keelec

Oh, Man, I guess I knew that there would be some hassles..... But, will it EVER END???? I think I am finally seeing part of the problem. First of all, there is no prioritizing any of the work.... It will get done when it gets done..... Then, the USA piles on regulation after regulation, without sitting back and checking to make sure that any of it makes sense, or checking if there are old processes that have been replaced by the new process and no longer needs to be done. A name check is important.... But, of course, it doesn't make any difference if it has already been done... It needs to be done again. Good thing I have always had plenty of patience.... I am using up quite a bit of it now ------ Clifford -----

City versus suburbs versus country That is a decision that every couple will have to deal with, and is presumably a very personal decision. The difference between the City and the Countryside is a huge difference, and is certainly large enough to break apart a relationship. Social relationships are very different between the city and country. I think of things in comparison to Oregon. Eugene, approx 150,000 people Portland, approx 2,000,000 people People that come from Portland to study at the university in Eugene invariably look around and say that "Eugene is Boring, and THERE IS NOTHING TO DO". People that come from Eugene to Portland have the same feeling, "Portland is Boring, and THERE IS NOTHING TO DO". Of course, one conclusion is that the whole state is boring. But, perhaps the better explanation is the one becomes comfortable with one's environment. When it changes too dramatically, even the entire social environment is changed. One type of person might be attracted to bars and music types of events. Another might be attracted to mountains and streams. It is difficult to substitute bars for mountains, or mountains for bars. I would say that it would be difficult to bring a woman from a "City" environment and introduce her to a country environment. Likewise, it would be difficult to take a woman that has always lived in a small village and bring her into a BIG CITY environment. Of course, one can expect many changes and adaptations when the loved ones come to the USA. One note, the USA generally has some of the worst public transportation in the world!!!! The central portions of some cities have generally good busses and subways. Once one gets to the suburbs and the countryside, all semblance of public transportation disappears. If your wife doesn't drive, or won't drive for 6 months, then transportation could become a big issue. ----- Clifford -----

Sorry, I haven't made it to China yet. But, I assume that several of the issues would be similar to my experiences in Russia. Perhaps others would confirm. Recently I think someone posted the general (government) guidelines of what could be brought into and out of the countries. In the Moscow airport, they had two lines: "Nothing to Declare", and "Something to Declare". On both trips, I chose the "nothing to declare" line because it seemed to be a straight shot to the exit (no searches). For a tourist, the issues seemed to be more related to what you could leave the country with than what you could bring into the country. Money: You can not take more than about $1000 cash out of Russia unless you can prove that you brought that money into the country when you arrived. It normally isn't a problem if you intend to spend most of what you brought with you. So, if you do not have to declare your money unless you expect to bring lots of it back out with you. Computers: These could be a problem. If you declared bringing a laptop into the country, you would be expected to bring it back out. And, you might be questioned if you brought one out that you didn't declare, or tried to leave without one that you had declared. I never brought a computer with me so I didn't pay much attention to it. Another note. There are certain devices that the USA will not allow you to take out of the country, although I have never heard of any checks. In theory, you can not take GPS devices with you. Some phones/Palm Devices/laptops are now having the GPS devices built in. Antiques: I actually had a surprisingly difficult time finding antique stores in Russia. At least in the small cities, they just don't really think about antiques (although, many families have antique Samovars as a central display in their house). I was told that the rule was pretty much that if you tried to take an antique out of the country that was better suited to be in a museum, it could be taken at the airport. They weren't very specific about that. When I was in Egypt, the rule was quiet simple. You could take any antique out of the country that was less than 500 years old or so. However, you couldn't take out anything that was over 1000 years old. Of course, that wouldn't mean that shop keepers wouldn't be willing to sell you ancient artifacts which are presumably quite cheap because they are not generally marketed to tourists. Literature: There seemed to be something about bringing pornography into the country (although I have seen it forsale in newsstand windows).. Also, avoid revolutionary or anti-government documents. FILM In theory there was limitations about transporting film and pictures (This may be Russia only, and not China). Yet, tourists took pictures all of the time. I even have a few pictures from inside Red Square and the Kremlin. I assume that by putting it into the regulations, if they decide that the content of your pictures is inappropriate, they can confiscate them. Or, perhaps they could require undeveloped film to be checked before letting it leave the country. Of course, be conscientious about the appropriateness of taking pictures. Many churches have a no photos rule. Anyway, it was never an issue for me.

