F.B.'s visa interview at the American Embassy in Manila is 1 week away! It feels like time is going really slow, yet really fast at the same time!

F.B. got his police clearance paper last week. (He needed an original for the visa interview.) And Thursday & Friday he went to get his medical exam. It took 2 days for them to do everything. ($213 USD!) He had to have a physical exam, xray, eye exam, blood tests and he also got 3 vaccines. They have forwarded his medical results to the Embassy so they will have them for his interview on Feb 4th.

If he is approved, there's a good chance F.B. will be able to fly to the USA sometime end of February or beginning of March! (Praying!) I'm sure he will be approved- because he is coming to the USA on a CR visa. (Conditional Resident.)

What does that mean? Well it means we're not nearly done with immigration. In 2 years we will have to submit paperwork and file to remove the conditional status off his visa. ($590!) We will have to submit evidence that we've been living together, affidavits from friends & family that state we have a relationship, etc. Our lawyer has already been preparing us to gather evidence together for that.

NOTE: Our lawyers Peter J. Gonzales & Shanna Stanton have changed firms. They are no longer with Kahiga Tiagha. They are now with Green and Spiegel LLC, but still located in Philadelphia. 

There's so much other stuff to do once F.B. is approved and comes to the USA. We'll need to visit the Social Security office near me and apply to get him an Social Security number so he can work legally.

I also contacted the PA department of motor vehicles, to find out how he can apply for a driver's license. They wrote me back and said:

An international permit, obtained from your home country prior to traveling, may be used in Pennsylvania (PA) for one year from the issue date. You must carry both your international permit and your valid foreign license with you when driving. You may review the documents necessary to apply for a permit by using this link, Non-U.S. Citizens. This will provide the list of documents to take to your local driver’s license center, depending on your immigration status.

They also said he will need to apply for a PA drivers permit and he will have to take the test again before he can get a PA drivers license. But if he's able to get the international permit then at least he will be able to drive legally here- while he's applying for a PA driver's license!

Going to also have to add him onto my checking & saving accounts so there's proof we are living together. And probably get him a cell phone in his name so he has a bill with his name & address on it. I think if I add him to my plan- the bill will still be in my name only?

I also have to demo my room, lol. We are going to be living at home with my parents for probably about a year & a half while we finish immigration, and F.B. gets a job so we can save money to get our own place. My room at home is not very large. It's got this built in desk that I never use that takes up a lot of room. My Dad is going to help me take it out. Then we will need to repaint the whole room. And I want to get a full bed. (I don't think anything larger than a full would fit in my room! And hubby & I are are not sharing a twin!)

So much to do! I can't wait until the visa interview is over and we know for sure what's going to happen next!

It's been slow going, waiting for the NVC to finish reviewing our paperwork. We are down to the last few steps, but it's just a waiting game at this point. I was optimistic that perhaps F.B. might be here before March, but now that it's almost the middle of January... I'm not really sure. Who knows- perhaps things will start to move faster, but I'm not going to get my hopes up. I'll just say I hope he's able to come to the USA by Spring or Summer.

Where we are right now- email from our immigration lawyer:

The next step is for the National Visa Center to complete the processing of your case and then forward it to the Consulate in Manila.  Once the Consulate Receives the case, we will receive a notice with a date and time for FB to appear for his interview and instructions for FB to complete his medical examination. We will keep you posted as soon as we have new information.

I checked on our case via the USCIS website. You can see we are pretty much on the last step- click for a bigger version:

Here is our immigration process check sheet. (Strike through's are completed steps).

1. USCIS will send our lawyer a receipt notice sometime in the next few weeks confirming they received our I-130.

2. In approximately 3-5 months the USCIS will make a decision on the I-130 and will forward our file to the National Visa Center in New Hampshire.

3. The NVC will then send a packet with instructions to complete our I-864. (There will be a fee.)

4. Once the packet is returned to the NVC, they will review everything and within 45-90 days they will forward the packet to the U.S. consulate in Manila.

5. The Consulate will send a packet with instructions for F.B. to complete a medical examination & obtain a police clearance certificate prior to scheduling his visa interview.

NOTE: Our lawyers Peter J. Gonzales & Shanna Stanton have changed firms. They are no longer with Kahiga Tiagha. They are now with Green and Spiegel LLC, but still located in Philadelphia. 

