Zhen's Tiger

It's a shame, really. They are looking for some fairly highly qualified people, but are not willing to pay them what they are worth. I'm pretty sure anyone with the education & experience they require could easily make double - triple this salary elsewhere...

As others have said, I think paying the extra fees for overweight/extra bags is the way to go. I went over for Zhen's Interview & when we came home I think we had a total of 5 or 6 BIG bags filled with her stuff, every one of them overweight! You can buy huge bags in Guangzhou really cheap, but they are disposable, haha, as they all had the handles missing and wheels broken by the time we got home. I can just see the poor little baggage handler going to pick up a bag that weighed as much as he did & 'pop' there goes the handle!

Congratulations to you and your wife!!

Hi Corbin, Sanya (Hainan in general) is a beautiful place and I think you'd have a great time there. Zhen & I went on our Honeymoon at the end of March & the weather then was pretty hot & muggy, so I know Summer would definately be steamy. We stayed in both downtown Sanya & in Yalong Bay; downtown being considerably cheaper than Yalong Bay. But It's hard to say where I enjoyed more; downtown was cool as everything was walkable and all the restaurants were cheap & good, but Yalong Bay was awesome, right on a scenic beach, quiet & secluded, so it really depends on what you want to get out of it - try both if you can like we did. As far as getting there, we drove in, and flew out to Beijing as the car was wrecked enroute, but that's a long story for another time. The Ferry was dirt cheap & I would definately recommend it if at all possible for anyone. First, you get a nice little boat trip together, second you have your own vehicle while you're there, so makes commuting a lot easier! Here's a shot of Yalong Bay, hope the link works. http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?...si&img=2079

Me too, what a SCUMBAG this guy is...

Not exactly sure what you mean by lawful green card. They are both lawful & legal and give the owner the same Rights. The conditional green card is good for 2 years and the unconditional is good for 10 years, but other than length of time before they expire, they are the same.

Yea, I'll pretty much eat anything... except Durian so far (it's the smell). Dog is probably one of the sweetest meats you would ever taste. Turtle is nothing odd, you can find that here, same with Croc & Snake, but this is the most bizarre presentation or preparation for food I've yet to see... Zhen, her sister & I were walking around Guangzhou one night & decided to get Snake for dinner. So we're sitting in the Restaurant & since I'm the only foreigner, the owner comes by & asks if I want to watch them prepare our meal. Ling & I hop up, but Zhen says no; so we go outside to the street-facing corner & it's all glass so you can see into the kitchen prep room. This woman picks up a Chicken in one hand & reaches into a cage with her other hand & pulls out a snake. The Chicken is freaking while she brings the snake in closer, she positions it so the snake bites the chicken on both armpits wing-pits and each of it's eyes & then lets the chicken go. I'm watching the Chicken go into convulsions and quickly die, so I look back at the snake & notice it's 'hood' for the 1st time - it's a Cobra! Well, WHACK, there goes the Cobra's head... she scoops up the snake & the chicken and off to the kitchen to make the meal. So... I ate Snake & Chicken Stew; where you get the chicken & the snake that killed it all together on one pot. Man, that was good! The owner came by with a Shot of something that tasted like Moonshine that had a small green thing floating in it that looked like a lima bean, which was some part of the snake, not sure which , but the whole restaurant was watching me to see what I would do. I just thought of it like the worm in Tequila & it was 'bottoms up', I got almost a standing ovation for like 5 minutes, pretty cool!

Hey Tony, I think it's the same all over; treat your wife with love and respect, be honest and courteous to her and her family. Be flexible and patient, work hard to communicate and listen to what she is saying to you and you will be fine. As far as the "Mop Slapping"... that's a joke (I think ) that has been exaggerated to the point of urban legend. I know the only time I get hit is when she is feeling frisky or if I say or do something especially cute or sweet for her and it's more of a 'love tap' and things will be getting fun soon. Trust me, I like when she hits me!! Good luck, have fun, and enjoy your life together! Steve

