spicynujac

Bank transfers sound like a good idea. By the way, make sure your wife is listed as your beneficiary on every account at every institution. If not, it could cause big problems with her getting access to the money. There are even cases where a divorced spouse gets the money and the current spouse gets NOTHING because the account owner thought the wife just automatically got his money when he died.. NOPE!

So sorry to hear this. Did you have a seat assignment? If you have a specific seat number, you ARE checked in. The thing confusing me in this story is that you traveled on a 16 day international fight halfway across the world without any checked luggage? Only a 7kg carryon bag plus your personal item? I am a carryon-only guy when flying domestically but can't imagine doing an international flight without checking luggage. If you check any bags, you are "checked in." Also, if you didn't check luggage, the gate agents will typically call your name over the intercom so that the gate crew can check your passport, since the luggage checkin crew didn't do it. Are you sure they didn't do this? Finally, didn't you need to show your boarding pass to go through the TSA security checkpoint? I'm a former airline employee and I'm a bit confused how this happened.. I've seen an error with any one of the above, but all three at the same time is hard to fathom. It's most likely you WERE checked in and I'm not sure why you were told you were not. If you still have your travel documents, I would contact Delta about a refund or re-issuing your ticket, if not more. FYI International bags are always free of charge to check (to Asia anyway). It's nice to have the airline take care of your bag for the 24 hour trip. And you don't really save any time like you can domestically by carrying on bags. Another tip, I do often pick the cheapest carrier, but foreign carriers are MUCH nicer to fly on than the USA airlines. The only other thing I can think of is if you were using multiple airlines to travel, like Delta from NYC to LAX and then Philippine Airlines from LAX to Manila, there could be some problems there. Otherwise I think someone wasn't being honest with you or we are missing some details.

A lot depends on what passport you are traveling on. I have a US passport and am entitled to entry for 30 days as a tourist. It can then be renewed for another month, multiple times, by paying additional fees. A 3 month stay can be authorized online by getting 2 online renewals. Longer renewal visits require a visit to the immigration office. There are different rules for different passports based on the length of your allowable stay and entry rules. eServices | Bureau of Immigration PH If I enter the country with my Filipina wife, I get 1 year of legal status automatically (and free) with a Balikbayan visa. BALIKBAYAN PROGRAM ADVISORY - Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines

Why don't you contact someone at the NY retirement office? There are LOT of foreigners living in NY and I'm sure they have come across this situation before. I'd be careful of relying on US companies as a permanent bank when you are not in the US. The benefits I mentioned above are meant for US citizens traveling abroad as a courtesy and benefit to gain their business, and are not meant to be daily banking solutions for foreigners living anywhere in the world. I feel pretty sure if I withdrew cash at Filipino ATMS a couple hundred times over a year, that that benefit would soon be cut from my account and I would be told to open a bank account in the country where I live. A local bank account is a must. And perhaps the funds can be sent there, or perhaps you must deposit them in a US bank first. To clarify about the property, your wife (IF what I heard is correct) CANNOT buy property now, UNTIL she gets dual citizenship issued by the Philippine authorities. She could have bought property freely before getting the US citizenship.

What is the source of your retirement money? It is VERY common for Americans to retire abroad and have their social security checks deposited to foreign bank accounts. If it is your own account, like an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) then there are also easy ways of redirecting the funds. If you receive a check from a company or other entity, then I don't know the answer without more details. My first and biggest question to anyone facing this would be think VERY carefully about what citizenship you want in the future... My wife is in her 20s and we are already not sure if she will be applying for US citizenship (that decision is years away for us) but if one KNEW they would be leaving the US, US citizenship imposes worldwide taxation on all income (only the African nation of Eritrea does this) and has onerous reporting requirements, and basically the only benefit she gets is easy and free entry to the US if she wanted to visit, and I suppose the ability to sponsor others for US citizenship. For us, having permanent residency is the best thing until we know for sure where we will be in future decades. But you've already crossed that bridge. If you have any accounts at major banks or investment firms (Schwab, Fidelity, Vanguard, etc.) I would talk to them. There can be a lot of factors that make your question not so simple to answer over a forum, and you might be leaving out important details or not providing the full information needed. Also, I heard anecdotally (unconfirmed), that while my wife, a Filipino citizen who is has permanent residency in the USA, can buy property today in the Philippines, once she becomes a US citizen she CANNOT, as she loses that status until she completes the requirements for dual Filipino citizenship. So for anyone looking at this, it might be advantageous to purchase the property BEFORE US citizenship is granted, which is what we will do (you don't lose the property if you later alter your citizenship--it remains titled in the legal owners name). Again, I would caveat talking to a financial professional, estate planner, lawyer with some international experience, or at least someone at the bank or finance company you trust (an estate lawyer I use charges $200 an hour which is cheap for some good information), but as a GENERAL rule, the larger the institution, the easier it will be to do this type of thing. For example, I have free international wire transfers from Fidelity and free cash withdrawals worldwide through Schwab. Sadly I don't know of any banks that operate in both the US and Philippines--it is mostly other Asian firms over there, like HSBC, etc. That would make things much simpler.

