Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Help! I wanna play with you gus too!	Ok, I mailed my I-130 July 3. Nebraska received it July 7. Finally got my cashed check back to my bank July 26 it was cashed in California(case transfered I suppose) Got my case # off the back of check and signed up at their website. Now nothing... no update at website, no email, no nothing....until, I got an email from CSC Aug.8 that said docs were returned by the post office and I needed to call them and update my mailing address. There was also an update about this at the website. So I did....called them the same day and this time I gave them my P.O. Box. Ok now nothing, nothing and nothing. I have never gotten any kind of update for NOA1, no confirmation on mailing address update and now it Sept 10 over 30 days since I updated my mailing address. Wow! I sure would like to play with you guys here but I don't even have a NOA1 date. What do you think? I'm being patient here but I would like at least to know that they got my updated mailing address and it would be nice to know my noa1 date. Since they sent me something.... it must have been my NOA1. Ahhh! But i never received it. Any ideas? Thanks Lorna & Mike	dims1	Male	Philippines	2006-09-10 03:52:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	NOA2 I-130 in 55 days	Wow! I thought I was waiting for at least 3 months for the NOA2. Thankyou God! I really, really hope the March, April, May and June folks are quickly approved. I had a simple type of petition. No divorce or weird stuff. Best to you all.... Wow! Can't wait to tell my sweety-pie! Mike	dims1	Male	Philippines	2006-09-20 18:27:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	photocopy every page of passport?	Hi, My BC was the same way so I sent it and photo copies of my passport pages. Even the front cover just to be sure.Even the instructions and blank pages. Just to be sure. I was approved and received no RFE. And my petition was approved in 7 weeks. So I say send both..... and send copies of EVERY page of passport. I put 2 pages on 1 sheet pf paper and make sure there in order. Can't be to safe :-) Good luck! Mike	dims1	Male	Philippines	2006-09-27 13:43:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	I-864 still 70.00?	Thanks "Simple", Yea the AOS "BILL".... need to quit calling it I-864 Thanks again! Mike	dims1	Male	Philippines	2006-09-29 02:45:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	I-864 still 70.00?	Sorry, I looked all over and the gides and the shortcuts both say 70.00. I thought I saw 80.00 somewhere so I wanted to be sure. How much is the I-864 fees? Thanks, Mike	dims1	Male	Philippines	2006-09-28 23:55:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	looking for sample of I-864 cover letter	Hi, Anyone know where I can see an example of a I-864 cover letter? I used the one here at VJ to make my I-130 cover letter but, I would like to see the generic way to make the I-864 CL. Thanks, Mike	dims1	Male	Philippines	2006-10-15 23:28:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	I-864 for the self-employed	I sent them brochures of my product. Something with your letterhead on it. Then I sent invoices of prior sales and I have some old permits I needed when I did shows in California. Things that have your name on it. Also things like parts invoces. As far as property assets, I'm using my real estate. I made a copy of the deed, The reconveyance cert. and also made copies of my property tax statements which shows the Real Value. I also had a friend at a real estate office write me an estimate. Even though she is not licensed I figured it wouldn't hurt to put that in there. The mistake I made was putting 1000.00 as checking/savings acct balance. They sent me a letter saying I needed proof of my checking/savings acct and proof of my 1000.00 balance. You don't even have to put anything in that box.... its optional. Oh well. They just received that proof today so hopefully I'm done. Everything else must have been ok since they didn't question any of the rest of the stuff or ask for more proof. Hope this helps! Mike	dims1	Male	Philippines	2006-11-16 20:54:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Manila Medical Question	Hi, My wife went to her physical 1 month before interview date so if there was any problems or delays we could fix things so they don't cancel interview. I called Embassy from USA. The lady said she would send our packet 4 to St. lukes that same day and it would be ready the next day at St. Lukes. Very easy. Manila Embassy 011-63-2-528-6300 ext 5184 or 5185 God bless and good luck, Mike	dims1	Male	Philippines	2007-03-08 21:05:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Q about Legal Permanent Resident	Hey after I posted here I realized I posted in the wrong forum. So I posted in the otherone. Sorry to burden you.... grrrr x-posting! I answered you here: http://www.visajourn...showtopic=59844 Yes, via marriage, she will be eligible to apply (if all other conditions are met) after 3 years as a PR (which she becomes at entry). This is the way my husband did it, partly for the reason you cite.	dims1	Male	Philippines	2007-03-19 20:26:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Q about Legal Permanent Resident	Thanks for your help! Actually, I'm tryng to find out if she can in fact become a US citizen in 3 yrs. as opposed to 5 yrs with other visas(k-1 etc) The reason I'm asking is we got a 221g at her interview and the CO wants us to get a co-sponsor. And before I start asking someone, I want to be able to tell them the risk involved and the length of time they will be commiting too. So I guess the queston now is.....Can she become a US citizen in 3 years instead of 5? Mike When she receives her CR-1, she's already a PR. There's no need to adjust status. She can work immediately upon arrival. If your relationship was within two years, you need to file form I-751 to remove conditions.	