Saturday, October 30, 2010

Daily Report: Borrowed Time

I've got myself an extra half week before going back to America. I'm going to take care of a few things here before heading out... some loose ends that need to be tied up. I was going to leave them until I got back... or have Epril take , and then I've got meetings with Attorney on Thursday. Then it will be back to Manila on Friday, and then flying out on Saturday.

I'm going to start on the process of getting Epril a spousal visa. I ocare of them, but figured it would be better instead to get them done now.

That's a good thing. I'm going to head up to Manila on Monday and Tuesdayriginally didn't want to because I had been told that once somebody has a green card, they aren't allowed to leave the United States until they get their citizenship or something like that... a mistaken belief, according to what Attorney told me: People with green cards can come and go (with restrictions) from the United States without problem. Attorney also said that with Epril's various positive "attributes" (already having a Filipino passport, already having used her passport to travel to many countries, already having been approved once for a U.S. visa), he should be able to get her a spousal visa to America (a "green card") in very short order.
UPDATE:

I completely forgot to mention it. When I was hanging out with Warren on Friday, I had a massively good idea for a business in America: Helping doctors make the switch from transcription services to speech recognition software. Then, Warren added in another idea: He is going to be starting a Filipino-based outsourcing company, and told me that he'd give me a share of whatever American-based business I could get for his company. (He's Australian, so that is where his focus is.) Either one of those ideas could be very lucrative... but both of those ideas also mean working in the United States for certain periods of time each year.

16 comments:

Robert said...

My wife has here green card, and we travel freely, I think the only restriction as far as you are concerned is she must be in the states for more than 6 months out of every year.

Jil Wrinkle said...

Thanks for that information. I was also told that Green Card Holders cannot be out of the country for more than a certain amount of time... although I don't know what it is precisely.

Anonymous said...

She shouldn't be away from the US for a year. I am a green card holder myself and have travelled back to the Philippines to visit my family several times with it.

Good luck in the visa application and if you want more information about the process, visit www.visajourney.com... It has helped me a lot in the process from getting a visa to becoming an american citizen.

Anonymous said...

If you have a green card then you can't stay out of US more than one year or you can stay out of US for up to 2 years if you go to school or if you get the Immigration Office permission. So is not that you have to be in for 6 month/year.
You can leave via Mexico and when you come back you come back the same way and no one knows when you left. Comprende?
Cheers,
Peter, California

Anonymous said...

I don't understand why don't you google it. You are married and your wife will join you in no time. Just fill up the immigration papers. Why do you need a lawyer? What's wrong with you? Go on INS site and read what you have to do. It's that simple.
Pete, California

Anonymous said...

SIR,READ THIS CAREFULLY,it is for your benefit I assure you!This happened to a girlfriend I knew once upon a time,she was a dummy(although she thought she was slick),and she had a residency visa(green card) in the USA issued to any foreign national(pamela) who entered the USA shall be considered invalid,vacated and null and void if the visa holder exits the USA for a period of more than one year.Re-application must be under taken.She was so stupid that she got arrested while she was in the states,didn't get deported though but then left for over a year and couldn't go back in.then she married a guy from the states and was denied re-entry for 'morally terpitudinal 'reasons,all very legal and she will never get back into the states,LEGALLY,but hey,she lived in central america and probably took the show on the road,via the northern route to mexico and is now holed up in NYC somewhere flaunting the vagrancy laws(that are never enforced!).it sucks that 25 million hispanics enter the states at will,and ILLEGALLY everyday and filipino's cant get visa's,or wives have to wait 18 months,fiances 6-12 months,but,fiances must marry w/in 90 days of entry and can't leave for two years after original entry,a wife gets to come and go but will not get citizenship until in the counrty for 5 yrs. ininterrupted.Geography's a bitch.I am surprised MR.Jil if you do not know these things ,you can go to the website,www.uscis.gov and check out the application process personally,you do not need a liar,I mean lawyer!A lawyer will tell you you need him/her and take your $$$,and be able to do exactly no more than you can unless you have extraordinary $$$.US immigration does not give a shit where your wife has been but rather where it is she wants to go,and then only if its to the USA.

Anonymous said...

HAHA
A lawyer for immigration. And I bet he is filipino and has promised you he can do everything? HAHAHA

I thought you were so smart. I guess not if you can't fill out some easy paperwork.

