Andy & Joanna

Driver Education (husband teaching wife) seemed like a great idea. We went from newly weds to our 25th anniversary faster than my car took to break down. (new brakes are a must!) It IS possible, but not for the faint of heart. Your relationship will be tested. Make sure you provide some type of task that gives her the feeling of independence and freedom. It took months of driving before I let her take the car by herself. Today I let her travel home for the New Year. I felt like I was sending a child off to college and I just graduated 5 years ago!

See also: http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?/topic/45216-what-travel-documents-would-my-wife-needs-for-domestic-or-international-flights/ So I had the similar issue of many CFL members. Chinese Passport: Given Name SSN: Given Name Marriage: Given Name Green Card/AOS: Given Name is Middle Initial with my Last Name So it is easy to travel domestically. For International Flight, I booked in her Given Name She brought Marriage Certificate, Green Card, and Passport on a trip back to China. What name do I need to put on the RETURN to US ticket? TSA statement for names is confusing What is my best option for the future? Just change her name through SSA and Chinese Passport, is there any issue with the marriage certificate then?

I apologize, I am familiar with the lockbox process. And just like that...it is like "THEY" know. After 12 months of being under "Initial Review" the status jumped straight to "Card Production" overnight. Thanks fellow CFL members! What's next you ask? Inviting parents to the US to hold a proper wedding next year.

Thanks David. Saw this in your other AOS post just now. Looks like our paperwork has been sitting in California CSC after being transferred from Chicago Field Office back at the beginning of this year. Why does the government remind me of a pyramid scam? Happy to receive your signup check, provide little support, and you end up being the only person to consume the product... I imagine the incoming envelopes being opened like a child's birthday card. 1. Open envelope. 2. Shake to let money and checks fall out. 3. Throw paper and card aside. We need more people applying for immigration in order to keep the backlog work funded! At least we are together to enjoy the wait, rather than an ocean apart.

Hobber- Where did you originally submit your AOS documents? Ours were sent to Chicago and later transferred to California. When you say transferred to CSC did it go to California office? My fiance had her biometrics done in January or February and received her Employment Authorization in February. Still no decision on I-485. Is anyone else experiencing very long wait times?!?

Well, I guess I fell asleep....because it has already been 1 year since my fiance traveled to the US with me. We were legally married in November and immediately filed for AOS (I-485, 765EAD, and 131AP). She received EAD in February and I can't even remember what month she did her biometrics. Her case was transferred from Chicago to California for processing. We have heard nor received anything. I didn't think or prepare for things to be expiring. This is crazy! Everything else is fantastic. Planning our ACTUAL Wedding for Spring 2013.

We got the APPROVAL and a nap! I can rest a little easier now. Making possible travel scenarios and planning the best way back to "Sweet Home Chicago" Congrats Danny! We (joanna and I) were wondering how things finished up. Looks like we both called our own "under" times. Talk to you soon.

Tomorrow is our big day for interview. I will do a full write up when we finish up. Do most people write a new or updated EOR for the interview? or does all evidence need to be collected by the fiance (different from petition submission)? -We have evidence of continued relationship but also all the info from the petition, including the letter. Just wondering if I need to pull a late night and finish writing a new one... Also, I found many cases of people flying to US POE from Hong Kong. Has anyone taken a train from Guangzhou to Hong Kong? US　Citizens are okay. Chinese citizens are allowed visa waiver for transitting Hong Kong, but no word of actually where/how a waiver is received. Also some varying stories online about limited 24 hours in the confines of the airport vs. train/taxi in Hong Kong to the airport? Hopefully booking tickets this week!

Does anyone have the latest feedback as to how "ORIGINAL" documents are handled before, during, and after the interview? i.e Original Petitioner Passport for Interview as well as copies provided Original Petitioner Birth Certificate for Interview as well as copies Original Birth Certificate (Chinese and English translations) We didn't get Certified copies of her Birth Certificate. Only the Chinese and English translation. Do these get returned? Or can I provide copies at Document Hand-In and show originals at the interview? Can I/or have you provided your (the petitioner's) passport of BC for interview and gotten them back? I was going to use them with the I-129F copy that my fiance (the Beneficiary) is to provide. But I need them back. I am still a little concerned/confused as to documents handed in on the first day (those requested specifically in OF-169) and then those used during the interview. Are VOs requesting the applicant to present documents that were handed in the day before?

Cool! Well let that excitement and anticipation continue to stir as that day gets closer! Thanks for sharing!

Awesome! Congrats! Can't wait to read your write-up....questions/attitudes/experience.. When do you fly stateside? Staying in Guangzhou?

Okay, so once again the mystery that is this whole process has proven my theory wrong. I just called DOS and GUZ scheduled interview and mailed out P4. Doc Hand-in: August 22nd Interview: August 23rd And breathe.... I think we need a meteorologist to apply Chaos Theory mathematics to understand how processing works.

Oh man, I hope it is not that long of a wait for the interview date. Guangzhou just received my P3 about a week ago. We are waiting for them to schedule a appointment date also. How did you find out that there was waiting list. Did you email the embassy? I am hoping that they give us a late August interview. So I call DOS daily at the number that Kyle mentioned. I ask them for the status as 3 weeks passed before GUZ even showed the P3 package as RECEIVED. I also email Guangzhou through the Embassy website to ask when the interview will be scheduled. I confirmed July 22 by phone with DOS that the file was marked received. GUZ confirmed receipt in response to my question submitted through the website on Monday, 7/25. The email also said that the wait for interview scheduling was in Sept/Oct. My case has been moving along at a good pace, quicker than most...I observed this morning that GUZ seems to be balancing out the process by taking care of early submitters first. The 3 August interviewers I saw on VJ (visa journey) has submitted their petition in January. So whether P3 is processed quickly or slowly, I think NOA1 might be driving the scheduling. When did you submit your petition? When did you send in your P3 package?

What in the world happened? Guangzhou must be behind on other visa applications during the month of August. Just got an email confirmation that P3 papers have been received (took 3 weeks to receive) and my fiance has been put on the waitlist for sometime between September and October. I won't give up hope for an earlier interview, but it's disappointing to see the inconsistency in receiving and scheduling times. Every VJ timeline I have checked, even submitting P3 after us, already have July or early August interview scheduled. I would be happy even to have late August as I am currently in China for work and planned to take vacation afterwards...I don't feel like spending another 24 hours in a plane.

I will take it as a blessing in disguise that I have not gone for an interview yet. I would not have stumbled on the few extra posts that will help my fiance be prepared for any number of questions. (i.e. Resume) AND a business trip sprung up which puts me in Tianjin for the next 2 weeks! I would rather have the full comprehensive list of any and all documents they could ask for, then to find out that we need to go get additional documents. I called DOS this morning and the operator confirmed that our P3 was received into the Embassy. It was received first by the White Swan Hotel (another detail not mentioned in many places without some heavy searching and reading). Well 21days later, the embassy has a record that the P3 file has been received. This means we could be seeing our Appointment Letter in the next week. I suspect to see an outpouring of August interview dates soon!