dims1	Male	Philippines	2007-03-19 19:07:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Q about Legal Permanent Resident	Hi, When my wife gets her CR-1 visa and finally steps foot in usa, will she be a Legal Permanent Resident? If so, does that mean she can become a USA citizen in 3 years? Thanks Mike	dims1	Male	Philippines	2007-03-19 17:34:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	I-864 low income & asset substitution	I used my property assets because i only made 4,000.00 last year. Assets worth 130,000(my home and property) Called NVC and they said I could use my property tax invoices as proof of worth. I got copy of that and deed and whatever else I cold get. NVC accepted it. BUT..... At interview CO told Lorna I couldn't support us on my income. Lorna then told him how my mom gives me money gifts up to 9,000 a year(from future inheiritance) I also had documnetation for that. But its non-taxiable income. And he still said I needed a co-sponsor. Mike Edited by dims1, 27 March 2007 - 02:22 PM.	dims1	Male	Philippines	2007-03-27 14:21:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Question about Lorna's SSN card	Hi, Lorna and I are sitting here in Oregon after her arrival a week ago wondering about her SSN. We put a check in the box asking for a SSN card on the DS230 form and my question is: Since we put a check in this box, does Lorna automatically get issued and mailed her SS card? The box on the form is in a pic below....thanks! ===============================================================	dims1	Male	Philippines	2007-06-17 01:47:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Timeline on I 130 Approvals	Hi The_dip_sticks, You know when I never received my Noa1.... The never updated my acct online and never sent me an email. for like 60days. Then I received an email stating a doc they sent me was sent back as undeliverable. Well then I called them and pushed whatever numbers it was to get a real person. I was on hold for an hour, but finally got to talk to a nice lady. She had access to my case and not only fixed my mailing address, but also requested fast processing. I don't know if that helped, but everything happened real fast after that phone call. Call them.... give it a try.... might speed things up! Good luck to you! Mike	dims1	Male	Philippines	2006-12-07 04:03:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Timeline on I 130 Approvals	Thanks Win78. Yea that REF didnt hold us up bad at all! I'm curious on how things work next. I see K-1 folks go by case number and it seems that we go by case completed date... is that correct? And what do I do next? Go to that Manila webpage and put in my case number to find out if they gave me an interview date? Is that it? We just sit and wait for that every middle of the month? what was the last update as far as... where are they according to case complete dates. There aren't many of us to get an idea from. Thanks for any help you can offer, Mike Hi, please update me too! Case complete 12-01-06 Thanks, Mike congrats dims1. looks like you will still be with our batch after all hope we get dates next week	dims1	Male	Philippines	2006-12-06 20:49:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Timeline on I 130 Approvals	Thanks Brad & Vicky! And same to you!! Man isn't it great to not have to worry about all that paperwork anymore? At least at NVC!! Mike Hi, please update me too! Case complete 12-01-06 Thanks, Mike CONGRATS MIKE!!!!!!!!!	dims1	Male	Philippines	2006-12-05 01:24:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Timeline on I 130 Approvals	Hi, please update me too! Case complete 12-01-06 Thanks, Mike	dims1	Male	Philippines	2006-12-04 13:29:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Timeline on I 130 Approvals	suggestion if we add our sweetys country, we might be able to see where the delays in the process are coming from. Just a thought. Manila, Philippines here. Edited by dims1, 21 November 2006 - 04:08 PM.	dims1	Male	Philippines	2006-11-21 16:07:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Timeline on I 130 Approvals	Please add me too! Philippines dims1 NOA1- 7/25/06 (CSC) NOA2- 9/20/06 Case Completed- Pending Edited by dims1, 21 November 2006 - 03:15 AM.	dims1	Male	Philippines	2006-11-21 03:14:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	G-325-A question city but no state? Weird!	The only time I included 'state' when it only asked for 'city' & 'country' was on line 5 for my spouse. Otherwise I just put in city and country as requested. All was good with no RFE's Thanks! By line 5 do you mean.... "applicants residance last 5 years" The lines aren't numbered so I'm assuming this is the line you are refering too....yes? Mike	dims1	Male	Philippines	2006-02-06 04:00:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	G-325-A question city but no state? Weird!	