Spidercat

When calling the USCIS - how do you guys get past the seemingly endless auto menu loop and talk to a real person?

Congrats!!!

Hi All, Address questions here for the I-864 under Part 2 "Information on the Principal Immigrant" & Part 4 "Information on the Sponsor". My background - US citizen married to Chinese hubby, DCF'd with visa interview set at July 27 (I'm getting so nervous...). We have been married for 5 years and living in China the whole time. Hopefully the questions make sense. :-) Thanks a bunch! Question 1: Part 2 Information on the Principal Immigrant - Mailing Address (2.a - 2.h) <-- Do I enter in the address my husband I live at here in Beijing? Question 2: Part 4 Information on the Sponsor - Sponsor's Mailing Address (2.a - 2.h), Sponsor's Place of Residence (3.a-3.h) & Other Information (4-5) Sponsor's Mailing Address (2.a - 2.h) <--Is this my current Beijing address? Sponsor's Place of Residence (3.a-3.h) <--Is this my US residence? Other Information <--(4-5) Which number to use: US or China (current mobile no.)? Which country to record for domicile? US?

Thanks! I've go being persistant covered... still working on patient! ;-)

Hi all - finally got the interview letter/email today at 12:01pm for hubby's IR1. (Yay! Took like 3 weeks after submitting DS-260 in Beijing) Logged on to CGI as directed to schedule our interview in GuangZhou but get this message "There are currently no appointments available." Granted it's not yet 1:00pm yet, but am I just too antsy here? Has anyone exprienced this? Do I just keep trying again and again? Thanks!

Yes - we had a similar issue with the CITIC bank here in Beijing - took 3 tries (3 banks). If you're in Beijing, go to the CITIC Bank on Chang'An Da Jie across from the Sci-Tech shopping mall. There is a guy who knows how to do it there. :-)

Thanks - I'll ask the "patient" to see what he prefers.

Brilliant! Thanks a bunch!

Thanks - that's what I was thinking. Are there any special hospitals in Beijing to get them? I mean that are on-par with what's expected for the medical exam records?

Hi All - getting a little ahead of myself, but like many in China, my husband did get vaccinated however there are no records. We understand that he'll have to get re-vaccinated (no prob), but are wondering if we should get it done before the medical exam (which we'll complete in Beijing) or just wait until the medical exam and get him started on the vaccinations. From reading on the CFL, it looks like that is what one couple did in 2013 here in Beijing. Waited until the medical exam and the doc started (re)vaccinating the applicant. Once all the vaccinations were complete the completed medical exam records were released. Does anyone know if that's still the way to go in 2015? Wait until the official medical exam to get re-vaccinated as required or get a jump on it beforehand? Thanks a bunch! :-)

Thanks!

New question about addresses - last one (I hope) and yet another worry-wart-duh question (sorry in advance)... "Petitioner Information" For the Petitioner (myself) do I put my US address or the one I currently reside at in Beijing with my husband?

Thanks! I get it now sorry for the D'oh-ness! Yes, the mailing address is the same as the present address (here in Beijing) Permanent Address - I put my U.S. address where we (for now) plan on living after our arrival in Beijing. And "Yes", this is (for now) the address in the US where we want the Permanent Residence Card (Green Card) mailed. (I read on the forum here that upon actual arrival, we can change the address. But the current one I plan to use is my go-to, I know I'll get the mail address for the US.)

Thanks for the quick reply. 3) We are still at the same address in Beijing that we used when we filed for the I-130. No change there. That is address I plan to use for 1 (Beneficiary's present address). I'm a little confused with 2 - perhaps I'm just really dense... but for 2. "Mailing and Permanent Address Information" (Beneficiary) Permanent Address Please provide the following information on where you intend to live after arrival in the United States. <--Aren't they asking for the US address here? Because on the side there is a yes/no question: Is this address where you want your Permanent Residence Card (Green Card) mailed?

Filling out the DS-260 and just want to double-check which addresses to use in the form: 1. "Beneficiary's Present Address" The current address my husband (Beneficiary) and I live at here in Beijing, right? (Just like the I-130, right?) 2. "Mailing and Permanent Address Information" (Beneficiary) Permanent Address Please provide the following information on where you intend to live after arrival in the United States. Should this be my US address? We're not 100% sure where we will be moving to exactly, waiting on getting the Visa first. :-) But, my US address is where I get all my mail and such. 3. "Address and Phone Number of Petitioner" This should be my permanent US address right? Not where my husband and I are living currently in Beijing? Thanks!

Never mind... I'm such a nerd! Right after posting my "what's next question", I got the U.S. Consulate General (Guangzhou) email about the next steps - DS-260, copy of personal passport page, photos. D'oh!

After waiting for nearly 2 months here in Beijing (filed on March 19, approved May 13), we got the I-130 approval notice (email/post). But I'm not sure what's next...Do we wait for some other information from GZ? In the I-130 approval letter, it states my husband's "Beneficiary A Number" as all zeros - what does that mean? Thanks!

