Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Truckload of questions	One person stated that the time frame for a CR1 Visa. I wish it was true because then my wife would already be here. The USCIS process is 5 to 6 months with no problems. Then the NVC process that takes anywhere from 3 months to 5 months before the spouse actually gets the interview. We sent our I-130 to the USCIS in mid May of 2010. My wife received her approval from the USCIS on 11/02/2010. Over two months already. I am still waiting to receive an interview date for her that is always at least 4 weeks from notification. It could easily be 2 more months before her interview date. Bottom line, plan on 9 months to 10 months from the time you send your I-130 to the USCIS.	bestofboston	Male	Philippines	2011-01-05 07:17:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Severe financial loss........can i expedite?	Very lame reason. Get a job and wait the time like the rest of us, 8 to 10 months.	bestofboston	Male	Philippines	2011-01-15 13:14:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	California Service Center To Texas Service Center	I was reading all this and wondering if I would ever hear or receive the approval for our CR1 Visa. Guess what, just a few moments ago, I received the notice of approval. I am the happiest man in the world right now. I can't wait to tell my wife. She calls me everyday before she goes to work. Any suggestions on the best way to surprise her? We are 12 hours different in time. She will be calling me around 7pm eastern daylight savings time.	bestofboston	Male	Philippines	2010-11-03 14:13:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Finally Approved	Congradulations now you have another 163 days (5 months) before the interview. That is a realistic number. So plan on it so you won't be disappointed. 163 days is taken from the IR1/CR1 trend data on Visa Journey for Egypt. When I began the process, I thought that sounds way to long and if I got the paperwork into the NVC promptly, surely I could reduce that time by serveral months. Wrong, I am still wating for my wifes interview and we received our NOA2 on 11/02/10.	bestofboston	Male	Philippines	2011-02-23 12:18:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	VSC NOA1 - July 6 - Are you waiting for NOA2?	Our I129-F NOA-1 is dated July 1, 2010. Based on Visa Journey timeline, they have not begun to process I129-F dated July 1 or more recent. From what I have read, the whole process takes 5 to 6 months including the National Visa Center and the interview at the Embassy. I agree, it is very hard waiting to be with someone you love so much. Are application is with the CSC. Tom and Joena	bestofboston	Male	Philippines	2010-08-25 05:54:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	a hypothetical question which could make or break a love story. please read	My wife is 25 years younger than me. She is 33 and I am 58 She is a school teacher in the Philippines. Will that help that she is a school teacher? School teachers are very respected in the Philippines. Will I have a difficult time getting her here in the USA on a K3 or IR1/CR1 Visa because of the age difference?	bestofboston	Male	Philippines	2010-09-27 07:14:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	GETTING READY	I received the NOA1 for my wife on the 27th of May 2010 and have not heard one single word from the USCIS since. I have read that the USCIS does not want to hear from you until 5months have passed then you can inquire of the status. It is extremely hard to have to wait so long. Thank God for Magic Jack and Yahoo messenger because we can talk anytime and see each other on web cam. If it had not been for that, I don't know how I would have been able to stand being apart for so long. What is still discouraging is that once the NOA2 arrives, it is another 60 to 90 days at best before my wife can come here to the USA. I finally decided that I could not wait any longer without being with her so I have scheduled a vacation in late November to go and see her. You need a lot of patience to endure your Visa journey. Good Luck	bestofboston	Male	Philippines	2010-10-08 18:11:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	I need advice!	My wife had been previously denied a tourist visa also but we just received our NOA2 yesterday. I don't remember which form ask if she had ever applied for an immigration visa and was denied. She hadn't. I don't think they ask any questions pertaining to tourist visas.	bestofboston	Male	Philippines	2010-11-04 13:49:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Need help with annulment concern	When she goes for an interview, she is required to bring a copy from the Philippines NSO stating that she is divorced because her marriage to a Filipino is recorded on the Philippine national level and the divorce from that person must also be recorded at the NSO. How did she ever get away with it when she married the second American is the question. Maybe the record keeping has changed in the Philippines since her marriage to the Filippino man. Because she was still married to a Filippino man at the time she was married to an American makes that marriage illegal. Because of that, it is very likely that she will be denied a K1 Visa because of comitting fraud. I agree with others that you will need an attorney for this one. Good Luck	bestofboston	Male	Philippines	2010-09-18 06:39:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	lawyer or not	You are fortunate because you are from the Philippines with all legal documents in the Philippines being in english, you do not need to deal with the cost of having documents translated to english. That is huge from what I have been told. My wife and I have done it all on are own with the support of VJ. Nothing has been difficult. You would be wasting money for an attorney. Good Luck	bestofboston	Male	Philippines	2010-12-18 20:02:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	NOA2 Timelime	You can obtain help from your state senator or state congressman for your district after a 5 month period. Not a day sooner. When they get involved, you will get action from the USCIS. My wifes NOA2 was received within 2 days of asking my state senator for help. Go to your state senators or state congressmans website. It has a VISA help section.	