NBI clearance - walk-in appointment and AKA (edited title)

[Chancy 6,241]

Hi all,

 

Has anybody been able to get NBI clearance recently without an appointment?  Or with an appointment but booked for a future date?

 

It's my first time applying since NBI switched to the online system.  I'm going to book an appointment but the earliest available slots are already in June   I checked all the NBI centers within 2 hours driving distance from my house.  I was hoping we'd be able to submit all the NVC-required documents by end of April, but it looks like the NBI clearance will set us back by a lot if I can only get it on my appointment date.

 

If walk-ins are strictly not allowed, I may try just tagging the NBI clearance as not yet available, with a note to NVC that I will bring it to the interview.

 

[angeljolie 188]

You can call them to confirm. I assume you can still walk-in earlier than your scheduled appointment, at least at the main NBI Clearance Center, because the place is huge and well-ventilated. 

[flicks1998 1,044]

6 hours ago, angeljolie said:

You can call them to confirm. I assume you can still walk-in earlier than your scheduled appointment, at least at the main NBI Clearance Center, because the place is huge and well-ventilated. 

We walked-in in December without any issues although I waited outside.  For a place that was doing "online appointments only," it was relative chaos out front.  I would imagine that not even 25% of the people had appointments.

 

If you have time to spare to go there, I would try it without an appointment first.  We did have to go back about 1 week later to pick up the document.  Again this was December, so things could have changed.

[kenshin02 7]

Hi Chancy,

 

We emailed nbiclearance@nbi.gov.ph to request for an emergency appointment. They replied and advised us to make an appointment online and proceed to NBI UN Ave. branch. My wife was able to obtain her NBI clearance even if her appointment is not until May.

 

Just bring with you a printed copy of the appointment reference number from the NBI Clearance website, email reply from nbiclearance@nbi.gov.ph and a copy of your NVC welcome letter/NOA2.

[Chancy 6,241]

UPDATE:  I was able to get my NBI clearance with a future-dated appointment!  Special thanks to @kenshin02 for telling me about the NVC letter.  That tip saved me a trip to UN ave!

 

I went to the NBI center at MetroEast mall.  I figured I'd try there first since it's the closest branch to where I live.  There were only 2 people ahead of me in line, on a Friday around 1pm.  When it was my turn, I handed over my phone showing my appointment receipt with reference number.  No need to print the receipt, just like the online instructions said.

 

As expected, the staff initially rejected my appointment because it's not set for that day.  So I presented my NVC letter and said I was told that NBI accepts emergency appointments.  Another staffer who seemed to be the supervisor took the letter and asked me some questions.  Do I need the NBI clearance for travel?  Yes.  When is my travel date?  The US embassy will not grant me a visa unless I present my NBI clearance, as stated in the letter.  The supervisor kept the NVC letter and allowed me to proceed.  Yay!

 

The whole process took less than 15 minutes, including the time spent discussing my reason for emergency.  I just needed to line up at 2 counters.  Counter 1 for ID verification, biometrics capture, and final check of information in my online profile.  Counter 2 for printing and release of NBI clearance.  That's it.

 

Note about AKA.  My passport has my maiden name, so I had to register for NBI clearance using that name.  I listed my married name on the AKA field, to be consistent with what I put in my DS-260 for Other Names Used.  The NBI staff asked what that AKA name was, and when I said it's my married name, they removed it.  They said my husband's surname will be printed on the clearance after my registered name anyway, since I listed my husband's surname in my online profile.  I'll post another update if I encounter any issue at the embassy for not having an AKA entry on my NBI clearance.

 

[top_secret 2,417]

My wife went for NBI Clearance on Friday.  She got a 'hit" so she has to come back in a week to actually receive the Clearance and we get to stress about that until then.   But we understand that most often a "hit' is just someone with a similar name so we presume there will be no issues when she goes to pick it up.  We made an appointment online and paid at 7/11 a few weeks ago, before our i-130 was approved, thinking we still had many months of time to spare.   So the appointment wasn't for a while yet.  We were caught unprepared by the incredibly fast approval of our i-130 so now NBI Clearance is the only thing holding us up from submitting our documents to NVC.  So, she went to the Angeles satellite office without a current appointment .  There was a sign posted there that very clearly said "NO APOINTMENT TODAY NO TRANSACTION TODAY" so, she asked the guard or whoever was minding the line about that and showed her paid reference number with a future date on her phone and the guard just told her to fall in line.  So it seems you must have "an appointment today", but the appointment that you have, as of today, could be an appointment for any date. 😁  She had printed this letter https://travel.state.gov/content/dam/visas/iv-dv-supplemental/MNL-Manila-23SEP2019.pdf which is a generic Manila Embassy pre-interview checklist so she could point at page two and say "US Embassy says" if she got any resistance about the future appointment or AKA issue.  On the AKA issue, her passport is still in her maiden name so online we put that as her name.  We included me as husband.  Online we put her married name as an AKA as well as her birth name since her birth certificate was legitimated after her birth changing her surname from her mothers to her fathers.  I would be pretty sure that it is correct what Chancy was told about the AKA for married name being unnecessary since the husbands surname would be listed after her name anyways, but in are case they asked her about her married name as an AKA that she put online, she pointed out the US Embassy checklist and told him it must be there as AKA "US Embassy says so" and the guy said "AKA married name it is'.  So we probably got it on there as a name AND an as AKA.  But we have to wait until we actually get the clearance document to see what we really got.  In any case the Angeles satellite office seems a bit more freestyle about the rules than some other offices.

