J.M.

The only notification you will get from NVC is an email when they forward your case to the embassy. You can request the case status and case number from NVC using the NVC Public Inquiry form: Public Inquiry Form (state.gov) You should send an inquiry once a week until they assign your case number. Once you have your case number, you can track it using CEAC: CEAC (state.gov). Choose immigrant visa. NVC will take a few weeks to a few months, depending on how lucky you are. For the Philippines, once you have your MNL case number, you can complete the DS-160 and schedule your interview. You will probably not be contacted by the embassy, except maybe an email when they receive your case.

As mentioned above, CFO has calmed down a lot. Don't worry about it too much. Be confident and friendly during your counseling session. Take the same documents you took to your interview. Police certificate for fiancé is not required. CFO was never intended to be a point of denial. It was intended to be educational, preparing you for life in your new country. For a while, they decided to be judge and jury, but it's not like that now. Just be truthful and confident and you will be fine.

For K-1, your case will go to NVC after NOA2. There is no way to track it. It can take a week to a couple of months for NVC to receive it. Mine took 2.5 months to get there. Others, with the same NOA2, got there in a week. Once it is at NVC, they will assign an MNL case number and forward it to Manila. That will happen 1-3 weeks after NVC officially receives it. You are looking at 1-3 months total for NVC to receive it, assign the case number and send it to Manila. You should request your case status from NVC using the public inquiry form (online) starting a couple of weeks after NOA2 and weekly thereafter until they give you the case number. You can Google NVC public inquiry form to find it. Once you have the case number, you are in charge of the rest of the process. Do not wait for the Manila embassy to prompt or guide you. They will not. With the case number, you can fill out and pay for your DS-160, then schedule your interview, then schedule your medical appointment once you know your interview date. After all that is complete, you will schedule CFO, which will be the last thing needed before departure. The time between Manila receiving your case and completion is mostly dependent on how quickly YOU move through the process. Expect some delay to get an embassy appointment, but nothing extreme. It should be no problem to complete everything in the Philippines in 1.5 to 2 months. That's allowing 1 month to get an interview appointment, a week to get passport back, and a week to complete CFO. A lot of it depends on how far away your fiancée is from Manila. If she's close, you can complete things pretty quickly. If she has to travel a lot to get there, that adds time because you have to leave extra time to arrange travel. My guesstimate would be 3-4 months from NOA2 until ready for departure. There are always variables. It could be quicker or take longer.

The receipt number is your petition case number. It is printed on NOA1. NOA1 is just a notice mailed to you from USCIS indicating that they received your petition. You should have gotten than long ago. If you have not gotten it, then you have no way of knowing your receipt number. Not receiving the receipt notice does not necessarily mean your case is not processing normally, but I would definitely inquire using the method mentioned above.

You can check your case status here: CEAC (state.gov) Select immigrant visa. NVC will send your case to Vietnam. They will probably email you when they send it. It will change to "In Transit" and then "Ready" when it arrives. The I-797 validity date is normally extended automatically by the consulate in additional 4 month increments, if needed, up to a year total.

From your description, everything seems to be normal. NVC will not send you anything except an email when they send your case to Brazil. All you can do is wait for them to send it. Since your fiancée already got your case number, there is no need to contact NVC for anything now.

Yes, that's it.

Now that you have your case number, you can complete the DS-160: Nonimmigrant Visa - Instructions Page (state.gov) Also, create an account for scheduling the interview: portal.ustraveldocs.com/?language=English&country=Philippines Monitor your case status. It will change to "In Transit" and then "Ready" once it is delivered to Manila. As soon as it is "Ready," you can start looking for an interview appointment. As soon as you get an interview appointment, schedule the medical exam, approximately a week prior to the interview. Once your petition is delivered to Manila, you have to do everything. Do not expect anything from the embassy except probably an email saying they received your petition.

Yes, you can start it. Once you get your case number from NVC, be sure to do things correctly for your beneficiary's country. I have no specific advice for Ecuador.

Your next step after I-129f approval is to request the new case number from NVC using the public inquiry form: Public Inquiry Form (state.gov) Ask them about once a week until you get the new case number. It takes them a few days to respond, but they will respond.

RapidVisa mentions the I-864, which you don't even send. I-864 comes later, when you adjust status. You will send an I-134 for the interview. Manila almost never collects the I-134 at the interview. I would not be too concerned with sending that digitally. I understand the confusion. I can't count the number of times I have read that some particular document must be an "original copy" when researching visa information. The legal definition of "original copy" basically means it cannot be a copy of a copy, but the literal definition is THE original. Anyway, if you need to physically send her anything at all, you might as well include a wet signature I-134 along with the rest of it. Since your concern seems to be mailing tax documents, those can certainly be sent digitally. I'm not sure sending them digitally is any more secure than FedEx, but that's up to you. It only takes a few days for expedited delivery to the Philippines. The 30-90 days recommendation is probably for USPS and Philpost. As said above, LBC then DHL are first choice if near you. If not, FedEx and UPS are the other options. UPS was significantly cheaper than FedEx for me, but that is probably because I am a regular customer with an account. Since I had to send things anyway, I included wet-signature I-129f, I-134, and updated Letter of Intent, as well as a certified copy of divorce decree. Probably copies of all of those probably would have been fine, but sending originals instead of copies is just as easy if you are already sending things. The I-134 was not asked for at the interview, as expected.

