Glenda's & John's
Fiancee Visa Experience
Glenda's & John's
Fiancee Visa Experience
My fiancee is from Zambales, Philippines. I've been there many times starting when I was in the Navy years ago. During my visit Christmas 1997, I met the most wonderful woman on the earth. Her name is Glenda. After many letters and phone calls, on Easter day, 1998 I proposed to her and she accepted. The following is a step by step account of our story. This is told mainly in my (John’s) perspective, but Glenda has also helped me.
Philippines Screen Saver Click on the dates below to see the summary version.
Sunday 4/12/98 - Easter Day in the Philippines (Saturday in Colorado). Philippine time is 15 hours ahead of Colorado in the winter (14 hours in the summer). I called Glenda at her relatives’ house and proposed to her. She accepted! We both knew we needed to start the paperwork now, but we had no idea what to do. I figure she would need to start the paperwork to get a visa, little did I know how wrong I was. This is a log of our adventure in dealing with governments of two countries.
Tuesday 5/19/98 - I visited the Immigration and Naturalization Service's (INS) web site http://uscis.gov to have I-129 packet sent to me (Order an extra I-134 [Affidavit of Support] at this time, see note 9/11/98). It has taken me a few weeks to find out the paperwork must start on my end. I finally found out by viewing web pages such as this one. They were a big help.
Thursday 5/28/98 - I re-visited INS web site to have them re-send the I-129 packet. As of this date I still haven't received the packet I originally ordered.
Monday 6/1/98 - I received the packet from INS (This would be the only packet I received, even though I ordered two sets). I received the following:
At first glance I decided I needed to hire a lawyer to get this done, but after studying it a while it didn't appear too difficult (due to a 10-day delay because more information was needed, maybe I should have hired a lawyer - more about this later). I needed to fill out forms I-129 and one G-325A. I had to send the second G-325A form to Glenda for her to fill out, sign, and return to me. We both had to get photos for the INS (3/4 frontal views with the right ear showing). It appears the INS is very particular about the size and quality of the photos. There seems to be many businesses (usually located around a main post office) that specialize in these and passport photos. I didn't realize Glenda would have to fill out the G-325A form now, I thought she wouldn't need it until she went to the embassy.
Wednesday 6/3/98 - I sent Glenda form G-325A to fill out. It takes 20 days for her to receive a letter from me and 10 days for me to receive her letters. I also e-mailed Glenda's friend to have Glenda call me (this usually took 5-7 days for Glenda to get my message). I recommended to Glenda she get a agent in PI. This is discussed 9/12/98. I also received the INS photos from Glenda today.
Tuesday 6/15/98 - Glenda finally got the e-mail message and called me. By this time I purchased an international phone calling card. It was costing $2.54 per minute for our phone calls. After I received the calling card, it was ONLY $0.72 cents a minute. Our average calling times are 30 to 45 minutes. You figure it out for cost savings, quite substantial. I got two cards and sent one to Glenda. (After I was married, I found out that if you're calling the Philippines from the US, you can get calling cards for $5 or $10. We use "Hello Asia" and we get 43 minutes for $5. These cards can be found at most Asian markets.) When Glenda called, I explained to her that she needed to fill out and return to me the G-325A form as soon as she received them. I began to realize how much time this was going to take. Hopefully by mid-October everything will be done?????
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Thursday 7/9/98 - I received form G-325A back from Glenda. Since I sent out the form to Glenda a month earlier, I had time to complete all the paperwork I needed to have done. When Glenda goes to the embassy in Manila, she'll need a police check from everywhere she's lived since she was 16 and a CTC (Certified True Certificate) Birth Certificate. Both of them took time, but she's gotten them and they'll be ready when she needs them. She had to go to NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) to get her police clearance and it is good for one year. It took to 1-1/2 hours to complete the paperwork, get photographed, get fingerprinted, and pay P45. Then she had to come back in 3 days to pick up her paperwork. Next she went to the National Statistics Office for her CTC Birth Certificate. She formed in line at 6:00 AM. The building opened at 8:00. By 8:30 she paid P160 (for 4 copies), filled out all the paperwork, and was on her way. If Glenda had not arrived here 2 hours early, and waited in line for the building to open, she would have been lucky to have been done by noon. Again Glenda had to return in 3 days to pick up her birth certificates. She got 4 copies of her birth certificate. She'll probably need some in the states when she gets a driver's license, green card, etc. She also needs to give one to the US Embassy in Manila.
Monday 7/13/98 - I sent the following to the INS:
I sent the original and a copy of everything (even the check) to the INS as per their instructions. I typed all documents (except Glenda's G-325A form) and tried to make them as complete and accurate as I possibly could. Hopefully the INS will be happy and no delays will occur. There are four places you can send in the paperwork to the INS depending on what state you live in. They are California, Nebraska, Texas, and Vermont. The instructions tell you where to send your papers.
