True Blue

Thanks for the advice, Greg. Already sent her some USA made vitamins from Hong Kong. Looking forward to it. I figure me and the new baby will get along just fine. Babies don't have much hair and are usually chubby,Babies like to be cuddled, and like to raise a loud ruckess every couple of days,Babies like to drink a lot, sleep a lot, stare at bare boobs and poop a lotso we already have a lot in common,

Thanks Dan I often cringe when my wife quotes other Chinese "experts" as being the only ones who understand how the USA works. For example, she once told me that I didn't need to wait in the security line at the airport...just walk up front and they will waive you right on through. At the store she will see a price and then say "ask them for some discount" So I started teasing her "just show them your Chinese ID card and they will give you 50% off" (and of course move quickly before the mop slop comes). Surprisingly enough she is often able to get an additional discount just by asking for one so I just keep my mouth shut now.

Had another "a Chinese person told me so it must be true" moment this morning. Chinese co-worker pops in with a U.S. income tax question. He has a 2nd house (that he renovated last year). Wants to deduct the entire cost of renovation as a "home rental expense". Never mind the facts that (a) he did not rent the house or even offer it for rental last year, (b) many of the costs are not deductible and © he would be committing tax fraud that should easily be caught be electronic tax ratio analysis ...no rental income...huge rental expense. He argued these costs were deductible because ...."a Chinese person (his real estate agent) told him they were deductible" and he could enter the costs into the Turbo Tax program software...by answering some questions in a misleading way. I told him he did not have "Home Rental expenses" because he did not "rent his home". I then took him to the IRS web site to show him the costs were not deductible as Rental expenses. (though some of his costs might legitimately be deductible elsewhere , e.g. his property tax could be deductible as an itemized deduction and other costs may later add to the "basis" of his home reducing his future taxable gain when he sells it). I also took him to the Turbo Tax web site to show him they also note the costs are not deductible as Rental Expenses.... Finally, I should him the IRS penalties for tax fraud...which didn't scare him too much as he is now a U.S. citizen and can't be deported. Only after I posed to him, (1) the tax law is based on IRS rules and regulations, not on what you somehow may be able to enter using backdoor and fraudulent answers into the Turbo Tax software, (2) it may be difficult to raise his son from jail, and (3) if your realtor was so smart giving tax advice why wouldn't she be making a lot of money working a 2nd business doing tax returns? did he pause and finally come to his senses. I think it was the last one that finally convinced him... money talks in his world....

Just found out that our soon to be 34 year old, unmarried Chinese adult child of U.S. Citizen is pregnant. She has preliminary approval and is less than 1 month from priority date for F1 visa we expect her medical exam and interview will be within next 2-3 months. We will be grandparents, that's the good news! The bad news comes from the "another Chinese person said...so it must be true" grapevine. She was told (by another Chinese person...so of course, it must be true) (1) Don't tell them that you are pregnant at the Visa interview or you will be denied a green card. I think this is terrible advice as the medical report will show the pregnancy and she will be lying at the interview which is a big no no. (2) Don't tell them you intend to get married after you arrive in the USA because then you will be denied a green card and there is NO WAY your future husband will ever get a green card because they will tell you "you are using this pregnancy as a scam to immigrate and you planned this all along didn't you, you scheming visa cheater". I also think this is terrible advice. She stayed unmarried so she can get her Visa. They started a family because she wanted to have a healthy baby before she got too old and might have medical problems (at least in a Chinese view of too old). She intends to come to USA, get green card, have fiancé come here on tourist visa, marry, file for F2a (spouse of green card holder) immigration for him, and he will go back to China and work. He will be waiting the currently 2 years to 2 years,1 month there for his priority date, interview and medical exam to legally immigrate, with occasional trips to USA on a tourist visa to witness the birth, see his wife and new child but always returning to China (where he has a job and parents to care for) until his legal immigration is approved. What say you, "Experts of the realm"? Can the wisdom of "a Chinese person told me...so it must be true" be trusted? " and will a common sense explanation of the truth result in a visa denial.? Or do we need to smuggle her in as a cheeseburger eating (bring a bag and have her eat 4 or 5 during the interview) couch potato who suddenly put on 40 lbs because she discovered Big Macs and fries? Some good advice is appreciated, please.

Thanks so much for your help, Randy. The links you provided are very informative and just what I needed to know.

I thought I'd share some info which might be helpful to others (please let me know if this is not typical or if I may have misunderstood something said to me) I called the National Visa Center today. They said once the priority date is passed then that country's processing center (GUZ for Cina) would BEGIN the process of scheduling interviews (which might not occur for another 1 to 2 months). So anyone in line should add another 2 months to the processing date before they (assuming they are not rejected or blue slipped for more information) can even begin to think of traveling to the USA. So if your priority date hits on June Visa bulletin which comes out around mid May then you might have GUZ BEGIN scheduling interviews and then be notified in mid June for your Guangzhou interview in July. Assuming no rejection or blue slip, and assuming you can't get or don't want to pay same day/week flight prices, you may be able to buy a still very expensive ticket for the following week or two (using that time to pack and get ready to move) then likely travel to USA in August. For those who are familiar with F1 and F2b visa processing times in China, Does this sound about right or was the National Visa Center rep overally pessimistic or overly optimistic in timeline? Also I know there is a medical exam involved? Will the instructions come along with the visa interview appointment so it can be finished before the interview occurs?. One more question - once the interview has been approved, (other than doing something stupid or illegal (like raising a recuses and fighting during the flight or trying to smuggle something) what type of thing could cause a visa applicant to be rejected at the point of entry? As always thanks for your help!

