frank1538

Go for it and don't worry about what you have or don't have. Have her show her confidence, and I think you guys will be fine.

Great news. Congratulations and sincerest best wishes for a wonderful life together. Sir Jim, the knight with the 268 feathers in his helmet, has shown his mettle, snatching the fair maiden Jennifer from the jaws of the dragon GUZ.

After you've done your DHL thing, there really is no way to track the movement of your files, but I used two approaches nonetheless. After I determined that DHL had actually delivered the last of the packages to the consulate, I'd nudge GZ with e-mails, informing them that the package had been delivered on such and such a date and asking it they had entered it into the system. I also called DOS stateside periodically and asked the same question. After GZ informed me that they had the files in the system, I thanked them and then started asking them about the P3 - same with DOS. This continued until Jingwen got her P4.

For me, it's always been USPS Express mail - not quite as fast as the others, but a good price, ability to track in the US and in China, and never a problem with theft or customs.

This reminds me. You might want to start conditioning your fiancee about the long delays that lie ahead. How an American deals with the government is markedly different than how a Chinese deals with the government. One of the hardest things for me to explain to Jingwen was why the mighty United States government, which could move so fast when it wanted to, was so slow in processing our case and why I personally couldn't do anything aabout it. I'm not sure she ever fully appreciated why it took so long. Hell, I'm an American, and I'm not sure I fully appreciate why it took so long.

For me, it was four LARGE suitcases rolled/carried by yours truly to baggage check in. Same thing on our first trip back to China to visit relatives - more stuff. Probably the same thing on our next trip back. You mean you took 4 suitcases full of stuff made in China and bought in the US back to China... Lu Li sent a big box to me by sea, it took 2 months and was really BEAT but everything amazingly survived...If going that route I would recommend extensive cushioning and strong tape... Shoot, just about anything I bring with me when I go to China was made there. Actually, after Jingwen got her visa, we went to her home town first to visit. We bought four large suitcases and stuffed them with clothes and other things that she wanted to take to America. She went back to China later because of he dad's death. When I flew over to join her, I brought a rolling duffle bag with me and we bought another large rolling duffle. Again, these and our regular suitcases were stuffed with more things. We did not move any furniture, and we left a lot of the electrical appliances there for use by the relatives. We're headed back to China next year, and I expect that we'll be bringing more stuff with us - that's back to the US, Roger.

For me, it was four LARGE suitcases rolled/carried by yours truly to baggage check in. B) Same thing on our first trip back to China to visit relatives - more stuff. Probably the same thing on our next trip back.

It took me about a week to get the NOA1 from the Texas Service Center. That notice will have an "SRC" application receipt number (SRC for Texas - go figure) that will look something like SRCxxxxxxxxxx. Once you get that number you can go to https://egov.immigration.gov/cris/jsps/index.jsp and track your progress.

I agree, and I agree. The form is asking whether an I.O. checked your papers at the POE. Instructions on the various government forms are a joke.

I ran across this from http://travel.state.gov/visa/laws/telegram...grams_1437.html ...N6.3 Reissuance of K-1 Visa If a K-1 visa, valid for a single entry and a 6-month period, has already been used for admission into the United States and the alien fiance(e) has returned abroad prior to the marriage, the consular officer may issue a new K-1 visa, provided that the period of validity does not exceed the 90th day after the date of initial admission of the alien on the original K visa and provided also that the petitioner and beneficiary still intend and are free to marry. The alien''s return to the United States and marriage to the petitioner must take place within 90 days from the date of the original admission into the United States in K-1 status... I don't know if this is still gospel, but it certainly sounds like a K-1 visa holder can come to the US, return to his/her home country before marriage and then return to the US to get married. Granted, it says the "consular officer may issue a new visa, so it may not be a slam dunk, but I found it interesting. Actually, the link has some pretty good information.

For some reason, I thought LPR status was immediate upon entry into the US. Is there an I-551 stamp in the passport? If so, I would think she's good to go.

That's the way I have used the terms. Basically, NOA1 (or P1) is the acknowledgement that the petition has been received. NOA2 (or P2) is the approval notice for the petition. Be sure to keep this NOA2 is a safe place; you'll need it later. If I recall, I received my NOA1 within a week of having filed the petition. At that time the Texas Service Center was taking 6+ months to process the I-129F, so I didn't get my NOA2 until then.

The NVC, which probably has your file now, is rather secretive about what it actually does, but one of the agencies it deals with is the FBI which does the name checks on the visa applicants: http://www.fbi.gov/congress/congress04/gar...rrity022504.htm

Jingwen still does this even though she's been in the US for over a year. Sometimes my response is "xie xie mama."

Good news indeed. Maybe you can clarify one thing for me. I had always thought the Shanghai consulate only processed non immigrant visas. Will Shanghai process your CR-1/IR-1 or will it ship the files to GZ for completion?

Sounds like it's over but for one little nit. Congrats.

I guess I'm stupid lucky. Just this weekend I moved all of my step son's music collection from my hard drive to a CD to free up some room on the HD - maybe 90% Chinese songs. All of the music software - Media Player, Itunes, Musicmatch, etc. don't seem to have a problem recognizing the files. Although the files names are Chinese, all the extensions are alpha characters. I'm running XP, and the input locale is US.

Hearty congratulations.

Viva Qisheng! You too Mari. Best wishes to you both on your upcoming wedding.

Boy, that's the truth. If they ain't artificial, Jingwen doesn't want 'em. To her, fresh flowers are expensive, don't last long, and smell.

Time to lie through your teeth. Tell her you have heard that the AOS interviews have begun to ask questions about family vacations and whether the petitioner has any knowledge of the nation's capital. Then tell her that you want her honest opinion whether the US trains are on a par with the Chinese trains. Then tell her that the cost of the trip will be reimbursed by the government and will be included in your tax refund (?) that you'll get next year. If everything else fails, tell her you'll shave your beard.

Welcome to CFL. I did neither K-3 (I-129F) nor CR-1/IR-1 (I-130). Based on what I've read here, it sounds like your best best is to skip the K-3 and proceed with just the I-130. Since it sounds like you are currently residing in China (presumably with the appropriate visa), you should be able to file the I-130 directly with the US consulate in Guangzhou. This is generally considered the faster way to obtain an immigrant visa for your wife. The visa will be either a CR-1 if married less than 2 years or an IR-1 if married longer. I think you're right in skipping the K-3. Your I-130 filed direcly with the consulate will most likely get processed faster. As to your specific question about a US address, I guess you could show a permanent address for a relative such as a parent. Since Question #18 is only asking where you intend to live, I don't thinks it locking you into something that can't be changed if you need to.

I'm assuming your wife still resides in China. If you want to file a joint return (married), I believe you have to include both spouses' income, subject to possible foreign income exclusions. If you do not want to include your alien spouse's income, I think your filing status is married, filing separately. As the posts suggest, you have to take some additional steps to file a joint return with a non resident alien spouse (written attachment to the tax return stating that the non resident alien chooses to be taxed as a resident and a taxpayer identification number for the non resident).

Congratulations and best wishes.

Welcome Gene. Can't say my loved one is from Zhuhai, but don't let that stop you from spending time with us at CFL. You'll find a wide variety of people, from the sublime to the ridiculous and a wealth of informantion about the visa process.