Just Paul

The legal  guardian would apply for the Visa.   Since the parents are not coming with the minor daughter then a notarized , legal document and power of attorney should be with the grandmother authorizing the daughter to travel with the grandmother and authorizing the grandmother to act in place of the parents in the event a a medical need. 

You can use the USPS Express Mail Padded envelope - you might have to order one online - or there is a flat rate medium or large box that paper will lay flat in.    In any case you get tracking and it is  2 or 3 days.    

And make sure you have a copy of everything you send.

Hello  neither the I1-30 or DS-260 check the status of tax returns.   They are needed for the I-864 which is typically given at the Consular Interview.  If it were me I would file the tax returns with her current name or check out https://www.irs.gov/help/telephone-assistance.  You can even call them.   Tax returns can always be amended. 

File the I-130 and get the ball rolling.   We are in Mexico and it took our consulate six weeks to get from the I-130 Approval (3 days)  to the stage of filing in DS-260 and getting an appointment.  Then the time to the appointment was 7 more weeks. ( Originally 5 months).

Good luck and best wishes!

Here is what i did for to get some Financial proof for my wife:

Credit Cards -  Capital One will allow for a spouse without a SSN  - you just use 000 00 0001 if you do it online.  If you call in you might have to hang up and try again to find someone that can do it.   I added her to that account and opened another Capital One with my as primary and her as an authorized user.

Banks -  My Chase Banker would only add if she had an ITIN and provided me with a letter stating so.  BBVA Compass added her without a SSN.   My Credit Union wanted a copy of her ID with and address.   I gave them a copy of her Postal-ID.

ITIN - We obtained a Certified an True copy of her passport at the Consulate in Hong Kong and filed that with the ITIN and the letter from Chase.  Had a number back in about 6 weeks.  I am not sure where to get that certified copy  in the Philippines.  After I got the ITIN I was able to add her to the Chase account and Chase Credit Cards.

I did put her on as a beneficiary of my life insurance and added her to the title of an old car.   I also added her name to my cable, power, water and HOA bill.  We also setup a Google Project FI phone in her name.

Hope this helps!

11 minutes ago, Hank_ said:

So I will ask once more... where was the airfare purchased?

 

If your wife dodged the travel tax another way ... it was a freak event .. not a reality of the Travel Tax.

  

Inher first flight out the ticket was purchased in the Philippines.  It was probably on Cathay.    She had her permanent Visa Stamp and had a Philippines entry stamp within the year my guess is that the exemption was "Filipino permanent residents abroad whose stay in the Philippines is less than one (1) year".  Our round trip last month was purchased in Mexico and indicated her country of Residence as Mexico. (She has LPR there while awaiting our US Visa.)

I think it would be fair to say in (most) all cases the travel tax would apply for the immigrant's flight out.   It shouldn't apply to any return visits that last less than a year.

Hank_ - we are both correct. But you are the most correct!  Here is the answer I got the the Philippine Consulate Los Angeles

Filipino citizens who are permanent residents abroad  (under Sec. 2 (1) of Executive Order No. 283, which amended P.D. No. 1183, as amended).

But the details are - If the Filipino has a K Series Visa they are not considered to be "permanent immigrant" Visas  where a CR1/IR1 is considered permanent.   Since the OP is K Series then the travel tax would apply. 

Sorry for the late reply.  When my wife left the Philippines from Manila she didn't have to pay the travel tax.  They said as long as she had her CFO stamp and  immigrant visa she was exempt.

DCF is definitely the fastest option.   If you are the father of the children then the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 (CCA) would apply to them.

The US Citizen is the Petitioner and the spouse is the beneficiary.  Include two each two inch square photos and write the names and date of birth on each photo.

Try Google flights to get an idea.   Also consider other flight options.   It was $1400 for my wife to go from Manila to Tijuana a week out.   But it was $150 Manila to Hong Kong and then $ 500 from Hong Kong to Tijuana.

8 hours ago, TVC said:

What is the PSA marriage certificate?

The Philippines Statistics Authority / NSO (National Statistics Office of the Philippines) marriage certificate printed on safety paper just like the birth certificate.

I generally think that the cr1 is the better way to go.  The age difference can be a red flag but I can tell you from my experience that so far it hasn't been for us getting the I-130 approved.   We have a larger age difference.   We did a DCF filing since we both reside outside the US. I personally filed the I-130 and the USCIS reviewer was impressed by all of the travel and home photos we had together and didn't say anything about us only being married 3 months and just verbally  confirmed our birth dates to our birth certificates. 

The benefit of the CR1 is your spouse can work right away and it is cheaper.   If you file in the US is should take slightly longer.

~P

32 minutes ago, geowrian said:

If the medical was already completed, then an unexpired medical would be needed before the visa can be issued.