Hi, I'm getting ready to fill out the G-325-A forms and I don't understand why the form doesn't also ask for a "state" of residence. It asks only for a city and country????? Are we ok in putting only the city and country or do they expect a state as well. Sorry.... just want to make sure! Mike	dims1	Male	Philippines	2006-02-06 03:34:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Fiance letter of intent	Yeaaaaaaaaaa! Thanks a bunch!!! Mike PS....If you are bored and would like to go to my "Lorna & Mikes Website" go here: My Webpage	dims1	Male	Philippines	2006-02-07 01:54:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Fiance letter of intent	Instead of United States Department of State United States Consulate, [NAME OF COUNTRY WHERE EMBASSY IS LOCATED] [EMBASSY ADDRESS] As new letters of intent are also required at interview stage, you would put USCIS [Service Center eg CSC] [address] Department of State and USCIS are two seperate divisions. I think really this should be changed in the example letter of intent to reflect this. Anyone else agree???? Ok so since I am sending this set of intent letters with my I-129 to my service center in Nebraska..... I should remove the: "United States Department of State United States Consulate" And replace with: U.S. Department of Homeland Security U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Nebraska Service Center P.O. Box 87130 Lincoln, NE 68501-7130 Is that right? For both my filipina sweety's letter and mine(american)? And then you are saying we will be making a second set of intent letters for the interview, and these will have a different address? Boy I'm glad I asked? Thanks so much for your help!! Mike	dims1	Male	Philippines	2006-02-07 01:30:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Fiance letter of intent	Just replace it with the service center address. The sample letter of intent has the embassy info as the letter of intent is required again there as well. Ok, I'm a little confused. You said: 'Just replace it with the service center address" Now do you you mean by "it" this? "United States Department of State" "United States Consulate, USA" But then you said: "The sample letter of intent has the embassy info as the letter of intent is required again there as well." Now that sounds like I should NOT replace "IT" But leave it and then put my service center office address under it where the form asks for "address" Am I close.... Sorry for the confusion...:-) Mike	dims1	Male	Philippines	2006-02-07 00:46:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Fiance letter of intent	Hi I'm looking at the example Fiance letter of intent and it has: "United States Department of State" "United States Consulate, USA" And then we are supposed to add the address of the Embassy. But if I use this form for my fiancee sweety in the philippines..... Do I still leave the: United States Department of State United States Consulate, USA Or do I errase that part? Thanks, Mike	dims1	Male	Philippines	2006-02-06 23:33:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	k-1 proof of meeting question	Thanks everyone! Yea 8 flights for ONE trip. Not only that.... United changed my schedule to Los angeles and didn't tell me. So I missed my flight to Singapore. They rescheduled me for the next day (14hrs) and since it was midnight I just slept in a chair at the airport. Quite a story....:-) If you have some time you can go to the website I made and read some articles I'm working on and see photos. Mike & Lorna's Webpage Thanks again....this is a great site! Mike	dims1	Male	Philippines	2006-02-10 16:43:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	k-1 proof of meeting question	Hi, I was wondering if it's ok to put say all of my boarding pass stubs(threre's 8 of them) on one sheet of paper as a copy, and say all of the restraunt receipts on one sheet of paper, and say my 2 ATM withdrawls, cebu airport terminsl fee, and hotel room receipts on 1 sheet of paper. This makes for a tidy way to make the packet but I don't want the packet sent back because this is not allowed.... Any advice? Thanks, Mike	dims1	Male	Philippines	2006-02-10 15:08:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	What is CFO	hi, I'm a guy in the USA and I'm engaged to a lady in Cebu. Is this CFO thing a requirement before she can come here on a K-1? his is the first I've herd of it??? Thanks, Mike	dims1	Male	Philippines	2006-02-12 04:50:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Waiting for NOA1	Ok I received an email today stating that a card or document was returned to them as undeliverable by the post office. I assume this was finally my NOA1. The email said to call them and update my mailing address. So I called the number and told the girl all of my mail address info. I know it was correct on the application so I figure they must have typed an incorrect zip code or something. anyway she allowed me to use a P.O Box so I hope this fixes things. My PO doesn't deliver out here to my house so I get my mail at the PO box in town. But this is a small town and my friends at the po know that any mail addressed to my street address gets put in my po box..... Weird! Mike I also have not received my NOA1 for my I-130 I sent petition July3 Nebraska received it July 7 Cashed check in my bank July 25 From California Service Center Website has a last date of touch July28. No email no NOA1... nothing. Mike	dims1	Male	Philippines	2006-08-09 18:20:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Waiting for NOA1	I also have not received my NOA1 for my I-130 I sent petition July3 Nebraska received it July 7 Cashed check in my bank July 25 From California Service Center Website has a last date of touch July28. No email no NOA1... nothing. Mike Edited by dims1, 09 August 2006 - 01:06 AM.	dims1	Male	Philippines	2006-08-09 01:05:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	IT'S PARTY TIME!!!!	