lucaskeli

I've gotten a 1 year multiple entry visa twice. The first time I only had a fiance', but they let me have it. The 2nd time they asked for a copy of my marriage certificate. Both times I was at the Chinese consulate, one in San Francisco, and one in Houston.

I filed married jointly, and if you do this you must include your spouse's income in China, no matter what company she works for, as it is part of the requirement for filing jointly. I got a huge tax break for doing this, so it's usually very beneficial to file jointly if you are married.

Just wanted to let everyone know that my wife went to her CR-1 interview today in Guangzhou. She was one of the first 4 or 5 people in, and they asked her 3 questions: How we met, how many times I visited her, and what my job is. That was it, then they said congratulations, you passed and will given an interview, and to pick it up on Friday [2 days later]. Seems they had quite a few VO's, and everyone was finished interviewing by 10am or 10:30am. Lucas

Does anyone know of a case where a copy of the passport was not accepted, and they demanded a notarized copy? I sent my wife a copy, but it is not notarized.

Has anyone made a checklist of what to bring for the CR1 interview? My wife has her interview on August 3, and I want to put a checklist together. Thanks, Lucas

I"m not sure what you need to do, but I think if you inform them that you have a CR1 that is also at the Consulate, that they will change it from a K3 to CR1 interview. Please keep us informed on this, as this is the route I am also taking.

Yes, that is what we are doing as well. You can get in the interview queue by sending in P3, and then convert it to CR-1 assuming your CR-1 petition reaches the Consulate before your K3 interview.

I would cross the border to Shenzhen from Hong Kong, and then take a flight from Shenzhen to Guangzhou, as that will probably cost around $50 US. I wouldn't take the train myself. kdl

I just received the DS-230 from NVC, for the CR-1. My wife is in China. However, I was expecting to see the Chinese Supplemental Form, but it was not included, nor was it on the checklist. Did NVC stop sending this, or do you think they made a mistake? I could easily send one, if you think that it is necessary. Lucas

If I was in your shoes, I would make certain my interview was for the CR-1. So, if there's any way you can cause this to occur, I think that would save you alot of pain later on. You may want to contact the Consulate and ask them about this, as I've heard that someone else who had scheduled a K3 interveiw was able to change this to the CR-1 visa, as they had a CR-1 pending.

I would go with the CR1, as you will have much less to do when she comes to the U.S., and will save about $500 in processing this extra stuff.

All domestic flights inside China usually only allow 20kg. I've had to pay several times for exceeding this limit. Internationaly flights typically allow much more. Lucas

I just heard a rumor, that in China, when you have scheduled a K3 interview, if the Consulate has also received your I-130 CR-1 petition, that they will automatically convert your interview to one for a CR-1. Can anyone confirm or deny this? I was told this is specific to the U.S. Consulate in China. Lucas

I have a Nokia 6100, and it support Chinese language input. I use it with my wife who if from China. When I go to China, I simply use a China Mobile Sim card, and in the U.S., and AT&T sim card. There are hundreds of phones that support the Chinese language, and chances are in China she is already using a GSM phone, so she can easily get an Cingular Sim card and plan when she comes here. Lucas