credzba

Jim, I totally understand your feelings. I only just filed in May, and already I am looking for work in China. There is just no need for the slow process our government has. The arrogance drives me crazy as well. I am so embarassed to have to explain to my wife why they wont let her visit the USA. One discussion we had, she finally blew up. "Forget it, I am never moving to America. I don't WANT to be treated like some cheat! " Marriage visa cheating can only occur if people are allowed multiple foreign marriages. Make the I-864 limit your next marriage. If you have a current I-864 active, then your next petition costs you $30,000. If two active I-864s, then the next petition is 60,000. This is a capitalistic country, deal with this problem as a capitalist instead of assuming we are all criminals.

Actually, now a powerbook with Intel duo processor is the best combination you can buy. You can set it up to dual boot Mac/os Windows/os. From within the Mac/os you can run the windows/os in a window, or full screen. You can choose to mix the windows windows directly on the mac desktop so that you cant distinguish what is windows and what is mac. You can run both windows and mac application easily. The increase in apple shares is not just the ixxx devices, their hardware, and os integration makes their laptop the best choice in the market. Probably the mac purists can not even imagine this abomination, but for people who want the right tool for the job without os religion, the apple powerbook duo processor is the best I think.

I was looking at the list of interview questions on visajourney. If I was asked this question I don't know what I'd answer. The plan is definitely not to stay in the US forever, we plan to retire back to Suzhou. But plans change, and if our children are all in the US, we might stay forever. Is there a problem getting a IR/1 visa if we are only planning on staying 10 or 15 years ?

Thank you, I will hope for 10 months, and plan on 1 year. I intend to try all the NVC shortcuts, and hope to shave 1 or 2 months off in NVC. Having my wife email the response to ds-3032 will save 2 weeks. Then mailing in bills and forms same day they are requested will save a few days each. My fear is the interview, all these other things are well defined and predictable. The interview is just random. My wife says exactly what she thinks, so if she thinks they accuse her of a fake relationship ... well I wouldnt want to be the VO, but I dont think it will help us get past the interview either. Maybe if I put sedatives in her breakfast

I live in Austin TX., my wife lives in Suzhou Jiangsu. The latitude of the two cities is almost the same with Austin being slightly south. Suzhou is of course much prettier than anything we have in Texas. It is heaven on earth. We plan to live in Austin until we get our children out of college, then run home to Suzhou as fast as possible.

wow ! 9 days from NOA1 to NOA2. I am totally ashamed of my service center ! I think CSC is running 2 - 3 months

I took a look, but there is very little IR/CR data, and most of them actually go K3. Based on the changes made recently I wonder if those dates are accurate for IR/CR petitions? I guess I should just not plan too much, and just try to get the forms back as quickly as possible.

5/8/2007 Married in Nanjing 5/29/2007 Mail I-130 application 6/20/2007 NOA1 (I-797C) arrives in my mail. This just means they will start work on our application. ---- The rest are just estimates ---- 9/18/2007 NOA2 arrives in my mail. This means we are approved. 10/18/2007 Application sent to NVC from CSC 10/20/2007 DS-3032 and I-864 sent to SO 10/22/2007 SO express mail sends DS-3032 and I-864 back making USC the agent 11/5/2007 Immigrant Visa fee bill generated 11/12/2007 Immigrant Visa fee paid 12/3/2007 DS-230 sent to agent (USC) 12/5/2007 DS-230 returned next day mail 12/25/2007 papers sent from America to Guangzhou 2/23/2008 Guangzhou mails out OF-169 and OF-230 (maybe others) to SO 2/25/2008 SO mails forms back to Guangzhou 3/26/2008 Guangzhou receives forms 3/31/2008 Guanzhou schedules an interview for 3/11/2008 5/30/2008 SO goes in for interview I fixed the dates as you suggested, though two months seems so much longer Still As far as the forms go I have questions: at 10/20 I list the DS-3032 - I can't find examples or even blanks of this form anywhere. I-864 - Affidavit of support Does the DS-3032 go to the SO and the I-864 to the petitioner at the same time? at 12/03 I show the DS-230 form, is this the last form needed before the paperwork is transferred to Guangzhou? 2/23 I show forms OF-169 and OF-230 (from visa journey flow chart) These are mailed to my SO, or to the ISC ? and are there examples anywhere. For medical exam forms and immunizations, what forms are sent out and when? I have read the discussions, but it isn't clear to me the order things happen. My goal is to set up a projection, with forms due when, and then track to see how it comes out. Hopefully this will be useful to the next person so they can estimate their final date, and so they know what form to expect when.

