alec_bauserman

My wife was granted her CR-1 visa on April 26th and we flew home to Virginia on June 2nd. We've spent the last few days eating grilled chicken, walking on the farm, and enjoying life in the good ole USA. Im so proud of her - she is a Chinese woman through and through but she is adapting well and bears all her worries with a smile. No complaints except for the lack of la jiao ... she's from Guizhou and our southern fare is a little bland for her taste. Anyway, the big questions is now what? I know we have to get her permanent residency status and then move on to full citizenship but who do we contact? I thought there used to be a forum or subforum for new arrivals but I guess its gone or Im blind...

WE DID IT! WOOHOO!!! Here is my report. We checked into a hotel room in the embassy building, room 804. Go there and check it out - its a nice place and the boss bends over backwards to help you out. We stayed in the same place as Rick and Yanlan so that was fun. We went out for dinner and compared notes. The next day, April 26th, Elf had her interview at 7:15 (so said the paper) but they didnt let people in until 7:30. I waited outside until 9 then went into the American section. The room where the SO has their interview is seperated from the American citizen section by a big glass wall. I had some documents for Elf so I ran into the Chinese side and gave them to her, hugged her, and gave a few last minute tips. As usual she was calm as could be whereas yours truly was anything but. Finally a guard came over and kicked me out so I went to the American side and sat next to the wall. I couldnt see where she was sitting but I could see the visa booths. There were about 6 open and each interview took around 15 minutes. One went on for almost an hour! It was not good ... blue slips left and right. Finally Elf got called and my heart leapt up into my throat. I stood up to get a better view and decided I needed a glass of water to calm down. I grabbed a drink from the cooler and came back ... SHE WAS GONE! My balls joined my heart and stomach somewhere in the throat and I was ready to pass out. I figured she was rejected outright - we had changed addresses w/o telling the embassy and we didnt have proof of future residence. I ran out into the hall to find out what happened. She was standing at a counter. "ZHANG QIAN!!" I screamed "What happened!?" She just turned around, smiling like an angel, and held up that oh-so-beautiful pink slip. WE GOT IT! I danced a jig right there in the middle of the embassy. I met two other CFL'ers at the embassy. I think one was Katrina - cute blonde in the coffee bar ... was that you? Also Mr. Moore - thanks for the advice. Good luck to your and your family. Your daughter is adorable! Next stop, Washington DC and then on to Virginia. Thanks so much to everyone here and all the help you've given. Truly, we could not have done this without yall. -Alec & Elf p.s. Shout out to Rick and Yanlan. Keep your chin up. Youll get through this.

Elf and I had our interview at the same time Rick and Yanlan were scheduled for their overcome. We stayed in the same hotel and hung out, enjoying the nice weather and bitching about the whole immigration process. Yanlan was given YET ANOTHER blue slip with only one checkmark - "This case requires further consideration" or something to that extent. Under the comments section (i.e. WHY THE F*** ARE YOU DENYING MY VISA!?) there was nothing. NOTHING. Not a sentence, not a word. NO-THING. This is shameful. These guys are such a cute couple and I could practically see Yanlan's heart break in front of me. Lulus grades have suffered (try missing a couple weeks of school and see what that does to your GPA) and Rick has just about broke the bank trying to resolve this. Not only that, but the bank FROZE his assets while he was over here trying to sort it all out. I said he's lucky he is a kind and patient man ... otherwise he might be sitting in a jail cell and some unnamed goverment officials might be recouperating from broken kneecaps. I am so sorry you are going through this brother. You and your new family deserve nothing but the best from here on out. We'll pray for you. Hope to see you soon, stateside. -Alec

