Tom & Jen

This is hopefully really our last step. Our poor daughter missed getting her Citizenship by 2 months. She was 18 years and 2 months when Jen was sworn in. Lia is going to school up in Seattle and we want her home for the summer break but that is likely when the interview letter will be sent to her. From past experience, the online USCIS Status Update is not up-to-date. We think we can't completely rely on the mail getting forwarded to the house here as she lives in the dorm and all the student's mail just get lumped at the front desk and get sorted by the staff. Any suggestions on what she can do so she does not miss any correspondences from USCIS?

Thanks everyone for sharing your experience and advice. We decided to go with the short-checkin option. Both my son and I talked with multiple agents from the airline. They said that we can short-checkin. Some said they don't recommend it because it would take him longer in Philadelphia to have to checkin there. My son even went to the counter in Reno and spoke to the agents and the supervisor who said he can short-checkin. We will post what happenned along with our daughter's three submits for a visa She missed getting her US Citizenship by 2 months because she turned 18 before Jen got her Citizenship so she had to get the visa to go to Europe.

We need some quick advice, PLEASE. We are going on a much awaited vacation to Europe this Friday. My son (with a US Passport), who moved to Reno to go to school there, will be flying from Reno to Philadelphia and we all will take the same flight to Zurich. Problem is I have his Passport. The airline said he will need his Passport to check-in in Reno. Our options are either FedEx the passport to him or he can short-check in Reno to just Philadelphia then check-in from Philadelphia to Zurich. My concern with FedEx is, although from past experience they have been really good, there is a chance of a delay on the delivery and we don't have any room for error as the flight on Friday is very early morning. Short-check will depend on the Ticket Agent knowing or allowing it to be done. He will actually not check any bags in and carry on. Any advice or sharing of experience would really be appreciated!

Congratulations!!!!

Same here. We used the same copy from the start. No problem.

We wanted to share the great news, Jen passed her Citizenship Interview today!! We are so happy and relieved. It feels so wonderful to finally have the government out of this part of our life. Jen just have the Naturalization Oath Ceremony left. But that is just a formality and it¡¯s going to be a happy and proud event we are really looking forward to. We waited about 30 minutes after the interview for the Oath letter which is for Dec 12, here in Las Vegas. Our appointment was for 1:30 PM. We arrived at 1:00 PM and Jen was called in at 1:15 PM. The Interview Officer was stern at first but Jen said they had a friendly interview as it progressed. The IO was a man in his fifties. He did not ask to see any of the documents except for her Driver¡¯s License and Green Card. She took the following documents: I-797 Notice of Action Letter Interview Letter Green Card Chinese Passport Marriage Certificate Jen¡¯s Divorce Decree Tom¡¯s Divorce Decree Tom¡¯s Naturalization Certificate (with the picture on it, of course I had to keep saying to myself I¡¯m getting wiser not older I showed our 4 year old son the picture and asked ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡±. The blank look on his face said it all¡­) IRS Tax Transcript for past 3 years (We got the Transcripts from filing IRS Form 4506-T. I know there have been questions on if these are the right ones but since the IO never asked to see them, we can¡¯t say.) Our 4 year old son¡¯s Birth Certificate Proof of Marital Union & Residence - Bank Statements from the past couple of years - Auto Insurance docs for the past couple of years - Home Insurance docs for the past couple of years - Joint Property Ownership Documents 2 2x2 passport photos She also brought the items below even though the interview letter didn¡¯t say we needed them: Tom¡¯s Passport Jen¡¯s Social Security Card Finger Print Letter with completion stamp Copy of N-400 Application The IO went over pretty much every question on the N-400 from Part 10 except the Selective Service Registration section. Also the he asked Jen to state her address, phone number, and Social Security Number. He asked about both our divorces and to confirm our other children¡¯s names. He also asked about the Traffic Citation which she had answered Yes to on the N-400 section D. question 16 (Have you ever been arrested, cited, or detained by any law enforcement officer for any reason?) She had listed the citation and the outcome ($280 fine) in the explanation table section. She did not bring the ticket or disposition to the interview because the separate sheet in interview letter stated we did not need to bring anything if the fine paid is less than $500. Here¡¯s where the little glitch happened. Jen had the choice to take the new or the old civics/history test. We decided she should take the new test so that¡¯s what she studied for. When I quizzed her this weekend, she got 100 out of the 100 questions right. She has really been studying the civics/history questions and the questions on the N-400. I had recorded the questions and answers for her and put them on the little MP3 player. I also gave her a mock interview, doing the best I can to act like what I think the IO would act like (ha ha, I hope our government can do better than me). We did talk about if the IO does not ask which test she wants to take, she needs to request the new test. Well during the interview, the IO kept asking questions from the N-400 then went right into asking the civics/history questions without mentioning he¡¯s switching to another section. Jen realized on the second question that the question is not on the new test and asked the IO that she would like to take the new test and that was the test she studied for. He said that he already started the questions and she only has to get 5 more correct and she could do it. So she went ahead, and actually got the next 5 questions right anyways. So¡­ as a caution, when you are going for the interview, you should state near the beginning of the interview which test you want to take. Here¡¯s the questions Jen was asked, sorry she only remembered 5 of the questions because at that time she was really nervous for having to take the old test: What are the colors of our flag? Who is the head of the Executive Branch of our government? How many Justices are on the Supreme Court? When was the Declaration of Independence adopted? Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? She didn¡¯t remember what she was asked to read. She was asked to write: He has some hores (horses) on his farm. ¨C She said in the rush, she spelled hores wrong. So she was asked to write another sentence: She drives a blue car to go to work. One last thing on the N-400 application, Jen did request to have her first name changed to Jen and her Chinese family name as her middle name. We were told this will be completed at the Oath Ceremony. At the end of the interview, the IO said her score was very high. I never heard or thought of this interview as being on a point system but now looking back, I guess it makes sense that it is. He congratulated Jen and wished our family a happy life together. Again, we can¡¯t thank our CFL family enough for the advices and sharing information through the years. I could not have stayed sane through this process, especially in the beginning during the visa application, if I didn¡¯t have everyone here to share information and pain with. I especially want to thank the old timers and the Moderators/Admins for your tireless work in helping others like us¡­ with nothing to expect in return other than knowing that you have lent a helping hand. Tom & Jen

