August 2008 Filers

[Des Loves Cindy 0]

Hello Everyone

Just wanted to let you all know that we were approved on January 16, 2009. Went to the mail box today and the approval notice was there. We never got any touches or notices sent to us through email. It's been 155 days! I tell you it is so, so hard to be patient and wait. Can anyone tell me what our next steps are?

Hello Everyone

Just wanted to let you all know that we were approved on January 16, 2009. Went to the mail box today and the approval notice was there. We never got any touches or notices sent to us through email. It's been 155 days! I tell you it is so, so hard to be patient and wait. Can anyone tell me what our next steps are?

Hey I am the Queen of page 308!!!

[Noa&Mia 0]

Hello Everyone

Just wanted to let you all know that we were approved on January 16, 2009. Went to the mail box today and the approval notice was there. We never got any touches or notices sent to us through email. It's been 155 days! I tell you it is so, so hard to be patient and wait. Can anyone tell me what our next steps are?

Hello Everyone

Just wanted to let you all know that we were approved on January 16, 2009. Went to the mail box today and the approval notice was there. We never got any touches or notices sent to us through email. It's been 155 days! I tell you it is so, so hard to be patient and wait. Can anyone tell me what our next steps are?

Hey I am the Queen of page 308!!!

Congrats on your approval!!!! my NOA1 date is Aug 15th!!! I am so happy for you!!!! wujuuuuuuu

My friend here can tell you a bit more about next steps ... first of all you should start writen or calling NVC to see if they got your case and know when they send it to your embassy!

[Des Loves Cindy 0]

Hello Everyone

Just wanted to let you all know that we were approved on January 16, 2009. Went to the mail box today and the approval notice was there. We never got any touches or notices sent to us through email. It's been 155 days! I tell you it is so, so hard to be patient and wait. Can anyone tell me what our next steps are?

Hello Everyone

Just wanted to let you all know that we were approved on January 16, 2009. Went to the mail box today and the approval notice was there. We never got any touches or notices sent to us through email. It's been 155 days! I tell you it is so, so hard to be patient and wait. Can anyone tell me what our next steps are?

Hey I am the Queen of page 308!!!

Congrats on your approval!!!! my NOA1 date is Aug 15th!!! I am so happy for you!!!! wujuuuuuuu

My friend here can tell you a bit more about next steps ... first of all you should start writen or calling NVC to see if they got your case and know when they send it to your embassy!

Thanks so much and I am praying that you will be next!!!!! Thanks for the info too!!

[Chuck and Grace 0]

i found this on another site. Thought it might be helpful for others preparing for the interview. It is about preparing the documents for interview at embassy.

The Filipino interviewer and the consul were very happy with the organization of my documents, and I do think that it helped show them I meant business. In fact, the consul told me that he’s giving me a gold star for the way I organized them. LOL

I only gave them what’s needed, nothing extra. And all papers were bound in flexible plastic folders. Please note “FLEXIBLEâ€. As Ate G explained before my interview date, “imagine a glass between you and the interviewer. The bottom of the glass touches the table, so it’s a flat surface.†In the middle of that table divider, there is a foot long slot where the papers would go through. It slopes 2-3 inches down, and 2 inches inside and out, except upwards.

Only papers and flexible plastics would go through. The hard side binders, spirals and covers will NEVER go through. So rule of thumb: stack your documents less than an inch, or even half an inch together. DO NOT use hardbound covers for your photo albums and document covers.

I’ve noticed that some interviewers got annoyed at applicants who took forever in submitting their documents and photos, as these applicants had to take out the photos from the albums one by one. It was time consuming. I followed the advices here and taped my photos in bond paper, and put captions below them.

How to Get a Gold Star

In clear plastic separates for easy access: the Filipino interviewers and personnel will take these papers one at a time:

A. Appointment Letter and valid ID

(will be shown to the guards before you enter the embassy)

B. DS Forms

(staple 2 sets of DS 156 and DS 157. DS 156K alone)

- Use the DS 157 form that the bank gave you (if the form is still valid: 2005–2007 version) in set A. The validation numbers are at the back of this paper. And a downloaded version in set B. Detach the pink slip or bank receipt from the form. You won’t need to submit that.

