Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Affidavit of Support Question	My father has offered to file the affidavit of support for my husband. I am more or less certain that he is eligible. I would like some reassurance that he is able to, that it is not necessary that I am the only one who may file this form. The second part is that my dad owes on his taxes, and the question is if this has a large effect? Recommendations and Advice Welcome! Thanks Nikki	CRSpouse	Female	Costa Rica	2010-02-17 14:36:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	soooo angry!!	Hi everybody, I'm seeing that California is approving march fillers and our petition was sent on the 17th of January, it's been 5months and 5days of agonizing wait and still we didn't hear anything from them i'm so pissed offffff , plz can anyone tell me what we should do? Any comment will be helpful! THANK U ALL!! Since your petition is beyond the normal processing time of 5 months, I would definitely contact your respective congressman and senators. IMHO, it is a much better option than calling USCIS. I, personally, have contacted my state representatives when my stepdaughter's petition was at 5 months. I received an approval email several hours later. A congressional inquiry cannot force USCIS to make a decision, but it certainly can speed up the processing of your petition. You will need to complete an authorization form, from their respective websites. This authorizes their liaisons to contact USCIS on your behalf. Good luck with your petition! Keep us posted with what happens.	Markieboy	Male	Philippines	2011-06-22 14:19:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Sign In Failed	That is it! Congratulations!	Markieboy	Male	Philippines	2011-06-22 14:09:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Prepping for the Interview in Manila	I found the thread here on VJ where it states SLEC no longer keeps passports. http://www.visajourn...am-at-st-lukes/ Thanks for the update! Had my medical on SLEC last June 14&15 and they returned my passport.. they no longer keep passports.. Thanks!	Markieboy	Male	Philippines	2011-06-24 09:19:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Prepping for the Interview in Manila	Happy to hear your case is at USEM and that you have an appointment! My advice would be for your wife to have her medical. The sooner, the better. Hopefully, her medical exam will be unremarkable. USEM should have everything you sent them. However, there are times when some documents are lost or missing. Worst case scenario: a decision on your case is on hold, pending the submission of required documents. It doesn't always happen, but it does happen. IMHO, I would take copies of EVERY completed USCIS form as well as original NSO civil documents (marriage, birth certificates). But that's just me. I wanted to cover EVERY and ALL angles. Your wife needs to bring her passport to the medical. After a successful medical exam, SLEC will forward her passport and the medical exam results to USEM. I would bring pictures of you and your wife. It does help strengthen your case. During the pre-screening, I was asked to show pictures of me and my stepdaughter. During the pre-screening, I was asked to submit a completed and signed copy of DS-230. I have absolutely no idea why they needed that. But like I said, I brought copies of EVERYTHING. My OCD becomes handy every now and then. I wish you best of luck with your wife's medical and upcoming interview! Keep us posted. I hope I was of some help to you.	Markieboy	Male	Philippines	2011-06-24 00:30:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	After NOA2, when is interview scheduled	Got it! I'm still waiting for our case number. Hopefully, it's available by Friday or early next week. Then my wife will send DS-3032 that I will be her choice of agent. Thanks again! Just keep calling NVC everyday. You should receive your NVC case number in about a week. I highly recommend reading this guide, if you haven't already. I read this thoroughly and followed it meticulously. It really reduced the processing time at NVC. I hope you also find the guide helpful! Good luck with your journey!	Markieboy	Male	Philippines	2011-06-28 21:17:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	After NOA2, when is interview scheduled	Thanks Makieboy! So, once i get my case number from NVC (Which is same as MNL case number, right?)(processing right now), my wife can get a medical exam already? Do i have to pay AOS and IV first or submit I-864 and DS230 forms first before my wife should go for medical exam? Thanks again! Once your wife has her NVC case number, she can get her medical. But she should show an email or a letter from NVC, which states the NVC case number. No, you do not need to pay the AOS or IV bills before your wife takes her medical. Have you mailed or emailed the DS-3032 yet? Once they accept your choice of agent, they will email and/or mail you a letter. This letter contains your wife's NVC case number. This letter can be used when your wife has her medical exam at SLEC. I hope this helps you.	