Manila Embassy Interview

[robhankins 0]

1) I agree with Gen. It is the Spanish way. My NBI clearance has the “y” and the “de”. “y” is to denote mother’s maiden name and “de” is to denote married name. For example, Jackie Kennedy’s (Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy) NBI clearance would appear as:

BOUVIER de KENNEDY, JACQUELINE y LEE

oh.... right... sorry 2hearts... I knew there something was a little askew in what I said

'de' for married or last name... 'y' for middle name...

I stand corrected.

Congratulations to couples who just got approved.. and good wishes for vic & el to get out of the AR hole soon.

Gen

We are still around, we not dead yet

We are hoping for a fast clearing of our so-called general review. I hope it is trully a general review only, thanks everyone for there help and support.

We will keep preying and hoping too be together soon. We have so much plans that are on hold. But life will go out with or with the help of the USA. hehehe

Did you have any changes on your Birth Certificate? Was the BC late registered? Was there anything at all unusual about the Cenomar or NBI? Any idea at all why they put you on AR? I wish you the very best and speedy adjudication.

[Glenn & Rosemarie 0]

Yahoo! Rosemarie is here now in Florida. Her POE experience in Florida was fast, friendly and very simple. Does anyone know the procedure for her applying for a "drivers license here?" I assume that she will have to get the learners permit first, and that is okay. I am just wondering what information that she must present to get the permit issued? Thanks to everyone in this forum for all of your help and support. You all are the best!

[MarieandBryan 0]

hello everyone,

this is my first time to post in this thread...been visiting here frequently though...There maybe some posts in the past pertaining to this query but this is kinda urgent ...

my friend will have her interview for CR1 this coming March 13 and she would like to know what are the things that she needs to bring with her from both the petitioner and the beneficiary for the interview...We just know her schedule 3 nights ago & she is freakin' worried right now coz she neither receive a pre-interview notice nor the packet, not ready with her documents & dont even know what are the forms that she needs to fill up , if there's any...She is really clueless that she will be included in the March schedule coz when they called the embassy last week they said their papers have not arrived yet. They hired a lawyer but not functioning well ( difficult to contact right now plus lots of alibis)... We will appreciate so much any help from you guys here.... THANKS in advance...

BTW, For our own visa journey….We would be very glad to be added in your list…Here are our info...

NOA2 approval: January 10, 2006

MNL case # : MNL200752xxxx

All the BEST!

Marie

[Ken_Maria 0]

Gary, Driver license are state and sometimes county specific. You will have to find out the local requirements for Florida and go from there. Congrat and have fun, ken & Maria

Yahoo! Rosemarie is here now in Florida. Her POE experience in Florida was fast, friendly and very simple. Does anyone know the procedure for her applying for a "drivers license here?" I assume that she will have to get the learners permit first, and that is okay. I am just wondering what information that she must present to get the permit issued? Thanks to everyone in this forum for all of your help and support. You all are the best!

[frdmrk2 0]

my husband will apply an ITIN for me... my question is:

is it required that a copy of passport be notarized when applying for ITIN?

do i have to go to US embassy to have it notarized or the public notary will do?

thanks!

[Dean iWait 0]

It was a typo, Precision reservations is $38 including all taxes for Exec Plaza.

Ok a couple of questions saw catching up this evening after work. Hotels.. look for hotels in the Ermita or Malate area as both are walkign distance to the Embassy. Try Precision Reservations for the hotel. We got Exec plaze for 438 a night including the VAT.

One-way flights can be booked for a fraction of the cost with thiese websites. Just remember if you book it online for your fiancee or finace, you will still have to pay the 1650 travel tax because the ticket was purchased outside the PI. try these TravelPH / Kayak.com or BestTravelStore I found the best prices at kayak and they eventually took me to PAL.

The departure tax was still 550 peso on 15 Jan when I left and the 200 peso security fee stil hd not been implemented. Good luck, Ken & Maria

Hey Ken_Maria,

Next time your booking rooms for Manila you may want to try www.asiarooms.com. I have found they are always less expensive than precision. For instance Executive Plaza is $38 inluding all taxes and fees. God bless.

Dean and Sheryl

Really..?? I just pulled up Precision and Exec is $43 with taxes and fees. Do they give different prices for some reason?

[Dean iWait 0]

I just got an 11th hour jitter... I just read in the Regional Discussion Forum - someone giving advice regarding Visa approvals through the US Embassy in Vietnam. He says that if the two of you met online and then only one time in person, that is a surefire way to have your Visa denied.

I realize that each embassy has their own quirks, but has anyone heard of someone going through the Manila Embassy with those two factors get denied?

I can't talk about anyone specific but from what I read it's not a killer. They may want more proof that you have a real relationship than someone that has been there 6 or 7 times but as long as you can show that you should be fine. I understand that the VN embassy is one of the toughest because of the high rate of organized scams run from there. Don't worry Steve, just show your evidence and things will be OK.

