ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
PhilippinesVisa Approval in Phil with out of Country Divorce but no Phil Annulment

Sorry but I will not share that due to concerns of hurting some people who were very kind to us. Just know other people took a legal risk to help us.


Ah ha, so what you're saying is that you didn't find a legal way to obtain the CFO Certificate & Passport Sticker for her which only left "Other" options as is often the case in the Philippines. A little bit of crying and a lot of Pesos can go a long way towards solving interesting problems.

FWIW, I was just asking in an attempt to get that tidbit of info into the thread early so that it wouldn't become 12 pages of others asking.

It does create an interesting Catch-22 doesn't it?
Bob 4 AnnaMalePhilippines2010-02-18 14:58:00
PhilippinesVisa Approval in Phil with out of Country Divorce but no Phil Annulment
How did you get the CFO Certificate for her to leave the Philippines?
Bob 4 AnnaMalePhilippines2010-02-18 13:40:00
PhilippinesI'm Looking Forward to Shop @ WALMART

I want a THUMB down PRONTO.


Posted Image Posted Image Posted Image Posted Image


Need any more?

Honestly, I'm offended at how some Obnoxiously Obese People think it's appropriate to go out in public with 500 pounds of blubber handing out of a size 3 speedo(n't)!

Does that mean I have an issue with fat people, I don' think so. I just think that if you're the size of a minivan then you shouldn't be wearing less clothing than an Olympic swimmer. I mean do I really need to see your belly button peeking out from under the shirt that wouldn't fit my 3 year old?
Bob 4 AnnaMalePhilippines2011-06-13 12:23:00
PhilippinesChild's application has been canceled
Was the child up for a K-2 or CR/IR-2 Visa?

If K-2 then it must be issued within 1 year of the Mom's K-1.

If CR/IR-2 then you are able to keep it alive my maintaining contact with the Embassy.

Edited by Bob 4 Anna, 16 June 2011 - 10:13 PM.

Bob 4 AnnaMalePhilippines2011-06-16 22:13:00
Philippinesjust married
The simple route:

File for a CR/IR-2 for the son as the USC CAN bring the child to the US one an Immediate relative visa since step children qualify.

After the son has been in the US for the required time (in my State it's just 6 months) he can do a Step-parent adoption.

If the State of residence has requirements that won't allow the Step-parent adoption then you can simply file to legally change the child's name without an adoption. Every state has provisions for legal name change, even for minors.

Why complicate the matter?
Bob 4 AnnaMalePhilippines2011-06-21 22:02:00
Philippinesjust married

has to go through the adoption process I think. You can list him on your cr-1. But your new husband has to adopt him into the family properly. You can do this after coming ot the states, or before coming to the states. This is one where a lawyer needs to help since it is filed in the court system.



Umm, NO....

Since you are now married your husband will file a separate I-130 petition for your son as his step-son which is Immediate Relative (CR/IR-2) Visa.

If you were married to the child's father you will need to get the father's written consent for him to leave the country.Since you were single when the child was born then you have full parental authority and no consent is required.

See the link in my signature.


Edited by Bob 4 Anna, 21 June 2011 - 10:53 AM.

Bob 4 AnnaMalePhilippines2011-06-21 10:52:00
PhilippinesEWTN

Respect your first wife as if she will be your last one!
The perfection/respect of a man decreases by the number of marriages he has had and by the number of kids he has outside his current marriage.",



@ OP, to do realize or even care how disrespectful and insulting these two statements of your are to others?

Honestly it's not that a care one little bit if you respect me or not, you've proven to be the kind of person who's opinion carries no weight in my life. I'll point out the error in those statements.

Regarding the "Respect your first wife" Statement:
A lot of people get married when when they are young and they don't yet understand them self let alone have the ability to understand someone else. To make things worse most of us actually change & mature over time so even if we seem like a good match at a young age we can grow apart to no fault of either party. Then there are the situations where the malfeasance is on the part of the woman, not the man. So there are many reasons apart from the husband disrespecting the wife that could lead to the end of a "first marriage".

And for the second hack that you like so much it's in your signature:
First point is that there is no such thing as a perfect person so any standard which measure against perfection is invalid. On top of that why would you lose respect for a man who saw that a marriage wasn't working and decided to end it? You think so low of men that a marriage ending is always their fault? Had I stayed in my first marriage my daughters would have been a lot worse off than they were as a result of my divorce and raising them as a single father. If you want to judge someone with regards to their children wouldn't it make more sense to determine how they are as a parent? You statement basically implied you'd have more respect for me as a man if I remained married (unhappily) to my first wife and beat or otherwise was abusive to my daughters than you could ever have for me as a divorced single parent caring for his 2 daughters. Of course you lose even more respect for me the second I find the love of my life because I have the gall to actually marry her and accept her children as my own?

