dan1984

Now this is interesting, I'll have to look into it!

Like others have said, just need to paint a picture that she is not an immigration risk. My lady doesn't own property or a car or her own company or anything. At the time she was working as a graphic designer. She directly told the visa officer she wanted to go back to the US with me to visit my family and friends. We included our pictures and story and other info (almost as if it were for a relationship visa and not a travel visa) and said we're just going back for a visit, but our jobs, lives, etc., are currently here in Beijing. Like you, we too did not want to try any funny business. Low and behold, she was given her travel visa and we had a great time. Just be honest, and hopefully everything will fall into place!

As for the tourist visa, my lady friend doesn't own property or a company, and she received her B-2 travel visa last year no problem.

When my lady and I went to Europe last summer, she basically went through the standard procedure and filled out all the paperwork. However, at her visa interview, she was denied because she is young and unmarried and they were afraid about her intentions. However, with the Schengen visa, you have the opportunity to appeal if you are denied. So, we basically prepared everything as we will for our US family based visa at some point in the future. Basically outlined our relationship, showed that even though she isn't married we've been together for 4 years and have future marriage plans, don't have intent to remain in Europe because our jobs and "life" are currently in Beijing, etc etc etc. Included pictures, I wrote a letter, and more of the same. In the end, she was given the visa and we had a wonderful 2 weeks visiting friends in Austria and Sweden. Perhaps you could do the same, include this type of evidence to present strong ties to China when they go to the embassy/consulate for their interview.

I'm 99% sure he will arrive at Terminal 3 (T3). That's the international terminal. There are a small number of international flights that depart and arrive from T1 and T2, but those are usually confined only to South Korea or Hong Kong or other nearby Asian countries. If he's flying in from San Francisco, I'd be shocked if he's not arriving to T3. If his flight to Chongqing does not leave from T3, as the other guys said, there is an airport subway system or buses that can take him for free to T1 or T2 if that's where he has to go. If he can't figure it out, the people at the information desks or other foreigners or whoever can give him a push in the right direction I'm sure!

and I believe that Part III of Schedule B will refer you to the FBAR requirements. :victory:

As far as filing for an Affidavit of Support, just make sure that you you report on the Affidavit is the SAME as what you reported to the IRS. In other words, if you are reporting a $25,000 income to the Consulate, and you DIDN"T file a tax return for that year, that may just raise a few red (DENIAL) flags at the consulate. It's the responsibility of the IRS to weed out tax fraud, NOT that of the consulate. Regardless of what you told the IRS, be sure that what you tell the consulate is consistent with that. File amended returns if you need to. The consulate is concerned with your INCOME, not so much your taxes. Just don't report income to them that you FAILED to report to the IRS if it's above the minimum level BEFORE applying the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion. As for the reporting, just be aware of the two thresholds for foreign accounts - one at $10,000 for the FBAR, the other at $50,000 for the FATCA. If your resources are above these amounts, I would check to make sure you are satisfying what they require. But even there (in my own, non-legally-binding opinion), none of us is likely to incur a penalty for non-compliance. I also don't think this has any potential to derail anyone's visa application. Those kind of worries are what drive people to hire professionals, but I really don't think you'll do any better than to be aware of the requirements yourself, and NOT rely on someone else's interpretation. Thanks Randy, totally agree. Like you said, I'm abreast of the requirements and am on the straight and narrow, so I should be good, and no reason to hire professional help. As for paying taxes, absolutely, always get that done on time and in an accurate manner, so no worries on that front. As for the two thresholds - one at $10,000 for the FBAR, the other at $50,000 for the FATCA - definitely clear on these as well. For those like us who are currently living abroad, it appears as if our threshold for FATCA is higher (even though this does not concern my financial situation at all, haha, hopefully someday): http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Corporations/Summary-of-FATCA-Reporting-for-U.S.-Taxpayers """Reporting Thresholds Reporting thresholds vary based on whether you file a joint income tax return or live abroad. If you are single or file separately from your spouse, you must submit a Form 8938 if you have more than $200,000 of specified foreign financial assets at the end of the year and you live abroad; or more than $50,000, if you live in the United States. If you file jointly with your spouse, these thresholds double. You are considered to live abroad if you are a U.S. citizen whose tax home is in a foreign country and you have been present in a foreign country or countries for at least 330 days out of a consecutive 12-month period. Taxpayers living abroad. You must file a Form 8938 if you must file an income tax return and: You are married filing a joint income tax return and the total value of your specified foreign financial assets is more than $400,000 on the last day of the tax year or more than $600,000 at any time during the year. These thresholds apply even if only one spouse resides abroad. Married individuals who file a joint income tax return for the tax year will file a single Form 8938 that reports all of the specified foreign financial assets in which either spouse has an interest. You are not a married person filing a joint income tax return and the total value of your specified foreign financial assets is more than $200,000 on the last day of the tax year or more than $300,000 at any time during the year.""""

