mercator
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Posts posted by mercator
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GOOD LUCK!!!
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Seems like the 5,6,7 of June have several interviews scheduled for CFL'ers. Especially 5th and 6th. I'd be afraid to have a 6/6/6 interview! Non-issue though since I know my wife's interview isn't then, or we'd have gotten paperwork to that effect
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They should stay low key. Don't go marching the streets of Fairbanks waiving Chinese flags and demanding to be citizens. That would be stupid and it would give the wrong impression.
(end sarcasm)
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CONGRATULATIONS!!!
I didn't do a personal letter, but I am hoping that the two giant packages of paperwork she lugs in (so far) will help her get a visa when the time comes!
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OK, being that Lee ain't taken the bait, I will give my honest answer to the posts question....
Companionship would be at the top. Yet, she has turned out to be more than just a companion. She's my lover, my friend, my caregiver, and my soulmate. In the previous lengthy thread, i would often read words as True Love (thank you Ken) and the idea of Making the other Happy.
True love is the complete commitment to assuring that you will do everything you can to make your partner's life as happy and as comfortable as humanly possible. This is OUR bargain. This is OUR part of the deal. We have no control over what our partner gives us. We can only be sure to give our best to them.
I am lucky. She gives back everything I give. For the first time in my life, I have finally found a woman that accepts me totally, completely. Never a whine. Never a nag. Just total acceptance. So often was I conditioned to not be upfront and to hide my indescretions. Now, I realize I have none, in her eyes. And, each day together becomes another day of building our solid foundation of love.
yeah what he said, with the implicit statement that she is in my life because I want her there and she wants me in hers, neither of us needing to be in each others' lives. _-_
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Perhaps it is that I have been a student of Zen for such a long time, but my reaction to events is a little bit subdued. I was notified yesterday by the DOS that my wife Wenzhen's interview is set for July 12th.
The wait for immigration is a long one for all of us, and it helps me to keep my emotions out of it. I never figured it would take this long, but it has. It has been very supportive to read everyone's comments in their own process. This site is a must!
Now, it is time for my wife and I to do our final preparations and prayers. I do not see a potential blue slip as something to fear, though I have no reason to expect one.
If one is given, my courageous wife will present some good arguments and documents right then at the counter. She's no quiter. If needed we will just overcome whatever.... I'd like to be there, but I can not get away from work.
With such a long wait, I will admit, the stomach has the jitters.
I hope everyone gets some sort of good news this next week!
You are all wonderful people for having the courage and strength to go through this!
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
And good luck at the interview!
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I did the K-3 / cr-1 and I didn't send anything more than what they asked for. I think K-1's are different and irrelevant to your process, as a k-3.
Send in your 130:
Cover letter, with all that is in there, and who you two are, etc.
Your address
Their address (depends on where you are, which svc center you go to)
Date
Nature of Submission: I-130 ORIGINAL SUBMISSION
To Whom It May Concern:
Enclosed please find my Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, for the purposes of applying for a K-3/CR-1 Visa for my beneficiary, [First LAST], and supporting documents.
- Payment in the amount of (was $185 when I applied in October) by check
- I-130 application
- G-325a (quadruplicate) - you, Petitioner, with passport-style photo
- G-325a (quadruplicate) - your wife, Beneficiary, with passport-style photo
- Your birth certificate (certified/notarized)
- Your notarized passport copy
- Your divorce decrees (if any)
- Notarial copy of your marriage document (aka the little red book)
Copies of documents submitted are exact photocopies of unaltered documents and I understand that I may be required to submit original documents to an immigration or Consular officer at a later date.
Signed,
Your full legal name
Obviously you can't submit it until you get back and are fully married. Make sure you have birth certificate, family history for three generations, and a "single statement" all notarized, preferably notarized by a PRC consulate AND a US notary. Why? Because if she lives in a small town, they don't often have a fluent English speaker. This resulted in some delays for us, because they didn't believe the PRC notary. Ironically they had no problem with my small-town notary on some secondary documents, but the main document, single status apostille translation from Washington Dept of State, notarized by the PRC consulate in SF, had to be taken to the next higher (county?) government agency because they had a women who spoke English well and could translate the apostille again for the city marriage "stamper." The single status document and family history weren't translated and with a local US notary stamp. They were accepted out of hand. LOL
Just warning you that the wheels over there sometimes roll in ways you might not expect!
Merc
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Actually, I think you will have your interview date before she receives her P4. Especially if you call DOS a few times a week. I'm guessing that you will find your partner is in Que next week.
Yes, that's my prediction...Yes, next week as the mailing date for the P4 would be my prediction as well. I don't know if they actually work on th P4 stuff on Saturday but they certainly open case files and log them in. Generally, the K
Visa P3 is generated by the logging of the case or case status "open".
His P4 is just "due" based on timeline information. It might be a few extra day because GUZ didn't work last weekend or Monday because of Memorial Day Holiday.
