now the sh*t starts

[Ray]

 Oh i am hearing everyone loud & clear.she can & has been paying her 1/2 of the rent for months with no problem but she can't come up with her sisters share which is about 4 months past due.  she makes enough for her to live off of as a nurse.Ok what is a "CFO class?" she should have all the documents from the province by the end of this week. OOOOOH YES this IS the same sister that "helped" with the wedding.

Piggy,

She will find out all about the CFO (Commission on Filipinos Overseas) when she applies for her passport. They normally require the CFO class be completed before they issue a passport to emigrating Filipino spouses/fiancées of foreign nationals. Either way, she will need the CFO cert before she can leave the country. In the mean time, google CFO Manila and read all about it.

The province documents are fine but that’s not what she needs for her visa processing & passport application. She will need NSO certified copies of her birth cert & marriage cert at the minimum. She should get hot on the paperwork soon because she has a whole lot of work to do.

She will also need an NBI clearance but that can be done later on.

If it comes up, TELL her to ignore any and all advice on the visa stuff from her wannabe lawyer sister!

Ray

[AsphaltVoyager]

...you need to sit down & drink a few Guinness Stout...

Nah. Guinness is da pits. Get yerself some Trappistes Rochefort 10. You'll be a lot happier with the taste of that fine dark Belgian ale. 

[piglett]

Piggy,
She will find out all about the CFO (Commission on Filipinos Overseas) when she applies for her passport. They normally require the CFO class be completed before they issue a passport to emigrating Filipino spouses/fiancées of foreign nationals. Either way, she will need the CFO cert before she can leave the country. In the mean time, google CFO Manila and read all about it.
The province documents are fine but that’s not what she needs for her visa processing & passport application. She will need NSO certified copies of her birth cert & marriage cert at the minimum. She should get hot on the paperwork soon because she has a whole lot of work to do.
She will also need an NBI clearance but that can be done later on.
If it comes up, TELL her to ignore any and all advice on the visa stuff from her wannabe lawyer sister!
Ray

She actually already has her passport , but she has never used it.
As far as the wannabe lawyer , I think Marily is even more "salty" about this situation than I am . I don't ever intend to ask for jack sh*t from that sister. I for one am all done with her.the good news is that my christmas list is now shorter by 1 name

piglett

[robert angel]

When I asked my now wife to marry me, I felt I then had a moral obligation to support my wife, (singular) who had quit her very excellent, (opportunity of a life time sort of job) position to spend all her time with me. She never asked me for a dime and it was about four years before we became engaged and she was very poor, but immensely rich in an indescribable sort of pride and self respect. The money we budgeted for her was hers to spend as she saw fit.

Thirty million of the approx. 90 million Filipinos somehow exist on a few dollars a day and they're somehow be able to get by. A large percent of the others live on what a lot of us pay for our internet, phone and TV cable bills in the USA.

You start sending money in the mail to extended relatives of your girl and it may end up being like giving Robert Downey Jr. (famous recovering narcotic addict) crack cocaine as a breakfast cereal.

All of a sudden, emergencies that either never really existed previously, or were somehow handled without infusions of instant money by mail, now will not only require more infusions, but they will most certainly need to be larger infusions as well.

And regarding any money you supposedly 'loan' to folks over there, you'd probably lose a lot less sleep if you just consider it a 'gift'. After all, you obviously didn't need that money nearly as much as they did, and it would be awfully pushy or even down right rude for you to ask for it back, considering how much better off you are! If you couldn't afford to, you wouldn't be handing that money over now, would you?

I have been burned over there--I am not impervious to such doing such dumb, however good intentioned 'deeds'. I might even be dumb enough to do it again--I just hope not, because it sure does open up a can of worms that is very hard to close.

[fathertime]

She actually already has her passport , but she has never used it.
As far as the wannabe lawyer , I think Marily is even more "salty" about this situation than I am . I don't ever intend to ask for jack sh*t from that sister. I for one am all done with her.the good news is that my christmas list is now shorter by 1 name

piglett

Love the new avatar!  I'm happy for you in regards to the fact that your wife is not onboard with whatever your sister is trying to pull.  This sister seems like poison and avoiding her is a good idea.