Jen got the interview appointment letter for Nov 17. The notice date was Sept 24. Sorry we didn't post sooner but we will definately post the interview result. We were hoping for an earlier date before our daughter turned 18 but missed it by about 2 months. So now she will need to wait another 2+ years to file on her own (her AOS date was about 9 months after Jen's). Jen has been studying daily for the new test. Wish her luck!

Bing and Carl, That's Fantastic! Congratulations to you both!!!

I think Dave and Roger got it right and you suspected it too. I didn¡¯t even think about that possibility before. In addition to giving them detailed information on what they are asking for in the Blue Slip, I think you should also get as many people as you can to write testimonial letters for you. These should be your parents, colleagues, supervisors, long time friends. The letters should state how long they have known you, your character, work ethics, how long and what you have been telling about your wife and your relationship. Notarized letters are probably better. What they may have is suspicion. If you back your case with facts, evidence, and credible testimonies, I can¡¯t see they how they would have any other choice but to approve your wife¡¯s visa. Bring her home!

We have the t-Mobile Family plan and think they have the best deal. We recently added their Hotspot @ Home plan for $9.99 per month. It gives you unlimited anytime incoming/outgoing calls while you are at home. You will need to upgrade your cell phone to a Hotspot @ Home capable phones. There¡¯s two for free right now on t-Mobile.com. Just click on Phones then click the Hotspot @Home checkbox on the left under Shop by feature. You will need to extend your contract for 2 years. If you are not eligible to upgrade right now, they will make you pay for the phone depending on how much you have left on the contract. I stumbled on a little trick by accident. If you talk to their Customer Loyalty department, they can get you the best deals even if your contract is not up. BUT it¡¯s not always easy to be transferred to the Customer Loyalty dept. I fought with the regular sales and their supervisor to get transferred there but still certain ones will not not do it. So you may need to try a few times and be persistent. The way the Hotspot @Home works is the cell phone connects via voice over IP to your wireless router. When you are away from your wireless router, it works like the regular cell phone and you would incur the normal cell phone plan charges. They also have a Linksys wireless router that is free after $50 rebate. It suppose to give priority to voice traffic over data traffic. This option would work well to allow you to get rid of your land line. We haven¡¯t yet but soon will. BTW, the $9.99 for the Hotspot @Home is for all phones in the Family Plan. The voice of IP works well. The only time it doesn¡¯t work so well is when our kids are hammering the Internet on the computers but it¡¯s still usable. For Internet service we have DSL with the local phone company but will probably look to change so something else soon. For calling to China, we use onesuite.com. If you have a local access number in your area, it¡¯s 2.2 cents per minute to China. The $ you refill is good for (I think) 3 months but you don¡¯t really lose it after 3 months. If you refill with $10 then have $3 left after three months, and you refill again with $10, you would have $13. We have been using them for the past 6 years. You can go online to program fast dial numbers and numbers you are calling from so you don¡¯t have to enter the PIN. So to call a number in China, you could just dial the 7 digit local number then press 11#. You can also go online and print logs of your call history. For TV, we only have the super basic Cox service for $12 a month (16 channels). Jen knew an older couple who had Chinese TV broadcast service over the Internet. It was a little adaptor box that sits on their TV and connects through their wireless router. The picture quality looked comparable to standard cable TV broadcast. I was actually impressed with it. The service was free and the adaptor box cost about $300 I think. It¡¯s been about 1 1/2 years; since we saw them because they went back to China. I don¡¯t remember the name of the adaptor box. Jen didn¡¯t want to get the service at the time so I didn¡¯t pay so much attention to it.

