Mick

I think she is a fictional character from an old rock and roll song: "I got a girl named boni ma noni" "She's as skinny as a stick of macaroni..."

Good luck and best wishes Carl. May your journey be a fruitful one.

It seems they usually update the page once per month, sometime around the middle of the month.

Yeah, well thanks Frank and I truly appreciate the info but what the lady attorney says doesn't jive with reality. On their web site one month ago, the USCIC said Atlanta was processing applications received July 9, 2001. Today I checked and they are processing April 1, 2001. WTF???? Are they going backwards???? We followed all the rules, dotted all the I's and crossed all the T's. We are at ten months and not a peep. Nothing. NADA. And unless you know of one, I am unaware of a phone number that can get directly through to the Atlanta office. Sorry to sound off, but geeeezzzzzzz......they are going backwards.

Carl, I too am devasted by hearing this news and am both angered and saddened. What nerve they have and what power. Hang in there my friend and make the video. Brush up on your Chinese and just get through it. I recall back in the Black Hole Days JoninDenver was required to do the same thing. He pulled it off without a hitch as I recall. Well, the black hole was the hitch I guess. Best wishes my friend. You are one of my favorite people on Candle. Keep the faith buddy. You'll make it yet.

At the end of May Li has to begin the process of renewing her EAD. When they issued her initial EAD, good for one year, on August 26th last year, they said she had to apply for renewal 90 days in advance. How do we do that????? Good grief, do we have to make the five hour trip to Atlanta with what will, at that time, be about a three week old baby? Can it be done by mail?

2/23/04 passed interview, pending security check News at last - PDX ROCKS! Hear that, Carl? Today received the notice from BCIS that as of March 12th, Xiahong is a conditional permanent resident. She has 21 months before filing for removal of conditions. YIPPIE!!!! Now, the letter said that she should receive her green card within the next 12 months. IF she needs the I-551 stamp in her passport, she needs to go back to PDX within 30 days and turn in her EAD card for the stamp. Then she can travel without AP and the stamp serves as a green card for employment. We'll probably head up there next week sometime. 3/23/04 I-551 stamp in passport and turned in EAD card. 3/31/04 Received "Welcome to the US" letter. Your status is registered and if you don't receive your green card in 3 weeks - call this number. 2 Year green card received 4/6/04. Great news. Congrats Don. I am convinced that they process one application per year down here, maybe every two years.

Congrats, Bob and Lili. The card should arrive in a few weeks. I know it has been a long wait for you, but would trade places in a heartbeat. You guys ripped through the process in the midst of the black hole and got stuck behind the AOS 8-ball. We got derailed at every turn and finally made it out the chute after 17 months and made it from AOS filing to green card in about 5 months. Anyway, I'm happy to hear that things finally moved for you. I know that Lili was very frustrated with the delay. Best to you both! Congrats to Bob and Li. Best wishes for the future. Now, if only Atlanta could get moving.....

Hang in there Carl, it will all be over before you know it and you will be busy cleaning the bottom of that toilet seat.

Each state has different requirements for certification of teachers. In terms of her degree, it will probably transfer without too much trouble if she is applying for a masters program. My wife Li was an English teacher in China. Here in Tennessee, if she wants to teach, she can either take the required undergraduate courses required for certification or go into a graduate program and get certified that way. Some private schools do not require certification. There are a lot of options. Do as much research as possible about the requirements in your area.

Congrats and best wishes for speedy processing from here on out.

Great news indeed Darrell! Best of luck for a quick process from here on out. B)

A big congrats to Mark and Ling! Ought to make the trip to Chicago that much better.

Anywhere maybe other than Atlanta or Memphis. Both are still processing applications received in the summer of 2001.

If I were you, I would just go down there Dave. It couldn't hurt. I have found the national number fairly useless all along the way.

I think the exit permit is a thing of the past. We didn't have one last year and had no problems whatsoever. We left China from Guangzhou airport.

Student visas are probably faster but generally harder to get, even for very qualified students. I taught in China for five years and had many students apply for graduate study in America. Although most of them were accepted by American universities and most were awarded academic scholarships, probably less than fifteen percent were able to get a visa. If she can get the visa, that would be great, however, I am unsure what you would have to do once she got to the States in terms of the marriage. I would expect that you would have to file an Adjustment of Status somewhere along the way. BTW: welcome to candle!

We flew into LAX on China Southern almost a year ago now. Had no problems coming through immigration. Took less than ten minutes. Customs was also a breeze.

Congrats Dave!!!!! Great pics. We should be about two months behind you. Our bundle is due on May 13. Interestingly, March 10 marks the one year anniversary of the day we picked up our visa in GZ.

Congrats and best wishes to both of you!

Congrats and best wishes. Be sure to take her out for some fine southern vittles as soon as she gets to Dixie.

That's great news Mike. Now get her to the sunny south ASAP!

Sounds great Frank but we are five hours away and seven months pregnant. Doubt I can get Li to sit in the car for that long. We went to the movie the other day, two hours long. Poor thing had to make four trips to the restroom. Thanks for the invite though. Maybe after the baby is born and able to travel a bit. Atlanta is nice but then, so is rural Tennessee.

At 7 months pregnant, Li has turned into an eating machine. Chinese, American, Mexican, it doesn't matter at this point. Put it on the table and it disappears fast.

It can be done Daniel, and it can be profitable. However, several factors must be considered. First, unless things have changed since I was over there, you will need a Chinese partner. Second, the start up costs for a school itself can be quite high. If you plan on a simple tutoring service from your home, that's a different story. Third, where you choose to locate is the prime factor. Ideally, you should go to a city where there is not too much competition from well-established schools and, by all means, it should be a place where the folks are wealthy enough to pay for it. Disposable income is the key here. Chinese parents will spend freely on their children's education, but you must offer a quality product in an area that can afford it. Several of the private schools in Shantou, where I was, have done quite well. Others have folded for a variety of reasons. Shantou is an area with disposable income and most folks there spend fairly freely. Think: Location-Location-Location. That's the critical factor.