Preparing for your embassy interview

Three reasons account for about 90 percent of all refused immigrant visas in Manila:

• An incomplete or incorrectly completed Affidavit of Support
• A lack of secondary evidence proving relationship or identity
• Incomplete or outdated police or medical clearances

Here is some advice to avoid being in this 90 percent:

• The I-864 Affidavit of Support (and I-864A for household members when required) is used to prove applicants will not become a public charge dependent on government welfare. Sponsors fill out this form. It is a legally binding, complex contract on which it is easy to make errors.

• You should talk with your sponsor before your interview and ensure an I-864 was filed.  If there is any doubt, consider having your sponsor complete another I-864 (and I-864A for household members whose income is included in the pledge of support) and bring the original signed forms to your interview. I-864s no longer need to be notarized.
• Tax return requirements. Sponsors need to present one year of tax returns.  Consider bringing your sponsor’s most recent Federal tax returns to your interview. Photo copies are acceptable.

• Form I-864W Exemption should be filed by the following categories of Immigrant Visa applicants who are not required to file an I-864:

• Applicants who already have 40 quarters of qualified work in the U.S. covered under the Social Security Act;
• Applicants who are the child of a U.S. citizen who will qualify for U.S. citizenship upon entry into the United States;
• Applicants who are a self-petitioning widower of a U.S. citizen;
• Applicants who are self-petitioning as a battered spouse or child of a U.S. citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident.

• Fiancées (K-1), spouses (K-3), returning residents (SB-1) and follow-to-join employment (E) applicants use the I-134 Affidavit of Support form. This form must be executed less than one year prior to the visa application. A copy of the sponsor’s most recent Federal income tax returns and evidence of current employment must accompany the I-134.

• Secondary evidence of relationship and identity. Principle applicants should be prepared to submit evidence that further establishes their relationship with the petitioner and with their spouse and any children applying for visas. Every applicant will need to prove identity. Bring these items to your interview:

• Six or more personal photos with the primary applicant and petitioner (and spouse and children if they are applying) taken over a period of time; also include a copy of the petitioner’s U.S. passport or Permanent Resident Card.
• Personal correspondence, home telephone records or financial records showing an ongoing relationship.
• Proof of joint property ownership, joint financial obligations or remittances from the petitioner
• Baptismal records, medical records, school records and year books with photos, old and current professional ID’s.
• All old passports.
• Any other evidence you feel might be helpful.

The Consul expects you to bring these items to prove relationship and identity. Leaving secondary evidence at home on the interview day may cause delays in issuing your visa.

• NBI clearance and police clearance. Applicants aged 16 or older must have a valid Record Clearance for Travel Abroad Purposes from the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and a Police Certificate from every other country where they have lived for one year or more since reaching the age of 16 (six months or more for K visa applicants).

• Police clearances should be in the applicant’s current name, birth certificate name, maiden name and any aliases or nicknames ever used, including different spellings you have used of those names.
• Information on how to secure police certificates from other countries is available on the Department of State's website at: http://travel.state.gov/visa/reciprocity/index.htm.

• Any applicant who has been arrested, charged or convicted of a crime must present an explanatory letter from the NBI listing each record on file and any relevant court records associated with convictions, dismissals or findings of innocence for serious crimes. This letter is required if an applicant’s NBI Certificate has any of the following notations: “NO CRIMINAL RECORD”, “NO PENDING CRIMINAL CASE”, or “WITH DEROGATORY RECORD”. For immigration purposes, an NBI clearance is considered valid only for one year from the date it is issued. You may contact the NBI at (632) 523-82-31 to 38 if you have any questions.

• Applicants must submit application documents to NVC to be documentarily qualified for the visa interview. Unless all requirements are submitted, the Embassy cannot process a visa application to completion. Be mindful of the expiration dates of the required documents, and bring updated ones to the interview if necessary.

