Glenda's & John's
Fiancee Visa Experience

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Sunday 1/10/99 - I returned home alone. The embassy wouldn't help us, so Glenda and I will have to wait. I switched her tickets at China Air for March 4th. This is one week after her interview.

Monday 1/11/99 - I talked to my congressman's aide. She made a couple of calls for me and apologized for not being able to help anymore than she had. The US Immigration Department has become very strict on their rules and procedures. I was assured that the letter the US Embassy in Manila had would still be a big help in the interview process. It would be in front of the person interviewing Glenda.

Thursday 1/21/99 - Glenda passes her medical exam. It cost $85 (US dollars). All we have to do now is wait for February 22. Hopefully everything will go well for us.

Monday 2/22/99 - At 9:55 PM Sunday night (local time) I received a phone call from Glenda. She passed her interview. Here's a synopsis of the interview:

05:30 Falls in line.

07:00 The doors open and they call the first person for an interview.

09:00 The cashier opens. You can pay up to 1 week ahead of time for the interview. It costs $45 US dollars. If you didn't pay early, you can pay now. You must pay before your interview, so if you don't prepay, you'll have to wait until after 9:00 AM for your interview. Glenda pre-paid yesterday.

09:20 They call Glenda for her first screening interview:

They asked her who is her fiancee?

They asked her what is his birthday?

They checked out the pictures Glenda brought with her.

The arranged the papers for the second interview

10:55 They call Glenda for her second interview:

They asked who is her fiancee?

Where did we meet?

What have our communications been? (visits, telephone calls, letters)

The interviewer asked Glenda for a letter to read. The interviewer then picked another one at random from the stack of letters Glenda brought with her. The interviewer read both letters fully.

The interviewer gave Glenda a date for her to return and pick up her visa. She has passed her interview!

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Wednesday 2/24/99 - Glenda returns to the US Embassy at 1:00 PM to pick up her visa as per instructions. At 3:15 PM they announced the Fiancee visas were ready to be picked up inside the embassy. At 3:30 PM they finally gave Glenda her visa.

Thursday 2/25/99 - Glenda attends a seminar. It's the CFO seminar which tells the fiancee's what to do in the airport, wife abuse in the US, and some other advice.

Thursday 3/04/99 - Glenda departs Manila at 4:00 PM. They asked her "Who is her Fiancee?" When Glenda lands in San Francisco they also ask her who her Fiancee is. (My name is well know around the world now, it seems that everyone wants to know my name.) They also ask her when my birthday was and where I lived.

Friday 3/12/99 - There is a happy ending to this phase of the story. We were married among friends and relatives in Phoenix.

Tuesday 3/16/99 - We took a day off of our honeymoon and went to the INS in Denver to start the green card process. There's a big sign stating it's taking 24 months to get a Fiancee green card. Great news right from the start. We arrive there at 7:00. They let us inside, and we're #11. At 9:00 they call our number. We turn in the paperwork and are told that we must get an appointment for a working visa. We can only get it from one person at the Denver INS, and he doesn't start work until 1:00 PM. We're also told don't come early, because he won't start until 1:00 PM sharp.... We arrive at 12:45 and wait until 1:15 to be called. I guess 1:00 sharp means it's time for coffee and donuts. We're called in with 7 other couples. Even though we were the first in line, he takes everyone at once. It's a 3 step process to sit, wait, and fill out paperwork; sit, wait, and take pictures; and sit, wait, get the work card. It took 1-1/2 hours to accomplish this. What's even worse, it's only good for one year. That means we'll have to come back next year and repeat the process. There's a good chance we'll have to repeat the process a third time while we're waiting for the green card. We also got the paperwork filled out for the Social Security Card today. That was a pleasant experience. It only took us 10 minutes and we were done. The card would be mailed to us within a week or two.

Wednesday 3/17/99 - This is the day (according to the Doctors) that Glenda became pregnant. We're expecting 12/8/99. There's not much else to tell right now. I'll continue this story when the next chapter takes place.

