mikepellicore

You will not be alowed to enter the baggage area, your wife will need to claim her bags and pass through customs, before you will see her. The luggage carts are free in the international terminal, that is the only good news I can give you. Most of the workers are very nice and polite, and they are usually very quick. I have never had to connect to another flight, so I can't help with that. If there is nothing declared on the customs form, many are passed through without inspection, and they are mainly looking for contraband. We had 12 KG of tea and a few other things, and there were no questions asked. Good Luck, and don't worry, Mike and Yizhen by the way, cell phones don't work in the Immigration/Customs/Baggage area, so you will be waiting in silence. Calls can be placed when you first leave the plane, but once you go down the escalator towards the Immigration/Customs/Baggage, the phone signal drops.

We used the same address on all forms, we chose an address that Yizhen would be sure to receive the mail ( all correspondence from DOS), good luck, Mike & Yizhen

We walked into the Chicago Consulate, and all I needed to show for the 2 year visa was the "RED BOOK", I asked for 90 day stays and they, complied with my request. They made a copy of the red book, for my file. She said I would not need it the next time I applied for the visa, but I will bring it with just in case. I think you just need to send your "RED BOOK" or other Marriage Certificate and a request for the 2 year visa, along with your passport, and they will give you 2 years. Be sure to ask for 90 day stays. Good Luck, Mike and Yizhen I got this visa in April "09".

lvlp, it takes about 10 days for you to get into the SSA computer system, you will need to go there and apply now that you are in the system. Roger is in California, and they told him it would be 60 days before he received the green cards. They arrived in 2 weeks, so you should not be surprised if your green card arrives soon. You will receive the welcome letter, and the green card very close together. Missing You, the passport should be good for proving green card, it is stamped as temporary green card good for one year. How long does the welcome letter say to wait for the green card? Ours said 30 days, and Roger's said 3 weeks. You should go to the SSA office and apply for the SS Card. Good Luck, Mike & Yizhen

Congratulations Roger ! ! ! ! ! ! , No more waiting for us! We are clear for 10 years. We hope all your plans go smoothly, and you can put this all behind you, Mike & Yizhen

I would send the fax, you will have a much better chance of getting something done, good luck, Mike & Yizhen

hello Tony, I don't know anything about rescheduling, but you should try sending a fax also, many times it seems that the fax gets to someone who cares and who can do something with your request. The e-mails are answered by an outside contractor, and many answers are "canned". Good Luck , Mike & Yizhen

Roger, we received our green card today, less than 30 days! I think the delay is over, the new machines must be working well. We also received a second welcome letter today. I hope you get yours soon, Mike & Yizhen They also sent a protective pocket to keep the special, new card in!

Try the e-mail again, sometimes they will respond quickly, less than 48 hours. You can also try to send a fax. Maybe even call DOS, to see if the receipt of your info was entered into the computer. To get a live operator call - 202-663-1225-1-0. Did you get a tracking # for the package? you could check for delivery confirmation. I know how bad it feels to be in limbo. Good Luck, Mike & Yizhen

Roger, the delay could be over already, I did see that someone had received their green card (in 3 weeks) in late June. 6/2 to 6/22. I was wondering if the different Green Cards,(IR-1, CR-1, AOS, and Removal of Conditions) all take the same amount of time, and does it matter where the production order comes from. The delay was first reported in late April or early May and letters in May stated cards could be expected in 60 days. The letters now seem to say 30 days again. I only know what our IR-1 welcome letter says for sure, but it seems that your AOS letter also says 30 days, I am thinking the delay is almost over. Mike

There is no urgency, we are just wondering about the delay, and when the card might possibly arrive. Hopefully, we are just at the tail end of a short delay. The answers to these questions could help others in the future, not just us. I could not find a specific answer for any of the different Green Card categories. I thought it maybe we could get some useful knowledge with the answers to these questions. We are done, and we will receive a 10 year GC, thanks to all the answers we received along the way. Sometimes it was answers to our questions, and sometimes it was reading answers to other's questions. Mike & Yizhen

I am still looking for some info, I know that there was a delay in Green Card Production during the installation of new card machines, it seems to have started in late April or early May, but I am not able to see info about this backlog. I read about people getting welcome letters in April and May that said there was a delay, and to expect the card within 60 days. I can not find info for May and June, but our letter said 30 days. We arrived 6/8/09, and our welcome letter arrived 7/2/09. Is there a difference in the wait for IR-1, CR-1, AOS(2 year card), AOS(10 year card), and lifting conditions(10 year green card)? How can I find out what the wait times are now? Has there been any news about the new Green Card Production, and the effect it might have on the old wait times ? Any help would be greatly appreciated, THANKS, Mike & Yizhen

We have been so busy talking about the "Stimulus Recovery Refund" that I almost forgot about the real question. Thanks, are you saying that the recent delays caused by the installation of new "Green Card Production Machines" and the backlog have been cleared up? I had read about people receiving welcome letters saying it could be 60 days until they receive the Green Card. Our letter says 30 days, I was thinking maybe someone who recently received their green card could help us with some up-to-date info. Thanks for your help, EVERYONE! Mike & Yizhen

Yes, we will get the max ($1,200) credit allowed, which will give us $1,200 more tax refund, hence the second refund check. A "Tax Credit" by definition, will be a dollar for dollar credit against (reduction of) the tax liability for 2008. Thanks, Mike & Yizhen

Randy, are you saying that when we file the amended return for the stimulus recovery tax credit, it will be too late? We have not received any stimulus money yet, and we couldn't file for the credit without a SS#. I understood it was a tax credit, so I thought we would get a second refund check. Thanks, Mike & Yizhen

