Shipping papers to Cebu, yes an old question, but an update please.

[Chris Duffy 1,257]

2 minutes ago, Hank_ said:

They are cracking down on BB boxes, inspecting more of them

Yes, I have heard that.

 

To me it has always been a roll of the dice, But so far BB boxes have worked like a charm, I think they just have so many to go thru that the odds are high and on your side that it will get thru not inspected.

 

I suspect they take a closer look at BB from OFW like from the Middle East vs the people living in the USA who are here mostly on family based visas......

[Hank_ 9,174]

I think they have certain senders that they watch more than others for sure.  Article I read stated the crack down was the result of people using the BB boxes for stocking the family sari-sari store. Sending multiple BB boxes in a short time 

[Cyberfx1024 7,980]

20 minutes ago, Hank_ said:

They are cracking down on BB boxes, inspecting more of them

Yeah because people were literally sending dozens of large BB boxes home at a time. I remember not this past Christmas but the one before they had a woman on TV Patrol complaining because ONLY 14 of her 20 BB boxes had made it at that time. I have met people running businesses out of what their relatives were send from the USA.

[Chris Duffy 1,257]

8 minutes ago, Hank_ said:

I think they have certain senders that they watch more than others for sure.  Article I read stated the crack down was the result of people using the BB boxes for stocking the family sari-sari store. Sending multiple BB boxes in a short time 

No doubt that would trigger.

 

But I would say we only send about 3 boxes per year.  I always look for handtools on sale and send them.  It seems as if finding tools are hard and expensive in Philippines.  I sent a cordless Dewalt drill and impact wrench a few months ago, my father in law has a inverter to charge US power sources.  

[doggieandsam 765]

DHL. I have sent several times from Dubai to Cebu City, takes 3-4 business days. But Dubai is undoubtedly closer so I'd take that into consideration.

 

Fedex. I have sent from VA, USA to Cebu City last Nov. It took 5 business days but i used the economy or the cheapest/second cheapest option (forgot which one it was exactly) for it. Cost $85 for a few pieces of paper.

 

If say, it needs to get to Balamban, then add a day (or two, to be sure).

[Cyberfx1024 7,980]

10 minutes ago, Chris Duffy said:

No doubt that would trigger.

But I would say we only send about 3 boxes per year.  I always look for handtools on sale and send them.  It seems as if finding tools are hard and expensive in Philippines.  I sent a cordless Dewalt drill and impact wrench a few months ago, my father in law has a inverter to charge US power sources.  

I have seen that as well. We had a friend of ours that was in Tucson for a Post-Doc Study last year and she was literally buying up Levi's and Wranglers by the cart load from Walmart to send home. Then some people got mad because the Levi's were made in China when they supposedly came from the USA. hahaha

[Balamban 113]

7 hours ago, Hank_ said:

Bank/work problems? Bank statements or employer letter (unless you are a new employee) for the interview?  Only need -    ITR, W2 (can be emailed and printed out there) and signed I-134 (original signature)

As a matter of fact, I am a new employee, having formally started yesterday.  Therein lies one of the issues.  Technically I probably don't need it as I'm an a State of MA grant that pays me plenty (considerably beyond 125%) weekly stipend  through next April. And my last two IRS returns are good.  But I suspect that even a per diem /on-call employee might make the adjudicator feel more at ease. 

 

Hank what's an ITR?   Internal Transfer of Radiation?

 

4 hours ago, Chris Duffy said:

Fed Ex or DHL is the best way I have seen to any parts of Philippines, Never send USPS it can take 3 months or longer to arrive.

 

I don't know what you are shipping paperwork wise, it may be best to just scan it and have her print it off there.  I can't think of bank or work document that needed presented or that just couldn't be printed off a email.

 

 

Thanks Chris.  Her employer has a printer but is rather miserly.  After we met I left a laptop with her and *poof* her pay was cut in half  (really, for 3000p to 1500p, it's very, very expensive to run a laptop you know...probably more than half the electric bill!).  I fear that if I were to have things printed they might take all of her pay.  (Ink is very, very expensive, you know).  And her employer is fairly well off--welcome to the Philippines.  I'll just send it to make it easy on her.

