K1 Visa Philippines?????

[GlennK]

Hi, I am about to start the K1 Visa process and I hear time lines on K1 visas for Fiances from the Philippines being from 3 to 6 months for completion. I would appreciate anyone giving me any information on the quickest way or refer an attorney to me to handle this process. I want the quickest methods available to me.

Thank you, Glenn

[Keith NC]

... in response to K1 Visa Philippines??, posted by GlennK on Sep 2, 2005

GlennK,

I am going through this process now.  My fiancee has already been approved.  We are just waiting for her interview.  It has been four months since Homeland Security received the paperwork.  I think we are looking at about two more months for everything to be done.

I agree with Ray!  I did the paperwork myself and it was easy.  Save yourself some money.  An Attorney is not going to push the process through any faster than if you did it yourself.  

The guys and their wives on the board are awesome.  We are like and extended Family here. Feel free to ask questions.  There is a wealth of information shared here.

Keith

[Ray]

... in response to K1 Visa Philippines??, posted by GlennK on Sep 2, 2005

[This message has been edited by Ray]

Hi Glenn,

Welcome to the forum.

Everybody wants it the fastest way possible. Unfortunately, there are no shortcuts. You’re going to need a lot of patience. An attorney isn’t really necessary and an attorney can not speed up the process.

The best you can do to keep everything on track is to take the time and effort to submit a complete and accurate petition package. If you include all the proper documents and evidence, you should normally have no problem. I think 5-8 months is probably a better guess, but don’t make any plans for travel or a wedding until she has a visa in hand.

There are some things that you can do now to help insure that your petition goes through smoothly:

1. Have her get a current NSO certified copy of her birth certificate and have her send you a photocopy. Make sure that there are NO mistakes, typos, or errors on her birth certificate.

2. Have her request a CENOMAR from the NSO and send you a copy.

3. Have her obtain a recent copy of her baptismal certificate if she has one.

4. If she has lived outside of the Philippines for more than 6 months, she should start working on the foreign police clearances now.

Let me know where you are in the paperwork process and maybe I can give you some more tips.

If you really want to spend the money for an attorney, I can recommend one but he’s in Philly.

Ray

[GlennK]

... in response to Re: K1 Visa, posted by Ray on Sep 2, 2005

I really appreciate everyones information. There is an attorney in New York that told me 90 to 120 days and wants $1800 to handle this. However, I have always known attorney's to always tell the truth....lol .....I don't feel confident enough to handle it myself, but appreciate anything I can hear from all of you that will help me with this process. I will check the forum daily and I wish everyone good luck!

Glenn

[Michael B]

... in response to Re: Re: K1 Visa, posted by GlennK on Sep 3, 2005

Pretty much just what Ray said. I did it myself, lots of guys do. If you can do the long income tax form, you can do this, WITHOUT paying an attorney. Just be meticulous. One thing that Ray failed to mention is that all documents must be in English (provide a photocopy of the orginal document, the translation and a certificate stating that it is an accurate translation, by someone competent to do translations in the language in question) .......but I don't think that will be a problem in the Philipines, I just mentioned it in case somebody with a fiancee from a country that doesn't use English is reading. Good luck, but you'll do fine.

[Ray]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: K1 Visa, posted by Michael B on Sep 3, 2005

Good point about the translations. Fortunately, all official documents in the Philippines are in English.

I have heard of one or two Filipino baptismal certificates in Spanish, but that is extremely rare.

[Ray]

... in response to Re: Re: K1 Visa, posted by GlennK on Sep 3, 2005

Glenn,

I don’t think it’s necessary, but if you really want to pay an attorney to submit your petition for you, I would recommend that you talk to Gary Bala. He is a member of AILA and posts regularly on the Latin Forum. He specializes in Latin America, but also does Philippine visa petitions. I do know that he knows his stuff. His posted fee for a standard fiancée K-1 petition is $1200, which would save you $600 or approximately 40 cases of beer :-)

http://www.garybala.com

If you do your own, we can help you out with any questions you might have (free). Here’s a checklist for the fiancée petition:

K-1 Checklist

1. Completed Form I-129F

2. Filing fee (cashier’s check or money order)

3. Original Form G-325A (Biographic Information) for you

4. Original Form G-325A (Biographic Information) for your fiancée

5. One recent color passport photo of yourself

6. One recent color passport photo of your fiancée

7. Copy of petitioner’s certified birth certificate or proof of U.S. citizenship

8. Copy of documents showing legal termination of all previous marriages

9. Evidence of meeting within last 2 years

10. Original statements of mutual intent to marry

11. Evidence of relationship and mutual intent to marry

12. Signed statement attesting to the fact that document copies submitted are exact photocopies of unaltered originals.

13. Copy of fiancée’s birth certificate (not required but recommended)

Make sure you submit all photocopies with both front and back of originals and use full middle names on all forms. Your birth certificate must be a copy of the county or state issued document with raised seal, not the hospital original.

Good luck,

Ray