I met a Filipina on my last day of a trip to Philippines. We are in love and want to marry. I am 30 years older then her. Do I have a chance to get my fiance or marriage visa application approved?

I am a matchmaker and founded http://www.heartofasiaonline.com I have helped many thousands of Filipina – American couples find each other. When marriage results, my couples often ask advice on how to accomplish immigration, and reunite in the USA.

The two issues are The relationship is brief and a large age difference.

Large Age Difference:

Large age differences between Filipina wife and Husband are common and generally acceptable in Philippines culture. Maturity and stability are valued. Respect for elders is a cultural trait. The US consulate in Manila sees a lot of December – May couples. And approves their petitions.

So, the large age difference is not a problem.

Brief Relationship
A brief relationship generally IS a problem. But the solution to the problem is easy. The couple should spend a little more time, a little more effort, in developing the relationship first, before petitioning for the Fiancee Visa.

Immigration is mandated to weed out visa fraud. They look for couples that pretend to have relationships, dishonestly attempting to enter the USA. These “sham” relationships make it harder for “genuine but brief”, or “genuine but poorly documented” relationships to be approved.

In order to be approved for the visa a couple must be able to prove to a skeptical immigration official that the couple has a “bone fide” or genuine relationship. In considering this they look at the longevity and the quality of the relationship.

I have recorded a youtube video on proving a genuine relationship. This is visible at

http://fianceevisaservices.com/youtubegenuinerelationship.html

Longevitity is how long the couple have been courting. In the above case, it looks like the couple has been courting only 2 months. There is no specific rule about how much time is needed, but for most countries I suggest clients have a minimum of a year. The US consulate in Manila is a bit more “couple friendly”, so for there I think a minimum of 6 months is ok.

Quality is basically how much time the couple have devoted to the relationship. Most important is “face to face” time. How many trips to be together. How many days face to face. A trip of 2 weeks together is more quality than a 1 week trip. Two trips is more quality than one trip.

Then, when separated, how regularly, how long and how often do they communicate?. Most couples can communicate via txt messages, emails, telephones, web cams and post. All of these methods can provide a “paper trail” of the contacts. The more regular, frequent, and time consuming the couple contacts each other, the more quality the relationship demonstrates. For example a couple that talks on skype once in the morning, and once at night is much more believable than a couple that trades one email a week.

In the case above, they have only 2 days of “face to face” time in the Philippines. I strongly suggest that the American sponsor add much more quality time by taking another trip. This time to devote himself to courting his Filipina fiancee, and meeting her family and friends. And of course now that they are separated he should communicate with her regularly and frequently. If he is computer savvy he can use web cams’ and emails. If not he should make regular phone calls. If he uses an inexpensive calling card (these are very popular) he should check that the service provides an itemized list of every call he makes. He will need this as proof of the contact when he submits his petition. I recommend the following prepaid card, cause it is cheap and ALSO provides an itemized call record. See http://fianceevisaservices.com/international-prepaid-long-distance.html

Above Case:
The age difference should not be a problem. Adding some more time and effort to the relationship, communicating regularly, retaining a “paper trail” of communications, and making another trip will overcome the ‘briefness” of the relationship.

Recommendations:
To obtain either Fiance or marriage visa, you will need to put longevity, and quality into your relationship in order for it to be deemed genuine.

Tags: Age Difference, bone fide relationship, Philippines, spousal visa

Tags: fiancee visa, spousal visa

A group of Immigration attorneys who help prepare and submit Fiancee K-1 and Spousal K-3 visas are rallying together to complain and lobby against apparent procedural problems at the US visa section, Guangzhou China.  In reviewing their in-house data, and then combining this data across the different firms, they believe their statistics demonstrate that the Visa Section in Guangzhou is denying an abnormally high percentage of K-1 and K-3 petitions.

The attorneys assertion is that the visa officers in Guangzhou are over zealous in applying a higher standard than is official State Department policy. They believe this has resulted in Petitions which routinely would be approved at any other consulate, being unfairly denied in Guangzhou. Based on their own review of the denied cases, the attorneys have intuited the following list of extra-ordinary reasons they believe K petitions were denied in Guangzhou.

• No English, No Visa.
• One Visit, No Visa.
• Marriage on First Visit, no Visa.
• Very Large Age Different, No Visa.
• Three or More marriages by Petitioner, No Visa.

These are the apparent “Red Flags” when applying for the Fiancee or Spousal visa in China.  It seems that these could also negatively influence the consideration of your petition in other countries as well. To “err” on the safe side, I would suggest to any couple to strengthen the appearance of their genuine relationship, by addressing some of the issues listed above.

• Enroll the Fiancee in English School if her English is weak.
• Take a second trip.  Enjoy a second or third visit, spend face to face time  together.

In the case of the denied petitions, true love finally won out. Each denied Fiancee couple, got married, in China, then applied again, this time for an IR1or CR1 visa, and after long delays, these were granted.

