Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Philippines	stressful 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?	jsnearline	Not Telling	Philippines	2009-10-29 14:11:00
Philippines	Bayview Park Hotel	Stayed at Bayview Park Hotel for six nights when I went to visit my wife (then fiancee) for the second time. In hindsight, we wish we'd only stayed there the night before we went to the embassy to inquire about her interview schedule. It's not a bad hotel for one or two nights if you have business at the embassy, but I wouldn't spend a week there like we did.	jsnearline	Not Telling	Philippines	2009-09-27 00:38:00
Philippines	Can an immigrant divorce their spouse?	If a married Filipino comes to the US on a relative based (non spousal) immigrant visa, can they obtain a divorce in the US from the spouse they leave behind in Philippines?	jsnearline	Not Telling	Philippines	2009-11-24 01:47:00
Philippines	how to bring parents in the US for visit	QUOTE (TripleG @ Nov 23 2009, 12:54 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I heard that if you have kids and both have jobs that parents are sometimes more likely to get a tourist visa to visit to help with the kids....but I don't know the validity to that tale. Actually it's quite the opposite. My mother-in-law was here for a visit last year and when she applied to extend her stay, one of her reasons was to help my wife take care of our son while I recovered from throat surgery. Her application was denied because taking care of children can be considered working even if you aren't being paid to do it. I know several people who had their parents come to help with the kids. They even extended their stays. The only thing is that they lied about what their real purpose for coming was. In our case, we decided it's better to be honest and it wound up costing us. I don't understand why the system seems to reward lying and fraud, but goes after those who try to do things the right way. I would stick with using a more generic reason, like wanting to visit family in the US. Edited by jsnearline, 23 November 2009 - 03:11 PM.	jsnearline	Not Telling	Philippines	2009-11-23 15:08:00
Philippines	how to bring parents in the US for visit	You can send your parents a letter of invitation. However, don't bother doing an affidavit of support for them. The biggest thing the Embassy will be concerned about is whether your parents have "ties" to the Philippines that are strong enough that they would return home after their visit to the US. My advice is if they do get a visa, don't max out the period of authorized stay. It's good to get a history of visiting the US for reasonable periods of time and then going home after.	jsnearline	Not Telling	Philippines	2009-11-22 23:31:00
Philippines	Any Americans here ever go to Maguindanao..	My wife's brother was kidnapped by an armed gang in Lanao del Sur five years ago while working on a cell tower siting project for a telecom company. He and his coworkers were held for almost a month. Needless to say, my wife doesn't have a very favorable image of Mindanao as a result. On the other hand, I have a priest friend who spent a couple months in Davao and really liked it. He said he'd definitely go back if given the chance. There are certain places in Metro Manila that I don't feel safe. I had my wallet stolen in Cainte by a very prefessional group of pickpocketers. I had the last laugh as I had no $$$ in my wallet. I just wish I'd had a note in it that said "so long suckers!". So, I suppose it all depends on one's experience.	jsnearline	Not Telling	Philippines	2009-11-25 00:58:00
Philippines	Confirmation in the Philippines Catholic Church?	QUOTE (ski4evr @ Nov 23 2009, 10:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> My Asawa and I were married in a civil ceremony in the Philippines. We now would like to "renew our vows" or also called "marriage blessed in the Church" here in the US Catholic Church. We just met with the Priest and he asked if we were "Confirmed". I was confirmed when I was in High School here in America but my wife does not recognize or remember being confirmed or any ceremony of the kind. Does anyone know about being confirmed in the Catholic Church in the Philippines? Could it be just part of the basic education system in the public schools there? That's interesting. In my wife's case, all the parish wanted was hwr baptismal certificate. Perhaps your wife was confirmed the same day she was baptized as an infant? If your wife's parents are still alive, have your wife ask them about it.	jsnearline	Not Telling	Philippines	2009-11-24 12:26:00
Philippines	I dont believe half of the timelines here...	QUOTE (muñequita linda @ Oct 2 2009, 12:10 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> long and desolate wait for sexual gratification... I thought that's what happens after the petitioner gets married and starts having kids...	jsnearline	Not Telling	Philippines	2009-10-05 14:15:00
Philippines	I dont believe half of the timelines here...	QUOTE (Rocky_nBullwinkle @ Oct 2 2009, 11:04 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I was looking at the members timelines here. I noticed that fiancee visa applicants have short/shorter timelines. Some even got their visas within 5 months tops from the day they sent I-129. Keep in mind though that K1 visa holders still have to apply for work authorization and adjustment of status once they arrive in the US. Immiediate Relative immigrant visa holders get their green cards right away once they enter the US. So, if you're going to compare the lineline of a K1 applicant with that of someone who went the I-130 route, look at the timeline from the date the petition was filed to the date permanent residency was approved by USCIS or the consulate.	jsnearline	Not Telling	Philippines	2009-10-02 12:45:00