Friday 12/17/99 - Christine Lyn is born to us today. She's a beautiful baby and is our pride and joy. No news to report on as far as the green card is concerned. We expect to wait at least another year.

Friday 08/04/00 - Glenda's passport expired in June, so we filled out the paperwork and sent it to the Philippine Embassy in San Francisco. We also sent in paperwork for our marriage and for Christine (Child Born Abroad). By sending in the paperwork for Christine, she will be both a Philippine and a US citizen until she is 21 years old. Then she must make a decision as to what country she wants to be a permanent citizen. You can obtain all the necessary forms by searching the web, or writing the following address:
Foreign Service of the Philippines
Philippine Consulate General
447 Sutter St.
San Francisco, CA 94108

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Monday 08/07/00 - Glenda received a call from the Philippine Embassy in San Francisco this evening. We didn't include one of the documents needed for the marriage paperwork. The lady asked Glenda the necessary questions and then filled out the paper for us. This is only 3 days since we sent the paperwork (sent Friday PM) - AND instead of delaying the process for a month or so, they filled out the paperwork for us. US EMBASSY/INS - TAKE NOTE OF 'REAL' SERVICE!

Monday 08/14/00 - Glenda received her passport and marriage paperwork in the mail. We must send in one more paper for Christine to register her as a 'Child Born Abroad'.

Thursday 09/14/00 - Glenda received a letter in the mail 1-1/2 weeks ago telling her she must get fingerprinted. Luckily for us they let us go to the local police station. They finger printed her and sent them to the INS. The whole process took 15 minutes. She was required to bring in the letter from the INS requesting fingerprints plus one form of ID. Her passport or drivers license will work for this.

Tuesday 10/17/00 - Glenda received a letter in the mail again last week telling her the fingerprints weren't good enough. We went again to the local police station for new prints. This time the process took 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Thursday 10/19/00 - Received a letter in the mail telling us to report to the INS office next Tuesday (10/24/00) for an Adjustment of Status interview. See the Adjustment of Status checklist below. Notice there was only a 5 day lead time to report to Denver. There was a set time and place.

Tuesday 10/24/00 - Completed the 'Adjustment of Status' interview. Glenda now has a green card! Actually she has a temporary stamp in her Philippine passport. The 'real' green card will take 5-6 months to be delivered. She can now leave the country and return legally. Since Glenda is now a "conditional residence", the current green card will expire in 2 years. Within 90 days of the 2 year anniversary (of today's date) we must apply for the "removal of conditional residency". Supposedly, if we re-send the proof listed below in the Adjustment of Status Checklist, with the application form 2 years from now, we 'might not' have to appear in person before the INS. At least this is what our interviewer told us. Today we had an 8:10 AM interview. We were called on time, and within 20 minutes we were done. It appears that if you are married, living together, and appear happy with each other, there will be no problem with the interview. Adjustment of Status Checklist:

Thursday 03/01/01 - The Dr. confirmed Glenda's pregnant with #2. The baby is due October 12th. Also, sometime in this period Glenda received her Green Card in the mail. I forgot to log it here when it happened, so I'm not sure of the exact date. I think it took somewhere from 2-1/2 to 3 months.

Monday 04/23/01 - We return from a one month visit to the Philippines. I mention this to point out it is a long process to get the green card and your fiancee will not be able to return home for quite a while. There is an "early parole" you can get from the INS, but we didn't. Back when I was talking to my Congressman, I was told there were cases where the fiancee wasn't allowed back into the country. I don't know why, maybe the paperwork wasn't in order????? Oh, by the way, Christine was totally spoiled on our vacation. I don't think her feet hit the ground more than 10 minutes the whole time we were in the Philippines - always being held by the relatives.

Friday 10/12/01 - Our second child Paul Allan is born today.

