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In case it's helpful, here is the email (minus my wife's personal information at the top) Dear Applicant, Petitioner, or Agent of record: The U.S. Consulate General Guangzhou has received your application information and will begin the next phase of processing your visa. Please follow the instructions to submit the items listed below along with this letter to the Consulate. Do NOT submit other documents to the Consulate at this time, as they will be destroyed.You will receive further instructions after you submit these items. If you have questions, contact us through our email web-form at http://guangzhou.usembassy-china.org.cn//immigrant-visa-unit-question.html. □ COMPLETE FORM DS-260(Online Immigrant Visa Application & Registration). Starting September 1, 2013 immigrant visa applicants are required to complete form DS-260. Please complete this form at https://ceac.state.gov/IV. *Please note that you should enter your date of birth in YYYYMMDD format (for example: 19821231) as your “Invoice ID Number” at the sign-in page. Once you have completed the form, print the confirmation page and submit it along with other requested items in this notice. *For instructions and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on completing the DS-260, please visit http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/info/info_5164.html. □ COPY OF THE PERSONAL INFORMATION PAGE OF YOUR PASSPORT: A copy of the personal information page of your current passport. (Each applicant must have a current passport that will be valid for travel to the United States for at least 8 months beyond the visa issuance date.) □ PHOTOGRAPHS: Two 2 inches square (roughly 50 mm square) un-mounted full-face color photographs with a white background. All applicants must submit photos, regardless of age. Sincerely, Chief, Immigrant Visa Unit The Chinese translation for this notice is as follows: 美国驻广州总领事馆移民部 移民签证申请人通知 亲爱的移民申请人,美国申请人,或指定代理人： 领事馆已收到你的移民申请档案并准备对你的签证进行下一阶段的处理。每一位申请人都应该准备下列材料并按要求将此信及下列材料提交到领事馆。切勿将其他资料提交到本馆，因为我们不得不将其销毁。在你提交这些材料之后，你将会收到领事馆的进一步指引。如有任何疑问，请使用网页上的电子邮件咨询表格http://guangzhou.usembassy-china.org.cn//immigrant-visa-unit-question.html与我们联系。 □ 请在网上完成DS-260 即“在线的移民签证申请及登记表”。从2013年9月1日起，移民申请人需填写DS-260 表格。请登录网页https://ceac.state.gov/IV完成该表格，请注意你需要将你的出生年月日填写在“Invoice ID Number”一项才能进入该表格。（例如你的出生年月日是1982年12月31日，你需填写19821231作为你的Invoice ID Number）。 表格填写完成后仅需打印DS-260表的确认页并连同此通知要求的其他材料提交到领事馆。如想了解网上填写DS-260表格的相关指引及其常见问题请参阅网页：http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/info/info_5164.html. □ 一份你有效护照的个人资料页的复印件（每位申请人都必须持有一本有效的可前往美国的护照，且自签证签发之日起护照至少有八个月的有效期。） □ 两张签证照片：两张白底彩色照片。照片必须光洁，照片的尺寸为2x2英寸（大约为50毫米x 50毫米）正方形，头像居于正中。无论年龄大小，每位申请人均须提供照片。 How to Submit Required Materials 如何提交必须的材料： You must register a location for document pick-up by selecting the “Select Document Delivery Address” option in the Immigrant Visa Section ofhttp://ustraveldocs.com.你必须登入签证申请服务网站http://ustraveldocs.com在移民签证信息页面上点击“选择文件送达地址”进行信息登记并选择一个文件送达地址。 Please print the “Document Submission Letter” at http://ustraveldocs.com/cn/DocumentSubmissionLetter_IV.pdf . Complete and submit the Document Submission Letter along with the above requested items at the nearest CITIC Bank. Failure to take the requested action within one year will result in your application being terminated.网上登记完成后，请打印“文件材料提交表”(该表格可以从网页http://ustraveldocs.com/cn/DocumentSubmissionLetter_IV.pdf 下载)。填写好“文件材料提交表”后带同上述的必要材料前往就近的中信银行办事处提交材料。如果申请人在一年之内没有按要求采取相应的行动, 移民申请将会被终止。 Following the submission of the above documents to the Consulate, please refer to the “Immigrant Visa Instructions” packet for instructions on how to prepare the necessary documents for your upcoming visa interview. Instruction packets can be found by selecting the “Prepare Documents” option in the Immigrant Visas section of the visa application service websitehttp://ustraveldocs.com. The Consulate will send you further instructions on how to schedule your visa interview. 你将上述材料提交到领事馆后,你可以参考签证申请网站http://ustraveldocs.com上的“移民签证申请说明”包裹，以便你可以按照指引准备将来的签证面谈所需材料。签证说明包裹可从网站http://ustraveldocs.com移民签证信息页面部分的“准备资料”链接中下载。领事馆会发信通知你如何安排签证面谈时间。 此致， 美国驻广州总领事馆移民部

