ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
National Visa Center (Dept of State)Confused about police clearances
This Korean police certificate stuff is really starting to upset me. If it weren't for this, my wife could be in the States with me by February. Now it looks like we'll be waiting even longer.

Has anybody actually gone to the Korean embassy in Manila and had any success with this yet? Why does it take so long? Are the Koreans having the embassy workers fold up the applications into little paper airplanes and launch them out the windows? You'd think they'd be using forms of communication adequate enough to cut down on time.

Or it could be that they just don't give a damn about anybody.

My wife was in Korea for exactly one year (not one day longer) with an E-6 Visa. She was confined to a squalid dormitory for 365 days with very little opportunity to go anywhere or do much of anything aside from work (which, if you know what an E-6 Visa is, you know the work sucked).

I thought she was through with that wretched excuse of a country, and now it's coming back for another round of nightmares. For Christ's sake, I just want to be with my wife.

I realize this is a Homeland Security issue, but I'd prefer my wife on an airplane bound for The States than some guy with explosives in his underpants...


I also know that according to the DOS site that you listed there it says that if you are not in korea, they are unavailable...really confusing...but I guess i will have her do it either way...i dont want to have anything to cause delays.

Police Records
Korean National Police Certificate (Crime-Investigation History Report: Bomjoi-Soosa Kyongreok Johoi Hoiboseo) is available to visa applicants of any nationality who are physically present in South Korea. The new KNPC now includes all serious crimes since 1945, regardless of expungement benefits under Korean law, and misdemeanors for five years, according to the Individual Information Protection Law of March 2003.

Applicants presently in Korea: Foreign nationals, regardless of visa status, and Korean citizens must apply in person at any local police station. The KNP checks non-Koreans according to the requestor’s Korean alien registration card or passport. Korean citizens must show a Korean identity card with the Korean citizen’s unique, lifetime Korean identification number, which is found on Korean national identity cards and Korean passports adjacent to the applicant’s name. KNP processing is no fee and takes less than one hour. The new KNPC bears a red ink half inch square stamp on the bottom containing the Korean characters for National Police. It is issued in Korean only and applicants must attach a complete English translation, certified as true and correct by anyone competent in Korean and English, for the visa interview. A simple computer printout of criminal records is issued with the Korean annotation for information only, has no red ink stamp and is not a KNPC for visa purposes.

Applicants outside of Korea: Unavailable.


mrmaroukaMalePhilippines2010-01-06 22:43:00
K-3 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresPhilippine passport name change.
My Philippine wife will soon be ready for her interview. She has a valid passport up until 2013, but it is still in her maiden name. Will this cause any problems for her when she tries to gain entry to the United States? Should we try to get it amended to show her married name? I am worried that if we try to get it changed, we might not get it back in time.

If we get it amended, is it the same processing time as if she were applying for a brand new passport?

Thanks
mrmaroukaMalePhilippines2010-02-15 23:03:00
K-3 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresQuestions regarding medical exam in Manila
Appreciate the answers and the suggestions.

When you say the exam will take two days, you mean that she will go one day, and then have to return another? Or do they keep her over night?

Will they let me go there with her? I am currently in the Philippines with my wife, and I came here to be with her during her medical interview so she wouldn't be so nervous. I would rather her not travel to Manila alone.

I read that they do not like it when the patients bring guests, but I would rather be present with her. I do not want her traveling to Manila alone.

Thanks,
M.
mrmaroukaMalePhilippines2010-02-17 00:22:00
K-3 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresQuestions regarding medical exam in Manila
Do we have to call and make an appointment before going to St. Luke's in Manila for my wife's medical exam, or is it first come first serve during business hours?

Also, the requirements show that she will need somewhere around 17 vaccinations.... Sounds pretty painful. Will they administer all of these in one sitting?

Thanks for the help,
M.
mrmaroukaMalePhilippines2010-02-16 19:59:00
K-3 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresDS-156 Question regarding names.
My wife and I are married, but her passport still has her maiden name. We are currently filling out her DS-156 in preparation for her interview.

In the spaces provided for names, it requires the surname, first, and middle names that are listed on her passport. For everything else we have always used her married name... Will this cause a problem?

Should I put her new last name in the space that says "Other Surnames Used (Maiden, Religious, Professional, Aliases)" and make a note that it's her married name?

One other question regarding her passport:

Under PLACE OF ISSUANCE, should I simply put MANILA, or do I need to include that it was the DFA in Manila?


Since I am filling out the form for my wife, should we check YES that it was prepared by me on her behalf, and should I sign it as well? Is this really a big deal?

Any other info on the DS-156 is appreciated.
mrmaroukaMalePhilippines2010-02-28 18:51:00
K-3 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresQuestions. Anxious about wife's interview in Manila.
Well, it is "zero hour" and my wife is about to proceed into the embassy and await her interview.

