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Since we've been in the US almost 2 months now I wanted to write and update with some tips I would've wanted to know... 1) We paid the fee and my husbands GC came exactly 3 weeks from the date of entry. 2) Do not request for a SSN/card on your DS 230, most likely it won't be processed and it is faster to enter the US and wait for your green card and then go to the SSA and request one. We waited for it to be delivered and it never came. Went to SSA and was received less than a week later! 3) I wrote a PO Box address for everything to be sent to on my DS230 however all the new mailings from USCIS went to the home address, then were returned to them and readdressed and sent to us about 1-2 weeks after they were initially sent ALSO make sure your post office knows your spouses name etc. so the mail isn't returned due to that either 4) Doing everything DCF I was never given a receipt number which is essential when looking up statuses and when calling USCIS about your case. I never knew about such a number until I called about missing documents...Something I would recommend you call and get from USCIS if you're doing DCF Those are all the things, i can think of, that I wish I would've known....

Correct, kind of hard to pay USCIS imigration fee without the visa/passports in hand, the visas have the A # noted on them which will be needed in order to pay the immigration fee.ACTUALLY: you are given your A# at the time of your approval which is written at the top of the paper, along with your case number, you are handed with the approval and instructions of how to pay the fee online, so it is completely possible to pay it before you get your passport back...(just don't do it till you get your packet returned!)

I paid the fee online last week sometime. 1) go to the website provided 2) fill in all beneficiary's information (name, A#, case #, etc.) 3) Choose form of payment, checking/savings acct or credit card 4) enter e-mail address 5) e-mail confirmation arrives seconds later Strange thing is that the confirmation only has my payment info on it, not the info of the beneficiary etc. It does however have tracking numbers and ID numbers and says to call USCIS with questions. We'll see what happens at POE and beyond for our card to arrive.

I just wanted to note that on the instructions the embassy gives you after your approval it does say NOT TO pay the green card ($165) fee until AFTER you receive your passport and packet in the mail.

China123 as Randy W posted we went to the local PSB in China to find that there is a separate outsourced company that provides the documents for foreigners, but this is only for those registered in Beijing (correct info posted in previous post). If in other cities you will have to do a bit more research, also if your visa is from a different province than your residence etc. you may have to get more than one, one from each province you have been living/registered in. Since it needed to be certified and translated etc.we spent a little over 500RMB for the snails pace option which took us 17 days to process...those are working days so basically a month. There are faster options for a price of course. Also if you have used more than one passport during your time in china all of them must be provided when the request is made or they cannot process the document for the dates of your entire stay.

DCF Guangzhou Experience Monday March 11, 2013 Appt time:12:30 Arrived for the line around 11:15, already over 100 people in line, there were 2 or more lines, as mentioned in prior posts, we had to ask which one was immigration, but found the correct one. 12:15 they started checking the appt letter and passports, handing people green/blue/black cards to proceed upstairs to the security check. I followed up to the first check, mainly because I was curious, but ducked out of line before the next one. First check is just basic screen, second check on the next floor is the full check with removal of belt, shoes, etc. Document hand in was relatively easy, the girl at the counter didn’t really ask for the documents because my husband just kept handing her one document after the other. She did however ask my husband questions about the documents such as, oh I see you have a co-signer and the wife, what is her name (he answered), where did you meet your wife, when did you get married, she also had us give our original marriage certificate and my husbands original birth declaration certificate… Documents submitted on the Doc intake day: -Original passport -Photos -Birth documents, baptismal card, affidavit of hospital closure, affidavit from father, national population certificate (notorial copy and original), affidavit of age declaration C This is all due to husbands birth country - medical forms (not the x-ray) - Marriage certificate (both notorial copy and original) - I-864 of petitioner with 3 years tax transcripts and job offer letter, I-864 of co-sponsor and I-864A for spouse of co-sponsor along with 3 years tax transcripts, 3 most recent paystubs, letter from current employer, copy of co-sponsor’s passport (proof of US domicile returned and was not looked at or asked for during both interview days) - Original police clearance for both home country and China Went to the cashier window and paid the $230 (note they DO NOT accept Chinese bank cards, someone had to leave and withdraw cash for this), waited for the number to be called again at the original window to give the payment receipt. She stamped the appointment letter with the return at 7:30am tomorrow stamp. They also stapled an EMS slip to be filled out by us and instruction sheet to be returned tomorrow during our interview along with a pamphlet on domestic abuse and further procedure for visa and AOS Waited some more time to be called for finger printing, seemed to take a while to get all the fingerprints completed. Left around 3:30pm Tuesday March 12, 2013 Appt time: 7:30am Arrived around 6:45am, not many people were there yet, but many more lines today than yesterday. They made 2 lines (green dot, and none) along with other lines for what I could tell were just normal visa appointments. They let the people with the green dots in first, then let in the other appointment lines, and then back to the people (like us) that had their letter stamped without a green dot. A little note, people that arrived later than 7:30 with a green dot were made to wait for other lines to be checked). At about 7:45am we were inside the building waiting in a much longer security line than yesterday. It was quite fast, but again I ducked out before the first check. Everyone entered the hall and took an oath, in Chinese, then sat and waited for their numbers to be called. (The VO wanted my husband to do it again in English, but said he did it in Chinese already) The number was called, walked up to the counter and the VO greeted my husband first with a good morning, do you remember me? My husband said yes, she said, yeah I finger printed you yesterday, I remember you. And from there the conversation took off. She scanned the bar code and waited for the case to come on the computer. He handed our passports, she returned mine without looking. She then asked about the relationship, will he live in this state? Where? The VO was from the same state so they shared some commentary on that. She also seemed to review the documents from the intake yesterday as she asked if my husband came to live with me in November as stated from dates on the police certificate (he clarified with other documents). She asked if we had pictures, my husband handed her a binder with both wedding and relationship pictures, which she loved, and commented on the colors of our wedding, traditional dress, etc. The VO was very friendly and commented that our file was very organized and she’d never seen a file like it before. She then half jokingly said, oh, are you a member of the CCP, my husband said no. She then said CONGRATULATIONS!! took the EMS slip and handed him an APPROVAL LETTER with his case number and Alien number, the copy of EMS form, and instructions on how to pay the $165 online before entering the states, and our original marriage and population cert. 10:40am he walked out with the approval My husband said he enjoyed the talk with the officer so much that when he came out he told me that she didn’t ask any questions…then later said she was quite sneaky with them! He also noted that a lot of people seemed to have received the blue slip and knew of some denials as well. My advice is to stay calm, get your ducks in a row, and you’ll be fine! 2 days later EMS states the package is in the sorting center

