lele

Most cities which have boarder crossings will have an E/E department. I do not know if nanning does, but they most certainly will in dongxing (on the boarder with Vietnam) which is not too far from you. If you need to do the exit/entrance thing, I would recommend getting a Vietnam visa before you go. It makes a great holiday, and people with Chinese passports who travel overland can get into Vietnam w/o a visa (so it can be a nice place to see when you are in Hanoi waiting for a new Chinese Visa). I would look into the employment route first however...

Wow! Now if the EWR to Beijing Flight can only be as cheap as the JFK to Beijing Flight is! It is even easier for those of us in the NE to get to (since JFK is packed and the A line has been damaged in a recent fire).

is that EAD really necessary since she's got SSN and found a job? Also i'm told technically K-1 holders are allowed to work anyway. not sure also if I can use my marriage name to apply AOS or have to be my passport name (maiden name)? Yes, but the K1 authorization ends after 90 days... If she wants to continue to work past that, she will have to have an EAD... Really? Boston can obtain one the same day? How??? Please share this with me if it is true!

Just like everything else in the capitalist world: Buyer beware!

There is ONE possible shortcut: get married in Hong Kong or in Thailand, and try to file through there. I do not know anyone who has done this, but the law *should* work. The problem is that in China, they seem to sit on applications and take nearly forever to process them. It is not too hard to find a contract with a Chinese company, if you are a skilled individual with a college degree or other skills that they are looking for. However, this route will require persistance and connections, especially if you can not yet speak any Chinese. Good Luck.

Ours is on the second. However, her aunt and uncle could both attend (and both are fluent in English). Not as good as *my* attending, but at least it can be someone... Or is it pointless for non US Citizens to attend? Can USC's who live in the area attend?

Definitely a must in Shanghai. My wife was called on day number 5 after my arrival through Pudong airport back in Sept. I always list our apartment address and her cell# on arrival. In the past I used to go to PSB after a few days and register no problem. In Sept. they wanted to fine me 500 RMB- a fine of 100 RMB a day. Also due to a prior post on this subject (post date in Sept) I asked TWO officers at 333 Wusong Shanghai Entry/Exit Bureau about this in Dec. VERY FIRM answer you have TWENTY FOUR HOURS TO REGISTER!. The only time I am not registered w/ the local PSB is following an extension issued by the E/E bureau. I believe that the computer at Pudong is tied into the local Shanghai PSB stations, There was NO other methods that would here generated the call from PSB asking my wife if I was there again. Even some smaller hotels in Shanghai require registration W/ PSB too. Likewise there was a quick hotel performed registration of ME in both Qingdao and Beijing. Hotel on the outskirts of Beijing called the room at 10PM and asked that I appear downstairs W/ Passport- not many Lao wais stay here. NYViking also has posted similar info also. Wow, your experiences are *far* different. I have only had to register in one city in China ever, and that was Xian. I have spent more than 3 weeks in Beijing w/o registering. I have lived in Chinese only places, no problem. In Qingdao and in Shanghai I stayed in private houses with people who live there, never a problem. Even during the SARS epidemic I never had a problem at all. Whether in minority regions or in large cities, in all of the 16 provinces I have been in, never a problem. In Shanghai, the hotel *did* share information on one of the occasions I stayed (and so the others, we stayed elsewhere), but I was never asked to see the police or show my ID. It is strange when I hear these stories... Am I just lucky, or are you guys just unlucky?

My darling just got her envelope back from the hospital and told me all about it about it a few hours ago. The paperwork clearly says that they are not required for the K1 visa at least, and hence it was not an issue. The doctor was professional, and although she had to wait for a long time to be seen, everything went smoothly and quickly once she was seen. I am not sure about the other visas however. I should inquire more at a later point, but I was just happy to hear that this part of the problem is over. Basically, you need to have the vaccinations completed somewhere through the AOS process (if you are doing the K1 visa route). I have read up on all of those papers, but since my darling's interview is in one week, I have not ever filed them, so hopefully someone else can comment on that.

It seems to depend on the city and the length of time staying. I never had to register in the city in which my darling's Hukou is listed, even though I stayed at her home. However, they *do* require registration if you are working there or staying for more than a 30 day period (I think it is 30 days, but it may just be the length of a visit or stay). In terms of property however, I have a few questions: What does one need to do to obtain both names on the property? And once both names are on it, can the foreigner set up a "hukou" or obtain a residence permit? Lastly, if I have been offered a job for a short period of time, but with a high salary, what type of visa would I need? Would it matter if we lived in such a house given above, or would that not be relevant to the question at hand? Thanks all!

Great point!!! wo xiang wode laopo! wo bishu dian hua ta... zaijian lala

We got two in our P4 which arrived now 3 weeks ago. However, one was in English and the other in Chinese. Be careful though, on the Chinese one, the question about past employment is *different* than on the English one. Not a huge difference, and possibly just a translation error, but different none-the-less.

Mari, It is *possible* but extremely difficult to get a B visa and a K visa at the same time. There are some from EU or Wealthy nations who are turned away, and these people usually can just come on TWOV. It is possible, and I would try, but it is not likely, because of the 10-foot pole issue (if you marry once here, he could stay, if you file for AP before the visa runs out). It may be easier for you to meet in a *neutral* location somewhere, or go back to China. *sigh* Good Luck! I am hoping to hear good news from you soon...

