Beermann

The part that I don't quite understand yet is why in the world is EVERY single package weighing less than 5 pounds delivered immediately? There must be a reason for this consistency....

I just bought something from Dell that has a packaging weight of 14.99 lbs. However, that is not the package weight that DHL has in their system. Rather the shipper reported a package weight to the DHL pickup driver of 6 lbs. Now, when you do the tracking, you will see that DHL is using the reported weight of 6 lbs. What is the significance of this you may ask? Well, most people on CFL know that if the package containing your case is 5 lbs or more, it will get stuck in a ridiculous 1+ month Customs Clearance at the DHL facility delaying the process even longer. If it is less than 5 lbs, it will be immediately delivered to GUZ. So, the moral of the story here is that NVC can in a sense dictate this delivery process by simply reporting package weights on either side of the 5 lb mark. Makes ya go hmmmmmm...

You should have no problem as long as your father meets the mimimum guidelines, agrees to sponsor, and completes the required paperwork. Your best bet is to complete all the forms before you leave, and leave the date open on the forms, to be completed at the appropriate time as its only good for ninety (90) days. When that date arrives your father will need to get it notarized. Make it easy on him addressing an envelope and providing comprehensive mailing instructions. 156869[/snapback] Thank you so much Jesse! This is exactly what I've been thinking to do, but needed someone else to help confirm this thinking in my mind... What about getting a notarization for me from my bank? No way in hell can I accomplish this while I'm abroad... B)

Ok, here's my deal...hope someone can provide some good advice for what I should do here... I bought a one-way ticket to China for October 17th and my plan is to stay there with my wife and family until the end of February or even later if the interview isn't by then. I will obviously not be working while I'm there as my laopo won't let me. B) This will be the second long-term visit to China this year and being self-employed I really haven't worked at all in 2005, so I don't meet the minimum guidelines for the I-134. I will need to have my father Co-sponsor for me. Now, here is where I'm confused at what to do. Since I can't get any notarizations or statements from banks while in China, how should I handle this? Will it be ok to get the paperwork and requirements just before I leave even though the dates will be at least 5 months old by the time the interview comes? Just tripping all over myself on this particular situation... Thanks to anyone that can advise me here...

My theory was and still is get all of the documents required and even some that are not, but might be needed. Better to have and not need than to need and not have. Having said that, a Chinese marriage license is recognized in the US and by Guangzhou. I have not heard of any K-3 or CR-1 visa needing anything other than the license, translated and notarized. 153774[/snapback] Here Gene, http://guangzhou.usconsulate.gov/iv/gzfaqs2.html scroll down to "I'm a K-3 visa applicant, what documents should I bring to the visa interview?" 6th bullet...my wife asked her HuKou about this and they said that it is correct and that they help people prepare their documents for the K3 all the time...interesting, huh?

Thank you everyone for the responses! I think I'm going to have to get my father to Co-Sponsor for me because I'm self-employed and really haven't been working for the last year and don't plan on working until I bring my wife back to the U.S... As far as getting the notorial marriage status certificate even when you're married, I got this requirement off of GUZ's K3 FAQ page and also had my wife ask her Hokou to confirm this requirement. Apparently the China issued Marriage license is insufficient even for the K3.

Thank you! But now you got me worried because I'm going to be in China for about 4 months before our interview! The I-134 is gonna be way outdated!

Thanks much Gene!!

Does GUZ hold off on sending P3 or making any communication to the beneficiary until the hard copy of the case has been received even if they already have the electronic file? For the interview, I know the marriage license must be translated, but do the notorial certificates for marrital status and police record need to be translated as well? Haven't specifically seen this in writing anywhere...Thanks!

Earlier I made a post about getting my L visa for up to 120 or more days and I got a response back about putting 120 days for duration of stay on a multiple-entry application. Well, my application was a single-entry application but I told the truth on the "duration of stay" and wrote 120 days. I just talked to the agent that is taking it to the Consulate and told him what I did and he said they will reject if I put more than 30 days...is this true? Or is there a chance they will give me a longer stay on my visa? Help! Last thing I need is to have my visa application returned to me!

I'm gonna be in the middle of China with no airport...HK won't be too convenient for me...I've heard there are places near HK that can get you tweaked L visas for more than 30 days stay, but this isn't a viable option for me...

Well, I thought about getting a multiple, but I have read many places(including the Chinese Embassy website) that this visa won't do any good for long stays because you have to keep leaving China every 30 days or 60 if you do your one extension...it's still like a the single-entry 30-day L except you can keep using it during a 12 month period...each entry is granted a 30-day stay...you know anything about this?

Where exactly is this customs hold conducted? Does customs physically go into the DHL Facility and check packages there? I asked earlier what it meant that my case is sitting in the DHL Facility as of today and got an answer back that it would sit there in that facility for a month...hmmm..interesting to learn what in the heck really goes on here...

