MarineClimateLover

Congratulations, Helen. I'm sure you're greatly relieved to have it all behind you. I know that my wife and I certainly were!

A lot of the cleanliness issues makes sense considering how filthy most of China is. It's hard to go anywhere without having to dodge piles of spit, kids crapping on the sidewalk, horrific air, piles of puke, thick grime and garbage on just about every surface outside...the list goes on and on. That's not even to mention the chemical, industrial toxins, that are everywhere. Take a whiff the next time you open your window. Mmm. Coal smoke and car exhaust. Where I'm from in the U.S. the dirt might make stains but it's not toxic.

We're also in the neighborhood - Andingmen wai actually. It's a small world! I love hanging out in GuLou and eating and drinking with friends, and the WuDaoYing hutong right between AndingMen Wai and the Lama Temple. I love this area of the city~ It's great, I agree. All of the historical areas within the 2nd ring road are nearby.

We're also in the neighborhood - Andingmen wai actually.

I'll add my own 2 maos here because my wife was approved for a visitor visa to the USA back in 2011 after being denied twice. The first denial was because we didn't bring photos of our relationship. My wife, for some reason, felt that bring them on a USB stick would be OK - like they'd allow her to plug a USB device into their computer... Of course - since she was confident about it I didn't press it and the expected result came back - denied. The second interview was ridiculous - the visa officer didn't look at anything my wife brought and insisted that she needed to apply for a K-1 fiancee visa - this was after we'd already been married for over a year...and my wife had brought our marriage booklets. She tried to show them to the visa officer. My best guess is that he had either A) been having a bad morning or B) saw that my wife had been previously denied and didn't want to put his neck on the line. The third time was the charm though. She went into her interview armed with bank statements showing 100k RMB deposits in a joint Chinese bank account (if you research joint accounts in China between a foreigner and Chinese national and find that they are impossible to get don't believe it. Go to an Industrial Credit Union or Bank of China and ask there. They both offer the service). She also brought English and Chinese copies of a name chopped letter from her employer stating that she was employed and had promised to return at such and such a date to resume her job duties. I also wrote a letter explaining the purpose of our visit to the USA and that I was employed and would be returning to work on such and such a date as well and that our purpose of visiting was not to immigrate. Overall I think it's reasonable to expect a denial. That can be discouraging but if you continue to try and modify what you show the visa officer each time I think it's also reasonable to expect that you'll eventually get the visa. One irritating thing is that for each person it's a couple thousand kuai to apply that is non-refundable including the time off from work, etc., if you go with your wife and her mother. I would be sure to include in your letter to the visa officer that your mother is sick and that's why you're going. For some reason they seem to sympathize with this. My friend applied for a visitor visa and was also denied twice - the third time he applied he included in his letter photos of his sister who had cancer, and who was the reason his wife and him wanted to travel to the US - and his wife was approved for a year long multiple entry visa. Good luck

Actually it's usually twice as expensive to fly. That's true. But even at 400 kuai for the hard sleeper train ticket and all the supra-inconvenience that taking the train long distance in China brings with it - I can stomach 800 kuai to be at my destination in a couple hours.

The easiest way to take the train in China is to fly. (And really, within China, it's not much more expensive.)

My wife took the gao tie high speed train from Wuhan, where she's from, to Guangzhou for her interview. It was just about 4 hours. The fastest we hit, according to the digital display on the wall in the front of the carriage, was 309kmh. Pretty decent.

Congratulations. One year seems a bit inordinate. Hopefully move along a bit quicker from here on out

