yanglan

I had also heard of someone filing in Shenyang and having it forwarded to Beijing. Since I was living in Shenyang at the time I would have preferred not having to travel to Beijing to file, so I contacted both offices directly and was told that it could (would?) not be done and to file in Beijing.

Have your wife call the examination place. The process has been updated and it would be best to get instructions directly from one of the workers. She will have to visit their website and fill out/send a document to them via email.

Not really surprising, tbh. The vast majority of passengers on every flight I've taken between the US and China have been Chinese. It makes sense that airlines which cater to them specifically would have more success running additional flights.

Got it. I paid the fee back in April so we should be good on that, I just wasn't sure what he was talking about regarding the "1 year" thing. If that "Registration number" is the "A-Number" than it must be an "A" not "H" he wrote by the stamp. So since we've got the green card and SSN stuff out of the way, are there any other important things we need to do now that the lady is in the states?

POE: We arrived at JFK airport to a fairly long "Visa" line which I was told we needed to wait in. Kinda surprised there was no fast track for US citizens. With a couple hundred people in front of us and 6 officers working it took ~1 hour for our turn. The officer was very nice and simply opened our package and checked through it for all required stuff (nothing more than a cursory check). He gave my wife's visa a purple stamp and wrote "IR1/H(or maybe A)#######(Her "registration number" from the visa)" We were pretty burned out at this time so I didn't quite follow what he was saying, but I think it was something like the stamp was good for 1 year and that the green card would be arriving for us in ~7-8 weeks since NY is a very busy port. I don't remember him saying anything specific about the green card, am I right to assume it will be good for 10 years? Also, is the # he wrote with the H (or A I'm assuming here) her "A-number"? SSA: When we arrived I talked with an officer there about whether we actually needed see someone from the SSA or not since I had selected to receive a SSN after arrival on the visa application. He said that to be safe we should fill out an application and talk to someone. It took about 20 minutes before we were called up. The worker, again very nice, took my wife's passport, asked her a few questions, and told us her SSN would be arriving in 7-10 days. He didn't mention anything about the visa application.

The 787 sounds nice! I've been aboard the 777 between JFK>PEK and PEK>LAX(or SFO) with Air China for the past few years and the addition of power outlets for every seat is a massive improvement for international flights. Wifi sounds even better, any clue on how much that costs? Knowing AA I doubt it's complementary.

Yes, we saw AP before Issued as well.

Don't worry if the CEAC/ustraveldocs websites seem a little wonky with your wife's passport status over the next week or so. It will be very clear when the visa has been printed, mailed, and ready for pickup.

I think the situation that you're dealing with, and the circumstances of the "other guy" you brought up in your first post, are so vastly different that there's really no point in trying to compare. It seems incredibly unlikely that you'd be able to get a tourist visa for your second Chinese wife who you are in a long, drawn out process of immigrating with her daughter.

I'm still not following how any of this applies to the scenario you posited earlier. Why would a couple with a legitimate relationship do *anything* that could potentially harm that relationship's future in the US? Ah, well in this case you are falling into the two categories of your post which I did not reply to. It may very well be true that it's a fool's errand trying to get a B2 in this situation. In fact, I'd imagine that for *all* visas, relationships involving a husband in the US and a wife in China are scrutinized far more than relationships where the couple is living together. Whether that's right or wrong, it makes sense from an anti-fraud point of view. Can't argue with you there. Having to go through the immigration process with my wife has pushed me much further to the right on the topic of illegal immigration.

What do immigration requirements have to do with applying for a tourism visa? The last 3 points seem irrelevant. I'm not following how this factors into the equation. What benefit is there to concealing the marriage? I spoke directly with our local Consulate General about this very issue and he was clear that if you are a married couple you should not be hiding this fact under any circumstance. Instead you should provide a clear timeline of the trip on her DS-160, include that you will be traveling with her ("Persons Traveling with You"), and list yourself as the "Preparer of Application" with the same address as the wife. This should make it obvious to the consular official that you are residing in China with your wife and that the trip is legitimate. After that it's up to your wife to present the situation as convincingly as possible during the interview. ("You" above refers to the American husband) This is exactly what we did to get my wife her B2 the first time around. Obviously there are no guarantees, but I can't understand how anyone would risk their wife's future immigration by trying to pull a fast one on the State Department. P.S. It's possible I misunderstood exactly what SloppyZhou was talking about but I felt the need to stress the importance of doing things "by the book" in regards to successfully obtaining visas (tourism and immigration) for legitimate couples. Don't do anything that risks your future!

"My understanding that it's almost impossible for an American man, especially one who is living in China to procure a tourist visa for a woman he married in China. Especially when she's never had a previous visa to the USA, and even more when the American man's only domicile is mommy, who live's in the USA." This was exactly my situation when my wife got her first B-2 tourism visa. We made it clear that the visa was to visit my home for the holidays and that we'd both be returning to China after they were over. My wife had almost no assets and an entry level job as we were both in our mid-20s.