[seekingthetruth 1,246]

@top_secret @Chancy @kenshin02 @flicks1998

 

Popping this back up for a few longshot questions.

 

Need to get the NBI Clearance for my wife and 17 year old step-daughter.  Thanks for the tips above!  I hope that will work at Olongapo NBI.  We will make appointments and then walk-in with all the mentioned papers, and hope that they let us in.  Backup plan would be to jet over to Angeles and give them a try.

 

For some reason I had stuck in my mind that the NBI was not needed until later, but it seems to be one of the Civil Documents to be submitted with the DS 260s.

 

Q1:  If we submitted DS 260 without the NBI clearance, but included a letter about "not available yet, will bring to interviews", would that be an automatic delay, or acceptable?

 

Q2:  If it goes smoothly, how long would my wife and step-daughter need to be at the NBI office?  Can they arrive later in the day and get it done?

 

This may be a challenge because my 3 daughters are in online school every working day.  We would hope that my step-daughter could go without missing school, but that seems unlikely.

[top_secret 2,417]

5 hours ago, seekingthetruth said:

Q1:  If we submitted DS 260 without the NBI clearance, but included a letter about "not available yet, will bring to interviews", would that be an automatic delay, or acceptable?

 

Q2:  If it goes smoothly, how long would my wife and step-daughter need to be at the NBI office?  Can they arrive later in the day and get it done?

 

 

1.  I'm almost certain NVC would send you Case FE Review Note that said "please submit the required document" and then they would send her to the back of the line and make her start all over.  I would not try it.  They say they need a NBI Clearance.  The case will likely not proceed until you have one.  Expect no mercy from NVC.  Get it 100% perfect the first time because the slightest discrepancy and you can loose 2 months.  We lost 2 months getting my stepdaughter DQ because I did not know I had to upload the Marriage Certificate again for her separately from uploading it for her mother and it was not on the list of required document for her. 

 

2.  My wife arrived early.  There was already a huge line.  It took her like 4 hours plus she had to come back a week later to pick it up due to the "hit" that turned out to be nothing as expected.  They were prioritizing those who actually had appointments.  I would say that may be a YMMV issue and the results would entirely depend on the size of the crowd and the inclination of the security guard.  But I would not be surprised if they told her to come back tomorrow if she arrived too late in the day.

[flicks1998 1,044]

8 hours ago, seekingthetruth said:

@top_secret @Chancy @kenshin02 @flicks1998

 

Popping this back up for a few longshot questions.

 

Need to get the NBI Clearance for my wife and 17 year old step-daughter.  Thanks for the tips above!  I hope that will work at Olongapo NBI.  We will make appointments and then walk-in with all the mentioned papers, and hope that they let us in.  Backup plan would be to jet over to Angeles and give them a try.

 

For some reason I had stuck in my mind that the NBI was not needed until later, but it seems to be one of the Civil Documents to be submitted with the DS 260s.

 

Q1:  If we submitted DS 260 without the NBI clearance, but included a letter about "not available yet, will bring to interviews", would that be an automatic delay, or acceptable?

 

Q2:  If it goes smoothly, how long would my wife and step-daughter need to be at the NBI office?  Can they arrive later in the day and get it done?

 

This may be a challenge because my 3 daughters are in online school every working day.  We would hope that my step-daughter could go without missing school, but that seems unlikely.

I would follow Top_Secret advice as this is where the K1 and CR1 can be different.  For K1, we did not submit the NBI clearance at the time of submitting the original documents to USCIS.  We brought the NBI clearance to the interview which was one of the documents they asked for during the "Document Pre-check" station.  However, for CR1, its best to follow someone who did that procedure.

 

Also, we received multiple NBI clearances due to expiration, but I know the last one we received it took 1 week to get it.  That was showing up in person and picking it up in person as well.  Some may have had a slightly different experience. Getting a "hit" is common due to not having a national ID system, but once the ID # system is in place,  false "hits" should generally disappear.

