AaronTMartin

Thanks, Lee, and I wish you guys lots of luck!

¹§Ï²¹§Ï²£¡Congratulations to you both! All the best in the future, be it in the US or China!

Thanks for your kind words, Tom and Xiaofeizhu! I am really excited about going home, and my wife is looking forward to this new chapter in our lives, as well. As for our son Ian, he can't wait to see his grandparents, aunts, uncles and second cousins again. Everyone's support and kindness is very moving---thanks again, folks!

Unbelievable! We've got it! We were quite intrigued when Xuemei received a call on her mobile phone this afternoon saying that she had an EMS envelope to be delivered. We were obviously both thinking it could've been the Consulate, but so fast?! No way. We just sent in our requested documents (and then some) last Wednesday, or 9 business days ago. We then talked about the possibility of it being from someone else, but my wife couldn't think of anyone that would be sending her an EMS delivery. When the deliveryman came to our door, both our hearts were thumping wildly, and I, for one, had cotton-mouth. Xuemei could not open the envelope herself, she was so nervous. But that one sheet of white paper had the news that we've been hoping for for the past 3 months (even less, actually!). As for me, I've been dreaming about this day for the past six years. We both recognized the handwriting as belonging to the VO that interviewed Xuemei 17 days ago. She meant what she said when she told my wife, "Don't worry, you're getting the visa" just after she gave Xuemei the blue slip. I guess that the "one to three months" line that they give blue slip recipients is subject to variations. Man, were we pleasantly surprised (shocked, is more like it)! So for all of you blue-slippers: take heart, because that reply after you turn in the needed information could come very, very quickly. To make a long story short, we'll be going into the Guangzhou Consulate (for the last time?) on Monday at 1.30 to present her passport and to go through any other necessary formalities. Though it's been a great ride these past six years in Ningbo and Guangzhou (and seven counting my initial year in Yichang back in late 2002), I'm ready to say goodbye to the red flag with the five yellow stars and to say hello again to those good ole Stars and Stripes! I'd like to whole-heartedly thank all the members of the CFL community who have so selflessly devoted themselves to helping others on their respective journeys. An extra shout goes out to Randy, Kyle and Dan, who have given momentous support through amazingly prompt replies and lots of encouragement. And thanks to Robert H for introducing me to CFL back in February during a consulate information session. I hope that I too can help folks with any questions on a DCF for an IR-1. This is truly a wonderful site and community, and I wish everyone all the best! Ê®·Ö¸Ðл£¡ÍòÊÂÈçÒ⣡ Aaron, Xuemei and Ian

Thanks for your reply, Rob. We sent off the required documents, and then some, earlier today. I'm hoping for some good news in a month or so. Thanks to all for the help, advice and encouragement! I'll post again once we have news.

Thanks for that, Randy. We're feeling much better today. We know exactly what needs to be done and we're sending it all off on Monday. That's right! A blue slip often simply represents a delay - they just need that one extra piece of paper before they give you the visa. It does NOT represent a "No!" - at least not in most cases.

Thanks for the encouragement and for addressing several of the issues in my post, Kyle. Much appreciated! I neglected to mention the fact that near the end of the experience, the VO did say to my wife, "Don't worry, we're going to give you the visa. Just provide the rest of the documents and you're set."

Hi Friends, Well, we're blue, unfortunately. We were so close I can still smell the scent of pink slips that were being issued, and I was across the street at Jusco. I was hoping Xuemei would be playing a joke on me, but as soon as I answered the phone (I was off-site taking care of our 3-year old son Ian, who wouldn't have enjoyed the 4th floor coffee shop) and heard the tone of her voice, I knew that wasn't the case. All we're lacking is my '07 and '08 tax returns. Why, why, why does the Affidavit of Support form say that previous years' taxes before last year's are OPTIONAL, yet the Consular officials are REQUIRING 3 years' worth?! I turned in my 1040 and 2555-EZ for 2009 thinking that that would suffice; my parents, who were/are acting as co-sponsors, also only provided one years' worth of materials. Can someone point me to a website/document that EXPLICITLY says that THREE years' worth of tax returns are mandatory for the CR-1 interview? The only bright side is that poor Xuemei, who is quite distraught and feels like a "loser," (this is her third experience with being denied a US visa: once in Beijing for a B1/B2 before we were married, once in Shanghai, also for a B1/B2 but after we we were married, and now this) does not need to have a second interview. We mail in the missing information and then get the visa "IN" three months (or "WITHIN" months, I'm not sure which, because Xuemei wasn't clear; I don't want to press her, which would only be upsetting at this point. Big difference in meaning between those two little words, believe me, I know). Can anyone tell us what to expect? If I turn all missing documents by say, next week, can anyone make a guess as to when we'd have some good news? As to the interview itself: Xuemei said that it was very short and only several questions (nothing out of the ordinary) were asked. Though Xuemei speaks English very well, the VO (a young-ish Caucasian women) spoke in Mandarin more than half the time. She seemed surprised to learn that I am still here in China despite the fact that we were married back in October '04. Xuemei told me that though she saw a lot of pink slips being issued, she also saw/overheard people turning in tax documentation for tax years 2006, 2007 and 2008 (but not 2009) also coming away with blue. One thing that concerns me is that they KEPT all the notarized docs as well as the medical records. Why would they do that? What if they lose the stuff?! We have extra sets (though not of the medical exam, of course), but it's just the principle of the matter. I remember the first CO I dealt with back in late April when I tried to file my/our initial petition. I was only missing Xuemei's notarized/translated birth certificate, but the woman was very candid (which I really appreciated) and told me that I might as well take everything with me until all was ready, because GUZ MIGHT LOSE OUR FOLDER. Hmmm. So what's up next for me/us? Aside from providing my own 1040's and 2555-EZ's for '07 and '08, I'll be getting returns and related docs for those same years from my parents, as well. I'll also print out even more statements from my Bank of America accounts back home, I'll get a nice notarized letter from the bank saying that I'm an account holder in good standing, and will wire a bunch of money home, to boot. My current work visa expires next month, so it looks like I'll be going down to HK for a month-long tourist visa at least once (and probably more). Is is still common practice that American citizens can only get 30-day "L" visas, or do I have any 3-month or 6-month options? Sorry for the long post, thanks for bearing with me, and thanks for sending any advice. I wish everyone else out there good luck! Regards, Aaron

Congratulations to you both! Xuemei's interview time is eight hours from now. I hope we have a similar result. All the best to you and your wife!