I think I'm clear on all these rules as they stand now, but as we talked about briefly last week I believe it was, this all just freaks me out, I always think there is something I'm missing or something I'm doing wrong. Just want to keep my slate clean so I don't have any problems, or I miss something and come a few years from now when going the DCF route it comes back to bite me.

Nope - that PROBABLY pretty well covers it. There's a LOT of misinformation (and paranoid individuals) out there - nothing beats being on top of it all yourself, even (or ESPECIALLY) if you have to hire or pay someone to help with the paperwork. You MUST file your income taxes if you make more than the minimum amount (even if you owe $0), and file Form TD F 90-22.1 Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts if your foreign bank account goes above $10,000 at any point during the year. Definitely agree, Randy. As it stands, pretty sure I'm doing everything correctly, which at this point is just filing my taxes. If my foreign bank accounts do tip over $10,000, filing online is fairly easy and straightforward from what I've been able to ascertain: http://bsaefiling.fincen.treas.gov/main.html If and when I register a foreign business, I've had a look at that paperwork, and I just can't make sense of it. I think I'll have to hire somebody at that time........

I am utterly confused with all these new regulations and requirements and will do nothing knowingly wrong, but many times I'm worried I'm not abreast of everything I should be doing. In addition to filing taxes, have to watch out if the total of all a person's foreign bank accounts cross a certain threshold. I found these 2 links rather informative: http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Comparison-of-Form-8938-and-FBAR-Requirements http://www.greenbacktaxservices.com/faq/foreign-bank-account-reporting/ If you have a registered foreign business as well there is a whole sleuth of paperwork/forms that need to be submitted. Anything else those of us living abroad should be sure to do??

Best of luck!!!

I think many people forget that, and believe they are still back in America, but, not the way it works.........

Yes, this happened a couple weekends ago at Dos Kolegas here in Beijing. I knew a couple people there that night. The venue most likely won't be shutdown for good, but all of their shows for the rest of the month and early next month have been cancelled and moved to other venues. A foreigner guy owns (or is part-owner, not sure) of another venue here in Beijing called Temple. A couple months ago the police did a similar type of thing at Temple, and he tested positive. He owns this venue, properties, and I think a restaurant, but now won't be allowed back into China for 10 years at the earliest - apparently. I haven't really paid attention to this whole drama too much, because it doesn't have anything to do with me, but, it's been starting to cause some major ripples in laowai circles here for those who this could affect if they're caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. If Chinese people are caught they're most likely sent to jail for 10 days and that's that, but for laowai's it is goodbye for 10 years.........

Absolutely, got ya!

So you did not have to provide them any documentation? Just made the appointment and asked for marriage affidavit/single certificate? Keep in mind, it is a sworn affidavit, you are swearing under oath that you are single. Yes, absolutely, just wasn't sure if there was anything else that needs to be provided.

So you did not have to provide them any documentation? Just made the appointment and asked for marriage affidavit/single certificate?

Also, from what I understand, if you have "a current address" in the U.S. (ie your parents or a friend's place where your mail is sent to), that can work too, as well as a valid U.S. driver's license, bank accounts, etc., it seems like these type of things also help satisfy the domicile issue and show you haven't abandoned your ties to the U.S.

