Reddragon75

OK...maybe I am hallucinating...but...if I am not mistaken the processing times last month said January 17th. They updated it a couple days ago and now it says January 2nd. Maybe it has something to do with me being a natural blonde...but...I must admit that I am confused. I am not sure, but isn't the general idea to go forward and not backwards?

GOOD LUCK!

No...you are not bad at all. Actually...like I told my SO...I always cheer for the US first and foremost, but when it is China against any other country...I cheer for the Chinese team.

Well poo! I guess the idea of my fiancee traveling back with me after the visa is approved just went down the crapper. The hotel reservation isn't a problem, its the fact that I will have to have a round trip ticket booked.

AWESOME! CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY B)

Believe me when I say that I have been prayin. God will probably end up getting an answering machine because of me. B)

Oh...almost forgot...you will need MANY more documents than just the financial ones at the interview. We refer to it as the "kitchen sink list". I don't have the link to it right now. That is probably good, because it might scare you. But, it's actually not that bad. I have already started preparing some of it now, and I will have plenty of time to finish preparing the rest of it before the interview(whenever that will be B)).

HELLO AND WELCOME TO CFL! I decided to not hire an attorney, despite a less than perfect past. So far, so good I guess. And, like David said....you will probably get more help here at CFL than you would with an attorney. After researching many Immigration attorneys, in my opinion, the biggest service they offer is help in preparing the required paperwork to file. And of course, they answer questions you may have along the way. After reading many posts on here from members who hired an attorney, I came to the realization that those answers offered by the lawyers are not always accurate. Well...despite the fact that I am a natural blonde(ok..so most of it is getting gray ), I realized that I could handle preparing the paperwork myself, and I can get answers to questions here from people who have actually gone through the process, or are going through it. Also....I, like many on here, do not make the required income level of 125% of Poverty level. I am , however, having 2 joint sponsors (my dad and stepmom). I am also a student, although an older one, but I have 2 jobs as well. So...it is fine to have a joint sponsor. I don't know if others will agree with me, but in my opinion, it would probably be best if your joint sponsor is a family member as opposed to a friend. The reason I say this is that the USCIS might view a family member as more reliable to be there for financial support, as opposed to a friend. Also, it helps show the USCIS that your family supports the relationship in other ways than financially, and that your family views the relationship as a "bonafide" one. Just remember that there are many factors that the USCIS uses to determine whether or not to approve the visa. And....lastly....like I tell all the new members here....be prepared to exercise great patience in the process. Anyway...again...welcome. CFL is great, and has helped many people... including myself. Later B)

AWESOME!! CONGRATS TO BOTH OF YOU!!

Thanks for the post.

AWESOME! CONGRATS TO YOU BOTH!

CONGRATS ON THE PINK! I WISH YOU BOTH THE BEST.

How often is your case "Touched"? Ummm..I don't even know what "touched" means. I have seen it on a lot of people's timelines.

Yeah...me too!!

Just got these 2 books from amazon.com. So far they are great and have a lot of very useful information in them.

Thanks...but looking for Southern China.

I work nights so I am unable to watch it when it is on. But...thank GOD for DVD Recorders I have recorded every night but have only been able to watch the "Wild China" program so far. I plan on watching them all on my days off coming up. They talked about Guilin in Guangxi province in the "Wild China" episodes that I saw. It looked awesome. When I was in Nanning, my finacee asked if I wanted to make a trip there and see it...but I said "no". Wow...I could kick myself in the patootey for that. Oh well...probably next trip.

Wow....a question answered and I didn't even have to post it!

AWESOME....Congrats to both of you!!!!

Yeah....the first car I saw when we walked out of the Nanning Airport was a Buick Century! I was very surprised to see a Buick in China. Of course, that wasn't the only one. I saw a lot of them driving around the city. I guess it just surprised me to see Buicks in China.

I am trying so hard to learn Chinese. I even bought Chinese for Dummies. The tones are difficult for me. Like most Americans, I am not used to having to use tones like that. The only other language I speak is Spanish, and they don't use tones either. I mean...I guess my Chinese isn't too bad. When I talk to my fiancee, she can understand most of what I say. I will say that what I really like about the Chinese language is that they don't have different tenses of verbs. So...unlike Spanish, that has about a million different ways to conjugate verbs, you don't have to worry about it with Chinese. I am thinking about taking Chinese courses at the university since I am a student there anyway, but I am already so far behind on earning my degree that I don't know if I should or not. I would really like to though. I am hoping to eventually speak it well enough to be able to have a conversation with her family. (The first family gathering when I was there was a little awkward to say the least...since no one else in her family speaks or even understands English.)

are you a technical writer I finally understood a very complex issue reduced to the animal instinct Nope...not a "technical writer"....I am a college student. The university education is really startin to pay off...ain't it? I figure catchy little phrases like that will help in my pursuit of a career in Broadcast Journalism.

I have also only made one trip. I DO plan on going to the interview though. And, of course, I have a mountain of emails, IM's, and phone calls that we have made to each other. I am a student as well, but I am an older student(none of your business how much older.. ) and I have a full-time job as well as a part-time job. Like you, I hope that our interview is scheduled during a break in school, but if it is not, then I will do what is necessary to be there. I am sure I could talk to my professors and explain to them how important it is to me to make the trip and they will be willing to work with me. But, then again, I am not a law school student...I am just a lowly Broadcasting major. So, obviously it would probably be a lot easier for me to make arrangements for the trip during school than it would be for you. In terms of work, my boss has already told me that I can take as much time off work as I need to for the trip. But, I can tell you that I am also kind of paranoid about the fact that I have not been able to make multiple trips as other people have. However, like many other members here will tell you, there is a lot of factors other than number of visits that determine whether or not it is a "bonafide relationship" in the eyes of the VO. IMHO, I think a big factor is the VO you get. Just hope that you don't get a VO that's in a foul mood.

Wow!!!...I didn't know you had to have a hotel reservation and roundtrip ticket to get a Chinese visa now!! That really sucks. Kind of puts a crimp in my future plans when it comes interview time.

Hey!...I am 33...what are you tryin to say?!