The OFW Tourist Visa Scam

There’s a scam that I have been meaning to warn people about for quite a while but I just haven’t had the time.

I’ve had a couple guys email me asking if they are about to be conned/scammed out of money. My answer was “yes, this looks like a scam.” I don’t know how common this type of scam is, but I’m willing to write this quick post if it saves one person from being conned.

Here’s how this scam works:

A Filipina will begin an online relationship with a man from America (other nationalities may be involved–Chinese women may be doing this as well, but these specific scams involve Filipinas).

She will claim to be an OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker) who is working in China.

She will chat with her potential male victim for a few days, then quickly tell him that she wants to come see him. She will then recommend an agency that can make it happen. She will also claim this agency was able to get her friend into the United States.

He contacts the agency and gets an email like this:

Thank you for your correspondence with (name of agency).

According to your request,we can provide tourist / Visit visa (Valid for One to twelve months) for travel and ticket purchased from us.

Please find below basic requirement for visa applications:

(1) Tourist/Visitors Visa (Valid for One to twelve months)

(2) Complete name and address of (Applicant’s friend, relative or family member, including the telephone number)

(3) A valid travel passport good for more than 1 yr for the person traveling

(4) 4 photograph passport sizes.

(5)$150 for the visa fees, Medical Insurance $80 and Medical Examination fees $320 and $150 for Service charge this make the total $700 USD.

(6) A valid Chinese work visa

(7) A confirmed round trip ticket purchased from Shenzhen Dynasty Travel Tours All other document required will be provided by our office

Note: A waiting period of 10(Ten) to 14(Fourteen) working days is needed to process applications.

The Current minimal travel fare for a round trip ticket from Guangzhou, China (CAN) to St. Paul, MN, United States of America (STP) is (Nine Hundred And Eighty United States Dollars) $980 USD flight carrier China Southern Airlines

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Additional $700 Us Dollars for visa fees, medical fees, and service charge will be added to the ticket price, that will give you the total cost for this trip as 1,680 US Dollars

In order to proceed with this application, our office will require the submission of all listed documents and fees.

Should there be any assistance needed, please contact our office.

The total bill is nearly 1700 dollars. But that’s a small price to pay for meeting the woman of your dreams, right?

Look up the agency name and you’ll find an attractive website with beautiful pictures and glowing testimonies.

I don’t have time to do thorough research on this, so let’s just say there are a lot of “red flags” that come to mind:

Here’s the main issue: as I have mentioned before, I never recommend trying to use a tourist visa as a way to meet a Filipina. The US Embassy almost automatically rejects tourist visa applications by young Filipinas by default.  The Embassy can “smell” these kinds of visa applications from a mile away. Tourist visas are simply very difficult to acquire for Filipinos/Filipinas unless they can prove they have substantial assets in the Philippines (a reason to return).

I don’t see how a Chinese agency would have the ability to bypass this difficulty and acquire a tourist visa from the United States Embassy.

Speaking of tourist visas, the actual application cost around a hundred bucks at the US Embassy. I have no idea where this “agency” gets these fees from.

Hopefully you can see why none of this makes sense to me. It has all the marks of a scam. A few dollars for a website an a few hours of chatting can be very profitable for con artists.

My advice: let her know you are not going to apply for this “tourist visa.” Suggest other alternatives, like coming to visit her. You’ll probably see that she loses interest pretty quickly.

I recommend finding a legitimate website for meeting Filipinas if you are really looking for love in the Philippines.

RECOMMENDED: REMITLY

American Citizenship (Naturalization): The Final Step for your Filipina Spouse

It’s time to talk about naturalization: acquiring U.S. citizenship for your Filipina spouse.  But before we go further let’s review.

Here are a few of the steps I have already discussed in previous posts:

  1. Getting Married in the Philippines
  2. The Medical Exam
  3. The Embassy Interview
  4. The CFO Stamp
  5. The Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence (applying for the 10-year visa)

The above steps are for the spousal visa.  The process for a fiancee visa is a little different, but steps 2-5 are part of everyone’s immigration who comes to the USA to be with his/her fiancee/spouse.

