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Ready for the Interview
Monday, August 30, 2010,
Yes, I am! And I hope you're getting ready too. :) Well today, I had the time to take some photos of everything that I'll be bringing to the embassy for the interview. It's overwhelming to just look at these things and remember all the time I spent completing all the documents I need. Falling in line was the worst part but the rest like having things printed and photocopied was a breeze. I have everything I need and I'm now confident to head on to my interview. This is it. Most of these things, if not all, have already been posted in my previous blog entries. I'm just reposting the completed version now. I'll be bringing my folder, a heap of paper as the proof of genuine relationship, and plastic envelopes which hold original boarding passes and plane tickets in the pink one and our photos in the green one. An overview of all the documents A closer look. You'll see the blue receipt from BDO, my USEM letter which has the St. Luke's stamp already as evidence that I went to the required medical examination, underneath that is the email printout of the USEM interview schedule and my completed DS forms. Here is another shot of my NBI clearance, birth certificate and CENOMAR. These are the financial documents that are separated as photocopies and originals, the proof of genuine relationship and my 2x2 photographs. And lastly, a closer look of the two envelopes that hold boarding passes, plane tickets, hotel receipts and our photos. I've even prepared three outfits for the interview itself. My J loves the second look but I like the third. So to lessen the argument, maybe I should wear the first. :p And of course the shoes, I'd prefer flipflops or really flat sandals on regular days. Above are almost four-inch heels. I'm almost 5'9'' in those shoes. I look like a tower! But I guess that's where the extra confidence comes from. :p To all those who are preparing for their upcoming interview, I wish all the best. :) [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: 1-134, evidence of support, forms, k1 interview, k1 requirements, paperwork for k1 interview, pictures, requirements |
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J's Special Talent
Monday, June 14, 2010,
My little two-year-old niece was having tantrums the other night. Was kicking and screaming and didn't want to stop crying. But she was all smiles when J started to talk to her, online! Via MSN :) Look at our little angel, happy playing with her Tito Honey. ![]() J has such charisma with kids. I guess that's a talent he learned from baby sitting when he was 14. The first time I saw him carrying his baby cousin, I knew he'd be a great father. I'm just so proud of my J :) Ciao! Labels: pictures, pinay, pinoy |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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.
