It's true, there are both Robusta and Arabica coffee plants. And of course different coffees from different parts of the world taste differently too! Lately I am a big fan of Domincan coffee from Cafe Santo Domingo but the best I've ever had by far is from Monte Copey in Costa Rica. You can ship it to the USA but you will pay like $60 in shipping costs... Sadly I didn't buy enough when I was there. It's one of the few coffees that doesn't send me straight to the bathroom. But the number of tea varieties are in the dozens, if not hundreds! Of course that depends on whether you consider herbal teas as actual "tea" or not.

The main problem I see is that your spouse, who is *not* Filipino, probably needs to complete the process of becoming a legal resident of the Philippines *before* you request this change. I don't know how long that would take. If you thought of this earlier, I would say it's a great idea, tho it still might be a good one now. As far as Manila turn times, I did a LOT of research on this a couple of years ago and there was no significant shorter time in the dozen or two countries I compared it to. So I don't think Manila is significantly slower than anywhere else (and much faster than a few countries), though things change. You can search the visajourney data to confirm. I think Manila is one of, if not the highest volume, embassy for issuing marriage visas and once our waiting for USCIS processing was done, the embassy itself took care of things promptly within a few months. But you want to be sure this is your final decision and your spouse will stay there until processing is done. Changing countries again will only result in long delays, and could raise questions.

Tea, primarily due to the HUGE variety one has, from black tea to oolong to chai to earl grey to peppermint to green to kombucha. Coffee is fine, but it's all essentially the same, outside of black coffee and milk+coffee. I toured the Uji region of Japan that produces its teas, and learned that there are about a dozen different teas they make from the same green tea plant, depending on sunlight, drying, roasting, and fermentation. And tea didn't even originate there (China). And that's just one type of tea plant. Types of Tea | Learn about Uji Tea | Kyoto Prefectural Tea Industry Chamber

1) Definitely one from an EU country. The ability to live and work anywhere in any EU territory may be the single best passport feature in the world. Also allows you to bypass the new fingerprinting and visa fees Americans must pay to visit EU! Spain gives visa free travel to 175 countries, and is currently ranked #2 passport in the world, and has some benefits in some South American countries so I'd pick that one. 2) One from Japan as it will allow generous visitation rights to most Asian countries, and the ability to live in Japan! Singapore would be similar. China if you are playing the long game and want to help out your decendants, as they are a rising power. 3) I wouldn't really need a third passport if I had those 2, but if given three, I would pick one up from Switzerland, just because it's one of the most difficult countries to obtain citizenship, is a neutral country, and would give great social benefits living there. Possibly UAE for a totally different lifestyle. United Arab Emirates is currently ranked as the #1 best passport, has the highest number of visa free countries, and no income tax, so that's probably the best single passport to hold, particularly if you want to live there. I don't know the entitlements for UAE citizens, but I assume it is similar to Qatar, where you get income tax exemption, free utilities, subsidies for marrying and having a family, a large stipend, money for a house, superb social benefits, etc. Also my US passport is rather powerful, but if I didn't already have one, I wouldn't want one (encumbers you with global taxation on any income you make, lack of social services, etc.). A good strategy is to collect passports from regional cooperative areas, such as European Union, Southern Common Market, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, perhaps even UK for Commonwealth access, now that it's no longer an EU country.

Ah, that makes sense Ah that makes sense, since our instructions said wait and your interview would be scheduled for you (!?#!) but it wasn't and no instructions were given on self scheduling! Bottom line, check the forum here for the best info. If it wasn't for this forum, we would have wasted MONTHS waiting by following the official instructions. Pretty frustrating to get misinformation direct from the US gov instructions!

In our case In Manila? We scheduled our own appointment as one was never "given" to us. Maybe things have cleared up by now, but a few months ago, there were *two* websites as they were switching over to a new scheduling system, and the instructions had a bunch of misinformation telling you to go to the old site, which was still there and semi-functioning, but wouldnt issue you an appointment, and had no info about the correct site, and I ONLY got a successful date by trying for several days after lots of reading the posts here. I *believe* the old/bad site is ustraveldocs and the correct one is https://www.usvisascheduling.com/en-US/ but you should confirm that. Also waiting times vary by embassy (and even our experience in Manila in May might not be very applicable today). The Manila embassy is notorious for switching around priority and processing of different visas. At that time they were focusing on fiance visas, which were not a priority in the past. See these threads for more info. Also note that you will be scheduling TWO dates on the calendar.