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Monday 7/20/98 - I received a Notice of Action from the INS stating they received the packet (7/15/98). They sent the letter out 7/16/98, not bad, only 1-day turn around, but they spelt Glenda's name wrong. Included on the Notice of Action letter was the all-important receipt number (case number). This is needed for any future dealings with the INS. They also state it takes anywhere from 20 to 50 days for them to process a case like this. All we have to do now is wait (It ended up taking 35 days for round one - see 8/20/98).
Tuesday 7/21/98 - I called the INS and got a hold of a 'real person' immediately (more about this 9/1/98). I told them about the misspelling of Glenda's name. They told me to send a copy of the letter sent to me with corrections made on it (the next letter I received from them had her name spelt correctly).
Thursday 8/20/98 - I called the INS phone line (402) 437-5218 (for those of us who deal with Nebraska) to get the status of my case. I found that if you call after normal business hours you always get through to their automated system. The system seems to take 1 day to be updated, so that means if they make a decision today, you won't find out about it until after normal working hours tomorrow. On 8/19/98 they review our case and decided they needed more information. They stated a letter was being mailed to me.
Monday 8/24/98 - I didn't know what the INS would request. I figured they'd want pictures and letters proving that we really loved each other. Over the weekend I gathered letters, photos, and my passport. I made 3 copies of them Monday morning in anticipation of receiving the letter from the INS in the mail that afternoon. I made 3 copies since the INS request 2 copies of everything and I always keep 1 copy for my records. Tuesday 8/25/98 - I went to the post office first thing in the morning. I sent them a simple letter stating I last saw her when she dropped me off at the airport in Manila 1/9/98. I've tried to call the INS numerous times during 'normal working hours' (I began to wonder if they do have normal working hours) and never got through to them, so I sent the letter not knowing if the information I was sending them was adequate. I also included a copy of my passport proving I was in PI last January and I enclosed three photos of Glenda, her family, and myself.
Tuesday 9/1/98 - I'm still unable to get through to a 'real person', I've been calling continuously for 2 days now. Yesterday I called for 4 hours straight with almost no stopping. I just kept hitting the recall button on the phone from 12:30 to 4:30. I never got through. 75% of the time I got a busy signal. The other 25% of the time the phone just kept ringing. I have AT&T and they decided that after 20 rings the party wasn't going to answer the phone, so they disconnect you. Today I began calling early (around 8:30 mountain time). I got through after 1/2 hour or so. One reason I was calling was their automated answering machine stated they received my packed on 8/28/98. Since they already did preliminary paperwork it wouldn't take the normal 20 to 50 days to process the paperwork. They said the remaining time for my case was 45 days. Yes, that's what they said, it doesn't sound right, but it would take another 45 days. The lady I talked to thankfully informed me that it should only take 1-2 weeks.
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Friday 9/4/98 - I called the INS tonight just on a whim. The message stated they APPROVED our case 9/3/98 and a letter was being sent to me. I don't know if the phone call I made to the INS had any effect in getting the case approved in 2 days, but I was extremely happy and grateful it was. I immediately got on the internet and sent a message to Glenda's friend. Hopefully she'll get it within a few days instead of a few weeks. As I stated before, she has no phone. Her friend lives quite a ways from her and depending on her schedule, it takes time to deliver messages. Unfortunately this is the fastest way I have of communicating with her.
Friday 9/4/98 - The process took 52 days from the day I mailed in our paperwork to the INS until approval. I don't know what goes on in the INS or how many requests they receive but I believe they could probably speed up their service a little. They probably could make the instructions and forms a bit easier and more precise also. I think they should have a check list so everyone knows exactly what is needed. Below is a check list I came up with. They never did say to send a statement and proof of when we last saw each other in their instructions. The lady I talked to 9/1/98 told me it was a good idea to send photos and letters. She also told me it was good to send in a copy of my stamped passport. I imagine a copy of a plane ticket wouldn't hurt either (I didn't keep this). Hopefully my prediction 2-1/2 months ago for everything being completed in mid October is still accurate. I think now the end of October is more realistic.
The whole process from proposal of marriage until the INS approving our case has been 143 days. If I was more diligent in the beginning, I could have saved a month and requested the I-129F packet earlier. If I known that Glenda was going to have to fill out a G-325A form, I could have drove to the INS office, waited in line for an hour, and picked up the necessary forms in person. This would have saved another 2 weeks or so. I've tried priority mail on other things, it didn't seem to help Glenda receive the mail any quicker. In fact, the procedure in the Philippine post office seems to make it take just about as long as a regular letter. I think it sits in the post office a few days, then they send Glenda a notice telling her to come and pick it up. Perhaps if we both sent the G-325A forms priority mail we could have saved another week or so. Also, sending in the statement that we were together in the past two years with its proof would have saved 2 more weeks. All of these things combined would have brought the process down to some where around 80 to 85 days (approx. 3 months).
