keelec

I would recommend waiting a year or so as both of you adjust to life together in the USA. Then, decide what you want. It may be best to start before age 30.... Make your decision wisely.... What do you want for the rest of your lives? Don't forget that a child will go through several phases. Diapers --> Terrible Twos --> Gradeschool --> Teenagers --> DATING --> College --> Money ran out, back home --> Marriage --> Grandchildren --> & etc. Having a child is a big, life long committment. And your child will be part of your lives forever, and the diapers don't last forever. Of course, the child will also change your lives significantly. Of course, you can always adopt, even perhaps adopting toddlers. Oh, as far as school.... Many women get pregnant while attending college (some planned, some not). I had a friend in medschool who chose to get pregnant during her first year (baby born end of first year). She then had the bundle of joy throughout the next few years of medschool. Of course, she also had a very supportive husband. Both my brother and I were born while my father was in graduate school, and I think my mother was taking a few classes (she was 23 and 26). She chose to be a "stay at home" mother until both of us were in grade-school. She then went back for a couple of specialty courses in college and began her career. Of course, I am still waiting for Irina to come here and then we'll have to figure out how things will work out between us. ----- Clifford ------

I think the question was about buying a vehicle to use in China. Unfortunately, I don't have an answer for that one. As far as importing cars, I believe that cars over 25 years old are exempt from US federal regulations, but may still fall under state/municipality smog regulations. I would look for a 1974 or older model which should be exempt from smog. Some of you have seen the picture of my 1967 Fiat 500. Fortunately it isn't subject to emissions, and I do not relish the thought of crashing. ----- Clifford ------

If you do not owe any taxes (minimal US income), can you just check "single" and send in the tax forms? Somebody should know the answer to that question. I am pretty sure that in theory, you don't need to file if nothing is owed, but you should have the history for your I-134 and I-864 financial stuff. So, I would try to get some kind of form sent in. ---- Clifford -----

Ok, For assets, if you have about $30,000 in assets. Divide that by 5 and you get the equivalent of $6,000 in income. Thus, you need to come up with an additional $10K of income to reach the 125% of the poverty level ($16K) Apparently, sometimes the consulate ignores the financial stuff. Sometimes they ask for it. I have not heard whether or not the consulate is lenient with those who are living and working in China. I wouldn't risk it. If you don't have the income, find a cosponsor. You do not add the two incomes together. The cosponsor has to meet the minimum requirements themselves. ----- Clifford ------

There is the magical phrase that makes everything ok "terrorists" So, does this mean that Alabama considers all immigrants to be terrorists until proven otherwise? When will they pass a law that no person with an accent can purchase lawn fertilizer? Gasoline? Propane? Heck, why not just deport everyone that isn't white and wearing a swastika (or a hood).

Carl, I think I missed something. You went to GZ. Did they take the video and review it? Was the "Come Back Tomorrow" to pick up the visa, or to present the video again? I hope they aren't playing a game like.... Come back Thursday, then... Pick up your visa on the next business day... Oh, sorry, we are closed for 2 weeks Good Luck with EVERYTHING, and try to have a fun time together. ----- Clifford -----

Just curious why they don't setup a photo and fingerprint station that does both tasks (presumably electronically). No need to bring in one's own photos, they could do them right in the Embassy. It would be so much simpler for everyone. ----- Clifford -----

Um, Mark, You put Carl's video in a directory with a couple of other LARGER videos..... I presume that several people downloaded 60 MB rather than 6 MB. I am sure that Carl and Bing have appreciated your help, and we all have enjoyed looking at the "Candle" version of the video. Carl, I wish you the best of luck when you head the embassy tomorrow. (ummm, is it today already ????) Well, I can't imagine any additional hassles. ----- CK ------

What is premium processing if everyone buys it????? The original estimate on my visa app was 70 to 90 days. I probably would have opted to save the $900 if the difference was a month or so while I cleaned the house. (or, Hmmm, does that mean getting the visa in 2 weeks.... One could even spend that amount of time in Russia or China waiting). Little did I realize when I began the process that I would be waiting 420 days later. Looking back, $1000 would have been a bargain assuming it would be expedited all the way through the process, and not just expediting it at BCIS, then allowing NVC and Moscow to take their time. Unfortunately, I don't think just throwing more money at the system is the answer. ----- Clifford ------

Does it say "Liquid Assets"? That makes sense, but I believe that the forms are asking questions about things such as a home mortgage.

Yi_Feng, This topic comes up every few weeks. But, of course every case is different. You need to have income above 125% of the National Poverty Level. I don't have the links here, but for you and a single dependent (your fiancee/spouse), it would be just under $16,000 They are supposed to count 20% of your assets (equity) towards the income requirements. Thus, if you have a $100,000 in assets, that is equivilant to $20,000 in income and you would be fine (in theory). Obviously this is based on equity so if you have a $200,000 house and a $190,000 mortgage, it would be a problem. If you have more assets, I would have to ask why you don't have significant investment income, although, perhaps investments like realestate are difficult to show income with. If income is a problem, then it is also possible to have a cosponsor fill out a second affidavit of support. Their income has to be sufficient to cover all their dependents plus your fiancee / spouse. As I understand it, it is rare that a visa will get denied based on income, and frequently one isn't asked for income information. But, problems can occur if the numbers don't add up. I hope this helps. Good Luck, Clifford

P.J. Good Luck with the new job. You might get reasonable performance out of a local setup, although you would have to keep it up 24/7. What is the average size of a page on the Candle? A couple hundred K? Maybe a bit better if you could limit the sizes of the avatars to less than 10K. I remeber in college we ran our web server on a NeXT Cube. It was a pretty cool machine, and did just fine spitting out the web pages (over a 10 MBit LAN). I assume you would get reasonable upload performance over a Cable Connection. You would run into problems if you start allowing people to upload more graphics. Anyway, keep in mind. If you need help with the cost of the system, all you have to do is ask. I am sure you could get quite a few people to chip in $5 (or more) on a voluntary basis. I might be able to help with some of the code too, but I must admit that I am getting a bit rusty. ----- Clifford ------

