I've always loved photoblogs. I feel like I'm more of a
visual person than a writer. Sometimes though my brain
loves to tell stories and thanks to Inquirer, one has
been published already. So this blog will be a mix of
both: things I see through my lens or letters I type down
on my laptop. (: Best viewed using Google Chrome.
|
Financial Documents received via Express Mail
Tuesday, August 17, 2010,
We all know I have been sick, so apologies for those who have been waiting for updates. But what a big update this is! I'm almost done with my antibiotics, I've received all remaining paperworks that I need from J and say what... a new blog layout too? :p I hope you all like it. I think, it's cleaner version of what I had before. I've lost my comments page but hey the chat box is there for all of you to leave comments or just feel free to say anything. And although I want to thank J's insomnia attack, because I have too much time in my hands right now, I'm also wishing him a good rest as he has been working too hard lately. Shall we begin?  It was late afternoon, last Thursday, when I received my USPS package from J, which was delivered via FedEx. We didn't know anything when we were trying to gather the paperworks. That's why I'll be sharing photos of it and its contents so that other people trying to complete the package will know the difference of a 1040 from a W2. It was a good thing that J's dad is anal about documents that he kept all of J's tax records since 2007. Also thanking my future mother-in-law for helping J gather all his pay stubs since January 2010. :) We were actually done gathering those files in 10 minutes. Miss Michelle from his HR was also quick in trying to respond in giving him an employment letter and a copy of his insurance policy. The thing that we needed to wait for was the bank statement that came early August. With everything that was placed in separate envelopes, let's just say I received a hefty amount of original paperworks. This is the exact copy of the US Embassy requirement with regard to financial documents or the Evidence of Support. As you can see, I've murdered my copy with an orange highlighter and my black pen.  You need SIX basic things to complete this evidence to "substantiate the I-134." 1. The two-page I-134 form, completed by your Fiancé and notarized.  2. US Federal Income Tax Return or Form 1040. I found that this has different versions, depends on whether your Fiancé completed his form manually or electronically.  3. Wage Statement or Form W2. The perforations are just a big temptation as I just want to tear it to pieces. :p  4. Employment letter stating salary.  5. Bank statement.  6. Pay stubs. Although not part of the requirement, it has been suggested many times in VJ to just bring some. J gets paid bi-weekly, so I have around 14 of his pay stubs! Not only was he given a certificate to celebrate his third year in the same company but he was also given a raise. Proud of my J. :) A copy of that certificate is going with our files.  There you go, the exact things I received from J. Just a few reminders, because these are very important files, please do make it a point to photocopy them. Before J sent them, he also scanned all these. It's not bad being anal sometimes. We'll never know what might happen, right? Besides, it does say in the Important Reminders: "We will try to return documents that you submitted and asked us to return, but do not give us anything that cannot be replaced. Make copies of important documents and submit copies along with the originals you want returned to you." [Edit] One of the most frequently asked questions are the complete list of things that you may need after getting your NOA2. I've posted blog entries about them here, here, and here. BUT PLEASE read the official information from the USEM Manila K1/K2 Interview Preparation Instructions HERE. You may need Adobe Reader to view the last link. God bless! Labels: 1-129F, 1-129F package, 1-134, evidence of support, fiance visa, financial documents, forms, k1 interview, paperwork for k1 interview, requirements, visa interview  Leave a comment? // 0 Comment(s)
|
|
Genuine Relationship Bliss
Monday, August 2, 2010,
This is 120 pages of utter bliss. Although it was hard work to gather all the info, I had fun re-reading all the old conversations J and I had. :) And yes, this contains 40 pages of Facebook wall-to-wall screenshots. :p  Labels: 1-129F, 1-129F package, fiance visa, k1 interview, paperwork for k1 interview, requirements, visa interview Leave a comment? // 0 Comment(s)
|
|
Lucky 8
Monday, July 26, 2010,
