keelec

Wow, An opportunity of a lifetime, touring a country like China. I think it is always important to experience a new culture, and am glad that you wish to share that experience to your children, especially now that it is part of the culture of your family. What is more important, for your ex to play games, or allowing your kids to meet their new grandparents? Yes, they are part of your family too. And, of course, your new wife (and their new stepmother). You have to figure out a way to make it work. Perhaps you can trade holidays with your ex. Somehow, arrange to get them to her for either Thanksgiving or Christmas. Are they old enough to fly down to her mother's house for a weekend? Have you been in touch with their maternal grandparents? Perhaps they will help if they don't think you are the epitimy of all evil. Where are the grandparents with respect to the ex. You could send the kids to the grandparents, and leave it up to your ex to share the weekend.

Se Lang, Wow, you have the incredible insite necessary to apply for a government job here in the USA!!! http://images.bravenet.com/common/images/smilies/28_spin.gif Isn't it nice to live in a country where one can make a joke and expect to survive the day. ----- Clifford -----

I am not sure about the market for turtles. Perhaps the Chinese would put them to use in their medicine business..... I believe that the French would purchase any of the snails that they use as couriers to make Escargot!!! ----- CK -----

I was just reading, http://usa.venus.co.uk/weed/agifs/images83/anihorse.gif In 1860 and 1861, it took approximately 10 - 15 days to deliver mail by horesback, 2000 miles from Missouri to California. http://usa.venus.co.uk/weed/agifs/images83/pony.gif The pony express was put out of business by the telegraph that was completed in 1861, and was made completely obsolete a bit later buy the trancontinental railroad. A century later, we have cars, trucks, airplanes, computers, e-mail, faxes, & etc. I just am amazed that it can take the USA over a month to deliver results or things like "namechecks" from one office to another. Perhaps they need a new set of horses!!!!

I believe that it is very important for the Fiancée to come to the USA and see what her future home is going to be like before taking the plunge into marriage. Coming to the USA is just as important as actually meeting her before calling her a Fiancée. http://images.bravenet.com/common/images/smilies/28_spin.gif I wish it was possible for her to come for a month early in the relationship to just visit, but the USA doesn't go out of the way to make building a lifetime relationship easy. Here on the Candle I've seen a few sad stories of people who waited a year to get a visa, but after the Fiancée finally arrived in the USA, they discovered that something wasn't quite right between them. I believe PJ had such a story, although I haven't tracked it down yet. I have a Ukrainian friend who met the "Man of her Dreams" in Kiev and Odessa. Then, got her visa to Sweden (which only took a couple of months to get). However, when she got to Sweden, she met his son (soon to be her stepson) who was only a few years younger than she was and never recognized her as a parent. The ex-wife was too involved in the man's life. I am very thankful that she recognized the problems early enough to leave. International marriages are difficult. After writing to my Fiancée, Irina for a few months, I met her in Egypt, place she had never even dreamed of being able to visit before we began our correspondence. We had a wonderful time spending a few weeks in hotels and touring ancient monuments. But, that may not have been representative of our future life in the USA together. Since then, I have visited her and her entire family in Russia. Again, we had a wonderful time together. Again, me staying as a guest in her relative's houses may not represent our future as life partners in the USA. Unfortunately, the cultural differences between the USA and Russia or China are HUGE, and there are many aspects of everyday life that a couple just doesn't have the opportunity to experience during a vacation. What will it be like when she gets here and has to stay home alone before we get an opportunity to enroll her in school or find a good job? What about dirty socks? Just as I had met Irina's parents, brother, sister, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, http://images.bravenet.com/common/images/smilies/28_spin.gif I would like to introduce her to my own family prior to marriage. I hope we get the opportunity to go camping or boating before we tie the knot. What about my Fiat Topolino sitting down in the basement? I can't imagine anything coming between us, but I want to make sure that Irina is certain that everything is right before we get married. Of course, every situation is different. Those individuals who are living and working in Russia or China are very different than those who are just touring. Just my opinion, Clifford

