Norm and Grace

Trying to be patient.... just hard when I see so many in February and MArch having NOA2 aleady..... Seems like I am in the back of the line..... COMPLETELY at the back of the line.... all requests for expedites rejected. Even with senator asking. And now, it is like falling off the face of the earth.... just nothing..I know there are people waiting longer then me... I feel bad for everyone having to wait... But I did everything asked for... followed all guidelines.... yes, I feel as if being punished for even having asked for an expedite and having a senator ask for me as well... just know I am not going to let this go with the approval though. I am researching, looking, and reading many things.... The more time I wiat, the more I read the Acts which formed the process.... right now, just feel like I am being punished for just trying to get my fiance here... LEGALLY...

It's really hard to wait for the paper work come through. Be patient, it's all worth it. Once the visa is granted and your fiance gets here and you get married, you'll look back and see that the process really didnt take too long. I know its very frustrating right now but hey she is worth it right.

I have made a few trips over to Korea and to the Philippines and I got to say that the worst flights I had was on North West airlines. The services were terrible and the stewardess were old cranky old ladies. The food sucked and the seats were uncomfortable. They called my name and said they had made a mistake and reassigned me to the back of the airplane. The best airline expirence I had was on Asiana airlilnes. The flight crew was very nice, great service, good food and the flight was very comfortable. Korean airline was great too. Let me suggest Asiana or Korean airlines next time.

I know the threat of a government shutdown has been postponed...but only for 2 weeks! If I can get my NOA2 and clear the NVC by March 18, am I in the clear?

it will never happen. They will just keep it running two weeks at a time until the budget is agreed apon.

I am a generally patient person I think but this is driving me mental... How do you guys deal with your stress? The wait is taking its toll on our relationship. It's hard to spend all this time on the phone and online and keep up a normal schedule.

This month the time changes here in Wisconsin and I will be an hour AHEAD of Carlos in El Salvador and that makes it even harder!! I work 6a-2:30p and 10 hours of mandatory overtime per week.

The worst part about this whole thing is his dad is the Deputy Chief of the USCIS Forms Center West and he can't even help us expedite anything.

Give me your ideas on how to get thru this trying time...

I know what you are talking about. I know the waiting thing is hard on the heart. Be patient because it will be worth every minute of the wait. You know what they say, distance strengthens the heart. I hope the duration of your wait will be short and things happen soon. Hang in there. My wife and I always text each other everyday.

seems like one sided love and the only one frauded was you. Yeah, definately call him in and get him sent back. This guy is the reason the immigration is so difficult. I think it would be in your best interest to take care of it now before he goes and does something stupid and gets you involved.

use xoom its great. Very easy, cheap and very fast.

I was wondering if there was anyone that new of some trusted money transfer companies so I can send money from the US to the UK and so my husband can send money to me as well..

I have used XOOM to send money to my family in Korea and the Philippines and found it very easy and very reasonable. I think I paid $3.99 for my transfer. It only took one day to receive the money in their bank accounts. Good Luck

I have a question and would really appriciate an answer. I have a friend who is a citizen of the United States. Her and her husband had adopted a boy back in 2005 from her cousin. She would like to petition for her adopted son now. Would this be easier if they send in the I-130 to USCIS or would it be easier just to file in the Philippines when she goes back home for the winter.

question 2: I see that an adopted child must live with the parent for at least two years but what if the child is attending school away from home?

The N-400 form asks about marriages.

How would a California resident, according to California State law married to their same sex partner, answer this question. Would she be "married" or not "married" for N-400 purposes?

Dont quote me on this but the federal government don't recognize same sex marriages.

Just wanted to say a very big thank you to visa journey members and to this great web site. I could not have gotten my wife here with out you guys. To all who are waiting for approvals be patient and keep steady and it will all work out.

My wife is coming into Anchorage this October 29th from the Philippines and had some questions about the POE.

Have anyone had any expirence with POE Anchorage?

How long did it take?

How were the agents?

My fiance is Canadian and we are indecisive about which way to go after talking with immigration attorneys. One says to do the K1 and AOS because he will be able to work after 90 days of marriage and we will be together faster. The other attorney states that the CR1 is just as fast. I am so confused even after reading information provided on here. Our gosl is to get him here asap since I have children that though they are not his he has been in my one year olds life for six months and my three year old is firmly attached to him and does not understand why he is up in Canada now. The other issue is that he wants to work shortly after he immigrates.

I petitioned for my wife (CR-1) and helped my firend petition for his fiance (K-1) and I would recommend the CR-1 route. CR-1 may take a month longer but in the long run its better. I mean no ajustment, no advance praole and its about 1 grand less. Plus under the CR-1 your wife will get a green card upon her arrival to the USA.

some of you have spent a lot of time reading posts of K-1 interview experiences and you might have also been through the process with your significant other- so if you can, answer this question for us...

if you had to break down the documents needed for the interview into three categories: mission critical, probably needed, or don't bother- what would you put in the respective categories?

example:

MISSION CRITICAL

photos of the two of you together

petitioner's divorce decree(s)

affidavit of support

current employment letter

2009 tax return

PROBABLY NEEDED

chat transcripts

NOA2

petitioner G325

beneficiary G325

DON'T BOTHER

copy of the I-129

2008, 2007 tax returns

letter from the consulate with interview date

her interview is in Manila, so please respond if you have any consulate-specific information.

thanks a whole lot!

its all cirtical. You never know what the consulate will ask for.

