mGolden

Xueshan and I got the vaccinations transcribed this past week. We had an appointment with a doctor 10 minutes from where we live who gave us so much grief about all the "extra" things we would need that we left without getting a signature or paying anything. It is unfortunate because it was a convenient location. His charge was going to be $50 (others quoted $150 or more), but I am upset because I called first and asked them if they would do a vaccination record transcription only (NO EXAM!) and they said yes. I was very clear. And, of the 20 doctors in the Seattle area he was not the cheapest but he agreed to do only the part we needed. Frustrating to have an appointment and then be told he wouldn't do it once we got there. He said we would need another exam, and other vaccinations, and TB shots, ect. The charge would have been nearer to $500. His name is Dr. Robert A. Reid at 12911 120th Ave. NE, in Kirkland, Washington. So, we went to the cheapest office for $35 in Kent, Washington. Dr. Efren R. Caratao at Easthill Medical Clinic. We were treated nicely, it was exactly what we were told on the phone; Quick, painless, signature on the paper, done. We heartily recommend this doctor/office. Hope this saves someone else in the Seattle area from problems. -mGolden

Hooray, hooray!! The pink slip finally arrived in the mail today. Xue Shan is on her way to Guangzhou tonight to drop off her passport on Monday and pick it up 2 (?) days later with the fiancee visa in it. Her interview was on the 5th of May and the past few weeks have been really hard on us as the time stretched on and we weren't sure when the wait was going to end. Know what I mean? The people reading this surely do know what I mean. -That is what I like best about Candleforlove, we understand what eachother is going through. She might potentially be here in Seattle by this coming weekend! That would be a dream come true for me. We are having a family reunion this weekend and it would be the perfect time to introduce her to all of my family here. By the way, good luck to you and your wife at the interview Dan. When you get your wife home to the Seattle area let's do lunch. Anyone else in the Seattle area?

Ok, you've got my curiosity going with your statement "Granted, the way we met was unexpected but still perfectly legit." So, are you going to fill us in with the story of your Unexpected First Meeting?

It is frustrating to be in a position where someone else is guessing at your intentions and basically holding your future hostage. I feel for you two; My fiancee and I are in the waiting game of a blue paper. But for us it looks straightforward what they want. We hope. I can't believe they didn't even give you a reason. Well, let's hope that it is a simple thing they are double checking and you will have a positive answer back in a few days.

Thanks guys. I knew I could count on you for the answers.

Xue Shan picked up the Notarized Papers today and mailed them off. We hope it will go quickly. RobertH says the letter to come drop off the passport could come in as little as 2 weeks. We are hoping for that outcome. There were 9 booklets; 3 topics (marriageability, no criminal history, and birth certificate) each topic was produced in triplicate = total of 9 booklets. Xue Shan informed me she sent all of them to the consulate (without making copies for herself or keeping one of the copies for herself). Uh-oh. Was that correct? Will we be getting one of those copies back later? Will we be asked for a copy when we file the I-485?

Congratulations Moonandstar99! Good work. Now comes the fun part.

Thanks for the encouragement guys. Part of the problem was that we already had this step completed before I ever discovered Candleforlove. Meaning, I didn't check here about this issue first. I thought it was pretty clear, didn't realize they meant it had to be done at the Gong Zheng Chu - ¹«Ö¤Êé only.

Yesterday Xue Shan had her interview. The process has been told accurately by many others. She arrives early, waits in line, get shuffled around as she waits for her turn. Then, everyone enters the consulate, turns in their documents, gets their fingerprints taken, and waits hours for the 2 minute interview. Her interview went smoothly with the 3 predictable questions: How long have you known your fiance, how did you meet, how often has he been to China to visit you. Let's see some pictures -interview finished. My fiancee told me the woman interviewer was nice to her and seemed to have already made up her mind to approve her for the visa even before the interview. This should have been a slam dunk. BUT..... But, we made a costly mistake. That is, we made a mistake that got us a blue slip and lost us probably a month before she will be able to get the fiancee visa and join me here in Seattle. So, the mistake was that her Chinese documents were not translated into English in the correct format. Did everyone know this but me? The instructions on Package 3 say "All documents not in English must be accompanied by certified English translations. A competent translator must certify the translation and swear to the accuracy of the document before a notary public." We did that of course, but apparently what we didn't realize that it must be done at a specific location and the format must come out in a booklet fashion. We had the translated documents (birth certificate, no criminal history record, and marriageability statement) with official papers from the translating agency and certifications, ect. But, our documents were not accepted. The man at the document counter told her exactly where to get it done so now she understands and has returned to her hometown to get it done at the correct office. I miss her very much and I wish I had known where to tell her to go to get the translation so we could have avoided this problem. How did others know where to go? I have read enough posts on the topic of blue slips to know that even if she get the information to them within a few days, it may still take weeks or months before she gets the call-back letter and gets the visa in her passport. Anyone care to guess how long the wait will be before she gets the call-back letter?

Moonandstar, This final draft is much, much better than your first one. Congratulations. You took most of the pleading and the wishy-washy sentences out and it sound much better. I have just two suggestions: first, take out the "However, by and large" because that still sounds undecided. Just start that sentence with "It was soley because of her". Second, your ending still sounds like you are asking for the impossible. I don't think you want to give the impression that this relationship is a struggle or a challenge against the evil powers of China's marraige laws. Now we on CFL all know that your statement about "this being your only chance for 3 years" refers to China's laws because you told us already, but it is assuming alot to think everyone knows that. When I first read your EOR last week, I was confused by that statement and that may be many people's first reaction. Look, it draws more attention to your age and there is no reason to do that. Just get rid of the last paragraph. Replace it with a statement saying that you will marry your fiancee as soon as you both are in the United States because you know without a shadow of a doubt that you two are perfect together. That's my 2 cents. Hey, if you see my fiancee Xue Shan there at the consulate on May 5th, you should say hi. She will be the quiet woman with a determined look on her face. Good luck guys! -mGolden

I wish I had seen that guy's face. How funny!

My Xue Shan has her interview on the Fifth of May. The time flew by much faster than we were expecting. Unfortunately she has to go to the interview by herself as I am stuck working here in the States. But, I have reviewed the interview questions with her and I think she is ready.

Fantastic! The link worked perfectly. Thank you.

Hello Everyone. I introduced myself a week ago, this is Golden Larson. Before, I was considering moving to China to work after getting Xue Shan's Green Card and wondering how long we could be out of the country. Your answers helped me see that wasn't a good idea. So, we changed course and decided to work in the US and stay there. Thanks for the tips everyone. The USCIS Approved our petition on March 2nd and now it is being sent to the National Visa Center. I do have a question: Form DS-156 requires the Chinese National to put the Telegraph Code for their name on lines 6 and 7 of Form DS-156. I know many of you have been through this, can you tell me where to find the Telegraph Code? We went to the largest Post Office in Sanya and they had no clue what we were talking about.