Philippines	NO SEXUAL CONTACT WHEN YOU GOT A SHOTS!!!!	It's because of the risk of birth defects. Funny how once you do get pregnant and then have a kid, the "avoiding sex" concept seems much more natural.	jsnearline	Not Telling	Philippines	2009-12-03 02:11:00
Philippines	In the Philippines, are rules considered to be suggestions?	QUOTE (PhiLandShiR @ Dec 3 2009, 12:11 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> But your post shows you are Removing Conditions.... -P Not anymore... Thanks for the heads up.	jsnearline	Not Telling	Philippines	2009-12-03 15:34:00
Philippines	In the Philippines, are rules considered to be suggestions?	My mother-in-law is a hard worker. Her background is in food service catering and consulting. If the economy were better I'm sure she could find work here. Edited by jsnearline, 03 December 2009 - 02:10 PM.	jsnearline	Not Telling	Philippines	2009-12-03 14:10:00
Philippines	In the Philippines, are rules considered to be suggestions?	QUOTE (PhiLandShiR @ Dec 3 2009, 11:56 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You do understand that your wife can't petition anyone unless she is a US Citizen... Neither can you for that matter... This item might solve all the troubles... -Phil My wife is a US citizen already and her mom knows that. That's why she's bugging us about it.	jsnearline	Not Telling	Philippines	2009-12-03 14:07:00
Philippines	In the Philippines, are rules considered to be suggestions?	A big part of the problem is that my wife is not willing to say no to her mom directly. She's told her sister to tell things to her mom and asked me to try and explain to her mom why she can't come as an immigrant on a tourist visa. But when she talks to her mom, she gets all wishy-washy and tells her what she wants to hear. I told my wife nicely that she has to put up or shut up. Either she needs to file a petition for her mom now, or she needs to tell her mom in no uncertain terms that it's just not going to happen for the forseeable future. Leading her mom (and her mom's friends here) along while trying to ignore the situation is not going to resolve it. The one possible advantage to my wife of petitioning her mom is that if her mom could then get a job here, my wife would have some help sending money back home. Now it just seems like she's pouring money into a black hole. It's never enough and just one crisis after another.	jsnearline	Not Telling	Philippines	2009-12-03 13:33:00
Philippines	In the Philippines, are rules considered to be suggestions?	The pressure isn't coming from my wife, but from my mother-in-law. She made some friends at our church when she was here on her last visit and she had been telling them that she was coming back for good very soon. So, of course, her friends have been bugging me and my wife about why she isn't here yet. My wife is content to ignore it, but it is really getting to me. The ppor ecomony here is a good thing to keep in mind. I have to remind my wife that she (or rather we) would become financially responsible for my mother-in-law for at least five years because of the Affidavit of Support. If her mom was unable to find a job, we would have to pick up the slack.	jsnearline	Not Telling	Philippines	2009-12-03 10:41:00
Philippines	In the Philippines, are rules considered to be suggestions?	It's interesting that my wife thinks it is a cultural difference. She compares it to how traffic laws are handled in Philippines vs US. If you get stopped by the police in Philippines, you might give them a "tip" to make a citation go away. Such behavior seems to be acceptable there, but doing something similar here would land you in lots of trouble here (unless you're a lobbyist in Washington DC). Edited by jsnearline, 03 December 2009 - 02:08 AM.	jsnearline	Not Telling	Philippines	2009-12-03 02:07:00
Philippines	In the Philippines, are rules considered to be suggestions?	I'm having some trouble with my mother-in-law and I'm wondering if it's cultural in nature. My wife has told my mother-in-law that she will petition her for an immigrant visa. My mother-in-law doesn't want to wait and instead wants to get a tourist visa so she can come to the US and then adjust status over here. I've told her that this is a really bad idea because the law says you can't enter the US on a nonimmigrant visa with the intent to immigrate. For some reason, she's not taking me seriously and keeps pressing my wife to agree to her plan despite the seemingly insignificant fact (to her at least) that what she is proposing would not be legal and could land her in a heap of trouble. I've gotten the impression from my wife and other Filipinos I know that they have a different perception of rules and laws there than we do here in the US. For Filipinos, rules and laws (at least the ones they disagree with) seem to be more suggestions than requirements. I don't want to over generalize here, but I'm wondering if this is a cultural issue, and if so, how to deal with it effectively so my mother-in-law will get off my wife's back and accept what we're telling her is the right way to get what she wants. Edited by jsnearline, 03 December 2009 - 01:17 AM.	jsnearline	Not Telling	Philippines	2009-12-03 01:16:00
