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Kawika & Michelle

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About Kawika & Michelle

  • Birthday 02/19/1973

Profile Information

  • Gender
    Male
  • City
    Katy
  • State
    Texas

Immigration Info

  • Immigration Status
    K-1 Visa
  • Place benefits filed at
    Texas Service Center
  • Local Office
    Houston TX
  • Country
    Philippines
  • Our Story
    My fiancé & I been together since June of 2020. We met online in a Facebook group and have been together ever since. I was divorced in 2019 (separated since August of 2018). I spent the end of 2018 & a good part of 2019 going through the healing process. I searched for my new partner first through singles groups at my local churches before moving on to the online dating world. After spending a bit of time on there, I soon realized that the type of woman that I was interested in wasn't likely to be found in my country. As luck would have it, I stumbled upon a Filipina on OKCupid. We talked for a bit but I never got the feeling that she was genuinely interested in me so that relationship never went anywhere. The good thing that came out of it was that it opened my eyes to the Philippines as an option for my future bride. I spent a good part of the beginning of 2020 watching YouTube videos to learn about the women there & all of the bloggers that were just starting out back then. Since a large majority of the people I met online via the dating sites ended up being fake accounts, I decided to see if Facebook held any better luck.

    As I noted, I met my fiancé in June of 2020. We started chatting there & eventually had a video call by the end of the week. This was the first video call I had with a potential date and it amounted to just a lot of smiling as we both didn't really know what to say to one another...but we were both at least relieved that we had found a real person and the actual person who we thought we were talking to online. We continued talking to one another every day despite my decision to keep my options open and continue to consider other Filipinas that I had reached out to. I did let her know what I was doing as I didn't want to hide anything from her. Luckily for me, she stayed committed to me & at some point during my search I finally came to realize that everything I always wanted was already sitting right in front of me and I didn't need to keep looking to see if there was anyone better out there.

    When our journey first began we thought about bringing her here on a US Tourist VISA (which we later found out is nearly impossible given our situation) followed by me going to meet her in the Philippines (which COVID prevented from happening) to finally us trying to find a country where the both of us could finally meet in person. After some research we settled on Costa Rica & then began the long and drawn out process of acquiring all of the paperwork & authorizations to allow the both of us to meet there. As many from the Philippines know, your country is notorious for their immigration officers offloading a lot of citizens who are trying to leave the country…especially when they are meeting their foreign partners for the first time. After jumping through a lot of hoops & providing tons of documentation for her CFO counselor, we finally got her blessing for us to meet. After getting all of our documentation together, we planned to meet in July of 2021 in Costa Rica. As luck would have it, when it was time for my fiancé to take the COVID test she ended up testing positive for the virus. She was immediately sent into quarantine & our travel plans ended up having to be canceled. As a divorced dad with primary custody of three school aged children, my window for travel was restricted to just times when my kids would be visiting with their mom. It just didn’t seem like we would have the chance to meet after all. To make things worse, as part of the suggestions we were given to increase her chances to be able to leave the country on her own to meet me in Costa Rica, I sent her $2000 (100,000 pesos) to have in her account as proof for her to be able to support herself & return home in case our meeting went badly. She had withdrawn this money & brought it with her on the trip so that she could give it back to me when we finally met in Costa Rica. While she was in quarantine and went to take a shower, one of the guards apparently went into her room & stole all of the money & some of her other belongings.

    Despite the issues we encountered, we were still determined to try to meet one another. So I got as much of the previous trip refunded as I could and rebooked another trip for us in August of 2021. The stars continued to align for us as she was able to make it past the immigration officers despite their interrogations. Due to the rebooking, I had to get creative when it comes to getting her from the Philippines to Costa Rica. This included a lengthy lay over (20+ hours if I remember correctly) in the Netherlands. For some reason, this threw up a flag with the authorities in either Qatar or the Netherlands as she was questioned for a little while about her travel itinerary. Luckily they allowed her to continue her journey & we eventually finally were able to meet one another on August 6th, 2021. By the end of the trip we were engaged & have continued our journey since then.

    Once the country finally opened its borders, I've been blessed enough to have visited my fiancé in the Philippines on 4 additional trips over the past two years. This includes our last trip in March of 2023 which included my three children who came along so that they could meet my fiancé & her family.

