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Obviously, I assume that the permits held within my passport would pass for that. Agreed on those two issues... I plan to have my father co-sponser, if needed I've asked 2 of my friends who have agreed as well. I still maintain a bank account in the US, and a credit card as well. I have filed my taxes every year! Your assumptions are right -- I have no other choice but to get a co-sponsor as being an English teacher in China does not produce a very high income. ~Tom

Hello, Was reading another thread where the discussion of DCF came into play - I became a bit confused, as did the thread, so I wanted to ask in a clear manner. Do we qualify for DCF? I came to China in 2006 (September) I've lived and worked here in Wuhan ever since. I did go back to the USA in March of 2008 for 2 months, then returned to Wuhan for another year. We're not married yet, but are planning to sign the papers in September. I have signed another year contract to take me to July 2, 2010. So after we sign the marriage papers in September, can we immediatly get started on a DCF? ~Tom

If I returned to the US, and landed a job (I'm fairly confident I could get my old job again) would I have to wait (basically 2 years) to file a full working years W2, or could I simply get a letter from my employer stating that it's a perminent job with the amount I make per hour and yearly and have it notorized? ~Tom

Which means we could be apart for some time... I will discuss this with her. She seems to feel that this isn't that big of a problem, because she's been talking to people going through this process (other Chinese girls) and they've had no problems. I'm just trying to prepare her...

Sorry, but the I-864 is a more stringent agreement than the I-134 - thus, the I-134 might be more palatable to his friends. AFTER he is back in the US, he may find it easier to get his ducks in a row to file the I-864 without co-sponsors. Correct! I-864 Obligation to support is until: Sponsor dies Immigrant dies Immigrant works and is creditied with 40 quarters of work Immigrant leaves the USA and gives up residency status Immigrant naturalizes and becomes a US citizen What I am talking about is Assets listed to make up for an income short fall, it is only 3 times not 5 times. So if Income falls short of 125% poverty line by 1000 then only 3000 in assets are needed NOT 5000. I-864 Page 9 http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/I-864.pdf 40 quarters of work = 10 years?

Yea, I've been going over this for the past few months, and to me (as my title suggest) the Financial Support is going to be the biggest hurdle. I have already asked a few of my friends, and they have agreed to help me, but we all know that possibly when it comes time to walk the walk they might back out. So, from what I understand, even if I can provide support via co-sponsorship, she could still be denied bassed on other merits. Some have suggested that the job market is in the dumps - this I know. I wouldn't be returning to the States until she got her Visa, so we could return together. Although I'm ready to get out of here, I want what is best for [uS], not [ME]. If staying here 2 more years after getting married would serve me better, then I'm prepared to do that. Would it be "easier" to go for a K1 visa instead of a K3/CR-1? Or would we face similar positions? I should also mention that my GFs father has given her 60,000RMB and says that after we get married he will give her 60,000RMB more. Would that me of any benefit? We're currently just keeping it in an account and not touching it for the moment. ~Tom

Thanks for the reply... Yes, my father has said we could stay in his house while we house shop.

Hello everyone, and thank you in advance for the warm welcomes I know you will post. My story is one of confusion and what I feel might be a little bit different from the nor. Pre-Sept. '06 - I was working for Echostar making about $23k per year - I finished paying off my car in '06 and decided to look for a job in China Sept '06 - Quit my Job, with little savings, after recieving plane tickets to come to China and teach English... I arrived in China on 9/4/06 - I began working for EF [English First]. This is where I met my, now, girlfriend. She was working there, and I still remember the feelings I had for this girl during that time. We would often sit and talk in the teacher's room and she was amazed at how I used my left hand to write. She would often practice writting my name using her left hand, and I'd write her's using my right hand. This was one of many things we would do. Somethings happened and several months later she left the company, it wasn't until almost a year later when I recieved a text message from her asking to meet. We met and we began dating on Sept. 28th, 2007. We've been together ever since. I've reached my breaking point of teaching English in China, so I'm looking to go back to the USA... We're in the midst of trying to decide how we can be together now. We love each other, and are considering marriage, but there are several hurdles blocking the way. The first hurdle is that I have no savings left -- My bank in the US, according to online banking has about $100 in it. I don't own any property, except for the my car which has probably depreciated into nothing [2000 Mercury Cougar]. Now to make things more difficult I come from a family of 4, my mother was diagnosed with Schizophrenia around the time I was age 5 [27 now] so my father was the only one working. He worked for what's now AT&T for something like 35-40 years and has since retired in 2007 or 2008. In, 2008, my mother and father decided to get a divorce and he has moved to Ft. Worth, Tx and my mother is still in the Rio Grande Valley, Tx. Obviously, my Father is having to pay for my Mom. Now around the year '98 or 99 my Father put our house against a loan to get the house next door to us, but part of the divorce was that he gave the paid off house to my Mom, and is now in the process of selling/transfering the loan of the other house. In Ft. Worth, he is now renting, not buying. My Aunt [Mom's side] has also gotten legal guardianship over my Mother, so my Mother is no longer in control of her own mother, and cannot legally drive either. My father has since begun doing contracting work in Ft. Worth since retirement wasn't paying enough, and I'm not aware of his yearly income. I know he also has I think 2 investment accounts [1 of them is devoted to paying my Mom monthly]. My question [sorry for the length of this thread] is how am I going to be able to show financial support for my girl. We are thinking about going for the CR-1 visa, and I know that we can provide a co-sponsor, and everything I have read suggests that using immediate family is much better than say a friend. Since I've been living in China since 2006, I don't really have any documents accounting for taxes... I did file Taxes in the USA, but they were always deemed as $0 [didn't even qualify for the Economic Stimulus Check]. Is it considered a stronger case for a 'bona-fide' relationship since I've been living here, and together in the same house with my girl for over a year now? [Working for almost 3 years] I did go back to the US in March to help deal w/ the divorce, and I had to buy a return plane ticket using my Credit Card, the balance is still standing on my CC, although I've been making minimum payments every month. Basically, I...no WE, want to go back to the USA so that we can begin our life together. She would prefer to get married here in China so her family could be present. Her Mom and Dad are also going through a divorce, so we have similar problems on both fronts. Please enlighten me with your wisdom... What's the best course of action? ~Tom