As a general rule, ""no person shall be imprisoned for debt x x x"" (Sec. 20,Bill of Rights, of the Philippine Constitution). Now, in respect to your concern, the credit card company could possibly take the following actions: 1. File a civil suit for collection of sum of money and the possible status could be: a. A of Writ of Preliminary Attachment is issued against your wife, by reason of fraud. However, you should have known this even if you are abroad, because am sure your wife's relatives could have informed you of this, if she has property here. b. The case have been archieve for failure to serve summons, if the credit card company is saving for litigation expenses, i.e. publication of summons. 2. A criminal action is filed against your wife, for ""Estafa"" (or fraud/deceit), but just like the civil action, this could have been archive, due to absence of your wife. So that, the best thing that you can do, is to communicate and write the credit card company directly, inquire your wifes accountabilities, and if you want to settle, ask them how you could possibly settle said accounts, am sure, they will respond affirmatively.

I did travel a bit when I was young. Not easy, but certainly possible. I am working on the same dream. About traveling with a child back and forth, important thing is helping the child adapt useful attitudes. Children learn quickly. When you find it difficult yourself to make the adjustments kids can easily pick up the same difficulties. Show them useful skills like making friends easily and keeping friends who are far away. I am glad you are concerned about this issue, essential to enjoying the best of both worlds.

Yes, there are (I think) 70 or 80 thousands Filipinos(I may be wrong) living and working in the UK...I just came back from Rhyl-North Wales, to see the ""Filipino Festival"" with some Filipino friends who live nearby. We certainly had fun listening to some tagalog song and dance (performed by Filipino children and adult)and ate some Filipino goodies while at it...Makes one homesick! Thanks ever so much for your posting. It certainly made me less homesick.(homesickness somehow suddenly started to lurk in my mind)!:).Perhap's it is something to do with a fact that many people in the club talked about going back and living in the Philippines. I Imagine them sitting and eating some Filipino delicasies and sipping Sanmig. Oh! well,can't have everything. I am quite content living in the UK at the moment and enjoying the land of the endless rain(If you watch the commonwealth closing ceremony) on telly it was pouring with rain. But, it was a sucessful 2 weeks indeed.

Nope, it was very clear that the judge was grandstanding to the whole audience that what had been mine was now Ampee's and mine... There was little doubt in anyone's mind that I had no property in the Philippines... But it worked out okay -- my wife now has control of everything I own in California and she gives me a weekly allowance and keeps me in cold beer.

Three years after the issuance date on her green card, if married to a US citizenship for that period. Technically, it is three years since the start of legal residency, which is usually measured by the green card date or adjustment date.

Whether fiancee or spousal visa, it is 3 years from start of legal residency. With spousal visa, it starts from her arrival in the states. With fiancee visa, it is from AOS approval.

If she got here with K1 visa, 3 years from the date you successfully did AOS (when you got the I-551 stamp and started waiting for a green card). If spousal visa, it is different (5 years?)

When we went to Butuan, I was planning on staying at Carl Patricks or Almont (both close to downtown). But my Asawa's family suggested we stay at the Embassy hotel because it was right across the street from the family's house. It is a decent place with air-con and hot water. It is half the price of Carl Patricks and less than half of the Almont's price. Also, the Embassy Hotel is only a block away.

I am trying to understand the typical norm of the Philippines and traditions. My fiance and I have a vast difference in these things. There are times when she finds it difficult to explain things to me and thinking of the right words My last visit grandpa told me he could tell I was an American at dinner and I asked why. He said because I eat with a fork and not the spoon hehe He has since dubbed me Ahm for American. A little background, I landed at Camp Alpha, Saigon in 1968, and they gave me this little abbreviated pamphlet about hand gestures and body gestures. The US custom to wave for someone to come here is to extend the palm upwards and motion them towards you. Not so in Nam. The palm must be placed downward otherwise it is derogatory. There you should not sit facing someone, cross your legs or have your right foot pointed at someone. Although the Filipinos are very understanding of our mistakes, what is a normal personal or even business set of etiquette? Does this info exist in the archives?