Are the bonuses positive or negative????? ----- CK -----

I have my fiancee coming here on a K1 visa (as soon as the INS gets their paperwork straightened out). I presume that she will be applying to study in a University next fall. I am not quite sure where yet, and I hope we don't pass up too many deadlines as we wait for the &!#!!&*#$#* Visa. Anyway, 1) How long does it take to get the green card after the marriage (probably 2-3 months after arrival on K1 Visa). 2) Is a green card required for student work-study or other student jobs as an undergraduate (or graduate student)? Thanks, Clifford

Here are a couple of links: Don's Notes about the 001 website: http://candleforlove.com/forums/index....t=ST&f=7&t=1804 http://candleforlove.com/forums/index....t=ST&f=7&t=2015 http://candleforlove.com/forums/index....t=ST&f=7&t=2016 Link in English http://www.001.com.cn/forum/chinausa/index.html Link in Chinese http://www.001.com.cn/forum/usa/index.html

Yes, the police and military have some valid points. Primarily they require the officers to be in top physical condition (in theory). Of course, I would think that some individuals would be able to pass the physical up to age 50 or even later. How old is RAMBO (Sylvester Stallone)? I don't see customs officers as requiring the same physical prowess as police officers or army cadets (even though they may fall under the same classifications). Anyway, 37 + 20 is still 57 which is below retirement age. I just find it ironic that the federal government will pass laws against age discrimination, then not hire people who are even past their prime. ----- Clifford ------ http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/adea.html

Dave, Sorry to hear about your mother. It sounds like it will be a tough time for her. But, you can be thankful that it wasn't any worse than it was. She can still get up and walk, and it sounds like her neck came through in one piece. One can always try to think of how the fall could have been prevented, but now that it has happened, she will be learning how to deal with it, and hopefully prevent the same thing from happening again. It will be difficult for her to be walking around the house for a few months with 2 clubs where she once had hands. But, it sounds like she is very strong willed and will make things work. Just don't let her get back into the routine of life too quickly. I am happy to hear about your son. Perhaps he will be the little bit of joy that will keep your mother going for the next few months. Make sure you send her a copy of the "First Baby Pictures" ----- Clifford ----- P.S. If you are looking for Christmas Gifts.... Get her 2 of those foam fingers that they have at football games. One for each arm!!!!

I thought that Age Discrimination was strictly prohibited in the USA. I have a neighbor that is in a tight spot because he is 59, too young to retire, and too old to get a "new" job. His company downsized about 6 months ago and he has been having LOTS of problems finding a new job. Anyway, I was looking at some of the job postings on BCIS, and noticed that they will not interview people 37 or over!!!! It makes me feel like an old man!!!! Of course, they have passed a law to make it legal????? http://www.bice.gov/jobs/pdf/va_iea.pdf Anyway, I thought there were Federal laws to prohibit age discrimination. ----- Clifford -----

Twelve Crates? What did she do? Disassemble the whole house and ship it? I am expecting Irina to come with 1, or possibly 2 suitcases!!!! That is, if the Visa ever gets completed. ------ Clifford ------

Don, I know that the purpose of the "Candle" isn't intended for advertising. However, it looks like Onesuite.com is a reasonable savings over what I have been paying for long distance (both domestic and international). Unfortunately it is 15 cents a minute to Russia (outside of Moscow), and 16 cents a minute if I was to call from Oregon. Of course, this is a savings over what I have been paying. Anyway, can you please post your User Name or Promotional Code (SuiteTreat) number? It is supposed to give you a 58 cent credit for everyone that signs up. Since I believe that Don is sponsoring this site, (and was the first to respond) I would prefer to use his code. It is not enough to make a huge difference, but would be a little perk for a discounted phone call home for his wife (or other calls). (Hmmm, it could even be put into the "resource" list). ------ Clifford -------

Hmmm, I wonder if the US would issue a visa to: Mr. Ben Loud, a prominent businessman from Northern Africa in his mid-50's. Leader in community education groups. Freely provides generous help and resources to the needy. Excellent character reference from a Mr. Sad Man Hues, also a prominent businessman in the area, as well as Mr. Are You Fat from what was previously Israeli territory. Perhaps we should work up an application and submit it.... Just to see how far it gets ----- Clifford ------

