marks1957

Hurray, Got my P2 today in the mail for both my I-129f (K3/4) and I-130 (CR1) Success. Now I only hope the NVS takes just one month. One can only hope. I will be in China for short vacation with my wife next month. ....it would be nice to know our visas are there too....eventhough it has been taking 3 months to clear customs to make it to the Embassy. Since I will be there, I have heard of some getting a head start on the P3 forms and once the DOS approves it, then send them in before the Embassy sends out the forms..... Which forms should I take with me to fill out? Just a note. I am in the USCIS website for email updates and both show my cases are pending. And I have NOT gotten any email notifications....but who cares! I have the P2's The I-797's had to have been mailed a couple of days ago. Good luck to Rogerinca and all the rest of us who have been for this allusive P2

Thanks Mark, my fiance does not speak English well. We communicated very well when I was there with the handheld translater, and she had a couple of relatives that spoke English very well. She will start English classes there within the next week. The school costs about $230 a month. She said she will attend 6 days a week/2 hours a day after work. I am hoping she will learn enough by interview time to impress the interviewer. I am confident she will, as she is very smart and determined. She is working with a lawyer there that is a friend of the family so I am also confident that she will handle the interview well. I hope your process goes without a hitch. What part of China is your wife from? Gordon, My wife did not speak English that well either when I met her. She could read emails and did OK with Yahaoo Messenger when we were typing back and fourth. But spoken English was hard for her. Now we use the headset and only occassionally do I type a word if I think she does not understand. I also have had her enrolled full time in a Univeristy English class in Dalian. This semester is almost over and there has already been a big improvement. Then there is the second semester too that begins in September. Each semester is costing me about $600 but she goes from 8 am to 2:45 pm M-F. She does get an 1 1/2 hour lunch in there. When I see her on the Web at 9:30pm her time (6:30am- for me) she is still doing homework. Thanks to the Internet, our relation ship can continue to grow. If you call you wife, use a phone card. I have been using one called Tel-3 Advantage. It is only 2 cents a minute. I like this one because you can program your phones in it, via their website, and the numbers you want to call. I only have to depress 4 key strokes on my cell to call her. But usually I am talking over the Net via YM. Good luck to you in the interview. I will be in China next month with my wife for a month vacation. We will meet in Beijing and then are planning to visit Xian.

Gordon, Good luck to you. I am also from California....San Francisco area. I wish I were where you are now. But I filed my I-130 in April and had to wait....and wait..and only was able to file my K3-4 Visa the end of May. You need to be thinking about your interview questions ....good luck to you. Mark

I actually got a reply for the Chinese Embassy here in San Francisco.....by FAX. I tried to call but never got through. But in less than an hour after I FAX'd them, I got a reply. They said that as long as I enter before the Visa expires, I will be OK. But they emphasied that if my Visa is a 30 day type, not to exceed this. I also saw that on their website the Chinese Fees are going up in August. Since I will be going back again next year for CNY and my SO's interview , I may just get the newer Visa now and save some money. Thanks for all your replies.

Just a silly question, but I thought I would ask now before I leave. My Chinese Visa is set to expire on the 8th of September. I am leaving for China on the 18th of Aug for a month, returning on the 17th of September. I will be in China 11 days after my Chinese Visa expires. I heard, do not know if this is true, that as long as it is valid when I enter, it is OK if it expires while I am there. If this is not trure I need to pay for a new Chinese Visa ASAP. I do not need a hassle at the airport as I am about to get to my plane to return to the states. Thanks

Mike, One thing. Do you have to have the NOA2 for both the I-130 AND the I-129F (CR1 &K3) before sending in the I-824? If we pay the fees (either $200x2 or $340x2 depending on weather we get the approvals before or after the end of July) for the I-824 and we get the K3/4 first and our SO and daughter make it here and we change our minds and decide to do the AOS rather than return to GZ for the CR1/2 interview, will the DHS apply the fees paid for the I-824, $680, towards the AOS fees of $2020 (for my SO and her daughter)??? Or if we pay the fees for the I-824 are we deciding to return to China for the CR1/2 interview?.....Unless we want to pay another $2020 to AOS in the US??? What do you think? Mark

Mike, thanks for getting back to me. I hope I get the NOA1 for the I-129f ASAP so I only have to pay the $200 and wait. It will be nearly the same cost. My wife comes here quickly on the K3, but now we must pay the $1010 for the I 485 AOS. Or, we pay the cost of a return ticket (probably for the both of us as I would not want her to go through the interview alone) to GZ for the CR1 Green Card. What future expenses will I have for the CR1? What city is your wife from? Maybe we will see each other there for the next CNY? Mark Mark