What we did: Legal / civil ceremony was performed over a Utah video call (fast, cheap, easy). Religious ceremony was performed at the Cebu Cathedral over a year later. Wife entered as an IR-1 permanent resident with 10 year renewable green card. Bonus: NO additional fees or interviews will be due until US citizenship! Here's a tip: Most of the people you see getting married on the beach, even in the USA, are *legally* married in a separate process before or after that ceremony. The beach wedding is just the social / religious component of the marriage (to us, the most important one!) A couple of others above suggested the Utah civil marriage. It's what we did and still looks like hands down the best approach. You can be legally married in about a week for about $75 through Utah if you apply today (shoutout to Universal Heart Ministry who did a fantastic job officiating). That takes care of the legal requirement for immigration, and a ceremony can be done anywhere / anytime you want to satisfy the social and religious components (I'm not downplaying these--we did not consider ourselves married until this was done--but the US State Department does, so we immediately filed for our immigration paperwork and had our ceremony a year later!) You can get legally married any number of places around the world, including the Philippines or even a third / neutral country, but there may be fees, requirements, interviews, blood tests, documents, waiting periods, etc. Utah makes it as fast and easy as driving through a Las Vegas wedding chapel. Much faster, easier, and cheaper than a wedding would be in my home state, in fact. If a religious / social ceremony is important to you (and if not, it will almost certainly be important to your bride!), planning for a fun, memorable, and special ceremony can be a great way of passing the time during waiting for immigration processing. We had our ceremony over a year after our legal Utah wedding certificate was issued, and it kept my wife busy and the waiting game far less difficult. It sounds like you are possibly already with her in the Philippines so maybe this is less important, but still a factor to consider. Just remember, you can file your spouse's visa petition (form I-130) immediately after legal/civil marriage, as long as you are both physically present together during the ceremony (if not you must physically meet as husband and wife before filing). While it stinks having to start a new process, I think you'll be happier getting a superior spousal visa in the long run. If anyone if Philippines asks why you have a Utah wedding certificate already, just say it was easier / required / whatever for US immigration purposes. The priests involved in our ceremony had no problem with it (one of them did grill us a bit in the church premarital interview, but I suppose that is their job!). I would 100% go this route again. One of my American groomsman said it was the best wedding he ever went to and wondered what we spent. He said in the states it would have been a $100,000 ceremony. I spent less than 1/10th that!

"VJ Member Timeline: No Timeline Found!" You could have a reasonably accurate estimate of the processing time if you filled out your timeline... Takes 2 minutes. First thing I did upon joining the forum.

Interview is essentially the LAST step. Did you receive anything asking you to schedule an interview? If you haven't filed the DS-160, that's essentially the FIRST step in the visa application (until then you were just in the waiting period to PETITION for a visa. Kind of confusing I know). Nonimmigrant Visa for a Fianc(é)e (K-1) It seems like you are in "Second Step: Filing for the Visa" So the next big step is submitting the DS-160. I went spousal visa which is a different process but I'm sure others can chime in if you have any questions in filling out that form. But the first step is to file your "VISA APPLICATION" document which is the DS-160 for fiances or DS-260 for immediate relatives / spouses. And begin collecting all the documents in the list above.

It's CHRISTMAS SEASON!!!! (If you are married to a Filipina) haha! I've never gotten a plastic tree before (and sold Christmas trees every year as a Boy Scout) but I think I will buy one this time because our real trees won't stay alive for 4 months! (hopefully they aren't tariffed to the same price as a live tree) I was unaware of this tradition until last year when someone posted it, but I can assure you it is 100% TRUE! Are any of you celebrating / decorating this early? Yeah I know we have Halloween and Thanksgiving coming still but... I'm not gonna argue!

Civil Registry/Consular Mortuary Certificate – Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco A copy of both passports is required. That would prove Filipino citizenship. I will PM you the contact for a Reverend Chris at Universal Heart Ministry who officiated our virtual wedding and was fantastic (he charged us about $10 more than a state of Utah bureaucrat charges and it was a lovely ceremony).

@yuna628 Agree. When my wife tried to open an American retirement account, she needed to print and mail her application with a copy of her social security card. No big deal, the account took a few days to open instead of a few minutes doing it online (we could have also showed her card in the branch in an hour or so but mail is more convenient and there was no rush). Wherever you are having trouble establishing an account, you should show them your physical social security card. I think you are overcomplicating the issue. I've never dealt with a "barcode" or visited / called the SSA for anything other than at my father's retirement date (my wife got her social security card in the mail automatically after she immigrated). Your number is valid once you have your physical card in hand. The SSA office is correct in that there is no "verification" of them. Technically it's not even supposed to be used for identity verification (that used to be printed on the cards themselves) so if someone is giving you a hard time about that, I would just look elsewhere. As far as a joint user on a credit card, I opened one in my dog's name several years ago... obviously he doesn't have a social insurance number (for those wondering, I received $50 for doing so under some funny promotion). Maybe try doing business at a local establishment versus one of these automated big companies where they use AI chatbots and don't know how to handle real customers (try a local credit union).

