ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
Asia: East and PacificInterview Dates for Manila Embassy

- For those who have received your interview date, how many days is it from your NOA2? (based on viewing other timelines - I was under the impression that 4 months was about the longest waiting time)

The "pre-interview" letter the USE sends beneficiaries once the physical file arrives used to say "average wait time of 120 days". But I believe this has even been extended out to 150 days now. Not sure why the back-log.
BJZagsMalePhilippines2006-12-11 22:16:00
Asia: East and PacificFilipina Wedding Music

I suggest "IKAW" and GAANO KO IKAW KAMAHAL because I sang these songs , every Wedding I was invited...

Thanks, I will ask Jenalyn about these. I was freaking out when I posted the question because my mom was pushing me to make a decision NOW as she is furiously planning the Feb 14 wedding. But for AR, Jen would have been with me to help me make the decisions.
BJZagsMalePhilippines2006-12-30 14:35:00
Asia: East and PacificFilipina Wedding Music
I'm attempting (key work is attempting) to plan my upcoming wedding to my filipina bride. Any suggestions on appropriate traditional filipina processional music and other filipina music which could be played during a wedding would be much appreciated.

Edited by BJZags, 28 December 2006 - 03:17 PM.

BJZagsMalePhilippines2006-12-28 15:15:00
Asia: East and PacificAfter interview, stay in Manila or go home (CDO) & wait?
I'd vote for her to return to the province after the interview. There is no guarentee that the USE will release the visa immediately, and Delbros will deliver to the province (just takes a few days longer). Since it will be a few weeks before she comes to America anyway, there really is no point in staying in Manila. Just remember to give yourself enough time in Manila before ya'll leave to attend the CFO seminar and have the visa stamped. Whatever time she can spend with family before she finally departs will be precious for her, so she should take advantage of that.
BJZagsMalePhilippines2007-03-29 14:18:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionDoes the US Embassy in Manila send the Packet 3 to the beneficiary using the ordinary postal mail or by a COURIER service?
Another silly question, what is in Packet 3 from the Manila embassy, if packet 4 is the envelope that contains the instructions on what is needed for the interview and all the forms that need to be persented at the interview? Thanks.
BJZagsMalePhilippines2006-08-18 10:16:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionDoes the US Embassy in Manila send the Packet 3 to the beneficiary using the ordinary postal mail or by a COURIER service?
How did you know that the information arrived at manila embasssy from NVC, did you call the embassy or NVC? Thanks.
BJZagsMalePhilippines2006-08-18 06:17:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionDates for Nov Interviews Posted Minila

http://203.177.135.1...tment/login.asp Check link ours is Nov 27th 7 am


Your timeline is almost exactly the same ours. I wonder why we didn't receive a November date?
BJZagsMalePhilippines2006-09-19 11:10:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionOriginal, Photocopy, Certified copies of which documents?
What is a "certified copy" of something? In regards to ITR, you submit the original so you don't have the original to give. Plus if it's an online filing you don't even have a signature on the "copy" you submit anyway. In regards to BC and ID cards, your talking the beneficiaries, correct, not mine the 1-129f filer?
BJZagsMalePhilippines2006-09-22 07:08:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionHaving a baby before the visa is done is ok?
As a male, the fact that the beneficiary is pregnant and this maybe does NOT affect the visa process concerns me a little. Of course in a perfect world, the gal would be preggers with the petitioners child, but I can see this NOT being the case also. I guess our government doesn't care who father of the child is. One question though, I thought the x-ray was a required part of the physical exam. If they won't perfom x-ray on a pregnant girl, then how can she pass the medical? Seems like a double-standard if they require for one and not the other.
BJZagsMalePhilippines2006-09-24 13:42:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionDocuments Validity: Do I need to renew all of them?
I see that you have listed a police certificate for the philippines AND the NBI clearance? What is the difference? I saw the NBI clearance needed for the interview, but I thought the police certificate was only needed for foreign countries lived in. Should I have Jenalyn get a police certificate in the Philippines? Or is the NBI enough?