- Handwritten or typed-up forms are both ok. Mine are combination typed up and handwritten. I even had white-tape erasures, and they were ok. If you must correct something, make it neat.

- Paste/glue the pictures beforehand.

- In Nationality, put “Philippines.â€

- Answer the “Do Not Write Below This Line†part with your fiancé/e’s name, your signature and date. Do not write on anything that pertains to the consul’s part – his signature and date.

- Do NOT skip any lines. If any of the numbers are not applicable to you, write N/A or None. In number 40, if you yourself have filled out the forms, put “SELF†and N/A on succeeding lines.

- Failure to do above things will result in more delays. A couple of people have been asked to step aside because their forms were incomplete, and they were put at the back of the line.

C. Identification papers and police clearances

(only the first 3 were asked from me, and they were all together in one plastic separate)

- NSO Birth certificate

- NBI Clearance

- Police Certificate/s from the countries you stayed in for 6 months or more.

Other identification papers that were asked from other applicants

- Baptismal Certificate

- Divorce decrees

- Death certificates

- Annulment papers

In flexible plastic folders with plastic fillers, color-coded for easy reference as well. I took out the spiral side binders of the plastic folders and in its place, I bound the plastic fillers with button fasteners. I was afraid that the long fasteners would not be flexible enough to slip through the slot.

--D. Affidavit of Support

--E. Proof of Engagement

--F. Other Documents for Proof of Continuous Relationship

--G. Proof of Meeting Prior to Application

From me, they only asked for folders D and E. The papers were inserted one by one in plastic fillers, back to back.

D. Affidavit of support papers

Folder 1

- Notarized Form I-134

- Tony’s Employment Letter

- 2004 Tax Copies (Tax Transcripts and E-filing)

- 2004 W2 Copies

- Sample Recent Pay Stubs – Copies

(Originals were available for reference, but they did not ask to see those)

(Those are all I submitted. The 2002-2003 forms were in a separate folder, as I have read that some Filipino interviewers only glance at those to make sure your fiancé pays taxes, and has a stable job, then gives them back to the applicant. I did not want to clutter the folder with unnecessary papers, just in case she was just going to glance at them and return them to me.)

The Filipino interviewer asked me for the 2003 OR 2004 tax files and W2’s. So I assumed she wanted the most recent year. I showed her my folder’s front cover that has the above listed documents. She took the whole folder, and did not ask for the other previous years’ documents. I believe my “packaging†paid off.

Folder 2

- Tax transcripts, e-file reports and W2’s for the last 3 years (I had 5 years included just to make sure. Plus I had it anyway, so why not?)

In clear plastic separates, I also had the following optional papers, JUST IN CASE they asked for it. In my case, they didn’t ask for these. But some applicants were asked for the following:

- Bank letter/statements

- Insurance papers

- Stocks/Bonds, etc.

E. Proof of Engagement Documents and Photos

(in flexible plastic folders, stacked back to back)

- Renewed Letter of Intent to Marry

- Engagement Ring Receipt

- Engagement Photos (with Captions)

- May’s Wedding Dress Design

- Wedding Rings Design

- More Photos (with Captions)

F. Other Documents for Proof of Continuous Relationship

(in plastic separates)

- Snail mails, cards and postal envelopes and waybills (they vary in sizes and bulky when stacked together)

- Electronic Correspondences (bound in folder, with button fasteners)

---> Sample Yahoo! VIDEO Chats (Screen dump, 7 pages)

---> E-mail Correspondences (5 of his, 5 of mine)

---> Screen Shots of Yahoo! Messenger Archive - Everyday Conversations

---> Sample Yahoo CHAT Logs (one per month)

- Money Transfer Receipts (In plastic separates)

- Sample Phone Bills –Tony (In plastic separates)

- Sample Phone Bills – May (In plastic separates)