A couple of the things that I could do without in America: 1) IT TAKES A YEAR TO PROCESS A SIMPLE VISA APPLICATION!!! 2) Neon Signs have replaced all of the stars in the sky (if you have never ventured outside of the city, go camping sometime and try to guess how the Milky Way Galaxy got it's name). 3) Since moving to Missouri, I am always amazed that when people see my Fiat, they first say "That is a cute car". This is immediately followed by the question: "HOW MUCH DID IT COST"? 4) People who turn on both the air conditioner and the heat at the same time. Of course we do still have a few beautiful mountains, and I can't wait to see my Fiancee's eyes when she first sees the 6 Flags Theme Park, or we make it to either Disney Land or Disney World. ----- Clifford -----

John, I think they are just testing you to see how much patience you actually have. I am a little puzzled about your timeline though. Perhaps I am not familar with all of the forms, but, I thought the I-129F was for a Fiancee Visa. Shouldn't that come before the marriage not a year after it. Good luck and best wishes for a speedy end to the long wait. ----- Clifford ------

Patience is a virtue Yes, after 6 months, and not knowing how many more months you will have to wait, the patience begins to run short. I can't imagine how much patience will be left if I hit an entire year waiting. I am convinced that it took the BCIS 5 1/2 months just to open my application. Once you get the notice of acceptance from BCIS, give the NVC a month or so to do the processing, then call for a status report. Perhaps call back every other week or so, rather than weekly. You don't want to pull too many staff people away from actually reading your application do you? The Moscow Embassy will respond to e-mails for status updates: consulmo@state.gov I assume that the Chinese Embassy has a similar e-mail address. Again, please don't abuse their help as I would like them to be able to dedicate as much time as possible to processing my application!!! :B -- Clifford --

:0 Interesting discussion. Sorry about hitting a nerve. But, please try to keep the discussion on a professional level. $50 / hr when I get old to stay with me????? As someone mentioned earlier, hopefully by that time there will not be any need for the piece of paper. But, the concern is not that a woman wants to be taken care of when the couple is together, and even after the man passes on. In general, she will be taken care of. The concern is that she would want to leave and still want the $50 / hr TO NOT DO A THING BUT BREAK ONE'S HEART. Of course, everything is always a two way street. Marriages can break up because of either men or women, or both. ----- CK -----

I have wondered why so much of the application turns around previous marriages (domestic, or international). When I put N/A on the application for "Names of Previous Spouses", it was returned (6 months later) so that I could put "none" instead. I think the big concern is that you aren't marrying a foreigner, waiting 2 years, getting divorced, and starting the process all over again (perhaps marrying for profit). Or, even worse yet, bringing women into the country and then having them disappear without fulfilling the visa requirements. There is concern that people are going through the international marriage process for reasons other than LOVE. Anyway, in PJ's case, to the best of his belief, his previous fiancée has left the country and returned to China. Perhaps it would be helpful for him to be able to have "proof" that she is really back in China (handwritten / postmarked letters, dated photos, actual airline records, etc.) I am just wondering, does the USA track visas when people leave the country? In Russia, the passport is checked both coming and going. Perhaps that is part of our immigration problem. There is absolutely no way for the USA to know for sure whether individuals have returned home, or overstayed their visas. ----- Clifford -----

I have a question that I have been wondering about for a while. When I invite Irina here to the USA, she will essentially be bringing nothing but herself and a couple of suitcases. I am not rich, but I have acquired both assets and debts throughout my life. I will continue to have reasonably good earning potential in the future and will likely inherit some money from my grandparents in the next couple of decades. If things do not work out, I do not want to put Irina out on the street penniless. But, on the other hand, I don't want to loose all of my assets while keeping the debts, and to pay alimony too. How have others approached the question of a prenuptial agreements? Does anybody know if Chinese or Russians commonly have similar agreements? Thanks, Clifford