Gary & Luz.... I've been lurking around VJ for a long time but only post when I have a question or know an answer. But WOW! I've been watching you 2 sit in the timeline.... and sit... and sit. For so long, and still your attitude has been great and you have been so supportive to others. I watch you change your photos and I kept wondering "HOW LONG?" Well congratulations and thanks for sharing your positive energy and love to the rest of us. Good luck with the rest of the process and I wish you much happiness When Luz gets here in the USA. Thanks and Quere Yo Contigo! Lorna & Mike	dims1	Male	Philippines	2006-09-08 22:09:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Fiance Birth Certificate	"captive_audience", Hi.... Lorna my wife had a horrible time getting BC on NSO paper which is required for passport and visa. Here is the basics.... She had to go from Cebu back to her little island Basilian because she never had a BC. This is because she was born in her moms house and her aunt was the mid wife. They never registered her. When she went to NSO to get her BC, they said she wasn't in the data base. Then they told her she needed to go back to her original place of birth to Civil registry and start the BC process. So she went back and ended up staying there for 2 months waiting for an expedited BC on NSO paper that Civil Reg there was supposed to get for her. Well before that she had to go to cit hall and back to civil reg and get different forms filled out and a witness had to come with her to swear she was born, hehehe. What a headache. and then after the 10 business days of waiting for the original BC, she went in and it turns out that the mayor there was murdered and it would be another 7 to 10 days. So after the next 10 days she went in and there was nothing. so then she went in every 2 days for about 10 days. Finally I told her to get the tracking number of the doc which they had sent to Zamboanga. Well now they say they lost the tracking number! Jeeesh! So the lady gave her a handwritten letter so Lorna could go to Zamboanga CR and talk to them. once in Zamboanga, the CR there finally handed here her a brand new original BC and told her she would send a copy to NSO and request a cert. copy on NSO paper. Well after waiting for that for a couple of weeks, she needed to get back to Cebu cuz I was flying in to marry her. (Marriage application.... another nightmare!) So she left and we got married in Cebu and then when we tried to order her BC from NSO through Ecensus website, it came up negative. back then.....in may... and, just last week. So the way we got our BC on NSO paper quickly was a guy at Civil Reg in Cebu who did our marriage application and cert. said he could get the BC cert on nso paper quickly cuz he had a friend who worked at NSO. Well we got it in 2 days.... after giving this guy 10.00 for his friend and tipping him 5.00. So the whole idea to this story is.... Start your BC process right away cuz you don't know how long it will really take to get the new original from CR. And NSO is extremely slow at getting the cert. into their data base. And that you can pay someone "under the table" to get it done quickly. Sorry for the long post but it was such a nightmare for us. Maybe this info will help you avoid some of the problems we had. Mike	dims1	Male	Philippines	2006-09-13 16:46:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Transferred Petitions	The only way I know mine wa transfered to CSC was my check was cashed in calif. I didn't get any notifications for 2 months. No emails or snail mail or website touches/notifications. Then I got an email saying a doc they sent me was returned by the postal service and i needeed to call them and update my mailing address....which I did. Then I never herd anything for a month. Finally I called again and this time I got a nice lady who actually had access to me case. She said the mailing address had not been made. But she would do it right now. And she gave me my NOA1 date. So that was a great call for me. Then I received a touch....and then I received a letter telling me they updated my email address. So I think alot of it depends on which case worker is working on your case. Some of them might not give notices like the others. Maybe.... my opinion. Bottom line.... patience! And after the 30 days, call them. Good luck! Mike	dims1	Male	Philippines	2006-09-19 13:04:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Whoelse has been waiting for approval since April?	