Visas in Hand!

[Weatherman 0]

Well, we picked up our CR1/CR2 visas this am. Ate Grace and Ate Larraine and the CO working our case were all very helpful. Our story is unique from most of those here, but I will share the highlights in case it will help somebody else...pay it forward!!

I am military and my wife and I met overseas in a third country where we were both working. We got married in Phils last spring...but she and her daughter had to have medical exam prior to marriage because of military rule that says i have to ask permission to marry non US citizen. Part of the permission process is that wife and daughter had to have SLMC Medical Exam prior to permission request..its part of that package. Permission was granted, we got married in Phils, and then I filed our I-130 Petition via DCF at my duty station third country US Embassy..they sent it direct to Manila Embassy after checking via cables (its like official secure Email) with USCIS. We had to wait 2 months!!!! for the local Province where we got married in Philippines to finish sending off our Marriage License/Contract to NSO in Manila before we could complete the pre interview document gathering and interview scheduling process.

After NSO got the Provincial Marriage cert, it took another week or two for them to finish and create the Offical NSO Marriage License that US Embassy requires. Also, she needed this official License to get passport name changed to married name, and then get new name Police Clearance and NBI cert. After all that, they were ready for inteview. US Embassy sent the PKG 4 (letter really) and they went back SLMC for Visa exam...and SLMC used the same date as the first exam back in the spring as their official exam date.... I used the service available to schedule their appts. So, after the Visa interview, there was not much time left before the 6 months of medical exam would expire! Which in our case is true, it DOES expire in 6 months. Not sure if its a CR1/CR2 issue, or if all Philippine IV category medical exams expire after 6 months. Which means the Visa has to be used to enter the US BEFORE the 6 month anniversary of the Medical Exam.

The time was running very short and Ate Grace had me send a fax letter stating that it would expire. They expedited the final processing and let us pick up the visas at the Embassy even though I had already paid Delbros. I even got a refund of my Delbros fee...(less 20 percent, LOL). If you already paid Delbros and then for some reason don't use the delivery service, just show your DELBROS receipt at window 34 where you will pick up the visa...and they will sign the receipt for you. I took the signed receipt to the Embassy Pavilion DELBROS office and got the refund.

Then it was off to CFO to get the Stickers in the Passports. We took a taxi from Embassy to CFO Manila office. Wife already attended the seminar at PRISM Manila last week, so we had that certificate already. Pretty simple, but we had to have daughter 2x2 picture taken, and also had to have some Xerox copies made of the passports' main page and US IV page. No problem, there is a "right now" photo shop and xerox shop out the CFO door to the right. Only the actual immigrants are allowed in the CFO office, I had to wait outside with the others. It started raining, but there is a roof overhang that kept us out of the rain, and places to sit. It was actually pleasant and much better than being too hot! The process took about an hour from arrival at CFO to finishing with the stickers in the passports. Since it was raining, we took a cab back to the LRT station to head back home.

So, tomorrow we are off to the airport for our evening flight to the US.. POE Honolulu!! Because of the dateline, we actually get there the same calendar day, 8 hours before we take off. We leave MNL the 6th at 1900 and arrive HNL the 6th at 1100. It looks like we will have to pay the departure tax since I booked our tickets directly through Hawaiian Airlines website and have e tickets. The taxes shown on the receipt are only US taxes. After the rest of the adventure, P1650 x 2 is a piece of cake...I will make sure I have enough in my pocket, LOL. Yet another handy tip courtesy of the VJ community!! I have already started looking ahead at the Removal of Conditions info...and I am sure I will continue to do so in the future.

To all the contributors who make this Community such a PRICELESS resource: Salamat Po!!!

[mrsartis 10]

wow that was quick.. amd hey, congratulations! from my family to yours.

[Weatherman 0]

wow that was quick.. amd hey, congratulations! from my family to yours.

Thank you Very Much!

Yes, the DCF chopped a LOT of time off of our timeline. We did not have to wait through the whole NVC process. I guess that is one benefit of being in the military stationed overseas... I'm not complaining, LOL.

Thanks again!

[mhaze 0]

congratulations

i wish you both happiness

[KC♥MP 0]

Congratulations!!! .Have a safe trip.

[phil and nanz 0]

congratulations and god bless you and your family

nanz

[Abby-Ron 8]

Congrats to you!!

[o0pink0o 3]

Congratulations!!!

[lokashadow04 0]

"That's AWESOME!!!CONGRATS and best wishes !!!!

God bless,

Irene

[macutelit 0]