Sooo... 2 weeks ago I mailed our immigration lawyer the packet containing all our financial paperwork and I-864. Then nearly a week after I mail it I remembered... "Oh crap! I didn't include my employment verification letter!"

It took me a heck of a time to even obtain that paper. My job sent me in loops and hoops trying to get a paper that says I've worked there the past 8 years! And then I forget to send it to the lawyer! Ugh! I did scan & email our lawyer a copy of the letter, but he really wanted the original to submit to immigration.

I drop the original letter in the mail exactly a week later by USPS Priority. Never a problem... usually arrives at our lawyers office within 1 day. Another week goes by- nothing. It was lost. Never arrived. Did I get tracking or delivery confirmation? Noooo.... idiot me!

This past Saturday morning, I go to the post office when it opens around 9am. I spend $13.00 for express mail so we'll have tracking and I send off a copy of the letter. They write on my receipt will be delivered AUGUST 9TH.

I check tracking early this morning and what does it say?!

We attempted to deliver your item at 7:48 am on August 08, 2010 in PHILADELPHIA, PA 19102 and a notice was left. You may pick up the item at the Post Office indicated on the notice, go to www.usps.com, or call 800-ASK-USPS to arrange for redelivery. If this item is unclaimed after five days then it will be returned to the sender. Information, if available, is updated periodically throughout the day. Please check again later.

WHAT THE HECK?! When does the United States Post Office deliver on Sundays?!

I email our lawyer. By this time it's around 10am. He says he was actually in the office on Sunday, but the Post Office did not knock, etc. It hasn't been redelivered. So he says, "I think we'll have to use the scanned image you sent." About an hour later though, he emails me back and says, "Package arrived! We'll submit the I-864!"

So... no thanks to myself for forgetting and USPS our immigration process has been delayed 2 weeks... arrgh. I'm using Fed Ex next time! :(

Here is our completed steps and what we have left.

NOTE: Our lawyers Peter J. Gonzales & Shanna Stanton have changed firms. They are no longer with Kahiga Tiagha. They are now with Green and Spiegel LLC, but still located in Philadelphia.

It's been a month since the NVC took the fee's out for our affidavit of support and immigration fee's. Our lawyer emailed me our I-864 (affidavit of support) the other day and I had to sign them and prepare copies of my 2007,2008 and 2009 income tax returns, along with my W-2's and 1099's. I will be dropping everything into the mail later! So we are finally finished with another step! Once the NVC is finished reviewing our paperwork they will forward everything to the Embassy in Manila and F.B. will need to prepare for his interview!

Here is our check sheet for our immigration process. The strike through's are completed steps.

1. USCIS will send our lawyer a receipt notice sometime in the next few weeks confirming they received our I-130.

2. In approximately 3-5 months the USCIS will make a decision on the I-130 and will forward our file to the National Visa Center in New Hampshire.

3. The NVC will then send a packet with instructions to complete our I-864. (There will be a fee.)

4. Once the packet is returned to the NVC, they will review everything and within 45-90 days they will forward the packet to the U.S. consulate in Manila.

5. The Consulate will send a packet with instructions for F.B. to complete a medical examination & obtain a police clearance certificate prior to scheduling his visa interview.

NOTE: Our lawyers Peter J. Gonzales & Shanna Stanton have changed firms. They are no longer with Kahiga Tiagha. They are now with Green and Spiegel LLC, but still located in Philadelphia. 

I've had the same layout for 2 years, so it was time for a change! I used the picture of our wedding rings for my new banner.

Also, this week our immigration lawyer emailed me. The NVC got our paperwork from USCIS and they emailed our lawyer with our case number and the fees we had to pay. We had to pay a $70 fee for our affidavit of support. And $400 for our immigrant visa fee. The money was deducted from our savings account the other day. Now we are just waiting for the NVC to contact us again. Then we can prepare our financial paperwork and I-864!

NOTE: Our lawyers Peter J. Gonzales & Shanna Stanton have changed firms. They are no longer with Kahiga Tiagha. They are now with Green and Spiegel LLC, but still located in Philadelphia. 

Next Saturday, I'm also getting a new tattoo. I went out today to a tattoo place my cousin recommended. The artist that did my other 2 tattoos two years ago at another shop doesn't work there anymore. I scheduled an appointment for next Saturday at the new tattoo shop.

There are actually 2 tattoo's I want to get. I want to get the "love" verse on the back of my neck. (The location of the love verse to be exact.) But I'm waiting until F.B. is in the USA before I get it. That's our relationship verse and it was used a lot on our wedding day. I want to get it when our immigration is completed and F.B. is in the USA, because then it's like the final chapter in our long distance love story.