Read this: http://beijing.usembassy-china.org.cn/homeland_security.html - in particular the Immediate Relative Immigrant Petitions (I-130) You'll make your own appointment via options on the American Embassy in Beijing website. To make the appointment go to the navigation bar at the top of the U.S. Embassy in Beijing website and hover your mouse over the U.S. Citizen Services section. The first option in the drop down menu will be Appointment System for American Citizen - click on that. Scroll down a bit on the next site until you get to - ***To make or cancel an appointment, please click here.***. Once you click on that you'll be asked whether you wish to make or cancel an appointment. Click "Make Appointment!" That will bring you to a screen that asks what it is you'd like to make your appointment about. Choose Request notarial and other services not listed above. Which finally brings you to the calendar. Here just choose the day you want to make your appointment for. Once you've done that you'll be taken to another screen where you choose the time slot you wish to go and other personal details such as your passport number and name etc.. Then watch your email and go to the embassy on the date you've made your appointment for. A quick note - I just did this a few months ago for my wife and I seem to remember that the Dept. of Homeland Security, which handles the petitions, was only open on certain days and/or certain hours (I believe petitions were accepted in the mornings). I'd recommend calling this number 8531 3000 (I've never been redirected to a voice mail box even once during the dozens of times I've called over the past few months dealing with my wife's green card and our son's transfer of citizenship when he was born), during normal business hours, and ask to be transferred to the American Citizen Services. Once you're speaking to someone there ask what days one can turn in an immigrant visa petition. I'm also in Beijing and if you'd like specific help feel free to send me a message or just ask here. rw - corrected link (removed trailing goobers)

The conclusion of the entire process was reached today with the arrival of the immigration packet from the consulate with her passport which has a nice shiny immigrant visa in it.

We took it as well and my wife wasn't asked to show it. My wife's thinking was better safe then sorry and I tend to agree with her.

I'm glad to report that she's still among the living! Thanks.

I just completed a DCF I-130 petition in Beijing so this information is pretty recent. 1. Dan has good advice here (as usual). If you can show you have a job offer then it won't really matter if you put in unemployed. I had a job in China when I filed but would be quitting as soon as my wife got her visa so we could go back to the U.S. For all intents and purposes I'd be unemployed as well. It never even came up when I filed at the Beijing Embassy. 2. No need to switch your visa. Just having a valid residence permit for at least six months will suffice. One of the gentleman at the Embassy when I was filing had an F (business class visa) and they told him his visa disqualified him from filing directly at the consulate. He had to go back to the U.S. and get a new "spousal" residence permit (which is what I had as well) although a working residence permit would be fine. The six month rule is a little less clear - I'm not sure if it's enforced or not. 3. Dan is right about this again. When you petition you'll be showing proof of your relationship bona fides. My wife and I have a kid so that took care of a lot of it for us but we also submitted photos of our relationship, an evolution of relationship document, and an affidavit from several family members detailing what they knew of my wife and I's relationship and discussing the time we spent back in the U.S. when she went to visit with me etc.. 4. Proving the ongoing marital union, for my wife and I, consisted of the above photos (we had a lot), the affidavits, and our child's birth certificate. I would posit that photos of your relationship along with affidavits would suffice. The I-130 directions are pretty clear you only need one of the things they list although adding more, of course, doesn't hurt. Joint bank accounts can be opened. My wife and I have one at ICBC. 5. Can't help with your wife's visa question - my wife's was well expired when we applied although even if it wasn't there'd be no way of considering going to the States on it and then commencing with the immigration process. 6. I submitted the I-130 in Beijing in the middle of September and three weeks later got the notice of approval. We then sent in the DS-230 within a week or so and a couple more weeks after that we were emailed about her interview date in the middle of January. Almost exactly four months for the entire process from submission of petition to approval of visa. As Dan says above - take things step by step starting with your petition for your wife. After that things fall into place pretty quickly.

My wife had a very simple interview where most of the things that she brought were not even looked at. Questions were: 1. How is your English? 2. Would you rather we use Mandarin? 3. How long have you and your husband been together? 4. Where did you and him meet? And then a "congrats you're visa is approved". My wife and I split to Hong Kong for a few days to celebrate and yesterday on the train back to Beijing her mother called her and said the envelope with her passport and stuff had arrived and that they'd be shipping it up to us to Beijing today. All in all a very anti-climatic ending to a process that was very nerve-wracking. Like someone here says, "everyone gets the visa. It's just a matter of how long it takes." I'd say that's about right. Follow the directions on the forms and you'll be just great. All told, from the day I petitioned via DCF in Beijing last September 15th, or so until the visa was approved in Guangzhou on January 18 was just about 4 months to the day. Much faster than I had anticipated. So that wraps up the immigration journey for my wife and I. This has been and continues to be a great forum for people like me who just a few months ago were pretty clueless about how to go about getting my wife a green card. Thanks everyone who helped out along the way!