I have been looking at the "Oregon" topic and wondering if there would be demand for setting up a new Discussion Forum that would be dedicated to Local / Regional / State Topics & Reunions. :lot: For it to be functional, it would be nice for users to be able to personalize the order of the regional discussions so that local areas (or regions of interest) would be at the top of the list, followed by the general method of sorting by most recent discussions. Note, people may have regional interests distant from their current residence. How should regions be defined? States? Major Cities? Just a suggestion, Clifford

Dual Prices??? That is common in many countries. In Egypt, everything is whatever you can bargain for. In Russia, at least most museums had both Foreign prices and Russian prices. On occasion I wanted my Fiancee to just purchase the tickets. But, the truth is that the Foreign prices weren't bad either. My Fiancee paid $1 to get into Red Square. I paid $10, but it was still worth it to visit. And, it seemed natural charge more to the people that could afford to pay more. Or you can consider it as giving Russians a discount to be able to see their own country's riches while charging the Americans the "real" entry price. The tricky thing is taxis. Russia has so many mini-buses which charge about 30 cents to $1 for a ride that one can commute virtually anywhere. Taxis can charge $1 to $30 or more for the ride depending on where one is traveling. B) ----- CK -----

I thought I would do an internet search on Dual Citizenship. I was surprised. It appears to be much more complicated than I thought. http://www.newcitizen.us/dual.html http://www.richw.org/dualcit/law.html Routinely children born in one country with an American parent are elegible for Dual Citizenship (at least between the USA, Canada, and Mexico). In general Naturalized citizens are required to take an "Oath of Allegiance", but the USA apparently DOES NOT REQUIRE the new citizens to give up their passports from the previous country. Quote from above: . Citizenship by naturalization (INA § 337, 8 USC § 1448) . A description of the US naturalization oath is given in Section 337(a) of . the INA [8 USC § 1448(a)]. Of particular relevance to the dual citizenship . issue is that, as part of the oath, a new citizen must pledge "to . renounce and abjure absolutely and entirely all allegiance and fidelity to . any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which . the applicant was before a subject or citizen." . In practice, it is unclear what if any true legal significance this statement . has any more. The US does not require a new citizen to take any formal . steps to renounce his old citizenship before officials of the "old country"; . and when the other country continues to claim a naturalized US citizen . as one of its own, current US policy recognizes that such a person may . have to use a passport from the other country in order to visit there, and . such an action does not put the person's US citizenship in jeopardy. . At one time, the US took the position that anyone who wished to . renounce his prior citizenship in connection with US naturalization had an . inherent, unquestionable right to do so. Well into the 19th century, many . countries had no provisions at all for renouncing citizenship and did not . even acknowledge that their citizens or subjects had any such right. This . is, no doubt, why the renunciatory clause in the US naturalization oath is . not linked to any additional requirement to give up one's old citizenship . in accordance with another country's laws; as far as the US was . concerned, the renunciatory statement in its own naturalization oath . was sufficient, and all other countries had an obligation to respect it. In . recent years, the State Department has apparently decided to take a . more pragmatic and realistic stance on this issue. Ok, So the question is more how Russia, China, and other countries deal with the USA Naturalization process, rather than how the USA deals with it. Of courses, one must also consider whether there are TAXES, MILITARY SERVICE, (what about a draft?) or other liabilities that come with the dual citizenship. Prior to taking the plunge into Naturalization. I would say that it may be worth talking to a very well versed citizenship lawyer who is familiar with US Law as well as being familiar with the laws, practices, interpretations, and enforcement policies of the country of origin. And, of course, remember that for many of us this is an issue that will have to wait for a couple of years anyway. Perhaps policies will change. ----- Clifford -----

MoonCarolCafe, At least you have some humor in the process, I had a good laugh. I am certain that most of the processing time is spent with the application sitting on somebody's desk. Why else would it take BCIS 6 months between the "Reciept", and sending a letter that I had a typo in my application? Why would some people have to wait excessive time for the receipts? In an era when people believe microwaves cook too slowly, and one can fly around the world in a day, why does it take the INS a minimum of 2 weeks to forward an application from the USA to the US Embassy in the destination country? Anyway, I still have some patience, but when it reaches minus 30 in Russia, and my Fiancee is subjected to another bitter cold winter, alone, my patience will be coming to an end. I really do not want to spend another Christmas without her, just because nobody wants to take the time to do a little paperwork ----- Clifford ----- P.S. Perhaps the forms aren't used in birdcages, but rather they need them for housetraining a new generation of drug and bomb sniffing dogs!!! Why else would we have to submit the forms in quadruplicate, each full of redundant information (it is odd that I haven't seen a single dog in an airport).

