Mr. Twister

Hey all, First of all, THIS POST IS NOT FOR ME. There, now that that is out of the way, I am living in China and my wife has a female friend who is 31 years old. She has been very unlucky in love and is convinced she is too old to ever find a husband now. I try to keep telling her this is just the Chinese way of thinking and to many foreign men, she would be a hot commodity. The problem is, I'm not really sure where or how she could go about meeting a foreign guy. We live in a part of China where not many foreigners are around, and I don't know how she'd go about meeting a guy online. Can you guys help me out and help this tenderheart finally have some luck in love? Thanks all.

You should expect to have to file a new I-130 and have her wait in China for that to be approved. Remember you've ABANDONED her permanent residence (the green card) in order to get the B-2. Don't expect them to ignore her status just because you still have the card. However, you might just talk to an immigration attorney while she's in the U.S. on the B-2 to see if there are other options. I believe that is their plan, they have been living and reside in China, they got the original 2 year card because they kept getting turned down for visit visas. In their case they probably will qualify to apply for an IR-1 spouse visa through DCF when the time comes to move to the USA permanently. I believe this is what they mean by getting the unconditional green-card sometime next year. Right, that's exactly our situation. Last time I did the DCF, it took me only 4 months from when I submitted our application in Beijing to getting the card in Guangzhou. As I have mounds of evidence to prove our ongoing marriage as well as domicile (we filed our taxes jointly, have shared bank accounts in the U.S., etc) I see no reason we would be denied the unconditional Green Card in due speed when the time comes. To be honest, a small part of me still thinks we should have just filed the I-751, but there was just too much that could have gone wrong, plus this will make dealing with the POE easier for our planned trip to America later this year until we're ready to move back fulltime. The other thing is, filing for a Green Card costs about the same as all the stuff you have to do for the I-751, so I do believe this is the best route for us at this time. As has been said on here, hopefully the U.S. government will give us some brownie points for going out of our way to play by the rules.

Yep, I certainly don't plan on trying to use the Green Card. I'll take it with us when we go to America, just in case, but I don't plan on showing it to anyone in the government unless it is specifically asked for. Honestly, they would have no way of knowing we have it since we've already surrendered her status and we SHOULD have given up the Green Card with that, but it wasn't asked for. I'm hoping we can just keep it and when we get her unconditional Green Card next year sometime, we can look back on the "original" and remember how far we've come. Nice to know about the tourist visa, still wonder where I got the 5/10 year idea from, but it doesn't really matter. We may renew it once, if that, before we just get another Green Card.

Update on my situation: Well, I accompanied my wife to her B2 interview in Beijing with our I-407 in our possession as well as the Green Card, fully prepared to bid "adieu" to that little piece of plastic. What followed was a somewhat odd chain of events but a happy ending: She was told she could not surrender the Green Card at the non-immigrant interview, but that she had to go upstairs to the Immigration department to do it. She tried to go upstairs, but was stopped and told she couldn't go up there without an appointment. So back to the non-immigrant department she went, and they gave her a blue card (passed the interview?) plus a green sheet saying they needed more information with some batch codes. They asked us to email a scanned copy of the I-407, even though we had the ACTUAL, PHYSICAL COPY RIGHT THERE! Well, we went out to a shop in Beijing, made the scan, emailed it, then didn't hear anything for a few days. I emailed them and they told us the visa was approved and would be issued shortly. Less than a week later, it arrived in the mail with her shiny new B2 visa in it. In total, from interview to having the visa in our hands took about 2 weeks. But, did any of you pick up on something interesting? That's right: WE NEVER ACTUALLY SURRENDERED THE GREEN CARD! I mean, we surrendered her status as a permanent resident, but we still have the actual card in our possession. A nice little souvenir, I guess. Here's on thing I would like to know: I heard somewhere that B2 visas were issued in 5 year or 10 year incremements, and I've also heard (in this very thread) they are only good for 1 year. My wife's is a one year visa. Where did I get the idea of a 5/10 year B2 visa from? (B-2 now is valid for 10 years which is even better for this situation. dnoblett) Well, so if anyone needs to know, this is probably not the approved path of converting a Green Card to a tourist visa, but in the end it all worked out. What I would probably do differently is schedule an immigration appointment in the morning and the B2 interview in the afternoon. But oh well, like I said, all's well that ends well.

