Getting Frustrated with USEM

[Samuel and Marvic 4]

Not me, but excuse me while I vent a bit. My fiance is getting rather frustrated and upset with the whole immigration process, no thanks in part due to the ridiculous process it has taken to get her corrected birth certificate taken care of. She was listed as male rather than female on her BC, and we got it corrected one day too late for the interview, so we were given a 221G to submit the corrected one via NSO Pasay. We submitted it and it supposedly arrived on the 9th of November.

What are our chances of getting the visa by the end of the month at this rate? I know that it varies from case to case, but I'm just wanting to hear what the average timeframe people have been having with documents sent from the NSO to the USEM. That was the only thing that was missing, and they said they had everything they needed.

[jameugiekaxavilon 25]

Does the corrected birth certificate already in the US embassy? If not try; to called the embassy and inquire if they got the corrected NSO birth certificate. And if ever they got it always follow-up them 2 to 3 times a week to make sure that it is being forwarded to the CO. In that case the CO will review the document and that your visa will be approve and release.

The time frame depends on how fast the needed documents being sent and receive in the embassy and how often you follow up the embassy about the status of your visa!! Good luck and God bless!!

[Hank_ 9,174]

Not me, but excuse me while I vent a bit. My fiance is getting rather frustrated and upset with the whole immigration process, no thanks in part due to the ridiculous process it has taken to get her corrected birth certificate taken care of. She was listed as male rather than female on her BC, and we got it corrected one day too late for the interview, so we were given a 221G to submit the corrected one via NSO Pasay. We submitted it and it supposedly arrived on the 9th of November.

What are our chances of getting the visa by the end of the month at this rate? I know that it varies from case to case, but I'm just wanting to hear what the average timeframe people have been having with documents sent from the NSO to the USEM. That was the only thing that was missing, and they said they had everything they needed.

A 221g requesting added documents always adds a week or two to the wait. Normal wait time for the return of the passport is a ####### shoot anyway as it can be done in 3 days or a month... depending.

Being frustrated with USEM for something that is not their fault is silly, you all had about 5-6 months during the petition stage of this process to correct the BC....

Did you get extra copies of the BC to bring to the states? If not, now that you have time while you wait, may be a good idea to request extra copies... you will need them from time to time.

Edited November 16, 2012 by Hank_

[Samuel and Marvic 4]

Thanks for the responses all, believe me when I say I am not the one frustrated with the USEM. My fiance has been dealing with the stress of dealing with inept government workers on the Philippine side not knowing how to do their job. More specifically, we actually did in fact submit the correction paperwork over 4 months ago; however thanks to the oversight of the local registrar, we had to start the 3-week process all over again because they submitted the wrong forms to the NSO and thus didn't have the right documentation on file the first time around (none of the paperwork aside from the NBI have been simple and straightforward, we've been getting hassles at every turn). She's had to fly back and forth several times to Bicol from Manila, all the while having to care for her daughter whom we're bringing in with a K-2 visa (no issues on her stuff thankfully).

I guess you could say I'm playing the part of a dutiful future husband by being patient for the both of us, lol. Still, it is still frustrating that things like birth certificate corrections and requests are so simple in the US but are nearly impossible to do within a reasonable timeframe there. I think the biggest aggravation I have is if the process didn't take SEVEN WEEKS (same process twice) to get the correct birth certificate, we would have had everything right then and there for the interview.

Does the corrected birth certificate already in the US embassy? If not try; to called the embassy and inquire if they got the corrected NSO birth certificate. And if ever they got it always follow-up them 2 to 3 times a week to make sure that it is being forwarded to the CO. In that case the CO will review the document and that your visa will be approve and release.

Thankfully I did confirm that they did receive the birth certificate via an e-mail a few days ago. I called last night (Friday morning) to verify it was forwarded to a CO; I'll be following up on Monday to confirm this as well. It's all I really can do at this point, so hopefully enough squawking will get that released to us before Christmas.

Being frustrated with USEM for something that is not their fault is silly, you all had about 5-6 months during the petition stage of this process to correct the BC....

Like I mentioned before, we started the correction process back in May (when we discovered the issue when she was getting her passport). Had the LCRO and NSO done their job correctly the first time, we would've had the thing in hand months ago. I don't blame them by any means, but seeing as we're done dealing with the NSO, I guess all of her "energy" needs to be directed somewhere, lol. She just wants us to be together for the holidays, and I certainly want that as well; I'm just hoping and praying it doesn't take much longer.

Did you get extra copies of the BC to bring to the states? If not, now that you have time while you wait, may be a good idea to request extra copies... you will need them from time to time.

I made sure we requested an additional 6 copies "just in case" lol. The less I have to deal with the NSO in the future the better, I say!

[Tahoma 2,292]

What are our chances of getting the visa by the end of the month at this rate?

The odds are 8:1 in your favor!

[Hank_ 9,174]

Now with those odds we can open up the betting!

[Tahoma 2,292]

Now with those odds we can open up the betting!

Just so you know...there's a betting limit for 1%'ers!!!

[Hank_ 9,174]

That's only because there is "someone" else in our pocket redistributing the "wealth"

[Tahoma 2,292]

That's only because there is "someone" else in our pocket redistributing the "wealth"

I agree. Here's an example.

[Hank_ 9,174]

Still beats the acorn

Edited November 16, 2012 by Hank_

[Tahoma 2,292]

Still beats the acorn

I thought you wanted to talk about real money...not peanuts.

[Samuel and Marvic 4]

Hahaha, 8:1 odds you say? Well, may the odds ever be in my favor!

[Tahoma 2,292]

She was listed as male rather than female on her BC...

The odds are 2:1 that the birth certificate was correct.

[Samuel and Marvic 4]

Okay, NOW I'm starting to get frustrated with the embassy itself. I've been calling nonstop for the last four hours to the IV number (632-301-2000 Ext. 5184/5185), and thus far none of my calls have connected. I've blown through a good 10 dollars in long distance since I can get the automated voice to dial the extension, but then when I do that it rings twice and then disconnects. I've already e-mailed them about this case a few times, but I know that getting someone on the phone can have more impact than just sitting on my thumbs hoping they read an e-mail instead of skimming over it for keywords. Really gets on my nerves that the embassy can get away from flat-out ignoring phone calls like this, you'd think there'd be some sort of "service standard" they'd want to follow or something to at least address calls they receive.

[Hank_ 9,174]

Why don't you use the local number for calling from the States:

Embassy (Manila) Phone Number (and email)

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

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

NEW EMAIL ADDRESS

In order to serve our visa applicants more efficiently, we have created this new e-mail address: IVMNLAppointments@state.gov , for early appointment requests and visa scheduling issues. Please note, however, that early appointment requests will be approved on a case to case basis (i.e., aging out cases, or in cases involving personal or medical emergencies), and only if visa interview slots are available.

For other immigrant and K visa 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’s last name, first and middle name (ex. DOE, John James), case number/USCIS receipt number, visa category and priority date.

Messages should 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 our system is unable to receive inquiries with attachments.

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

*** Oh ya, relax... its only been 10 days since you delivered the requested documents.