Tuesday 09/10/02 - Glenda sent her renewal for the Green card application to the Nebraska INS. This needs to be done within 90 days prior to the expiration date of your original Green Card. The INS will NOT send out a letter, you must do this on your own. If it is not done, your fiancee may be deported. Green Card Renewal Checklist:

Wednesday 09/18/02 - We received the certified receipt from the post office stating the INS has received our packet.

Friday 09/27/02 - Glenda received a letter from INS giving her a 1 year extension for her current green card while they review the application for approval. The current green card has an expiration date on it for October 2002. I guess we're supposed to carry this letter with us as well as the green card to prove that she is still legal to be in this country, the letter really doesn't say. Here is the entire content of the letter:
Your alien card is extended 1 year - employment & travel authorized. Processing your form will require a minimum of 6 months. If you have not heard from us within 8 months, then you may contact this office."

Tuesday 07/08/03 - I called the INS. Glenda's case hasn't even started yet. They told me it was taking at least 13 months to start the case. The phone system is better, I actually got an answer from a real-live person. Their nation wide phone number is: 1-800-375-5283. First I tried their automated phone system. But since Glenda's case hasn't been started, it wasn't yet registered there.

Tuesday 09/26/03 - Glenda received another letter from INS giving her another 12 months extension for her current green card while they review the application for extension.

Friday 09/26/03 - Glenda receives a letter from the INS - now the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS) - stating "Your request for the removal of the conditional basis of your permanent resident status has been approved. You are deemed to be a lawful permanent resident of the United States as of the date of your original admission or adjustment of status. You must obtain a new alien registration receipt card (Form I-551)......" She must appear in person at the Denver service center with her passport and three recent photos (the same type as on the current green card). The new alien registration card will be mailed within 6 months.

Tuesday 10/28/03 - We went to Denver to apply for permanent green card. We got to Denver's BCIS office around 7:15. We got out after 10:15. We were number 14 and at times there was only one window handling a room full of people. From the time they called the number 13 to the time they called the number 14 was over 40 minutes. I noticed everything was checked a lot more thoroughly this time, thereby creating longer lines. While I was there I realized this was supposed to be a happy experience for aliens to become residence of the US. The BCIS seems to be doing everything it possibly can to make it a long, tiring, and frustrating experience. Everyone entering seemed to be smiling, everyone leaving seemed unhappy. I probably said this many times over the years it took to create this web page, but the BCIS needs an intensive course in customer service and satisfaction. Anyway, back to the issues - Glenda is told that everything has to go through the FBI and it will take 12 - 16 months to receive the green card in the mail. We get a stamp in Glenda's passport in place of the old green card which is good for 12 months. We're told if Glenda doesn't receive the green card within the year, we must repeat this process again. We're also told to take copies of the old green card, as well as the first page of the passport and the newly stamped page of the passport with us if we travel outside the US. This is needed incase you loose the passport. You must make copies of your old green card before you get to the BCIS. They will take the old green card away from you. Remove Conditional Basis of your Permanent Resident Status Checklist:

Wednesday 11/12/03 - Glenda gets her green card in the mail. It has only taken two weeks. This card is good for ten years. The conditional card was only a two year card. It's been three years since we originally applied for permanent residency. We now have to start looking into getting US Citizenship for Glenda.

Friday 02/13/04 - The paperwork for Glenda to become "Naturalized" or a US Citizen is sent in today as certified mail, receipt requested. We're hearing that it will take another 19 months for an interview. If you read the BCIS literature, after 3 years Glenda should have been able to become a US Citizen. She's been in country and we've been married nearly 5 years now (4 years, 11 months). We've just come to the point of submitting the paperwork and may have to wait another year and one-half. Naturalization Checklist:

Thursday 02/26/04 - We received a conformation letter from the BCIS that they have received the application for naturalization request. They state "You should expect to be notified within 450 days of this notice". That's approximately 15 months - I guess it's better than the 19 months we were told before. They also stated we didn't send in some "evidences)" when we sent in the paperwork. We would be notified to bring it with us to the interview.

