Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Philippines	Waiting..... Waiting	Why?Not caring = meaning...not responding to an attack on my wife's, my marriage or my integrity / honor....I would aggressively respond w/out hesitation. I care about my wife's feelings and I care about protecting her honor. It's a matter of principle. Bob..I've seen you defend Filipinas. I know you agree. 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?	Bob 4 Anna	Male	Philippines	2011-12-23 13:50:00
Philippines	Waiting..... Waiting	Good advice but... 1) Darren desires to reclaim his position in the family. How he operates (within) the family (dynamics) is obviously important to him. 2) I don't think it would be easy for any husband / wife to ignore and let any1..(let alone a family member)..insult their SO or marriage. Nor do I think an insult should be ignored. 3) The insults delivered by his sister may be very important to his wife. Discrediting honor is not allowed. 2 & 3 are only relevant in light of 1. Honestly neither Anna or I care about the opinion of someone who disapproves of our marriage for trivial and superficial reasons.	Bob 4 Anna	Male	Philippines	2011-12-23 13:08:00
Philippines	Waiting..... Waiting	her last line: I do not anticipate, or quite frankly, even desire a response. Quite frankly speaking... My sister Does not get the last word on this. She will not answer calls. So I have no way of talking with her other then emails. You don't start something then walk away. She doesn't want me contacting her pastor. Believe me, i am considering that as well. It will bring their perfectly happy standing in the church to a standstill. I have been nice to her and her husband. But quite frankly, her and her husband need to be reminded who is the oldest in the family. Her finding it shameful is her own misanthropic selection of her vision. I no longer fit in her perfect world. So that which does not fit must be placed outside of the world and disowned to exist. Sticking your head in the sand while standing up leads to a good drop kick through the goalposts of heaven. Why exactly? Again this is just you wanting to play the game. Haven't you heard the best revenge is to live a good life? To more you press this the more it sounds like maybe Gretchen is just a Pawn in your family's dysfunctional chess game.	Bob 4 Anna	Male	Philippines	2011-12-23 11:37:00
Philippines	Waiting..... Waiting	I am writing a response to my sister. I am also sending to my brother and my parents. so they know as well. Gretchen is going to read and edit with her comments and thoughts. I have written my heart to my sister. Now I will let my wife say her part. 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.	Bob 4 Anna	Male	Philippines	2011-12-23 10:15:00
Philippines	Waiting..... Waiting	Seriously, what can Gretchen do? She's alone, in a strange country, and pregnant. All she can really do is accept that this is her life. I hope everything works out for the best. Give her time, Filipinos are resourceful. If she decides this isn't the way she wants to live her life then she'll get a lot of options once she starts looking for them and they'll be younger, better looking etc...	Bob 4 Anna	Male	Philippines	2011-12-21 14:28:00
Philippines	Waiting..... Waiting	What isn't funny is how you're playing right along with all of the manipulation (and will probably teach Gretchen to also) whilst belittling the rest of your family for meddling and manipulating... I mean your kids have already learned. If you don't think you're just as much a game player as them then tel me why you would refer to Gretchen as a Friend when you say you knew it would have the same result as calling her your wife? The honest answer is because even if the core data is the same by using a different label you are implying a lot about everyone in your family (adding a hidden payload). The sad truth is that it says more about you than it does about your family. How will you react if Gretchen decides that she doesn't like that hidden payload and how comfortable you are with delivering it?	Bob 4 Anna	Male	Philippines	2011-12-21 13:42:00
Philippines	Getting my kids in the Philippines	The ages of your children are important to give an accurate answer. If they are unmarried and under 21 then they could be issued K-2 Visas (Follow To Join) within 1 year of your K-1 being issued. If you can't get them here within 1 year under follow to join and they were under 18 when you married then your husband can file an I-130 and get them CR-2 Visas in under a year but they should be under 21 and unmarried. Once they are married or over 21 then they are no longer "Immediate Relatives" and fall into Family Preference Categories.	Bob 4 Anna	Male	Philippines	2011-12-29 23:10:00
Philippines	Here's a little humor for everyone...	He's amazed by the size of the house... It only took him a few days to get okay with the temp here and is disappointed by the lack of snow... He has already asked me who will get my LEGO Train Collection when I die! Carlo & Gabby are getting along great... He asks more questions than anyone I've ever met!	Bob 4 Anna	Male	Philippines	2011-12-27 21:19:00