For further information about Fiancee or Spousal Visas visit FianceeVisaServices.com

Tags: China Bride, fiancee visa, Guangzhou, K-1 Visa, K-3 Visa, spousal visa, uscis

Congratulations on your happiness.

I wish you the very best.

The way it works in applying for a spousal visa, is that you
start by sending a complete I-130 petition package, then
just as soon as you get notice that USCIS has received it
and assigned a case number, you then send them a complete
I-129F package and ask them to treat the case for a K3.

Looking at your list, I note that you will need two passport photos of each person, not one.

Also you seem to be missing her birth certificate, and her passport.

As far as anything else, since I don’t have your paperwork in front of me, I really
can’t tell what has been done correctly or not. Sorry, but there is a big difference,
between being given a list of documents you plan to send to USCIS and actually
reviewing them to see if they have been completed correctly.

I have helped a lot of people prepare these petitions, and so far I have never been
presented  with a package that did not need ample improvement.

Since you appear to have prepared the documents already, I do offer a service that
you may be interested in.  It is called Petition Review service.
You get your petition all ready, completely assembled, ready to mail
to USCIS. But instead you mail it to me, and I double check your work,
looking for problems and issues. I return it to you with questions, and
problems highlighted. You fix them, then submit to USCIS.

Or, if your documents still need much revision, cover letters, etc, etc, etc, then
you may consider ordering the FULL Spousal Visa Package. In such
a case I will take all your documents, assemble them, chase you for
missing documents, finally assemble all into the I-130 and I-129F petitions
and work with you through to getting her K3 visa.

At FianceeVisaServices.com you can see details about what
we do to help in the preparations for petitions.

Best

Fred Wahl
Matchmaker

At 06:37 AM 1/12/2009, you wrote:

From: William

Re: Latest Update Information

Dear Mr. Wahl,

I was once again so blessed to be in the Philippines with my One and Only One True-Love and Soul-Mate,  Screen Name: Cheesnee.

I arrived on Sunday December 21st, and was there until my departure on Saturday January 10th, so we were able to celebrate our first Christmas and New Year’s Day Holidays together, as well as our wedding; we were married on Friday January 8th. It was all the greatest and happiest time of all my whole entire life!!!

Of course now I’m back in the U.S. and am immediately trying to do all, and everything I possibly can to apply to, and work with the USCIS, and whoever else as necessary in order to get her over here just as soon as possible. So I  very much need and appreciate all your help and advice.

She and I have already signed and completed all the following documents, except only for the dating which will be done later – (when they are mailed/filed etc) – and I brought them back with me:

One copy of I-130, Petition for Alien Relative – complete with all the pertinent attachments…

That is: Prior Spouses, marriage/termination dates, divorce decrees/documents, info …

One copy of Additional Space Attachment Sheet with all other requested information …

One copy of my Certificate of Birth …

One copy, every page, of my Passport …

One copy, front and back, of our Marriage Certificate, including attached copies of receipts etc…

One copy of G-325A, Biographic Information for me – .

Two copies of G-325A, Biographic Informations for her, one with her maiden name, and one with her now married name, so they can choose whichever one they need etc…

One copy of G-325A, Biographic Information for her, with her maiden name – PETRONILA

One copy of G-325A, Biographic Information for her, with her now married name – PETRONILA

One Passport Style Photo of me – William

One Passport Style Photo of Her – Petronila

Of course in addition to all the above, I have literally tons of all kinds of other pertinent information for Affidavit of Support, proof-of-continued/continuing-love-and-relationship correspondence – emails, all kinds of bills and expenses, photos/pictures/video of marriage/wedding/reception etc…

So I’m sure you understand, and that you  see that I am very anxious to get everything else I need to do done just as soon as I possibly can, and that I would really like to get it all – that is the whole package mailed to them – that is – to the USCIS, EVEN THIS WEEK IF POSSIBLE!!! So I’m very anxiously awaiting, and hoping for your reply just as soon as possible.

Tags: CR-1, I-130, K-3 Visa, spousal visa, Spousal Visas

My Fiancee is from Colombia and the birth certificate is in Spanish. Can I simply write the English words above the Spanish words in the form?

from: Brian

Every foreign language document that accompanies a Fiancee Visa Petitions I-129F must be accompanied by a Certified Translation.  See the “Certification of Translations” page in the Fiancee Visa Secrets eBook.

If I were you I would not mark up the original birth certificate, but provide a separate typed page, in English that is an accurate  translation.  Attached to this translation should be another page written and signed by a professional translator attesting that he is a competent translator, and certifying that the translation is accurate.

If you are a professional Spanish to English  translator, you could do the translation yourself, and certify the translation. However even if you are a professional translator, I would not recommend that you do it yourself.  Instead use an independent third party.

In submitting your petition, you want it to be as clean, and straightforward as possible. You should provide USCIS and State with exactly what they ask for, in exactly the format they prefer. This avoids questions, and avoiding questions helps to speed processing of the petition.

Best

Fred Wahl
Matchmaker

Tags: Certified Translation, fiancee visa, I 129F, I129F, K-1, K1, spousal visa, uscis