Actually, that is the website I used with the information entered exactly as they instructed (GUZ Case Number from the email, wife's date of birth in YYYYMMDD format). The Sign In Failed message I posted above was copied directly from the website after I attempted to sign in. Do you have any idea what the problem might be? I have also emailed Guangzhou in hopes that they will answer but I am afraid they will just repeat the same instructions thinking I didn't bother to read them or just give me a link back to the general information. Has anyone else encountered this?

Thanks for the reply. We actually have already run into a problem. When we tried to sign in to the website ( order to complete the DS-260, we got the message: Sign In Failed. I called the NVC number provided with the message but they were not helpful at all or even polite. They just said it wasn't their issue because everything was filed in China. I am at a loss as to what I should do. All of the information was filled out correctly and I haven't seen anyone else with this issue. Sign InSign In FailedThe selected Case Number and Invoice Identification Number combination you entered does not match our records. Please try again or contact the National Visa Center for further assistance. Select one of the following roles that best describes your relationship to the case: Principal Applicant, Attorney, Petitioner, or Third-party Agent. Enter the NVC case number located in the instructions that you received from the National Visa Center(NVC). Enter the NVC Invoice ID Number provided to you by the NVC. The information is located in the NVC instructions you received. If your case was not handled by the NVC (because the petition was filed at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate overseas), you will not have an NVC Invoice ID number. Enter the principal applicant’s date of birth in YYYYMMDD format instead. Click on the Sign In Button.

Hi Dave, I submitted the paperwork for my wife on the 17th of December at the Beijing Embassy and I just received an email from Guangzhou literally this morning. Another person just finished the whole process and it seems this step took around a month for them as well. I don't know how the Spring Festival will affect things but you might end up having to wait until after the holidays are over to hear from them.

I just received the email from Guangzhou asking for the DS-260. I guess that means everything is going smoothly? We have been trying to get everything together for the next steps so we can hopefully reach our goal of leaving in April. We will try to fill out the DS-260 this evening and submit it in the next couple of days. It asks for a copy of the passport personal information page and 2 photos. This is only for the Chinese spouse, correct? We have already gotten her police certificate and birth certificate. I'm ordering tax transcripts and putting together the I-864 with my father as a co-sponsor. I just wanted to ask what else we should be doing and how long we should expect to wait for the next step. Thanks for all of the help so far. It certainly wouldn't have gone this smoothly without all of the help and encouragement we have received.

I have read some things about establishing domicile on this site. I have been out of the country for over 6 years, 4 in Japan and 2 in China. I have filed my taxes every year, continued using bank and investment accounts, renewed my driver's licence, opened 3 new financial accounts in the last year and had $10,000 transferred from a Chinese bank to an American bank account. Also, I am currently studying for the first of the actuarial exams and will sit for the test in March. This should help me in my job search upon returning to the U.S. Is this enough to establish domicile or what else should I do? What will happen if they decide I haven't established domicile?

Wow, I actually just got the Notice of Approval of Relative Immigrant Visa Petition in an email. I just filed it yesterday afternoon. What does this mean exactly? It says: "This concludes all action on your petition by this office." It also said it has been forwarded to Guangzhou. What should my next step be in order to get everything ready in a timely manner?

Does our application look good? It is really hard for me to judge it myself, maybe someone who has more experience could evaluate it. What is going to happen next? Is there anything I can prepare for in advance? I just want to add that I really appreciate all of the help from Randy and Dan. You guys have helped us a lot, not only here but also from posts to others' questions. Thank you.

