frank1538

First question? Flint river as in Georgia's Flint River? Welcome aboard. You've definitely come to the right place even if most of us here are not in our right minds. Money - You'll need lots of it if you factor in the cost of the trips that you'll want to make to China during what can be a long process. Add the petition fees, the visa fees, the gifts, the phone costs, possible contributions to her family and her, maybe an engagement ring, and all the incidentals, and you're talking thousands of dollars. One thing to remember about the I-129F. The G-325A attachment will require some information that your fiancee will have to provide as well as her signature. So, if you haven't already gotten her to sign the forms, best to do so now. This will also give you a chance to find out how fast or slow the mail/express services are between the US and China. You're probably looking at anywhere from 6 months to a year for the entire process. There's a wealth of information here at CFL, including a bunch of FAQs on the process. Take a look and then ask away. There're tons of folks here who will be more than happy to help you navigate through the rat maze. Now, for my first piece of real advice... buy a large supply of Cheetos. Good luck.

I can only offer this. Since I have been told that I have no brain and therefore, presumably no mind, my heart or other body part further down must be doing all of the thinking for me.

I am generally not a big supporter of using extreme measures such as a mandamus action, but yours may be a situation where you and your lawyer might wish to consider it. Your lawyer can explain what a writ of mandamus is, but this legal action is sometimes used to compel an individual, agency, or official to do something that he/she/it has failed to do. Based on the limited information that you supplied, it appears that you have followed the administrative rules in filing a FOIA request and asking that the error be corrected. Presumably, you have documentation supporting this. If so, filing a mandamus action may finally get USCIS's attention. I have heard that in instances where there is no issue about the error, USCIS is quick to fix it rather than having to answer the mandamus complaint. Here is one link that you might look at that talks about mandamus actions: http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?...c=15014&hl=

Looks like you beat the odds. Good luck with round 2.

I agree with the others, but wanted to share a story as well. A number of years ago, I was closing on a house and my then wife had to leave while we were finishing up. About 20 minutes later the closing attorney discovered that my ex had forgotten to sign one of the documents. He said something like "Im sure your wife is still out in the parking lot. Here, take this document out of the office and get her signature." Well, I left the office with the document and pen in hand and returned in about 5 minutes with a signed document. Frank, you didn't. Did you? I wish I hadn't. The ex now has the house, and I've got the payments. Reminds me of another story related by Lewis Gizzard, a Southern storyteller who had been married 4 or 5 times. When asked if he planned on marrying again, he said something like "No. Instead, every 5 years, I'll just find a woman I hate and buy her a house."

I agree with the others, but wanted to share a story as well. A number of years ago, I was closing on a house and my then wife had to leave while we were finishing up. About 20 minutes later the closing attorney discovered that my ex had forgotten to sign one of the documents. He said something like "Im sure your wife is still out in the parking lot. Here, take this document out of the office and get her signature." Well, I left the office with the document and pen in hand and returned in about 5 minutes with a signed document.

While sending the I-134 directly to the consulate may be allowable, the preferred method is to have your SO bring it to the interview as per http://guangzhou.usconsulate.gov/kvfaq.html There may be certain instances when the US petitioner might not want the visa applicant to know the financial information contained in the I-134, but with a family based visa, it might actually be harmful if the VO asked an I-134 question of you SO, and she didn't know the answer. Of course, you could provide her with a copy of the I-134, but if you're going to do that, you might as well let her take the stuff to the interview. Besides, I'm not sure I would ever trust the mails, a fax, or the personnel at the consulate who would be responsible for associated the I-134 with the files. Like Ty, I recommend having your SO bring the I-134 and supporting documention rather than sending it directly.

Good news on the fast NOA2. Hope it goes as smoothly for the rest of the process.

Although it's a little dated, take a look at http://www.murthy.com/news/ukpbadpl.html Technically, when you enter the US on AP you are not "admitted". Rather, you are paroled/granted entry to finish AOS processing. Consequently, I don't think there's a visa category shown on the I-94, although the notation may reference the prior K-1. The period of parole for a pending AOS is supposed to be indefinite; otherwise, it's usually one year.

It's been a long time coming Lars. Congratulations and best wishes to you both.

Congratulations and best wishes.

The DS-230 Part II is not needed for the K-1.

Jingwen is on our joint accounts, so she has both a credit card and a debit card. In China, there was only one medium of exchange for her - cold hard cash. She rarely uses either, but she does know the difference. My step son has quickly learned that good credit is an absolute must here in the US, and we went the secured card route to help him establish his credit. After a year of good history, the card went unsecured. Now, that kid gets more credit card solicitations that I could ever have imagined.

same name - enight

It seems to me that, at $25K, you're well above the poverty level and probably wouldn't need a co-sponsor. I'd like to make a couple of points. First, there has always been some uncertainty whether the threshold for a K visa/I-134 is 100% or 125% of the poverty level. Most people seem to feel more comfortable exceeding the 125% threshhold, but http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/info/info_1328.html suggests that the threshold is really 100%: "...Consular officers will review immigrant visa applicants whose visa categories do not require the I-864 under the public charge guidelines in Section 212(a)(4) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The sponsor will need to show income at 100 percent of the federal poverty guidelines for household size, not the 125 percent required under Section 213A of the INA." For 2006, 100% of the poverty level (for two) is $13,200 for the "lower 48 states" - http://www.uscis.gov/graphics/formsfee/for...iles/I-864p.pdf Second, when calculating income, DOS will be looking at essentially gross income, not taxable income, so at $25K you should be okay. The fact that tax laws give exemptions and exclusions for foreign income should not matter.

