honeybun

Hi All: I have a job offer from a Chinese university for a 2 year position, and the HR Dept. there is telling me that I can claim an exemption from Chinese individual income taxes during my time there. (see below) One of the forms required to obtain this exemption is a Certification of US Tax Residency, which I would have to get from the US. I have 2 questions about this: 1. Has anyone else gotten this exemption from Chinese individual income taxes? 2. Because, as part of obtaining this exemption, I would have to certify that I am a resident of the US for tax purposes, would I no longer be eligible to use the Foreign Earned Income Credit? In other words, would I then have to pay US taxes on all my China-earned income below $80k? I would be extremely appreciative to receive guidance from anyone who has been through these issues. Thanks! Individual tax exemption Appointees from countries which have a tax agreement with Chinese government will be exempted from the Chinese individual tax for the first 2-3 years when he/she works at an institution in Mainland China.

Just wanted to give an update. My mother-in-law passed her interview for the B2 visa. The interviewer asked for the "mei guo cai liao" -- "American materials" -- and my MIL just gave her the invitation letter I wrote. The only question asked was who was paying for the trip. Thanks for the help! Should be a great visit over the summer for Grammy to finally meet her granddaughter.

Thanks, again. We ended up being able to use the DS160 we had already filled out. Just got a CGI number using the website you provided, paid the fee at CITIC bank using this CGI number, and got the receipt number that we could then use to proceed to appointment registration on the website. Thanks!

Thanks for clearing that up! It's frustrating, but that's life I suppose.

Thanks, dnoblett. This is the first I've heard of CGI Stanley. Does that mean that we can't finish the application process using the electronic DS160 we already filled out on the embassy website?

We're having some trouble applying for a B2 visa for my MIL. We submitted the DS160 already, and are trying to pay the application fee at CITIC bank, but they want a CGI number, which we don't have. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks, dnoblett

Hi Everybody, For a B2 visa app there is an online DS-160 form that asks for home and business addresses. Should we put these in as Chinese or as English translations & transliterations? The embassy website says to handwrite name and addresses in Hanzi on the confirmation page, but we're not sure about on the actual DS-160. Also, how will the embassy correspond with us? Is any information sent to the home address provided, or is correspondence done by email, phone, or some other method? (If anything is mailed out, we're obviously thinking that we need to put the address on the DS-160 in Chinese) Thanks!

Congratulations! It looks from your timeline that your wife is now a US citizen. Is that correct? Would you be able to provide any other info on your MIL's situation in China? As in, does she have any other sons or daughters, is her husband still around, does she still work, did she need to substantiate her finances, has she been out of China before, etc.? The reason I ask is that my MIL is also getting ready to apply for a tourist visa, and I'm curious about the comparability of their situations. Thanks!

100% agree with this. I think you should be prepared to get charmed and seduced big time, so you'll be ready to react as your BIG noggin would prefer. At least you can try.

haha, nice!

Also try not to make her mad

上火 shang huo, it is basically what you write, excessive heat, with associated meanings in Chinese medicine. She basically means she needs to 降火 "jiang huo" or lower her internal heat... Maybe you can get her some "Wang Lao Ji" tea

Update -- we received the oath appointment letter today. The ceremony will be held the day before we move, so we'll just barely skid in there. Indeed, it was made to coincide with some educational event at a local university. We'll be so happy when the process is complete!

Oh, I see. I hope my jurisdiction doesn't delay this to make it coincide with some anniversary or event... Thanks guys.

Thanks for that data point and bit of info, dnoblett. I wish I¡¯d known that we could request the oath on the same day back 3-4 weeks ago! Thanks as always.

Hi All, My wife passed her citizenship interview about 3 and a half weeks ago. She hasn’t yet received the notice for the oath ceremony, and in 2 weeks we are moving to another state. For anyone who has recently gone through this process, would you speculate that we’ll have the oath ceremony within the next 2 weeks? Also, are these ceremonies typically held on Saturdays? It would be so great to have the ceremony before we move so we can avoid changing the appointment (and maybe even having to change the address we have registered at USCIS). After my wife’s interview, they told her she would have her citizenship in time to vote, so this gives us hope… Thank you for any input!

My wife loves to get flowers. Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, despite my protestations that the flowers are dead and will soon be dried up, that the holidays are invented to get us to spend money, that I prefer to show my appreciation in other ways.... she wants flowers. Usually I'll go the day after and get her some at 1/2 the price. As for the OP, I think he or she was looking to purchase flowers for the Mother, so I hope that is out of the question. I agree with the OP that flowers could be a nice gesture. From reading here, one wonders how all the fresh flower shops in China are staying in business....

