markndannie

i just got 4 emails from dhs saying my I-130 was approved 4/27/05 and a letter sent. I got an approval letter from them back in january. and it was sent to the NVC. my I-129 was sent in nov 2 and i received a 797 for it and nothing ever happened from that. I guess this is just another example of the governments inefficiency! Sheees! mark

congratulations Roger and Lu Li, better start cleaning! You are driving to LA? Have a safe trip. Now your life and training begins. Will email you later. mark and dannie

oh yes. I have already asked the wife what i should bring and what they would like. When i went there at christmas i brought three nba basketballs for my new nephews. I should have looked at the labels... they were made in China! I think i lost a littlle bit of face then. Mark

hey Mark, i just sent my I-864 last week with w2's irs form 3032, 1099's and all schedules etc for the last three years, also the last 2 months pay stubs and a letter from my employer. Take no chances!! Gentlemens bet with time for customs delay at least late october. I will be in China about that time, how about a cold one I'd say 50 days! lol mark

this probably has been discussed before. I have read a little about face and it importance in Chinese culture, and my wife has told me about its importance in China. There are many subtleties to this part of chinese culture, and though we tend to play it down i know it is important for our SO's. Care to share any stories of your experiences with "face"?? mark

hey squid check nwa they have some great fares right now till may 6th. I got mine in June with a six month return Fresno to shanghai for 1070 on NWA. also check out the best travel store they have some of the best fares! good luck Mark

We are going to Guilin in June. I too love China, no stress, friendly people, good values, inexpensive and so much too see! And the food ahhhhh the best! I can live very comfortably there on social security, something I cannot do here in the states. I think China will become a very favorite tourist attraction in the coming years, esp around the olympics. Once we get our visa then we can live and travel in both places. I will definetly check out Guilin. mark

from one submariner to another congratulations! mark

James thank you so much. Appreciate it mark

since there are not too many cr1's i was wondering what the p3 packet contains since it is sent to NVC and not GZ. I know it has the 230 part 1, and maybe a supplemental form, and also is there another 0f-169? Any recent cr1 can you tell me what you received in your p3 packet from NVC? Thanks Mark

Congratulations, now your life can begin!!!!! mark and dannie

Congratulations Bandj and Nie Dong, thanks for the interview brief and best wishes on your new life together mark

Yes the CR1 process is or feels so long. I should get my AOS this week, and hopefully the p3 this month too. My house is on the market and i hope to be together with my wife in China until she gets her visa. Life is too short to be apart, now that i have found the one true love of my life. If I have to live in china then so be it. I know it will still be another 6 or 7 months the way things are going, so i will soon be on my way. I wish i could offer some words of encouragement, when I read some of the posts about seperation i am very moved. Lets hope that the process wil get improved and know that it will end someday and your life will be complete. mark

eat healthy drink red wine you can't quit smoking walk more what was your blood sugar honey? love this woman mark i have put on weight now that I have been married. Before diabetes i was 210, got down to 138 looked terrible! now i am very healthy at 190, all cos of my wife I am sure. Have another beer honey...its ok!

My wife is a great cook. She has adapted many Chinese dishes so that they are better for my diabetes. I have taught her how to make some american dishes, hamburgers, popcorn, slow cooking. She has bought a cookbook and will go and learn some of my favorite restraunt dishes from the cooks there. Her family thinks she is the best cook, and will always ask her to cook those wonderful dishes. This is making me hungry just thinking about it. mark

i sent a double sided 230 to my wife, she had a friend help her with the telegraphic codes and she can get them at the post office also. I would use the one they sent or make it double sided. Did it have a bar code on it? mark

Lucas, I think you need the supplemental form. It provides the info to send the p4 to your wife in China. Use the one that is returned with the 230 to the NVC. I think you can get it from links and resources here. I would also call the NVC and talk with someone there. Mark

Steve, I just paid my IV bill to the NVC. Now it is 380$, sounds like you will have to pay the additional 45$ only. Mark

thanks don but it has some yellow bars and even with the color turned off on the printer at work it still shows up. Maybe so we don't use it.....arggggggg mark

the latest 230 on the web has the colored bars and is a fillable form. Does anyone have a clean copy of the latest version? i would like to print it out without the shaded areas showing up. thanks Mark

well i have been waiting 5 months and still have not gotten my I864 or IV bill yet (NVC says IV bill will be mailed in the next few weeks) so I will wait for the bill, wait for the 864 and then wait for the p3. Send the 230 to my wife then she will send it. When will my case be complete?, is that the p3 date? or is it when we get the p3 packet? Then i have to wait for her interview. Am I looking at least 6 or 7 more months? Our priority date is oct 21, 2004. I think i will just stay in china with my wife, that is if i can get permission from military to stay there. mark

I bought a phone to use in China also. They included a power supple that I could use in China. I never worked, so i went to a phone store there and bought a 220v one for my phone. Never plug a 110v power supply into 220. Check to see what the input voltage rating is on the power supply they gave you. Radio shack has an adapter for plugging in 110 us style and can be used anywhere in the world (almost). I bought one for 25 bucks and it works fine in China for phone, camera and portable DVD player, etc. Hope this helps mark

I have been thinking about this for quite awhile. The visa process is quite broken. 3 months or more to get an application approved through the service center (like CSC). A month to get the papers to the NVC. For us CR1's we wait for the AOS bill, send the bill and then wait for the I864. Then wait for the IV bill. Can't use the forms on the website. Then mail the forms back and wait again. Then they send you the 230 pt 1 but only use the one they send (i think it has an invisible ink mark on it so they know). We then send the form to our wife, she fills it out and then returns it to NVC. Then we wait for case completed and they send to GUZ. Now we wait for clearance and entering into the computer. Okay so now 7 months have gone by and we still have to wait for the P4 for some months again. We need to improve this process also!!!! My thoughts on this: 1. Let the petioner use the on line forms so they can be filled out ahead of time and be ready to send. 2. Let the petioner pay all of the fees at one time and do it online. What is with the 25 business days to wait for the AOS fee is paid? 3. Get an 800 number and on line case status for the NVC and keep it current. Provide the petioner with tracking data. 4. Make some of the forms available to fill out on line. 5. GUZ should post on line the interview dates for the month by case number (the US embassy in India does this) 6. Start processing IV's at all of the consulates 7. Allow the USC to be present during the interviews Okay lets get some other good ideas and suggestions, then put them together and send it to whoever we can. Mark

I agree with all of the previous posts. There are many members here some with their SO's here and many waiting. The letter is only stating the facts, and unless the people in charge become aware of the problems nothing will change. In many cases the top supervisors are not aware of the problem and until they are informed nothing will get done, ie the government way..do your job, don't make waves and you can retire in time. Numbers speak loudly and will shake the tree. I am only half way there (I hope) but iI see that this process is really broken. I recently wrote a letter to the DOS Immigration omnisbud about the visa process through the NVC. If more of us would write letters that are factual and non flaming, along with suggestions for improvements then maybe the system will get fixed. Lets get some more letters going to the DOS and to the press. Ask your relatives to help in this campaign. It will help. Yes it takes an effort, but I for one do not think that this will cause any special treatment or problems for any of the signers. Spending a year or more is wrong and most of the public is unaware of how long this process takes. So get on your puter and send the signature page. Ask your family to sign the letter also. I am emailing my friends and family this weekend to ask them to participate. Please lets get together and make a difference Mark

i have used the bt store for all of my flights, they are the best mark