The greatest irony of this is that you judge me from your high throne at 48 years of age having never parented for a day or been married. In my 41 years here I've spent 19 years as a father and 10 years as a husband (between the two marriages). So please enlighten me as to just what qualifies you to pass judgement on me?
Bob 4 AnnaMalePhilippines2011-06-24 15:40:00
PhilippinesDating Resources
I used to drop a random card in the mail to Anna before her arrival in the US.

I never told her it was coming so she was always surprised and since the cards don't wilt & decay like dead (cut) flowers would she still has those cards with her today!
Bob 4 AnnaMalePhilippines2011-06-27 09:44:00
PhilippinesBringing Someone Inside the Embassy

Interview schedule is set on August for me and my 2 yrs old daughter. Can I bring someone at the USEM since time and date of our interview are the same. Appreciate all the reply.


The reason USEM scheduled your interviews together is for your convenience. Your daughter will be with you for the whole process so you won't need to have someone else with you. Of course her interview is simply a formality to confirm that she exists and is the 2yr old child not someone else. She might get a few cutesy questions like people do with little kids but nothing more.
Bob 4 AnnaMalePhilippines2011-06-29 14:05:00
PhilippinesPlease help..

By some miracle, and just 4 hours before my son's interview sched, I now have the affidavit allowing the child to immigrate. It's past 3am in Manila, and my ex-husband's lawyer came to the house and handed it to me. He said the Dad hasn't been sleeping..and he was just with him. And Bob, you were right about the father's fear; but my son is 17 now and he was finally leaving the decision to my son.


Congrats!

Regarding the fear of a Father/Parent... My oldest just turned 19. 8 months ago we were having issues and it was determined that everyone would be happier if she lived elsewhere. It didn't matter that she was already 18, I still lost a lot of sleep worrying. After 6 months she came back asking to move back home.

When you love your child their age matter little compared to everything else involved in the parent-child relationship.
Bob 4 AnnaMalePhilippines2011-07-01 14:28:00
PhilippinesPlease help..

No, he refuses to talk to me about it, even for a compromise. Perhaps he has the same reason as you do. But I am also a parent, and I am not forcing my child to come with me. If I can't take him at this time, then I would have to wait, as others suggested.


Not to get to personal but is he a good father, I mean does he have a good relationship with the child?

If he's afraid that he'll lose his child by consenting to the move then I don't know what you can do to ease that fear.

From his point of view I'd imagine he knows how difficult it would be for him to travel to the US to see the child and regardless of how amicable things are between the two of you he really doesn't have any assurance that you'll bring or send the child back regularly to visit him. Even if you promised and he had it in writing how could he enforce it if you decided not to keep up your end?
Bob 4 AnnaMalePhilippines2011-06-20 12:55:00
PhilippinesPlease help..

For as long as the courtship and marriage didnt happen in the Philippines or any place considered Philippine territory and you dont cohabit as husband and wife in the Philippines or Philippine territory no husband can sue his wife for bigamy and vice versa. I had to consult a lawyer before going home to the Philippines to make sure that I wouldnt be facing this charge. This was what my lawyer told me because of the territoriality component of criminal law in the Philippines.

I am now back in the US after a long Philippine vacation. :)


Does that cover adultery also? I ask this because they are 2 different things. I it does but you might still want to go through the Annulment process in the Philippines. If that's true then it's good news for anyone it that situation.

It's too bad that your ex won't sign the papers for your child, has he given you a reason why? As a father I can understand a man being afraid to loose his child. I know I would never agree to my ex-wife moving my daughters to another country permanently but then again I'm also the kind of father who has had custody of my daughters since the divorce.

Edited by Bob 4 Anna, 20 June 2011 - 10:46 AM.

Bob 4 AnnaMalePhilippines2011-06-20 10:45:00
PhilippinesPlease help..
Ezzie,

You do realize that if you ever return to the Philippines you're in a bad spot, right?

You can't get your divorced recognized because the marriage was between two Filipino citizens in the Philippines. You need an Annulment and even then the Philippines won't recognize your current marriage. Of course this isn't a problem for you in the US but if you ever return to the Philippines before you naturalize it can cause problems for you there.

For example there was just an episode of Locked-up Abroad where a Philippine woman was arrested for adultery because she was pregnant by her British boyfriend and her abusive Ex (but still legally married) husband found out.
Bob 4 AnnaMalePhilippines2011-06-20 09:25:00
PhilippinesPlease help..

