be seen until then and the watched pot just doesn't seem to boil for me!

I bet you end up checking nearly every day! I know I do, it's addictive.

Very addicting! I told myself to would check once a month, but I can't help it! I even check it once in the morning, once in the evening sometimes....it's crazy!

kaya ba pending yung visa nyo because of the delayed DV? i came from DFA kanina to get my authenticated NBI fingerprinting for my police clearance sa USA anyways and naisip ko lang if there will be a difference if other people have their NSO stuff authenticated before the interview...yun nga lang additional payment naman of 100 pesos per document but i know the scary part is that the embassy is just preventing fake docs...ang hirap kasi sa pinas almost everything pwede fake! hay naku!

i try to keep myself busy while waiting for the approval of my petition is by trying to organize my church wedding for october 2010. i know it is still 2 year from now but looking at places like the church and the reception area is quite difficult. i am also checking some photographers, videographers and some caterers. my fiance said i'm crazy for fixing it already hahaha but i'm just so excited and looking forward for 2010. since i will be moving to usa as soon as i get my visa then i wont have that much time anymore to plan my wedding coz i will be back in the philippines just a couple of months before my wedding day. i guess i'm just excited for my special day and makes me look forward for 2010.

by the way its been weeks ago since my fiance got the NOA1 hardcopy...i kept on bugging him asking him if he got the NOA1 and he kept on saying no but then i asked him if he got any letter from uscis then he said he got a receipt. ohhh boy he was looking for a letter with NOA1 as a heading. maybe coz every time i ask him about the NOA1 he is already sleepy coz we talk like 1am his time and 1pm my time. now i can say he got the NOA1 and was dated october 3, 2008. now im happy!

yup i know winter sucks not only because it is so cold but it is very hard to drive specially if there is ice...i almost had a car accident before. i spent 2 winter and never enjoyed it at all. yes first time to see snow falling was exciting but the next morning when all the snow is on the road even if it was only 3 inches i hated it.

you need to turn on your heater at home so that you will be comfortable and not wearing those heavy thick clothes inside the house.

its the time to cuddle up with your loved ones. hahaha

huhuhuhu i envy you my fiance sent the I-129F way earlier than you guys and until now he never received any hardcopy now i'm worried. i know that NOA1 is not as important as NOA2 but still getting everything step by step is a good sign.

We got hard copy of NOA1 today also

i need a police clearance from maryland coz i previously lived there for 19 months as a j1 trainee and i am now back in the philippines and waiting impatiently for this K1 process.

Kaye,

I took my previous post from a Canadian embassy but i also suggest that you contact the US embassy in Manila since they may be able to help you regarding the Maryland police clearance.

I think they may have FBI office there too.You may want to ask how or if the fingerprint need to be certified.....

thanks eros! i was able to talk to the maryland police thing and they said i need to give them my fingerprints taken from the police station here in the philippines. or maybe she did not understood that i was in another country or something and was telling me to get it from a barack or fingerprinting somewhere in the usa. last friday i already went to NBI head office in manila and i had my fingerprint and they said i can get it after a week in DFA i just hope what i'm doing is right coz i don't want to waste all the money (shipping fee of PHP1400+gas i use to go to places plus i don't now how much DFA would ask from me for those certified fingerprints i did thru NBI ofc) and the hassle and then maryland police wont accept my fingerprinting thing.

i also tried calling up the USEM and ask about the police clearance from usa for my k1 requirement the girl i spoke with said to call the all center...i dont want to call them up and ask about the police clearance and pay $.98/min but i guess i should call them up to clarify things

i just hope somebody would have the same experience with me (lived in the USA for more than 6 months) and would be needing a police clearance from there...anybody out there??? hahaha

but really thanks for that info it made me realize that i should really call USEM before doing the next step hehehehe

does it really take this long for the NOA2??? you guys filed july and til now no news about NOA2????...how much longer for me we filed sept/oct

sorry for confusing you guys i am the beneficiary and everyday i ask my fiance if he did get the hardcopy already but he always says no letter yet from uscis. i always keep track of our paper works since i'm usually online and not working while he is bz with his work.

i need a police clearance from maryland coz i previously lived there for 19 months as a j1 trainee and i am now back in the philippines and waiting impatiently for this K1 process.

i just wish he proposed to me while i was there hahaha and that i wont need to undergo and wait this long for the petition but then he realized that he wanted me back and gave me a visit here months ago and proposed and now im stuck here waiting and waiting and waiting......

can you guys send some positive vibes for me too ahahaha lol!

we are still waiting for the hardcopy of NOA1 does it really take this long? they received the petition oct 3 as what the online thing said but til now no hardcopy yet. last touch was oct 8 and not moving anymore....

too much pressure on getting all the requirements and as early as now i'm collecting those documents specially that police clearance from USA that i don't know how i could get one coz im back in the philippines already and they need physical appearance to be able to get one.

Kaye,

you are the beneficiary.....you will not get NOA1, Your Petitioner will get a copy unless he changed address, did not forward mail from his old address to new address or put the incorrect address in the form. I will ask him to double check the copies he sent in...regarding the address.You should got something by now.....

....unless you are the Petitioner....and you are confusing us all....by using the beneficiary visajorney account....while visiting the Philippines..LOL

wow most people met their love ones online....i met my fiance during my training and was a J1 visa holder at that time so i'm sure i have no classmates here lol

i remember when i got my driver's license at MVA (Maryland) i just showed them the title of my car which i bought from somebody at ebay and was able to change the title and tag to my name also thru MVA, philippine driver's license plus that drug and alcohol certificate, 2 statements for proof of billing i think i showed them my apartment rental bills under my name and BGE electricity bill. as i remember i never showed them anything about my status living in america. i was under a j1 visa then. or maybe it really depends on which state you are applying from

my hardcopy noa1 is still missing

We got our hardcopy NOA1 today, finally lol.

baltimore, maryland

anybody from maryland??

no problem! hehehe

welcome to the club of vermont october waiting room. did you already get the hardcopy of noa1? hope things move faster this week...

Hey Guys!

I am an October filer too ....just got a touch on the NOA1 Oct 21 so hoping it goes through fast and before our baby is born! I went for an ultrasound yesterday baby was waving and moving its mouth making sucking motions..my fiancee is missing out on all of that which is really heartbreaking.... but what exactly does "touch" mean? I have read it could be that they move your file or someone looks at it then goes on break lol...and why do they have an option of email notification when any updates are made when they dont email!!!

Anyways, I wish everyone luck and a smooth journey

Thanks Kaye!....lol I didnt realize this was the Vermont waiting room oops Im California and yes I received the hardcopy after a few days of the cheque being cashed

welcome to the club of vermont october waiting room. did you already get the hardcopy of noa1? hope things move faster this week...

Hey Guys!

I am an October filer too ....just got a touch on the NOA1 Oct 21 so hoping it goes through fast and before our baby is born! I went for an ultrasound yesterday baby was waving and moving its mouth making sucking motions..my fiancee is missing out on all of that which is really heartbreaking.... but what exactly does "touch" mean? I have read it could be that they move your file or someone looks at it then goes on break lol...and why do they have an option of email notification when any updates are made when they dont email!!!

Anyways, I wish everyone luck and a smooth journey