Jared and May

So.. Milagros said another woman told her that the CFO was an all-day deal... But the website says it's like 2 hours.. It's 2 hours right? Maybe longer if it's for Overseas Filipino Workers (that's what this woman was)..

It took 101 days from NOA1 to NOA2.. And a long 101 days it was.. :-)

Thanks for the information. She's gonna get a chest x-ray before so getting the shots there makes this a bit easier. Not sure the checking account can handle a shopping trip to the Mall of Asia tho. LOL.

LOL, I didn't know she was going shopping at the Mall of Asia until she IM'ed me from the Krispy Kreme with free wifi. I'm just counting down the days until I see her again.

Yup, my Milagros just got 2 shots as well..

She then grabbed some lunch and went shopping at the Mall of Asia..

Just got off the phone.. Shots were quick, it was over 3 hours waiting for the results to be released. All set though, she passed, no sputum test!!

PHEW!!!!!!!!

From every thing i have read about davao city the mayor not put up with any trouble.

That's true.. they have 0 tolerance..

So the general consensus is wait about 3-4 days to schedule the interview? I believe my package arrived yesterday at the embassy... So I guess I'll hold off until Friday..

When you say they sent the interview schedule who does this? NVC or the actual Manila Embassy? And I would think that they are sending the schedule to Milagros (beneficiary)?

Guys we just received our NOA2!!!! We are so happy! Congrats to the rest as well

Congrats, this is great news!!! :thumbs:

I've been to Davao City twice now and find the people to be incredibly warm and inviting.. I can't wait to go back in May!

I'm pretty much sold on Rebtel.com (per Scott & Mhay)... They just generate a local number for me to call her, and it redirects the call.. Call quality is decent enough.. Pretty cheap too.

Kevin, I woulda used DHL, but they have closed down offices on the west coast. Went with FedEx when I had to send Embassy documents, and envelope got there in 5 days, so I am sold on FedEx to get vital docs around the world.

Yup, FedEx charges the ####### out of you but it gets there fast..

I'm very happy I received an SMS early this morning.. She's through with the Day 1 and is sleeping in tomorrow to get her booster shot. I hope to talk with her in a bit to see how it all went.. Wow to think that I'm so close now is exciting!! :thumbs:

good luck...hopefully she will be able to get through it fairly fast. I think the way the flow goes if there isnt too many people she should be done by lunch...but of course on mondays i think you can throw that out the window. My wife will be going tomorrow to get her shots....she only gets 2 from what they said at St. Lukes. They will do age appropriate shots. Some they wont give because they are part of a series that takes time to go through. I'm sure everything will go good for her. Tell her to go to Robinson's Mall and eat a good meal.

It sounds like St Luke's is a madhouse today and I imagine she'll have to go back for shots and whatnot.. I'm hoping it all goes smooth.. Not only is she going to Robinson's for lunch but I heard she's going to buy the world's biggest ice cream sundae!

Ahhh I miss her so much, can't wait to go and see her in May!

Thanks for your kind words!!

Thanks Jared! That's good news and that means all the VJ advice about early medical is spot-on!

You'll have to do something really nice for Milagros tomorrow, coz she's gonna get two arms full of shots...

LOL, I think I'll have to pull the trigger on that pink netbook we've been talking about for her flight here.... :-)

I got an SMS from her about an hour or so ago... Now it's just waiting for the "i'm going back to the hotel for the day after I fetch some lunch"..

Truthfully,I never mail anything to Philippines.I need send the I-130 and other documents and I'm afraid she will never get it.I know she don't have a number street adress.I know she have street ,city,province name.She have a postal I.D.If

How about sending via FedEx? It costs more, but they tend not to "lose things" like the Phil Post..

Congratulations this is great news!!

Just got off the phone with Milagros.. She still sounds pretty good.. They are letting her take the medical exam even without the invitation letter from NVC..

Ayuz!!

:dance: :dance: :dance:

Hope everything goes well with her medical! I'm sure she'll be fine.

Yeah, I've seen the sea of people there on a Monday morning. Not fun.

+1 on the Rebtel advice. My wife tried it last night and she's hooked. So much for our local international carrier...Qwest.

Salamat, I'm hoping it's a smooth ride for her.. We spoke about a half hour ago, and she told me to call back later..

I just signed up for it today and just love Rebtel.. Pricing isn't too bad, and I like the fact that I can just call her from my mobile without any pins or any of that nonsense.. I have a strong feeling we will use this same service when she's finally here to call friends & family back home..

I'm just a little under 5 weeks from seeing her again, and I just can't wait..

I just spoke with her again, she said there's just a sea of people.. The guard made an announcement about having an original copy of the invitation letter.. We didn't receive that and I hope they won't send her back home..

I told her to just provide them with the MNL case # and tell them that they never sent us a copy.. Here's hoping it goes smooth..

BTW - Rebtel rocks, very clear and easy to use. I just call a local number and it routes me to her phone.. Wow, ayuz!

:dance: :dance: :dance:

I just got off the phone with Milagros, she's headed over to St Luke's already to be the first one in line and get a priority number..

I feel so bad that she had to wake up so early and wait outside.. Usually whenever we talk on the phone she is so bubbly and happy.. Oh my gosh, it's going to be such a long day for her. I can only hope that everything goes well.. Please God, help my angel get through the day..

Wow congrats, this is some great news!!

:dance: :dance: :dance:

All she needs is the MNL case number from NVC and a copy of the NOA2 and she can do the medical exam. There's a really good walk-through of St. Stuke's that is pinned here in the Philippines forum...

Yeah I had Milagros print that off, and told her to just be pushy if they don't let her take the medical exam without a packet from the NVC.. She's already memorized the MNL # (I also asked her to write it down in case she gets nervous)

I sent her some money, she used our credit card to buy a plane ticket, and I think we're good to go.. Here's hoping for a great week!

Hopps when are you/beneficiary going to St Luke's? My Milagros is boarding a plane in a few and then going first thing Monday morning..

Well, I know they don't check your return ticket.. I'm sure you've read this below:

ENTRY / EXIT REQUIREMENTS: U.S. citizens may enter the Philippines without a visa for tourism purposes upon presentation of their U.S. passport, valid for at least six months after the date of entry into the Philippines, and a return ticket to the United States or an onward ticket to another country. Upon arrival, immigration authorities will annotate the traveler’s passport with an entry visa valid for 21 days. If the traveler plans to stay longer than 21 days, he/she must apply for an extension at the Philippine Bureau of Immigration and Deportation's main office at Magallanes Drive, Intramuros, Manila, Philippines or at any of its provincial offices.

It's that "and a return ticket".. I'm 99% sure that part isn't enforced. It's also very helpful to be honest with customs/immigration if they do notice something.

Bahala na..

Let's leave this all alone and talk about some other things that are more fun..