I dont have experiance in the PI but I do know that the laws of the USA are imposed by the embassy. They do not care what the laws of the host country are when it comes to this issue.


You couldn't be more wrong. I do have first-hand experience in this. My little guy (step-son) didn't need biological father's permission to travel because under Philippine Law if the parents were never married then the child is under full custody and control of the mother.

See the relevant link in my signature (second line).

Ezzie, were you married to the child's father?

Edited by Bob 4 Anna, 19 June 2011 - 09:56 PM.

Bob 4 AnnaMalePhilippines2011-06-19 21:55:00
PhilippinesI-130 for Stepson Approved in 80 days!
FWIW, I'm the petitioner in this case.

NVC in July never sounded to good...
Bob 4 AnnaMalePhilippines2011-06-30 21:56:00
PhilippinesMagic Jack
There are several reasons to use a VOIP product/service like Magic Jack but in my opinion the best one is that it doesn't tie the US side to a single location or phone number. With MJ my wife was able to call my office home or cell phone.

The biggest drawback is that you need to have a computer turned on for MJ to work. Of course Vonage and Packet8 eliminate that issue.

There is another service that eliminates the need for a PC and is 63% cheaper than Vonage, it's called NetTalk. The service quality is comparable to Vonage and it only costs $100 per year! We've been using NetTalk for almost 2 years now and couldn't be happier with it.
Bob 4 AnnaMalePhilippines2011-07-05 13:02:00
Philippineschanging from a K1 to a CR1

What she was told is that i need to convince them. on her 221g the COo stated that he felt she would not marry me. and he checked the box to have it sent back for review. i am hoping that once it goes to vsc i can get a chance to talk to them.

In your other thread didn't you say you'd got the embassy in Manila to keep the case file there and review it with the new evidence you sent them?

i disagree. the only time it says anything about meeting in two years is when you file the 129. we did that. it never said any where that after the papers are approved and go to the embassy that we need to meet in person again. we had an agreement that the next time i was there was to bring her home to me. it just happened that she ran into a lot of problems with getting together her info and passports.

Technically you're correct the I-129f requires that you have met in person within the 24 months prior to filing it. But (and this is a very large but), the CO has expressed doubt in the reality of your relationship. It would be difficult to imagine the CO isn't wondering how the relationship is real if you haven't been back to see her. You need to remember that the CO has discretion and apparently this one has enough reason to doubt the relationship.

Want to prove the seriousness of your relationship? How soon could you get on a plane to Manila? If the case file is still at Manila, contact them and tell them when you'll be in town. Let them know you want to see the CO so you can address their concerns in person. If you can hang around for a couple of weeks you just might not be alone on the return flight.
Bob 4 AnnaMalePhilippines2011-07-06 22:07:00
Philippineschanging from a K1 to a CR1
What kind of evidence of on-going relationship did you provide?

Do you know of any red flags in your case? For example how you met, past association with her family etc...
Bob 4 AnnaMalePhilippines2011-07-06 15:17:00
PhilippinesTotal EXPENSES FOR K1 VISA IN MANILA
If you do a little reading around VJ you'll find your answer as this question has been asked & answered many times.
Bob 4 AnnaMalePhilippines2011-07-05 10:53:00
PhilippinesFiling K1 Shortly After a Divorce
Is your ex-wife Filipino?
Bob 4 AnnaMalePhilippines2010-12-30 09:33:00
PhilippinesDS-156 expiration date
As long as there isn't a newer version of the form available then the expired form is acceptable.

When I submitted the I-130 for my second stepson on Apr 7th, 2011 the form was expired on Jan 31, 2011. They accepted it no problem since there wasn't a newer version issued yet.
Bob 4 AnnaMalePhilippines2011-05-16 12:29:00
PhilippinesCFO Seminar

CFO officers in CEBU told me so. I was there the other month June 16 2011.

What I just need is the CFO sticker after registration. SHE (the officer) told me to just proceed to CFO office/officer in NAIA. As a requirement to renew my passport (change of status) i need a guidance counseling certificate that's why I had the seminar last month. I was even surprised they had me registered because I though you can't if you don't have the visa yet.

I have attached my receipt that I had been registered and my certifications as a proof.

The decision is still yours. I was not suggesting anything. I was merely telling everyone about my case.


There is no need for you to prove anything. I know that CFO can be completed before received the Visa, that's what Anna did.

I would suggest you confirm with the CFO Office at NAIA about being able to get the sticker there. In the 2 plus years I've been on VJ I've never heard of anyone getting the sticker at the airport. Most who did the seminar early get their sticker the day before and one of the two Manila CFO locations.

It would really suck to get to the airport and miss your flight because someone gave you bad information.