We know it's a long shot but we are hoping for the best. We live in Vegas but don't gamble because the casinos have slightly better odds of winning over the long run. BUT we are willing to throw money and time at this long shot... I guess it another proof that we are willing to do illogical things to get through this process!

Ben, I watched you videos too. You and your wife are so happy together. You two are a great couple. I am so angry and sad that our government can have this much control over our destiny. I am angry right now writing this. You two can overcome this, my brother. Would you post more information on the reason they gave for the denial? There are so much experience here and I know we all would love to help where we can to see you overcome this and bring your wife home!

Mike, We mainly did what we did to make the appointment to maximize our chance at the long shot of Jen taking her oath before our daughter turns 18 on Oct 13 so she can get the automatic Citizenship. But I don't know how long USCIS may want to reschedule into the future. There is no preferred reschedule DATE on the fingerprint NOA. The wording on the NOA is "Please reschedule my appointment for the next available: o Wednesday afternoon o Saturday afternoon". Hopefully someone here that may had to reschedule the appointment to be after a particular date may be able to help or you can try calling USCIS.

The letter came from USCIS today which I promptly opened. Knowing it would likely be the finger print notice, I was both happy and worried¡­. Jen and our son are in China right now and we had talked about the possible finger print date problem before we decided if she should take the trip at this time. We decided, considering past USCIS performance , the chance is low that the finger print date will be before she gets back, June 25. Well, the appointment letter is ¡­ June 25 B) I made an ¡°executive¡± decision to call Air Canada to try to change the return date to June 24. It was too early in their morning to call Laopo and ask if she wants to come back one day early. I figure I¡¯ll just have to deal with the caning when she gets back. After a little long wait while the helpful Air Canada agent checking the rate, she said they would change the return date to June 24 for $50 per ticket. I asked to get the fee waived, as a customer service and goodwill from Air Canada, pointing out that the flight from Vegas to Vancouver was delayed because of mechanical problem and Jen and our son spent the night in Vancouver because they missed the flight to Shanghai. The agent said she would if she could but I can write the company to try to get a refund on the fee. So I paid the $100 so we didn¡¯t have to risk USCIS deciding to take their time scheduling another appointment. Another motivation is if Laopo gets takes her oath before Oct 13, our daughter gets her Citizenship (she turns 18 on Oct 13). On or after Oct 13, she gets to wait another 2 years and 9 months to have to apply on her own. The extra 9 months is thanks to USCIS messing up on not submitting her name check at the same time as Jen¡¯s and her AOS date was 9 months later. Of course back then the frequent calls on status got ¡°¡­security check is still pending¡­¡±. It's a long shot for Oct 13 but we want to maximize the chance. One other note, the Air Canada agent said we got the last available seat at the same fare rate. And she wasn¡¯t lying. Before I called, I checked the one-way fare from Shanghai to Vegas on their web site and after I got the email confirmation of the change, I checked again and the cheapy fare was not available anymore and the next lowest fare was $1000 more each ticket. So hopefully Laopo will consider that before the caning !

My Laopo is back in China right now visiting family and mainly she brought supplements. We have been sending them to her parents and her dad tells her that they have been helping him lower his blood pressure. Here's the main stuff she brought. All from Costco! Multi Vitamins Calcium Fish Oil Garlic Tablets Ginkgo Biloba Metamucil VIACTIV Milk Chocolate Calcium (mainly for the kids) Lit Critters Gummy Vites Multi-Vitamins

