ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
PhilippinesTermination??? Help!!!!
QUOTE (mrs.married @ Aug 6 2009, 07:14 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I think we had a good reason why i did not show up during my appointments but it does not mean that i wasn't serious about my marriage or in our relationship.


You could have had the best reason in the world for missing your appointment, but if you failed to communicate it to the Embassy, then it doesn't matter. They can quite reasonably assume that you abandoned your application.

My wife missed her interview appointment because the embassy scheduled it on less than a week's notice and she didn't get the interview letter in time. Thankfully I just happened to call the embassy the same day as her appointment, so I had her call and explain the situation so she could get another appointment.

jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-08-06 18:35:00
PhilippinesWife's family's house in Taytay destroyed in storm
My wife just heard from her missing sister, so all family members are accounted for. Thank God!
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-09-26 21:56:00
PhilippinesWife's family's house in Taytay destroyed in storm
From what my wife's family said, the house is a total loss. A concrete wall fell on it, causing a collapse. We're just thankful they're alive. If the rescuers had come ten minutes later, they would have drowned.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-09-26 19:09:00
PhilippinesWife's family's house in Taytay destroyed in storm
My wife would be on the next flight over if she thought her presence there would belp the situation in any way. Right now, shw wouldn't be able to get close to where her family is because some of the towns on the route from Manila to there are completely underwater.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-09-26 16:55:00
PhilippinesWife's family's house in Taytay destroyed in storm
My wife just feels helpless because she really can't do anything. I figured asking about non-immigrant visas for humanitarian purposes is a long shot, but I had to ask for her sake.

I wasn't asking if this would qualify them for immigrant visas. I was asking about temporary non-immigrant visas. Otherwise, like a previous poster said, half the RP would be living here now.

I could afford to buy a plane ticket for one or two of them here for a few months, but I can't afford to buy them a new house or rent on an apartment there indefinitely.

No offense, but please don't lecture me about how hard immigration is as if I don't know that. We put in our five years with USCIS and just got my wife's passport this week after she took her Oath last month.


jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-09-26 15:27:00
PhilippinesWife's family's house in Taytay destroyed in storm
My wife just found out that her family's house was destroyed by the tropical storm on Saturday. Flood waters from a creek behind it caused the back wall to cave in and the roof subsequently collapsed. Fortunately, all of her family members there were able to climb out through the collapsed roof. However, one of her sisters wasn't there and no one has been able to make contact with her.

Is there any sort of temporary humanitarian visa my wife's family might be eligible to apply for since my wife is a US citizen and her family is now homeless? We'ret just trying to think of realistic ways we can help them.

We were talking the other day about have my mother-in-law and one of my wife's sisters apply for tourist visas to come visit here, but with their house destroyed, there goes any "ties" to Philippines they might have had.

Edited by jsnearline, 26 September 2009 - 02:44 PM.

jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-09-26 14:44:00
PhilippinesManila is underwater right now!
My wife can sleep tonight. All her family members are now accounted for.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-09-26 21:57:00
PhilippinesManila is underwater right now!
My wife was watching the news and they were saying this is the worst flooding in Manila since 1967. I know Manila is used to storms and floods, but this one seems extreme even by Philippines standards.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-09-26 16:57:00
PhilippinesManila is underwater right now!
My wife's family lost their home in the flooding (their house collapsed) and one of her sisters is missing.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-09-26 15:52:00
PhilippinesThis flood shows the differences between poor filipinos and poor americans
My wife talked to her family again this morning and learned that their house had been looted. Someone saw people carrying off their new washing machine (that my wife had bought for them) and other belongings of theirs and So, please don't preach about how Filipinos are so much better than Americans when it comes to bad behavior after a disaster. They might be more self-reliant that we are, but they apparently aren't above looting either when they get the opportunity. Unbelievable!
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-09-28 10:23:00
PhilippinesThis flood shows the differences between poor filipinos and poor americans
I remember reading about people rioting here in the US when they tried to cash in their (duplicate) coupons for free KFC grilled chicken this past spring and the KFCs ran out. What more if a real disaster happened. We Americans can have such an unrealistic sense of entitlement.

