pixie77

Thanks Markie! She's been approved and NVC scheduled her on Mar. 11 for interview. I'll be re-scheduling it though.

Congrats!

The interview was very simple and easy. I put it down to our original submission containing so much evidence.

Ditto! Ours was very simple and easy too and more conversational than question and answer.

Congrats!!!

Check Cathay Pacific it's cheaper around $875 I think if you book early. I agree about signing up for miles. I am just starting to accumulate mileage, but with my husband's miles my ticket to Manila is free round trip with Delta.

Also check cheaptickets.com

I got my biometrics 5 months after NOA. My ASC is very slow, so it depends where you're at. USCIS is going to test your patience, hang in there and it will come. Check out my signature.

Best of luck!!

Good luck!!! If you are prepared then you dont have to worry..

What does the notary have to do? Check the photocopy is genuine and sign it?

Yes, they sign it, write their notary number and stamp their seal.

What visa are you adjusting from?

Depends on your situation. But we didn't use a lawyer. I did all the paperworks and research and my USC husband just the signing and reading... lol

Goodluck Banoinks!!

hi pixie77! just want to ask what documents did the officer/s actually asked for during your interview?

Hi Banoinks,

I was only asked for my passport when she was ready to stamped it with my greencard and she took my I-94. She did not ask for any other document, we werent even able to touch our small suitcase full of evidences, not even the pictures. It is different for every couple and I think it depends on the evidences you submit. Ours was more talking than showing of any document.

Good Luck!!

The part we don't get is the I-485.

If we already have a certified copy of our marriage certificate in the I-130 packet, do we still need to include one in the I-485?

I don't know what visa you're adjusting from I adjusted from a B1B2 visa and did not include a copy of our marriage certificate in my the I-485 packet.

The checklist says:

"7. A certified copy of your marriage certificate. (If filing for your spouse)"

This is perhaps for K1 AOS because they need to be married within 90 days before they can adjust their status.Refer to the instructions on the uscis.gov website too. I stand corrected on this.

I thought the I-485 was the intending immigrant's (me) application, so how could the person filing the I-485 be filing for their spouse

It is your application, you are correct.

Also, does certified copy mean that we have to request official certified copies of our certificate from the registry office, or can we use a photocopy for one or both?

I did not request a certfified copy from the registry. I had the original document certified against the photocopy through the notary public. I submitted all our personal documents notarized. I was told that photo copies were fine.

If you are adjusting from a B1B2 visa I can send you a copy of my table of contents and cover letter .

Good luck on your Visa Journey.

love it!!!

Hi Emmy,

There are a lot of reviews here on interview experiences, click on the reviews tabs and choose the state where you're at or the guides and you can also use the search button if you want.

We had our interview last Feb. 8, and there is no clear cut way to find out what they will ask you. My husband and I run through our immigration paperworks the night before and felt that we didn't really need to "review" our love story because we have been living together for more than 2 years before we got married. On the day of the interview, we were caught off guard because none of the questions were about our courtship even our wedding. It was all about my daughter from a previous relationship. He knows her but not that much as she is in the Philippines. He just knows her basic info like bday and name and the plans that we have when she gets here. All in all it was a very good interview, very pleasant and comfortable. We hit a bump but we were able to overcome it. A couple with a legit relationship will not have a hard time overcoming questions that they have not prepared for. If there's anything, honesty really is the best policy in this situation, because they're able to see through you, your actions and interactions.

Bring all the documents they asked for.

I wish you all the best on your interview.

I fastened them..cover letter and i made a table of contents and place tabs on the bottom of each category...I had the I-130 folder alone and I-485,I-765,I- 824 folders rubber band together and put them all in 1 box. lol....my documents weighed 13lbs...lol...

why do you need to go to the international student affairs? I think that you don't need to apply as an international student as you have been a resident of your state and adjusting your status. If perhaps you didn't get married and want to apply for a student visa, perhaps. But people who overstayed aren't eligible for a student visa. ANyway You will be a permanent resident soon, it's just a matter of paperwork. I stand corrected on this, just my thought.

By the way, I inquired at a community college here in NY. They don't care about immigration status. They just want me to prove that I am a resident of NY so they can tell me my tuition. When I opened my mouth about immigration they stopped me and told me and said they don't discrimminate against immigration status. Depends on your state maybe. Talk to the student affairs director about our predicament.

I just want to add, if you want to avail of a student loan, maybe this is the reason why you need to be a green card holder.

Best of luck!

it's a good thing your passport wasn't stamped "not eligible to adjust status" or something like that, a friend's friend had this stamped on her passport when on her second inspection on a B1B2 visa revealed birth certificates, annulment papers, and other personal papers that seemed odd for someone on vacation to bring. She was brought to a room and interrogated too.

Good Luck!!

Hi..

My daughter's doing the CR-2 and have already an appointment schedule but I need to re-schedule. What's the phone number you used to schedule the appointment by phone?

I'll appreciate the info.

Thanks a bunch!!

Congrats!!!!!

I do not see anything wrong with a pre-nup. We have it, it's practical and we are both just protecting ourselves especially that I have a daughter from a previous relationship.

