DavenRoxy

Using the word last, as in last March 12 in USA mean you filed it March 12th of last year.

Technically, no. Saying "last March" would refer to March of last year.

If saying "last March 12", it would refer to the most recent date/year group, which would be earlier this month.

Thanks for the advice. It really sucks to think we will have to delay our timeline ourselves, after waiting and waiting to get this far, but I don't want my asawa to arrive in the US and have to struggle for months before I can be there to help her. I know 20 years from now this won't matter, but it SEEMS huge now.

Thanks for the link, I found this here on VJ since you pointed me in the right direction: http://www.visajourney.com/examples/extend-approval.doc

agree with the reviews above. i've flown Korean Air a few times in the past going to and from the Philippines. i've never had any problems with them. although the language barrier may be a little hard when you're asking one of their flight attendants for water or what have you.

You think so? I found their attendants speaking better english than most Americans!

Mul ju se yo (please bring me water)

Cola ju se yo

lol

Did you schedule online? I did move my date on an earlier schedule when the U.S. Embassy open up March schedule after they determined the date they will move to a new building... But i schedule online, so i did it online, which is to log back in again using your UID number. My original schedule was March 28 and I had my interview today... Approve!!!

How did you schedule a K1 interview online? Several on the forums are reporting the warning that online scheduling is only for SB-1 visas. It further states that even if you show up for a K1 interview scheduled online, you will not be seen. I would like to know how to do it, cuz we are having issues getting an appointment via the call center.

Ditto the above. Absolutely THE BEST airline I have flown in the past 6 years. ICN is a simple airport, very clean and nicely laid out. KAL will be my choice for flying back and forth. They are also a Delta partner, so mileage racks up.

I know how they process it, and what type of folder they use. I studied and read up on it, that's why my Visa went so fast back then, It was faster than most.

I am about to help a couple guys file a K1 next month, I will see how long it is taking now, I know summertime they get more application.......

I'd like to know how you can get a visa approved in 3 months, when it's currently taking 5 months just to get a NOA2 according to the USCIS (as well as several members' timelines). Can you please share the secret with us so that all may enjoy a speedy processing?

Here's our situation:

Priority Date 23 August 2010

My fiancée is ready to go to St. Luke's and schedule her interview. But if she goes ahead with this, and gets approved soon, we will only have 6 months from date of visa issue to to fly her to the US, correct? Well, I am deployed right now, and can only be in the US with her for 15 days, then have to come back to Afghanistan, leaving her alone in the US, and she has never been there before. Not the best idea, I think.

So we are discussing pushing back her interview date and exam a while, so that I can re-deploy home and she can fly to me and not have to be alone in the US. But how far can we push things back without losing eligibility? Is there a process whereby we can get our case extended perhaps, say get her visa in July or August, so that if I come home in Dec or Jan, she will still have a valid visa?

I know most couples are wanting to hurry up and get approved, and we are too, but we think it is smarter to be patient and try to get her to the US later rather than sooner. After all, even though she will be there, I won't, so we will still be apart most of the time until I come home from Afghanistan.

We would appreciate your input, especially any facts about extending approval timelines, or anything about the priority date, or when an application expires.

Thanks so much!

DavenRoxy

I just called 214-571-1600 (menu:2, 2, 1, 2) at 19:11 PI time, and got a rep on the first call. Spent 30 minutes repeating info because the call quality from Afghanistan is terrible, only to have him tell me that there are no appointments, please call back tomorrow.

Hay Naku!!

i really appreciate all the replies:) we sent the right amount which is $340 more patience on this journey:)

Naks, it went down! I had to pay $455 last August, huhuhu. Oh well, it was money well spent for the sarap food I will soon be enjoying!

Having been in Korea the past few years, my vote goes to Korean Air. KAL has THE BEST on-time service, in-flight service, and comfort of just about ANY airline I have ever flown on. I plan to fly my fiancee over here on KAL, they fly out of MNL. They are also a Delta partner.

And as to the comment on Asian airlines, I agree... they are heads and shoulders above US carriers in general. I was appalled and dismayed when I returned from Korea and had to fly some US flag carriers. I have to PAY for a meal, and drinks? Wow...

