frank1538

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding. I agree with Mike that her permanent address should suffice, and I also agree that you should not leave anything blank. On the adjustment of status address question, are you referring to Question #22 of the I-130? If so, you should mark NA for the city and state since she will enter the US as a legal permanent resident and won't need to adjust status. However, be sure to show Guangzhou, China as the American consular post where she will be applying for the visa. I'm not sure about fingerprints requirements for the US consulate, but you may be required to get fingerprints done in order to get an Australian police clearance certificate. Take a look at http://www.afp.gov.au/business/criminal_history_checks . Also, we have one member who resided in Australia (audelair) who might be able to shed some light on what the Australian police clearance certificate process is all about. Good luck.

Congratulations!!

Welcome to the club. Jingwen speaks a local dialect of guangdonghua,as does her mom, but she can speak some putonghua, which is the dialect I butcher, I mean speak. In all honesty, it's easier for her to speak putonghua, although the words she has taught me have a distinctly Southern drawl to them. Never fear, soon you'll both be speaking Chinglish, and nobody will be able to understand either of you.

Yep, it's a bummer. Your daughter needs the EAD before she can even apply for a SS card. EADs are supposed to be issued within 90 days, and if not received within the 90 days, you're supposed to be able to go the the local USCIS office and get an interim EAD. From http://uscis.gov/graphics/howdoi/ead.htm#faq "...If USCIS does not approve or deny your Employment Authorization Document application within 90 days (within 30 days for an asylum applicant; note: asylum applicants are eligible to file for EADs only after waiting 150 days from the date they filed their properly completed original asylum applications), you may request an interim Employment Authorization Document. You must go to your local USCIS office and bring with you proof of your identity and any documents that USCIS has sent you about your employment authorization application." This is what I had to do for the kids. With the interim EAD in hand, we then drove over to SS and applied for the cards. Unfortunately, I'm too old to remember how long it actually took before the cards arrived. I know it's tempting, but keep it legal.

I take it we're talking about two separate fiancees and two separate I-129Fs, right? The fact that the previous relationship failed should not, in and of itself, cause a problem with the current petition. Me thinks there's more to the story.

Here you go: http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=9030

I know how it feels, walking on a cloud. Best wishes to you and your family. I noticed you're leaving tomorrow morning. I'm headed to Guangzhou on the China Southern 11:20 pm flight out of LAX. Anybody on that flight by chance?

If you want to keep it short and simple, I would edit your well written letter as follows: During this past year, the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou, China has experienced an 80% growth in visa applications that it must process versus the prior year but with NO INCREASE IN STAFF. This trend is likely to continue with ever increasing delays at one of the slowest U.S. consulates in the world.. What specific steps will [the Department of State or Congress] take to ensure that those who seek a visa to the United States will have their applications processed in a timely manner? Put 'em on the spot I say.

Jingwen had a real preference for a new house, but often location is more important and the location may have already been developed. We ended up buying a 15 year old house, although Jingwen thought it was much newer. The old vs. new appears to be a cultural bias, but even an older home can be like new with just a little effort. jemmyell's advice about inspecting is very good. Also, there are home warranties out there that might cover repairs to existing mechanicals, etc. Just ask the owner or the real estate agent to provide it.

You can pay the IV visa fee and continue the I-130 process if you want your wife to return to China for another interview on her immigrant visa (I-130) or you can blow if off and file for AOS and pay the $325 I-485 fee and have the interview here in the US.

You will have to file both the I-130 and the I-485. Most folks file the two together, but you may file the I-130 before, but not after, the I-485.

I may be wrong Merc, but I think the K-3 visa fee is only $100 which should be paid locally before the interview at one of the designated banks. http://guangzhou.usconsulate.gov/k3visa.html With the change in exchange rates, others have reported that the fee is now RMB 810 rather than RMB 830 as shown on the consulate's website. The $380 that your wife sees probably relates to the IV visa fee rather than the K-3 visa fee.

