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[OnMyWay]

17 minutes ago, earthdome said:

Are there any immigration issues for your step-daughter once she turns 18?

I see that you have read this topic so I won't answer you there in the other topic.  Our situation is described above.

No issues with my step-daughter's age.  There is a law that freezes a child's age to the age when you apply.  We already have the I-130s approved, DS 260's paid and submitted, and the cases are at NVC, so she is 16 forever.  I can postpone the cases for years as long as I stay in contact with NVC once a year.  One caveat.  That all goes out the window if she marries.  She has to stay single.

Who knows, she may not want to go later, depending on how long we delay.  She has a boyfriend now, an older man.  She will be 18 in July and he just turned 20.  He is a good guy so far as I can see.

We are proud of her today!  She has High Honors and is also a model for the school advertising campaign!

 

[Youngster]

2 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

I see that you have read this topic so I won't answer you there in the other topic.  Our situation is described above.

No issues with my step-daughter's age.  There is a law that freezes a child's age to the age when you apply.  We already have the I-130s approved, DS 260's paid and submitted, and the cases are at NVC, so she is 16 forever.  I can postpone the cases for years as long as I stay in contact with NVC once a year.  One caveat.  That all goes out the window if she marries.  She has to stay single.

Who knows, she may not want to go later, depending on how long we delay.  She has a boyfriend now, an older man.  She will be 18 in July and he just turned 20.  He is a good guy so far as I can see.

We are proud of her today!  She has High Honors and is also a model for the school advertising campaign!

 

Did you go through an adoption with your step-daughter?  I'm just curious because I will be starting the process with my step-son.

[Youngster]

On 4/23/2022 at 4:11 PM, OnMyWay said:

Weekend trip, the traffic is worse than ever.  Friends who went at the end of February said it was quiet.  No more.

I drove there for a few nights in March.  Drive there and back were just horrendous, as those impatient kamikaze drivers nearly killed me too often as they kept passing me around blind curves.  One small justice, a pickup truck that nearly killed me on my way up flipped over on its side almost at the top of the mountain before the PNP checkpoint.  It just wasn't worth the trouble so will not be going back.

[earthdome]

4 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

I see that you have read this topic so I won't answer you there in the other topic.  Our situation is described above.

No issues with my step-daughter's age.  There is a law that freezes a child's age to the age when you apply.  We already have the I-130s approved, DS 260's paid and submitted, and the cases are at NVC, so she is 16 forever.  I can postpone the cases for years as long as I stay in contact with NVC once a year.  One caveat.  That all goes out the window if she marries.  She has to stay single.

Who knows, she may not want to go later, depending on how long we delay.  She has a boyfriend now, an older man.  She will be 18 in July and he just turned 20.  He is a good guy so far as I can see.

We are proud of her today!  She has High Honors and is also a model for the school advertising campaign!

 

Yeah, I hadn't seen your post on this thread yet. Thanks for the updates. Hmm, high honors is awesome. Not so sure what I would think of my daughters picture hung up everywhere.

[OnMyWay]

6 hours ago, Youngster said:

Did you go through an adoption with your step-daughter?  I'm just curious because I will be starting the process with my step-son.

No, I never considered adoption because I read it was long and difficult, and she still has some tiny contact with her birth father and his family.  Every 2 years or so.

[OnMyWay]

5 hours ago, earthdome said:

Not so sure what I would think of my daughters picture hung up everywhere.

There is only one of her, then 7 with other students of various levels, on the road near the school.  They will be up for 2 months.  We signed a permission slip before the photo shoot.

[hk blues]

19 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

I see that you have read this topic so I won't answer you there in the other topic.  Our situation is described above.

No issues with my step-daughter's age.  There is a law that freezes a child's age to the age when you apply.  We already have the I-130s approved, DS 260's paid and submitted, and the cases are at NVC, so she is 16 forever.  I can postpone the cases for years as long as I stay in contact with NVC once a year.  One caveat.  That all goes out the window if she marries.  She has to stay single.