Philippines	Here's a little humor for everyone...	Carlo is so excited about coming to America on the 20th but he's also nervous because he doesn't like the cold too much. While talking to Anna about the flight he asked her if the plane has aircon and of course she said it does. His reply was "Mommy do they have 'Regular Fare' for the airplane?" IF you've ever rode the buses in the Philippines then you understand why that's funny... If not, here's the explanation: There are 2 kinds of buses in the Philippines, Regular and AirCon so "Regular Fare" means the ride without Air Conditioning.	Bob 4 Anna	Male	Philippines	2011-12-17 11:01:00
Philippines	best couple of the year	But what am I doing here? Is the PI forum always this much fun? Sadly the Philippine forum seems to attract a lot of this stuff... The wife and I just laugh it off now but it used to bother us (the negative stereotypes being re-enforced so well)...	Bob 4 Anna	Male	Philippines	2012-01-05 13:52:00
Philippines	best couple of the year	If the requirements for Couple of the Year include either of the following: * - Worrying about getting divorced before the K-1 has even been approved. * - Either of us feeling like we have to hide our relationship from anyone (including but not limited to friends & family). Then Anna and I will never even be in the running nor would we care to participate. Honestly as long as Anna thinks I'm the husband of her life then I don't care what anyone outside of our relationship thinks about it or us.	Bob 4 Anna	Male	Philippines	2012-01-05 13:26:00
Philippines	best couple of the year	Seriously? Is this what's become of VJ? I could swear that good Christians are supposed to be humble, where is that in this post? I say actions speak louder than words, if the USC's friends & family don't even know the Pinay exists then how is this getting a relationship off to a good start?	Bob 4 Anna	Male	Philippines	2012-01-05 09:13:00
Philippines	I wonder	Do they have a K-2 category in the UK? I'm sure the UK has requirement in line with the US for immigration of children so the Father (who was married to her when they were born) would still need to consent to their immigration.	Bob 4 Anna	Male	Philippines	2012-01-08 18:03:00
Philippines	I wonder	I wonder why She couldnt just K-2 her kids over after she became a citizen? Because the father has parental rights (even to her child with the new hubby).	Bob 4 Anna	Male	Philippines	2012-01-05 21:51:00
Philippines	Worried	Why did you begin the immigration process BEFORE you completed getting your divorce recognized? You do realize that you need to be free to marry when the petition is filed, right?	Bob 4 Anna	Male	Philippines	2012-01-08 01:11:00
Philippines	Cases completed in JAN... when is your interview?	Generally speaking (about Manila Interview specifically): Interviews that are scheduled this month get dates next month. NVC Schedules Interview during the first 2 full weeks of the month. If your case completes after this window then you will have to wait until next month to get scheduled for the following month.	Bob 4 Anna	Male	Philippines	2012-01-10 11:22:00
Philippines	Might have to get a proxy...	As others have said you will run into problems in the immigration process with a Proxy Marriage. Your best bet would be to meet her at your Mom's and marry her in person. This would allow you to follow the rest of your plan.	Bob 4 Anna	Male	Philippines	2012-01-09 14:41:00
Philippines	This is the confusing part.. hope someone can enlighten me..	You can't get your Philippine Passport in your married name unless you report your marriage. From VJer reports they don't seem to care too much if you report it late (beyond the 30 days) but you will need to include a letter stating the reason for late reporting. Just being busy with life & adjusting seems to be an acceptable reason for this.	Bob 4 Anna	Male	Philippines	2012-01-11 11:05:00
Philippines	Marrying girlfriend who is in US and pending annulment	or would he be able to obtain a judicial recognition of foreign divorce? this is all based on a hint being given to the OP of this thread. He can't get judicial recognition as the divorce was between two Filipino Citizens. He could if she was already a US Citizen when she files but that wouldn't work in this situation anyway. So if he did get the annulment then the CFO would clear him to leave? I think this would be stupid if she did this, i am just curious that if this senario slipped through the cracks, how far could it go. Yep, CFO only gives exit clearance to K-1 holders if they are free to marry IN THE PHILIPPINES. Likewise he couldn't re-marry her in the Philippines as he's already married to her there. I guess they could get married in Hong Kong, she uses that marriage certificate at the US Embassy and at CFO he presents their Philippine Marriage Contract for the exit clearance. If a person wants to stay in the US, he/she would do anything to get it. In this case, marrying a USC guy even though she knows