Ray-J

Congratulations Ray_J!!! I know you on Cloud 9 yourself right about now! :dance: keep us posted when they Arrive!:dance:

I'll be on Cloud 9 when they get here and we've had a chance to breathe a bit. For the moment, I don't have time to feel like I'm floating on clouds. I have an apartment to finish cleaning, else I feel the wrath of a short filipina.

Congratulations!!!! I am so happy everything went well and you all will be reunited soon!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Congrats! I know how you must be feeling right now... on cloud 9, perhaps?

In totally unrelated news, I've been able to confirm through checking Amy's Korean Air Skypass mileage tally that they made their flight and are heading for South Korea right now. After a 2 hour lay-over, it's on to Chicago. Finally, the nightmare of being apart is almost over!!

I've been able to confirm through checking Amy's Korean Air Skypass mileage tally that they made their flight and are heading for South Korea right now. After a 2 hour lay-over, it's on to Chicago. Finally, the nightmare of being apart is almost over!!

My Tatiana and our Son Sasha as well as her mother leave for Moscow in about 2 hours or so. Please pray for them as they go for their interviews. The only gift I want for christmas is the two of them able to come here. We have done our part its up to the US dept of State now. I hope they come through for our family. Wish everybody a merry christmas. Take care.

Yozhik

I pray you have a smooth and successful CRBA and interview process. On another note... 5 days, 16 hours and 55 minutes until Amy & Serena's arrival in the USA; but I'm not really counting.

Congratulations Ray_J, all the hard work paid off. Your family will be here for New Years!! :dance: Good Luck my Friend!!

That is the hope and plan. However, I don't think I will breathe a sigh of relief at all until they're on the plane.

Rejoice! For I bring glad tidings of great joy! I'm purchasing Amy & Serena's airfare today. They will be landing in Chicago on Dec. 30th. This almost seems surreal.

Rejoice! For I bring glad tidings of great joy! I'm purchasing Amy & Serena's airfare today. They will be landing in Chicago on Dec. 30th. This almost seems surreal.

Ray J

What did you use as proof for residence in the US for 5 years or more for your daughter's CRBA? I have a few things but Im not sure it is enough information for the DOS.

I obtained and submitted copies of my high school transcripts, both official and unofficial since I didn't know which they would need.

Also, On the DOS website it says "The father (unless deceased) has agreed in writing to provide financial support for the person until the person reaches the age of 18 years" For the CRBA. How does one go about making this agreement. The Consulate website in Russia doesnt have a form for this nor does the DOS. Do the just want a written notarized statement or what exactly?

The DS-5507 is the form you will need for this. Even though you're going through the Consulate in Moscow, I'd check out Manila's website (http://manila.usembassy.gov/service/citizenship/first-time-report-of-birth-abroad7.html) and use their check list. Some items won't apply to Moscow, such as the NSO copy of the birth certificate (for that, follow the requirements for Russia), but all the forms you should need are available from there.

Good Luck Ray_J, you the Man! I hope Amy and Serena get there soon. Good Luck to you my friend. it has been a pleasure to have met you. Stay in touch with US! Again, Good Luck, Happy Holidays! :thumbs:

You know it, Tom. I know things might be a little rough on you at the moment, but if you can swing a trip to Chicago in early March, PM your address to me and I'll send you an invitation. Our wedding website link is in my sig.

It Would seem now that most or all of us have our NOA2 and most have already gotten their Visa or about to get it. Lets not Forget each other in this long Struggle we began months ago. We were here for the support of each other, we shared with other, We cried with each other, we held up each other to stand when we were too weary! In essence we were like a Family, as we know the components of Family. I am so glad to have met each and everyone of you on this forum and I hope soon we get to see the faces behind the Posts.

Good Luck to each and everyone of YOU! Lets not forget each other as our journey comes to an end. Again Thank You Guys for your support of each and everyone of US!

Good Luck to the rest of our journeys! Our Special May 2011 Flier Group!

TOM :thumbs:

I definitely agree, Tom. We've cleared yet another hurdle. We now have both CRBA and passport in hand for my daughter. The final hurdle, which is really a small one, is getting an exit stamp from Philippine Immigration in Serena's passport. Saving for their airfare has begun in earnest.

Did our interview last Dec 6,2011 and was approved. Just wondering does anyone have an idea how long does it takes to received the visa.