Next Saturday night, I'm getting a simple silhouette of a rat underneath on my right wrist. In a way it represents all of the rats I have owned. And also in China a rat symbolizes good luck.

I got back our approval notice from USCIS today! They have forwarded our I-130 paperwork to the National Visa Center!

Here is our check sheet for our immigration process. The strike through's are completed steps.

1. USCIS will send our lawyer a receipt notice sometime in the next few weeks confirming they received our I-130.

2. In approximately 3-5 months the USCIS will make a decision on the I-130 and will forward our file to the National Visa Center in New Hampshire.

3. The NVC will then send a packet with instructions to complete our I-864. (There will be a fee.)

4. Once the packet is returned to the NVC, they will review everything and within 45-90 days they will forward the packet to the U.S. consulate in Manila.

5. The Consulate will send a packet with instructions for F.B. to complete a medical examination & obtain a police clearance certificate prior to scheduling his visa interview.

I emailed our immigration lawyer today to ask what other paperwork I need to get together. (USCIS sent our lawyer a receipt notice as well.) Let's hope things keep moving along. *Fingers Crossed*

Other blog entries about our immigration process:

The Waiting Game...

Moving Along In Our Immigration Process

1st Meeting : Immigration Lawyer

NOTE: Our lawyers Peter J. Gonzales & Shanna Stanton have changed firms. They are no longer with Kahiga Tiagha. They are now with Green and Spiegel LLC, but still located in Philadelphia.

I haven't posted about our immigration process in a few months, because right now it is a waiting game. We did receive our I-130 receipt back in February.

But... it is going to be 3-5 months before are able to move to the next step. We are waiting for the USCIS to make a determination on our I-130. From there they will forward our application to the National Visa Center in New Hampshire and then the NVC will send a packet with instructions to complete our I-864. Hopefully by May or July we will hear from them.


---Our Immigration Steps & Process---
What is this mess? It is all the documentation of our relationship. Copies of all the letters I've sent to F.B. & all the letter's he has sent to me from 2004-current. Copies of plane ticket stubs, receipts, income tax returns, photos with F.B.'s family. Pretty much everything we will need when we prepare the rest of our paperwork with our immigration lawyer.

I'm almost done making copies. All that's left now is the trip journals F.B. gave me from the past 4 trips I've been to the Philippines. I've gotten 2 of those copied. So, that is the updated news for now! Until we hear from the NVC, our immigration process right now is a waiting game...

NOTE: Our lawyers Peter J. Gonzales & Shanna Stanton have changed firms. They are no longer with Kahiga Tiagha. They are now with Green and Spiegel LLC, but still located in Philadelphia. 

Our I-130 has been submitted and it will take 3-5 months before we move to the next step. Our immigration lawyer has been extremely helpful in helping us understand the process and steps we'll be taking.

Below our the next steps we'll be taking:

1. USCIS will send our lawyer a receipt notice sometime in the next few weeks confirming they received our I-130.

2. In approximately 3-5 months the USCIS will make a decision on the I-130 and will forward our file to the National Visa Center in New Hampshire.

3. The NVC will then send a packet with instructions to complete our I-864.

4. Once the packet is returned to the NVC, they will review everything and within 45-90 days they will forward the packet to the U.S. consulate in Manila.

5. The Consulate will send a packet with instructions for F.B. to complete a medical examination & obtain a police clearance certificate prior to scheduling his visa interview.

I emailed our lawyer to ask if we would need to file a I-485 and his reply was:

There will be no need to file an I-485 or an I-765 in your case, because F.B. will be consular processing. Once all of the paperwork is approved, he will be interviewed at the consulate and at that time he will submit his passport so the consulate can place a conditional permanent resident stamp in his passport. The passport will be sent back to him typically about a week or so after the interview and he will then be able to enter the U.S. as a conditional permanent resident (CPR). As a CPR he will be able to work for whomever he likes and travel in and out of the United States. The CPR status means he will be issued a green card that will have a two year expiration date. Two years after becoming a CPR he will be required to file an application to remove the conditional status and submit a packet of documents evidencing the fact that the two of you have been living together as husband and wife. The new green card will have an expiration date of 10 years from the date of issuance. F.B. will be eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship three years after he is admitted to the U.S. as a conditional permanent resident. We will provide guidance on those issues after F.B. enters the U.S.

