spicynujac

First of all, if there was something that blocked US media, I'd consider that a blessing, not a curse. It's not at all controversial or debatable to say the US mainstream media is untrustworthy--it has levels of trust slightly above those of Congress, and more distrust it than trust it (32%!, according to Gallop polling). The partisan lying started with Faux News a couple of decades ago but now it's spread all around, and one need only look at the treatment by long time leftist journalist Matt Taibbi when he was called in front of the US Congress, by Democratic congresscritters, (or the brilliant debate by Taibbi and Douglas Murray at the famed Munk Debates which garnered their largest ever change in opinion in history after they debated the question Can the Mainstream Media Be Trusted) or the exile of pulitzer winner Glenn Greenwald to Brazil, or the treatment of Julian Assange, to see how censorship, lying, and omission is the norm. This is all to say that reading mainstream media articles is far more likely to misinform one than it is to educate. On top of that, most news today is infiltrated with the political. Do you really want to expose your spouse to that? Personally I'd focus on things she is interested in, hobbies, interests, talents, or skills like cooking-- there are dozens of great sources that talk about American foods (from America's Test Kitchen to video blogs to Diners Dives Drive-ins or whatever that show was). Focus on feeding her positive information, not the horrible abyss that is US politics or mainstream media. Also the lament that there's a lack of English Language media to read online strikes me as quite bizarre. The vast majority of content on the web is in English and there is no difficulty accessing even niche content in English anywhere on the planet. What does she need to improve? If it's language and grammar, there are sites, videos and blogs which focus on that. Likewise culture, history, etc. Reading is probably best, but there's also a TON of niche English language content on youtube and tiktok (which my spouse prefers). The top "news" stories right now on CNN and Fox are Cuomo endorses VP Harris then slams progressive politics, including the 'dumbest words ever uttered' and Trump is getting wilder, but the race remains a toss-up Is knowing anything about that going to help her prepare for living in USA (other than developing a disgust for our politics and knowing to avoid it ) [Apologies to those that genuinely like American politics and exclusively consume mainstream media.] One final suggestion: Local, hometown papers (even those not in your actual city, but preferably in your state or region) still employ independent journalists, and write a lot of articles that are focused on day to day life in America, cultural events, human interest stories, etc. and avoid obsessing about elections that occur maybe 10 times in our lifetime, or the international stories copy/pasted from AP/UPI. Check out local, small papers in towns of 100,000. And expect to pay for good content. The stuff you find out there for free is often clickbait, propaganda, or written by a machine.

The American Embassy is not going to ask for your Report of Marriage (it's a foreign registration of marriage document--the US already has your *US* marriage certificate) but this will be required by Philippine authorities before your wife can exit the Philippines. I'm not even sure she will be allowed to do tourist travel once she has the American visa in her passport unless she gets the ROM / CFO. It certainly will be stressful and there is a risk of offloading, particularly at Manila airport. By the time you have your US immigration interview, if you haven't already submitted the ROM, you may face delays in coming to America. Currently our ROM is in process, with an expected processing time of 6 months. And we are not expecting a visa interview until next year. So go ahead and do it. The added plus is this will save you hundreds of dollars, as you can use the ROM to get a new PH passport with married name in it, which is very costly to do later in the US (and has additional paperwork and reporting costs with local and federal agencies). 900 pesos versus $415 USCIS fee + local court costs... do the math.

