This is Fred Wahl the VisaCoach
Today's topic is: How can a US Citizen get Married in the Philippines
Visa Coach
Fast, Easy and Personal
I am Fred Wahl, the VisaCoach, I am known for the
personal one-on-one relationship that WE share, (that's you, me and your partner), as WE work
together, as a TEAM, to overcome the many challenges
of immigration,
Don't risk your happiness, Don't go this course alone.
Alone, it's far too easy to make mistakes that cause tears,
delays and expensive denials.
Do Pick up the Phone and speak with me directly, so that,
you and I, can get to know each other.
This is the free introductory consultation I talk about later.
If we are compatible, that's the beginning of our beautiful
relationship to get you the immigration approvals you need.
This is what two of my clients Tyler and Hazel, had to say:
Hazel comes from the Philippines and I helped her get
her Spouse visa., this is what she wrote:
I am so pleased that my husband have chosen your service and as a result of your very
organized, well detailed preparations and your very clear
and precise step by step instructions in all our
paper works which leads us to a successful immigrant visa approval!
This saves us from all the trouble and stressed during the interview.
Having said that... the key to a seamless and successful visa
interview and approval lies on how well ones paperwork's are prepared.
Therefore, we highly recomend your excellent service and rest assured nothing can go wrong
but truly a dream come true for us!
We appreciate your all time support and quick turnaround in accommodating all our questions
each time we have doubts and confusions.
Thank you Mr. Fred Wahl!
You are most welcome: Hazel and Tyler
Now, lets talk about "How can a US Citizen get Married in the Philippines"
I am pleased to help my clients get both fiancé and spouse visas
to bring their loved ones to the USA.
Almost half of the couples I work with come from the Philippines.
It turns out that the US Embassy in Manila is THE busiest of all US Embassies in the
world.
Processing 10's of thousands of requests for visas to
travel to the USA every year.
The Philippines is a wonderful country.
The people are very kind, very gentle, they are awesome to know and
be friends with.
English is taught in the schools so most Filipinos can speak
some English, and they like the USA, they like Americans.
And most Filipino Families have some relatives who have
already immigrated to the USA.
This all makes the Philippines a very popular place for
an American to find romance.
I know that I did.
If you have fallen in love with someone from the Philippines
basically you have two choices to bring him or her to the USA.
Either get engaged then apply for a fiancée visa or marry and
apply for a spouse visa.
Most choose the fiancé visa route because it is much faster than the spouse
visa.
Currently (and this changes over time), currently it
takes about 8 to 9 months to get a Fiance visa from Manila, compared
to 14 to 18 months to get a Spouse visa.
That "doesn't make sense" you say.
"Married should be faster", Well, yes, BUT the way these processes work,
a fiance visa is considered a non-immigrant visa, good for
a 90 day visit, to meet potential inlaws and Disneyland, and
IF a wedding occurs to remain in the USA permanently.
But it is a big IF, and the system assumes the fiance might go
back to Philippines, so since it is officially only for a short
stay, the visa does not need to be vetted as much as a spouse
visa.
A spouse visa on the other hand is considered REGULAR immigration.
That means the applicant is not applying for a short
visit, but is applying to stay in USA permanently.
So there is more vetting, more examination, and the final approval includes
approval for the GREEN CARD.
The spouse visa allows your spouse to enter the USA, and to STAY permanently.
Despite the spouse visa needing more time, for many the attraction
of marrying your love sooner, and having a wedding ceremony
in a tropical paradise, among your spouse's family, friends,
and neighbors can be very attractive.
For those here is how to get married in the Philippines.
Getting married in the Philippines takes planning and it takes
some time, and needs a minimum of 10 days.
If you're flying in for a short stay you will have to
plan your time carefully.
The reason it takes at least ten days is because in order to get married one
first needs to obtain a marriage license.
Applying for a marriage license in the Philippines is somewhat like applying
to buy a gun in the USA.
There is a ten day cooling off period between when you file your application until the earliest
you can get to the altar.
Applying requires you and your fiance to go to the court
or mayors office and present the following documents.
Passports.
Birth certificates.
Proof of termination of previous marriages Certificate of Legal Capacity to Contract
Marriage and as in most recent update each applicant
(even the American) must provide a Certificate of No Marriage, (CENOMAR), issued
by the Philippines Government (PSA)
The CENOMAR can be ordered in advance and can be ordered
online and takes about 10 days to be issued.
It's best to order this document well in advance of your
arrival in the Philippines.
But the Certificate of Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage is
not so easy for an American to obtain.
The Certificate of Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage is a document
issued by a government body, that states the holder is currently
not married and is free to marry.
Many countries like the Philippines maintain a central registry of marriages
so this document would normally be issued by a government authority.
