Howy

Hey,

Have you checked your/your fiance’s birth certificate? My husband was able to find his father’s full name there. He could not find the date of birth though, which he wrote “N/A” on. We filed a year ago and it was approved with no RFEs.

Hi all,

I am a Filipino applicant for AOS (coming from K1), and my husband and I just filed AOS this month. It looks like AOS interviews are being scheduled earlier than usual! I just had questions.

I may be off but my worries are if my interview is scheduled within 3 months since filing. If that were the case, what documents do you all recommend I should focus on preparing first?

My guess is medical insurance is one strong evidence but what if the interview comes earlier before the cutoff date for my husband’s insurance application thing-y?

It’s been a couple of months since my CFO experience. Based on my experience I will say this:

Your overall CFO experience mainly depends on your counselor. 7 times out of 10 you will leave with a smile. To my surprise, I left with ugly tears. 

You will benefit bringing a police certificate. Also, show whatever you can show when asked. 

When you can, be polite and say “yes” to everything. Be kind.

Delays can happen. Ideally you get your certificate the same day as your appointment. Delays can happen from two weeks to a month. I was lucky to only be delayed by two weeks.

Smile. Be polite. Again, be kind.

These are all things I wish I knew at the time of my CFO GCP. Good luck to all.

Hey, update on this for anyone who may come across the post in the future: after marrying, I was only able to change my last name legally through the courthouse and social security. In our state here, we are required to file a petition for modifying our first name in any sort of way. So yes, I CAN change my first name and remove one of them, but it will mean going through another process aside from marriage. Hope this helps.

Hello :). I'm a Filipino spouse who recently got married and we're hoping to get some guidance regarding a portion of Form I-485.

On the public charge question on item number 61, I answered "Yes," but now I'm required to state more information, specifically assets and liabilities. We are seeing to provide the values of my husband's assets on Form I-485 and not Form I-864, but we are wondering:

- Will refusing to declare assets on Form I-864 after providing the values on Form I-485 be a problem or cause an RFE in some magical way?

- Will we be required to provide additional evidence of my husband's assets (mainly savings) even though it's not on Form I-864?

- Will we need to provide additional evidence for providing the values of the household liabilities as well?

Appreciate the help. We're hoping to file in about a week. Thanks!

Hello, all. Just had a question on something someone here might have already went through.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I can change my name through Social Security to whatever I want it to be (?). My K1 visa and CFO certificate is approved (yay!), and flight is nearing, and I’ll eventually get to applying for my SSN soon.

I have two first names like many Filipinos. I really want to get rid of my first first name and only keep my second first name (Howard), but is that recommended to do? In general with immigration? Will it cause any problems for when I later on return to the Philippines and my name is different there, or when I give my birth certificate anywhere during the immigration process and they see the name is different there?

Hope someone has experience on this to share. Thank you.

Hi guys, Filipino beneficiary here.

I just got my FBI records from my American fiance and he told me the story of being falsely accused by a mentally challenged patient he worked with. He went to jail, but the charges were dropped. He’s innocent. This was more than 10 years ago.

My K1 visa is approved. Interview passed. But I have my CFO seminar in the Philippines coming up and the port of entry interview down the line when I fly to the States. I worry they'll refuse or deny me entry or affect any of our chances at all, or just in general make it inconvenient for us to push through with immigration.

Did anyone here go through the same experience? Any advice to offer? It’s not a dropped case, just charge, so are there other additional documents I should prepare? Just want to be ready for my fiance.

23 hours ago, EatBulaga said:

 

I think one bottleneck that many K1-to-AOS don't realize is the time to receive the marriage certificate (not marriage license).

Depending on which state or municipality, the marriage certificate can take 30 days or more to receive. 

We avoided the wait by going to Las Vegas for the wedding where we got the marriage certificate the same day as the wedding. 

Also, you can start collecting the documents for the I-864 like the last 3 years of tax transcripts, payslips, etc., 

A couple of other fairly important steps to plan for the K1 beneficiary is opening a US bank account and getting the state Real ID or driver's license, which rely on the SSN and marriage certificate (for name change).