I wouldn't over-generalize to say that Filipinos are always better at facing a crisis after 24 hours though. My wife just told me that her parents have been so busy fighting with each other that they haven't even begun to pick up the pieces after losing their house to the storm this weekend. She's beginning to wonder if she needs to go back there to knock their heads together and tell them to grow up.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-09-27 19:00:00
PhilippinesHow many days you got your VISA?
My wife got hers 4 days after her interview.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-09-28 23:44:00
PhilippinesReport of Marriage in USA
Perhaps you could renew your passport in your maiden name and then report the marriage and have the passport amended once you get back to the US. That might be easier than having to make a personal appearance at the consultate to renew your passport.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-10-04 23:29:00
PhilippinesReport of Marriage in USA
I recall reading s similar post before and the person in question had to go back to the US to file the report of marriage first. DFA would not issue a passport in their married name without the marriage having been reported first at the consulate with jurisdiction.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-10-04 15:06:00
PhilippinesDiscounts w/airlines 4 1st time Immigrants? Any info.Is this true
QUOTE (Paris Heart @ Oct 2 2009, 02:34 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Change flights in Honolulu, Hawaii, then will take you to IAH. IAH is a good POE!!!


If they change flights at HNL, then HNL would be the POE not IAH. If the want IAH to be the POE, they would need to go to IAH from a point outside the US. HNL is inside the US, making it the POE for the routing you suggest.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-10-02 15:44:00
PhilippinesATTEND OR NOT ATTEND THAT IS THE QUESTION!!!!
I didn't go for the interview. My wife was only given five days notice of the interview schedule so I really didn't have a choice. I couldn't get time off work on such short notice, especially since I had just been over for a visit a few weeks before.

She did fine without me and somehow managed to make it all the way from Manila to DC on her own. smile.gif
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-10-14 16:54:00
PhilippinesCutting off the In-laws
QUOTE (bmtrrbt @ Oct 16 2009, 12:20 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
[this is just a typical family issues...id rather keep in within the family since forum will not always be the brains to our life.


Yes and no... as I said, if they were in the US, they would have been divorced long before now. I posted it here hoping to get some Filipino perspective on it (i.e. how to handle things when divorce is not an option).
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-10-16 03:33:00
PhilippinesCutting off the In-laws
QUOTE (Lone Ranger @ Oct 15 2009, 10:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
wives and mistresses showing up to show respect to the departed.


My wife and I were at Universal Studios Hollywood a few years ago and we witnessed a situation where a Filipino guy apparently was there with his mistress and they ran into his wife and kids. Talk about fireworks and a major cat fight. The guy just stood there while the ladies had a battle royale until security finally arrived to break it up.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-10-15 23:46:00
PhilippinesCutting off the In-laws
They're far past the counseling stage. They've tried it to no effect. The level of animosity between them is just too great.

We're not asking them to fall back in love, but we need a way to entice/coerce them into being civil towards each other before their relatives get fed up and put them out on the street.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-10-15 20:18:00
PhilippinesCutting off the In-laws
QUOTE (Richard90027 @ Oct 15 2009, 01:22 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Maybe they are really stressed after losing the house. Stress tends to shorten the temper


That's been the position I've been taking. I think it might be unreasonable for my wife to expect they will be back on their feet in less than a month. However, their fighting in front of the relatives who took them in is highly disruptive and counter-productive. The last thing we want is for the relatives to kick them out because they can't stand them anymore.

Edited by jsnearline, 15 October 2009 - 02:33 PM.

jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-10-15 14:30:00
PhilippinesCutting off the In-laws
If divorce were legal in the Philippines, I'm sure my wife's parents would have gotten one long ago. They HATE each other. In fact they hate each other so much that even though they lost their house because of Ondoy, they'd rather fight with each other in front of the relatives they're staying with than even attempt to act in a civil manner towards each other and work together and better their situation.

My wife is so angered by their current childish behavior that she wants to cut them off financialy until she sees some improvement in their willingness to help each other. It seems to me that if she does that, all it will do is unite them against her. Are there any other options she might consider?

