immigrant visa HK or Gaungzhou

[hamlett22]

I live in shenzhen with my chinese mainland wife. I work in HK.

 

Called gaungzhou. Asked how to apply for immigrant visa. They said go to HK. Is this true?

 

Something to do with where my valid work visa and ID is. However, I have a multi-entry spousal visa to the mainland which I use everyday.

 

Anywho, advice is appreicated.

 

chad

[Trigg]

There are several that are more knowledgable tham me on this situation but I think what you are talking about doing is what is call DCF-direct consulate filing. The way I understand it this is faster and HK is faster than GZ.

[Guest Gene]

Welcome Aboard

 

HK is much quicker and easier to work with so I hope they are right. Where did you get married? As I understand it others who have been able to use the HK consulate were married there. But they did not live there. So you throw a different twist into this process

[ctct]

Welcome Aboard

 

HK is much quicker and easier to work with so I hope they are right. Where did you get married? As I understand it others who have been able to use the HK consulate were married there. But they did not live there. So you throw a different twist into this process

155196[/snapback]

Yes i want to know too, anybody here can tell how fast if waiting DCF in HK?

[hamlett22]

Welcome Aboard

 

HK is much quicker and easier to work with so I hope they are right. Where did you get married? As I understand it others who have been able to use the HK consulate were married there. But they did not live there. So you throw a different twist into this process

155196[/snapback]

Yes i want to know too, anybody here can tell how fast if waiting DCF in HK?

155199[/snapback]

Hey all,

 

thanks for the info. We were married in Yangzhou, Jiangsu China. NOt HK. So, even if U.S>Consulate HK says sure, apply here, then we have to get my wife a visa to HK to interview when her time comes. However, I was reading up on the DCF filing and that sounds like what we need. The folks at Gaungzhou told me I need to apply for her where I have an I.D. or right to work which is H.K. Just not sure yet. I will call the U.S. consulate HK tomorrow and ask. Thanks

 

Chad and Tong and baby Matthew make three

Edited September 19, 2005 by hamlett22 (see edit history)

[bubbafred10]

From a previous post I read, the marriage must take place in HK in order to be able to have the visa interview at US Consulate in HK. You have one requirement - a HK mailing address. You can also check US Embassy website on where you need to file the petition at the nearest US Consulate of your residence.

Edited September 19, 2005 by bubbafred10 (see edit history)

[frank1538]

Irrespective of residency, are you even sure DCF is available in Hong Kong?

 

From http://foia.state.gov/masterdocs/09fam/09n0200.pdf :

 

9 FAM 201 AUTHORIZATION TO APPROVE PETITIONS AT CERTAIN POSTS (TL:VISA-433; 07-02-2002)

 

a. INS has authorized consular officers assigned to visa-issuing posts abroad (other than those in Austria, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Kenya, Korea, Mexico, The Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) to approve petitions for any of the statuses accorded to relatives, under certain circumstances. Form I-130, Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration, is used to accord immediate relative status under INA 201(b ), first, second, third, or fourth preference status under INA 203(a)...

[Guest ShaQuaNew]

Irrespective of residency, are you even sure DCF is available in Hong Kong?

 

 

9 FAM 201 AUTHORIZATION TO APPROVE PETITIONS AT CERTAIN POSTS (TL:VISA-433; 07-02-2002)

 

a. INS has authorized consular officers assigned to visa-issuing posts abroad (other than those in Austria, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Kenya, Korea, Mexico, The Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)

155258[/snapback]

There was a member here VERY recently that spoke well of his Hong Kong experience....

 

adambchildress

 

I found it very difficult to get specific information about his process. Perhaps after you do some further investigation you can help us all be passing it along.

 

For sure, any of us would jump at a chance to do it another way if it's faster....

[hamlett22]

Irrespective of residency, are you even sure DCF is available in Hong Kong?

 

From http://foia.state.gov/masterdocs/09fam/09n0200.pdf :

 

9 FAM 201 AUTHORIZATION TO APPROVE PETITIONS AT CERTAIN POSTS (TL:VISA-433; 07-02-2002)

 

a. INS has authorized consular officers assigned to visa-issuing posts abroad (other than those in Austria, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Kenya, Korea, Mexico, The Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) to approve petitions for any of the statuses accorded to relatives, under certain circumstances. Form I-130, Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration, is used to accord immediate relative status under INA 201(b ), first, second, third, or fourth preference status under INA 203(a)...

155258[/snapback]

HI all

 

Tomorrow I will check US consulate in HK about this issue, but if they say, 'Guangzhou' then is there a way I can get residency in Shenzhen even though I am working in HK and file a DCF in Guangzhou?

 

Thanks

 

Chad

[frank1538]

There was a member here VERY recently that spoke well of his Hong Kong experience....

 

adambchildress

 

155261[/snapback]

If I recall, Adam did K-3 through Hong Kong.

[Guest ShaQuaNew]

If I recall, Adam did K-3 through Hong Kong.

155263[/snapback]

K1, K3? Because they are married, wouldn't they also be pursuing the K3 route? I'm really CORN-fused.

 

If a US citizen marries a mainland chinese person in Hong Kong, would they not go K3? I am just hearing smatterings that if one marries in this way that their wait time for visa if greatly reduced. Forgive me if I'm missing something here....

[david_dawei]

I grilled Adam on his HK process since I could not quite get the picture down for the FAQ... See Visa FAQ, Q.1.11 How about posts other than mainland China?

 

I think Frank has it right; here is my take...

 

Adam (married) filed in the US at the appropriate Visa center... if he wanted to pursue the CR1, he would of had to go through the NVC dance and eventually his paperwork would go to GUZ; instead, he pursued K3, and his paperwork went to HK.

 

So, technically, there is no such thing as doing a DCF through HK.. the K3 will simply end up at the appropriate post (HK in Adam's case)... I think this is what Don is getting at as well...

[frank1538]

DCF is done in the country where the alien spouse resides.

155344[/snapback]

I am always VERY tentative when I differ with the DON, but I had thought that the residence of the foreign spouse did not matter: http://foia.state.gov/masterdocs/09fam/09n0200.pdf :

 

9 FAM 201.1 Location of Petitioner and Beneficiary (TL:VISA-152; 09-09-1996)

 

"a. As a general rule, the petitioner must reside in the consular district but the residence or even physical presence of the beneficiary is immaterial."

 

I understand this is just a general rule, and I may be confusing the difference between the petitioner and the beneficiary.

[adambchildress]

If I recall, Adam did K-3 through Hong Kong.

155263[/snapback]

K1, K3? Because they are married, wouldn't they also be pursuing the K3 route? I'm really CORN-fused.

 

If a US citizen marries a mainland chinese person in Hong Kong, would they not go K3? I am just hearing smatterings that if one marries in this way that their wait time for visa if greatly reduced. Forgive me if I'm missing something here....

155265[/snapback]

if you get married in Hong Kong then the k-3 visa interview is done in Hong Kong if you get married in China the the k-3 interview is at GZ