I was in the same situation just a few months ago when I DCF filed my wifes I-130 in Beijing. I had been living in China for years without filing taxes because I wasn't aware that I needed to. If your husband hasn't had an income of approximately $90,000 for any of the years that he hasn't filed then he can probably file without penalty. In the end I had an accountant here in Beijing file the taxes for me at a cost of approximately $1,000 (a bit more than $300 per year). Since the firm I used charged by the year I only had them file for the three years I needed to satisfy the requirements of the petition. The forms required can be downloaded from the IRS government site but good luck figuring out which ones are needed. I could give you a list from the copies of my tax returns but, honestly, my advice would be to just have an accountant handle it for you. I'm not sure where you're located but the Beijing US embassy site has this list of services: http://photos.state.gov/libraries/china/197340/PDF/ChinaTaxPreparers.pdf

Congrats on successfully navigating a complicated process. My wife's interview is next month - hopefully things with her's go as smoothly as they did with your's!

I'd be cautious. I've lived in China for 10 years, my wife is Chinese, and I think that I understand the differences between Americans and Chinese folks somewhat well. I think there's reason to be cautious mainly because there was the communication stoppage and a trip to the consulate (maybe). As for the information she says she gained at the consulate most of it could have been gotten on the internet. While my wife and I have been going through her green card process she's been able to go to Chinese websites and get answers and understand the process just as well as I have from the official American consulate site. A trip to China would be OK for a couple different reasons. First - it'll help you understand where this woman is coming from. There are many subtleties of Chinese society/culture that will fly under the radar for you but you'll be able to see her in her own environment - plus visiting China is simply a very interesting experience on it's own. Like others I think considering the gal in Brooklyn might be an ideal path to take, first, and if that isn't wholly satisfactory then move things forward with your friend in China. At the base of all this, with your friend in China, consider her motives to immigrate. She may be looking at things completely different i.e. she wants to leave China for the U.S. while you're in it for the "love" or whatnot. Best of luck.

A quick update to our situation - today we (wife and I) both received emails (one each to our separate email addresses provided on the forms) indicating our interview appointment will be on the 17th of January. If all goes well that day then it will have been almost 4 months to the day since we DCF'd in Beijing. That's a surprisingly fast turn around.

My wife and I had a conversation about this and decided it'd probably be best if she went down to Wuhan and got those documents ASAP - like you've suggested. The big hang up is the medical which we'd like to have gotten in Beijing since we live literally just down the road from the certified hospital. It'd save some running around once we're in Guangzhou. What's required to have the medical done? I was under the impression that a letter from the embassy had to be presented at the hospital in order to get the medical processed - but if we can just present forms that I can download and my wife can just go do the medical say, tomorrow, then that'd free us up for her to head to Wuhan get the birth certificate and police certificate organized. Any insight into that? Basically we're trying to avoid getting the medical done in Guangzhou as it'd add a couple of days we'd have to stay there plus the running around in an unfamiliar Chinese city with a 1 year old kid that's not all that keen on spending too much time in waiting rooms and taxis/buses. You need the P4 invitation - which like Dan points out, comes in the email. Thanks, Randy. My wife and our son are heading down to Wuhan to get those squared away. To add another complication the process, before they left, we found out that our son, who received American citizenship, will need to jump through some hoops in order to legally leave China. Apparently he needs to process paperwork saying he renounces his Chinese citizenship or some such, and then an exit visa will be given him. But that's another problem for another day. A question about the domicile issue (I guess it had to come up at some point). In the instructions for the I-864 there are three conditions that may allow you to meet the requirement. Condition C is our's: "You intend in good faith to re-establish domicile in the United States no later than the date of the intending immigrant's admission or adjustment of status" The instructions go on to say that we need to provide proof documenting concrete steps we've taken to show that we're establishing domicile in the US. Would a letter from my mother stating that we're going to live with her, pieces of mail I've had sent to my mother's house, and the fact I wrote her address on my tax returns be sufficient? I've also written a letter: "I am writing this letter to attempt to provide proof of my intent to re-establish domicile in the United States as per the requirements of the I-864 form. I currently live in Beijing with my wife and our child. My wife and I intend to move to the United States and live with my mother at her residence in Washington State. We intend to move there as soon as her immigrant visa is processed. Enclosed are pieces of mail that I have received at my mother’s house indicating that my mailing address in the United States is my mother’s house. Also on my 1040 tax returns (photocopies are included with the I-864 form I completed) I have written my mother’s address as that is where I intend to live once we move back to the United States. Also enclosed is a letter that my mother wrote attesting to the plans of my wife and I to live with her and the arrangements that she has made in order to accommodate us. I hope that these letters, the pieces of mail, and the letter my mother provided are enough to prove my intent to re-establish domicile in the United States" Would that satisfy the requirement or do we need something else?