Edited September 16, 2021 by flicks1998

[seekingthetruth 1,246]

12 hours ago, top_secret said:

 

 

1.  I'm almost certain NVC would send you Case FE Review Note that said "please submit the required document" and then they would send her to the back of the line and make her start all over.  I would not try it.  They say they need a NBI Clearance.  The case will likely not proceed until you have one.  Expect no mercy from NVC.  Get it 100% perfect the first time because the slightest discrepancy and you can loose 2 months.  We lost 2 months getting my stepdaughter DQ because I did not know I had to upload the Marriage Certificate again for her separately from uploading it for her mother and it was not on the list of required document for her. 

 

2.  My wife arrived early.  There was already a huge line.  It took her like 4 hours plus she had to come back a week later to pick it up due to the "hit" that turned out to be nothing as expected.  They were prioritizing those who actually had appointments.  I would say that may be a YMMV issue and the results would entirely depend on the size of the crowd and the inclination of the security guard.  But I would not be surprised if they told her to come back tomorrow if she arrived too late in the day.

Thanks for this.  Actually, I have been to Olongapo NBI, pre-Covid, and got a clearance for my 13A visa.  I went by myself and it was fine.  A few hours in the morning.  The actual paper was not going to be ready for 2 weeks.  My wife went back with me in the afternoon and I had the paper that day!  Filipino style!

[seekingthetruth 1,246]

10 hours ago, flicks1998 said:

I would follow Top_Secret advice as this is where the K1 and CR1 can be different.  For K1, we did not submit the NBI clearance at the time of submitting the original documents to USCIS.  We brought the NBI clearance to the interview which was one of the documents they asked for during the "Document Pre-check" station.  However, for CR1, its best to follow someone who did that procedure.

 

Also, we received multiple NBI clearances due to expiration, but I know the last one we received it took 1 week to get it.  That was showing up in person and picking it up in person as well.  Some may have had a slightly different experience. Getting a "hit" is common due to not having a national ID system, but once the ID # system is in place,  false "hits" should generally disappear.

Yes, all good advice, but consider this....

 

1.  We are IR1, having been married 6 years.  Everything about our cases is strong.  Family unit of 3 USC and two Filipinos moving back to the U.S., etc.  If I had the NBIs now, I would expect to be approved quickly, based on other cases I see.

 

2.  If you recall our cases, we don't want the medicals and interviews until next year.  If I submit everything except NBIs now, we could deal with a delay.

 

3.  Looking ahead, the best time for us to do this would be during school Christmas break.  No loss of school time for my daughter, who has perfect attendance for a few years now.  Perhaps I could include a note that would mention a hardship if we have to get the NBI now.

 

4.  What about if I just submit everything except NBI now?  I can't see any huge downside??  Then we get it just before Christmas?  I recall that several months ago when I asked about purposely delaying our cases, NBI was mentioned as a method.

 

Thoughts?  Break out those crystal balls and give me some good news!

[top_secret 2,417]

You can easily time it.  You can upload everything, take you time and when you are ready, click submit.  You could upload all you want and leave it unsubmitted however long you like.  From the time you click submit NVC is taking like 70 days.  Plan accordingly.  The 70 days starts from the last time you click submit and there is no upside doing a partial submission.  The slightest imperfection and the 70 days starts all over.

[seekingthetruth 1,246]

1 hour ago, top_secret said:

You can easily time it.  You can upload everything, take you time and when you are ready, click submit.  You could upload all you want and leave it unsubmitted however long you like.  From the time you click submit NVC is taking like 70 days.  Plan accordingly.  The 70 days starts from the last time you click submit and there is no upside doing a partial submission.  The slightest imperfection and the 70 days starts all over.

I will have to consider this.  If I wait to get the NBI in December, I might not have it in hand until January.  Submit then and maybe be approved March if all is perfect.  March is actually ideal but pushes the comfort level for medical and interview.

[Chancy 6,241]

On 5/14/2021 at 10:08 PM, Chancy said:

My passport has my maiden name, so I had to register for NBI clearance using that name.  I listed my married name on the AKA field, to be consistent with what I put in my DS-260 for Other Names Used.  The NBI staff asked what that AKA name was, and when I said it's my married name, they removed it.  They said my husband's surname will be printed on the clearance after my registered name anyway, since I listed my husband's surname in my online profile.  I'll post another update if I encounter any issue at the embassy for not having an AKA entry on my NBI clearance.

 

UPDATE:  I had no trouble at the embassy due to my NBI clearance not having an AKA entry.  Neither the consul officer nor the document screener even mentioned it.  The screener did ask me what my married name is when she saw that my passport was issued after I got married (she asked me my wedding date twice while looking at my passport).  But no further questions about it after that and no questions at all about my NBI clearance in particular.

 

For Filipinas who need to get NBI clearance for their spouse visa interview -- do NOT follow my example.  Make sure your NBI clearance has AKA, like what the embassy instructions say.  The stress from wondering for months about whether my clearance is ok or not, made me regret so many times that I didn't insist that the NBI staff keep my AKA name on my clearance.  It was an easily avoidable reason to add to the anxiety while waiting for my interview.