B-2 tourist is a 1 year multi entry visa, just needs to use before expires at 1 year, after that simply reapply for another by mail, no interview needed. B-2 now is valid for 10 years which is even better for this situation. Got it! Ok, that's a huge load off my shoulders. Guess we'll get right on that! Cheers!

Ok, I think this is my plan of attack: I'm gonna schedule the B2 interview in Beijing, and when they call my wife up I'll have her submit the I-407 right then and there with her Green Card, and I could write a small cover letter explaining the situation. One final round of questions, if you don't mind: Once she gets the tourist visa, how soon does she have to travel to the U.S.? Would it be multiple entry? How long could she keep it before she'd need another one? Really, thanks!

Nothing needs to be done with regards to anything else, the SSN is assigned permanently to a person for life and never changes, and keep and maintain the bank accounts for future domicile evidence. Also continue filing joint IRS returns using the SSN. Does that include her U.S. driver's license? Can she still drive legally with it?

I'm a bit torn.... From what you said, we have a pretty good shot of getting the conditions removed without the interview as we can provide mounds of evidence of a bonafide relationship, but I do worry they'd call us for an interview just to give us a hard time about not living in the states full time yet. I guess it would be a bit of a gamble. Whereas abandoning it/converting to a tourist visa until we are truly ready to move would probably be a little less stressful... But maybe a bit more work in the long run, oddly enough. For the record, before we were married, my SO did apply for a tourist visa, but was denied. So we went ahead and got married and got the green card, and we did/do intend to move the America, just not right away after getting the green card. Personally, what would YOU do? You can see my dilemma, right? We're really not trying to break any rules, we do still INTEND to move to America..... Thanks! Personally I would probably abandon the green-card rather than dealing with the issues at POE, and all the other state-side immigration issues, and go for another B-2, once the consulate sees the situation I would doubt they would deny a B-2. Ultimately it's your decision. Yeah, I'm leaning towards this... The only question I have is what would it do for her SSN and the bank accounts? Would she just get a new SSN once she got the new GC, or could she keep her old one somehow? You have no idea how much I appreciate this help.

I'm a bit torn.... From what you said, we have a pretty good shot of getting the conditions removed without the interview as we can provide mounds of evidence of a bonafide relationship, but I do worry they'd call us for an interview just to give us a hard time about not living in the states full time yet. I guess it would be a bit of a gamble. Whereas abandoning it/converting to a tourist visa until we are truly ready to move would probably be a little less stressful... But maybe a bit more work in the long run, oddly enough. For the record, before we were married, my SO did apply for a tourist visa, but was denied. So we went ahead and got married and got the green card, and we did/do intend to move the America, just not right away after getting the green card. Personally, what would YOU do? You can see my dilemma, right? We're really not trying to break any rules, we do still INTEND to move to America..... Thanks!

Although actually, thinking about what you said.... Given the cost of applying for a new green card vs the cost/stress of removing the conditions, it almost WOULD make more sense to abandon the green card and get the unconditional one later when we are finally ready to move, wouldn't it? I applied for the conditional green card while living in China and you're right, it's fairly painless, I applied in March and we had/passed the interview in June. I saved all the info, so it should be pretty easy to re-use a lot of it (minus getting a few new "white books" and whatnot...) Here's something: I read somewhere you can schedule a B-2 visa appointment and walk in there with your green card and some form filled out with the intent to abandon the green card, and they can "convert" the green card into a multi-entry B-2 visa. Can anyone verify this? Sorry for ranging off topic a bit...Should I start another thread or something? Again, thanks for the help!

