frank1538

Certainly a major milestone. Congratulations and good luck during the rest of the process.

Looks like Spring is shaping up to be a wonderful season for you two. Congratulations and best wishes.

I take it from your question that you mean married to the same person for more than 5 years. I've been married all my adult life, just not to the same woman. Jingwen and I have been together for longer than our "official" two years.

Yeah, it wouldn't help unless 1) you are convinced that the drop will continue and 2) you are willing to convert dollars to yuan now. It ain't called currency "speculation" for nothing.

A little information for your reading pleasure: http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=8294

http://www.x-rates.com/d/CNY/USD/graph120.png The Chinese want to go very slow; the US wants a more rapid re-valuation. It's China's currency, so I suspect a continued but slow move. Many experts seem to think that a 15%-20% drop is the appropriate target re-valuation.

You are correct that one year is the validity period, but many people go ahead and get an updated police certificate if the current one is more than six months old. The consulate is a stickler on the one year rule. I seem to recall a "blue slip" for a police clearance certificate that was one year and one day old.

Hearty congratualtions to you and Amy. Hope the security checks go quickly.

Jingwen does not talk about death and dying - usually any comment I make about insurance, illness, etc. results in her doing a quick "spit" to the floor. It is not a discussable subject for her, stemming from her superstition that talking about death is bad luck. She will talk about others who have already died but really avoids talking about death and dying if someone is still alive.

Welcome to CFL, your one-stop shop for all your Chinese visa needs. The collective wisdom on this board will rival any lawyer, provided you know how to sift through the information. Whether to hire a lawyer turns on on comfortable you are with doing the process yourself (most people can do it) and how comfortable you are with the lawyer. The consulate, more so than USCIS, tends to change its procedures, and the current posts here at CFL often give a heads up in advance. Besides. if you hire a lawyer, you'll have to provide all the factual information and documents anyway, so you're really paying for a second set of eyes unless something out of the ordinary pops up. I agree with jemmyell that using a Chinese service to help with the process is fraught with danger unless you or your SO personally knows the reputation of the individual. Good luck with the process and glad to have you aboard for the next year or so.

Paul, somehow I missed your post. Congratulations to you and Jenny.

Maybe someone will correct me if I am wrong, but I think that the peritioner (the US citizen) must be legally able to marry at the time the petition is filed. Your facts are a little sketchy on this point, but if I am reading your post correctly, it sounds like your fiance may have filed the I-129F before he could legally marry again under Massachusetts law. While the marriage laws vary from state to state, my gut suggests to me that the laws of the petitioner's state of residence will likely govern whether he or she is legally able to marry. Given this new information and if my understanding is right, you might want to consider withdrawing the petition and re-filing now that your fiance can legally marry. In my view, it is better to do this than to have a outright denial of the I-129F in the files.

VSC processing times are typically faster than your timeline, but you were given and RFE (Request for Evidence). Depending on what information was requested, it could take you a bit longer. You are fortunate in that the application went to VSC. Other service centers can take up to 6 months just to approve the petition. I would not recommend submitting a second I-129F. Rather, I would wait on the decision that will be made on your original I-129F.

Congratulations and best wishes.

I would suggest that you get the translations done. You are correct that the OF-169, box 10, states that official language documents are okay, but remember that the OF-169 is a multipurpose form used for several types of visa applications. Be very careful to make sure that this "general rule" hasn't been overridden by a specific instruction somewhere else in the packet of forms. I can't remember specifically, but I recall that during the assembly of the documents by the medical staff after the exam, the clerk ripped apart most of Jingwen's notarial documents, separating the English and the Chinese versions. What I can't remember is whether the clerk inserted just the English version, just the Chinese version, or both. When in doubt, I'd recommend getting the documents translated. Also, keep in mind that, while the OF-169 may say that official language documents are okay, you are dealing with the Department of State. Upon entry into the US, you will be dealing with USCIS with any subsequent filings, and USCIS is very specific about foreign language documents - they MUST be accompanied by a certified translation. It would be a real shame to get by in China with Chinese only documents and come to the US only to find out that you don't have translated copies. It is for this reason that most people go ahead and get several copies of the official documents and also get certified translations.

You'll probably get a lot of posts on the cost of one way versus round trip tickets, but round trip tickets are not necessary. Jingwen and the kids came on one way tickets without a problem (K-1/K-2).

If I remember correctly, the K-3 status terminates thirty days after the denial of the actual visa application with the consulate (your question), or a denial of the AOS (I-485) application. In some instances, an appeal from the denial may forestall the termination.

Unfortunately, I can't remember if I saw strollers in the building when we were there about 9 months ago. The building is old, and the security entrance is tight as you go through the metal detectors, but I can't for the life of me remember whether there were strollers inside. If I remember correctly, there is an old multi-story garage across the street from the main entrance. There are a lot of steps from the street level to the entrance, but I would think that as a government building, there is also ramp access. I think Mick and his wife and daughter went to Atlanta for the AOS interview. Maybe he'll chime in. Good luck tomorrow.

Congratulations. It's nice to hear how things operate in the other consulates. Have a safe trip to America.

A blue slip is not the end of the world, but you have to pay attention to what the consulate wants and provide it. You really don't have much choice. Here's a link that will help explain the "overcome" procedures: http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?...ndpost&p=172436 I haven't been following the overcome process much, so I don't know if there is more recent information out there. While I think you have a fair amount of time to provide the information, my gut tells me that sooner is better than later. Good luck.

I just wonder what her status is if she did not file for AOS. I hope you're not suggesting that a K-1 who gets married within 90 days of entry doesn't need to do anything else to remain here legally as a permanent resident.

Think of it this way. Unless the consulate now has a surveillance group dedicated to ferreting out fraud among the thousands of visa applications, what it "knows" can only have come from some third party source. Almost without exception, third party correspondence discussed on CFL turn out to be spiteful, vindictive, jealous, and FALSE. Be patient and don't jump to any conclusions without some real facts.

VisaJourney maintains an AOS timeline - don't know how current it is: http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/aoslis...1=1&op2=d&op4=1

Just to follow up on Don's post, if she fails to file for AOS, she will begin to accrue unlawful presence which could prevent her from re-entering the US for a period of time (usually 3 or 10 years) if she ever leaves the country. Your involvement is required in the AOS process unless she attempts to allege some exception. Further, as a K-1 holder, she cannot change her visa status to another nonimmigrant status. And the fact that you are still married means that she cannot currently seek another marriage to another USC. These are her problems, not yours. Do what you think is right and let her immigration issues fall where they may.

I have always viewed the I-797 as the Notice of Receipt (NOA 1) and the I-797C as the Notice of Action (NOA 2). Both forms are virtually identical in appearance. As others have said, don't worry about the 4 month validity. Obviously, the rulemakers didn't have the foggiest idea about the length of time it takes GUZ to process the actual visa.