maxsalvo
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Posts posted by maxsalvo
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Hello Everyone,
I wasnt sure where to put this so I hope I have it in the right place.
After a long journey - I just wanted to let everyone know that my wife just got her ten year green card a week ago. We are finally done dealing with the bureaucracy of the American government and immigration, at least for the time being.
We want to give a huge thanks to the people who run this site and to those who share their experiences with the rest of us in order to jump through all the hoops. Each and every time I needed help or advice, someone here was always there with answers and suggestions. I did not post as often as some but I read, read, read.......
Without this site and your help I would have gotten through it by myself but it would have taken much more time and energy.
Thanks again,
Troy (max salvo)
PS - to those of you still in the process - there is one thing my wife (then fiance) and I would always tell each other. The one thing that helped both of us.
Where there is a Will, there is a Way! Good Luck to all of you. God Bless.
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Hi Everyone,
Well its been almost 2 years now since my wife has been here. Everything is going well and now its time to start thinking about the I-751. I think I have found most everything I need by reading posts here. I do have one question though. I think I know the answer but I thought it would be a good idea to run it by the experts here.
Dilemma - According to what I have read, we should be able to file the I-751 between July 24nd and the expiration date on her green card which is October 22nd. Typically we would get this done immediately or as soon as possible since I am not a procrastinator. The problem lye's with the biometrics and a trip to China we have planned for around Oct 1st. I am afraid that if we send in the I-751 at the end of this month, the biometrics appointment will be scheduled while we are out of the country. From timelines and reading various posts it appears these are usually scheduled at around 6 weeks from the date of receiving the I-751 packet.
Question - Does anyone see any harm in sending the I-751 towards the end of the 90 days rather then the beginning? What happens if they schedule the biometrics during the time we are not available due to being out of the country?
Thanks for any replies that I may get.
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My wife is taking driving classes in China. Although the rules of the road many not be completely identical, they are quite similar.
Just make sure that she understands that in America, the one biggest difference - The rules need to be followed.
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I would stay away from Paypal. you give paypal complete access to your account when you use them and they're not regulated in anyway except by paypal themselves.
I have used PayPal for years and never had a single problem. In fact, they have come to my aid after I used them and the item I bought was not the same thing as advertised. I got back every single penny with less work then dealing with a credit card company.
Of course this was not for international dealings either. One other downfall is if you are on the receiving end of a payment you must pay several percent as a user fee.
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Thanks to all. Im looking at getting the tickets from LAX to Hong Kong. Is the bus or train station near the airport?
You can catch a shuttle right at the airport and go straight to the train station.
You can google this and find a ton of information. You can also ask at the airport where to catch the shuttle or just look for the signs. Here are a few links that might be helpful.
One area that could pose a potential for trouble is the arrival time of your flight vs. departure time of the train. Also the other way around. The worse that could happen if you dont plan for it is that you may have to sit for a number of hours waiting.
http://www.vectormap.com/airport/e-trans2.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airport_Express_%28MTR%29
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Costco was my main source of gifts....lol...
I brought the costco vitamin packs over for ther brother and father. They are the ones with the 100 packs of 5-6 differnt vitamins in each pack. I also got her brother a PHX Suns shirt. (if her brother knows how much the Suns suck this year I guess this could be a insult...
)I also had lots of candies from costco. i got the big packs of the good quality candys not the snickers and crap they can buy here.
For her i brought a necklace i got from a jewlery fair costco was having...she loves it has butterflys and girl stuff on it...B)
I got her some warm slippers for her to use this winter.
In all nothing fancy just some nice treats and small gifts.
Her father liked the vitamins came out and wrote down the instructions I gave him on the box.... Take 1 pack a day after breakfast......B)
Robert
Hi Robert,
Sounds like you are enjoying yourself. I think its great that her and her family are enjoying the inexpensive gifts you brought for them. I wanted to tell you something I learned about candy. My co-workers really loved the sweet, hard candy I brought back for them. I bought about 5 pounds of the assorted variety. I placed it in a rubbermaid container and located it near the water cooler. I noticed people who didnt even work in my area were coming to get the candy. The most popular flavor was "fresh milk" flavored hard candy and suckers(ya-I know -it sounds terrible but it isnt). My boss, an overweight man, loved the candy and was more enthusiastic about me returning to China multiple times because he knew I would bring him more of the freshmilk flavored candy.
Have fun and keep us updated.
Max
bang bang tan
http://oldpyro.com/cfv/sucker.jpg
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Another quick question for the experts. If I plan to go to guangzhou for my fiancees interview, about how much money am I looking at spending for everything? I would be leaving out of LAX and I would also need to get a plane ticket for my fiancee to come to guangzhou.
If it were me -
I would go from LAX to Hong Kong. From Hong Kong I would probably take the train to Guangzhou but the Turbo Jet would be another possibility. The TurboJet is about 40 bucks and they will transport you to the marine terminal via bus. A plane ticket from LAX to HK is usually priced very competitively.