After having some salty encounter with Angelina Jolie, my J came home excited to book us an interview appointment. We tried a couple of days ago but the line kept hanging up on J, that's when we realized we were trying to reach them on a weekend. For those planning to call the US Embassy in Manila, this will be available in your Packet 4, but let me just give the number again: 1-888-8777-9888 (from the United Stated) 1-909-101-7878 (from the Philippines) Available from 8:00am - 6:00 pm Mondays to Fridays only. J, of course, used the 1800 number and was charged with a flat rate $18. This was a little cheaper for us since he stayed on the phone for almost 16 minutes. From the Philippines, you'll be charged Php53 per minute. I guess it's a personal choice of what to use, but you can also toss a coin if you're still not sure which service to avail. Funny how J presses too many buttons on his Sidekick whilst he was trying to enter his debit card details. Yup, the 1800 number allows you to use both your credit card or, like what J did his, debit card. Tina, who helped out J, asked him some verification and continued on asking more details. Here's a rundown of the things that would be asked before you could choose a date for your interview: - Manila/MNL Case Number - Name of the Petitioner - Name of the Beneficiary - Beneficiary's birthday, residential address, mobile number & e-mail address He was asked a date and we've always targeted the 8th of September. Not only was it our 14th month together as a couple but it is also the Feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. We're two big Catholic kids so I was excited when J confirmed that we got that date. He was also guided by Tina to visit the K1 Interview Requirements from the Manila US Embassy website and was advised to do the medical a week before the scheduled interview. (The interview guide that I've posted a few days ago might also help you. So here's the link to that.) Before J hung up, he was given an appointment confirmation number and I've already received the e-mail confirmation too.  Well there it is, a screen shot of the e-mail I've received which I just need to print out. I will update you as soon we're done paying the fees and also after my medical. Hopefully I'm as healthy as a horse! :) Labels: 1-129F, fiance visa, k1 interview, k1 visa, paperwork for k1 interview, requirements, visa interview Leave a comment? // 0 Comment(s)
|
|
Submit ALL Requirements
Wednesday, July 21, 2010,
Why hello there! I know I haven't been updating this blog religiously so that's why I'm taking this time to do it now! :) Just got extra time in my hand since I just finished a quest in Frontierville via Facebook and my J is actually doing his ab ripper via P90x. I got around 20 minutes in my hand and so I probably should stop the vomit of words. What's for today, well it's "how to arrange your documents so that you can have an idiot-free day on your interview." Later on, I might update this same blog entry with photos of the ones that I've done so at least you have an idea of how everything will look like. Cool with that? As J would reply, "COOLios!" :p Hot from today's mail is a copy of the letter I received from the US Embassy.  I know Packet 4 from Manila Embassy just asks you for tons and tons of requirements. But it all comes down to four things: 1. DS Forms, 2. Certificates, 3. Proof of Existing Relationship/Genuine Engagement and of course the 4. Evidence of Support. I've made the list below as per JORDANTONI09's post in VJ about how she did it, I will be sharing the link of course once I find it again. I would make this my checklist as well so bear with me because I'm one of those over thinkers who have an unconfirmed obsessive-compulsive disorder attacks. Are you laughing? You should, because it's a joke! :p DS Forms This, I've read, will be submitted and you should have two separate sets. -DS 156K -DS 156 -DS 157 -DS 156 -DS 157  Certificates Read Packet 4 carefully on what other certificates you need, in my case, I only need 3. -NSO Copy of Birth Certificate -NSO Copy of CENOMAR (Certificate of no Marriage) -NBI Clearance (The Green one which is good for Travel Abroad)  Proof of Existing Relationship/Genuine Engagement This is couple-dependent. Some of you might have the same list as I have, some of you may have more or less. Just remember that the CO will have the right to ask for the original of whatever copies you've sent in your I-129F package. Our package has timeline from May 2009-May 2010. So for the interview, we will be updating it and adding details from June 2010 until around end of August 2010 as we're planning to schedule my interview on second week of September. -Your Fiancé’s updated Intent to Marry Letter -Original Receipt/Insurance/Warranty of Engagement Ring -Original copies of Snail Mail -Chat/Windows Live Messenger Logs -Home/Mobile Phone Bills - Online Purchases like flowers and gifts delivered to each other -Money Transfer/Xoom.com Transactions -Photos As proof of meeting each other within the last 2 years: -Scanned Copy of Stamps on J's Passport -Boarding Passes  Evidence of Support Since the Embassy will request for the originals, J scanned everything that is on the list below. -Notarized I-134 -Letter of Employment -2 Years Worth of W2's and 1040's (He has only been working for 3 years and paperwork for his third year in the company will come out by the end of this year. So getting one is out of the question.) -6 months worth of Pay Stubs -Bank Statement -Copy of Life Insurance There, that's about it. I'm still waiting for the Original Copies from J, which he will be sending at the end of the month, like boarding passes of his flight to come here and our flights from Manila to Bacolod and vice versa. He's waiting for his latest bank statement that will come out by the 28th and after receiving that then express mail will be our new found BFF. Here's my organizer, too. A good find in the world of National Bookstore! :)  Keep going back, I will be updating this entry and show you some more pictures. Ciao! [Edit] One of the most frequently asked questions are the complete list of things that you may need after getting your NOA2. I've posted blog entries about them here, here, and here. BUT PLEASE read the official information from the USEM Manila K1/K2 Interview Preparation Instructions HERE. You may need Adobe Reader to view the last link. God bless! Labels: 1-129F, 1-129F package, fiance visa, k1 interview, paperwork for k1 interview, requirements, visa interview Leave a comment? // 1 Comment(s)