Markieboy	Male	Philippines	2011-06-28 21:04:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	After NOA2, when is interview scheduled	You need to get the medical asap ......you just need to check here for St. Luke's info I agree with calibob. Get your medical done. The sooner, the better. Isn't that you should have an appointment letter from the Embassy before you get a medical? Ideally, yes. You should have the appointment letter from USEM. However, with the Philippine postal service, you'll probably get your appointment letter AFTER you get your approved visa! My stepdaughter received her USEM appointment letter almost three weeks after she received her visa. All the applicant needs is the MNL case number (from NVC) and the applicant's passport. Most would recommend bringing any email or letter (from NVC) stating your MNL case number. I showed the IV receipt from the Dept of State, which had the case number. They accepted that.	Markieboy	Male	Philippines	2011-06-28 14:35:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	interview date	got interview date just today, scheduled august 03 at 6:30 a.m, Is it right have interview early in the morning? I agree with joyjohn. The scheduled interview time is not necessarily when you'll be interviewed. My stepdaughter's interview was scheduled at 6:45AM. But we were actually interview around 9:45AM. Good luck with your interview! Keep us updated!	Markieboy	Male	Philippines	2011-06-29 11:45:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Physical exam at St. Lukes, Manila Philippines	My wife just completed her 2-day physical exam ordeal at St. Lukes only to find out she has a "spot" on her X-ray and someone at the hospital now tells her that they will email the Embassy to cancel our July 1 interview date. She's told she has to go back 3 times next week, all for additional checks and tests (apparently for TB). As we're both obviously very disappointed and somewhat confused as what to do next, I'd be curious to hear from others who ended up in the same situation; how long can we expect the treatment to take if she's diagnosed with TB? Does the interview get scheduled during treatment or after treatment is verified completed? I never realized TB is such a deal breaker if that is what she has. I recall an American doctor in the Philippines telling me he thought the majority of Filipinos would test positive for TB antibodies. My wife has never been sick, never had even a cough... thanks, Chris I'm really sorry to hear your wife's med results. I can only imagine how disappointing that must be. Yes, majority of Filipinos are TB-positive when given a skin screening test (Mantoux test). This is due to the BCG vaccine that is given to Filipino newborns. However, this is not 100% diagnostic of TB. Culture is the gold standard of diagnosing TB. For this reason, your wife will need to submit sputum for the culture. Wish you all the best during this process! Good luck and Godspeed! BTW, you may want to have this moved to the Philippines regional sub-forum. Edited by Markieboy, 21 June 2011 - 11:51 PM.	Markieboy	Male	Philippines	2011-06-21 23:50:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	NVC	SO yes yes yes! We got approved with no RFE's after only 70days! We received the hardcopy of the NAO2 in the mail last friday! Whats next?! Call NVC,, yess, what specifics do we need to ask concerning our case? I know we need a number, but than whats next?? We do got the AOS packet as good as ready.. Do we need a coversheet? Anyone has a good guidline on that? Thanks for reading and replies! Love, and good luck to all! Lytha Congratulations on your NOA2!!! Read this guide thoroughly and follow it precisely...and you'll be alright. Good luck with your NVC journey! Keep us posted!	Markieboy	Male	Philippines	2011-07-04 15:10:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Interview Fee & Medical Exam Fee?	So u mean to say, if we have paid those amounts in NVC $88 and $404, we've got nothing to pay for the interview except of course for the medical expenses? All the while I was thinking we need to pay the $325 interview fee. Thanks a lot for the enlightenment. No interview fee. Once the NVC AOS and IV bills are paid, you only need to pay the medical exam fee. Good luck with your IR-1 journey! Keep us posted!	Markieboy	Male	Philippines	2011-07-09 00:47:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	filing the 130 petition	I agree with all the comments posted. IMHO, it is better to file WITHOUT an attorney.	Markieboy	Male	Philippines	2011-08-22 10:45:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	How long does it take before I get approval for IR1/CR1	How long does it take to get the approval for IR1/CR1. I mailed my I130 package 11th of July 2011 and Received the NOA1 19th July 2011. It has been forwarded to California Service Center. Our case took roughly 5 months...from NOA1 to NOA2. CSC processed the petition. NVC and Embassy stage were much easier. Good luck with your case! Keep us posted!	