    It hasn’t been a journey without its share of challenges or ups & downs but we have both remained committed to one another through it all and are now a few weeks away from her interview at the Manila embassy (May 4th). If everything falls into place, we hope to have her travel to the US (Texas) the following Friday (May 12th)…if not…shortly thereafter. We are making plans for our wedding in Hawai’i so that my parents & the rest of my family can take part in it…

Immigration Timeline & Photos

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  1.    OldUser reacted to a post in a topic: SSN For K2 Follow to Join Applicant
  2. Kawika & Michelle
    Green card came in about a month before the SS card. SS card was delivered to us some time last week.
  3. Kawika & Michelle
    I was able to chat online with someone from the USCIS. Apparently they indicated that my step son's information was sent to the SS office a few days after his application was approved. I was then told to contact the SS office to get more information about his SS card. I plan to call the SS office tomorrow or Friday to see if I can get any additional information.
  4. Kawika & Michelle started following K1 Fiance Visa My Wife disappeared and is unresponsive. Found out from sister that she is having an affair with her co worker and intended just to stay with me until she she saved some money and then move out in an apartment with him. Also charged $10K me , SSN For K2 Follow to Join Applicant , AOS Form Arriving After 90 Day K2 Stay and 2 others
  5. Kawika & Michelle
    Hi folks, My step son got his AOS approved last month (November 9th). As part of the I-485 application process, we requested a social security card for him. We have not received any information on his SSN since receiving his green card. We initially tried to get him a SSN when he initially entered the country like we did with his mother, but the SSN office told us that he could not apply for it before the AOS. I am not sure if we need to continue to wait for his SSN to arrive or if we need to go down to the local SSN office & try to get him one ourselves. Can anyone shed some light on the subject? Thanks! Kawika
  6. Kawika & Michelle
    Just making sure that the post marked date counted as the submission date.
  7. Kawika & Michelle
    Hi Folks, Just wanted to see if anyone may know what happens in our situation. We ended up waiting until Monday (May 13th) to submit all of our AOS paperwork for my stepson. Today is officially his 90 day end date as he entered the country on February 16th, 2024. The submission was sent via USPS Priority Mail on Monday, however per the tracking information we were given the package sat for 3 days before it was accepted at the first USPS Origin Facility shortly past midnight on May 16th. Expected delivery is for Saturday, May 18th so I am guessing that the package will not be delivered until Monday the 20th. Is there anything we can or should do in this situation? Thanks! Kawika
  8. Kawika & Michelle
    So even if he has his K2 VISA...we are still leaving this blank?
  9. Kawika & Michelle
    Hi Folks, In the process of filling out the AoS for my stepson...in the I-485 form...do I use his mother's Alien Registration Number when filling out the form or should he have his own number? Thanks! Kawika
  10.    happyscrub reacted to a post in a topic: Chances of getting a k1 fiance visa after only one meeting in person
  11.    Kawika & Michelle reacted to a post in a topic: Options on Changing the Last Name of Wife's Children
  12. Kawika & Michelle
    Hi Folks, My wife & I are in the process of bringing her son over from the Philippines on a K2 "Follow To Join" VISA option. She came to the US last May & we were married in June. She asked me about potentially changing her son's last name to my/our last name since he would be the only one in the house with a different last name. Does anyone know what options we have to make this happen? Thanks! Kawika
  13.    KCrist reacted to a post in a topic: I-134 Issues
  14. Kawika & Michelle started following Got RFE regarding I-864, not sure how/what to respond and Follow To Join Questions & Recommendations
  15. Kawika & Michelle
    Which one? Our AoS?
  16.    Kawika & Michelle reacted to a post in a topic: Follow To Join Questions & Recommendations
  17. Kawika & Michelle
    Hi Folks, It's been awhile since I posted here & as such a lot of this stuff is a little foggy in my memory. My wife & I (she came here as a K1 fiancé visa holder) need to bring her 4 year old son to the US as part of the follow to join option. Both her 4 year old & her 10 year old was included on the original K1 visa application, but only her youngest will be joining us. She received her K1 VISA on May 4th, 2023 so we are assuming that he will need to get his VISA issued to him prior to that date. What we are trying to determine now is the best way to get him here that will account for any bumps we may have along the way. He already has his passport. As far as I know & can recall from the original process, we still need to complete a DS-160 for him, complete his medical examination & finally the embassy interview. We know that we ideally need to get his medical exam done at least 2-3 months prior to his interview just in case he gets flagged for the 2 month sputum test. Can I go ahead & complete the DS-160 now even if we have no plans to do anything until 2024? I'm not sure if that DS-160 is only valid for a period of time or not. Do we complete the DS-160, pay the MRV fee, then set up the interview & then schedule the medical exam? Am I forgetting anything? I know the medical exam is only valid for 6 months...so the earliest we should consider having him do the medical exam is in November or December for it to last through May. Does the medical exam need to be valid post entry into the US? I'm guessing we'll be starting his AOS shortly after he arrives in the US as well. Any input or guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! Kawika