I don't know if this kind of information can be found in the archives, but have you read the book, ""Culture Shock - Philippines""? This is the most comprehensive source I've seen. It was apparently written by Tagalogs and some of the information is dated, but is still a pretty good collection of this information. In my experience the beckoning hand gesture you describe is true in Filipino society as well. With any hand gesture, always keep palm DOWN. Rather than thought of as being derogatory, I think it's thought to be vulgar. There are a number of facial expressions that after 20 years I'm still learning. Pointing with your finger at someone is considered somewhat rude, while pointing with your lips is commonplace. Raised eyebrows can be a greeting, an affirmative answer, the question mark at the end of a sentence or an expression of surprise. My raising of one eyebrow (from my Irish heritage) usually raises smile or a laugh! You are correct, that most Filipinos make generous allowances for foreigners unless they detect someone mocking or patronizing them. I'm unaware of body position being significant, but crossing the legs in a serious business meeting would be considered impolite I think that the personal body space of most orientals as well as Filipinos is much smaller than western custom. It's not unusual to conduct serious conversation with noses inches apart. Sometimes men will grasp each other's hands in conversation as well, nothing more than emphasizing a point or reassuring the other of a peaceful intent. Try Culture Shock! I don't get any royalties ether!

My wife, Mady, is from Tagum/Davao. We are considering retiring to Davao, or perhaps Cebu. I enjoyed Davao a lot, but am wondering if for practical (and some security reasons) if it would be better to consider Cebu. I'm a science teacher and Mady is (was) a history teacher. We both prefer simple living over luxury (even if we can afford it). Mady loves nature and ""roaming around"", and I've pretty much made a life out of natural history adventuring - splitting my time between teaching and leading natural history tours (field trips) in Ecuador/Galapagos (dugout canoes, bamboo huts, climbing volcanoes, living on ""comfortable"" boats in the Galapagos for about a month at a time). The point is we don't need or want much materially, but we really enjoy unspoiled natural places with great local culture (Manila is out of the question...Mady and I don't like HUGE cities, traffic, and pollution). Our motivation for considering the RP is less about money and more about alternative lifestyle. We aren't interested in living like Bill Gates on $1500 a month. I do have two primary concerns.... 1. Safety: I'm not really concerned about terrorists...I'm concerned that recent kidnappings for ransom will set off copy cats (I've read about wealthy filipinos in Manila being kidnapped as well). It's easy for the bad guys to follow a forienger around and observe routines and vulnerable moments. This has become a big problem in parts of Mexico and Columbia....and continues to increase. Of course all foreigners are assumed to be rich. 2. Health Care - I've read the description on the website, but I'd like to hear current health care perspectives and experiences from those currently living in Davao or Cebu. I'm also interested in teaching in either Davao or Cebu in semi-early retirement....I have college and graduate level degrees in geology and flood hydrology (including graduate research experience with the USGS) and could teach either high school or college level courses. Mady tells me I could easily find a teaching position. I'd like to hear from anyone who has a experience or information about teaching in the Philippines (salary is unimportant...I'd just do it for fun...I live this stuff). Thank you....Mady and I are excited about getting to know people in the group and learn of other's retirement experiences in the Philippines.

SuperCat Fast Craft via Tagbilaran, Bohol, Fare = 500p, Duration approximately 4 hours. Overnight Ferry's: Cokaliong , George & Peter, Fare approximately 275p for Tourist Aircon berth, Duration approximately 6 ½ hours. Overland+Ferry: Ceres Bus lines-South Terminal + Ferry From Bato, Cebu to Tampi, Negros + Multicab type jeepney to 'downtown' Dumagete, total fare approximately 160p, Duration approximately 4 1/2 hours (Total). Getting there has certainly become more difficult when it comes to traveling between Cebu City and Dumagete. Nowadays the Supercat fares have gone up and, there is no longer a direct Cebu City to Dumagete City trip. I just tried the Overland + ferry trip. It takes nearly the same amount of time as the Supercat and is over 65% cheaper. It allowed for more varied sight seeing and provided a much better opportunity to meet people. To try this route I suggest you leave early catching the 5:00a.m. Ceres Bus Lines Air Con to the Bato Pier in Southern Cebu. Bato Pier is the last stop on this Ceres route. The 5:00a.m. Ceres Air Con arrives in time to catch the ferry that departs at 8:20a.m. With the early departure you avoid the traffic leaving Cebu City and tend to have a smoother ferry crossing between Cebu and Negros. The ferry crosses back and forth to Tampi, Negros all day long (First Trip 5:30am, last trip 5:30pm). They sail on approximately 1 ½ hour intervals. For a ferry schedule update call Rovi Navigation at 035-4170745 If you don't want to be bothered by an early wake up you can always leave on a later bus. However, I would try to catch an air con bus, as they do not stop as often as the regular buses. Once the ferry docks in Tampi the multicab type jeepneys are waiting to take you to Dumagete. Be prepared for a cramped ride. As an option to a cramped ride you might try paying for two 'seats' or, walk about 5 minuets to the main road and wait on a regular bus.