Just to put a little timeframe around the I-131 processing, it took Jingwen about 3 months to get hers. Your mileage may vary.

------------ I thought all my stuff was done, I have shown proof of a relationship etc.. I am now confused Think of it this way. The I-129F that you filed with USCIS was a petition, essentially asking whether your SO is eligible to apply for a visa (free to marry, have met in person, etc.). The USCIS approval (NOA2) is saying that you and she have met the basic requirements. The files will now be transferred to the Department of State (DOS) which actually issues the visa. The files will go first to the National Visa Center (NVC) which is part of DOS for namechecks, then they'll get sent to the consulate at GUZ (also part of DOS). GUZ will eventually send out a packet of information and applications (P3). This is when the actual visa application process begins. As others have said, because visa processing in China is very slow, most people will pace themselves on when to gather the requisite documents since some of them have to be less than a year old (medical exams, police reports, etc.) at the time of the interview. You can take a look at the consulate's FAQ's ( http://guangzhou.usconsulate.gov/kvfaq.html ) for some additional information, and David's FAQ's ( http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?...mp;#entry233487 ) will also provide you with a wealth of information on the process. And like most of us here, if you don't understand something, post your questions. Good luck.

I stand corrected. I was unaware that the consulate separated the USC from the applicant and interviewed each separately in hopes of catching one of them in a lie as is the protocol when investigating. Also, I was unaware that the consulate had switched from interviewing to interrogating. Thanks for passing on this new information. I again return to my innocent layman's reading material: "Follow My Opinions" by I.M. Wright.

I think technically, the amount of money either RMB or USD that can be taken out of China is limited but, like Lee, I'm not sure of the amount. This website - http://www.guardianfx.com/information/asia/china.html - suggests that up to 6,000 yuan can be taken out while foreign currency is limited to the amount declared on entry presumably by the individual who brought the money into China. On the US side, the only thing I'm aware of is that amounts in excess of $10,000 have to be declared. Most people seek alternatives to the Chinese currency restrictions.

That seems a bit counterintuitive to me unless you are saying it's better to deny an otherwise valid visa applicant than to let a fraudulent applicant slip through. Anecdotal evidence suggests the likelihood of denying a visa to a valid applicant may actually go up in the absence of joint interviews, but I haven't seen anything that suggests the number of caught fraudulent applicants also goes up in the absence of joint interviews. If the principal criterion for a family based visa is the establishment of a bona fide relationship, having both parties present would seem to be the way to go. I take USCONGUZ at his word when he says resources and volume militate against joint interviews. I will now return to reading my latest book, "Conspiracy Theories" by I.C. Paranoia.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your petition isn't standing. In all likelihood, it's sitting... in a pile waiting for processing by USCIS. Timelines vary significantly by Service Center, and the added IMBRA processing has probably slowed things a bit. I have heard but do not know for a fact that many I-129Fs are re-routed to California for IMBRA processing and some Service Centers are no longer showing processing dates for the petition. Again, I don't know if this is fact or fiction. The Service Center will check your petition and accompanying information/documents for accuracy and sufficiency. You will likely get an RFE (Request for Evidence) on the added IMBRA information (assuming you used the pre-IMBRA petition). If and when that request comes in, be ready to turn it around as quickly as possible. Then, if everything is in order, USCIS will approve the petition which will then be forwarded to the National Visa Center (NVC) which is part of the Department of State. At this stage in the process, there is not much you can do on the petition itself other than wait for the IMBRA RFE. If you are a long term planner, you could begin to review the next round (the actual visa application process) and the documents that your SO will have to complete and begin having her gather some of the documents that don't have an expiration date like her notarial birth certificate. You can take a look at http://guangzhou.usconsulate.gov/kvfaq.html for an idea of what documents will be needed, etc. Also, it might be a good idea to further develop and document you relationship with your SO, talk, communicate, visit, etc. Welcome to CFL and best of luck. Oh, and one other thing, stock up on some Cheetos.

I'll 10th that. Jingwen and the kids had passports with visas and one way tickets. All took the Chinese ID's with them but I don't recall their ever needing them to exit the country. We also flew out of Hong Kong. The tickets showing a departure from Hong Kong within 7 days was enough to allow them into the city.

It's good news to hear. I remember getting out of TSC in just six months. Jingwen was estatic until she realized that it would be another six months before the visa was actually issued. Good luck on the rest of the journey.

Officially part of the group... Hmmm. Now which group would that be? The how to wait forever group? The how to get a heart attack group? The "I'm really po'ed at the government group"? The can't wait to get back to China group? The mop slapped learner's group? The heaven help me group? The pontificating group? The Cheetos group? The goat group? The sheep group? Good luck.

It's happened in Hong Kong and other consulates, but I've never heard about it at Guangzhou.