Nathan Alden, Sr.

@hunny&me Thank you so much for the example! This will prove extremely useful. Did the Filipino spouse fill it out first and then mail it to the US for completion and further mailing to the San Francisco consulate? In other words, is my logistics assumption in the OP correct?

As far as names go, Form I-130 is the least of my concerns. Far more onerous are the repercussions of changing one's name in the Philippines. For me, it's a matter of keeping the moving parts to a minimum, which is why we'll leave her name unchanged as of now.

Another question about my birth certificate: Apparently, I can order an apostille version. Is this what the consulate expects, or should I just get a regular certified copy?

I think I have a decent grasp on the Report of Marriage process at this point. However, I do have a few questions: Logistics I am proceeding assuming that my bride should fill out the completed forms in the Philippines, get her signature notarized there, then mail me the completed forms along with a certified copy of her birth certificate from the PSA, the five physical passport photos, and the CENOMAR. I then add my signature with notarization and send the completed packet to the consulate in San Francisco, which has jurisdiction over Utah County marriages. Notarization Will the Philippine government accept a form notarized twice, once by a foreign entity? Marriage License The instructions at the link above say "Marriage Contract / Certificate (original copy should be submitted to the DFA)." I am assuming they want an apostille version of the marriage license (in my case, a Utah County marriage license). Do I have to do anything to the apostille copy or do I just send it as-is? Birth Certificate I only have one copy of my birth certificate in my possession and I'd rather not go long periods of time without it. It looks like the Philippine government wants an "original copy," so I'll probably have to order a copy. Passports Will they accept photocopied print-outs of each page of my passport? Additional Documents The link above says "For applicants in the USA and Canada – kindly submit documents specified in a & b together with any of the following." However, I have neither a green card, nor a copy of a visa, nor a job contract or working permit. I'm assuming these are not needed in my case because I'm a US citizen rather than a Filipino living in the US.

My age gap is not so great--24 years--but I decided to go the marriage route because the K-1 path seems to involve too much of a chance to be discriminated against by the government agents involved on both sides. Having a marriage license is better "proof" than proving a relationship in other ways; it at least shows a level of seriousness and commitment, especially since marriages often come with photos of happy family members, a reception, etc. that give the impression of a bona fide relationship.

Lucky you. Neither my bank nor my Discover card allow that.

Thanks for the insistent advice, truly. I already determined that I can't add her as an authorized user of my credit card because the issuer requires a US SSN. I'll do what I can. 😊

Do you have a source for that? I believe you but I'm curious to learn more.

@spicynujac Thank you for the very informative post! Regarding the name thing, I'm hoping to hear from someone who did use a new married name on the I-130 before having any "proof" or other documentation that used that name, and then learning about their experiences afterward. It's just that without knowing the last thing I want to do is make a mistake on something as seemingly important as her name, only to be RFEd or outright rejected a year from now. That would be crushing. The hard part for me is not knowing where the names given on Form I-130 are used later in the pipeline. Are green cards issued in that name specifically? Other documents that we'd have to change later? It makes it tough to make an informed decision. I already have nearly all of Form I-130 filled out. I am just waiting on a couple of small things. Believe me: I can't wait to hit that submit button! I ran into a couple of issues with the way Utah County handles marriage license applications. The first is that their application page on their website lacked a middle name field for my spouse. I didn't think much of it at the time but I should've insisted that they update the application by hand immediately after submitting it and before the marriage ceremony. The second is that they ask for the state where my spouse was born, which, for many countries, makes no sense. I entered a value of "Province of Misamis Occidental" but later decided it should be listed as "Misamis Occidental" since a province in the Philippines is really the closest political division to a US state and "Province of" is not included in the legal name of a Philippine province. I also ordered an apostille copy of the marriage license today after having them correct those mistakes. All told, it cost me almost $60 to reorder things. Additionally, they have yet to provide me with a new digital PDF of the marriage license that contains the Titan Seal. The clerk has been responsive, though, and I imagine I'll get this soon enough. I figured out that I didn't need CENOMAR earlier today, luckily. Your advice is spot on! Thank you for the tax advice. I had wondered about that some time ago but put it in the back of my mind since it's not even close to tax filing season. I'll probably contact an accountant to get advice on this when the time comes.

