Best Visa Service?

[colorguy]

My lovely, sweet, and smart Filipina gal needs a fiancee visa. I will go to America in Late January and she will go to the Philippines. We have been living in Thailand. I am thinking about using a visa service. Is this a good one, or is there one with a better reputation?http://www.filipinafianceevisa.com/Order_Here.htmI guess it will be 3 to six months before she can come to the US then, correct? If we can not get the ball rolling until late Feb or early March (I have a trade show to do in Arizona for business, then go to Ohio which is home) does that mean that she will be able to come by August, but maybe as soon as May? Or am I forgetting something?I would appreciate any suggestions gentlemen (or ladies!). She will be out in the province with her family while we are apart with limited phone and internet so I would like to make things smooth for her. I am hoping for a service that gives her a little guidance on that end, and gives me pointers on what to do on my end too.Thank you for any help!!!!Dave

[TheMason]

My lovely, sweet, and smart Filipina gal needs a fiancee visa. I will go to America in Late January and she will go to the Philippines. We have been living in Thailand. I am thinking about using a visa service. Is this a good one, or is there one with a better reputation?http://www.filipinafianceevisa.com/Order_Here.htmI would appreciate any suggestions gentlemen (or ladies!). She will be out in the province with her family while we are apart with limited phone and internet so I would like to make things smooth for her. I am hoping for a service that gives her a little guidance on that end, and gives me pointers on what to do on my end too.Thank you for any help!!!!Dave

I've never used a visa service and in my opinion, visa services or immigration lawyers are an expensive service that are really not needed. The forms are easy enough to file on your own. Rather than paying a service, invest some time researching the process at VisaJourney.com. It is a free internet forum with numerous step-by-step guides that will walk you through the process. If you get stuck, there are a LOT of people there that will help answer your questions. Any service you hire is going to face the same challenges contacting your fiancee that you have, so I don't see how they would help much beyond explaining the process to you both. You can find the K-1 visa guide at http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...amp;page=guides. If you really want to use a service or attorney, you can probably get better recommendations for which one to choose at VisaJourney than here.There is also a Yahoo group of expats that help other expats file the required paperwork. I forget what it is called, but I'm sure someone will chime in with a link for you.

I guess it will be 3 to six months before she can come to the US then, correct? If we can not get the ball rolling until late Feb or early March (I have a trade show to do in Arizona for business, then go to Ohio which is home) does that mean that she will be able to come by August, but maybe as soon as May? Or am I forgetting something?

I think it takes anywhere from 6-9 months for a K-1 to be approved. Once it is approved, I think she has 4 months to enter the US and you must marry within 90 days of her entry. Edited September 17, 2009 by TheMason

[Mr Lee]

My lovely, sweet, and smart Filipina gal needs a fiancee visa. I will go to America in Late January and she will go to the Philippines. We have been living in Thailand. I am thinking about using a visa service. Is this a good one, or is there one with a better reputation?http://www.filipinafianceevisa.com/Order_Here.htmI guess it will be 3 to six months before she can come to the US then, correct? If we can not get the ball rolling until late Feb or early March (I have a trade show to do in Arizona for business, then go to Ohio which is home) does that mean that she will be able to come by August, but maybe as soon as May? Or am I forgetting something?I would appreciate any suggestions gentlemen (or ladies!). She will be out in the province with her family while we are apart with limited phone and internet so I would like to make things smooth for her. I am hoping for a service that gives her a little guidance on that end, and gives me pointers on what to do on my end too.Thank you for any help!!!!Dave

Dave, it looks like TheMason has already answered your question for us. I used an attorney way back because there were no forums to guide me back then and I was working way too many hours to have any time to take care of the required paperwork. I also found that a well connected attorney got things done much faster because he or she would know all the ins and outs, but if you do it yourself and do not make any mistakes along the way, then my guess is that it will still take around the same amount of time, and since there are forums that provide the information to guide you and discuss the pitfalls, then you should be OK as long as the process does not change mid stream...... One thing that I would like to mention will be proof of income and the ability to support her and yourself. I know you have been working outside the country and if you have been filing US taxes (probably not required unless you had holdings in the US) on at least the poverty level of income for 2, then you should be OK but if not, then you might need advice on how you will have to prove your ability to support the two of you. I believe you can also have another family member sign the required document of support and as long as you have someone who is willing to do that for you, then you should also be OK.I think I would have Melanie look into the cost of having a home phone and DSL installed where they live and then maybe get her a Magic Jack with a local number to where you will be living, because as I remember it there is limited cell service out there, so unless a cell tower has been added since then, then contacting her is going to be a real problem for you when questions or problems arise and for you to keep her abreast of what is transpiring and what is needed and when, not to mention just for you two to keep in touch. One of the pitfalls that can often destroy a relationship is the long wait and the not knowing, and my understand is that it may even be running more time than TheMason said and thinks. Here is the contact info for Vanessa Barcelona, a Filipina attorney that handles what you seek and who is also well known in the Florida community, you can call her and ask questions or recommendations for an attorney in your area if you decide to go that route.http://www.myvisajobs.com/Immigration-Atto...-33907-3956.htm