Thanks.
BJZagsMalePhilippines2006-09-29 10:00:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionDo you need Transcripts of Return at the Interview
What's all this talk about the IRS transcript? I didn't see this listed in the K1 packet I downloaded off the manila embassy website. Does the actual packet that will be mailed to Jenalyn require something different?
BJZagsMalePhilippines2006-09-28 22:05:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionNew letter of intent
For us, we both wrote a new letter of "intent".
BJZagsMalePhilippines2006-10-06 08:42:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionNew letter of intent
Seems to me the "new" letter of intent and acceptance letters will look a whole lot like the original ones in the I-129F, just with a later date on them.
BJZagsMalePhilippines2006-10-05 15:12:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionAny guesses when Dec appts will be made for Manila?
I was initially irritated too when the November appointments came out, and those with time-lines in and around ours got appointments and we did not. But for what its' worth, it appears they are scheduling them based upon NOA2 dates. I called the embassy last week, and the lady said that appointments are typically scheduled in the "third" week of the month, and I should call back at the end of the month if I have not learned anything new. Based upon the arrival date of the physical files at the embassy (Aug. 17) I should "expect" an interview sometime in December. I hope she meant this December and not next December.
BJZagsMalePhilippines2006-10-10 18:13:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionManila Packet 3
It appears that the Manila embassy is now mailing letters to beneficiaries once the file has arrived at the embassy, notifying them that they are in que for an interview date. This notice and wait-time stated in the letter may be the Manila version of "Packet 3".
BJZagsMalePhilippines2006-10-11 15:17:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionManila Embassy- interview date
It appears, that the standard answer given K1 beneficiaries by the embassy, is 120 days from the time the embassy receives the "physical" file. According to your time-line, the embassy is still waiting for the actual file, so its probably at least 4-months until you can realistically expect the interview date. Based on that, and the fact that the K1 visa is good for 4-months, there should be no problem with enrolling in the upcoming semester.
BJZagsMalePhilippines2006-10-09 17:41:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionMelinda's Visa is Approved!
Congrats. Best luck w/ your future together.

It amazes me that some folks would not have their paperwork already filled-out, or come with the required receipts. You have waited all this time, and suffered through the pain of seperation, NOT to be prepared for one of the biggest moments in your life? This just reinforces one of my mottos: you create your own luck.
BJZagsMalePhilippines2006-10-18 10:49:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionManila USE - Assigning interview slots

The consulate in Manila assigns interviews based on receipt at the consulate, not your priority date.


I'm not sure I agre with that statement. If that were the case, then we probably would have had a November interview. Since the NVC sits on them awhile until they are mailed to the USE, I figure Manila assigns interviews based on maybe NOA2 date.
BJZagsMalePhilippines2006-10-25 11:41:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionNBI Clearance for USE in Manila, Philippines

Valid for one year is good for the embassy according to the data I recall on the web site. But clearances are relatively cheap (P150) and easy to get if you live close to one of the outlet thingys, so why not get another to fuel your obsession?


That's what I was thinking, but from what I'm told the NBI is very crowded, busy, and lots of "smelly" people there. Kind of grossed-her out the last time. But the things we do for love I tell her.
BJZagsMalePhilippines2006-10-23 07:01:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionNBI Clearance for USE in Manila, Philippines
Taking a look at Jenalyn's NBI clearance I noticed that while it does NOT have any of the four remarks that require an NBI letter of explanation. It does say under remarks: "No record on file". and then at the bottom it states: "For travel abroad"

Anybody have a thought to whether this would be acceptable?

And, the clearance is valid for one year, any thoughts on whether it should be dated extremely close to the interview date, or should a date of April 26, 2006 be OK, assuming a Dec. 5 interview?

It seems like I'm obsessing on the smallest details at this point, but its in my nature.

Thanks.
BJZagsMalePhilippines2006-10-21 12:14:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionNBI Clearance for USE in Manila, Philippines
What is the "police certificate"? The K1 instructions say NBI clearance and police clearance for foreign countries lived-in. Do we also need to get a Phil police clearance or brngy clearance in addition to NBI?
BJZagsMalePhilippines2006-10-10 18:39:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionCFO Taken
Its my understanding that you can't get the CFO stamp until you have obtained the visa. But you can go ahead and take the seminar beforehand, just hang onto the receipt and records that you attended, and then goto the CFO office for the stamp once the visa is received.
BJZagsMalePhilippines2006-11-04 11:55:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionTraveling back together from Manila

So now we have heard it both ways - that you CAN pick up the VISA and you CANNOT, so which is it? Picking up the VISA isn't the same has having it delivered to your hotel.


I believe the "policy" is to have the visa delivered by DELBROS. But this policy can be waived on a case-by-case basis by a CO and the visa can be picked-up at the embassy. I personally would not count on the this waiver being granted.
BJZagsMalePhilippines2006-11-09 12:14:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussiontemp denied needed more info...

now what I want to know and from what I read the i-134 is only used at consular discression... in the document is states things need to be noterised.. yes or no?

and can the kelly blue book value of the car be used?

and what other personal property can be used, and what about future inharitance?? its fairly large...

and the i134 is not legally binding correct???

