carhil24

Robert, We were informed several weeks ago in SSN office in CA that once again the policy had changed and that they had to process our application through the BCIS site, and subsequently our application was turned down because BCIS had not yet processed our EAD. Will try again tomorrow, since we just received the Notice of Receipt. Good luck!

Hello all, Just received the Notice of Receipt for our AOS and EAD filing. Some information for those of you in CA who need to file in SF: 1. My fiancee (then) arrived 4/6/03. Married 6/21/03. Filed AOS/EAD 8/14/03. Applied for SSN 8/14/03. Refused SSN 9/12/03. Received AOS Receipt 10/1/03. To answer some questions previously posted on Candle: 1. You do not need to file AOS within 90 days of your fiancee's arrival, but you MUST marry within 90 days. Considerable research in the BCIS and related sites has revealed no clear cut answer to how long you have after the marriage, to file, but our filing was accepted almost 8 weeks after, with a special circumstance. 2. The AOS application must be mailed (to SF) and you must use the PO box, thus you cannot use UPS. The mailing center we used changed the PO box # to a street address for BCIS on our application envelope, without asking us, and we received the application back about 3 weeks later (which explains the length of time between our wedding date and the actual filing). Needless to say, I was very unhappy with the mailing center, and they refunded my money and resent it free of charge. I included an additional letter explaining the foul-up to BCIS. Looks like no problem now. 3. We were notified by the SSN office in our city (we have only one) that our request for SSN was refused because BCIS had not yet received (read processed) the EAD application. We will try again tomorrow. 4. BCIS cashed our checks on the day they received the application. These checks were handwritten and made out to BCIS. 5. With the Notice of Receipt we received an appointment on 10/14 for her fingerprinting (we included a check for $50 in the original application). 6. Also received a notice to appear in person to pick-up the EAD after Oct 3, on any Monday, between the hours of 11:00am to 2:00 pm within 45 days. This will require a trip to SF. Note: In bold letters at the bottom they state that if this is not picked up within 45 days, the application will be denied. 7. The Notice of Receipt states that an interview date will be mailed separately. For those of you who live in CA, or anywhere for that matter, and have any questions on the process from NOA1 thru AOS Notice of Receipt, I will be happy to answer them. PM me or respond to this thread. Please be patient, as I don't always have a lot of time to log on to Candle. For those of you who don't live in CA, my deepest and sincerest sympathies to you! None of the other 49 states will be able to say that they are being run by the TERMINATOR! Hasta la vista, baby!

Hello all, I apologize for not being around for quite awhile, almost 5 months, but we have both been very busy since my wife and her daughter's arrival, and the free time that was so readily available before, is not so readily available now. I am not sure how some of you guys get away being on the computer so much! Anyway, in response to this thread. My wife (fiancee at that time) also could not speak much English at that time, very little in fact. I was lucky because I could speak a fair amount of Chinese, and that helped our communication immensely. We had heard all of the rumours about K-1 cases being turned down, so what I did was get a notarized letter from a Chinese couple who were friends of mine, stating that I could speak Chinese fluently (a small white lie, perhaps). But I think what really helped was the fact that I was at the Consulate during the interview. Her interviewer asked her the usual questions, how did we meet, when did I come to China, etc, and after realizing that she could not speak much English, he asked her if I could speak Chinese. She said, yes, very much. And he asked her how many times I had been to China. She said, 4 times, and that "he is outside waiting for me right now." The guy looked at her and said, "He is outside right now?" She affirmed that, and he looked at her and smiled and said, "OK!", and proceeded to process the paperwork. By the way, he did not even look at our notarized letters, but having them made me feel a lot more secure. Regarding lawyers: I used a lawyer and I tend to agree with those who believe that by using one, it somewhat helps the interviewer to feel more secure about the validity of the petition, since it usually runs approximately 2K. Of course we will never know for sure, but that's my gut feeling. The firm we used is from So Ca and only handles immigration cases. I know for a fact that they have handled hundreds of cases through GZ, and have never been turned down. By the way, one of the partner's wife is also a Chinese immigrant, which I felt was helpful. They will also allow you to call or email with questions regarding AOS, etc, even after the case has been processed and your fiancee is over here. I still talk to them occasionally, all free of charge. As a rule, I don't like lawyers either, but these guys were very helpful throughout the whole process, and even though GZ/DOS lost our Security Clearance approval for almost 5 months, we still completed the process in less than 11 months, which at that time (May 2002 thru April 2003) was pretty quick. Anyway, enough on that subject. If anyone wants the name of the firm I used, you can PM me. Sincerely, Carl & Hongyu

Hello to all, A short post to let you all know we are back! She received her visa, and we left as soon as possible. We just got home, and I will give you details later, but all in all it was a very smooth and successful endeavour! Thanks for all of the support, and I will post later, after we get some sleep! Carl & Hongyu P.S. I passed the initial house-check!!!