Markieboy	Male	Philippines	2011-08-24 10:20:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	IR-1 cost at interview	Hello, My wife's IR-1 interview is on September 6th in Manila. I am wondering what cost/fee's we can expect there? We have already paid the NVC the $404 IV Fee, the $88 AOS Fee and the medical exam fee at St. Lukes. What fee's will I need to pay at the time of the interview? Any help will be appreciated and thank you in advance................ None. There should be no additional costs, at USEM, for IR-1 visa. The fees were already paid during NVC stage. The only additional costs would be your food and hotel accommodations. I hope this helps some. Good luck with your upcoming interview!	Markieboy	Male	Philippines	2011-08-25 09:39:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	DS230 submission	Hi everyone..I just have a question regarding submission of the DS-230.. if we will opt that I will be my husband's agent, I will be the one who is going to forward the DS230 form and the documents to NVC right? Just checking. Correct.	Markieboy	Male	Philippines	2011-08-29 16:01:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	how do i know it was touched	How do I know if my case was touched, would it be the updated date when I go into my portfolio in USCIS.GOV? I agree with the above comments. It doesn't really tell you much. But to answer your question, please refer the the following: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfYgGlMaU5o	Markieboy	Male	Philippines	2011-08-30 18:46:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	interview tomorrow	No additional fees, before or after the interview, are required. Good luck with the interview! We'll keep you in our thoughts and prayers!	Markieboy	Male	Philippines	2011-09-06 14:28:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	UPS screw up :S	Damn...sorry to hear about your bad experience! Hope you get that refunded! Good luck with the rest of your journey!	Markieboy	Male	Philippines	2011-09-08 08:40:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	THANK YOU! THANK YOU!	my wife had here interview yesterday and thank the lord she was approved. But also once again I would like to THANK THE FINE PEOPLE HERE ON VISAJOURNEY, i could not have gone through this process without your help, now let me repay people here by helping them with their journey. Congratulations on your successful interview! This is exactly what this forum is all about.	Markieboy	Male	Philippines	2011-09-08 11:16:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	our case is offiically competed	Congratulations!	Markieboy	Male	Philippines	2011-09-07 18:18:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Getting Ready to send 1-130 today, Nervous!	Today Im sending my documents to USCIS! Im really nervous to forget something! Also what is the best way to send it. I don't mind the price. Do i need a signature? I would also suggest mailing your packet via USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope. We added signature confirmation, too. It wasn't expensive, at all. Good luck with your petition! Keep us posted!	Markieboy	Male	Philippines	2011-09-07 18:25:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	got noa2 and case number	thank you guys...... to be honest Cathy i am in a bit of a tizz of what to do next... lol i was so organised with it all before and lost a bit of interest with all the waiting to get my case number..... i need to look again at what i do next Any pointers ???? lol so yeah i am posting off for my police check this week and will book my medical ASAP x x Its sooo exciting isnt it ) Congratulations!!! I'm sure you guys are very excited! I strongly suggest reading this guide. It is written mainly for CR-1/IR-1 applicants. I followed this guide to the letter...and had zero problems. I hope your journey will be the same! Good luck and keep us posted!	Markieboy	Male	Philippines	2011-09-12 17:16:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	CR1 Interview approve	Congratulations on your approval!!! Good luck with the rest of your journey.	Markieboy	Male	Philippines	2011-09-13 13:38:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Touched	I have a quick question. As i read alot of the postings in the forum, i see alot of members saying that their case was "touched". How do i find out if my case was "touched"? Any help would be greatly appreciated! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfYgGlMaU5o	Markieboy	Male	Philippines	2011-09-12 11:00:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	is this a rfe?	No, it's not an RFE. We received the same email when my wife had her AOS.	Markieboy	Male	Philippines	2011-09-13 16:40:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	RFE PROCESSED AFTER JUST A DAY	Wow, that is quick! Someone very efficient must be handling your case. Congratulations and good luck with your interview!	