I do know the Green Card is not a fancy tourist visa, and believe me we have only used it that way up to this point and don't intend to do so much longer. I have always been told the most important thing is to show you have not abandoned the INTENT to immigrate to America, and we have done our best to show we keep ties to America; filed taxes jointly, joint bank accounts, joint insurance policies, etc. I worked hard for this Green Card and would hate to give it up when we are so close to actually using it the way it was meant to be used, with both of us living in America together. Back to my question, though... So if I submit the application on, say, May 29th, and I am present in America from June 21 to July 21, there is a pretty good chance the biometrics will fall in that time frame? And I could still try to walk in early if it starts cutting it too close, right? And when I submit the I-751, do I just load it up with info and there may be no need for an interview (probably a pipe dream in my case, I know, but just asking...) And finally, if she does get the conditions removed, does she need to be present, or does it just vest automatically on her green card? Thanks again for the help!

Hey all, I've read this thread and I am stressing a little bit about the removal of conditions...Allow me to explain. We got the Conditional Green card in August 2010, and since that time have not really "lived" in America. We just aren't ready yet, although we do plan on making the permanent move either late this year or early 2014. We have travelled back to America once each year and stayed for about 2 months each time. The reason I am stressing is I'm not sure I can be present in America for the interview/biometrics and all that. Basically, what I want to know is this: After you file the I-751, how soon will they typically schedule the biometrics and interview? I was planning to submit the application at the end of May then go to America in mid-June and stay about a month and hope the biometrics and interview would fall in that month timeframe. Does it not work like that? From reading this thread, it seems like they call you for an interview anytime in the year after you apply then you have like a week or two to show up for it. I know I haven't exactly "played by the rules" but believe me we are not trying to game the system; we still INTEND to move to America, we just aren't ready just yet. Anyway, any advice/feedback from personal experience would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Good stuff, I didn't see that on here before. I do want to point out something that was different from what you described (in L.A., anyway)... There were THREE lines there, one for citizens, one for "residents", and one for tourist/visitors. We lined up in the resident line and it was no problem. Basically, I think any line besides citizens is fine, the officers seemed understanding because we really weren't sure what to do. Thanks for the info in your post, it's always good to know.

Hey all, I've seen plenty of write-ups on here about the interview and immigration challenges, but I don't think anyone actually covered what goes on at the airport when your loved one comes to America for the first time. I was actually stressing a little about it because I thought she would have to go through another interview and could potentially be denied entry or something, I really had no idea. So, for any of you wondering, here is what happened for us (I accompanied her from China to the U.S.) We arrived at our POE, which was Los Angeles. I filled out the customs form for the two of us (since we are family by marriage). Now, I hope you kept your packet from Guangzhou in your carry-on luggage, because you need that (we had her x-rays too...More on that later). What you will see is a line for citizens, a line for residents, and a line for tourists. Most of the Chinese will go to the tourist line, a few will go to the resident and citizen lines. Again, I figured since we were family, we should go through a the line together, so I lined up with her in the "Residents" line. I was a little nervous because I wasn't sure if I was doing the right thing. When finally it was our turn, I walked up to the officer and presented both of our passports, taking the initiative to tell the officer that it was her first time to come to America. He looked at our passports, and asked if we had the packet. I took it out and showed him. He told us everything was fine, we just needed to walk down to gate 1 (we were at gate 18 or so) to have the packet examined, and he handed our passports back. He then asked my wife to take a photo at the mounted web-cam thing, and then took her fingerprints electronically on the pad right in front of us. After this, I asked if he wanted her x-rays. He kind of chuckled and said no, that wasn't needed. He seemed very friendly and nice. So far so good. My wife and I marched right down the aisle to gate 1, right in front of all the waiting lines and officers because that's what our officer told us to do. When we got to the end, we were at a desk staffed by an older man. I told him it was my wife's first time in the U.S. and she was an immigrant. He asked for the packet and her passport. He proceeded to tear the packet open and I was surprised to see it contained the I-130 I submitted in Beijing all those months ago as well as some other papers. He started thumbing through everything, not really seeming to look that closely at it. There were yellow tabs telling him where he needed to sign stuff. After a few minutes, he took us around back of the desk and put on latex gloves. I remember thinking "Oh no, here comes the body cavity search!" but all he did was proceeded to hold my wife's hand and direct her to make her fingerprints using real ink on a piece of paper. She then had to sign the paper. After that, he told us to leave our carry-on luggage there by the desk and go get our checked bags from the conveyer belt while he finished up the administrative stuff. We went and got our bags and came back, waiting behind the desk. After a few more minutes, he asked us to come around the front. I think my wife had to sign a few more papers, then he stamped her passport and signed the stamp. I asked if it was all over. He said yes, that was all. I asked about the x-rays and if he wanted to see them. He kind of scoffed and said no, he didn't need them and that I could keep them. So basically, we carried those rolled up x-ray tubes for nothing, but, as I learned in China, it's always better to be over-prepared than under-prepared. That was seriously it. No questions, no hassle, completely stress free. After the standard customs questions and stuff later, my wife and I finally walked out of the airport, hand in hand, into the warm Los Angeles sun. She was in America. Hope this helps anyone who is wondering about the process.

