jwk2003

Hi everyone..im new here at vj..i need help on how to contact or call the us embassy manila..i bought this pldt touch card that can be used in calling embassies but unfortunately i cant get through the line of the usem manila..i receive a letter 2 weeks ago that im now eligible to be schedule for interview for my k1 visa..we got our aprroval last dec 29, 2009 and receive a letter from usem jan 27, 2010 stating that i should call the usem to get an appointment for interview..help anyone on how to call the usem manila...thanks..

This is the Manila embassy number I called: 1-888-877-9888

You will have to purchase a pin which is good for three occurrences and expires in 90 days. The petitioner has to call to setup an appointment. The customer service representative will also tell you to go to:

http://manila.usembassy.gov/ >>"menu" - Consular & Visa Services >> select: Immigrant Visa Appointments >> scroll down to bottom of page and select K1 Interview Preparation Instructions

For packet information. Also you will be able to schedule the appointment provided that they have your file on record.

Good Luck!

Using 'one of those firms' is honestly a rip off to me. Not to mention that I think its a very good idea to have a good understanding of the process yourself - after all, this is your family's future so why not invest a little bit of time to do the research yourself and run with it? Trust me - the more you know about this process, the better off you are at protecting yourself. And you never know - you may end up finding it endlessly fascinating the way many of us have.

Everything you need is either here or at one of the other boards. Why throw good money after bad?

I completely agree! - good point

I was thinking of not using a lawyer but one of these companies that assist with the paper work. They charge from $249 to $495. One is called "Filipina Fiancee Visa Service" and they charge $289. I live in San Francisco, CA

Why pay when the guides here are completely free including the support!? I did all of this on my own. Anyway by the time you fill out all the necessary documents requested, at the end you are going to tell yourself that you really didn't need a lawyer and could have used the money for something else.

-no regrets!-

I look at what you are about to pay as close to 40% off her ticket to the USA...

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate all of your answers B)

Hello, can anyone tell me the duration of the k1 interview in Manila? I haven't found any topics about this - however a while back I think I found a post where someone stated that they were done with the interview by 1p.m. My fiancee is scheduled on Wednesday at 7a.m. Can anyone share their experiences about how long it took. Also does she need to stay any longer after the interview before leaving Manila?

Thanks

My husband picked up his visa this morning in Accra!!!! We are so excited!!!!! It took 17 months and 1 day since we sent our paperwork. Have faith people...it's a very long and hard process but worth the wait!!!! I can't wait to see my husband!!!

WOW! Congratulations

can someone help me and tell me how many days would it take for me to get the letter for my interview since NVC sent my approved papers in manila last jan 11,2010..... please knees are shaking heart wont stop beating just very excited here....

Yeah, go ahead and call right now and see if they have received your information. If so make sure you schedule the interview with enough time to do the medical such as finding available place to stay (most cheap good hotels are book for about a week).

They will ask you for your fiancee full name, birth, address, phone number, and email address.

~congrats btw

Hello all, I am having the same problem. The NVC stated they have sent my package on January 4th. I have selected track by reference and typed EXP 04 JAN 2010A with the dates before and after and even tried 03801 as the origin postal code but with no luck. It says no shipments found. Anyone having any luck for 2010?

I just found out today that my case is in AP at NVC as of December 22nd. I am a little unfamiliar with this. I know it means administrative processing. The customer service representative could not give me a timeframe for how long this will take. Does anyone have any ideas? I am a little nervous here, I was getting packet 3 all ready thinking I should receive it any day now, only to find out my case is in AP. I thought I read somewhere (on some other website) that they could be in AP at the NVC for up to 6 months?? I hope that's not true!

I called the NVC on December 30th and they told me that they have just received my petition that day. They also stated that my case was in AP and said the same thing you mentioned (they don't know how long it will be). So I gave it a week so I won't go crazy and tried not to think about it. I called today and they stated that it was sent to the embassy on Jan 4th! So it only took four days excluding the holiday. Hopefully, yours will come soon!