Knock 'em dead.

Just one follow up note. As CR/IR-1, she should receive her green card without any additional paperwork, and she won't need a work permit (EAD).

Based on your timeline, your wife is CR/IR-1, so she will become a legal permanent resident when she first enters the US. The IO should stamp her passport with an I-551 stamp which acts as a temporary green card until she receives the actual card a few weeks later. With either the stamp or the actual green card, she can return to the US without additional paperwork unless her length of stay outside the US is for longer than a year.

Most people believe that if income is sufficient, bank statements are not needed. the employer letter doesn't need to be notarized, but it should be an original, signed letter on employer letterhead. As Feathers268 says, it should be a simple letter.

When Jingwen first arrived, she did not know the difference between federal and local law enforcement. To her, the police were the all mighty US government, and her perception of the police was probably tainted by her experiences in China. As a result, she is very passive, docile and deferential when we've had to deal with police matters. Criminal laws have never been a problem, but civil matters are another story. Littering and seat belts were two areas where Jingwen's ignorance of the law could have caused a fine, but explaining to her that it would cost her $300 - $1,000 was enough to end her Chinese ways. At first, Jingwen was of the view that money could take care of anything. For example, when our step son failed his learners permit test for the first time, Jingwen simply said pay the official some money and get the permit. I had to explain to her that that's not the way it's done in the US. She understands now. Commercial dealings have never been a problem, and she takes great comfort in the fact that just about any purchase can be returned if she is not satisfied - something almost unheard of in China. As a result, she is less likely to even consider other ways of dealing with vendors. I just wish she'd toss those two year old receipts. Jingwen's view of taxes and reporting income have also not been a problem. She understands about sales taxes now and is under the impression that all income is reported to the government. I don't see a need to tell her about the underground economy.

Don't worry about it Rick. It you're just starting the process, you'll have anywhere from 6 months to a year or longer before you have to provide the I-134. You'll eventually provide it to your SO when she goes to the interview, assuming it's a K-3 visa that she'll get off the I-129F. The rules are slightly different if the CR-1 (I-130) petition gets to Guangzhou first.

You can also take a look at http://www.laogonglaopo.com/001files/form/...IV-24_Guide.pdf which recommends N/A and "Born in the U.S.A."

David did a quick comparison of the visa fees here - http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?...ndpost&p=205784 I don't have a real sense about the CR-1 timing, but it seems to me that the real drop dead date in terms of paying money is the actual IV (CR-1) visa fee ($70 is real but not quite as real as a $380 visa fee). If you pay the IV fee when it comes up, you do run the risk that you will have wasted the money if your wife comes on a K-3 and adjusts status here in the US. Of, course, she could avoid adjusting status and paying the AOS fee by going back to China to finalize the CR-1, but you'll incur travel expenses. Others who might have been in the same boat as you from a timing perspective could probably better advise you whether paying even the $70 now would be a waste.

The P3 is a major milestone that's been a long time coming. Hope the rest goes quickly for you. Best of luck.

No interview in conjunction with the biometrics - just proof of appointment and identity. Another step forward.

You make some very good points. Like you, I think this is a nobel effort, but I can't help but think that international politics also plays a role in this. My gut tells me that visa processing in countries where the US and the host country are strong allies tends to get more funding. Consequently, I fear that we are pawns on an international chess board where the players are the US and China and until relations between the two countries gets s whole lot better, the visa process won't improve that much. If the UK were to say that the US needs to improve visa processing for its subjects, I dare say the US would respond. If China were to say visa processing for its citizens needs to improve, the US might respond only if there's a quid pro quo.

My dad's middle name was S as in Harry S Truman. I didn't have a middle name at birth but picked one up as a result of a Catholic confirmation as a boy.

And you thought the waiting would cut way back after GUZ. Milwaukee is now behind Atlanta in processing I-485s. Maybe the files will get transferred to CSC. At least it's a step in the right direction.