artmill4

I used two 3 ring binders because they made sense to me. I could divide each section into a category of there own. Financial documents in one binder and Proof of relationship in another. If at the interview my wife needed to pull bank statements out they were easy for her to access. If she needed photos they were all in sleeves she could have pulled out. I know my wife was nervous as I was here. I provided all this information to her that she could not even read. Yet she was dependant on this information to get the visa. What a bind to be in. So if I could help her to be organized this was the least I could. I really didn’t want my wife to go to the interview with all these different folders and envelopes and fumbling around and looking pretty amateur. By the time our wives get to the interview they have the right to a visa. I wanted to make it easy for Ling to be able to show someone the proof they needed to “see” to give her the visa. The interview was the most important presentation I had ever made. If I could I was leaving nothing to chance. You and your wife will do great.

I would like to just throw this into the mix. I could not go back to China when Ling got her visa so I was looking for prices of flights for her to come to here. Buying a round trip ticket here was cheaper than 1 way being bought from China. I thought…..I will just send her the ticket. United said I could not do that. Price fixing or some phrase like that was used as a way to explain. I ended up buying in China for $775. 1 way.

I get this nice looking National Visa Center 8.5x11 packet in the mail today. I think "Good". I open it and it is a bill. Should have known. My question is do I just pay this $70.00 and be happy I get too? Thanks. Gene

I am self employed also. I have no license. There are many people who are self employed that do not have a license to do business. Don’t worry about this. Guz wants to know you can support your family. I smile as I’m writing this. I think our tendency is to get so focused on detail we over looking the main objective. The main objective is to prove to Guz your wife will not become dependant on the American government for support. I am not minimizing the need to be careful and pay attention to detail. Provide unquestionable proof you can support your family. Remember we are only talking about “support” based on the American government’s poverty guidelines. I don’t know what it is for 2 people but for 3 people in my case poverty guidelines are $24,000. a year. My opinion is the two main objectives CFL members have at your stage are these. 1. Prove you have a relationship with your wife. 2 Prove you can support your relationship financially. Good for you. Keep asking questions. This is the best site to help you along your journey.

Congratulations Kurt & Sherry!

I had no idea these guys were looking at this. WOW.

Isn't this site great!!!! You get all this free information just by asking a question. Wonderful.

I remember visiting Guz in august of last year. I was told they were open on Sundays and I thought this was strange but went anyway. They are not open on Sundays as everybody in the world knows. I was shocked because my expectations were the office would have the American seal and flag and the trappings of America. Wrong again. 2 big black doors. The escalator was not turned on. No one around except people trying to sell a quick visa service which would be guaranteed of course. I left depressed. It was worth the trip from Zhuhai because I wondered what this powerful place looked like. Nothing special I learned but until you see it you don’t know. I had my wife take a picture of me in front of the doors posing like those women on “Let’s make a Deal” or the “Price is Right.’ I can’t find the photo or I would use it on my cfl image. Go and have fun with your wife. I hope the best for you.

good advice here... 183191[/snapback] We all agree. Say nothing unless asked.

Done David....this can be closed now....... 182959[/snapback] I went about proving proof of income in another way. I agree with you 100% there are guides and statements and requirements on different websites. Who was I to believe? I decided to take it all and it became very easy. Poverty guidelines for me are $24,000 a year because 3 people are involved. If I did not make $24,000 a year then $48,000 in real property could be used to prove my wife and her son would not become dependant on the government for support. I included 2 years of bank statements. I had the manager of my bank write a letter, on bank letterhead, which clearly stated how much I deposited for year 2004 and for year 2005. I had it notarized in the bank. I included tax returns for years 2003 and 2004. I included a county tax assessor’s value of my house. I had a realtor email me what he would sell my house for and how he came to the value. Made a print out. I included a Kelly blue book value of my cars. I got this off the internet and made a print out. I have never read in all the material I have seen where a VO ever made the statement, “Your tax returns are not accurate. Your bank statements are inadequate.” They have them in their hands for what 3 to 5 minutes tops. I saw my job was to put the information in front of them in an understandable fashion. I did make a half page explanations of what my folder included. Maybe 10 line items. I had it broken down so someone with an adequate high school education could read it and understand it. I guess I could have gone a step further and had it translated into Chinese and asked my wife to read it over several times. Since I did not believe we going into an audit I didn’t think this was needed. The VO didn’t even open it. DON’T bet on this happening. I had the attitude I was in an adversarial relationship with Guz. I was at least going to be prepared for when we met.