Hello Amanda, We had the same question you have when we were submitting Jen's and her daughter's (I don't like to use the word 'her daughter' as she is OUR daughter) visa applications. We submitted the Notarial Certificate with very similar language as yours. Basically it stated ¡°[Jen's name] is the guardian of [her daughter's name] who is underage children¡±. Jen did not believe her ex-husband would be cooperative about giving permission for his daughter to come to the U.S. During the interview, the VO never questioned about if Jen had the right to move her daughter to the U.S. Jen and her daughter passed the interview with no problems. But with that said, I think that if you were able to get permission from your ex-husband it would be better. My advice to you and your husband is to be over-prepared for the interview. Bring as much documentation as you can to the interview. Of course be very thorough with your visa application, which looks like you are. If your husband can be at the interview, I think will be helpful. I was there. Put his passport at the top of the stack of documents you bring into the interview so the VO can easily see it and he/she will likely ask if your husband is there. We just submitted Jen¡¯s application for U.S. Citizenship. It¡¯s been almost 6 years since we submitted the visa application. My Laopo and our daughter have been here almost 5 years. Things have been wonderful! You have so much to look forward to. It will be a long process with many frustrations dealing with the USCIS but I will have to say, it is worth it! There are so many CFL ¡®family¡¯ members that are always willing to help and share information. So welcome to the family! Tom

I was pleasantly surprised!!! Jen is in China visiting her parents right now but I can¡¯t wait to call her to tell her later today. On the NOA it did stated ¡°Missing Evidence(s) - your application was missing evidence(s) that you will need to provide at the time of your naturalization interview. You will be notified under separate notice of the necessary evidence(s) that you will be required to bring to your interview. Do not submit any evidence(s) by mail.¡± We went through the document check list, I don¡¯t know how many times, to make sure everything they want were sent. Here¡¯s the list of what we sent with the app (copies except for the check and photos of course): Check for $675 Two passport style photos Front and back copy of Jen¡¯s Green Card My passport cover and signature page Last 3 years joint income tax returns Marriage Certificate My divorce decree Jen¡¯s divorce decree (including translation copy and translation certificate) Our son¡¯s birth certificate Deed showing both our names Joint application for home equity line of credit Bank statements showing both our names on the account The only things I can think of that are ¡°missing¡± might be they want to see the IRS Tax Return Transcripts for the last three years instead of the copies of the return (which brings up the post from Carl on the transcript versus IRS 1722 letter) and maybe proof that Jen paid the traffic citation that she got 4 years ago which she listed on the application. I¡¯ll post when we hear more. But so far so good!!

Jen submitted her N-400. We listed the traffic citation deciding it can't hurt to list it. In the 'Why were you arrested, cited, detained or charged?' column she put 'Traffic Citation - Failure to yield'. In the 'Outcome or disposition of the arrest, citation, detention or charge' column she put 'Amended to Illegal parking,$280.00'.

Jen pretty much got her Citizenship Application completed. We are wrestling whether to answer Yes to question ¡®16. Have you ever been arrested, cited or detained by any law enforcement officer for any reason?¡¯ in the ¡®D. Good Moral Character¡¯ section because of a traffic citation. The citation is for ¡®Failure to yield¡¯. Our lawyer negotiated and got the citation amended to ¡®Illegal parking¡¯ and Jen paid the $280.00 fine. This was 4 years ago. I searched the net and saw both opinions on whether to list and not list minor traffic citations. Some said they called USCIS and was told that minor traffic citations do not need to be listed. I called my lawyer and she agreed with my thinking that the citation should be listed as ¡®Failure to yield¡¯ and the outcome should show ¡®Amended to Illegal parking,$280.00¡¯. Any advice before we submit Jen¡¯s application would be appreciated. I will post our interview results in hopefully 6 months (or less!). I have a friend whose wife just took her oath about a month ago telling me that USCIS is working hard right now to get as many people to be able to vote as possible. My lawyer also said the same thing. She even said USCIS is working weekends to process the applications!

Thanks for the responses. Jen got the ticket with the name matching the passport. She'll bring our marriage certificate with her just in case. Looking back we should have gotten the name changed on her passport but just never thought about it. But after this trip she should not need to as we will submit her citizenship application before she leaves. Wahoooo! We can't wait to be finished dealing with USCIS!

We ran into a problem which the airline agent was not willing to advise. Jen will be going to see her parents at the end of this month and we don't know which last name to use on the ticket, the married name which is on her Green Card or her maiden name which is on her Chinese passport. I'm leaning toward the name on the passport but hoping to like get some advice. By the way, Air Canada has a great price, Jen's ticket was $790 and our 3 year son's was $641 from Vegas to Shanghai. But the travel window is small for the good price. Basically leave by May 30 and return by June 25. Later and the price starts jumping real quick.

