Need help as i'm going to the philippines this coming April 15, 2009.

[melvs-bhing 0]

Hello fellow filipinos!

My girlfriend lives in the philippines. We have met in person twice on April 2007 & Feb 2008. Now im planning to go back to manila this coming April 15, 2009 to celebrate our 2 years anniversary and also to get engaged.

I need your help. I'm trying to decide which is the best route to get my girlfriend. Either thru K1 or get married in the philippines this coming April 2009 instead and do the CR1 route. My girlfriend is a nursing student and will be graduating this coming Oct 2009 and hopefully take the nursing exam by Dec 2009.

Based on my observation, some of you who took the CR1 route had a 9 to 10 months time frame to get an interview which is really good. Also based on the CR1 timeline statistics the average is 338 days.

So do you think CR1 is the best route for me instead of K1 because my girlfriend is still in school? Or take the K1 route so she can be with me as soon as she graduate.

FYI: If i take the K1 visa, i'm fine if she doesn't work for a few months as she needs to study for her NCLEX exam while waiting for an AOS.

So i need all of your suggestion! Please post it here.

Salamat!

[vbtbmrt 2]

it is alot better visa beside being cheaper in the long run she would be able to work soon as she got off the plane lets say. it took us 4 day short of a year from we got married to when i got my wife home to me. but my answer would be go for the cr-1 route much better.

[MMW 2]

I agree the CR-1 would probably be the better choice since she has 10 months before she would actually be able to come to the states and if you did the K-1 it could be approved in as few as 5 months start to finish and then she would have to use it within 4 months (I believe is the rule) or lose it and that wouldn't fit your timetable. Since you have the availability of time on your side i would say go for the I-130 route.

[tallcoolone 102]

Why is she taking the Local Exams in Philippines?

Most states in USA don't require local exam in order to sit for NCLEX.

[Jasman0717 9]

Tax day, what a day to go Take a look at the immigration timelines link at the top of the page, the stats can be helpful. We did the K-1 because at the time it was much faster. It took us about 3 1/2 months from filing to approval where the K-3 was taking over 9 months. Good luck

[ruby_jade 0]

yes go for CR1/IR1 ,, if you check the CR1/IR1 general discussion there are lots of approvals altely 1-2 months from the date of filing!

[edp333 9]

I would suggest the CR1 route also. Some things to consider are: you must get married before petitioning for the CR1 visa; so it takes 10 working days to get the marriage certificate/contract (MC) after you apply for it; and you can use the Local Civil Registry certified copy of the MC for the I-130. This will allow you to apply for the I-130 earlier because the NSO copy takes 2 to 3 months to obtain.

[Michael and Milahjean 0]

I agree with all fellow CR-1 filers. The K-1 isn't always the best choice. Our processing was 2 years ago and we rocketed through the system, making use of the infamous James Shortcuts. (Anyone use this nowadays?) edp333 makes a very good point. If you are planning to marry during your trip in April you've got lots of work to do. Figure at LEAST 3 weeks there to wrap up the required tasks. I obtained the Legal Capacity certificate at USEM early the day after I arrived and left for home the day after my sweetie and I were married. The biggest positive I see is that your marriage in the Phils allows participation of her entire family and her freinds, and nearly the entire community, in our case. In the provinces a fabulous catered civil wedding can be unbelievably low cost, but who knows what's happened to prices today. Our fully catered outdoor affair for 200 guests set me back a mere 50000 php, with the dress (8000 php)and rings (35000 php) from Cebu being extra. It was a truly spectacular day for me and for my sweetie.

[melvs-bhing 0]

Thank you so much for all of your help! Because if i file the application by June 2008 and take the K1 route my girlfriend might be here in the US by Jan 2010 as she still need to finish her school and get her transcript VERSUS the CR1 route which i estimate her to arrive around April or May 2010. I know there is like 4 - 5 months difference but i just look on the positive side as she can take the NCLEX exam in the philippines too as it much cheaper i think OR enroll her self to a NCLEX review class for a month.

So what things i need to bring if i'm going to marry her this April? How much money ($) is the processing fee?

[RIDION 0]

Definitely CR1 so that she will have more time to sort out all the documents needed for the RN licensure/employment here. And I would highly recommend for her to start the CES process, english exam (pls. check the specific requirements with your State BON) & to at least, take the NCLEX review after her graduation for familiarity & practical reasons. It is cheaper to sit for the NCLEX-RN exam here than in the Philippines. Most States no longer require the local NLE. Good luck & God bless to you both.

Hello fellow filipinos!

My girlfriend lives in the philippines. We have met in person twice on April 2007 & Feb 2008. Now im planning to go back to manila this coming April 15, 2009 to celebrate our 2 years anniversary and also to get engaged.

