Questions regarding K2 Visa and SLEC medical checkups

[tolitzpogi 37]

My fiancee and I have been having this discussion since last week, and I decided to present it here so you can give us some guidance. My apologies in advance as this will probably be a long post:

Here is the current status: My fiancee has completed her 3-day sputum test and it came out negative, so right now we are crossing our fingers that SLEC won't call her before the 8-week wait is over. She is scheduled to call back SLEC on September 16 for immunization schedule if all goes well. She has two girls (16 and 10) are gonna be K2 designated as "to follow" in the I-129F application because the eldest is going through her last year in high school and we want her to get her HS diploma in case she decides to go back to the PI for college, while the little one wants to stay with her sister until she graduates. So only my fiancee will be coming to the US on a K1 visa sometime in October hopefully.

Now here is a bunch of questions:

1. Since my fiancee is still waiting for the sputum culture results until middle of September, is it prudent to pay for the K2 visa fees for the two kids and schedule them for a medical exam at SLEC while their mother is still there to go with them? I feel it is better for them to go through the whole process with their mother instead of asking an uncle of theirs to accompany them.

2. If the two kids pass the medical exam at SLEC in August and their mother gets scheduled for an interview in late September to middle of October, can they come with her for the interview since I already paid for their K2 visa fees or do I need to schedule them separately from their mother?

3. Somewhat related to question 2, if one or both of the kids require a sputum test (god forbid) and they they have to wait for 2 months for the culture, can they still be at the K1/K2 interview with their mother in September or October even if their medical exam is not technically completed yet?

4. Probably the most important question: if the two kids take their medical exam in August or September, is their deadline to come to the US governed by the "6 month after medical exam" rule or are they still under the "1 year after their mother gets issued a K1 visa" rule? They will not be accompanying their mother here this year for sure, because I will come to the PI in Mid-April to attend the eldest one's HS graduation and then travel with both of the girls back to the US a week after, so I was wondering which rule governs the allotted time for them to come to the US after my fiancee's K1 visa approval.

I really really hope we don't encounter problems with the 8-week culture, and also praying that the two girls won't have to go through the sputum tests, but we are trying to get everything squared out before she comes here because it would be a hassle to have two underage girls to go through the whole SLEC/USEM procedures without their mother...

Thanks in advance!

Edited July 28, 2014 by tolitzpogi

[Hank_ 9,174]

My fiancee and I have been having this discussion since last week, and I decided to present it here so you can give us some guidance. My apologies in advance as this will probably be a long post:

Here is the current status: My fiancee has completed her 3-day sputum test and it came out negative, so right now we are crossing our fingers that SLEC won't call her before the 8-week wait is over. She is scheduled to call back SLEC on September 16 for immunization schedule if all goes well. She has two girls (16 and 10) are gonna be K2 designated as "to follow" in the I-129F application because the eldest is going through her last year in high school and we want her to get her HS diploma in case she decides to go back to the PI for college, while the little one wants to stay with her sister until she graduates. So only my fiancee will be coming to the US on a K1 visa sometime in October hopefully.

The 3-day is just collection for the culture, it is not a test.

Now here is a bunch of questions:

1. Since my fiancee is still waiting for the sputum culture results until middle of September, is it prudent to pay for the K2 visa fees for the two kids and schedule them for a medical exam at SLEC while their mother is still there to go with them? I feel it is better for them to go through the whole process with their mother instead of asking an uncle of theirs to accompany them.

Depends, if the K2 are going to traveling to the USA within a year of payment then no issue paying, if they may not travel within the year then wait.

2. If the two kids pass the medical exam at SLEC in August and their mother gets scheduled for an interview in late September to middle of October, can they come with her for the interview since I already paid for their K2 visa fees or do I need to schedule them separately from their mother?

No, an appointment needs to be scheduled for each child, normally when doing them all together after scheduling the K1 the dashboard will ask if you want to schedule another, but in your case they are not all traveling together.