Its been crazy these last two days trying to get ready but the time is finally upon us. 6 hours from now Elf and I will be lined up with 37.9 pounds of paper, forms, pictures and supporting documents in hand, begging the US government to treat us well. Im too tired to tell you what we've been through but here is an email I just sent to my family. It should fill you in... -------------------------- Crunch time ... Tomorrow morning is the big day. Elf and I will go to the embassy at 7 and it could take all day since Ive heard around 200 people get interviewed for visas EVERY DAY. We're about as prepared as we can be though we are missing a few papers which could help us. We looked for an internat bar with a working printer all day. In the 8 hours that we spent walking, looking, taking taxis, buses, subways, etc we found a grand total of 3. The first two were broken and the third one ran out of ink halfway through. I gave up, called the bellhop "a dirty sonofabitch" after he tried to charge me 20 times the nomal price and then I left. Dad, Im sorry but that letter from you as an official representative of the city of winchester will not be making it to the interview. Keep all your fingers and toes crossed and say a prayer every now and then. We'll need all the help we can get. Its almost 1 AM. Im going to bed. Love you guys. -Alec

I noticed that the FAQ says I should bring a DS-156 (and -157) to the interview but they were not in our P4 and they are not listed as P4 contents on the FAQ. Whats up? Do I need to print and fill out these forms for the interview? Will they be provided at the embassy or is it something that needs to be done in advance? -Alec

Found this and thought you all might be interested. Lots and lots of useful forms at one location, especially P4 documents. All are .pdf and some are fillable. You can download them all as one zip file. Check it out. As always, you should check DHS and DOS to make sure you have the most up-to-date version (and yes I realize if you go to DHS/DOS website you might as well get their downloads, but anyway...) http://home.comcast.net/~donahso/P4index.htm Here is a list of whats offered - Certificate of Intent to Marry Cover Letter DS-156 Chinese - Fillable DS-156 English - Fillable DS-156K DS-157 Chinese - Fillable DS-157 English - Fillable DS-2053 DS-3024 DS-3025 DS-3026 GIV-24 GNI -2 I-134 Instructions I-134 - Fillable Interview List -1 Interview List -2 OF-171 P-4 Letter Picture specifications in Chinese Cheers! -Alec

5 months and 11 days from filing I-130 to interview. Doesnt get much faster than that!

Thanks for that post David. I didnt realize they were so big on proof of future domicile. I just called my folks and they're faxing over some supporting stuff - bank statements & investment information with my address on it. My Dad is also writing a letter explaining i WILL live with them back in Virginia, he's signing and faxing it today. Hope thats enough. As for future employment, I havent been hired - I have to go back first to take a test and have an interview. Do you think a copy of my application and a letter from the Superintendent (Im applying for a teaching position) would be adequate?

One more question - I am employed as an English teacher here in China. My monthly salary is $500. I clearly do not meet the minimum income requirement. My folks signed on as joint sponsors. How deeply will the VO go into this with Elf? She knows my parents can support us (and we can quickly find jobs) but she doesnt know the ins and outs of our finances. I guess Im stressing too much over this but its the only real snag I can see coming up during the interview. How many of you had a VO who gave you beef over your finances?

Rick - Hang in there brother. All the good things in life are tough. -Alec

So the Consulate is at U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou, locates at Floor 5 Tianyu Garden (Prase II) No.136 Linhe Zhong Road Tianhe District Guangzhou Guangdong China. Your hotel/apartments are in the SAME building, just a different floor? My wife will be calling today or tomorrow to set up a reservation. Sounds like a great place!

I only paid one fee - the I-130 fee. It was almost 1600 RMB. I did a Direct Consular Filing so I think Im different and I pay after the interview. Nobody has ever asked me for money so I think Im in the clear...

OK, Elf has flown ahead to Shenzhen to visit her sister and will head to Guangzhou tomorrow for her medical (4 days before interview). I am stuck here in Guizhou working and preparing papers for the interview. I will fly out on monday to meet her. The interview is Wednesday the 26th at 7:15 am. I saw a post here on CFL about a hotel/apartment rented out to interviewee's where the owners will help you with the interview process. I think we'll stay there. As we get down to the wire, I have a few questions to ask - 1) I have filled out the I-864. It has to be notarized so I assume I can just go to the embassy and have them notarize it, then pass it on to Elf for her interview. Is this right? 2) We pay for the visa AFTER we successfully interview, right? 3) A blue slip is a request for more evidence, a white slip is an outright denial ... what color slip does she get if she passes the interview? 4) I love her, she loves me, so we just need to relax and be patient. This is all gonna work out for the best. Right? Keep us in your prayers, or if thats not your thing, keep your fingers crossed. Hopefully we'll have some good news for yall on Wednesday!