Philippines	how to deal with the stress of this journey!!!	Ours was onw of the cases that sailed through (less than 90 days from petition filing to visa issuance) and it still was very stressful and seemed to take forever. I suppose if it had gone on much longer the local ABC store near my house might have gotten to know me very well.	jsnearline	Not Telling	Philippines	2009-12-03 13:54:00
Philippines	Age gap she is 18 turning 19 as I am 35	My wife is only six months younger than I am. Judging from what I've read on the VJ forums over the past few yea, our relatively small age gap seems to be the exception.	jsnearline	Not Telling	Philippines	2009-12-02 11:31:00
Philippines	Fiancee may have a different purpose! - Pls. advise	If the uncle really works for Homeland Security, then report him. See the link below to find out how. http://www.uscis.gov...000b92ca60aRCRD Edited by jsnearline, 16 August 2010 - 10:28 AM.	jsnearline	Not Telling	Philippines	2010-08-16 10:26:00
Philippines	Married Filipinos who send money to family back in Philippines	QUOTE (tallcoolone @ Nov 21 2009, 05:27 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> What about the old Bait and Switch I have talked to a couple of girls from PI, and they said when their Fiance was courting them. They sent plenty of money to PI, and also helped out the family. Then when the girl arrives in USA, that money drys ups and disappears and no longer is any money going back to PI. I wouldn't necessarily call that a bait and switch. Once they get to the US, they have the opportunity to get a job and then send money back home out of what they earn. Several friends of mine wanred me when I was first getting to know my wife that I should walk away if she or her family ever started asking me for money. That isn't to say I didn't spend money on her. When I went to meet her for the first time, I took her to a couple different resorts and I bought her a Nokia cell phone that she'd had her eye on. I also covered the cost of her visa application. She was very clear with me that she wanted to send money home once she got here, but that she would work to earn whatever she sent back.	jsnearline	Not Telling	Philippines	2009-11-21 23:12:00
Philippines	Married Filipinos who send money to family back in Philippines	I think what she was trying to say is that she only sends money home that she earns instead of manipulating her husband into sending his own.	jsnearline	Not Telling	Philippines	2009-11-18 16:18:00
Philippines	Married Filipinos who send money to family back in Philippines	When I say relative, I actually meant my wife's mmediate family. I wasn't inclined to help my in-laws with their mortgage when they got behind, especially since the first I heard of it was the threat of impending foreclosure. That signified poor financial planning. When my wife asked me for money for that, I told her if she wanted to help, she would have to come up with the funds out of her own discretionary money. Likewise, I wasn't very thrilled to help when my wife's dad wound up in the hospital because of a lifetime of bad habits (alcoholism, smoking, etc...). He didn't have insurance because he had spent his retirement money on alcohol and gambling. My wife's family told her that her dad could not be released from the very expensive hospital he was at until they paid the bill, and of course they had no money to do so. So, my wife felt she had no choice but to come up with the money. I don't know why they chose to take her dad to the most expensive hospital in town when they couldn't afford the rates and without even bothering to consult my wife. I ended up having to cancel a contract to buy a house for our family because of this situation. As a result, we're still renting. When the in-laws' house was severely damaged by Ondoy, I told my wife I would help, but that there was no way I could give them the money to buy a new house. I could send money for basic necessities like food, clothes, and money to get them started renting, but that's all I could do. The problem I have is that after the current crisis, there will always be another one, and no matter how much money my wife sends, it will never be enough and her family will always want more. So, my wife always feels guilty that she's not doing more and her family keeps treating her merely like an ATM. Then, when we want to buy something or my parents have a financial crisis, my wife tells me that we can't afford it... Edited by jsnearline, 18 November 2009 - 02:09 PM.	jsnearline	Not Telling	Philippines	2009-11-18 14:05:00
Philippines	Married Filipinos who send money to family back in Philippines	I'm particularly interested in how you handle crisis situations. Here are some examples: Relatives tell wife they are behind on their mortgage and will be foreclosed on if they don't come up with the money right away An alcoholic relative winds up in the hospital with organ damage and is assessed a bill of several thousand dollars Relatives' house is severerly damaged by flooding from Ondoy and they need a llarge sum of money to rebuild	jsnearline	Not Telling	Philippines	2009-11-18 12:44:00