3. Somewhat related to question 2, if one or both of the kids require a sputum test (god forbid) and they they have to wait for 2 months for the culture, can they still be at the K1/K2 interview with their mother in September or October even if their medical exam is not technically completed yet?

Need to wait for the medical to be completed (at least a week before the interview)

4. Probably the most important question: if the two kids take their medical exam in August or September, is their deadline to come to the US governed by the "6 month after medical exam" rule or are they still under the "1 year after their mother gets issued a K1 visa" rule? They will not be accompanying their mother here this year for sure, because I will come to the PI in Mid-April to attend the eldest one's HS graduation and then travel with both of the girls back to the US a week after, so I was wondering which rule governs the allotted time for them to come to the US after my fiancee's K1 visa approval.

Yes, the moment they take their medical the 6 month clock starts ticking. The "to follow" within a year of the K1 visa being issued will only apply if you wait to start the process.

Personally I would wait doing anything with the K2 until they are closer to the time for traveling.

I really really hope we don't encounter problems with the 8-week culture, and also praying that the two girls won't have to go through the sputum tests, but we are trying to get everything squared out before she comes here because it would be a hassle to have two underage girls to go through the whole SLEC/USEM procedures without their mother...

With the "to follow" and TB concerns I would do the medical a little early just to have the bases covered.

Thanks in advance!

[tolitzpogi 37]

Thanks for clearing this up Hank... I would've wanted to have everything done before my fiancee leaves for the USA, but I guess it was too much to hope for... Do you think they will allow a guardian or a relative to accompany the girls during their SLEC and/or USEM interviews?

Follow-up questions: Since I'm the one who will come back home and accompany their entry to the US, do I still need to complete individual consent to travel forms signed by their mother, or does the fact that I married their mother which makes me essentially their stepfather negate the need for it?

Thanks again for always being helpful

[Hank_ 9,174]

Thanks for clearing this up Hank... I would've wanted to have everything done before my fiancee leaves for the USA, but I guess it was too much to hope for... Do you think they will allow a guardian or a relative to accompany the girls during their SLEC and/or USEM interviews?

Follow-up questions: Since I'm the one who will come back home and accompany their entry to the US, do I still need to complete individual consent to travel forms signed by their mother, or does the fact that I married their mother which makes me essentially their stepfather negate the need for it?

Thanks again for always being helpful

Yes they will, it is not issue with a guardian accompanying the children at SLEC and USEM.

You are not their parent or legal guardian, the travel consents will be needed. It might be easier to get those consents done now rather then later, I believe later would require a trip to the consulate for your state.

If you completed everything for the girls now, they would have to beat feet to the USA.

Edited August 4, 2014 by Hank_

[Greenbaum 12,259]

To add to Hank's answers, now it the time to collect all the necessary documents like NBI, NSO, passports to name a few. All required documents are contained in the USEM instruction letter. http://photos.state.gov/libraries/manila/325288/packets/K1%20and%20K2%20Interview%20Preparation%20Instructions%20-%20English%20_10%20October%202013_.pdf

Information on the DSWD travel document can be found on their website here: http://www.dswd.gov.ph/

Good luck and ask any additional questions you may have.

[danver 15]

Thanks for clearing this up Hank... I would've wanted to have everything done before my fiancee leaves for the USA, but I guess it was too much to hope for... Do you think they will allow a guardian or a relative to accompany the girls during their SLEC and/or USEM interviews?

Follow-up questions: Since I'm the one who will come back home and accompany their entry to the US, do I still need to complete individual consent to travel forms signed by their mother, or does the fact that I married their mother which makes me essentially their stepfather negate the need for it?

Thanks again for always being helpful

yes provided the guardian who will accompany the kids for their interview will have the authorization from the parents. I was here and my mom (kid's grandma ) was the one who accompanied my 2 kids from getting their passports to medical at St. Lukes and to their interview at the embassy.

I went there to pick up my kids as soon as I was sure they had their visas on hand.