Although nonpayment of simple debts is not grounds for being jailed, escalation to a fraud charge could be grounds. There is a rather famous instance of a Filipina visiting Manila from Boston (a Balikbayan) and using a credit card at a hotel. Her boyfriend, back in Boston, had maxed out the credit card. The hotel held the lady's young son hostage until she paid the bill. It has long been a standard warning to tourists that trying to pay a bill with a maxed out or cancelled credit card in the Philippines can be easily interpreted as a possible fraudulent use of the card. While spending some time watching my inlaws run their pawn shop business, I witnessed dealings with a customer who had sold them a tv set. She had bought the tv set on credit from a local furniture store (in Lingayen or Dagupan). The store was threatening to charge her with fraud because she sold the tv set while still owing money on it. These citations are only to remind our members that interpretations of the law, as we know it, may be different in the Philippines.

Although nonpayment of simple debts is not grounds for being jailed, escalation to a fraud charge could be grounds. There is a rather famous instance of a Filipina visiting Manila from Boston (a Balikbayan) and using a credit card at a hotel. Her boyfriend, back in Boston, had maxed out the credit card. The hotel held the lady's young son hostage until she paid the bill. I would have called the police and reported a kidnapping. The hotel, in my lay opinion, is not a law enforcement agency. They had not even gone through due process. I don't know if my case would prosper, but that would be my first thought. That is a serious crime. Even if I could not prosper I think I would scare them. And if I had a kid, he or she would be a terrror, they would be happy to get rid of quickly. But I have hear of them doing that in hospitals here, holding patients for non payment of bills, even after they were well. If someone has no money, better to understand you can't get blood out of a turnip and let them go. I would like to hear a comments from Bea and Tess who live here and understand, on this practice. Is it legal to hold a hostage for a consumer debt, especially a medical one? It has long been a standard warning to tourists that trying to pay a bill with a maxed out or cancelled credit card in the Philippines can be easily interpreted as a possible fraudulent use of the card. By whom, Ray. The credit card companies, or the law encoforcement agencies? I know that some have been detained, but know of no one arrested. Sometimes the hotel recovers but usually they don't, from what I read. I have never heard of anyone put in jail but on hold departure only. That is not to say that no one has gone to jail. I am sure some have been ""detained,"" but let go, pending trial. I know of such a case. One foreigner a couple of years ago, ran up a bill at one hotel, and when asked to pay something, always said he was going to the bank and get money. He never would come back, just to another hotel in an another city, until they finally caught and deported him. I don't know why he did not go to jail, maybe a bribe but maybe not. It was all over the newspapers. While spending some time watching my in-laws run their pawn shop business, I witnessed dealings with a customer who had sold them a TV set. She had bought the tv set on credit from a local furniture store (in Lingayen or Dagupan). The store was threatening to charge her with fraud because she sold the tv set while still owing money on it. Of course, a company can charge with fraud. But can they convict or recover? I would think fraud would be very hard to prove. Anyone can charge anyone with anything. Getting the courts to buy it, is something else. It is even easier to ""threaten,"" and sometimes just as effective. But a threat is only a threat and may very well be spurious. These citations are only to remind our members that interpretations of the law, as we know it, may be different in the Philippines. Yes, Ray, very true. A good thought to keep in mind.

I use MetroBank in Tacloban and the 20% was deducted from my bank book when I had it updated. As I said before this method beats having to file for it. I would guess they do it that way so they, RP Government, are sure they get it. Pretty hard to cheat with it taken out that way.

Only a guess here because I've never thought of it before, but maybe they are talking about a freeze placed on the interest. If there is one, I've not seen it spelled out on any of my statements, but then my balances are typically very low and I've never filed an income tax return! I get very low interest on my accounts anyway. We pay more property tax a year than I get in interest (last year's tax was P650).