she is still married in the Philippines. Giving different justification on the wrong actions just to make it sound right. If the OP would agree on not respecting the law of the Philippines ... I would say they deserve each other. And whatever bad happened to them in the near future. Its their own doing. Just want to pinpoint something to the OP... If you know that she is an adulterer/cheater/bigamist (if you push thru in marrying her). How can you trust her? She did it to her husband (not ex since they are still married). And how do you know that you are the only one she is fuc*king so she could stay here in the US. My only hesitation with agreeing here is that we don't know the situation of her first (current?) marriage. Maybe if divorce was possible in the Philippines then she'd already be divorced and none of this would matter. It is quite possible that there are no bad guys in this situation, just a bad marriage that remains in play only due to antiquated morality imposed by a government that is overrun with religious overtones (I say all of this having a love of the country despite my lack of agreement on policy relating to divorce & birth control).	Bob 4 Anna	Male	Philippines	2012-01-12 10:42:00
Philippines	Marrying girlfriend who is in US and pending annulment	Does Philippine law stand inside the US Embassy? I would think based off American law if she was a naturalized citizen and was divorced to both she could remarry her husband in the philippines and petition him. I am not an expert, just curious. Once she naturalizes the Philippines would acknowledge her earlier divorce and single status BUT... Her Philippine husband would still need an annulment before he could get married to her in the Philippines. If they tried to get around that using a K-1 (The US Embassy would recognize him as single and free to marry) he wouldn't be able to get the CFO Sticker (departure clearance) for the same reasons. If she's playing this type of long game on the OP then she's taking a big risk,	Bob 4 Anna	Male	Philippines	2012-01-11 23:43:00
Philippines	Marrying girlfriend who is in US and pending annulment	I am sorry if you don't understand "what is irrelevant to you is relevant to me". If you can't understand that, let me know and I'll try to explain it in a different way. Also, did you know that "You clearly barely know" from your first sentence is improper. However, it doesn't matter to me, I know what you were talking about, but it might matter to you. Anyway, have a good day! Um... Nope, not really worth giving you a real response... BTW, "You clearly barely know" is just as valid as "It's clear that you barely know" but I understand that you were simply trying to debunk my response despite the fact that it was full of accurate information that (unlike your posts) is relevant to the OP and others in their situation... Finally, relevance to you doesn't equal relevance to the OP. Since this thread is the OP's question regarding their situation the responses should be relevant to the OP, mine are. Wait, I guess I did bother giving a real response after all...	Bob 4 Anna	Male	Philippines	2012-01-01 23:11:00
Philippines	Marrying girlfriend who is in US and pending annulment	Once the AOS is filed you are absolutely correct, provided she doesn't leave the country. As long as it is done before the expiration of the Visa. Sorry thought I made this clear in my other post You clearly barely know what you are talking about and have trouble expressing your thoughts as you really haven't made anything clear in your previous posts... First the expiration of her Visa has nothing to do with her authorized stay. The Visa only allows entry into the US, the I-94 issued at entry governs authorized stay. For example a US Tourist Visa is commonly issued as a 10 year multiple entry Visa but at each entry an I-94 authorizing a 6 month stay is usually issued. The Visa could be used within a few days of expiration with an I-94 resulting in an authorized stay allowed several months after the actual Visa expires. Conversely (and more commonly) the I-94 generally expires a long time before the Visa does. As for your "She'll get swept-up by immigration" theory, while it's a slight possibility the reality is unless she's traveling within 100 miles of the US/Mexican Border it's highly unlikely. Add to that the current Administration's directive to ICE to focus on deportations of criminals and basically catch & release those without a record and you'll see that the risk is minimal. The OP didn't indicate that they are planning on waiting an unnecessary amount of time so there really isn't a need create a false sense of urgency for them.	Bob 4 Anna	Male	Philippines	2011-12-31 19:36:00