bestofboston	Male	Philippines	2010-12-21 14:24:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Many visa options, not sure what to do...	If she has to return to the UK for studies, then making a decision is not that straight forward. Although it takes longer, I recommend the IR1/CR1 route because once she enters the USA being married, she can also leave the USA because her passport will be stamped to allow her to come and go as needed and she will receive her 2 year green card in a short period of time. Don't confuse the AOS (Affadavit of Support) packet for the NVC process with the AOS (Adjustment of Status) for the K1 process. It also cost less to do the IR1/CR1 process. Downfall is it takes about 9 to 10 months to get her here under the IR1/CR1 process assuming you submitt all the paperwork properly to the USCIS and the NVC. If she comes on a K1 visa, that is good for only one entry. She must do an AOS (Adjustment of Status) after you are married here in the USA and then obtain a green card before she will be able to leave and come back to the USA. Not sure how many months it takes to get an AOS completed. You will need to ask others how long she can remain outside of the USA at a time each time she leaves the USA for her studies in the UK. I am still waiting on my wife's visa being processed at the NVC. We began the visa process in May 2010. I hope to have her here within the next 3 months. The NVC lost my first DS230 packet I sent them back in December. I recommend getting at least two certified copies of the birth certificate, marriage certificate, and police records in the even the NVC loses the first DS230 packet you send them. This is assuming you take the IR1/CR1 process and get married either in China or the UK. Good luck Edited by bestofboston, 21 January 2011 - 11:55 AM.	bestofboston	Male	Philippines	2011-01-21 11:52:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	USCIS service center address	Go to the USCIS website and get address	bestofboston	Male	Philippines	2011-01-30 19:25:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Lawyer vs. Self file K1	I used that $1,500 the last guy spent on an attorney on a trip at Thanksgiving time to see my wife. It gets down to how you want to spend your money. On a lawyer or a vacation to see your future spouse.	bestofboston	Male	Philippines	2011-01-31 08:28:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Lawyer vs. Self file K1	Just like others have said, if you can read and write, do it yourself. It is faster and cheaper. I-129F is easy to fill out. Just answer all questions honestly. It is actually easier dealing with the Philippines because all legal documents are in english. No translation required. Your future spouse will just need to get all documents from tne NTS and the NBI. Birth certificate from NTS Cenomar certificate from NTS (Proof of not being married) Police Record from NBI (Philippines version of the FBI) get 3 of each (original copies) In case they lose one or two at the NVC like they did for my case. You also need certified copies of your previous divorce/s if it applies to you for the I-129. Do not send original copies to the USCIS. Save them for the NVC process. You can also prepare for the embassy process while waiting on the USCIS approval by getting all documents for proof of support, etc together. K1 process uses a different form for proof of income than the IR1/CR1 process which uses the I-864 forms. I believe you use the I-134. Good luck. Edited by bestofboston, 31 January 2011 - 08:22 AM.	bestofboston	Male	Philippines	2011-01-31 08:19:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Get married in foreign country after K-1?	In the Philippines your Girl Friend / future wife musts obtain a CENOMAR (Prove in the Philippines that she is single and eligible for marriage) from the Philippine NTS and provide the certificied CENOMAR copy to the NVC or the Embassy. She can not obtain a Cenomar from the NTS if she is married. If you get married, a copy of the marriage certificate will be forwarded to the NTS and she will no longer be able to obtain a CENOMAR, just a NTS copy of the marriage certificate which you need if you are married for the CR1 process. The Manila Embassy may also have means that we are not aware of to verify her status. Do not comitt fraud if you want her here. You can get her here faster using the K1 process. The CR1 process takes on average 10 months before she obtains her visa to come here. 5 months plus at the USCIS and 163 days on average between time the USCIS approves it and she gets an interview, assuming you are quick at getting the papper work in. My wife and I were married last April and we are still waiting on her interview. It has not been scheduled yet. K1 visa process cost more in the long run but she will have her visa in hand in 8 months on average. Don't screw it up because you