|
|
Blessing in Disguise
Monday, July 5, 2010,
I could never say J and I are religious, not even spiritual, but we do believe in the power of prayer. Before we started our K1 Visa Journey, we promised that we will never skip on Sunday Mass again. See for J it's a sacrifice in itself to spend an hour at the church right after a 12-hour shift. I'm so proud of us because we've been at it for more than 10 weeks now. In my case, there is the Holy Rosary. I've been praying along with my big brother for 14 days now. It started out as a Novena for Saint Joseph, but I love the feeling of how it makes me feel so peaceful that I'm thinking of keeping the deed every night. Last Saturday afternoon, I was browsing through VJ when I saw a lot of June filers getting their NOA2. One was even approved in 19 days. I was happy for them but worried that it seems somebody skipped the pile of May filers. I told J about this fear of getting an RFE in the mail. And I won't forget what he said, "Don't worry about it." The remaining hours of that afternoon, I was fighting myself not to click any link from VJ anymore. This was not the usual crazy bets J and I used to have. It was me, fighting the feeling of doubt that we didn't check well enough if our K1 Packet will ace the adjudicator who will go through it. Come night time and when J was fast asleep, I caught myself staring out of my window, hugging my pillow so tight and prayed once again. It was excruciating, but I was praying to let go--let go of my fears and worries, let go of my doubts and obsession to over think. At the end, I kept repeating to myself "In YOUR own time." It's not being cinematic, but tears fell. Yesterday, at Sunday Mass, after the communion, I knelt down and closed my eyes to say almost the same prayer I had the night before. I went to my old routine, I prayed the rosary that evening. At 5am this morning, J called me on my phone. I know it was the usual alarm for me to get up and talk to him before he goes to work. The camera was not working yet again. After restarting my computer, I called him with my eyes still closed. This time, the camera was working. He asked me in Tagalog, "Still sleepy?" I almost grunted. "You know what will wake you up?" And he was holding a paper in his hand and he said, "And this is not an REF!" R-E-F? I was lost. J continued to say, "Honey, the petition got approved!" My brain goes, "Owwwwwkay, he was referring to RFE. But he said something else. It got approved? It got APPROVED?!" Yes, it was 5am when I started yelling "Oh my God. Oh my God!!" And another, "Oh my God!" We were both crying as we updated our Facebook Statuses.  J was so excited that he just couldn't fight the urge to dance. And believe me when I say that he's not a dancer! It made us both laugh. He also reenacted the earlier scene and went "You know what will wake you up," and he goes, "BAM!" with a blurred NOA2 because it was too near from the webcam. He can be so funny sometimes. He told me to update our VJ timeline so we'll know how many days it took for it to be approved. I gladly went to do the task and when the screen refreshed it was a shocking 21 days! :) The funny thing is that, J never checked his mail. It was a blessing in disguise that somebody did and that the mail came with good news, too. This Thursday, the 8th of July, we will be celebrating our first year as a couple. With every little thing that's been going on, I could really say that we are both happy. Receiving NOA2 is the best anniversary gift ever! To God be the glory, indeed!  Labels: 1-129F, 1-129F package, fiance visa, k1 visa, pinay, pinoy Leave a comment? // 0 Comment(s)
|
|
Message Me
Friday, July 2, 2010,
Time for the Messenger talk, as promised. We've downloaded and used a lot of different ones already, but I guess we got so used in using just two programs. I'll tell you more about that later. So a few days ago, J and I had fun saving screenshots of ourselves. We are vain like that! Excuse him for not wearing a shirt. It just gets so hot in Florida so even with the AC on, he still can't resist being topless. :p  CAMFROG. I don't know if you've heard about this, but this program was actually designed for the hearing impaired. So the video loads really fast but there are delays on the audio. We've tried it for a lot of months and it worked just well. When you use the program though, it seems like it occupies all your desktop space as there are too many windows opened. We're both laptop users, both have built-in microphones. We only have our