We ran out of time due to a lot of other work and life issues all happening around the time we were getting ready to apply. Here is a list of what we submitted yesterday. Cover letter and table of contentsI-130G-325A for both of usG-1145Copy of passport biographical page and Chinese visa for meCopy of passport biographical page for herMarriage certificate and notarized translationDivorce certificate and translation for both of our prior marriagesPassport style photos for bothEvidence of Bona Fide Marriage EOR including relationship history, past issues explanation and future plansJoint U.S. bank account statement (I was able to open one without her present in my hometown)Copy of joint apartment lease in BeijingCopy of Registration Form of Temporary Residence (暂住证) for herCopy of Temporary Residence Permit for mePhotos of us doing things together in different places, with different people, at different timesAffidavits from family and friends (the guy only took the affidavits from her parents and mine, we had about 20 total but he just said to take the others to Guangzhou)I hope this is enough and maybe useful for someone else. Also, I was confused about the addresses but from what I was told yesterday, the most important one is on part C of the I-130 #20. This is where they will send everything. I put my work address because we can't receive mail at our apartment.

If they do request more evidence, at what point will that be? Will it slow everything down a lot or is it a relative non-issue if I get back to them quickly?

I just wanted to give you an update on our progress. I called the USCIS in Beijing today and they initially told me that the earliest appointment time to submit our I-130 was January 9th. I told them that was really late and that I hoped they could find an earlier time. They got back to me with an appointment for next Tuesday! Definitely happy about that. I think I have everything together but I will list it all here later in case I might have missed something. I still need to organize and create a table of contents. Is there anything in particular I should be aware of before I go to the appointment? We are both quite nervous and just feel like we are lacking something or something will go wrong and delay us for a long time. We will both be going to the embassy together just in case. If something isn't good enough (for example the Japanese document discussed previously), will they instruct me as to what I should do at that point? Or will they take my application and then request what they want later?

That reply was really fast, thank you. 1. They are willing to notarize a Chinese copy because the characters are identical, no pronunciation needed. I haven't asked for anything specific regarding the format. The Japanese Embassy merely stated they couldn't translate anything with a Japanese name into English without proof of how the name would be read. Example: Hakuba 白馬 and Shirouma 白馬. These are both place names in nearly the same area with the exact same characters but completely different pronunciations, thus different English translations. If I do get a notarized Japanese to Chinese translation, what should I do with it? I am under the impression the US Embassy will only accept English. I just feel trapped between a rock and a hard place. The Japanese embassy saying there is no way to notarize an English translation and the US Embassy saying they must have everything in English (and I assume notarized to ensure it is correct). 2. My second question was regarding the residence permit saying Liao Ning Province and my apartment contract saying Beijing. I actually live in Beijing with my wife but have no government issued proof of it. I am afraid an apartment lease is too easy to forge to be considered proof. Wouldn't they look at the "official" proof saying that I lived in Liao Ning which is nowhere near Beijing? Wouldn't that be given more weight than my apartment lease? I appreciate the encouragement regarding documentation.

I have nearly gotten everything together that I need. It has been much more time consuming than I originally thought. I just have a couple of questions. 1. This Japanese divorce document is driving me insane. I contacted the Japanese Embassy about a translation and notarization. They informed that they are unable to notarize an English translation without a copy of the Japanese ex-wife's passport. The reason for this actually makes complete sense: Japanese characters can be pronounced in a wide variety of ways so there is no way for them to know how her name should be pronounced or translated into English. Because they have to take responsibility for anything they notarize, they are unwilling to do it without a copy of her passport. I don't believe there is any way I will be able to obtain a copy. What should I do? The Japanese Embassy can translate it to Chinese but that leaves the same problem with the name if I try to translate it again to English and anyway a double translation doesn't really seem too acceptable. I could translate it myself but there is no proof that my translation is correct or true. I really don't know what to do or who to contact to ask. Please help if you have any ideas. 2. I want to provide proof that I am living with my wife. What should I provide for this? I have a contract with both of our names on it in Beijing. Unfortunately, because my employer is based in Liao Ning, that is where my official residence permit is in my passport (I am on a work visa). I actually live and work in Beijing. How can I resolve this? Thank you for any help. I hope to finish and submit the application this month.

Can I translate it myself? It is a really simple document that I'm sure I can do. If I or someone else translates it, how can I make sure it is accepted? Assuming USCIS in Beijing accepts it, does that mean that everything is ok as far as they are concerned?