Markieboy	Male	Philippines	2011-09-13 22:59:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	I130 Expedite Condition	Hello, Just curious here since just waiting on the entire CR1 process has your mind going a mile a minute. Just asking your opinions here. Would the fact that the beneficiary is unemployed in her home country qualify as Severe financial loss...Since the petitioner now has to support them both from hte US? ANY comments would be appreciated.. I think in most cases, an unemployed beneficiary would NOT qualify for an expedite. In many developing countries, many beneficiaries are unemployed. Many have requested an expedite based on severe financial loss and have been denied. You can certainly try and request an expedite. But IMHO, I don't believe it will be granted based on this situation. I wish you all the best luck with your case! Keep us posted with what happens.	Markieboy	Male	Philippines	2011-09-14 12:40:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Case Complete at NVC	Congratulations! Good luck with your interview!	Markieboy	Male	Philippines	2011-09-13 09:11:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	interview date after the embassy approved the expedite	Congratulations on your approved expedite!!! I'm not sure how long it would take the embassy to schedule your interview. I'm sure it depends on the applicant load each month. But with an expedite, I would call the embassy and ask. Again, congratulations! Good luck with your interview! Keep us posted!	Markieboy	Male	Philippines	2011-09-14 12:34:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Visa Approved WHOO HOO!!!!!	Congratulations on your successful interview!!! Wonderful news! Good luck with the rest of your journey!	Markieboy	Male	Philippines	2011-09-14 08:18:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	I-130 Approved!!...what next??	I just received notice that the petition was approved and sent to NVC... what's next?? Congratulations with your approval! Follow the link that LADYDARE has provided. IMHO, it is the definitive guide for IR-1/CR-1. congrats now follow the NVC steps in this link http://www.visajourn...p/EZGuideSpouse	Markieboy	Male	Philippines	2011-09-15 13:40:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	OMG OMG!!! Interview date :)	Congratulations!!! Best of luck on the interview!!!	Markieboy	Male	Philippines	2011-09-15 18:44:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Approved!	Congratulations!	Markieboy	Male	Philippines	2011-09-23 21:03:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	I-130 questions	I think I know the answers but I'm being as cautious as possible so I have to ask: Question #16 asks if my relative has ever been under immigration proceedings. A couple of years ago, my wife previously had begun a K1 Visa with her ex-boyfriend but (due to him being caught cheating) they canceled it before it got to the med exam/interview. I think I should answer this question with "Yes"...is that correct? If I do say "Yes", which box, if any, do I check? (The choices are: Removal, Exclussion/Deportation, Recisision, Judicial Proceedings). Do I need to explain what happened with that K1 on another sheet? From what I have read, if your case hasn't been to court, then most likely it has not been under immigration proceedings. So, I would answer "No" to that question. Perhaps others may chime in with their own experience. Question #21 asks us to list the last address that we lived together. Besides the two trips that I've made there, we never have lived together. Should I write "n/a" or should I list the my last 3 week trip as time living together? IMHO, I would use the address of your last 3-week trip as living together. Good luck with your petition! Keep us posted with the progress of your case!	Markieboy	Male	Philippines	2011-09-26 10:13:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	CR1 to IR1 upon Entry into USA	This is not applicable to you - If anybody gets CR1, they need to remove the condition (ROC) within 21 and 24 months after POE to get 10 years IR1 green card. Correct! Your wife should be receiving a 10-year green card, as she arrived at POE on an IR-1 visa and not a CR1 visa. There is no adjusting of status anymore. Next, would be naturalization in ~3 years. BTW, my wife is from Baguio, too!	Markieboy	Male	Philippines	2010-11-21 22:35:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	CR1 SPOUSE INTERVIEW	OP: This is the worst advice anybody can ever give, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER lie at an interview. Period, full-stop. Lying to a CO will result in a lifetime ban with no waiver. Your wife must answer each question truthfully.	