J.M.

As a Texas resident, I want to chime in. A Texas common law marriage is legally treated exactly the same as any other wedding. As such, it meets the requirements for any marriage-based petition, not just naturalization. The naturalization quote from above, as has been stated, only applies to naturalization. There are a few other requirements for a common law marriage to be considered valid for other immigration petitions, such as the right to alimony, child custody, estate division, and "married until death." A Texas common law marriage satisfies all of those requirements. However, I have also had a Texas civil wedding. Me, my bride, and a Justice of the Peace were the only people present. There is nothing to be anxious about. 10 minutes of waiting followed by a 5 minute, casual ceremony. If you live in a large county and want to avoid a crowd, you can pick a smaller, nearby county in Texas and get married there. You can get married anywhere in Texas, as long as you get the marriage license in the intended county, at least 3 days in advance. I would highly recommend a simple civil wedding over a common law wedding. A marriage certificate will not be questioned. A Declaration and Registration of Informal Marriage will be something USCIS has not seen often and might lead them to ask for additional evidence, slowing down the process and causing you additional worry.

They will disassemble whatever you send them and organize it in the order they want it to be when they receive it. I suggest using an ACCO 2 prong folder with punches at the top and some sort of section dividers to assist them in finding appropriate documents when sorting it and to help ensure related evidence remains with the appropriate section. Include a cover page that lists each section to assist them with organizing it.

For Manila, once you have your MNL case number, you are in the driver's seat. Everything from that point is up to you to do. With a "ready" case status, you should complete the DS-160 and pay the MRV fee so you can schedule your interview. Once you schedule your interview, book your medical appointment. As was mentioned already, the welcome letter may never even arrive. We did eventually get one (6 weeks after "ready" status), but you don't need it and should not wait for it.

Technically it is not an interview. It is intended to be an educational class to prepare them for the new country they are going to. There is a group session first, where general information is given. After that, they receive one on one "counseling" for their particular situation. CFO has calmed down quite a bit recently. Lately it is being run as intended, just providing information, instead of trying to be a secondary interview. CFO does have authority to delay or even deny her departure, so don't take it lightly. Be as prepared for CFO as for the embassy interview. Delays would be for lack of required documents. Denials would be for something serious, like suspicion of sex-trafficking. One question they seem to enjoy asking is "What is your fiancé's mother's maiden name?" So be sure to tell her that. As long as she knows your name, address, state, and marriage/criminal history (if any), she will be fine.

She will be interviewed by the US Embassy in the Philippines, assuming she currently resides in the Philippines. I think you will be hard-pressed to find a Philippine Embassy within the Philippines, since there are none, so whatever TikTok said isn't even possible, or was misunderstood. Also, CFO is not conducted by the embassy. It is a class required by the Philippine government for Filipinos that will exit the country. The passport stamp is also old news. Now they issue a digital certificate. The CFO interview can be similar to the embassy interview. Take the same documents to CFO that she took to the interview.

It can be anywhere from a few weeks to a couple of months for it to be delivered to NVC and a case number assigned after you receive NOA2 approval. Request status weekly using the NVC public inquiry. It takes several days for them to respond, but you will get a response. You will get your case number soon. Just keep checking. Mine took 2.5 months, while some others with the same NOA2 got theirs in a month. There is no way to accurately predict when it will be received or processed by NVC.

I've haven't used terminal 3 except for a flight connection, so I have not used the bridge. I think it is unlikely that you will be able to use an airport cart once you exit the bridge, if that is what you are wanting to do. I think there is periodic shuttle service from the bridge to various hotels. Hopefully someone else can answer for you.

Copies are fine for I-129f petition. You may want to send a certified divorce decree to beneficiary for the interview, however. A few people have been asked for certified decrees there, so better to be safe. Usually, a copy is fine there as well, but you don't want to get delayed if they happen to want a certified copy. This is for the Philippines only. Other consulates have different requirements.

Take at look at the formatting for Part 8 in this post (it is for addresses but the principle is the same for employment):

Must have ISO microchip- preferably one that begins with "9"." Must be detectable by universal scanner. Be sure kennel is not too big for in-cabin, but also must be big enough for your dog. Don't exceed the airline limits for weight or kennel size. Must have CDC Rabies Vaccination and Microchip Record (A form your local vet can complete) Must have rabies titer (no lab available in Philippines, must be mailed for processing- takes 6-8 weeks). This assumes your dog does not have a current US rabies vaccine. Rabies titer must be less than 1 year but more than 45 days old After above requirements are met: US CDC Import Permit (2 days processing) Right before Departure: Updated Health Certificate 10 days prior to departure Need screwworm inspection less than 5 days before travel NVQSD Export Permit- valid 3 days only Local BAI-VQS inspection within 24 hours of departure No dirt, hay, or straw in bedding As for your other question, surely it is not a 20 hour flight without a layover somewhere. Investigate the layover location to see if they have pet relief areas. All you can do is limit your dig to just water starting a few hours prior to the flight and maybe just some light treats during the flight, probably timed for when you are eating. It will probably sleep most of the flight anyway, once the cabin lights dim and it gets quiet. As I said, mine do not travel in-cabin. They are too big for that, so I can't give much advice on that part.