If the timelines I know of hold current, you could see your P4 in as little as a week. Seems like 'ordinary' P3->P4 timelines are about 30-45 days.
Now if we could just get ordinary defined...
I'm still surprised by ShaQua's long P4->IV. Like two months. Wow.
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I wonder about it all being posturing, like the 3 mile long boulevard in my wife's hometown that leads to nowhere...
China may be starting to be concerned about the male/female imbalance, but then it would also seem like a lack of females helps the growth rate slow down like they want.
I think that the exodus of chinese women (and men, lets not forget) to foreign countries might be seen as a loss of face by the CCP? You don't see alot of citizens of western countries heading to China, like what is happening in the other direction.
I think its interesting that they are talking about it, but that is all it is, until the edict comes down from Beijing...
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CONGRATULATIONS!!!
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I believe that calling DoS provides the most accurate info at your stage. It took a long time for our P3 to show up in the computer also. This is one of those things you can't do much about ... deep breath, relax, call Lao Po and have an intimate conversation about how good it's gonna be ...
Hate to say it, but just wait. I know people who got the "no P3" response and within a week, p4 was received by their SO's. I do my share of calling, and heck even got a call from them...
Break out the cheetos, and don't sweat the fact that the right and left hands have no idea what the other is up to!
Merc
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I have been sitting here reading stories today and I thought that I would write a little something that might make some people a little less scared.
My wife is from Guilin China and we just finished her final interview this past monday and she will recieve her green card in a few weeks.
It was not that hard just alot of paperwork and some money. If you supply enough supporting evidence like emails, pictures, letters, phone cards or bills.. The support paper is a big one so make sure that you earn enough to cover the limit. Do all of those things and it only takes time.. Remember that there are alot of people trying to get visas to the U.S. and alot get turned away due to lack of supporting evidence. So save, copy, print everything. My wife went into the consulate with a suitcase of supporting evidence lol.. If anyone wants to really talk about timelines and such.. please email me but for now.. I have to search for airfares so that my wife can see her family again soon.. Take care and good luck
Burial by documentation is definitely better than coming in short-handed, that's for sure, but I think I have to agree with a post by pushbrk about how its the picture painted that they rely on, and most of the mountain of paperwork is for the two step, should you fail to impress the first time.
Welcome to CFL and congratulations on the green card / visa (CR1 I assume?).
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Hey Mike, i appreciate the offer, I will try to list all the stuff we have aquired for our interview to use as proof. We of course have 5 books of pictures, each containing around 25 pics each, airline ticket stubs, my itinerary given me by my travel agent. Copies of receipts for everything I did in China on my 2 visits to China. Even the money change receipts were kept. 3 years of prepared back taxes with w-2s. The receipt for the wedding rings. A letter from my company, the email from her father welcoming me to the family after I asked her dads permission to marry her. Pictures of the nice man from china who is my dads friend and my dad working in my dads workshop on their R/C airplanes, also pics of the same man with her dad. A letter from this Chinese man and a note from his employer. Copies of my passport with visa's. A letter hand written by me expressing my intent and feelings for her. A letter from my dad saying she is welcome to live in his home with me. Bills of the house that I mailed to my wife. If i think of anything else i'll be sure to post, I'm sure I didnt forget the kitchen sink hehe. Oh, yahoo, MSN, email logs, and phone printouts from my echina phone card.
Also include copies of any handwritten correspondence you sent, CDs you sent her etc. all that is proof of relationship. My wife has a 25 slot expandable file, and then a small suitcase for all the emails along with it. She will have about 10kg of junk with her when she finally goes to her interview.
Maybe more, since I email her the latest phone statements and she keeps a copy of each in and out email as well. If she needs an oxcart for all the documentation, so be it. Better that every scrap is in there, than nothing.
This may be obvious, but please tell me you sent her a notarized I-134 as well! I didnt see that in your list of stuff.
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What can I say, my wife is a machine. I swear. I have no doubt she is the smarter of the 2 of us, so I dont mind saying yes dear when she says something. I wonder, do you think I should have the copies of my passport visa notarized, and is that important? I can easily have my bank do it. Hey, thanks for the wise words Pushbrk, you rock bro. =) Oh, I only have 2 pages of my passport stamped from my 2 trips there and back. Should I also have the blank pages copied and notarized too?
notarize the whole thing. Make a copy of your D/L and SSN and notarize that too. If income is close to the 134/864 thresholds, send bank statements, house-related documents, and a letter from your bank - notarize the lot of it if you can.
I'm lucky that I work for a city and one of our clerks is a notary. She'll have free "taco Tuesdays" for the next month, but her stamp is on everything I sent to my wife for her preparation for P3/P4/interview.
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It sounds like China Post is urping a bit... They apparently send the P3/P4 packagesUPS - you'd think they would do that, or a better strategy for the actual visa, like a 'will call' window at the ballpark...
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CONGRATULATIONS!!!