It is the gauge of the conductors that determines how much current it can safely handle - how many Amps. Appliances are normally rated in Power terms - WATTS. There is simple relationship WATTS = VOLTS x AMPS. A 1KW appliance in the USA with 110v electrics is about 10Amps current. A 1KW appliance for use on 220v electrics will be half that current - about 5 Amps. Thus in general terms, an outdoor US cable rated for certain appliance should be safe for similar appliance with 220-240v electrics. In theory there is the insulator rating to consider but PVC tape withstands 1000V so not much problem here. The big worry is that of electrical safety. Personally I would be concerned using an outdoor cable with an electric saw WITHOUT a safety device! Here I am talking a Residual Current Device (RCD) or Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker (ELCB) for safety, or special Safety Transformer. 220v is enough to kill you! 110v is less of a problem (it is the current that kills, and at higher voltages it can easily overcome the resistance of the human body with enough current to kill). Lower the body resistance however, and even low voltages can become fatal! I read about a death where a guy was measuring his body resistance with a multimeter. He jabbed his thumbs on the meter probes so hard they both drew blood, the 9v DC battery in the meter and the resultant current it produced through the blood was enough to KILL him! I don't know if that is true, but it could be - it certainly illustrates one needs to take care when dealing with electric! Here in the Philippines, not too much concern is given to electric safety. They use USA style electrical sockets but carry European Voltage! Seldom is EARTH wiring provided. My house did not have a single Earth Wire installed. PLDT installed their own by driving an Earth Spike into the ground and connecting to that. The same with SkyCable installation - they installed their own ground spike connection. For improved safety, I had my own Earth Spike driven deep into the ground and connected this the metal chassis of the fuse box. I ran an earth cable from the chassis of the fuse box to power outlets I use for my computer and the fridge and for things like electric toasters, kettles etc. I also installed some ceiling fans and had earth connection to these also. I am looking for an ELCB that could protect the whole house!

I would say, just ask all the military retirees currently living in the RP. I would suppose that the vast majority of members are retired military. I don't think that the majority of this board are retired military...I could be wrong...there is a large population of retired military in the R.P. but most are located in Barrios next to former military bases. If my guess is correct allot of the members in this group are from Australia...Canada...New Zealand...England...etc. Have I missed any? I am retired military but will be living in Cavite City, a suburb of Manila. I will be moving there in Sept. and will be signing back on with the group shortly afterwards. I will gladly answer any questions about getting there and living there. It's the least I can do for a sort of payback for all of the info I got from this group.

Cherry Blossoms, near Robinson's Mall in Ermita or Malate, is about $25 for regular room. Hotel is clean, free bkfst, was OK for us. Rothmans, on Adriatico, not far from Robinson's, was P1,200/night, Lonely Planet called it a good deal. Looked clean and modern.

If she is still using her old Philippines passport she doesn't have to worry about any visas. Otherwise, if she has her old Philippines passport and marriage certificate and current passport in married name for your country, she will be automatically given a balikbayan stamp in her passport which is good for 12 months. If she has children travelling with her she should also be carrying their birth certificates so the children will have their passports stamped with a balikbayan stamp which will allow them to stay 12 months also. If you are travelling with your wife in future you will also get a balikbayan stamp in your passport so long as you enter the country at the same time.

I assume by this you are considering a number of places and Philippines is a consideration. For what it's worth here is my 2 cents. The answer is it may be, as it depends on the individual and what they are looking for. It has many advantages in that it is much cheaper than Western places, making money go further. There is much to do especially if you like outdoor life, sporting facilities, clubs, diving, beaches are very good. Maids, drivers can be hired cheaply useful when you get older. If you like night and city life, Manila has it all. It is easy to make friends and most speak English. However, Philippines is a 3rd world country, which also means power cuts, poverty, corruption etc. Things do not always happen as quick as in a developed country, and unless you are use to it can be frustrating. The weather is tropical which may not be to everybody's liking. Add to this typhoons, and it is also subject to eartquakes and volcanoes. Be prepared for road flooding in the rainy season. If you are not use to maids around the house this can take some getting use to. Medical in the big cities is pretty good, however I knew somebody who had to be flown from Manila to Hong Kong for medical treatment which saved his life. While Philippines may seem cheap to somebody from the West in Asia standards it is not that cheap, Apart from the big financial centres such as Hong Kong, Singapore I found some of the other South East Asian Countries cheaper, except for beer. I will retire there as I have lived in Asia 10 years, and want to retire in Asia. The reason why Philippines is that my wife is Filipina, she has a succesful business which should continue during retirement, I have made many friends in Manila and been there many times and like it. Also my wife's family seems to be able to sort anything out that we need making it easier for us. Being British I am not subject to worldwide taxes, so it make sense to stay out of the UK. If I was not married to a Filipina I would also consider other countries such as Thailand. My suggestion is that before making up your mind go and visit the country for as long as you can.