think you are smarter than they are.	bestofboston	Male	Philippines	2011-02-10 12:25:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	K-1 Visa denied	tell your fiancee to get a second job so there will be no question next time. That will increase his income total and that should put him over the top. In this country, you are at poverty level with a mere income of 32,000 per year. I make over 3 times that and live from pay check to pay check and my kids are on their own and are in their late 20's. Of course I live in Massachusetts more commonly known as Taxachusetts, the home of the bleeding heart liberals that like to find ways to take more of my hard earned money. Good luck. Edited by bestofboston, 24 December 2010 - 10:09 AM.	bestofboston	Male	Philippines	2010-12-24 10:08:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	average time between NOA2 and interview	The NOA2 took us 5 months and 2 weeks The time between NOA2 and interview is almost 5 months for the CR1 process. K1 is faster. I recommend that you look at the Visa Journey timeline like someone previous had stated. Those timelines are based on previous people going through the same process and are close. When I saw 163 days between NOA2 and interview, I thought it may have been due to not being ready for documents that the NVC needs but we had everything prestaged and that did not help. Again, look at VJ timeline, advanced view. It is close	bestofboston	Male	Philippines	2011-02-25 13:20:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	DOES AGE MATTERS AND DOES ONE MEETING OK TO FILE THE K1 VISA?	I have to respond to TwoCats statement below. I really hate when someone makes statements that they have no bases for. The first and second statement bothered me the most. You have three issues that I see: --- 1. A high fraud country. --- 2. A significant age difference --- 3. A single visit Make sure you document your relationship well and be prepared to answer questions. This post has been edited by TwoCats: Yesterday, 10:00 AM Where did TwoCats get his/her information? 1) Wrong. You would be hard pressed to find a woman more sincere than a Filipino woman in search for her mate. I would like to say that European women are far more suspect to fraud marriages. You probably don't agree with that but its my opionion based on being married to a Ukranian in the past. What did you gauge your statement upon? I would have stated an eastern european but its better to generailze like you did. 2) Age difference for Filipino women does not matter to them. I have a great relationship with my wife and we are 25 years apart in age. She is a school teacher with no children so don't assume she is not intelligent and is looking for a father for her children. 3) Single visit is okay but two would be better and so on. One visit is not a red flag. You should keep a call log. Obtain a magic jack and talk to him daily. We did not have the magic jack before we were married. I sent it to her afterward. Yahoo messenger, Skype logs, emails, should be printed for proof of on going relationship. What is nice about the magic jack is that she can call me from the Philippines anytime for free and to any phone number in the states. She calls me on my home phone, cell phone, and work number. Its great to be able to talk with her everyday.	bestofboston	Male	Philippines	2011-03-22 08:17:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Translations for Proof of Having Met in Person	My understanding is you need to have someone certified to translate the documents. Just press 2 for spanish. Edited by bestofboston, 22 March 2011 - 02:40 PM.	bestofboston	Male	Philippines	2011-03-22 14:40:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Concerned after being over questioned at the airport	My wife is from the Philippines. Back in November I went and visited her because she was still waiting on her Visa to come to the USA and it had been six months since we were last together. I went through the same type of questioning but the guy was polite. They searched my luggage and he went through some of my papers that I needed to send to the NVC. Once he saw my wife and I together in a photo, he stopped and let me go. I was very uncomfortable about it but had nothing to hide. They made me feel like a criminal. Not a good feeling. I can't imagine what the questioning must be like when it is a woman that had just come from seeing her fiancee in another country. I don't think you have anything to worry about. Customs officer enjoy exercising the power that they have in detaining you as long as they want. They can be real jerks. I had to wait for an hour in the line to have my personnel possessions searched. I know a lot of other men that were also waiting in line were very uupset because they were concerned about missing their connecting flight. The custom officers could care less about you missing your next flight. Fortunately for me, my layover in Detroit airport was about 5 hours.	bestofboston	Male	Philippines	2011-04-24 15:23:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	form I-134	It exceeds the minimum required for the AOS. Will it be enough to support you? Depends on where he lives.	