US Visa & Immigration Issues

[uraro]

hey kyutfeys...
ok nga dito eh...ang gaganda ng mga tanawin...he he he
by the way, you REALLY need the contract...beside of course that you can keep it for you personal reference, it is also the one NEEDED by the POEA...kaya kung wala ka neto eh malamang matatagalan i-process ng POEA yung release nung OEC (Overseas Employment Contract) mo...OEC by the way is needed for every Working Visas (H1B in ur case) passing thru Immigration at the Airport not just for those going to US but to other countries as well...they will not allow you unless you have these papers (actually some sort of 5 stubs only)... Ang sabi kasi nila dun, the contract determines your rights and priveleges..They examine them and make your employers agree to some ammendments POEA recommends in order for them to approve it...I TELL YOU, DITO AKO NATAGALAN TALAGA SA POEA...bale flight ko na that Monday, and yet my OEC was not yet released till Friday...syempre Saturday na kinabukasan nun kaya walang pasok..i was thinking then that i should reschedule my flight, but it was again too late for that...kinalampag ko talaga ang employers ko rito sa NY to fax me the document which POEA required..buti na lang nakuha ko agad ito and my OEC was released Friday afternoon..just in time! Whew!....
Your employer don't actually give you the contract. They are actually more concerned with your INS documents that's why. In my case, I actually asked them about it and I requested for a SIGNED one...be sure that you tell them that the contract you need is SIGNED...the contract should contain from your work-hours, to leaves, to bonuses, etc.., even up to the situation of death...(kakatawa nga eh kasi eto yung ammendment na hiningi ng POEA sa mga employers ko...wala daw kasi sa contract ko to...na kapag in case na namatay daw ako, my body and all of my things will be turned over to the nearest Philippine consulate / embassy, hehehe)..sounds weird...di pa nga ako nakakapunta run eh gusto pa yata akong mamatay na...he he he...but well, just follow them, they are just doing that for our welfare...maybe this ammendment is more applicable to Middle East employers than with us here.....
So this is it...I hope you get your SIGNED CONTRACT from your employers...and goodluck to you!

[uraro]

i forgot to tell you that you need the actual/original signed document kaya di pwede dito ang emailed document...ako pina-FEDEX ko sa kanila...actually two copies yun eh...kasi i need to sign that also, so the one i signed, i sent back to them, and the other left, i signed it (of course also having their signature) and this is the document i presented to POEA....
goodluck to you again!

[kyutfeys]

gee! thanks uraro, that was really informative, now i know. but i still wanna ask, so ur saying that the contract is needed before you leave the country because of that poea thing, but with reagards to the interview, ok lang muna kahit wala pa 'to? is that right?

sa tingin ko nga, mas ok 'dyan sa upstate, i think it's less polluted than in the city. para bang suburbs dyan?

and again, during your interview, did the consulate looked over all the documents that you submitted, as in every one of them? and talaga bang walang tinanong sa 'yo, not even a single question?

again, many thanks.

[uraro]

i think you can proceed with the embassy interview without that (contract)..because from what i know, the three basic documents they'll be looking at are: the Notice of Action (NOA) from the INS, the Labor Conditions Application, and the Petition Form from the Employer (i forgot the form, i think Form I-129?, just see yours)..and the rest of the documents you might have with them will just support you (like the certificates, diploma, contract, etc.)...I just don't know, kasi ang sabi din ng mga boss ko eh basta working visa (H1B that is), eh i-aapprove naman daw talaga yun...bale formality na lang ang pagpunta mo dun for them to look at ur documents....
in my case, di ako gaanong tinanong...well, ang tanong lang
actually sa akin eh..."So, you will work there?" ..eh di syempre sabi yes...then tapos na...yun lang...he's actually turning every pages of my documents while he's saying that...ang bilis nga eh...siguro for him, all of the documents i submitted were enough!...kaya just bring all of those i said earlier here in this thread...i know you said you have them already...but i think you can do without the contract...but you still need to get this for POEA's requirement i tell you...
by the way, i want to correct myself..OEC stands for Overseas Employment Certificate....

[kyutfeys]

again, thank you! thank you! 'just also wanna know if what kind of a programmer are you? sa web developing ka ba? talagang sarap ng buhay mo 'dyan a, kaso mataas ata ang tax 'dyan sa ny, pero bawi bawi naman daw kase high paid ang mga new yorkers. high cost of living sa ny kaya mataas salary, 'can't wait to get there, magpapataba ako dyan, he he!

