jtc73

Direct flight all the way with a baby. And make sure she's nursing/bottle-feeding/sucking on a pacifier during take-off and landing because that helps pop their little ears. Bring plenty of wipes and/or hand sanitizer, too. Not to sound paranoid but planes are germ-y, so it's a good idea to wipe down whatever she touch (trays, armrests).

Many thanks guys. I got the forms mixed up; it actually was the the 260. Hubby just wrote to Guangzhou, let's see what they say. And we're going through the Guangzhou consulate -- it's the clearinghouse for everyone doing DCF in China. Andelou -- good luck!

Ay carumba, this process is somewhat confusing. My British hubby was asked to fill out a DS-230 online, print it up, and then submit it with other documents to a CITIC branch. He followed all these steps and went to the CITIC branch that does the express service. This happened before the October holiday, and we've been twiddling our thumbs since. Just out of curiosity, he went into the VIsa Status Check page online, typed in his case number, and a pop-up with a large "Ready" appeared with this text: "Your case is ready for your interview when scheduled at the U.S. Consular section. If you have already scheduled an appointment for an interview, please prepare your documents as directed in your appointment letter and appear at the consulate on the appointed date and time. Otherwise, please wait until you have been notified of your interview appointment. Additional information about how Immigrant Visa interview appointments are scheduled can be found at:http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/info/info_3731.html We haven't received instructions yet about scheduling the interview yet. Possibly missing in the mail? Sit tight and wait for them to send? Or call and gently prod? Has anyone been in the same situation? Many thanks. Jennifer

Hi -- did you get an acknowledgement from the consulate that they received your materials? Thanks.

Actually just read this on the US Embassy website in Beijing: "All consular operations in China, including visa and American Citizen services, will continue normal operations during the U.S. Government shutdown."

Congrats Andelu and sorry I never got around to replying. I am also wondering whether the D.C. shutdown is affecting things in Guangzhou. Hubby has yet to hear that they received the materials.

Hello all, Just a quick update and alert that the Guangzhou consulate now requires the beneficiary to fill out and send a DS-260 along with a copy of the photo page of the passport and two US-sized passport pics. After that's completed, the consulate then sends instructions on setting up the visa interview (in the meantime, we're collecting the necessary documents). It took us about a week to get the I-130 approved, and a month to get this notice from Guangzhou, which has the case number. I'm hoping we're a pretty straight-forward case as we've been married almost nine years and have a child, who is a US citizen. Question -- is the expedited service at the Citic branch on Financial Street reliable/worth it? And does anyone have experience with these new steps? How long is the wait for the instructions on setting up the visa interview? And here's to hoping the government shutdown in the US doesn't occur. Best, Jennifer

Thanks Randy. Are people waiting upwards to a month to receive the P-3? Seems like someone on the forum got it two weeks after their petition was accepted. Or is it completely random?

Hello all, Our I-130 petition was approved on August 17, and we're waiting around for the P-3. I see here that some folks received an email while others received the P-3 via the mail. What's the usual way of receiving the P-3? And without a case number, is there any way to check out what the status of our application is with the consulate in Guangzhou? Many thanks. Jennifer

Huge thanks for all this. Very useful -- and good to know we pretty much have everything. One question, and sorry for being such a thickie, but I take it when we send in the P-3, they want certified copies of all the documents? (i.e., birth certificates, marriage license, police certificates, etc.) And then we bring the originals to the interview? We submitted my son's US Consular Report of a Birth Abroad as part of the I-130, and I ain't mailing in the original, in case it gets lost.

Many thanks for the speedy reply. Our baby is a US citizen with a passport. He's already in the US with his grandparents, so I'm not worried about him. A couple of follow-up questions: 1.) Besides the I-864, what other documents are filed with the P-3? 2.) With the expedited locations, can we file all the documents needed for the P-3? 3.) Would my husband need an exit visa from the US? Wondering why Brits are having more trouble than others...

Hello. We recently received the letter approving my petition for a IR-1 visa for my husband and our case has been sent to Guangzhou. We're doing direct consular filing, and was wondering how long it took for people to receive the initial P3 packet from Guangzhou. I also have these questions: 1.) What documents are required for the P3? Once we get the documents together, we send them via CITIC branches listed on ustraveldocs.com? And is there one in Beijing that people generally go to? 2.) I've been working as a freelance writer and worked a lot less last year as I was pregnant. My brother, who's a doctor in the States, was going to be a co-sponsor. What documents do I need to get from him? 3.) Between mailing off the P3 and getting the P4, what sort of wait times have people been experiencing? 4.) How easy is it to schedule an interview once you receive the P4? A little bit of background on us: I am Chinese-American and my husband is British. We've been married for 9 years and have a baby, who is an American. We're currently residing in Beijing. My husband has never had any issues with US immigration and we're hoping to get the visa by November. (How realistic is that?) I realize that this forum is for people trying to get visa for their Chinese loved ones, but it's been hard for me to find information on the DCF process in China. I'd appreciate any guidance and advice.