Thanks, Gary. I've been doing a pretty good job of not letting any negative thoughts enter my mind as we approach the interview, but that one caught me off guard. I don't know if you read the post, but the guy basically says it's a 'surefire' way to get a denial. I HATE when people give that kind of advice.

From what I've read this past year the embassy in Saigon got very tough after some higly publicsized marriage fraud cases. I believe they started turning away K-1 and K-3's in drove after this particular case came to light. In my opinion no two emassies are exactly alike. You will be fine Steven. Here is the story if anyone is interested.

http://www.visaportal.com/agencies/article...?article_id=168

[one...two...tree 2,762]

hey guys, just wanted to say God has blessed us with everything going so smoothly! Just wanted to fill you all in... Philip told me interview was very short, theold (LOL) American lady asked to see tax return, affadavit of support, thumbed through some emails and wanted to see our pictures. She asked if we want to have kids , how many,how did we meet(thru mutual friends/family ) LOL and what my religion was. We are 2 different religions(no big deal here! )THe interview took a really long 4 minutes LOL! However, the Pre-interview screener Filipina lady, apparently gave him HELL !! she wanted to read lots of the emails etc, well anyway I guess that is her job, just wanted to give all of you a heads up. We did go prepared with just about everthing we had just in case, bank stmts, tons of emails, fone cards etc etc for evidence of relationship. thanks again and GOd BLess !

Congratulations again JelloShotGirl! Have you receieved word from Delbros that your fiance's Visa is in route?

Thanks for the heads up! I'm just curious if you are ethnically Filipina and if that had any bearing on the Pre-interviewer's treatment of your fiance?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Gary, Driver license are state and sometimes county specific. You will have to find out the local requirements for Florida and go from there. Congrat and have fun, ken & Maria

Yahoo! Rosemarie is here now in Florida. Her POE experience in Florida was fast, friendly and very simple. Does anyone know the procedure for her applying for a "drivers license here?" I assume that she will have to get the learners permit first, and that is okay. I am just wondering what information that she must present to get the permit issued? Thanks to everyone in this forum for all of your help and support. You all are the best!

If I may chime in here - Jinky has a Philippine Driver's License and our plan is to have her get an International DL before she leaves for the states so that she can legally drive here right away. That might be a preferable route to take considering all the other hoops one has to go through once they have arrived in the US.

[robhankins 0]

It was a typo, Precision reservations is $38 including all taxes for Exec Plaza.

Ok a couple of questions saw catching up this evening after work. Hotels.. look for hotels in the Ermita or Malate area as both are walkign distance to the Embassy. Try Precision Reservations for the hotel. We got Exec plaze for 438 a night including the VAT.

One-way flights can be booked for a fraction of the cost with thiese websites. Just remember if you book it online for your fiancee or finace, you will still have to pay the 1650 travel tax because the ticket was purchased outside the PI. try these TravelPH / Kayak.com or BestTravelStore I found the best prices at kayak and they eventually took me to PAL.

The departure tax was still 550 peso on 15 Jan when I left and the 200 peso security fee stil hd not been implemented. Good luck, Ken & Maria

Hey Ken_Maria,

Next time your booking rooms for Manila you may want to try www.asiarooms.com. I have found they are always less expensive than precision. For instance Executive Plaza is $38 inluding all taxes and fees. God bless.

Dean and Sheryl

Really..?? I just pulled up Precision and Exec is $43 with taxes and fees. Do they give different prices for some reason?

Lilia stayed 5 days at Executive Plaza in January, booked through Precision. Rate was $38. Some hotels have a different rate for certain days when their bookings are lean. Maybe you caught them on a busy day and got a higher rate.

Edited February 9, 2007 by robhankins

[StarProg 0]

my husband will apply an ITIN for me... my question is:

is it required that a copy of passport be notarized when applying for ITIN?

do i have to go to US embassy to have it notarized or the public notary will do?

thanks!

I have been dealing with this issue recently myself. The latest I've been able to read is that the officers at the US Embassy are not authorized to notarize a Philippine passport. What is reccomended is to go to the nearest DFA office where the passports are issued, and get a certified copy of your passport. You will receive a copy of the biographic page which has been certified by the DFA. Submit this along with a xerox of the pages of the passport with information or stamps, along with your tax return and the W7 form.

[soulm8z0928 0]

hey folks, hope someone can clarify this for us, i think we are ok, but just want to be sure. with all the talk about late registered BC's, exactly how do you know if a BC is late registered? On my wifes BC, from the NSO, in block 25 date prepared is the date of her birth done by the midwife at the birth, then in block 20 Received in the office of the Local Civil Registrar there is no signature or anything, just the stamped date which is abt 1 month after my wifes birth. this would not be a late reg bc, would it? thx 4 the help!

