hopelives

Terrific news -Congrats

Reading the board and the archives, the visa cannot be mailed outside Guangdong province. For other provinces, Is staying in Guangzhou the only option?

Thanks to both of you, I worded the question poorly, I was looking for what additional information we needed on interview day assuming the NVC documents replace the old p3. We are jumping through so many hoops to make this interview date. I do not want to blow it, by forgetting something simple. thanks again P.S. old fashioned way- not electronic

My wife will bring her copies anyway but I just want to be clear Since NVC processes the P3 now, My wife is required to bring to the interview The EOR The results of her medical exam Any additional information about the validity of our relationship Passport 2 additonal Visa photos

Do you need your birth certificate

I agree with you Randy....the VO already knows what they will do with you at the Interview.....decision is 95% made and I dont think anymore photos will make one iota of difference....they shuffle through the photos faster than a card shark and one more hand of cards will make no diffefrerence.....just take what little time you have to relax....take a walk and talk with your gal and maybe go down to the sushi bar near the metro terminal.....just relax and help your gal to remember to just keep her cool at the interview....no matter what happens, just keep her cool. Great advice- What does the think of doing my EOR now, notorizing it, make it a PDF and emaling it to GUZ

That is what I thought about the camera You are right on the money- You are married when registered- no real ceremony occurs. The wedding banquet is the whole shebang, but it is a whole day affair with the groom picking up his bride and having to pass a test at the door to gain entrance then a visit is made to both families and and a tea ceremony occurs during each visit and then you have the banquet and we will exchange rings at the banquet. We are having two because the first one a smaller affair with immediate friends and family was soon after we married, this time we have are having a much bigger event with both families and many more friends on an especially lucky day. 09/09/09 Banquets can happen any time, I was reading where then can happen years after a couple marries j

In my bones, I know the answer, but I am hoping for a creative work around. Wedding banquet number 2 is the night b4 the interview, any chance of bringing a camera into Guz to show the VO pictures of the event In reviewing the "kitchen sink" and other guides, i imagine most of them were compiled prior to the NVC taking over the compilation of the documents previously brought to the interview, does this in any way change our approach or is caution the better choice. thanks j

Had you asked the question a week ago, the answer would have been a clear "No". The transit visa is free of charge but one does have to turn in an application. Here is the turn-around time in Beijing: http://geo.international.gc.ca/asia/china/...g-times-en.aspx On July 30, new rules were put in place. If your group will be transiting through Vancouver, she can pass through without a transit visa, assuming she is arriving on Cathay Pacific Airways from Hong Kong or Phillipine Airlines from Manila. http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/man.../2009/ob142.asp The rules referenced above aso list Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Taipei as possible embarkation point. In reality however, Taipei where China Airlines is based, is out for obvious reasons, and neither Air China nor Air Canada (the only airlines authorized to fly non-stop between the two countries) is a participant at this time. All things considered, she may be better off getting a transit visa... I just read about the new policy on their website, unfortunately our original plan was to fly through Vancouver but now we are going straight through to Toronto, might need to reconsider and change my flight, if we get approved Thank so much for the processing times, I was under the impresion it took longer.

If my wife is successful, she wants to come home with me after we finish traversing the country, of course I have not purchased a ticket, but I hope I can. Here is the tricky part, my family and I return through Canada, and one of the criteria for avoiding a Canadian transit visa is the following: " persons lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence who are in possession of their alien registration card or can provide other evidence of permanent residence;" Will we have enough to meet the criteria? Any Canada experts eh? thanks J

I am the same day- wedding banquet the 9th god help me- it will be hectic

Everyone is right, this opportunity cannot be missed, I will be stressing poor Lao Po with a wedding and the interview, but it must be done, and I will carry as much water as I can. Thanks to everyone for the focus I was lacking-jay

First Congrat's on your "wedding" and your "interview". 1. First - is there anyway you can do both - as scheduled? 2. Has she done all of her "medical stuff" for the interview? 3. Is everything "ready" for the interview? 4. In terms of the banquet - what is the latest plane out of that town - for GUZ or anything close...where you could still be at the interview. You don't have to stay at the banquet until the last person is tired and falling asleep! Announce the GOOD LUCKY PLAN - see below!!! 5. THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX. A CAR AND DRIVER TO DRIVE YOU DURING THE WEE HOURS TO GUZ is better than waiting a "long time" for another date. 6. When Life gives you lemons - make lemonade.....I view this as "EXTREMELY LUCKY" and I would MARKET IT THAT WAY...i.e. how fortuitous in having your family in CHina - having a banquet - and being able to have the interview the very next morning...JUST TOO LUCKY AS WE SAY HERE IN CHINA......Perception and Marketing is EVERYTHING.....My goodness....sounds like the making of a second "Bon Voyage Banquet"....Don't miss this opportunity for "TRIPLE LUCKY". 7. Ok, the backup plan --- get on the phone with GUZ and see if you can switch the interview dates if the above "GOOD LUCKY PLAN" is impossible based on location - planes - cars - etc. A challenge --- If I were still in China (we return to the US on the 16th) I would drive you to the interview myself!!!!!!! Best of luck on this one....the best challenge I've heard of lately!!! What a stirring post, I want to carry her myself after reading it, thank you for the motivation liuzhou is 400 KM to Guangzhou last flight is 19:50 But you sure are motivating me to think out of the box- thanks again gio gio gio = long long long life gio shi gio = long long life My wife says these are very good numbers. Help out here- Mandarin weakling

