Carl

Whenever we decide to go to China, Ying calls a travel agency in Houston's Chinatown. She always manages to get great tickets at a cheap price. If you have your spouse talk to them, you will get tickets at a cheaper rate. For an additional fee they will process your visa with the Chinese Consulate in Houston. PM me for details if interested.

Here are some updates on the process. 1-27-2009 N-400 recieved by National Benefits Center 2-24-2009 Biometrics at San Antonio USCIS Application Center. Our future plans have also changed slightly. I won't be eligible for retirement until I turn 56, which will be 2012. So for now I will be staying at the VA till I retire.

just wondering why have to wait for 2 weeks to do the step by step? or you can do it anytime after arrived to the states? I'm not sure if we waited two weeks, but when I took Ying to get her SSN, the lady there said that the INS had yet to updated the files, so instesd she treated Ying's request as a new application for a SSN. She had her card within a week. When she got her card, I was had a chuckle when I saw the last four number of her SSN. My last four is 2866, her's was 2688. Our government never ceases to amaze me.

Trap, when you refile, pay special attention to section D-2 where they ask if you filed before, make sure they know in no uncertain terms that they KNOW that the woman which they determined you did not have a bonified relationship with, has been living with you for X number of years. Really stick it in their face that they messed up. As far as being in China, my wife has ben after me to retire from the VA once I get past the 20 year mark for government service and we have paid in what I would have during my military time had I paid into the retirement account. Once we get that done, if I haven't yet gotten a better position, she wants me to retire and move to China and teach English in her home city. We might just see you there.

I call Bank of America every time Ying and I go to China, give them the card #s and how long we'll be there. Whenever we need to hit an ATM I always look for a China Construction Bank. BofA has an ownership stake in the bank I can draw funds from their ATM with no extra charges.

Ying sent her application packet this last Thursday (January 22). She sent it with a return reciept. The plan now is that once she gets her citizenship and I sometime after I go over 20 years government service I retire and we move to China. She wants me to retire while I am still healthy and young enough to enjoy it. She also says I can teach English in China and make more than what I am making now. Soon we will be done with USCIS, green cards and the emmigration process.

Ying said that didn't ask her anything. Just took her packet, stamped her passport and said, "Welcome to the United States...NEXT!!!!"

The premier Asian market in San Antonio is: Tim's Oriental & Seafood Mkt 7015 Bandera Rd, #5 San Antonio, TX 78238 (210) 523-1688 He has a good selection and great prices. He is also the main supplier for Chinese restaurants South Texas

My first trip in 2004 I flew United out of Austin to San Francisco to Beijing and back to San Francisco- Denver- San Antonio.. The plane and food was ok, the movies was ok, and the beer was free. Whenever we go to China Ying calls a Chinese travel agency in Houston and always seems to score cheap tickets. Ying and I flew from San Antonio- Newark - Beijing and back on Continental on October, 2006 on Continental. Going between Newark to Beijing the plane left on time and wasn't filled so we had enough empty seats that Ying could lie down. The food was ok but if you wanted a drink you had to pay for it. I came back about two weeks before Ying but was delayed out of Beijing so I missed my connections to San Antonio. Continental did put me up in a hotel and issued me some meal tickets. When Ying came back she too missed her connectins and was put up in a hotel. Our third trip was in April, 2008 from San Antonio to Los Angeles on United and from Los Angeles to Seoul to Yanji, China on Asiana. Our return trips was that same route and the planes were on time. Asiana was a very good airline. The food was good, the movies was good, were were able to go straight to her home city and avoid the zoo in Beijing and the beer and wine was free and available with and between meals. On the trip back from Seoul to LAX Asiana provided a package with some socks, a mask a tooth brush and toothpaste. United was good, but what was free in 2004 might cost us now. Continental was ok, but I was not all that impressed. Asiana was a very good airline and had good service and took us where we wanted to go and back on time.

Today Ying got her 10 year card in her married name. We filled out the I-751 in her married name, included a copy and translation of our marriage certificate and a copy of her social security card (which we applied for in her married name when she first arrived.

Today Ying's 10 year card finally arrived today 29 days after we got written notice (we were told 30 days) that the card was approved and three months after the interview where we were told it was approved and would get the card in six to eight weeks. Now we have some breathing time and can take our time applying to her citizenship.

were your letters from family and friends sworn affidavits? We had an RFE because I didn't send any affidavits. even after I sent the affidavits with more evidence we still had to have an interview because two of the affidavits didn't have a phone #. Because both worked at the VA hospital I gave him the number there. He also asked about Ying's deceased son. The three posts below are a synops of the interview process we had to go through with the final SNAFU that we had to correct. Now we have it in writing that she was approved and will have her green card with in 30 days (now it is about 14 or so). candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=31906&hl= candleforlove.com/forums/index. #420099 candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=33216 If you get stuck with another impolite gov't employee you going to unleash Senator Dole on him again? I still rememder your story about that and still chuckle over that and say GOOD!