Praise GOD!!! Luke finally got here through the POE Chicago this morning. They gave him another "mini interview

at the airport. I am not sure why this is necessary since he has the visa. But it is GREAT to see him and be with him. I am praying for all of you still waiting!!! It won't be long--long enough, I know, but I hope the time will fly by for you all.

Lyn

Congrats on getting to this point!

Hi guys!

We were able to contact USCIS and said they already sent the approved petition....????Should we really believe it?What should we do????? :crying:

I would contact your congressman to call uscis. I've spoken to a level two rep (immigration officer) at uscis which gave me an escalated ticket number starting with wtc... I've also went ahead and contacted my congressman which will follow up on the case. Hopefully, I can hear something back from my congressman sometime next week.

I WAITED 1.5 YEARS TO HAVE USCIS APPROVE OUR K1 PETITION, AFTER THE CASE WAS APPROVED, USCIS VERMONT SENT OUR CASE TO THE NATIONAL RECORD CENTER INSTEAD OF THE NVC, DONT WAIT, GET YOUR CONGRESSMAN TO CALL USCIS, DIRECT ALL YOUR EFFORTS AND ATTENTION TO USCIS, THEY ARE THE ONES WHO HAVE TO SEND YOUR CASE TO THE NVC, IT DOES NOT TAKE THAT LONG TO SEND A CASE TO THE NVC, USUALLY 1-2 WEEKS, 6 WEEKS IS TOO LONG, SOMETHING IS WRIONG.

Jab1976, I'm so sorry to hear what you had to go through. I'm glad to see that the vnc has finally received your petition. I went ahead and requested that my congressman contact uscis. Thanks for the great advice and hope that this information will continue to help others in similar situations.

I was able to speak to an operator and confirmed that they didn't received the file yet...was advised need to allow 2-4weeks but it will be a month this Oct24....

We also have a problem with NVC not receiving our petition from uscis. I had called uscis, nvc, department of state, and the embassy in manila all (minus uscis) which state that they haven't received nor have any record of the case number eacXXXXXXXXXXX. It's now going on the sixth week since my noa 2 was approved. I've spoken to an lvl 2 IO officer like one week after my noa2 in which he confirmed it was already mailed to nvc. However, just a few days ago I spoke to another level 2 IO at uscis which stated that it was already sent and that they will escalate the issue. The IO officer has given me a ticket number, advised to check back in one week and will submit an inquiry to the nvc about the case. In the mean time I have also contacted my congressman through his website and just received an email from his aid stating that she contacted the nvc. The nvc told the congressman’s aid that it can take up to a month since they have received a large number of applications and will follow up at the end of the month.

Please...please...dont trust what the USCIS folks tell you. They kept me waiting with the same answer for about three months. each time they gave a different excuse (things are busy at the NVC these days, we emailed the docs to NVC etc.) NVC is pretty good in entering the cases they recieved in the system. So 99% of the time, USCIS has delayed sending the docs.

Do contact the congressman and ask them to call the USCIS service centre. The ONLY way to know the status of your case is to make them physically look through your file (nothing is electronic at the USCIS) and see if they have misplaced the application.

In my case, my office was pretty close to the USCIS field office and I would go there every week for 3 months. Finally they had the mercy to call the Vermont Service Centre and made them look for the files. Of course, they had lost the application and I was asked to submit a copy of my 130 package so that they could reconstruct the case. If I had known this earlier, I wouldnt have wasted 3 months waiting by listening to their lies!

So, dont waste time and ask your congressman to contact the USCIS Service Centre!!!

Good luck!

Binu

Thanks Binas, I will definately ask my congressman to contact uscis then. Why does uscis do this to people?.... It's very unethical for what they put us through...

I was able to speak to an operator and confirmed that they didn't received the file yet...was advised need to allow 2-4weeks but it will be a month this Oct24....

