Edward and Jaycel

Unfortunately she did not have to schedule, cancel and then re-schedule so I can't advise on that

This is the best advice - This is how we got Jaycel's appointment. We figured out that if you log in no more than once per hour, you shouldn't get locked out of the portal. We picked up what we believe was a canceled appointment because when we found it, it was the only slot open for the whole month at the time.

The embassy can… the CFO counselors can’t pull anything on you

Good to hear! Yes they raised it just after Jaycel did her exam in August of 2024. The only good thing with the raised fees is that they are now doing the Interferon-Gamma Release Assay test for TB as well as the chest X-Ray so hopefully that reduces the ridiculous number of false positives they had when just relying on the chest X-Ray. Keep us all advised on the process and I would recommend getting your FBI Records Check done soon for the CFO Counseling Session as it also seems that they are requesting that of the petitioner more often than not nowadays.

Great news!! That's one of the most frustrating parts of the K-1 process in Manila. Did you get the medical exam scheduled?

Denver does not do same day oath ceremonies. The last I heard a few months ago, they set aside 1 or 2 days a month that the whole office is used for oath ceremonies. The good news, guests are welcome at the ceremonies

Just getting home from work and was about to take a look.

FYI... Email update from USCIS on a new form Edition U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services <uscis@messages.dhs.gov> Good afternoon, We recently updated the following USCIS form(s): Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization 08/21/2025 09:29 AM EDT Edition Date: 08/21/25. Starting March 5, 2026, we will accept only the 08/21/25 edition. Until then, you can also use the 01/20/25 edition. You can find the edition date at the bottom of the page on the form and instructions. For more information, please visit our Forms Updates page.

I know it will show up on the USTravelDoc website but I am not sure in what sequence. We did Jaycel's interview while they were still doing biometrics there at the embassy during the interview

So to clarify - you will have to schedule BOTH the biometrics appointment and the K-1 Interview appointment yourself.

The only interviews that are automatically scheduled are Immigrant Visa interviews and those are scheduled by the NVC before your file is ever shipped to the embassy. The K-1 Fiancé(e) Visa is a non-immigrant visa and you will schedule that interview yourself.

You have to schedule your own interview for the K-1 Visa in Manila so the only way that you would have that scheduled without a biometrics appointment is if you do it yourself.

Yes you can choose a date if you reschedule it online through the portal. We did it for Jaycel’s appointment. @a89syd9a I noticed the same thing when we rescheduled Jaycel’s biometrics but didn’t pay it much attention because we were trying to get it rescheduled for an earlier date anyway

This is the sponsor’s current individual annual income. This is the amount that is supported by evidence such as pay stubs and employment verification letters. For the section with the tax years you will put the amount from the “Total Income” line on the Tax Return Transcripts

You must use the “Tax Return Transcript” not the “Wage and Income Transcript”. USCIS will not accept anything other than the Tax Return Transcript

I would say based on the instructions that you are going to have to select 2.a.

If the attorney's designated mailing service lost it, I think that they should help you fill out the form and pay the fee for you. That's just me though... I know a lot of attorneys don't operate with the same ethical compass that many of the rest of us do. I would also try to get an InfoPass appointment at your local field office so your stepson can get an ADIT stamp in his passport as proof of LPR status.

The SS Card issued will not be able to be used for employment until after the AOS is filed (assuming you file for the Employment Authorization concurrently with the I-485 in the AOS package). The SS Card will have a disclaimer printed on it that says, "Not Valid for Employment Without DHS Authorization". Once the Employment Authorization that you file with the AOS is approved and the EAD card is in hand, then you can use that and the SS Card for employment purposes. Up until that point the SSN can be used for adding your fiancé(e) / wife to your bank accounts, utility bills, etc. which will all be needed for proof of a bona fide marriage later in the process.

This is what I would recommend based on my experience with our K-1 Make an inquiry to the NVC asking for your case number via the public inquiry website: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/ask-nvc.html When you make the public inquiry with them, there is a button to attach files. Attach the Approval Notice of the I-129F. In that inquiry, in addition to asking for the case number, you should also ask them to update the email addresses for you and your fiancé(e) by saying something like: I would also like to make sure you have the petitioner and beneficiary emails updated in your system as follows: Petitioner Name: John Smith Petitioner email: john.smith@email.com Beneficiary Name: Jane Jones Beneficiary: jane.jones@email.com I have attached the approval notice for my form I-129F for your review. We did this and after that we got our case number (on the 2nd inquiry) and my wife and I got every email from the NVC and the embassy throughout the whole process.

I was following a post on a different forum about this and the general consensus was pretty positive - Most were happy with their experience and also noted that they received their receipt notice with the 48 month extension, on the security paper, in the mail within a week to 10 days. Two of the commenters reported being approved very quickly (3 weeks in one case, 7 weeks in the other). I continue to scour the internet for reports as Jaycel and I will be filing the I-751 in about 16 months or so.

Jaycel had "Late Registration" as well - Late by 3 years. She went back to her home Barangay and got an official sealed copy of her birth registration from the Local Civil Registrar, got an official, sealed copy of her Baptismal Certificate from her local parish office, official sealed copies of her elementary school records. When it came time for the interview, she didn't need any of them as the embassy accepted her PSA BC without questioning the late registration. However, it is up to the consular officer's discretion that is conducting the interview whether or not to require additional documentation in these cases. So my recommendation is to gather all the "secondary" evidence you can get you hands on and bring it to the interview. If you don't need it? Great. But if you do need it, then you can give it to them right there and maybe not have to deal with a 221g. Best of luck!

Great news!!

I do agree with this for sure.

Just hit my inbox at work........ U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services WASHINGTON – The Department of Homeland Security is amending regulations governing the H-1B work visa selection process to prioritize the allocation of visas to higher-skilled and higher-paid aliens to better protect the wages, working conditions, and job opportunities for American workers. The new rule replaces the random lottery for selecting visa recipients with a process that gives greater weight to those with higher skills. “The existing random selection process of H-1B registrations was exploited and abused by U.S. employers who were primarily seeking to import foreign workers at lower wages than they would pay American workers,” said U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services spokesman Matthew Tragesser. “The new weighted selection will better serve Congress’ intent for the H-1B program and strengthen America’s competitiveness by incentivizing American employers to petition for higher-paid, higher-skilled foreign workers. With these regulatory changes and others in the future, we will continue to update the H-1B program to help American businesses without allowing the abuse that was harming American workers.” The number of H-1B visas issued annually is limited to 65,000, with an additional 20,000 for U.S. advanced degree holders. The current random selection process has often been criticized for allowing unscrupulous employers to exploit it by flooding the selection pool with lower-skilled foreign workers paid at low wages, to the detriment of the American workforce. To address these concerns, the final rule will implement a weighted selection process that will increase the probability that H-1B visas are allocated to higher-skilled and higher-paid aliens while maintaining the opportunity for employers to secure H-1B workers at all wage levels. This final rule is effective Feb. 27, 2026, and will be in place for the FY 2027 H-1B cap registration season. The rule is another crucial step to strengthen the integrity of the H-1B nonimmigrant visa program. It is in line with other key changes the administration has made, such as the Presidential Proclamation that requires employers to pay an additional $100,000 per visa as a condition of eligibility. “As part of the Trump Administration’s commitment to H-1B reform, we will continue to demand more from both employers and aliens so as not to undercut American workers and to put America first,” said Tragesser. For more information, see the final rule. For more information on USCIS and its programs, please visit uscis.gov or follow us on X (Formerly Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

This is the worst part of the rampant fraud... the ones who genuinely need it get lost in the volume of bad actors