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Hello, I am new here. I'm thankful I've found this site as the amount of information here is very helpful. I am a domiciled American citizen living here in the Philippines with my Filipina wife. I am employed by an American company and have been assigned here for work for several years. Due to a staffing shortage, my employer is now urgently requesting for me to return to the United States. After research it seems we may qualify as an exceptional circumstance to directly file here in Manila. Has anyone had any recent experience with filing directly with the US Embassy in Manila, mainly after field offices were closed I believe in 2019? Other notable information to our case is that I hold dual citizenship (reason I am able to stay here) and we are recently married.

I met my boyfriend online two years ago. He is 19, about to be 20. I have just turned 19. After a long fight with my mom, I was able to convince her to to let me see him. (Whether that be him coming to the US or me going to see him.) He is incredibly poor. He does have some assets, such as family, a motorcycle, and house in his name in the Philippines, and I really do just intend to meet him for a little while. My mom strongly prefers he comes here. We scheduled an interview and it will be taking place in July of 2023. We can support him financially and sponsor his trip here (and are willing to fill out the affidavit of support) but all of this seems to be a red flag for the interview. He has no way financially to be able to come to the US on his own. I've also heard that coming to the US to see a significant other is an extreme red flag. I want to hire an immigration lawyer (not for immigration, just for the b2 visa) in order to get a better grasp on this, but at this point, in his situation, it feels pretty hopeless. We've already waited over a year for this interview. Can I get some guidance on what I or he can do, or if this is just a lost cause and he should cancel? Thank you!!

Hi All, I have a question if anyone has had done a K1 visa for someone in the Philippines and were able to use a Birth Certificate from a local Municipality instead of one from the Philippines Statistics Authority? Me and my fiancé had already submitted our I-129F to USCIS back in July 2022. She had provided me 2 types of Birth Certificates. One was from the Philippines Statistics Authority (PSA) and one was from her local municipality office. The reason she provided 2 versions of her Birth Certificates was because her original PSA was handwritten and it was scanned in blurry and unclear. Her local municipal certificate is a clear version and these 2 birth certificates were used to apply for her Philippines passport. I reviewed the documents with my lawyer and she advised we can submit it with the 2 copies. However, my lawyer told me we would need to request a clearer copy of the PSA Birth Certificate down the road. She believes that may be needed during the consulate interview. I agreed we should try to obtain a clearer copy of the PSA Birth Certificate and had advised my fiancé on obtaining one. The issue is that my fiancé had attempted 2 times working with her local PSA office to obtain a clearer copy. Each time she requested a copy, she requested the copy be clearer. However, each time she comes to pickup the copy, it is not an updated clear copy. She has directed issue to the director of the office there on her 2nd attempt. So we'll wait and see if the third copy is clear. However, the whole situation is a bit frustrating, because she has to pay for each copy of the Birth Certificate even though it was not clear. I am not sure what other recourse we can do to pursue the matter since I am not familiar with the process of the country. Normally, in the US, if we are unsatisfied with the performance of a government office we can report it to our congress person. So I guess it becomes more of a 2 question, do we just try with the 2 Birth Certificates from the PSA and local municipality or do we try to escalate the issue to her congressperson? She tells me her government is corrupt. So she is not too confident anything is going to happen if she reports to her congressperson. Thank You any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Hi guys, we've finally gotten our interview date! Some questions: 1. Petitioner has switched jobs - should we update the I864/AOS? 2. I've moved houses - should we update the DS260? 3. My NBI is still valid (expired June 2023) but the address is still my old one. Is that ok? Thank you!

Hi everyone I filed an i130 on 04/21/2022 for my wife in the Philippines. I am the petitioner and am a USC. We are still awaiting approval for the i130 and my wife wants to change her name on her Philippine passport to my last name since the process is easier while she’s still there in the Philippines as opposed to doing it here in the States. I filed the i130 with her current last name (her father’s last name). Her current last name is on the marriage certificate and her birth certificate. What steps do I need to take to make sure there’s no confusion with her name moving forward in the immigration process? We will file for a CR1 visa upon approval of the i130. PLEASE Help!!