Edited by jsnearline, 15 October 2009 - 01:56 PM.

jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-10-15 13:55:00
PhilippinesAnyone ever appeared personally at the embassy when getting the run-around?
For what it's worth, I made a personal trip to the Embassy with my then fiancee. I went there primarily to have them notarize the I-134, but I also took the opportunity to inquire about my wife's case since the Embassy had gotten the file over a month and a half prior and had not sent her anything about an interview. The information officer behind the glass told me her interview might not be scheduled for another two to three months. Two weeks later, the embassy rushed an interview letter out to my fiancee so fast that she actually missed the interview because it didn't arrive in time. She had to reschedule the interview for the following week.

I don't know for sure if my visit to the embassy made a difference in her case, but there is a saying about squeaky wheels...
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-10-17 18:51:00
PhilippinesMultiple Flights, any problems with it?
When I have a choice between SFO and LAX for POE, I go with SFO without hesitation. I've found it much easier to navigate than LAX. No offense, but the international terminal at LAX is a dump and the minimum connections time there is longer than at SFO.

It might be worth going MNL-HKG-SFO just so you can fly Cathay Pacific. I'd put up with the longer travel time to get better amenities than a non-stop, no-frills flight on PAL (unless you pay the additional $$$ to go business class on PAL).
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-10-22 08:47:00
Philippinestipping government workers
One thing I made sure to tell my wife is that in the US, it's not a good idea to try and bribe your way out of a speeding ticket. Although I did hear a case of a state trooper in VA a few years ago who was forgiving tickets in exchange for sexual favors from femaile motorists.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-10-20 15:14:00
PhilippinesReproductive Health and Population Development Act
Apparentlly there's a controversy brewing in the Philippines about some birth control related legislation being considered by the Congress there. The New York Times has an article about it today.

http://www.nytimes.c...s...tml?_r=1

Edited by jsnearline, 25 October 2009 - 04:10 PM.

jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-10-25 16:10:00
PhilippinesAnyone's passport or visa damaged because of Ondoy?
My mother-in-law had to replace her passport because it got wet during Ondoy. According to the guidance on the US Embassy website, her 10 year multiple-entry visa is invalidated and she will need to re-apply. She's so upset because she worked hard to get that visa and now she's afraid they won't re-issue it because they'll assume she won't want to go back because of the damage done by the typhoons.

Is there anyone in this forum who had to re-apply for their visa because of Ondoy? Care to share your experience?
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-10-26 18:38:00
PhilippinesReport of Marriage
Report of Marriage must be filed in order to amend a Philippine passport to show the married name. We did the Report of Marriage and Passport amendment after we got married and before we filed for AOS. That way, we had legal documentation showing why my wife changed her middle name from her mother's maiden name to her father's last name.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-10-27 10:04:00
PhilippinesPhilippina Passport
She will have to file a Report of Marriage with the Philippine consulate that has jurisdiction for your state. Otherwise, she will not be able to get a new passport issued in her married name once she needs to.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-10-28 13:18:00
PhilippinesTerminal fees
Tell her to pack her own food for the trip. My wife didn't and she was miserable. She hated the airline food and didn't order any ffood in Japan en route because she couldn't read the menus at the restaurants in the airport.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-10-28 21:15:00
PhilippinesQuestions about Social Security Number and AOS
We submitted my wife's AOS before she had her SSN. After she got her EAD, she applied for the SSN. At her AOS interview, the IO asked her for her SSN and added it to her application. So, no worries.

If we had it to do over again, we would have applied for it when my wife's K-1 was still valid. If we had done that, she could have looked for work as soon as she had her EAD instead of having to wait another month to get her SSN.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-10-30 15:09:00
PhilippinesTourist Visa While Waiting to Apply for K1 Visa
Before we got engaged, my wife wanted to come to the US to spend some time visiting her aunt. She owned a business and had plenty of money in the bank. She was denied a visa because the CO told her she was young and attractive and so they couldn't be sure she wouldn't find some nice American guy, fall in love, and stay in the US.

My wife wants her sister to apply for a visa with her mom now. I'm betting that her mom will be approved but her sister won't.

Edited by jsnearline, 03 November 2009 - 11:16 AM.

jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-11-03 11:16:00
PhilippinesNon-Catholic to marry Catholic Filipina in US
The OP didn't ask for opinions of whether his desire to marry in a Catholic Church is a choice all VJ members would approve of. He was looking for advice on how to go about it. Please don't hijack the thread. If you want to talk about the priest sex abuse scandal, then take it to the Off Topic forum.