Hey guys, My wife had her interview last week, it was ridiculously easy pink. She was asked the total of 5 questions. Now, we did DCF in Beijing, since I have been in China and living with my wife for nearly 3 years now (although we just got married this past December) We applied on March 22, and got the visa June 22, 4 months later. My advice? #1. It has been said before, but FRONTLOAD, FRONTLOAD, FRONTLOAD! I think the VO already has a pretty strong idea about what they are going to decide before your SO even steps up to the window and frontloading and overwhelming them with positive evidence before the interview can only help the case. You want to make it seem like you are confident and that you have nothing to hide. Since we live together, we frontloaded with pictures, our apartment lease, a copy of every page of my passport as well as my Chinese visas, my work permit, my birth certificate, copies of all the pages of her white books, (marriage cert, divorce cert, birth cert, police cert), copies of plane tickets with both our names, etc. Our I-130 packet was huge. The bigger the better, I say! #2. Even if you frontload, TAKE AS MUCH EVIDENCE AS YOU CAN TO THE INTERVIEW, ESPECIALLY MORE RECENT PHOTOS/CORRESPONDENCE IF YOU HAVE THEM. #3. A problem I thought I might have was domicile since I have been in China so long, so I had my SO take my valid U.S. drivers license as well as mail I've been receiving from the Social Security administration and IRS at an address in America (my mom's house). This is the same address I said we were going to be living at in America. However, as has been reported elsewhere on here, DOMICILE WAS NOT AN ISSUE AS THE VO DID NOT ASK FOR ANY OF THIS EVIDENCE. #4. On the day of the interview, COACH YOUR SO TO ACT LIKE SHE IS EAGER TO MEET AND TALK TO THE VO AND ANXIOUS TO SHOW ALL THE EXTRA EVIDENCE SHE HAS. Be friendly! Be confident! Above all, YOUR SO SHOULD OFFER TO SHOW HER EVIDENCE TO THE VO, DON'T WAIT FOR THE VO TO ASK FOR IT. This is what I told my SO: a. Be the first to say "Good morning!" The VO will respond and ask "How are you?", so you should say "I'm great! How are you?" This is upbeat and it beats the canned typical Chinese response of "I'm fine, thank you." It also breaks the ice for both of you. Also, put all your evidence on the counter so the VO can see it. b. When the VO asks for your passport, give the VO both your passport and my passport. This shows that I'm there to support you on that day and further establishes a bonafide relationship. c. If the VO asks "How long......?" anything regarding us, answer and say "I have more pictures! Do you want to see them?" D. If the VO asks anything about my job, offer them the employment letter (Even though I already included this both in the I-130 and the document hand-in) E. If the VO asks about the co-sponsor (my mom), offer him the notarized letter from my mom explaining that she understands what it means to be a co-sponsor and that she is doing this willingly. Also offer copies of my mom's passport to identify her. Get the idea? You need to coach you SO to listen for certain "trigger questions" so her immediate response is to offer up the evidence that you have regarding those questions. Even if the VO doesn't ask those questions, it never hurts to be prepared. I organized about 5 individual clear plastic folders (domicile, relationship, my job, co-sponsor, misc) for her which I then put in a large clear plastic folder so the VO could see our stack of additional evidence. I put the photos (about 40 of them) on top so the VO could see them through the plastic. Final thoughts: Be organized. Be prepared. Be confident. Be friendly. It should not be difficult under any circumstances if you just follow these guidelines. I really feel a large number of people who fail do so because they are too apprehensive on the day of the interview. Good luck to all!