Questions about translations and I-864

[Jocelyn]

Da jia hao! What a godsend it's been to find such a wonderful online community! I felt completely in the dark about this entire process and it's a relief to find I'm not alone in my frustrations (already three canned e-mail responses from GUZ, sigh...). Also really great to see foreign girls out there grabbing Chinese husbands too -- my Jun has brought my life untold blessings.

 

Also, thank you SO much to the generosity of everyone who makes this possible -- you guys really rock. =)

 

I've spent a lot of time combing the threads here, it's almost like an encyclopedia on just about all of the ins and outs of GUZ. I'd like to pose a couple of questions of my own -- I know they're nothing new and in all actuality a bit stupid, so you'll have to forgive me. So, here goes...

 

-->Translations I got my husband's birth certificate, police certificate and our marriage certificate notarized and translated at the gov't notary office (Gong Zheng Chu). And, correct me if I'm wrong, but other translations do not need to be notarized? My husband insists that not notarizing other documents (ie. our lease, credit card bills, bank records, my pay slip) is OK -- the advice here seems to agree with that. But I'm not sure what "certification" or "attestation" the translator needs to show to meet GUZ's requirements?

 

Incidentally, I asked GUZ about it, and they gave me the answer along the lines of "your interviewer will decide if it's okay." Great advice....

 

-->Evidence of financial support The DCF P3 packet I got said it would be good to bring anything that can establish how my husband will be financially supported in the US. My income exceeds the minimum requirements for the I-864 poverty lines -- but I also plan to show my bank records from China and the US. Since I meet the I-864 requirements, is it OK not to mention my assets in the document, but rather as just extra evidence of financial support (ie just in case the office wants to see it)? Or should I just go ahead and add them in to the I-864 as a kind of FYI?

 

As an aside, sometimes I just feel so neurotic about this process, I can feel trapped and lost in the minutiae of it all. One of my friends told me that it's pretty much expected you'll be obsessive about it...<sigh> Although my husband sometimes gets frustrated with me. I guess I just want to make sure all of my "i"s are dotted and "t"s are crossed.

 

Anyhow, look forward to hearing from you all!

 

Jocelyn

[frank1538]

Jocelyn, welcome to CFL. It seems that you've got your act together and could probably help us more than the other way around.

 

My comments are based on my K-1 experience that occurred more than a year ago, so the information may be stale and/or inappropriate. Hopefully, others with more current information about DCF will either correct my mistakes or confirm my comments.

 

On the translation question, it sounds like you've got all the official documents covered. The translator certification on Jingwen's documents was straightforward: "To whom it may concern: This is to certify that the English Translation attached hereto is in conformity with the original Chinese copy." It was then signed and dated by the Notary.

 

As far as the other documents (lease, etc.), I would probably go with a practical approach. If you think the information in the document will be needed to substantiate something, I would get it translated. If you are supplying the document as additional evidence, maybe not. Jingwen had sent me a number of hand written letters that I had included as part of my "evidence package", but I did not translate them. To me, the content of the letter was less important than the fact that the letter was sent. In your case, for example, if your pay slip is being used as the sole document to substantiate your income for financial support purposes, I'd probably get it translated.

 

On the financial support question, I really don't know if the DCF requirements differ from the K-1 requirements. In my case, I completed the I-134 and relied solely on income to satisfy the requirements and did not list any assets or bank deposit information. I did the same thing when I filed the I-864 for the adjustment of status after Jingwen and I were married. I know others believe that you should provide both income and asset information.

 

Good to have you aboard. I'm sure your perspectives will add much to the knowledge base and community we call Candle for Love.