ed and ying

We brought Ying's cat with us. It really was not much trouble. I think I have posted about this before, not sure. On the China side we had to go to vet authorized for export inspection, then go to the ministry of export qaulity or something and get the permit. The whole process took one day. We were in Beijing and did this in Beijing. We paid about $130 for the cat's ticket ( United) , he went in the cabin with us. I had used some of my miles for a upgrade to business, so we had plenty of room for the cat. On the US side it was easy, sort yes it is cat. Google traveling with pets, it will guide you to some good info. It is important to check with your airline and advise them ahead of time that you will be traveling with a pet. I did that when I was booking the tickets. ( The advising - I did the checking beforehand) It is a little more complicated if the pet is going as checked luggage (not in cabin) They will not tranport the pet if the carrier, food/water, etc. and conditions do not meet the requirements. We did not use in any drugs, etc. The cat complained at first about being in the carrier, but once on board he was fine. We checked on him every so often, he did not want any food or water. BTW, I am really glad we brought Suncat with us. He is part of our family and is a bit different than USA cats.

Conrats to all and Best Wishes !!

If at all possible try to go to Xi'an. I have been there twice, the first on business, our potential customer stopped our meeting mid afternoon to take us to the warriors. We had to work late into the night , but it was worth it. The second visit was for pleasure. In addition to the warriors , there is good museum and other sights. It is easy to get to Xi'an from Beijing by air or rail. On the last visit we stayed at the Bell Tower hotel, right across the street from the Bell Tower and near some great restaurants, and just a short walk from the Muslim Quarter

We have talked about visiting Yunnan, at this time it looks like one or both of us will be going to Shanghai in November for the Masters Cup

Ying has been working on getting her GED. The first step was to take a evaluation test. The main area she needs work on is English reading and comprehension. She has been taking classes at the local community college to improve that. She is also taking some general GED prep classes. Civics was included, so she had some exposure to our governmental process. She earned a certificate stating that she has passed this part of the GED. So far these classes have been no cost to us. Ying is looking forward to starting college soon.

I have been here awhile and seen many "fads" go by. You need to do this or do this. The only constant is that there is no real process or consistency. Just accept that there is no transparency, we are just quessing at what they doing and what the motives are. I would not assume there is a formula for winning. Over the long haul; the best approach appears to be: meet the minimum requirements, demonstrate as best as possible a relationship and hope for the best. Do the "extra's" that put your mind at peace that you have done the best. There is no formula ! For example - I may think that the 2 year wait before we filed the I-129F and my dozen or so vists helped our case - I would not suggest that is what anyone else should do. I was sweating bullets until she came down with the approval, the last one down for that morning

Congrats and Best Wishes !!!

Per the OP's experience, if you retain a attorney, you better be ready to double check them, which means you do the the same work as them. In that case why would you hire a attorney ? This is not difficult. No one will look after your own situation better than yourself !! I think you will find most folks will say it is best to do it yourself unless you have some special situation.

Congrats and best wishes !!!!

To quote Ed McMahon: "I did not know that." This may be something new ? Way back when we were at GUZ, the location had just moved from Shamain Island. There were no tracking numbers available. You showed up at the PO office and hoped for the best. I am looking at our "red" sheet, it says call 11185 for info on your visa. That was a joke, you just hoped the visa was there when you went to pick it up. Ying's interview was on the Wed 19th, so we could pickup her visa on Saturday morning the 22nd. Her visa was there and we depated to the airport for our flight back to BJ. Before departing we tried to help some Chinese folks whose visa had been denied, but we were as helpless and clueless as what to do.

My letter from a large multinational corporation was addressed "To whom it may concern" About three sentences stating my position, how long I was employed and current status ( full time management) with a call if you have any questions closing. It was printed on company letterhead and signed by a HR administrative assistant. If you have a letter that covers the basics, you should be fine

Got the email this morning advising 10 year card was ordered. No interview. This approval was exactly two years ( to the day) from AOS approval

This is almost ancient history, but I knew Ying for almost 2 years before we went for K1 in 2005, because that was the shortest timeline at that time

Congrats and Great News !!

Let's hope they have added some additional infrastructure to support the actual flying. For years I have flown United from Beijing to Chicago. The return flight leaves late in the afternoon. Listening in on Channel 9 it was interesting to hear the tower request advisement that the departing flight had cleared the runway. They could not see the end of the runway due to air quality and I assume had no other capability to determine that the plane was in the air

Lots of dumplings. Wow we had dumplings tonight also. We had dumplings last night Sorry to stomp on your post Dave

Great News Dave !!! especially the no interview part I always thought us Mid-America folks were under appreciated. Best Wishes to both of you ed and Ying

This is second time we have been transferred to CSC, it was good the first time (approved without interview). We are hoping it is good the second time.

Yingxia has no English name, her AKA is Ying

It is best you just do what they want. It took us about 12 hours time over a few days to produce our I-751 submission. Not a big deal!

Congrats !!! We are sending our I-751 petition on Monday

I second Jim's response, the validity of a torn document is not so important - do you have a relationship that you want to continue and will make both of you happy and satisfied

Ying had never driven a car. She started reviewing the " Rules of Road" in Beijing. Once here, when I was driving I would relate the rules to the real world. Ying passed the written test on first try. I got her used to starting, stopping, turning - get the feel of the car in a parking lot. We progressed to local roads, but she was timid to do what I said - go faster, etc. We hired a pro for 3 lessons. The instructor forced her to do what she did not want to do ( pushing her leg on the gas pedal) Something I could not do. The instructor also familarized her with what would be required on the test. The pro pushed her over the edge, so practicing with me would be effective. Ying passed the drivers test on first try back in April. She is doing well, the learning process is not over - snow season is approching

You will be comfortable with the import process - like the visa process - pay money and jump through hoops

Ying had worked regular jobs and run her own business ( a few) in China. Her desire once here in the USA was to sell stuff from China in the USA. She worked to get this ready prior to departure. She also does some value added work, making pearl necklaces and such. She sells items on Ebay and local markets. She has had some success, not as much as she had hoped. It is not a disaster, just not as big as she had hoped. I provide support and encouragment. Too her credit she has not not given up and is looking at new angles. I have had to provide a lot of assistance on navigating and compliance with all the regulations and rules we have in the USA. - Running a small business in China is much simpler