Philippines	Married Filipinos who send money to family back in Philippines	Does the issue of sending money home (or how much you send) cause tension between you and your spouse? If so, how have you tried to resolve it? What rules do you and your spouse follow regarding remittances (e.g. money only comes from Filipino spouse's pay)? How do you determine the amount of money you send back to family in Philippines? How do you distinguish legitimate needs vs. "nice to have"s? How do you handle emergencies (real and imagined) that come up? Have you ever cut any family members off financially? If so, why and for how long? Edited by jsnearline, 18 November 2009 - 02:00 AM.	jsnearline	Not Telling	Philippines	2009-11-18 01:58:00
Philippines	DFA Exit Seminar for IR5 visa holder?	Once she has her actual green card, I know she can pay a smaller fee to get a receipt showing she is exempt from travel tax when she goes back to visit, but my assumption is she has to pay it this time because she is not considered a US resident yet. As for the CFO registration, I looked it up on the DFA website and sent her the link to the information on registration and the pre-departure seminar.	jsnearline	Not Telling	Philippines	2010-12-30 18:51:00
Philippines	DFA Exit Seminar for IR5 visa holder?	My mother-in-law got her IR5 immigrant visa earlier this month. My wife was asking me if her mom has to take any kind of DFA seminar before leaving the Philippines. I know my wife had to take one before leaving on the K1, but I haven't seen anything that would apply to her mom's case. Also, will her mom have to pay the travel tax on her way out or will she be able to apply for a waiver as a pending US resident?	jsnearline	Not Telling	Philippines	2010-12-30 14:46:00
Philippines	Sending a SIM card to Philippines	Why would prepaid cell phones be allowed as an import there if a SIM card isn't without a permit?	jsnearline	Not Telling	Philippines	2011-01-16 22:34:00
Philippines	Sending a SIM card to Philippines	My mother-in-law is leaving the Philippines in a week and a half for the US on an immigrant visa. I want her to be able to call us once she reaches LAX on her way to Denver. I was thinking of adding another line to my wireless family plan and sending her a SIM via FedEx. When I called FedEx, they told me I have to get a permit from the Philippines' telecommunications agency in order to import a SIM card there. This seems a bit strange to me as I'm not trying to sell anything to anyone there but would be providing it to the recipient for her personal use. Has anyone tried sending a SIM card from the US to their beneficiary in the Philippines? If so, how did it go?	jsnearline	Not Telling	Philippines	2011-01-16 01:38:00
Philippines	My beautiful wife is very irresponsible	I must say I got a good laugh when the OP said he might try to get his wife to read this thread. If I had the nerve to suggest to my wife that she read a thread on VJ that I posted about the personal habits she has that annoy me, the next site she'd probably be checking out would be lawyers.com and she'd be searching under the divorce section. I hope for the OP's sake that he can find a better way to communicate with his wife than by having her read his complaints about her on VJ. Edited by jsnearline, 20 November 2009 - 08:57 PM.	jsnearline	Not Telling	Philippines	2009-11-20 20:55:00
Philippines	My beautiful wife is very irresponsible	QUOTE (cEzYcHiC @ Nov 17 2009, 12:50 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Wife just lost her rings in Miami International Airport. Totally dumbfounded after learning that it was lost. How could someone lose their rings when it's a symbol of your union? You think that's irresponsible or just plain clumsy? That could happen to anyone, especially in an airport. You take your rings off to wash your hands, then get distracted by somehing and leave them behind as you rush off. Sometimes an accident is just an accident. I used to take off my wedding ring and forget where I set it down. I've had a few close calls, but so far haven't lost it for good. Now I don't take it off for anything unless I'm at home.	jsnearline	Not Telling	Philippines	2009-11-17 14:57:00
Philippines	My beautiful wife is very irresponsible	QUOTE (Jasman0717 @ Nov 17 2009, 08:46 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You may be on to something here about little kid. I am finding out that her parents are the same way so I know where she got this. I just sent them some money (5000p) to pay the water and electric bill otherwise both would have been shut off. So, being the good and mature adults that they are, they went and bought a stinking camera with that money and then started hounding my business partner for money. My partner didn't know what was going on so she gave them another 9500p. If your wife isn't working and being responsible, then why on earth are you sending money back to her family in the Philippines? It doesn't sound like she has any reason to listen to you and change her behavior. She's getting everything she wants without having to change. My wife and I agreed that the only money that would be sent back to her family in the Philippines would come from her earnings. It's worked out pretty well. Recently, after the Ondoy storm, my wife wasn't happy that her family wasn't taking any positive steps to begin rebuilding after their house was damaged. She told them she would not send them any more money until they stopped arguing with each other and came up with a plan for how to get started rebuilding. Funny enough, their attitude changed in a hurry. Edited by jsnearline, 17 November 2009 - 12:29 PM.	jsnearline	Not Telling	Philippines	2009-11-17 12:26:00