I was able to get our chat and call logs from SKYPE. The total came to about 85 pages, so I abridged it to 20, because my wife had to go to an internet cafe and get it all printed off from apparently a steam powered (and duct taped) Epsom ink printer... :) We also have about 4 pages of email correspondence.

That is the best we could do. I hope it is enough.

Wish my wife luck and please pray for us. I miss her so much.

-Mark 'n Cindy

Edited by mrmarouka, 14 March 2010 - 04:57 PM.

mrmaroukaMalePhilippines2010-03-14 16:56:00
K-3 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresQuestions. Anxious about wife's interview in Manila.
MORE questions.. Sorry, just incredibly worried.

Regarding proof of our relationship. My wife and I don't really exchange a lot of emails, because we spend about 95% of our online time using SKYPE, or Yahoo Messenger.

I was told that a lot of times they like to see emails, and letters to prove an ongoing relationship..

What we do have, however, are about 100+ photographs of me and my wife together, from our earliest days together in Korea, to our wedding in the Philippines, and all the time we spent together in her beautiful country in the following months...

My wife will also be able to provide my paid flight itineraries for all of my trips to the Philippines.

Will this be enough evidence for them? We never really thought of the email thing because, like I said, we always communicate via webcam from my house to hers, or just casual chatting in yahoo messenger.

Thanks again. Just worried worried worried. I miss my sweet angel so much, and it tears us apart to be so far from one another.

Thanks again for the support everyone. Hope you can tolerate all my silly questions.

-M
mrmaroukaMalePhilippines2010-03-12 20:19:00
K-3 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresQuestions. Anxious about wife's interview in Manila.
Thanks to all for the very helpful information.

I have one more question.. Are there any further fees my wife will have to pay once inside the embassy? Like any fees required to have her visa mailed to her, etc?

Thanks everyone.

-M
mrmaroukaMalePhilippines2010-03-12 10:09:00
K-3 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresQuestions. Anxious about wife's interview in Manila.
Hello there,

My wife is scheduled for her interview at the US Embassy in Manila in a few days, and I am just very anxious and have some questions for anyone who has been through this process before. Maybe just help set my mind at ease for the big day.

My wife and I used a very qualified and helpful attorney here in the US, and all of her paperwork is very squared away. She has never been in a previous marriage, never had kids. Spent a year in Korea, and we even got her Korean Police clearance along with her spotless NBI certificate.

We have every document required for her interview, along with a great affidavit of support.

Her passport was released to the people at St. Luke's during her interview, so it should be with the folks at the embassy as we speak.

They did not give my wife her shots while we were there. They told her it was a bad idea because I was there with her that month and we had been sexually active...although I don't know the reason for this. They gave her a spreadsheet and said she could just get her shots when she came to the US.

So my biggest fear, how will my wife be treated at the interview? We have been married since July, and in the VISA process since October. She has a huge photo album with our wedding pictures and tons of photos of her and I together, which she will be bringing with her to the interview.

Will this interview be difficult for my wife? She seems a little nervous about it, but I tell her they are going to be nice (although I don't know this for sure).

Are there any possible pitfalls that could come up during the interview that might keep her from getting a VISA issued??

Will my wife know if she has been approved during the interview? When approved, how long does it take for her to receive her passport with attached VISA?

I am very scared about this because I am deploying to Afghanistan in September, and I would lose all hope if I had to spend more time away from her between now and then.

Hope anyone can make sense of this jumble of questions and concerns. I am just very anxious to finally have my wife with me in the US, so if anyone could help set my mind at ease, give me any information on how the interview goes down, any suggestions, or shared experiences, I would be incredibly thankful.

-M
mrmaroukaMalePhilippines2010-03-11 11:31:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionUS Embassy, Manila, interview wait time.

We arrrived at 0500 but still waited all morning and then were told to go out and have lunch and come back after 1pm.. We finished before 3pm.. It is first come first serve but arrival time does not necessarily dictate the order. We arrived very early.. long before the embassy opens and the guard sent us to a waiting area. The waiting area filled in over time then at 0700 the guard indicated it was time to line up. As it turned out, the last people to arrive just turned around and left the waiting area and went to the line. The effect being that the earlier you arrive the further back the line you end up.. We were among the last few to be interviewed and first to arrive. Don't worry..


Thanks for helping set my mind at ease a bit... It's difficult enough being thousands of miles away from my wife, and the fact that we never go more than 45 minutes without talking on the phone, or chatting online (except to sleep). This "radio silence" is a real killer for me.
mrmaroukaMalePhilippines2010-03-14 21:55:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionUS Embassy, Manila, interview wait time.
My wife went in for her interview at the US Embassy in Manila at 7am, and it is nearly 10:40. I am just concerned. Does it normally take this long?

