NBI clearance for 13a spousal visa

[Lee]

13 minutes ago, Mike J said:

I have a 13A and never surrendered my passport.

I never surrendered mine either.

Wife had to send hers to the American Embassy in Manila when she signed up for SS.

[hk blues]

On 1/20/2024 at 5:15 PM, MikeyD said:

As a follow up, I did go to the Mandaue NBI office and had my fingerprints taken yesterday.  I am using an agency as previously mentioned.  I met them at their office and they drove me to the NBI office.  At the NBI office, there were only a few people waiting for various things.  I waited outside for a few minutes while the visa agency representative parked and when he came back he conferred with some of the people at the NBI and then I was instructed to go inside and wait.  There was another foreigner that was in the process of having his fingerprints taken and a few minutes after he finished they called me to do mine.  When I went to the window to have my picture taken, they kept saying something about my passport so I presented it to them but what they were actually trying to say was to sign the document in the same way as my passport.  Then they took my fingerprints electronically and then with ink.  They did not use and excessive amount of ink so it was easy enough to wipe off.  The whole process was finished in probably around 30 minutes and then the agency representative drove us back to where we had parked.

Speaking of my passport, at the agency office before going to the NBI, my wife and I had to sign several documents in triplicate which was fine but agency said something about surrendering my passport for 3 to 4 weeks while waiting on the results from the NBI.  I didn’t think I needed to surrender my passport until submitting the application to the BI so I questioned her and she said if I surrendered it then that would save us a trip after the NBI results were available so they could file with the BI immediately.  Although I do feel like this agency is reputable and would keep my passport safe, I did not feel comfortable with being without my passport for that long without needing to, so I declined and told her we would bring it to them when it was actually needed.  I have to say, the thought of handing over my passport to anyone for any length of time makes me nervous, maybe since I haven’t had to do that yet.  The agency said they would make a copy and give me some kind of document that explains why I don’t have my actual passport when the time comes to surrender it for BI processing.  Maybe I’m overthinking this or being paranoid but it still seems odd that I will have to surrender my passport for a few days.  I haven’t read about anyone losing their passport in the process so I guess it’s safe enough and I guess there might be a process at the US Consulate to get a new one if needed.  I do have a scanned copy of passport and probably need to print a hardcopy of the bio page and the last arrival stamp just in case.

Has anyone had any kind of issues when they surrendered their passport for processing at the BI for a 13a visa?

Not for the 13A but on at least one occasion I did have to leave my passport at BI doing my annual report - only for a few hours mind you but it only takes a second to steal/lose a passport. I distinctly recall others on the forum having to do the same.

I wouldn't worry too much about it, or the fact others haven't had to do so - it's perfectly normal here for inconsistent procedures to prevail. 

[MikeyD]

My visa consulting agency informed me that my NBI clearance was complete a few days ago but when they went to submit my actual 13a application to the BI they or the BI noticed that my wife's signature wasn't exactly as it was on her identification document.  She signed with middle name in full as opposed to middle initial so we had to go back and re-sign the documents.  When she re-signed the documents I noticed that the typewritten name below where all of the places where she signed had her full middle name but they instructed her to only include her middle initial since that is the way she signed her identification document.  Seems like it shouldn't have made a difference but rules are rules I guess.  My agency submitted the 13a application and now our BI in person interview and biometrics is scheduled for this coming Friday morning.

I think others have advised wearing long pants and a decent shirt and shoes (not flip flops) to the BI and to be pleasant and respectful of course.  Does anyone have any other advice?  

I think I read somewhere that the in person interview was suspended but is now back.  Has anyone had any problems occur during their interview (in person or otherwise) with the BI for the probationary 13a visa application?  Do they ask probing questions or just superficial ones? 

I wouldn't think they would give us a hard time but you never know what people get picky about (like middle name vs middle initial).  I think I read somewhere that they had never heard of anyone that failed the interview as long as the paperwork was in order, hopefully this will just be a formality.  Maybe they will just interact with my wife like almost all other interactions where I seem to be invisible and get ignored when I try to join in. 

