Lee VD

That's why a K-1 Fiancee visa should really be just that. You should be able to get it quickly (as easy as a B visa is for professionals) and allow 24 months in the U.S. before marriage. No marry, go home. Marry, 10 yr GC. This would result in more successful unions. In this day and age with such a smaller world, it's the way it should be. If the U.S. would investigate and enforce fraudulent entries and overstays, the problem they are trying to compensate for by denying visas would be much reduced.... add it onto the immigration reform wishlist...

I don't know HK entry criteria very well. Is a green card alone sufficient? HK is under the visa waiver program? If not, then you can enter as a Chinese citizen with your passport, but the catch is don't you need a special entrance permit for HK as a Chinese citizen? When you go through Chinese immigration they don't care what you were booked on the flight as. They just look at you against your passport photo and you fill out the arrival card with your passport info. It's just when you leave the U.S., the TSA requires the airline to verify the person's passport against their ticketed name. However, in the case of people getting married and their U.S. passport has not had the name change process yet, I wonder if the marriage certificate would suffice. You should research this with Dept. of Homeland Security and see what the procedure is with newlyweds and if there is a way around it.

Did they have the authority to freeze it on their own? or did you offer, sign docs allowing it? Could it only be done at Citic? It would be a nice option for them to hold bail in exchange for a visa.

Just remember, when booking international, book it all on the passport name. Your U.S. State ID and Green Card should have your married name so use them for name checks on domestic side. Bring marriage certificate to show connection to maiden name when travelling on the domestic legs. If a legal name change occured, keep the name change order with you as well. I have directed my wife to keep a copy of her marriage certificate and name change order (since she changed first/middle names as well) with her and as far as all things China is concerned, she still uses her maiden name.

"...without needing to show much of anything....how many apartment buildings they own...." Get it yet, everybody? The poor don't stand a chance, the more affluent are welcome to a visitor visa. Correct... tangible physical assets = ties I don't think cash alone though is enough. It's easily moved.

I-485 and I-131 are out now. I did everything in her new name with an explanation on the cover letter and copies of the name change order in both packets. Also, mentioned the alias on the I-485, so we will see if that is all OK and they don't balk at any of it. Also the CCP comes up again in the questions, so included a copy of the CCP explanation letter (revised to refer to present time and mention that dues are not being paid now effectively terminating membership in 6 months). The J1 FRR question comes up so good thing she did completely cover the period so she doesn't have to go back to fulfill her "sentence". She is fully enjoying her new life and setting up her new home... all her friends back in China are very envious. She will go back in warmer days this year to visit with the AP. We hope she gets the green card before we go to Grand Cayman on vacation in November, otherwise I think she will have to get a UK visa which would be a pain... (GC is part of the British West Indies (B.W.I.))

Doesn't matter what country they are from. If it is not a VWP country then the VO's are instructed to treat every application like an intending immigrant. Even though the news tries to make it out as the illegal immigrants are people sneaking across the mexican border, the vast majority are people who came on a visa and stayed. The system is crazy and stacked against all of us who are trying to follow the rules. Its not a failure in screening out potential stayers, anyone could end up staying if they desire. The issue is enforcement. As soon as the I-94 is up they should start hunting you down. When they apply they should require a letter from a "responsible party" representing the inviter or who they are staying with. That person should be the first point of contact when the date expires. Since everyone knows it is not enforced, its an open door policy. Personally I feel they need to get serious on enforcement but make the legal path much faster and more reasonable. After having been through this mess I can see how people want to sneak across the border!

Ok, we are about done... here is how it went. We got married in Florida so there on the license there is no place to change name. Only maiden name is shown. Petitioned for name change in our local county and returned 2 days later to court (today) and was granted no problem. Then we got the State ID but they were concerned that we had not changed over SS card yet but the guy said he could find a way to do it. When he found out later she had a Michigan ID already he said that would have been a LOT easier so redid it using that. Somehow he said they link the one ID to the other to make sure they are tracking her movement. :S He also had done a SS name check right there and showed me ont he screen that she matched up OK with the SS# and the old name (well... thats what it said on the card so why should that not happen?) So then we went to the bank to get the name changed and so on we go... As recommended here, we won't file to change on SS# until after the AOS is in the hopper for a little bit. All the vaccinations are done. They checked her immunity with a blood test and found MMR and Varicella was already done so will bring that lab report and documentation of the tetanus and flu shots which she did get to the civil surgeon next week.

Wow, that's good you knew about the 2yr rule and called them out on that. Ditto here, my girl had a previous J1 which is probably the clincher here. It seems once you are in, you are in, but getting "in" is near impossible.

This seems to be the new rule. Expiration is set at 6 months after the medical exam!

We are going to the district court next week and file the name change petition to change her first name (and middle name to maiden). Then we will get a state ID, change a lot of things that I already had to put down her legal name (insurance, bank, credit cards) and use the new name for the I-485 and SS card change but I think I read the SS card change should be done later after they get word of the I-485?