FYI to confirm what you guys are hearing concerning receiving the visa the day after. As you know, my fiancee just received P4, and in the appointment letter it states that if the interview is passed, she can pick up her visa the next morning. Of course they still say that receiving the P4 does not guarantee a visa, but at least we know that once the interview is completed, we are home free (knock on wood!). Carl & Hongyu

Joe, Yes, we are hoping for the best, but ready for the worst. From what I understand, they will interview her on Thur AM, and give her the visa Fri AM. If I have to, I'll buy a damn printer for them! We aren't scheduled to leave until Sat, and I am fully prepared to cancel and rebook those flights if necessary, but we are going there with the utmost confidence that we will be flying back Saturday! But I won't rest until she is in SFO. Carl & Hongyu

Hello all, FYI, my fiancee finally received her P4 in the mail Tues AM. After having been informed P4 was mailed 3/13, it was actually mailed 3/17. Most likely, it sat in the GZ mailroom for a few days before actually mailing. It took exactly one week to reach Mudanjiang. We are scrambling, because her interview is Apr 3, and I am going back to meet her there, leaving this coming Sat. Will let you know as soon as visa is received. Thanks, Carl & Hongyu P.S. If any of you old-timers have any suggestions and/or helpful hints for the P4 packet/Medical Exam/Interview process, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Carl

agl88, Where does she live? Thanks, Carl

Hello, Can you tell me what day they mailed it? And how far from GZ is your fiancee? We are still waiting for our P4, supposedly they mailed it on Fri, Mar 14. However, she lives quite a distance away from GZ, so we are still hoping it didn't get lost in the mail. Thanks in advance, Carl

Personally, I would call them once a week, just to keep your name in front of them. FYI: I called them Mon 3/10, and was told still pending. Called GZ Wed eve 3/12 and was told her name cleared two days ago. Moral of this story: Things in this process change daily, maybe hourly, and what someone tells you one day, could very well change the next day. Call DOS and GZ weekly, and you will be pleasantly surprised one day! By the way, what day did you interview in Dec, and does your fiancee by any chance live in Mudanjiang?

Er...Carl....don't forget to clean underneath the toilet seat ok? (Ask Eric for details, I understand he is writing a book about how to do it correctly). Oh s..t!!! (Is that what you're speaking of?) And is Eric writing this book after Yuhui arrived and taught him how to clean correctly? You guys remember when immediately after Yuhui arrived, Eric disappeared for awhile...he was actually learning how to clean correctly!!!

Bill, Should be going to GZ pretty soon...right around the 1st of the month...is that soon enough for you??? PM if that will work...I'd be happy to do it! Carl

You're right!!! Just called GZ...they informed me her interview day is 8:30 am 4/3/03...less than 3 weeks notice!!! Also informed me that visa could be picked up next day!!! OMG!!! A week ago we were still thinking 2-4 months...now its 2 weeks!!! B) 2 weeks to get my house in shape for a woman!!! Forget the white-glove inspection...I couldn't pass a dark brown-glove inspection right now!!! Sorry guys, but I gotta get to work!!!

OMG!!! Your interview date is on 4/1 and you haven't received your P4? How certain is your info? I'm going to try GZ tonight to see if I can find out, if so, I'll let everyone know. Seems as if they are cutting things down to the wire now!

Or her daughter's birthday on the 19th!!!

