Mick

"Have I totally lost my mind, or what?" I'd say so.

Congrats and best wishes.

well, I finally got the answer I have been looking for!!!!! called DOS this morning and we are now scheduled for an APRIL 20TH interview!!!!!!!!!!! I couldn't believe my ears!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH CAN IT REALLY BE TRUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 199441[/snapback] Well, that's great news, indeed. Good luck with the interview!

I am not sure of all the legalities involved here. However, the fact that they are sending her back does not bode well. Chances are, if she is married, she will have to go through the entire visa process for a marriage based visa. That could take awhile and there is no guarantee of approval. In a case like this, a lawyer might not be a bad idea. Also, is there any way her family can join her in China while she waits this out?

Li has also watched WWE and didn't think much of it. Of course, the Springer episode she saw wasn't much different.

Fantastic news, indeed. Congrats.

Congrats Thomas!!!!! When is she heading for the States?

Congrats Robert!!! Please give Ping Ping our regards.

In boston. Someone who lives in the next town over, still in MA, only about 10 minutes from us will be going to Hartford, CT 197383[/snapback] I can relate! The Alabama/Tennessee state line runs right through the middle of the town where we live. We live less than a half-mile into Tennessee. If we moved 3/4 of a mile south, we would have had to go to Atlanta rather than Memphis. In fact, when we first returned to the States from China, we lived on the Alabama side. Our initial paperwork for AOS was filed in Atlanta. When we moved, because we crossed the state line, our case was transferred to Memphis.

Li and I are entering our ninth year together and our relationship is stronger and our love deeper than ever. With that said, I can say that our first year was somewhat stressful, with more that a few disagreements. I think these conflicts stemmed from several sources. First, I was living in an alien country and didn't have a clue as to the language, a major stressor in and of itself. Second, there were the normal cultural differences about love, marriage, trust, etc. Third, we are both Taurus and stubborn as mules (well, considering the recent thread on mules, maybe that is not the right term ). Still, we made it through that period I think because we were both willing to go the extra mile and we love each other and were committed. We faced additional stress from Li's friends and family, who were not thrilled about her taking up with a foreign devil. Still, with much patience, we got through that as well. The 19 month hassle of the visa process was no picnic either. Three years ago we came to America, Li got pregnant, now there are three of us. More stress. Yet through all of this, since the first year, our disagreements have been few and far between. Whenever we do have an argument, it is rarely over a big issue. More often than not one of us is just over-tired from either work or the demands of raising a toddler. Usually, if things get a little heated, and they rarely do, we just back off and maybe go for a walk or go to separate rooms to chill out. Better that than escalate. About the only sage advice I can offer is as follows: I have learned that more often than not, it is more important to be kind than it is to be right.

Wow! Great summary David and I am sure it will be helpful to many who follow you. I am still amazed at the detailed your interview was. As I mentioned in another thread, ours was very brief and over before we knew it. Also, you mentioned that you were sworn in. We were not. Interesting. Where did you have your interview?

Sometimes it just amazes me how many blunders these folks at USCIS can make. If I recounted the screw ups in our case from start to where we are now, I swear it would fill a novel. I know they are overworked and under a lot of pressure, but still, the foul ups are sometimes beyond belief. I agree with what others have said. Put your resubmission in order, then go after them about the mess up.

Congrats David! Now just sit back and enjoy for the next 21 months! It is interesting to me how different these types of interviews are. Ours was not nearly as detailed as yours. Start to finish, maybe eight minutes tops. No probing questions, didn't even look at the paperwork very much. Of course, we had a seven-month old daughter crawling all over his office. That may have had something to do with the brevity.

David, I have been interersted in, and have studied, these sorts of things for a long time. Particularly the effects of meditation, qi gong and taiji quan on both the brain and cellular activities in the body. I am a writer, not a scientist, but I think that most of the recent publications on this subject really bring together spirituality, biology, biochemistry and, to a great degree, quantum physics. I have practiced meditation for almost 35 years now. I try to do it daily. With a 22-month old at home, it is sometimes difficult these days. However, if I miss doing it for three days, say, I can really tell a difference. Looks like a great book.

