RK_and_Inday

Wow Murysa, what an amazing amount of accomplishment in a short period of time! You should be so proud of yourself!
I am so glad he lied on that custody thing, so now he has made a bad name for himself and all the other lies will unravel.
I am very happy for you, and your report brought a tear to my eye. Keep up the awesome work and take care of yourself.

OP, in first place what I want to tell you, whether you are lying or not is, people CAN learn English or any other language from different sources, you can be just naturally gifted like someone else said. Good for whoever went to college, school, whatever to learn a language but some people just don't need it. I'm one of those, thanks to Backstreet Boys (lol), my old radio, TV, my old dictionary and my brain I learned English by myself. Perfect? Not at all but it could be! And I'm still learning!! Native speakers in EVERY country make mistakes, every language has slang and I really do not see how native americans here speak that good.
In fact, I don't know about everybody but where we live there are so many called "rednecks" and their grammar is terrible, way worse when speaking because of slang. The public schools here are also not that great and I see a lot of people here having a hard time spelling/reading. So basically, yes you can learn by yourself, great if you went to college but there are thousands of ways to learn a language.
Anyway, some people gave you good advice and in my opinion your husband will NOT love you more if you get your AOS done at all. There's some things that cannot be fixed, things will get worse. Just think, he will "lose" control over you and then things will get more serious. The fact that he is a military does not mean anything, their character is not tested when joining. You should follow the advice it was given to you and get yourself together, you need a plan to keep you and your son safe.
If your story is true or not, it does not matter. Too bad if it is not, at least you can see that people care. If it is real, good luck and I wish you the best.
P.S: And by the way, stop defending yourself though if you are really saying the truth. You do not owe anything to anyone in here, you got good advice already and this whole argument about your English skills is pointless. If you have any other question about the main topic, feel free to send me a message, I'll be happy to help.

Navy Seal Team 6 is sending live feed here to the situation room. Heavy casualties are being reported and collateral damage of three brown-tail tuna necessitates cease-fire and negotiations for terms. Situation has been elevated from San Miguel to Tanduay status.

My wife does most of the cooking, and she knows what I don't like to eat because I informed her when we first met (I hate condiments like ketchup/mustard/mayo/etc.). She typically makse two version of her cultural dishes for us, and I do the same thing when I cook during the weekend (I like things spicy and sushi, she does not). I think it's all about compromise.
We don't go out to each much, because she believes in home cooked meals. Healthy food is generally more expensive, but it's worth it to us. Since Darren mentioned about eating together as a family (which is a good thing if you have time), but another activity I suggest doing together is exercise (whether it be joining a gym, walking, hiking, and etc.). My wife kills me with her 2 hour long walks.

@Princess Rena,
Confirming and emphasizing portion of "Wally G!"'s response to you: one of the pre-requisites to submitting I-129f is that you and your fiance have met each other in person, within the two years immediately preceding filing the I-129f petition [with extremely rare exceptions]. Is that the case? Have you met each other personally/in person within this time frame? [bTW, Wally G! is correct on the other points also.] Additonal posters' advice to keep response about meeting in person short and simple is wise. Most persons seem to be able to utilize the space provided on I-129F form to describe the in person meeting(s). Please let us know if we can help you more about this or with anything during you and your fiance's own Visa Journey. Wishing you and your fiance the best!!! --RK and Inday

@Fiance and all--
OP: Very interesting question (What are countries in rank for immigration?) Could be answered in many ways, but
1. Here is one interesting data summary:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2112rank.html
which ranks 220 countries by net migration rate. Net migration is defined on this link as the number of immigrants entering country minus the number of emigrants leaving a particular country per 1,000 persons. Qatar is highest on the list (+40.6 net migrating individuals per 1000 persons) and the United States is ranked 26th (+3.6 net migration)
2. As to why comparatively more or less persons would immigrate to or emigrate from any particular country (or remain in one's native country) the reasons are numerous encompassing (among other factors) a wide variety of political, social, historical reasons as well as personal circumstances, all of which are constantly changing. Examination of these various influencing factors, whether by fact or opinion, can lead to many interesting discussions.
Thank you, Fiance, for presenting an interesting question and engendering some interesting food for thought!
--RK and Inday