I need more info on what can be used as an asset.... please answer, I want to go home to be with my wife..


YES, I-134 must be notorized.
I used the Kelly blue book value of my car, but it was only in "addition" to my annual income that was above the poverty guidelines.
I would think that "future" inheritance could NOT be used, because they are future. A current trust you are drawing against would be a different matter.
Theoretically, the I-134 is NOT legally binding, but the support affidavit that you sign upon AOS WILL BE legally binding.
BJZagsMalePhilippines2006-11-11 10:51:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionInterview 20th November

And if you still doubt us:

http://www.visapro.c...Form-DS-157.asp


Hmm . .must be a UK thing, because they require all applicants fill one out in the Philippines. And the info on your link seems to be dated 2002.
BJZagsMalePhilippines2006-11-14 16:48:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionInterview 20th November

You don't need to fill in the DS-157. That is for males between 16 and 45 only.


Where are you getting this information from?
BJZagsMalePhilippines2006-11-11 14:26:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionI-134 from manila or do i send?

Send it along with all the packet#4 requirements.....your fiancee will take it along
with her on her interview date

Correct. The Packet 4 does NOT contain the I-134. This is something that you must download and complete yourself. Remember to get it notarized before you mail it to her.
BJZagsMalePhilippines2006-11-20 15:58:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionMEDICAL EXAM

Whether or not Manila follows the law is a different story - apparently the Canadian consulate requires them for visa issuance even though the law clearly states they are not necessary for the K1.

As previously posted, the packet 4 mailed to K1 applicants at Manila embassy does NOT require vaccinations for approval, but urges the beneficiaries to get them since they are required for AOS.
BJZagsMalePhilippines2006-11-21 20:12:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionMEDICAL EXAM
How does my fiancee go about getting a copy of what vaccinations St. Lukes gave her. While she went back on the second-day for the shots, she was told that "some" of them are not "available" in the Phil. and she must get them in America. Since the results are sealed and then given to the powers that be once in America, how will we have any idea of what she still needs for AOS?
BJZagsMalePhilippines2006-11-21 12:21:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionINTERVIEW TODAY.......

I am sure it's just a name check because she had her first name changed had all supporting docs but was still put on AR

Sorry to hear ur visa journey is delayed a little while longer. But hopefully it only means a phone call from the embassy to some phil. agency and she's on her way to be with you. Is it me, or does the embassy appear to be much more strict on checking documents and such? What seemed like just a rubber-stamp interview process a year ago, is now turning into a more worrisome ordeal at the Manila embassy.
BJZagsMalePhilippines2006-11-24 09:10:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionVisa approved but curious

So do not, I repeat do not leave the country until you have your AP document in hand.

And for that matter, I've heard that AP is no guarentee of re-entry. So it is safest not to leave the country until AOS is final.
BJZagsMalePhilippines2006-11-21 11:24:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionQuestion on Bank Validation of DS-156


Where on the DS-156 does the bank validate the payment? The embassy website says the bank will validate the payment on that particular form, but I cannot find the validation field on the form.

When my wife went through Manila, the bank gave her a receipt and validated the DS-156 with some kind of stamp. Of course I never saw this since it was turned in at the time of the interview, but everyone I know of who has gone through Manila must use the DS-156 with the validation stamp/sticker.


There is a receipt given at the bank plus a stamp "validation" on the DS-157 that they have already at the bank. For some reason they validate an older version of the DS-157 laying around the bank.
BJZagsMalePhilippines2006-11-27 12:56:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionFinancial support documentation

Is it ok to mark out account numbers on your financial support documentation,
Checking, savings and 401k.

Thanks


For checkings and savings, you can just have the bank draft a letter saying when the accounts were opened and the average daily balance, and amounts going in and out of the account. That way no account numbers to worry about. Since the 401K info is supplemental info only, I would think marking out the account number is OK.
BJZagsMalePhilippines2006-11-27 13:05:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionBirth Certificate Changes - AR

maybe so, but if you are the one that ends up in AR then it does become a very big problem.

"I still think that if you provide what is requested in the K1 packet, chances are you will be approved."