We're thinking about taking a family vacation to DC and New York over the Holidays. Jen is looking forward to seeing DC and New York seems so festive during the Holidays. I have been to DC many times but never been to New York. We wanted to ask for some advice if a trip to New York is a good idea in Dec/Jan, mainly is it too cold and wet. We live in Vegas. Another advice is where should we stay? I'm thinking we should stay in the City so we don't have to drive and can catch the hop-on hop-off type tour buses to go around. I want to make sure we stay at a clean, safe area at a reasonable rate. There's five of us, we have two teenagers and a baby. We could stay outside New York if there's a good way to catch the bus or subway in. Also if you can recommend other good places to visit besides the usual must visit places, we would appreciate it. Thanks!

I hope I can help more than hurt. But here goes. I'm mostly Chinese by blood, born and raised in Thailand until I was 11, lived here since then (I'm 44). So I do feel that I have lived and understand both cultures. In Thailand, a husband and wife will virtually never say "I love you". The phrase actually sounds very awkward to hear and say in Thai. Also in Thailand people refer to everyone else as uncle, aunt, older sibling (brothers and sisters are commonly referred to by their age relationship to you rather than their sex), grandma, etc. A common name for a wife to use when she calls her husband is older sibling (usually the husband is older). About 10 years ago, I was in a serious relationship with a woman from Hong Kong (we're about the same age, she came here when she was 18). We almost got married. The main thing that ate at our relationship was she would virtually show no affection toward me when we are in public in our town. She would treat me like a "friend". But she would be so affectionate if we are on travel or alone. Many of times she would start to say something to me like "Hone.." and caught herself before she finished the "y" and immediately look to see if her daughter or parents or other people around heard her say "Honey". We talked about how this "two lives" hurts me and how I can't and don't want to live this two lives. She always tells me that she is so deeply ashamed of her divorce. She went to an all girl Catholic school in Hong Kong, goes to Catholic Church every Sunday, her parents have been married forever. Divorce is just an unheard of thing. She asked me to give her time. I had thought I could, and toward the end of our 3 year relationship, she was starting to get better. But the problem ate away at our relationship and we went our separate ways. Maybe I was weak, but regardless, I felt in my heart I could not continue to live that relationship for the rest of my life. I know she truly loved me and I truly loved her. Again, maybe I was too weak to handle the problem. So the root of our problem (maybe only MY problem) was she was so ashame of her divorce. I think that there is a root to your problem. My advice to you is look into your heart and ask yourself is this something you can live with for the rest of your life. You will need to weigh everything else in your relationship of course. If she will not talk to you about it, I think that is a problem. Fundamentally, I don't think she can change much, or it will take a long time to change. The problem may be a cultural belief that you and/or her don't truly understand why it is a problem for the other person. You really need to ask yourself if this problem hurts you enough that it eats away at your feelings for her and cause you to resent her. I wish you two the best!

I can feel your sincerity in your post. My heart is with you in getting your fiancée here. My wife, daughter, and baby are visiting China now after being here for almost 3 years. It's going to be a long process but your determination will get you through it. And you definitely found the right place here on Candle. Most everyone here are very helpful and even if someone get something not exactly right, another member will post a correction or suggestion. I know I could not have stayed sane throughout the process without Candle. Our process took a little over 3 years total from our first meeting in China to Jen getting her Green Card. The longest stretch to us (it seemed like eternity but it was about 11 months) was between the I-129 submission and the visa interview. I have to tell you it was all worth it! Jen and our family are the most precious things in my life. My general recommendation is to get and keep everything that may be even remotely relevant to proving your ongoing relationship. Take lots of pictures with you two together, with her friends, and especially with her family. Quadruple+ check everything in your applications and make copies of everything you submit. If you can have a second or third eye to help you look at it, the better. Go to the interview bringing everything and the kitchen sink. Do everything you can to be there for the interview. Have your fiancée put your passport on the top of the stack of evidence she carries to her interview so the VO can easily see it. The VO will likely ask if you are there when he/she sees your passport. Feel free to post as you have questions or just need a talk about things. Wish you two the best!

We have just completed the LAST step. Jen's daughter received her green card in the mail today! Both Jen and Lia got the 10 year permanent resident card. So we are really, really done!!!! I can't even begin to describe the feeling. I do want to give my sincere thank to CFL and everyone that helped to keep me, along with everyone else, sane during this whole process. Right now I'm holding our baby while he's watching and listening to animated songs on the computer, Jen is cooking, our son and daughter B) one is getting ready to go to a birthday party the other is playing the SIMs. Is that a simple American dream or what? One little sad thing is Jen, our daughter, and our baby will be going to China to visit after almost 3 years. They're leaving next Sunday. So it will be me and my son by ourselves again for 5 weeks. We all wanted to go but we have our house of the market and I can't leave my job right now so we get to hold down the fort. Thanks again to my CFL family!