Again, all I'm saying is that it's in your own best interest to confirm what you were told by contacting the CFO office at NAIA.
Bob 4 AnnaMalePhilippines2011-07-08 22:17:00
PhilippinesCFO Seminar

I had my seminar last month. I have no visa yet. I paid for the seminar fee and the CFO registration. They registered me even without my visa and passport. I was advised to just present my CFO certificate receipt passport visa etc.... at NAIA on the day i will leave the country. Passport sticker will just follow there too. No need of going back to CFO office. But that still depends on her if she wants to have it done soon or later. Btw i registered at CFO Cebu. Hope this helps. :)


This is the first time I've heard of someone suggesting you show up at the airport without the CFO Sticker, just with the certificate & receipt. Who suggested this to you?

Personally I'm an "Error on the side of caution" guy and would get the sticker in the passport before going to the airport. The cost of an extra day in Manila is much less than a lost flight because of missing sticker.
Bob 4 AnnaMalePhilippines2011-07-08 10:12:00
PhilippinesInfo On US CENOMAR Equivilent
Don't bring her in, she's not needed for it and they can refuse to let her in as she doesn't have business inside the Embassy.
Bob 4 AnnaMalePhilippines2011-07-13 20:58:00
PhilippinesInfo On US CENOMAR Equivilent
For the Divorce Decree what you need is the Final order signed by the judge and it must have the endorsement (or seal) of the Clerk of the Circuit Court, it can't just be a copy. A Notary can't do anything for you with this, IT MUST BE ENDORSED BY THE CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT WITH THEIR SEAL.

When you get the copy for the US Embassy I would strongly suggest getting an extra copy or 2, for us the USEM didn't want to keep one but the Local Civil Registry did and it's a lot easier to pay for an extra or two than it is to be short one and on the other side of the world explaining to her family why you can't get married as planned.

We basically had no less than 3 originals (5 of most) of any document required for the entire process (marriage & immigration)...
Bob 4 AnnaMalePhilippines2011-07-13 14:55:00
PhilippinesI did it!

Congrats! why would u pay if u won't pass? It is really fun when u can go to places anytime you want to.


Generally you have to pay the fee BEFORE you take the test and for that fee you get a certain number of attempts at the test before you have to pay the fee again.
Bob 4 AnnaMalePhilippines2011-07-18 16:11:00
PhilippinesI did it!
Congrats...
Bob 4 AnnaMalePhilippines2011-07-14 16:40:00
PhilippinesFiancee had abortion years ago

There are lots of irritating responses on this website. Just because the topic has veered off into religion doesn't make it any more offensive.


None of your posts in the thread advance the discussion. In fact they appear to be intentionally designed to agitate the Filipino members of the forum.

Religion was mentioned as it is the basis for the Philippine Law.

Personally I don't believe in God per say but I do have a set of beliefs (which I won't expand on here) and I find your posts inappropriate.
Bob 4 AnnaMalePhilippines2010-04-23 19:06:00
PhilippinesFiancee had abortion years ago

I apologize that you find it "strange" my Fiancee did not know about it being illegal in the Philippines to have an abortion. This was a home remedy type, not doctor performed. My Fiancee is not up on the laws where she lives. Actually as far as it being "well known" that abortion is illegal in the Philippines, several of the posters thus far were not aware of the legality of abortion in the Philippines. Many of us do not know the laws of different countries.


Scared,

Of the previous posters only 2 have the non-USC SO from the Philippines and the poster who didn't know that it is illegal is most likely the USC Husband (Scott).

I just asked my wife what she thought of this and the look on her face was priceless as she said "Why wouldn't she admit it, Philippines Laws are written to Catholic beliefs which is why there is no Divorce AND abortion is illegal. Anyone who says they don't know isn't being truthful about that."

I trust you are aware of the differences between Eastern & Western definitions of honesty?

Please don't misunderstand the point of my comments, I'm not passing judgement just commenting...
Bob 4 AnnaMalePhilippines2010-04-21 22:30:00
PhilippinesThose who are planing to get married in the Philippines (new info very important)

i paid only 30 bucks when i got married on May 2010. I also walked in and waited for like an hour...

Yeah, recently they've changed the process to by appointment only and $50!
Bob 4 AnnaMalePhilippines2011-07-19 09:09:00
PhilippinesThose who are planing to get married in the Philippines (new info very important)

That is ridiculous... the US has nothing like a CENOMAR, so the PI requires us to pay $50 for a piece of paper saying we are free to marry? What a crock of you-know-what!! Just another way to make money off people in love. Hay naku!

I can understand the Philippines wanting an equivalent document as when in their country we must follow their laws.

