am i being scammed??

[philels 0]

hey guys, i need ur help!!it's more for people who are filing in US embassy in manila. i had a few questions to ask u guys. how much do we need to spend all together?? i know u need to pay $131 at any BDO branch for the visa processing fee and $213.35 for medical. is there any other fees to be paid aside from these two?? i'm just confused. my fiance went to an agency to get a quote of how much he will need all together and they told him he'll be needing approx. 42,000 pesos, which is approx $930. it seems like it doesn't add up to me. they were also saying we need to pay some kind of US tax for $180. and other charges. i don't know. it just seems like too much money. is this a scam?? sorry to bother u all with these questions. hope someone could help me. thank u so much =)

[mshopeful 1]

hey guys, i need ur help!!it's more for people who are filing in US embassy in manila. i had a few questions to ask u guys. how much do we need to spend all together?? i know u need to pay $131 at any BDO branch for the visa processing fee and $213.35 for medical. is there any other fees to be paid aside from these two?? i'm just confused. my fiance went to an agency to get a quote of how much he will need all together and they told him he'll be needing approx. 42,000 pesos, which is approx $930. it seems like it doesn't add up to me. they were also saying we need to pay some kind of US tax for $180. and other charges. i don't know. it just seems like too much money. is this a scam?? sorry to bother u all with these questions. hope someone could help me. thank u so much =)

Why does she need to go to an agency? you can file it yourself and tell your fiance not to talk to any other parties except for the us embassy hotline. Most of the members here didn't go to any agency and they just did fine.

[Jeanycnd 0]

Agency cant help...They only want money

[sjr09 155]

"42,000 pesos, which is approx $930. it seems like it doesn't add up to me. they were also saying we need to pay some kind of US tax for $180. and other charges. i don't know. it just seems like too much money. is this a scam"??

YES if you follow this course!

Stay a way from any agency in the PI.

[SuperDuper! 230]

"42,000 pesos, which is approx $930. it seems like it doesn't add up to me. they were also saying we need to pay some kind of US tax for $180. and other charges. i don't know. it just seems like too much money. is this a scam"??

YES if you follow this course!

Stay a way from any agency in the PI.

Yes, "Agency", AKA, "The Fixxors." Run, don't walk away from them.

[Darnell 8,479]

The Price is right, for an Agency.

However - the Agency is charging you TO FILL OUT THE PAPERWORK.

If you have good skills in filling out the paperwork, and good skills in tracking things, then I suggest an Agency is NOT the way to go.

[sjr09 155]

The Price is right, for an Agency.

However - the Agency is charging you TO FILL OUT THE PAPERWORK.

If you have good skills in filling out the paperwork, and good skills in tracking things, then I suggest an Agency is NOT the way to go.

$900 + The price is way over the top for a K-1!

If your going to pay for an agency to do the paperwork this is more like it $149 http://rapidvisa.com/K1PackageSample.aspx just one of many low cost agency advertising on VJ.

[Darnell 8,479]

Sorry, this is an Agency IN THE PI - and the rule of thumb, is to 'charge all that the market will bear'.

What will the market bear, you ask?

Usually, the answer lies in COMPETITIVE agencies (those across the street) and the ignorance of the client.

Using a Service online, is not the same. There is personal 'press the flesh, smile and nod' face to face, that you never get from an online 'service' company.

Not to ding you , sir09, but that was not a comparison of 'apples to apples', at all.

In the mean time - plilels - you have a choice, yes?

1. learn all about the paperwork, handle all yourself or

2. pay someone else to handle all, for you.

Perhaps your fiance just 'stumbled' in to the shop because of a successful hawker, bringing him in off the street?

[gary9891 10]

hey guys, i need ur help!!it's more for people who are filing in US embassy in manila. i had a few questions to ask u guys. how much do we need to spend all together?? i know u need to pay $131 at any BDO branch for the visa processing fee and $213.35 for medical. is there any other fees to be paid aside from these two?? i'm just confused. my fiance went to an agency to get a quote of how much he will need all together and they told him he'll be needing approx. 42,000 pesos, which is approx $930. it seems like it doesn't add up to me. they were also saying we need to pay some kind of US tax for $180. and other charges. i don't know. it just seems like too much money. is this a scam?? sorry to bother u all with these questions. hope someone could help me. thank u so much =)

Here is what we remember for the fees (July '09)

131 USD BDO Visa fee

213 USD for medical

250 (approx) peso for Air21 to deliver visa

400 peso for CFO seminar

750 peso departure tax each at NAIA

then odds and ends for passport pictures, taxi etc

180 $ usa tax? NOPE

ANYONE with a reasonable straight forward petition does NOT need any agencies or attorneys to "help". Follow the guides and ask questions if needed.