Hello, I’m processing my I-751 Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence. I received a notice on Dec 9th saying I don’t need to go since they can re-use my old biotmetric info. My Case Tracker app confirms this. However, I received another notice soon afted saying I’m scheduled for biometric tomorrow 1/3. Should I still go?

Hello, my wife and I wanted to send a balikbayan box to the Philippines from USA (South Dakota). That being said, my city is small with not a lot of Filipino community. So we don’t have major shipping courier stores that CA or NY have. The UPS store here in my town didn’t know what a balikbayan box was. Planning to send some toys, clothes, used/older electronics, and a couple items from Coach to the family. All for personal use. While we want to fit it all in one large box only, that may be a bit heavy. I am wanting to see what shipping courier options were out there that’s not outrageously expensive.

Hello! just wanted to ask what it really means to escalate a visa? i was given a 221g green slip about two months ago so i called the manila embassy last friday to see how my case is going. they said that they will make an escalation request and will update me in 1-2 business days when the US embassy has received it. i was wondering whether or not these escalation requests actually worked and if anyone else had a similar experience. thank you

Hello Everyone. I’m unsure where to post this because my situation is weird. So I decided to place it in a couple of places because my wife and I need help. My name is Ray, and I recently married my Filipina wife in August of this year via a virtual ceremony from MarryFromHome.com. She still lives in the Philippines, and we’ve shared a condo there since the end of September. We ultimately want to live in the US, where I’m from and still live, and I’ve only been visiting her in the Philippines. We understand the entire visa process from beginning to end could take a while, so we decided to get our marriage (which is fully legal and official in the US) officially recognized in the Philippines. We made that decision partly for my tourist visa extension and because my wife is a federal employee as a teacher, and having our marriage recognized would help me receive some of the benefits she gets. We went to the local Philippine Statistical Authority (PSA) to get our marriage recognized here, and they told us we had to apply for civil registry through the Philippines Embassy in the United States that serves the jurisdiction our wedding took place. After talking with a close friend, she suggested my wife and I have a civil wedding ceremony here in the Philippines at the local City Hall. Before we married virtually, we considered having a civil wedding in the Philippines. That would have required us to go to the US Consulate in Cebu or the US Embassy in Manila to get an Intent to Marry. Once we had that, we could process a request for a ceremony at city hall or a courthouse. That’s where we are a little stuck and need help. We would like a civil ceremony where we are staying right now, so we don’t have to go through all of the paperwork and mailing of documents to go through the Philippines Embassy in the US. But we are not sure if we would still need to appear before the Consulate or Embassy to get an Intent to Marry or if they will honor our marriage certificate. Our marriage certificate is valid and legal in the US, showing Salt Lake City, UT, where our marriage is registered. Any help, guidance, suggestions, or feedback is openly welcomed and deeply and sincerely appreciated. Please don’t hesitate to ask if you have questions or need clarification of our situation. Thank you all so very much in advance.

We are departing to PI in the next two weeks. We book a ticket via CheapOair and really no specific instructions what to prepare for Border Entry. We are not vaccinated and not planning to unless it’s a very serious matter. (Please I’m not inviting a political debate) There is a post in twitter saying that from other country, before you enter back to the US, you are required to get vaccinated. This person from teitter is highly respectable and travels a lot. She calims its effective until Jan 2023. We will be in the Philippines for 9 weeks and will be back to US early February 2023. as far as the airlines, we have connecting flight to Japan and not sure what documents the airlines and Japan needed prior to COVID concerns. I have not been home for swhile and travelling with a toddler ina long haul flight will not be easy. Do I need a PCR test a week or 3days before departure? Where to get it? sorry to ask here but I am so confused eith different answers from the airlines ams google.

Hi kababayans.... I petitioned my parents and we got the Dq'ed this march 2021. Still waiting for the interview date... PLs feel free to share your experience/s.. thanks you,....

