Random things I learned in the K1 process

[DaRoq 36]

If I was your wife I would be very upset to read the bolded part

This is so hypocritical. Are you saying that the two of you meeting was kismet or happenstance?

[B_J 2,752]

The one thing I learned. Asawa ko is so wonderful, it is hard to live without her. I wished I had married a filipina back when I was 25 instead of waiting until now. But maybe, just maybe beucase of my past, I really treasure her more......

If I was your wife I would be very upset to read the bolded part

This is so hypocritical. Are you saying that the two of you meeting was kismet or happenstance?

Well, think about it, he didn't say he wished he had married Gretchen, he said "a filipina". Almost seems like he's saying that one filipina is just the same as another. It's not marrying Gretchen that is so wonderful, it's marrying "a filipina."

And you seriously don't see how that could make his wife upset?

[Philwithlove 17]

I thought it might be interesting for those of us who have been through the K1 process in the Philippines and been granted the visa, to share some random tidbits that they think might help other. My fiance was granted her visa two weeks ago, and last week it was delivered from the embassy. She finished her CFO session three days ago, and now that it's all done (well until she gets here anyway I thought I'd share some random thoughts:

1) Make sure when she's getting her NBI clearance she tells them that it's for a US Fiance Visa. They will write the words 'For Travel to USA' on the green NBI that she gets, and this is what the US Embassy wants. This NBI clearance can take longer. In our case, it took almost three weeks to get. Allow extra time for this!

2) They do not care about local police reports. We had local police and baranguy clearances from Manila and Zamboanga just in case. They never looked at them.

3) My fiance lived in Kuwait for two years, and it caused me a lot of stress trying to figure out how to get a police clearance from Kuwait, as they say they will only grand that to current citizens. It took a long time to get the US Embassy to finally reply to me and tell me that because Kuwait won't give it, they won't expect it. I had done a lot of searching, even here and other visa sites, and nowhere did I ever find the answer to that one. Even immigration lawyers I talked to weren't sure. They just kept saying 'just go to the Kuwait embassy and they will give it'. Not true.

4) They did however demand police clearance from Thailand, where she also lived for two years. This took about a month to get, and involved first going to the Thai Embassy. If anyone needs help on that one, just let me know.

5) Getting your beneficiary's CENOMAR and Birth Certificate in the Philippines is super easy. At the Embassy, they want to see the official Birth Certificate, issued by the National Statistics Office, and can be ordered online. You go to https://www.ecensus.com.ph/Default.aspx and order them. Your fiance goes to the bank to make the payment, and voila. We had our CENOMAR three days after ordering, and the official NSO copy of her birth certificate 12 days later (only that long because she was born in the province and they had to go back to the microfische to find it).

6) While you are ordering the CENOMAR and Birth Certificate, order TWO. The US Embassy will take them (maybe they're in the sealed yellow envelope, I don't know) but it's cheap, and then you'll have a spare of each one.

7) no need to arrive at the US Embassy at 4am. My fiancé arrived at 6am and was still done by 10:30. I doubt the ones who arrived at 4am finished that much earlier.

8) Once you have booked your interview date, you are allowed to change it twice without penalty. If you try and change it the third time, you will have to pay the entire p15,000 fee again. I know this because we had to push our interview twice while waiting for the Thai police clearance to show up. Once we had it, I went to change it a third time (to move it back up a bit) and that's when I got the message that you can only change it twice.

9) the process is stressful because of so much waiting. But for anyone remotely organized, it's not 'hard' per se, and you don't need an immigration lawyer or visa service. My fiance lived a bunch of places, and so I have, and I work freelance, all of these things could have made it all harder. But still we sailed through without any RFE, administrative reviews, etc.

10) National Bookstore in the Philippines sells the absolute perfect plastic binder/holder things for use in organizing all your paperwork. They are like a dollar a piece, have plastic sleeves to hold all your paperwork. In the end we had four, one for our I-129F petition, one for things for the US Embassy Interview, and two to hold all of our evidence. Now it's all still nicely organized and ready to hang onto. I should have bought a hundred of them and made them available here, honestly, they absolutely perfect for K1 visa applications!!

Tim

I'd love to hear little things other people have learned going through the process.

I like reading this kind of post. It's informative and only shows it's easy getting documents and gathering information if we are only well informed and do our effort in searching how to "do this and that". I don't have any problem or any issues in my K1 process too. Some people blame the government or the process because they got errors on their process. I bet you and your fiance are organized, patient and smart. Helping each other in the process makes the journey easy. Congrats!