Well, my wife went to the notary office here in Beijing and they refused to give her the "white books" or do anything else. They just told her that she has to go back to Taiyuan where we were married. The people working there were very rude and essentially told her to get out and not bother them anymore. She called me crying because of the way they treated her when she tried to ask for more information. She's not very tough and always avoids conflict; what they did was just uncalled for. It is even more frustrating to hear about others who have just recently gotten everything done without their spouse having to go back to their hometown. Situations like this are why I want to get back to the U.S. asap. Abuse of this sort is rare, things are "generally" decided by law or clear policy rather than guanxi, "gifts" and the mood of the bureaucrat; anyway I can be the one to deal with these things instead of her. I know everybody on this website had to have had loads of patience to get through the whole process and we will need it too. The support and information here is so much more useful and encouraging than from any other "official" channel. So I guess we have to head to Taiyuan, both of us or just her? Is there no way to get it done in Beijing? Also, I still am not really clear on what I need to do regarding the Japanese divorce certificate. It is really simple, only 1 page, but it is in Japanese. What should I do in order to have it accepted by USCIS? The pictures, sworn affidavits and Evolution of Relationship letter are being prepared now, thanks for all of the suggestions!

Thanks for the explanations and advice. I am just kind of concerned about proving our relationship. We never really kept any records or were careful with saving all of our pictures, etc. Most of our pictures were on an old cell phone she gave to her friend and were thus deleted. I have yet to meet her parents but will be doing so in the next couple of weeks. I'm going to make sure I take a lot of pictures then! I'm not sure what else I can do. We just don't have a lot of evidence on paper because we have just been living our lives normally. Recently, though, we have tried to save every ticket and picture. Do we need to print these pictures out or would it be better to submit a USB? I know it's impossible to give a good answer, but what do you think the chances are that we will be outright denied? I am really concerned about that. If we are just asked for more evidence, it's not really a problem, I just don't want to be completely denied or have to fight for years. We aren't really in a rush but I do hope to get back to America with her as soon as possible. I just don't want to screw it up.

1) Ok, we have started assembling the documents we need. We have completed the I-130, G-325A for both of us, G-1145. I have copies of the visas and passport pages that prove I have lived here for 2 years. I also have copies of the bio pages for both of our passports but no birth certificate for either of us. Is that going to be an issue at some point? 2) We have our marriage "red books" and will be going to the notary here in Beijing to get the "white book" translations. We were married in Taiyuan but I assume that they can do everything for us here in Beijing, is that correct? 3) We both have a previous marriage that ended in divorce. Certainly we must get translations of the divorce decrees. Can this be done at the same place we get the "white books?" Another added problem is that I got married and divorced both in Japan so the information is all in Japanese but I do have a Chinese translation that was done when we got married in Taiyuan. Can I get this or the original Japanese document translated and notarized at the Beijing notary? 4) We were married at the beginning of this August which was really soon after my divorce was finalized in May. This was after a long period of separation (about 2 years) from my ex-wife waiting for the Japanese court to make it official. Is this "quick" marriage after a divorce going to cause a lot of red flags? I met my wife shortly after I came to China but have only been in a relationship for about a year and a half. Unfortunately, this overlap between the time we started our relationship and the time the divorce was finalized may cause problems as well, no? 5) Finally, we are trying to put together evidence to prove that our marriage is real. Honestly, this seems to be the trickiest part. Despite the fact we have been living together as an "unofficially" married couple for about a year, we have very little official evidence. I just never thought I would need it. We now have marriage certificates as I mentioned, but little else. We live together but the landlord can't/won't register a foreigner as living there so my address is officially at a location about a block away. So no joint bills or cohabitation evidence. We didn't have a wedding because we would prefer to save our money and have an easier transition to America. So no wedding pictures. We both use her bank accounts for everything in China and do our saving and investing in the U.S. I can't figure out a way to prove this by getting my name added to hers or her name added to mine. So no co-mingling of finances. Phone records, emails, letters, etc. don't really contain anything substantial either because we see each other every day. Pictures are the same deal. Many other people on these boards talk about the mountains of transcripts and pictures they have amassed as proof but we never thought to save any of that. What can I do? 6) We can get affidavits from the people who know us but do they need to be notarized? If so, how and where? I really don't understand this one at all. Sorry for the long post, I have been really busy getting ready to go to the States in early October and these questions kind of piled up. Any advice would be really appreciated. Also, we would like to file before I go on my business trip but if there is something I can do in America that would improve our chances greatly, I can wait. Is there anything? Thanks a lot.