Edited by jsnearline, 03 November 2009 - 10:50 AM.

jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-11-03 10:50:00
PhilippinesNon-Catholic to marry Catholic Filipina in US
Try calling the offices of the Catholic diocese you live in and explain the situation to them. Tell them you'd rather have a simple wedding officiated by a Cathoic priest than resort to marriage by a civil official and see what they say.

You could also look for a parish run by the Jesuits. They seem to know all the rules and the ways to get around them when presented with a good reason to do so. That's what my wife and I did. We were allowed to marry less than two months after her arrival here. We still had to fulfill the marriage preparation class requirement, so it made for a tight schedule leading up to our wedding, but it was worth it to start our marriage in church instead of at the courthouse.

Worst case, you could get married in the Christian church you are currently a member of, then join a Catholic parish and have your marriage blessed by a priest (otherwise known as convalidation). That was our backup plan.

Edited by jsnearline, 03 November 2009 - 12:11 AM.

jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-11-03 00:10:00
PhilippinesGetting married twice!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Doesn't getting married in the US and then filing a Report of Marriage with the Philippine Embassy or Consulate have the same effect? A few months after you report tthe marriage, you should be able to request a copy of your Philippine marriage contract from NSO.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-10-17 15:18:00
PhilippinesRetaining/Reclaiming Philippine citizenship
Right now, the biggest issue is having to make two trips to the consulate in San Francisco. The first trip to apply. The second to take the Oath once it's scheduled. The travel expenses alone could cost us over $1000. So, this is not an inexpensive thing to do by any means.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-10-20 21:38:00
PhilippinesRetaining/Reclaiming Philippine citizenship
I know they want people to renew in person to get the machine readable passports for the first time, but once that's done, they should allow someone renewing a machine readable passport to do so by mail. For us it's just not worth paying the airfare, hotel, and other travel expenses for my wife to renew a passport in person every five years that she might only use two to three times during the five year period of validity.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-10-18 23:22:00
PhilippinesRetaining/Reclaiming Philippine citizenship
From our perspective, dual citizenship seems to be more of a pain than a benefit. If my wife were to reclaim her Philippine citizenship, she would have to personally appear at the consultate to take the Oath. She would then have to go to the consulate every five years to renew her Philippine passport. We don't live anywhere near one, so that means paying airfare and hotel for our family to get there every time she needs to renew. Given that we only go back every two years, it seems like a lot of money to have to spend to maintain her status. Renewing her passport on visits to the RP doesn't seem like a viable option either since we generally can only stay for two weeks at a time (which is not enough time to get a passport renewed there).

As things stand now, she can still avail the Balikbayan law that allows visa free stay in the RP for up to a year at a time. There is also a limited amount of property she can still own there until that law.

So, how would the advantages of being dual citizen outway the drawbacks I've outlined?

Edited by jsnearline, 18 October 2009 - 10:42 PM.

jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-10-18 22:40:00
PhilippinesRetaining/Reclaiming Philippine citizenship
QUOTE (edp333 @ Oct 18 2009, 05:37 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
This topic posted on September 15th explains dual citizenship thoroughly: http://www.visajourn...howtopic=218139


That post deals with the mechanics of applying for dual citizenship for Philippines once becoming a US Citizen. What I'm asking is more a philosophical question as to what reasons people would choose to puruse (or not pursue) dual citizenship.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-10-18 20:59:00
PhilippinesRetaining/Reclaiming Philippine citizenship
I'm curious who in this forum have applied or plan to apply for Philippine dual citizenship after becoming US citizens and what your reasons for doing it were/are. I'd also be curious if anyone has decided not to do so and why.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-10-17 23:14:00
Philippinesstressful situation Fiancee's interview
USCIS considers expedites on a case by case basis if the applicant or peitioner has military deployment orders. I don't know what the Embassy's policy is.

If someone has orders to go to a war zone, I don't begrudge them wanting (and being granted) expedited processing so they can make sure their loved one is taken care of. It's the least we could do for our men and women in uniform. They're putting themselves in the line of fire so that we don't have to. For those of you who are so adamant that active military not be given special treatment, maybe you'd prefer to have the draft instead?



jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-10-29 14:11:00