Fathertime!

[piglett]

Love the new avatar!  I'm happy for you in regards to the fact that your wife is not onboard with whatever your sister is trying to pull.  This sister seems like poison and avoiding her is a good idea.

Fathertime!

Hey thanks I probably should have went with Marily while I was still in Manila & had some professional pictures taken but there was just sooooo much going on that it never happened. After looking through the 500+ pictures on my cameras memory card I saw a few that look pretty good & that is one of them. Probably my favorite.


piglett

[piglett]

When I asked my now wife to marry me, I felt I then had a moral obligation to support my wife, (singular) who had quit her very excellent, (opportunity of a life time sort of job) position to spend all her time with me. She never asked me for a dime and it was about four years before we became engaged and she was very poor, but immensely rich in an indescribable sort of pride and self respect. The money we budgeted for her was hers to spend as she saw fit.

I have been burned over there--I am not impervious to such doing such dumb, however good intentioned 'deeds'. I might even be dumb enough to do it again--I just hope not, because it sure does open up a can of worms that is very hard to close.

I have already told Marily that her & I are the only 2 people on the planet that i really worry about. Yes if I can help others ...well ok. But if I can't help them , guess they better go get 2 or 3 jobs like me & provide for themselves.

I am going to have Marily investigate the costs involved in her taking a review class in August. If she takes the class & gets certified as an RN over there then she can earn 50% more while she is waiting for her CR-1 visa. I think the classes are 2.5 months long which doesn't sound too bad to me.


piglett


piglett

[Dave H]

The rent for the Marily's apartment is p7000 a month

piglett

I am sure glad that I don't live in Manila! I only pay P5800 ($126) for a 2 story, 2 bedroom (each 14' X 14') townhouse, with gated, private carport. Everyone here thinks that is outrageous! 

Dave

[z_k_g]

Piggy,

Good to hear that you two are on the same page.  Really, when you marry or have a committed relationship its "the team" against the world in some ways.  You gotta get together and agree and then emerge as one solid unit, with no kinks in your resolve.

This decision making unit has to be impervious to the influences of kids, family, friends, gossip and most importantly the pressures of life!

My past relationship failed in this regard.  My ex listened to her mother, friends and family and allowed the children to override my authority in making the final decision.  This caused me to develop and carry around a lot of anger.  I felt disrespected and I returned the favor and did some mean things in return.  

I won't repeat that mistake again in my life.  If I can't develop a strong teamwork bond with a woman based on mutual respect and truth, I will not continue a relationship or marry her.  

In the end, as I discovered, you cannot ignore when your significant other respects everyone else's needs and opinions more than yours.  It eats away at you slowly and before you know it you are angry inside.

Hopefully this was some good advice for you,

Zulu

[z_k_g]

I am sure glad that I don't live in Manila! I only pay P5800 ($126) for a 2 story, 2 bedroom (each 14' X 14') townhouse, with gated, private carport. Everyone here thinks that is outrageous! 

Dave

Nice price Dave!  What city?

Zulu

[Dave H]

Nice price Dave!  What city?

Zulu

Hey Zulu,

You can find that price or better throughout the Philippines, even for single family houses. Walled, gated and guarded communities, like Heruamen's will cost you a good deal more...but probably worth it if you like more privacy, peace and quiet! Definitely worth consideration! We live in an upscale subdivision without those features, which can be rather annoying at times...we have "live in" beggars who make their rounds every day, sometimes beating on our gate. They always seem to come out of nowhere as soon as I open our gate. Vendors shouting out their products in strange voices as they pass by, starting before sunrise selling "TAMBAN" (a type of fish) and finishing late at night with "BALUT!" (I actually like them, but the baby doesn't seem to). Not to mention punks from wealthy families on loud motorcycles, who tear through the streets at all hours, visiting friends and getting high.