But as a rule of thumb for the super-prepared, if you can file the I-485 within a month after US entry, then you are balling.

 

You can see the step-by-step of what we did at our Timeline or Profile.

https://www.visajourney.com/profile/386517-eatbulag

 

Hi :). I see on your timeline you guys filed very quickly for SSN. Is the 2-week wait rule not applicable now anymore?

My fiance and I would love to file as soon as we can too, just worried about any possible negative consequences.

 Hello, I’m the Filipino beneficiary. I am hoping to get my K1 visa issued within this month.

I was reading on posts here that it is very important to marry AND file for AOS within 90 days. What I know so far is, when I get to the States:

1. Apply for SSN

2. Marry

3. File AOS

4. Name change on SSN (later on, not sure when)

If that’s wrong please correct me. My main question though is this: given this timeframe right now, where my fiance and I are still not together in person in the US, are there any specific steps we can take in advance as of right now? Just based on everyone’s experience, was there any document you wished you have requested or applied for earlier, or is everything a pretty smooth process?

Just a little concerned, because it looks like many couples file for AOS past 90 days. It made me wonder whether it was very time-consuming to gather documents or something.

5 hours ago, top_secret said:

CFO has never been to concerned by age gap by itself but they have been known to give younger applicants a little closer scrutiny.  Just go in there prepared to talk confidently about your relationship.  The counselor may judge you by if they think you know what your are getting into with your relationship. If you seem responsible and mature they shouldn't give you any problems.  In general CFO has been allot easier to deal with lately.  After the total meltdown they had last summer they seem to have settled down a bit.  No recent complaints about them that I have heard.

Oh if thats true that’s good news! Do you mind telling me more about the meltdown in question? Just curious.

Also, has anyone had the experience yet of a CFO officer refusing to issue a certificate if you dont provide them a police certificate from your American fiance? I’ve already heard recent horror stories about that. Would want to prepare in advance (whether there are other docs to bring, specific details to take note, etc).

Hello, Filipino beneficiary here.

My medical is halfway done, and after my interview, the CFO comes next. My fiancé and I have a 21 year age gap, and I’m only 20. I hear from others CFO will not like that.

I honestly am more scared of it than the interview, where I could be talking to American consuls instead, because what if the CFO officer denies a certificates based on that age gap alone? The reason I’m worried is because of experiences I hear from my fellow Filipinos. The CFO is the bigger battle to me because sometimes its also fellow Filipinos who drag down other Filipinos.

For those who know here, is there any tip or added step you guys could advise me? Additional documentation to show? Specific attitude? When to schedule even?

Hello! Filipino beneficiary here.

I just received my CENOMAR by mail today, which I had ordered from PSA online. It’s for my old name at birth. When I compared it to my CENOMAR from PSA I had attended an appointment for (for my current name), I noticed my CENOMAR from online does not have a barcode.

I am aware barcodes are important on documents like the appointment letter and the DS-160 confirmation letter. Is it also important to have it on CENOMARs that I should buy another, or not so much? Thank you! 

Hello, Filipino beneficiary here looking for others who had experience getting 2 CENOMARs with different names! I have a PSA appointment soon.

I need another CENOMAR with my birth name. My parents were not yet married at that time and so my surname was different before.
I want to get a CENOMAR on that exact old name, but there seems to be very limited resources on what it was like for those who got them successfully.

Did you guys need to provide a specific document? What should I bring to PSA for my appointment to get that CENOMAR with my old name? Is it fairly simple and smooth process like with getting CENOMAR for current name? Please help!

Hi, Filipino beneficiary here.

I just wanted to verify with you guys if you had an idea whether this birth certificate of mine counted as “late registered.” It has an annotation on the side because of a late legitimation due to late marriage, but it does not have that “late registered” annotation on the remarks box.

If it is late registered, what documents should I bring to the interview? I was only 1 year old at the time of that annotation.

By the way, as a follow up if its fine, is it true that after that 2 months of being subjected to the sputum test, that you need to get to the US AND get married in only a 4-month time frame? Or how exactly does this work once I arrive in the US?