Isn't living in China a risk factor?? My family doctor (coincidentally a Chinese woman) was a bit worried that I was making frequent trips to China, (risk of getting Hep from the food) and being close to a Chinese woman so I went through the Hep vaccines. But I guess once you move to the U.S. the risk decreases and you either have it by that time or not so a vaccine won't do any good.

.. and there lies the conflict of interest I have called around and gotten vastly different answers depending on what they want to sell me... Fortunately there is a recommendation in the Seattle area on the civil surgeon thread so will try there but want to make sure I give my family doctor the low down on the vaccinations needed. .. and since the immigration requirements are tied to the CDC advice the "requirements" will float with the advice of the time, maybe... that doesn't make them very firm requirements... eek Doesn't sound like many people have had problems with this though. It all comes down to getting the CS to sign his/her name down for the fee!

I followed the paper trail of references from the I-693 instructions back to the CDC and came to this table: http://www.cdc.gov/immigrantrefugeehealth/exams/ti/civil/vaccination-civil-technical-instructions.html#tbl1 Labelled "Requirements for routine vaccination of adjustment of status applicants who are not fully vaccinated or lack documentation" It indicates that MMR is not required for 18 and over. Is this true? Flu vaccine is required if in flu season... Now, if I follow other trails from the technical directions: "The required vaccines based on the applicant's age at the time of the medical evaluation must be administered. Age-based immunization schedules recommended by ACIP should be followed and are available at: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules". I get to this table: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4030.pdf Which shows that MMR is required as well as Hep A and B (which are multi-course) but the technical instructions give this example: "For example, if the applicant is 35 years of age, then he or she is required to receive tetanus and diphtheria toxoids vaccine (Td) or diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis antigen vaccine (Tdap), MMR, and varicella (if no history of varicella disease). If the applicant had previously received a dose or doses of a required vaccine but had not completed the series, then the next required dose should be administered according to standard ACIP recommendations." What is right?!? Lee

How about using the maiden name as the middle name? Is that commonly accepted after marriage or require a legal name change? Its going to be a bit tricky for us since we are in a transition period with her new last name but old first name then want to change the first name but that will take a bit more time. I have to get her on all my insurance for work so will have to put her on with the new last name, old first name, and then change it all later. That means going back to all the doctors and changing it, etc... I do think though that down the road it will make her life easier to have an easier to pronounce english name. People here really struggle with her Chinese name. The pastor had to practice it like 10 times to get it right!!

Congratulations!!!!!!! That's a good question. Heh... she was in the shower getting all the hair spray and makeup off her We were lucky for the SS# since when she was here during her research stay she was able to get a SS# and Michigan State ID so that has been a huge convenience!

Married Today!!! (So, why am I on CFL on my wedding night??!... )

Nobody yet? Jeez, has everyone been scared away from trying now?!

Try $455... at least thats what I paid (Oct. 2009)

Congressperson? In this case maybe it would help a little. Its completely absurd to not allow someone to visit the U.S. when every tie they have is shown and they show no harm to the U.S. This presumption of immigration unless proven (impossibly) otherwise should not be legal.

The only way to get off a mortgage is to refinance it or sell it. You are still financially obligated regardless of the divorce docs. Why does GUZ need to see any mortgage docs? Did they ask for them?

Huh? They didn't WANT you to spend more money on another exam? About the closing, that IS just total BS! They have GOT to get their communication act together. They treat everyone coming there as common scum and its an indirect treatment of US citizens. Our issue was that the call-in letter didn't state that 3 days in GUZ is required and that was an unexpected additional cost. I feel for smalltoe who went all the way down to find this out!! hugazebra, lucky you did find this out ahead of time! I am also so lucky we did get our visa before this week or this would have caused us to have to reschedule our wedding as well. My heart goes out to you all!

Yup! She successfully made it throgh POE and onto her connection and we are enjoying our new life together very much! One note, she got in the immigrant line but then she was told to just get in line with all the other visitors. She thought maybe it was because she was K1 instead of K3 but then she remembered they didn't ask her that. The officer in the labelled immigrant line was processing USCs. She was asked several of the standard interview questions to verify her relationship with me. So glad the whole ordeal is finally over... it took a couple days to recover my sanity

I was looking at italkBB and the China local number feature. It seems to me it only allows the person to call in to the local # at home? I want my wife to be able to get calls direct to her cell phone so she can just answer directly wherever we are since we will travel a lot, not home much. Does anyone know the best service for this? Even if it is a china # then dial a pin... I guess a phone card could do that, huh? But having a number she can give to all her friends would be great. I use OneSuite for outbound calls to China and it works great! But no inbound option? Let me know what you suggest! Lee

Thank you so much! BTW, our honeymoon will be in Hawaii at the end of March. Since she may not have AP yet, we need to be in the U.S. and somewhere warm in the winter, seemed like a good choice! haha.. She's been to Honolulu for a day before but this time we will stay for about 9 days over 3 islands. I have been there before on a tour. She successfully packed everything up and met all her social good byes and is on the plane now. POE in T minus 2 hours!!! She's got 2 hrs to make her connection, should be doable. Every time I came through SFO on that flight the immigrant line was empty... fingers crossed!