  18.    TannerH reacted to a post in a topic: Are you required to submit your W2 with your I-864 when filing for AOS? (merged)
  19. Kawika & Michelle
    I'm not sure if this is specific to your case, but for my wife's adjustment of status petition...we got an RFE to prove that her sponsor (me) is an American citizen. I sent them a copy of my Passport & State certified Birth Certificate (either would have been sufficient) as a response electronically through their website. It was accepted a couple of days later & the review process continued shortly thereafter.
  20.    Kurt and Kristina reacted to a post in a topic: Status after K1, but before approved I-485
  21. Kawika & Michelle
    My wife is in the same status right now. For what it's worth...we took the advice of the group & got her a SSN before she was married. We got the SS card issued. We went back to the SS Administration to have her SS card updated with her married name, but because we attempted to do about a week or two prior to her K1 VISA due date they would not issue a new SS card. They told us that we would have to wait until her green card was issued before we could update her SS card. It seems that had we made the time to get to the SS Administration 3+ weeks prior to her K1 VISA due date...then they would have just issued her a new SS card with her married name. Hopefully this helps someone out there.
  22. Kawika & Michelle
    Have you tried contacting the embassy directly via phone to ask about your particular situation?
  23. Kawika & Michelle started following Questions about AOS packet
  24.    Mello3 reacted to a post in a topic: Step Kids Not Accepting Step Mom
  25.    Kawika & Michelle reacted to a post in a topic: How to get a Driving License in Texas (merged)
  26. Kawika & Michelle
    If you really are seeking a Christian Filipina wife then I would say take a look at ChristianFilipina.com. The main reason I did not go that route was due to the cost. I had already paid for a few of the US based dating services in the past & just felt like it was a waste of time & money...so I was wary of throwing more money away. I do think that the quality of woman that you find there will be a lot higher & you should find much less scammers on that site versus some of the free sites that people are suggesting. If you don't mind taking the time to sift through the scammers in hopes of finding a genuine woman...then certainly going the route of the free dating websites should be a good place to find some eligible women. ChristianFilipina.com seems to do a fairly good job of vetting the women on the site. I can understand the feeling of wanting/needing a wing man to go along with you...but I think you'll find that things there are a lot different than you find here. People are generally friendly & open to foreigners. I don't think you'll find women throwing themselves at you...but most will be at least open to chatting & getting to know you versus the general temperament you may find here. I'm a fairly laid back & shy guy myself...but once you get a feel for the lay of the land & the "competition" you have over there...I think you'll feel more at home than you realize. I'd definitely consider starting friendships with 2-3 women when you have a hard date set on when you can go there. That will give you a chance to date a couple of different women to get an idea of how each woman may or may not fit with you & your expectations. I'd just be sure to be open with them & let them know that you aren't in a committed relationship. What you'll have to accept is that giving them that information may end up also opening the door to them seeking attention from other people too & rightfully so. Just keep in mind that everyone's recommendations will be tainted with their success & failures they may have experienced...things which may never happen to you. If you just go there with an open mind & an open heart...I think you'll find a lot of other women there who are looking for the same things that you are.
  27.    mam521 reacted to a post in a topic: Dating And Finding That Real Relationship
  28.    TBoneTX reacted to a post in a topic: Dating And Finding That Real Relationship
  29.    RO_AH reacted to a post in a topic: Dating And Finding That Real Relationship
  30.    RO_AH reacted to a post in a topic: Dating And Finding That Real Relationship
  31. Kawika & Michelle
    If a man is only motivated by lust...then in today's world...there are zero benefits to a man getting married or seeking out any kind of binding relationship. Typically a man's sexual market value will only continue to increases as he ages while a woman's hits its peak in their 30s and rapidly declines thereafter. The only reason a man who is driven by lust would seek marriage is for the raising of children. Beyond that...men driven by lust are far better off simply bouncing from relationship to relationship continuing to upgrade his partner while not being financially tied to any of them.
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