Ok, how much extra CASH did you add in your application packet? Let us all know what happens in a month. Hopefully they also prioritize those people that have been on the list for 6 months. Ok, so the I-129 is for the Fiancee, and the I-130 must be for children. Wouldn't it make sense to process them together. What if the Fiancee gets the visa a year ahead of the children? ----- Clifford -----

What about traveling? 1) To Europe, or other countries? Is there any difference between traveling as a US Citizen, or as a US Permanent Resident? I presume that it could be much easier as a US Citizen. I remember in the past, carrying a blue passport in Europe made everything go smoothly. 2) On the flipside, what about traveling back to the spouse's country of origin (Russia or China), and of course, returning to the USA after the trip. Potentially it would be easier (and cheaper) to go "home" if they retain their native nationality. Hmmm, political climate does change rapidly. The Chinese or the Russians could suddenly loose favor in the USA, or visa versa, the USA could loose favor in those countries. It wouldn't be the first time that we have been at odds with those countries. Let's just hope the Japanese internment in WWII never recurs. At that time, nobody was safe, not even 3rd or 4th generation Americans. Anyway, I don't have any answers, just questions. And, we have a few years to think about it. For now, I am still waiting for the Visa. ----- Clifford ------

Visas for siblings who are still minors? This looks like an older chain. What is the policy for issuing visas to siblings who are still minors? My Fiancee has a younger sister who is about 9 which she is very close to. I believe that it would be important for both of them if the sister could visit us in the USA sometime. Also, as I understand it, once an initial visa is issued, it becomes much easier to get the visa re-issued a second or third time, thus there may be benefits of getting the process started early. Thanks for any advice or suggestions. ----- Clifford ------

Oh, K-1. Yes, it is the Fiancee Visas too that should also be processed within 30 days. Hmmm, I think I passed the 30 day point, well, several months ago. Immigration & Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. § 1101. Definitions (K) an alien who is the fiancee or fiance of a citizen of the United States and who seeks to enter the United States solely to conclude a valid marriage with the petitioner within ninety days after entry, and the minor children of such fiancee or fiance accompanying him or following to join him;

I have been reading the US Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 2003. It clearly states that visa applications for spouses (immediate relatives, see Immigration and Nationality Act) should be completed within 30 days of receiving all necessary documentas from the applicant. I haven't quite found where fiancées fit it, but I assume they would either be considered at least within the 60 day time period. WHY ISN'T THIS HAPPENING? ISN'T IT US LAW? Why does the US Governement state that they expect 1-2 month processing of Visa applications, but we are all experiencing about 1 year for processing?

Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 2003, Public Law No: 107-228, H.R. 1646 SEC. 233. PROCESSING OF VISA APPLICATIONS. (a) IN GENERAL- It shall be the policy of the Department to process each visa application from an alien classified as an immediate relative or as a K-1 nonimmigrant within 30 days of the receipt of all necessary documents from the applicant and the Immigration and Naturalization Service. In the case of an immigrant visa application where the petitioner is a relative other than an immediate relative, it should be the policy of the Department to process such an application within 60 days of the receipt of all necessary documents from the applicant and the Immigration and Naturalization Service. (b) DEFINITIONS- In this section: (1) IMMEDIATE RELATIVE- The term `immediate relative' has the meaning given the term in section 201(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1151(b)(2)(A)(i)). (2) K-1 nonimmigrant- The term `K-1 nonimmigrant' means a nonimmigrant alien described in section 101(a)(15)(K)(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(K)(i)). ------------ Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. 1151 ---------------------------------------------- Immediate relatives. - For purposes of this subsection, the term ''immediate relatives'' means the children, spouses, and parents of a citizen of the United States, except that, in the case of parents, such citizens shall be at least 21 years of age. In the case of an alien who was the spouse of a citizen of the United States for at least 2 years at the time of the citizen's death and was not legally separated from the citizen at the time of the citizen's death, the alien shall be considered, for purposes of this subsection, to remain an immediate relative after the date of the citizen's death but only if the spouse files a petition under section 1154(a)(1)(A) of this title within 2 years after such date and only until the date the spouse remarries. References: Summary on Visa Delays.com http://www.visadelays.com/documents/govdoc...Visa%20Laws.pdf Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 2003 http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/archive...t2003093002.htm Immigration and Nationality Act http://www.fourmilab.ch/uscode/8usc/8usc.html Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. 1151 http://www.fourmilab.ch/uscode/8usc/www/t8...-II-I-1151.html Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. 1101 http://www.oalj.dol.gov/public/ina/refrnc/8_1101.htm