Mike, When I spoke to the DHS Officer and explained what I was doing, she said I did not need to file the I-824. Did they explain to why we need to do this. I do want the CR1, of course. I am still waiting for my NOA1 for the I-129f (K3/4). I sent it in on the 28th of May. If I can mail this in before the end of July, it will only be $200. I think we will end up paying for the lease for 6 more months ($1000) so my thinking is that even if she gets the K3 first I think I will have her stay until next July as long as we have an interview date by then. What other expenses will I have with the CR1? Good luck to you. Mark

Mike, Thanks for the quick reply. Since there has been a 45 day lag since I filed the CR1, I hope it goes foreward before they see the K3 has been asked for. I too am returning to Dalian for a month this summer (Aug 19-Sep17) and again next CNY for at least 3 weeks. I am hoping my SO will have her interview then, even if it is for the K3. But I am paying for an apartment for her while she goes to school. If she does not have the K3 by Feb, which is unlikely, I will have to pay for another 6 month lease which will take it until Aug 08. She may have the K3 by Apr, hopefully, but I was hoping that they would follow with the CR1 interview a month or so later...I guess we will have to see ...once the K3 is in our hands. I would like to save the $1010 fee for the AOS. I have seen a few here at CFL where they had both Visas arrive in GZ at the same time and of course the interviewed for the CR1.

Good luck to you and your SO on your pending interview. I am a bit jealous at how fast you got your NOA1's. We were in China for CNY at the same time. I got married there on Valentine's day and returned on March 5th. I filed my I-130 on 14 Apr, but never got my NOA1. I had to wait 45 days and they said to just send my WAC number, which they verified off the back of the cashed check, in with my K3/4 -I129f. I did this on the 29th of May. I noticed you filed the I-824. When I asked the Officer at DHS, she said it was not necessary. But I want my wife to interview, and hopefully pass, the CR1 there in China. Of course we would take the K3 but are even now talking about maybe waiting a few week there in China for the CR1 interview, even if she has the K3/4 Visa because of the cost for the AOS here later. What do you think about having to file the I-824,..do you think it helped you?

I read your post with great amusement and fear too. My SO and her 16 year old daughter will be coming ....hopefully in 10 more months. But neither have ever driven. This really scares me. But your wife is smart to have passed the exam in English. In California they offer the exam in Chinese also. I am thinking ...do I teach her the bus system or go for drivers school and probably two more NEW drivers onto my policy... I can't wait to see the increase in my insurance. I do agree that is might be best not to be with her while she is "learning" as your heart rate might go off the chart. Good luck to you.

I also met my wife on AFF (Asian Friend Finder). And thank goodness for the webcam/mic as we spend hours there. I had met several women who could only write through a translator though. When I asked them if I could call them or see and talk with them on the webcam, they then explained they could not speak English but was learning. I too worried about the validity of some of the emails I was getting which I why I preferred the webcam/mic. Also try JapanCupid.com or FilipinaHeart.com Good luck.

Just to let you know your data on my visa is imcomplete. (marks1957). Yes the May 23 interview left us with a Blue/Pink sheet which we overcame 2 weeks later. My SO will be here in the US this Thursday. So for us, it took 9 months for the K-1/K-2(her son also is coming) Visa to be approved and for her to reach the US. Thanks for your help. Mark

On May 23, at her interview, she got the Blue and Pink sheets. Which meant they wanted more documentation from me. It took me about a week to find,copy and express mail them to her so she ended up turning them in this past Monday and got the finding, VISA Approved- a red sheet this time today (yesterday for her). Even with the delay it only took us 9 months to get the K-1 Visa. She should have the Visa in her hands by Friday. thanks for the congrats.

Hurray. After nine months of the Visa Process, the documents I provided my SO, were enough to overcome the Blue/Pink Sheets given on her initial interview on the 23rd of May. She got her Visa approval today the 14th of June. I stayed up to 2AM west coast time to get the good news. We are planning on her coming to the US on the 27th of this month. Finally Of course once she gets here we will need to get her work permit, SSAN and so on but we will enjoy the 'getting of the visa' right now. She met another woman that also got her visa and she is going shopping for a new dress. I sent her money to celebrate, now I am glad she has the reason to go and unwind from all the stress. Thanks for all your support.

No, I do not believe it is the income. I make way over the minimum, over 6 figures. (but yes I do have bills with that income too) I really think after I saw the VO on Friday and asked him why, that it may have had to do with the fact that my divorce was finalized, after a year of court battles, living apart, in June 05 and I went to China and got engaged in July of 05. This is why I think they want to see proof of residency of my ex and me.