I answered my own question regarding an apostilled copy of the Utah County marriage license: it needs to be ordered separately. This can be done here after the marriage license is registered.

You say that but on the online I-130 website, under the Additional Proof of Marriage section, the website says this: This text was specifically why I was focusing on comingling our finances in some provable way. I figured that comingled finances would be better evidence than just easily-forged WhatsApp messages and affidavits. Obviously, I'll be submitting all three types of evidence in the end.

Thanks for the correction. Thinking about it now, I knew that from my research before but for some reason it slipped my mind this time. The real blame lies with the consulates, of course.

Thank you so much @top_secret. To be clear, I did state in my post that I had begun the I-130 process already. In fact, it's nearly complete. There are a few items I'm waiting on but nothing major.

I was curious about how the NVC is faring over time at resolving its immigrant visa backlog. Using granular information provided on the US Department of State website, I created a spreadsheet and a chart that shows the trend: Asterisks indicate bad, missing, or incomplete data. This chart clearly shows that the NVC had been steadily improving what I call its "clearance rate," which is the rate at which visa interviews are scheduled compared to how many submissions are documentarily complete, at least until November 2023. Unfortunately, the data only goes back to mid-pandemic; I would have been very curious to see data from 2019 and earlier as I am guessing the clearance rate was much higher then. Despite the NVC website claiming "We are committed to resolving the immigrant visa backlog..." in reality they are barely making headway, especially in the period between October 2023 and May 2024 when the clearance rate has essentially remained unchanged. At a clearance rate of 12% and all else being equal (e.g., different visas not being treated differently, no special prioritization, etc.), this means the average immigrant visa takes more than eight months to process once reaching the documentarily complete status. This obviously is not the full picture as the USCIS itself has even worse processing times. Combined with consulate delays (e.g., Manila), it's no wonder overall process times are approaching two years. I've attached the LibreOffice Calc spreadsheet I used for the screenshot in case anyone is interested. nvc-immigrant-visa-backlog.zip

I've done additional reading regarding the name change, and it seems like anything more than a first name change is a long, drawn-out process in the Philippines that involves forced use of laywers and the Regional Trial Court. I've read the change can take anywhere from one to four months to complete. It seems to me like the most time-effective course of action is to leave her name unchanged so that it matches all of her existing and upcoming documents and then change it as part of her naturalization process in the US. Only then would the discrepancy become meaningful, and only when dealing with the Philippines (e.g., her passport would be in her old name).

She has only ever had one name: Mary Smyth Roberts (using my chosen pseudonym). The other names, which I labeled as such, are her mother's or biological father's. I was trying to communicate the source for each of the names because I am aware that the Philippines is ornery with regards to changing names and cultural expectations. There literally had to be a Supreme Court case there for women without their husband's family name to be treated fairly, if I understand the situation correctly.

I should clarify that I was referring to the CR1/IR1 process, not the overall experience.

Ah, I think my misunderstanding was that the I-129F is used to apply for a K-3 visa. If I choose not to apply for a K-3--and there doesn't seem to be much point given the extremely long timelines--then there would be no need to submit I-129F.

@EatBulaga I stated in my post that I've started the I-130 process, which is the CR1/IR1 process. I am already disregarding the I-129F until the I-130 reaches NOA1. As far as I am aware, I still must submit I-129F even for CR1/IR1. The Utah County marriage license does not list her new married name.

I agree; I wouldn't call my situation "complex" as much as the post itself is complex. I tried to roll a lot of questions into one post because of the interconnectedness of many of the questions. I think many people on VisaJourney can answer many of my questions given I've seen similar questions asked elsewhere. Yes, the overall process is the standard CR1/IR1 process, and I'm already following that as you can see. I'm close to being able to submit Form I-130. I posted this in the Philippines forum because of questions that lie outside the US immigration process, like her name change.