Congrats! That would depend upon if you specified that you would pick it up at a 2Go office and where in the Philippines you live if you didn't tell them to hold for pick-up. Generally, plan on about 2 weeks.

Congrats to you guys. Patience was paid in full 10 fold =)

Quick question. Im preparing all financial documents and it will be the last package I send to my lady before she is to have her interview in Moscow. Currently I have 1040 ez forms dating back 4 years (2007-2010), a letter from my employer stating I make way above the poverty line, a bank statement with some savings and paystubs dating 5 weeks back. Is this enough information to include with the affadavit of support or I need more documentation? Let me know asap as Im sending this package on wednesday. Thanks

That should be enough.

If there are concerns about divorce this early in the relationship (even hypothetical), then perhaps the relationship should be discussed between the two of you and evaluated on its own merits for success. After all, what's the point of filing a petition and spending all the money involved if there's any doubt of his true intentions?

Thanks, dukeandduchess. It's responses like Baron555's that throw me off... It IS because of the pregnancy, so what? Why is it any less "real?" Especially in the eyes of bureaucrats...(I should know, i am one!)

Ray-J, CONGRATS! That's so great that you got to be there and spend time with them right away! Thanks for letting us know how it worked out, i also saw the comment about having to accept the pregnancy and wasn't sure how relevant is it. Much success to you and your new family

Even though the relationship may be due to your pregnancy (congrats, by the way), the only thing the embassy is concerned with is if the relationship is a valid and genuine one. They're more concerned with if the beneficiary is just getting married to come to the US, only to divorce as soon as they get their green card. In this sense, the pregnancy will have no bearing on the outcome of the petition. However, if you're able to be there for his interview and the embassy will allow it (Manila is one of the few that do), be by his side. It shows the interviewer there is a valid relationship and almost guarantees an approval (depending upon country). With that said, Barron is right. It has nothing to do with the petition. I never mentioned it in ours.

Okay fellow VJ'ers... it's been a while since I started this thread and a lot has happened since then. Amy gave birth to our beautiful daughter, Serena Marie (last name withheld), on Sept 25. She was born 3 weeks early but still considered full term at 37 weeks. I arrived in the Philippines on Oct. 10 and stayed for a month. Amy's embassy interview was on Oct. 18. They didn't even ask to see any copies of what we had sent into USCIS. So, an additional letter was unnecessary for Manila (other embassies may have different requirements). What I ended up doing was simply listing Serena as our daughter in the appropriate places on the DS forms the embassy has you fill out. The interview asked if we had her CRBA taken care of yet and was satisfied when we told her we were in the process of doing so. After that, all the interviewer was concerned about was my income level and that it was over the 125% minimum.

Most of the May Filers know about the Situation Grace and I have been going through with her dad the last few months. it was such that I Emailed the US Embassy and explained my situation. they replied back, "not to worry I129F is routinely extended at that embassy" and they extended it an additional 4 months. I just received a Text from her short while ago that her Dad has passed at 130AM Philippine time today. 930AM PST in Cali, Sunday here, Monday early there.

I would like to thank the individuals that sent me PMs and of course the May 2011 Filer group! ThanK YOU!

Tom :thumbs:

My condolences go out to Grace and her family, which, of course, includes you. I know you want more than anything in the world to be there and comfort her in this difficult time. I'm sure she knows this and understands how you feel as well.

On a lighter note, it's a little humorous that you put thumbs after your name. It makes me think of Tom Thumb.

Interview date Tuesday December 6,2011... wish us luck

Good luck. Remember, no liquids (or gels) or electronics are allowed inside. You'll feel like you've won the lottery each time you see your number flash on the board.

how do you pay through BPI? do they have an account # or something?

Your fiancee takes their passport to a BPI branch as described above and tells the teller that he/she is making a payment for the US Embassy visa fee. The fee payment will be routed to the correct account. If the payment is made after 3 pm then it won't post until the next business day.

Anyone know the baggage overweight fee for Korean Air? I hear the limit is 23 kg and Ice's suitcase is 28 kg.

It depends upon the flight. They wanted to charge me $168 for an additional bag coming home from Manila. He is allowed 2 checked bags with a limit of 23 kgs each. Maybe have him get a duffle bag and put about 6 kgs in there? Hope this helps.

you guys should try Momondo.com its a great place to buy really good priced tickets.