That was very helpful. I will certainly try DCF here in Beijing then. What I actually meant by "If I have to go back before my wife" was if I need to go back first in order to establish domicile or satisfy some other requirement, I will. I really want to get back to the U.S. as soon as possible but I don't want to leave her behind. We have some savings built up so future job concerns are secondary to us being together. We have started filling out the forms but don't know what to put regarding addresses. I apologize if this gets a little unclear. Question B-2 asks for my address. I have 4 that could apply here: 1) My parents' physical address - It is literally in the middle of a forest on a small private road and has absolutely no mail service 2) My parents' mailing address - A PO box in the nearest town where they receive all mail 3) The address where I live in China (1.5 years) - My wife's apartment rented in her name only. The landlord can't/won't register me at that address so I don't "officially" live there. 4) The address where I am registered - A landlord friend of mine registered me at a place he owns for a super low price because I don't actually take up space there I would prefer to use option 2 if possible. For question C-19 it asks for her address abroad; option 3 is the obvious choice but we don't want anything mailed there because there is about a 95% chance we won't receive it. She always has everything sent to her work address. C-21 asks for the last address where we lived together; option 3 is the correct one but I have nothing on paper to prove it (also doesn't help prove our marriage is real). The G-325A has similar issues with my current address and our preferences are the same as above. We are just concerned about proof and where things will be mailed. Finally, it asks for employment for the last 5 years. In China, I have taught English on the side but without proof. The job I currently have, started in April but will not have a work visa until October. The paperwork from my employer is ready to go, I just haven't gotten around to heading back home to get the visa. Flying to the other side of the world and back, spending about $1000 just to submit papers and wait a couple of hours is kind of silly in my opinion. What should I say regarding employment? Will not having the visa before starting work have an effect?

Wow these replies came really fast, thanks. I have looked over what a lot of people have written about DCF. Because I have been a resident in 2 countries since leaving the States, I figured there was no real way to claim I was "temporarily" living abroad and still had domicile in the states. The key appears to be that "temporary" nature or, as was mentioned, making a strong case for having a job lined up. I gather this from the Department of State website which states: He/she left the United States for a limited and not indefinite period of time,He/she intended to maintain a domicile in the United States, andHe/she has evidence of continued ties to the United States.6 years and 2 countries would seem not particularly limited or definite wouldn't it? Or am I overthinking this? As for work, I am employed by a Chinese company exporting raw materials. There is a possibility that when I go back to America, I will continue this work either full time or as a side job therefore haven't really been looking for a job in the States. I would like to be able to stay in Beijing with my wife until it is actually time to go. I doubt many companies would promise me a job for "sometime in the next year or so." If I do have to go back before my wife, I suppose I will. In dealing with the financial support aspect, my parents are willing and able to provide an affidavit of support. Thanks for all the help

Hi everyone, I have been reading the tons of inspiring stories and kind, helpful advice on the site for over a year now. I have just gotten married and now it's time to start this long process. The problem is that I think I have read too much information and advice (given to others)! I don't know exactly where to start or what choices are the right/best ones for our situation. I am an American and my wife is from Shanxi, both born in 1983. I have been living in Beijing for about 2 years and we got married on August 1st this year. We applied for a tourist visa but she was denied this morning. I have to go to the States on business in October and had hoped she could come after the business was finished and meet my family for the first time. I wasn't too surprised that she was denied; American husband+no real assets+low paying job=low chance of issuance. I have been amazed by the kindness of people on this site in helping total strangers and hope someone may be able to advise us as well. I have many questions so any help would be greatly appreciated. First off, we are trying to decide if we should try DCF or if I should submit the application when I am in America in October. I have read the rules several times and am mostly stuck on the issue of domicile. Right now I am on a student visa and will be getting a z-visa very soon (as part of the business trip). I believe I meet the residency requirements for China but I haven't lived in the U.S. since I graduated from university. I lived 4 years in Japan and now 2 in Beijing. I have no home in America but do have a current driver license, an active bank account, credit card, 3 small investment accounts and I have filed tax returns accurately every year. Everything uses my parents' address. Where should I start?