We liked it better in our barangay house surrounded by poor and squatters. We are  currently building a new house further from downtown, and have the cement block property wall almost up.

Dave

[AsphaltVoyager]

This sister seems like poison and avoiding her is a good idea.

This sister's name wouldn't happen to be IVY would it? *LOL*

[Ray]

 â€¦.the good news is that my christmas list is now shorter by 1 name

ROFLMAO!

Since she already has a passport, she will need to arrange to take the CFO seminar sometime before she leaves, preferably before her visa interview. Being in Manila will make it that much easier for her.

Do you have the marriage certificate from the province? Make a bunch of photocopies and submit one with your petition. She can get the NSO copy later for her interview.

Though it isn't required, I recommend that you also submit a photocopy of her birth cert and William recommends that you include a photocopy of her passport ID page too.

And don't forget to make backup copies of EVERYTHING!


Ray

[Heruamen]

congrats on your marriage piglett the two of you look very happy

[Howard]

First of all, CONGRATS Piglett!

Sorry to hear about this situation, but it sounds like you're handling as well as anyone could.

I just wanna pipe in on the Nursing License.  No matter what else you do you need to make sure that she is licensed in the Philipines BEFORE she gets here.  My wife got her batchelors, but didn't want to talke the test in Manila, because she would have had to stay a while longer to get in on the next exam.  I WISH I could do it all over again!  Between her school delaying transcripts, always needing some new fee in addition to the ones we have already paid and CGFNS fees and requirements, I am now resigned to the fact that she will never - as in ever - get her nursing license.  This has caused us no end of hardship financially and emotionally.  Finally, recently, we just agreed to let it go for the sake of our marriage and move on.

If no one here learns anything else from my triumphs and failures - mostly triumphs - learn this one lesson: 

If your honey is a nursing student and she intends to work in the US as a nurse at any point in the future, GET HER LICENSED IN THE PHILIPPINES!!!  There are still a few hoops to jump through to get her licensed here, but they are WAY less painful and expensive

Good Luck Man!

Keep the Faith!

H

[Celtic_Jorge]

When I asked my now wife to marry me, I felt I then had a moral obligation to support my wife, (singular) who had quit her very excellent, (opportunity of a life time sort of job) position to spend all her time with me. She never asked me for a dime and it was about four years before we became engaged and she was very poor, but immensely rich in an indescribable sort of pride and self respect. The money we budgeted for her was hers to spend as she saw fit.

Thirty million of the approx. 90 million Filipinos somehow exist on a few dollars a day and they're somehow be able to get by. A large percent of the others live on what a lot of us pay for our internet, phone and TV cable bills in the USA.

You start sending money in the mail to extended relatives of your girl and it may end up being like giving Robert Downey Jr. (famous recovering narcotic addict) crack cocaine as a breakfast cereal.

All of a sudden, emergencies that either never really existed previously, or were somehow handled without infusions of instant money by mail, now will not only require more infusions, but they will most certainly need to be larger infusions as well.

And regarding any money you supposedly 'loan' to folks over there, you'd probably lose a lot less sleep if you just consider it a 'gift'. After all, you obviously didn't need that money nearly as much as they did, and it would be awfully pushy or even down right rude for you to ask for it back, considering how much better off you are! If you couldn't afford to, you wouldn't be handing that money over now, would you?

I have been burned over there--I am not impervious to such doing such dumb, however good intentioned 'deeds'. I might even be dumb enough to do it again--I just hope not, because it sure does open up a can of worms that is very hard to close.

Good advice.
I need to somehow make it extremely clear how much I am willing to send over there per month.  And not a baht over.  I also need to do some research as to how much two adults and a small child need to sustain themselves over there.  I've heard as low as 10,000 baht but that sounds way too low.
I am definitely not rich.  I am about as working class as it gets.
She's saving money right now to give to her family since she knows she can't work for awhile after she comes over here.  By the way, how long, realistically, should it take before she is able to get a work permit?  I read somewhere that even just a k1 holder can get a work permit, but it wasn't clear how long it would take.. Seems odd, since the visa is only good for 90 days, but anyway..