Unfortunately, The FBI checks seem to work much in the same way as credit checks. If a person has never had a Visa, Car Loan, or a Home Loan, then they are suddenly considered a poor risk for credit. On the other hand, people that have $50,000 or $100,000 worth of Visa credit, and are constantly juggling using one visa card to pay off the next are suddenly considered a good risk. And, the higher balance that they carry on average, the better. How is the FBI able to give an adequate ruling on a person if they have no way of determining whether the person has committed a crime, but it is being classified under a different name (or spelling of the same name), or whether the person is actually, in fact, "CLEAN" -------------- Of course, I am now convinced that the minority of the delays are due to FBI name checks. Otherwise, how do you account for Vermont residents being such a lower risk than Texas and Nebraska residents? ------ Clifford ------

Come on. The Berlin Wall was certainly effective wasn't it? With West Berlin buried deep within Soviet territory, they had to put a wall around the dangerous criminal element of the West. Who were the people being shot trying to cross the wall? The West Germans who were completely surrounded and walled in by the East? No, it was the East Germans who were shot by their own government as they tried to cross the wall. ----- Clifford -----

AZ, Good advice. I kept thinking the visa will be just around the corner so I put off my trip back to Russia to see my loved one till this fall. I am glad that I went back when I did, although I wish she would have been able to come back here with me. Unfortunately, for many of us, lots of trips back to Russia/China are difficult. My income is ok, but not good enough to support frequent international trips. And, without much seniority, I also have minimal vacation time. ---- CK -----

Oh, I looked up 10-10-629. China is To use the service, look it up on the internet. You will find several companies advertising the service. Pick an "activation code", and call it. The one thing I forget most frequently is the "1-area code" when dialing domestically. On occasion, I have thought that the phone service gave me a busy signal rather than the destination line. ----- Clifford ------ P.S. I believe that some people use computer chatting (including voice and video) which is essentially free as long as both people have good network connections.

Dan, Good luck with your application. I haven't tried calling China. But, I use 10-10-629 to call Russia. Look up on the internet for discount phone services. I believe the 10-10-629 was costing me about 19 cents a minute to Russia which seemed quite reasonable, and it is billed onto your home phone number. There wasn't a minimum call length, minimum number of calls to make a month, nor any service charges. ----- Clifford ------

James, Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wonder if one of the problems that GZ has is that they have screwed up the order of the applications so badly that half of the applicants have had the namechecks done before the applications get to China. The other half have to have them submitted from the GZ embassy to the FBI directly. Then, if rumors are true, the Embassy tracks data in the most user unfriendly method possible and have very limited ability to check the status of applications, or verify what needs to be followed up on. Best of Luck, Clifford

Oh, I just stumbled across an old note about a protest at the Texas Service Center this spring. http://www.global7network.com/ru/us_en/imm..._delays/tsc.asp

I assume that they have already tested her English ability in the interview. Of course, I am sure the interview is an EXTREMELY stressful situation, and not easy place to judge the woman’s English language. Either the interviewer spoke Chinese, or an interpreter was there. It can be VERY difficult to jump into the middle of a conversation and speak a few “meaningful” words in a foreign language. She needs to have the visa application suspended for a couple of months and enroll in an English course (I believe that delaying any return visit can be done). The husband should plan to visit her sometime while she is studying to show that they do have a relationship (and are now able to communicate in a common language). Perhaps they could even do the follow-up interview together. If she comes to the USA, knowing English can be a lifesaver. She will be leaving all of her friends and family, and other support groups behind. However, isolation can be VERY DANGEROUS. Not knowing English, she will have difficulty getting a job. She won’t be able to scream “HELP” to a neighbor, and may even have difficulties dialing 911. She could become 100% dependent on a man that she can’t even talk to. Studying English is the best option. ----- Cliff ------

Louis, Welcome to the Candle. What you will find is that we are all in the same boat together. Some are a little further along than others, some are still hoping to catch up. We all are dealing with the system the best way we can. As the realization of the "Process" dawns on all of us, perhaps we are all brought to tears. It is often helpful to have a "hand to hold" through the process. Best of luck, Clifford