bestofboston	Male	Philippines	2011-05-23 18:47:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Got RFE for "divorce decree" but I already included it	Nigel and Meggie are correct. My last divorce was in MA. In the state of Ma., the first $20 gets you a certified divorce certificate, which is all I needed when getting my wife here. The USCIS, NVC, and Manila Embassy did not ask for more to get my wife here from the Philippines. It does cost more to get a certified copy of the divorce decree which provides all stipulations of the divorce. You should not be surprised, if you blink, MA. wants to charge you for it. Typically all that is needed is a certified copy of the divorce certificate at the NVC. Perhaps it did not matter for me because I was already married. It was not my first divorce. I had previously been divorced in New Hampshire. New Hampshires divorce document looks more like what you would expect. When I received my first letter from my Mass. attorney stating that the divorce would be final 90 days after whoever needed to sign it which could be up to 30 days after the divorce hearing. I asked my attorney is this a divorce decree? He responded as yes but I was not buying it. So when applying for a CR1 visa, I went to Essex County Court house in Salem Ma to the county clerk office where I paid $20 for a one page document that stated that the divorce was absolute. I asked the clerk is this it. She responded yes unless I want a copy of the settlement which would cost more. I said no thinks and got two certified copies of the absolute divorce document (single page). This is all that was needed for the CR-1 (I-130). I did not send an original document to the USCIS. I did need to send an original to the NVC and I sent another original to my wife because she needed certified copies for the Manila Embassy interview. Obviously you have someone who is not familiar with the MA divorce documents.	bestofboston	Male	Philippines	2011-09-02 07:29:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Got RFE for "divorce decree" but I already included it	I got the RFE letter in the mail today. They want the "divorce decree". But, I already included that in the original request; I paid $20 to the court's copy office to get the document, and included it with the I-129F and also listed it in the table of contents. There is nothing else that Massachusetts courts issue when you request proof of divorce. What am I supposed to do??? Nigel and Meggie are correct. My last divorce was in MA. In the state of Ma., the first $20 gets you a certified divorce certificate, which is all I needed when getting my wife here. The USCIS, NVC, and Manila Embassy did not ask for more to get my wife here from the Philippines. It does cost more to get a certified copy of the divorce decree which provides all stipulations of the divorce. You should not be surprised, if you blink, MA. wants to charge you for it. Typically all that is needed is a certified copy of the divorce certificate at the NVC. Perhaps it did not matter for me because I was already married.	bestofboston	Male	Philippines	2011-09-02 05:53:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Sputum Test, BCG, Family History, Very Worried	The previous person is correct in that St. Lukes seems to "see something" on a lot of people's chest x-rays. However, most of those smear tests and cultures turn out negative for TB. Best wishes. I would not over react at this point and accept the delay like so many others have to do. My wife was telling me that a lot of woman there the day of physical were required to have additional testing done. My wife was one of the lucky ones. She does not smoke and she was a school teacher there. School teachers have to have an xray taken every year in order to teach. My wife did not bring her previous xray with her. Good luck.	bestofboston	Male	Philippines	2011-09-12 13:25:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Firing my attorney, where do I go from here?	I hope you have a relative or close friend that will be your co-sponsor. Good luck	bestofboston	Male	Philippines	2011-09-22 07:23:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	K-1 Fiancee Visa - for greencard holders too?	How long has your future husband been living in the USA? He can become a US Citizen after 5 years and then he can apply for any type visa K1 or I-130 if married. I was under the impression that US Customs would not let you visit on a tourist visa if you are processing a CR-1 Visa. I could be wrong but I thought I had previously read on visa journey where poeple were turned around and sent back to their country because of pending CR-1 visa when coming here on a touris visa.	bestofboston	Male	Philippines	2011-10-20 13:31:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Difference of Age	My wife arrived in the USA in April of this year. We are 25 years apart in age. At first I was worried how comfortable I would feel with her because of the age difference. Those worries are now gone. She is an incredible person. Everyone that meets her thinks she is such a nice person. She is a very caring wife. Sometimes I feel a little insecure because a lot of men stare at her. You need to look at how your gf was raised and what her morales and values are in life. She almost never ask for anything and when I buy her something, she is extremely appreciative to me. I only wish that I had met her 10 years sooner. Age difference is not an issue with most Filipino women. I am a very happy 60 yr old man to have her.	bestofboston	Male	Philippines	2011-10-23 00:54:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	sponsor without tax return, is it ok??	Perhaps she can get her friend to file her return for last year or so. Its never to late to file. Just cost a little more. Then you could use the person as a co-sponsor.	