Philippines	My beautiful wife is very irresponsible	Did she have any of these bad habits before she got here or did she only get this way afterwards?	jsnearline	Not Telling	Philippines	2009-11-16 19:03:00
Philippines	Minimum Passport Validity to Enter Philippines	Here is the guidance I got from the Bureau of Immigration: Department regulations require that passports are valid for a period of not less than six (6) months beyond the contemplated period of stay. However, Immigration Officers at ports of entry may exercise their discretion to admit holders of passports valid for at least sixty (60) days beyond the intended period of stay. As for your case, it would be better if you could present proofs of your dual citizenship like Philippine passport or Identification Certificates.	jsnearline	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-07-25 11:28:00
Philippines	Minimum Passport Validity to Enter Philippines	My wife and my two children are dual citizens of the Philippines and the United States. We will be traveling to Manila for the Christmas holidays in December. We will all be using our US passports. My son’s passport expires in June 2013. Because of this, he would have 6 months validity remaining as of our planned date of entry to the Philippines, but he would only have five months and 11 days remaining as of our departure date. I've read conflicting information on whether he needs 6 months validity on his passport from the date of entry to the Philippines or from the date of departure to return home to the US. I talked to the Philippine consulate and they said we should be ok but they suggested we check with the airline because they might have a stricter interpretation than the consulate. I talked to our airline (ANA) and they said to talk to the consulate. Given the cost of getting a new passport, my wife and I would prefer not to have to get a new one just yet (especially since minor passports are only good for 5 years anyway). At the same time, I don't want to mess up our Christmas plans because of being denied boarding for a reason like this. Any suggestions?	jsnearline	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-07-17 18:09:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Great news...and another question...	Some countries require you to get approval from their foreign ministry before they permit you to leave on a K1. For instance, the Philippines has a seminar K-1s must attend. I don't know if Brazil does anything like this, but I would have thought the US Embassy would have known about it and told you if there was such a requirement there.	jsnearline	Not Telling	Philippines	2009-05-13 12:31:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Interview Passed!!	Good thing you were able to attend your fiancee's interview. I wanted to attend my wife's interview in Manila, but in her case, they scheduled it with only a couple days notice.	jsnearline	Not Telling	Philippines	2009-06-24 19:14:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Marriage with a US Citizen	Keep in mind that USCIS can revoke permanent residence and citizenship in cases where immigration fraud is found. There is no statute of limitations on this, so just because someone managed to work the system and get a green card does not necessarily mean they are home free. If the OP can't afford or isn't willing to leave the US again to process a K3 after they come here and get married, going for a K1 visa is the best way to go.	jsnearline	Not Telling	Philippines	2007-01-07 15:16:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	I came to the US with K1 visa and didn't go back. What do I need to do now?	QUOTE (Mahsa8181 @ Jun 23 2009, 10:35 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I don't need to lie to anybody in here, you're not USCIS that I'm trying to convince you. If I told you about my lawyer, becuase you guys asked me, and I told you the truth. I blame myself why in 2 years I just spoke to this lawyer, and no I don't have any letter form her, she was in a different state. And yes I told her that I came with Fiance visa. And I'm saying this not because it's going to change anything, just for your information, after my wife got her citizenship, and we decided to have a lawyer in our city, and we were told we couldn't do it, we called her and said the other lawyers saying they can't, and she said no I can, and finally after us insisting, she said she would do some research and after that she didn't respond. And as you said blaiming her is not going to solve our problem The reason that I share our problem with you wasn't that I was looking to stay here because we already know that I'm stuck in this bad situation and have to go back. I just wanted to know if someone had a similar situation and help me about what to do and maybe know how long it would take. Some of your answers were helpful. Thanks Now that your wife is a US Citizen, she can move to your country with you while you get your visa issues sorted out. So, there is no need for the two of you to part ways in the interim.	jsnearline	Not Telling	Philippines	2009-06-23 12:33:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Madly in Love..Please Help	The odds of approval are dependant on you being able to prove to USCIS that you qualify for the benefit you seek.	jsnearline	Not Telling	Philippines	2006-03-04 11:19:00