J and O

DS 160 is not needed for the K-1 process.She doesn't need to fill it out.

Just one less piece of paper she needs to worry about Thanks we are getting really excited because this part of the journey is just about done!

Olive is going to just use the appointment letter...will update with what her outcome is when she goes around the 9th or first of the following week. Will send money today and see what happens.

Thanks for the information. Also on topic of DS160...when I made the interview date embassy said she did not have to do DS160...is this what everyone is finding too?

Thanks,

J & O

Hi again Oregon...

I have read reports here on VJ where BDO sometimes asks for the DS forms, and sometimes not. Sometimes they simply ask to see the interview appointment confirmation email. Why not have your fiancée take her appointment letter down to BDO and try to pay the visa fee? If BDO wants to see the DS forms, she will simply have to do this errand after she has her passport and is able to completely fill out the DS forms.

Also, the visa fee is not really "deposited" in the escrow sense of the word. Instead, you are simply paying a fee.

I think I will have her do that...thanks...really do not see why they would need to see the DS forms anyway.

Does BDO always require DS156 and DS157 or will just the confirmation letter from the US Embassy be enough to deposit the money into the bank. Olive's renewed passport will not be released until 7/16 and the interview appointment is 7/23. I would like to be able to have the money in the account next week but she cannot print out these documents until the passport is released.

I know there will still be time to get the money in but we would like to at least be ahead of the game with this since now everything is going on track.

Thanks

J & O

I just made an interview appointment yesterday for Olive and when I asked about filling out the DS260 for her K1 the lady I talked to said not to do the DS260. Olive has not yet went to BDO so I don't know if they will require the DS260 or not. She will probably be going there this next week so will have to wait and see.

On day 1 they do the xray.

If there were any problems with that...she would already know!

She'll do fine with the rest!

Thank you..she called and basically was told that needed to return as soon as she has her renewed passport and if anything was wrong she would have been told during the tests. They did give her a 9 a.m. appointment before she left. Have been waiting for someone to reply with this type of reply....Thank you so very much.

Seems that this has been a long saga since she DFA now will only do appointments for passports but at least with her persistants she was able to get that date moved up by 12 days. So anyway thanks again and the process will continue starting July 1.

Justin & Olive

Olive went on Tuesday for her medical at SL and did all of day 1 exam. Since we are waiting for her renewal on her passport, they told her to return after she has the renewed passport for day 2. When she left she didn't know any results except to return in July. She called SL yesterday afternoon and they told her she needs to have her "Vaccine and Immunization and they would able to tell me if I have problem on my medical". Since she is being told to return for immunications I would assume that the results are fine so far and that the medical is going to be okay from what I have read about medicals.

Justin & Olive

I would hate to see you have the same problem we had when she went to renew her passport. If you are to go to the DFA tomorrow it will probably be sometime mid July before you can get in and if you apply online it will be at least August before you can get in at Manila. Olive finally after two attemps at the DFA in Angeles was able to get her appointment date on July 1.

J & O

Thanks...we just need to really get through June 14 & 15 and everyone will have one less stress factor. One step at a time...even though some steps have been baby steps...

From what I understand SL will be holding her medical until she gets her renewed passport and I would imagine that she will then have to deliver the passport to SL before they will forward it on to the embassy for the interview. I called Embassy and talked to them about getting an appointment and I was asking about her passport name correction and needing to be renewed because of expiration in Sept and the person I talked with said to wait until she had her passport before making an appointment since we orginally were looking at her not getting into DFA until July 12. ON July 1 I will get an appointment which is Okay with me.

I do have another question regarding the interview...I am getting ahead now and told myself I was not going to do that after all the other delays but are interviews as much of a worry of not getting the VISA as the medical is a worry?

As suggested I am starting a new thread from a previous post on the phone number thread for SL. Okay we finally have some answers regarding getting Olive's medical done while waiting to renew her passport.

Just a little flashback on what has been happening. Olive's name was misspelled on her BC so back in Dec 09 she started the process of correcting her BC. This was very important her to have her name spelled correctly before she came to the states and we got married. Never dreaming it would take until the end of May to get this completed but her name is now spelled correctly. She went to Angeles DFA to get her passport renewed (which expires Sept) and never got past the security guard, he told her she needed some sort of proof she was actually going to leave the country, such as an airline ticket. He stamped her application to return July 12. She then went to a travel agent she knows and booked a flight to the U.S. Returning to DFA she got to talk to personnel this time but still can not get her passport started until July 1. Before going back to DFA the second time she tried online and couldn't get an appt until August. We have now accepted the July 1 date to get her passport and will either receive it in 12 working days if they expedite or else it will be 20 working days.