Saheed

The problem with using sites like this is that they often don't give the option to purchase a ticket for an infant. If it were just Amy, I'd probably use an option like this.

Congratulations on your wedding. I'm glad that your NOA2 came out just after a short period. Ours took 5 months! I don't know why but when I called them up they said they don't work on cases in a chronological order. Did your fiancee do the medical first then schedule a USEM appointment? Happy Thanksgiving by the way, or as it's known in the Philippines and elsewhere in the world, THURSDAY.

Hmmm, has NVC received your case at all yet? They only hold on to case files for about 48 hours before shipping them off to the respective embassies. As for the medical, it doesn't matter which you do first - go for the medical or schedule the interview - as long as you have your MNL number. You will need that number for both going through the medical and scheduling the interview. We scheduled the interview online as opposed to calling the embassy. With that said, we scheduled the interview before going for her medical. When she goes to pay the $350 visa fee, she can go to any BPI branch as long as its not a BPI Savings Bank branch. It has to be a full service branch. She will need her passport (or at least her passport number, but should bring her passport just in case) since the embassy tracks who paid the fee by the passport number. Her passport number is also the receipt number. It's also important that she brings the receipt from the visa fee payment with her to the interview. They will need it for their files. We forgot to bring it with us and it delayed us getting her visa a little. Although, we did have the good fortune to have requested her visa be held for pick-up at SM Bicutan. If she lives in Metro Manila near there, don't select that location for pick-up. When we went to see if it was ready, one of the guards in the mall said that 2Go had pulled out of SM Bicutan. So, that sent me back to the embassy the next day to inquire about her visa. That's when they told me that they were missing and needed the payment receipt. I asked if I could bring it back the next day and pick-up the visa and they said okay. However, this is something they DO NOT normally do. I count myself as very lucky in this case.

Hi Ray! Uhm maybe you can try booking with Asia Travel, I'm sure they have seats available after the 17th of December. It might be a little expensive but of course its also reasonable somehow because of the holidays

Amy's never been outside the Philippines before. I'm worried about her getting lost in an unfamiliar airport and missing her connecting flight. I've been through Seoul (ICN) enough to know where I'm going. I've been preparing her for ICN. As for expenses, I'm now in wedding pay-off mode with a mixture of airfare purchase sprinkled in.

Ray-J, why don't u buy the tickets from websites like www.kayak.com ?

they always have seats available!! good luck!

See above explanation. I've had nothing but good experiences with Korean Air. I know they'll take good care of my ladies. Besides, they're typically the cheapest flights in and out of Manila.

Well, I have good news and not so good news. Serena's CRBA is done - no more paperwork until it's time to file AOS. The embassy did not ask for a DNA test. The not-so-good news is that they told Amy that she'll have Serena's US passport in 3 to 4 weeks. My travel agent says that there are no available flights from Manila after December 17 until January.

Wally thanks so much for your reply. I have been looking for reliable info on what to do next or what to expect. In last 3 income tax filings, I filed as married with dependents of course because my divorce did not finalize until May of this year. I filed my I-129F sometime in June. Do you think my tax filing status then will make a difference? I will be supplying my fiancee my final divorce papers of course. In fact she already has it. I also will include an employment certification, pay stubs and W-2's. I filed all 1040A's as well.

I have not received a case number from the NVC yet. Is that the MNL#?

When is the right time to get a medical? After she gets a notification from the embassy? How long did it take for the NVC to send your package to USEM? I got my NOA2 Nov 16,2011. Thanks for all your help. God bless!!!

Yes, your NVC case number is you MNL number. The embassy may ask about your filing status, but what matters to them is that you're legally able to marry within 90 days after your fiancee enters the USA. Your divorce decree is your proof of that. As soon as you have your MNL number, your fiancee can go to SMLEC for the medical. In our case, we were pushing things right to the limit. My Amy tried to get her medical done a week before her interview but was told to come back due to some female issues due to a recent pregnancy. We finished her medical the day before her interview. SMLEC gave her an envelope to take with her to the interview. We came out fine.

After 187 days, we finally got our NOA2!!!!!!!!! The email and text just came through 20 minutes ago. I am so happy, I am shaking... I can't believe it, some days I honestly thought this day was never going to come. Thank you Universe, and for my wonderful May Filers family for your love and support!!!! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!! :dance:

~Kat

FINALLY!!!! Now all we need is me&him to get their NOA2. Congrats Kat. :thumbs: :dance: