US Visa thread 13

[honeybunny]

A friend of mine applied for a tourist visa to attend her sisters wedding.

She was just asked 3 things:
*what's your purpose?
*are you single?
*do you have kids?

And she was denied. Wala daw syang ties sa pinas. Hindi man lang tinignan yung invitation letter. The consul is yung short haired na blonde girl. 

So, just as i thought, pag single ka, no kids, chances of getting a tourist visa is very slim. Sayang pera, time, effort, energy. Nag prepare pa naman sya ng documents and all to prove na babalik sya. Na she just really wants to attend her sisters wedding. Pati yung sister gumawa din ng letter. Kalokohan lang.

[michi247]

^ depende lang siguro sa consul, may friend din ako na nag-apply ng visa para umattend ng wedding. single and no kids din pero nabigyan naman.

Sakit naman sa bulsa tapos hindi ka pa makaattend ng wedding.

[citygirl18]

Kinakabahan ka kasi minax mo yung previous stay mo? 

Nagawa ko na din yang max 6 months, pero years ago pa, early 2000s.  Wala naman naging problema sa mga succeeding trips ko, di naman qinuestion ng IOs.  Di lang natin masasabi ngayon with the Trump administration dahil naghihigpit na sila sa border and immigrations laws.

Thanks for the reply sis! Yes, I'm actually worried with how they question tourists now at the immigration because of the current administration. Hopefully, hindi naman super strict. I'll update here but we're scheduled to leave next month pa.

[leletmd]

We brought our son last Friday for his tourist visa interview. Got there 20 minutes before our appointment which turned out to be a blessing because we didn't have to line up anymore. We were able to go in right away.
At Step 1, we were just asked what our purpose of travel was, name, birthday and age of child, if my husband and I both have valid visas. My son's photo was ok so we were asked to go to Step 2.
At Step 2, finger scanning. No need for my son since he was a minor.
At Step 3, there was already a long line so we were ushered towards the immigrant area so we could sit down while waiting. After 15 minutes, we were ushered back to the step 3 area.
I was expecting that numbers would be shown on the screen but during our time, the ushers brought us to whichever window was free.
We were interviewed at window 19. Consul was an American guy.
Since it was just my son who was applying, he asked for a copy of his birth certificate as well as our passports to validate whether or not we had US visas. We were just asked where we were going, how long, and why. He asked about our specialties and was even joking with us, asking how long I was in labor with my son. The whole interview probably took about 5 minutes.
After that, he said "You guys are good. Expect his passport in a week. Enjoy Disneyland, young man. "
We went in at 9 am and got out at 10:15.

Some tips:
- Bring pictures so you don't have to go out to Kodak to have your picture taken.
- Bring a copy of your child's birth certificate. Just remembered this a day before and realized too late that we didn't have NSO copies anymore. Thankfully, we had a photocopy which the consult accepted.
- Answer truthfully.
We could hear the other interviews while waiting since the consuls were using a microphone. There are really consuls who ask about net worth, job description, how long you've been in the company, etc. There was a girl who said she was going to the US for training and she was asked if she couldn't get that same type of training here. They also ask about relatives in the US.
Thank you to those who shared their experiences before. Big help.

[drag0nfly]

@citygirl18 - Sige balitaan mo kami sis.  Actually I just came back 3 weeks ago and wala naman naging problema sa immigration.  Although we were there December, so before Trump signed all these ridiculous Executive Orders kaya nagkakagulo ngayon dun.  But my dad said hindi naman daw magiging problema yan kung ok naman ang travel history ng tao sa US since on record naman lahat upon entry.

[ellyrem]

hi mga sis, share ko lang yung experience namin ng mom and cousin ko nung nag apply kami ng visa last Nov.  actually been reading this thread before i finally decided to fill out the application form online. siguro mga almost 6 mos nakasave lang yung profile ko and my mom online. binabalikan ko lang sila from time to time pag naalala ko. hehe then after i've decided to pay the visa fee when i found out that my cousin would also like to apply for visa. so sabay-sabay na kami paid first week of October then i scheduled our interview originally Nov22 then nag check ako the next day meron available mas earlier date so naging Nov18.  gusto namin mas maagang date para matapos na yung kaba at agam-agam namin ng cousin ko for months. haha yung mommy ko kasi chill lang. hehe ang mantra namin ng cousin ko approved or not approved no heart feelings. life goes on! kung di pa time magka-visa ok lang, there's always a next time. balak namin after mag japan nalang kami or korea. i sent the form to US embassy online last week of Oct na ilang weeks before interview date.

fastforward: Nov18 

scheduled time: 10.30am
we arrived around 10.15am kala namin malalate kami umalis kami ng San Pedro mga 7.30am. pag dating namin hindi naman madami yung mga tao like i expected na mahabang pila and
crowded. nakatayo at nakaupo yung iba habang nag aabang sila na tawagin yung time nila. nung nag change na ng time 10.30am pinapila na kami sa labas ng embassy.

1st stop outside: someone will check your schedule if pwede kana pumasok or not
2nd stop outside: pila ka ulit someone will get your passport para lagyan nila ng sticker

1st stop inside (after body and bag scan) you will be asked to fall in line

1st stop: screening - someone will get your passport. mga pinoy ang andito if im not mistaken nung kami ask your info if may kasama ka tatanungin how are you related.

2nd stop: fingerprint - dito americans na ang mag aassist sayo. they're nice naman if di mascan yung fingers mo they will give you hand sanitizer. hehe

3rd stop: interview - yan.. eto na ang nerve-wracking! pipila lang kayo sa ulit para sa interview. makikita mo at maririnig mo din yung nakapasa at hindi. meron naman ilang beses na ata umulit. so makakadagdag sa kaba talaga pag maririnig mo yung iniinterview. nung turn na namin dun kami sa window katapat ng fingerprint scanning. girl nag interview samin and maalam magtagalog! haha below was the conversation, eto nalang natandaan ko..not in chronological order.

US (me,mom,cousin): good morning!  (sabay abot ng passport namin)
C:      good morning!
C:      what's your name and how are you related?
MOM:     _her NAME_. she's my daughter and niece
C:      what's your bday?
MOM:      12-30-1950
C:      ok, why do you want to go to US
MOM:       to visit my sister in law
C:       for how long?
MOM:       2 Weeks
C:       3 weeks? what are you going to do there? (nagtataka na yun face nya)
MOM:       no, 2 weeks only (we are all smiling pati yung consul napa-smile)
C:       (looking at me) what's your name mam?
ME:       _my name_
C:       what's your bday?
ME:       10-12-1985
C:       what's your work?
ME:       CSR for this insurance company for almost 5yrs but with the same industry for 7yrs.
C:       how much is your salary?
ME:       30k with allowances (look at the wall, siguro for US-PHP conversion? not sure!haha)
C:       are you married?
ME:       yes
C:       do you have a kid?
ME:       yes, i have 2. aged 8 and 6
C:       how bout you mam, what's your name and bday?  (pertaining to my cousin)
COUSIN:       _her NAME_   02-11-1990
C:       how are you related?
COUSIN:       she's my aunt, sister of my mother
C:       where's your mother
COUSIN:       at home
C:       she's not coming with you?
COUSIN:       no
C:       what's your work?
COUSIN:       im a pharmacist
C:       for how long?
COUSIN:       i've been in the hospital for 6mos (medyo di nya narinig yung tanong i was about to tell my cousin the question e sumagot agad! toinks! dito sana nasagot nya she's a pharmacist for 5yrs now para di halata na kakalipat nya lang.. e nataranta sya kasi din ayun lang nasagot nya.)
C:       your salary?
ME:       15k with allowances (lookat the wall again..)
C:       where is your husband? (talking to my mom)
MOM:       at home
C:      he will not come with you?
MOM:       he doesnt want (hehe isang tanong isang sagot lang mom ko)
C:       how many children do you have?
MOM:       i have 4, 1 is in Singapore then the rest is here in the Philippines
C:       ok.. do you have grandchildren?
MOM:       what? (di kasi masyado marinig boses nya sa mic nun kasi medyo mahina)
C:       "apo"? do you have "apos"?
MOM:       ahh.. i have 5 (all of us smiling and a bit shocked that she spoke in tagalog.. and tagal na siguro nun sa pinas..hehe)
C:       are you married? (talking to my  cousin)
COUSIN:       no
C:       do you have a kid?
COUSIN:       no
C:      did you travel outside the country?
ME:       yes, i've been to SG, Malaysia, HongKong, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand
C:       so you travel together?
ME:       yes!
C:       did you travel outside the country? (talking to my cousin)
COUSIN:       yes, i've been to SG, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand

typing.. typing.. looking at the monitor all the time na we're speaking..

C: ok, you know that the government of the US is very strict with regards to approving visas (omg! dito palang hinanda ko na sarili ko habang hawak-hawak nya yung mga passport namin na hindi kami maapproved! so sa isip ko sige ok na next time nalang talaga.. ) i will approved your visa (name of my mom and me) but unfortunately i cant approve (name of my cousin) your application as of the moment (tapos inabot yung passport nya and blue form)

after nya binigay yung passport umalis na agad kami.. mixed feelings! kasi naapproved kami ng mom ko tapos sya hindi.. sayang naman! but i know she's happy for us.. so dahil dyan nag japan nalang sya.. hehe pag labas namin ng embassy nag simba kami agad sa Quiapo para mag pasalamat sakto may mass.. although pinag usapan na din namin na kahit anong mangyari or result mag ssimba talaga kami.

after 5days including sat/sun we received our passport - 10yrs ME! 

requirements? we have: ITR, bank certs, COE, extra picture. yan lang ang bitbit namin.. and lahat yun hindi tinignan!

profile:
mom - 65yo / retired teacher/ married/ 4kids
me - 31yo / csr / marrried (seperated but not annulled) / 2kids
cousin - 26 / pharmacist / single

pasensya na mga sis kung mahaba! sana may naitulong ako sa mga mag aapply pa lang.. hehe thank you so much sa mga sis natin na nag reply sakin dito dati and sa mga nag share ng experiences nila.. 
 