There is one final step once you’ve gone through all of this: naturalization.  By this I mean your Filipina wife becoming U.S. citizen.

Here are the requirements, straight from the USCIS Website:

  • Be 18 or older
  • Be a permanent resident (green card holder) for at least 3 years immediately preceding the date of filing Form N-400, Application for Naturalization
  • Have been living in marital union with the U.S. citizen spouse, who has been a U.S. citizen during all of such period, during the 3 years immediately preceding the date of filing the application and up until examination on the application
  • Have lived within the state, or USCIS district with jurisdiction over the applicant’s place of residence, for at least 3 months prior to the date of  filing the application
  • Have continuous residence in the United States as a lawful permanent resident for at least 3 years immediately preceding the date of filing the application
  • Reside continuously within the United States from the date of application for naturalization until the time of naturalization
  • Be physically present in the United States for at least 18 months out of the 3 years immediately preceding the date of filing the application
  • Be able to read, write, and speak English and have knowledge and an understanding of U.S. history and government (also known as civics)
  • Be a person of good moral character, attached to the principles of the Constitution of the United States, and well disposed to the good order and happiness of the United States during  all relevant periods under the law.

How soon can you apply?  Within 90 days of reaching the requirement of living in the USA for three years as a “lawful permanent resident.”  Take note: if you apply before she reaches this window your application will be denied. 

Should you apply as soon as she is allowed?  It’s really up to you.  By this time she’ll have her 10-year visa, so there’s not necessarily a rush.  You may be planning to move, expecting a baby, or other events that would make the timing less than idea.

There are three things I would advise you to keep in mind:

  1.  Don’t wait until her 10-year visa is about to expire if you plan to apply for citizenship.  By this time you should be familiar with the sluggish pace at which the U.S. government moves regarding immigration issues.  In other words, plan for delays and make sure she has plenty of time left on her 10-year visa when you apply (a minimum of two years would be my recommendation).  You could apply for another 10-year visa I guess, but planning ahead will eliminate paying unnecessary fees.
  2. Keep an eye on her Philippine passport’s expiration date.  You don’t want your wife to be without a viable passport if you can help it, and you probably wouldn’t want to go through the hassle of renewing her Philippine passport if you are just weeks away from her getting a U.S. passport.
  3. Remember that government fees never get cheaper.  The longer you wait, the more likely that fees will increase.

Let’s say you are ready to apply.  Here’s the good and bad news (bad news first):

Bad news:

Your government loves fees, and you’ll have to pay 725$ when you apply (640 for the application fee and 85 for the background check).*

There is a wait involved, just like every other step.

Good news:

The n-400 form is pretty simple and straightforward–it’s actually less complicated than some of the previous steps.

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You are waiting out this process together as husband and wife.

You are (hopefully) just months away from being finished with this process for good–no more USCIS red tape!

The Naturalization Process

The application for naturalization is form n-400.  Go to the government page, fill it out (you can fill out this form online) and pay the fees.  You may find it helpful to look up sample completed n-400’s online to guide you. You may also have to submit other documents with your application–depending on your specific situation.

Next is the biometrics notice and appointment.  You should get a notice for her biometrics (fingerprinting, etc.) appointment within a month or so of applying.  The appointment itself usually happens within about two months of the application.  Once she’s done with biometrics you’re in for another wait.

She should get a notice for her naturalization interview appointment within 3-5 months.  The interview itself usually happens within 5-6 months of the initial application.  By this time she should already be studying for the interview.  There are materials available on the USCIS website, and there are apps available for both Mac/Apple and Android.

The actual citizenship interview is usually scheduled within about 6 months of the application.  The typical Filipina will have no trouble with this interview as long as she’s studied.  Her English proficiency will be more than enough to satisfy the language requirements, and the civics portion is not difficult.  The interview only takes a few minutes, but you may have to deal with the hassle of traveling to a different city (depending on where you live and the nearest USCIS office).