I would paly it safe and have too much then not enough.

http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1guide

If there was a way to speed it up, Visa Journey wouldn't be needed

Being prepared is a good way to save time, read the guides

http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1guide

http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1tips

http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1flow

Good luck

I would say you need three things form her to start.

1. Passport style pictures of her, oh maybe around 3 copies (make sure they are 2 inch X 2 inch)

2. Take with you a copy of form G-325A or use the internet cafe to log into the USCIS web page and fill out the form and print it out. Make sure she signes it.

3. Copy of her biographical page of her passport. If she don't have one then you should work on that now.

If you have these things then it should make things easier.

Good luck.

hello have a crazy question here how much is the medical cost at St. Luke's in Manila cost; and where can I get my wife a good hotel room close by. Thanks all John & Marie

The medical cost is 213.25 (9,363 peso). Exchange rate on 9/29/2010 is 43.9 peso per dollar.

As for the hotel I booked a room at the Lotus Garden in Manila. The hotel is real short walking distance to St. Lukes and to the Embassy. The room cost around 36 dollars a night and it includes breakfest. I booked it through WWW.AGODA.COM. I found this website to have the best deals on the hotels. If you book through them with your credit card then the hotel is prepaid and your wife dont have to worry about paying when she checks out. Just forward the hotel receipt e-mail to your wife and have her print it out when she checks in.

Hi all!

I have a few short questions that I can't seem to find an answer for. I'm putting the finishing touches on all my paperwork (I guess it's not the end of it by any means) and hope someone knows the answer.

When my fiancee signs her statement and her side of the G-325 (I know perhaps she doesn't have to sign that form yet, but I don't want to wait for them to ask) does it have to be the original document, or could it be a copy. During her interview they will have the original anyway...what do you think? I plan on having her send the documents (and her passport photos) to me, along with some of the photos of us that only existed on her camera.

We have had an apartment since May 2010, and I'm curious whether or not we should submit the rent payment receipts? I plan on sending some Western Union transactions as well.

Thanks in advance!

USCIS dosn't require originals but require you show the original upon request.

I would send it in to show proof of continuing relationship.

We had planned to apply for Spousal Visa after we married in Thailand this November. Is we apply for Fiance Visa is it faster for my wife to come to the US where we would marry there instead with in the allotted time. The timelines are a few months apart from one another, longer for Spousal, but with Fiance she would be in the US sooner. Can some of the ones out there who made that decision for themselves please let me know their reasons and why I should go one way and not the other. Thanks

I chose to marry my wife in the Philippines. The time difference isnt that much diffeent, maybe around 2 to 3 months more for the spouse visa. The plus part of it is that once she enters with a spouse visa she has her green card with in a couple of weeks. With the K1 visa you have to adjust her status and wait for more paper work to clear. I say all in all the only plus of the K1 is that she will physically be in the US earlier. If you add the adjustment period the time line would be the same. If I had to do it all over again then I would still marry my wife in the Philippines.

We sent intent to marry to USCIS they were put in to I-129F application, for USEmbassy interview i need to bring a new intent to marry exactly the same as we send to USCIS but the only diffences are the addresses and dates here the sample...

Fiancé(e) Letter of Intent

Petitioner's/beneficiary's Name

Petitioner's/beneficiary's Address

United States Department of State

United States Consulate, Manila Philippines

U.S. Embassy

Consular Section

1201 Roxas Boulevard

Manila, Philippines 1000

(new date mm-dd-yyyy)

Dear Sir or Madam:

I, Petitioner/Beneficiary., do hereby state that I am legally able and willing to marry Petitioner/Beneficiary, and intend to do so within 90 days of my/her arrival into the US using the K-1 visa.

Yours truly,

(signature)

Petitioner/Beneficiary

is the address right or did i miss something? please correct me if i made a mistake thank you all

yes!!!!!!

We were married in the Philippines. Im in the process of filing the I-130 petition and pertaining to the marriage certificate, does anyone know if I can file the petition with a copy from the civil registar or do I need a copy from the NSO office?

Thanks,

Tony

I didnt take any chances and used the official copies from the NSO office. You dont have to have the original copies to file for the I-130 but you are required to have it jsut in case USCIS wants to see the original.

i called the u.s. embassy manila to setup an interview date for my fiance in the Philippines... but they told me to call back in 2weeks because of some minor glitch in their system. is there any way i can speed-up this process so i dont have to wait longer... i need help bad... thanks people!

it sounds to me like they are back logged. Try everyday anyways.