Who knows, she may not want to go later, depending on how long we delay.  She has a boyfriend now, an older man.  She will be 18 in July and he just turned 20.  He is a good guy so far as I can see.

We are proud of her today!  She has High Honors and is also a model for the school advertising campaign!

 

Quite right to be proud too.

P.S. I'm just gutted to read that a man of 20 is now considered an older man!

[Nickleback99]

Been away from forum for a bit (frustrated as started to feel our move just wasn't gonna happen) and Glad to see you are still there!  Feels things in US going off the rails...Couldn't even afford to buy our house here in WA now, violence/crime seems worse, homeless mess, etc.     Citizenship stuff here taken care of finally and We are now tracking for move this fall, but still have not decided exactly where (Duma area, Batangas, Antipolo, Subic/Clark).   Hope to see y'all next we get down to that area to check it out again....Been 5 yrs and sure a lot can or has changed in that time.  

[Joey G]

On 4/25/2022 at 9:31 PM, OnMyWay said:

Cost of houses where I want to live in Texas went from 250-300k to 400+k.  That prices me out of paying cash.

Cost of two low mileage good used cars went from <20k to 30k.  Times 2 that = extra 20k.

Rampant inflation makes everything else much more expensive.

There are other things too regarding our kids.  Is the U.S. really a better place for them to grow up and and go to school?  That is no longer clear to me.

Just a sanity check:

Not sure where wanted to live in Texas... but you can certainly find decent housing in the 250-300K in the vast majority of the USA.  

Cars.... what are you driving?  A one minute look and found a 2019 Nissan Sentra 5,052 miles... $18.7K.... just need to hunt around... prices have been dropping.

Kids in school... goes back to where you live... but I have no doubt the schools here are better... don't let the news jade your decision, it's a BIG country.

Inflation... we can still but a 10 lb. Boston butt for $1.59/lb.... makes sausage, adobo, and soup for a week.  Mile at our store hasn't chanhed in 3 years.... bread is the same... bacon ranges from $9.99 lb. (high) to 4.99 lb. on sale.... most veggies are the same.  Sometime I wonder what food people are buying thats jacked so high.... mostly processed stuff... yeah chips have gone up a lot :)

Not trying to sway you... just sayin'.... what you read and hear... isn't always accurate. 

 

[OnMyWay]

9 hours ago, Joey G said:

Just a sanity check:

Not sure where wanted to live in Texas... but you can certainly find decent housing in the 250-300K in the vast majority of the USA.  

Cars.... what are you driving?  A one minute look and found a 2019 Nissan Sentra 5,052 miles... $18.7K.... just need to hunt around... prices have been dropping.

Kids in school... goes back to where you live... but I have no doubt the schools here are better... don't let the news jade your decision, it's a BIG country.

Inflation... we can still but a 10 lb. Boston butt for $1.59/lb.... makes sausage, adobo, and soup for a week.  Mile at our store hasn't chanhed in 3 years.... bread is the same... bacon ranges from $9.99 lb. (high) to 4.99 lb. on sale.... most veggies are the same.  Sometime I wonder what food people are buying thats jacked so high.... mostly processed stuff... yeah chips have gone up a lot :)

Not trying to sway you... just sayin'.... what you read and hear... isn't always accurate. 

We were focused on San Antonio, and because schools, Stone Oak area.

Some housing markets are falling already.  San Antonio is just getting started.  I get daily property updates for Stone Oak and Alamo ranch.  Lots of "price reduced" coming in now.

The car bubble is starting to burst too. In 2019 you could find a 1-2 year old Accord for well under 20k.  6 months ago same thing was closer to 30 k.

We are still considering the move but a lot must change.  My investments have tanked (not really worried and not selling) so it may take a few years for them to come back.  Hopefully the housing market crash will finish about the same time!