You should receive an invitation for the oath-taking ceremony within a month of the interview (the invitation will include a short questionnaire).  But the USCIS does have 120 days (4 months) to issue a decision, so don’t get too concerned if you don’t hear from them right away.

The oath taking itself is the final step.  Here are just a few helpful hints for the ceremony, but remember things can vary a little (depending on how many applicants there are, the specific venue, your location, etc.).

*There will probably be two lines going into the venue: one for the applicants and the other for the applicant’s family/friends.

*The applicant will see an agent to make sure the details are correct on the certificate of citizenship.  She’ll surrender her green card and will receive the certificate after the ceremony.

*Be prepared for a significant wait.  The ceremony itself will probably be about an hour, but it may not start until 2-3 hours after the time posted on the invitation letter (once again, this may vary greatly).

*The ceremony is an official court proceeding.  You’ll be asked to dress and act in a way that honors the dignity of the event.

I think you’ll find this ceremony to be a very satisfying conclusion to the long process you’ve both been through.  Once she has taken the oath she is a US Citizen!

She may be able to apply for her U.S. Passport at the ceremony itself if agents are available.  If not she can just follow the passport application instructions from the Department of State for other locations.  Applying for the very first passport must be done in person at an approved location.

She’ll want to change her citizenship status with Social Security at some point.  This can be done either in person or by mail.

One last thing: she may want to consider obtaining dual citizenship–especially if the two of you want to take long visit to the Philippines (or even consider moving back there).  She can do a little research and find the closest Philippine Embassy office for more details.  The consulates will periodically travel to larger cities so that Filipinos can have access to services without having to go to the embassy location.

*Note: This is the fee I paid at the time of our application. Information may have changed since I wrote this post. As I mentioned in the post, fees go up!

Filipina Bargirl Scammers

One of the reasons I started this blog years ago was to help guys avoid scammers. I still believe that most of the Filipinas who join dating sites do so with good intentions: they want to find a good guy who will love them and provide for them. Sadly, the scammers kind of ruin it for everyone: they harm the reputation of women from the Philippines and they harm the men who are sincerely looking for love. With that in mind I thought I’d share another aspect of scamming: bargirls.

Fields Avenue (Angeles City)

Bargirl” is basically another name for prostitute in the Philippines. The girls who work in bars are usually available to spend the night with patrons who are willing to pay a “bar fine”–an amount paid to the bar for her to “leave work early.” The bargirl gets a percentage of the fine (I guess) and then presumably gets a tip from her customer for what they do in private.

Prostitution is technically illegal in the Philippines, but it seems these laws exist on paper only. You’ll find that most of the big cities have prostitutes/bargirls that work without fear of legal consequences. Malate, for example, is one of the red light districts of Manila. Angeles City is infamous for Fields Avenue–a pedestrian street lined with bars.

You may be wondering how this affects you if you are a guy who just wants to find a good woman to marry. Well, remember that young women work in bars because they are desperate to make money. Some of them have a sideline business to supplement their income: online dating. More specifically, they create profiles on Filipina dating websites with the intention of scamming their online “boyfriends.” Once they have the attention of and admiring male they will start asking money for emergency medical bills, etc.

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Victims of this particular kind of Filipina scammer lose in two ways. They are wasting money on someone who has no intention of doing anything other than ripping them off. To make matters worse, they aren’t aware that they are chatting with a prostitute. She isn’t the kind of girl you’d bring home to momma in the first place (I’m not saying this to be condemning or judgemental, but I think you understand where I am coming from).

How do you avoid this scam? The same way you avoid all the other varieties of Filipina scammers. I’d recommend you start with a good dating website like Christian Filipina, which does a better job in screening their members. From there you have to be careful and follow the advice I’ve mentioned in other articles. Move slowly, chat often (with video if possible), and never give money to someone you have not met in person.

See Also: How to Avoid Filipina Scammers