Hi, folks. I just got back from the Philippines on a nearly one-month-long trip where I met my wonderful Filipina girlfriend in person. We got married in a Utah County ceremony, similar to many others here. Now, it's apparently time to deal with gross bureaucracy. She and I are both emotionally drained from the sheer complexity of what is to come with regards to her emigrating to the US. The unpredictable, extremely long timings combined with interdependence of various stages of the full process have our heads spinning. I have been busy reading several threads here on VisaJourney in an attempt to discover just what awaits us, even more than I had before deciding to marry her. I have so many questions to ask. I don't expect miracles, of course, but if anyone can help, we would both greatly appreciate it. I will number the specific questions I have throughout my post for easy reference in answers. Also, I'm open to a more conversational approach in private message if anyone is interested in that. It's my hope that this thread can help others in the future by taking a holistic approach to the complexity of the process, rather than asking each question in an individual thread. Thank you in advance for any replies! Name Change I am aware of the Philippine custom of middle names. However, my bride's maiden name is her father's family name, but her father has not been in her life since she was very young. She would prefer to drop his name altogether and keep her mother's maiden name as her middle name, instead. I'd read information some time ago that the Philippine government can be ornery about changing certain parts of one's name. I've also read that despite a Philippines Supreme Court ruling, some Philippine government agencies do not allow a married woman to not use her husband's family name, implying she should immediately adopt my family name. All things being equal, my wife prefers to use my family name as soon as possible. She currently has a national ID in her maiden name but she does not yet have a passport. I've read threads here on VisaJourney that recommend getting a passport in her married name. Another complexity is that her middle name is a misspelling of her mother's maiden name. Using pseudonyms to protect her privacy, here are the names in question: Her mother's maiden name is Smith Her biological father's family name is Roberts My bride's current full name is Mary Smyth Roberts (as stated on her birth certificate) My family name is Alden My bride's preferred new name is Mary Smith Alden She is about to undertake a few important steps now that we are married that probably should be done with her new name, if possible: Submit information on Form I-130/I-130A/I-129F Open a bank account Apply for a passport Begin the Report of Marriage process Q1.1: Should we begin using her preferred new name before filing the name change with the Philippine government? Does the answer to this question differ per task? Q1.2: Should we use her preferred new name as the "current spouse's legal name" and "beneficiary's current legal name" on Form I-130, providing her former name as an additional name? Q1.3: Will it lead to problems if we do not follow the Philippine tradition of adopting her maiden name as her new middle name? Philippine Passport My bride has a passport appointment scheduled for later this month. Are there any gotchas we should be concerned about? She already has proof of identity and citizenship in the form of a national ID and a new-issuance birth certificate (she just picked this up from the PSA yesterday). Q2.1: Should she use her preferred new name on the passport application? She will have to update her application if the answer is yes. Philippine National ID My bride's national ID currently lists her maiden name with a relationship status of Single. Q3.1: Should she update her national ID to immediately reflect her preferred new name and marital status? Q3.2: Will old information on her national ID hinder us with other stages of the process (i.e., opening a bank account, applying for a passport, etc.)? Form I-130/I-130A I began filling out Form I-130 electronically (USCIS supports online filing for Form I-130), as well as Form I-130A, as soon as I got back to the US. So far, this has been going smoothly. We gathered ample photo evidence of my time there, including before, during, and after the marriage ceremony. I had my mother sign an affidavit expressing her support, and my bride's mother is in the process of doing the same. My bride is also opening a Philippine bank account tomorrow with the goal of adding me as a joint account holder. We aren't sure how simple this will be, but it's likely easier than the reverse because unlike me she doesn't yet have a passport. It seems USCIS really values actual hard evidence that a new combined life is being lived (i.e., shared financials, property ownership, etc.) so I'll be submitting this as evidence. Q4.1: For Form I-130 "Additional proof of marriage," is it advisable to include the photos we gathered of my time in the Philippines? I know this is important for the K-1 process but the Form I-130 instructions seem to only be concerned with "relevant documentation to establish that there is an ongoing marital union." I've read conflicting advice on VisaJourney that sometimes says to submit