craigscomputer

Does the issue of sending money home (or how much you send) cause tension between you and your spouse? If so, how have you tried to resolve it?

What rules do you and your spouse follow regarding remittances (e.g. money only comes from Filipino spouse's pay)?

How do you determine the amount of money you send back to family in Philippines?

How do you distinguish legitimate needs vs. "nice to have"s?

How do you handle emergencies (real and imagined) that come up?

Have you ever cut any family members off financially? If so, why and for how long?

In my case we have no issue, we never argued about sending money. My husband is so generous and so nice to my family even the last money that he had he will send it if needed that's how giving he is, sometimes he is the one who will offer to send. If we have more money we can send more and if we have less then we will just send less. We are the one who support my brothers and sister in college till they graduate. That's why I am always be thankful to my husband for his undying support to me and my family.

I hope someone can answer this. My wife had her Adjustment to Permanent Status interview at USCIS this past September 25th. The good news was, she was granted approval to conditional permanent residency! We were given a piece of paper titled "Notice to Conditional Permanent Resident Alien", but we didn't notice until later in the day, that her date of birth and place of birth are totally wrong. Has this happened to anyone else? We are concerned that when her green card arrives it will list the wrong DOB and POB. Will her green card actually list her correct DOB and POB that we have always listed in her applications and is in her passport? Anyone else who has experienced this or knows anyone who has, please let us know!.

We just received in the mail her welcome letter as well, so we should have green card in hand soon.

Thanks

Craig and Monica

yeah asiana is great, i flew them the first time I traveled to meet my fiancee in november. great service, and even the food is pretty good (for airline food that is)

flyasiana.com is the website, or look up asiana on any websearch.

A word of caution.....When you go buy a one way ticket out of the philippines you have to go through a travel agent, and you will have to pick up the ticket in manila. With help from Asiana I found a travel agency in Los Angeles called Four Seasons Tours and Travel (phone is 213-381-8000) asiana cannot accept payment for the one way ticket, you have to go through agency. There is a philippine government rule that tickets for flights out of the philippines have to be printed in the philippines and picked up in the philippines. it took me all day today to get everything worked out.

That sound you hear is one long sigh of relief everyone. I just heard from my fiancee our visa was delivered by Air21 this morning. just a little over four months from the I-129F submission, it is done.

And for those interested, Asiana has some awesome pricing right now. I got a round trip ticket from Los Angeles to Manila and back for only 785.00 dollars, I bought the ticket yesterday and I am flying out on april 7th and we return april 16th. Her one way ticket from manila to los angeles was 675.00 dollars. Awesome pricing overall.

Thanks to all for the support and we'll be in touch after we get back and start our lives together.

it was 255 for my fiancee, that was to cagayan de oro

Hi everyone, thought I should share this. I emailed CFO and asked them their schedule for easter week, this is what I just got back from them today:

Dear Mr. Meyer:

We refer to your e-mail dated 30 March 2009.

Please be informed that April 6, 2009 (nearest Monday to April 9) has been

declared a special non-working holiday for the celebration of Araw ng

Kagitingan. The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) will resume office

on April 7 to 8, 2009. April 9 and 10 2009 are declared as legal

non-working holidays as part of the observance of Holy Week.

The CFO will resume its regular office on April 13, 2009.

Best regards.

Very truly yours,

Geronico M. Herrera (sgd)

Migrant Integration and Education Division

Approved for transmission:

MARIA REGINA ANGELA G. GALIAS (sgd)

Chief Emigrant Services Officer

Migrant Integration and Education Division

Hope this helps!

It becomes very apparent to me that my fiancee got the worse consular officer in the entire embassy. March 25th was our interview, wasn't told she was approved but got pink slip, they kept passport, paid the courier fee. There was no request for other paperwork or any white slip given.

A friend of my fiancee had her interview on march 27th, lives in davao, and just recieved her visa. Now explain to me how the heck that happens????? Has anyone else had an african-american lady as their CO? Have you had any delays with this one CO? I'm not sure if she is the only african-american CO, I'm just trying to get an idea if we got the one who takes her sweet time in getting anything done, and we are completely at her mercy. It seems arbitrary, mean and cruel. Every CO should have to follow the same guidelines and do things exactly the same way.