Tuesday 03/02/04 - A letter from BCIS arrives in the mail instructing Glenda to get her finger prints taken at the local police station. We have to report between 3/30/04 and 4/6/04. If you miss these dates, we'd have to go to our BCIS station (in another city) before 6/22/04 or your application for Naturalization would be considered abandoned.

Friday 04/02/04 - Glenda went down to the local police station to get fingerprints. This is an "approved BCIS" location for receiving prints. If we lived in a small town, we would probably had to go to the nearest large city or BCIS station to do this.

Friday 04/30/04 - We get a letter from the BCIS. Glenda is to report 9 June 2004 for an interview to become a US Citizen.

Wednesday 06/09/04 - Glenda went for her interview today. We were to report at 7:30 AM. When we got there the interviewer told us we needed to get some more 3/4 view pictures. Luckily, there was a place across the street that did it. The cost was nearly twice as much as we paid for them in our home town. When Glenda went to the interview, she saw the original 3 pictures we sent stapled to the back of the form we sent them in the mail..... Here's what transpired during the interview:

He asked her to write a sentence: "We clean our house."

He asked her 5 questions about US history: These are the 3 we remember: What is congress? How many years is a term in the House of Representatives? What is one requirement for being president?

He asked her if she committed a crime?

Where do you live?

How many children do you have?

Are you working?

What is your SS number?

The interviewer looked at Glenda's Colorado ID (Drivers License), Green card, and the letter telling her to report. After 20 minutes, Glenda was approved and given an appointment to report 7 July 2004 to take an oath to become a US Citizen. Only Glenda was allowed to go into the interview. The kids and I had to wait in the waiting room.

Wednesday 07/07/04 - Glenda is a U.S. Citizen today. We had a 2:30 appointment to be sworn in. We arrived approximately. 2:00 - which was about right. It was an awesome 1 hour ceremony. Glenda has been in the U.S. for 5 years, 4 months, and 3 days. We pretty much submitted all paperwork on time. It seemed that various steps took over 1-1/2 years, thus delaying the process. A fiancee visa is only supposed to take 3 years before a person can become a U.S. Citizen. It was a fantastic ceremony. The one thing that I remember most was the person in charge saying to all the new citizens: "You are no less a U.S. citizen than anyone else in this room". He was referring to all the Natural Born U.S. citizens in the room and that it didn't matter where you were born, you are a "100% U.S. Citizen now". They also stressed there are 2 more things to do: register to vote and get a U.S. passport. We'll do that this coming Friday. I think we also need to get the SS card changed. The current one has a work permit stipulation printed on it. I'll know more this coming Friday.

Friday 07/09/04 - In the packet received during the swearing in ceremony two days ago, Glenda received an application for a voter registration card. This was filled out and mailed today. Also was an application for a passport. This was also filled out, pictures taken, and we went to the local post office. They took the naturalization certificate Glenda received and gave us a piece of paper stating "this was temporary proof Glenda is a naturalized citizen." In 3-6 weeks, Glenda should receive her passport as well as the naturalization certificate back.
We also went to get the social security office today to get the restrictions lifted off of her SS Card. If you look on the SS card, it states "for use to work only". But, the U.S. Government delayed the process for us one last time. The SS Office told us they need to see the original naturalization certificate, not the worthless, temporary note the post office gave us. I argued (to no avail) that the note from the U.S. Post Office was another federal agency just like the U.S. Social Security office, why can't they even honor their own government papers? So, now we must wait until the papers come back from the passport office (I believe ours is in Seattle) and then go back to the SS office.

Friday 08/06/04 - Glenda received her new passport in the mail as well as receiving her naturalization certificate back. The postman folded the certificate in half to fit it in our mailbox #^$#^#$%@!!! We took the naturalization certificate to the Social Security office to apply for an updated card. They looked at the naturalization certificate as well as her driver's license. Within two weeks she should get her new card. We also checked with the voter registration office as to why Glenda hasn't received her voter card yet. They checked their computers and her name was in there - "The card must be in the mail" was the response we got.

