Headed to Iloilo

[jmcooper002]

I have been a long time lurker, sometimes poster (jmcooper002) and have been entertaining the thought of finding a foreign woman for about 14 years. I decided to get married to an American woman when I was young and after 10 years of marriage it ended. That marriage was a disaster to say the least.

After spending the last couple  years as a single guy and really seeing the quality of woman available to me (or lack thereof) I have decided to go to Iloilo to meet a woman that I have been talking to for the past year and a half. I was in no hurry because I was finalizing a divorce, and taking care of family obligations with my disabled mother and brother.


I feel that I have finally reached a point in my life in which I am ready to have a positive relationship, and eventually start a family with a woman that is very family oriented. I would not normally go so far to only meet one person but given the circumstances, and the quality of woman that I have found I think she is truly worth the risk, and if worse comes to worse I don't think it will be too difficult to have a vacation of a lifetime on my own if things don't work out with her.


I am not the kind of guy that is too picky about fancy hotels and I don't much like super touristy areas. I believe I can find a modest accommodation in the area for about $20 per night that has hot water and a/c that is clean. I plan to spend a few nights at her family farm to get to know her family.  I am only going for 10 days which is short, but believe that I can go back longer at a later date. I plan to really focus on getting to know her in as much of a real environment as possible but would still like to see the local culture, churches, nightlife, and attractions.


I would like to know if there are any resources to find airfare much less than $1600 that does not take me 28 hours to get there. Do I need to get any additional Visa's, immunizations, or anything else that I am not aware of. Please let me know. I would like to go during the Summer however based on what I know now and the ticket prices it appears that the earliest i will be able to go is September because the ticket prices drop about $400 at that time.


Just a little about her, she is a sweet young girl, only about 9 years younger than I. She has a nursing degree, although she doesn't want to practice nursing in the Philippines. She seems very family oriented, and elects to be with her family on the weekends instead of her friends. I have met many fil girls online and in the states in the past and when I have told them I am more interested in taking my time to get to know someone and not rush into something they have quickly disappeared. They may have either thought I wasn't serious or were anxious to get out of their situation. My girl has wanted me to get there but has patiently waited for me to get into a situation where I can actually bring her here, and has taken the time to really get to know me.


I will be of course sharing a trip report, and am open to any suggestions in the mean time. I truly believe that this girl could be the girl I have been searching for, for many years however am not going to rush into anything until I see how we interact with each other and I hope to be filing for a visa upon my return.

[Ray]

　
Hi coop,
　
No visa is required for stays up to 21 days and no immunizations are required.
　
You shouldn’t have to put up with those long travel times. 28 hours is pretty long, but some connections might even stretch that to 33+ hours.
　
If you are flexible with departure days and departure times, you can cut that way down. I believe you mentioned before that you will stop in Cebu on your way to Iloilo? And I think you live in the LA area?
　
Check out Cathay Pacific from LAX-CEB. My wife just recently returned from a trip and her total travel time from LAX-CEB was under 19 hrs and on the return flight, under 17 hrs. She had a very short layover to change planes in Hong Kong going both ways. The fares are usually a little lower for weekday (Mon-Thurs) departures and arrivals. Play around with the dates for the best fares and best connections.
　
http://www.cathaypacific.com/cpa/en_US/homepage
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Skipping all that nonsense in Manila is a big plus. Philippine Airlines is about the only carrier that makes decent connections in Manila with domestic flights, but they are generally a few hundred bucks higher than most other airlines.
　
Also, consider a ferry or fast-cat from Cebu to Iloilo to save some money and see the great view of the islands from the water. Is your girl going to meet you in Cebu?
　
Are you thinking fiancee visa?
 
Ray
　
　
　

[robert angel]

Re:
>>You shouldn't have to put up with those long travel times. 28 hours is pretty long, but some connections might even stretch that to 33  hours.<<

My wife's flying to Manila next week and from eastern seaboard USA, her flight is only 21 hours--the shortest I've seen. It was (surprisingly) the cheapest too. She booked it less than three weeks before departure. Some other flights were as long as 59 hours, with 17 hour layovers in both NY & Tokyo.