I call the embassy everyday checking on our status. It continues to be in process. I get multiple answers every time I call. I called twenty minutes ago and the lady said it was transferred to printing on march 26th, and once it is transferred, it will be printed within 10 days, then mailed out. Then I call back five minutes ago, and this man I talk to will only tell me it is in processing and can take up to six weeks. I ask him, why was I told just ten minutes earlier that it had been transferred to printing and will be printed within ten days, he asks me who did i speak with (probably because she gave out information she wasn't supposed to), i tell him i can't remember the lady's name. He keeps telling me the written script of it is in processing and can take up to six weeks. When I called the embassy yesterday, a different lady said the visa should be printed any day now and congratulations.

I am so mad and upset and frustrated right now. What do I tell my fiancee? she is sad and down because it all doesn't make sense. And you really can't complain because what if the CO decides, well to heck with them, I'm going to deny the visa out of spite.

For one person to have complete control of your life is maddening.

yeah it took about two weeks after I called and made the appointment for it to show up on the schedule. don't worry, as long as you have the confirmation number, you are scheduled

My fiancee lives near Cagayan de Oro and the delivery fee for her was 275 I believe, no more than that. Still waiting on the visa.......

My fiancee and I are in that 7 to 10 day window right now. She passed her interview on March 25th. It seems, as I check around, most people get their visas within one to two weeks, but then you read about two, three, four month or more horror stories that people still haven't gotten theirs, for one reason or another.

I will say I called the embassy today to check on our case number, and I was told it was being processed and they guaranteed it to ship out to us within 10 days, so I hope that is true.

But I am waiting to book a plane ticket until I know the visa has been sent from the embassy.

has anyone ever gotten their visa delivered without the tracking number ever showing up on the Air21 website? I'm not worried if my fiancee gets a text that it will be delivered, I'm tracking the website and calling the embassy every day. I was just curious if sometimes the tracking number never shows anything.

Oh, and I called the embassy today and they checked our case number and said it is in processing and is guaranteed to ship out within 10 days. Anyone else ever heard this?

I think someone has asked this before, but does anyone know if CFO is closed any day April 6-10 or April 13-17? I know they are closed on weekends, but does anyone know if they will be closed extra days because of easter? We are going to have a tight flying schedule and I don't want to get there and have them be closed hehehe. I checked the CFO website and it doesn't say anything about being closed any extra days.

Let me get your opinion on something VJ members, because I'm a little concerned, and I tend to worry more than I need too.

My fiancee's interview was on March 25th, given the pink slip and paid Air21 fees. Nothing is showing up yet on Air21 tracking. Another member had her interview same day and recieved her visa in two days (which I say congratulations!)Should I be concerned we have no word yet on ours being mailed out?

Do they ever reverse their decision after giving the pink slip?

And I hear horror stories of people waiting months after the interview for the visa to be delivered, when no additional paperwork has been requested.

It seems lately that most people have received their visas anywhere from four to ten days after the interview. This is what I am hoping for.

I've been checking Air21 website every hour to see if our tracking number shows up yet hehehehe. still says not found, but it's only been two days since visa approval

thanks for your insight.

Anyone else have any POE stories when they arrived?

the 18 dollar pin is good for like six months. I received an email after I signed up in march saying it was good until september

Since I will be flying soon to pick up my fiancee and fly back with her, I thought it would be a good time to ask about the procedures at any POE (we will fly in either San Francisco or Los Angeles).

Can people who have just gone through that give us an idea of what to expect?

Thanks in advance

thanks, this is making me feel better

Can others who have passed the interview respond? I'm still confused. Can someone help? My fiancee just finished with her interview. The consul didn't say she was approved, but she did receive a pink slip and paid the Air21.

Does this mean she is approved?

I called the embassy and they tell me they have everyone pay the Air21 and it could still take up to four weeks to review everything. But they didn't ask my fiancee for any other paperwork or indicate that is wasn't approved.

Please help!!! I'm not sure what to think right now

I just called the embassy and asked about the pink slip, and paying for the Air21 delivery. They said it still needs to go through a review? and that can take up to four weeks? Can anyone enlighten me on this?

WHEW okay, finally heard from Monica. The consul didn't say she was approved, but she has her pink slip and paid the delivery fee to Air21

THANK GOD THAT IS OVER!!!!!!!!!

ugh 11am and still no word hehehe, this is torture!!!

My fiancee had her medical exam last week, and it went very smoothly. bring your vaccination records, the money for the fee of course, and show up early. She arrived at 4am and was done the first day at 4pm. The next day, when she went back for the vaccinations, she arrived at 10am and was done at noon.

I am so nervous right now, my fiancee is at the embassy at this moment for her interview!!

I am sitting on pins and needles until I hear from her.

it started at 7 and is now 10:30 how much longer????? hehehe