Thanks for the advice jim, I will look into that. Depending on the outcome, I suppose that we also have the option of doing a K-2 to follow. The boy lives with aunt and uncle (my SO's side) in Harbin and he is now 15, so if push came to shove, that might be a possibility. K-2's must use their visa within one year of the mother's entry date. So a K-2 follow-to-join at 18 wouldn't be possible (unless the mother's visa was also delayed by a couple of years). You can, however, file an I-130 for an IR-2 visa for your step-son (son for immigration purposes) after he becomes 18. Processing time for this would probably be well under a year. He would most likely be here before his 19th birthday.