With the April 2017 Visa bulletin, there is no longer an advantage in being a U.S. Citizen over having a Green Card in terms of the time it takes to bring over your adult child. The line for a U.S. Green Card holder bringing over an adult child (F2b) have been moving rapidly over the last 6 months. The line for a U.S. Citizen bringing over an adult child (F1) have been moving very slowly over the past 6 months - it's either not moving at all or moving only a week or two at a time.The F1 and F2b lines are now the same. At the current pace, the green card predictor site http://www.mygcvisa.com/calculator/ has the U.S Green Card holder F2b line predicted as overtaking the F1 U.S. Citizen line by next month. I'm not sure how much stock to put in these things as they use past numbers to estimate the lines, but wanted to make anyone starting out aware of this. Wife became a U.S. Citizen at my urging since I told her that it would help bring her daughter over sooner. Now that lying dumb%#$ American that she married, not only didn't deliver on his promise, but as a U.S. Citizen she must now actually PAY MONEY for a visa to return to China as well. I am in the dog house. I know we can change lines but we have been within a month of her adult daughter's F1 priority date for four month now, so I don't think it is worth the trouble to try to change lines at this late date. Wife changes lines at the grocery store all the time - usually backfires - as the person ahead of us tries to pay with a 4th party Peruvian money order - the manager is called over and the line stops for 20 minutes.

Thanks everyone, then since it is required by law then it's Obama care here we come (at least until she can get a job with medical insurance). I have no doubt she will be able to find a job within a few months of coming here. But finding a job with benefits is another story. It seems like Florida is the land of the 29 1/2 hour per week part time without benefits low wage worker. Our wages are so low that we are now starting to take jobs back from Mexico, India and China. Paid in SUNSHINE is what they like to say around here. Good jobs are scarce and low wage jobs are plentiful though there are some exceptions - the toll takers have lost their jobs to camera robotics. Thanks all, True Bluel

My adult stepdaughter will be getting her green in the next few months (God willing!). She will arrive in USA without a job and will be too old to be covered as a dependent on my work health insurance. i am sure many people have faces the same situation with parents, brothers and sisters in law, adult children. Until she can find a job with insurance benefits I will need to arrange medical insurance. How are you assuring medical insurance coverage? > Do you do this through Obama-care? My reading is the immigrant may be eligible for an income subsidy. > Who do you contact? I have no experience with Obama-car.? Any good personal insurance packages you have found? > Or any to be avoided because you have had claims problems? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks True Blue

I would not do that. Here's a similar case. Couple married while in process for visa and eventually ran into problems when applying for citizenship. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/12/us/12naturalize.html Perhaps a short trip to Guam would be enough to get the green-card (Passport Endoursed) after getting visa, return to China to marry so can start the visa process for spouse of an LPR and then travel to the states. http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/541529-can-guam-be-used-as-a-us-port-of-entry-please-help/ https://www.cbp.gov/contact/ports/gu Thanks Don, We don't want anything to go wrong or to have legal issues and run up legal fees so we will stick with the plan of having her come to USA first to get green card and then marry. I hadn't thought about Guam. His parents have never been on an airplane and flying them to USA for wedding may be a bit much for a first trip. Then again, they (daughter and fiance) might marry in USA by having him come over with her on tourist VISA (he can help bring over some of her stuff). Then he can return to his job in China and later she can go back to China for a marriage dinner party with his parents and her relatives there. Though my wife would be all for a trip to Guam as it is another place she has never visited and she loves any excuse to travel . Thanks again! True Blue

Thanks Randy. I understand. So she must (1) physically enter USA and (2) then get her green card, (3) then marry. So is there any problem with her fiance coming to USA on a tourist visa, marrying here and then having her newly married husband return to China to wait for his visa slot to open? For some reason I thought that was some sort of visa violation that would prevent him from later getting a green card after they apply for the F2A. Also perhaps there is a possibility of bringing him here on the tourist visa and then sending them on a marriage/honeymoon cruise and having the captain marry them at sea - any problem with that if he is here on a tourist visa? From your comment above seems like there is no problem as long as he doesn;t stay in USA and returns to China to wait for his visa slot, correct? True Blue

