register for cfo / slec physical in advance of visa

[Kawika & Michelle 108]

1 minute ago, An D said:

I believe they're tied together since if the medical is expired you can't enter the US anyway. So they kind of have to be the same I suppose.

 

It would seem that the obvious answer there would be to simply re-take the medical exam to verify that you have not acquired any medical issues since the medical exam expired.

[IWander 589]

3 hours ago, Kawika & Michelle said:

 

Seems like an odd way to do things. People could potentially get issued a visa that is only valid for a month, a week or even days if they have to reschedule their interview and end up getting approved towards the back end of the medical exam's 6 month validity period.

My wife took her medical in early December.  Her visa wasn't issued until March.  Expiration was early June.  Our eyes were wide open about expirations and we made it work.

Edited May 4, 2023 by IWander

[Kawika & Michelle 108]

Still doesn't explain why they don't just give people the option to re-do the medical exam without invalidating the visa that took much longer to acquire.

Edited May 5, 2023 by Kawika & Michelle

[Chancy 6,241]

18 hours ago, Kawika & Michelle said:

People could potentially get issued a visa that is only valid for a month, a week or even days if they have to reschedule their interview and end up getting approved towards the back end of the medical exam's 6 month validity period.

 

Definitely possible to have a very short visa validity period, especially for those who went through sputum testing like I did.  At my visa interview, the CO explicitly asked me to confirm that I will be able to travel before my visa expires.  My visa was valid for only a month and a bit after it was issued.

 

[Crazy Cat 41,844]

10 hours ago, Kawika & Michelle said:

Still doesn't explain why they don't just give people the option to re-do the medical exam without invalidating the visa that took much longer to acquire.

Doesn't make any sense for the visa to be valid longer than the medical since after 6 months the visa holder would not be admissible. 

Edited May 5, 2023 by Crazy Cat

[Adventine 3,196]

I think it was @flicks1998's fiancee who got her K1 visa re-issued with an extremely short validity date. Just a few days left with the medical exam validity, if I remember right.

Edited May 5, 2023 by Adventine

[Kawika & Michelle 108]

1 hour ago, Crazy Cat said:

Doesn't make any sense for the visa to be valid longer than the medical since after 6 months the visa holder would not be admissible. 

 

Sure...but isn't it easier to re-do the medical exam rather than trying to re-do the entire I-129F process?

[flicks1998 1,044]

1 hour ago, Adventine said:

I think it was @flicks1998's fiancee who got her K1 visa re-issued with an extremely short validity date. Just a few days left with the medical exam validity, if I remember right.

Yes thats correct.  Her passport was stolen just after we got the visa.  This was also during the peak of Covid in December 2020.  The Embassy, though, was highly responsive in getting the new visa issued once we obtained the new passport.  This was when certain provinces required Covid testing or did allow travel to non-residents of that province etc etc so we were trying to navigate that issue as well.  Also, we were an expedited case due to my son not being in school and we were trying to get to the US by January for the new school semester.  We did not arrive until Feb 2021, mainly because of the difficulties in getting the new passport.  This was 2 days before the visa was to expire.

 

I havent read this whole thread but if you need something urgently, its best to demonstrate how their quick actions will benefit the US citizen.

Edited May 5, 2023 by flicks1998

[Chancy 6,241]

21 minutes ago, Kawika & Michelle said:

isn't it easier to re-do the medical exam rather than trying to re-do the entire I-129F process?

 

No need to re-do the entire I-129F process if the visa expires before travel.  If the consulate agrees to re-issue, just need to re-do the medical and wait for the new visa with validity tied to the 2nd medical.  The consulate may also require another MRV fee if the previous visa had expired.  The key point here is that visa re-issuance is at the discretion of the consulate, usually based on the visa holder not being able to travel due to reasons beyond their control.

 

[An D 27]

On 5/4/2023 at 1:42 PM, top_secret said:

 

Some recent reports on CFO is that they will evaluate whatever documents you submit and schedule you accordingly.  Those with issued visas and eminent travel plans they will at least make a token effort to accommodate.  As of last week there were some people who did not yet have visas saying they were being scheduled in July.