Philippines	Marrying girlfriend who is in US and pending annulment	Once again, they have a year and a half, so there should be no overstay issue. However, if there were and overstay occurred, to say overstay is irrelevant is a little bit of an overstatement. They have to file before the expiration of her current visa, which will allow her to legally stay until the case is complete. Failure to file the I130 before the expiration of the original visa would then require a request for a waiver on the 3-10 year ban for overstay. Easily done, but still added paperwork and money. You are incorrect.... They are planning to file AOS, she won't be leaving the US. Re-entry ban for overstay is triggered when the Alien leaves the US. Since she won't be leaving prior to receiving her Greencard I can safely say the any overstay is irrelevant. Once AOS is filed then her status will be one of someone with a pending applicant and she will be legally present awaiting its adjudication. The important thing is that she entered the US legally, as the spouse of a US Citizen she doesn't have to maintain legal presence for the duration of her stay prior to filing AOS.	Bob 4 Anna	Male	Philippines	2011-12-31 14:03:00
Philippines	Marrying girlfriend who is in US and pending annulment	I was also thinking the OP girlfriend's visa expired jun 12, but I looked again and it is jun 13, so they will have plenty of time before she would be illegal. Once she's married to a USC overstay is irrelevant, it won't prevent AOS.	Bob 4 Anna	Male	Philippines	2011-12-31 12:42:00
Philippines	Marrying girlfriend who is in US and pending annulment	I actually know someone who did this exact thing. She is Filipino. Living in Chicago she filed for divorce from her Filipino husband and served him via publication. The divorce was granted. She married her USC Boyfriend and filed AOS. She received a conditional Greencard as they had not been married for 2 years when she filed. 2 years later she successfully ROCed. Not once during the process was she asked for a CENOMAR. She did have to present her divorce decree though. The OP will not have any problem with this. Further, at least on poster is assuming that the OP is destroying a marriage but doesn't seem to realize that if the woman wants out of the marriage (for whatever reason) then the marriage is already broken, a 3rd party can't break a good marriage. I don't agree with dating a married person regardless of the condition of the marriage but that is irrelevant to the immigration issues of the OP.	Bob 4 Anna	Male	Philippines	2011-12-31 11:31:00
Philippines	Marrying girlfriend who is in US and pending annulment	Different states have different residency requirements, and whether or not you can even get a divorce without mutual consent. Check your state, and shop around in other states as well. Most states have a provision for divorcing someone using service via publication if you can't have them served in person...	Bob 4 Anna	Male	Philippines	2011-12-27 13:53:00
Philippines	Marrying girlfriend who is in US and pending annulment	So what happens if the father refuse to allow the kids to migrate? What kids?	Bob 4 Anna	Male	Philippines	2011-12-27 12:46:00
Philippines	Marrying girlfriend who is in US and pending annulment	Annulment in the Philippines is a long drawn-out process. It involves court appearances and such so I doubt she'd be able to complete the process without returning home at least once. One the other hand, she could file for a divorce here in the US and then marry you and Adjust Status. The only real issue is that the Philippines won't recognize her US divorce.	Bob 4 Anna	Male	Philippines	2011-12-27 12:20:00
Philippines	travelling with expired GC	They let me back to the US. Despite my best efforts!	Bob 4 Anna	Male	Philippines	2012-01-13 15:56:00
Philippines	Divorce court is just evil	This is sooo hillarious....i will just put on my husband socks if he is ill and its impossible for him to put on by himself.....aside from that ...hey, i will put your socks on, if you put mine too...it's give and take....marriage is all about fair. Fixed it, I think?	Bob 4 Anna	Male	Philippines	2012-01-13 15:58:00
Philippines	Divorce court is just evil	So now you're going to make a run at the "Couple of the Year" title?	Bob 4 Anna	Male	Philippines	2012-01-11 14:10:00
Philippines	DS 157 Expired?	well thats stupid... why would they give me a expiration form thats about to expire 3 days after i fill it out Who gave you the DS-157? Shouldn't you have downloaded the from from DoS's website?	Bob 4 Anna	Male	Philippines	2012-01-16 12:31:00
Philippines	sorry, this call is not permitted	A good investment would be either the new Magicjack (that works without a PC) or a NetTalk Duo and DSL Internet for her. It would give her a US Phone number and the ability to call and be called directly at home for no additional expense. I know MagicJack is sold in the Philippines, not sure about nettalk but I think Nettalk has much better quality.	Bob 4 Anna	Male	Philippines	2012-01-15 12:34:00
Philippines	sorry, this call is not permitted	And you're calling from? You know that even the phone companies only have a finite amount of circuits right? That goes for every step of the way between you and the Philippines. If any point in between is experiencing heavy volume then they may not have an open circuit to completer the transfer. I've experienced this same thing even calling locally on both my home line (VOIP) and my Cell Phone (AT&T) on occasion.	Bob 4 Anna	Male	Philippines	2012-01-15 10:16:00
