US Immigration from Philippines

So, we finally got around to filing N600 for my 12 y/o stepdaughter. Mom naturalized last November and we got her and her daughters US Passports the very next day so the N600 has not been a priority. Our rationale for paying the ridiculous N-600 filing fee is that passports do expire and constantly need renewed. While we got her passport easily, it was not trouble free since the agent at the Passport Agency said our evidence of actual physical custody was not adequate and he was quite insistent we provide additional school enrolment records. Since our next stop was dropping her off at school after her passport appointment anyways, it was incredibly simple to get what they asked for and email it in. But I could very much envision that that might be some sort of major crisis if a lost passport needed replaced overseas 30 years from now and she had the misfortune to get an ill-tempered consular agent. $1355 is ridiculous but we want the forever Certificate that never expires and is 'almost' unchallengeable.

Since it is a one-shot deal and the current political environment is.... mistake averse, I figured it was better to take our time, be cautious and make sure every detail was as correct as it could be.

We filed online. While I am a big proponent of online filing, it is worth noting that the online N600 has a number of major discrepancies and ambiguities so anyone going that route should very carefully compare the resulting pdf copy of the N600 with what they answered in the online form. Go through filling the entire online form, then before filing download the resulting pdf, AND the N600 instructions sheet, and go back through the whole entire thing, line by line, like about three or four more times until it all makes sense.

We used USCIS's own Policy Manual https://www.uscis.gov/policy-manual/volume-12-part-h-chapter-4 as almost a direct check list and guide book for the submission. We went straight down their list of evidence one by one in every category except for the notarized affidavits which we omitted. The USCIS policy Manual actually seems like the best N600 guide I found anywhere.

In any case we filed online March 14, 2025. Mysteriously she received two identical pdf receipt notices under the documents tab within an hour of filing. They are addressed to "mother c/o daughter" so maybe they are going to mail a copy to each(??). No immediate notice for reuse or scheduling of biometrics. Online our local USCIS Field Office (San Diego) lists 13 months processing time for N600 though I have seen some people report much faster results. No rush anyways because she has her passport already.

So now we wait.

Hey VJ!

Here's a new one...

I couldn't find any threads on this since the medical/interview process has changed (that you still attend your interview without medical clearance).

Background: My in-laws had to take the 8 week sputum culture, and my father-in-law was positive and is undergoing treatment. They still attended their visa interview and were issued 221(g)'s pending medical clearance.

We just received email notification that my mother-in-law's sputum culture was negative.

It's our understanding that within a week SLEC will electronically forward medical clearance to the embassy.

Most estimates I could find online have the embassy issuing a visa within 4 weeks, but I couldn't find anything solid on this.

I'd assume her medical would expire in June if we go by when she started the process, or does expiry start AFTER they issue the clearance. It looks to me that most people in this situation are given a 3-month validity, so I'd assume we have a few months at least?

Does anyone know when we should drop off the passport at the NVC along with the document submission form?

Has anyone been through this, and have a timeline for visa issuance?

Thanks!

Hi, my wife and I got married last year on March 26, 2024! I'm getting ready to file the spousal petition (I-130) online! Is it a pretty fast process if I file it online versus a paper application? What type of evidence do we need to provide? I'm going to also file the I-129F for the k3 and k4 visa for them just in case the I-130 is taking longer than expected bcs it doesn't cost anything extra to file as long as I file it with the spousal petition. That way they can come over sooner. But the one question i have is if the I130 petition is approved first before the I-129F petition will USCIS automatically cancel the I-129F petition, bcs that's what some people are saying. Also, is it easier to get approved for the I-130 versus the fianc visa bcs before we waited more than 3 years for them to make a decision. Pls advise, thanks!

Hi everyone,

My wife and I recently got married and are preparing to file the I-485 Adjustment of Status. I ve come across conflicting information online: does she need a new medical exam with updated vaccination records? She previously had a medical exam during consular processing; does this exempt her? Also, do we need to submit any related documents with our application?

Thank you!

Hi All,

My K1 case is in transit this week. I have seen where others say it will take Manila Embassy a few days to be "ready". I tried to pay for the interview but the system says "case not found" so I guess it has to be "ready" in order to pay and schedule. My fiance is doing her medical today at St Luke's.

Has anyone recently made an appointment for Bio & Interview? How many days out are the Bio & Interview appointments?

I would like to make some flight arrangements.