Not knowing where your girl is located it would be hard to guess a ticket price. Many Chinese are not against taking a train to GUZ and I wouldnt rule this out if you are on a tight budget. My girl and I took a night train from Changsha to GUZ. It was an 8 hour ride but we were in a sleeping car so it seemed very quick. I wouldn't hesitate to do that again. Another thing to keep in mind is that plane tickets in China fluctuate during holidays. If the interview is near any major holidays the price of tickets are rarely discounted. Book the inner China flights through someone in China who is familiar with the system to obtain the best prices.
While staying in GUZ you can do it fairly inexpensively by doing searches on this site. We stayed at the Grand Palace Hotel. It was about $50 a night and about a 3 minute walk to the embassy and less then 10 minutes to the train station. I would recommend this hotel.
Rough estimate
LAX to HK $800
(2)train or turbojet to GUZ $80
5 nights hotel $250
Girl to GUZ and home $150-500
Taxis, food etc... $50-200
I think $1500 would be a fair amount to figure on but $2000 would probably be a much safer figure. I'm sure it could be done for less if you were willing to really pinch your pennies. In my opinion, the transportation is usually where many travelers make the mistake of spending too much. Don't just buy the first ticket you see. Start looking months ahead and track the patterns. LAX to HK has quite a few flights and very good prices can be found. If you insist on flying into GUZ I think you will find the ticket prices will take a huge jump.
The most important thing is that you will be with your fiance during this important time. I can only speak for myself but I think it was very beneficial for me to be there during the interview.
Good Luck
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Hi,
My wife told me that she read that the weight limit on a China Southern flight (in China) is now 44 pounds........ Does anybody know if this is correct?
Does anybody know the size limitations also?
And how many bags are you permitted to check for free?
I HAD a thought - We have tickets from the U.S. to Guangzhou. But we could not buy/purchase tickets beyond Guangzhou (in the U.S.), So Instead we had a relative buy the one flight out of Guangzhou to our final destination for us. DOES ANYBODY KNOW THAT IF WE SHOW THESE TICKETS TO THE CHECK-IN PEOPLE AT DELTA IN THE U.S. WHERE WE WILL BOARD - DO YOU KNOW IF THEY WILL ALLOW US TO CHECK OUR BAGS ALL THE WAY TO OUR FINAL DESTINATION - EVEN THOUGH WE ARE HOLDING TWO SEPERATE SETS OF TICKETS TO GET US TO THE FINAL DESTINATION???
Thanks,
m-coon
You will not be able to check bags to your final destination with the situation you describe.
I used China Southern in July and it was one checked bag per ticket, not to exceed 20KG. Each of the 3 of us had 2 checked bags each and we had to pay the extra fee. I have on occasion had a heavier bag and was not charged. What I try to do is use a large backpack ( ]Oakley Kitchen Sink ) along with a carry on and avoid checking any bags.
Once while in Macau, my luggage was left in America and could not be located before I left for Hunan. That left me in mainland China with only 2 sets of clothes. Trying to find clothes to fit an American while shopping in China was very difficult. Deodorant was nearly impossible to find where I was at.
Good Luck on your trip.
PS a note about the backpack listed above: It is awesome for traveling overseas. You can get the best price on Ebay or by searching other online stores. Should be able to get it for less then $150. It also holds a full size 17" laptop with easy, separate access without having to remove anything else.
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I guess my relationship must be the exception to the rule. Good luck to anyone who is expected to fork over their cash to their wife/girlfriends family.
I married a girl from Hunan. I was never once asked, nor was it suggested I give cash to anyone. I did buy a few gifts for her parents but they were very simple and were really no more then what they gave to me and sent for my family in the states.
I would also like to add that my wife NEVER asks me for money and I have a hard time getting her to accept any.
I think the old phrase "Buyer Beware" is appropriate in the situation described in the original post. Too bad there is no warranty or guarantee that comes along with the purchase, it would probably be needed.
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That is, to not jump to conclusions ¨C particularly not the most negative conclusion. Fear and mistrust can be poison.
The best advise yet.
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I just got an email stating that USCIS ordered the production of my wife's employment authorization (I-765). The notice said it could take up to 30 days to receive the document. Is the 30 days accurate or do people usually receive it in less time? If so, what might we expect or what is typical (if there is such a thing)?
Has anyone recently experienced this?
Thanks in advance
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I'd be tempted to buy a cell phone while there and get a pre-paid SIM.
Only reason I didn't do this was because my girl had one.
Dont rent. Just buy one or take an unlocked phone that uses a sim card. You can get almost any phone unlocked by going to Ebay and entering your phone model number along with the word "unlock".
FYI - some services only work in a certain cities or provinces where the service is purchased. For a little more you can buy service that will work throughout China if that is what you need. International calls are an additional fee or you can buy scratch off phone cards on the street or in cell phone shops. Whatever you decide to do you need to be very specific to where you want to call when purchasing the new sim card (service).