I believe that automated system at the NVC does not do Fiancee visas (Listen to the prompts again). Call the number, then press the choice to talk to a real person (and hope someone answers). Then, give them your information. They should give you some status information, but perhaps not a lot of details. Good Luck, ----- Clifford -----

0-999 Days????? Does that mean that they WILL get it done within 3 years? My experience has been that everything takes twice as long as the maximum time that they estimate (for a simple, straight forward application, no previous marriages for either of us, no kids, no government jobs for my fiancee). Hmmm, if you double their estimate, does that mean 6 years waiting? As a note, the applications are progressing slowly, but they are progressing. I was also worried when the 2-3 month estimate for F-129 was revised to 3-6 months, but they did manage to at least read the application in less than 6 months (at which point they requested me to revise "N/A" to "none" in one spot in the application, and then finally completed the paperwork another month later). Now, I am just waiting for the next phase of Visa processing. I would like to see more realistic estimates.... and have the government stick to it. P.S. How many Russian and Chinese terrorists awaiting Fiancee/Spouse visas have been found during the last couple of years of INTENSE visa processing DELAYS? Hmmm, can we play the same game? Next April, should we write on our Form 1040 .... TO BE FILED IN 70 to 90 days. Then, 3 months later, resubmit it: TO BE FILED IN 150 to 180 days. Then, a few months later, resubmit it: TO BE FILED IN 0 to 999 days. Then, a few months later, resubmit it: Initial Processing Completed. Sent to Home 1040 Processing center for additinal review. NO SPECIFIED TIME FOR COMPLETION. ----- Clifford ------

Not to sound too crass, but I would hope that the US ponders more thoroughly the cases coming from countries with known (recent) terrorist threats. This would include, Iraq, as well as Iran, and perhaps other Middle Eastern Nations. Isn’t this why we all hear the 9/11 excuse? What about America’s friends in Israel? Palestine? Obviously even in the more volatile nations, only a small percentage of the individuals are violent. It shouldn’t make any difference if the spouse is a US Military Officer, a Civilian, or a Politician. Treatment should be the same. Yes, Russia has internal strife along the southern boarder. I presume China has similar areas of unrest. Within a couple of days one should be able to verify any Fiancée’s place of origin, and thus attribute a risk factor to the case. One should certainly be able to quickly choose cases that need additional processing versus those that are relatively straight forward…. Cherry Picking cases may cause an inequality in processing times, but perhaps could decrease the load on the entire system, and thus help everyone. Would Cherry Picking potentially miss someone and allow a terrorist in? Perhaps… But, also consider how many people we miss along the Mexican Border EVERY DAY? Now, the other question is how long is a reasonable amount of time for Visa Processing in ANY COUNTRY? Well, perhaps 1-2 months from start to finish…… FOR EVERYONE….. Chinese, Russian, Iraqi, Palestinian, Israeli, Pakistani, or any others. 9 Months, 12 Months, 18 Months, 24 Months, etc?....... What could possibly take that long to process a little paperwork in any country…… Patiently Waiting, ----- Clifford Keele -----