Hi Guys! I am very new to this site so please bare with me. My problem is, my fiancee- my future wife had her interview august 25th and was given a blue slip requesting evidence of my current sustained income. I am self employed and have established a cleaning business although I have not filed a tax due to the date of my business registration. The business was registered january 2010 and my filing date is not until january of 2011. Although, I do have a copies of contracts with my current clients. 1 contract is with an adult home who i have been hired as their maintenance manager and 2 residential contracts. Please somebody tell me if these are enough to submit to the consul.

1. Business Certificate/ Registration

2. Tax Number

3. Tax letter from WA state stating my filing date is not until jan. 2011

4. Contracts with my client

5. Invoices from the past few months I have been working with them

Now you might be asking if i do have w2-s or tax return last year or previouse years. I DON'T. I was a full time student and just finished school late 2009 and soon as i got out, i worked on this business. Another worry that i have is. I am only making about $1100-1200 a month which would place me about $14400 a year since my business is still new. actually I might meet the poverty guideline but would they know or will they foresee it like i do? because I have only started earning this june. I also have my cousin as a co-sponsor just in case.

Anything helps!!! Thanks guys =( im just so worried. She is going back maybe next week to submit all these documents.

It wouldn't hurt to have your clients write a letter of agreement. It should show when the contract started, what the contract is for, how long the contract will go on, how much the contract pays and how ofter you have to perform your duties. This could take the place of an employment letter.

this concerned is for my sister. this is the background. My sister and her american husband got married in philippines last april 2008. Until now the american husband did not file any petition for my sister becuase according to him the USCIS said they need to wait 5 years before they can file a peition.Is this true? The second reason of the american husband is that his address is just P.O box, having a P.O box address could affect the petition? What kind of petition does the american husband would file to my sister since they are married in philippines? What are the papers needed for them so they can file? The husband said he got lay off year 2004 and got back a work again 2005,,being lay off by 2004 could affect his petition too? Please anyone we need some elightenment any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you in advance...

Looks like he has more excuse then a 50 year old virgin why not to petition your sister

1. He don't have to wait 5 years to petition. He can petition immediately after marriage and its faster if does it at the US embassy in Philippines.

2. It don't matter if he has PO box for address.

3. They only need last three years of tax forms not all the way back to 2004.

4. Tell him not to stall any more and to go file at the embassy. (it should only take around 3 months if all goes right)

5. Maybe he is hiding something???????

Im american military in afghanistan and my wife is filipino living in the philippines. We were married in the philippines in feb. 2010 and we want to get her visa issued by the time i leave afghanistan so she can come straight to the states. Im so confused about this whole k-3 visa process... Do i need to submit both the I-130 and the I-129f? Because from what it sounds like is that the I-130 is for immigrants and the I-129f is for non-immigrants.. but everywere I look for instructions on what to do says that you you have to file both? Any help or past experience would be appreciated..

Dont worry about the I-129f(k-3 visa), just file the I-130.

Hi,

I married my wife under a K1 visa. Unfortunately things did not go as planned because I found out she had been cheating on me the whole time and all she was after was the visa. After 4 months of trying to "make it work" I realized she had not stopped contacting the man she cheated on me with. So to make story short I kicked her out of the apartment and she went to live with her family. As of now she's not in the states, she left to visit that guy in Europe. My question is, what are the chances of me getting her conditional green card taken away?

I have compiled as much proof as possible of her cheating ways and also the fact that she's not in the states at the moment. I have an appointment this coming Thursday at the inmigration service center here in Texas, please let me know all you can to help me.

Thank you in advanced

File for divorce, she can not get the condition removed on her own. She will be forced to leave this country. Its too bad your marriage did not work out. All that effort and money to get her here is all just waste.

Un Freaking believable, All our paperwork was perfect to my knowledge. Zheng had so much support at Guangzhou from other Visa goers and they help to verify again our paper work and evidence. The interviewer asked my Fiancee 2 questions which she answered them perfect. She speaks very good English and she tried to present my EOR letter at the interview and other sufficient evidence but they did not want to accept anything and gave her a white slip. I am very successful and have made so much freaking money in this country and paid so much taxes in this country and this makes me furious that they would treat me like sh#$%, and they treat her like sh#$%, then it is as if my country who I can’t imagine how much I have paid in taxes would not accept any of our evidence. Like most of you we have spent over a year in our relationship committed and in love and it comes down to this B.S. #######. What Freaking proof do they need with a white slip,, , no offense, I am American Indian and I did everything next to NOT being WHITE, so #######, is this why I have a WHITE SLIP, USA is still in the Freaking south, it's now USA called Arizona, can't give an American Indian a break who loves a Chinese Woman.

Wow what a temper. I understand your frusteration but for you to say these things are wrong. Its been too long, stop blaming the white man for all your troubles. your best bet would be to calm down and look over your paperwork. See if a congressman can help by writing a letter for you. You see this is why I love the US, because it don't matter how much money you make.