Markieboy	Male	Philippines	2011-09-13 09:14:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Letter to congressman	Has anyone written a letter to congressman or senator? A humble request to post a sample letter here Here's the sample letter that I used: DATE Congressman/Senator Name Address RE: Name of Petitioner/Name of Beneficiary USCIS Receipt #: Attachments: 1. Signed copy of Privacy Release Form 2. Copy of I-797C, Notice of Action Dear Congressman/Senator: I am writing to request that your office make an inquiry to USCIS California Service Center in regards to an I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, I filed last [date filed]. I believe that my case is now out of the normal processing time of 5 months. I have not received any update to my case since [date of last touch]. I would appreciate your office’s kind assistance with regards to my case. Thank you very much for your assistance in this matter. Sincerely, Petitioner's Name I received a letter from one of my senators 5 days later... Thank you for your recent correspondence in regards to your immigration matter. A member of my staff contacted the California Service Center (CSC) of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and received the following response: The I-130 petition was approved on 11/03/10. An approved notice was mailed to the petitioner's address of record: [address withheld]. The petition was forwarded to the National Visa Center for processing. I hope you find the response from USCIS to be helpful. I appreciate your bringing this matter to my attention and giving me the opportunity to assist you in resolving this issue. Please feel free to contact my office in the future should you need assistance with another matter involving the federal government. And a letter from the other senator the following day... Thank you for your recent correspondence in regards to your immigration matter. A member of my staff contacted the California Service Center (CSC) of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and received the following response: The I-130 petition was approved on 11/2/10. An approval notice was mailed to the petitioner's address of record: [address withheld] and the petition has been forwarded to the National Visa Center for processing. I hope this information is helpful to you. Please do not hesitate to contact my Seattle office if you need assistance with any other federal matter in the future. In my case, I received the NOA2 several hours after contacting my state representatives. I am sure it was a coincidence. Nonetheless, I am happy that the liaisons did, in fact, contact USCIS. My case received several touches days after my NOA2 was issued. I hope you have the same experience with your congressman and/or senators. Good luck as keep us updated!	Markieboy	Male	Philippines	2010-11-24 16:23:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	IR-1	Hello everyone I am a USA resident married to a Philipina for 2.5 years, we live in the Philippines for economic reasons. I want to patition my wife and her 3 kids on the IR visa but I don't have tax returns for the I-864 because I only recieve disability income from the US government (SSD). I have a joint sponsor that more than meets the requirements. My questions are: I understand a letter explaining why I have not filed tax returns is required, how should the format of the letter be written? and I also understand that proof of my SSD income will also be required, how do I get this SSD proof information? also will I need coppies of both my I-864 and coppies of my joint sponsors I-864 for each of my wife's kids? note her 3 kids have no father listed on their NSO birth records. Hello, When my wife had her Adjustment of Status, we submitted a letter explaining why we were unable to give three years of tax returns. I'm fairly confident you may use this simple format in your case, as well. You need not copy verbatim, but the sample will give you idea of what to say. Ours was accepted without incident. Please see attached file. Proof of your SSD income should be pretty simple, too. Do you receive checks? Or is it deposited in your bank account? Copies of either the checks OR copies of bank statements should suffice. The I-864s of your joint sponsors should list the principal immigrant, your wife, as well as family members (immigrating at the same time or within 6 months of the principal immigrant). There is no need to have separate I-864s for the children. They will be listed (Part 3 of the form) along with your wife. So, your wife was not previously married to the children's father? If not, then she has sole custody over them. I hope this helps some! If you need more help, don't hesitate to PM me. I'll do my best to help. Attached Files  sample letter.pdf   9.88KB   8 downloads	Markieboy	Male	Philippines	2012-06-05 18:49:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	NOA touched	Hi guys! I just want to know since I'm reading some post like there NOA's are touch.. Buthow will I know mine is touch na also? Thanks! Here's a tutorial to get you started. As others have mentioned, some cases show a touch...while others don't. So don't place too much faith on them. Hope this helps some! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfYgGlMaU5o Edited by Markieboy, 08 June 2012 - 09:50 AM.	Markieboy	Male	Philippines	2012-06-08 09:50:00