... in response to Questions-Interview in Manila, posted by Howard on Jun 26, 2004Hi H,
How the interview goes depends mostly on who she gets for an interviewer. Most of the Filipino pre-screeners are nice and polite but I hear that one Filipina lady is real beeatch. Most of the ladies said their interview with the consular officer was pleasant, but there seems to be one American guy who is a real obnoxious A-hole, so it All depends on the luck of the draw when she gets there.
The paperwork questions are mostly handled at St. Luke’s during her medical exam. The embassy staff is more concerned with keeping terrorists out and busting fraudulent marriages and immigration fraud.
She should expect questions about how you met, how many times and how long you were there for a visit, where you work, what kind of work you do, what the name of your dog is, when are you going to quit smoking, that sort of thing… They like to see lots of photos, so have her bring along extra pics and extra letters just to be prepared. Tell her to carefully screen the letters she submits for evidence to make sure thee is nothing incriminating or illegal in there. Mushy love letters are great :-). They just want to make sure that the relationship is genuine and she is knowledgeable of your personal life. There shouldn’t be any problem in your case.
Sometimes they will question your financial status or income based on your tax returns and other evidence submitted with your I-134, so make sure she has copies of your ‘complete’ tax returns for 2001, 2002, & 2003 in case they ask. If your income before adjustments is above the poverty level, you should be O.K.
Also make sure she has a complete copy of your annulment decree and copies of your I-129F petition, your G-325A, etc., because they will often question her on info contained in those docs from your file. It’s also a good idea to bring a recent copy of her baptismal cert if she has one.
Sometimes they will delay the visa approval pending a marriage index check with NSO, more documentation of birth or ID, or for further security checks, which usually takes another 3-4 weeks or so. If she is approved on the spot, the visa will usually be delivered in a week or so, but I wouldn’t book a flight until she has it in her hands.
Ray