[Mr Lee]

Dave, you will also find a ad link down at the bottom of the page that might help you. Philippina Fiance / Wife? K1/K3 Visa Lawyer-Starting at $195 Support in Philippines.Start Today! www.EasyFianceVisa.com

[colorguy]

Thanks a million for the help guys!!! I appreciate you! Unfortunately in Giloctog there is no way to get any communications as I understand it beyond climbing the mountain until the cell works. Text messaging is it. Will she have to travel to Manila for an interview or just Cebu City? I will check out that forum for other questions. ~Dave

[Mr Lee]

Thanks a million for the help guys!!! I appreciate you! Unfortunately in Giloctog there is no way to get any communications as I understand it beyond climbing the mountain until the cell works. Text messaging is it. Will she have to travel to Manila for an interview or just Cebu City? I will check out that forum for other questions. ~Dave

Manila for the interview unless something has changed very recently. There still has to be a way to get phone service or Internet, an antenna high up with a smart bro antenna up top, or you might just have to put her up in a boarding house in the city. Or maybe she can work as a yaya or helper for one of the forum members for free room and board until she gets her papers? There has to be a way. BTW, if they can receive text, then a cell phone repeater in the house with a beam aimed at the cell site might also work.Like this one but hopefully lower priced http://www.wpsantennas.com/repeaterswireless_1.aspx Edited September 17, 2009 by Mr. Lee

[TheMason]

One of the pitfalls that can often destroy a relationship is the long wait and the not knowing, and my understand is that it may even be running more time than TheMason said and thinks.

I did some checking, and it is taking longer than I originally thought. Mr. Lee is absolutely correct about the communication. The visa process is a long one and communication on where your case stands is poor. You generally have to wait months with no word about what is going on. Meanwhile, your fiancee's friends and family will be filling her up with third-hand horror stories about their cousin's best friend's neighbor who knew a girl that had her visa denied and her foreigner boyfriend found someone else and now the gal has 8 kids and works in a fish factory. Or they'll tell her about the girl a friend knows that gets beaten by her husband who treats her like a slave. She will need to hear from you regularly to keep her spirits up.My wife and I are going through the visa process now. Its very hard on her and we live together in the Philippines. If I wasn't here I think she'd be much more stressed out about things.Here's a quick primer on the 3 basic steps to the visa and wait times for each.....USCIS form I-129 (2-5 months)This is basically an application to CIS, the US Immigration Dept. They review your paperwork and verify that you qualify to apply for a visa. They will ask for proof of legitimate relationship, US citizenship and identity, etc. If you pass this stage, your case is forwarded to the National Visa Center (NVC)National Visa Center (2-5 months)The NVC is part of the US State Department. This is when you actually apply for a visa. Once your case is sent to NVC from CIS, you'll pay some fees and then submit your financial documents to prove you can support your fiancee, and your fiancee will submit the actual visa application. If your case passes this stage, it will be forwarded to the Manila Embassy for an interview.Embassy Stage (Interview is usually about 2-4 months after the Embassy gets the case from NVC)This is when you interview with the consular officials and a decision is made whether to grant a visa or not. During this stage your fiancee will need to travel to Manila for her medical exam and interview at the embassy. You should plan on at least a week stay in Manila for this stage. Your presence is optional at the interview, but I recommend you make the trip over here for it. By this time, your fiancee is likely to be at her wits end and could use your support. Aside from that, while the Embassy staff is not outright rude to Filipinos, there is no doubt they treat US Citizens better than they treat Filipinos. Your presence will grease the wheels and make things easier.Due to the large amounts of visa fraud, the consular officer's assumption is that you are lying and are only marrying to get her a green card. The burden of proof is on you to prove you are not committing visa fraud. This can be an insulting process but just remain calm and answer truthfully. If you are a legitimate couple, you will be just fine. I've heard that if there is a big difference in ages or you get turned over to the fraud unit, the interview can be brutal. If you pass the interview, you'll be issued a visa, but I dont think they issue them on the spot. The embassy can tell you how it works from there.Once you have the visa, your fiancee must enter the US within 4 months. Once she enters the US, you have 90 days to marry. The K-1 is a one-time visa. She cannot leave and re-enter the US until she gets a different type of visa. Once you marry, you file for an Adjustment of Status so she can get her permanent resident (green) card. I think this takes another 4-5 months to accomplish.FAQs about the K-1 from the State Department Site

