US Visa Compilation

To all of those US VISA applicants that are still waiting for the medical exam and visa interview, I have here a link on where you can track your medical exam and visa interview. appointment.

Here’s the link:

http://203.177.135.10/ivappointment/login.asp

Just type your mnl case number (manila case number) and  if you already have your schedule, the website will display it. Don’t worry if there are no results yet, the key about processing a visa is PATIENCE.

Visit the website regularly or should I say track your status regularly and you might be surprise that one day, your schedule is already posted.

One of the most important thing that an AOS applicant needs to take note is to find the right civil surgeon that knows the process in k1 visas. Do not trust or think  that all of the civil surgeons assigned in your area know the process because most of them DON’T. List all the civil surgeon in your area and call them one by one. Ask them specifically if they’ll do a transfer of medical record and how much. If they answered yes then ask for an appointment. If they answered NO and tells you that you need to take the whole medical exam, just say thanks for the info and hang up then try calling other civil surgeon until you can find the office that will tell you that they can transfer your record.

When I processed mine, it took me around 15 calls to 15 different offices before I was able to find the civil surgeon who knows the process. You see, when we took our medical exam in SLEC, the only medical tests/shot that we lacked is the TD-shot. The rest were already given to us.

Why do we need to take the TD-shot?

I beleive its mandatory for AOS applicants.

What’s the work of the civil surgeon in processing our AOS papers?

Well, the function of the civil surgeon in processing our AOS is that, they are the authorized office to transfer our medical test result to their own paper and seal it in an envelope. This sealed envelope is part of the requirements itemized in the I-485 form.

And hence we’re already done with the medical tests from our country (Philippines), the only vaccine that we’re lacking is the TD-shot. So we need to get the TD-shot here in the States. I took mine from the base (my husband works in Air Force)  because its free.

After that, they supplied me a record of my TD-shot and they also recorded the shots I got from the Philippines in one paper then we went to a civil surgeon to transfer it and seal it in an envelope.

We only paid $25 but I took it in Texas hence the civil surgeon office nearby (New Mexico area) do not know the process. The civil surgeon in New Mexico wants me to repeat and re-take all the medical test and it was ridiculous. And that’s why I too mine in Texas.

Here’s the copy that I was about to find on how to amend a Philippine passport:

AMENDMENT OF PASSPORT

1. In addition to the requirements for Renewal of Passport, the following documentary requirements must be submitted by a female applicant wishing to change her maiden surname to her married name: For a marriage solemnized in the Philippines - submit the original/certified true copy and a photocopy of marriage certificate. b. For a marriage solemnized outside of the Philippines and celebrated within the jurisdiction of the Philippine Consulate General(i.e. in Southern California, Southern Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas), the following must be submitted: 1) original and photocopy of marriage certificate; 2) duly accomplished Consulate Report of Marriage Contracted Abroad form. (Note: Registration of Marriage requires the following: original copy of the marriage contract/certificate/license, passport photos of both parties, proof of citizenship of both parties, i.e. passports or birth certificates.
2. For female applicants wishing to revert to the use of their maiden names: a. For widowed applicants - certified true copy and photocopy of death certificate of husband, or a court order of presumptive death. b. For annulled marriages - certified true copy and photocopy of annotated Marriage Contract or Certificate of Registration and certified true copy of Court Order. c. For divorced applicants (Allowed only in cases where the non-Filipino spouse acted as the plaintiff; and not allowed when both parties are Filipino citizens at the time of the divorce), submit the original copy of Divorce Decree. In all the foregoing cases, the female applicant must accomplish a Sworn Declaration to Revert to Maiden Surname. A sample form of this Affidavit can be downloaded in the Consular Services category.

The one that I highlighted is the category where I belong. I got married here in the States and so I need to follow the instruction on letter b.

for the complete information about the clipping above, click here

I am currently looking for information about amending the passport ( my Philippine passport) and it’s going to be a lot of work again.

We might go out of the country (Canada) and I’m afraid that I might get in trouble if I don’t amend my passport. My passport still bears my surname when I was single. I’m just glad that PPP released the assignments earlier today, so I can divert my attention to other stuffs.

Anyway, going back to amending of passport, there are information online that says “it is ok to travel outside the country without amending your passport so long as you have the evidences that you’re already married so you can go back to the States again”. Evidences such as marriage license, marriage cert and etc.

For me, it’s still risky, I might as well change my name now so I’m assured that I won’t get in trouble with regards to to entry back to the States.

When you enter the US with a fiancee visa, the next thing to live legally in the States is to marry your loved one and file for the Adjustment of Status or known as AOS.

Here’s the breakdown of the latest cost of filing AOS:

The cost is $930 plus a biometrics fee of $80; the fee total is $1,010.

Exceptions:

* There is no fee for applicants who are filing Form I-485 based on having been admitted to the United States as a refugee.

* Applicants 79 years of age or older are not charged a biometric fee and the total fee is $930.