Carl, I am glad to hear that you are doing well. Have a wonderful time in China. I wish you the best, and I hope everything goes smoothly this time. Remember, no anger or frustration, just ..... Here we are, these are the issues. Good Luck, Clifford

Hey P.J. How is the data management coming? Are you sure it wouldn't be easiest just to buy another 100 MB space? Anyway, one thing I thought of. Maybe search for Candle threads that have been referenced in other Candle threads. That would be an indication that somebody found the information interesting enough to refer back to it. ----- Clifford -----

Jeff, The ring is a type of IUD as Dave mentioned. It is somewhat of a Uterine irritant and may help prevent both fertilization as well as implantation of fertilized eggs. They can be very effective. In the USA, they always have a string hanging out for easy removal, but the string can be a channel for infection to enter the uterous, and thus it is not recommended for women with multiple partners. Here is a discussion of the subject that was on the Candle a few months ago. http://candleforlove.com/forums/index....=ST&f=13&t=4356 There are many other contraceptive methods that can be used including Depoprovera (shot every 3 months) and Norplant (good for about a decade). And, of course, the "pill". ------ Clifford ------

What about the 1% to 5% of us that REALLY NEED HELP??????

Wow, 90 days to process the I-130. So, why is this an "experimental program"? Why don't they just start processing all of the cases in a reasonable amount of time for everyone? Oh, I guess that would be too much for our government. And, when are they going to try the same "experiment" on the I-129F? Oh, well, at least it is a start, and I would be very happy for those applicants who are able to benefit from it. Now, if only the Moscow Embassy would try to process their stuff in 90 days and actually grant an interview, but I guess that would be wishing for divine intervention!!!!! ----- Clifford -----

Well, Mari, I think they change their names every few weeks so they must update the whole page (INS --> BCIS --> USCIS) :P When I applied, I don't think they updated the estimated processing time very freqently. When the RFE or approval occurred, I think it happened the same day the decision was made which preceded the actual letter by a week or so. Yours will be in the mail soon, Clifford

Mike, The financial stuff is presented at the interview at the end of the process. you do not include it with your Form I-129F / I-130. You must have done quite a bit of research to know as much as you know now. Look for form OF-169 which explains the data to be presented for the interview. I believe you can find copies of it with a quick web search (all versions are essentially the same), or you can look at the Pinned FAQ above. The I-134 and I-864 use the same poverty tables, but as I understand it, the I-134 is used for both the K1 and K3 visas, but the I-864 is needed later for the AOS interview. ----- Clifford -----

Mike, Perhaps a pregnancy could influence the final decision. However, I think it still depends on demonstrating your relationship. Did you go to China, get her knocked up, then ignore her for a year? Or, did you have an ongoing relationship while she was pregnant. A couple of things to keep in mind. Pregnancies and babies do not speed up the process one bit. We have had a few people who's wife was pregnant early in the process. One of them, "robhon", had a few delays, and his baby was born in China and was about 3 months old when they finally were granted the visa. Of course he went to visit her in China when the baby was born, but it certainly tore on the heartstrings when he had to leave her and the baby in China to return home to the USA and await the visa. Another couple that is currently active on the Candle, Mark and Bea under the name "hypoclear", the wife is currently pregnant. He has been working in China for a while but I believe is planning to return to the USA when they get the visa. Timing will be messed up when they return to the USA and they fear that they will be unable to get insurance for her in the USA. (I think it is the two of you, sorry if I got names mixed up). Another thing to think about. Not all relationships last until she arrives in the USA, or the transition phase of her coming to the USA. My relationship has been having problems due to the excessive delays. Others have made it to the US and then broken up shortly afterwards. Weigh your decision heavily. My vote is to wait. Definately do not try to get her pregnant just to get the visa. It may not help, and could cause you heartache. ----- Clifford ------

Mike, Welcome to the Candle, and I hope your trip to China is a wonderful experience and that your new love is more than you expect. Where do you live? If you live in the North East, you might consider just filing the I-130 without the 129F. As I understand it, the I-130 goes to your regional service center. If it gets sent to Vermont, the processing is about the same as your I-129F so you may not need both. If you live anywhere else in the country, I believe that you send in the I-130 first, then as soon as you get the receipt, you send in the I-129F to Missouri. Somebody else that went through the system might be able to comment on the process for the K3, as well as whether it is worthwhile for people from the North East to apply for the K3 rather than just the I-130. ----- Clifford -----

Best of luck, I hope you have a wonderful time in China. Of course, we all know why you are heading back there. I hope all goes well with the second interview. ----- Clifford -----

Kim, Congratulations. I was wondering what had happened to you. Ummm, can we dig up the Kim & Jake topic in the RR???? :P Anyway, I am glad everything has been going peachy for you. As far as hot topics on the Candle, Patrick now has his visa after being taken through the ringer a half dozen times. However, Carl hit a snag. ----- Clifford -----

Patrick, Congratulations, another step finished. Hopefully Li will be able to join us in the USA soon. Have you booked a flight yet? You are right, it has to take a certain amount of insolence to force delay after delay on a person. Even little things like telling a person that it will be ready tomorrow rather than "NOW" can make larger problems than some people realize. What about working? Did Ling plan on returning to work today? Her son returning to school? I am very glad to hear that this is all behind you. BEST WISHES, Clifford

Well, another day has passed. I am hoping to hear some VERY GOOD NEWS!!! ---- Clifford -----