 

4 hours ago, Chris Duffy said:

I Fed Ex at Fujitsu laptop to Davao about 10 years ago, it was a few years old and I declared the value of it to be $100.  Once it arrived they wanted another $300 for custom and duty.  I reluctantly paid it, that was the first and last time I ever sent something of value via a courier.  I have packed brand new laptops and even desktops inside balikbayan boxes and never had an issue.

Ouch!  Like I said: "Welcome to the Philippines."

 

Thank you all.

 

 

 

 

[Hank_ 9,174]

1 minute ago, Balamban said:

As a matter of fact, I am a new employee, having formally started yesterday.  Therein lies one of the issues.  Technically I probably don't need it as I'm an a State of MA grant that pays me plenty (considerably beyond 125%) weekly stipend  through next April. And my last two IRS returns are good.  But I suspect that even a per diem /on-call employee might make the adjudicator feel more at ease. 

 

Hank what's an ITR?   Internal Transfer of Radiation?

 

Thanks Chris.  Her employer has a printer but is rather miserly.  After we met I left a laptop with her and *poof* her pay was cut in half  (really, for 3000p to 1500p, it's very, very expensive to run a laptop you know...probably more than half the electric bill!).  I fear that if I were to have things printed they might take all of her pay.  (Ink is very, very expensive, you know).  And her employer is fairly well off--welcome to the Philippines.  I'll just send it to make it easy on her.

 

Ouch!  Like I said: "Welcome to the Philippines."

 

Thank you all.

 

 

 

 

 

Close   ITR =  Income Tax Return  (1040)

 

Yes you would probably be just fine as is, besides there is a good chance the CO will ask for none of it.     (There is nothing binding about the I-134 unlike the I-864 you will complete for AOS later.)

 

If her employer is that "cheap" you should just send her the P3,000 she can quit, and her employer can pound salt.    

[Balamban 113]

5 hours ago, Hank_ said:

If her employer is that "cheap" you should just send her the P3,000 she can quit, and her employer can pound salt.    

Perhaps I've lived in Asia long enough to know that some jobs are not the "sort" that you're thinking of.  I do make up the difference.  If she quit, her quality of life would degrade to a floorless (well it's dirt) Riva hut and she and her mama and papa would pretty much starve on 3k PHP a month.  Where she works she has room and board and ALL the peso she earns (all 3000 including my half) goes to her family.

 

Here in America you could quit a job, find another and be done with it.  It's not like she is skill-less either.  She worked as a QA/QC inspector for Mitsumi repairing solder errors on camera circuit boards under 15x magnification.  But a person is not allowed to work for the company for more than x months, for if they do, they then become "permanent employees," and must receive benefits.  So these offshoring companies hire and toss.  If she wanted to go to Cebu City, sure she could find work for maybe 5k-7k since she types at 60 wpm and speaks fairly good English.  But she is happy where she is and I am happy with the employers as I consider them part of my extended family.  I wouldn't think of saying: "Uh, the computer uses 70w x 3hrs x 30 days or a total of 6.3Kw and you pay 15php/kilowatt so it would be fair to dun her the cost which is 50 peso, not 1500.  I understand that both her family and her employers are really taking the extr 1450 because her foreign-man, American fiancee will have no trouble at all paying the difference.  The reality is: I don't have any trouble and I've seen that sort of behavior so often, both in the Phils and in Thailand that it seems acceptable to me.   They cannot fathom that I pay 1.25 million peso for tax. Nor can they comprehend what I pay for mortgage, insurance, etc.  I don't try to explain, she's happy, they are happy, so I am happy.  Further, when I visited it was the employer that picked me up at the airport and returned me to the airport and took me out to touristy places like Mama Mary church.  Ha!  It all comes out in the wash.

 

She feels a strong sense of untang na loob, which, in my opinion is very, very admirable and forebodes well for our relationship in the future.  Filipinas with no concept of untang na loob, I wish 'ya luck, and there are many.

Edited March 14, 2018 by Balamban
A loud voice from above said: "error...error....fix," I command you.

[Hank_ 9,174]

There ya are .. it all comes out in the wash.     

