Randy W

and the poor students with visas that don't allow them to return home to China for 4 years, or bring any relatives here until they get their permanent residency.

Yes - one of the major factors for temporary visas is to be able to prove ties tothe homeland that will ensure your return at the expiration of the visa. One of my friends' parents were turned down 4 times (for unknown reasons).

I do not know of anyone who has had or expects to get a tourist visa.

"They are very lucky to get a tourist visa. Most are denied out of hand. Did you know that if your lady got a visitor's visa and came here how much time you could save? As long as you are a USC, you can just get married and file AOS. She stays until her green card arrives. It's perfectly legal as long as the intent in coming here to visit and then return home, but, just got caught up in the moment and ended up marrying and deciding to stay at the last minute. Be sure to let us know how easy it was for her to get her visa. Good Luck. " Once my fiance's K-1 visa is approved and she is granted permanent residency, we expect it will be fairly easy to get her mother a visitor's visa, so that she may visit us in the US. The K-1 to permanent residency route is in the neighborhood of two years. My Chinese friends went the student visa to permanent residency to visitor visa for parents route. They know what is involved. Please read more carefully.

Oh - I didn't see that down there. Hey - it works!

No - sorry. Look again - 35 days wait for an non-immigrant visa interview appointment at Guangzhou. These are interview appointment wait times - not total visa application processing times. Student and tourist visas are just as difficult (if not more so) to get as K1 or K3. Visitor visas (to visit a permanent resident who is a relative) are easy.

"You must enter a message to post" error if the quote field is empty. But then it requires you to have SOMETHING in that field. Seems like a bug to me.

abc I have no idea when or how that policy (or even what it is) came into effect. I wanted to post another post to see if I could figure out how to NOT include all those quotes. Apparently you have to delete them from the "Original Post to Quote" section when you are editting.

Try here: Visa Information 136771[/snapback] Student and tourist visas are likewise very difficult to impossible for Chinese people. Vistor visas for family members of Chinese people already in the US are fairly easy, however. 136773[/snapback] Vistor visas for family members of Chinese people already in the US are fairly easy, however. When did that start? 136837[/snapback] I have a number of Chinese friends (permanent residents of the US) at work who bring family members (China residents) over for fairly long (say 1 or 2 months) visits. They say that the visa can be acquired within a month. The resident shows financial support, the Chinese resident family member must show ties to China which will compel his/her return (a home, other Chinese resident family members, a job, etc.).

Try here: Visa Information 136771[/snapback] Student and tourist visas are likewise very difficult to impossible for Chinese people. Vistor visas for family members of Chinese people already in the US are fairly easy, however.

the "China-wide" number I have heard is next to useless. Try the email link from the contact page. They do respond within 5 to 7 days, like they say. The DOS will tell you simply to contact Guangzhou, once your case has been forwarded there. http://www.usembassy-china.org.cn/guangzhou/iv/email.html

The card is in China, so I can't look at it, and she is out of town for now. But you are right - there is no direct linkage to a, bank account. When I want to send her money, I request (at the PayPal website - the only place this may be done) a transfer from my bank account. This transfer takes about 3 or 4 days to be credited to the PayPal account, at which point the funds may be withdrawn. I only very occasionally buy something from eBay, and have never sold anything. This card is specifically an ATM debit (it functions as a "checking account" with a PIN) card, not a VISA credit card (although it does have the VISA logo).

No Problem you do not link the Chinese bank account to your account or the PayPal account.. You open the PayPal account in your name 5 minutes and link to you bank account you control the amount of funds sent to PayPal account at their site set up a premeier account and request a debit card in your name.. after 60 days they will issue to you another debit card in anybodies name upon your request you tell them. Once you get the card from PayPal they will only send to you send the card to SO activate the card after SO gets give SO pin number they now have card in their name don't need ATM can use in bank/teller or ATM 135680[/snapback] To clarify the PayPal situation - a PayPal account is usaually set up by an eBay seller to receive funds from a buyer, or a buyer to send funds to a seller. The seller may also transfer funds from a bank account to his own PayPal account. Why would he/she do this? Read on. A seller may acquire a PayPal ATM card in order to facilitate the withdrawal of funds from the account. No actual eBay sale or purchase need be involved - just a free Premier account. So someone such as ourselves may give the card to our SO to allow her to withdraw funds that we transfer to the account. Yes this is a typical VISA or MasterCard debit card. The advantage to it is that no annual, maintenance, or non-usage fees are involved (it is absolutely free) - just, as we found, a $1.00 per-transaction fee. I believe this is far cheaper than any other (reported) method of cash transfer to China. And there is no direct linkage to any bank account.

Just back from a site-seeing trip with my fiance to Beijing. We had a wonderful time . . . The new customs forms (July 1) ask if you are carrying any articles valued over RMB2000 that will be left behind, alcohol/tobacco over 1500 ml/400 cigs/500g, $5000 cash, animals, plants, ... radio transmitters, receivers, or communication security equipment, prohibited articles, unaccompanied baggage, or goods of commercial value such as samples/ advertisements. I am not sure what it would mean to not declare your unaccompanied baggage. PayPal ATM - it is free - no monthly or maintenance fees, no non-use fees. A RMB 600 transfer was charged at $73.44 after Bank of China fee. The additional PayPal fee for this transfer was only $1.00. And she found an ATM in Yulin Guangxi! No more Western Union for us! I bought a SIM card from China Mobile in the airport international arrivals area for my unlocked GSM "world" phone from the U.S. She was able to use it for a weeks worth of received and sent calls. Now, if GUZ would only hurry up with that P4!

from robsnanningsite.com: Customs Declarations As of July 1st, 2005 you can no longer make verbal declarations at mainland (China) customs. Now upon arrival, and at departure, you must fill out a declaration form. Travelers will have to indicate if they are bringing a camera and the total value of goods they are bringing into or taking out of China. The evaluation will be based on receipts. If you don't have a receipt customs will value the item themselves and if they do you could be forced to pay a duty. Because of this new policy I suggest you declare everything you will be taking of value here in the states before you go as well. Take receipts and make sure you get a receipt when you buy something in China. If you do this and are honest with Chinese customs officials, you shouldn't have any problems concerning customs.

I think everyone here is already spoken for.

Try it! Everybody else's will show up also. But YOURS is the one going to GUZ within about 1 week of your letter from NVC. But nothing will happen until delivery. But it's something to do while waiting

Wll let's see! Oh yeah - I think its www.dhl.com! Click on track by reference, enter I-730 for the reference ID, and try to figure out which is yours. The transit time from NVC to GUZ has been anywhere from 1 to 5 weeks lately (mostly in customs)

A set of 8 CD'S FOR $38 (no book) - lesson's 1-16 http://www.cheappimsleur.com/inc/pdetail?v=1&pid=618 This is about what I bought them for on Amazon.com several months ago, but couldn't find them there now. ni hao (how to us Westerners)

I think one of those is ours! Thank you so much for the idea!