I have not taken a dog in-cabin, but I recently completed all of the paperwork required to bring dogs from the Philippines to the US. If you are not aware of the requirements, let me know and I will give you the info.

If you fill in your timeline, it will give you an estimated approval date. You should have gotten a receipt notification (NOA1) by now. The decision (NOA2) will be many months from now. The current processing time on USCIS website shows 15 months. That is a historical time, meaning they have completed 80% of the cases filed 15 months ago. It is not really a predictor of how long cases filed today will take, but it probably won't be too far off.

It takes a long time to correct a birth certificate error in the Philippines. I have read posts from others with the exact same issue that you have, and it was not a problem. Your mother is not getting the visa, you are. As long as your information is accurate on the birth certificate, you will probably be OK. The worst-case scenario is they ask you to correct the birth certificate. Attend the interview and present your documents. If they ask about the name discrepancy, explain it. There is no need to mention it if they don't ask about it. As for the affidavit of late registration, are you talking about the original affidavit of late registration from when your birth was registered? Whatever information is on the document, it was acceptable at the time it was used, or you wouldn't have a birth certificate. It is part of your record just to show that you had a late registration. You can't go back in time and change it. I would not delay your interview for months to amend a birth certificate error that likely won't be a problem anyway. Let them tell you if it's a problem. If, in the future, you petition your mother, you might have to get it corrected at that time.

You will probably have better luck with Airbnb. You can ask the host directly, well in advance, if cats are allowed. I've booked several for dogs. Even if they say they allow pets, I still confirm with them, because I have 2 large dogs. Hotels in Manila can be difficult to get a straight answer from, and the answer will probably come from an employee that isn't the one making the decisions.

I was just answering about how to get the older transcripts. I think you would be fine taking the older tax returns themselves if the transcripts do not arrive in time. I see you have time constraints.

Tax return and record of account transcripts are only available for the current tax year and three prior tax years when using Get Transcript Online. Note: There is a "show all +" expand button below the online tax account transcript type that may provide additional tax years you need. Otherwise, you must submit Form 4506-T to request a transcript for a tax year not available. Tax return and tax account transcripts are also limited to the current and prior three tax years when using Get Transcript by Mail. To get older tax account transcripts, submit Form 4506-T.

You will be there, live and in person. If they ask about your signature, which is unlikely, you can always sign it again right in front of them. How you choose to sign your name is up to you alone, and you can change it whenever you want.

My ex is from the Philippines, here through K1 process. We were married for 5 years, then divorced. I applied for a 2nd K1 approximately one year after divorce. It was approved and her visa is already in hand. My ex is still in the US. She is a US citizen now. That was one of my conditions for divorce, so the I-864 would be nullified. I don't think my previous marriage was even discussed at the interview, other than to be sure she knew it existed. Other than your continued obligation for potential support, through the I-864, your ex has nothing to do with you or your petition. She is on her own, like any other ex. Since you already have NOA2, you have already met the requirements for YOU. All that is left is for your fiancée to meet HER requirements. I doubt the consulate will do much more than advise her that you have done K-1 before that didn't work out and question her a little more vigorously about your relationship. They are not match-makers. Their sole job is to look for fraud or legal reasons for denial. Have your fiancée take plenty of evidence of your relationship. Make sure she is well informed about your divorce, why it happened, and very comfortable discussing it during the interview. I am hesitant to compare the interview process for the Philippines to India. I have no idea what is asked in India. You are not the first to get a second K-1, but your divorce date vs your filing date is really close together, so that is why she might get extra questioning about it. Prepare her for that and you should be fine.

OP already has NOA2, so I think his concerns are more about the interview. Timeline says India, but I know nothing about India interviews.

It's not clear what stage in the process you are in. If your I-129f is still pending approval at USCIS, they returned the beneficiary birth certificate because it is not required and didn't need to be sent. Only the petitioner's birth certificate (or some other method of proving citizenship) is required.

From the LA Philippine Consulate website: Four (4) original duly accomplished Report of Marriage Contracted Abroad form, typed or printed legibly in black or blue ink, signed by both husband and wife and with the notary public signing AND acknowledging that both parties (or the one living if the other party is deceased at the time of Reporting with the Consulate) personally appeared before the notary public. This means the notary is confirming that both of you personally signed it, not confirming that the document is accurate. Jurat not required.

Did you get a marriage license and go through all the steps required of a foreigner for it to be a legal wedding? If not, I would say no, you are not legally married. It's not completely clear if you would even be allowed to register it if you tried, without having completed the pre-marriage steps required for a foreigner. As for the DS-160, if you indicate married, you will not be eligible to use the K-1 route, so that will result in a denial. If you say no, then any pictures, documents, or even a casual mention of the ceremony needs to stay out of the interview.

No

This is likely just referencing the petition, not actually asking for the beneficiary's criminal record. Maybe his background check will still be valid when interview times rolls around. That's when he will need it. As others have said, they are just asking you to check the correct box on the RFE so the form will be accurately filled out. If you can check NO, then no need for any police records.

The divorce is final as soon as the judge signs it. You will not get an official copy of the signed decree until it is recorded by the court. You might get a courtesy copy the same day, but a certified copy will only be available after it is recorded. How long it takes to record depends on the particular court, but it will probably be days, not weeks.