[doggieandsam 765]

2 hours ago, Balamban said:

Perhaps I've lived in Asia long enough to know that some jobs are not the "sort" that you're thinking of.  I do make up the difference.  If she quit, her quality of life would degrade to a floorless (well it's dirt) Riva hut and she and her mama and papa would pretty much starve on 3k PHP a month.  Where she works she has room and board and ALL the peso she earns (all 3000 including my half) goes to her family.

 

Here in America you could quit a job, find another and be done with it.  It's not like she is skill-less either.  She worked as a QA/QC inspector for Mitsumi repairing solder errors on camera circuit boards under 15x magnification.  But a person is not allowed to work for the company for more than x months, for if they do, they then become "permanent employees," and must receive benefits.  So these offshoring companies hire and toss.  If she wanted to go to Cebu City, sure she could find work for maybe 5k-7k since she types at 60 wpm and speaks fairly good English.  But she is happy where she is and I am happy with the employers as I consider them part of my extended family.  I wouldn't think of saying: "Uh, the computer uses 70w x 3hrs x 30 days or a total of 6.3Kw and you pay 15php/kilowatt so it would be fair to dun her the cost which is 50 peso, not 1500.  I understand that both her family and her employers are really taking the extr 1450 because her foreign-man, American fiancee will have no trouble at all paying the difference.  The reality is: I don't have any trouble and I've seen that sort of behavior so often, both in the Phils and in Thailand that it seems acceptable to me.   They cannot fathom that I pay 1.25 million peso for tax. Nor can they comprehend what I pay for mortgage, insurance, etc.  I don't try to explain, she's happy, they are happy, so I am happy.  Further, when I visited it was the employer that picked me up at the airport and returned me to the airport and took me out to touristy places like Mama Mary church.  Ha!  It all comes out in the wash.

 

She feels a strong sense of untang na loob, which, in my opinion is very, very admirable and forebodes well for our relationship in the future.  Filipinas with no concept of untang na loob, I wish 'ya luck, and there are many.

Beautifully said. Some people are happy if they can take care of their loved ones, be it in financial assistance sometimes. As long as no one is getting taken advantage of, or have to unnecessarily struggle, in order to provide for one parties' extended family, then carry on! It's all in the perspective of both parties and what each is willing to give / accept.

 

This concept of utang na loob is deeply inherent in filipino culture and is a very good thing but just be careful that it doesn't blind you to it's pitfalls and that its done, like most things, in moderation.

 

Your wife to be is lucky to have you and I am sure she will be happy with you in the US. 

[payxibka 10,045]

10 hours ago, Balamban said:

As a matter of fact, I am a new employee, having formally started yesterday.  Therein lies one of the issues.  Technically I probably don't need it as I'm an a State of MA grant that pays me plenty (considerably beyond 125%) weekly stipend  through next April. And my last two IRS returns are good.  But I suspect that even a per diem /on-call employee might make the adjudicator feel more at ease. 

 

Hank what's an ITR?   Internal Transfer of Radiation?

 

Thanks Chris.  Her employer has a printer but is rather miserly.  After we met I left a laptop with her and *poof* her pay was cut in half  (really, for 3000p to 1500p, it's very, very expensive to run a laptop you know...probably more than half the electric bill!).  I fear that if I were to have things printed they might take all of her pay.  (Ink is very, very expensive, you know).  And her employer is fairly well off--welcome to the Philippines.  I'll just send it to make it easy on her.

 

Ouch!  Like I said: "Welcome to the Philippines."

 

Thank you all.

 

 

 

 

I am in Cebu right now if I can be of any assistance

[Chris Duffy 1,257]

8 hours ago, payxibka said:

I am in Cebu right now if I can be of any assistance

I am a tad jealous

 

Wish I was in Philippines, instead of working.

 

[Cyberfx1024 7,980]

22 minutes ago, Chris Duffy said:

I am a tad jealous

 

Wish I was in Philippines, instead of working.

 

Same here but I do plan on going there this summer. Only 15 more years to go until I reach 50 and retirement.

[payxibka 10,045]

45 minutes ago, Chris Duffy said:

I am a tad jealous

 

Wish I was in Philippines, instead of working.

 

I  am working remotely this month.

 

Spent last weekend in Palawan and this weekend we will go to Bantayan