Henry and Mei

Been so busy with making a career transition, taxes, wedding, family matters, helping friends with visa issues and the like that I have pushed filing Mei's AOS back...planned to complete in a couple of weeks....... The pressing matter is that I did not worry about her working anytime soon, but as of today an employment op opened for her. And since Texas does not require a Social Security number to get married, I was simply going to submit during the EAD process.... And since her visa has now expired, but we are, I would like to think happily married....... Was the quick option to get her a number was during the 90 days??? What about now??? What are my options to help her get a number/chance at this employment op? Business will open in about a month and I tried the new number for USCIS and that was a waste......have not kept up, so I do not know if that is a common experience also. Thanks in advance and feel free to call me ......things, I probably deserve it.. Just dealing right now with tight times

AMEN!! TO THAT!!! Please forgive me, but I am going to weigh in on this one last time. And sorry to hear about the UC at ACH. That is tough, since VOs have been known to sometimes ignore past cases and additional evidence and is often clearly stated. But my first point and I will be blunt...........The percentage question is irrelevant and simply a stupid question to ask.....bottom line.... All I need to know is 0 or 100 percent. Zero meaning don't bother. We all have faced this type of odds. Simply move on to something else. A 100 percent pass means no effort. Automatic... Everything else is possible. But let's simply take a 99 percent rate, but you are the ONE in a HUNDRED that did not pass even though a bon a fide. Does this 99 percent rate make you feel any better? Probably worse....your case matters and not some percentage. The reality is that how immigration works in this visa process is that the burden is on you. Sad but true, you are guilty, now prove your worth/innocence. So no matter who is running IV, it will never be 100 percent. The flip side is that with the help of sites like this you improve your odds....with a bon a fide case. And like I have mentioned, I am sure that there have been certainly guests to this site that have gathered info to commit fraud. The Consulate knows this as well. Another reality...so I would not expect them to be helpful here. And there are many assumptions made on this site. One I tend to agree with is that in many cases the visa is decided before the interviewer ever steps up to the window. Basically, what the VO told my fiancee. So if you agree with this assumption, it points to a good case and preparation vs luck. Although certainly luck or I will simply call fortune plays a role in almost anything of importance in life. My point is that most will reap what they sow....and many times you make your own luck. But clearly all bon a fides will not pass and does result in bad luck and/or preparation. Basically, pick your poison. Simply it seems that we have seen an improvement in GUZ and I feel fortunate to have had a favorable experience along with other CFLers.. I wish others as much fortune. And a positive experience at GUZ.

THANKS......again for the help and suggestions. I need to sign off for awhile, since soon Mei is boarding her plane and after being a bachelor for way too many years (whole life), my life is soon to change...and I still need to work on preparing my home But I just got a YM from her (Karen) and after she consulted her legal friends today about this man and what he was proposing, they all told her the same thing..... RUN!!!

Scammed...sorry, did I say that out loud? Seriously, I don't believe in putting in price on love. My initial run in with finding a Chinese woman and extra end costs was my friends before me having to deal with "agencies." My first friend was engaged, filed for the K-1 and all that expense, when the agency raised it's ugly head threatening his fiancee for money. Coming to her work and public embarrassing her. Then on his final trip trailing her to find him and then publicly in the lobby of the hotel demanding an extra $10K. I met a couple really nice Chinese women online that actually wrote their own emails through an agency although they would not admit to being tied to an agency and I had to walk away. Simply for not being honest with me. Since I personally with friends experienced so much of this, it became easy to recognize, but a pain to have to discover....

it's not all that uncommon... and it's not all that uncommon to find out too late you've found the wrong girl Too bad they didn't discuss this early... now that they are 'fiancee' and all what city / province is she from? I always like to hear where the ladies are from concerning this and a few other issues. His fiancee is from Kaifeng/Hehan and mine Yinde/Guangdong. Like Larry (amberjack) states this process is expensive -- more than most USCs may initially expect. This is an 'extra" cost that also many may not be aware of. My fiancee has been very ambitious to be so successful in business, so money has been obviously mentioned. But my experience is when people confuse money for love the real problems begin... I have just been exposed to too much greed and the ill that it brings. So while I am still thinking of how much to give my laopo's mother, I hope I can help my friend. A gift (even money) does not sound evil to me, but $3K sounds like a lot...