No, I think you have it backwards. Assuming Don is correct, staying in the USA to seek another spouse would be following “the Letter of the Law”. Returning to China would be following the “Spirit of the Law”. Occasionally an American Citizen will fall in love with a foreign citizen. Sometimes it is during travels. Sometimes while doing business internationally, or otherwise working internationally. Several members of the Candle were working in China and happened to meet a loved one. The K1-K4 immigration laws were written to help facilitate AMERICAN CITIZENS to bring their loved ones back home with them. This bred a business of “Mail-Order-Brides”. Actually it is a very old business which existed even before Visas were invented. However, with computers, telephones, and e-mail, along with no longer needing to increase the US population, the business has evolved considerably. Women use the “Mail-Order-Bride” business to improve their lives through marrying a man in a different country. Likewise, men also use it to find someone very special for improving their lives. The laws are not written to facilitate women finding and marrying a “Rich American”, but rather to allow the American to marry (and live with) the woman he loves no matter whether she is an American, or from another country. The INS does everything it can possibly do to discourage the “Mail-Order-Bride” business. But, unfortunately, it is far too difficult to rank the validity of one person’s love, relationship, or marriage over another’s. The difficult things in this case are: 1) Should she find and meet another American that would want to bring her back to the USA, the visa clearances would have to be repeated. And, it would likely mean an additional year wait (assuming she was lucky enough to find someone she loved). I see no indication that the USA would bother streamlining the process for someone who had already been through it once. And, obviously there would be no reason to repeat all of the checks. But, of course, most of our applications seem to spend more time sitting someplace than actually being processed. 2) It would likely be easier for her to meet someone to make a long term, stable relationship with if she was already in the USA (and didn’t just opt for a “marriage of convenience”. 3) She already has what seems to be a valid visa to the USA. If she returned to the USA, even if she overstayed her visa, she would likely be able to remarry, and remain in the USA during processing of the new visa. 4) HOW WILL SHE PAY FOR THE RETURN AIRLINE TICKET AND THE COST TO STAY IN THE USA? I assume she doesn’t have a green card yet, and may not be able to get one if the marriage is dissolved. I guess I will have to carefully read the affidavit of support. I thought it was to indicate that a person had the means to support a family while married, not necessarily to indefinitely support her if the marriage is dissolved. (Alimony Agreements?) 5) She doesn’t HAVE to attend the divorce proceedings. I believe that the ex-husband just needs to show that he made a “reasonable effort” to invite her, and that she didn’t bother to show up. Now, one other note. One might consider the marriage to be only 3-months. In reality, it is at least 1 year and 3 months. ------ Clifford ------

I hope "Brad" comes with good references. I would hate to think he would do anything underhanded. Actually, I bet there would be a good business for "Tour Guides" that would cater to small tour groups. Perhaps being a "Tour Guide" even on an individual basis. However, I would have my doubts about a person that has no idea about the country or the language that he is accompanying the person to visit. ------ Clifford -----

Hmmm, Wouldn't that still put you number 3? Some of the other "Power Users" that I have seen include: Don (2503). And, I must admit most of his messages are quite insightful. ttlee_99 (2378) Also, generally insiteful. R2D2 (2175) owenkrout (1767) Of course, you better watch out.... 1 1/2 months on the net and I've already made it into the top 40 !!!!

I believe the affidavit of support is used for all immigrants from all countries. It has higher impact for immigrants from certain countries than others. For, example, many Canadians or Europeans have adequate resources to qualify without the support of the sponsor, especially if they are able to enter the USA with a job transfer. The problem with China, Russia, and many other countries is that many of the women wanting to immigrate to the USA come from lower income brackets. And with the poor exchange rates, they have few assets of their own to report as support for themselves. My guess that many of the regulations are actually designed with Mexicans (Latin Americans) in mind rather than Chinese or Russians. There are many Latin Americans that are living below the poverty level, and the USA wants to avoid situations where women are brought into the USA only to end up on welfare and wards of the state. My estimate is that it will be costing me in excess of $10,000 to marry a Russian woman. I would think that the difficulties with bringing a woman from overseas would naturally exclude many would be suiters in the lower income levels. I have actually been amazed that some people have been able to make the relationship work, only to discover problems with the support requirements. On the other hand, a person living in a border state could potentially meet a Latin American woman with substantially less out of pocket expense. Thus, the option would be open to individuals living in a wider income range. Thus, to protect American taxpayers from taking on the liabilities of immigrants below the poverty level, they require the affidavit of support. There are a couple of fallacies with the system. 1) What about college students? Generally those that can’t support themselves are able to get a “sponsor” to help. 2) What about those individuals who have worked in China for a few years at somewhat depressed wages, and then want to return to the USA? 3) What about separation, divorce?