Tuesday 9/8/98 - I received the Notice of Approval from the INS. It was a relief to actually get the letter in my hands. Now it's up to Glenda.
Friday 9/11/98 - I sent Glenda another (current) I-134 Affidavit of Support (This turns out to be the wrong form, see 9/12/98) with it's supporting bank statement and statement from my place of employment. I've read someplace that the Affidavit of Support is only good for 6-weeks (the agent in PI later told me 6 months - I'm not sure who's right, probably the agent in PI since she deals with this all the time). I don't know who's correct, so I went to the bank and my place of employment and re-did the supporting paperwork. Then I filled out the Affidavit of Support and had it notarized.
These are photographs I took on my last 2 visits to the Philippines.
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In the afternoon I received the INS Request for Evidence letter. They wanted a statement and proof from me stating I've been with her within the past two years prior to 7/15/98 (this was the date they received the original fiancee visa packet). If you read between the lines in the INS instructions, you'd probably know they would want this to start with. They do state you must have face to face contact with your fiancee within the past two years. With all the forms you have to fill out, you'd think there would be a place for this information to be entered, but there wasn't. They never inform you to send a statement, so I didn't. Silly me, I should have read their minds.
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Saturday 9/12/98 - I received a phone call from Glenda and her newly acquired agent. The agent informed me the I-134 [Affidavit of Support] form I sent expired last December (remember, this is the form the INS sent me this June, 6 months after the old one expired). I just sent another copy of the 'OLD' I-134 yesterday 9/11/98. I'm going to the 'local' INS office Monday to get a current I-864 Affidavit of Support form. This shouldn't cause any delays since it will take at least until the end of September for the embassy in PI to contact Glenda. The agent also informed me I needed to send a copy of my mortgage statement, 3 years worth of income tax forms (I sent copies of 1040 forms with their corresponding W-2 forms), and a copy of my phone bills. I'm not sure if all this is really needed, but if it helps Glenda and there are no delays, it is worth the extra work needed to gather, copy, and send everything.
Saturday 9/12/98 - [This note was written in 2003] Over the past few years, I have received a lot of e-mails asking about the 'Agent' Glenda hired. I highly recommend hiring an agent. It is a very confusing and scary time for your fiancee. The agent drove Glenda to Manila, took her to the embassy, medical building, etc. This ended up being 5 times, it is a 3 to 5 hour trip each way to/from Manila (depending on traffic) which usually started 4 o'clock in the morning. She ensured Glenda had all the paperwork she needed and prepared her for the questions she might be asked. The cost was P19,000 ($475 US - 40/1 Pesos to the Dollar at the time).
Monday 9/14/98 - I went to the Denver INS office and waited an hour in line just to pick up the current I-864 [Affidavit of Support] form. Since I just sent Glenda a 'current' copy of the old Affidavit of Support form 2 days earlier, I didn't need to go the bank and my place of employment again for current supporting documents. I just had to fill out the new I-184 form and get it notarized.
Saturday 10/17/98 - I received a phone call from Glenda and her agent. They received a letter from the US Embassy in Manila. They had to fill out a form and send it to the Embassy. The cover instructions stated that when the Embassy received the form from Glenda, they would contact her and schedule a medical exam and interview the following month (It ended up taking over 4 more months).
Friday 10/23/98 - I received the same packet as Glenda did 10/17/98 from the US Embassy in Manila. Since there was nothing for me to do with it, I made copies of everything and sent the originals to Glenda.
Thursday 12/10/98 - Glenda still hasn't heard from the US Embassy in Manila. I visited my congressman Joel Hefley. His office faxed the Embassy to help move this process along.
Friday 12/18/98 - I take a 3 week vacation in the Philippines. I hope to bring Glenda back to the states with me. While I am there I called and faxed information to the US Embassy numerous times. I found out she has an interview scheduled for February 22. No matter how much talking (actually begging) I do, they will not change the interview date.
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Links:
Philippine Screen Saver - A cool Philippine screen saver with unbelievable photographs. I highly recommend this.
Philippine Calculator - A JavaScript calculator program. I wrote this program and used photographs I've taken in during my visits to the Philippines..
http://www.uscis.gov - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Web Page
http://travel.state.gov/ - US State Department (Office of the Secretary of State) - Instructions, FAQ's, etc. for various visas.
http://www.vitalrec.com - To obtain birth certificates in the USA.
http://www.wunderground.com/global/PH.html - A great weather page with a 5 day forecast for dozens of Philippines cities.
http://210.23.201.243/ - PAGASA - Floods, typhoon warnings, public weather forecasts and advisories, meteorological, astronomical, climatological, and other specialized information for the Philippines. This page is a little slow, but good.