bestofboston	Male	Philippines	2011-10-26 18:32:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	POE overlay	So she arrives at 7pm and completes customs by 10 pm. Not a lot of time between 10pm and 6am to leave the airport and go stay at relatives home and be back to the airport by 4:30am to make her flight by 6am. She also needs to consider the potential of getting caught in traffic in the morning. I like what several suggested. You meet her there and stay at a hotel near the airport and catch flight in morning. If money is an issue to meet her there, then it would be wiser for her to stay at airport. Relatives can meet her at airport. Because of the limited time, she should stay very close to airport. The previous person is wrong about taking 10 minutes to get through customs. My wife came on a IR1 visa and it took her several hours to get through customs and imigrations. I really can't speak for K1 visa but it is probably the same process. Edited by bestofboston, 26 October 2011 - 10:28 PM.	bestofboston	Male	Philippines	2011-10-26 22:24:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	K1 visa for reconciled ex gf	you only need to prove that you were together on last trip, photos, passport stamp that you were there, etc. As previous people stated, the length of the relationship will have no bearing on visa.	bestofboston	Male	Philippines	2011-10-25 03:19:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	denied visa due to insufficient income tax return	The Philippine Embassy does not allow co-sponsors on K1 Visas but will accept on CR1 (already married) visas.	bestofboston	Male	Philippines	2011-11-10 07:17:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	CENOMAR for USC??	My wife and I were married 1-1/2 years ago in the Philippines. She had to obtain a CENOMAR from her government before marriage. I had to go the US Consulate in CEBU and obtain an affadavit that I was eligible for marriage. I had to present certified copies of my divorce at the consulates. Then we had to go to her town offices and apply for a marriage license where I had to give them the affadavit from the consulates. We then had to wait another 10 days before we could get married. Actually it was very easy because I came to the Philippines with the necessary documents and immediately went to Cebu to the US consulates because Cebu was located closer to her home.	bestofboston	Male	Philippines	2011-10-17 14:19:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	HELP! COMPLETE change of personality.... :(	Their are a lot of very good women in the Philippines that would be very happy to have you. Drop her and find a good woman.	bestofboston	Male	Philippines	2012-02-17 14:02:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	where to get Immigrant Data Summary	It is all day from early morning. You need to call phone number in Cebu. The hours on line is not correct. My wife went to Cebu for CFO.	bestofboston	Male	Philippines	2012-04-23 08:06:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	VISA refused - Please advice on what to do	Go there and marry her. Then file I-130 for CR1 visa.	bestofboston	Male	Philippines	2012-05-09 05:46:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Help! Will my fiance NOT be able to leave the US after we marry legally??	If you get married in Mexico before he comes to the USA, he will most likely be rejected if trying to enter on a K1 visa. You should either marry here in the USA if he comes on a K1 and wait for green card before returning to Mexico or marry in Mexico and then file for CR1 visa. The CR1 process may take as long as 10 months before interview at embassy in Mexico. Good luck!	bestofboston	Male	Philippines	2012-05-16 06:13:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	long enough together for the petition?	I thought that once you submit the K1 paperwork, I-129 that you will not be able to go to the USA until you have received the K1 Visa. I don't know if that applies to people residing in Germany. Can anyone clarify this concern? You stated that you plan on coming in October to the USA. Just trying to make sure you won't have an entry problem and be forced to return to Germany without entry to the USA Edited by bestofboston, 23 May 2012 - 08:21 AM.	bestofboston	Male	Philippines	2012-05-23 08:20:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	K1 Fiancee Visa or K3 Non-immigrant Spouse Visa	The K3 process can no longer be obtained. If married, you must do an I-130 for a IR1/CR1 visa. Once the CR1 is approved at the USCIS, the NOA2 paper work is transferred to the National Visa Center (NVC) in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. In your case, it will be a CR1 visa because you would be married less than two years when applying for the visa. The K1 visa will get you in the USA about 4 months quicker than an CR1 visa. The CR1 visa takes approximately 10 months before interview at embassy. This varies between countries. See timelines for England on Visa Journey for both K1 and IR1/CR1 visa. Perhaps her parents or a friend would be willing to become a sponsor if she does not initially qualify. If not, you will need to wait until she qualifies based on income. I don't know if they will make any exceptions to the rule just because she is becoming a Doctor. I know the banks will make exception for loans based on becoming a doctor but I not thinking the government will make exception. Perhaps someone else can shed some light on this.	bestofboston	Male	Philippines	2012-06-05 07:34:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Is it necessary to set a wedding date?	No need to set the date in advance. You just need to tell them that you will be married within the time allocated for the K1visa.	bestofboston	Male	Philippines	2012-10-05 22:50:00