 HELPFUL IMMIGRATION AND ASIA INFORMATION
(We add on helpful information on this webpage frequently. Therefore, please bookmark this webpage for future visits. Click on a link below to read the subject of your interest)
U.S. Immigration Visa Procedures - American Citizen-Foreign National Marriages
Documentary Requirements
Philippines - Facts & Stats
Philippines - Provinces & Cities
China - Facts & Stats
China - Official Holidays
Asian Countries' Telephone Country & City Codes
Asian Currencies
Postage To Asia
U.S. Immigration Visa Procedures - American Citizen-Foreign National Marriages
The Immigration and Nationality Act provides U.S.
citizens with two options for facilitating the immigration of future
spouses to the United States: the K-1 Fiancee Visa and the Alien-Spouse
Immigrant Visa. In many cases, the processing time for a Fiancee Visa
is shorter than that for an Alien Spouse. Fiancee Visa processing can
take several months from the filing of the petition to the final
adjudication of the visa. Total processing time for the Alien-Spouse
visa can take 6-12 months depending on individual circumstances.
Marriage In the United States: Fiancee Visa:
U.S. citizens may file an I-129F petition with Immigration & Naturalization Service (INS) for the issuance
of a K-1 Fiancee Visa to an alien fiancee. A citizen exercising this
option must remain unmarried until the arrival of the fiancee in the
U.S., and the wedding must take place within three months of the
fiancee's arrival. Also, the fiancee and the U.S. Citizen must have met
personally at least once in the two years before the petition was
filed. Please note that legal permanent residents may not file
petitions for fiancee visas. They must marry abroad and then file an
I-130 petition for the immigration of a new spouse.
Marriage Abroad: Alien-Spouse Visa:
If a U.S. citizen marries an alien abroad, an I-130 petition must be
filed after the marriage to begin the immigration process for the
alien spouse. This can be filed either with the Immigration and
Naturalization Service (INS) in the United States, or, under certain
circumstances, at U.S. Embassies or Consulates abroad. U.S.
Embassies and Consulates have differing policies on approving I-130s
and should be individually contacted about the availability of this
service.
Documentary Requirements
Documentary requirements for Fiancee Visa and Alien-Spouse Visa are similar. Documents needed from your fiancee or wife are :
- Valid passport
- Birth certificate
- Divorce or death certificate of any previous spouse
- Police certificate from all places lived since age 16
- Medical examination
- Evidence of support
- Evidence of valid relationship with the petitioner
- Two photographs 1 and 1/2 inches square (37x37mm), showing full face, against a light background.
Philippines - Facts & Stats
Some helpful information about the Philipines. Know more about your lady's country. She will be very impressed!
Location: Pacific Ocean
Climate: Tropical with temperatures ranging from 23-30 degrees Centigrade
Area: 115,831 square miles
Capital: Manila
Major Ports of Entry: Manila, La Union, Cebu, Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro,
Davao, General Santos, Zamboanga
Currency: Philippine Peso (approximately US$1.00 = P44)
Time Zone: GMT + 8 hours (GMT is the abbreviation for Greenwich mean time used as a basis for calculating time throughout the world. Greenwich mean time is the same as London, England.)
Independence: July 4, 1946 from United States
National Holiday: Independence Day, June 12,1898
Population: 77 million
Ethnicity: Malay, Spanish, Chinese, Islamic, American
Literacy Rate: 94% - highest among Southeast Asia
Languages: Tagalog, English, Spanish, Chinese
Religions: Roman Catholic 83%, Protestant 9%, Muslim 5%
Philippine President: Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Philippines - Provinces & Cities
The following are 72 provinces and 62 cities in the Philippines in alphabetical order. Use them as a reference to decipher the ladies' handwritten addresses:
72 Provinces in the Philippines
Abra, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Aklan, Albay, Antique, Aurora,
Basilan, Bataan, Batanes, Batangas, Benguet, Bohol, Bukidnon,
Bulacan,Cagayan, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Camiguin, Capiz,
Catanduanes, Cavite, Cebu, Davao Oriental, Davao del Sur, Eastern
Samar, Ifugao, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Iloilo, Isabela,
Kalinga-Apayao, La Union, Laguna, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur,
Leyte, Maguindanao, Marinduque, Masbate, Mindoro Occidental, Mindoro
Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Mountain, Negros
Occidental, Negros Oriental, North Cotabato, Northern Samar, Nueva
Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Palawan, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Quezon, Quirino,
Rizal, Romblon, Samar, Siquijor, Sorsogon, South Cotabato, Southern
Leyte, Sultan Kudarat, Sulu, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur,
Tarlac, Tawitawi, Zambales, Zamboanga del Norte,Zamboanga del Sur.
61 Cities in the Philippines:
Angeles, Bacolod, Bago, Baguio, Bais, Basilan City, Batangas City,
Butuan, Cabanatuan, Cadiz, Cagayan de Oro, Calbayog, Caloocan,
Canlaon, Cavite City, Cebu City, Cotabato, Dagupan, Danao, Dapitan,
Davao City, Dipolog, Dumaguete, General Santos, Gingoog, Iligan,
Iloilo City, Iriga, La Carlota, Laoag, Lapu-Lapu, Legaspi, Lipa,
Lucena, Mandaue, Manila, Marawi, Naga, Olongapo, Ormoc, Oroquieta,
Ozamis, Pagadian, Palayan, Pasay, Puerto Princesa, Quezon City, Roxas,
San Carlos Negros Occidental, San Carlos Pangasinan, San Jose, San
Pablo, Silay, Surigao, Tacloban, Tagaytay, Tagbilaran, Tangub, Toledo,
Trece Martires, Zamboanga.