The point of this thread is not what I feel when I hear someone say "my Filipina".
I, like most people, have known people of many different ethnic groups. I've known people as friends, coworkers, and almost every other relationship imaginable. I've never, ever referred to anybody simply by their ethnicity: "my Mexican", "my Puerto Rican", "my Chinese", "my African".
And, even more to the point, I've never in my life heard anybody else use one of those phrases. We can make all the jokes about it that we want, but we all know it would be unacceptable in our society to use phrases like that. But, for some reason, some husbands feel it is acceptable to refer to their wife as "my Filipina".
The question is not what do I think it means; the question is: What do those who use the phrase mean and why do they use the phrase?

Every page of your passport, including the blank pages and the covers. This proves (or at least makes it highly likely) that you have the actual passport in your hands, and didn't just download a few scanned pages from the internet.
Paper clips or spring clips are fine. You don't have to go out of your way to package the petition documents. They're going to disassemble whatever you do and put everything in their own binder anyway. Be careful of small loose documents like photos. Passport style photos can be placed in a small ziploc bag and taped or stapled to a full size sheet of paper (be sure not to tape down the ziploc end of the bag so that they can open it). Larger photos can either be printed on full size pages (multiple photos to a page, if you like), or printed on photo paper and attached to full size sheets, or inserted into ziploc bags which are taped to full size sheets. The idea is to use full size 8.5 x 11 sheets for everything, if at all possible. It makes it easier for them to bind everything into their folder, and reduces the chances of something getting lost.
The VJ guides say to use ACCO fasteners (the kind where you punch two holes at the top of the page). This was accurate information when K1 petitions were sent directly to the regional service center where they are going to be adjudicated. I'm not sure it's accurate anymore since petitions are now sent to the Texas lockbox. I don't know what the recommendations are for the Texas lockbox, but the Chicago lockbox does NOT want you using ACCO fasteners. I think heavy duty spring clips are a safe bet.
BTW, contact your state board of vital statistics and get a new certified copy of your birth certificate. Get a few copies, in fact. Keep them in a fire safe. You never know when you'll need an original.

Yes, the IRS makes mistakes but a lot of the time the answer you get depends on the facts that you present to the person that is trying to help you. Some people like to "shop" around for the answer that they want to hear. I am in my 33rd year as an Internal Revenue Agent and I know I have made my share of mistakes in my job. As a Revenue Agent I can tell you with certainty that if you are married at the end of a year then Single is not an appropriate filing status for that year. Here is a link to a tool on the IRS website that helps you determine your filing status. If you answer the questions truthfully then you will find out your proper filing status.
What is my Filing Status?

Let me see if I understand your rational. You have invested lots of time, love, and money in this relationship and you don't want that wasted. If this was a sports car and you drove it joyfully for a year then the next year the transmission went out, you cracked the block, and then your car was stolen by a drug smuggler and when the police had returned it to you, it was ripped apart because of getting the bad things out, and it was in horrible condition and not drivable, would you say, "I enjoyed the car and now its time is past and it won't benefit me to spend another minute, dollar, or emotion on it and move on" or "Oh noooooo....I LOVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEDDDD this car and MUST HAVE IT!!!!" ?
What would it take for you to treat someone the way she has treated you? If you did that to anyone, would that relationship be salvageable?
How mature are you? You want her to change but it seems to me that you are the one that needs to change. Holding on tight to something dead doesn't bring it back to life.
What exactly do you want from her? Really. Make a list of what she needs to do, say, and give to make this work. (You don't have to actually give it to her. Is she capable of that? If she doesn't respond to you now, what do you really expect to happen later on, if you do manage to work this occasion out?

OP..
it depends if you begin your studies at a Community/Junior College.. there are several trades/programs.. that have a 2 year curriculum.. when completed.. you receive an ASSOCIATES DEGREE..
a friend of mine went to a Junior college completed Criminal Justice Program there for 2 yrs.. THEN transferred those courses to a 4 year school got Bachelors and is will be done with Masters this May..
only 25% of the USA population have a college degree.. so anything is better then nothing.. if you can pick one up on your way to achieve something else.. by all means do so.. there are benefits to HIGHER EDUCATION achievements, no matter how small or large....