[MikeyD]

This is how the BI interview went.  We arrived at 9:15 am at GMall in Cebu for our 10:00 am appointment.  I don't think the mall was open but they let us in to go to BI on the second floor.  At some point they segregated some of the females to sit separately from their foreigner husbands., They didn’t ask my wife to join the “female line”, not sure why but we have been married a long time.  At about 10:30 they started calling in interviewee couples.  At about 11:00 we were called and led to a large room with several desks, no walls, no privacy but no problem.  The interview was casual - questions included when were you married, how many children, source and amount of income and why do you want to live here?  Then picture, signature and electronic fingerprints, then waiting for 15 minutes then we were done by 11:30 or so.  The dress code at BI in GMall was casual, most foreigners were wearing shorts and flip flops.

[MikeyD]

Fast forward to last Wednesday (May 15), my agency informed me that my 13a probationary application had been approved.  They said it could take 3 to 4 weeks after they receive the “Order” from the BI Manila but things could get delayed due to restructuring at the BI but after asking about the delay they offered an “expedited” service for an additional fee that could reduce the processing time.  Has anyone heard anything about restructuring at the BI that is causing delays in processing 13a probationary and/or other visa processing?  Is 3 to 4 weeks a normal timeframe for the implementation process for a 13a probationary visa in Cebu?

[Jack Peterson]

5 minutes ago, MikeyD said:

Is 3 to 4 weeks a normal timeframe for the implementation process for a 13a probationary visa in Cebu?

 Yes I am afraid it is, Everything from CEBU has to go to MANILA, The problem will be in manila not Cebu  another problem you may encounter is another extension until CEBU get the Order

[MikeyD]

16 hours ago, Jack Peterson said:

Yes I am afraid it is, Everything from CEBU has to go to MANILA, The problem will be in manila not Cebu  another problem you may encounter is another extension until CEBU get the Order

So, it sounds like my passport will have to be sent to Manila before being returned back to Cebu which could take 3 to 4 weeks.  Plus, like you said it could take extra time to get the Order.

Being without my passport for that long makes me nervous.  I do have a paper copy and a picture of it on my phone but I'm not sure how accepted either of those would be in case of being asked for my ID even just for purchases (which occasionally has happened).  I doubt that would work for domestic travel and of course I could not leave the country without my actual passport should something urgent come up.  Unfortunately, I haven't taken the time to try to get any other picture IDs here and my US driver's license expired on May 8th of this year.  I guess I could try to use my expired US driver's license if someone insists on seeing an actual picture ID and hope they don't look at the expiration date.  It still seems odd to me that a foreign government requires giving up possession of my US passport for any length of time, but I guess that's just the way it is.  I think I may have read that if you are actually in Manila in person that the process is much faster, but I really don't want to travel to Manila.

Have any of you guys been without your passport for 3 to 4 weeks and did you encounter any issues?

 

[Jack Peterson]

1 minute ago, MikeyD said:

Have any of you guys been without your passport for 3 to 4 weeks and did you encounter any issues?

 Yes  and No respectively  It is manila that put your 13a Visa in the Passport, Mine was about 5 weeks to be returned, I have a Laminated Bio page of My passport with no problems encountered  Ymmv but it is what it is 

[Possum]

5 minutes ago, MikeyD said:

Have any of you guys been without your passport for 3 to 4 weeks and did you encounter any issues?

Yes, frequently over the years in order to have visas issued. For that reason I usually had a 2nd passport issued. You can request one. They had a validity of 2 years

[hk blues]

50 minutes ago, MikeyD said:

So, it sounds like my passport will have to be sent to Manila before being returned back to Cebu which could take 3 to 4 weeks.  Plus, like you said it could take extra time to get the Order.

Being without my passport for that long makes me nervous.  I do have a paper copy and a picture of it on my phone but I'm not sure how accepted either of those would be in case of being asked for my ID even just for purchases (which occasionally has happened).  I doubt that would work for domestic travel and of course I could not leave the country without my actual passport should something urgent come up.  Unfortunately, I haven't taken the time to try to get any other picture IDs here and my US driver's license expired on May 8th of this year.  I guess I could try to use my expired US driver's license if someone insists on seeing an actual picture ID and hope they don't look at the expiration date.  It still seems odd to me that a foreign government requires giving up possession of my US passport for any length of time, but I guess that's just the way it is.  I think I may have read that if you are actually in Manila in person that the process is much faster, but I really don't want to travel to Manila.

Have any of you guys been without your passport for 3 to 4 weeks and did you encounter any issues?

 

If I may say, I think you're overthinking this.  It's only 3-4 weeks and how often are you asked for photo ID anyway?  I can't remember the last time I was asked for it t.b.h. In any event, you could always use the US licence and explain you're in the process of renewing it.