Carl

My wife took care of all the translations in China. I don't know how much she paid. I looked into it here in Texas and they told me that they charged somethimg like $0.50 per word, but birth certificates or marriage liscences would probably run about $50. As for documents that need to be translated, a good rule of thumb is that any documents printed in Chinese need to be translated, but remember that the translation also needs to be accompanied by a statement from the translator that they are fluent in both Chinese and English and the name of their company.

1) You have a remote? 2) I'm on a diet. 3) The TV is hardly ever off. 4) By order of the wife....PAJAMAS (maybe my pink pajamas) WILL NEVER BE WORN IN OUR BED!!!! 5) That's what the couch is for.

Pingme, Let me add my welcome to the site. You will find this website a wealth of information and an invaluable support group. I wish you the best of luck, but sometimes all you can do is....."PULL DOWN YOUR PANTS AND SLIDE ON THE ICE."

America has had more of an impact on the world than you could ever suspect. I was talking to a Canadian friend the other day and he told me that he had a visit from an old acqaintence from France. He said he expected Canada to be a country of "FRENCH CULTURE, BRITISH POLITICS and AMERICAN TECHNOLOGY" but instead he found Canada to be a country of "FRENCH POLITICS, BRITISH TECHNOLOGY and AMERICAN CULTURE." When I was in China my wife told me that the younger Chinese go absolutely crazy for anything American, especially T-shirts or clothing acessories (they consider it a status symbol). Finally, no matter where you go in the world, you can count on seeing American television programs (they are recognizable even when translated into local language). Most times these programs are their only source of information of what life in America (most times the wrong information) is like. So while we may be a young country in the scheme of the world, our culture has had more effect on the entire world than you can imagine. Just my two cents worth.

Tell your parents that you will be perfectly safe in China. While our governments may have their differences, the Chinese people are great hosts, and will treat you with the utmost respect. I traveled to China back in June and had a great time. Your GF will see to it you will never be alone or in a situation where you will be in trouble. Because you are an American the average Chinese will be more curious about you, but will not embarass you by staring or making you feel uncomfortable. As long as you don't do anything stupid, the Chinese police will bother you, but rather go out of their way to help you should you need it. If you or your family have any specific questions, please feel free to contact me or anybody else here and we can aleviate any of their reservations.

Sometimes I wonder if our government is a case of the right hand not knowing what the left one is doing?

Carl, Remember, if she wants anything that goes KABOOM, you have to go accross the river, and hope that the OSP don't catch you on the way back....

My wife is a Rooster (1969) and I am a Monkey (1956). We got married in my year (2004), and it looks like we will be getting the visa in her year (2005). How cool is that? I think it is great.

I mailed my I-130 to the Texas Service Center on September 10th, It was reansferred to the California center on Sept 15th. I recieved my e-mail notification of the NOA2 on January 8th...... So that would be about 124 days for approval.....It did not seem that long in the long run, but any seperation from my wife is always torture.

Maybe it is the way it is done in Australia. It would be nice if our immigration department did the same thing, but it would make sense, save money and time, things our government is unable to do.....

the actual W-2's or will copies work?

Clear as mud.....

Not all of us will have to change....... I asked my wife if she wanted me to dye my hair (It is grey with some dark hairs), but she said no. She likes my hair just the way it is, she might prefer I grow it out some, but she said however I keep it is ok with her.

I went through all this some months ago, and you still need an Affidavit of Single Status to be married in China. You can get the format at the Chinese Embassy to the US website. You need the statement notarized and the notary further certified by your Secretary of State with an Apostitille. Once you have all this it needs to be sent to the Chinese consulate that serves your area and they need to certify and notarize it themselves. Once you have all these documents you will be free to marry in China. Read his post again. This is NOT what he's talking about. He does not intend to get married in China; his Chinese fiancee needs a certificate to show her marriage status at the interview for the US visa. The Chinese fiancee can get this quite easily at the local public records office. I haven't seen that, but I have seen the police certificate. It's more or less like a statement that the individual has never been arrested, etc. and can be obtained from the PSB. I know, I deleted the post myself

deleted by author....I misread the thread lead

Always good news to read a success story. Every one I read puts Ying amd me one day closer

Last night I talked to Ying and I mentioned some of the things you guys have said about after your wives have arrived in the states. She could not help but to laugh. She has promised me that she for one loves modern convience and will use all the machines we have available. She is especially looking forward to having an oven and learning how to bake, so I think I am going to become her guinea pig when she begins to experiement. I remember the advice my dad gave me years ago, eat it even if it is bad and tell her it was the best you ever ate .

When I mentioned the possibility of Ying teaching me Chinese when she got here, she refused, saying it is more important that I help her improve her English. Personally I think is is so when she gets mad at me she can swear at me in Chinese and I won't have a clue as to what she is saying except that she is mad at me .

I love it when Ying asks me a question about any phrases she has heard me use. Early on when we were communicating by instant messaging, webcam and audio chat, she heard me say "there we go" when we were fully connected. After she asked me what that meant she used it every time we connected after that and even used it when I visited her in China. Since then she has learned a few other phrases she has heard me use, some with a twist all her own. GAWD, YOU JUST GOTTA LOVE THESE WOMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well I work for the government too so I know what you mean. To bad they don't give us a professional courtesy.

If you decide to get married in China you will also need an Affidavit of Single Status. Getting it is not hard, just time consuming and there are a few hoops you need to jump through to get it. But once you do have it, the results are well worth it .

I was curious about what was 125% of the poverty levels for 2004 so I looked it up at the USCIS. Luckily I am well over the minimum amount for 2004 so I should have no problems when I file my I-864. For those who need to look it up for themselves, here is the link. 2004 Guidelines for 125% of Poverty Level Good luck to those who have already filed and those who are about to.

Thanks, It looks like the fee is still $65, and that is good.I for one don't need to wait for them to send me one. There is a guy on Visa Journey who has created an I-864 that you can fill out on your computer and then print it off. Since will soon be filing my 2004 taxes, I will be using them as one as one of the past three years, which will work out for me because I made more since 2002 than what I did in 2001

How much is the fee for the I-864. I looked at the DOS website and they listed $65.00, but they also listed the I-130 at $130.00 which we all know is outdated.

Count me in for one too. I am always looking for information on that subject.