[Hank_ 9,174]

Well, think about it, he didn't say he wished he had married Gretchen, he said "a filipina". Almost seems like he's saying that one filipina is just the same as another. It's not marrying Gretchen that is so wonderful, it's marrying "a filipina."

And you seriously don't see how that could make his wife upset?

(Darren is stepping in it again)

Edited May 29, 2012 by Hank_Amy

[B_J 2,752]

(Darren is stepping in it again)

I'll give Darren the benefit of the doubt that maybe he didn't mean it the way it sounded. But I've learned something in my short marriage:

It doesn't matter what I said, or even what I meant to say. All that matters is what she heard and that's why I'm in trouble.

[Hank_ 9,174]

I'll give Darren the benefit of the doubt that maybe he didn't mean it the way it sounded. But I've learned something in my short marriage:

It doesn't matter what I said, or even what I meant to say. All that matters is what she heard and that's why I'm in trouble.

Exactly. Guys say the dumbest things and have the best of intentions... and that is why their butt is in hot water!

Edited May 29, 2012 by Hank_Amy

[Mogambi 96]

Hey no offence, but rather than hijacking my thread which is trying to help people, how about you start a new discussion about all this other #######. No need to continue that discussion here as it has nothing to do with the purpose of this thread.

Thank you.

Edited May 29, 2012 by Mogambi

[liforchrist 0]

Hey My wife needs police clearance from Thailand but we are in the Philippines can you tell me how you got that? I'm hoping it won't take too lang

[Mogambi 96]

I will try to post soon the procedure to get Thai police clearance. It will take about 4 to 6 weeks, and you will need to go to the Thai embassy twice, they are in Makati, also to a police station in Manila (or your home town) and also to the DFA.

It is a pain in the ####.

[actob99 156]

If I was your wife I would be very upset to read the bolded part

His wife doesn't get to read his posts and why is that comment posted in this thread anyway? Just ignore him or post on his many "ME" posts!!!!

OP - Great post and thanks for the info.. I'm actually in the Phils visiting my "bride to be" and I'm holding her Cenomar in hand. It is a yellow copy and states on the bottom for Employment(abroad). SHe just got it 2 weeks or so ago and told them she needed it for travel to the STates and thats what they gave her. SO any opinions out there if we should now go get the green one? Or go with this one? She is young enough that it shouldn't be a problem proving she hasn't been married in the Phils, but quite often common sense doesn't prevaile here...

[Mogambi 96]

Our CENOMAR was yellow too, as was her birth certificate from the NSO. So I wouldn't worry. Although, ours does say clear "Issued upon the request of _____________ for Passport / Travel."

But the CENOMAR is yellow from what I can tell. It's only the NBI that seems to have green or yellow copies, and it seems you want the GREEN one for NBI.

I would think your CENOMAR is fine, at least it has the word 'abroad', so it should be fine.

Tim

[actob99 156]

Our CENOMAR was yellow too, as was her birth certificate from the NSO. So I wouldn't worry. Although, ours does say clear "Issued upon the request of _____________ for Passport / Travel."

But the CENOMAR is yellow from what I can tell. It's only the NBI that seems to have green or yellow copies, and it seems you want the GREEN one for NBI.

I would think your CENOMAR is fine, at least it has the word 'abroad', so it should be fine.

Tim

Ahh yes, I got side tracked on my post. SHe got her updated NBI as well and it is Green and says Purpose: Travel abroad. I got confused and thanks for the info.. Just hate to miss something.

[Mogambi 96]

That's why this forum is a Godsend, to double check things like that!

[Hank_ 9,174]

His wife doesn't get to read his posts and why is that comment posted in this thread anyway? Just ignore him or post on his many "ME" posts!!!!

OP - Great post and thanks for the info.. I'm actually in the Phils visiting my "bride to be" and I'm holding her Cenomar in hand. It is a yellow copy and states on the bottom for Employment(abroad). SHe just got it 2 weeks or so ago and told them she needed it for travel to the STates and thats what they gave her. SO any opinions out there if we should now go get the green one? Or go with this one? She is young enough that it shouldn't be a problem proving she hasn't been married in the Phils, but quite often common sense doesn't prevaile here...

Look at the NBI, that is what is green or yellow. The CENOMAR is yellow if I remember right.

We just got home from the Phils a couple weeks ago.

[actob99 156]

Look at the NBI, that is what is green or yellow. The CENOMAR is yellow if I remember right.

We just got home from the Phils a couple weeks ago.

Yep, first thing I looked at when I got here was to make sure names were spelled correctly but didn't know about different type of doc's. So I just checked and CENOMAR is yellow and intended for employment abroad and the NBI is green and purpose is travel abroad. Thanks Hank..