Thanks for the replies & confirmations, guys. 90 days prior to expiration of the 2 yr GC as I thought.Yes, 'someone' on 'another website' posts about how they sent in their I-751 early because they have been married for 2 years now & they believe they do not need to wait until the 90 days prior to expiration of their 2 yr GC, and now my wife says we should try. I told her we cannot & that if we send it in early, they will only send it back to us telling us to wait until 90 days prior... The worst part is this other person posts about what they are doing, and gets people excited about the idea, but nobody straightened them out & told them it couldn't be done. So it will be quite a while before they get the the App sent back to them telling them to wait & they realize they were wrong. Do you think they will get back on the site & say "Sorry, I made a mistake, don't do what I tried to do"? I doubt it... and even if they do, I'll be having arguments discussions on the subject for quite some time because of it.

Hi All, I know the answer already, but I am being told to ask. We were married in March of 2006, so we are married more than 2 years at this time. Zhen arrived in the US in January of 2007. I am under the impression that since she arrived in the USA prior to our 2 year Anniversary, that we must apply for the 2 yr GC (which we've done & received), then wait until 90 days prior to it's expiration to apply for the 10 yr. Is that correct? Zhen is being told that since we are now married more than 2 years, that is OK to send in the application for the 10 year GC now. Is that true? Thank you very much in advance! Steve & Zhen

Nice! CONGRATULATIONS!!

Yep - same for NJ: Applied for ITIN

Awesome news, Dennis & of course Leiqin CONGRATULATIONS!!

Hi Amanda & Richard, This question always gets varied responses & all are valid as every couple is different! Some couples are more concerned with speed of filing, some with costs, some with ease of AOS, some with family preferences, some with religious considerations, it is really a personal choice. Zhen & I went the CR-1 / K-3 route for a number of reasons (many of which Roger stated above). It was more important for us to be married in China as both she & I wanted her family to know I was sincere in my intentions - this is NOT to say that K-1 filers are insincere!!! It was just how we felt about it. I will also always cherish my 'Little Red Book' and that is something you won't get marrying here, haha! The Wedding Party with all her Family, friends, classmates & co-workers is something I will also never forget! It would have been impossible for any of them to attend a Wedding in the US & we threw a Reception Party here for my Family & friends later, so everyone was happy & able to share in our joy. Unfortunately, timelines are not what they used to be and many factors have slowed down everything, but when we filed, K-3 Visas were still pretty quick. Zhen received her Visa exactly 10 months from our Wedding Day; 9+ months from sending in the I-130 & 8 months from the submitting the I-129, so we were very fortunate & even beat some K-1 Timelines at the time... although I doubt this is possible nowadays. In the end it is a decision you will both make together based on your own desires and what makes you happiest. Best of luck! Steve & Zhen

Thanks tsap seui and Roger............... Yes the funny part is my start date is really May 21, that was right at the time that Nebraska quit doing K-1's and we got shipped to CSC. It cost me about a month or so, officially we started May 21, 2007. The girls will get the visa in a few days, then I go to HK and get my women before the end of the month!! Mark, feng, daughter, and two sons!! Hey Mark, Did the girls pick up their Visas OK yet? Hoping everything is going smoothly!! Take care, Steve

She would have the option to return to Interview if she so chose, but could also do AOS here if they went K3.

The section quoted above can be seen in the image attachment. It appears to me that they do not fall under the act but I want to be 100% sure when I file my 129F. Any comments, suggestions or direction would be appreciated. Thank you, Max http://oldpyro.com/k1/att.jpg Hi Max, I also met my wife on this site & the whole IMBRA thing came out after I filed my original I-129... when I was sent the RFE asking if we met through an IMB, it was less clear to me at the time what an IMB truly was, so I answered YES to the question along with an additional letter stating that I didn't really think it was an IMB, but since I wasn't sure I thought it was safer to say yes & supply an explanation than say no & be wrong. Long story short, we received her Visa with no problems. They did ask Zhen where we met, she said 'Chineselovelinks.com' and that was it about that. Now though, I do think you'd be safe to say No as it doesn't meet the criteria of an IMB as stated above. Best of luck!

