cooking, singing, playing guitar and chatting with my husband.
Immigration Info
Immigration Status
Other
Place benefits filed at
California Service Center
Country
Philippines
Our Story
Meant For Each Other
by spicy_sugar
It is indeed a typical ‘Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy finds girl’ story, although it’s carried out in an international setting.
In September 2007, Beth and I were both members of an internet dating website called FilipinaHeart.com (FH).My initial attraction to Beth was based on her sense of humor, no-nonsense approach to communicating, and her experience residing abroad (Dubai, UAE), but mostly her understanding of a failing relationship between my ex-fiancé (_______) and myself. I learned that her attractions to me were similar, and after experiencing work abroad and returning to the Philippines in March 2007, she desired to start a family. She too had been involved in a failed relationship, with a co-worker named (_______) while she resided in Dubai. Our life events mirrored each other, and laid the foundation for a mutual friendship and trust between us. We eventually assured each other that our past relationships were both finished and would not be pursued. This was despite the October 2007 approval of my earlier VISA petition filed on behalf of (________) in May.
November 2007 brought difficult changes and decisions for Beth and me, shaping subsequent events in our lives. Beth was again experiencing the struggles of life in the Philippines, and also the absence of a meaningful serious relationship in her life. As she considered returning to work abroad (and possibly _______) in Dubai, she looked to me for assurance of a serious relationship with her, a physical visit to Manila. At the time, I was also experiencing pressure as (________) knew of the petition approval and desired to resume our plans to marry. My investment of time (and money) with (_______), along with denial of making a wrongful choice, led me to unwisely forego a visit to Beth. Although I had purchased an airline ticket, by mid-November I was continuing the petition process with (_______) as planned. Likewise, Beth also yielded to her circumstances and returned to Dubai. We lost contact until late December, at which time Beth informed me she was pregnant (by _______), but would return home to the Philippines. My relationship with (________) continued to fail and never progressed to a VISA interview; the petition (and relationship) officially expired February 15th, 2008.
By September 2008, I had already relocated from Buffalo to Las Vegas for my current position with IRS-CI. Although I had dates with local woman I was not involved in a serious relationship. Since this time, I had also visited the Philippines (May 2008), but mainly due to the international (non-refundable) e-ticket I previously purchased which had to be used. As fate would have it, on September 3, 2008, I logged into Yahoo Instant Messenger and was surprised to see Beth also logged in. She informed me that she had been back in the Philippines since January 2008, and she had recently given birth to her daughter (________). She also explained why marriage to (_______) was not possible, as he had a wife in (______) from an arranged marriage. Beth and I continued to communicate through chat daily, and renewed our friendship, reflecting on the past events in our lives. We have not experienced a break in communication since.
By December 2008, we were sharing our thoughts and desires about marriage. I was 39 years old and wanted to be married, hopefully to a foreign woman, what I had hoped for since the military. Likewise, Beth had become convinced that her future did not consist merely of her being a single mother, but rather a wife to a man who will accept her and Jayenna. Beth and I agreed not to repeat past mistakes, and do what is necessary to be together. Important to note, after our many chats and phone calls, we no longer considered incompatibility as a possibility for us. I told Beth that I would finally come there to meet her, and if our feelings are real, we can marry there in the Philippines. After researching internet articles on foreign marriages and K-3 VISA processes, I learned that the processing time was roughly 9-12 months, the same as a Fiancé VISA. Together, Beth and I decided that we’d rather spend the time waiting as a married couple, than as singles. Although we wouldn’t be together yet, and our relationship would still have to be scrutinized, we’d officially have each other in marriage.
--as submitted by my husband Chris to USCIS for my visa application.