Correct, this is the exact process my wife went through. I'm not sure why Kevin's wife didn't have to pay the fee.

Just updating our current status - CGIFederal has changed from "Your passport is still with the US Embassy/Consulate" to now showing "Document Delivery Information:" but no location, just blank. Does this mean it's in processing, on the way, or has arrived?

Found the website showing the actual status: https://ceac.state.gov/CEACStatTracker/Status.aspx- Issued

I've seen it mentioned before as a way to show that her husband is waiting right outside. I don't think my wife needed it in the end but if you're looking for some additional relationship proof it couldn't hurt. I had a copy of my passport with me while she was in the consulate *just in case*.

Question: Does the ustraveldocs visa status update beyond "Your passport is still with the US Embassy/Consulate" anymore? I seem to remember seeing screenshots of a page showing that the visa was in processing/printed/being sent/etc. Just wondering since it's been a week since the interview.

I don't know what "Chinese tastes" they're referring to, it's clearly "inspired" by the Bentley Continental.

Good idea! There's also a restaurant on the corner of Huaju (or Huajiu) and Huaxun, just south of the section of Huali you highlighted, called Osteria Il Matto. It's one of the highest rated restaurants on Tripadvisor and has some great Italian food, though expensive! If you're like me and have been stuck in a Chinese city lacking good western restaurants, I highly recommend it.

I posted this in another thread. Note that it's probably overkill but if you're looking for a decent full translation, well here it is This is what they use in Shenyang, I'm assuming it's the same or similar in other cities but that's up to you to figure out! I added the underscores so you can see the spots that are usually filled out. On the documents I'm submitting only the signature underscore is left, everything else is entered in Word. (Line breaks were removed so I put dashes there instead) Apartment Renting Agreement - Landlord (Party A) _________________________ ID No. _________________________ Tenant (Party B) _________________________ ID No. _________________________ Apartment address: _________________________ Renting date: _________________________ Monthly rent: __________ Half year: __________ Water bill amount: __________ Electricity bill amount: __________ Gas bill amount: __________ - Responsibility for Party A: Must give Party B the normal living rights and use rights during the lease time. Once the renting agreement is made, Party A must not add other additional terms. Party A should pay for the Real Estate Fee and winter heating fee which are required by the Real Estate Bureau. When Party A intends to stop the renting before the lease is complete or under special circumstances, Party A should notify Party B thirty days in advance. The contract can be terminated when Party B agrees to it.- Responsibility for Party B: Party B should pay for water, electricity, gas, complex service fee, telephone, internet and digital television fee during the leasing time. Party B should also pay for housing water, electricity, gas leaking fee, or sewer congestion charge. Party B should also pay for the next rent thirty days in advance. Party B should take care of the apartment and facilities very carefully. If Party B breaks anything, Party B should pay for it accordingly. When the damage was caused by force majeure (such as earthquake, war, etc.) repair will not be the responsibility of Party B. When not getting Party A’s permission, Party B should not change the main part structure of the apartment while doing decorating, otherwise, Party B will take the consequences fully. Party B should not rent the apartment to others during the leasing time. Party B should not carry on illegal activities such as making fake products, selling fake products, multi-level marketing, hosting gambling, etc. Otherwise, Party B will take the consequences fully. If Party A could not contact Party B when the lease is done, Party B has the right to take back the apartment. If Party B gives Party A deposit for water, electricity, gas, etc. () yuan, Party B should get whatever is left after the lease is done. If Party B intends to stop renting within the leasing time, or intends to keep renting, he should notify Party A thirty days in advance. After getting Party A’s agreement, the contract may be stopped or renewed.- Utilities in the apartment: double bed() single bed() small side table() sofa() closet() fridge() TV() set-top box() computer() washing machine() heating machine() air-conditioner() microwave() stove() kitchen exhaust hood() dining table() chair() and () - Broker fee was paid by Party B () yuan, paid once when the agreement was made. After the agreement was signed, broker will cease all responsibilities and duties. When either part violates the agreement and cannot be harmonized, a lawsuit can be brought to people’s court in the administrative area. During the lease time, if one party breaks the contract, he should pay for one month’s rent to the other part. The broker fee will not be returned. It will be paid by the part which breaks the contract. This agreement will go into effect once agreed and signed by Party A and Party B. - Party A signature _________________________ Phone No. _________________________ Party B signature _________________________ Phone No. _________________________ Broker signature _________________________ Phone No. _________________________ - Note: - Issued by Shenyang Real Estate Bureau ______ year ___ month ___ day I certify that I am competent to translate from Mandarin Chinese to English and that the above “Apartment Renting Agreement” is a correct and true translation to the best of my knowledge and belief. Signed: ___________________________________ Address: ___________________________________ Telephone: ___________________________________ Date: ___________________________________

This is for a DCF proof of residence, correct? We were submitting them as relationship proof, though perhaps that's what the consular official thought now that you mention it.