• Medical clearance: All visa applicants, regardless of age, need to complete a medical examination at the St. Luke’s Medical Center Extension Clinic (SLMCEC) before the visa interview. SLMCEC is located at 1177 J. Bocobo Street, Ermita, Manila. SLMCEC can be reached by telephone at 521-0020 and 521-8647. Operating hours are from 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The cost of the medical examination is U.S. $213.35 for adults (15 years and older) and U.S. $185.35 for children under 15 years of age. Medical clearances are generally valid for 6 months. Some applicants must have additional tests done and undergo long term medical treatment for tuberculosis (TB) and other diseases detected during the medical examination. Many people miss their visa interview appointment for these reasons. If you miss your visa interview appointment at the U.S. Embassy in Manila because of additional medical tests, SLMCEC will schedule your embassy interview appointment within the next two working days. SLMCEC will give you an appointment slip. You should bring the appointment slip together with your original appointment letter to facilitate entry into the U.S. Embassy in Manila.

How to schedule your visa appointment:

• If you have an interview date but no time is indicated on your appointment letter, you should plan to appear at the Embassy at 7:30 a.m. on the date of your appointment. The database or listing is updated in the middle of each month. If you do not see an appointment date, check back after one month. Usually, this site carries appointment dates three (3) months out.
• Starting March 19, 2008, those applying for K-1, K-2, K-3 and K-4 visas who have been notified by the Embassy to prepare for their interview can call 1-909-101-7878 (within the Philippines) to schedule an interview appointment at the U.S. Embassy. The cost of the 909 service is U.S. $0.98 per minute; this amount will be charged to your telephone bill.
• Applicants, Agents or Petitioners calling from within the United States will also be able to use this service by calling 1-888-877-9888. The cost of the 888 service from the United States is a U.S. $18 PIN payable using a Visa or MasterCard once you have called into the service.
• Applicants or their representatives must have the applicant’s Immigrant Case Number as given in the Embassy notification letter available when they call to schedule an appointment.
• Callers can speak with an English or Tagalog speaking operator.  The service is available to the public from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, Manila local time.
• For more information on this service, please click here.
• Applicants for all other immigrant visa categories unable to make previously scheduled appointments can call the same number, where an operator can reschedule appointments if no medical examination is pending.

On the day of the visa interview:

•  An applicant must have a scheduled appointment to submit a visa application to the Immigrant Visa Branch of U.S. Embassy Manila.

• Come on your appointed interview date. If you fail to show up, you will be scheduled for another interview, which will likely be at least a month later.

• Leave cell phones and other electronic devices at home. Effective March 1, 2007, applicants with such devices will be denied entry. Please make arrangements to leave your electronic equipment in a safe location off Embassy grounds during your interview appointment.

• Immigrant Visas cost $400. If you are not sure if the entire fee was paid, bring money to cover the additional expense. The Embassy accepts dollars, pesos and major credit cards.
  
   
• You will also need to pay the visa delivery fee. Fees vary by location, but if you bring 300 pesos for each visa, the expenses will likely be covered.
   

• The Embassy attempts to process applications as quickly as possible, but the visa interview and review of an application usually takes several hours. Because of the number of applicants at Embassy Manila, it is possible that an applicant may spend most of a business day at the Embassy processing an application. In some cases, the applicant may be asked to return for another appointment.
   
• The Embassy will make every effort to return an applicant’s original documents, but it is advisable not to turn in something that cannot be replaced. Consular officers often ask to see originals of documents. If the applicant wishes to keep an original document, he/she may submit a photocopy, but should have the original for inspection by a consular official. 

• Some cases will need investigation or further review that may delay the processing of the visa application by several weeks or months. In such instances, applicants may be asked to return for another Embassy appointment or may be asked for additional documentation.

• If the consular officer needs verification of the petitioner’s whereabouts, the applicant will be asked to provide a Certificate of Petitioner’s Status together with a clear copy of the photo page of the petitioner’s United States passport and a clear photo of the petitioner holding a recent newspaper or magazine with a readable date or headline. The photo should be taken within a month of the applicant’s interview.