I need your help. I'm trying to decide which is the best route to get my girlfriend. Either thru K1 or get married in the philippines this coming April 2009 instead and do the CR1 route. My girlfriend is a nursing student and will be graduating this coming Oct 2009 and hopefully take the nursing exam by Dec 2009.

Based on my observation, some of you who took the CR1 route had a 9 to 10 months time frame to get an interview which is really good. Also based on the CR1 timeline statistics the average is 338 days.

So do you think CR1 is the best route for me instead of K1 because my girlfriend is still in school? Or take the K1 route so she can be with me as soon as she graduate.

FYI: If i take the K1 visa, i'm fine if she doesn't work for a few months as she needs to study for her NCLEX exam while waiting for an AOS.

So i need all of your suggestion! Please post it here.

Salamat!

[Tahoma 2,292]

Hi melvs-bhing...

I agree with the other posters who said that your fiancee may not have to take the local exam. To find out if the local exam is required, all you have to do is to check with the Board of Nursing in the state where she plans to become a Registered Nurse. They will tell you all of the requirements.

It is much less expensive for her to take the NCLEX in the United States. It costs only $200 here in Seattle, and it is offered every week. The exam is given at a place which is only ten minutes away from our home by car. If my fiancee took the NCLEX in the Philippines, she would pay more for the exam (I think she said the exam costs $300 or more), and she also would have to fly to Manila and stay in a hotel for a night or two...more expenses.

Good luck to both of you...

~ pangga

[melvs-bhing 0]

Ok i decided to get marriend in the philippines. I only have 3 weeks to stay there.

Now i have another question to all of you?

I'll arrive in manila on April 16 (Friday). I'll go directly to US Embassy and the affidavit in lieu of a certificate of legal capacity to marry. Then go to City Hall to apply for civil marriage license.

Now do i need to get married in the City Hall on the 10th day (May 1st)? Or i can get marry to my own church on May 2nd? Please advice.

How long is the waiting time to get the marriage contract from them?

[Michael and Milahjean 0]

Ok i decided to get marriend in the philippines. I only have 3 weeks to stay there.

Now i have another question to all of you?

I'll arrive in manila on April 16 (Friday). I'll go directly to US Embassy and the affidavit in lieu of a certificate of legal capacity to marry. Then go to City Hall to apply for civil marriage license.

Now do i need to get married in the City Hall on the 10th day (May 1st)? Or i can get marry to my own church on May 2nd? Please advice.

How long is the waiting time to get the marriage contract from them?

Hmmm....you have time for a civil wedding only, based upon what I've read here regarding the detailed requirements of a church wedding, especially if Catholic. Arriving on a Friday is going cause a bit of a delay for you since you can't hit the USEM until first thing Monday for the affidavit, which is only availble between 8-10 am. (I arrived late Sunday night and was at the USEM at 6 am on Monday, then we left for Leyte at 6 am Tuesday, which meant nearly no sleep since the Friday before!!!.)

Get up early and head for the USEM. When you get inside be sure you are waiting in the correct area. There are waiting areas and windows scattered throughout. Be sure you grab a number when you arrive. Your fiance must be with you. No one else is allowed inside. Bring a certfied copy of your birth certificate, your passport of course and a certified copy of a divorce degree if you are divorced. There is a fee - it was $30 US in 2006. Be sure you have plenty of certified copies of your documents because you'll need them to apply for the marriage license at her local office and also later on when you file the I-130. We applied for the license on Wednesday at her place. We had to wait the 10 days before the license was issued. Some have said you can "buy" the 10 days to save time, but I would not try that. We were married the same day the license was issued (Monday two weeks after receiving the affidavit), and did the marriage seminar the same day also (another requirement you'll need to know about). Try your best to get a copy of the certified LCRO (local civil registrar office) marriage certificate before you leave for the US. I had to leave her place the very next day and there was no time to get the copy. I had to wait a month for my asawa to send it to me which delayed our filing time. You'll need the NSO copy later on when you get into the NVC visa application process. There's loads of documents you're asawa will need to collect in the 2-3 months following your wedding. Just be prepared and you'll be fine. There are many many guides and references online that are very helpful. Do your homework now!!! There's no time waste. Good luck.

M&M

[melvs-bhing 0]

I changed my departure date on April 11 and arrive in the philippines on Aprill 12. But i had to pay $250 for the penalty for changing my plane ticket. Wedding date is on May 1.

Does she needs to bring any document if she accompany me to go to the US embassy in manila?

[Allan_D 0]

I changed my departure date on April 11 and arrive in the philippines on Aprill 12. But i had to pay $250 for the penalty for changing my plane ticket. Wedding date is on May 1.

Does she needs to bring any document if she accompany me to go to the US embassy in manila?

I got my legal capacity to marry at USEM in Oct 2007 and my fiancee was not required to be with me. In fact, I don't think she would be allowed to go in with you. Things may have changed. Has anyone recent experience?