Hi I filed a petition for my wife in the Philippines last 04/21/22. I am starting a new job soon and was wondering how to fill out the W4 and later the income twx return. Do I file as married filing seperately and what do I have to do different than before when I filed as single? TIA

Hi all, I filed the i130 back in April 2022 still haven’t heard anything besides my case is being actively reviewed since 04/22. My wife changed her name on her passport to my last name. Do I have to notify USCIS about this or do I just wait until the next stage (NVC processing) and notify them of the name change? TIA

Hello, We submitted the application in March this year and received the first NOA a few days later. We're waiting for the next step now. The estimated I-130 Approval date was initially set for February 2023 most of this time but recently moved to May and then a week later to June. Is anyone experiencing the same? PS: We are married, she's in Manila and I'm in the US. Processing via Manila embassy. Luckily, I've been able to visit twice this year (since Covid restrictions were lifted)

My darling fiancé finally has her visa on hand and we have a flight booked for her to come home! Thank you all so much for all the valuable advice you've given, we really couldn't have gotten through this without it! She still has her CFO to do, but she's prepared for that. I know it's far from over, so what is your advice on what we should do next?

My fiancé got her visa packet today! A few questions though. 1. I'm seeing a lot of advice that says to cut her passport out, then tape it shut. Is that correct? 2. She has two plastic envelopes with separate contents, is that normal?

Hello again, helpful wonderful people! So we're almost there! My fiancé passed her medical exam and psychological evaluation, and her interview went great, now she's awaiting her visa delivery! Very exciting and scary at the same time 😂 She received this email about her upcoming CFO call, and some of it is confusing to me so I was hoping I could get some clarification from you all? I'll attach a photo but I don't need to know what it all means, just a few things... #6 - Is this required? If so, how do I go about getting one? #7 - What do they need to know and in what format? #8 - How would I get a notarized copy from the embassy? Is one sent to her with her visa? #9 - Why would they need this for a fiancé visa? #10 - For her or for myself? Or both? Thank you all again so much, you've all been such a great help! We're so close!

Good evening again, everyone. So this is kind of a panic post. My fiancé is currently at St. Luke's, and they discovered her scars from her depression during her college days (seven years ago) on her wrist. Now she's waiting to be evaluated in "Room N" That depression came from an abusive brother, an absent (but now returned) father, and the awful memory of a near assault at a college party. She's left that all behind and changed dramatically, and it shows. Should we be worried? Her interview is scheduled on July 16th.

Hello again! My fiancé and I scheduled our own interview, rather than wait for the embassy to tell us to. Will she need that eligibility letter from them? Or is our interview confirmation enough?

Hello again! I have a question about the Assets sections of the I-134 Affidavit of Support. If I exceed the poverty guidelines, do I need to add anything here? I've seen others put their bank balances and their fiancé's bank balances in their respective sections, but is that necessary? Thanks in advance!

Hello again, helpful people! I'm currently filling out my I-134, and I'm at the section asking for a USCIS Account Number. I already have a USCIS online account, but no idea where to find the number. The only number I can find on my NOA is the receipt number. Thank you all for being so patient, I'll probably have a lot of questions coming up 😅

First post here, I need some help with planning our next steps. My fiancé and I are finally getting our application sent to the embassy in Manila after a year sitting at the NVC. It's now marked as Ready. Now we're getting our DS-160 and I-134 finished, which shouldn't take long. What we need help with is what to plan for next. (We are both unmarried, no previous marriages, no criminal records, no military history, no prior trips to the US, no residences in any other country except the US for me and the Philippines for her, no children whatsoever, no previous visa applications.) 1. We'd like to schedule her medical exam and visa interview within the same week so she doesn't have to keep traveling from Panay to Manila, but after searching through all the posts here I'm gathering that it might not be that simple? 2. We're having a ridiculous time figuring out exactly what documents she needs to bring to the interview/exam. Of course the official website isn't helpful whatsoever. Can anyone list them for us? 3. What are the steps we have to take after the interview? I'm reading about this CFO that's got us scared now, what other nightmares are waiting for us? I know I'm asking for basically every detailed step from where we are and onward, but I'm sure you can all sympathize, having gone through or still going through this process. Thank you all so much in advance, we are so stressed out and eager to get through this.