[jmcooper002]

The flight I am looking at is about 20 hours total with a layover in Manila. My girls oldest brother lives there so figure that the few hours I am there will give me a chance to grab a beer and maybe a bite to eat with the guy so he can give her his approval. I am thinking fiance visa for sure. This one is a once and a lifetime catch. I have thought of dating other woman, or at least keeping the prospect open while getting to know her but to be honest knowing what I have with her ruins it for the rest because they simply just don't compare to the connection we have already.   I have taken this last year to really learn about her culture and my god do they do things differently and have a thought process that is different than ours.  I truly believe I will have a hard time finding someone else as dedicated to both family and religion as she is here in the states.


I will check out the flights I appreciate it. Does anyone Know where I can find all of the paperwork needed for the Visa process, I would like to spend the time I have before my trip getting the package together so in the even that we decide to progress I can just come here and send it out.

[Bill_McC]

Coop,

Click on FORUM at the top of these pages then scroll to the bottom. You'll see Immigration and Visas. There are a couple of stickies there that will give you a good idea of the paper work you'll need as well as an idea of the costs. All of the forms are available on the USCIS web site.


Bill

[thekfc]

Hi Coop,
           Check the flight out  regularly - the prices do change. And as Ray previously said weekdays are usually cheaper. I was checking prices for a future flight and todays's posted price is about $75 cheaper than yesterday's posted fare - for the same date.

Some other flights were as long as 59 hours, with 17 hour layovers in both NY & Tokyo.

17 hours layover in NY, that is a surprise. What airline is that?

 JFK is a major hub plus you have EWR nearby.
Cathay Pacific have 4 daily flight out of JFK - along with London that is the most for them from any Non-Asian city. I could see CX adding a 5th flight out of JFK within the next 2 years as this market continually growing for them.

You also have the other airlines with multiple daily flights.

My wife's flying to Manila next week and from eastern seaboard USA, her flight is only 21 hours--the shortest I've seen. It was (surprisingly) the cheapest too.

I have notice that sometimes (for some airlines), the shortest flight is usually the cheapest. 

For me (NYC to Manila) my flight would be 20 hours going & a little over 18 hours coming back. The coming back is always shorter as you will have a stronger tail wind.

For my last 4 trips (2 coming +2 going), I purposely didn't  take the shorter trip as I wanted to spend time in the lounges at the airport and I wanted to venture into the city (HK) and spend some time there.

[thekfc]

Some other flights were as long as 59 hours, with 17 hour layovers in both NY & Tokyo.

Oops, I also see Tokyo in there and with that route she must be flying a domestic airline.   
 

[Ray]

coop,

Meeting the older brother and asking for his blessing to marry her is a good idea. But I think I would formally propose to her first and get a yes, then talk to her brother. If he approves, then ask her parents for permission.

You mentioned culture, family, and religion. Is she Catholic? Filipino culture, especially for Catholics, traditionally requires a church wedding. Before you start in on the paperwork for a fiancée visa, I would have a talk with your girl and her family regarding her wishes for a wedding. Find out what she really prefers and try to give her the type of wedding she wants. You will be glad you did in the long run.

If she wants a church wedding, keep in mind that there are also some significant advantages to having a wedding over there and petitioning her for a spousal visa vice a fiancée visa with a civil wedding here.

You can download the visa forms and instructions from the USCIS Forms page so you can read over the instructions. Most are fillable PDF forms.

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=db029c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD&vgnextchannel=db029c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD

For a fiancée petition, you’ll need forms I-129F and G-325A. While over there, have her complete the G-325A, sign a statement of intent, and get some passport photos. Also have her get copies of her birth certificate, baptism certificate, and passport ID page (if she has one). The statement of intent to marry can be a joint statement by both of you. You will also need to save airline boarding passes, hotel receipts, photos, or any other evidence of meeting her in person.

How long is your layover in Manila?

Ray

[thekfc]

Just to add make sure that the photos are for USA passport & not for a Philippines Passport - the US is 2" x 2 " and white background while the Philippines are smaller at 4.5 cm x 3.5 cm and royal blue background.

[Dave H]

Hey coop,
 
That is great news. Have a fantastic trip!!
Dave