I took other peoples time lines and tried to put together an estimate of when things would happen for me. What I'd like to ask of you experts is did I miss anything, are my estimates in the ball park of reality, and who gets what forms when? The DS-3032 and the I-864 timing really confuse me. Isn't there medicals and other stuff that has to happen before the interview? 05/08/2007: Married in Nanjing 05/29/2007: Mail I-130 application 06/20/2007: NOA1 (I-797C) arrives in my mail. This just means they will start work on our application. ---- The rest are just estimates ---- 07/20/2007: NOA2 arrives in my mail. This means we are approved. 08/03/2007: Application sent to Guangzhou from America 08/05/2007: DS-3032 and I-864 sent to SO 08/07/2007: SO express mail sends DS-3032 and I-864 back making USC the agent 08/21/2007: Immigrant Visa fee bill generated 08/28/2007: Immigrant Visa and I-864 sent back 09/20/2007: DS-230 sent to agent (USC) 09/20/2007: DS-230 returned next day mail 10/20/2007: papers sent from America to Guangzhou 12/19/2007: Guangzhou mails out OF-169 and OF-230 (maybe others) to SO 12/22/2007: SO mails forms back to Guangzhou 01/23/2008: Guangzhou receives forms 01/25/2002: Guanzhou schedules an interview for 3/11/2008 03/11/2008: SO goes in for interview Thanks for critique and suggestions.

Thats not true. My lao po said they celebrate fathers day on 8-8 (August 8). For those of you who speak mandarin, you know the 8 is pronounced ba and father is ba ba, so august 8 is ba ba, thus they celebrate fathers day on ba ba day.

I read this topic, and it seems very strange. If I (USC) go to the US consolate with my wife (A Chinese citizen) they will not let my wife in? I think of my wife as my other half, and it is very strange to me they would not allow the wife of a USC into ach. When you all say your SO is not permiitted in, is this your fiance, or does it include your wife is not permitted in?

Why don't you learn mandarin? I am just a novice, but I try, and I get lots of credit for that. Sometimes, I can even pick up a little of the conversation. I hope one day to be able to only speak mandarin at home with my lao po. If your so can learn english, certainly you can learn mandarin ?

I was talking to friends tonight, and said I have to send off for more visa entries to China. They were surprised I was still travelling as a visitor when I have a Chinese wife. I don't know of any visa process that would let me travel to live with my wife like a green card is in america. Do you guys know? Is there a way I can become a permanent resident in China?

Could you explain the phone card comment. I am no where near an interview, but I have seen other people refer to a phone card, and I would like to understand. What is requirement or use for phone card?

Perhaps I can help. I was recently divorced, and when I decided to marry the love of my life my lawyer immediately suggested a prenup. My previous wife had been pretty intent on taking all she could. Here is the law. Anything that you have, and can prove you had before the marriage remains soley yours after the marriage. The co-ownership of property only begins after the marriage. So, say you had 500,000 in a 401k. If you marry she does not get half of that 500,000 she would get half of any intrest that accrued on that 500,000. Same way with all your other assets. They don't get automatic ownership of things you have before your married. a prenup just modifies what she can claim of things you gain after the marriage. With this information I told my lawyer no way. I fully consider what I gain after I am married to belong to us both, I can not live without her anyway. I can only think of a very few situations where a prenup is reasonable now that I understand. If I had bought a bunch of oil wells that produced income each month before we were married, I can see explaining that income is no way associated with my new wife... but us normal hard working folks .. a prenup is a waste of your money, and an insult to your new wife.

A question. Is there something extra you have to do as a foreigner to buy property in China?