China - Facts & Stats
Some helpful information about China. Know more about your lady's country. She will be impressed!
Location: China is situated in Eastern Asia. It has one-fifteenth of the
world's land mass. There are over cities in China with a total urban
population of over 500 million. China is one of the four oldest
civilizations in the world and has a written history of 4,000 years.
Main ports of entry by air: Beijing, Chengdu, Dalian, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Harbin, Hohhot, Hong Kong, Kunming, Qingdao, Shanghai, Shenyang, Tianjin, Urumqi, Xiamen
and Xi'an.
China's President: Jiang Zemin
Armed Force: The People's Liberation Army
The Ruling Party: The Communist Party of China
Languages: The national language is Mandarin. Cantonese is one of the
local dialects of Southern China. Most people in Hong Kong speak
Cantonese.
Family Names: There are more than 5,000 family names, of which 200 to
300 are popular. The order of Chinese names is family name goes
first, following by given name. For example, famly name is Wong and
given name is Mei-Lan, then her name is written as Miss Wong Mei-Lan.
Religions: China is a multi-religious country. Buddhism, Taoism,
Islam, Catholicism, Christianity and Protestantism.
Currency: Chinese Money is called Renminbi (RMB) (means "People's
Currency"). The popular unit of RMB is Yuan. The official exchange
rate between U.S. Dollar and Renminbi Yuan currently is about US$1.00
Dollar = 8.30 Yuan.
Television System: In addition to Chinese language TV broadcast,
English and Japanese TV programs are available in many hotel via
satellite relay. China Central Television Station (CCTV) and some
local TV stations also provide English news and other programs in
English.
China - Official Holidays
New Year's Day: January 1
Chinese Lunar New Year's Day: Between January and February (The exact
date varies, depending on the Lunar Calendar. Chinese New Year's Day
in 2000 is on February 5. The year of 2000 is the Year of Dragon in
Chinese calendar.)
Labor Day: May 1
National Day: October 1
Official Working Hours: The working days are from Monday to Friday.
Most people do not work on weekends. Official hours are from 8:00
a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with one hour for lunch.
Asian Countries' Telephone Country & City Codes
China - Country Code 86 (Beijing 10, Canton 20, Shanghai 21, )
Hong Kong - Country Code 852 (no city code required)
India - Country Code 91 (Bombay 22, Calcutta 33, Madras 44, New Delhi 11)
Indonesia - Country Code 62 (Bali 361, Bandung 22, Jakarta 21, Medan 61, Surabaya 31)
Japan - Country Code 81 (Fukuoka 92, Hiroshima 82, Kanagawa 468, Kobe 78, Kyoto 75, Nagoya 52, Osaka 6, Sapporo 11, Tokyo 3, Yokohama 45)
South Korea - Country Code 82 (Inchon 32, Pusan 51, Seoul 2, Taegu 53)
Malaysia - Country Code 60 (Ipoh 5, Johor Bahru 7, Kuala Lumpur 3)
Philippines - Country Code 63 (Baguio 74, Cavite 95, Cebu City 32, Davao 82, Iloilo City 33, Manila 2, Quezon City 2, La Union 72)
Singapore - Country Code 65 (No city code required)
Thailand - Country Code 66 (Bangkok 2, Chiang Mai 53, Burirum 44, Chanthaburi 39, Phuket 76)
Taiwan - Country Code 886 (Kaohsiung 7, Keelung 2, Taichung 4, Tainan 6, Taipei 2)
Asian Currencies
We have often been asked by our customers about the currencies used in Asia and how much they are equivalent to U.S. dollars. The following will be helpful to know about the diferent currencies used in these Asian countries:
China - Chinese Yuan
Hong Kong - Hong Kong Dollars
Indonesia - Indonesian Rupiah
Japan - Japanese Yen
Macau - Macau Pataca
Malaysia - Malaysian Ringgit
Philippines - Philippine Peso
Singapore - Singapore Dollar
South Korea - Korean Won
Sri Lanka - Sri Lanka Rupee
Taiwan - Taiwan Dollar
Thailand - Thai Baht
Vietnam - Vietnam Dong
How much US$1.00 is equivalent to these Asian currencies:
US$1.00 = 8.28 Chinese Yuan
US$1.00 = 7.45 Hong Kong Dollars
US$1.00 = 9,355.00 Indonesian Rupiah
US$1.00 = 108.84 Japanese Yen
US$1.00 = 8.03 Macau Pataca
US$1.00 = 3.80 Malaysian Ringgit
US$1.00 = 49.65 Philippine Peso
US$1.00 = 1.75 Singapore Dollar
US$1.00 = 1,135.70 Korean Won
US$1.00 = 80.30 Sri Lanka Rupee
US$1.00 = 32.05 Taiwan Dollar
US$1.00 = 43.65 Thai Baht
US$1.00 = 14,452.00 Vietnam Dong
The above currencies quoted are a snapshot of the currency exchange to date. Exchange rates fluctuate from day to day. Your bank can give you a quote based on the exchange rate of the day.
Postage To Asia
The United States Postal Service has increased the international rates
beginning January 2001. Therefore, postage to Asia is now 80 cents
per ounce and additional 80 cents per additional ounce. The rate for
International Reply Coupon (IRC) is $1.75. An International Reply Coupon is a coupon which your lady can exchange for postage stamps from most major post offices in her country. Most United States post offices have IRCs for sale.
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