Anyway, sorry if it seems like I am hijacking your thread piglett.. The sending money over situation just really has a lot of correlations to my own situation (if my girl ever moves to the U.S., that is).  But it sounds like you are handling this really well.  Your wife is beautiful, congrats mate.

[Ray]

By the way, how long, realistically, should it take before she is able to get a work permit?  I read somewhere that even just a k1 holder can get a work permit, but it wasn't clear how long it would take.. Seems odd, since the visa is only good for 90 days, but anyway..

 

Realistically?

For a spouse visa, she can work within a couple of days as soon as she gets a SSN, IF she can find a job that is.

For a K-1, I would figure around 2 months after you are married and file the Adjustment petition before she gets her work permit. They used to be able to work during the 90-day visa period with no work permit, but the government effectively took that legal right away so the legal K-1s can’t take jobs away from the illegal border jumpers and future Democrat voters. 

Ray

[robert angel]

Excellent advice, Howard. A lot of us--and I am not directing it at Piglett---really look at the earning potential and the scheduling options a Registered Nurse in the USA makes and it is quite attractive. My first wife was a Filipina, national certified in the USA as a Critical Cardiac care RN and she worked three 12 hour shifts, Fri., Sat. and Sunday and got paid for at least 40 hours, sometimes more. I worked during the week and watched the kids every weekend and  without any family nearby, that took a toll on our marriage.

My own wife at this point in time, with a five year degree in engineering, sometimes brings up the subject of going back to Davao and picking up  a nursing degree, but that'd be a personal hardship. She kicks herself now for not doing it then. Financially, the college costs would be less over there, but the personal toll greater. She has two siblings in Nursing school now.

The bottom line is read what Howard said and don't get tripped up. Ray probably knows a lot about the 'particulars' as well. It's not nearly as easy to come here from the RP and go to work with your RN as it used to be. We are under the impression that my wife's siblings even have get a term of work back home done first--a year or maybe even two years of experience in the RP before they're even eligible to come here--but I am not totally firm on that--so don't take it as gospel. Ask around.

In short, use the 'brain treasury' here, so you and your loved one don't end up disappointed.

Be sad to be working at Dollar General with a degree as a RN because you didn't do this and that back in the RP. It might take longer, but in the long run, if you 'do it right', it will be worthwhile. Sweat the details BEFOREHAND.

I think we all should learn more about:

Degree credentials--are accredited schools a must to gain work here?
Do USA hospitals typically require RN working experience or just a degree?
What amount of work experience is required from the RP before you can leave?
What nursing exams-tests should be taken there?
What exams will she have to take here and can she take them over there at an advantage?

Are the blood sucking agencies typically used for Filipinos who plan on working oversees a necessary, expensive and unavoidable evil?

What tests--state and national must be taken here?

And does the the nature of your entry into the USA--say Fiancee or Spousal visa have specific bearing on any of the above?

Some of my questions might be irrevelant, but its better to find out if they are, rather than to ignore them and find out later on "I should've known that'". I am just thinking off the top of my pointy little head and hoping to save others some pointed trouble later on.

[robert angel]

Did somebody say 'Ray'? Love him or hate him (on any given day it might be both) but the guy can be quite useful!

[z_k_g]

Ray is a great resource!  He has a unique viewpoint on pretty much everything, but in reading the posts on here, past archives and present posts, he is more right than wrong. 

Also, he's not the only person with wisdom on P-L, but I just wanted to put in my two cents in on this particular post!

P-L has got a lot of great guys on here who spend a lot of time helping, its a great "brain treasury"!

Enough said!