So we are moving along in our process, hopefully things will go much quicker once the I-130 is processed. If all goes well, it is highly possible F.B. may be in the USA by Xmas 2010. :-)

NOTE: Our lawyers Peter J. Gonzales & Shanna Stanton have changed firms. They are no longer with Kahiga Tiagha. They are now with Green and Spiegel LLC, but still located in Philadelphia. 

Oh to think just 3 weeks ago I was in the Philippines in 80 degree weather! I missed the first snowstorm we had in Philadelphia back in December that left us with 23 inches of snow. Last weekend Philadelphia was hit with 28 inches of snow. Luckily it fell on a weekend so it didn't impact work so much. Tuesday night it started snowing and all day Wednesday it snowed. It was expected to be 24 inches of snow. The roads are a mess. They've closed several highways in Philadelphia, public transportation was suspended and a lot of people are still without power. Our own power surged a few times this evening. No work today and I'm not sure about tomorrow. It depends on the conditions of the roads and if I can even get out of our driveway!

Here is a video my brother took of the blizzard:



Luckily I made it to the post office Tuesday afternoon to mail back our immigration paperwork and a check for our lawyer. F.B. had to sign some documents and he sent them back to me through DHL. Then I sent everything back to our lawyer. I believe our next step will be preparing for the I-864. I am having my taxes prepared next Thursday so we can use my 2009 income besides 2 previous years. The papers I mailed back that F.B. & I signed are for our I-130. We also had to complete G-325A & form G-28.

NOTE: Our lawyers Peter J. Gonzales & Shanna Stanton have changed firms. They are no longer with Kahiga Tiagha. They are now with Green and Spiegel LLC, but still located in Philadelphia.

After 2 years of corresponding through phone/emails I finally had an appointment on Saturday around 11am to meet with our immigration lawyer for the first time. His office is in center city Philadelphia, but his father is also a lawyer and has an office around the corner from my house so we decided to meet there for our initial meeting.

It was really great after talking for 2 years to finally begin our immigration process. I brought all of the copies he asked me to bring to the meeting; copy of our marriage certificate, birth certificates, passport copies, passport style photographs. We started working on the I-864 so we can also file the I-130. If you remember, F.B. and I wanted to do a longer immigration process, because when F.B. steps off the plane he will be a permanent resident.

There was still some information I needed to gather before we could finish our initial application. I have to gather my income tax information from the past 3 years, I need a letter from work verifying I've worked there. I need to get some personal information about F.B.'s parents, places of birth, etc.

When I came back from the Philippines I also brought back with me all the letters I've sent F.B. over the past 5 years (Just the 1st page & envelope- we organized them at his house.) I've already made copies of the letter's he's sent to me. I have to make copies of the last two trip journals F.B.'s kept. (He documents what we do on each day of my trips.) I've made copies of all of my plane stubs, e-tickets. The lawyer also wants me to gather photographs of me with F.B.'s family members. All of that will be used as evidence of our relationship the past 5 1/2 years! Especially since we met online 6 years ago, US immigration will want evidence our relationship is legitmate.

My lawyer was genuinely excited to hear I was finally married, we've been talking almost 2 years now. He was excited for F.B. & I to finally begin our immigration process. In fact, he thinks the process will go faster than initially thought. He said to me he thinks there is a real possibility F.B. could be in the USA by the Xmas 2010! He said not to get my hopes up, but he does think it is going to go a lot faster than the estimated 1-2 years.

He also said, because F.B. & I are now married, it will be nearly impossible for F.B. to be granted a visitors visa to the USA. (The US doesn't like to give visitors visas to an immigrant with a spouse in the USA.) He will probably not be able to visit me around Sept 2011. But the lawyer thinks, F.B. will be in the USA before that time period anyhow and that I won't have to go back to the Philippines to see him instead.

Very exciting! I'm so glad we are finally getting our immigration process started! We've been saving money and gathering evidence, etc; for the past 2 years before we were married in preparation for this!

I have a phone appointment with our lawyer Tuesday around 4pm. He is also going to email me some paperwork and I have to email him some more information so we can complete our initial applications. I will keep you updated on our immigration process!

NOTE: Our lawyers Peter J. Gonzales & Shanna Stanton have changed firms. They are no longer with Kahiga Tiagha. They are now with Green and Spiegel LLC, but still located in Philadelphia.