We also have a problem with NVC not receiving our petition from uscis. I had called uscis, nvc, department of state, and the embassy in manila all (minus uscis) which state that they haven't received nor have any record of the case number eacXXXXXXXXXXX. It's now going on the sixth week since my noa 2 was approved. I've spoken to an lvl 2 IO officer like one week after my noa2 in which he confirmed it was already mailed to nvc. However, just a few days ago I spoke to another level 2 IO at uscis which stated that it was already sent and that they will escalate the issue. The IO officer has given me a ticket number, advised to check back in one week and will submit an inquiry to the nvc about the case. In the mean time I have also contacted my congressman through his website and just received an email from his aid stating that she contacted the nvc. The nvc told the congressman’s aid that it can take up to a month since they have received a large number of applications and will follow up at the end of the month.

I can't belive after 13 days, NVC hasn't received my approved 129 or 130.

What can be the reason? I called and spoke with a rep earlier who said that it could be 3-4 weeks to 3 months? I will definitely go crazy then..

I see people after me are already dealing with next NVC steps and so forth.. Does repeted calls to NVC help? What are my options, if any?

USCIS

129 approved - 09/30

130 approved - 09/30

Yeah, we are in the same boat. I've just called today and they said to wait until Friday to see if its in since we were approved Sept. 14th which is around the five week mark.

I just wanted to let you all know that my husband had his interview at the Embassy in Kingston on 10/7/09...and IT WAS A SUCCESS! His visa was granted! The whole experience, while somewhat nervewracking because we saw alot of families/people getting blueslipped, was actually pretty painless on our end. He was called to one window where they did his fingerprints, took his medical, and other stuff. Then they called him up to another window about 30 -45 min later where the actual interview was conducted. The actual interview itself maybe lasted 5 minutes! The CO asked for our passports (I had 2--one w/ my maiden name, the other my married name) . She then swore us in & asked the two of us: Where did we meet? When did we meet? Do we have any kids together? Then she asked me to sit down, and they asked my husband: Where did I stay when I came to Jamaica? What did I do for work? Where did I work? Then the CO told him to call me back up, and she said CONGRATULATIONS YOUR VISA IS APPROVED! She told us to go to Windowr 26 to pay the DHL fee & took his passport. She didn't ask for any of the evidence that I brought along! Now, we're just waiting for him to get the visa in hand and then I can book his ticket! I just want to remind everyone that eventually this process does come to an end (even when it seems it never will), and that it is all so worth it! To all those still in processing, remember to have faith and remain strong in your relationships with the Man Above and your spouses/family. Good luck!

Congratulations!!!

wOOoOhoOOO My heart is filled with so much joy informing My Honey, that interview went so perfect. Staying uplate hearing great news from me, Chuck is now having a very sound sleep muah muah muah muah marriedtomrg has done it ,too!!! Its a toss for happiness and success,girl!! Thank you for all the unwaivering help you've share with me.

CONGRATULATIONSSS!!!!!!!! Good luck on the rest of your journey. What an exciting moment :...

Hello all - quick question...I was approved on September 14 for the noa2. I have called and spoke to an IO at uscis which stated that it was already sent out. I've been calling the nvc for the last two weeks which said that they haven't received it and asked me to read what my petition says...

(here's what the noa2 says):

The above petition has been approved, and forwarded to the listed consulate. Please contact the consulate with any questions about visa issuance, or if you would now like them to forward the petition to a different consulate. The petitioner can also file Form I-824, Application for Action on an Approved Application or Petition, with this office to request that we notify another consulate of the petition approval for visa processing purposes. THIS FORM IS NOT A VISA AND MAY NOT BE USED IN PLACE OF A VISA.

When the person this petition...........

The agent at nvc stated that it was forwarded to the embassy from what I have read him. So I contacted USCIS again and they said the same thing to contact the embassy for any questions.

Has anyone else experienced this? I even confronted both the nvc and uscis and stated that normally it would be processed through nvc before going to the embassy but both said it went straight to the embassy.

any thoughts please?...

also I plan on contacting the us embassy in Manila during their business hours since its a 12hr difference and they are currently closed.

Uhhhhgrg, we're still waiting for the nvc to even receive our case. The noa 2 was approved on sept. 14th and the nvc csr rep stated that they still haven't received it yet...

My fiancee will be taking the medical soon and I will share this with her. Wow!!!! THIS IS GREAT INFORMATION!!!!

