ameriken

From experience with Jie's mom (2 denials of the B2 visa), as well as from other Chinese who have had the B2 denied, is that INA Section 214(b) denials are quite frequent and common. 214(b) is failure of the intending visitor to prove that they have strong ties that will cause them to return to China. Some examples of strong ties are owning a home, owning a rental property, having children there, a good job, money in the bank, etc. Like Carl said, this is what they really need to focus on...proving that they have strong connections to China that are going to cause them to NOT want to overstay their visa and instead return to China. From the Dept of State website:

I can relate....

Yes, B2 is tourism/medical treatment.

B1 is a business visa. If they're here just to visit you and your wife, then B2 for sure.

We applied for Jie in mid-December 2011 and she had her citizenship by early April 2012.

Yeah, breaks your heart, doesn't it?

No, we're only in the first stages...NOA-1. Sent in the applications in March and waiting for the initial petitioner approval. The only thing they do fast is cash the checks, lol.

That's odd Ken. We had no issues getting MIL over, nor sister-in-law and yesterday the nephew got here all on B2s. (BTW: While MIL was here on B2 we easily got her green card) We thought she had all her ducks in a row. We were going to try a 3rd time but decided to just go for the IR5 for both her parents.

Just keep in mind the B2 is not an easy visa to get. It's all about the applicant proving to the VO that he/she has a compelling reason to go back to China after the visit, period. Those reasons may include some or all of the following: ownership of properties in China such as their own home, money in the bank, a good job and/or good income, children and other family there, and any other connections that would prevent a person from wanting to overstay a visa, etc. IMO, the VO's suspect every applicant as a potential overstayer and it is totally and completely up to the applicant to overcome the VO's bias. The more you can prove and the more paperwork documenting it all, the better. IMO, the govt makes 99% of it's decision based on documentation. My wife's mom applied twice, and was twice denied, the second time she was at the interview she said most of the people interviewed were denied. She is married, owns her home, has a retirement income and a reasonable amount of money in the bank, but that was obviously not enough. My wife became a citizen last year, so we gave up on the B2 route and applied for green cards for her parents.

Let me add a little levity here, your post about the differences in the Japanese apology reminded me of Larry David in one of his "Curb you Enthusiasm" shows.

She was being nice because of the camera... I think she really meant to say she'd cut off something else.

My wife was telling me about a discussion on another Chinese forum among the ladies there, and they were pointing out that this girl came from a poorer area where she worked in a factory, then moved to Shenzhen and gets a corporate office job paying enough money to buy her mom a house. The discussion turned to speculation about how a poor single woman who worked in a factory gets a corporate office job making enough money to support herself and buy a house'? The discussion went on to say that Shenzhen is home to many women who are more or less concubines for richer men who may have two lives with a family in another city and a place for her in Shenzhen, and this may be how she got the 'job' and why she was still single at age 30. Her own history may be less than stellar in this regard.

All things considered, she did have a cute butt.

I wondered about that too, but right around 31:00 he gets a phone call and I think he said it was about a credit card he had 'a long time ago'. He must have put his trips and other expenses on the card and then didn't pay it.

Remember that old quote..... "We have met the enemy..... and he is us" I just don't know if he is any different than many other guys doing the same thing..... I've seen it many times here.....I bet you have too. True, they're out there, but there are plenty of better examples as well, such as the majority of people on this forum. At least it ended well, I like that the producer addressed her own stereotypes.

lol, yeah, couldn't they have picked a better example to highlight?

I just came to post this but you beat me to it. Watching it now.

I love the hygiene thing, but it sure can kill a spontaneous moment where you're ready to dive in, but she says 'wait, let me take a shower first'.

Two things I can think of... I remember a 2001 movie 'Beijing Bicycle' that had many scenes in the old Beijing Qianmen neighborhood, only to learn that just a few years later China would be out to destroy this rich historical area in order to host a short stint with the Olympics. On my 3rd trip to China to see Jie in 2005, I went during the Christmas holiday. When I got to Shanghai I saw Christmas lights and other Christmas decorations, mostly in the shopping centers because it seemed like no one else knew WTF Christmas was. It just didn't feel right. Instead of images of an Asian Buddha, I saw images of a whitey Santa. Here I am visiting what is supposed to be this amazing, unique, and wholly different culture from my own, yet the tentacles of Western commercial influence creeping everywhere.

Yer on Tsap, we'll even have some grits on fer ya. Thanks for the replies...Jie considered the Pacair but had heard from some other Chinese ladies who seemed to like the Zephyr Typhoon model...but from all I've read, those are a really a pain in the ass to install. Compared to most other brands we've looked at it looks like the Pacairs pump more wind for the price

Thanks, maybe I can get her comfort level down to around 800. As for the cookware and reduced heat, yes...that is both an impossible thought and a hard sell.

When it comes to this kind of stuff I'm about as useful as a hammer in a glass factory. We're finally looking into a exhaust hood/fan that we intend to vent to the outside. This is something we should have done a while ago as I've noticed a buildup of oil on top of the cabinets. I've been doing a bit of research which seems to raise more questions than answers and I hope some of you more intelligent folks can help me out. Any suggestions for what CFM is sufficient for removing that oil vapor out of the house? Jie seems to think 900-1200 is a necessity. I've also seen that there are some machines with a 600 CFM machine with an optional 1200 CFM exterior blower. Are the exterior blowers necessary or can one simply buy a model with a 1200 CFM machine? We intend to mount it under the cabinet, and vent it through the cabinet through the exterior wall.

I'm disappointed, I didn't want to read an article, I was looking for pics!

I saw a post stating that one needs the invitation letter and the airline ticket and hotel reservations. For the record...it is either the letter or the airfare/hotel. From the Chinese Embassy: http://www.chinaconsulatechicago.org/eng/ywzn/qzhz/qz/grqz/P020120801225217510261.pdf