My wife told me similar while we were in China. I indicated that I could not pay money to receive any human being. I would not be able to face my parents. As an American Citizen the idea of paying money to parents in exchange for their child is unacceptable. TOTALLY. I also said that I didn¡¯t mind giving a small gift of money; in keeping with the Chinese tradition. So a polite gift is possible at least in my mind. BUT it can not be of great $$$ value. I felt that 100 RMB was OK. She promptly left the room. Five minutes later she returned and I received a huge kiss. And I mean really huge. No words, no explanation, just an end to the discussion. I never asked what happened. Additionally, I ensured the parents were well fed and received at great wedding banquet. My thoughts exactly...... One friend gave his fiancee Ma Ma a $100 bill. He said that she was happy. Of course, my fiancee knows my friend and his fiancee and talk almost daily. I later asked my fiancee about this and she said that since he pay so little that her family would look low on him for not giving more... This is definitely not an American thing, so I am having a hard time wrapping my mind around this. And I agree about not paying parents for a daughter. Seems like business to me but culture to them. So far I have dodged this bullet, but I am thinking of giving her mother something once we settle in and even possibly having her stay with us for a year as a visitor especially if we have children. I am appreciating the thoughts for me and for him...THANKS

WOW........Thanks, Dan. That opens up a whole new arena of thought. I will see what she decides and try to find time to further look into this. I still think she should RUN...and not give up on her dream of finding someone first. I think she wishes to look once here, but my gut feeling is that I do not trust this guy's intentions.

One friend in China went through a long 3 year ordeal with a USC to come here on a fiancee visa. Immediately I told her that I did not think he was serious. In May they finally got their white and a non bon a fide, which he is not going to pursue. She recently received a request from a man from NJ that claims to recently lost his wife and wants her to come here to a Nanny. Claims to have lots of money. Pay her $500 a week and can get her a quick work visa. He already has had her pay 2000 RMB to help with the process to someone. This part is sketchy, since I learned of this last night. And my YM is having issues, so I cannot cut and paste his basically a contract to her claiming he could get a Nanny here, but wants a foreign Nanny. He is 43 and she is 51. He even asked her about her home, if she owned and how much it is worth....... I told her to stop correspondence immediately and run. She is looking to find a man to love and after reading his comments to her, I think he is looking for a maid with benefits.... Any thoughts here will also be appreciate? Can this guy even get a visa for a "Nanny"? Work visa?

Now that I successfully completed the visa process, I have been helping several friends with advice here and in China.... One that is stumping me is that one fiancee is telling my friend that it is Chinese tradition/custom to send the mother money due to marrying her daughter. She suggests for $3,000 for ma ma and another $2,000 for her before she comes here (basically play money for her). My thought is that this stinks. What should I be thinking/tell him? I am at a loss here and do not even know what to say or suggest to him.

Exactly...... After recently completing the race, I have looked back to help a friend, but you are on your horse. Ride it fast and true...

When I spoke to her, she did not give me this percentage. I am sure there is a number, but her interests were case by case and not a quota system. The difficulty for her would seem is the reality of so many fraudulent cases in China. Kind of reminds me of the all the negative cig ads lately. You knowing run a unit that has one of the highest level of fraudulent cases.......you as the person-in-charge, what would you do? Let everyone pass.....it is like believing that everyone that comes to CFL has a bon a fide case. It is simply not reality..... Okay, I am sorry for the soap box, since I came into this process reading all the negative decisions and almost buying into the thought that you simply have to be lucky.....

But has been discussed here many times now is the burden is on the petitioner and not the state. And while some of their decisions may seem unfair, it is that in their determination the petitioner and/or beneficiary did not meet the burden. So while she admits that some cases that are not fraudulent do not initially pass, she acknowledges that the ones that are refused have the recourse to re-file. This may seem to us as unfair/detrimental, but what one should expect in an imperfect world IMHO. What amazed her is that so many Americans get caught in the bait and switch online situation in China, but proceed anyway with the visa and are more than happy with the outcome. She gave me the strong impression that they showed no ill bias against these cases even though the USC came originally to meet another woman. I also experienced this, but was already prepared for it. No need for me to give all the details, but if Mei had not turned out to be real, I more than likely would have gone this route as well. Another amazing Chinese woman. Simply fortunate all the way around.... Good luck to all....

I was fortunate to have about 45 minutes of her time, since there was only a couple of people in the waiting area and she was very determined to answer all of my questions. And I was fortunate that my father attended as an interested observer. Her father had just visited GUZ and was very pleased especially with the food. He was going to have a hard time eating Chinese food now in America after having the real thing. She was so forthcoming that we even talked about her background and family. I was more than impressed. Anyways, my apology for digressing... After reading almost countless posts here, I was beginning to think the process was more luck than preparation and a valid case/petition. I was admittedly nervous about the process and never stopped preparing until Mei's interview was finished....

Congratulations...... To help others Eric, you should mention that you did not send tax transcripts, if I remember correctly. Tax forms -- we all prepare them (well most of us that aren't bank CEOs and CFOs B) ), so the CO may question the form vs the tax transcript... And I think Bill once posted a link to a new office in Beijing for the IRS that could have possibly helped you with the transcripts in China for the interview. If you call the IRS, the tax transcripts are free here. They can fax and mail them to you. I did both. But if you need for the IRS to send photocopies of your filed return, it costs about $60 per return, again if my memory serves me correctly. So for 3 years, it would be around 180 US dollars. All we can do is keep moving forward. Have fun now

CONGRATULATIONS.........Hope the process goes better for you now. Enjoy bringing her home!!!

