RRTony

UPDATE::::::Today she got the Visa finally. Pink last Wed., got visa the following Tuesday, 6 calendar days and no reason given. She had filled out the ems papers but didn't tell me when I first asked. She was just wiggn out because many people were getting visas that got pink one, two and three days after her, so she got real scared. On Monday she tried to go back to the guz office and they wouldn't let her in. Today on Tuesday it arrived at the post and she is on her way home. I guess it is always setting expectations too high that leads to disappointment, but when she saw other ladies getting it in 2 days she just couldn't understand why she wasn't getting hers. Oh well, all is well that ends well. Thanks everyone for the assistance, and we will be heading to the USA on Oct 24th. I have a place in Las Vegas, and we are heading there first and after a week I will be taking her in my 40 foot motorhome and driving her across the country to my hometown in Pittsburgh to meet the whole fam-damily. I want her to see the rockies [hope it isn't snowing the first week of Nov]. Should be a fun trip and then meet my family for the first time. We may end up settling in Pgh area because the Vegas place is not really what we want. Good luck all, and I am sure we will keep tabs here and help others when we can.

Glad it worked out. I was curious as to what they were going to say, because their system creates a somewhat double edged sword. I filed this way as living in China also, but must prove we have income when we get back home. So, they can't penalize you for taking off for home for the job that they want to see to make sure that you can support her! The bottom line is that filing this way over here in China is tricky and they wanted to make sure you weren't going around their system. Because if you live in china and file here, the first thing they want to know is if you have USA domicile and income, and that your residence here must be temporary. So, you left to get a job and then they flag you.....then how can you prove income if they stop you from getting a job in the USA......I thought they were going to get you in no-mans-land somehow. Glad it worked out so far.

our interview thurs-10 days wait until visa issued,11 to pickup. DOS wont be able to tell you anything, its in GUZ hands you need to fax and email them. # are in the FAQS look at the consulate site they are both there dos can tell you if and when the visa was actually issued. OK, thanks everyone, I will call on monday and see what's up, but since guz is a day ahead over here, I will try the fax method first. I am pretty calm and realize if we got pink, everything is ok, but you know how the girls worry about everything......she is down there thinking of all kinds of reasons she may not get the visa. Now she has a long weekend to sit there and she is bored. I told her to go shopping, luckily she doesn't like to spend money or I would be in trouble. Thanks again everyone!!

Chilton??? That phone number, is it the one that I have to pay 58 rmb or something like that and go pay for a pin # to use? Or is that a different system. If so, I need to figure out where to do that. Thanks everyone for your answers!!!!!

2-3 days is the norm, but some people have waited 12 days, although thats rare. you can track the passport with the ems tracking number. good luck and keep us posted. what tracking number are you talking about? She is telling me that she only got a pink sheet, and nothing with an ems # on it. She is going to the post and they are saying that guz is not sending her visa to them yet. Now she went over to the post today [day 3] and still not there. Other ladies getting their visas that got pink the day after her are picking up their visas already. So she is very confused and scared now that something is wrong. She went back to guz today to ask questions and they are closed for the weekend. So, cancel the plane ticket back to beijing, and keep waiting in a hotel down there without knowing what is going on...... Is this normal? Is this the system? Get a pink, and then must sit and wait in a hotel at their mercy without being able to find out what is going on? Everything so smooth up till now, get pink, then mystery???

We got pink 2 days ago, but today the visa was not at the post office to pick up yet. Is this normal? How many days is normal for picking up the visa? My wife is in guz waiting for it, and she is now worried. I thought I saw 2 to 4 days is normal somewhere in the past, but now she is worrying [as the girls do over every step of this process] that something else is wrong. What were your experiences on how many days to get the visa after pink issued? Thanks in advance.

basically 3 ppl filling out i864 for 1 person Yes, you can have more than 1 sponsor from what I know. Secondly, on paper, the assets will cover you. You need to be able to prove how much the house is worth with a quick appraisal, and prove what the debt is to show the difference. I.e. prove nothing is owed on it, or whatever. Then the combination of those assets and the cash your father [sponsor] has should suffice. Yes, you guys have no jobs, but you can obviously argue you are going to get one. Secondly the paperwork says, assets divided by 5, and then as long as it is more than the poverty line, you are covered. But, as others have stated, they have the ability to say no anyway, I would enclose a letter stating you are just moving back and will have a job within a short time, and the assets are enough to cover you guys for years,,,,,it sounds like. Do you have to prove domicile? Depending upon which forms you are using, some require proving domicile, meaning you need to prove you have a home in the USA or an address there with a lease or something. If you said 864's, they require proof of domicile. You need to show drivers license, voting card, electric bill, tax return or something to prove you reside in the USA. Maybe you don't need this, because some applications do not, but if you do, you better square that up as well.