I second a lot of the info here: Truly the friendliest people I've met (Costa Rica is the closest in the western hemisphere but PH is times 10). Strangers will just strike up conversations on buses, in restaurants, etc. First time I was there riding a motorcycle along the roads of Bohol with a Filipina girl this group of young guys rode by yelling at us. I thought maybe it was something like "Go Home Gringo" or "Don't Take Our Women" but my partner told me they were just yelling "Welcome to the Philippines!" I never rent a car abroad (other than Australia). Why do the work yourself, worry about getting lost, parking, fees, navigating, traffic, etc. when you can pay a professional who knows the roads? But especially in PH--taxis are cheap and ubiquitous--plus they will handle luggage for you and everything. It's like being a VIP. Traffic is a nightmare and you want someone who knows the routes. Grab is good but not needed. If your girl has the app you can use it but I always just flag a regular taxi (there are huge lines of them at any airport) and never had a problem other than the Manila Airport Taxis which will rip you off and say the meter is broken. Been using Schwab card for years traveling abroad. It basically gives you the equivalent of a temporary local bank account abroad--you can withdraw money from ATMs in local currency without any fees at the prevailing VISA exchange rate. Without this you're paying 500PHP every time you get cash PLUS 4.5% or higher markup on the conversion (or exchanging in bulk at the airport or Western Union / M'Luihiller with the risk of carrying around too much money). Also strongly recommend the IR1 over the fiance K1, if you're sure you will marry. Great plan would be to do the Utah marriage in PH before you head home, because the clock starts ticking at your first physical presence together as husband and wife. Very strongly recommend universal heart ministry Rev. Chris who made our day so special but you can also get a Utah state bureaucrat to do it for about $10 cheaper. I did the Utah online ceremony as a civil union and then planned a religious church ceremony the next year in PH (also a great way to make the waiting time go by). The denial rate for bringing a stranger to the country (K1 fiance) is always higher than bringing your wife or any other family member (IR1/5). And of course some fiances come to USA and never marry. Do they all return home? The bar is lower and less evidence required for family members. Either way PH does not have a high denial rate for either case. and will add: Filipinos love to talk loudly and laugh a lot! Get out of the cities, *ESPECIALLY MANILA*. I have traveled all over the world and Manila is the poorest presenting and most depressing I've seen (I've been to poorer countries but none affected me the way Manila did--it was truly a shocker). I avoid Manila at all costs for multiple reasons (taxi drivers there rip you off but never had a single problem in Cebu, authorities much stricter, etc.) but I spent one night in Manila and I had to literally step over the bodies of homeless people sleeping on the bridge to cross to the other side and catch my bus... sad, dirty, noisy, (to me) very ugly. Anywhere out of the city is fantastic. I love Bohol! You need a copy of your airline ticket to enter the airport--you can't just show up and expect to check in and get your boarding pass. There is a guard at the door who only lets people into the airport who can show proof of a ticket. Learned this the hard way once when I had to go walk with all my luggage to some office and pay ~$1 for a paper ticket and come back to him, wasting an hour in the heat). Screenshot on your phone is fine. I suppose it keeps pickpockets, etc. out of the airport. Expect incredible levels of service. I am so spoiled by the general service levels in Asia and particularly PH that I can barely tolerate American taxis, hotels, waitresses, etc. Enjoy breakfasts at your $75 hotel that will rival what you get at the Four Seasons back home. Doormen, Bellhops, guards, sharply dressed in uniform, happy to assist you with a smile while they address you as sir. Baggage carts will be personally delivered to you at the airport for free--they cost $15 to RENT in Atlanta's airport. You can enjoy an hour massage every day for the cost of a fast food meal back home. Really incredible lifestyle. Going to the mall is FUN! As a guy I can honestly say I like shopping there. Malls are big social events. Transportation is great. No matter where you want to go, there is a plane, bus, boat, rapid van, jeepney, taxi or tricycle heading there every few minutes, or just flag down someone with a motorbike and they'll take you for as little as 50p! You are treated the way you deserve (unlike say the TSA who pats down grandmas, often I'm just waved into the mall by the security guard at the door because I'm obviously not there to cause harm). If you need data, SIM card is easy and cheap (well not as easy now with new identity registration law but still cheap--or just use wifi in your hotel and I get around with Maps.me offline map app). The food is below par in Asia for a westerner, nothing like Taiwan or Japan with lots of delicious Sushi and high quality beef--it's low quality pork cuts and lots of unhealthy fried foods (my girl loves Pork Knuckles). You can find decent food but this was perhaps my biggest disappointment. But great cheap fruits and fresh juices/smoothies and Buko pie is amazing. Do extra cheesy / romantic things. Buy your girl flowers. Make her feel special / different. #1 country in the world for Facebook is Philippines so she will take a hundred photos of it and feel very kilig. Bring some pasalubong and sing karaoke and the family will be ready for you to marry that night 😁

That seems to be a universal truth in the Philippines! I won't even buy tickets abroad out of Manila due to their outgoing immigration screening. Now if only Cebu had a consulate and hospital approved for TB screenings... Thanks for the update OP... good info.