Having said all of that, Delta would be my second choice. And United my last choice.

Thanks for the Matrix link, it will make searching easier!

I keep trying to schedule an appointment online and keep getting this message on the Application verification page of the K-1 visa appointment scheduling icon on the scheduling an immigrant visa page:

Warning! The category you have selected is intended for returning residents/SB-1 visa applicants only. If you do not belong to this category, please do not use this category to schedule an appointment. If you do so, and you are not a returning resident/SB-1 visa applicant, you will not be interviewed, even if you present yourself at the Embassy on the scheduled date. Consequently, you will need to book another appointment under the proper category.

This wasn't coming up before. What can I do now to schedule? I wasted $20 in phone cards last week trying to schedule by phone.

What number are you calling to schedule? 214-571-1600, 632-982-5555, & 632-902-8930 can be called free from the US. Well, free if you're calling from a cell phone or pre-paid, I guess. But certainly no $20 in cards. I have gotten thru to an operator within 10 call-backs due to like trouble or busy signals.

Good luck!

LOL, of course you're right, Robert, thanks! Just say NO to drug, eh?

Gullible, not guillable.

my husband wasnt deployed yet that time when we got expedite but he got orders tho our process took 5 months only

Well, our timeline was about 5 days short of 5 months, and we were not expedited, so I think it is about the same. But glad they offered it to you!

Also, when calling to request to expedite, the agent reads a list of reasons to expedite (like emergency, in the interest of national security, etc.), and the LAST one they read is due to military deployment. Just being in the military does not allow you to expedite anything.

is there anyone know about this easyfiancevisa? do they really makes your petition process easy and short?..if yes how long did it take?

You gather evidence, put together a packet, send it off with a money order paying the fee... and then you wait.

(Not to disparage any visa service) About all they really offer is convenience, not speed. They know what to do, they do it for you, but the burden of gathering evidence is still on you, and once they compile it, charge you money, and send it off, you are going to.... wait.

Either method is forced to move at the blinding speed of snails that the US Government has adopted. It takes the same amount of time to investigate your application. So all you have done by hiring someone to get your visa for you is pay them money that would be better saved for a plane ticket. You still pay ALL the USCIS & foreign country require for processing & exams, PLUS the "lawyers" fees. Why pay more? It's not hard, just follow the instructions here and on the USCIS website.

That "mountain of unforgiving paperwork" they refer to? You still have to get it together, and send it to them to compile it for you. Once you have it, can you organize it according to the instructions here? I'm sure you can. And I am sure you can do it for MUCH LESS than $195. And their $795 option? Well, in the PI, it costs $350 for MRV fee, and $214 for exam fee, so $564. But their service is $600 on top of the $195 for their basic plan. So they get $231 of your money to mail a packet and "help" you wait.

HTH!!

if you're in the armed forces you can get it expedite

Only if you're being deployed overseas. And after asking USCIS to expedite your case, it takes up to 45 days for them to make a decision if you actually qualify. So if you DO want to expedite, call and request is AS SOON as you get NOA1.

I think I would call the USCIS and discuss this with them. It sounds to me like starting over with a DCF in Seoul would be much faster for you, as K3s are averaging around a year, I believe, and DCFs can happen within a couple of weeks in Korea (at least for us military it can, not sure about DOD-C's). But one thing to consider is that you (MAY) have to reside in Korea for 6 months before you can use DCF. Had I been able to stay in Korea a while longer last year, that is what we would have done, but I was forced to move back to the US, so we went the K1/I-129F route.

I wouldn't recommend doing a DCF unless the USCIS confirms cancellation of your K3; simultaneous submissions would likely cause you problems, I think.

DCF Info: DCF info

And as for the comment about expediting the process for military members... lol!! I called to do that last Sep, and was told I needed orders stating I was being deployed. I waited until I had orders (early Jan), called back, and after a long phone call, was told that I didn't need orders, and that I was being submitted for expedition. About 10 days later, I received an email informing me that our case was being looked into for expediting, and I could expect an answer in about 45 days. As it turned out, we received NOA2 on 1 Feb, stating it went from USCIS to NVC on 24 Jan. So much for expediting, eh?