I am far from an expert on this, but my understanding is that there is little flexibility regarding K1 and AP. I think she will need it. Our AP came back within 30 days if I remember correctly. If at all possible, I would say hang in there and wait. I think there is some provision for emergency AP, but I don't know the requirements. Maybe Frank, Don or Warpedbored can help.

Great news, indeed. Keep coming around. Folks early in the pipeline need to hear your experiences and those waiting for AOS as well.

My advice would be to check with the Immigration Office where your case is being handled. It seems each office has different requirements. As to the travel, there should be a stamp in her passport now that gives her travel up to one year from the date of the issuance of the green card. I understand your concern about whether or not you might have hassles getting back into the country, so I can only tell you our recent experience. When Li received her first green card, it had the wrong birth date on it. We called USCIS and we had to go all the way back to Memphis to prove that it was their mistake, not ours. We proved it. Two weeks later, Li received her new green card with the same mistake on it that there was to begin with. Called USCIS and, guess what? They said go back to Memphis. I went ballistic on them. To make a long story short, Li had to travel to China last November on business and we had fears that the error on the green card would cause problems. We called USCIS and they said she had to come to Memphis. Heh Heh. Did I mention, Memphis is 280 miles from here? Went back to Memphis and, I kid you not, was told by the Immigration Officer that we didn't need to come to Memphis and the green card needed to be corrected by mail. We were told that travel would not be a problem, due to the stamp in the passport. Li went to China. Upon return, they didn't even look at her green card upon re-entry. Just looked at her passport. Oh, did I mention that we received the new green card and it had another error on it? Called USCIS. They told us to go to Memphis. I told them to go to...... Got ahold of Memphis office. They gave us intructions on how to handle by mail. At any rate, we had no problems with travel, unless you count three trips to Memphis trouble....

Congrats and best wishes for a great life together!

Springer was actually the one-time mayor of Cincinnati and also ran for the U.S. House of Representatives. Hmmmmm......

Ya Think? The reference to WWF is particularly good. This is all 'entertainment' at it's worst. When my daughter and I both have a holiday I see her watching these kind of shows. I ask her if she really wants to be polluted or does she want to consider buying some of the products advertised on these shows. They usually sell for $29.95 and are worth at least 45 cents. -James 196110[/snapback] I think the show sucks too. I just thought it was funny we have an emoticaon for it on the BBS. Maybe the BBS software developers are big fans 196152[/snapback] Hey, I think you may be on to something there!

It had been one of those days. Li and I had been shopping, ran errands, did a little of this, a little of that and, after struggling for two hours trying to get Salina to sleep, we both collapsed on the bed exhausted. Li flipped on the TV and started surfing through the channels. She paused when the image of a 450 pound African-American transvestite, dressed in a strapless, tight fitting dress came on the screen. Turns out, this was the Jerry Springer Show Said transvestite claimed to be having an affair with the husband of a woman who lived in the same apartment building and s(he) was on the show to let the woman know about it. She told the whole sordid tale, complete with what the husband liked in bed. Of course, the wife was back stage. When she came out, the two began hurling invectives at one another, then eventually. duked it out right there on the set. The 450 pounder flattened the wife, then pile drived her like something off WWE. Then the husband came out and she let him have it too. The second group was even more bizarre. Li watched, dumbfounded, as all of this took place. "Americans are crazy," was her summation. "Reminds me of Taiwan TV." It took her three years to discover Jerry Springer. God knows what's next. Has your S.O. seen Springer yet? Why not let her watch? Love to hear the reaction.

A lot of folks seem to run into problems with this sort of thing. I wonder, what does a physician have to do to be designated as an official "Civil Surgeon" in terms of USCIS? Any one know?

Great news! Best wishes!

Great news, indeed.! Congrats and best wishes for a great future together.

Congrats on passing the big hurdle!!!! I can relate. On the day of our interview, a tropical storm hit GZ with 50-60 mph winds and driving rain. Li broke her shoe on the way in to the interview, was soaking wet and barefoot. When you and the lady coming home to Florida?