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Thanks for the link. Seems a little random -- whether family members get approved for a visa -- no? Nothing you can really do on either end to increase the odds? One thing my wife has asked me to ask specifically about. People have been telling her she'll have a much better chance if she invites only her brother, and not his family (wife & daughter). The thinking goes he's much more likely to return. That's no doubt true -- but any evidence of his visa odds being better if he applies just for himself and not the whole family? Thanks for your help...

Hi - I've read several threads on applying for B-2 visas for family members. In our case, we'd like to invite my wife's brother and his family (wife & daughter) to come visit for a month. Can anyone with recent experience help us navigate this? Are B-2 visas for siblings difficult to get? Is there any way to make it easier / more likely? Any pointers would be very much appreciated. Thanks!

Not sure if this is the right place to post this, but thought others might be interested in the processing times we saw: Jan 9, 2012: mailed combined AOS, EAD, AP application Jan 18: Receipt NOA Feb 6: First Biometrics appointment Feb 9: Notice of transfer to California Service Center Feb 27: Second Biometrics appointment Mar 15: Notice of EAD approval (combined EAD/AP arrived in the mail a week later) Jul 2: Notice of RFE (her fingerprints were twice deemed "unreadable"; they asked us to get a "Certificate of Good Conduct" from the local county sheriff's office; took less than an hour) Jul 9: Mailed back the requested evidence Jul 30 (today): Notice of AOS approval (hooray!) Thanks again to everyone for all the great advice I got in these forums.

This looks great ... thanks for the link. For about $100 more looks like I can get the newest model with HDMI output, wireless mics and other features like voice recording. Seems worth it to me. Would others agree? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150701955108#ht_5584wt_1270

Thanks, Dan. We live about 10 hours from the nearest China town. So will probably buy something online. At least that's what I'm thinking now.

Hi! My wife would like a karaoke system for when we entertain. Didn't know the first thing about them, but after a little research today I guess I can say I understand the basics. Anyone have any recommendations? I see you can get some systems pre-loaded with lots of Chinese songs. Are these worth the uplifted price, versus building your own library? Any systems just perfect for a night of Chinese/American karaoke? Any advice would be helpful. Thanks!

Aren't taxes fun? I'm using Turbo Tax and you're right about the foreign income being subtracted on line 21. But where you take the hit is on line 44, where you enter the tax obligation. In Turbo Tax that number comes from a special "Foreign Earned Income Tax Worksheet", where the calculations are as I described: first figure tax on the combined income, then subtract tax on the foreign income. In my case, and in most cases I'd imagine, the two don't net out: the incremental tax on the combined income is more than the tax on the foreign income alone. On attaching the statement, I'm very willing to be persuaded and I see your logic. The publication you reference is very clear that if you make the MFJ choice, you're both treated as residents, and must report total combined income. I'll chew on it a little more. Thanks again.

Thanks for all the replies. I'm definitely in the honesty is the best policy camp. As a technical note, because of how the IRS has structured the foreign earned income exclusion, there's still a small hit you take in reporting the foreign income and then excluding it, due to the tax obligation being calculated on the combined income, and the exclusion being calculated only on the foreign income. But it's only a small hit. Randy W, I'm curious, what makes you think you don't need to attach the first year choice statement? I'd prefer to file electronically of course. 2mike&jin, did you attach a first year statement to your 2008 return? Thanks again.

If you register at the site you can sign up for electronic notifications. They get sent as soon as anything about your case triggers a change in status. It beats checking the website every night.

Am I the only one who's been procrastinating? Here's my situation, which I assume is pretty typical. My K-1 fiancee arrived in November and we were married in December. The best option of course is to file "Married Filing Jointly". If we choose this option, it's clear from the IRS website we need to report what she made last year in China, which wasn't much -- and which can be excluded using the "foreign earned income exclusion" option. It also means we need to attach a statement to our tax return saying we're electing to treat her as a resident alien for 2011 tax purposes. Having to attach the statement means we can't file electronically, but that's only a minor inconvenience. So far so good? My question is this. When we ask others in the local community what they did the first year they were married, to a couple they all say: we didn't report any foreign income... no one ever reports any foreign income. The problem this is causing is my wife is really starting to think I'm off my rocker. I try to explain what I've learned and what seems very simple and clear to me: if you want to file jointly, you're required to report both incomes. But when everyone she talks to tells her "no one ever does that", I don't know what to say. So back me up. Tell me I've interpreted the tax rules correctly and that we won't be alone if we go through the additional steps to [a] report her income, exclude it using the foreign earned income exclusion, and [c] attach a signed statement saying we're electing to treat her as a resident alien for the 2011 tax year. Or... tell me I'm off my rocker. It won't be the first time I've heard it this week

Thanks for the confirmation. I was 99% sure -- but not something you want to take even the smallest chance on ...