My vote would be for a hotel. Not expensive, cash (Php) is fine, and it allows your fiancée to leave the baby in the care of Nanay or Tatay and not have to be drug around early in the morning. What's a few $$ for the comfort and ease of staying in a hotel fairly close to the embassy? It's what I plan to do for my asawa; I figure the pancit bihon and caldereta that she will soon be cooking for me in the US will MORE than make up for the money I spend on a hotel for her!

Congrats on nearing the end of your VJ, hope the remainder is smooth sailing for you guys.

Good advice, all around. Nothing cheap nor fast about LEGAL international marriages coming to the US.

The K1 process is a tad faster in general than the K3, and prices are a bit different at different stages, but you will spend some serious money to get married to a USC, and it will take time.

Just be thankful you are Canadian, where crossing the border while waiting is so simple. My lady is in the Philippines, and I will not get to see her until her visa is issued and she flies here to see me.... approximately 9-10 months after I had to leave her. I have a friend who married a USC, but she went back to Canada to complete the K3 process legally, and has had to wait about a year to get an interview, and then her husband deployed, so they cancelled it to wait for his re-deployment back home so the process could be completed and they could be together. (but she crossed the border several times, as did he, to visit)

Legal immigration is a tedious, nerve-wracking, and costly experience. But 43 years from now, you will be glad if you opt to do it legally, for all the reasons above. Trust me when I say the government minions who investigate your illegal entry will NOT care what your reasons/excuses are, nor what your ignorance of the laws are... they can, and most likely WILL deport and ban you.

Do it right, do it once, and do it forever. You'll be glad you did. And feel free to hang out here for support and to talk to others in the same boat as you. You might even make some new friends, I know we have!

Good luck in your journey, hope it goes swiftly and smoothly for you!

Oops, I meant 4 Feb, not 4 Jan.

Our embassy is different, but in our case, the NVC sent packet to Manila on 29 Jan, arrived 4 Jan, and as of today, we have not received letter from embassy. Sometimes they forget to send, it appears. Move on as advised!

Hay naku, so confusing. But thanks to all the wonderful people here, we will get it right. Filling out DS156, DS156K, and DS157 now, MRV to be paid Monday, scheduling St. Lukes for next week or the week after, and then the interview after that. We appreciate all the help. Soon I will have the best asawa in the world!

Dave

you dont have to schedule to undergo the medical exam,she just can walk in at St Lukes anytime..And K1 doesnt need DS160...See the link Harvey and teresa gave to you.You will find there what your fiancee needs to show to the interview..Goodluck to you both!

Are you sure about the DS160? According to the MNL Embassy website: http://manila.usembassy.gov/wwwh3024.html

New DS-160 Online Visa Application Form

Effective May 24, 2010, all nonimmigrant visa applicants will be REQUIRED to complete and submit an online visa application form known as the DS-160 Nonimmigrant Visa Electronic Application. The DS-160 Nonimmigrant Visa Electronic Application will replace the current nonimmigrant visa paper application, Forms DS-156/157/158, and other related paper forms.

Applicants can access the DS-160 from the Consular Electronic Application Center website or from the link on the U.S. Embassy website in Manila.

In order to avoid delays in processing visa applications, visa applicants or their representatives must ensure that the following information is correctly provided:

Thanks for all the replies, ad yes, we have the MNLxxxxxxxx case number. It sounds to me like things have changed a bit, that nowadays, a letter from the embassy is NOT required, and we can just do as is said here, schedule the exam at St. Luke's using the MNL case #, submit the DS160, pay the MRV fee, then schedule the interview online. Ouch. We have been waiting a month and a half for a notification that hasn't yet, and may never, arrive to her. Oh well, it's just time, right?

DHL confirmation for what? No one gets a tacking number for files as they are sent to the embassies/consulates. They are sent in group packages.

I have seen in a few VJ members' timelines that they received a DHL confirmation when their packet went from the NVC to MNL. And two other members whose packets left NVC almost a month after ours have already received embassy letters. Still nothing for us since 5 Feb.