In theory you are correct - your wife can apply for citizenship after 3 years. However, in practice that may still mean a much longer wait. My wife applied for citizenship from the Honolulu INS office. She was advised that the Regional Office (California) would take a MINIMUM of 39 months to process her application. That was 18 months ago. So . . . figure on waiting substantially longer than 3 years before your wife is actually sworn in.

It has occurred to me that I have not properly introduced myself. My filipina wife (Maricel) and I live and work on a U.S. Army base in Japan. I am originally from Seattle and my wife is from Cagayan de Oro City. I am planning to retire to the PI (at least part time) in about 5 years. I have visited the Philippines several times, usually staying with in-laws 2 to 4 weeks at a time. I especially appreciate the warmth and hospitality of the Philippines. Of course, the cost of living is a big plus too. I realize that the Philippines is not for everyone, but for those who appreciate its many fine qualities, it can be a terrific place to retire. I've been following the messages on this board for about a month now and I'm particularly impressed with the quality of the information. I appreciate the fact that the moderators have kept the message traffic on a consistently high level. I hope it stays that way. (Thanks, moderators!) Anyway, I just wanted to introduce myself and give thanks to all those who made the board possible.

There was a short period couple of years ago when waiting time in some INS districts was averaging 2+ yeears for naturalization processing. I would venture that INS' goal of shortening such time periods has been partially successful and it is now down to 6 - 18 months. There are actually two waiting lengths: 1. the time from application to test and interview -- 6-12 month 2. the time from interview approval to oath taking -- about 4-6 months in Sacramento INS district.

40 days to approve the I-129F petition is about how long it took me, and 5 months from the filing of that was when my wife got the visa. If the actual petition is taking that long, then I'd call up the service center (which one are you using?)... make sure you have a redial button and press it continuously...

Hotels range from under $20 a day on up. My favorite was the Cebu Marriott, but at $56 a night, now a little pricey. You can do better. Great place, have spent 50+ days there in last 2 years, but married an Ilocana, so will not get back there often in the future. Lot's of western amenities, one of my favorites being sitting outside Oh Georg! coffee shop in Ayala Mall at 3 PM, having a smoke with a great cup of coffee and taking in the sights.

I do not know anything about the application of pre-nups in the Philippines, however, I can provide some info as applied to US law. In a recent divorce case involving an immigrant wife, the husband entered their pre-nuptial agreement during arbitration. The wife's attorney then entered the ""Affadavit of Support"" that the husband was required to file for her fiance visa. The judge ruled that the Affadavit of Support was signed AFTER the pre-nuptial agreement, therefore, the pre-nup was considered null and void. Also, under most US state laws, a wife can only claim community property on those assets acquired AFTER the marriage. So, if you're worried about getting remarried, keep any assets that you have acquired before the marriage in your name alone.

My Asawa (Wife) is Ilongga, from the Oton area. She was there for a 30 day visit this past March/April timeframe. We are looking at going back in January 2003 for the local festivals. Looks like my Mother (who has never been out of the US) and our oldest Son will be going with us. Now if we can just find some cheap airline tickets and possible hotel for my Mom to stay in.

I recently came across this group and I hope that I will be able to gain some knowledge and insight about living in the Philippines. I am married to a Filipina (8 years) and we have 5 children. Three are step children ( 19,18,16)who can speak tagalog and two (8,9) who can not. We live in Worcester, MA. My wife is always beating the drum of moving back to the Philippines. The most that I have lived there at one time was two weeks. I have lived in Japan and Singapore, so it is not living overseas that bothers me. I am not ready to retire, but am in between jobs. I have a part time job at the present (Teaching at a Community College) that keeps the wolves from the door. As I was reading the Living in the Philippines web page I began to think that some of my arguments against living in the Philippines might be weak or getting weaker. So I am planning to see what it would really take to make the transition. My step children are almost out of High School so I have about 2 years before I would even think of going anywhere. My wife has some land that she wants to build a house on in the ""Province"", Leyte, I think. Although I am full of questions and looking for knowledge, I have one suggestion for the gentleman from Hartford, CT. If you do not already have Filipino television, you might want to consider getting it. I feel that it would help you gain knowledge of current events and this way you would not have to start from scratch when you decide to go there. I have had Filipino Television for about 3 years now. I am not plugging it, just offering an opinion. It helps my wife to feel less homesick. After all, you might find youself watching quite a bit in the future. Hopefully I will not be so chatty in the future.