Yes, thanks. 4 months from start to finish. I am sure it is not a record, but seems faster than most!!! We did our homework and submitted everything correctly. There are some real obstacles to moving to China temporarily, but I wanted to be here with her and I was able to do it. This allowed us to file this way and it can be one of the faster ways if done correctly. The catch is that you have to document that you lived in China for a full 6 months before you can file any paperwork for the CR1 filing within China. I didn't show that on my time-line. So, overall I am not sure it is any faster??

Yes, you screwed yourself with the foreign address on the tax return. You could have still showed your US address on your tax return and gotten the $80k deduction for foreign income. Not to pry, but you would have only paid taxes if you "Grossed" more than $80k. I investigated this stuff before I moved to China. My acct said to file in the US with my address and simply state the foreign residence, etc And it isn't Guz being more difficult than other places, it is the fact that you are applying while living outside of the US. They classify that differently than for guys living in the US and filing there. I clearly read the difference when deciding to file for the K1, K3, or CR1 in China. We decided to marry here and file the CR1 directly, and the instructions for that mentioned the domicile requirement. I would think with what you just said you are giving to them will suffice. IF they got letters of support and a letter from the parents saying you can live with them, I would think they would have a tough time saying no to that one. Good luck.

I have an update so far, and when she returns from Guz in a few days I will post a lot more to help out people who haven't gone thru the interview yet. But, overall she said it was easier than she was worried about. The guy only asked her about 5 questions. She said she answered very quickly and kept smiling....not sure if that helped, but how can it hurt. He asked for my tax returns and form I-864 for us, and he only looked at it for like 1 minute she said and didn't ask any questions about that stuff. I will post the 5 questions when I know them. Thanks everyone!!! We will be heading home to the US the end of October.

Good luck, my wife is in Guz also, got pink today, and she is waiting the 2 days to get the visa in her hands. Then she will return to Beijing. She said it was crazy crowded in there, tons of people. I don't have all the details yet, but her overall response was "IT WAS EASY". She was real nervous about the English and them asking her something that she didn't understand. But, she said it was easy. After she returns to Beijing I will have all the details and post them. In the meantime, I just wanted to let you know. Hope it goes easy for you also.

But ... that is vague. If it is a requirement you should list it somewhere. Perhaps on the I-129F instruction sheet? Alsoalsoalso . . . if it is not too much trouble, could you explain why it is required? It is required because you are going to sponsor her [be responsible] for her in the USA. You need to prove to USA that you can be responsible financially, and that you actually live there. I am sure there is more to it, but if they want it, it doesn't matter because there is no getting around it. I just had to do it and it is easy. I am in Beijing with a lease temporarily while we got my wife's visa, so I just included a copy of my last years tax return and an electric bill from my home in the USA and that was all they needed.

I know I am a relatively new member, but just got word that we got PINK! I will post the details when I know how it all went down. I stayed in Beijing, and she went to Guz herself [her decision], and she just texted me that it is pink. Tony

Buying online is safe these days if you are dealing with any of the major airlines. Also, depending upon where you are going in China there are tons of different options, as well as mentioned earlier, where you are flying from, and how many stops are you willing to make. I will note that you can sometimes get better options by thinking outside of the normal flying box. It is typical to only think of the US airlines and/or Air China. I have found some really decent deals sometimes on Air Canada, Korean Air, Japan Air and others. They can be competitive sometimes and offer a 1 bounce flight from the larger airports in the US. i.e. From Seattle, Air Canada is the cheapest way to Beijing with a short hop to Vancouver first, then direct to Beijing. You can also do this on Air Canada thru Vancouver from numerous US cities that have their service to Vancouver. Korean air and Japan air is the same way. From LAX or San Fran or New York, etc. these major airlines will fly to Shanghai or Beijing, etc with one bounce in Seoul or Tokyo. Sometimes they are cheaper and/or the flight sched may be better than the US airlines with the one bounce.

Hi, I am living in Beijing and filed for the CR1 also. You must have lived in China for 6 months first to file this way, and you need to be able to prove that. We applied for the first packet in Beijing, not Guz. After they approved our file, then later everything gets mailed to Guz. Don't know if you can mail it in.