Polar Honey Bears: Steps After Your K1 Petition Approval

Hey lovelies!

A few months ago I was really happy to announce that the Polar Honey Bear petition for a K1 visa has finally been approved. Since I was really busy, I wasn't really able to update anyone and give any advice.

Here's a quick recap of the steps we have taken since we received the notice!

NOTE : The following photos are the actual mail that we got. We have removed any personal and confidential information on these records for security purposes.

NVC Letter

Once your petition gets approved, your fiance will receive a mail stating this. Note, that this is a snail mail and not through email. They will advice you that your case has been approved and forwarded to Manila. The Filipina/Filipino fiance will then receive a (snail) mail stating what steps to be taken next.

We have received our NVC Letter on May 13th. To be honest, we're taking things quite slow and easy since I'm not in a hurry to leave.

Notes

Your Case Number will be indicated in this letter.

You will need this in all the next steps to take so always take note of this.

It always starts with "MNL" for Filipinos as it represents the location of the Embassy where your case has been forwarded.

We waited for the letter to arrive on my end, however after a few weeks we still didn't get it. This actually worried me so I started doing my own research. I was advised that sometimes the fiance does not receive a hard copy from the NVC. However, I was lucky enough that I got them by mid June. The letter also included a copy of the approved I-129F (photo not included).

I'm a member of several online support groups where I'm able to ask questions including:

Visa Journey

Asawa World (FB)

K-1 Group - Visa Journey (FB)

You can also join them if you need real time assistance. Note that the members are also fiances, wives and husbands who are applying or have applied for Fiance or Spousal Visas. They are not employees of the US Government and all information are based on personal experiences like mine.

It's very helpful to be involved there because you will get real-life scenarios which will give you a broad idea of what is about to happen.

CEAC Status

Before sending any inquiry, I checked the status of our case on CEAC Status Checker.

I have checked this on May 30, 2015 and it indicated that the status is READY. On June 8, 2015 there was another updated but it said the same "Ready" notice.

Notes

Choose "Immigrant Visa" from the drop-down list.

I know that K1 visas aren't classified as such but if you choose "NonImmigrant Visa" you will not get any results.

Once your status is marked as "Ready" you are already able to schedule your interview. Now this is where the balancing your time will take place. You can either take your medical exam first at St. Lukes Extension Clinic (SLEC) before scheduling your appointment or vice versa.

Important Reminders

You can get a complete list of documents that you will need here.

I've made my own list here which includes other documents which you might be asked for. This is based on other people's experiences during their interviews.

You need to take your medical at least a week before your appointment if you choose to schedule it first.

You can schedule the appointment once you already passed your medical exam BUT chances are you will get dates that are about two weeks away or more.

You can reschedule your appointment online or via their hotline in case you are not able to complete your medical on time. I will post a different blog for these topics.

Check "Visa Category" for other updates on Requirements and Medical Experiences.

Scheduling Your Interview

Pay for your MRV (Machine Readable Visa) in order to set an appointment.

Download the Payment Slip here and make a payment at any BPI Branch. Make sure that you have the printed copy when you go to the bank because they will need to validate on that page.

It is only payable in Philippine Pesos and to date it costs 12190PHP.

You can also pay through your BPI online account, however I wasn't able to do this so I can't give further advice on that procedure.

Should there be any changes in price, it will be indicated on the deposit slip.

Get the following information ready

The visa applicant's first and last name

The visa applicant's passport number

The visa applicant's date of birth

The visa applicant's email address

Online

You can schedule your interview online through this link.

There are no other links where you can do it but here so be mindful where you enter your information.

You will be prompted to make and account and have to fill out all necessary information and make sure that these are correct.

You will then need to fill out a DS-160 Form.

Over the Phone or Skype

You need to accomplish and submit your DS-160 Form prior setting an appointment over the phone.

You can call them through :

Philippine Call Center - (02) 976 - 8500, 8501 and 8502

International Callers - US Number +1 703 520 2235

Continental U.S. working hours : 7pm-7am EST / 6pm-6am CST / 5pm-5am MST / 4pm-4am PST

Skype - UID : ustraveldocs-philippines

Monday – Friday from 8:00am to 8:00pm, Manila time, except US and Philippine holidays.

Accomplishing Other Documents

While you are waiting for your appointment date, start gathering all the required documents for your interview. Don't waste time waiting and start moving now! ^.^

Stay tuned for my next posts regarding the medical experiences and other stories. I'll also be posting more Polar-Honey-Bear Updates soon!