It probably depends on the specific evidence you're referring to. For example, when we filed our I-130 they did not accept copies of our leases without translations.

My follow-up interview result thread: http://candleforlove.com/forums/topic/47744-ir-1-interview-success/

Hey everyone! We just got back from Guangzhou so I figured I'd share our experience over the past few days to help those going through the process now... The perfect hotel for us We decided to stay at the Leeden Hotel just off of Huasui road. When I booked it I figured the walk would be 20-30 minutes to the medical exam center, but was pleasantly surprised to find out that it was actually less than 10 minutes, with the consulate under 15! I guess I'm just used to the huge city blocks of Shenyang... Anyway, the hotel was very nice with my only complaint being the daily room cleaner ignoring our "do not disturb" sign twice while we were out. I drew a map of the correct hotel, medical exam, and consulate locations since none of the map services I used got them all right: http://imgur.com/b21Dw09- The medical exam office is located on the 5th floor of the "Poly building" which is right on Huali Road. The left door goes to a Guangzhou tax office while the right leads to a variety of businesses including the medical exam location. Here's a Tripadvisor link for the hotel for anyone interested: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g298555-d1459913-Reviews-Leeden_Hotel-Guangzhou_Guangdong.html Medical exam The day before my wife's medical exam we gave the Guangdong International Travel Healthcare Center a call to do a last minute check/verification of the process. During the call we were notified that there was a new system in place for setting an appointment for the exam. You can read my play-by-play here: http://candleforlove.com/forums/topic/46807-guide-to-ir-1-dcf/page-2?do=findComment&comment=621321- Long story short, we had to fill out and email a one page document to the center then call them to verify it was received. Be sure to bring a printed copy as well. On the day of the exam we arrived a little after 7AM and five women were already there and waiting. Over the next half an hour the fifth floor lobby slowly increased to maximum capacity until the center finally let us in to get tickets. Here's where having submitted the above mentioned document seemed to expedite things: Those who didn't email the document had to go to the side and fill it out on their own before they could get a queue number. My wife was #3, we got in at around 7:45, and we were out of there by 9:20. The exam consisted of an X-ray, blood test, eye/ENT exam, and vaccinations (MMR, Varicella, and Influenza). Even though we set the appointment, arrived early, and got an "expedite" stamp on her file, they still told us to come back the next day at 8AM to pick it up. If you've scheduled your visa interview for before 10AM I highly recommend you plan the exam two days in advance just in case of delays! IR-1 Interview We got up bright and early again and walked through light rain to the Poly building only to find 2 of the 3 elevators out of service. We decided to take the stairs to the fifth floor where we got my wife's exam documents after a ten minute wait. We were able to catch the elevator down and walked to the consulate for her 10:20 appointment. As you can see in the thread here: http://candleforlove.com/forums/topic/47726-ir-1-interview-final-checklist-and-questions/- I made sure my wife had everything I could possibly provide. This turned out to be overkill in our case. The Chinese document intake worker straight up refused to take any of our relationship stuff and only took one white book (the "Marriage" one) and all of the support/financial documents. Next she paid the fee and waited for her interview. She was called up by a middle-aged guy who was very friendly to her. The interview went something like this: Interviewer: So tell me why you married your husband? Wife: (Tells him my positive traits and explains how our relationship started) Interviewer: You should tell him I gave you a hard time. Wife: I can say that you denied me... Interviewer: Don't do that, you'll give him a heart attack! And that was pretty much it! All in all, just 2-3 minutes of light conversation. At the end he even gave the photo album we provided in July's I-130 application back. My wife came out and showed me the paper he gave her which says "Congratulations! Your visa has been approved." Surprisingly, it's just a standard white piece of paper. My wife said she didn't see anyone receive anything blue/pink so perhaps they've scrapped that system? We celebrated for the rest of the day/night and flew back the following morning (today). Closing thoughts 1. Stay somewhere close by. Being able to walk from our hotel to the consulate in under 15 minutes was just so convenient! 2. Schedule the medical exam appointment. You don't want to be #50 and have to spend more time waiting for your turn than the actual exam. 3. Bring all of your relevant documents. Whether the consulate wants them or not, it's always better to be safe than sorry in this journey. Finally, I want to give a big thanks to the fine folks who have helped me so much over the past year! Especially Randy and Dan, you guys deserve recognition for the countless people you've helped through this difficult process. It takes a special group of people to devote so much time to selflessly helping others Let me know if you have any questions or want more details!

We arrived at the exam location around 7:10 and there were already 5 waiting. They opened doors at 7:40 and we were #3. The entire process took less than an hour. Even though we were there early they still told us to come back tomorrow at 8AM to pick up the package. Not a big deal since her interview is at 10:20. Regarding my previous post, it looked like some people arrived without arranging an appointment and needed to fill out the documents before getting a number. So it seems it's not a requirement, but definitely helpful if you want to get in and out quickly.