Philippines

We’re pleased to announce a new office location in Cebu, Philippines. As of Monday, February 8, we will have at least one employee working at this location 8-5 Monday through Friday. We plan to be fully furnished and staffed by around mid-March, 2016.

Philippine-born immigrant visa applicants 16 years and over are required to furnish certificates issued by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). The green NBI certificate annotated for travel abroad is the correct certificate. Other colors are for local use only.

Death certificates can be obtained on security paper (preferred method) from the PSA or at www.ecensus.com.ph.

Certified copies can be obtained from local civil registrars. As in the cases of birth and marriage certificates of deaths occurring since 1946 are obtainable from the National Census and Statistics Office.

When attending the Embassy Interview for the K-1 Fiancée Visa, K-3 Spousal Visa or CR1 Visa, the applicant is required to bring their birth certificate. Applicants may obtain birth certificates at any PSA branch for a small fee. Relatives in the Philippines may obtain these documents. The PSA can also provide an index of all children born to an applicant. Birth certificates can also be ordered on the website www.ecensus.com.ph.

The Philippines is the only country other than the Vatican that outlaws divorce. That’s why it’s no surprise that so many of our customers are surprised to find out that their Filipina fiance cannot qualify for a K1 fiance visa and be with them in the United States due to a previous unresolved marriage.

If having the green card immediately upon entering is important to you, you could actually save time and money in the long run by filing for a spousal visa instead. The fiance visa is a little bit shorter and quicker up front, but in the long run, because it does not include the green card, is actually longer and more expensive in the long run.

"What is the CFO Seminar (Philippines) and why is it required?" The CFO (Commission on Filipinos Overseas) Seminar is a Philippine government requirement for Filipinos leaving the country. It's partially for their internal counting of people expatriating, but also it gives a crash-course on a few things Filipinos should know when emigrating out of the […]

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.

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, but it’s at the discretion of the embassy and consular officers.

If you get married in the Philippines (civil), you will need to take the certificate of marriage to the local Philippine Civil Registrar where one the parties is a resident. The certificate of marriage will be registered by the local civil registrar. You may obtain certified true copies of certificate of marriage from Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).