Thanks. We have already printed all the pictures at the photo shop this past weekend. I have an appointment this Thursday to submit the I-130, so we'll include the photos and print them again if needed. Like mentioned by llamagatekeeper, printing them in China is pretty affordable.

Thanks guys! So printing them on paper... does it have to be in color or could it be black and white?

As part of the bona fide marriage part proof, we have about 30 photos documenting our 9 year relationship, including the past 4 years of marriage (2 wedding cermonies too). Do I just include them loosely in all the paper work, or should I tape them to sheets of paper so they can be punched and bundled by USCIS? Currently, I'm planning on giving them a heap 'o paperwork with a cover letter for them to bind as the please - they seem to be so darn picky. Is that ok?

You fill out the forms as you have suggested - with your NEW address at which you WILL be able to receive any mail. When you FILE the I-130, bring your proof of residence (both new and old) with you. You will SHOW this to the clerk, who will nod his head (or say "Uh" in Chinese) and ACCEPT your application. In fact, the NEW residence information should be enough - there IS no six month requirement. That used to be listed on their web site, but, as of Dec 2011, it is not. Once the clerk has ACCEPTED your application, then you know you have satisfied the requirements for DCF. The hukou is not an issue - that is VERY typical in China. Thank you for getting back to me so quickly and your patience! :-)

Possibly a silly question due to worrying a bit too much... but we are changing apartments here in Beijing in the coming 2 weeks and I have an appointment to file the I-130 petition on March 19 but am not sure which Chinese address to use in the form for where I reside here in China. I still have the temporary residence permit for our current/old apartment, but can easily get the new resident permit for the new place because we've already signed the contract but just haven't moved in yet. While we will be residing at the new apartment for at least another year or until we get the green card (knock on wood), my concern is will using the new address/residence permit work for or against me in establishing my 6 months or more in China qualification for DCF? Or will my work contract(s), past resident permits, work visas, etc. from the past 4 years plus we've been married be enough? Gosh as I write this, I think just get the new resident permit for the new apartment and use that, right? Also - one additional question, although my husband and I have been living together here in beijing and he's been on the rental contracts since we've been married, his offical hukou still has him listed at his parents place in Beijing. Is this going to be an issue? Or do I just put the same Chinese residence address as mine in the form? Thank you!

I'm getting the impression from some of the feedback we're getting about "birth certificates" that you DO NOT want to ask for an actual birth certificate. These WERE NOT ISSUED prior to 1991. The newer format requires proof of both PAternity and MAternity (usually by DNA testing). I'm not meaning to confuse your issue - if that doesn't ring a bell with you, just read on The hukou is the only documentation that Chinese citizens had prior to the newer system. Take the hukou book to your Gong Zheng Chu and see if they won't issue what is known to Westerners as a "white book" or GongZhengShu 公证书 - a document generated according to Chinese standards for use overseas. The consulate WILL recognize this document. A translation of the hukou book itself is NOT what they are looking for, but MAY suffice if you are having trouble getting a white book generated. Chinese Notarial Documents Try http://travel.state..../fees_3272.html or go to http://travel.state.gov/ and search for "Reciprocity by Country" (they seem to change this periodically) Most of the documents needed can be obtained from one of China's Notarial Offices (Gong Zheng Chu). All Chinese documentation to be used abroad is processed through the notary offices and issued in the form of notarial certificates. Notarial offices are located in all major Chinese cities and in rural county seats The documents required are the GongZhengShu 公证书 Sample application for documents (your province or hukou may vary): http://www.bnpo.gov....72115331419.doc http://www.bnpo.gov....ide/detail1.asp A discussion of the huji (or hukou 户口) system can be found at Hukou System. Chinese residents should go to their hukou for all notarial documents (birth, divorce, and/or single certificate, and police records). For the police record, one obtained at the hukou will cover all of China. A notarial document will be in the standard white notarial booklet, have an official red seal, an English translation, and an attestation to the true translation. If ANY document is unobtainable, you should submit a statement of WHY it is unobtainable, and what effort you made to obtain it. Thank you! I just checked with the hubby and everything we're getting translated is the 公证书. He dropped it off yesterday (Tuesday) and it will be ready on Friday. :-)

While preping the documents for step one, submitting the I-130 application here in Bejing, I'm a bit confused about the birth certificate for my (Chinese) husband. He was born in 1981 in Beijing, but there isn't a birth certificate - he only has the hukou. Will a certified/tranlated copy of it from the offical Chinese gov't office for this stuff (e.g. marriage licenses) suffice instead? Also, his hukou is for his parent's house, but we've been living together for 9 years (and married for over 4 years) in rentals around Beijing. Will this address difference be an issue? Many thanks!

Thanks for the tip, Doug! :-)