In my opinion - there is nothing better to have in your pocket then a cell phone while traveling China.
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She is flirting with death. Not only death but one that can be very miserable.
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Why start off a marriage on a bullshit story? Man up and tell her you realize her biological clock is ticking but getting pregnant before she gets here is not a viable option.
Amen!
Pregnant women do strange things and sometimes have unrealistic thinking due to hormone levels etc.... There is a chance that a woman who gets pregnant in China may want to stay there where her family can help take care of the baby and Mother. The family helping to take care of the new baby and Mother is the normal way pregnancy is done in China. If she becomes pregnant and realizes she will be "without family" in the USA you might find it difficult to convince her to leave.
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This is not 100%. Not all Chinese cell phones will work here. I have some that do and some that dont. There are several variables that come into play.
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Oh boy, you have not learned about Chinese beds yet!
during the summer months we have a bamboo sheet on it. Looks like thin bamboo strips in a weave.
I'm glad I'm not alone. Not only do we have bamboo sheets but also bamboo pillowcases. I can tolerate the sheets but I told her I would not be resting my head on a wooden pillow. As soon as I get up in the morning, the bed is made and both bamboo pillows are neatly placed back in position.
Robert - She has probably slept on that type of bed her entire life. Save the soft comfortable bed for her when she gets to the states. If you start spoiling her now ...............................
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Can anyone give me an average idea of how long before recieving the letter containing the biometrics appt? Chicago signed for the package yesterday. and when getting the letter for the appointment, is the appointment generally fairly soon?
From central Illinois it was less then 2 weeks after receipt of the NOA 1.
Our appt was scheduled in St Louis for Sept 22nd.
Hope this helps
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Volunteer work will keep her busy and help her with English. Small children have small vocabularies so a school or daycare setting would be great for someone with not much English experience.
I can not say enough for ESL classes. Many community collages and adult education centers offer them for free or a small charge.
I use vista and XP on several computers. My wife has absolutely no problem using the free software that came with the systems. I did have a little bit of trouble getting it configured properly but once I did she says it works better and faster then her schools computer in China.
Also - TVU has proved to be essential for keeping my wife up to date and not feeling so far from home. Ecallchina.com calling cards are cheap and I have also found them to be helpful in helping with the homesickness.
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Yes that is standard wording, any foreign language doc, needs a translation attached.
But is it underlined in every RFE that is sent out or did they only underline it on mine to emphasize what the problem is?
How do you think I should proceed?
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For AOS, the only thing my wife has for a birth certificate is what is called a "Birth Certificate Notarial" (one in chinese and another in english), which basically states that Rong was born on such and such a date in Xi'an and states that she is the daughter of her father (name given) and her mother (name given).... and then there is another paper that in both languages certifies that the english translation is correct....
I wasnt sure if I should start a new topic or not. I found this and it is fairly recent so I am just adding to this. Here goes -
My wife has the exact same thing described above. It is the same IDENTICAL white book we used in Guangzhou for the interview material. We sent it along with all of the rest of the required docs for the I-485 (AOS). The white book contains both Chinese and translated to English pages. Everything is notarized and has both the stamp and embossed seal.
The problem - Received a "Request for Initial Evidence". The item referenced reads as follows.
"......you will need to submit a copy of the applicants birth certificate. If the document is in a language other then English, you must submit a copy of the foreign language document and an English translation."
In the brief summary at the top of the page, along with quite a bit of other instructions, there is an underlined statement that reads as follows.
"You must submit both the foreign language document and the English translation"
First question - Is the underlined statement underlined on every RFE that is sent or are they trying to point this out to us in our SPECIFIC case? Does this statement appear on all RFE's?
Second question - How should I proceed?
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Fear sells just like sex.
Yes and even more so with older people.
This topic and those like it remind me of what an Australian friend told me not long ago -Don't let the truth stand in the way of a good story"
For me, it gets harder and harder to watch the various news channels anymore. It seems as if they all have hidden agendas and who knows where the money came from to do the so called studies and research that many of the stories are based on.
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I think if people would concentrate on what's right with America and work to improve it instead of wringing their hands and crying the sky is falling we would all be better off.
Well said!
For interesting reading, check out this book.
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I have had trouble exchanging bills with writing on them or corners missing. At least it allowed me to come back to America with some cash.
4th DUI
in General Visa Discussion & First Steps
Posted
Amen to that! I seldom post here but felt compelled to do so after reading this.
Good ole Bob needs some help. The difficulty one has when bringing a Chinese woman to this country needs to be dealt with using a clean, sober mind. It has yet to be seen whether Bob can straighten out his act but please don't place an unsuspecting person into the life of a person who is a habitual offender of the law. I'm not judging Bob but from my experience, people with 3 or 4 DUI's typically suffer from alcoholism and possibly other addictions along with having addictive personalities. The life for a person living with an alcoholic is not a pretty one. I think tsap seui has given excellent advice and those words speak with much wisdom. I sure hope they are considered and not pushed aside.
Best of luck to all involved.
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