I have a friend who received Global Entry for free, as an airline frequent flyer bonus (He's a million miler). He used it once. Never used it since. He says it is always way faster just to enter using the free US Customs app. No one uses that, so there is never a line for it. Any citizen can download this app for Android or iPhone and you will basically immediately enter the country without waiting in a line, without needing to fill out an application form, or be fingerprinted or interviewed, or pay any fees. https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/mobile-passport-control I'd try this before I signed up for Global Entry. Another thing to consider: Every single time I've waited in the regular line for the standard passport check WITHOUT Global Entry, I've had to wait on the other side for my baggage for several minutes before I could proceed. The baggage processing time is always greater than the passport processing time. So having Global Entry would have meant I would be waiting on the other side of the passport check in the room where you retrieve your luggage to have it possibly screened for taxed or prohibited goods, but wouldn't have reduced the waiting time at all. That's the single reason I don't have Global Entry. It's wait here, or wait there. Now, if you aren't checking luggage when you travel internationally, by all means, go for it. But otherwise not worth the time, expense, and privacy for me to do enroll in Global Entry. Of course, those who paid up for Global Entry and see the much shorter line they go through are going to sing its praises but in the end I don't see any benefit...

I'm still confused. Some indicated that marriage visa applicants (IR1) have their interviews scheduled by the embassy, but finance (K1) must schedule their own interview using a tedious system where you must log in repeatedly for days/weeks/months until you luckily catch an opening. The above seems to indicate you booked your own IR1 interview. Which is it?

I'm not following this fully. Did you obtain a CFO certificate prior to taking a tourist trip abroad? Anyone done this successfully? I am getting nervous about an upcoming trip to Japan, because the airport rules state that a Filipino citizen traveling abroad to meet their foreign spouse or fiance who does not have a CFO certificate is automatically subject to a more intense secondary screening. Obviously the Philippines exit interview is worrying, due to the arbitrary and capricious offloading (30,000 citizens were offloaded recently in a year, with reportedly 90%+ of these deemed to have not been a risk after the fact) so anything to lessen this risk would be MOST helpful. From what I've read here, the CFO certificate does not expire, so no reason not to get it ahead of time if you can... If there is a requirement to show a visa stamp to proceed, I'm planning to send the Japanese visa stamp to register for CFO. Reports here state the rules at the airport may not be followed all that closely, and she is departing from Cebu Mactan, which is far better than Manila in terms of immigration, but I'd rather be safe than sorry... It's funny the CFO rules and PI rules clearly contradict each other 😆 Nice Catch-22 there, Philippines!

The process in actuality wasn't as simple as they describe it. The steps online indicate you fill out a form and then after 5 business days you can go to the DFA office. When my spouse did so, she was told oh no we don't have your document, you have to fill out another form and it will be sent off to Manila and she needs to come back in one month to pick it up (not sure what the point of the first step was then!) Since she was already there I told her to go ahead.. the cost is 100 pesos. But if we had known this beforehand I'm not sure it was worth the trip... she had to wait several hours just to submit the application! I'm beginning to understand that's normal procedure for the federal gov't in PH... Can't beat the price though!

What online service did you use to verify passport online so you can file a W-7 with US IRS?

Time to process my ROM at SF embassy in mid 2024 was about a month. If you applied a couple of weeks ago just give them another 2-3 weeks and see if you get an approved ROM. The big wait is after receiving that, it takes 6 months for the home office in Manila to process it before you can obtain any documents from Phillippine Statistical Authority. I wouldn't bother asking for a status update for something that is processed within a month, it's only gonna slow them down to add that step. One of the fastest parts of our entire process so far. If you're in a rush if you include prepaid express mail or an extra fee they will return the documents to you faster which might shave a few days off. But of course the 6 month wait is the same.