G. Proof of Meeting Prior to Application

(In flexible plastic folder, stacked back to back)

- Immigration Stamped Passport Page

- PAL Receipt for Tony’s 2 Day Extension

- Tony’s Itinerary from the Travel Agency

- Tony’s Original Boarding Passes

- Tony’s Airline Tickets

- Hotel Receipts during Tony’s visit

***NOTE: Folders F and G are optional! As some interviewers ask for snail mails, emails and chat logs. In my case, my Filipino interviewer did not even ask for anything else, except for our photos, since she said, “Your initial application papers are complete, and is already very thick with your documented proof. So I will only ask for some pictures.†I handed her Folder E and she was very happy with it.

***Another NOTE: They do look at all the pictures closely, and may even ask you about them. So be sure you know the stories behind the pictures. Submit the cheesiest ones you can find. LOL

TIPS in organizing your documents:

1. Make your documents look very presentable and clutter-free. Your organization will make it easy for you and the consul. You may even win some smiles from the grumpiest Filipino interviewers and consuls!

2. Use side tabs for easy reference.

3. Use color-coding, but avoid neons!

4. Use button fasteners, instead of long fasteners.

5. DO NOT stack your papers too thick. They will not pass through the slot. Maximum thickness should be half an inch. And make sure that the stack will be flexible enough, as they will be bent when passing though the slot.

6. DO NOT use hard-bound covers, hard side binders, and thick photo-albums. In fact, drop the idea. You might earn the ire of a grumpy Filipino interviewer if your documents and photos are in hard covers, and you would find yourself taking them out from the binder one at a time.

7. Use paper clips if you don’t have plastic separates. Plastic separates are ideal for thick stack of papers like affidavit of support papers (if you don’t want to put them in folders), snail mails and cards, identification documents, and other papers that you need to take out in haste.

8. Know where your documents are! Don’t mix your proof of relationship documents with the financial documents.

9. Most importantly, your documents should be COMPLETE! Some applicants left the embassy in tears, and were put in AR because they lacked important documents.

These are only tips and suggestions. I may have gone overboard with my document organization (you think? ), but these worked for me. Prettiness and neatness may only be icing on the cake, but the cake sure did look more appetizing with it. I was sure the cake inside it was good enough! But with this icing, I put the interviewer and consul in good moods, and left them smiling. A smiling interviewer is always a good sign. Plus, you might even earn a gold star! LOL

[Noa&Mia 0]

Chuck!!! thank you so so so much for this tips! this is great! so organized! I love it! I was thinking about how to organize all the documents ... I want to start already thank you very much! just PERFECT!

[Habibi 0]

Thank you Chuck for Interview layout its exactly what i needed i tried looking for it but could not find a good one. this is perfect. Many many thanks.

[HappyDancer 7]

Congrats!!!

Hello Everyone

Just wanted to let you all know that we were approved on January 16, 2009. Went to the mail box today and the approval notice was there. We never got any touches or notices sent to us through email. It's been 155 days! I tell you it is so, so hard to be patient and wait. Can anyone tell me what our next steps are?

[Des Loves Cindy 0]

i found this on another site. Thought it might be helpful for others preparing for the interview. It is about preparing the documents for interview at embassy.

The Filipino interviewer and the consul were very happy with the organization of my documents, and I do think that it helped show them I meant business. In fact, the consul told me that he’s giving me a gold star for the way I organized them. LOL

I only gave them what’s needed, nothing extra. And all papers were bound in flexible plastic folders. Please note “FLEXIBLEâ€. As Ate G explained before my interview date, “imagine a glass between you and the interviewer. The bottom of the glass touches the table, so it’s a flat surface.†In the middle of that table divider, there is a foot long slot where the papers would go through. It slopes 2-3 inches down, and 2 inches inside and out, except upwards.

Only papers and flexible plastics would go through. The hard side binders, spirals and covers will NEVER go through. So rule of thumb: stack your documents less than an inch, or even half an inch together. DO NOT use hardbound covers for your photo albums and document covers.