When I got married there in 2009 it was only $30 for the AILCM, not sure what happened to almost double the cost other than the new building. I would say the gripe would be with the US Embassy in Manila charging so much for the affidavit


Bob 4 AnnaMalePhilippines2011-07-19 08:29:00
PhilippinesThose who are planing to get married in the Philippines (new info very important)
The new fee of $50 (up from $30 when I was there) and the need for an appointment are new info. It used to be done on a walk-in basis.
Bob 4 AnnaMalePhilippines2010-09-20 19:12:00
PhilippinesPsychiatric evaluation passed or failed
Congrats Len Ben,

The standard isn't what did you do in the past but rather "Are you PRESENTLY a danger to yourself or others", A suicide attempt 8 years ago will have no impact if you've recovered from your problems and are now a happily adjusted person.

Welcome to the U S of A!
Bob 4 AnnaMalePhilippines2011-07-21 13:09:00
PhilippinesSLEC Psych Evaluation - Results & Concerns
Get a copy of the report (if you can), what you're looking for is a finding stating either you are or are not a danger to yourself & others.

From your post in the other thread you incident was some time ago and not repeated. You even indicated that the recover process resulted in a stronger better you which if conveyed to the Psych professional is a very good indicator that the incident is behind you and no longer is a problem.
Bob 4 AnnaMalePhilippines2011-07-19 08:32:00
PhilippinesBringing her Sister?
FWIW, adoption wouldn't work as USCIS expressly forbids adoption for immigration purposes. Even if the sister was an orphan there would be a lot of red tape but then it would be doable.
Bob 4 AnnaMalePhilippines2011-07-25 08:06:00
PhilippinesDoes My Filipino Fiancé Really Need A Pre Departure Orientation Seminar?
QUOTE (perpetualbliss @ Dec 23 2009, 02:39 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
not spending my time on VJ, obviously, that's why I had no idea


Well did you get any useful information from VJ? I don't know how the CFO requirement could have been missed it's not exactly hiding behind the trees.

FWIW, I'm not trying to be a smart/jack-a$$ here. We each are the masters of our own Visa Journey and the resources we choose to use are only as useful as we let them be. My wife & I can to VJ because we wanted to understand the whole process and we were able to glean a very complete understanding of what to expect at every stage of the process.
Bob 4 AnnaMalePhilippines2009-12-23 16:31:00
PhilippinesDoes My Filipino Fiancé Really Need A Pre Departure Orientation Seminar?
QUOTE (edp333 @ Dec 23 2009, 09:17 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Perhaps reading the guides and the K1 forum. offtopic45vn.gif

How is my question off-topic? He is surprised by the CFO requirement despite being a VJ member for 9 months.
Bob 4 AnnaMalePhilippines2009-12-23 10:42:00
PhilippinesDoes My Filipino Fiancé Really Need A Pre Departure Orientation Seminar?
If the OP has been on VJ for 9 months and had no idea about the CFO requirement then what was that time spent doing?
Bob 4 AnnaMalePhilippines2009-12-23 09:30:00
PhilippinesThings your wife/fiancee found strange about the states

Very strange you feel the need to repeatedly cast this bait. Weren't you thread banned for posting something very similar on the "you might be Filipina" thread?

What the HELL does that have to do with anything?

Would I be violating the TOS if I encourage other posters to join me in reporting LI's transparent attempts to derail our regional threads with this kind of ####### in hopes that he will be banned from the PH Regional Subforum?
Bob 4 AnnaMalePhilippines2011-07-27 11:37:00
PhilippinesThings your wife/fiancee found strange about the states
For Anna it was:

Mail:
* - Almost every day? Really?
* - You're joking right? Just put a stamp on and leave it in the mail box to send it?

The washer, dryer & dishwasher.

The fridge is so large.

The only restaurants she can get rice the way she likes it are Asian.

High School girls wearing "Pek Pek Shorts" everywhere.

A 2,900 sq ft house occupied by just 5 people.

Central Heating & Air.

People actually TALK on their cell phones.

Unlimited Texting on cell phone plans, how do they make any money?

Seeing parents ask their kids to Please behave and not act like insane wild animals in public, "In the Philippines the parents would just smack them if a child ever acted like that"

Getting a receipt for service calls, repairs & installations.

Really? I can just return it if I don't like it?

The manager cares that we waited 30 minutes for our lunch to be served and comped us our meal!

The brand name stuff is legit and counterfeits can't be found in every corner.

The power grid is reliable, why don't we have black-outs every other week?

The list goes on...
Bob 4 AnnaMalePhilippines2011-06-24 22:20:00