I had a long comment written, but it disappeared. Anyway... Randy W, have you talked to your wife about whether she feels any prejudice? It would be an amazing place to live in China where you can both experience no prejudice toward you or your relationship. DanB, about promotions and being passed over by less qualified minorities in the USA. The difference is, in China, what we would call discrimination is legal. Potential employers can request a particular age, height/weight, sex, race, etc. When you apply, your resume contains a photograph of yourself. The decision can be based just on this info if they please. During the Olympics, Uigurs were monitored by the government and had a curfew. I agree there is racism and discrimination in both places, and likewise in both places there are people who are biased and not biased, and regions that tend to have more racist people than others. However, in my opinion there is little comparison to be made on whole between the US and China. China is an unfair place in many, many ways, and therefore it's not surprising that people don't tend to be concerned about fairness based on color.

Why was it a choice between either marriage or being together? You lost me. Just judging based on what I've read here, trying to make this distinction may have come across to her as you wiffle-waffling and having second thoughts, after you strung her along and slept with her. How old is she?

amberjack1234, sorry if any parts of that came off as preachy or holier than thou. It was more of an issue with commenters on Chinasmack than with your post. Personally your points are well taken.

Yep, this has been interesting, as have been the other recent events involving foreigners (the cellist, the Brit, the Brazilian). One word of caution that's evident from all the reactions is that there is no "average citizen." Reactions to foreigners vary across people who have had very different experiences (as exemplified not just by individual variation in the comments but by the differences in the types of people who frequent various online forums). Also, the attitudes of the fickle public can be strongly affected by the most recent events in memory or the situation they're confronted with, as can the crowd of netizens that come out in response to a particular online post. In my opinion it's far too easy to generalize the Chinese just like some of them generalize us based on unacceptable behavior by a few people. Like you, I've had the same experience where I was at a store with my wife (girlfriend at the time) and the shopkeeper suggested selling me items for more expensive, assuming my wife was my translator. It was embarassing all around. Also, if you've been out and about, I'm sure you have encountered Chinese who are outwardly hostile to you, had them shout insults at your wife, or just speak rudely about you in your presence. (Out of curiosity, did the girl in the store call you "foreign devil" or was it laowai?) Being in China was eye opening for me about what it must be like to be a minority. For example you can't go outside looking poorly and just be some bummy guy. If you do, you risk falling into some stereotype, being judged for fitting in with someone's preconceived notion about people "like you." Also, you end up having to deal with the same ubiquitous notions over and over again. No matter if you would live in China for 25 years, anybody you meet for the first time would still ask the Chinese person you are with, "wa, ta hui jiang zhongwen ma?!"

I think there's a lot of person to person variation, as bergamot very succinctly pointed out. In general, I could definitely see the pragmatism and corruption carrying over from China (and the desire to stay away from it, for some people), but I can also see the tendency to network carrying over, and the desire to connect with other chinese when abroad (or as they call each other "tong bao," the two characters literally meaning "same" and "womb"). At first, my wife didn't want to have Chinese friends because she wanted to be immersed in the mainstream US. When she had our daughter, a young couple who owned a nearby Chinese restaurant went very far out of their way to get the best traditional foods for my wife while she was speding her month inside with the baby, and we became good friends. From there my wife became more interested in connecting with other Chinese and ended up meeting and trading favors with them for things she was working on, as Chinese often do in China.

I would also reconsider this. Something about that message from her sets off alarm bells for me. It looks like she wrote that in response to what you described was the process for applying for an immigrant visa, and she replied that you need to set her up with money in the bank, property, and a business so that she can get a tourist/business visa as a workaround (i.e., fraudulant) way of getting into the US. The wording of the message, and please don't take offense to this, sounded like you are her tool. I'm sure her other messages are different, but this one might be the most revealing one. It sounds like a con job, where manipulation and red flags are easily overlooked when you still have a hole in your heart/life from the recent exit of your last leading lady. Yes, I may be reading a lot into this, but you sound like a nice, wonderful guy in a vulnerable position with an open heart, and this person is coming off as someone who needs you for a purpose at this moment -- for a "project" that needs to be handled, where "moves are made," and she needs you to just listen to what she says so you can avoid paying big. On top of that, she knows you'll be easier to convince once you go and get "phsysically acquainted" with her. Even how she inserts your name in there, "you must come here 1st jim," does not sound right to me.

Thanks Tsap. No USCIS break for us just yet, though. We'll be applying for citizenship in June so we can have the ability to live in China for extended periods without the threat of GC revocation hanging over our heads, or the unthinkable rigamorale and expense of abandoning status and going through the process again. There's a bright light at the end of the USCIS tunnel for us now, at least. Honeybun is what my wife calls me. Mostly when I'm in the other room and she needs something. Emphasis on the bun, as in honey buuuuuuunnnn! Judging by some of the stuff you come off with here, the people you work with probably have more fun on the job having a chat with you than they do on their off-hours. There was a line you wrote one time, something about riding the south end of a northbound rubber ardvark... my god, a unique mind and a tongue colorful enough to express it.