[uraro]

he he he kyutfeys, i think i should charge you now with your many questions..he he he *joke only*
i actually work here as a software consultant, and i use Oracle, VB5/6, HTML, JSP, Java..
i say mataas nga ang sweldo, pero talo ka talaga sa gastusin...and to think na kakataas lang yata nila ng gasoline prices dito...
at talagang tataba ka dito kasi biruin mo, each American serving eh halos pang-dalawa o tatlong tao (payatot) na dyan sa pinas eh...but just don't translate sa Philippine peso ang mga dollars na ini-spend mo kasi malulungkot ka lang...the prices here are of course based on their living standards....for instance, a hot chocolate in Dunkin Donuts here is about $1...eh kung sa Pilipinas, bale ang translation nito eh P50 na!!! but it's quite cheap already...and know what? ang haircut dito (men) costs around $9 (P450 sa pinas!!!)...ha ha ha...ganyan talaga ang buhay anong magagawa mo?....
but i know that you'll definitely like it here in NY.
ako nga eh, this is Upstate NY, i like it here more than in Manhattan...di dito trapik!!!! at fresh air ka pa...ganda pa mga bahay....
cge..pagbutihin mo lang ang sa Embassy mo....goodluck!

[f0r5aK3n]

uraro: tell us how ur life is there so far..... here's the thread. We're all really curious as to how you're adjusting and stuff

http://www.pinoyexchange.com/forums/...threadid=28526

[kyutfeys]

impressive pala mga skills mo, ako naman more on html, javascript, perl, coldfusion.

when i get there, di ko ata maiiwasan na-i-convert sa peso *** expenses, as in di ako mata-tahimik pag di ko ginawa 'yon, he he!

kung magkakaron ako ng bahay dyan sa ny, mas gusto ko dyan sa upstate.

thanks so much.

[uraro]

hindi naman....basta you'll just have to learn new tricks everyday...especially in IT..or else you'll just get outdated!
im sure you'll definitely like it here...saka palagay ko nga di ka tataba kasi everytime you translate what you spend eh papayat ka he he he....
f0r5aK3n, ok, i'll also try to post at the thread you gave me... thanks......

[cherub_08]

wow! congrats uraro! tagal mo na pala dyan sa NY a!

i kinda agree with the (passing) of interview depending on the mood of the interviewer kasi when my family were interviewed for tourist visa, wala naman masyadong questions and no appearance pa sis and bro ko tapos approve agad unlike dun sa mga ibang naka-pila . . . ang daming supporting documents pero hindi na-approve . . . ewan ko lang . . . and i think the important thing for them is that they are assured that you're not going to be a TNT there and that you have enough (financial) means to stay. 'yung uncle ko hindi na-approve yung visa nya kasi he was already being petitioned by his wife there and malapit na ma-approve so he was advised by the embassy to just wait for the papers . . . mas critical daw kasi yung ganung situation. and in a year fly na rin sya.

regarding for (tourist) visa renewal, pede pa ba yung "dropbox" na lang and not go to the embassy? pano ba yon? i'm planning to go again summer next year and my visa has already expired last year.

[kyutfeys]

cherubs, basta pag-punta mo next year sa states. kita kits tayo 'don, libre kita starbucks, sayang walang jolibee 'don, he he!

uraro, can i ask you a personal question, it's ok if you can't answer this. how much is your annual salary? 'just want to know 'coz i think mine is not sufficient enough. i browsed for web sites with regards to IT professional salary survey thing, and wwhhhoaaa! mine is not that competitive, pero oks lang, medyo ok na rin '*** sa akin as a starting salary, what's important is that i'm gonna go there in ny. ginagawa ko na lang is to compare the salary which i would be getting there in ny, to the salary that's commonly offered here in metro manila at medyo tuwa na ko. so good luck 'dyan sa upstate ny and thanks for the many help.

[uraro]

he he he ayaw ko nga!!!!
hindi....joke lang...ang sabi kasi nila, it all depends upon where you will work...the salary of an IT personnel in a certain state might be lower or higher in another state, but they do just the same work...pero both will be able to
afford what is an acceptable standard way of living in their respective areas...see?
basta when you go here in new york...it would be enough for you to have a salary higher than $60K per annum....*wink*
pero kung hindi ka naman high maintainance, ok na rin yung starting sa $50K...ayos na rin yun....for lower than $50K, well, i guess you might need a lot of stretching to do, especially since apartments here are expensive...but if you have relatives here, that would do...sobrang tipid ka talaga nga lang...he he he

[kyutfeys]

thanks! uraro, i'm sure salary mo is above $60K, he he! to tell you honestly, my annual salary is actually below $50K, ang theory ko is just simple, kase my employer/petitioner knows naman na he could afford me or somethin' at syampre 'di ko naman ta-tanggihan 'yon, kaya 'yon, he he!

but what's important is that i'm gonna go there, and when i get there, marami nang opportunities 'don. kaya i consider myself really lucky, thank God.