Thank you, that makes me feel a bit better amidst this frenzy going on inside my brain at the moment!

Hi everyone, I was puting off writing and notorizing my EOR because I was still debating if I needed it. We have no red flags, no age, language, religious etc. differences, we are living together in China and did DCF, so I wasn't really convinced I needed it....until I kept reading about it. Neither one of us is Chinese, but my husband in Nigerian...which is a red flag in itself. Needless to say all notorial appts are booked in Beijing and Guangzhou until Tuesday which is our interview day with doc intake on Monday. Are there any other options? I can always just write the letter and sign it and he holds on to it in case they ask for it? What are your thoughts? Thanks!

Flight = 1200rmb for 3.5hours fast train = 865rmb for 9hours.....just an FYI....this is for Beijing to Guangzhou

yes,i'm in beijing

pbatt 1400 is about what i paid for round trip in december so that doesnt surprise me. luckily we are already in China, just need to get to GUZ, but Beijing to GUZ is expensive because they know its a common trip and they can get the money for it no matter how long you plan. Is the paperwork for your visa due to expedite or a change in requirements? I know that China has been changing requirements recently...good luck to you!

Dan, the building is right next to the HePingLi Hospital...So if you know it, you're probably correct! It's very convenient :-)

My husband and I went for his medical a day after Pkt 4 arrived due to the short time between notice and interview and i'm glad we did as it won't be ready for a few days...Here's some info... 1) Beijing location is very easy to find and is currently located at line 5 HepingLiBeiJie exit A1 300 meters ahead on left (the recording on the phone says they will be moving soon though) 2) No appointment is necessary, you must be fasting (no eating for 12 hours prior), bring your passport and a copy of it, a copy of your appointment letter, and 4 passport photos, arrive between 8 and 10am 3) We arrived around 8:20 (keep in mind my hsband and I speak limited Chinese) and asked the main reception where to go, they told us 4th floor (in chinese), we found a room on the 4th floor with 2 receptionists where they were doing intake. Chairs were lined up with about 4 families waiting. It was our turn within 20minutes. The woman who was behind the computer asked if we speaked Chinese and of course we said a little, but she was scared and shy and called someone that spoke English. They took the passport copy, 3 pictures, copy of the letter, asked our address, phone number, the usuals and directed us to go to the first room. Oh, we also signed authoriztion forms for HIV, TB, X-Ray, etc. tests to be done (Also check the info sheet they type up, there were many mistakes on ours at first!!!!) 4) The first room was the 'physical exam' - though I wasn't allowed inside (doctor escorted me out) my husband said he had to take all his clothes off and that the doctor poked around everywhere. he then asked medical history in chinglish. The doctor gave a thumbs up and off to the next place we went 5) Next was payment - payment is taken on the first floor and they take the print out that the doctor in the physical exam gave us (has vaccination requirements listed). my husband paid about 1,300RMB for the exam, lab work, and vaccinations. This fee varies depending on the vaccinations needed and I also know that the childrens exams are more expensive as well. 6)Next started the fun part, weaving in and out of a Chinese hospital going from room to room, floor to floor. If you've ever went through a PSB visa exam it's the same kind of procedure. Bloodwork, urine, ultrasound, ECG, ENT, Dental, Vaccination, X-ray,vision. 7) We finished and handed the paperwork in and they said it will be done for pick up on Monday (We did the exam on a Wednesday) Though the procedure was pretty painless, my husband was pretty tired and hungry by the time we were done. He also said his arms and body ached (from vaccinations) later in the day. The only thing that threw us was that he has to return for 2 more vaccinations before his paperwork can be issued. They said we can come, tomorrow, the next day, or Monday as long as they are given before we get the papers. I am happy we planned ahead as it seems the Beijing medical check results don't come as fast as they do at the other places available for the medicals to take place. PS - language was not a problem, as humans we seem to be able to act out things pretty well if verbal communication isn't understood!

Although I'm prepared for our interview, we were notified with less than 2 weeks until our interview. Is this very common? Is it because we are DCF? I was hoping for a bit more prep time or ability to plan work and travel a bit better. Also, just curious, if I was to reschedule, let's say I tell them the week after, would there be a big problem with that? Do you think it'd be too risky that I may have to wait longer? I guess I'm venting a bit because I feel a little hurried....

Thanks guys!