Hello all, Spoke with GZ last night and was informed that our P4 packet was mailed 3/14. Based on P3 timeline, she should receive 3/20 or 3/21. Will post when received, along with the interview date. We might be looking at an April reunion, possibly in time for her birthday on the 17th!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

1. "I saw your letter to CA...the time you took to write the letter and edit the letter you could have done something else instead." Someone once taught me, that if you are going to criticize, then you need to offer an alternative afterwards...so, your suggestion is??? 2. "I know you will probably go off and get angry at me for this advice." How do you "know" this? A little presumptuous don't you think??? 3. "you will have to trust me on this" Will he now??? 4. "and letters, emails, and faxes are "Not even looked at"" Is that true now? How do you explain the countless letters and emails that a lot of us have received back from "these people"? Although a lot are form letters or cut and paste, obviously our letters and emails are not only "looked at", but read and responded to as well. Sometimes we may not always like the responses, but they still come. 5. "make amends with these people" Spoken like a true government worker who has never learned exactly whom it is he or she is working for. If anything, I think these people should be making amends and apologizing to us, not the other way around. 6. "if they detect any anger they will hang-up the telephone quickly" If that statement is true, and possibly sometimes it is, does that mean that we should give up and not hold them accountable for this? If any of us would hang up on the person(s) we worked for when we detected that they were a little angry with us, we would all find our butts in the unemployment line. Although I do not feel we have the right to curse or resort to profanity when we are speaking with anyone, we do have the right to be angry at someone who is not doing the job we as tax payers pay them to do, especially if they have a "I don't give a s..t attitude. 7. "but believe me your Senator, Congressman, DOS, don't care." Again, another highly presumptuous statement. I am sure that there are some people in our government who don't care about anyone but themselves, but then there are people like that everywhere in the world and in every occupation. I tend to believe that most of the people I have come in contact with during this ordeal, are concerned about this issue, but not to the extent that we all are. Remember, to us it is personal, to them it is work. We can't expect them to see our point of view, nor should we expect them to care about us individually. But we can expect them to do the jobs that they were appointed or hired to do. No more and no less. 8. "To all on Candle.....My wife and her daughter have the visa's in hand. I am not giving anymore information because I think enough has been shared with the group, and now all I am asking is privacy to protect my family. I am not giving their names or dates...sorry !! I wish I could share pictures of ourselves to everyone on Candle and celebrate....but my celebration has been by myself and my wife/daughter. Owen ,Mick, AZ, Anna, PJ, and everyone on Candle .....THANKYOU !!! So, let me get this straight. You received all of the good things from this website, such as the feeling of excitement and joy we all have when just one of us shares with the rest of us even one small piece of good news. Or the feeling of support and solidarity as we realize that we are not alone in this quest. Or the feeling of confidence and hope as we read the posts of those of us like yourself who have successfully completed this process. And now, instead of sharing with the rest of us your joy and happiness at finally reaching your goal, so that all of us can enjoy this victory with you, you instead are sneaking away under the guise of privacy. I think that if you really wanted to be so private with your thoughts and feelings, you could have PM'd AZ Wolf instead of posting for all to see. Just out of curiousity, how did that post benefit the rest of us on this website, and why exactly did you post it? 9. "PJ....get off the computer and find your soul mate. Before there were computers and chat rooms people just met the old fashion way. What do you mean by "old-fashioned"? Are you speaking of meeting people in school, church, grocery stores, places of employment, public places, etc, etc? News flash: People still meet that way, and will continue to do so for as long as men and women are attracted to one another. Or are you speaking of a long time before that when meetings and engagements and marriages were arranged by two families, and oftentimes the two people never even met or spoke with each other prior to their wedding day? Cultures and rituals gradually change over time, and now meeting people on the internet is a popular, and very safe way to do so. I accidentally met my fiancee on the internet one day, a day that I will never forget, and we spent the next 8 months emailing each other almost every day. Because of the distance between us, we could not see each other, we could not hold each other, we could not touch each other, and nothing physical could ever occur. But do you know that because of that, all we could do was learn about each other. Our likes, our dislikes, our families, our cultures, our beliefs, our values, our goals for the future, and our mistakes of the past. And when we finally were able to meet in person some 8 months later, we both felt as if we were once again seeing someone we had known for our entire lives, but hadn't seen for quite awhile. It wasn't awkward nor embarassing, it was totally normal and comfortable! And the love that we had developed over the internet and phone during that time seemed so natural and perfect!!! Before you go and dismiss the possibility of someone meeting their soul mate on the internet, I think you should talk to the thousands of couples who have done so and are now living happily ever after! PJ will find his soul mate one day, be it on the computer, at the grocery store, at work, or wherever, and when he does, only he and his soul mate will know it for sure. Chris, I wish you luck in your future with your bride and your daughter, and I can only hope that you one day will realize that none of us want to invade your privacy or cause you or yours any discomfort, we only wish to celebrate your accomplishment with you, thereby not only making you feel better, but us as well! Good luck to you, and maybe someday we can all meet and reminisce about these times. Carl

