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I will be visiting my sweetie for the first time in Manila at the
end of July, and I'd like to know what documents that I need to take
with me for her to fill out, and if their is anything other than
pictures of us together, that I should get while I'm visiting there.

I don't know alot about the documents needed to get her here, but I'm
studying everything now. Also, I noticed that the Nebraska INS center is
extremely slow, and just my luck.. its the one I'll use.
How long does it usually take for her to be able to come over here
after submitting the papers for the fiance visa, and does it still
take alot longer to get her here if you get married in the PI?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

... in response to Questions about documents., posted by JJ27 on May 9, 2003

For a fiancee visa:

1. Obtain a copy of the I-129F Fiancée Visa Petition with instructions. Read over the instructions carefully.

2. Bring two sets of Form G-325A (Biographic Information). Have her fill out 1 set (4 pages) and sign and date each page. Have her sign only the other set just in case you want to type it up later or need to make some changes.

3. Get two color ¾ frontal photos of her for the petition. I recommend that you use a Florofoto store and get yours made at the same time.

4. Type up an original statement from you and your fiancée stating your mutual intention to marry within 90 days of her arrival in the U.S. Have her (and you) sign and date it.

5. Keep copies of evidence of meeting (plane tickets, hotel receipts, photos, etc.)

6. If she has ever been married, get certified copies of legal termination.

I would figure on anywhere from 4-9 months to process everything for the fiancée visa. If you marry over there, it should definitely be faster for her to come here than if you apply for a fiancée visa. Don’t worry about which method is faster but instead use the method that is right for both of you.

Ray

... in response to Re: Questions about documents., posted by Ray on May 9, 2003

Thanks for the info, Ray.

She always tells me that its up to me, but I know she
wants to get married there with her family. I always
thought that it was faster with the K1 fiance visa.
If I remember correctly from reading past threads,
it took Bear a long time to get his wife here when
they were married over there. The fact is, that we want to
be together, and she even mentions that we could just
live there in the Phils while we wait, but I'm not sure
if that would work.. because of the business that I run.

I think I'd rather that we get married there, because
I know its important to her, but I'd like to get an
idea of how long each different process does take. When
you get married there, what type of visa do you apply for?

... in response to Re: Re: Questions about documents., posted by JJ27 on May 10, 2003

The main advantage of a fiancée visa is that it gives you a little more time to be sure that you both are really ready for marriage and it gives you a chance to “live together” for up to 90 days if that’s important to you. It used to be that the fiancée visa was much faster as far as getting her here. With the new K-3/K-4 visa categories, the wait for a visa after marrying overseas should be at least as short or usually shorter than the wait for a fiancée visa.

If you are both virtually certain that you are want to marry and you are both comfortable that you know each other well enough to make the commitment, then a wedding overseas can be wonderful. Most Filipinas will want a nice church wedding with their family and friends present and a traditional Filipino wedding is a blast. A “large” church wedding in the Phils will run about $2,000 to $6,000 depending on the venue and how big you want it. A comparable wedding in the States would probably cost 5-7 times as much. If you both want a simple civil ceremony, then it can be done over there for about $10 to $15.

If you marry over there, you will file a petition for an immigrant visa (CR-1/IR-1) with a Form I-130. A week or two after you file the I-130, you will receive a receipt notice (NOA-1) and then you can file a K-3 petition, which allows your wife to enter on a temporary visa while the INS paperwork is being processed. With the K-3 option, you are probably looking at a total wait of about 4-6 months for her to get a visa. With the fiancée visa, you’re probably looking at 6-12 months to get a visa since you’re using filing through Nebraska.

Either way, you can look forward to long separations, tons of paperwork, many sleepless nights, spending lots of money, and about 3-4 years of putting up with the immigration B.S. Yes, it’s all worth it!

Ray