Could one of you experts confirm for me there's no requirement to come through Los Angeles on a K1 visa? It's a rumor my fiancee has heard. Our preference is she comes through San Francisco. Thanks!

Thanks... and good luck to you next week!

Guess I'll leave a quick note for anyone reading this in the future who might have some of the same questions I had. Based on our experience... Doc in-take * They took the I-134 with the tax transcripts and W2s. They didn't take the letter from my employer or the last three months earnings statements. * They took none of the "proof of residence" documents. * They took her forms (156, 156K, 157, GNI-2) and her certificates (birth, police, unmarried). Interview * They asked about prior visits but didn't ask for any original documents (receipts, tickets, etc). * They were most interested in the QQ chats and the photos. * Didn't look at the Letter of Intent / EOR. The interview lasted a little less than 10 minutes. My fiancee spoke in English (very proud of her). We passed. Happiest day of our lives.

My girl leaves for Guangzhou Sunday morning. We're going through the final document check. So nerve-racking hearing all the stories of denials due to missing documents. We're using the instructions we received in the P4 package as our guide (below). Are we missing anything??? The only document in this list that has my signature is the I-134, with attached 2008-2010 transcripts and W2 forms. I've also provided a supplemental Letter of Intent/EOR with my signature. The proof of employment is the original from my employer. For proof of relationship we have photos and emails and QQ video screenshots with the two of us and 40 pages of QQ chat transcripts. For proof of US residence, my driver's license and a couple of utility bills. She has all her forms and certificates and translations. In another active thread there was a suggestion we'd want to bring originals of anything submitted electronically with the I-129F? Did I understand that correctly? Would it include things like plane tickets and hotel receipts? Thanks again so much to everyone. Submit these items during your medical exam: ¡ñ Interview appointment letter. Every applicant must have a medical exam, regardless of age. The medical examination forms will be generated and completed by the panel physician during the exam. ¡ñ Valid passport, four visa photos. Each applicant must have a passport that will be valid for at least 8 months beyond the visa issuance date. The following items are required for the visa interview: ¡ñ Valid Passport, 2 visa photos and a photocopy of passport¡¯s personal information pages. Each applicant must have a passport valid for at least 8 months beyond date visa is issued. ¡ñ Two copies of the DS-156 form in English with original signatures. Chinese nationals must also fill out Items 6, 7, 8, 9, 15, 18, 20 in both English and Chinese and must provide the telegraph code for their Chinese surnames and given names while filling out Items 6 & 7, which can be found at most Chinese post offices. ¡ñ Two copies of the DS-157 form. All applicants 16 years of age and older must complete the DS-157 application form, which is one page. Note: When filling out Item 3 ¡°Full Name (In Native Alphabet)¡±, Chinese applicants should write down their full name in Chinese characters. Chinese applicants must also fill out items 5, 6, 7, 12 & 17 both in English and Chinese characters. ¡ñ Form DS-156K. (Only K1 applicants need to submit this form). ¡ñ Form GNI-2 (Only K1 applicants need to submit this form). ¡ñ Notarized police certificate. Applicants aged 16 or older must submit this form for all countries in which the applicant has resided for one year or more and wherever the applicant has been living for six months prior to the interview. Police certificates are valid for one year. ¡ñ Notarized birth certificate for each applicant. ¡ñ Unmarried certificate. You must submit a notarized statement saying that you are currently single or have not remarried since a divorce or death of a spouse. In addition, if you were married previously, submit notarized divorce/death certificate(s) to prove dissolution of the marriage(s). ¡ñ NIV application fee receipt. ¡ñ Adoption certificate (only if relevant to your case) ¡ñ Evidence of support. Although optional, we recommend you submit form I-134, and a copy of the petitioner¡¯s most recent tax return, and proof of current employment. ¡ñ Proof of relationship between the petitioner and all applicants. Every case is different. No specific amount or type of evidence, such as photographs, telephone records (calling cards are inadmissible unless you have proof of the calls made on the cards), and letters, guarantees a visa officer will believe you have a bona fide relationship. ¡ñ Proof of petitioner¡¯s residency in the United States. Proof can include lease/deed/mortgage statements, bank statements, utility bills, and copies of ID cards. ¡ñ If you were married previously, please bring in documents containing the following information for your interview: your ex-spouse¡¯s name, date of birth, social security number (if applicable), last known address and telephone number.