I’ve noticed that some interviewers got annoyed at applicants who took forever in submitting their documents and photos, as these applicants had to take out the photos from the albums one by one. It was time consuming. I followed the advices here and taped my photos in bond paper, and put captions below them.

How to Get a Gold Star

In clear plastic separates for easy access: the Filipino interviewers and personnel will take these papers one at a time:

A. Appointment Letter and valid ID

(will be shown to the guards before you enter the embassy)

B. DS Forms

(staple 2 sets of DS 156 and DS 157. DS 156K alone)

- Use the DS 157 form that the bank gave you (if the form is still valid: 2005–2007 version) in set A. The validation numbers are at the back of this paper. And a downloaded version in set B. Detach the pink slip or bank receipt from the form. You won’t need to submit that.

- Handwritten or typed-up forms are both ok. Mine are combination typed up and handwritten. I even had white-tape erasures, and they were ok. If you must correct something, make it neat.

- Paste/glue the pictures beforehand.

- In Nationality, put “Philippines.â€

- Answer the “Do Not Write Below This Line†part with your fiancé/e’s name, your signature and date. Do not write on anything that pertains to the consul’s part – his signature and date.

- Do NOT skip any lines. If any of the numbers are not applicable to you, write N/A or None. In number 40, if you yourself have filled out the forms, put “SELF†and N/A on succeeding lines.

- Failure to do above things will result in more delays. A couple of people have been asked to step aside because their forms were incomplete, and they were put at the back of the line.

C. Identification papers and police clearances

(only the first 3 were asked from me, and they were all together in one plastic separate)

- NSO Birth certificate

- NBI Clearance

- Police Certificate/s from the countries you stayed in for 6 months or more.

Other identification papers that were asked from other applicants

- Baptismal Certificate

- Divorce decrees

- Death certificates

- Annulment papers

In flexible plastic folders with plastic fillers, color-coded for easy reference as well. I took out the spiral side binders of the plastic folders and in its place, I bound the plastic fillers with button fasteners. I was afraid that the long fasteners would not be flexible enough to slip through the slot.

--D. Affidavit of Support

--E. Proof of Engagement

--F. Other Documents for Proof of Continuous Relationship

--G. Proof of Meeting Prior to Application

From me, they only asked for folders D and E. The papers were inserted one by one in plastic fillers, back to back.

D. Affidavit of support papers

Folder 1

- Notarized Form I-134

- Tony’s Employment Letter

- 2004 Tax Copies (Tax Transcripts and E-filing)

- 2004 W2 Copies

- Sample Recent Pay Stubs – Copies

(Originals were available for reference, but they did not ask to see those)

(Those are all I submitted. The 2002-2003 forms were in a separate folder, as I have read that some Filipino interviewers only glance at those to make sure your fiancé pays taxes, and has a stable job, then gives them back to the applicant. I did not want to clutter the folder with unnecessary papers, just in case she was just going to glance at them and return them to me.)

The Filipino interviewer asked me for the 2003 OR 2004 tax files and W2’s. So I assumed she wanted the most recent year. I showed her my folder’s front cover that has the above listed documents. She took the whole folder, and did not ask for the other previous years’ documents. I believe my “packaging†paid off.

Folder 2

- Tax transcripts, e-file reports and W2’s for the last 3 years (I had 5 years included just to make sure. Plus I had it anyway, so why not?)

In clear plastic separates, I also had the following optional papers, JUST IN CASE they asked for it. In my case, they didn’t ask for these. But some applicants were asked for the following:

- Bank letter/statements

- Insurance papers

- Stocks/Bonds, etc.