I would suggest that you talk to your wife about this and ask her how she feels about having a pre-nup. If she's agreed to do this let her read a draft of the pre-nup you made and also let her write her objections. Discuss what you don't agree on. When she gets here ask someone you both know to help her get a lawyer who will explain to her further the conditions of the pre-nup and her rights as your wife according to the state you're in. You cannot just let her sign a pre-nup under your own conditions . You also cannot have just 1 lawyer as that lawyer cannot represent you both.

Remember, in the Philippines pre-nups are not a very common thing. This may be viewed by your wife as a very hostile act. She just gave up her life in her country to be with you and this is what you give her. If you're doing K1 you would be press for time discussing this as she'll be going through different kinds of adjustments in her new environment and this would really be tough on her so she might be aggravated. A post-nup is something that you perhaps should consider. This will give you more time to make her understand the reason for this.

Good Luck!

Thanks YuAndDan!!

Hi Everyone,

My daughter was petitioned by my husband as CR2. Our case was completed in NVC last Feb.3 and we got an email last Friday that an interview is scheduled on March 11. However, she won't be able to make it, as her school is not finish yet [her finals week will be the following week of the interview] and I have some obligations here that needs to be done before I can leave for the Philippines. I want to re-schedule it for May 2011. Do I have to call the USEM-Manila directly or can I re-schedule online? I am a bit confuse on how the re-scheduling works because some call the USEM -Manila and some do it online. I have also read stories where the online appointment scheduler doesn't work.

Your advises will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

anyone who went through cr2 route?..or maybe I posted on a wrong forum? I posted here because I want experiences and opinions that are US Embassy Manila specific....

My husband added me as an authorized user in one of his credit cards but apparently when we called them and asked they said that it wouldnt build my credit because all will still be under my husband's credit history. That's why we did the secured credit card. Some credit card companies may build a credit history if you add your wife as an authorized user but we were told that it is the primary card holder's responsibility to pay the debt and not the additional user and so this credit history doesnt really have so much bearing if you go to lending institutions.

I guess in your case I would focus more on proof of the relationship before the actual marriage like pictures from vacations, family events etc. since you have no strong evidences after the actual marriage. Documentation about the time before your marriage is maybe a much more valid proof.

I agree with this. How about emails, greeting cards you sent each other before the wedding. Write a brief timeline of your relationship. Make sure you put captions on your photos and maybe arrange it chronologically, I did this on our photos like I was telling our story to them in photos and used MS Word [4 pictures per page] and printed them. If you did trips together, airline tickets or whatever you can show as proof of that. You can perhaps ask the person that married you an affidavit that he/she was the one who officiated the wedding.

Best of luck on your visa journey!..

Congrats!!!

Many times, Zillow has incorrect information regarding 'market value'.

I hope I don't come across as snarky here, but I have to speak up here. I think it's unfair to work with three separate realtors. Our business is obviously commission based, so two of the agents you are working with are pretty much wasting their time with you. Of course, one could go with the mentality that if you find the 'one' you would be willing to work exclusively with that person, therefore you haven't found the 'one' yet. And it's awesome that (I'm inferring) they know they are working in competition for your business.

One thing that keeps coming up which I find curious - how agents seem to come up with different property. I've seen it mentioned here, and irl many times. I don't understand it, tbh...because let's say someone's looking for a 3/2/2cg, block home no pool, under a certain price range, I will pull up everything that comes up. We'll go thru each and every listing on the computer, then they weed out the undesirables, and then we go see them. It's that simple, there's no 'withholding' certain listings. Of course, if you say 'i MUST have a 2 cg' then the search will obviously not bring up anything below a 2 cg. If then you think 'I can deal with a 1 cg' then obviously that will change the search. Much like setting a price limit - $200k? It won't pull up the PERFECT house that could be listed at $200,000.01. Of course, what's the chances of it being a penny higher? but I am using that as an example. The search is what you set it to be.

Anyway, in short, please keep in mind that we realtors make our living off this, and if you're not planning on working exclusively with one, (s)he should know that. Personally, I wouldn't even turn the key in my car unless that's clear. While I don't mind a bit of healthy competition, I'm certainly not looking to fight with a fellow local realtor over customers, procuring cause, etc.

I just got off a 5 hour floor shift at work, showed 6 houses, and made 7 new leads. And now I'm here, talking shop. I need to stop, lol.

Hi Lisa,

I know where you're coming from and that's why my husband and I were surprised at what they came up with knowing that they use the same MLS [is that how it's called?]. The 3 of them know we are working with them and we always ask them if that bothers them or not. We want to get the best for our money and make sure that we've seen what we need to see at the same time try and be fair with them by letting them know that we're also working with other people. The 2nd and 3rd realtor came about when we were looking for houses on our own and they started sending us houses and scheduled viewings while we were there.

As for Zillow, a few told us that it's inaccurate but nevertheless it gives us an idea, there are a few more sites that my husband is using and one I think is a Chase site, am just not very sure, and another is redfin.com or something like that.We have made an offer on 1 house but a bidding war started and we didn't want to take part in it.We are not in a rush and our realtors know this, we want to take our time as this is a big investment. They still send us the listings, we still keep in touch with them and tell them truthfully were we stand right now. It's their call if they want to stop sending us listings.