Thanks Tsapper, really appreciate it. 4 people in your life who have taken their own......I'm so sorry to hear. Being bipolar is a truly scary and deadly problem, and like you said, it's a constant struggle - be it on or off meds. I have not gone through this personally myself, so I don't want to pretend like I know what living with it is like, but as I said, I saw first hand it's effects - as have you - and it's not fun to say the least. Robin Williams, hindsight is 20/20, I never really appreciated his true comedic genius until the past few days, as you said, a one in a billion talent. Seems like a truly kind and caring individual, with an immense amount of talent, but also his own personal demons. Going to go back and watch some of his movies once again over the next couple weeks. Although not the same as being bipolar, a friend from Pennsylvania who I met here in Beijing passed away from cancer at the young age of 28 this past Sunday. She was in China for a few years in her early 20s, but returned home a couple years ago after getting cancer. Earlier this year she was back on the move visiting Australia and planned to come back to China, but just as quickly as she thought she won the battle, she succumbed to the cancer. She was a really positive person, super creative, and had big plans for the future, she will be sincerely missed. I believe she was coming back to China to continue her work with China Residencies, which she founded. I hope others will be able to continue on with her vision in her absence: http://www.chinaresidencies.com/about https://www.facebook.com/chinaresidencies Definitely have to treasure everyday and every person, don't know when it will all be taken away...........

From his original post in this thread - I expect he won't have any problem qualifying for a DCF Ohhhh, I missed this and in considering the issue as a whole, yep, don't think there should be a problem here.

My mom was bipolar and struggled with depression her entire life, and unfortunately ended up taking own life when I was 17. Depression can be a very scary thing........

One other issue to keep in mind - you said you will renew your visa to stay here in China for another 1 or 2 months. As such, I'm assuming you're on a travel visa. If you go the DCF route, Randy can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe you need to have legal residence in China - ie, a residence permit from either work or study. I don't think a travel visa qualifies for this. Nevertheless, I seem to recall people successfully DCF-ing while on a travel visa, but, I'm not exactly sure of the specifics behind this. Any thoughts Randy?

If you are stung and mildly allergic, like swelling of the hand or area where you are stung, apply ice and a topical antihistamine like benadryl cream. However, if you are highly allergic and start feeling your airway swell shut, go immediately to the emergency room. Injections of steroids and/or antihistamines will fix you right up. But you have to get medical help right away. I never will forget an episode when I was in college. There was a girl I always wanted to go out with and after months of rejections, she finally said yes. We had a great dinner, then went for a romantic moonlight walk in the park. Just as things were starting to get interesting, she was stung by a wasp and went into anaphylactic shock. I ended up spending the rest of the evening with her in the emergency room. And needless to say, she never went out with me again as she saw me as "bad luck." Oh well. . . . Scary stuff. When I was a child one of my best friends was allergic to bees. When playing baseball in the park, riding around on our bikes, or whatever, he always had to bring his "bee sting kit" in his fanny pack along. There were a couple times when he was actually stung. Friends' parents had to administer the shots as we waited for the ambulance. Pretty scary stuff.

Hmmmm, I don't have any magical suggestions or super helpful tips, but the one thing I would say is be honest. Explain the situation as you just did here. Say that this is your wife and you would not noting more than her to be there for your son's big day. In the future you two do plan to eventually move to the US, but right now your lives, jobs, and everything is in China. Hopefully they will understand and give you the visa, but if not, well, such is the game. Of course being honest is always the best method, and as you do plan to go the immigration route in a few years, definitely don't want to do anything to put that whole process in jeopardy. So, I'd say just explain everything as you did here, and hope for the best. Not sure if anybody else here will have any other more concrete suggestions. Good luck!

This is so good man. Brought a tear to my eye.

Although this isn't the same as hugging, when I first came to China I was a little shocked by all the hand-holding between 2 females. In a somewhat similar manner, some males will not directly hold hands, but walk along grasping their buddy next to them either on the shoulder or some sort of embrace. I didn't really know how to interpret this after I first arrived, probably similar to how some Chinese people might think we Americans are hugging all the time, haha.