[Mr Lee]

Let me add a few things to TheMasons post from my experience and others. The Filipinos Americans who work in the Embassy can at times think they are just short of Gods and may also look down on your lady because she is from the south, so I agree 100% that you should be with your fiancee because you will probably be able to walk right into the Embassy with your passport held up to a guards face and your lady would most likely have to stand outside in line until the guards call her appointment time and let her in for her appointment. The inside is much nicer and safer than standing in the street and you as a citizen will most likely be treated with respect compared to a non citizen. From what I have been told, the instructions she gets will be for when to have her medical and what papers to submit to the hospital at that time which will most likely include her passport and other documents. From friends experiences, the medical also can go smoother and less invasive if she is or says she is a virgin and would also have to be reset if it turns out to be her time of the month at her appointment for a medical. One of our friends said the medical staff was down right nasty and obscene and disgusting to his lady who had admitted that they had lived together for a long time prior to the interview. I am not sure if this was an isolated incident or not but another friend whose wife had her medical, also said the same things to my wife and she also was sent away because it was her time of the month and her medical was reset for 6 weeks later. These were things in the past and times change and may be different or there may be different people working there now. If you have many photos of the two of you together in many places as well as with her family and you also have proof of your relationship such as phone records, emails, yahoo chats, letters or whatever else might prove it to be a legit relationship, and if you are there for the interview, things will go much smoother from all who we know who have gone that route, yet others who did not go with their ladies also had no problems, it may depend on your ladies command of English and her degree of educational ability to answer questions thrown at her. When my now wife had her interview, I had a hard time answering a few of the questions on the questionnaire/tests she had to fill out, but nowadays with the Internet it should be easier. I seem to remember questions about communism, Marxism, Fascism and I do not remember what else, and I do not know if they still ask those stupid questions nowadays, like someone would really admit it if they were. Two other things I would like to bring up to you and TheMason is that I was told you had to use a US address when filing the papers, so I do not know if that is correct or not,but I found something like that on the web site, so both please check these things for yourselves. http://manila.usembassy.gov/wwwh3204.htmlthe petitioner must be domiciled or residing in the United States at the time the Filipino spouse has a visa interview. Generally, it takes 8 to 12 months from the date the petition is approved for the K-1 visa to be issued.Last, be careful what you or your lady bring to the embassy. http://manila.usembassy.gov/wwwh3023.html ELECTRONIC DEVICES NOT PERMITTED ON EMBASSY GROUNDS For the safety and security of all applicants and employees, visa applicants are NOT PERMITTED to bring any kind of electronic and battery-operated devices (cellular phone, digital camera, laptop, music player, portable game consoles such as PSP, etc.) into the U.S. Embassy. Applicants who bring such devices will be denied entry. Please make arrangements to leave your electronic equipment in a safe location off Embassy grounds BEFORE your interview appointment. We regret any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your cooperation.

[Old55]

I agree with the others, you don't need a service a waste of time and $$$.Mag-Anak is an outstanding helpful group hundreds have gone through the K1 process and they know all the details. I bet they have members living near you.I think your lady has a passport and copies of her birth certificate now. Review the INS instructions online for what papers she must have and get them now. Have her carefully check that the spelling of her name is correct and see to it the dates listed on those papers to be correct on all documents. Be very sure that information is the SAME AND CORRECT on all papers. It is common for listing to be inaccurately entered. This will stop the K-1 process until corrected so look for those kinds of errors and fix them now. Be very sure nothing is "fixed" be very sure all papers and details are correct and HONEST.Yea, she will be making at least one trip to Manila before the interview. If you gal has her act together she should do fine during the interview. However if you can be there it would be helpful but don't think you absolutely must be there.Good luck!Mag_Anak links...Very helpful group and links to each K1 step you must take.

Edited September 18, 2009 by Old55

[colorguy]

Thanks everyone! I am reading a lot on Visajourney.com right now. They seem to have everything covered well, and there are a lot of people who are either fresh through the process or in the middle of it so lots of people have answers. As far as phone or internet, they are not available where she is. They just flat out can't get it. I doubt there would be many people interested. This is way, way out in the province!! It is very peaceful though and our last visit there was really nice. Maybe part of the fun was being away from the internet and phone. I could read or write and that was all!It looks like 5-8 months is pretty accurate for a guestimate. And I need to get to the U.S. to start the clock as I do not have permanent legal residence status here in Thailand. Hurry up and wait, huh?