MatthewBeijing

Wow, thank you so much for the quick and extensive response, this is truly helpful! You have laid this out very clearly, and it does seem that getting married here first is the best solution. My previous plan was for us to travel together to Indonesia over Chinese New Year and propose to her on an isolated beach. I was afraid that the whole visa process would ruin the romance involved with my idea. After all, I only plan on getting married once, and want to make the proposal right! A couple of follow up questions regarding the CR-1. -Since we would be getting married in China, does the timing aspect of the CR-1 mean that it would take 3-4 months until the interview once we are officially married in China and the I-130 CR-1 is sent in? Thus, if I propose next February, and we do the official marriage in China and petition in March, this implies a response of approval or denial by about August/September? And also, if/once approved, would we need to move to the U.S. within 90 days as with the K-1? -As for the interview, my fiance's English at that point will not be fluent, but its not bad, is this an issue? Also, do you have a link to common questions asked during the interview so I can help her prepare so she is less nervous? -In terms of the joint sponsor, my mother's paper income is not high enough to qualify since she is a day-trader, so she wouldn't be able to sign. However, my grandfather is a retired doctor and has very high savings. He still trades equities, so that would be all that's on his income report, but in terms of savings, he has more than enough to satisfy any requirements. Would he be a viable joint sponsor? -In terms of cons, do you know what the typical reasons are for denying a petition? -Also, when you say immediate green card upon arrival, would that be the 2 year green card? Or would there be other issues upon arrival? Thank you so much again for keeping the dream alive!!! We owe you big time!

Hello All, I've been reading through this forum, and it has been very helpful, though has also made me very anxious about this process. I have been living in China for over four years, and I have been with my girlfriend for almost 2 years now. We have been living together for over 1 year. I graduated with a Masters from Tsinghua this summer, and hope to move back to the U.S. in a year or so. We love each other very much, and hope to get married and move back together. However, after research, it seems the best way is to first get a K-1 and then get married in the U.S., correct? The K-1 application process seems to be quite complicated, and I have become most concerned about the income portion of the application. Last year I didn't file an income tax return because I was a student, was on scholarship, and had no income to speak of. However, the two years prior I made about $11k/year as an independent contractor for a U.S. company while living in China. At present, I have about $5k savings in my U.S. bank account, and again am working as an independent contractor for a U.S. company and also teaching English on the side. The U.S. company is paying me about $2k/month, but it is likely temporary work and am uncertain how long it will last. Including my RMB savings, I have about $8k U.S., and hope to have $15k by the time I move, and my fiance the same. We have family friends to live with when we move back to the U.S. while we look for jobs, hence the savings to buy us enough time. So, this all being said, what do you all recommend as the best way to go about satisfying the income requirements for the K-1 visa? Even though we will have sufficient savings, the lack of employment which can be certified by the IRS leaves me feeling very despondent.... We love each other very much, and want nothing more than to get married and continue our life together in America...but government restrictions are making it seem like this may not be possible? Thank you very much in advance for your assistance, and hope you are all doing well.

Hello All, I've been reading through this forum, and it has been very helpful, though has made me very anxious about this process. I have been with my girlfriend for almost 2 years now, and have been living together for over 1 year. We love each other very much, and hope to get married and move back to the U.S. together. However, after research, it seems the best way is to first get a K-1