But the OP only noted the I-130 was approved...nothing about having done a medical yet.

I'm problem confusing what I've seen here in Mexico.

On   https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/the-immigrant-visa-process/interview/after-the-interview.html:  

When You Should Travel - You must arrive and apply for admission in the United States no later than the visa expiration date printed on your visa. An immigrant visa is usually valid for up to six months from the date of issuance unless your medical examination expires sooner, which may make your visa valid for less than six months.

On my friends Visa the expiration date was 6 months from the medical date which was a few weeks earlier than the interview since they lived in Mexico City and the interview was in Juarez.

Have you heard of anyone getting a longer time for a CR1?   I only have for a K1.  I think you can most likely ask but what does to OP do if the CO wont extend it?  I guess wait until there is 6 months left before the OP can go to the US.

On 6/25/2018 at 9:26 PM, pushbrk said:

Sure.  The approval does not expire.  Just communicate with the Consular Immigrant Visa Unit about your intentions and they will respond accordingly.

pushbrk, wouldn't the medical expire after 6 months?

I had something similar come up with DHS when I renewed my Global Entry.  I was for a case that was dropped.  I sent in and paid for the records/ letter of no case found and was told by the jurisdiction they wouldn't send anything official.   I got a copy of my FBI background check, made a personal appearance at the jurisdiction, 3 hours away, and left with an official embossed letter.  That did the trick.  I think is was the FBI background that forced their hand.  Hopefully you can try something similar.

The chat logs are nice but you need the face to face time with lots of photos and proof of trips to see each other.

1 hour ago, pies90 said:

Hi Jan, this is the first I've ever heard that the petitioner must be living in the country where the petition is filed. Please could you point me in the direction of more information on this?

The petition has to be filed outside the US and the petitioner has to have residency.   That is not to say that the petitioner has to remain in that company during the length of adjudication .  But it is usually adjudicated very quickly on the USCIS side.  I filed ours in person on a Friday and it was approved by USCIS the next Monday.  I paid with Mexican Pesos but they would have taken US Dollars for credit cards.

If your husband had UK residency prior to leaving you most likely could include his UK residency documents with the I-130 application.

Check out http://www.visajourney.com/content/dcf/  here or your Embassy/ Consulate  on the US State Department site.

As long as you as the petitioner (you) have residency in the Philippines you can file the DCF there and then you can leave to the US.  Like others have said it can take 2~3 months.   That's the fastest way.

Yes you can and enjoy your trip!

7 hours ago, jcon91 said:

Was your wife required to be in Mexico for 6 months as a resident before applying for the DCF? I’m looking to apply  for the same thing as you.

No my wife doesn't need to be be in Mexico for 6 months prior.   The Petitioner (me) does need proof of non US residency for DCF.  I have had Permanent Residence for 4 years and temporary for a long time prior.   But based on other posts Juarez often accepts much shorter "proof" but the  key is the petitioner has to have residency. 

My wife does have her Permanent Residence for Mexico based upon our marriage.   We did it in Hong Kong about 6 weeks after we were married since she was going to live with me in Mexico.   We had the interview at 10am and the Visa stamp at 3pm.  

19 hours ago, Jojo92122 said:

Does your wife live in Mexico?

Yes

4 hours ago, VanDerFran said:

After one have a Filipino Drivers License, what is the process with  Philippine Auto Association to get the IDP?  test again?  fees?  takes time ?

Just pay the fee, no test to take.  They are at 683 Aurora Blvd, New Manila, Quezon City. Open 8-5pm mon thru friday and 8-12 on saturday.  We were there for about 30 minutes on a wednesday morning.  http://www.aap.org.ph/

My wife got her Filipino Drivers License this past April and then we went to get the International Driving Permit (IDP) at the Philippine Auto Association before we left.  We are currently living in Mexico (I'm also a permanent resident there and I was able to add her to the car insurance for 1 year.  By the time that expires we should have immigrated to the US and if it there is still time on IDP she can drive there for the balance of the year.   

If we don't have our interview prior to December we will be going back to the Philippines for Christmas and she can renew her IDP for another year.

~P

Greetings VJ!

Last Friday I took our I-130 packet to Juarez and filed it.  Today we got our USCIS Approval Notice email.  It is great that we can access the consulate here in Mexico rather than awaiting for state side processing.

Our experience so far has been to get the documents ready for the I-130 including getting her on my financial accounts, updated our mexico insurance and my Mexico Drivers License (to put her one as my emergency contact) .  I came with an inch of documents.  I do a lot of "interviews" and honestly this one thru me off.  The USCIS interviewer reviewed the packet and asked me "Why am I here" and then handed me back parts of the evidence I brought.  All weekend long I was afraid i screwed something up.

I'll keep this updated as we move along.

~Paul

Did she get the CFO stamp yet?