My wife and I had a conversation about this and decided it'd probably be best if she went down to Wuhan and got those documents ASAP - like you've suggested. The big hang up is the medical which we'd like to have gotten in Beijing since we live literally just down the road from the certified hospital. It'd save some running around once we're in Guangzhou. What's required to have the medical done? I was under the impression that a letter from the embassy had to be presented at the hospital in order to get the medical processed - but if we can just present forms that I can download and my wife can just go do the medical say, tomorrow, then that'd free us up for her to head to Wuhan get the birth certificate and police certificate organized. Any insight into that? Basically we're trying to avoid getting the medical done in Guangzhou as it'd add a couple of days we'd have to stay there plus the running around in an unfamiliar Chinese city with a 1 year old kid that's not all that keen on spending too much time in waiting rooms and taxis/buses.

I know it's a bit of a risk. I don't like it but if it gets touchy we'll try and reschedule. My wife would go now but we have a small son that needs to accompany her. If she goes home then she'll miss the packet and the opportunity to get the medical done in Beijing where we live literally a 5 minute cab ride away from. Hopefully things work out.

The Notary office where you get the documents can and will do the English translations, no need to have a third party do the translations, and even if you did have a third party do the translations, the consulate may have issue with this, they are very familiar with the notary office translations. Police cert in most jurisdictions come from the notary office and gets translated there, if not then it is acquired from the PSB and then translated at the notary office. I-864 only the Petitioner/Primary-Sponsor and any joint sponsor fill out the I-864. Beneficiary (The person getting visa) does not fill out the I-864 they are not sponsoring them-self. I-864 is included in packet 3 for the beneficiary to give to petitioner to fill out, I-864 is brought to visa interview not mailed to consulate. OK - so we'll have two I-864s filled out then. One from me and one from our co-sponsor. The P3 with OF-169, DS-230, photocopy of biography page of my wife's passport, and the filled out EMS label was sent to Guangzhou today. As soon as we receive the date of our interview my wife will be getting her medical done here in Beijing at one of the hospitals listed on the GUZ website and then heading back to her home for the birth certificate and police check. Hopefully there's enough time to get those documents before needing to head to Guangzhou. I figure with the holidays coming up perhaps things might be a little slower.

I ended up emailing GUZ for my wife's case number before we received the P3 packet which also had it. I had downloaded the forms before receiving the P3 packet and was filling them out - one of the questions required the beneficiary's case number - which we hadn't gotten yet. GUZ was able to reply to my email with it. When I directly filed at the Beijing embassy I was told that we'd hear back from the Dept. of Homeland Security within 90 days. The petition was approved a short 3 weeks after we filed - I think the 90 days is just the official line that the workers are instructed to say. We just sent the P3 packet to GUZ today - I'll update here when we receive the interview date.

Thanks, Randy. We had to figure out the whole Gong Zheng Chu thing out when we had our marriage booklets translated for our DCF at the Beijing consulate. My wife called the gong zheng chu in the city where she's from and where her hukou is about the process. She needs her parent's ID cards (sheng fen zheng) and the hukou along with a statement from her old boss or something in order to get the birth certificate - then we'll have it translated to English. From what it looks like we can leave off the affidavit we were going to have her parent's draft and sign stating when their daughter was born? The police certificate will go much the same way I'm guessing. Have it generated by the police office then translated by the gong zheng chu. Any insight about the I-864 question I posed? Still a little unclear about who's filling one out. I know we'll need one from our co-sponsor, and myself, will my wife need to have one filled out as well? The language in the Packet 3 seems to indicate that she'll need one - but that doesn't really make sense.