However, since the USA does not have any central registry of marriages
it is impossible to find any US Federal, State or local government
office that would issue the statement stating they have checked their
records and you are not married and are eligible to marry.
So what can you do?
Well the US Embassy is there for you.
They can not issue a document that categorically states you are not married,
but what they CAN do is, allow you to raise your hand and swear to
a consular officer that you are not married, and he then can issue
a statement, that he has witnessed you making your sworn statement.
This is called "Affidavit In Lieu of a Certificate of Legal Capacity
to Contract Marriage"
Both the consular section at the US Embassy in Manila, and the consulate's
satelite office in Cebu will do this for you.
Do be aware however, that a very few of the local towns, like Quezon City,
Makati City, and Davao City and others might not accept this Affidavit.
Best is to find out in advance, and if necessary choose another town
to marry in.
Marriage licences are good for 120 days, and the wedding doesn't
need to occur in the same town that issued the licence.
After you bring all the required documents to the court or
mayor's officer, and pay the licence fee, after the ten day waiting
period the marriage license becomes valid and you can marry,
either in church or in front of a judge or mayor.
To marry within only 10 days you must plan your trip carefully.
For the shortest stay, you would plan to arrive in Manila or Cebu
in the morning take taxi from airport to the consulate or embassy,
get the Affidavit In Lieu of a Certificate of Legal Capacity
to Contract Marriage, then pushing on to the local mayors or
judge's office before they close.
On the tenth day you can pick up your approved marriage licence
and marry.
When planning your whirlwind 10 day trip, keep in mind that
government offices are closed on weekends and holidays and
plan your arrival and departure accordingly.
And of course while a 10 day trip including wedding is possible,
it would be prudent and more relaxing if you give yourself
few more days overall to your visit.
This would give you a cushion in case of delayed flights, traffic
jams, and so on.
When can you bring your new spouse to the USA?
Unlike what we saw in old movies an American can't arrive,
sweep a foreign beauty off her feet then throw her over his shoulder to board a Pan Am jet
back to the USA.
Sorry, but once the honeymoon is over, you will most likely be
returning to the USA alone.
To bring your new spouse to the USA.
You need to apply through US immigration.
Of course I can help.
Usually we start working together well before your wedding,
in order to get "all our ducks in a row".
But the earliest we can actually submit your application
will be a few months after the wedding.
This is because in order to successfully apply, your application
needs to include a copy of your marriage certificate
issued by the Philippines Federal government.
Sadly, in the past the Philippines has been plagued by
fraudulent or counterfeit Civil documents.
In order to make civil documents trustworthy, the the Philippines
government has instituted national government office
called the Philippines Statistics Authority, PSA.
PSA's job is to verify and vet Civil documents such as birth, death and marriage
certificates.
Even though, soon after the wedding, the local judge or mayor has issued
you a local marriage certificate, that document is not
accepted by US immigration.
Instead, only the PSA version is acceptable.
And it takes three months or so for the PSA to issue their
own marriage certificate.
Once the wedding takes place, the time it takes to bring your spouse
to the USA will be about 3 months to obtain the PSA marriage certificate
plus another 14 to 18 months at US immigration before the visa is issued,
and life together in the USA can begin.
Because it takes such a long time to bring your spouse to the USA
many couples, decide not to marry in Philippines, and instead
choose to marry in the USA.
With a Fiance Visa, once a face to face meeting has taken place, a couple can usually
get permission to come to the USA in only 8 to 9 months.
What can you do to speed the process ?
Don't wait to bring VisaCoach on board.
Typically, we should start working together months in advance of your
trip to get married.
This way we can get most of the logistics out of the way, and on your
trip to get married you will be armed with detailed instructions and
checklists of what bases to touch during your trip, and what to bring
back in the way of evidences to make your visa application strong
and likely to be processed as smoothly and quickly as possible.
Then we craft your application to VisaCoach's high standards, leaving
a placeholder to insert the PSA marriage certificate the moment it
is issued.
This was Fred Wahl, The VisaCoach
Please "like" or add your comments to this video.
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"120 K1 Visa Interview Practice Questions, and "5 Things your must know before starting
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Finally, when you are ready to get started, call for
your free introductory consultation and speak with me directly,
Before starting on your immigration adventure, before
entering an arcane maze of rules, regulations and procedures,
before committing yourself to a risky path that could
mean an end to your happiness, speak with the VisaCoach
and ask for his Free Consultation.
He listens to you to learn the red flags and strengths
of your case, your eligibility and goals.
He will suggest which visa is right for you, the best strategy
to get it, and how soon your love could join you.
The friendly advice and wisdom he'll freely share with you,
might make the difference between approval and denial, and
could save you months, or years, of loneliness and separation.
What have you got to lose?
Book your free consultation today.
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