Your right Frank - Dad makes the big bucks so he is the joint sponsor. Mom filed as a co-sponsor and filled out an I-864A. Thanks for all your help everyone.

wo haiyou yi ge wenti (one more question) - I noticed my parents left something blank - the city they live in. Duh... Am I legally allowed to fill in something they left out and/or correct mistakes? Do I have to initial anything?

1) Does financial information have to be less than 60 days old? My parents (joint sponsors) sent bank statements and they will be about 75 days old by the time of the interview. Their W-2's should be sufficient to prove the minimum guidlines, but in case the VO asks for more, will these be inadmissible? 2) They ask for the last 3 years tax returns. Taxes must be submitted by April 15th and my interview is April 26th. My Dad is a Financial Planner and he files extensions for himself and the family members every year (he's too busy doing other peoples returns) so I WILL NOT have a 2005 return. Will this be a major problem? Can I give them 2002, 03, and 04 plus a letter of explanation for 2005? 3) Dumb question - only petitioners and joint/cos-sponsors fill out an I-864 - my wife (the beneficiary) DOES NOT need to. Correct? Thanks for yalls help. Im countin the days baby! -Alec & Elf

under normal circumstances, yes, only employees do W2s and since my Dad is self employed he shouldnt need to. He is, however, a financial planner highly skilled in the art of navigating IRS bull**** so he has set himself and his business as a corporation from which he pays himself and his 2 employees salaries. So he is both owner and employee... He did send bank statements so Ill check to see if those indicate personal or corporate accounts. Thanks for the help yall. The end is near! APRIL 26TH -Alec

My Mom and Dad are filing as co-sponsors for my wife and I and the I-864 asks for proof of self-emplyment. Wouldnt the W-2 and 1040 tax returns prove that? What more do they want?

cool! I guess we've got friends in high places.

Elf and I just got our P4 from Guangzhou - we will be interviewed April 26th, the day after her birthday! What a great gift. With this date, it means we have a turnaround time of 5 months and 11 days from initial application to visa issuance. Of course all this is dependent upon her passing the interview but I think it'll be no sweat. Thanks for all the prayers and support. We really appreciate it! -Alec & Elf

Hey David, thanks for the tip. Once again you a great help for us here! -Alec

1 month from P3 to P4? Wow thats fast! I just got 2 phone cards today for some unknown reason (I never buy them) ... guess thats God's way of telling me to use em! So the wait time from P3 submission to P4 is a namecheck? If so, Im not too worried about Elf. She's never been in any trouble, she's young, never married, etc. Her Dad works for the government but so does half the population so that shouldnt be too big a problem. Are you doing a DCF too? -Alec p.s. Can the US DOS call center answer questions about cases in GUZ? If so, do you have their phone number handy?

I submitted my I-130 for Elf to Chengdu on November 15th. We got the P3 on Jan 7th and sent it back to GUZ on Jan 15th. I check the mail every day but no sign of the P4 - Im not worrying cause I know it takes a while but still, it'd be nice to have that puppy in our hands! Here are the questions - 1) Ive heard the wait from P3 submission to getting the P4 is about 3 months, with the interview a month later. Does this sound right? 2) Is the long wait from P3 to P4 due to a namecheck/background check? 3) Is there an in-country phone number I can call to check on our case? Ive seen numbers for America, and Ive seen numbers for GENERAL questions here in China. Is there a phone number for CASE SPECIFIC questions? I want to ask GUZ if they have the P3 and if they have started the namecheck. Thanks for your help. Now, Im going to sit down and breathe deeply for a few minutes and try to calm down ... Anybody got a whiskey for me? -Alec

yeah, heard about that. Most people said it was a waste of time and money, but if they can answer my question about the status of Elf's P3/namecheck that'd be great. I guess I might as well give it a try eh?

Can I ask them about cases at GUZ, or only ones back in the USA? I did a DCF here in China so do you think they can help?