Maybe you have more money than brains.

Anonymous said...

if you are goin to apply for a visa for your wife.you really must know what you are doing before you try to do it.a lawyer will cost you $$$ for svcs. you can render to yourself.all the while making you think you need him/her and that he/she can do things they just cant do.your current residency status,and who knows what that status is, will determine where you must file for the spouse visa.Does anyone ,like a gov't.,know where you reside?this is just one thing that you MUST know before you file for a spousal (IR-130)visa for your immediate relative.if you are a probationary resident in the philippines you may have to wait until the probationary period expires and you become a permanent resident in the fils. and file for the visa in the fils. at the US embassy in Manila.BUT,If you didn't become a resident,or a gov't doesnt' know where it is you reside,filing for the visa in the states is what to do.mail it to someone and have that person mail it so as to have the postmark w/in the USA,SEE?The website is where you MUST go and see exactly what you MUST do in order to get your immediate relative to the USA.People ,however well intentioned they may or not be,usually aren't up on the latest form that needs to be used or the exact documentation you need to present yourselves for visa consideration.You will waste your time and $$$ listening to others tell you what to do,and maybe even extend the time you must wait for the visa as well.Go to the web-site and do it yourself,that way you wont be sad/mad if a lawyer uses an out-dated form producing another delay.it is tedious and time consuming and you MUST keep records of everything you send.
btw,if I cared that you called me a "little girl with a mobile phone",I would not tell you what I just did.
I've gone thru what you are going thru now,and it SUCKS that people invade the States every fuckin day and then real citizens have to wait an eternity to bring their loved one w/them.
if it is you do not want anymore info,I will remain silent.

Anonymous said...

www.uscis.gov

Jil Wrinkle said...

Actually, Attorney Joe Palugna will be doing Epril's visa and I am using his services because (a) he is a personal friend, and (b) he is doing it for a fifth or a tenth of the price that an attorney would normally charge for such services.

Anonymous said...

After having EVERYONE tell you that you do NOT need an attorney to do the paperwork, you are doing it because he is a friend and is only charging 1/5 or 1/10 (?) of his normal price. What a dumb reason.

He is going to ask you for every single answer from the forms, so that his "assistants" will fill them out with multiple errors, which will cost you time and money.
Have you ever seen a Filipino fill out any paperwork without errors?

If you are to be in the USA, I believe you must file from the USA, and not direct to embassy. Did your attorney tell you that?

Do what you want here, but you are not acting in a responsible manner on this. I am sure that 100% of your readers will agree with me on this.

Your wife deserves alot more from you on this than what you you are presently doing.

Anonymous said...

using a personal friend for important personal business,OK!!! U have lived in the fils how long? u dont know yet that filipino's are so full of shit that they never,NEVER keep their word.Especially to a 'kano?how many warranties has anyone here lived up to?the posting of the closed up store recently should be a warning to you.A close personal friend huh?a fifth or a tenth,which is it?I bet you are sorry you hire this palooka guy,A WORD TO THE WISE SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT.filipino's are full of shit pal.sounds like you will find out the hard way too!

Tom N said...

And (c), with attorneys, it's always best to use someone you know and trust.

Jil Wrinkle said...

It's really surprising to hear people come on here and tell me that using an immigration attorney to obtain, fill out, and submit the paperwork for an immigration visa is worse than doing it oneself... even if it only costs a hundred dollars.

But, you do have a point: I do need to sit down and see what needs to be... or what can be done myself, in what country it needs to be done, et cetera, et cetera. If it entirely needs to be done in America, I will do it myself. If it entirely needs to be done in The Philippines, I will have Attorney Joe do it.

Tom N said...

Given my experience over the years with immigration and how easily things can go wrong, I would not have a problem with paying $100 to get it done right.

Don B said...

well knowing attorney joe, i'd say you're in capable hands, but i'd check it out anyway. what i can't believe is that it's even a problem. you guys have been together for years, married what a year? you should be able to go to the embassy and in a couple weeks have epril over here. i hate the whole immigration thing. you do the right thing all your life and all you get is a hassle. without hating on the hispanics, there are 11 million of them here. and one poor guy can't bring his filipino wife here legally. my jewish friends would say oh vey! god speed jil, tell epril i said hi. hope to get down to FL to see you BOTH soon!!!!!! have a good trip.