To All Filipino Beneficiaries!!!

[Meng_meng 1]

Hi everyone, my fiance and I got our petition approved last June 25. It's been 20 days now and we are still not notified. Anyways, we wish to schedule my interview as soon as possible because my passport is expiring on April 2013. Sadly, I have been hearing that schedules for July is full and August is almost full too. Are there any truth to this? How can I find out if the August schedule is totally full?

[Tahoma 2,292]

Call the National Visa Center and get your MNL case number. Then pay the visa fee at BPI. Then schedule an interview online or by phone. Hopefully, there will be an August date left for you. Good luck.

[Mogambi 96]

Someone recently posted that August 24th was the soonest they could get, except that there were some interviews available still like in one week.

People are canceling interviews, so every day the amount of available slots would change. I agree, just get your MNL case number, pay at BPI, and the next day you can create your account and schedule your interview. Only when you're on that screen will you see what times are available.

Also, why wouldn't you just renew your passport? You're going to still want it here in the US since it's going to be past April 2013 before you get your greencard, and you're still going to need your passport to travel!

You would be wise to renew your passport before you come to the US. Perhaps you can even just renew it now, and then it will be good for five years?

If you renew, does your passport number stay the same in the Ph? If so, then it shouldn't be any problem.

[raniel&sonson 3]

You can't schedule your interview unless you get your case number. Recently, the USCIS-to-NVC stage is a bit too long. Just call the DFA and inquire about advance passport Renewal.

[Ryan H 3,834]

Moved from K1 Process & Procedures to Philippines regional forum.

[Hank_ 9,174]

Email and call NVC, they are very good about replying to emails, but make sure you include the required info.

For the NVC:

Check on your embassy case number:

Give them 7 - 10 days before calling. Call after 4:45 PM eastern time forshorter wait times

K1'sare not tracked through the AVR, ever. They are processed like animmigrant visa, but they are NOT immigrant visas, so they fall into acompletely different class of their own. Therefore you need anoperator. To get there:

1-603-334-0700 Operator assistance is available Monday through Friday from7:30 AM to 12:00 AM (Eastern Time)

Press1 for English

Press5 for an operator

NVCCONTACT INFORMATION:

Website:www.immigrantvisas.state.govwww.immigrantvisas.state.gov

E-mail:NVCInquiry@state.gov (I found NVC to be very quick responding toemails)

REQUIRED SECURITY INFORMATION:

You are required to provide the following security information with eachinquiry to receive a case specific response:

*NVC Case Number or USCIS Receipt Number (Place in the subject line ofthe e-mail).

*Petitioner's name and date of birth.

(NOTE: If the visa petition is employment-based, include theemployer's company/organization name instead of the petitioner's nameand date of birth. )

*Principal Applicant's name and date of birth.

ManilaEmbassy:

AfterNOA2 AND YOU HAVE YOUR MNL # (don'tneed to wait for the letter from the embassy )

Once you have your MNL # you can take your passport and required visa fee(in Php) to BPI and pay your visa fee. The embassy website statesthat within 4 hours of paying at BPI you can schedule your interviewappointment but most times it seems to take about 24 hours.

http://www.ustraveldocs.com/ph/ph-niv-paymentinfo.asp

When scheduling online with the embassy you need to include the "XX"at the beginning of the passport number, your passport number IS yourreceipt number (normally).

Priorty Date; this is the date the NOA 1 was accepted.

Make sure to print two copies of the interview confirmation page as youwill need one for St. Luke's and the other for the embassy.

(open all of these links then save them to your bookmarks so you have themfor easy access)

Embassy:

http://photos.state.gov/libraries/manila/19452/public/Revised%20K1%20Instruction%20Packet%20_3__rtf2_005.pdf

(Tagalog)http://photos.state.gov/libraries/manila/19452/public/K1instructionTag%20rtf3%20_2__rtf2_007.pdfhttp://photos.state.gov/libraries/manila/19452/public/K1instructionTag%20rtf3%20_2__rtf2_007.pdf

(TheDS-156 can be difficult to complete sometimes, if you have issues trya different web browser. )

http://www.ustraveldocs.com/ph/

***

Contact Info for USEM:

Embassy(Manila) Phone Number (and email)

(632)301-2000, extension 5184 or 5185 (local number: USEM 3012000 loc5184/5185 call them around 3-4:30pm)

**(214) 571-1600 or (646) 254-3546 (these are USA numbers)

NEW EMAIL ADDRESS

Inorder to serve our visa applicants more efficiently, we have createdthis new e-mail address: IVMNLAppointments@state.gov,for early appointment requests and visascheduling issues. Please note, however, that early appointment requests will beapproved on a case to case basis (i.e., aging out cases, or in casesinvolving personal or medical emergencies), and only if visainterview slots are available.