Based on our experience, I strongly recommend you do the online civil marriage (assuming both parties are ready) IMMEDIATELY. The clock for IR-1 starts ticking from WEDDING date, not filing date. There is a great advantage in entering the USA as an IR-1 permanent resident. No additional fees to the US Gov. No additional meetings or appointments or forms to file. Green card shows up automatically within 4 months. Social security card shows up automatically within weeks. 10 year permanent resident card, meaning you never need to renew it assuming spouse becomes a US citizen within those 10 years. Spouse can freely travel in and out of the country and work (she is going back home next month which would have been impossible under a K-1). Far cheaper than the fiance K-1 or even the similar CR-1 visa. We did the online marriage route, then met again in person (a *requirement* before filing your case), then waited a year before our form I130 began processing. At that point we knew the ball was finally rolling and began planning a nice church wedding in the Philippines, with all the pomp and circumstance (highly recommended if you are religious) and all this planning really took our (especially her) minds off the wait. During this time you can also work on CFO requirements, getting a new Philippine passport issued in her married name (strongly recommend this--it is the cheapest and easiest way to change her name--do NOT wait until you are in the USA), and can do the required medical test in Manila. By the time the visa was received, we decided to wait about 6 weeks so that we were married 2 full years before we entered the USA (CR-1 becomes an IR-1). We planned the wedding date on this 2 year anniversary, and then had a nice Filipino honeymoon too. Then when you enter, you are no longer Conditional CR-1, but a superior IR-1 immigrant. Plus there are generally US income tax advantages to being married for tax years 2025 and 2026... The immigration process was not fun, but after reading other's experiences (which I did a LOT of before deciding on this path), I'm very happy we picked this route.

Absolutely! I would bring it up at any interactions you have prior to entry.

The electric chair?

Charles Schwab Investor Checking has a debit card with free international ATM fee rebates and no foreign transaction fees. So when I withdraw money at a Filipino ATM, and the screen says I will be charged 250 PHP as a foreigner, my bank pays that fee instead of me. And of course direct debit (non-cash) payments are handled in the foreign currency with no fee/markup (using the published VISA exchange rates). It basically gives you a local bank account in the local currency while traveling. Getting one of these cards is a great long term solution, and one I've been using for about a decade traveling across the world. Short term I would just send her some cash and have her exchange it at the airport if it's just small amounts for meals etc. You might even be able to do this in advance at the departure airport. Or just pack a lunch. American airport food is pretty terrible. I've been amazed at how affordable it is to send money via Western Union from the US to M'Luihillier (barely more expensive than using my bank's free international wire transfer service!). Alternatively you could look into buying her a prepaid card in the Philippines using an international network.

What is your reason for moving to the US? If you are relocating concurrently with your wife's permanent residency, what are the terms and details of this relocation (when, why, how, where, etc.)? At the very least you need to eliminate all the reasons an immigration officer can deny you, and if you are not living in the US and don't show any documentation of a permanent (long term) move there, you haven't met this qualification. Filling out your timeline would help.

Seems to only apply to K-1s per @CrazyCat's comment above. Another case of bad reporting!

OP's spouse was granted a visa, and has already entered the US. I see this is a split topic, so maybe something got deleted but what is the question or issue here?

USCIS tightens green card rules for marriage-based cases, adds mandatory interviews The USCIS has introduced new rules for marriage-based green card applications, effective from August 1, 2025. These changes apply to both pending and new petitions, as outlined in the 'Family-Based Immigrants' section of the USCIS Policy Manual. This includes mandatory in-person interviews for couples applying for a green card through marriage. Anyone know more about these changes? Sounds pretty nuts. Then again, I have found the accuracy of MSN news items that pop up on my screen to be very far from accurate... I suspect there is some exaggeration here... they aren't really requiring all immigrant couples to attend a government interview are they? This article suggests immigration agents can make surprise visits to your house "especially" (but not only?) if you're married less than 2 years. US Green Card Process Gets Strict for Married Couples: New Immigration Rules Explained Additionally, USCIS has broadened its ability to conduct unannounced home visits, especially for marriages under two years, to verify the relationship's legitimacy and combat fraud. I know marriage fraud goes on all the time. And perhaps this can catch some of it. But it's gotta be unnerving for the vast majority of us doing things above board. Unannounced home visits by federal agents as a routine policy is not something I had on my bingo card for 2025. I would expect we will have more fee increases soon to pay for all these extra bureaucratic processes. Sure glad we have our green card and have passed the 2 year mark!