Thanks very much for the help, Randy. I opted to skip the 1116 altogether, and with some assistance from my father, I was able to finish everything else. Now I can focus on making sure Xuemei's notebooks are in order and can help her better prepare for the big day. Cheers once more; looking forward to pink! Best regards, Aaron

Thanks again, Randy. On another note, what do you think I should do in terms of the dates on these forms? I'm already way past the June 15th deadline, and I did not file the needed extension form. Should I be 100% transparent and simply write today's date? Best regards, Aaron I'm just suggesting a shortcut there that may work in case you don't feel like you can get the returns together in time It would be up to you to explain why you didn't file - hopefully, something like the fact that you didn't owe any taxes. Of course, it IS much better to cover your bases. The Form 1116 doesn't seem very complicated - just take the information you have (income, taxes paid, you probably won't have any deductions) and figure out where to put them on the form. The form covers a number of situations that won't apply in your case - don't spend any time on them.

Thanks for your reply, Randy! Your advice puts me at ease (a little). Since I know exactly how much I made in 2007 and 2008, putting those figures into the I-864 won't be a problem. I still feel I need to finish 2009's 1040, 2555-EZ (which is more do-able) and 1116 (which looks immensely complex) since I will include photocopies in Xuemei's folders. Or can I safely omit at least the 1116, do you think? Regarding writing a note or letter as to why I didn't file, I don't think the IRS (or the US Consulate, for that matter) is going to accept "uh, I was under the impression that I didn't need to file" or "a relative told me that I needn't file" as valid reasons. Thanks again for your input! Aaron

Dear Friends, My wife Xuemei has her interview on Wednesday at 7.15. Her documents and materials are pretty much ready. From my end, I still have a long way to go, and time is running short. In a nutshell, I haven't filed taxes in quite some time. Based on shenzhen's excellent post (found here), I'm assuming that I need to fill out a 1040, a 2555-EZ and a 1116 for this past tax year, plus 1040s for the previous two years (based on Dan and Randy's advice found here I won't be actually filing them until later; I'll simply complete them, photocopy them, and then put these into Xuemei's folder). Since my mother (Xuemei's co-sponsor) only included last year's tax information for her I-864, I am going to do likewise. I just need to finish 2007's and 2008's so that I can complete item 25 on my own I-864. I have pay stubs for the past two years from my most recent employer (an international school here in Guangzhou), and I can most likely get them from my previous employer, though it might be a bit tricky. A big question that I have is: do expats get W-2's? Can the 1040 be completed without one? There's no way that I'd be able to get one at this point, but I just need to finish the job, and I don't know how to do that without a W-2. I'm feeling completely overwhelmed, stressed and exhausted and barely know where to begin---I feel like the proverbial headless chicken. The instructions and worksheets (especially for the 1116) may as well be in Greek. For example, on the 1040, I don't even know what my filing status would be! I'll not beat around the bush and say that this mess is no one's fault but my own. Having said that, I feel really nervous about completing this. Thus, my questions are: Does anyone know of a helpful, plain-English website for tax help? Sites that offer assistance via Skype might also work. The IRS site is confusing to me and I feel like I'm going around in circles. Alternatively, does anyone know of a service that can help me out given my time frame? I'm obviously willing to pay for this. Finally (a probably a long shot), does anyone know of a place in Guangzhou that might have an office that offers tax services for US citizens? There's nothing like face-to-face help for this sort of thing, in my opinion. Any help would be greatly appreciated, folks! I really feel like I'm in a bind here. All the best, Aaron

Thanks, Dan! You read my mind with regards to 21c. I was wondering why my math was not working out. Thanks to you I've now caught two omissions on my mother's form. I'm very grateful for your help. Yes "Yes" needs to be checked on the form by both Primary and Joint sponsors. The "NO" is used in cases where there may be two immigrants as in a parent and accompanying child, and using two joint sponsors, one for parent, and another for child. Note, on your I-864, DO NOT check 21c you dont count your wife as "spouse" on the form, she is the immigrant being sponsored. Your mother if married would check 21c on her form to count your father.

OK, thanks a lot for your prompt reply, Dan, much appreciated! Seeing as a new form via express mail is out of the question due to time constraints, I'll go with the white-out. Regarding the form, I find Part 2 number 8 rather vague. My mother checked the box saying that "I am sponsoring the principal immigrant named in Part 2 above," but then did not check the "Yes" box right below it. I'm certain that she was correct in not checking "No," as it's only my wife Xuemei that is immigrating. Should my mother have checked the box that says "Yes" (and should I also do the same for my own I-864)? Again, I find the step-by-step instructions to be a bit unclear for this one. Many thanks! The only other option is to have your mother do another I-864 checking the correct box and mailing it to you, perhaps priority mail, which takes 10 days or so. My wife did goof up some on her P-4 forms used white-out and had no issues, no initialing or dating the white out.