Tightly clenched in your fist! But I take it you aren't able to go for the Interview yourself. In that case DHL is probably your best bet & as you said USPS is the WORST for getting things to China on time (if at all). Also, make sure it states 'Documents' on the mailing form somewhere, I forget who told me this, but when I sent things marked this way they seemed to arrive sooner... maybe less worry for Customs, who knows.

Thanks Darnell, Good point about keeping the old Passport with the K3 Visa within, for some reason I thought they somehow took the Visa out of the old & put it into the new... is that not how they do it? Thanks! Steve & Zhen

Thanks, Carl! I think you are right, I should & will call NWA just to check. So far, she has not taken my name, so all of the documents show her Family Name & match the Tickets, so we are OK there. Thanks again, Steve & Zhen

Thanks again, Roger. I told Zhen all of this & she swears it will not be an issue , as her brother-in-law works in the office where she would get her new Passport, but I made her promise not to do it unless he was 100% sure it could be done in time. She understands we can do it in NY when she gets back, so I'm hoping she will just wait, but you know how that works.

Hey Steve, what you may be thinking about is the Chinese requirement for US Passport holders when applying for a PRC travel visa¡­¡­¡°You must send your actual passport. The visa will be placed on a page in your passport. Your passport must have at least 6 months of validity left beyond your intended stay in China, and must have at least TWO blank visa pages side by side¡°. Also, keep in mind, it may take a little longer to get that PRC passport in China ?? I have heard it taking sometimes more than a month. Another option, on her return, will be to renew her PRC passport at your regional PRC Consulate, which serves your state of NJ. That may in fact be faster than in China. Again as to your original question, I think she will be ok, as she is a PRC passport holder and she is going to and from the PRC and is not seeking a travel visa. If she were a USA passport holder, applying for a Chinese visa, then it would be an issue. If you want to double check all of this, she can phone your local/regional PRC Consulate and talk to them. I am told they speak Chinese very well. Hey Roger, Thanks! That's kind of what I thought, I just wasn't sure. The original plan was to have her get her new Passport in NY, but this emergency popped up & she has to go now (1 week), so we can't get up there in time. If she can't get it done during her stay in China, we will renew it upon her return. Now for me, DUHHH I just looked at my Visa, no good now, haha. Luckily, I won't be leaving until 3/6 & returning with her on the 22nd, so I have time to get a new one. I have a Travel Agent in Philly who goes up to NY once a week to do Visas for people. He is who I used the last 2 times I needed one, so I will go see him tomorrow & have a new one in a week. I was more worried about Zhen, but you have set my fears to rest - thanks Roger!! P.S. I called NWA yesterday to book our flights, got a great deal!! The 2 of us round-trip from Philly to Guangzhou & back is only $1050 TOTAL, not each!!! Of course, I had to trade in a large amount of miles, but hey, that's what they're there for, right?!! Thanks again!! Steve & Zhen

Hi All, Hoping to get some understanding of how this works, any input would be greatly appreciated! Zhen's Chinese Passport expires on 6/5/2008 (the K3 Visa within in it is good until 1/22/2009), and her Green Card is valid until 8/2009. I think I remember reading something about the Passport must be valid for 3 months prior to travel, but not sure if that is for the USC or the Chinese Citizen as well? Also not sure if that 3 months period is for leaving or the departure AND return... Here's the story: Yesterday I purchased Tickets for Zhen to leave a week from today (2/24/2008) and return on 3/22/2008. Of course, I didn't think about her Passport until today... As I stated above, it expires on 6/5/2008, the plan is to have her get a new Passport while she is in China, but will that be OK? If someone in Customs on her departure notices that her Passport will expire on 6/5/2008 & she will not reurn to the US until 3/22/2008 (less than 3 months of it's expiration), will that be a problem?? Maybe I am just being paranoid & this really isn't even an issue. Anybody have a similar experience? Thanks much in advance for any help you can give!! Steve & Zhen

Ouch. Wow. Ok. Thanks guys n gals. She just went to the doctor this morning to get a new set of treatments, she tells me the medicine will overcome this stuff. I sure hope so, if it's only an infection, that should be fixable. Good luck to you both.

I believe it's an infection in her Ovaries Just saw Tony's answer as well... should be correct.