And the simplest way to look at this visa process for an anology is thinking SMOKE DETECTOR....... A huge flame (smoke) and that baby is going off........ Your job is to keep the smoke to as little as possible. Since there are so many things that could cause a potential puff of smoke. Keep the fires burning in your relationship not the visa process and you will be just fine Good luck!!!

This is my take......about any petition....so take this as you will... Simply my humble opinion about the entire visa process. If you have nothing to hide then DON'T hide IT! Yes, you run the risk of bringing up a red flag that may have not been there......BUT guess what, if you have a red flag that the VO discovers on his/her own and you do not mention it, what KIND OF A RED FLAG is this??? Your situation is simple, so simply state in your EOR to cover your bases. Save her some grief and inform her. Plus, she should know your EOR. Most of the pointed questions that the VO will ask will come from the EOR -- unless they find something on their OWN. And the only reason I post this is that another petitioner, I believe last month or so, posted that she was shocked about BLUE. She believed she supplied what was "required/asked for" basically the "minimum" and got a less than favorable result. Her "reasoning/excuse" was that to her knowledge, it (EOR) was not specifically asked for. Buying into the thought (and to me lazy thought) that do nothing more than you believe should be done.....don't go the extra mile. And we are talking about your FIANCEE/WIFE'S VISA here. For me that does not cut it. Of course after you submit your petition -- If the Consulate has questions, then provide them only what they ask for....."extras" now is looked at as a bad thing...and simply not ANSWERING THE QUESTION...not to be overly harsh or cynical...ergo some politicians/beauty contestants...so you get the idea. And I believe, she went to China on a student visa, so she should be smarter than that, so I did not waste my time responding....plus she already had her BLUE....lesson learned. A GOOD EOR is like a research paper and resume combined into ONE. It requires a lot of effort to do it well, since it is your only chance to write about yourself (including past) and your relationship addressing any potential red flags that you discover from doing your research on this process..... Also my take is that YOUR PETITION IS YOUR INTERVIEW especially since in China, you cannot attend the interview...as well as ACH/ACS if you do attend....so I personally would treat it as such. Basically, your first chance to succeed or fail..... Her interview will generally put the nail in it.... And if you have done a so/so job on the petition/preparation and thus a BLUE, a chance to OVERCOME, basically.......THREE STRIKES..... My recommendation is TO HIT THE FIRST PITCH.... You know what the VO is looking for...........FRAUD So you know what your burden IS and what you are swinging at. Hope this helps....

I was wondering more if the petitioners will finally be able to join their loved ones for the interview.... I think the argument against was time and space........ That is an older photo Randy, since they now have the advertisement banners for you to "defeat English" and learn to speak English, now on the second floor......guessing "the business" changes with GUZ's direction...

Congratulations........the NOA2 is the first important document that you receive from our government during this process that you need to keep and provide later at AOS. Good luck...

We are in the same boat. Also watched a show the other night about the MMR and possible side effects for the child. Nothing really solid out of that TV report, but does make you think about immunizations and your children. Mei took her shots after the interview and we are waiting until she is here in about a month to start our "family planning." Randy, if we get this Texas Roundup going this year or early next, I will get us both free drinks...... And I thought I was busy before.....lol

Your case is fairly straight forward like mine, but it is still good to point out the obvious and these are all pluses.......both never married before and no children. Since for many these need to addressed in the EOR as potential red flags.... The down side is that your income is not going to intimidate Donald Trump, but good to also at least mention. Also looking here a little into the future will not hurt.... Many use the EOR to address possible red flags in your case. Others like you just show all the strong points....personal preference... I do not think you have any red flags, but that must be determined by you by doing research like here at CFL and obviously knowing your case intimately....

Sounds great. I do not see communications being an issue, but it is a strong point of emphasis at GUZ. You might mention both hers and your ability in both English and Chinese. Good luck!

Awesome finish......CONGRATS!!!

But unless I am somehow missing something, I believe there is no way to photo any consulate area from the coffee shop, since the only thing I can think of is the escalator on the 4th floor that is blocked by business offices... In one of my photos, you will see the only security guard working that area around the coffee shop. We were trying to take photos that did not have anything in the background except Chinese businesses and he was not overly thrilled, but I......you can probably fill in the line.... So I was thinking the new facility would better allow photos, but then again maybe not......

That is great news for future applicants. It would be great to see this happen. All the hawking and sharking that now takes place on the floors below the Consulate would be hopefully eliminated. We of course were discouraged from taking photos on the 4th floor more than likely due to the "business acts". Really impressed with China, but embarrassed at watching the activity and seemingly conflict of interests happening especially on the 4th floor.... But when you spend over 300 yuan for 6 cups of coffee (2 days with parents), I was not going to be robbed of taking one of the most meaningful photos of my fiancee......and fellow CFLers Look forward to seeing the new building some day.