If the first wife would have been an American woman would it seem bad to ever marry another American?

You completely side-stepped my comment and my questions. You were the first one who responded to the OP. Your posts were post #2 and post #4. Both of them were uncalled for. As soon as you read the OP, you could have reported the thread and left it at that, yet you did not. In Brandon and Beth's thread you behaved like the thought police, and in this thread you are the one posting nonsense. Get over yourself!

Of course I'd defend my wife's honor to the grave of anyone who would attack her like that.
I don't think it applies in this situation though as he has distanced himself from the offensive family members already and is making a choice to offer her up as cannon fodder.
Just look at the totality of the situation here, it almost seems like cheesing-off his family may be one of the reasons he shopped for a Filipino to marry in the first place.
This whole situation stinks really badly and I can't see why he would willingly put his wife into it.
For example: I have no relationship with several members of my family, they all know about my marriage to Anna and some of them have even made inappropriate comments about it. They are attempting to use her to get to me because they know they can't directly affect me anymore. If I allow myself to get drawn into it then I've diminished Anna by allowing them to utilize her in that way. How do I prove them wrong? By living a happy life with my wife and kids despite their opinions.
There is a big difference between someone voicing an honest concern (which I always respond to) and someone making a blatant attack on her/us. The only real motive of the latter is as I've previously stated so tell me who really wins if I engage them?

But of course you have to respond, that's the only way you get to "play the game" of dysfunction.
Why can't you just let it be, she's said her piece so move along. She'll either come around in time or not but that won't be as a result of anything you write to her.

Already telling family. Broke it to parents last night, and waiting for answer. Word is now getting out. I am hoping to call and tell my sister tonight and maybe my brother. Right now I am tied up with work. Bad day.

Yeah, but you've already indicated that they will find out through the family grapevine, so it's no longer a matter of being able to keep it on the down low. If you go to your cousins, he will know, whether you disclose everything (marriage, pregnancy) or not, and then word will eventually get back to your parents. In the meantime, you're putting your wife through unnecessary drama on your first Christmas together. That's really not fair to her. Just stand up to the plate and make a formal announcement - be forthright and to the point. Do it right away before the get together with your cousin, or tell him you aren't going to be able to come. Do it for your wife and her peace of mind.

Who needs google when you have the crazy bunch at VJ!!!!

I calculated my NOA2 date using this simple USCIS workflow mathematical formula : Enjoy

You cannot schedule online or over the phone if the Embassy did not input your case in their system yet. From my previous experience, it took them a week upon receipt to do this.
If NVC sent it Nov. 4, plus average 3 days shipping = Nov. 7, plus 7 days = Nov. 14. I suggest you pay around this date.
Try also to email the embassy at IVManilaReplies@state.gov, please see this link for email instruction: http://manila.usembassy.gov/wwwh3023/contact-us.html
The email might help in locating the file and inputting the case in their system right away.

The petition will be rejected and returned. He can write a new check for the correct amount $340, and send it back. You are worried about the wrong thing.
Here is what you should worry about...
Your fiance did not know the correct amount to send and sent it using the logic of "too much is better than not enough" This is wrong. In many ways. I am guessing that it may have not been the only mistake he made. Just guessing. Did he have a CENOMAR from you? A signed letter of intent from you? A signed G-325a from you? Passport photos? Was all that included, translated if needed?
It will be a couple weeks before he gets it back so I suggest that HE come to this site and READ the instructions for the form I-129f and the guides on how to file a petition for a fiancee. Ask questions and get correct answers before sending it again. This will save you time in the long run. The correct amount to send is listed in the instructions
Do not send it back until you are sure everything else is correct. When the amount of the check you sent is wrong it indicates TWO things
1. No one read the instructions
2. Without reading the instructions it is virtually impossible to do this correctly