Don't know if this will help. When I never received confirmation of address update, I called and when the auto responce gave me selections I went with the one for address update or something like "if its been over so many days and you haven't received notice" choose (insert # here) and I ended up speaking to a very nice lady who actually had access to my acct. She updated my address which had not been done by the last operator I talked to 30 days back, and she was able to tell me when my NOA1 was issued since I never received it..... Then she said "I will also put a request to process you application ASAP" I said what? She said that she put "Expedite" on my ap.... Well my ap only took 7 weeks instead of the normal 3 months so I don't know if her putting "expedite" on it was the reason. Anyway, my point is you can get through to a person who has access to your acct if you push the right numbers. I think if anyone deserves a live officer, its you! Good luck! Mike Oh I might add..... I was on hold for 1 hour before I got the live case worker.... so be patient! Mike	dims1	Male	Philippines	2006-10-11 15:34:00
Asia: East and Pacific	anybody got married in the philippines, help me!! anybody!	Things to consider..... Different parts of phillipines have different rules even though the philippine law for marriage is written in black and white. For example.... In Cebu my wife was 23. She still had to get consent even though the law says 18-21 must have consent.... 21-25 must have advice. Well My wife had to have moms consent even though she was 23 and luckily I called the city hall and asked questions cuz they asked what about her dad? I said well he is dead. They said well then you must get a death certificate for the dad then she won't need dads consent. Also for my afidavit in liew of capacity to marry cert. I decided to stop in manila and get it there instead of Cebu because in manila the fiancee is not required and the process is simple and takes about 10 minutes. In cebu you must bring your fiancee and it is much longer process and sometimes they won't issue the cert. right away. . Also she will need a capicity to marry cert. you can order this online along with her birth certificate copy at: http://www.eCensus.com.ph Here you can pay online with credit card(expensive) or have your lady go into a bank with the email receipt and pay. Also when you go to the "ALL DAY seminar" while you are waiting the 10 days (this is cosecutive days not biz days) In cebu, Make sure you are wearing long pants and shoes... not shorts and/or sandals, or they will make you go home and change! We got married simply and quickly in my hotel room by a pastor. Just had to sign a note stating we requested to be married in my room. Also my sweety never had a birth certificate. She was born on a small island in her moms house and they never registered her. That was a pain to get done. She had to go home to her island and stay there almost 2 months running around getting paper work, witnesses etc. So what I'm saying is while eveyone has great intentions to help you out here..... Do your research and call the embassy or the city hall in her city and find out the requirements. Good luck and know that the PI loves certificates and lots of paperwork!! :-)	dims1	Male	Philippines	2006-08-19 04:35:00
Asia: East and Pacific	Sending money to the Philippines	Hi, I sent my wife a debit card to my savings acct. She just goes to an ATM machine and gets what I tell her. It only cost a couple of bucks. Works great and there's no waiting. Western union was way expensive. Mike & Lorna	dims1	Male	Philippines	2006-08-02 00:04:00
Asia: East and Pacific	Homesickness and Adjusting to America	Hi, I'm really glad somone has started a post on this subject. It's very much needed from what I've been reading about others experiences. I really don't have much to offer at this time as Lorna is still waiting for her interview. (mar.19) But, today I was doing some research. I have had Directv for about 15yrs and I'm looking into getting the Filipino package for Lorna. They have 2 packages one with 6 filipina tv stations and 4 radio stations for $26.00 a month buy you have to already have one of DTV's other packages. Then they have another package with an extra channel.... the number 1 filipino station in the PI. Its an extra $9.00 a month.($35.00 for that package) I'm pretty sure you can use one of the old round 18" dishes and a newer receiver if you want to and sometimes they will give you the whole setup for free. Anyway, I'm still checking into it and am fairly knowlegable with DTV (I have 5 receivers, 2 dishes and a 4x8 multi-switch. If I can be of help just ask. God bless, Mike	dims1	Male	Philippines	2007-03-10 19:08:00
National Visa Center (Dept of State)	Time for NVC to process	Mew, That link only shows K-1s.... Is there a link to one of those charts for I-130/k-3? Thanks, Mike	dims1	Male	Philippines	2006-09-08 22:19:00
National Visa Center (Dept of State)	question about police cert. in philippines	PatientlyWaiting, Thanks alot. Wow sorry for your delays.... you are very patient :-) good luck. Oh, my sweety's NBI says "No Record" and is stamped for travel abroad. So that part is good to go. :-) Take care, Mike	dims1	Male	Philippines	2006-09-26 14:46:00
National Visa Center (Dept of State)	question about police cert. in philippines	Hi.... There was a topic about this here and I can't find it. It talked about NBI/police cert. and how if it said something like: "No record" you would need a letter or something from the Manila NBI. Anyone know about this? Thanks, Mike	dims1	Male	Philippines	2006-09-25 03:24:00