[uraro]

you know what...you are perfectly correct there!...i like your guts! he he he...eh ako nga sabi ko nga noon meski magkano na ang ibigay sa akin basta ma-sponsor lang nila ako ok na sa akin yun...you're really right...kasi pag andito ka na, you have all the edge in looking for some other companies na eh...tama ka dyan!!!...actually you're already achieving a great thing, the fact that they have already sponsored you is already an achievement in itself!...keep it up!!!! mabuhay ang pilipino!!!! he he he

[kyutfeys]

It's May 29 today and my interview is over. To conclude about my interview, the consul hasn't approved my H-1B visa application yet, it's because the consul requires an additional document, that is the 'Employment Contract' or a letter of agreement and must be signed by me and the US employer.

By the time i would have that contract, then I could come back to the US embassy, again for an interview.

to uraro:
you were right, if a crucial document is missing, they would want you to get it, then come back na lang, he he!

actually the consul gave me this paper or form called 'Employment Based Visa Request for Documents', it implies that i need to get an additional document and in my case, the contract. and along with the said form, a certain yellow paper about 1/4 in size is stapled, and what's written is 'PLEASE PROCEED TO GATE 4 FOR COURIER SERVICES', and a sticker is pasted - it's some sort of a magnetic bar code sticker with my name and passport number on it, and the yellow paper also says 'present this to courier', at may iba pang mga naku-sulat, whatever! he he!

uraro, about the said yellow paper, binigyan ka rin ba 'non, could you kindly please please tell me naman, kung ano yung mga procedures right after the interview or right after na-approve yung h-1b visa mo, as in ano yung mga papel na binigay pa sa 'yo, yung mga ni-sign mong mga papel. 'just need to know, 'di ako mapa-lagay kase e! he he! i would really appreciate your reply, please reply as soon as you can (ni-pressure ba!).

hi! cherubs!

basta mga pipol, pag-dasal 'nyo ko, i really need this break, he he!

thanks!

[cherub_08]

ei, kyutfeys . . . i forgot that today's your interview . . . so, the contract's the only one missing for the embassy to approve your application? pa DHL mo nalang mga docs so that your employer can receive them immediately. i'm sure, once all the docs are submitted, your application will be approved.

good luck!

[kyutfeys]

thanks! cherub, basta tuloy gimik natin sa ny next year, buhay pa ba mga peep shows 'don, he he!

[uraro]

hey kyutfeys!
madali na lang yon..at least the yellow paper only indicates that you only lack a document, with which if you present to them eh approve na rin ang ibig sabihin nun!...di na ako binigyan nyan...sabi ko na nga sa yo na kailangan din yan eh (nagbakasakali lang kasi ako na baka pwede lang na wala)..ipa-Fedex mo na lang sa employer mo para makuha mo agad...yun nga lang...matagal na naman ang next sched mo kasi sa queuing ng visa applications...anyway, kailangan mo rin naman yan sa POEA..siguro after you get the contract from your employer, present mo lang ulit dun sa consul na mapupuntahan mo during your next sched...then afterwards the paper which you will present to courier ay para naman sa pagpapadala nung passport mo sa yo na may tatak na visa na....coz you wont get the visa immediately..they will get ur passport and send it to you with the visa dun sa address na ilalagay mo when u fill up an application sa courier...may bayad din to..pero i think less than a hundred lang kung within metro manila....ang nangyari sa akin after my interview with the consul ay sinabi nya sa akin na pumunta na ako sa courier service kung saan nag-fillup ako ng form at nagbayad ..tapos siguro more or less a week after ay nakuha ko na rin...ganun lang yun...sayang...sana noon mo pa nakuha yung contract mo...anyway, i know you will still make it....

[kyutfeys]

uraro:
thanks a lot! i just wanna ask you some more, k lang, he he!

'just wanna know, before you go to the courier service, did you present a certain coupon there before they entertain you, could you please describe the coupon, is it the yellow paper or coupon that i talked about previously? 'yun lang!

and actually when i already have the contract, i don't have to book for an appointment anymore or even pay the application fee again, i'll just have to go there, mon.-fri. but except wed., 7am-8am.

thanks again uraro.

[uraro]

yun naman pala eh...eh di madali ka nang magkaka-visa..ang asikasuhin mo na lang eh yung contract mo na mapadala agad ng employer mo.. i think sending it via Fedex would be just about 2-3 days lang....
with regards to the coupon..actually what they gave me before was a pink slip with the bar code, etc..just like what you described and with the "Please present to courier" thing...i don't know what the other yellow slip is for but it seems to me that they just serve the same purpose as my pink coupon....
actually you will present your coupon to the courier (Delbros yata yun)...and they will give you a form na sasagutan mo..(eto lang yung infos tulad ng saang address ipapadala..etc.)..tapos after mo masagutan eh magbabayad ka na...then you're done!...hintay ka na lang na i-mail back sa yo yung passport mo along with the visa stamped on it!!!!....(be sure that the consul took your passport or else ibig sabihin eh denied ka...he he he *joke lang!!!!)...
anyway, if you still have some more questions eh i-post mo lang...mas maganda nga yun eh...na dumami na ang pinoys dito sa US...i-invade na natin sila ..bwa ha ha!