To all: I will try to make this as short as possible, but will probably begin to babble shortly. After talking to the DOS info line on Monday and being told that the name check was still pending, for some odd reason tonight I thought I would give GZ a call just to see if I actually talk to someone. Lo and behold, I got in on the third try, and almost immediately reached a live person, who informed me that they would be scheduling my fiancee and her daughter for an interview shortly. Being the skeptic I am, I immediately thought they are reverting to the old method and scheduling interviews without the clearances, but when I asked her, she said they received the clearance on Tuesday. Even after I asked her the same questions three different ways, including in Chinese, the answer remained the same! I then called my fiancee and woke her (she is down with a cold) and she thought she was dreaming! After bringing me down to earth a bit, I decided to try to call GZ again just to make sure that the answer was the same (can you blame me?) For some reason God was with me tonight, because once again I got through within ten minutes, and spoke to another lady who confirmed it! Now I cannot sleep, and I am probably babbling. By the way, I would like to submit my opinion on this "hold" on some of the names. I believe that, like a few others have posted as well, that this "hold" has more to do with the person's name rather than their background. Several weeks ago when I mentioned this problem to my fiancee, she told me not to worry, because her name was very unique in China, and she didn't know anyone else with the same name, unlike lots of other people in China. I hope this news brings to those of you who are waiting for the clearance to come through, some measure of hope, because I feel a little guilty about receiving the clearance before those of you who started this process before me. Although our timeline was aging, it was still not as old as some of yours, and I can only hope and pray that tonight I am not the only one receiving some good news. Anyway, I am sure I am babbling by now, but can you blame me? Of course, we still have to wait for P4 and the interview date, but at least its another step forward. Thanks for listening, Carl & Hongyu & Jin Xin

For those of you who recently debated the merits of living either in America or China, there is a very good essay in today's Parade magazine written by Aung San Suu Kyi, a Burmese woman and a Nobel laureate who stands out as one of the greatest human rights leader and dissident of our time. If I may be allowed one quote from her essay, "We know that democracy is a jewel that must be polished constantly to maintain its luster. To prevent it from being damaged or stolen, democracy must be guarded with unremitting vigilance. We are working so hard for freedom because only in a free Burma will we be able to build a nation that respects and cherishes human dignity." For those of you who have any doubts about the merits of bringing your fiancee to America, please read this essay. This is why even though I have had conflicting emotions concerning this, I still wish to bring my Hongyu to America. I want her to experience the freedom that we still have in this country, and even though it seems as if some of our freedoms have eroded recently, this is still the best country in the world. I apologize to all of you from China who may disagree with me, and I am well aware that there are many problems in America as well, but the fact remains that we are still free. And the fact that I am still able to read this essay in a national magazine, and post this information onto this website, is proof the fact remains, we are still free! Deep down in my heart, I believe that my Hongyu and her daughter deserve to come to America, and I will not rest until she is by my side. As for the future, who knows, we may choose to live elsewhere in the world, possibly even returning to China someday. But the key word here is "choose", by bringing her to America now, we have a choice in our future together. On March 20th, Aung San Suu Kyi will be honored with the $1 million Al Neuharth Free Spirit of the Year Award, which is given annually to "the person in the news who has stirred our hearts by demonstrating the human capacity to dream, dare and do." That is what I want for my Hongyu, the freedom to dream, to dare, and to do. That is what I want for all of the ladies on this forum who are waiting to be with their loved ones in America. Please do not give up the dream!

PJ, I also would be willing to contribute. Let me know when and how.

chinadave, Time In A Bottle.....Jim Croce.....shows you how old I am, huh? carhil24

Hello from Redding, CA. K-1 Visa still awaiting clearance.

Yes, that makes more sense. Thanks for the assist! Now I can go back to beating my head against the wall!

That is the email address for Richard Adams. Sorry about that!