For other immigrant and Kvisa concerns,please send an e-mail to IVManilaReplies@state.gov.

To enable us to electronically sort the messages and provide better,more timely responses, you should follow the instructions below.

The subject line of your email should indicate the visa applicant'slast name, first and middle name (ex. DOE, John James), casenumber/USCIS receipt number, visa category and priority date.

Messagesshould be limited to 500 characters or less.

The mail size should not be more than 15 KB.

Do not submit documentation or attachments with your message as oursystem is unable to receive inquiries with attachments.

Do not send your inquiry more than once as duplicate inquiries willcongest our system and delay our response time.

***

St.Luke's:

http://www.slec.ph/us-visa-applicants.shtml#required-docs

Have copies of passport bio page, confirmation page from schedulinginterview online at embassy, and of course the 2X2 photos. (copy ofannulment is asked for at times)

http://www.slec.ph/us/registration/

Pre register at St. Luke's, it saves time when you arrive.

CFO:

ALL exiting required to attend.

http://www.cfo.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1348:fiancee-spouses-and-other-partners-of-foreign-nationals&catid=140#ThirdA

Required documents & "OTHER DOCUMENTS" they ask for at CFO: copies of; CENOMAR, certified birth certificate, bio page ofpassport, visa page from passport, pictures together, from USC - biopage of passport, birth certificate, divorce decree (if been marriedbefore) are the most common. The "other documents" clausecan be ANYTHING with those nit-wits at CFO.

**From the Family Code of the Philippines: it's 21-25 years old foradvice and 18-21 years old for consent.

Art.14. In case either or both of the contracting parties, not havingbeen emancipated by a previous marriage, are between the ages ofeighteen and twenty-one, they shall, in addition to the requirementsof the preceding articles, exhibit to the local civil registrar, theconsent to their marriage of their father, mother, surviving parentor guardian, or persons having legal charge of them, in the ordermentioned. Such consent shall be manifested in writing by theinterested party, who personally appears before the proper localcivil registrar, or in the form of an affidavit made in the presenceof two witnesses and attested before any official authorized by lawto administer oaths. The personal manifestation shall be recorded inboth applications for marriage license, and the affidavit, if one isexecuted instead, shall be attached to said applications. (61a)

Art.15. Any contracting party between the age of twenty-one andtwenty-five shall be obliged to ask their parents or guardian foradvice upon the intended marriage. If they do not obtain such advice,or if it be unfavorable, the marriage license shall not be issuedtill after three months following the completion of the publicationof the application therefor.A sworn statement by the contractingparties to the effect that such advice has been sought,together withthe written advice given, if any, shall be attached to theapplication for marriage license. Should the parents or guardianrefuse to give any advice, this fact shall be stated in the swornstatement.

Edited July 15, 2012 by Hank_

[Darnell 8,479]

Wally G's most MasterFul Post:

Wally G http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=367487&view=findpost&p=5369357

Please to read, unless Hank of Hank mit Amy fame has covered it already already.

[DavenRoxy 1,073]

Well, you are going to have to renew your passport soon, so you COULD do it while in the PI. It's cheaper and faster to do it there ($25 & 1-2 weeks vs. $70ish & up to 2 months). But when you get married, you need to report your marriage ($25) & do a name change thru whatever Philippine consulate you are near (might cost you a bit to get there). What I cannot seem to get a straight answer on is whether it is legal to travel on a passport in your maiden name with other ID (or marriage cert) showing your married name. That would save you the time and the $70ish.

But if you think you can get to the US, get married, then report your marriage and update your passport before it expires, I'd just do it that way.