I just got a letter from the HR department on official letterhead that I was a full time employee since such and such date and my annual salary was XX,XXX.XX a year and my tax returns for the last year and tax transcripts for the previous two years a lady at the IRS office in was nice enough to send me for free after she asked memy SSAN and address.

Last weekend I sent an angry letter to the to the USCIS office in San Antonio asking why after being told that our case was approved there suddenly was no record of approval in the computer. Today we got a letter from the San Antonio office that since the date they recieved the letter (9/24/2008) they have approved her case and sent the approval notice on 9/29/2008. We have yet to get the notice, but at least I have it IN WRITING that it has been approved. They state she will have her new card within 30 days.

Silly me for thinking that the USCIS finally had its S##T together. It has been 8 weeks since Ying had her interview and the guy said it was approved. I called the USCIS hotline and after being transferred to somebody who could look things up he said that it WASN"T approved. I almost exploded, but realized it was not this guys fault. He said he was sending an e-mail to the San Antonio office asking why nothing has been done after it was supposedly approved in the computer. He said to wait 30 days then if we don't have anything to either call them or get an INFOPASS. I am going to send off another ANGRY to the San Antonio office and may send a "courtesy copy" to the head of USCIS complaining about their incompetence. I know I will be calling them at least every few days to see if they do get their act together. Ying wants to sue them, but I am not sure we can sue the government for gross incompetence.......Can we?

One thing I am looking for is a list of documents you can submit with the N-400 as additional evidence. If anybody has a suggestive list I would be grateful as I am sure others would be.

Which one would you reccomend. It just so happens my degrees are in History and Social Sciences so I would have no trouble getting Ying ready for either one, but I want her do whatever one is best for her.

The honest truth is that the US was the only country that had a truly amature team (all college players). Most other countries at the time had a "National Team" that had played together for in some cases for years. I know the Soviet team were all officers in the Soviet military and I am sure many other countries had similar instances. Which was true of many other teams fielded in many other sports. After years of paying lip service to the 'amateur' label the IOC finally admitted that it should be best athletes, no matter their status.

Ying and I just got back from her interview for her 10 year green card. It took about 20-25 minutes with most of it the officer and I BS'ing about Govenment jobs and how I should consider switching to the USCIS and probably get a big raise. He did have the blistering letter I wrote after I had gotten the first interview date which was mailed from Mesquite almost three weeks after the scheduled date. he said it was proof he needed to show his managers that the system still has serious problem that need to be fixed. The only things he needed for Ying's file was phone #'s of two of the people I had for Ying's affidavits, luckily both work at the Kerrville VA hospital, so I gave him the hospital #. The other was a question about children, we gave him the approximate date Peter had passed and that was it. He approved it in the computer, said she should have her new card in about six to eight weeks, complained about the redundancy of having the do the paperwork file, but he promised to have it done before close of business today. So it looks like this phase of the process has finally been successfully completed. Next on the agenda is citizenship, which will be started late thhs year, early next.

We got RFE'd because I forgot to supply three affidavits. I sent them almost as soon as I got them with copies of our lease, letter from our bank and my tax returns back to when Ying first came here and we still have to go to an interview next week....Go figure

i want to thank you guy's very much for putting my mind at ease For the past few years nearly all AOS cases transferred to CA ended up getting their green card WITHOUT an interview! Except for us, we have an interview in San Antonio on July 29th.

Yep, in the Yanji is the capital of the "Korean Autonomous Prefecture" with a large Korean population, so by law all businesses have to have signage printed in Chinese and Korean. Most businesses also have English for us laoweis and a few even have Russian.

http://premium1.uploadit.org/Caseyorourke//OH-WHERE-OH-WHERE-HAS-MY-LITTLE-DOG-GONE-1.jpg Saw this in Yanji. No I did not go in nor did I enquire about what breeds were on the menu.

I almost asked what they wanted.....pictures of us in bed together? Not worried, I just want it all to be over.... Ying wants to apply for citizenship as soon as she is eligible. So that is next on the agenda

We finally got the interview date for her 10 yr green card. Initially I was concerned because we got an I-797 that was printed on May 16 telling us we had an interview schedules for June 6th, We recieved the notification on JUNE 20TH (it was mailed JUNE 18th), but the kicker is we was there on June 12th to get the status of our case and the officer we talked to said no appointment was scheduled. I immeadietly called the USCIS info line explained the problem to the operator who referred me to an immigration officer. Both were dumbfounded and incredulous by this, but the immigration officer told me to send copies of the I-797, the envelope with the mailing date, a copy of the June 12 appointment and a cover letter expressing our disgust at this and ask them how they expect us to show up at an appointment if we are notified after the fact and demand that they reschedule as soon as possible. I mailed the letter and copies to the USCIS office in San Antonio on June 23rd, but on June 25th I had a letter from the San Antonio office with an appointment on July 29th. I think our letters passed each other in the mail, but maybe it will be a wake up call to them to pay attention to what they are doing and how their mistakes affect others.