Now for the medical....she finally was able to get a hold of St. Lukes and they will let her come in with her old passport. By the way the embassy will not make an appointment until she has her passport, so we are going to make the appointment after July 1 when we know which date she will have her renewed passport. We will also then know that she has passed her medical. She was told to bring her BC, current passport, money for payment, photos, etc. They will then hold her medical results until she has her renewed passport.

Yeah, thanks to the help of VJ'ers we were finally able to get results knowing what course would possibly work. We did contact our senators and the help they can give is once the petition is in the embassy hands if problems arise then. Have names and numbers to contact if there are any issues when we get to that point.

Olive is going to SL next week so would appreciate any prayers that anyone feels that they would like to make that her medical goes without any problems. It seems that we have had so many hoops to get through with her name correction on her BC and then the delay with her passport. She never expected the changes that the DFA has imposed to get her passport. She said before she was able to just walk in and get her passport started that very same day.

Thanks to those that have helped and been supportive of our journey thus far.

Justin & Olive

Before my mom went to her medical I wasn't too concerned of this sputum test in SLMC, but when they told her she needed one that's when I really started reading/researching about the experiences of people who have/had to undergo the same procedure all over the internet and not just in VJ forum.

Anything (even a slight blur) they see on the x-ray plate is a reason for them to ask for sputum tests. I read somewhere that they (SLMC) became "strict" when the embassy complained that a lot of Filipina fiancees who arrived in the US are TB positive the past few years (I don't know if this is true).

Anyway, not all US immigrant applicants in the Philippines post in this forum, if you think you don't see a lot of members who say they were found "positive" then you don't need to be worried. I didn't post on your thread for you to be worried, I was just sharing something that we experienced so that you will be MORE informed because I would have gladly appreciated if someone told me about this issue when we were in the early stages of my mom's application.

And about your second question, please don't be arrogant. Don't you think that maybe people are not answering it because they don't know the answer and they don't want to give a wrong advice? You are not paying anyone here to answer your question please be nice.

I don't feel that I am being "arrogant" and I am taking your statement personally.....if you think that I would hold someone personally responsible for what they think is the right responds you are the one that is being arrogant.....maybe I will just quit posting on this forum and get through this without the support of others that I have had through this forum. I have seen information posted to people that I know that is wrong but life goes on and so be the world

SLMC doctors have the reputation of "seeing" something on the x-ray plates that other doctors can not see.

And so why does it seem that most that I have read on this forum seem to pass their medical...what are they doing that nothing is "seen" on their x-ray??? And still no one has answered my question for me to understand....Can she do her medical with her passport that is to expire in Sept and then take her renewed passport with her to her interview?

Her current passport is valid but only until Sept....she does need to get it renewed but DFA is not doing walk ins or at least in her case (wanting to go to U.S. to get married was not considered an urgent need and she didn't wait until last minute she was waiting since Dec for a corrected BC)....she has her application stamped to come back July 1 and can then proceed with passport renewal....from our understanding she needs to have a passport that is valid for at 6 months before she can proceed....is this right or wrong? She had a chest xray done at her DR and it was clear so I do believe medical should (praying) go OK and we should just barely meet the Aug 20 VISA deadline.

thanks

No, it is NOT better to wait for your appointment letter. I hope you guys have heard of the "stupid" Sputum tests that will delay you for two months.

Take for example my mom's case, she has her interview appointment on June 16 but because of the sputum 2 month culture, she won't be able to go to her appointment and will have to wait until end of July for the result of the culture. Now, if I only knew that this would happen to her (sputum test) I would've asked her to take her medical exam last March when I got her case number and she could still be able to attend the June 16 appointment.

To do the medical before you receive your appointment letter...we are having an issue of her getting her passport...she can't get it until July 1...it is a long story about that...anyway Olive can't get her medical without a current passport can she?

We would like to get her medical out of the way so when she gets her renewed passport we could just go straight to the interview but have been led to believe that she has to have her passport valid for 6 months or longer....right!

Also have thought about calling St. Lukes and see what they say...good idea or bad????

Thanks

I know the feeling. My wife had to correct her BC as well. We missed out on the suspense date for her K-1 in '07 because of it. Of course at the time, we didn't know we could extend the petition.... But, all has worked out. We married in February.

Our petition expires later August and baring no more problems???? we can still met the date. On July 1 after we know if she can expidite her passport I will make the interview appt. I talked to the embassy about a week ago and they still had a lot of opening so hopefully that will continue. She should have her passport by the 29 of July at the latest. She then can do medical August 1 & 2 and schedule interview for week of August 9. We are not even holding out that the DFA will do a rush on her passport. She was told by the DFA just because she want to come to the US to get married doesn't qualify for a rush. Not quite like here in the US, you pay more for a rush service but that is up to you and you get the rush order whatever it is....

