I-130 situation in Philippines in 2021..?

[jannapalmer 10]

I am not up to date with the whole immigration situation in the Philippines. I heard that USEM visa center has permanently closed. Can I still petition my parent who lives in the Philippines, file I-130 online? Would it even be processed? Or would it just get stuck at the  NVC? Anyone who has recently done this?

[payxibka 10,045]

26 minutes ago, jannapalmer said:

I am not up to date with the whole immigration situation in the Philippines. I heard that USEM visa center has permanently closed. Can I still petition my parent who lives in the Philippines, file I-130 online? Would it even be processed? Or would it just get stuck at the  NVC? Anyone who has recently done this?

Manila USCIS office closed.  That is not the consulate.  The consulate issues visas.  You can petition.   IR5 visas are currently suspended due to the pandemic.   This may change with new administration.  

[Adventine 3,196]

No, the US Embassy in Manila is open and is doing interviews, but only on a limited basis. Here's a link to the number of immigrant visas issued by all US Embassies worldwide. Scroll down to the bottom, open the PDF and see exactly how many they issued for Manila: Monthly Immigrant Visa Issuance Statistics (state.gov)

 

You can still file for your parent if you really want to, but set your expectations that it will take much longer than usual, and no one can predict when normal processing will resume. 

[flicks1998 1,044]

11 hours ago, Adventine said:

No, the US Embassy in Manila is open and is doing interviews, but only on a limited basis. Here's a link to the number of immigrant visas issued by all US Embassies worldwide. Scroll down to the bottom, open the PDF and see exactly how many they issued for Manila: Monthly Immigrant Visa Issuance Statistics (state.gov)

 

You can still file for your parent if you really want to, but set your expectations that it will take much longer than usual, and no one can predict when normal processing will resume. 

I believe Payxibka was talking about the USCIS office that used to be at USEM. That office has closed. USEM is separate. 

[Allovertheworld 355]

4 minutes ago, flicks1998 said:

I believe Payxibka was talking about the USCIS office that used to be at USEM. That office has closed. USEM is separate. 

That's a darn shame it closed.  I was hoping to do a DCF maybe one day in the future there

[Adventine 3,196]

8 minutes ago, flicks1998 said:

I believe Payxibka was talking about the USCIS office that used to be at USEM. That office has closed. USEM is separate. 

Yes, it wasn't clear from OP's original post as she mentioned "USEM visa center." 

[jannapalmer 10]

Sorry for the confusion, so you just can't do DCF at the embassy? But beneficiaries of petitions can still interview at the embassy?

[payxibka 10,045]

6 minutes ago, jannapalmer said:

Sorry for the confusion, so you just can't do DCF at the embassy? But beneficiaries of petitions can still interview at the embassy?

Of course visa interviews still occur at the consulate.    

 

Exceptional circumstance DCF is still theoretically possible but extremely rare.   

[John & Rose 7,239]

If you look at the visa bulletin, CR visas are at the same pace as pre covid.  K visas are running at about 10% of pre covid numbers.

[Regg 1]

i just recently received an email from NVC that my case is “documentarily qualified” and NVC will work with manila consulate to schedule my spouse interview. Is USEM still doing interview for CR1 petition? Any insights on average waiting time till the interview date? thanks in advance

[RO_AH 1,659]

5 hours ago, Regg said:

i just recently received an email from NVC that my case is “documentarily qualified” and NVC will work with manila consulate to schedule my spouse interview. Is USEM still doing interview for CR1 petition? Any insights on average waiting time till the interview date? thanks in advance

My DQ was on 7/9/2020. Her interview has just been scheduled for Feb 11, 2021

[Regg 1]

9 hours ago, RO_AH said:

My DQ was on 7/9/2020. Her interview has just been scheduled for Feb 11, 2021

Is it CR1 petition? Was it cancelled before?

[RO_AH 1,659]

4 hours ago, Regg said:

Is it CR1 petition? Was it cancelled before?

Yes CR-1. Never cancelled, just stalled due to Covid lock downs.

[Regg 1]

3 hours ago, RO_AH said:

Yes CR-1. Never cancelled, just stalled due to Covid lock downs.

Do you know by chance if i need to contact USEM manila or NVC for expedite request?

[RO_AH 1,659]

35 minutes ago, Regg said:

Do you know by chance if i need to contact USEM manila or NVC for expedite request?

The case goes from NVC to Embassy. I believe it gets to the Embassy pretty quick and they schedule the appt as soon as they can. The problem is the huge backlog due to Covid lock down. You have to have a very good reason to request expedite or it will be rejected. Remember that everyone who is waiting wants it to go faster but the do not expedite because you want it faster. I am not sure who you contact in order to expedite. I am sure others on here may know. like @Hank_