My passport is on the way back from the Chinese Consulate with an L visa and I'm headed to China in October. I'll be living with my wife for at least 4 months(until she obtains the K3 in hand). I won't be working, just hanging with her family and probably traveling all over China. I know I can extend my L for 30 days which gets me 2 months, but how can I get it to 4 or more? My wife seems to think she can sugar coat some words to the Local PSB to extend my visa as long as I need, but is there a backup plan for this such as converting my L to a D before my 30 is up? Thanks!

I've read many posts here that when the files are sent from NVC to GUZ that they are held up in Customs for like a month or so...maybe I read that wrong... But my case was sent from NVC on the 6th and it arrived in Guangzhou today, the 9th. And it says that it is at the DHL facility, assumably ready to go out for delivery. Maybe what I read was that it will sit at the DHL facility for a month before delivered... Can somebody please clarify this for me? Thank you!

Thanks Ed! Since starting this process, I'm an obsessive compulsive package tracker!!

I saved the thread a while back on this, but am stuck at trying to pinpoint my exact package. I've concluded that 4 packages have left for GUZ today with the following "Shipment Reference": "I-730", "CORRESPONDANCE", "EXP 06 SEP 2005A", and "EXP 02 SEP 2005B". I'm guessing it's the I-730 as someone indicated before, but this package is only 5 lbs... Hmmm

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! These successful interviews are getting me so pumped up! MAN!!!! Getting the chills each time I see a new post!

Sweet David!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! Yours and the other recent interviews are giving my SO and I so much excitement about the interview! Thank you!!!

Some may remember last week I asked a question about my mistake on my wife's birth year on the I-129F. I ended up faxing a copy of her passport to NVC as they instructed with a letter telling them to make the change. I did that the same day they received the packet. I just called NVC to see if the change had been keyed and it hadn't...it was sent to GUZ today without even keying in the change!!!! The operator told me to call GUZ and they would make the change for me instead when they receive my case. Seems things are moving so fast they don't have time to slow down for anything. You can check out my timeline below. Moving much faster than I feared... Now I get to try out that cool DHL tracking trick someone shared here...

I followed the instructions so precise that I left off her birthdate on the G-325a so her birthdate was only on the first page of the I-129F. I'm just so thankful that Gene urged me to call NVC when he did or my case could be in deep doody. Thank you Gene! I feel much better about the 3 days to make the change versus one or two months. Thank you for this Dave! Now I can sleep tonight... As an FYI, I did call back and talk to another operator and asked her what would happen if the case was forwarded to Guangzhou and still needed the changes. She said that NVC would notify the Consulate to make the changes. So, apparently changes can still be made at that point in the process...

The other day, I posted a question about my I-129F NOA2 and Gene recommended I call NVC to get the answer. I placed that call late last night and an operator asked for my wife's name and birthdate. I gave it to her and she told me that is incorrect. I flipped! I immediately opened up my electronic I-129F PDF file that I used and couldn't believe my eyes. I somehow typed the same year of my birth for hers even though I had spent weeks making absolute certain it was completed to perfection. Got it right on the I-130, but wow did i blow it here. I proved that I am indeed nothing more than a lowly human. So focused that I couldn't see the trees for the forest... So, the operator instructed me what I needed to do to try to fix this. She said that my case was very close to being sent to Guangzhou and that this needed to be fixed before it left NVC. I was instructed to fax a copy of her birth certificate or her passport with a cover letter instructing what change to make to the case. I was up all night coordinating this with my laopo and got this done. A few hours later, I called hoping that I could verify that they have received my fax. She said wait a month or 2 for a receipt of the fax! OMG, what? Based on anybody elses experience, what exactly will happen here? Did I just open up a can of worms I am going to regret forever? Thanks.

Thanks Gene!

FYI, here is the exact excerpt from the 2nd paragraph on my I-129F NOA2... "The NVC will contact the person for whom you are petitioning (beneficiary) concerning further immigrant visa processing steps." Now that I read this I find something very peculiar considering that this is an Non-Immigrant visa... Notice it says "immigrant visa"? Very weird... 151041[/snapback] LOL, it sounds like it is, but at the top is says under CASE TYPE, I129F PETITION FOR FIANC(E)... and mentions things about K3 nonimmigrant classification in one of the paragraphs.... crazy, huh? Some new changes coming down in the process or what?

FYI, here is the exact excerpt from the 2nd paragraph on my I-129F NOA2... "The NVC will contact the person for whom you are petitioning (beneficiary) concerning further immigrant visa processing steps." Now that I read this I find something very peculiar considering that this is an Non-Immigrant visa... Notice it says "immigrant visa"? Very weird...