I feel for you. I am in the same boat. I met your wife and step-daughter in the hotel. My SO and her were comparing notes on why they though the VO denied their Visas. My SO did get confused with my two addresses, a physical address and a PO BOX. But it may have been that I too had my divorce finalized in June of 05 after a year of being out of the house and 13 months of a legal separation. I had met my SO in April online but did not get my official divorce papers until June 05 and then met my SO in July where we got engaged. They also asked me for my ex's SSAN and to prove her address and my address. What a hassel. I am going back to GZ from my SO's city today for the Q&A session they have in the afternoon. Hopefully I will get some better answers then. I will be express mailing back to my SO all the needed documents as soon as I get back. Good luck to you. It must really be hard for you as she told us you put her name on your new house and car. What more can a VO ask for? But I really think it has to do with how soon we connected with our SO's.

Thanks for your reply and concern. I do not think they even read my Letter of Intent to Marry where I listed our relationship. It was brief but to the point. Now I have written 6 pages. Hope this is enough. I do not know if the VO tomorrow will review it or not and let me know if it is OK? Hope so. Thanks again.

Thanks for your reply. I saw this earlier. It is one thing for me to understand, but the look and sadness in my SO is very hard right now. We are flying back down to GZ this afternoon. I hope I find out more at this Q&A session at the US Embassy tomorrow.

Help, I can not express the sadness in my SO's eyes when I saw her with the "Blue and Pink" sheets. Unfortunately she admitted to the VO that although she know which city I lived in, she was not sure which address I lived at. I have a physical address and a PO Box where I get most of my mail. Only my packages go to my physical address. She had forgotten this. Even though she showed him a year worth of phone calls and many photos on my four trips to China, it was not enough. I called the phone number and they said she can call back and schedule another appointment to look at the other documents they requested and then give her their answer then. I am still here in China and do not return to the US until the 28th. It will be at least a week before I can get the other documents to her. I am hoping by the second week of June she will have her visa. Has anyone heard of the VO asking, on the pink sheet, for the petitioner's ex-spouse's SSAN? Why? What does it have to do with proving a real relationship between my SO and me? Even though I have provided many sworn,notarized statements with my actual physical address I now have to provide proof. So I will have to get my landlord to make a statement and even go to the DMV and have them list my address of record for the last 5 years which will show when I left my ex and changed my address to where I am now. What a hassel. I also had to make a detail letter as to each trip to China, who paid for the tickets (like she could afford to pay for them) and a more detailed explanation how how we met and why we got engaged. Should I start to worry? I have already told my SO that if after a year together this past April and 9 months of this Fiance Visa process, if it fails, I will spend our planed US trip in July in China and marry for real, there-by starting a new married visa. We want to have a child and do not want to wait. Seeing as she already has a son, she can not have another without being married. Any advise will be appretiated. I am going back to Guangzhou this afternoon to attend the Friday afternoon question and answer session. I went to see a Consulate Officer to complain after the interview on Tuesday, but all hes said I could was attend the Friday afternoon session. I have already written a 6 page letter, mostly polite :-)..answering all of the checked boxes on the 'pink' sheet,but I can not give the proof until I return to the states next week.

My SO's interview date is 23 May. Hurray. Does anyone know how much time she needs to allow to get the physical done in GUZ and get the results in her hands? I understand you can pay extra to have it done "sooner". How much is fair to pay for this 'expedited' service and how much time does it then take? This will be for herself and her son. I understand it is normally about $100 US for the normal physical per person. She thinks she can get it done in one day. She thinks she can take the physical on Monday and get the results in her hands for the interview Tuesday morning. I am considering going there for the interview and do not want to have a delay because of the physical and then have to leave bacause I can only go for one week.

No, I think, at least for us, the longest wait was in getting the visa approved and sent to GUZ. I submitted the I-129F Sept 7th and it did not get approved and sent to GUZ until Dec 27th. Our P-3 was sent to us on Feb 17th. She completed it and sent it overnight to GUZ the next day. They did not enter it into their computer until Mar 7th. I called and just got the interview date today. It will be 23 May. So it took neary two months to go from the P-3 to P-4. Keep calling DOS. Be patient.

Finally we got the interview for my SO. I called DOS this morning and this time good news. The 2nd name check had been completed and the interview is set for the 23rd of May at 7:30AM. I did not know they scheduled interviews this early in the morning. We had gotten the P3 Feb 18th and sent it back the next day. Eventhough she sent it back so they would receive it the next day, the GUZ embassy did not post it until March 7th. I kept calling every Monday from then only to hear the second name check was in progress and to call back "next month". Of course I was not going to wait this long so I would again call the next Monday. What a process.

I see your SO got her interview. Can we celebrate? I notice it only took you a month from P3-P4. My SO is still waiting for her P4. It has been just over a month since she mailed back the paperwork. I hope we, too, get the P4 and interview soon. Mark