Haven't been around the site for a few months as I have been buried at work. Need some advice! Facts: - wife is US citizen and her unmarried adult daughter in China is now just 24 days away from an F1 visa slot. [F1 China line has moved forward VERY slowly recently, only 7 days in the past 4 months.] - daughter is almost 34 years old, engaged and anxious to start a family (wants to have a baby before she gets "too old" and by Chinese standards she and future mother in law and her mother all think she is already "too old". Lol). She is also trying to line up a job in USA, but is not sure what to tell potential employers about vacation travel plans as she wants to get married ASAP. Questions: 1. Assuming her visa slot date comes up in the next several months, is there any way she can get her Green Card while in China (e.g. Without actually coming to USA) so she can then get married in China as soon as she gets green card approval? Then come to USA? 2. If not, then she will need to come to USA to physically get her green card and credentials. Assuming this is the case, is it better (better being defined as faster for her future husband to be reunited with her) for her as new green card holder to (a) return to China to marry, (b) bring fiancée to USA to marry (he has a tourist visa so I am thinking that will be a huge problem), © bring him to USA on tourist visa and marry on a cruise or in Caribbean country outside USA. He would then return to China to his job to await his green card. They don't care about big wedding, just whichever way can get him here fastest with his green card that won't create any issues or risks. They want to start trying to have a child as soon as they are married as she is concerned that age 34 (or later) is "old" by Chinese standards to have a healthy baby. On a related question, when she finally gets here she might not have a job (or a full time job with benefits) right away. Any suggestions for medical health insurance policies I can buy that might also cover maternity costs? Would she be eligible for an Obama care subsidy? Not sure if she will be living with us or in another city with better job opportunities yet but she is too old for me to add to my work policy as a dependent. As always, thanks for help and suggestions, True Blue

http://www.newsweek.com/new-predictions-tiangong-1-crash-723088

Glad to see Manson pass Go and go directly to hell. Happened 40 years too late by my thinking. That guy was wasting oxygen by breathing.

Apparently David Cassidy is still hanging on for a few more hours http://popculture.com/2017/11/20/david-cassidy-family-update-condition/

Touched by an Angel...... Seemed like a very nice lady.

I love the Sandhill Cranes. They come in groups of 2 or 3 and stay together on the roadsides here in Florida. A pair has adopted the local Staples/Office Depot Parking lot for over 5 years and return each year (I'm assuming it is same pair). This meme is certainly appropriate... http://i.imgur.com/JRVJcE5.jpg

What do you plan to see in Fuzhou?

I remember Mel Tillis from his Hee Haw and Glen Campbell Show guest appearances. David Cassidy was of course on the Partridge Family with his mother Shirley Jones. His father, actor Jack Cassidy was one of the best villains on the old Columbo Detective Series starring Peter Falk https://columbophile.wordpress.com/2016/11/06/whos-the-best-cassidy-culp-or-mcgoohan-you-decide/

Still doing more research on the Sony R10 IV superzoom camera which just came out. At 1,699 the price is too high for us to afford now so decided to wait until Black Friday 2018/2019 as price is steep on new cameras and won't be any discounts for a couple years. I still have 3 more years until I can retire anyway so I can wait ti out. Although I am not a birder, I could be with this camera and some time to learn to use it. It's very fast (24 fps) has super focus (over 300 focus points) 24mm to 600 mm and pretty automatic so I won't need to be an f stop geek to use it. I found this thread re: photos taken by birders and thought you might like to have a look - I love the in flight shots that the 24 fps can get. https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4217988

My wife has aunts and cousins in Shanghai and has also worked there on occasion. She can speak "some" of the local language but admitted it is hard for most Mandarin speakers to communicate with folks there who only speak the Shanghai language.

Great post, Randy. The remote location and the villager's insistence to live there and not relocate put me in mind of this Sam Kinison bit on World Hunger

The December Visa bulletin is now out and it is back down to the line moving only 2 weeks over a span of a month. At this rate, it will be double the months before we get a visa for my stepdaughter to immigrate (legally). Then, if she hits any hard times her mother and I are on the hook to support her for the next 10 years. Alternatively, she could go to the Mexican border and waltz right in illegally tomorrow, get a California drivers license and be added to the welfare rolls by Friday afternoon. She could then get that free instate California college tuition and then move out of that tax hell state whenever she gets a job that pays any real money before she is taxed to death. More importantly, then I could be irresponsible while the rest of you folks pick up the tab for her with your tax dollars, I could spend all my money on whiskey and beer..... Decisions, decisions.....Life gives us hard choices sometimes.......

Perhaps you have seen the Marble boat that the Dowager Emperess had built for herself to party on at the Summer Palace in Beijing. The story is that she embezzled the money appropriated for the Chinese Navy to build her party boat. With no Navy, the Chinese empire suffered a humiliating defeat. It certainly didn't look to be of any use other than to host dinner parties. https://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/beijing/summer/boat.htm https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marble_Boat https://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g294212-d311538-i202514168-Summer_Palace_Yiheyuan-Beijing.html

For those into birding, what do you think of this new Sony all in one camera - pricey at $1,700 but has some great specs. Sony RX 10 IV The zoom Range is an equivalent 24-600 mm, has almost 400 focus points, takes 24 frames per second all on a 1 inch sensor which is larger than most super zooms.