This post should be pinned!

Thanks

Hey guys, I've just finished getting my petition together and ready to mail it tomorrow. I was just wondering is a page and a half single spaced overkill for the 129F supplement? Also are 14 pictures too much to include in the packet?

I've just been following the K-1 Guides on the site and I swear Ive checked every form at least a thousand times but can I just use some airplane tickets from when I went to Korea, and a Certificate of enrollment from the school in Korea that was attending this past summer to learn Korean as proof of having met?

Finally is it really necessary to include proof of an ongoing relationship if its not one of the requirements for the 129F? does uscis even check for that?

It is a description of how you MET IN PERSON.

"I was returning from a trip to Ukraine on September 19, 2007 and had a layover in Prague, CZ. I met Alla while waiting in line to buy bus tickets to the city"

That is IT. That is ALL. I included ONE photo of us together and boarding pass copies and passport stamps for that trip. Approved in 58 days without RFE.

Exactly HOW could I have made 1-1/2 pages out of that? Even if we had met online or corresponded for 25 years (irrelevent to question 18) I can describe it in two sentences, TOPS.

"I met Alla online in 1976, shortly after I invented the internet for the purpose of meeting foreign chicks in the Soviet Union. I flew to Ukraine last year and she met me at the airport" There. It doe snot matter how you were "introduced" it matters where and how you MET IN PERSON.

Hey guys, I've just finished getting my petition together and ready to mail it tomorrow. I was just wondering is a page and a half single spaced overkill for the 129F supplement? Also are 14 pictures too much to include in the packet?

I've just been following the K-1 Guides on the site and I swear Ive checked every form at least a thousand times but can I just use some airplane tickets from when I went to Korea, and a Certificate of enrollment from the school in Korea that was attending this past summer to learn Korean as proof of having met?

Finally is it really necessary to include proof of an ongoing relationship if its not one of the requirements for the 129F? does uscis even check for that?

NO proof of ongoing relationship is required for the I-129f. The proof you suggest, along with some photos of you togetheris sufficient.

lol same here. I didn't find this website until after I have submitted my k1 packet information. I just printed out one page of digital pictures (4). I included copies of my boarding pass and probably some chat messages "can't remember."

me and my fiance decided to withdraw/ cancel my approved petition, how can we do that... pls. advice to those who experienced cancelling or withdrawing their petition... thank u... :help:

Awe, sorry to hear about your decision. You will have to write and sign a letter to USCIS explaining that you no longer wish to continue with the process. Good luck to you.

I called DOS to see if I had an interview yet. No interview yet.

So I asked 'do you have the date my package was logged at the consulate?'

'what?'

me: 'Do you have the date Montreal entered into the system that they received my K-1 application'

'Yes'

me: 'Can you tell me what it is?'

'Why do you want to know?'

me: 'I'd just like to know when they logged it so I know the date they received'

'July'

me: 'Can you tell me a more specific date?'

'No.'

me: 'Okay thank you ______'

#######? does she actually not have a more specific date? ( really don't need it. I sent it in July 27 next day delivery, not too many days left in July)

do some operators give you a hard time? It's not like I've ever asked anything else besides 'Is there an interview'

It's possible that rep is having a bad day or it could be that they aren't allowed to give out too much detail. I would try to call back and find out if you can get the information you are seeking. Maybe you will get someone else ...

Hi Everybody!

We got NOA2!!! Oct 2nd!!!

WOW Oh my god!!! WE are sooooooooo Happy!!

Congratulations!!!

My husband is looking for work and has come across a few jobs. Most seem to be under the table, which bothers me. Should I be worried if he works a few days a week under the table? We will be removing conditions in about two years...he just got his green card in August. Has anyone had experience with approaching managers about putting the pay on record or any advice about the risk of taking a job that pays under the table.

-Thanks!

If you get caught then it will be considered income tax evasion.

Here's more information about income tax evasion from wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_avoidance_and_tax_evasion

Here are some details about tax evasion penalties: http://qanda.encyclopedia.com/question/pun...ion-352934.html