wedding banquet # 2 09/09/09 Just informed interview date 09/10/09 I have not informed my wife of the conflict, but I am sure she will see apocalyptic doom for our marriage if I suggest changing from the 9th to the 8th. It is a shame because my family is coming for the wedding. I would love for yanzi to walk to the consulate officer with the passports of a family showing support for the women they have grown to adore. What are my options? any known history of changing the interview date one day? What is the usual amount of time between the original date and the rescheduled date for the interview? Any unintended consequences from changing an interview date? Any and all suggestions are welcome thanks jay

you are not seriously implying that the Chinese judicial system is superior to ours

A reversal being from the VO's supervisor? I think I know the answer but does the USC have the right to a meeting with the supervisor

We had success going the email route

According to this NY times article a subtext to this awful event is the killers lack of English ability. We know that coming from a tonal language to English is exceptionally difficult. Did any of your SO's reach a point where their limited skills never improved and how did you cope? Did any of you have an SO that was having a difficult time but later showed great improvement when you changed approaches? I know that the main focus of many on this board is the immigration hurdle but in the end that may be the easy part jim http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/05/nyregion...mp;ref=nyregion

Great News what was your NVC turnaround

You are right, there is a long list but none of those documents apply, need the passport-thanks Jim

Sorry .. no she cannot. If she lives in the province covered by the GUZ consulate then she cannot get a notarized copy of her passport. The USC has to be there and she has to get a Chinese notary to witness it in her hometown then go her province's capital and get the Foreign Affairs office to notartize it a second time and then the consulate office will notarize that FA officer's signature. I know this because I asked thinking that all I had to do is go to any US Consulate and get a notary stampl saying that the passport copy is a true copy of the original which is all the IRS requires. So yes, if you are living in USA, the best way is to have her mail it to you. UPS from China costs about 250 RMB and arrives in two days. Send it back via UPS. I live in China. I either have to go to Beijing and give my return and copy of her passort to the IRS agent in US Consulate and let him file my taxes for me (he can give me a notazrized copy of her passport but he cannot give me the copy back to send to the IRS .. he has to send it ... I am not making this up) or fly back to USA with her passport to get any Tom/Dick/Harry with a notary stamp to notarize a true copy of her passport. Great Information thanks-jim

Jim, why not file your tax return as single first. Then, after you're able to get an ITIN or SSN file an amended return. It's actually quite easy to do. I did that for 2006. Cause, for a CR-1 , it's a type o relationship evidence. You were a K-1 petitioner, totally different thing. Sebastian is right on, it is for the financial entanglement effort of getting the visa that I will file jointly. I guess I will have her send me the passport and I will take it to my local IRS office Great advice as always thanks everyone-Jim

I need the ITIN to file a joint tax return, but of course during this process things are never easy. My wife is in Liuzhou. Her closest consulate is Guangzhou. Any alternative to her traveling to Guangzhou to certify her passport. I think it would be easier for her to mail the passport to US, but I would like to avoid that as well. As you can see, our options are not attractive. thanks Jim

That is great news! Just got back from China, and I now know what is hell on earth. 12 hours of wedding photos in one day The NVC is proceeding, I suggest using email for the DS-3032. I got the DS-3032, IV bill and AOS Bill paid within a week. -jim Wow - all in 1 week - that's even more stunning news.. Whoop ! re: 12 hours - yup. I knew we'd be doing this - so I brought in a tux that fit me - I'm a bigger fella and was worried they wouldn't have my size for the tux. The REST of the garments were sorta squeezed over my massive frame, or in some cases - simply pinned to my tux pants and tux shirt. But that's only the 'small' portion of it- really - it's more fun as yer watching yer lass get her makeup and hair done - 4 or 7 times in that 12 hour setting - YUM !!! We each had a 'handler' - but since I was getting 'pinned' half the time, it took a crew o 3 each time - I didn't care how emabarrasing that was - I was successful in getting everyone to laugh with and at the Pui Angmo (me) - so no one was fussing too much. The most important thing I did that day was to help carry her dress up and down the stairs each time for the shoot. I knew though, that getting cranky was not gonna be useful at all. I'm headed back soon, but we're staying in Chengdu for the next trip. MAYBE NVC will say 'case complete' for you next week????? Warmest Regards... Sebastian, Nice of you to carry the dress, I smiled and tried to sleep. We are missing one critical piece: our joint tax return. I am going through the W7 process so we will be delayed in getting NVC approval very helpful NVC Guide

That is great news! Just got back from China, and I now know what is hell on earth. 12 hours of wedding photos in one day The NVC is proceeding, I suggest using email for the DS-3032. I got the DS-3032, IV bill and AOS Bill paid within a week. -jim