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I didn't realize that this thread had blown up. I apologize for neglecting it. This is a serious request for information. My relationship with her means a lot to me, and I am trying to protect it by enabling us to live together. I am just trying to be very careful about making a significant life change. I realize that this is not to be taken lightly, as marriage is a recognition of a sacred bond between two allies of the heart. My concern is that the strength of this bond has never really been tested. We've gone on vacation together a number of times over the past 4 years, but we've never lived together while I've been working, so I don't know how well we can cope with me bringing job stress home to our domestic life. It is a risk that I cannot fully assess. Yes, I know that there is an amount of trust and risk in any relationship, but I am a practical man, and I know that it would be foolhardy for me to engage in a venture of known hazard without hedging it. I need to make sure that we both have a secure life together awaiting us; if I cannot provide that, I have no business drawing her into a lifetime contract. So I must take steps to create that safety. Posting in this forum is one of those steps. For those of you who have gone through this before, how did you cope with the lack of shared domestic experience? Or did all of you find a way to live with your fiance(e) before marrying? I also have a more mundane question: the G-325A has a place for an Alien Registration Number, but as far as we know, she doesn't have one. Do we leave this field blank, or does she need to get such a number before completing the G-325A?

Hmm... Much appreciation for the guidance on the K-1 process. Regarding our future plans: We've been together for the last 4 years, and I feel that we work well together. I'm taking the fiancee route more seriously because I know this long-distance relationship isn't sustainable, and that I will lose her if I don't find a way for us to live together indefinitely. She is starting to get a lot of pressure from her family to the effect of, "so when is your American boy going to get serious and settle down with you?" But the point about commitment as a prerequisite for a strong marriage is well taken. It's actually a fairly complex issue for me; is CFL an appropriate place to discuss that topic (my level of commitment and whether or not we should marry)?

Hi, This is my first post here. I have a girlfriend in China, and I'd like to find some information about a visa for her to come to the U.S. Background: We met as co-workers in Liaoning province in '03. After I returned to the States in '04, we started a long distance relationship, first email and then, when I found a cheap calling card, phone. Talk every day. Vacation together 2-3 times/year, mostly in China but also once in Thailand. What I want: To live with her and show her all the interesting things that this country has to offer. Her options: B-2 (tourist), F-1 (student), K-1 (fiancee). Problems with these options: *B-2: She has limited binding ties to China. Her mother is in her mid-60s but still in good health, she owns an apartment, has no job. *F-1: I would have to pay her tuition, or take out loans for her, as she doesn't have any credit. She wouldn't be able to get a real job, so I'd have to support her. *K-1: I'm not super-excited about getting married, I just want to live with her. But I'm willing to pursue marriage if that's the only way that this will work. Process for K-1 as I understand it: She and I each fill out G-325A. I submit both G-325As, proof of our relationship (phone bills and vacation photos), a notarized I-134, and an I-129F by mail to my local US-CIS office. US-CIS sends packet to Guangzhou, Guangzhou sends Packet 3 to her. She returns Packet 3 to Guangzhou. Guangzhou schedules an interview. After she passes the interview, she gets permission to apply for a visa at a port of entry. At the port of entry, she receives her K-1. So, is the K-1 my best option? And do I correctly understand what we have to do to get the K-1?