My INS Check List:

• (1) I-129F [Petition for Alien Fiancee;(e)]
• (2) G-325A [Biographic Information Forms] - one for your fiancee and one for yourself.
• (1) Birth Certificate - The real thing, The state you were born in will give you a certified copy for purposes such as this, of course you'll have to pay for it. I found this web page to order mine. http://www.cdc.gov/nchswww/howto/w2w/w2welcom.htm. They have phone numbers and addresses for each state.
• (1) Check for $75.00 - I heard this might be changing (going up of course). I even heard the figure of over $200.00 in the future. Supposedly that's what it costs them to process these cases. When you request the I-129F packet, they'll inform you of the current costs.
• (2) Pictures each of your fiancee and yourself (INS photos, 3/4 frontal view with right ear showing - You must print your names on the back of each photo with a felt tip pen or pencil).
• (1) Statement informing the INS you've seen your fiancee face to face within the past 2 years.
• (2) Copies each of proof that you were together within the past 2 years ( such as pictures, a plane ticket, or a stamped passport). I did not send in my original passport, only a copy. I copied the page with my picture and name. Then re-ran the same paper through the copy machine and copied the page with the date stamps from the immigration officer in PI. The result was one page with all the information shown. Since passports are relatively small, this was easily done. This seemed to be good enough for the INS.

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My US Embassy in Manila Checklist:

• (1) I-864 [Affidavit of Support]
• (1) Letter from place of employment - Supporting document for the Affidavit of Support stating what your position is, how much you make, how long you've worked there, and whether or not your a permanent employee. If your self-employed, other forms must be sent in place of this letter, sorry I can't help you there.
• (1) Letter from your bank(s) - Supporting document for the Affidavit of Support stating the status of your bank account(s).
• (1) List of any bonds you might have - Supporting document for the Affidavit of Support including serial numbers, denominations, and the name or record owner(s).
• (1) Birth Certificate for Glenda from the National Statistics Office in PI.
• (1) Police Check for Glenda from the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) in PI.
• (1) Copy each of photos of Glenda and I together and photos of her family and I together.
• (1) Copy each of letters Glenda and I sent back and forth to each other.
• (1) Copy of my phone bills to PI for the last year.
• (1) Copy of my mortgage and loan papers.
• (1) Copy of my income tax 1040 forms with attached W-2 forms for the past 3 years.

My INS Adjustment of Status Check List:

• (1) Letter the INS sent telling us to report for the interview.
• (1) Passport.
• (1) Alien Registration Card (If you're filing for naturalization).
• (1) A current letter of Employment for the applicant's sponsor.
• (1) Your Spouse.
• (1) Court Dispositions (If the applicant has ever been arrested)
• (3) Tax returns of sponsor for the past 3 years.
• (1) Marriage certificates and divorce decrees for all prior marriages of both people.
• (?) Documents showing you and your spouse are living together as husband and wife such as:

Joint Income Tax Forms.

Leases

Mortgages

Children Birth Certificates (if a child was born during your marriage)

Health Insurance

Life Insurance

Joint Bank Accounts

Marriage Certificates

Various photos of you both, with your family, etc. during your marriage (we brought photos before, during, after Glenda's pregnancy plus photos of our child with us during various stages of her development - Christine is over 10 months old already)

• At the interview, they swore us both in. Then asked if Glenda has ever left the country since she first arrived or been arrested. They wanted to know if we had other children (either in our current marriage of otherwise). We were asked if we've been separated after we were married. The wanted to see our last joint income tax return, Glenda's passport, Christine's birth certificate, Marriage license, ID's from both Glenda and myself (driver's license). They also checked out the letter I had from my employer. Copies were made of all of these, then the originals were returned to us.