Question for those who are awaiting interview appointments at the Manila Embassy: Do I understand correctly that it is up to the couple to schedule their OWN interview? And not the embassy assigning you a date? I thought these interviews were stated by NVC to be done "first come first serve"? I am reading about people who are logging in to a scheduling website for weeks or months looking for an opening (unsuccessfully). If that's the case, interviews aren't really given in the order of filing, are they? What if you don't log on daily to try to schedule an interview? Could someone approved weeks or months later than you really grab a spot ahead of you? Is this normal procedure at other embassies? Seems to me they should just assign the first date available to the next person in line and cut out all of this stress and delays. It isn't right for someone else to jump ahead in line because they happened to obsessively check a website faster than you when you should be up next... I don't think I want the stress of trying day after day... maybe will just pay someone to do it for me. It was already stressing me out when I would check the USCIS site almost daily once we passed the 12 month mark. And that was "only" about 6 weeks of checking. Sounds like the wait from NVC to interview could be a year!

A religious opposition to vaccination could be invalidated if her medical record shows she accepted vaccines other than Covid-19. It's obviously not a religious conviction. If she is worried about side effects, why not look into some of the more traditional approved vaccines which are not the type that caused your wife problems? Sinovac covid vaccine for one, is produced essentially the same way as the flu vaccine which has been around for years. Much easier than adding over a year and hundreds or thousands of dollars to the process... The primary goal of the vaccination requirement is to protect the health of the US citizens living here--not to provide freedom of choice for foreigners who wish to come.

The year of birth for one of my spouse's parents is incorrect on our I-130 petition. We filed the DS-260 with the correct date. Should we do anything to correct the earlier error? DS-260 is currently pending at the NVC, hoping for approval in the next few days, and all data on it is accurate. The I-130 had wrong year, with the correct month and day.

This is the first time I've seen someone say they regretted the spousal visa and wishing they did a K-1 / fiance. I've second guessed my decision a few times, but the current situation where K-1 visas appear to be issued slightly more quickly than an IR/CR is most likely a temporary glitch, and I sure wouldn't want to roll the dice and hope that is still the case in 2025 if I were applying today. Just looking at the VJ data here, specifically for the Philippines, for initial filings from 1/22 - 1/23: 279 K-1 applications Avg total days 514 101 CR1/IR1 applications Avg total days 606 So the average wait time was 2 months longer for spousal, but in the grand scheme of things, what's 20 months vs 18? If we are talking significant time savings, sure, I'd be tempted to reunite sooner and pay over $1,000 extra and deal with USCIS for years, but if I'm waiting 18+ months regardless, I'll stick with the spousal visa. K-1 has its place, particularly for bringing over children, but if you are ready to commit to marriage, IR1/CR1 is almost always the way to go. I *am* curious what explains the brief reversal in processing times. Was this a federal administrative dictate? A remnant from covid backlogs? Local decisions made at the Manila embassy? Or perhaps it was just caused because a whole lot of people, myself included, decided to marry during the lockdowns because while travelling was difficult, at least you could start the immigration process through a marital visa? And so the number of marital visa cases is just way up right now? Either way I think it's a pretty huge risk to bet on the (slightly) faster K-1 processing times continuing. Historically, K-1 visa cases are down, while IR cases are up. Perhaps the US gov just isn't responding rapidly to this change in filing patterns and doesn't have enough staff allocated to IR visas? No graph, but US State Dept reports IR visas are increasing rapidly over this same period: 2020: 108,292 2021: 170,604 (+58%) 2022: 212,185 (+24%) 2023: 245,696 (+16%) Another factor for me is the immigration process is so awful, I don't want to give USCIS a penny more than I absolutely HAVE to, to support this horrible agency, and the K-1 costs are well over $1,000 higher.

Current wait times from your NOA2 to interview are around a year. This isn't even limited to the Philippines. Use timeline search here to confirm. Your wait times are, sadly, "normal." If you filled in your own timeline, not only will we better understand what stage you are in, you will receive estimated approval dates (based on forum data), and also you help give everyone else a more accurate picture.