Marrying My Filipina Lady Who Is A Pr In Singapore

[Luken]

Bill and Lorna, First let me thank you for your time in reading this.  And I have read a lot of your other Q&A posts as well so I feel comfortable in asking you these questions.  

My girlfriend, Miriam, is from Bohol in the Philippines but is a PR(permanent resident) in Singapore working for an IT company there. She use to work with me at my current company where we first met.  We have grown our relationship ever since.  Thank God for Google Voice/Video and Skype :)  It makes life so much easier when you are thousands of miles apart :) Anyways my question... I have seen a lot of companies on the web offering filing services for the various types of Visa's to have my girlfriend come to the states.  All of the surround the fact of the woman coming from the Philippines.  My girlfriend is in Singapore and I am wondering how this changes things in regards to immigration procedures.  Is it any easier or any harder for her to come to the US cause of this status she holds?  She still has her Philippines Passport as part of her(I guess you might call) dual citizenship?  

Another question I would like to ask is, we are planning on doing the Fiancee Visa to get her here to the US, and will marry in my hometown in Louisville KY.  We then have already discussed betting married in her hometown church back in Bohol.  I know obviously we can't get "technically" married twice, but we were wanting to have a wedding service there for her family and friends once she is cleared to travel outside of the US.  

My question would be, is this difficult to do, or will her Church allow us to have a wedding ceremony, just like an actual wedding?  She is Catholic, the same as I, so there is are no reglious issues there.  

Any information would be more most helpful!!! I sincerely thank you for your time and attention.   

Regards, James K Shafer

St. Louis MO

ANSWER: Hi James, Congratulations on hooking up with a special Filipina!! No worries at all regarding the Catholic Church policy about having a civil wedding and then a few months or more later having a church ceremony wedding. My wife and I were married by a local friend of the family mayor in March and then we had the big church wedding Dec. 19 later the same year.

Regarding the suggestion you made that your GF has anything like dual citizenship is NOT CORRECT; she is simply an OCW or OFW(Overseas contract worker / overseas Filipino worker) which is MUCH DIFFERENT than a Singapore Passport holder. It may be a bit easier for her when you submit your application to the US Embassy for a Fiancee Visa IF and only IF she can secure all the necessary paperwork like certified true copy of her birth certificate, her LEGAL CAPACITY document prooving she is SINGLE and eligible to be married and misc other requirements. Most such visas can be processed in 3 to 6 months but I understand the time period also depends on where you reside in the USA and how many similar requests are being processed in your region. I know one of our Manila guests who purposely moved to the Buffalo New York area from New Jersey just because he researched the various regions and found that such visa application processing was done in less time. Good Luck and Share the JOY of Life and Love with a FIlipina. My wife and i's 25th anniversary is coming up this Dec. 19. Ciao for now and MABUHAY PHILIPPINES where life's a Beach! Bill and Lornahttp://www.casacamillaboracay.com     http://www.townhousehotelmanila.com

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

Hello again Bill, LOL sorry to trouble you so much, but I was showing Miriam your response, and she mentioned that maybe I was not clear enough on my question about the wedding thing.  We are planning to have a Catholic Wedding here in the States and then once she is allowed to travel outside the US, we plan to goto Bohol to have another wedding there at her Church for her family and friends in the Phils and Singapore.   

I guess I should have asked for the wedding in the Phils at her Catholic church, seeing we have always been legally married at a Catholic church in the States, would there be issues with us conducting such a wedding at her home church?   

I hope I have explained it a bit better this time around :)  

Thanks again for your time and your honest answers :)  

Sincerely, James

[Osrid]

Since the Catholic Church ceremony is taking place in two countries I really think that it will be no problem having a 2nd ceremony in Bohol but of course I' am NOT an expert on Catholicism and the various requirements and restrictions which may be involved so directing your question to a Priest or clergy would BEST be asked to a more knowledgeable expert on such Catholic policy. My experience and knowledge comes from personal experiences and the many experiences shared with my wife and I during the last 20+ years guests from all over the world who have stayed with us at our guest house style Townhouse hotel / Hostel near the Manila airports. In short I am NOT nor claim to be an expert on strictly legal doctrine or the letter or fine print regulations of the such laws. Hope that's enough explanations as we tend to choose action and what CAN be done rather than  others who choose to allow their FEAR of the unknown to guide their decision making process. Usually my short one liner guide to living living life is " GO FOR IT" and never look back.