Im sad to hear these answers but it’s good to feel it is outside my control. Better than for me to obsess over it thinking it is within my control. Thank you.

Also, if anyone wants to add anything as a sort of advice for my medical, I’d appreciate that too.

Hello, Filipino beneficiary here. My medical is in about 2 weeks.

What are some exact things I should do to avoid the dreaded sputum test? In general I am taking notes of healthy habits (proper diet, exercise, sleep), but specifically speaking, how do I totally eliminate the risk of being a victim of the sputum test nightmare?

I’ve heard of honey and ginger tea benefits online but would appreciate tips from you guys here instead, especially those who already went through the process. Thank you.

Hi, if anyone ever runs into this issue, there is an alternative website to use to resolve this. It is: https://appointment.psa.gov.ph/

Hello, Filipino beneficiary here on the K1 process. My interview date is on April 23, 2024.

There is a frustrating rig on the online website for applying for CENOMAR: psaserbilis.com.ph/Census/CENOMARDetail. When you select “YES” on Document(s) for delivery to an Embassy or Government Agency, you need to fill out your interview date. But it only lets you put the PRESENT date. I cannot at all put April 23, 2024 there. 
 

I am so tempted to just enter the present date, although thats incorrect, just to be able to send the CENOMAR to the US Embassy in Manila. Otherwise I can select “NO” and enter OTHERS on purpose of request.
 

Not a lot of resources online about this. This process can get so draining. Please help. 

Hey, sorry, this post is 4 years old but just wanted to ask if the times are different now? Is it still recommended to get an NBI clearance with AKA for this scenario?

I was born 2003 with parents not married so I had a different name at birth, and on my birth certificate annotated on the side, it says “legitimized by virtue of subsequent marriage (and so on).” 

Hi, Filipino beneficiary here,

On DS-160, there is a part that asks for employer phone number.

My current employer only does employment verifications through email (no phone no. at all), and my past employer’s supposed phone number for employment verification is just, let’s say, broken. Doesn’t pick up at all.

There’s this link that says for questions that do not apply to you, you can answer “Do Not Apply.”  https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/forms/ds-160-online-nonimmigrant-visa-application/ds-160-faqs.html

In my situation I feel it is fair for me to use the “Does Not Apply” answer, but can anyone provide any similar experience or insight? This is a rather uncommon situation and Im aware employment information is not as important on K1, but just wanted to make sure by asking. Thank you.

Hi, Filipino beneficiary here.

On DS-160, under Previous Work/Education/Training Information, it asks for “course of study” for my senior high and junior high experience. I attended grades 11-12 for senior high and grades 7-10 for junior high.

What I plan to enter for junior high course of study is “academic,” and for senior high, I am torn between “vocational” and “Accountancy Business and Management (ABM),” the strand I took here in the Philippines as a senior high student.

I appreciate any insight. Thanks :).

Hi, Filipino fiancé here. Our embassy location is at Manila.

My American fiancé received an email this February 27 stating the NVC is forwarding the petition to the US Embassy in Manila. We are under the impression this isn’t the “welcome letter” we are supposed to receive that gives us the green light on filling out DS-160.

We haven’t received any other letters or emails as of now, but I checked our case status on CEAC and it says “case ready.”

Is it advisable to wait for the welcome letter before submitting DS-160? Or is our case status being ready already good enough for us to submit the DS-160?

21 hours ago, Ontarkie said:

Are you talking about the way your signature looks is different? 

Your name in both are the same correct? 

If so sign it the way you want. Not one single signature of mine is the same. It's no big deal as long as it is yours.

Yes, the good thing is both signatures do clearly contain my name. I even sign them the same way.

It’s just that my first signature only has 1 of my 2 first names and my last name, while my second signature has almost my full name: 2 first names, middle initial, last name. It still shouldn’t be a problem?

This has been gotten me overthinking, just want to make sure Im doing it right. I just found out I still need to sign my passport, and later on Im getting an NBI clearance which will also of course need a signature. I think I should just use my new signature across these two IDs and get on with it. Just wanted to see if I could get insight here first…