Jeff, Seems your dilemma has been resolved so I won't add my two cents on that. I would like to add a little perspective on the cost aspect though in case you decide to try again or a visitor to Candle is considering a visa adventure in China. I took three trips to see my now-wife. We stayed in nice hotels the whole time, ate out nearly every meal and did lots of touristy stuff. All that combined with all fees and incidentals involved in the visa process came to about $15,000. This figure has been cited by quite a few others here who've been two to four times. The $30,000 figure is too steep IMHO, especially for someone considering only one trip. Just didn't want you or anyone else to get scared off by that higher figure. Good luck with your future search.