Your time line is the best I have ever even heard of. 4 months. Good for you. My thoughts are we are just passing threw Hong Kong. I just bought tickets from Hong Kong and don't expect to prove anything to anybody. The visas our wives have is all that is needed. It says , "Goodbye. I will see when I return." Good days ahead.

please include my timeline.

If we are the Internet and you don't trust us, then why the huge diatribe to us and crying into our beer? You better be careful here! Remember, you are asking questions from the "distrusted internet source" that gives information of the "blind leading the blind." Your own words! As paranoid as you are, you may be missing the obvious point: They are avoiding you, like the plague! I just read your distribe and I would want your desription. So I could avoid you! You must have made a Hell of a lot of Chinese friends with your attitude! Besides, all of us are on this "distrusted Internet site" might be out to get you when you aren't looking. I will regulate you to the position that you so kindly deserve after your distribe. That is exactly nothing! I am sure that you have made many friends with your lengthy diatribe with trust. I have a counter-point for you! Why should anyone in this forum trust you now after you crapped into their collective Wheaties? Good luck to you, sir! You damn sure will need it, with your optimistic outlook on life! Asshat! 182495[/snapback] I decide to wait until I can talk to a VO. I also do some posting here. This last Friday I go to the Consulate again and talk to a different VO. He tells me that they have reason to believe that she has an “ongoing relationship” with her ex. I press him and he goes off to check with some one and then said there is no question about it. She has an “ongoing” relationship with her ex. He will not tell me what the “reason to believe” is, but that in a few weeks?????? Bunk. Pure rubbish. Some prick injecting negative crap into your relationship with the most important person in your life. The former husband is just that “former”. The VO is doing his job. Both amount to little speed bumps along the journey. I am so sorry that you and your wife had to even hear non-sense like this. I hope you would go to your wife and hug her and kiss her and apologize for even questioning her for 1 moment. Go on with the process and give this as little energy as you possible can. Certainly get it out of your mind. All of this is just my opinion and should be taken as such. We all have a hard enough time with this journey and don’t need to be distracted with some garbage like you are hearing.

I agree with your humble opinion Carl, I had a choice to spend $2500 to either be with my lawyer or one more time with my SO. Hmmmmm.....let me think now.........lawyer, SO, lawyer, SO, lawyer, SO. 181653[/snapback] Welcome. Having just completed the portion of the journey you are about to start I think this. As others have said, “it is only my opinion.” I think in the outside world the general thought is in America you need an attorney for everything. There is so much fear that goes along with immigration this would seem like the logical thing to do. Hire an attorney I mean. After talking with 3 local immigration lawyers and looking at this site, as well as others, I decided to do this myself. Each lawyer had a little different approach and yet it was same forms that needed to be filled out. When I thought …….. Is it a matter of money or do I want Ling here the fastest way possible? I wanted Ling here the fastest way I could get her here regardless of the cost. Based on all the information I could find I still decided to do it myself. You’re going to fill out some biographical information on yourself and your spouse. It is very repetitious actually. The forms need to be filled out as exact as possible. The forms need to be filed in a specific order. All of this you will take much more care in doing than anyone else in the world. There really is no need to be afraid of the process if you can take your time to learn. You are going to learn with a lawyer or without a lawyer. It is a journey. Many times on this site I was told to take a seat and wait. It is the best advice I could have been given. I moved from one waiting room to the next. We stand in line in America or we stand in line in China. I prefer to sit over standing around all the time. I see the process going much faster than the people who started the journey 2 years ago. “It is only my opinion.” Of course I would do K-3 again because it worked for me. 9 months and with a couple of visits to china during the time was not so bad. You will be fine because you ask questions and found this site early on in your journey. I had already started the process and then found the site. I was standing around by myself…no good. Happy trails to you!

If I had to do it all over again I think I would have explored getting married in Hong Kong. I got married in Zhuhai. Shenzen is right next door to Hong Kong so everybody could attend the wedding. I have just read several times that Hong Kong is better to deal with in terms of immigration than Guz. This was just the first thing that came to mind when I saw you were not married. With the proper care and digging for information this site gives you all the answers you will need. Everything! From the point where you are in the process I remember not knowing the questions to ask. Happiness be yours. I just read the first post you have. The writer states you must get married in your spouses Home-town. Forget the part of getting married in Hong Kong. I didn't know this and was thinking like an American.