Randy, we waited to file the amended return until after we received the SS#. My accountant had prepared the forms after we went to the SS office, so on Monday 6/29 the amended return was filed. We are hoping that it will go through and we will receive the additional refund check. Thanks, Mike & Yizhen

The welcome letter says within 30 days, was that the norm before? Did some receive welcome letters that said 60 days, during the delay? Thanks, Mike & Yizhen

We have been back in the US for 3 weeks and 3 days, we received the welcome letter today, how long until we receive the green card? We already went to Soc. Sec. and we have received the SS card. We filed the amended tax return, now we will find out if we get the stimulus Check. Thanks and good luck to all, Mike and Yizhen

Curt, they are on the same level. When you deplane, you are above ground and the phone signal is strong. When you go down to ground level(departures), and then down to immigration, baggage, and customs, there is no phone signal. I forgot to call my daughter, and I had to wait until we were through and we got outside to call. We live 60 min. from the airport, so we had to wait. I should have called when I first got off the plane, then she would have arrived about the time we we were through. Also, after our passport check-in, when we got to the immigration office, and it was crowded, and they sent us to a short line between baggage and customs. We had to wait and get the bags first, then we went through the customs check-point, and we went to the only immigration line in this area. Then we passed through the customs x-ray machines in the next area to the left. Customs is to the left of the check-point, unless you have declared items on your entry sheet, many people are just direct to go straight out with no customs check. The process is simple and painless, Mike I hope this made it clearer!

The train is OK if you don't have much baggage, but the return with Yizhen's bags for moving to the USA was terrible, there are no baggage cars, you must carry all the bags, and keep them with you on the commuter train (no luggage racks), then you must get them to the airport. I would at least fly from GUZ to HKG for the return. Mike the train has weight and size limits, so we had to pay more than the ticket price for our baggage allowance.

I tried Hong Kong once, and I will never do it again. Especially with luggage! I/we have used Asiana, we are Asiana Club members. It is 15 hrs. approx to Seoul, and then 3.5 hrs. to Guz. total aprox 20 hrs there and 19 hours back. On time and great pilots. $900 to $1,100 depending on the time of year. You can get your seat assignments when you make reservations. For total time and convenience, we will be flying Asiana in the future too! Yizhen asked why we didn't use Asiana when we came to the US the first time, I didn't have a very good excuse. I got to work 4 extra 12 hour days, but the extra money was spent traveling between HKG and GUZ. Also, HKG was via Newark(POE on return). I like O'Hare better for Immigration and Customs, quick and easy. Good luck, Mike & Yizhen SUMMER FLIGHTS are higher! ($1,946) with a stop in LA(POE) on the return. maybe you can find something less expensive, that's what I tried in 2007 (HKG) but it ended up being more expensive and alot more inconvenient with all Yizhen's luggage.

Yizhen and I just entered on June 8th, IR-1. We got in the immigrant line, and we were ushered to one of the empty US citizen lines. They scan the passports and take a photo of the immigrant. Then an officer takes you to the office where they open the file. There were about ten people waiting, so we were sent to a short line, but we had to get our baggage first. It took longer to get the bags than to get the finger prints. After being welcomed, we had to pass our bags through the x-ray machines at customs, and then we were free. Maybe 30/40 min, much easier than Newark in 2007, we were together the whole time. In Newark, the took her into a room, for almost an hour, many immigrants and few officers. We still made the connecting flight with no problems. If you will be calling someone to pick you up at O'hare, call as soon as you leave the plane. Immigration and customs are down 3 floors under the arrivals, and there is no cell phone signal until after you have passed through customs. Good Luck, Mike & Yizhen If you any questions, PM me, Mike

Gary, you should watch and see how long it is taking for the P-4 to be sent. It seems to be coming more quickly now, but I am not sure why. You can wait to send the documents to the NVC until you are sure you will not get the P-4 until Oct. 1st, Nov. 1st interview, and maybe Christmas "Homecoming" or later if you desire. Good Luck, Mike & Yizhen

Hello Mace, have you received your copy of the DS-3032? If you have, can you sign your wifes name in Chinese characters? I did this, and then mailed from my home. The only reason for doing this is so you will receive all correspondence until the P-4. You will still be be able to control the speed of the process. you will have at least 5/6 mo's until the interview, and the visa is good for 6 more months. You can take your time and slow the interview process down, if you need more than 1 year. Did you send original documents to the USCIS? If you only sent copies as is requested, then you should have the originals, except for the police report, which was not needed for the USCIS. You will need to get the Police report, to submit to the NVC. You can get 2 copies, or second copies of the original documents and 2 copies of the police report. The only thing you might want to have after the process is complete is an Original copy of the Birth Certificate "White Book". Your Red Marriage Book is all that is required for proof of Marriage in the US. Since you are not in a hurry, just take your time and everything will fall into place. Your wife should be able to have a family member go to the notary office and get the POLICE REPORT, "White Books", and any other Documents that need to be translated and notarized in a "White Book", even if she has left to be with her daughter. They can send them to you "express", via China Post or FedEx. Good Luck, Mike & Yizhen It took about 10 days for the DS-3032 and the AOS (affidavit of suport) Fee bill to arrive at my home. You could scan it and send it to her via email, then she could print it and send it to the NVC. You can control the speed by going slowly. You could even go slow enough to have her enter the US after your second wedding anniversary and get a 10 year green card(IR-1), MIke

In China, we have usually paid an extra night for deposit. they check the room before returning the deposit. You can return things rather than pay for them, but the price is usually to high to make you want to keep the items. I haven't seen much in a Chinese hotel room that I would ever want to take. Mike & Yizhen