I'm getting married...

[dummy_plug]

(si geena @ Sep. 16 2008,08:35) Good solid post. Very useful!

Indeed! Excellent post and some great info.

[alan1chef]

Tourist visas to the US from the Philippines are not as impossible as it is being made to sound here. However, for first time applicants it is not easy, and for applicants from the province whose families are poor you can expect to be denied. First time applicants who are able to show that they have the means to support themselves, both in the Philippines and in the US (while they visit) can get approved. I know someone who did just that.

Everyone who has posted has given good advice...and I hope the redundancy gets the message across. There are a significant number of expats who live in the Philippines, as in Thailand, so it is not a bad place to live.

Somebody pass the lechon and mang tomas sauce...ang sarap!

[trentnsocal]

Brock and Bangui, excellent posts, you nailed it. Its hard to believe we in the USA have soooo many illegal immigrants, with such efficient immigration policies. I was looking into getting married to a Nicaraguan girl a few years ago, but was told it would be at least 2 years before i could get her to the USA. In the end i said fuck it, who needs to go through all that hassle to just be married, i decided to stay single.
PS: i can tell the thread starter hasnt put more then 5 minutes of thought into the process whatsoever.

[bangui]

aperry - haven't met the game yet, but I haven't had a penpal since I was 12, so I might have to start a correspndence!

Alan1chef - you are right, it certainly isn't impossible and if you are prepared you have a good chance (again, as you say if the girl has the assets/job to back things up it would be a lot easier).

I guess one of the things that always confuses my about the visa process is the apparent randomness.

Quick story -

A Chinese national who works for me in China applied last year for a visa to spend a 2 week holiday in the US, as his girlfriend was ending a 1 year Masters degree at a US university. They were going to hit some major tourist spots before flying home together. This guy was 27, owned a home, owned a car, had no relatives in the US, was making a solid salary (especially in China, about $55,000 per year). He had gone to one of the countries best Universities, was working for a foreign owned financial services company, and speaks near perfect English. He had his flights and full itinerary all booked.

And... he was rejected out of hand! With no explanation. I couldn't believe it. I mean if this guy doesn't get a visa who can?

[dummy_plug]

Part of it is just dumb luck, I'm not even joking about that.

[bangui]

Dummy_plug - Amen to that brother.

Quoting from my first post, wary be the applicant getting an immigration officer in a bad mood!

"6. Finally, pray that on the day of application, your girlfriend does not meet with some hung-over immigration officer, who had his wallet stolen on the way to work, is unable to get it up and is a rabid homophobe€¦ or, even having all the proper docs and proof will mean nothing. "

[alan1chef]

Yes, I agree completely...it can be a somewhat random process. However, one key in the process is that the immigration officer must believe that the applicant intends to return to the country of origin. No matter how well off you are, if the officer doesn't think you intend to come back...you will be denied. I think that is why some borderline people get visas and some well off people don't.

[russ935]

you should pay some money and get the birth certificate passport altered pay the right people and the american paper shufflers will pass it as long as its official

[newatthis]

These rules often present a problem for applicants who worked in bars
Section 212(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act reads:

(a) Classes of Aliens Ineligible for Visas or Admission.-Except as otherwise provided in this Act, aliens who are inadmissible under the following paragraphs are ineligible to receive visas and ineligible to be admitted to the United States:
(D) Prostitution and commercialized vice.-Any alien who-

(i) is coming to the United States solely, principally, or incidentally to engage in prostitution, or has engaged in prostitution within 10 years of the date of application for a visa, admission, or adjustment of status,

(ii) directly or indirectly procures or attempts to procure, or (within 10 years of the date of application for a visa, admission, or adjustment of status) procured or attempted to procure or to import, prostitutes or persons for the purpose of prostitution, or receives or (within such 10- year period) received, in whole or in part, the proceeds of prostitution, or

I cut and pasted this info from the Bangkok US Embassy website.

This gives the US Embassy an easy way to deny a visa. This rule is not enforced for marriage or fiance visas due to "hardship". When a LB applies for a tourist visa who lists her work and home address in Pattaya, "sex worker" is the first thing that probably comes to mind ffor the embassy staff doing the interview.

I only bring it up because it wasn't mentioned in the excellent posts by Brock and Bangui. I too wish it was easier to bring a LB GF over for a visit but right now it just isn't so.


Cheers

[Guest]

Just put your favorite LB in a box and ship her....customs will never ask questions!!

[bigmick22]

Aperry - you are the master of tiny photos

[sev7en]

Btw, ohnoriceagain, hows the marriage coming along? You´ve met the family yet?

[SamplerDoc]

(aperry @ Oct. 14 2008,09:14) Just put your favorite LB in a box and ship her....customs will never ask questions!!

  I would think it would be the fastest and best way.  Just remember to poke some holes in that box and leave some MREs  

[Spitzbube]

(alan1chef @ Sep. 07 2008,10:01) I would suggest getting married in California, even if she has to come in on a tourist visa. I have experience with INS as my wife, a filipina, and children went through the immigration process. Even though the US government does not recognize same sex marriage...if you have a legal marriage license from California, INS will process your papers.

Don't believe the rhetoric from the Democrats....trying to get you to believe that with Obama as President that same sex marriage will be legalized by the federal government. You could be waiting forever....

This is the most reasonable response I have heard on this thread. Process the tourist visa to come in, then work with American paperwork filing her as a female. Don't ask don't tell, you might have a chance. All the other options look ridiculous to tell you the truth. Bribes? What happens on the USA side when things look fishy? Just get the standard CA marriage license-- it's gonna be a major pain in the ass, not the good kind, anyway.

[ohnoriceagain]

Wow, I haven't read this thread in weeks. Thanks for the sound advice, especially Brocklanders and Bangui. I appreciate the time all of you took to write such well thought out posts.

And yes, I thought that same sex marriage was legally recognizable in the Philippines because that is what my fiance told me. It's not a legal marriage but civil unions are performed. I stand corrected. So a faux marriage ceremony on the beach, then we party. It's still our day.

I am well aware of the difficulty of getting a tourist visa. I was married to a Pinay, and we got her brother here but it took two bribes. First time didn't work, second time did. This was 1997 and he's been here ever since.

The trick is to get her here. A tourist visa is almost impossible for 90% of the Filipino population. A work sponsorship visa requires a specialty. A fiance visa, well, as husband and husband, that won't work either. Then there is the student visa, which is the best possible chance I think we have. A community college here in California is about $2,000 a semester for an international student. She doesn't even need to go to class, just get her feet on US soil. Once here, she is can stay illegally, but she's not going to get rounded up by ICE for working in a slaughterhouse. California has 10 million illegal aliens, I think I can hide her. And Brocklanders, yes, I do think you could get a Pinay across the border in the front seat of the car. It's the senorita that draws the attention.

The student visa will allow her to come here, we can marry legally here in California, and she can apply for permanent residency. In 9 years, I'm retiring with a nice cash pension and a decent 401K ( I hope as I've been too afraid to look lately). which will go a long way in PH. I don't want to die in a rest home and if I'm in PH with my wife Warren (lol) I won't have to. Buy a home, have a small business and live a stress free life. We evened talked about adopting a kid this afternoon. Yeah yeah, we're dreamers but why not? If you can think it maybe you can work it.