Hi, all... Hoping for some factual information as I am running out of Time AND nails to chew on... 🙄 I just wanted to try to confirm with everyone here about aging out (Philippines)? Our (her) daughter is turning 21 in October 10-10-22. It seems like with the current wait times we're not going to make it without a Expedite. I have done 2 expedite requests but they were denied, with just a simple form letter saying we don't qualify. 1: What is the time frame rule for expediting due to age out for Philippines? 2: As far as my understanding goes, We need to have her here by say 10-09-22 at the latest? (Because her birthday is 10-10-22) 3: Or does she need to be here like.. 10-01-22 so we have some time to get married and dated stamp & send the adjusted status? Also I've looked on here for timelines and I know everybody wants to know the same thing so I wanted to post my time line, along with Expedites Also: 4: Does anybody know what time frame they're working on currently? For K1 K2 from Manila? We're about a Year & 2 months right now..... 5: Has anyone had any luck talking with a Senator or Congressman? If so what can they do, or what would I be asking them? I'm about to send a 3rd Expediting requests, it seems a lot of people got lucky on the 3 and 4th requests... Our time line so far... Manila & Oregon USA. Sent (all apps go to TX for distribution)...02-10-2021 Received in CA...........................................02-19-2021 I-797C Receipt............................................03-20-2021 Called to get NVC case number ...............04-06-2021 I-797....(aka USCIS approval)....................11-10-2021 NVC extension form letter ............. ..........01-23-2022 NVC Expedite request ............... ..............02-06-2022 NVC Expedite denial.................... ............ 02-09-2022 NVC 2nd extension form letter. .... ..........03-25-2022

I just filed the i130 online for my wife in the Philippines. I had a lot of supporting evidence such as family pictures, pictures from the wedding, joint bank account documents, screen shots of Facebook chats, pics with the judge who solemnized our marriage, gifts from the wedding made out to both of us, and letters from third parties saying that they were at our wedding and we are in an ongoing and loving relationship. Here is the dilemma. In the section where it asks: "How many times have you been married? Include all annulled marriages, marriages to other people, and marriages to the same person." I put that I was married twice because my wife and I had two ceremonies one civil and one in the church. But in legal terms I guess we only got married once and the other was a religious ceremony. The first ceremony was in the Catholic Church but we did not register that wedding with the PSA (Philippine Statistics Authority). The second ceremony was a civil ceremony where we got married in the local municipal hall in which the marriage was solemnized by a judge. We registered the civil ceremony with the PSA because we wanted to fast track the documents to be able to file the i130 ASAP. I read somewhere that the first marriage is the legal one however we didn't register the church ceremony we registered the civil ceremony. Is there a chance we will run into RFE's because I put we married twice to each other? Is there a possibilty of my petition to be denied because of this? Or did I answer the question correctly? Should I type up a service request for a typo and put that we only got married once and explain that one wedding was a religious ceremony and the civil wedding is the actual legal wedding that was registered with the Philippine Statistics Authority?? Help please and thanks.

Hello, everyone, I am petitioning for my wife to immigrate from the Philippines via IR-1 visa. Our case reached the NVC at the end of December, and in the middle of January, we submitted all our docs. Shortly thereafter, we requested an expedite and we're granted an expedite with conditions. On March 31, 2022, we received an email from the NVC stating that we were documentarily qualified. On April 1st, one day later, we received an email from NVC Expedite stating that because we were expedited, they would send our case immediately to the US Embassy in Manila. That was 12 days ago. I have called the NVC twice this week. The first person told me everything is fine; it's just taking a little while. The rep today gave me what I later found to be false information: that at this point, it's out of the NVC's hands until they get a request for our case from the Embassy itself. I was later told this is incorrect information, and that the NVC is responsible for forwarding it to the Embassy. I have called twice and emailed twice, and nothing is happening; our status is stuck at "At NVC." It's not even "In Transit" yet. Has anyone else faced this issue? What can we do at this point to move things along? We are getting desperate and willing to try practically anything at this point. Thank you in advance.