IllinoisDave

Thanks Hank. So do I put my name and address in that "Address - C/O" box and then the same address in the remaining boxes? Seems redundent.

Getting ready to file AOA/EAD/AP. I've got a few questions on the I-485. 1) "I-94#" - Is this the one on the upper left of the I-94? 2) "Address- C/O" - What's C/O? Is it country of origin? The next line asks for street number and name. I'm confused. 3) "Place of last entry into the US" and "In what status did you last enter?" Assuming this is her first trip to the US, are they asking for the POE? Would the answers be "Chicago" and "K-1" to these two questions? Or are they asking about the "last entry" before coming on the K-1? 4) "Non-Immigrant Visa Number" - Is this the control number at the top,the red number at the lower right or part of the really long number at the very bottom of the visa? 5) IN Part B where they ask her to list "present husband,sons or daughter" etc, there's the question "Applying with you" with boxes for yes or no. Do we just leave it blank since it's not applicable? Or should we answer "No" even though I'm a USC. Kind of confusing. Thanks

CONGRATS to you both!

CONGRATS!

Dave, she had a Chinese license, and knew how to drive. SOS didn't mention anything about a translator. Having one this far south of I-80 is merely a pipe dream. Now, had she been a Mexican, EVERYTHING would have been available in Spanish. I recommend a driving school, and you are closer to Chicago than we are, by a bunch, so maybe you can find one in Chinatown. George Thanks George. Christine has a Chinese license as well, but hasn't driven in at least 15 years. So I'm gonna give it the old college try and see if I can teach her. If not we'll be looking for a driving school nearby. Chinatown is a good suggestion. It's not real close but she may be more comfortable with someone from there. Thanks again. Dave

Lao Po did practice driving for about four months and then passed her road test after a few tries. She's now been driving for maybe 8 months now and has turned into a pretty good driver. She drives the LA Freeways and does not have the oft joked about slow poke syndrome. Er Mei passed her written test about three weeks ago and is just starting her practice driving. She's doing at least as well as her mom did at this point and I expect she'll become a good driver also. I taught both of them myself ... no schools. I've gone over with them what the DMV here expects on the driving test and these, plus freeway driving, are the things we concentrate on. Examples are hand position, back up technique, scanning, and common rules of the road. In the first few sessions I don't hesitate to pull the emergency brake if necessary. I never raise my voice and provide a fairly constant stream of coaching, praise, and criticism, particularly in the beginning. We try to talk through what we are doing well ahead of time. For the first month or so I find it necessary to provide a little corrective steering. They soon find their skills and start getting ahead of the vehicle, this is when the requirement for me to coach or touch anything goes down rapidly. If you and your wife have the temperament for it I recommend you try teaching her. I find it a rewarding experience. Jim, you must have incredible patience my friend. I'll try to teach her myself as well. I'm sure we'll find out very soon whether that'll be workable.

Congratulations! Christine has had her Rules of the Road since she got here as well. Did you get Lixin professional driving instructions or did you do it yourself? I'd be very interested to hear how she progressed through the process as Christine will be doing the same.

Nice write-up. Yuki's attention to detail probably saved you a good deal of hassle. I think she's gonna take very good care of you. Congrats again.

Good luck Brian and Lili. You're in good hands here.

I'll echo what Jim says. And just add that the "kitchen sink" and other lists you've seen are really kind of a compilation of the things that have been asked for in the past. It's kind of an all-inclusive list of things that "can" be asked for because they "have" been asked for. Are they all asked for all the time? No. Even frequently? No, probably not. As Jim points out, people can take an honest look at their case and tailor their "sink" to their own situation and probably have a high likelihood that it will be enough. For a lot of us though, it's a security blanket kind of thing so we try to have anything that could possibly be asked for ready just in case. Speaking for myself, I'd have rather taken 2 pounds of extra documents that were never asked for than not have the one that was and have the heartbreak of seeing my SO walk down that hallway with a sad face and a blue slip in hand. Yes, the majority of blue slips are easily overcome. But the peace of mind that comes with knowing that you've covered as many bases as you possibly can going in is worth it's weight in paper. Just my two cents.