E. Proof of Engagement Documents and Photos

(in flexible plastic folders, stacked back to back)

- Renewed Letter of Intent to Marry

- Engagement Ring Receipt

- Engagement Photos (with Captions)

- May’s Wedding Dress Design

- Wedding Rings Design

- More Photos (with Captions)

F. Other Documents for Proof of Continuous Relationship

(in plastic separates)

- Snail mails, cards and postal envelopes and waybills (they vary in sizes and bulky when stacked together)

- Electronic Correspondences (bound in folder, with button fasteners)

---> Sample Yahoo! VIDEO Chats (Screen dump, 7 pages)

---> E-mail Correspondences (5 of his, 5 of mine)

---> Screen Shots of Yahoo! Messenger Archive - Everyday Conversations

---> Sample Yahoo CHAT Logs (one per month)

- Money Transfer Receipts (In plastic separates)

- Sample Phone Bills –Tony (In plastic separates)

- Sample Phone Bills – May (In plastic separates)

G. Proof of Meeting Prior to Application

(In flexible plastic folder, stacked back to back)

- Immigration Stamped Passport Page

- PAL Receipt for Tony’s 2 Day Extension

- Tony’s Itinerary from the Travel Agency

- Tony’s Original Boarding Passes

- Tony’s Airline Tickets

- Hotel Receipts during Tony’s visit

***NOTE: Folders F and G are optional! As some interviewers ask for snail mails, emails and chat logs. In my case, my Filipino interviewer did not even ask for anything else, except for our photos, since she said, “Your initial application papers are complete, and is already very thick with your documented proof. So I will only ask for some pictures.†I handed her Folder E and she was very happy with it.

***Another NOTE: They do look at all the pictures closely, and may even ask you about them. So be sure you know the stories behind the pictures. Submit the cheesiest ones you can find. LOL

TIPS in organizing your documents:

1. Make your documents look very presentable and clutter-free. Your organization will make it easy for you and the consul. You may even win some smiles from the grumpiest Filipino interviewers and consuls!

2. Use side tabs for easy reference.

3. Use color-coding, but avoid neons!

4. Use button fasteners, instead of long fasteners.

5. DO NOT stack your papers too thick. They will not pass through the slot. Maximum thickness should be half an inch. And make sure that the stack will be flexible enough, as they will be bent when passing though the slot.

6. DO NOT use hard-bound covers, hard side binders, and thick photo-albums. In fact, drop the idea. You might earn the ire of a grumpy Filipino interviewer if your documents and photos are in hard covers, and you would find yourself taking them out from the binder one at a time.

7. Use paper clips if you don’t have plastic separates. Plastic separates are ideal for thick stack of papers like affidavit of support papers (if you don’t want to put them in folders), snail mails and cards, identification documents, and other papers that you need to take out in haste.

8. Know where your documents are! Don’t mix your proof of relationship documents with the financial documents.

9. Most importantly, your documents should be COMPLETE! Some applicants left the embassy in tears, and were put in AR because they lacked important documents.

These are only tips and suggestions. I may have gone overboard with my document organization (you think? ), but these worked for me. Prettiness and neatness may only be icing on the cake, but the cake sure did look more appetizing with it. I was sure the cake inside it was good enough! But with this icing, I put the interviewer and consul in good moods, and left them smiling. A smiling interviewer is always a good sign. Plus, you might even earn a gold star! LOL

Thanks

[maliciant 7]

Very handy guide to organizing the docs. It's dated in that it made no mention of CENORMAR or MARRIAGE INDEX and one or the other is going to be required now for the philippines but I think the general concept still applies fairly well, just make sure you research the current requirements and remember they different in each embassy.

ETA: w00t... my sig counter is about to hit the single digits! My sunday is unlikely to be relaxing, I've got much to get done (my day job... and a side job... it's handy though cause I'm earning extra in both cases, I have to admit it's quite strange how when I need more money... suddenly it's there... I've only been trying to strike it rich my whole life and not having that much luck... but you know... need an extra $50... and hey look, someone offers me $50 to do some kind of work I'm good at....). Got sidetracked though, mostly WOO HOO, by the time I get up tomorrow my sig will be single digits for days!

Edited January 25, 2009 by maliciant

[Hell0W0rld 10]

because of the bad economy, do you guys think the poverty guideline will go up for 2009??

