I spoke with Kristy, the host of The Master Delegator Podcast and owner of a virtual assistant agency. Kristy is from the Philippines and moved to the U.S. after meeting her husband on a Christian dating app. She started her business back home in the Philippines and was able to continue her agency after moving. Kristy helps entrepreneurs find virtual assistants to help them within their companies. She shares her experience of coming to the U.S. on a K1 Visa, aka the fiance visa.
Life in the Philippines
Kristy shares that she didn’t grow up poor in the Philippines; they had enough but didn’t live a comfortable lifestyle. But they ate three times a day, and she had very hardworking parents.
Her dad worked in Saudi Arabia for about twelve years, so he wasn’t around much. Growing up, Kristy, her mom, and two other siblings were there. But her father sent money and provided for them. Kristy’s mom was very entrepreneurial, she said, even though Kristy didn’t notice it at the time. Her mom was a beautician, and a massage therapist, and she owned her beauty parlor.
Growing up, Kristy didn’t really care too much about school, but she did end up getting her degree in computer science.
Starting Her Business in the Philippines
Kristy started her business as a freelance virtual assistant back in 2017 in the Philippines. Since everything was online, she was able to continue her work here in the United States once she moved. As she was expanding her network, she was getting overwhelmed by the amount of work and projects she was receiving. Kristy reached out to her friends in the Philippines who were also freelancers to help with the projects.
By 2019, she had registered the business in Ohio, the state she had moved to, and now she has a team of over 70 virtual assistants!
Moving to the US as a Fiancé
Kristy met her husband on an online Christian dating app. They were friends for a year, and during the first year of friendship, they spoke constantly, even with the time difference. After speaking for a year, she confronted him about their friendship because they were talking a lot, and he finally decided to visit the Phillippines.
He stayed for two weeks when he visited, and she showed him around the Philippines. During this trip, they talked about their intentions with each other, and they officially started dating. That year, he visited her three times, and on the third trip, he proposed.
Kristy and her husband went through the K1 visa process, like the TV show 90-day fiancé. Once she was approved for the visa, she moved to the US, and they had to marry within three months. After that, Kristy was granted a temporary two-year resistance visa, and they had to apply again for the 10-year permanent residency visa because they had to prove to USCIS that their marriage was legitimate.
She is currently studying for her citizenship test!
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With Love, Heidy
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