In Texas at 25 years old, you can take the written test and driving test immediately. That is probably not practical if you have never had a license, so getting a permit/restricted license is probably the way to go. To get the permit, you have to pass the written exam. You can do that at the DPS office, or you can enroll in one of the many driver education courses and take the test online (for a fee of course). Here are the steps you will need to take to obtain a Texas learners permit if you are 25 years of age or older: Gather required documents: You will need to provide proof of identity, proof of residency and proof of insurance. Acceptable forms of identification include a passport, birth certificate, or permanent resident card. Study for the written test: You will need to pass a written driving test that covers Texas traffic laws and regulations, road signs, and safe driving practices. You can use free study materials and practice tests available right here at NextDoorDriving.com. Make your learner’s permit appointment with the DPS. Pass the vision test: You will need to pass a vision test to ensure that you have the minimum visual acuity required to drive safely. Pass the written test: Once you feel comfortable with the material, you can take the written test at your local Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) office. Obtain a learners permit: After passing the written test and vision test, you will be issued a Texas learners permit.

Medical exam validity is 6 months from day 1 of medical. Your visa expiration date will be the same as the medical expiration date. The visa expiration date is the last day you can enter the US. The 90 day clock starts after entry, even if you show up in the US with 1 day remaining on your visa. You are partly correct. If you undergo sputum testing, you will be down to 3-4 months to arrive in the US, but you will still get the full 90 days to get married once you arrive.

I know there is a lot of advice for passing the sputum test given by Filipinos. The truth is, none of them matter, and none of them will have any effect on the result. You cannot eliminate the risk of being subjected to sputum testing. It is based on a chest x-ray, primarily looking for scarring. If you have ever had a scar on your body, I think you know that drinking honey and ginger tea did not eliminate the scar. It will also not eliminate scarring on your lungs. A week or two of "treatment" will not change that. The best approach for medical is to just be sure you are rested. That has nothing to do with your chest x-ray, but it will help with the rest of it. If you happen to be a smoker, stopping that might help a little by reducing inflammation. I realize the possibility of being subjected to sputum testing is real and dreadful, but it is out of your control. Honey and ginger tea won't hurt you, so by all means have all you want. My fiancée said fresh spinach and whole milk was the secret. Good luck to you.

Transit means you are passing through a country without going through immigration in that country. It appears Panama allows you to be in the airport up to 9 hours while waiting for a connecting flight without the need for a Panama visa. It has nothing to do with the K-1 visa, so don't get it confused. The answer to your question is no, it does not matter what route is taken to get here, as long as any stop along the way will not require a visa (for that particular country) to transit through the airport for the connecting flight. Research "transit" for any airport you are considering, and it will list the requirements for that particular airport.

They have their own parking garage on site. I remember it well because it was nearly impossible to maneuver my truck around in it. There is a sign at the street entrance to lead you to it.

I was referring to RFE for the I-693 (which they almost certainly will not get since it should still be valid), not the DS-3025. I said they should send the DS-3025.

Previously, the I-693 was only valid for something like 60 days after it was signed. That is no longer the case. USCIS already has your I-693. K-1 does not submit I-693 unless specifically asked for it via RFE from USCIS. You can send your DS-3025 though.

They were only asking which middle name you wanted on the card since both would not fit. They did not legally change your name (except possibly to your married name). By SSA definition, only the first and last names are "legal" names. Middle name(s) or suffixes are just for differentiation among similar names, but they are not considered part of the legal name by the SSA. First, middle, middle, would all have to fit on line 1. Line 2 is reserved for last and suffix.

She will be fine. It's a 15 minute walk from Casa Bocobo to the Embassy. It will take away some of her nervous energy too. Mine also walked. She was a bit closer to the embassy (actually right across the street), but that made her walk to SLEC longer. Her walking pace is like a sprint, though, so nobody would be able to catch her anyway.

Mine was the other way around. First, the seminar, then individual counseling. It was quite relaxed. Nothing to get worked up over anymore. Bring the same documents you took to the embassy. One of the questions they like to ask is beneficiary's mother's maiden name. Mine was swift enough to realize she had a copy of my birth cert and glanced at it. Make sure she knows your address, state, phone number, and anything about kids or previous marriages. Tell her to be confident. Mine took place in Cebu. Others may be different. I feel like they are running it like it was intended now, to prepare them for moving to another country, instead of looking for any reason they can to delay you.

CFO is all in-person now. They prefer that you already have the visa prior to CFO. It's not difficult to get an appointment, so there is no rush. You should be able to complete CFO within a few days of her getting her passport back after the interview. Getting in before you have the visa is difficult and not really worth the effort.

Ours changed to "issued" and was picked up by LBC the day after the interview.

You are somewhat at the mercy of NVC. "Sent to NVC" only means they strapped it to a turtle's back and hope the turtle will eventually wander to NVC. Seriously, though, it takes 2-4 weeks for NVC to receive your petition and another 2-3 weeks for them to assign the MNL case number. Both of those are estimates. It can take longer, or it can be quicker. Start requesting the status from NVC in a couple of weeks using the public inquiry form online. Once you get the MNL case number, things are somewhat in your control. With the case number, you can complete the DS-160, pay for it, and then schedule your interview. I read that SLEC is backed up right now. Hopefully that will clear up before time for your medical exam. A fairly reasonable estimate to POE would be 3 months if you push once you get your case number. 1.5 months until Manila receives your petition, then another 1.5 months for interview, medical, and CFO. There are always variables, so be patient. For example, my petition took 2.5 months just to GET to NVC, while some others with the same NOA2 took only 2 weeks. I think it was that turtle's first trip. You're almost there...

A certified copy usually would come from the court where the divorce took place. How you obtain it would depend on the local policies for that particular court. For me (in Texas), it was just a matter of going to the court records department, asking for a certified copy and paying a small fee. Here, a certified copy just has something like "certified true and correct copy" printed on every page and has a seal on the final page. I cannot advise if the UK consulate will want a certified copy or just a copy.