My wife and I DID[u][size=4] provide everything that was requested and then some. "Chances Are" is a very ominous statement. I think it also depends on the consul officer you draw and what kind of mood they happen to be in that day. In the end its a ####### shoot, just roll the dice then roll with the punches they throw at you. I just wanted to be clear on the point that we did provide everything that was asked for and much much more BJ.

I here you. And we too have gathered a truck-load of extra documentation: local provincial BC, baptismal certificate, college identification, etc. But due to my experience with working in the government, they are constrained by rules, regulations, and procedures. So, if their "new procedures" say AR anyone with any "funkiness" to a BC for a check, then it must done. No matter the other stuff we throw at them, it will NOT matter one bit except give others a false-sense of being prepared. The only thing that would truly help me is to see these "new procedures" (if they do exist) in writing somewhere. I suppose the "catch-all" is the phrase somewhere in the K1 packet that "other matierials may be requested. . . "
BJZagsMalePhilippines2006-11-28 16:00:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionBirth Certificate Changes - AR

BJ, I would guess that your fiancee doesn't have any changes on her BC? If Lilia didn't have a spelling correction on hers, I wouldn't be as concerned. If you look at the interview in the past two or three months, we show +/- 10% going to AR because of BC changes. I would guess that this is fairly representative of the total at the USE. How can you say you don't think this is a problem?


Jenalyn's BC is "late registered" like most people's in the province because of the messed-up nature of the Philippines in general. All I know to do is give them what is requested: an NSO BC from an NSO office. If giving them exactly what they want isn't good enough, then there is nothing that I can do to prevent my AR.

I am unclear exactly how representative of all visas being processed through Manila the numbers on VJ are. And I am also somewhat skeptical of any " information" coming from phone calls to the embassy. Every time I have called, the information is from some filipina reading her "canned" answers from a computer screen. I am not saying that this is NOT a REAL issue for those affected, and there is a good chance that I am likewise screwed in five-days. But I am offering up the possibility the over-all numbers do not support the panic. At least that's what I'm hoping.
BJZagsMalePhilippines2006-11-28 11:23:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionBirth Certificate Changes - AR
Of course, the non-conspiracy part of me suspects we are blowing this ALL out of context and it really isn't that big of a problem. On VJ, we are dealing with two maybe three instances of this BC-gate. When compared to the hundreds of interviews conducted over this time and likely no problems, maybe we are stressing over a problem that simply does not exist. While it sucks for the few individuals affected and I pray the situation is resolved quickly for them, I still think that if you provide what is requested in the K1 packet, chances are you will be approved.
BJZagsMalePhilippines2006-11-28 09:59:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionCENOMAR

I wasn't aware that Manila would accept any CENOMAR from individuals. I thought that if Manila had cause they would request the CENOMAR. Is this true or has Manila changed their policy?
Thanks

According to the K1 info-packet they mail to beneficiaries, the CENOMAR on NSO paper is one of the required docs they should bring along to the interview. But it appears that if there is any "red flags" (I speculate instances such as CENOMAR plus child) they may request their own copy. What the embassy hopes to gain in insite through their own copy of EXACTLY the same document I'm not sure. The source of never-ending frustration to many.
BJZagsMalePhilippines2006-12-18 11:27:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionSending fiancee documents for interview.
About USPS, that may be a good option financially, since last time I sent papers and such it was $70 by FedEx. Problem with USPS is that delivery can't be guarenteed once it leaves the US. I had all sorts of problems with letters and packages NOT getting to her, so for the important stuff I caughed-up for FedEx and it got there within 3-days. If I had not sent over 20 letters and only 2 made it to her address, then maybe I'd tell a different story.
BJZagsMalePhilippines2006-12-19 11:24:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionPHilippines Consulate

All you have to do is say you don't know who the father is. Unless he comes forward and claims the baby who would you get permission from?

Your kidding right? You expect the USE to follow logic? If their check-box says there must be permission, there must be by-God permission from the father. The trick is to know the internal procedures for when the check-box is impossible. Thats where the well-informed lawyer comes into play
BJZagsMalePhilippines2006-12-25 09:46:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionAirplane Ticket

Just a word of caution - be careful of Northwest Airlines booking on NWA flight 72/78/XXX. This includes domestic Japanese flight 78 from Nagoya (NGO) to Tokyo (NRT).

What's the caution about NWA? I flew flight 72 through Nagoya 3-times, and my girl flew to America on flight 72. We never had any problems. And booking a one-way ticket from MNL on NWA.com was pretty cheap: w/taxes it was less then $750.
BJZagsMalePhilippines2007-01-29 14:41:00