CONGRATULATIONS MICHAEL AND FANG!! GUZ didn't stand a chance. Your attention to every last detail obviously paid off in a big way. Way to go! Christine and I are very happy for you two. Thanksgiving will be just as sweet in China as it would be here. I don't have to tell you to enjoy your before you head back. Congrats again. Dave and Christine

So sorry to hear this. But, as others have said, it should be a fairly straightforward overcome. I hope she gets here for Christmas. Best of luck. Dave and Christine

CONGRATULATIONS FROM DAVE AND CHRISTINE!!

CONGRATULATIONS CLAYTON AND WEN LI!! Sorry I'm just getting to your great news. Haven't been on the computer since Wednesday. Christine and I are very happy for you two. We knew Wen Li would sail through. I'm sure like me you were a little disappointed that the VO didn't look at more stuff after all the work you put into it. But I guess that's really the point of being so prepared. That the VO won't have any reason to question anything and just give the obviously bona fide cases the pink with little hassle. I'm glad your Thanksgiving will be truly happy this year. Congrats again. Dave and Christine.

That's pretty friggin cool Gino. Great job! I'm sure it'll be very useful to those coming behind us.

Right about now Wen Li should be somewhere on the 5th floor waiting for her name to be called or even sitting across from a VO. And poor Clayton's down on the 4th floor biting his nails or pacing,breathing all those cigarette fumes in that "cozy" little coffee shop,watching the vultures swoop down onto the poor blue slippers and waiting to catch a glimpse of Wen Li coming down the hall waving a piece of pink paper. Here's to another CFL success story. You go Clayton and Wen Li.

Good luck to both of you Michael and Fang!! I know all you're worrying and checking and double checking will pay off with that little slip of pink paper we all look for. You and Clayton have to be two of the most diligent members I've seen here. I know there are no I's left to dot or T's left to cross with either of you and I know you'll both have success. As we speak, Clayton's better half is probably sitting on the fifth floor waiting for her name to be called. I hope we get the good news from both of you very soon. Best of luck my friend. Dave

Now that's a project no one can find fault with. Uhhh ... I think I take exception to the "overpowering axillary malodor" that was a distinguishing characteristic of one. OK. I missed that. I don't think I care for either.

CONGRATULATIONS!!

This is just our experience. Take from it what you will. We had a pretty rock-solid, straightforward case. No complications like divorces etc. Her interview went quick. All he asked for was pictures and taxes. So asking for taxes in a seemingly simple case is not unheard of. We had three years worth ready. The VO just said "Can I see the taxes?" and my SO handed him everything, tax forms,I-134 and employer letter. He quickly flipped through all of them and handed them back. So there's no way of knowing if he would have accepted just one year or not. I agree with David. Just have the I-134,employer letter and 1 year of taxes ready to hand over. If they feel they need to see more or find a problem, most likely you're going to get a blue anyway. Then you can give them the more involved stuff.

Welcome and good luck.

CONGRATULATIONS!!

David, Randy and Don are all right. (No I'm not running for anything) If you have a question that you need answered at ACH, then by all means go. Otherwise I also think it's a security blanket type of thing. It makes some people feel better about their case to go. That's great. In our case, we were very prepared and I really didn't have any questions to ask. But I made plans to be there the Monday before the interview and ask some general questions and get my appearance noted in our case file like so many others have done. Only one problem, I'd neglected to check the calender close enough until I got to China. Only then did I realize that Colombus Day fell on the Monday I had planned to go. Oops. No worries. Our interview was a snap. Less than five minutes. As David said, there are so many instances of members and non-members getting visas without attending ACH that there really can't be much of a correlation. If someone is unsure about any aspect of their case, then it may be useful to go to ACH and get their questions answered if they can. But, if you're confident and prepared, do like Randy said and spend the time with your SO instead.

Anybody else have a small bowl of coins on a bed table kitty-corner from the door to your bedroom? Or is it just me?

I don't care who ya are, that's funny.