They sequester all cell phones at the security checkpoint before anyone is allowed inside of the embassy, so I have no method of contacting my wife until she is finished and leaves the embassy, so I'm sure you can imagine that I am a bit worried.

Thanks,

Mark
mrmaroukaMalePhilippines2010-03-14 21:38:00
PhilippinesPhilippine Airlines, Manila to LAX
Totally.

I'll be scanning and sending them to her email. She can get 'em printed at the nearby internet cafe.

Change of plans. Looks like she'll be flying to San Francisco. Price is a little lower and I'm more comfortable with the layout of the international terminal.
mrmaroukaMalePhilippines2010-03-24 19:36:00
PhilippinesPhilippine Airlines, Manila to LAX

Hi, my husband purchased my ticket with travelocity before using a credit card here in the US. They didnt asked any copy of the credit card in the airport at all. I traveled from Manila to LAX using PAL..


Hey there. So you traveled the same route my wife will be taking in a couple of weeks.

Regarding LAX itself. I've been to the Tom Bradley International Terminal and it is quite a busy place. Granted I have only been to the departures area. I am concerned that I will not be able to find my wife as she exits the arrival lobby...

Is there a specific area that PAL arrivals come from? Is there a choke point at the exit that will make it easy for me to identify my wife as she is coming out?

I sent her a TRACFONE in the mail, registered and with minutes added. Hopefully it will work when she lands...
mrmaroukaMalePhilippines2010-03-24 12:18:00
PhilippinesPhilippine Airlines, Manila to LAX

Is it different if you buy the ticket through Expedia? I think the price is actually a bit cheaper for PAL on Expedia than on PAL's website. I know people on VJ have used Expedia for tickets for their SOs without any ID issues.


Really? I am a little nervous about using Expedia because they are a third party. I would prefer to deal directly with PAL, even if it is a little more costly...
mrmaroukaMalePhilippines2010-03-23 21:09:00
PhilippinesPhilippine Airlines, Manila to LAX

Mark,

You just need to send her a photocopy of the credit card and ID for the person who purchased the ticket. They don't care about last names, etc.. PAL does STRICTLY enforce this.

Make sure it's a clear picture of the credit card.. My Milagros told me that they complained in the airport about another passenger who didn't have a good clear photocopy.

Best regards,
-Jared



OK, not a problem. How about if it is not a photocopy of the ID and credit card but a computer scan, printed with a color printer? I'd say that sounds better..

Thanks for the responses.
-Mark
mrmaroukaMalePhilippines2010-03-23 20:46:00
PhilippinesPhilippine Airlines, Manila to LAX
I am purchasing a ticket for my wife to fly straight from Manila to Los Angeles. Has anybody here flown that route before?

I was reading Philippine Airlines policies on their website, and one policy is that if the ticket is purchased for the passenger by someone who is not accompanying them, the ticket holder must also provide a photocopy of the credit card used, as well as a photocopied ID of the person who the credit card belongs to.

Does PAL strictly enforce this policy?

Also, it is possible that my mother will be purchasing my wife's plane ticket with her credit card to ease the financial burdon of our travel. My mother has a completely different last name as me, as she is remarried. If my wife were to show a copy of my mother's credit card and ID, would there be an issue regarding the names?

I have a very small time window in which to go pick up my wife and fly her back to New York before I have to return to work (I'm in the Army). I just want to make sure everything is going to go right the first time.

If anybody has any suggestions, or has done this before please let me know.

Thanks.
Mark
mrmaroukaMalePhilippines2010-03-23 19:41:00
PhilippinesWife is going to PRISM/CFO in the morning...

How did she like (or not like) PRISM? My girl is taking her medical in a few weeks and will be doing the seminar at PRSIM as well after her medical.


Everything went great. It was very painless. I'm starting to realize now that I worry too damned much.

Next big hurtle: PLANE TICKET, Airline Check-In, and flight to the US.

I may have a stroke...
mrmaroukaMalePhilippines2010-03-27 09:18:00
PhilippinesWife is going to PRISM/CFO in the morning...

Immigrant Data Summary is for CR1/IR1 only


Ok, sounds good.

What goes on at the counseling session anyway? They aren't going to be interrogating my wife are they?

So our original marriage certificate from the municipal hall will be OK? We no longer have her NSO printed certificate and don't have the time to get another one. The CFO website mentions a certified true copy from the local civil registrar. This is just another way of saying "original marriage certificate", I hope...

My questions can be somewhat redundant sometimes and I apologize for that, but I always like to make sure we know what's happening before jumping into a situation...

