Invictus

'Tis I again. I have a question on this instant message thing. First off, even though we've known each other for two years this December, our current QQ chat log only goes back to April of this year. Is this a disaster? Secondly, how exactly am I supposed to choose the exchanges from our chat history? Should I look for long exchanges where we're making plans for the future or expression affection? And can I simply paste these into a Word document with the given date, is that good enough? How long should this be, the more the better or less is more? One more thing. Even though our log history only goes back to April of this year, we have had exchanges on QQ Space (kind of like the Facebook-like extension of the QQ instant messenger program) which are still there. Can I take screenshots of those exchanges and use them? I just want to make sure I compile and format this exactly as they would like to see it. Thanks!

Dan, you never fail to help out. Thanks so much. Yes, we met in Thailand in the summer, so the passport would be a good idea. As far as conversant, well, my Chinese is very strong. We communicate 95% of the time in Chinese. Can I translate it, double-check it with her, and then sign it on my own? None of it is so complicated that we can't do it ourselves. I just wasn't sure if we translating our own documents would give the visa reviewer any problems.

Hi, guys. So, I just received a packet from my fiancée in China with documents we need for our application. Some letters of reference from our friends in China (how they know us, how long they've known us, etc), an official paper stating she is free to marry, and another paper confirming her date of birth. Next step is to have all these translated. Can anyone recommend any reliable translation services? By the way, she also copied every single page in her passport. Does this also need to be translated, even the blank pages? A bit unclear on how that should work.

Hey, guys. Quick question. My girlfriend is going home this week to her parents. They live about six hours away, so we think this will be a good time for her to collect whatever documents we will need later on. Can someone give me a heads up which are the most important things she can get from home right now? She needs the hukou for sure. Specifically, does she need any particular page or should she just photocopy everything? By the way, she was born in a village has NO birth certificate. Will this be a problem?

Oh THANK YOU, Dan.

Hi, I have a few brief questions about the I-129F, specifically part B, regarding her information, the Part B section on the I-129F. PART B 1. Should I go by what is on her passport? If so, her Chinese first name would be written "Yilin." I just want to make sure there will be no issues later regarding "Yilin" or "Yi Lin." Like I said, passport writes the first name without a space, should I stick to that? 2. Address - Which address should I go by? Her parents live in Henan, she herself up until recenlty was living in the dorms of her university in Wuhan. This year I rented her a small apartment... I guess common sense would be to use the address of the apartment in which she lives now, but as far as the bureaucrats are concerned, is there some other criterion by which to determine OFFICIAL address? 4. Date of birth - The date of birth on her passport is one month off from her actual date of birth (typical in China), but again, I go by the passport, right? 18. I wrote: "We met and were together in Wuhan from December 25th 2010 until July 2011, then again from September 2011 till February 2012, and finally from July to September 2012." Required evidence notwithstanding, is this what they want to see in this box? Or must I attach an extra piece of paper and describe our meeting in more detail? 20. Should I put "Guangzhou" here? Isn't that where all the interviews take place? I'm also confused about the part regarding my own citizenship and the "through your parents" thing. I was born abroad and naturalized here when I was sixteen, so ticking "naturalization" should be enough, right? Or must I also tick "parents" One more thing. If something doesn't apply can I just leave it blank or must I put "none" or "N/A" on ALL empty fields? For example, I've never been married before. Can I just leave that blank? I don't know what they expect to see. Thanks for the help.

While she is on the two-year green card, can she visit China once a year for a few weeks at a time? What kind of evidence? Also, what happens after the two years, she receives a ten-year green card, then applies for citizenship at the end of the ten years? This is not immediately relevant to me right now, but I'm curious about the big picture.

Thank you, every one. We were just discussing this, she and I. I am about to begin a new job, which will be both demanding and time-consuming, and we both also felt a bit "weird" about getting married on the fly this way. Call us romantics, but we didn't want to do it that way, though we would if we had to. Like 大卫 said, this is our reality now. Regarding the AOS, can someone give me some perspective on this, please? At the moment my impression of it is like successfully jumping through a ring of fire (the K-1) only to find you must walk on glass (the AOS). This is why we were considering a CR-1 instead of the K-1. Is the AOS really that bad? If she successfully comes here and we get married are we going to end up haggard from stress and worry because of the AOS process? --- Antryg, I love wolves. I think the affidavit from the stateside friend or family member might carry more weight if they not only knew through you that you're together, but if they had communicated with her as well. For example, my mother has spoken with her on Skype numerous times. I even have a photo of them "together," http://i.imgur.com/WEyX0.jpg Hah! Anyway, others will surely know better than I on this one.

Just took a look at the I-130 and the suggestions it offers for proving a relationship do not really apply to us. No joint bank account, credit, tenancy, or property. I did give her money to rent a room before I left a few weeks ago but she rented it and signed for it herself. Imwill wire her the rent in the future, does that help? Also, dnoblett, can you point me to a resource regarding the affidavit that friends and family can sign? Is there an official form for that?

No family living in the States, divorces or anything else. Now my next questions become how to document the relationship and, also, if I fly to China to marry her this December, how will we prove we are a "real" married couple, considering we will have never lived together AS a married couple? There will be no joint accounts or credit cards, leases or what have you. Would it look weird to the visa people if I just flew there to marry her for the sake of applying for a CR1? Ugh... I know you said don't sweat it. I think what I should do now is at the very least set up a consultation with Marc, that should help me decide on the right course and finally take the first step.

I read somewhere that a CR-1 takes longer than a K1 and is significantly more difficult because you must give proof of the marriage itself, this is why we didn't get married while there. Did I find wrong or outdated information? If that's the case I will fly back during the holidays and we get married right away. However, something just gave me pause: This sounds like a very big risk... Will it really reflect badly on us if we didn't get married during our time together? 'Cause the potential of a denial on a CR-1 makes me very uncomfortable.

Hi, guys... My girlfriend and I would like to start the K1 process this year and I'm a bit confused about our options. We met in China in December 2010 and were together up until February of 2012. Then I left for Europe for a few months and we just spent this summer together, two months to be exact. Now I'm back in New York and she's in Wuhan and we'd like to apply for the K1 right away. What I'd really like to know is what can we do to ensure we have the best possible chance of getting this thing? I have seen some people say it's best to do it all yourself, but bureaucrats make me nervous, no matter how meticulously I fill out their forms and jump through their hoops. The reason I found this forum, actually, was by seeing Marc Ellis' name mentioned frequently when I did searches on this topic, and I traced him back here. Long story short, I'm heavily leaning toward just hiring a good, recommended lawyer and letting him advise and guide us through the process. This way I can concentrate on what I'm doing now (starting a new job) and, also, he can help prepare my girlfriend for the interview, when the time comes. I know this all sounds jumbled. I feel...worried, I guess. I'd just like to find a thread to latch on to so that I can just get this started. Do you guys think, in your experience, that getting a lawyer is a good step? Also, how much would one cost? I've seen prices ranging from $1,000 to $1,500. Also, lawyer fees aside, how much do the actual application processing fees cost on the government's side? That information I haven't been able to find anywhere. Pardon the long post. I really appreciate your advice.