RO_AH

Wow good to know.

When you see what is happening at our southern border it seems extremely unfair with all of the hoops we need to jump through and the length of time that it takes to legally bring a family member here. I mean we have thousands of people daily just walking in with no need for a medical exam, no cost, very little paperwork, free accommodations, etc. It makes you feel like there should be some shortcut somewhere to make it a little easier for us. Sadly there is not. If you have everything ready, send it in yesterday. Start the process, there will be no way to bring her to America legally than the I-130 route. We did ours during Covid and it added over a year of extra time to get our visa, so I feel your pain. We even had 2 children together and it was heartbreaking being away from them. It's a long process but worth it in the end.

Ended up not being simple 🤣 In the Philippines it's most simple just following their naming convention.

Minimum $6k USD and up to double that, and take up to 4 years...

Well annulments take years, so his chance of getting her here are slim to none. If she has no real assets or property tying her to the Philippines IMO she will have zero chance in getting a tourist visa. If he insists on moving this direction you can always wait and then tell him I told you so. 🤣 Also next time tell your wife not to introduce someone who is married. LDR is hard enough and if you want a future you need to throw in all of the added difficulties (time and money) of getting an annulment.

You could do an online Utah wedding while you are here or there anytime. You will need to get the recognition of divorce if you ever to file a ROM so she could have your last name or to be recognized by PH government. Also to file for a 13a spousal visa. Recognition of divorce is less expensive and takes way less time than annulment. Or until you get the recognition of divorce.

This is what is required: 1. Valid passport; 2. Valid visa or visa grant notice; and 3. Petitioner's passport 4. Marriage certificate or Report of Marriage - ROM (in PSA security paper) (if married) They can request more things but you don't need to worry about until they request it. Additional documents may be required in the event that the counselor determines it to be essential to complete the guidance and counseling process. 1. Divorce decree/certificate (of Filipino spouse or foreign spouse, if previously married); 2. Annulment paper (of Filipino spouse or foreign spouse, if previously married); 3. Proof of residency/Alien Registration Card-ARC (of foreign spouse); 4. Proof of relationship (picture together, e-mails, among others); 5. Death certificate (of Filipino spouse or foreign spouse, if widow/widower); 6. Certificate of Family relations / registration (of foreign spouse); 7. Declaration of undertaking of travel in letter format to include the following activities to prepare for travel, Itinerary of Travel and How to ensure safe travel and stay (if will be required by counselor/facilitator); 8. Affidavit of invitation and support (financial support/safety/medical insurance) notarized and authenticated by the Philippine Embassy or Consulate who has jurisdiction over the destination or host country (if will be required by counselor/facilitator); 9. Explanation on why the foreign partner cannot travel to the Philippines in letter format (if will be required by counselor/facilitator); 10. Valid no criminal records certification/clearance or any equivalent document to indicate lack of criminal derogatory record or medical/psychological condition (if will be required by counselor/facilitator).

I don't think that you can track LBC anymore through them. I used to love them with all of the detail they provided.

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If you are wanting to get a recognition of divorce wait. But that can be a long and expensive wait. Now that you have US citizenship I see no reason to get the recognition of divorce. There would only be one reason in my mind, and that would be if you ever want to have another wedding in the Philippines. You can still marry someone from the Philippines without recognition of divorce with a fiance visa or an online Utah wedding.

A little more advice. If you are getting a divorce in US you should check Google for someone that does it. Some paralegal's do this. As long as you have no children together and there obviously will not be assets or alimony to worry about you do not really need an attorney. That will save you some money.

I believe you can get a divorce locally in US. Getting the divorce recognized in PH can be done but not mandatory. You will be seen as divorced by every country in the world but the Philippines. If you have not reclaimed your Filipino citizenship, I advise doing so before you get the divorce done.

I think it is much better to return to the US and then mail in the CR-1. Mail from the Philippines to the USA is very slow if it gets there at all. I also think if you do online wedding through Utah it would be better to do it together while in the Philippines. It avoids the hassles of getting married in the Philippines, mainly the 2 week mandatory wait between applying for a marriage license and actually getting the license to marry, not to mention other hoops. You can still have a reception with family and friends which will most likely be important to her.

The only this I would add to this is that the passport stamp you receive upon entry serves as a green card, until the actual green card arrives in the mail.

Maybe @Crazy Cat can do his copy and past here 🙂 It used to be faster, after covid, not so much. Main benefit is you get everything done in one step instead of 2. Beneficiary enters USA with a green card. SSN in a few weeks after that. Less expensive to name a few. I agree with @top_secret. Even if it is a little longer (IF) it is still much better IMO.

That does not put you under scrutiny. It is pretty common for a Pinay to have an older partner.

So she has Filipino citizenship and you are just trying to file a ROM? If that's the case, I agree with @Chancy. Getting a lawyer involved would be my last choice.

Can you answer these? Your wife is Filipina and never lived in the Philippines? Did she have Philippine citizenship at any time in her life? Is she claiming citizenship through birth right?

We may have even paid for the delivery now that I think about it. It showed up at my wife's house about 9 months after we arrived in USA. The temp is all you need.

Because some are not so excellent. 🤣 The QR code is just the certificate number which is listed below it. Not much of a security measure if you ask me. But this is the Philippines. I don't recall them even scanning my wife's. There are people that generate a lot more scrutiny than others. Young females for example. Us being a husband and with with 2 toddlers did not draw any concern.

We didn't need to do that, but things may have changed.

Have you tried scanning the code? It's just the number underneath the QR. If they scan the code it would only say that it matches the number on the certificate.

Technically, maybe? Reality is BI checks the CFO certificate and decides if you can go or not. They will not stop her with a valid certificate that has not expired.

Not a CFO for immigration. It does not expire.

They all just want to know so they know when they can start asking if they can borrow money 🤣