Don't do business with them.

[sjr09 155]

Sorry, this is an Agency IN THE PI - and the rule of thumb, is to 'charge all that the market will bear'.

What will the market bear, you ask?

Usually, the answer lies in COMPETITIVE agencies (those across the street) and the ignorance of the client.

Using a Service online, is not the same. There is personal 'press the flesh, smile and nod' face to face, that you never get from an online 'service' company.

Not to ding you , sir09, but that was not a comparison of 'apples to apples', at all.

In the mean time - plilels - you have a choice, yes?

1. learn all about the paperwork, handle all yourself or

2. pay someone else to handle all, for you.

Perhaps your fiance just 'stumbled' in to the shop because of a successful hawker, bringing him in off the street?

Sorry it's not what the "market will bear" in the PI, it's what they can get out of the Kano! I would trust a U.S. online service before any face to face 'service' in the PI!

Agencies like the one the OP is talking about will lie to you with "personal press the flesh, smile and nod face to face" then milk you for evey buck they can get! Not to ding you but 900+ is not competitive, it's a rip off!

[shemagne_reyes 0]

hey guys, i need ur help!!it's more for people who are filing in US embassy in manila. i had a few questions to ask u guys. how much do we need to spend all together?? i know u need to pay $131 at any BDO branch for the visa processing fee and $213.35 for medical. is there any other fees to be paid aside from these two?? i'm just confused. my fiance went to an agency to get a quote of how much he will need all together and they told him he'll be needing approx. 42,000 pesos, which is approx $930. it seems like it doesn't add up to me. they were also saying we need to pay some kind of US tax for $180. and other charges. i don't know. it just seems like too much money. is this a scam?? sorry to bother u all with these questions. hope someone could help me. thank u so much =)

I just had my interview last October, so I believe things are still fresh to me. The only fees I remember paying are the $131 for DS-156 and the $213.35 for the medical.

Do not go through an agency. You do not need them. Definitely not one that is based in the Philippines. They cannot do anything for you. They are not even allowed inside the US embassy. Once your papers are filed in the US, you pretty much just need to wait in the Philippines side, until you go for your medical and get your appointment date.

Also, this is something that my fiance and I did: after your NVC notice that the case was sent to the Philippines, call the embassy after about a week to schedule an interview. Do not wait for the notice they sent out. I remember receiving the notice that I can schedule an interview about 2 weeks after we called. It takes them awhile to send the notice.

Good luck!

Btw, I'm in the US now, married, and our case just got transferred to CSC (yay! no interview for AOS!)

[victorandmaricris 0]

Well he said that hes filing at the USEM. I don't know if he means hes doing the initial filing for the K1 which is when you would normally start engaging with some sort of agency.. In which case, maybe he left out the 400+ dollars that you would need to do the initial filing for the USCIS and in which case would be close to what they were saying was needed in PHP.... Not sure though where they are at in the whole process....

[sjr09 155]

Well he said that hes filing at the USEM. I don't know if he means hes doing the initial filing for the K1 which is when you would normally start engaging with some sort of agency.. In which case, maybe he left out the 400+ dollars that you would need to do the initial filing for the USCIS and in which case would be close to what they were saying was needed in PHP.... Not sure though where they are at in the whole process....

If you don't know what he means, Look at his timelines they are at the NVC and not doing the inital filing!

EDIT: Left NVC

Edited February 16, 2010 by sjr09

[pushbrk 13,133]

Whether to hire any kind of help during the process should be an educated choice. Arguments about what service is provided are silly, IMO as the services vary by agency or attorney. Generally though, services provided tend to be more than filling out forms, unless that is specifically the limited service offered. If indeed the foreign fiancee has been approached by a PI "fixxor" then it's probably best to look elsewhere.

Whenever services are provided, the fees tend to be as competitive as required to obtain the level and type of new clients desired by the provider. Depending on the actual service required or provided, "what the market will bear" can vary widely.

[philels 0]

thanx so much guys for the comments. i spoke with my fiance yesterday after he verified all those charges with the agency. those extra taxes they were going to charge him was for the airfare. because he went to them for help, he is obligated to buy his airfare with them as soon as he is set to leave the philippines. but they are charging him 9,500 pesos to help him with the whole process. the reason being is that he worked in qatar for 2 yrs and he needs his police clearance in qatar. he called qatar embassy in philippines and they told him they have no idea how long it will take for his police clearance to arrive in the philippines if he got it through them. the agency he consulted in was going to help him with the process so "supposedly" he would receive his qatar police clearance faster. so i don't know what to do. is his qatar police clearance that's holding us back. i want to schedule him for his interview, but what if he doesn't receive his qatar police clearance on time???