frank1538

I went the separate account/ATM route when Jingwen was living in China. Overall, the experience was good. Downsides included: 1. When the card went bad (once) she couldn't go to the bank to get it replaced. I had to get a new card stateside and send it too her. 2. ATMs are not as reliable in China. Sometimes, they're down. Sometimes you have to make sure you're not charged for a transaction where no money is withdrawn. This happened to Jingwen once, but Bank of America was very good about reversing the debit. 3. Despite the VISA logo, not all Bank of China branches in Zhanjiang recognized the card in the ATM machines. Don't know if this was a local thing.

Had the same thing happen to me when you jumped to the front of the line in Memphis.

Technically, the NOA = Notice of Action and comes out on an I-797. I don't know about the I-130, but must approvals are sent out on an I-797. Sounds like you're using direct consular filing for the I-130 (filed with the consulate in China rather than here in the US). Others who have used direct consular filing can speak to this, but my sense is that DCF will proceed as fast if not faster than filing for a K-3 visa. You might want to just stick it out with the I-130 and forget the K-3.

I thought I had a grasp on what was expected to happen after Jingwen filed for AOS back in April, 2004...wait, wait, wait and then go for the interview (Atlanta is about 2+years behind in processing AOS), but... She just received an I-797 welcoming her the the US and notifying her that her application for permanent residence has been approved and that she would receive her green card in about 3 weeks. What happened to the interview? Is her AOS done (except for the removal of conditions)?

Southern as in guangdonghua southern or as in ya'll come back now southern? There are a number of us "ya'll" southerners here at CFL and a number of Guangdong wives here in the US as well. In either event, you're in good company. Welcome to the fold (see Trigg's posts for more information on the "fold").

Based on your due date, he'd better hurry up and get that license, assuming you trust him to rush you to the hospital when the time comes (which is always during the middle of the night).

Good news. Yea, hurry up and get the SSN, the US needs the tax revenues.

Your name isn't DaShan by chance? http://candleforlove.com/forums/index....b3a902cc288a25b

Regarding law, I just know that I am subject to a lot of it ... My first reaction is: Was it documented in an agreement or letter? Even if so, I'd think the wording would be hard to hold against them in a process such as this, which is in flux and has so many variables. But I think you point might also be that to lodge the complaint so it gets into a system somewhere. Personally, I think that most all of the lawyers and visa services are not clued in to the timeframes. I would personally not pursue it. My sense is that if the lawyer handled a lot a K visas AND was familiar with processing in GZ, he/she would be hard pressed to say something like this. On the other hand, if he/she handled a lot of K visas out of other countries, like the EU countries, he/she would be closer to the mark. In either event, he/she was naive or was intentionally misleading you in order to get your business.

Glad to hear that things went well, at least in GZ - sorry about the landing in the US. On the name thing, it's kinda funny. Jingwen, of course, knows my name as well as every else's in the family, but she still has trouble pronouncing it. With an R in my first name and an L in my last name, I am Flank, actually fa-lan-ka. Lao gong is a lot easier for her to pronounce.

I guess it was anti-climatic. Let us know. Oh, before I forget, congratulations.

Presumably, you're talking about the consulate in GZ, not HG. I have no direct knowledge, but my sense is that unless you have a pretty good reason for not visiting more often (work related, etc.), the fact that you've only met once in what is likely to be a year long process doesn't help a lot in establishing a bona fide relationship. In my view, e-mails, etc. are no substitute for meeting and spending time together, both from a visa processing perspective and from a personal perspective.

Exactly what Jingwen did. Although the VO didn't really ask for anything, it would have been easy to simply pull the document from the pocket and slide it through the interview window.

Take a look at http://www.visajourney.com/faq/k1k2visa-aos.html. This should get you started.

The regulations will say that you are entitled to a SSN in only one of two instances. The first is for work, hence the need for an EAD for the K-2er since it is not one of the listed visa categories that allows for work without specific authorization. The second is that you need the SSN because another federal or state statute requires that you have one in order to receive a particular benefit, assistance, or service from the government. Documentation that you must provide to support this can be difficult and usually requires the involvment of the governmental agency. I always wondered how this second instance tied into the I-864.

Cash transfers in excess of $10,000 may be reportable, but I didn't think they were taxed.

I think there's a little Jekyll and Hyde in all of us, including Asian women. Jingwen can be as meek as they come one minute and yelling at the top of her lungs the next. Usually, she is meekest around strangers and most vocal around family. If your SO is anythings like Jingwen, you are now family to her. Jingwen's anger is expressed in one of two totally opposite ways - silence and yelling. Usually, it starts with yelling and then moves to total silence - not unlike many people. I have never expected her reactions to be any different just because she was from China. They aren't but the degree to which he reactions are expressed does vary. How those vocal chords can put out some much sound is still beyond me.

Man, they're really trying to make it tough on you with all the things you've been through. Hopefully, this last hurdle will be a walk in the park. Good luck.

In addition to the AR-11 referenced in the link, don't forget the I-865 which the sponsor (you?) also needs to file.

Yea, what Trigg said. There have been several posts that have commented on the SSA position that only the K-1 holder and not the K-2 holder is entitled to an SSN without an EAD. I know it doesn't make sense, but that's been SSA's consistent position. Double check with your insurance company. Mine (Aetna) let me add the family to my policy by using 000-00-0000 until the actual numbers came in.

Praying on uninformed visa applicants, I'd bet.

Take a look at Q18 under the Income Requirements at: http://uscis.gov/graphics/publicaffairs/fa...eets/affaqa.htm. Typically, the requirement is based on gross income, not net profit. The link is a little dated, but it should give you a good idea.

Also check the divorce certificate itself. Jingwen's stated that she had not recorded another marriage since her divorce. This, plus the "certification of legal capacity and intent to marry" which came in the P4, apparently was enough.

Look here: http://uscis.gov/graphics/generalvac.pdf

I don't think priority dates apply to immediate relative visas, like the K-3. Take a look at http://www.visabulletin.us/Preferences.asp for some additional information.