I'm not sure why you are taking the subject so personally, but the question was about the advisablility of drawing up a prenuptual agreement. It is a personal choice. It would make no sense to a man with no property or heirs. If you think of it coldly, as a lack of faith in your relationship, then it may not be for you ether. If you have prior commitments, such as collage educations for your children or grandchildren or any other plans for your separate property, you might wish to protect them with a little insurance policy known as a prenuptual agreement. You and your new wife may have all the good intentions in the world for instance, but maybe you die before updating your will or perhaps there's a blacksheep in your family to contest it. Depending upon where you are living, the state or courts may dictate distribution in a way that you or your wife would never have intended. Having prepared a solid prenuptual would give a court a much better idea of what your intent was for your separate property at the time of your marraige. Then the reason for having one that most folks don't think beyond... Hoping that no one would ever need it, but you may be very happy to have one, one day.

If their mother or father was a Philippine citizen at their birth then yes they are citizens. This comes from the Philippine constitution. You can have the births registered at the Consulate and they can hold two passports. The Philippines doesn't recognize dual citizens. He will be considered strictly a Philippine citizen when he is in the Philippines. This means they need to enter and leave the Philippines on a Filipino passport. They have the rights of any other Filipinos except in the case of holding local elective office. Local elective office holders are not allowed to hold dual allegiances. Dual allegiance is seperate from dual citizenship. I hope it helps.

I agree with others who believe we have reached the point of diminishing returns with the subject. But, I want to offer one last post in the hopes of dissuading anyone from treating a prenuptial agreement as a ""do it yourself"" project. There is a lot of misinformation floating around the web concerning prenuptial agreements. Basically, you should think of a prenuptial agreement as a property settlement agreement that you enter into prior to marriage rather than at the end of your marriage. How assets are divided depends upon the law of the jurisdiction that grants your divorce. However, most states have laws that grant judges broad discretion to make a ""just and equitable"" distribution of your property. Basically, this means the judge can disregard your prenuptial agreement if he or she believes it was the product of overreaching or duress, or if he or she simply believes it is unfair. As I have alluded to earlier, your big problem with a Filipina fiancee is that a judge will likely tend to believe that the ""balance of power"" was tilted vastly in your favor at the time the document was executed. He or she is likely to conclude that the agreement was anything but an ""arms length"" transaction. To overcome this, I believe it is critical that you hire an attorney to counsel your wife to help ensure that she fully understands the consequences of the document she is being asked to sign. In addition, you should make sure that the property distribution you propose in the prenuptial agreement, at a minimum, passes the ""straight face"" test. An agreement that leaves you with all the assets is not likely to pass this test. Basically, you should be able to articulate a REASONABLE explaination why the division of assets is fair under the circumstances. Just because you earned most of the assets doesn't mean that it is fair for you to keep all of them. If you draft an agreement that appears to a judge to be fair and reasonable, and you convince the judge that your wife fully understood its contents and conseqences, you have a fair chance of having it upheld. If not, the judge in all likelihood is going to disregard your prenuptial agreement and is going to impose upon you his or her own idea of what is a ""fair and reasonable distribution"" of your assets.

I suspect that your ""40-day"" timeframe was not from submittal of petition to INS to issuance of visa. K1 petitions going through the Vermont service center have been approved in less than 40 days during the last year, but it took at least another month for the visas to be issued, and these instances were in the minority.

I was able to talk to a live person at the Nebraska INS processing center yesterday. She didn't believe me that someone else's petition had been approved in 40 calendar days. Unfortunately, I didn't have my friend's receipt number so she could look it up. Then she told me that my petition wouldn't even be looked at until the first week of September. FOUR MONTHS TOTAL PROCESSING TIME.