earphones to make our conversation a little private. But when J needs to take off the earphone, I find it annoying because I can hear myself. Something to do with echoes not properly filtered. So nowadays, we use Cam Frog as an alternative messenger when MSN is acting up. WINDOWS LIVE MESSENGER/MSN. Yes, it's the same thing. This is our favorite. But late last year mine acted up and was telling me that I don't have a video connected to my computer. I have a built-in webcam and I tried an external one as well, none worked with MSN. But Cam Frog was able to find my webcams, so we were stuck using it until early this year. Google was so helpful because I landed on a page that said this is actually a glitch of MSN and had a simple remedy. You know how there are advertisements on free messenger programs, same goes with MSN. And me being in the Philippines, the program did not give local ads. So all I needed to do was to change from an option the country where I was at, and it worked. Back to free video chats all day long! MSN captures video really fast, no echoes with or without earphones, and will only have a window open for your video and text chat. The chat archives was a good feature as well when we filed our I-129F package.  YAHOO! MESSENGER. The most popular messenger here in the Philippines. But see how pixelated J was when he actually has a much faster internet speed than what I have. And when I talk to my sister who's in Canada, after a few minutes it would give me a static noise. Sometimes the video freezes too. So there are still a lot of improvement that needs to go to their video chatting.What I love about Y!M is that it offers Mobile capabilities. So when I'm offline, all my Y!M messages goes directly to my mobile phone and I receive it as a text message. Now this is how J and I use this to our advantage: J has Globe Kababayan sim (which obviously has international roaming activated), so when I'm not at home, what we do is that he sends me a message on Y!M, I'll receive it as a text message, I'll reply on his roaming number, and then the cycle goes on. See J has unlimited web browsing/Y!M on his T-Mobile Sidekick, so this is the cheapest way to communicate when we're both not at home. ;) I hope this was a useful read. So what messenger works best for you and your fiance? Labels: 1-129F, 1-129F package, fiance visa, k1 visa, pinay, pinoy Leave a comment? // 0 Comment(s)
|
|
When You Least Expect It
Sunday, June 13, 2010,
Almost all of the time this is true. This time, it proved to be something important. Remember how we have been waiting for the USPS confirmation that the I-129F Package was already delivered? But instead of receiving that, J received a confirmation that the check got cashed. It was a good thing though, at least we were sure that USCIS received the package. The check getting cashed was the only confirmation that made us a little sane for a moment. We were playing the paranoid game ever since we mailed the I-129F package. We just started this game with USCIS and we need much sanity as possible. I've read a dozen timelines in VJ since signing up and I know we have a long way to go. It's like every morning when I wake up, I look at my Google Chrome bookmarks and click on VJ. It's something my fingers voluntary do. And J was doing the same thing. (If he's reading this, he's gonna deny it for sure! Haha) To challenge me, J and I had a bet on who would be able to ignore VJ for the longest time. No prices. It was just for the pleasure of sanity check. But yesterday, after coming home from a mini-family reunion.. I lost the bet. Chazzie posted a comment on my VJ page and an email notification came through advising me about it. I clicked on the blue link that was so tempting. She asked me if we have received our NOA1. Chazzie and I, and a few more Pinay Fiancées, sent the I-129F on the same day. So we were like checking on each other's statuses, sorta like to track the progress of each other's application. When J woke up, I asked him if he had checked the mail. He might be the laziest guy on earth when it comes to picking up the mail so I was so surprised when he asked me, "Not yet, do you want me to check it?" After a few minutes, he was like.. "Hon, look!"  There goes the USPS confirmation we have been waiting for. I don't really know if it has been there since the stamped date of 03 June. But I don't really care, 'coz look at the other thing he got in the mail. :)  That is our First Notice of Action, or the so called NOA1 which is really just a receipt notice that... well... that they've received your I-129F and that they'll be processing it. The good thing about it is that the receipt number can be used to track what's happening with your application and you can do this online by going through the USCIS website. Now J is subscribed to mobile and email alerts, which would just help us forget all about the application and just be sane again. Now, we're just praying for a speedy approval with no reworks or Request For Evidence/s (RFEs). Crossing our fingers now. Ciao! Labels: 1-129F, 1-129F package, fiance visa, k1 visa, pictures, pinay, pinoy Leave a comment? // 0 Comment(s)
|
|
I-129F Check Cashed
Wednesday, June 9, 2010,