Thanks people.. =)
mrmaroukaMalePhilippines2010-03-24 19:44:00
PhilippinesWife is going to PRISM/CFO in the morning...
My wife will be attending the seminar at PRISM tomorrow morning, and then registering with the CFO.

From experience, is there anything she should have that is not listed on the website when she goes there?

Also, our NSO Certified Marriage Certificate was taken during her interview at the US Embassy. What we have now is the original marriage certificate (and photocopies) from the municipal hall in which we were married. Is this acceptable?

And one more thing... What is the Immigrant Data Summary for US bound?



We're almost there.... :)

Thanks,
-Mark
mrmaroukaMalePhilippines2010-03-24 07:19:00
PhilippinesStay away from D.J. Bibingkahan South St. Artesia Blvd. CA

wow ...you are in watertown NY and you are going to complain about Cali???? I opened an office for my company out there a few years back and was there for over a year!!!!!.....there is only 1 good restaurant there unless u go to the bays or over to canada!!! ...lol....but they do have alot of bars there to drink at!!!...lol....also where in New Hampshire I am from New England and my mom still lives there and can tell you some good places to eat some food ...since she is trying it because she is comming out here in a couple of weeks so she knows the type of food pam will make her


Quite frankly, I hate New York. Watertown is a cesspool. But I'm stationed here, so I make the best of it. Yes there are tons of bars and clubs, and strip joints. I've found that any community neighboring a military base is usually one of the most hideous places you can imagine. I'm a married man, so in that respect, there is absolutely nothing to do locally.

I spent my younger years in Manchester, all through High School. My mom lives in New Boston and my dad in Goffstown. I love New England more than anywhere else in the country.
mrmaroukaMalePhilippines2010-04-03 23:02:00
PhilippinesStay away from D.J. Bibingkahan South St. Artesia Blvd. CA

And uhhh NY is any better than Cali? :rofl:


I'm not here by choice.. :)

New Hampshire, however, is heaven on earth.
mrmaroukaMalePhilippines2010-03-30 07:18:00
PhilippinesStay away from D.J. Bibingkahan South St. Artesia Blvd. CA
Thanks for the heads-up, though I generally try to stay as far away as humanly possible from California in the first place...
mrmaroukaMalePhilippines2010-03-29 22:36:00
PhilippinesFlying US to Philippines / one way ticket ?
I've been there three times. Twice from Korea, once from the US. The only things customs & immigration checked were the arrival documents I filled out on the plane and my passport. Only once they asked me questions regarding the duration of my stay and where/who I was visiting.

Make sure you have your arrival documents filled out completely before you leave the plane, otherwise you will be asked to get out of line and fill it out at a table, which is very inconvenient.

The airport employees were very friendly towards me. They didn't seem as friendly with the Korean and Japanese visitors though...

Be sure to plan accordingly if you decide to stay over 21 days. Find the nearest Bureau of Immigration and apply for an extension. The nearest BI to my wife was a 5 hour trip (one way). It was a long day...

Take care.
-Mark
mrmaroukaMalePhilippines2010-03-27 22:11:00
PhilippinesCFO seminar in Manila.

She can just go to PRISM opposite La Salle at Taft Ave., no need to register ahead just tell her to bring her passport and photocopies of her passport, visa and immigrant data summary. No need for marriage cert and nbi clearance. The fee is 250 pesos. PRISM will give her a certificate but she need to go to CFO after the seminar to have her passport stamp and the fee is P400. She'll be done in a day.


Great. Thanks for the information. But are you absolutely sure about the marriage certificate? According to the CFO website, they require "certified true copy and photocopy of marriage contract on security paper from the National Statistics Office, or Local Civil Registry Offices".

What we currently have is her original certificate from the Municipal building that we were married in. That should be all we need, right? The NSO copy of our marriage contract was kept by the US Embassy after her interview. Will it be returned when she receives her VISA from Delbros?

Is a copy machine available at PRISM? According to the website, she needs to make a photocopy of her Immigrant Data Summary. But isn't that inside of the envelope that she is prohibited from opening?

Thanks
-Mark
mrmaroukaMalePhilippines2010-03-21 19:48:00
PhilippinesCFO seminar in Manila.
I am trying to access the CFO website, but it seems to be down. I am at my job, so most likely it is blocked or there is something wrong with my network.

My wife's VISA was approved and this is our last step. Has anybody experienced this CFO seminar who could provide me and my wife with some suggestions, or share their experience?

Can my wife attend the seminar and get her clearance on the same day? I'm not very clear on the proceedure. If anyone could help us out with this it would be really cool.

I know that she will need our NSO Printed Marriage Certificate, but I read an earlier post a while back, and somebody mentioned something about them requiring her NBI clearance. Is that true?

Any helpful information is grately appreciated!

-M
mrmaroukaMalePhilippines2010-03-16 14:10:00