 

A number of people have reported Saint Luke's let them get their physicals early by signing a waiver acknowledging they know it may possibly expire.

 

 

Thought I'd provide an update. We registered for CFO, and the counselor asked for requirements (some civil type docs, plus relationship evidence) and then told us they won't schedule us for CFO GCP until we have the visa on hand. Extremely annoying but this was my experience and it's making me anxious because I was hoping immediately after we ultimately get the visa, my spouse could travel but now we have the CFO hanging over our heads for the remainder of the process. I wanted to knock it out early but I guess that isn't gonna happen. 

[top_secret 2,417]

13 hours ago, An D said:

Thought I'd provide an update. We registered for CFO, and the counselor asked for requirements (some civil type docs, plus relationship evidence) and then told us they won't schedule us for CFO GCP until we have the visa on hand. Extremely annoying but this was my experience and it's making me anxious because I was hoping immediately after we ultimately get the visa, my spouse could travel but now we have the CFO hanging over our heads for the remainder of the process. I wanted to knock it out early but I guess that isn't gonna happen. 

 

Thanks for the update.  I have a friend who is not on VJ, whose wife is at the same stage waiting for an interview date, and she just submitted her documents to the counselor yesterday.  They haven't heard back yet.  I suspect it may be totally at the counselors descension.  Prior to her signing up for the online-only CFO she had signed up for in-person CFO in Manila by mistake and was given a July appointment date and instructions that very specifically mentioned applicants without visas. Upon realizing she wanted the online-only CFO, she was able to sign up again from correct link but her July appointment in Manila apparently still stands too.  So, it seems online and in-person CFO are separate operations and in-person seems to specifically allow applicants without visas according to their instructions.  My friend’s wife has applications pending in both, so the July in-person appointment in Manila seems like a backup. (???)  I’ll update whenever they find out anything.

[An D 27]

8 hours ago, top_secret said:

 

Thanks for the update.  I have a friend who is not on VJ, whose wife is at the same stage waiting for an interview date, and she just submitted her documents to the counselor yesterday.  They haven't heard back yet.  I suspect it may be totally at the counselors descension.  Prior to her signing up for the online-only CFO she had signed up for in-person CFO in Manila by mistake and was given a July appointment date and instructions that very specifically mentioned applicants without visas. Upon realizing she wanted the online-only CFO, she was able to sign up again from correct link but her July appointment in Manila apparently still stands too.  So, it seems online and in-person CFO are separate operations and in-person seems to specifically allow applicants without visas according to their instructions.  My friend’s wife has applications pending in both, so the July in-person appointment in Manila seems like a backup. (???)  I’ll update whenever they find out anything.

It's frustrating that different counselors have different rules. One person can get CFO in advance while others have to wait until the visa is on hand which I could see delaying travel plans quite a bit. 

[GinoNiña 182]

my fiancee was able to make a face to face seminar for mid July. online seminars are fully booked for months. no visa at the moment. 

[Chancy 6,241]

9 hours ago, An D said:

It's frustrating that different counselors have different rules. One person can get CFO in advance while others have to wait until the visa is on hand which I could see delaying travel plans quite a bit. 

 

I was able to have my CFO online session prior to getting my visa, but only after I pleaded with my counselor to proceed with the call.  Even so, she did not clear me to get a certificate that day.  I only got the digital certificate a few days after I submitted a scan of my visa after it was delivered.  So I didn't really save much time by registering for CFO early.  Back then, it was common to get a CFO schedule within 1 or 2 weeks of registration.

 

The workaround for this is to register for CFO as a tourist, maybe several months before getting to the consulate stage for a K1 or spouse visa.  No visa is required when registering for CFO if the applicant and their foreign partner have an upcoming trip to visit visa-free countries.

 

[An D 27]

56 minutes ago, GinoNiña said:

my fiancee was able to make a face to face seminar for mid July. online seminars are fully booked for months. no visa at the moment. 

How do you see that online are fully booked for months? I was simply told via email in response to my documents to "Please email your visa in this email thread once it is available. Kindly note that you can only proceed with your registration with CFO upon completion of your requirements."