It was Patrick all over the check. No, my fiancé's name is not Patrick. But his personal check had Patrick on it -- the pink starfish who is the overly clueless best friend of Spongebob. I giggled a little when he confirmed he's gonna use his Patrick check which he got personalized from Walmart. So I don't really know how the person who helped USCIS felt when he saw a cartoon on a check of a person trying to apply for a Fiancé Visa. But it did get cashed and he got this as a confirmation too. Would have been cooler if bitmaps show how cute and how pink the check was.  Pray for us as we're just waiting for our NOA1 and hopefully have a speedy NOA2 as well. Labels: 1-129F, 1-129F package, check, fiance visa, k1 visa, walmart Leave a comment? // 0 Comment(s)
|
|
Our Completed Package
Tuesday, June 8, 2010,
Done with looking through all your chat archives, your travel itinerary, scanning all your bag tags and receipts you've compiled whilst you were on your fiancée's hometown? So you think you're done with everything, huh? Well, you're almost there. Whilst we were deciding on what color of folder we will be using, we were also arguing on what tags will end up on our file. We thought of using just the regular Post-it tags, but he thought it might fall off. So whatever he has chosen worked well with him as the final outcome looks really neat.  And here's J, holding on to a very special envelope.  We're still waiting for the receipt from USPS advising us that the package was delivered. We'll be sharing that on future blogs of course. Ciao! Labels: 1-129F, 1-129F package, fiance visa, k1 visa, pictures, pinay, pinoy Leave a comment? // 0 Comment(s)
|
|
How To Complete an I-129f Package
Monday, June 7, 2010,
So this is it, it all comes down to filing the needed paperworks. Make sure that your fiancé IS a US Citizen. Only US Citizens can file a I-129F and there's no other what if's here. One of the most useful website I've been to is Visa Journey where there are sooooo many helpful people who could answer most of all the questions you have about it. So until now, if I need to clarify something, I just post the questions there and wait for people to comment on it. So with this post, we will follow the Step-by-Step Guide on How to File for a K-1 Visa for your Foreign Fiance(e) and show you sample images of how we've handled our DIY I-129F. Let's get started.(Photos have been blurred out as these are exact print screens of what we have submitted to USCIS and therefore has private information on it. And since we both never married before, never imprisoned, never had a name change, we didn't have paperworks for those.) 1. Payment as required by USCIS -- amounting to $455. My Fiancé used personal check. For check format, please see this link. It's the official USCIS instructions. It's a PDF file and check instructions will be on 2. Cover Letter. -- This is like a table of Contents of everything you've placed in your package.  3. Form I-129F: Petition for Alien Fiance(e) -- the most important part of the packet as you will need to fill out important details about the USC and the Foreign Fiancée.  4. Declaration of how you met in person in the last two years. This should be a single typed page attachment regarding question 18 of the I-129F. Make sure to sign and date it.  5. Original statements (from both the US Citizen and foreign fiance) certifying an intent to marry within 90 days of entering the US on a valid K-1.  6. Proof of having met in past two years. -- Suggested list will be seen in VJ too. Here's one part of ours, photographs with labels like dates, where the picture was taken and who are present in the picture.  And J's passport stamps.  7. G-325A filled out by the US Citizen AND another copy filled out by Foreign Fiancée, signed and dated. Some websites would suggest submitting 4 copies. Nobody will get hurt, so we did submit 4 copies of each of our G-325As.  8. Passport-type photo of the US Citizen AND Foreign Fiancée, one for each. Write the full name at the back. Place in a plastic bag and label the bag "Photo of ." Attach the bag to a sheet of paper and place behind the corresponding G-325A. 9. Copy of the Birth certificate (front and back) for the US Citizen OR a copy of ALL pages of the US Citizen's passport issued with a validity of at least 5 years OR a copy of the US Citizen's naturalization certificate (front and back). This is used to establish citizenship. With J, we had some problems with the naturalization certificate as there was nothing printed on the back but has a seal which cannot be captured by the copier he has back home. So just to be sure, he sent in a photocopy of his passport too. We front loaded our application with adding more details proving a genuine/ongoing relationship. Here are so of the things we've attached: Phonebills with highlights when my J called me, money transfers and of course the popular wall-to-wall conversation in Facebook.    Here's a closeup of the labels.  These are just guides to help you visualize what the contents will look like. On my next post, I'll show you our folders and mailing envelopes, too. Ciao!! Labels: 1-129F, 1-129F package, fiance visa, forms, k1 visa, pictures, pinay, pinoy Leave a comment? // 0 Comment(s)
|