[aspantonic 0]

Hello Everyone

Just wanted to let you all know that we were approved on January 16, 2009. Went to the mail box today and the approval notice was there. We never got any touches or notices sent to us through email. It's been 155 days! I tell you it is so, so hard to be patient and wait. Can anyone tell me what our next steps are?

Hello Everyone

Just wanted to let you all know that we were approved on January 16, 2009. Went to the mail box today and the approval notice was there. We never got any touches or notices sent to us through email. It's been 155 days! I tell you it is so, so hard to be patient and wait. Can anyone tell me what our next steps are?

Hey I am the Queen of page 308!!!

Hey Des Love Cindy !

Congratulation

Did you get approve without any touch and notices through email ? Me+ my friend apply for K-1 ,our fiances sent I-129F to VSC betaween 8-11 August/2008. We both got Noa1 the same date on 2008/8/19 and also same date VSC cash check on 2008/08/14 . We are waiting for Noa2 about 161 days since they cash our check.

On 23/01/2009 my friend's fiance sent fax to congressman to check his case .Later the congressman called him back that his case approved on 21/01/2009. BUt my friend didnt get any touch and notic sent through email.I hope my friend get really Noa2 and offcourse I hope I get Noa2 too

[HYENA 4]

because of the bad economy, do you guys think the poverty guideline will go up for 2009??

I doubt much will change...but you never know!

I think my RFE is for more income (I didn't report so much last year-lots of deductions)...hopefully a co-sponsor will be the trick.

If they'd look at my bank account and income coming in but I understand also where they're coming from.

I guess it is what it is!

[HYENA 4]

Hello Everyone

Just wanted to let you all know that we were approved on January 16, 2009. Went to the mail box today and the approval notice was there. We never got any touches or notices sent to us through email. It's been 155 days! I tell you it is so, so hard to be patient and wait. Can anyone tell me what our next steps are?

Hello Everyone

Just wanted to let you all know that we were approved on January 16, 2009. Went to the mail box today and the approval notice was there. We never got any touches or notices sent to us through email. It's been 155 days! I tell you it is so, so hard to be patient and wait. Can anyone tell me what our next steps are?

Hey I am the Queen of page 308!!!

Hey Des Love Cindy !

Congratulation

Did you get approve without any touch and notices through email ? Me+ my friend apply for K-1 ,our fiances sent I-129F to VSC betaween 8-11 August/2008. We both got Noa1 the same date on 2008/8/19 and also same date VSC cash check on 2008/08/14 . We are waiting for Noa2 about 161 days since they cash our check.

On 23/01/2009 my friend's fiance sent fax to congressman to check his case .Later the congressman called him back that his case approved on 21/01/2009. BUt my friend didnt get any touch and notic sent through email.I hope my friend get really Noa2 and offcourse I hope I get Noa2 too

It won't be much longer! I thought they would never do anything with my case and I was on the phone with my Tilac then I told her ...wait before we hang up, I want to check USCIS website and I saw the date change! Next day, I got an email saying they wanted further evidence for SOMETHING but would not tell me what...I called and they didn't know so I have to wait for the latter telling me WHAT THEY WANT!

Meanwhile, I think I'll have her go to Isaan and get her Bai Lub Long Sot from the Amphur (at least she can do that since the time is close).--this is the single; eligible to marry paper.

I really want to go there....NOW! I'm having a craving for spiced grasshoppers and Pad Thai and....beef and sticky rice... and hot hot hot humid weather and sun...maybe my 4th trip there I'll see the ocean.

Edited January 25, 2009 by HYENA

[Bulgarican 0]

very slow week for CSC and i marked 160 days today....i wait for the 180 and then we'll start sending doc's to everyone for our case if we're not approved yet...

happy sunday all

and Congratz for the approval/s

[Habibi 0]

very slow week for CSC and i marked 160 days today....i wait for the 180 and then we'll start sending doc's to everyone for our case if we're not approved yet...

happy sunday all

and Congratz for the approval/s

I am planning the same strategy, waiting till 180 day and then raising hell. I hope that i have it before then.