Repeating the fear-mongering does not make it true. She is visiting her family. That is the full extent of how tricky this is.
You did more than that. This tactic is called "minimization" coupled with "playing the victim". Here you were innocently accusing someone of a felony on a public forum (defamation) and absolutely yes threatening them that gestapo-soldiers are going to arrest them at the border for visiting their granchildren. And now you want to pretend you were minding your own business and here people are attacking you for no reason.
You have stated that you misunderstood a word, but this article is clearly your foundation, and it is stupid self-promotion by this person. We need her to say that we are visiting our grandchildren and not signing an employment contract as a day care provider?
This is what I said, so repeating it back to me is sure interesting.
I understand you saw this article and thought it would be a cool way to repeat exactly what the author did: create phony drama where there is none, then come to the "rescue", and we'll all be grateful you saved us from ourselves.
But it is like saying you should be careful and not say you are a terrorist bent on blowing up NYC when you enter, when you are there to see Disneyland. It isn't quite that stupid, but it is really, really dumb to pretend grandma is an employee. That was the whole premise of this article, that someone would be so idiotic they would claim themselves an employee. There was no language error in the article you used.

Or...you could just do the right thing and not steal someone else's seat! I've never understood that...I'll go to a concert, board an airplane, or attend a sporting event, and sure as hell...some idiot is sitting in my seat. It always amuses me when they try to act like they didn't know what they were doing "Oh, these aren't our seats, I'm sorry." "Yeah, no kidding, didn't you notice that this is section 102 and your tickets say section 305?" It's called integrity...get some!

Paul...Yes, knowledge is power. When your approved petition arrives at the U.S. Embassy Manila, the Embassy sends the beneficiary a letter which gives them detailed instructions on how to prepare for the interview, including information about the medical exam.
Some people call it the "eligibility" letter because it starts out by telling your fiancée that she's eligible to schedule an interview. Both you and your fiancée should become familiar with it. I will post a link for the English version and for the Tagalog version too.
English version.
Tagalog version.

Paul, thanks for your response. Because your fiancée is fluent in Ilonggo, I'm thinking it would make sense for you to find someone in Iloilo City who could help her get her NBI clearance, one of the documents necessary to get her passport. It seems that she already is capable of getting her birth certificate from the NSO, and she will need another one to get her passport since she sent her only copy to you.
Once she has both documents, she could go along with the person helping her to the DFA in Iloilo City and apply for a passport. Since this is your fiancée's first passport, she will be required to apply in person at the DFA. If you can't find anyone to help her in Iloilo City (or Bacolod City), she could hire a reputable travel agent in Iloilo City to accompany her when she gets the necessary documents and when she applies for her passport. Good travel agents in the Philippines routinely handle passport matters.
The same person could also help her get her CENOMAR from the NSO and an updated NBI clearance when she's closer to her interview.
This would save you a lot of unpaid time off from work and it would also keep your expenses down. It would also make it easier for your fiancée to get her passport.
Since your fiancée is 18 years old, she will need a letter of consent from her parents in order to get married. The letter simply gives her parents consent for her to marry you. This is not necessarily a requirement of the U.S. Embassy, and they may not ask for it at her interview, but it's part of Philippine law and the CFO will likely ask for it when your fiancée attends their mandatory seminar.
A potential issue at her Embassy interview is her lack of fluency in both English and Tagalog. Most interviews are conducted in English. It's my understanding that some of the consular officers also speak Tagalog. However, I'm not sure they speak enough Tagalog to conduct an entire interview. The Embassy also allows for their interpreter to translate at the interview. However, I'm not sure if they have any Ilonggo interpreters available. They may only have Tagalog interpreters available.
Perhaps a bigger potential issue at her Embassy interview will be whether or not the consular officer believes you have a bona fide relationship with your fiancée since you two don't share fluency in a common language. This is one reason why it would be good for you to attend your fiancée's interview. The Embassy almost always allows a K-1 petitioner to attend their beneficiary's prescreening and interview.
Another thing you can do if you want to play it safe is to bring her parents to Manila for a day in order to wait outside while your fiancée attends the CFO seminar. There's a chance that the CFO people will not only ask her for a letter of consent to get married, but also to speak with her parents.
This is just some food for thought.
By the way, my wife is Ilongo too. We met online. How did you meet your fiancée?