We are going to be ready to file for an extension if we run into any more problems.

We are hoping that this is our one big problem and that it is taken care of now and everything will be smooth sailing from

Sorry if this comes across as rude, but you should have known all along that her passport would have to be renewed. Waiting until the last minute is not the best course of action considering you had plans for a Jul wedding, IF she passes the interview, and doesn't get AP, or RFE...When my wife found out her passport would need to be renewed, she went in and renewed it. No problems. I hope that you can work something out, and that everything falls into place. Good luck!

No it doesn't sound rude...she was adament about getting the spelling corrected on her BC before she came to the states. She started the BC correction way back in Dec...and she didn't get the correction until the end of May....she had no idea that it would take that long to do a spelling correction, especially when this is a common problem from our understanding in the Philippines.

She totally blames herself for this because of the BC and that taking so long....but she never anticipated that it would take 2 months longer to get her passport spelling changed and renewed. Passport expires in Sept so it has too be renewed and she knew that. She had to wait however for the BC.

All will work out we have faith and know that everything will go fine...just taking so long.

Same here, my mother is with my daughter to get my daughter a new passport, not a renewal, but for first time applicant.

They told my mom to get an appointment through online. The earliest is August 10 !!!!!!!!

Our problem is, we can't send the DS230 of my daughter without a copy of her passport

My mother is now asking some help from my aunt who knew a senator.

Hope they could help us

I got so frustrated when my mom emailed me this news, I can't wait to be with my daughter after 4 loooooooong years, and now, it gets even loooooooooonger

You are the first person that is sympathic to what is going on....we were also told that her first appointment by trying online was an appointment for August...we are working on booking a ticket only....you cannot buy an airline ticket without knowing for sure that she will have her VISA by that date unless you want to purchase the ticket without knowing for sure she can leave unless of course you have an extra $1000 laying around which I don't happen to have today.

We too have contacted our senator...however that could take months and by then the issue will be resolved.

Good luck cHiQy I hope you can get your appointment date moved up....at least we can get in earlier in Angeles than by using the online appointment that was for August. And are still holding out that maybe our senator will come through sooner.

Very well could be also...however it is very frustrating for us in trying to get Olive here....I am just frustrated because it seems that we keep doing everything right and at each corner we have another issue to deal with...we are just keeping hope and prays and in a few months can look back and know that it was worth all the bumps in the road...I do have to say however that when I called the embassy they were more than accommodating and very helpful....

It is very sad what this world has become with so many scammers that no even the honest person is trusted any longer

tell her to check the DFA regional offices. there's one in Angeles, Pampanga. they might accept walk-ins.

Angeles is where she is....she has been told that this is a busy time and DFA has stepped up their policies. We are tyring a different venture and if it works will share. From the way it sounds she has to produce an actual airline booking that she is indeed going to leave the Philippines before the guard would even let her in the door. Hard to book an airline ticket when your not even sure when the passport will be done so you can do the medical and interview!!!!

My thinking is that the Philippines doesn't now want people leaving the country....

Did your fiancee scheduled her passport renewal online? Tell her to visit this site --> http://epassport.com.ph/set-appointment. It would be easier for her to renew the passport since she will be given schedule online on when to go to DFA and have her photo and fingerprint scan taken for the e-passport. Then, let her have it expedited so that in a week the passport will be delivered to her.

Hope this helps.

OK we tried online and she cannot get a date until August. The DFA won't renew her passport which expires in September until after she can prove that she has actual plans to leave the Philippines....like airline tickets they said. The embassy told her to make her appointment after she gets her passport renewed. She can't do her medical until she has an appointment date set...it feels like we are in a loop going nowhere.

DFA told her to return July 12 and then she will be able to renew her passport...at this she will be ready to leave sometime in September....we were so hoping for a wedding date of July 31 and now it looks like that surely is not going to happen.

Monday was a holiday at the embassy...I do plan to call them today (their Tuesday) and see if I can get something going or at least some information on what to do.

Anyone have any other solutions....Olive is getting very flustrated and feeling that she is failing at her part of this process.

JD

Thanks...will see if she can give that a try

She is still in line and they are telling her that she needs to have the interview papers before they will renew passport...and embassy told her to get the passport before she can schedule the interview?????

does anyone in the Philippines know what they are doing????

Help fast please...my fiancee is in line trying to get her Passport renewed (expires in Sept) so she get her interview schedueled in Manila. They told to come the 12th of July...what should she do to get it renewed now so we can progress on. We are wanting her to be able to leave by then.

Thanks

XOOM customer service??? I would rate it at minus one...