John Sawtooth

Many thanks to all who have responded. Your advice is quite helpful. I do in fact realize that 6 months of electronic communications is not the same as six months of seeing each other in person. We have happily not followed the common (?) trend of early and extreme enthusiasm. We're both quite candid and good communicators. I have to consider this sort of interaction about the same as regular, brief 'coffehouse' dates, instead of something more profound. Still we've covered a lot of topics and worked through a few simple misunderstandings due to translation confusion. We're both amenable people it seems. My Cantonese is of course novice level. Her English was in secondary school - so I'll see how much she has retained if any. We're both very literate in our native languages, so I am hopeful we will both progress in learning our new languages (I intend to continue studying Cantonese). I am hopeful my trip from 30 September to 11 October will give us enough time together to test our ability to work through daily situations, test how robust our interest is, and truly assess what romantic spark we share. We're both excited and hopeful. Thanks again for clarifying certain confusing aspects of this process - I don't plan on rushing. It looks like a second visit may be necessary , and I haven't met her family yet. We will have to see how the 'familial loyalty' aspect goes - though she is very independent with a good family relationship (and not an only child). It seems like the HK residence and filing will have some helpful aspects if we ensure we are as legitimate as possible - thanks also for the idea of English tutoring and joint interview.

I'm new and have been reading the FAQs. I'm confused as a result. My GF (who I am about to visit for the first time) is a permanent resident of Hong Kong. I am a US citizen. I believe she was born there (need to confirm that) but she has lived and worked there many years. The FAQ (http://candleforlove.com/FAQ/CFL_FAQ_DCF_Final1.htm) implies obtaining a K1 or K3 for her in HK is a little simpler because Guangzhou does not process the applications, the Chinese processing is done in HK. Is this correct ? If I send my I-129F to the US visa center, it will go to GZ, but immediately is passed to HK for the actual processing ? A.3.4.7 confuses me a little - is this a discussion of her interview at the US consulate in HK, and a K3 visa issued the next day ? Would the same apply to a K1 ? Since I own my home, I can add her name as an owner of the property to meet the I-130 requirement : "Documentation showing joint ownership or property" , but I don't know the sticky details of that yet, so is Fiancee /I-129F be simpler ? Thanks for any advice, hope my questions aren't too unfocused.