[drag0nfly]

^Congrats sis! Although naloka ako na mas malaki pa ang sweldo ng cc agent ngayon kesa sa pharmacist grabe.

[ellyrem]

^ thanks sis! yes sis kasi sa hospital sya nag wwork ngaun 6 months pa lang sya nung nag apply kami kaya medyo maliit unless nalang sa big company nag tatrabaho. balak din kasi nya mag abroad kaya pinagtyagaan nya yung hospital habang nag aantay na matanggap sa dubai.  

[Fidelis8]

congrats sis ellyrem! nakaka inspire naman ang sharing mo

[ellyrem]

congrats sis ellyrem! nakaka inspire naman ang sharing mo

awww.. tenchu po! minsan lang ako mag share dito.. hehe more on reading lang kasi ako. pero ill try to share my experiences na din like our sisses here baka may matulungan in any way.. 

[avesoriano]

sisses where can i find my appointment letter? kasi i only have the screenshot of  the appointment history. My schedule is tom. i tried backreading and someone mentioned somewhere na  meron ieemail about my appointment

[pistachio nuts]

--- My schedule is tom.---

Hi! how was your application?

[Mum_A]

Hi, ladies!  Ayudame, por favor!

Ask ko lang: I sent our DS-160 applications (we're a family of 5) last February 27 & got out confirmation already.  I'm about to pay now, trouble is, the "Earliest Appointment Date is April 24, 2017"  😭   We intend to leave on May 1, that's why I want it this March sana or early April. Can I still see better/earlier dates than what's shown on the sidebar? should I pay now or wait it out to see if an earlier date comes up?

Also, about paying online: one reference number per applicant, right? and if I intend to pay for the 5 of us, I'll have to do it one at a time? tama ba? BPI won't ask for the confirmation # or code of the applicant?

Thanks for your future replies! happy weekend 😊

[_Jasmin_]

^You should pay already then on the appointment schedule page, just refresh every few minutes or so until an earlier schedule appears. That's what I did when I had to reschedule my appointment from my original sched to a new date. Keep on refreshing. At some point it will give a warning that you will reach your maximum number of 'refresh'. In my case, I ignored until I got the date I wanted. Haha! Medyo mahirap siguro for you kase 5 kayo. Then you have to be quick kase mabilis lang din magbago yun available slots.

[Mum_A]

That was quick! Thanks, _Jasmin_ 😘

[k_heart]

last January 2017, i paid around Friday for my baby's US visa application (9 months old). LAhat naman kami may visa including our other kids na nasa elementary. WE got their US Visa when they were 3 and 4 years old. So medyo matagal na yan. Kaya medyo nangapa ulit ako when im applying for our bunso.

Before kasi, i renewed mine, 3 years ago, dala lang ng passport then pwede na magbayad sa bank.
PEro ngayon, you need pala to print a US Visa Fee Deposit Slip na may code para makapagbayad.
And dahil friday ako ng hapon nagbayad, inabutan na ko ng cut-off sa pag aapply ng sked online.
So Monday na ako nakapag-open ng site, but much to my surprise, ang daming open slots ng Wednesday also ng week na yun and i grab it right away.
And got my apointment confirmation email after a while.
Yung husband ko na nag fill-up ng details ng baby namin at nag-upload ng picture.
9:30 am appointment namin pero nagpunta na kami sa entrance ng 8:30am.
Pero dayil baby ang applicant, dire diretso lang ang whole process. We were out of the building in less than 30 minutes.  And voila, 10 years for our baby.

Pero kaht alam ko namang mabibigyan ng visa yung baby namin, i'm praying pa din na wag matapat dun sa isang american colored girl. Kasi ang sungit sungit nya sa mga applicants. Naka microphone sya. Yung isang applicant, hindi alam kung magkano sweldo nya sa loob ng isang taon, ayaw, pinaalis para mag compute!😂😂😂
And thank God kay american guy kami natapat, na hiningi lang birth cert ng baby namin and our us visas. Then ayun, ok na us visa.

Kaya goodluck mga GT sis!😘😘😘

[huit]

Totoo ba na mas mahirap ma-approve kapag single ka?

[simang]

^^ohh swerte sa sched sis yung iba if they want a better schedule gumagawa pa ng letter to explain the urgency of getting a visa. i have a friend who did that kasi walang makuhang maagang sched eh may exam schedule na sya sa california. kaya swerte na nakakuha kayo ng sched right away safe na talaga dyan 1 month before ng target lipad mo.

^wala namang guarantee. i was single when i was given my visa. yung iba naman family nadedeny. depende rin talaga

[kabes]

i was approved yesterday. any idea when will my passport be delivered?

[leletmd]

^ Within 2 to 5 working days.
You can track it via the 2go website. You'll be able to see if it is for delivery already.