[rebelheart 0]

Gary, Driver license are state and sometimes county specific. You will have to find out the local requirements for Florida and go from there. Congrat and have fun, ken & Maria

Yahoo! Rosemarie is here now in Florida. Her POE experience in Florida was fast, friendly and very simple. Does anyone know the procedure for her applying for a "drivers license here?" I assume that she will have to get the learners permit first, and that is okay. I am just wondering what information that she must present to get the permit issued? Thanks to everyone in this forum for all of your help and support. You all are the best!

If I may chime in here - Jinky has a Philippine Driver's License and our plan is to have her get an International DL before she leaves for the states so that she can legally drive here right away. That might be a preferable route to take considering all the other hoops one has to go through once they have arrived in the US.

Hi Steven,

Regarding about driver's license are depends on your county or directly State jurisdiction. Try to research online your state Department of Driver Services or DDS. In my area which is Lawrenceville, ATL. they accepted my Philippine driver's license when i arrived here, but before i tried driving around the area, I see to it that I clearly study all the laws that I've read in Georgia driver's manual for references. Then when at the time I've got my Greencard (resident card), I applied for my state driver's license by taking the written exams (laws & road signs) & driving exams in DDS office on my area.

When I passed the exams, i surrender my Philippines driver license to them because I'm not allowed carrying that anymore since, I've got a new name by using my husband last name and/or I'm already a US resident.

So, I guess it doesn't matter if you have an International driver's license, since Jinky will be your wife, a US resident & a US Citizen someday. Also, by applying for international driving license in Phils. is just an added payment to do, practically its more useful to people who are just visiting US or non-immigrant.

Hope it helps. You could always go for online research in your area. God bless!

-rebelheart-

Edited February 9, 2007 by rebelheart

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Gary, Driver license are state and sometimes county specific. You will have to find out the local requirements for Florida and go from there. Congrat and have fun, ken & Maria

Yahoo! Rosemarie is here now in Florida. Her POE experience in Florida was fast, friendly and very simple. Does anyone know the procedure for her applying for a "drivers license here?" I assume that she will have to get the learners permit first, and that is okay. I am just wondering what information that she must present to get the permit issued? Thanks to everyone in this forum for all of your help and support. You all are the best!

If I may chime in here - Jinky has a Philippine Driver's License and our plan is to have her get an International DL before she leaves for the states so that she can legally drive here right away. That might be a preferable route to take considering all the other hoops one has to go through once they have arrived in the US.

Hi Steven,

Regarding about driver's license are depends on your county or directly State jurisdiction. Try to research online your state Department of Driver Services or DDS. In my area which is Lawrenceville, ATL. they accepted my Philippine driver's license when i arrived here, but before i tried driving around the area, I see to it that I clearly study all the laws that I've read in Georgia driver's manual for references. Then when at the time I've got my Greencard (resident card), I applied for my state driver's license by taking the written exams (laws & road signs) & driving exams in DDS office on my area.

When I passed the exams, i surrender my Philippines driver license to them because I'm not allowed carrying that anymore since, I've got a new name by using my husband last name and/or I'm already a US resident.

So, I guess it doesn't matter if you have an International driver's license, since Jinky will be your wife, a US resident & a US Citizen someday. Also, by applying for international driving license in Phils. is just an added payment to do, practically its more useful to people who are just visiting US or non-immigrant.

Hope it helps. You could always go for online research in your area. God bless!

-rebelheart-

Thank you. The problem is going to be the time between Jinky first arrives up to the time she gets her Green Card. From what I've read from people on here is that it's difficult to get a driver's license in the state of California with just your passport and marriage license. I hope I'm wrong because I would like for her to get a DL for California soon after we are married, but if they will make her wait until she has her Green Card, I want her to be able to drive legally, especially since the Green Card to take up to 6 months.

But for sure, after reading Cal. State requirements - she won't need to get an international license because they will recognize her Philippine License as valid.

[Michael and Milahjean 0]

good news Jazzy and congrats!

well my wife will be getting the packet 4 later today and will go to st lukes monday. 1 step closer. i just bought my ticket for feb 24. will be flying a week before the interview. redeemed my miles but still have to pay $200 for tax - geez! she also checked out prices for MNL to LAX and was quoted $680 one way. those who want to save a little money, make sure you schedule a flight that's not on the weekeend. you can save at least $50

Mira is going for her medical on Monday, maybe they will see each other. Good luck.

ya, they may see each other. my wife plans to go around 8am.

to those who received their packet 4 recently, was your Packet 4 printed in color or black and white? my wife is worried because it looks like it's a photo copy and not an original

Yes, our Packet 4 looked like a basic photocopy as well. Nothing fancy. My sweetie was expecting it to arrive yesterday, but nope. DHL handed to courier at Manila at 1 am Feb 8 for delivery and she's not seen it yet.