Hi - I'm working on the details for next week with my fiancee -- her interview is on Wednesday, doc-intake Tuesday. If we arrive in Guangzhou on Monday, does that give us enough time to have the medical tests done? If no, can we schedule them for Saturday, or does it have to be the Friday before? I know there have been a number of posts on this topic before... but looking for guidance given our particular schedule. Many thanks again to every.

At a certain point it does begin to feel like this whole process is rumor-based. Submit the I-134 but follow the instructions for the I-864. Be sure to provide an EOR (never mentioned in any official documents) and be sure to discuss/don't discuss your previous marriage(s). ARRGGGGHH!!! So in this case I had read transcripts were better than 1040 returns, just as others have mentioned: more concise, a tad more "official", and so I ordered them, scanned them, and sent them to my sweetie. And now she tells me her 001 sisters are telling her... last year transcripts were accepted, but not this year... just last week there was a denial because the wrong tax information was submitted and -- you guessed it -- they'd submitted transcripts and not signed 1040s. No, I said, that couldn't be, it's the same information... ohI can't wait to come out the other side of this rabbit hole.......

For K1 evidence of support, are tax transcripts preferred to 1040's? 1040's preferred to transcripts? Any cases of one being accepted but not the other? Thanks!

Hi - my fiancee and I have been busy preparing the documents and material listed in the P4 packet, and "proof of relationship" is definitely on our list... but this is the first I've heard of an "EOR". What is it exactly? Is it different from the photos and letters and phone logs and QQ chats we're packaging up? Is it something they'll expect her to bring to the interview? I don' t see any mention of it in the P4 packet. Thanks...

Thanks for clearing this up so quickly. I need to be more careful sifting through search results on the consulate site. The link I posted is the first that's returned for a "visa pickup" search. So, the question now is... how much time should we allow for mail delivery of the visa after the interview? A week? More? Thanks again!

My fiancee & I are making post-interview plans (her interview is on Nov 1). Assuming all goes well, my understanding is her K1 visa will be ready for pick-up in Guangzhou within three days: http://guangzhou.usembassy-china.org.cn/china-post-delivery-throughout-china.html As she doesn't live in one of the mail-delivery cities, pick-up in Guangzhou would seem to be the only option. However... My fiancee is telling me that this information isn't current, and that people on the 001 site are telling her that mail delivery is the only option. Sorry for asking a such a basic question... but we're getting conflicting information... and it's not like we've done this before... :-) Many thanks!

Called the DOS this morning... P4 packet was sent out today! Interview date November 1! (Is that the doc-intake date, or the actual interview date, by the way?) Looking at flights now... can't believe how soon they scheduled it! Thanks to everyone for sharing their insights and experiences...

Starting to think about what happens after my sweetie arrives. Hopefully it will be before the end of the year. Wondered if that meant I could file "married" status. Just read through some of the posts in this forum, and I believe the answer is yes, if we get her an ITIN. But the one thing that surprised me was the requirement to report her local income. Isn't that double-dipping, assuming local governments take care of taxing their own citizens? Did I understand that right?

Question for you all. I expect our interview will be in November. Hoping anyway. Sent the P3 packet back 3 weeks ago now. How important is it for the fiance to be at the interview? From what I've read here and on other sites, it almost seems as though the decision is made even before the interview occurs. If that's the case, then I'd rather save my money on things we can do after she comes. But if the consensus is it helps for the fiance to be physically present... if it can sway the outcome... I'll be there in heartbeat! What advice would you all give me??? - Scott

Would be nice. I found out when P-4 was mailed before m received it by calling DOS Visa Services and asking a couple times a week, they will give you interview date, (202) 663-1225 The forms them selves can be downloaded from: http://guangzhou.use...and_packets.htm http://travel.state....forms_1342.html http://www.uscis.gov...00045f3d6a1RCRD Thank you so much! I had no idea there was a number you could call. Provided much relief... P4 packet hasn't gone out yet. If all goes perfectly, will go out as soon as she's home. I think we're on track with the P4 forms. I downloaded them a couple of weeks ago. Unlike the forms I filled out for the initial petition, none of these were editable. Created editable versions of the 156, 157, 157KEC, and GNI-2 for my sweetie. Would be happy to share if of interest to anyone. Thanks again!