Yesterday I felt a major let melt down. The fear that is generated by someone having control of my future is not a great experience to me and especially when it is a government agency. When Ling called to let me know everything went great in Guangzhou I suddenly felt all the wind go out of my sails. When I was involved with the site last summer I looked daily at the postings. There is so much information about the process of immigration from China I got overwhelmed. I needed to pull back some and decide what was right for me and Ling. That’s where I’ve been David. In August I was in Zhuhai when packet 3 arrived at Ling’s house. Of course there was much excitement and I was determined to fill it out before I left Zhuhai. In the beginning of the process I was told and believed it would be a good idea to stay organized. So Ling had a copy of everything I filed. As you know packet 3 was basically a request for more biographical information with more of a focus on the Chinese end of this equation. So I got it done since I was with the source of the information needed. There is a statement in the introduction of packet 3 that I took to heart. It changed my whole outlook on the process. The statement basically goes, “You now have a right to a visa.” Before reading this I felt like I had my hat in hand and was asking please let us have a visa. I tried to explain the word “Rights” to Ling and of course she was very gracious. She didn’t get “it” I’m sure. How to do you explain such a complex subject “rights” to someone who has not experienced them? I went on to explain the immigration process, as I understood it, in different terms to Ling. I see it as there are 2 basic things that need to be accomplished. Proof of relationship and proof of the ability to support the relationship. I put together 2 8.5x11 3 ring binders to be able to communicate with the person Ling would be setting in front of. I believe pictures are worth a 1000 words so I used many pictures to substantiate proof of relationship. Every receipt that was generated during the travels and things Ling and I did together. A copy of every email from the first to the last. I divided each section into a category by itself. I did the same with the financial documents. I will tell you my own thoughts……..not to be followed…….about the financial information. I thought to myself while putting them together, “I could put anything in here. How is a person in China going to be able to check all this? They can’t. What an outcry from the American public if someone from another country in and embassy could access tax records.” So Ling walks in with 2 3 ring binders in hand being familiar with all the information. I explained to her………again not to be followed……”Go in like you own the place. You have a “right” to be there. Be nice to everyone you come in contact with but remember you have a “right” to be there.” One of the questions the interview asked was, “Do you speak English?” Ling’s reply, “a little.” Does your husband speak Chinese?” Ling’s reply, “a little.” The interviewer laughed. He did not look at 1 financial document I had sweated over. He looked at some of the photos and they exchanged some small talk. 3 minutes tops. Ling was ready to provide and prove with documentation if there was a question. Documentation that could easily be understood by someone else. I don’t know how I was blessed with an 8 month turn around. I followed instructions and offered no other information. No cover letters. Nothing but what was asked for and required. I tried to keep in my mind the people that were going to be rummaging around in my life are simply doing a job. They aren’t making a lot of money and have the same problems in life the rest of us do. So I was always nice nice nice to them all. I offered to wash one mans car at the end of our conversation. Now I need to plug back in and get all the information about what to do with Ling here. I mean about government issues. I think I will take today off as I did yesterday. For all you guys who are just starting the process I would I hope the best for each of you. Be nice to everyone along the way and remember you are an American citizen with some basic rights. Your wives will soon have a “right” to be here. I want to thank each of you for the good wishes and the official “waaahooo”

I want to thank you guys that run this site first. You keep the site clean and on target. Thank you. Ling recieved her visa yesterday and will be in Oklahoma City January 25. I am happy but exhausted today. What a long strange trip this has been.

Thank you Gene. Gene

A letter arrived today, dated 7-21 from the NVC explaining my K-3 will be sent to Guangzhou within a week. I can't figure this out. I understand exactly what the letter says and I'm very happy about this. I started the process 5-9 and in 2 1/2 months I'm in Guangzhou. Go figure. Gene

I do appreciate all the posts. They make me smile and laugh, which makes the process that much better.

The NVC gives me a little bone and you would think they gave a new car.I must admit it is very exciteing to get anything at all from them. So I got my Approval notice for my I-129F date July 5 2005. I think I will stand up today and go back to my seat in the waiting room tomorrow. Smiles. Gene.

So so sorry to hear of your trouble........I hope for good things for you.

I enjoy reading success in this process. Thank you letting others know.

The links are great. Thank you.

Communications is so very important to me and I have stressed this to Ling from the beginning of our relationship. It is at the heart of intimacy for me. The first moment I stepped on Chinese soil I asked Ling to locate a translator for us. For around $25. a day I have a graduate level student English student as a translator. The student loves the conversion and is gratiful and feels honored to do it. She would probably do it for free but for $25 a day I think "what a gift". We don't need the translators near like we did but when I go back this fall I will have one everyday. I learn about Ling and Ling learns about me. Again, "what a gift". I think it is so very important for Ling to learn English for her own happiness. She will experience life in America better. I don't know all the resources we will use in the future. The longer I'm on this journey the more resources I learn about.