Philippines	met once & got married	Expect to be questioned by the CO but the main thing is to provide lots of proof of a bonafide relationship and ongoing relationship. It also depends on which country your coming from. Please update your profile to show the country of the beneficiary.. there are countries that do frown upon that more than others. I do see you posted in phillipines... Im sure someone from that region will give you really good information. good luck! EAbbas, this will not be an issue in the Philippines.... Our TimeLine: Oct-2008 - met Anna online Jan-2009 - flew to the Philippines, Married Anna Apr-2009 - Filed I-130 for Anna & Gabby Nov-2009 - Anna & Gabby landed in Chicago We married during my first trip to the Philippines just days after meeting (Landed on Jan 16, Ceremony Jan 21, Official Marriage Cert Dated Jan 30). Look at our timeline here and find Anna's interview review, she was just asked a few basic questions. We had a couple of Joint Bank accounts, State Farm bank & BCU (Baxter Credit Union) allowed me to add her to my account while she was still in the Philippines and we opened a Joint account at BDO. She was the beneficiary on my Insurance policies. These were included in the I-130 filing to show bonefides. For the interview she had cards that I sent her, phone logs and photos (including screen caps of video chats) but wasn't asked for any of it. Be sure to have your CEMAR in addition to your NSO Marriage Contract for the interview. Edited by Bob 4 Anna, 18 January 2012 - 11:51 AM.	Bob 4 Anna	Male	Philippines	2012-01-18 11:47:00
Philippines	Manila Interview on Jan 19	For most the CFO is worse than the USEM portion of the process. The Filipino "prescreener" at the embassy sometimes seems to be a bit of a hassle but generally the Kano CO is a breeze once they get to that point.	Bob 4 Anna	Male	Philippines	2012-01-19 13:40:00
Philippines	Manila Interview on Jan 19	Here are your two contradictory statements regarding your income: I was unemployed last year and made no money and therefore didn't file any tax return. However I have been employed for just over a year with a stable company above the poverty level. I started on Dec 15, 2011 so I worked for 2 weeks of the year but my w2 only showed a couple of days because of when our work week ends I guess. I can send that but it shows about 250 dollars...lol. In your Original Post you stated that you were unemployed last year then follow with "However I have been employed for just over a year", I think you meant "A MONTH" based on your second mention of employment. If you had no income to file 2010 Tax Return then you've been unemployed for 2 years. If you had good income and filed 2010 Taxes that's what you should provide along with the current employment letter and the few pay stubs you have from your current job. FWIW, 2011 Tax Returns shouldn't be expected by the Embassy until after April 17th. Thank you all for your replies. My Fiancee is freaking out about this as well as what questions they will . She thinks she needs to know what elementary school I went to...lol. My ex wife who I was married to for 17 years couldn't answer that Unless they have misgivings about you case the questions will be basic and few so she's over-thinking the interview and just needs to relax. Regarding you income, the Affidavit of Support is MAJOR at the US Embassy in Manila. They want to see that you have stable income at a level to support her unless you are a college student or recent graduate.	Bob 4 Anna	Male	Philippines	2012-01-15 10:32:00
Philippines	What is this "next procedure" they are talking about?	Thanks for that. But all the papers and other documents were submitted already to USCIS upon filing the I-130. And what is DS-230 all about? Those Fees are for the next 2 packets you will need to send the the NVC, Immigrant Visa Application (DS-230) and Affidavit of Support (I-864). You still have more work to do but you've passed second base and are well on your way to third!	Bob 4 Anna	Male	Philippines	2012-01-18 14:28:00
Philippines	Looking for a good investigator	Please do not cloud yourself with negative reports from a close friend. Perhaps claims were all hoax and tailored for you to loather your significant other. Talk to her in person, pour out your heart, but don't judge. See what your significant other has to say. Cheers. I would agree that it's quite possibly "Crab Mentality" as all you have are unsubstantiated reports from your friend but... If you trust a friend more than your trust your wife (who should be your best friend and so much more) then there are deeper problems in the marriage...	Bob 4 Anna	Male	Philippines	2012-01-20 11:34:00
Philippines	Looking for a good investigator	I agree with Enigma but if you really want solid proof it sounds like your friend might be in a position to provide some. All I've ever heard about PI in the PH is that you're a waste of money.	Bob 4 Anna	Male	Philippines	2012-01-20 10:30:00