more evidence than necessary but other times says to submit only what they ask for. Q4.2: For Form I-130 "Proof of legal name change," is our marriage certificate by itself enough proof, or do we also need to submit documentation resulting from her changing her name officially with the Philippine government? Q4.3: For Form I-130A "Your Full Name," should I use my bride's preferred new name? Form I-129F It's bizarre to me that this form is required for us considering it's called "Petition for Alien Fiancé(e)," but that's bureaucracy. If I am understanding the instructions properly, I should wait before Form I-130 has reached NOA1 before submitting Form I-129F. Q5.1: Are my conclusions correct? Certificate of No Marriage (CENOMAR) My bride has never been married. I've advised her to obtain this certificate as soon as possible. The Philippines is currently unaware of her marriage to me, so hopefully that doesn't cause any problems later. Q6.1: Should I submit CENOMAR as evidence with Form I-130? Q6.2: Should I submit CENOMAR as evidence with Form I-129F? Report of Marriage I only just discovered this morning about the seemingly onerous Report of Marriage process imposed by the Philippine government. Sadly, I was unaware of this process or its potential necessity until after I left the Philippines. The threads here on VisaJourney are confusing to read as they mostly seem to ask procedural questions rather than more general purpose questions. Sadly, it seems like the sheer volume of marriages taking place in Utah County has overwhelmed some of the governmental agencies in charge of processing these new relationships. I saw in one thread that it can take up to a year for the Report of Marriage to be fully processed, but some others were saying it's effectively four months as of now. I am of the mind that we would be wise to begin this process immediately, but I cannot return to the Philippines anytime soon to be there for in-person notarization of signatures, etc. I read here on VisaJourney that Report of Marriage is not needed for the Form I-130 process but may be needed for the NVC process. Q7.1: Should we begin the Report of Marriage process immediately? Q7.2: Should my bride hire a lawyer to help guide us through this process, or is the advice given by people here on VisaJourney reliable enough? Q7.3: Will I need to mail original/certified copies of certain documents (e.g., an apostilled Utah County marriage license) to the Philippines? Q7.4: Is the electronic version of the Utah County marriage license acceptable as an apostilled copy? I read in a thread that it was due to the use of a "Titan Seal," but I'd like confirmation of this. I'm not sure how the Philippine government will feel if I give them a PDF or a printed PDF instead of something issued by Utah County physically. Q7.5: Can we split notarization between the Philippines and the US by mailing documents back and forth? K-3 Visa Q8.1: From what I can tell, K-3 processing times are just as long as the other related visas (K-1, CR1, IR1). Is it even worth applying for this given the insane NVC and consulate backlogs? Psychology I am reading that due to the insane backlogs at the NVC and Manila consulate, it is now taking upward of two years from the time Form I-130 is submitted to the time my bride can actually be with me permanently in the US. She and I are finding this very difficult to handle psychologically. We love each other, as I'm sure all of you love your spouses. We try and stay in communication every day but the time zone differences can make it difficult to find large amounts of contiguous time for each other. We are both extremely frustrated that illegal immigrants get to pour over the US border, illegally apply for asylum, and sit around enjoying welfare benefits and free housing for years waiting for their cases to be heard; meanwhile, she and I are very anxious about all the bureaucratic processes we're exposed to and the long timelines just to do things legally. Q8.1: How do/did you all cope with this? What strategies can we employ to survive the next two years apart? Q8.2: I recall reading at some point that US immigration had a mandate to reduce backlogs to at-longest six months; however, the insane backlogs and delays seem to be getting worse over time. Is there any hope for US immigration to fix itself? Is there legislation in the works to tackle this problem or is it a question of funding? Other Concerns Q9.1: I'm trying to get the fullest-possible picture of the complexities of the next two years. Are there other concerns I'm missing or should be aware of?

I understand. I've read all the same stories that you have. I'm not letting emotions or imagination carry me away, believe me. Thank you for the advice; it is appreciated. 😊

Thanks. I am intimately familiar with the rest of the bureaucratic nonsense, sadly. What a nightmare. "No, you are NOT allowed to love one another easily!" Government.

I see. This is super interesting information to learn. If I may: what are the lead times on these Utah weddings? How much time would I want to leave myself before starting that process? Optimally, we would be together in the Philippines the entire time to reduce the complexity.

Ahh, I see. So essentially, fully remote experiences are not allowed. I understand now. Thanks!