* Applicants under 14 years of age:

  - Filing with the I-485 application of at least one parent have a fee total of $600

    - Not filing with the I-485 application of at least one parent have a fee total of $930

Click here to download the instruction on how to complete the form 

Click here to download I-485 Form

Source: http://www.uscis.gov 

This was taken way back May 7, 2007 and was originally posted in my dabawenya babe’s blog last August 10, 2007.

After the long period of waiting for my visa interview to come and after finishing the agony of completing the medical exam, here comes Monday- the day of my long awaited interview.

As expected it brought me sleepless Sunday night, it was a mixed emotion. I was excited and yet a little scared because I know there are other applicants who failed their interview and it’s either I’ll pass it or fail it. There are no other options.

Anyway, around 3am Vanessa and I were already up preparing ourselves and re-check our papers for our interview. As I’ve said in my previous entries, I was with 2 other applicants Mitch and Vanessa and Mitch was already done last Friday and had already passed her interview.

So we took a shower and at 4am, we’re already in the street looking for a taxicab. Our interview was scheduled at 7 30am but we opted to go to the embassy hours earlier since we ‘ve always heard info that it is an advantage to go to the embassy earlier especially that there will be hundreds of other applicants.

We stayed in a hotel where it is only a few blocks away to SLEC and the US Embassy. It was not necessary to ride a taxicab but hence it was too early and we were not familiar with the place, we opted for one. We arrived in the US Embassy building after 5 or 7 minutes.

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While processing my (AOS), I had a lot of trouble getting the required documents because I wasn’t able to differentiate the form I693a from form I693. Instead of downloading the form I693a, I downloaded the I693 and that was a huge mistake.

Though both of this forms are used for medical purposes usage, there is a big difference between the two. Form I693 is the form used to get the “whole medical exam” while the form I693a  (or known as the Vaccination Supplement form) is for medical result transfer (a certain AOS applicant took from his/her country) purposes only.

There was only one medical process that a fiancee visa holder is lacking, that’s the TD-shot. I took my TD-shot in the base (my husband works in USAF) mainly because it’s accessible plus the fact that it’s free. I heard that TD-shot cost around $25 and up depending on where you would get it.

Anyway, after taking my TD-shot, they then furnished me a copy of my TD-shot record. Along with this record and my medical records from Saint Lukes, I submitted it to the civil surgeon for tranferring of my medical records to the form I693a. Now, AOS only requires the applicant to submit the I693a form (along with other requirements) in a sealed envelop from civil surgeon.

So it is very important for you to know ahead of time the difference between form I693a from form I693. I run a search today and here are the links on where to download both these forms:

Click here to download I693 Form

Click here to download I693a Form

I am browsing the uscis.gov website today and this is the latest news they have:

USCIS to Allow F-1 Students Opportunity to Request Change of Status

WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that it would allow F-1 students who are the beneficiaries of selected H-1B petitions for fiscal year (FY) 2009 to request a change of status in lieu of consular notification.

This short-term measure follows an April 8, 2008 interim final rule that, among other actions, automatically extends the F-1 status of qualifying students who are the beneficiaries of approved H-1B petitions to cover the gap between the expiration of a student’s F-1 status and the H-1B employment start date of October 1. To obtain the automatic extension, a student must be the beneficiary of an H-1B petition filed for the next fiscal year (with an October 1 employment start date) and have requested a change of status. For F-1 student beneficiaries of petitions that USCIS subsequently rejects, denies, or revokes, or for those who violate their status, the automatic extension terminates at that time.

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AOS stands for Adjustment of Status or in short green card processing. My K1 (fiancee) visa when I get here in the US is equivalent of a visitor’s visa and since I married a US citizen and wanted to stay here, I need to adjust my status. We got married way back in June of this year and filed for my AOS last July. It took us almost a month to gather the requirements as we had a hard time getting my vaccination record transferred into the INS form.

Oh boy, that was really hard. Firstly, my husband is working (8 to 4pm) and the offices location’s here are 50 to 100+ miles from our house so we can’t do it during the lunch break of my husband. He always needs to file a leave whenever we would file something or whenever we have an appointment. One of the AOS requirement is the transfer of the vaccination record into their form. It goes this way, when we had our medical exam in Manila, the results are given to us and Saint Luke’s staff specifically instruct to keep it for further use here in the States.

This form is not sealed but with all the signature’s of the doctors and the clinic’s name. Now, the AOS require us( the filer) to transfer the data of this form into their form (the I-693a).
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Hi everyone, let’s talk again about my US Visa procedures and one of the requirement before I came here in the US. But firstly, let me emphasize this: All of what I’ve written here are based on my OWN experience; the process may or may not change so I would advice you to do more research on this topic, also this is only for K1 or fiancee visa procedures.

Before you buy your luggage, pack your things or get that despedida (go away) party, you need to attend a Pre Departure Orientation Seminar first to get a CFO stamp in your passport. Remember, YOU CAN’T LEAVE THE COUNTRY WITHOUT THE CFO STAMP. Why? Our government requires it and they are so strict when it comes to this rule. Plus you don’t want to delay your flight just because of this right?

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