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On July 5th, 2019, USCIS will permanently close its field office in Manila, Philippines, as part of the Trump Administration’s efforts to reduce legal immigration. After this date, there will be no USCIS international field office located in the Philippines. The office began redirecting Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, to the USCIS Lockbox on [...]

"You guys advertise 99.7% approval rate, is that just the USCIS stage, or is that the percentage for the embassy stage as well?" 99.7% is our approval rate for all petition types (tourist visas not counted as no petition is involved). How is that even possible? We are able to accomplish this by pre-screening all [...]

"I just started working... I can't provide my last year's taxes, only an employment letter and an estimated annual salary. Is it enough for my affidavit of support?" You are required to provide your most recent tax returns (ideally transcripts). If you didn't file taxes, you'll need to provide at least evidence that you are [...]

When a visitor enters the US as a nonimmigrant, and does not exit the US before the terms of the visa allow, this is referred to as an "overstay". Overall, the rate of overstays is low. In fact, in 2018, only 0.41% of visitors on ESTA overstayed, and only 2% of B1/B2 visitor visa holders [...]

"Does the USCIS take into account the visits between partners after getting married?" Absolutely. They take everything into account when you're looking at establishing a bona fide or legitimate relationship. The more visits you have, the better. It's also a good time to co-mingle finances if you haven't already. Having children together is also great [...]

"We applied and were approved through the USCIS back in March, but I've heard nothing from the NVC yet." From our experience, once you get the approval you should be getting the instructions after you receive the NOA2, which is a Notice of Action indicating approval of your application. But if you have not heard [...]

"Are tax transcripts showing income better than tax returns to submit proof of income?" IRS tax transcripts are better proof of income because providing you tax return alone does not actually prove that they've been filed with the IRS or that you paid any taxes. Anyone can fill out a 1040 in 5 minutes online. So [...]

Why would the Philippines not allow a joint sponsor for a K-1? Many US embassies accept joint sponsors for fiance visas. However, unfortunately, the most popular country for the K1 visa, the Philippines, doesn't allow them. They do allow joint sponsors for married couples applying for CR1 visas, but not the fiance visa. It's unfortunate, [...]

How long does it normally take to get feedback when the US Petitioner files for a K-1 Fiance Visa? The first form of communication that you're going to receive is called a receipt notice, and it comes on Form I-797 Notice of Action, and you should receive those within two to three weeks of filing your [...]

On April 19, 2019, the USCIS issued a policy guidance update in the USCIS Policy Manual. The update clarifies that violations of federal controlled substance law, including violations involving marijuana, are generally a bar to establishing good moral character for naturalization, even where that conduct would not be an offense under state law. So, as [...]