wisetiger

We resubmitted the application with the checks made out to "Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services" instead of "BCIS". I checked my bank account and see that the checks were deposited a couple of days ago. So apparently "Checks need to be printed" means spell out BCIS! It took extreme care (I'm left handed) to get all that to fit neatly on the check. I felt like making the checks out to my favorite goverment agency name: "The Department of Redundancy Department"! -Dave

The only thing you can do now is wait and see. If they reject your application they'll send the whole package back to you with a note explaining why. In our case that took two weeks. Frustrating but not the end of the world. I still haven't figured out what "checks need to be printed" meant. We know that the SF office accepts personal checks because others have reported they've recently had their AOS application approved with personal checks. We resubmitted our application on Monday with the checks made out to "Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services" instead of "BCIS". I also included a friendly note explaining that I was confused by their message and that I hoped the new checks would be satisfactory. We'll see. -Dave

Got our I-485 and I-765 back in the mail today rejected by the San Francisco office. The only reason given is "checks need to be printed". The orginal forms were returned along with my three personal checks. Each made out to BCIS ($225, $50, and $120). What the heck does "checks need to be printed" mean? I'm not 100% sure that the last word is "printed". The handwriting on the note is not that legible. The San Francisco office no longer accepts I-485 applications submitted in person. Only by mail. Anybody know a phone number I can call to get a clarification? Thanks -Dave

For those that have completed the AOS I-485 did you make your own copies of the birth certificate book (from China) or submit the actual 4 page book? Lori had several copies made in China so we can afford to give one up but I'm curious if it is necessary or not. -Dave

I believe it is correct not to fill out this section. Instead of leaving it blank the notary asked me to write n/a (not-applicable). A notary can't notarize a document that isn't 100% completed. In our case the document wasn't looked at in the interview. The immigration officer did glance at it when he opened that packet at the airport.

Congratulations Yiyi! Lori told me she talked to you on the phone YESTERDAY and PROMISED that your interview would be in august. What a coincidence that your P4 arrived today! Lori and I will see you in California soon! -Dave

Great news! I just got off the phone with Lori and she passed her interview and can pick up the visa today at 4:00pm! The interview lasted 10 minutes and she reports the interviewer was friendly and fair. Most of the questions were about the reasons we wanted to get married (Love of course). He also asked what her family thought about myself and our plans to get married in the US. He looked at all of the photos but did not ask to see any phone logs or letters. Lori can provide more details when she gets online. Things went pretty smoothly for us, 8 months from start to finish. We'll continue to be active on CFL. I hope our joy will bring success to those of you who've been less fortunate. -Dave

We also have photos of us together with her family. As well as together in Beijing, the Great Wall, Suzhou, Shanghai and most recently LiJiang! -Dave

Lori will be bringing our wedding album to the interview. The mere fact that I agreed to spend most of a day at a photo studio having our picture taken (in traditional Chinese clothing as well!) is irrefutable proof that we are in love. Actually, the pictures turned out very nice and I'm happy we did it. Lori's english is also very good so that should make the interview go easier as well. -Dave

Thanks for the advice. I can easily send Lori my W2 and last pay stub.

Dave, tell me more about that. Did you just walk up to an IRS office one day and ask for copies? How long did it take? The other suggestion I've seen is to attach a notarized note to the copy of the tax return that says something like "I certify that this copy...." BTW, I did have the I-134 itself notarized as well as the letter from my empolyer. To me that seems like enough. -Dave

FYI, Lori reported that her P4 arrived (Shanghai) on June 14th via regular mail. Not EMS. -Dave

The instructions that come with the I-134 don't mention if the copy of the tax return should be notarized or not. But I seem to remember seeing somewhere (GZ website) that a notarized copy is required. What have others on this forum done? Lori's interview is July 9th. So far I've given her a notarized letter from my employer and a photocopy of my 2002 tax return. Is that enough? My income is well over the mimimum needed for the affidavit. Since we seem to have a batch of CFL members with interviews in the next month I'm curious what everyone is doing. Thanks. -Dave

Hello everyone, I called the DOS (for the first time) and learned that the name check was completed and returned to GZ on May 14th! The day I returned from China after a two week visit with Lori! It was submitted on March 21st. Lori sent mail to GZ a couple of days ago and got the following reply: " It appears that your interview will occur in one or two months. We will contact you when your interview is scheduled. Immigrant Visa Unit " Getting close now!