My INS Green Card Renewal Check List:

• (1) Form I-751 (Petition to Remove the Conditions on Residence)
• (1) Cashier's Check for $145.00
• (1) A letter stating we moved. (Gives A-Number, Old Address, New Address)
• (1) Copy of Glenda's, John's, Christine's & Paul's passport.
• (1) Copy of Glenda's, John's, Christine's & Paul's birth certificate.
• (1) Copy of Glenda's driver's license.
• (1) Copy of Glenda's, Permanent Resident Card.
• (1) Copy of Marriage License and Certified Abstract of Marriage
• (1) Copy of the Consulate General of the Philippines - Report of Marriage Contracted Abroad form.
• (1) Copy of the Foreign Service of the Philippine - Report of Birth - Child Born Abroad of Philippine Parent or Parents form for Christine and Paul.
• (1)
• (1) Marriage certificates and divorce decrees for all prior marriages of both people.
• (1) Court Dispositions (If the applicant has ever been arrested)
• (3) Tax returns of sponsor for the past 3 years.
• (2) Letters from friends/family stating they know you, you live together, are happily married, etc.
• (?) Documents showing you and your spouse are living together as husband and wife such as:

Joint Income Tax Forms.

Leases

Mortgages or Deeds

Children Birth Certificates (if a child was born during your marriage)

Health Insurance

Life Insurance

Joint Bank Accounts

Joint Visa/Master Card/etc. Accounts

Marriage Certificates

Various photos of you, your children, with your family, etc. during various stages of your marriage.

• At the interview, they swore us both in. Then asked if Glenda has ever left the country since she first arrived or been arrested. They wanted to know if we had other children (either in our current marriage of otherwise). We were asked if we've been separated after we were married. The wanted to see our last joint income tax return, Glenda's passport, Christine's birth certificate, Marriage license, ID's from both Glenda and myself (driver's license). They also checked out the letter I had from my employer. Copies were made of all of these, then the originals were returned to us.

My BCIS Remove Conditional Basis of your Permanent Resident Status Checklist:

• (1) Passport
• (3) 3/4 View INS Photographs
• (1) Old Green Card (I-551)
• (1) Extension Letters
• (1) Approval Letter of "Remove Conditional Basis of Your Permanent Resident Status" from INS



• There isn't much to report here. The person at the window was friendly, slow, and thorough. It took approximately. 20 minutes. He really didn't ask us much, just checked out the paperwork, took the old green card from us, and stamped the passport as a temporary green card.

My BCIS Naturalization (becoming a US Citizen) Checklist:

• (1) Form N-400 (Application for Naturalization)
• (1) Cashier's Check or Money Order for $310.00 ($260 Form Fee + $50 Finger Print Fee - The rates raised 4/30/2004, see web site for new rates)
• (1) Front and Back copy of your Green Card
• (2) 3/4 view photographs with your name and "A" Number written in pencil on the back
• (1) Copy of your spouses birth certificate or naturalization certificate
• (1) Copy of your marriage certificate
• (1) Copy of any divorce or death certificates of prior spouses
• (1) Documents referring to you and your spouse such as bank accounts, leases, mortgages, birth certificates of children, income tax forms that you both filed for the past 3 years, etc.
• (1) There is additional paperwork to submit if you've ever been arrested
• (1) There is additional paperwork if you've ever been out of the country



• Please read the "Document Checklist". This is found in the "Guide to Naturalization" booklet you can get from either the BCIS or by downloading online. It is 2 pages of instructions as to what extra documentation is required. When we received the conformation letter from BCIS, they stated " The above application has been received and is in process, but has been noted with one or more of the following exception(s): - Missing Evidence(s) - your application was missing evidence(s) that you will need to provide at the time of your naturalization interview. You will be notified under separate notice of the necessary evidence(s) that you will be required to bring to your interview. Do not submit any evidence(s) by mail....... I guess the missing evidence was the photographs mentioned in the text dated 6/9/04. They never did tell us what extra information they needed until we were called for the interview. Then we had to go across the street and get more photographs taken.
• The application was 10 pages long - not hard to fill out, just a lot of information. It came with an additional 6 pages of instructions.