Rachel + Will = Together Forever

Imo, this is the type of better than thou attitude that has helped lead us into mediocrity. I think we have entered into a new era that calls for understanding, respect, and dialogue more so than force and strength. Yes, we should carry a big stick and be prepared to use it but there is also such a tool as diplomacy which I feel we have collectively gotten away from over the years. Kudos to Obama for having the courage to do this, knowing that he would face a lot of criticism for such an action. Good points, bcco. I can appreciate much of what you've said.

Anyone have an experience coming into MSP?

My wife came through SEATAC 5 1/2 years ago as her first POE. It took about 1 1/2 hours from the time her plane landed until she came up the escalator to the waiting area. Whoa

I stumbled across this website today, and thought it was very interesting if you're wondering about POE wait times... http://apps.cbp.gov/awt/ Looks like going through Seattle as a POE would be fairly quick! B)

My fiance and I are planning to buy our flight tickets here in China in our local city, and just go with whatever route we end up with so long as it takes us to Chicago as our final destination. We've got info for several flights next month that only cost around 3,500 yuan per ticket and that sounds great but I'm concerned because the routes are all Beijing-Seattle-Chicago... can we use Seattle as our POE? How will that work once we get to Chicago? Anyone have input? thanks!

As everyone else says, I'm sure you'll have an easy-speedy overcome, but I totally know your feelings right now... I had the same sunken-heart feeling when my Sweetie pulled out the blue form at the Consulate Coffee shop... we were both so hopeful! But it looks like things are pulling through, we're waiting to receive the call-in letter any day now! Congrats and good luck! Be sure to let us all know when you get your call-in letter!

Wonderful!!! Congrats!!!

Wow, okay. Well, in a way that's good to know... I want to go with him anyway... I was kind of nervous about the idea that they wouldn't let us go together.

K visas are non-immigrant status visas, which is why you're directed to the visitor's line. CR-1/IR-1 have immigrant status. It stinks for K-1's, but that's the way it goes. Jingjing and I are anticipating a huge wait. We were unable to find a decent POE with enough layover time to make our connecting flight. I think we're planning on going through Houston (9:00 PM), spending the night, and making our connecting flight early the next morning. I remember last Jan. when I went back to the States to visit my family, I flew into Chicago/O'hare and I thought it was a nightmare. The lines were incredibly long and all the staff seemed extremely grumpy... even a little upset at times. Yikes, gonna have to do that all over again. I just realized that my fiance is going to have to go through his line by himself, correct? Since I'm a citizen and he's technically a "visitor."

This is one of those myths that gets repeated often enough for people to believe. You will apply for EAD as soon as you are married - the card will come approx. 60-90 days later, and be good for one year. Thanks so much for the help, Randy... that's great to know! Wow, am I ever glad I discovered CFL when I did!

:::sighs:::

okay, I am reading the CFL AOS FAQ right now, and knocking myself in the head for not looking at it sooner! haha

Does anyone think I should call the DOS and try to get info from them? I know we could just wait for the letter but anticipation and suspense is killing me

Alright, so obviously I still have a lot to learn! Does that mean that as soon as we get passed the POE he'll be issued a SSN?! If the EAD is useless then who cares! I was just under the impression that he had to get a green card or EAD before he could work... and yeah, I'm a little concerned about the job hunting thing too... My sweetie is so cute, he says, "I can just wash dishes, that's fine with me. "

Good luck and Congrats in advance!

So K1's are supposed to go through the visitor line?! That doesn't make sense since in everything else they have to go through the immigrant lines and stuff.

Wow, really?! I had no idea... that's great news! So he doesn't have to wait for the actual green card to find a job, providing the I 94 or visa is enough proof?

If my Sweetie is getting his visa in a month or so, I'm thinking about what POE we should come into... I'm from WI. Obviously Chicago would be the closest and most convenient for us, but I read somewhere that JFK is the only POE that still gives out EADs?! It would be sooo great if he could get handed one of those, but I'd hate getting off at JFK all for nothing and still having to catch a flight to Chicago anyway. Anyone have any recent experience with POE and receiving EADs? Thanks

Personally, I love pinyin, and it's a piece of cake for me. As long as you can memorize what sounds go with what letters, you're good to go!

I agree that the best and fastest way to learn Chinese would be to move to China for at least one year and immerse yourself in the culture. Some key pointers would be: -You MUST *love* learning. If you don't love it, you won't learn it. It's that simple. -You must have a goal in mind, and see mastering (at least the spoken part of the language) as your top priority. -Keep going even when it's impossibly hard and overwhelmingly tiring. DON'T GIVE UP! I plugged myself into a university in Guangxi for two semesters, and even though it was more difficult than I'd ever imagined, it was SO worth the effort! I've been in China for more than 1 1/2 years now, and I'm basically fluent in the local dialect and Mandarin is no problem for me. I can read basic Chinese, and type it, but writing is very difficult. ¼ÓÓÍ£¡

Ok, that cools my mind a little. Thanks Kyle. I was concerned that maybe they already reviewed everything and didn't give me the EMS tracking code, etc. or tell me if it would be approved. I guess we'll just wait, and pray, like you said. Thanks again. It's so encouraging for me to be able to check here and ask questions and get answers! This whole process has been so draining, and we are SO ready to just get married.

They have to affix the visa to his passport. When you get the letter, it will tell him to bring in his passport between 1 and 3 (I forget the hours), Mon, Tues, or Thurs (I forget the days). That is when you KNOW that he gets the visa. From there, it's the same as everyone else - you will pick it up at a post office in Guangdong 2 or 3 days later. Thanks guys. I'm a little concerned now after searching through others posts about call-in letters. The email they sent us didn't have a EMS tracking number or say "your visa will be approved..." Is that bad news for us? Would they tell us if the first box would be checked? here's what the email said: Is that bad or good news? Should we send another email asking right out if it is approved?

YES!!! Fiance just got an email saying that they received the documents we sent in with the blue slip last week, and we should expect to get the call-in letter in less than two weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can anyone tell me when we should expect to get the visa after getting the call-in letter? Will there be a date included (like an appointment date) where he'll have to go get his passport stamped or something? How long should that be after the date of the letter? Thanks!

Awesome, thanks so much, squirty!!!

Okay, so, I don't know about anyone else, but I've been pretty bummed at the way the IV email form is down indefinitely... Does anyone know if there's a way to let GUZ know about their website bugs? I'm thinking maybe I should just send a message via the NIV email form since they will FW it to the IV anyway