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So what about the dates that met the deadline? You suppose they will process faster or slower? If it turns into a " Hole " , please no, there will be a gap in the process possibly. Will GUZ speed up or slow down? Strive for a small break, or make the current material last?
It is a bummer to wait, but I will wait as long as it takes. Hahaha ..... No Choice I suppose.
Logic would tell me that things should speed up due to less petitions in GUZ, but I don't know how logical they are over there...
I was thinking that too. The delay would mean a small lull in the constant flow of applications, since K-1/2's aren't in the mix for a small bit. Maybe not enough to catch them up, but maybe enough to provide a brief speed up?
I am actually pretty confident that they are going as fast as they can, constrained as they are by lack of manpower and huge volume...
It'd be nice to be a fly on the wall sometimes in the VO breakroom, eh? Don't you just wonder what they think of the changes as time has gone by?
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I once described China to my mom as reliving the 50's. Sure there are modern things like cell phones and computer, etc., but the overall feel at the individual level for me is like the 50's. Washing machine but few dryers, maybe an air conditioner but more likely a fan. Maybe a credit card but more likely cash. Maybe a personal car but more likely a bus or a walk. Maybe a nice singles apartment but more likely an extended family dwelling. Maybe an expensive dinner but more likely a family gathering. Maybe a night out on the town but more likely a walk in the cool of the evening or sitting on the front stoop. Maybe a computer game but more likely cards or ma jiang with family or friends. Maybe going to a swanky bar but more likely drinking a cold beer with a buddy and shooting the bull.
I agree. like the 50's.
Also with the glorification of smoking like 50's TV and movies. I think the mentality is there too. Divorce is still frowned on, wives are sweettalked by their husbands, women are gentile and ladylike, while being the boss behind the scenes, etc.
50's trying to build the biggest baddest hugest, regardless of the enviro cost, huge factories churning out all kinds of nasties, and a budding space program to boot!
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The long and short of it is, if you're serious about bringing your partner and family to the United States, do your homework. Be prepared. Don't take shortcuts. It's makes little sense to make it all the way to the interview and be unprepared. There are weeks and months to get ready for that fateful day and the contigincies it holds. If you have a question, ask. If you don't like the answer, ask again. Complete all forms in their entirety. If you've been married before, make sure you provide your partner with original divorce certificates.
I'm not a conspiracy theorist. I think the VOs are really working hard for us. They are on our side, but they have a tough job. There is a high incidence of fraud going on out there. Make it easy on yourself, and easy on them by preparing before you get there....
Taking a holistic approach to preparedness, does seem to be the key. After only a few months I (and I'm sure several others) can pretty much predict who is going to get a blue slip. The thing is, it doesn't have to be the disaster many think it's going to be.
I'm convinced the most key issue (beyond meeting the requirements and having the forms with you) for success is the level of confidence the SO displays from the first seconds of the interview. It would seem so much easier for them to display that confidence if they all understood that there is no reason to "fear" the possibility of a two-step approval. If it happens, it happens. My wife will be convinced (the best I can) that we are prepared for either one or two steps. She'll have no reason to fear and every reason to be confident and pleasant.
So will I get a blue or a red?
If it is theoretically blue, what do you think I am lacking?
I'm not trying to put you on the spot, but rather offering myself up as your guinea pig.
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make my day law or not, you plug someone, you go to jail. WA has a similar law, but you pop an intruder, you will spend time in jail. I had a friend who was an attorney who found that out the hard way. This said attorney was a naturalized brit who happened to have been 'involved' for 4 years in No. Ireland during 'those' days. Not sure if he was S.A.S. or not, but it wasn't an ordinary unit. That crook that broke into his house... chose... poorly...
For the record, I have a sidearm and the missus will learn to use it because I do travel for work on occasion. I live in a tiny town and the only crimes are the one meth lab we once had, a few potheads, and people stealing CDs out of unlocked cars parked on the street. I lock all my doors, and I don't see the need to tempt fate or take any chances.
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People don't live on love alone. Someone who has spent over a year and a half here may now have school, job friends, familiarity, other reasons to not want to go back to China as a divorced woman. Her presence in the US may have begun for love, but she does not continue to exist solely at the whim of her husband. Her only role in life isn't "wife".
Now, many Chinese women would choose to return to China. But I can easily see why some would not. And I'm not talking about the "green card hunters", I mean honest ones who left their old life behind and began a new life and may not want to do so all over again.
I think Dennis143 knows a whole bunch of ladies in that latter state of affairs.
I'm always skeptical, now that I and one of my fellow CFL'ers was taken advantage of, but I know the jia de people are the exception not the rule, as was pointed out in several of the scenarios presented in other posts.
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Well I am well above the $20k minimum by the 864/134 standards. I hope that is enough! I'm not a rich guy, but I get by ok, and my wife won't be a burden on anyone.
Passed our interview
in General Visa Discussion & First Steps
Posted
CONGRATULATIONS!!!