I *used* to use a website. However, now I use a very specific travel agent located in a new up and coming chinatown in NJ, near NYC. I have referred others from here to there. I *know* that you can get a direct flight from NYC to HK, non stop, round trip, for about US$720. However, I am not sure how much it is to get from where you are to NYC. It *may* be cheaper to go a different way. However, if this price sounds good to you, if you PM me, I can send you the travel agent's details. The same agent just booked a 1-way ticket back for my darling, all of the way, for only US$495 (not a bad price considering there is an internal flight first that is required, and on the street, the tickets were going for about 4500RMB (about 550$US). @@@@Well Lele, care to share any more details here? I am a little skeptical in that I HAVE JUST paid $430 at FlyChina (All inclusive price) for a one way from LAX to Shanghai (Flt. date 2-28-05) and was priced the same for the return. (Oh, and we found about the same price of 4,400 RMB in Shanghai while I was there.) The agents that I use own a partial stock in air china. Hence, on any air china flight that they have, I can get a rock-bottom price. I have asked: the ticket from LA to Shanghai or Beijing is the same price: RTX 560$US, one way 380$US. From NYC to Shanghai or Beijing: RTX $740, One Way $495. That is right, one way, either direction, from Beijing/Shanghai to JFK in NYC is the same $495. I know because it is the flight that my darling and I have booked for her to come here shortly after a soon-to-be (we hope!) visa issuance! I have referred others to them before, but I will only do so if I trust the person and they PM me to ask for details...

Wow! This is *highly* unusual. I gather from posts that I have read that your family is quite wealthy (your being able to travel outside of China for quite some time). However, for so many family members to simultaneously be issued a B visa, seems unusual. Could you please share the details with us? Congrats again!

This means that you should go via my contact company. They are always able to get the exact same tickets as fly china, but at 100-150$/ticket cheaper. Once I realized that they are the company that is a partial owner in fly china, it made sense to me...

Tong Yi (except I thought that Vietnam was also extremely safe...)

I traveled *alone* through china for my 1st month, before I met my darling! I have traveled with her through China since for more than 3 months. From what we have seen (we have been in 16 different provinces in China now for at least 3 days each), it is *far* safer than the US to travel in. The rate of VIOLENT crime is far lower, and the rate of this towards foreigners is almost unheard of. Although theft is high in large cities, or on trains/busses, it is not too bad if you are careful (and still on par with large cities in the US). I had an amazing time before I met my darling, and an even better time afterwards. I saw amazing cites that do not exist in the US, including historical cites ranging 5000 years (some in good shape, some already known by tourists, and others not known, or in poor shape). If you can speak **any** Chinese at all, people will go out of their way to help you in MOST PARTS of China (I found Shanghai, Hangzhou, Shaoshing, and Guangzhou to be the four exceptions). I have been offered so many free dinners, in exchange for some friendly conversation in so many places. I have been given free transportation to places (such as to and from xuenkongsi, just because my darling and I told them interesting stories of our travels, we saved about 150RMB and maybe 6 hours of time), and I have found of places never before that I could have imagined. Where will you be going? Do you want some help as to places to visit? If you want to hear some horror stories, I can share about my time in Thailand, in New York City (even though I was BORN near there), in the Netherlands, etc. I only was only ever two times talked to by police, except for in the airport at customs (and at customs each time they were respectful, fast, and quite nice). The first was when I was lost and asked for directions, and the second was when I accidently went through the wrong door (an exit, rather than entrance), and did not yet learn to read the two signs. As a foreigner, she pointed this out to me, and I excused myself, and walked around and went through the other door. I have never seen a person getting beaten up by the police (although I am sure it happens, but in the US it happens far more often). The fact is that many people have prejudices about China, especially if they have not been there themselves. There are problems, definitely, but I feel, after living in and around NYC, they are easy enough to deal with, if you have patience, learn quickly, and are willing to be open-minded. PM me if you have any specific questions! I hope that you can teach your family as much as you learn while there.

I *used* to use a website. However, now I use a very specific travel agent located in a new up and coming chinatown in NJ, near NYC. I have referred others from here to there. I *know* that you can get a direct flight from NYC to HK, non stop, round trip, for about US$720. However, I am not sure how much it is to get from where you are to NYC. It *may* be cheaper to go a different way. However, if this price sounds good to you, if you PM me, I can send you the travel agent's details. The same agent just booked a 1-way ticket back for my darling, all of the way, for only US$495 (not a bad price considering there is an internal flight first that is required, and on the street, the tickets were going for about 4500RMB (about 550$US).

I think that all of the holidays are FUN!!!!

Or you can get her chocolate? Or better yet, cook something very special! If you want, I can give you my recipe for double chocolate surprise cake. The people in my old University Coop loved the stuff (and it has enough alcohol in it that even if it were NOT REALLY GOOD, you would still be having a great time anyway)!

Jewelry makes a great gift...but on this one, it is far cheaper to obtain while *IN* China. This way, you can get one that she likes too!

In Beijing, the EMS should deliver faster than that. You can definitely wait a few days, but I would ask them to re-send it anyway. Given the time it takes for them to read the emails, it may already be that same few days. Good Luck.

It seems that RMB denomination debit cards are being accepted in more places: now in thailand, s. korea, and singapore. It seems that maybe *having* some RMB around is not a bad idea anymore. Take a look... http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-02/...ent_2577416.htm

I posted a direct link to the Hong Kong immigration website a few months ago. Just go there, and read the rules carefully. I can not remember which rule it was (I think 14), but it clearly spells out that your SO CAN, if they follow the proper set of rules and have the proper papers with them. Just do a search for my user name and Hong Kong immigration (or something like that).

Wow! So this may be dependent on the route. I read through the i-485 and the i-864 forms. It seems to say that they want a copy of the tax statements from the past 3 years, and the w2's. However, for me to be in compliance with the 125% of the minimum, at least for 2 years ago and 3 years ago, I also need to include the income on the 1099's (from this year I will not need that extra bonus). I am in one of the myriad of states that is supposed to mail to the Chicago lock-box location. Thanks for the help everyone!!!