Zulu

[piglett]

Hey Zulu,

You can find that price or better throughout the Philippines, even for single family houses. Walled, gated and guarded communities, like Heruamen's will cost you a good deal more...but probably worth it if you like more privacy, peace and quiet! Definitely worth consideration! We live in an upscale subdivision without those features, which can be rather annoying at times...we have "live in" beggars who make their rounds every day, sometimes beating on our gate. They always seem to come out of nowhere as soon as I open our gate. Vendors shouting out their products in strange voices as they pass by, starting before sunrise selling "TAMBAN" (a type of fish) and finishing late at night with "BALUT!" (I actually like them, but the baby doesn't seem to). Not to mention punks from wealthy families on loud motorcycles, who tear through the streets at all hours, visiting friends and getting high.

We liked it better in our barangay house surrounded by poor and squatters. We are  currently building a new house further from downtown, and have the cement block property wall almost up.

Dave

Dave after spend a small amount of time in both Manila & a rural province If I had to move to one rite now the province hands down would win out. I would just try to make sure that I didn't have any roosters that would start crowing @ 5am rite outside my bedroom window I found the province friendly & helpful. Many don't seem to care if all they have is a bamboo hut with a thatched roof & only rice & fish to eat.

Oh also Dave do you intend to share any pictures with us. Come on dude I want to lay eyes on this building project you have going on there.......


piglett 

[piglett]

This sister's name wouldn't happen to be IVY would it? *LOL*

No it's Lisa & she is as good as she is bad.

[piglett]

ROFLMAO!
Do you have the marriage certificate from the province? Make a bunch of photocopies and submit one with your petition. She can get the NSO copy later for her interview.
Though it isn't required, I recommend that you also submit a photocopy of her birth cert and William recommends that you include a photocopy of her passport ID page too.
And don't forget to make backup copies of EVERYTHING!
Ray

Marily should have the marriage certificate from the province by the end of the week & i am going to search for a fed-ex drop off location close to her so she can send it to me asap. I am ready to get the ball rolling. I already told Marily that copies are cheep & that i want 10 copies of everything. she will have 1/2 i get the rest just in case.

already have the birth cert. copy & passport ID page here with me.
I guess things work rather slooooow in the province.

Oh also does anyone know if I can get an online bank account with both my & my wifes names on it before Marily gets here & is issued a SSN# ?

i am trying to figure out creative ways to show "the man" that this is a real marriage & not a visa scam like some are.

thanks to all
piglett

[piglett]

congrats on your marriage piglett the two of you look very happy

Hey thanks Heruaman . She is not perfect (no one is) but she tries hard to make me happy.  So I figure hey what else could I ask for? Also the fact that everyday she had my breakfast ready at 7am on the dot & already had my laundry done from the previous day even before I was awake made figure out that she was a keeper.

I hope things are going well for you too , how much longer before the little one shows up ?


piglett

[piglett]

First of all, CONGRATS Piglett!
Sorry to hear about this situation, but it sounds like you're handling as well as anyone could.
I just wanna pipe in on the Nursing License.  No matter what else you do you need to make sure that she is licensed in the Philipines BEFORE she gets here.  My wife got her batchelors, but didn't want to talke the test in Manila, because she would have had to stay a while longer to get in on the next exam.  I WISH I could do it all over again!  Between her school delaying transcripts, always needing some new fee in addition to the ones we have already paid and CGFNS fees and requirements, I am now resigned to the fact that she will never - as in ever - get her nursing license.  This has caused us no end of hardship financially and emotionally.  Finally, recently, we just agreed to let it go for the sake of our marriage and move on.
If no one here learns anything else from my triumphs and failures - mostly triumphs - learn this one lesson: 
If your honey is a nursing student and she intends to work in the US as a nurse at any point in the future, GET HER LICENSED IN THE PHILIPPINES!!!  There are still a few hoops to jump through to get her licensed here, but they are WAY less painful and expensive
Good Luck Man!
Keep the Faith!
H

Hey thanks for the 411 on the nursing licences.
I think Marily is a little scared that she mite not pass the test even after she takes her review class. She seems to be doing a little back peddling. I will show her your post, so she understands how important it is that she gets this taken care of even if it takes her months to do.



thanks Piglett